“Anirban!!! Who’s that??? Is he in our school???”, I questioned back.
“Yes, he is. Today, we would visit his house.”, my mom said.
With an unknown dullness in my mind, I chose not to respond in any way. Not knowing a schoolmate who had been with me for the past three years was certainly awkward.
“May be in another section. I won’t go.”, to which my Mom faced me with a series of parallel folds on her forehead.
My mind was then thoughtful about how that chap might be looking like. Is he bigger than me in size? Does he have more strength? Is he taller than me? Peculiar thoughts like this came to my mind. Maybe, a childish ‘me’ thought differently back in those days. However, I was hauled up onto our scooter and as always sandwiched between my mom and dad on the way to my new Stranger-Friend’s house.
“Be nice to them. Do not fight or quarrel with him. Try to be a good boy.”, my Mom gave her instructions… the regular blabbering ones that were like oath-taking ceremonies before I moved somewhere out.
On reaching the ‘then’ strangers house, I was amazed to see a little fellow, about half my size limper outside. Ahao!!! I had gained some courage. No way this pint-sized fellow could fight against me. I know that I had been a lover of action movies right from my childhood. Whenever there were fight scenes, I would just remain glued to the TV. Perhaps, that’s why, my ‘little’ mind always made me fantasize a fight with every fellow I met. Anyways, he was very cute back then. Somehow, maybe his cute and starved look churned out bits of pity and humanity in me. I had left the thought of having a fight with him when we were a few minutes into the scene. I still remember a few flashbacks.
“Toke akta secret jinis jigesh korbo???”, I asked, as if the 30-mins-ago-stranger was my most secretive friend for life whom I had trusted for years.
“Ki??”
(In another Room)
“Tor kache kono golper boi ache”, to which he quickly responded with an Aesop’s Fables. God knows what secret lay behind a story book back then. I still wonder.
The first day of Class 4 started with a morning playing Kata-Kuti with him on his small notepad. As far as I remember, we had passed our 3rd grade and were moving onto 4th. Maybe around 1996. That was the first time we met.
Years rolled into our friendship. I remember the Hero-Puch wala. Rajeeb Sir, I guess. My friend was a sharp student indeed whereas I was as always a blunt one. Every day at the Hero-Puch Tuitions, he would get appraisals whereas I would have a few hits on my palm. Yes, they did pain… back then and my eyes did become watery. He had a sharp memory which he displayed well at Biology tests. I still remember him blurting out an essay-like definition of Amoeba or something and myself wondering which subject is he talking about!!! Ahh!!! Then I understood the ‘nip’ sized fellow had a ‘file’ sized brain.
Yes, and there was a time when my silly instincts got him caught after he went to watch a movie bunking tuitions. Again, there was a tuition which was a few miles away from our place. I had the advantage of being taller than him. I was allowed to cycle and he was made to go by bus. One fine evening he did come with me, wishing to feel the freedom of cycling back home. Ya, I remember him trying to pull me with all his might on the upward slope. Actually, he did cycle a few feet for the time I pushed with my legs sitting on the back seat and then it was time for me to pull him back as his hands turned us towards a truck. Definitely nice moments they were.
Class 9(Adhikari’s Tuition): Wo O!!! How can I forget the addictions that would never leave us for life!!! It was the very first time we smoked together with “Ram-Bhaat”, another friend. Obviously, I was the one who got caught next morning and got a thrashing from my mom, which I remember still today. The smoke chapter was closed until I reached college. It was also the very first time we watched porn together on a big screen. Oh Yes!!! That made another good friend for us. “Mombati” viz. Arjo Banerjee. Although awkward, I guess you might have guessed a bit of the porn’s content. Ya!!! The 9th Grade was definitely a GRADATION we achieved together. God knows what we thought back then!!! I guess we hurried up too much to become “Certified Adults”.
Years rolled in and it was really the first day of our lives when tears fell for our friends. I remember the tears that every friend shed when we were leaving Xavier’s. Ahh!!! Today, I just feel like re-living the 10 golden years of my life once again.
It was a different school and different college when we met rarely. And, memories!!! They are just destined to pile up as they wish.
But, we were in touch and still today we are. A big Internet Marketer that he will be… I bet he will definitely become what he wishes. I pray to God for that.
Good Luck for your life.. Friend
Keep in touch…
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