We met, meet and will keep meeting people as long as life exists. Unique people. Weird people. Typical people. People of different kinds. Let’s not say queer because it can spark another kind of debate. It is interesting to note that the trait that makes people weird is what makes them unique too. As you grow up, you should be more accepting of the people around you. It’s the way to keep yourself happy. Here, you’ve got two choices whether you decide to admire their uniqueness or weirdness.
The ‘Adverse’ guy
While in UG, I met a guy in the hostel who initially looked fit and fine until one day, I noticed something unusual. It was his appearance. It would draw anybody. He wore a pair of black-framed Gandhian goggles without any kind of glass/lens on them. This means if you try to touch your eyes with the spectacles on, you can do it easily without any intervention. I kept wondering what benefit only frame would do! Does it help him to see better? I failed to apply any ‘logos’ to it. If yes, then this trick should be promoted. Does it look alluring? I am not sure. Never tried one. I can’t say whether it looked good on him but definitely, it was seeking other’s attention. But from where did he get it? Perhaps any shop. But who would spend money on the spectacle without glasses? Or perhaps taken from the statue of any renowned person erected in any nook or corner? Only he would know. I didn’t dare to ask though.
Oh! But this wasn’t the first thing that drew my attention. Looks like I am practising non-linear narrative. Bear with me. Yeah, so what I was saying? Telling a tale. Right? Sarcasm? No…no. It’s not. It’s the truth. But you won’t believe it. Your choice. But what I am going to tell you ahead is hard to believe. Only those who are good at sarcasm are advised to read further.
So yes, the first thing was his hair. It was painted in golden colour. Unlike girls. Looked golden-bright, I would say. Like the ripened paddy crops. A bit less than a tungsten filament-type bulb. Though it was unusual for me, considering it a fashion or trend, in which I wasn’t much interested, I only returned the smile and moved forward. The moment I moved forward to escape from the scorching heat to be embraced by the shade of the tree, I realised he had been sitting and reading in the open, that too, in May at around 1 PM. I turned for a while to remind him about the weather but again thought that he might be ill or something. Hence, kept my way.
After a few days, I met him in the hostel. The colour of his hair changed to green. Waqt badal gya. Moreover, he was wearing a woollen jacket whereas most of us were in vests. Jajbaat badal gaye. I couldn’t resist this time and asked him right away, “Bro! Aren’t you feeling hot?”
“I am a cool boy”, he replied, shrugging his shoulder.
I glanced at him from top to bottom knowingly and said, “I can see that”.
He sensed my sarcasm and replied confidently, “I am trying to adjust to the adverse circumstances”
I became speechless. I couldn’t utter a word. Even if I had, what difference it had made. A few months passed. The cycle of seasons brought winters. Delhi is known for it. And guess what?
I saw him roaming on campus in a vest and a boxer!
It takes a lot of courage to be different. Isn’t it?
The Lemon Smuggler
To what extent you can squeeze lemon and where?
Indeed, people’s eating and drinking habits have really gone awry and crazy. The time I was writing this post, I could see two teenagers diluting CCD’s coffee with Red Bull. This is only the trailer. Keep your eyes open. Visit the places across the country. The movie can awestruck you.
Let’s come to our lemon smuggler and I’ll be linear this time. If we stepped into the mess after 15 minutes of the scheduled time and tried to find lemons, we wouldn’t get any. A senior in the hostel would squeeze most of it into his dishes irrespective of what has been cooked. Whether it’s Panner, Halwa, Kheer, Sewai, biryani, vegetables, rice, daal or whatever had been there in the mess menu including non-vegetarian, all would be flavoured with the citric acid. He had been the source of fun for this act of his by his colleagues multiple times but little did he care. He kept doing the same even at parties and treats even at restaurants and cafes. No matter how good the food was, he would always ask for lemon first. People generally eat lemon to reduce the fat but to my surprise, he was lean and thin. He looked like Nawaz bhai. I used to call him by this name. He wrote beautiful Shayaris and blended it with Urdu words. He could even write in Urdu. He even translated some of my verses beautifully in Hindi/Urdu.
I got to know the reason for his overconsumption of lemon soon. I didn’t know whether it was logically true or not but he smoked a lot. Even when we played cricket, he would keep a cigarette in one hand and bowl/field with the other. His every action before and after was followed by puffs of cigarette. He could be seen knocking on door to door late at night if he had exhausted his pack. It became like a sleeping pill for him at night and acted like a refreshment pill in the morning.
I asked his colleagues who were also senior to me, why didn’t he reduce or leave it? They said; it was his life. Survival is more important. No matter how it comes and at what cost!!
©Shashank
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