Rendezvous with the stranger

The class was abuzz with several voices, some nervous, some excited, some anxious, some serious and some… well didn’t bother much about what was going around. Harman was one of them. He didn’t bother about who the guest lecturer was or what exercise would he undertake. It was the personality development session at one of the most popular MBA coaching classes in the Country. He was busy drawing a cartoon of his English faculty, though she was a nice person, Harman always thought of her as a devil in a saree. The reason is still unknown to many as is to him. It was just one of those pre-conceived notions one has. I guess.

Suddenly the class went into a mute mode and Harman surprised by this sudden & uneasy silence around him, for the first time raised his head, to find a huge dark figure standing in the middle of the classroom. The Guest faculty for the day for PD session.

His accent was British and his task even more so. He divided the entire class into several small groups and there started the exercise. Each group, one by one would send their candidate to talk on the decided topic which had to be prefixed with the student’s introduction. Then the person would be questioned by the other groups. So much for anyone developing his / her personality in a single day!

Still busy with his work on the cartoon, Harman kept himself away from the discussion happening in his group, comforted with the fact that he would not be asked to go first from the group. While giving the brushing effect to the cartoon, his Cello Gripper slipped off his hand and the cartoon he was half way through, suddenly seemed imprecise to him. He could feel a heaviness mounting on him, all eyes fixed on him. It was only after the faculty called out his name twice that he could come to the senses and to the realm of reality. Coping up with this sudden development, he looked up. With 5 minutes to prepare himself to speak on the said topic, he was left with less time to blast his group mates, he hurriedly made some points on the back side of the paper which till now served as the canvas for him.

Unfolding his sleeves and buttoning the cuffs, centre aligning the shirt & trouser, he made his way through the congested class. Adjusting his glasses, he started off with his name and other mandatory details, which qualify to make any introduction complete and the talk on the said topic followed. It all went pretty smooth, much to his surprise and many others, which included his group mates, his faculties - who had already given up on him. Though, deep within Harman knew that this was far from over, with the questioning round yet to commence. He found some comfort and confidence after a few initial questions which he answered. A sense of confidence started to fill him from inside and he was ready for more. And he had more. And more.

As he was readying to make a move towards his seat, he heard a thick yet sweet voice. “Excuse me, I would like to say something!”. Harman could feel the sudden jerk in his knee, compelling him to stop. Talking to himself, “I knew it! I cannot be left so easily!!” he slowly raised his head, his eyes searching for the voice which stopped him. A thought running through his mind, whosoever the person be, she said, she wanted to say something and not ask…this thought somehow comforted him and he could feel his confident self regaining. He found the person, sitting on the 5^th bench from where he was standing. A girl clad in a pink salwaar kameez, whom he had never seen before. As if reading his thoughts, the girl introduced herself, “Hi! Am Neha”! pausing in that moment, Harman felt a disconnect with his surroundings and went in to the state of trance. His eyes were busy observing this new stranger, who had triggered this sudden gush of anxiety and excitement in him. He could see her round face, which he thought was blessed with the most wonderfully carved out eyes, almond shaped, aptly covered by curving eyelashes, the combination which he had always liked. Picasso work, he thought!. He could see her smiling face bolstered by white sparkling diamonds on her neck and pierced ears. Diamonds are girls best friends after all, they are known to bolster confidence in this adorable species. Thick black hair, long enough to cover better part of her back. All these observations made him want more. He hurriedly tried to explore her, as much as he could, from that distance, wanting to fill his eyes to the fullest. He suddenly felt the gush of adrenaline through his spine. He saw her lips which were moving, but little did anyone know that what she was saying fell on deaf ears. But a loud noise of clapping and cheering disturbed him and he was unwontedly pushed back to the reality. Trying to make sense of what just happened, which eluded him completely despite the fact that he was there, very much there in the centre of everything. He still couldn’t take himself away from the awe of this sweet stranger.

Little did he know that what he was experiencing now, was just a reciprocation of what she had felt when he was standing there in the middle of the class, trying to make sense of all what he was saying. Everything started to make sense now, everything started to fall in place, those mute movements of her lips, the clapping and cheer which followed after that. It was the bravest public confession he had ever experienced or seen, to say the least. With just about managing to smile back, he hurriedly rushed back to his seat.

That was for the first time when both came face to face after the class, and what followed after that was another beautiful journey which both of them enjoyed for the time to come.

Until recently.