June 24th 2005..
5AM:
"Who is murmuring what, early in the morning ????" - i got up angry asking myself.
I saw my mom and dad seriously discuss in their room, and when i entered the room, they welcomed me with all warmth. I told them to sleep until 6AM, but they in turn, told me to talk with them for a while. My eyes slowly opened !
I was reminded of my 9th std school days in 2002, when i got caught bunking the school. I started recollecting what all possible mischief or 'crime' i would have possibly done in the past few days.
I know, I did watch 'Chandramukhi' movie the previous day, but that surely was with their knowledge and without bunking any classes!
"Anand! i think, you must forget AIEEE Dreams! Join RV College! This has also appeared in the top 10 in India sometime back" - my mom and dad told. Did a train run over me ?
My brother passed out of that very college, and we hence knew that the placements there were very good. But thats no reason!
"what the hell ?" - i retorted!
"see da, if you don't get NIT Surathkal (Karnataka) or NIT Trichy (Tamil Nadu), and you end up getting somewhere in the north, where we won't have access to you frequently, we are scared if you can take care of yourself.. u don't even know hindi.. u don't like chapathis.." - the typical mom's love, which i felt was destructive here, poured in!
"don't start it all again ma! i broke my head convincing you all from so many days! "
Thus, I decided to force them to agree to my demand of joining some national level engineering college. And they never seemed to budge..!
I thus had to agree to go to RV College for the seat-counseling. If I take up a seat, then it would mean the end of my dreams!
8AM:
Dad and i got ready and he drove me in his kinetic honda to RV College. On the way, we were asking people the route at times, and each time I would feel like convincing my dad to revoke his decision.
I started recalling what had happened a few days back. I had put some lots in Shirdi Baba temple. It was NIT against RV, as to what i would want to choose. The chit that had appeared was "NIT". I was praying for an NIT, no doubts, but then I was not sure how true this lots concept can go on to be! My friend, who was with me in the temple then, assured me that once the chit is taken, Baba would ensure to get it done! Besides, even Sai Satcharita told the same! The Faith was barely there in me, though, unfortunately!
I, thus, suddenly remembering this incident, was convincing myself, that these lots/chits were just a mere humbug!
10AM:
We entered into the admission process area. I had been allotted the 40th number. There were 45 seats each in Computer Science (the branch of my choice) and Electronics n Communications (which my father wanted me to take!). Thus i was doomed, because i could now not even find a reason to even say that I did not like a branch or so.
11AM:
"Candidate number 35" - shouted the clerk there.
" Oops! Just a few more! what bullshit man! how shall i convince my dad that i don't want this ? " - i was biting my fingers' skin now, after digesting the first set of nails!
"hey Anand!", suddenly i was shaken out of my loud silence by someone.
" Suzi !! you here da ?"
It was Sushanth, my friend at BASE (IIT Coaching center).
His mom had come along.
She asked me " Is your mom from Income Tax ? "
"Yes Aunty"
"Saroja madam right, her name is.. ?"
" yes yes! tell me aunty! how do you know?"
" She helped me get her refund, and thanks to her, i got back my 19k and odd excess tax back!"
She further went on to ask me why i was here.
"Your mom told you got a AIEEE rank, and why are you here now ?"
My dad was about to intervene! His decisions and instincts are basically brilliant, and he would not easily listen to anyone, unless he is convinced himself by his own research!
He told to her " madam, we dont want to send him outside Bangalore!"
My face got smaller!
She argued back just one line that "NIT is an NIT sir!"
My dad thought for a second, and asked me if we shall ditch RV College and go on for AIEEE seat-counseling. He was not yet convinced, though, but he was thinking about it, at least!
I was thrilled !! All my mental processes woke up from their sleep state !
My brother called us up from Chennai and told us to go ahead with AIEEE. Thus, within 2minutes, two people talked for me and my dad, who generally takes time to change his hard-thought-of decisions and who is not easily influenced by others, took no more than a minute to change his mind!
I was surprised beyond shock and lost more than one heartbeat!
Within the next few seconds, the clerk shouted - "Student Number 40.. Mr. ANAND!!".
Dad and i got up with our document bags and stepped forward.. instead of going straight down to the counter, we took the door in the left..
'Great Escape' it was, i felt!
As we were riding back home, I saw some very strange pattern in what i saw!
I saw a coupld of 'Tata Sumo' cars together with Shirdi Baba pics at the back. I felt nice seeing them. A few minutes later, i saw a road side vendore having only Shirdi Baba Idols! I was kind of feeling more better now. And by the time I reached home, I had seen a huge number of Shirdi Baba pics, very very unusually!
The last Pic ( or one of the last Ones ) of Shirdi Baba that i saw had a very simple, yet famous quote of Shirdi Baba in it "Why Fear when I am here!"
Was the chit to be believed ? Wasn't it a 'mere' co-incidence! ? Thus the human thirst for more and more reasons to 'start to believe' in the Divine was well in action!
t0-be-continued :)
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