The sun is looking cool in its morning mood. It has welcomed me with its open shining heart to this new hostel. I am sitting on an old wooden chair, newly coloured. Then the hostel warden comes and I submit him fees for six months and he says that I will get the receipt after 2-3 days. I agree to it and think how happy I would have been if dad would have come with me. But he just handed me the fee amount, he has always thought of making me self-sufficient. Then I put up my bags in the luggage room temporarily till I am assigned a room. Earlier I had done some workout on little influence for getting admission in the hostel. I knew a trustee from Mama’s town and had gone to his house to secure the admission. He assured me that it won’t be difficult and will talk with the warden. Then only I filled the form and applied for the hostel.
The hostel has a big ground with lot of trees on the boundaries and a big iron gate. It has one TV room directly facing the gate with two general dormitories one on the left and other on the right of the TV hall. The TV hall has lot of benches and its wooded drawers served as lockers for the students. I was given a drawer so I kept my valuables inside it and locked it. At the end of the right side dormitory is the guest room. The office in which I had sat is at the end of the left dormitory. Behind the office is the kitchen with arrangement to sit all the hostel students. It has two rows of continuous dining table made by joining small dining tables and four rows of wooden benches on the sides of the tables. There is a lobby starting from the kitchen on the right and it leads to common toilets and bathrooms. The luggage room is also in this lobby and there is a second door of the TV room in this lobby. There are five rooms near the bathroom. The last room in the row is of the warden. I will be allotted one of these rooms afterwards. There is also a prayer hall on the right side and the kitchen is adjoining to it. There is an open dormitory with ten beds in the lobby opposite to the bathroom and in the lobby.
I was also given a bed in the left wing dormitory. So I passed the night. I was woken up along with all the students at five in the morning for the prayers. After prayers there was an exercise session. After that senior students came to inspect the beds of all the students. It was required that all the students fold their sheets and make proper their bed sheets otherwise they were punished. Then we all had breakfast, for the first time I drank tea in a steel bowl instead of regular cups. It was Sunday so all the students played cricket till lunch time. After lunch we were allowed to sleep for some time. In evening I played cricket again as I had no books to read. Next day I bought my curriculum books at half price from an old book seller. Then I started to read them. I arranged those books in my drawer. The hall benches were totally uncomfortable to sit. So I left reading. I had also gone to school where I had taken my admission. It was one of the best schools of the city and it’s all the teachers were in great demand for their teaching proficiency. On the first day I had gone with a fellow student but on the next day went alone so reached late as I had boarded the wrong bus.
Our school was co-ed in the name only. Actually it had separate rooms for boys and girls with two huge rooms for boys and same for the girls it was a big school. Our room had old benches with sitting capacity of five students per bench and total of 120 students per room and that too only in the science stream. The commerce stream was in the noon so I never knew how many students were there. It was a grant in aid school. Government was providing it grant. The school also had three labs of Physics, Chemistry and Biology. From the first day biology had become my favourite subject. There was a big library and no canteen.
When I returned to hostel my beautiful pen was missing from my drawer but the lock was intact. It was the pen gifted to me by my friends on my birthday so I felt sad. Life progressed in hostel and I lost all my interest in study. Partially the all the subjects were difficult and other reason was I didn’t like the food provided in the hostel. So we all friends just roamed full evening and at night just slept and in morning went to the school. The city was new for me so I roamed around to see everything in the city. Everything there was beautiful and it became my favourite time pass. So I started being happy with myself and ignoring everything else. I became sort of introvert. Then I was assigned the duty to serve food to the students along with some senior students. Then the food quality improved as we used to set aside good food for ourselves and I also realised why earlier I had dislike for the food. I was also assigned to be the monitor of young students, a duty which was taken by all the senior students for the younger students. So my life became some what disciplined. Still I was missing my bicycle as I had to travel either by bus or by walking and both were very tedious.
One night while sleeping I heard some sound nearby but could not see anything as it was much dark. Normally we had a night lamp going on full night, but I think it was off. As I could not see anything I went back to sleep. Next morning was Sunday and I heard a senior student boasting about how he had sex with a younger student. I was totally disgusted and felt unhappy on coming to the hostel. This thing was new for me and my mind could not accept such a thought. From that day I decided that I will be very firm and never give in for such things for I was just not ready for any such acts on me. Forget the acts not even ready to witness any such thing. Somehow I managed to pass that day by playing volley ball and no reading at all as I could not shake off such thoughts out of my mind.
When I came to hostel I had a room partner Amin by name, he had entered the hostel by lot of influence. He had no father and was therefore studying on somebody’s grant. But all these things were not reflected in his out look. He had always very good clothes and lot of pocket money to spend. One more striking thing was his hair, it was all white and he used to apply henna to it, so they looked shocking red. He also had the latest ranger cycle and also two pairs of specks. One with sun glasses for outdoors and other were plain for indoors. Amin and I had taken admission in the same school. So first day he only showed me the school. My other partner was Ashok a village guy, he was also in twelfth standard but last year. This year he was just staying to give exam as he had failed last year. He was staying in hostel since he was small. So he was given this privilege to stay in hostel in spite of failing as there was the rule that once you fail you cannot stay in the hostel.
Introvert as I am I preferred to stay aloof and out of any problems and to concentrate on study. Then the warden assigned the task to teach kids about religion. First I refused but I had no choice. Then I thought that if anything in my life doesn’t happen right then this will be the last thing I can do i.e. to be a religious teacher, but that will be the last straw. Such thoughts always crossed my mind and everybody’s mind actually. So we thought all the weird thoughts like Amin said he will open bhajiya cart if he will fail in exam, so I said I will open the sarbat cart and suggested that Amin should make his bhajiyas spicy and hot so that I can sell my sarbat. So we suggested that Ashok should open a pan cart. He said that “You all are lucky that your dad’s will give you money to start any cart, my dad will simply kick me out if I fail again this time”. And we all laughed at that.
Then Amin and I were transferred to other room and one more bed was added to out room. Barkat was our new partner; he was crippled in one leg due to polio in childhood. This indicated trouble as he was like the spoon to the warden. Our powers in the hostel were increasing and I think the warden placed him purposefully in out room to have a watch on us. Every one of us took turns to clean sweep the room. So when Barkat’s turn came the room looked quiet cleaner than our cleaning. Later on I learnt that our hostel sweeper used to sweep the room when we were out to school. So these were the little privileges of being the watch dog. But we all hated him, not for being the spoon but he was very hard on small children and used to hit them hard. But we could not do anything as he was under the wings of the warden. So we never missed any chance to humiliate him in one or the other way. He always kept a good distance from me as he knew my nature well. I used to get very angry when anything was done against me but normally I stayed cool and least bothered what others were doing as I was in hostel to study and for nothing else. I was irritated by one habit of Barkat of applying lot of oil in his hair. Never mind he really needed to cope up with the hatred of all. Then suddenly my hundred rupee note disappeared from locked drawer. I had suspicion on Barkat but without proofs I can’t do anything. So I just kept in my mind and did nothing.
Another interesting character was our sweeper Nizar. He was partially mute and bamboo headed. Even small children used to tease him and run away. He used to run behind them in fit of rage, he was very dangerous at that time as he used to throw anything which was in his hand. He also hit the children hard if they were caught after running behind them. I didn’t tease him as it was not my nature but also avoided him. He used to fill our drinking water and we used to give him some pocket money to spend. It was said that he had no one else but an elder brother who had thrown him out of house. So I generally pitied him. The warden also pitied him so he had just kept him there in the hostel and Nizar diligently followed his every order out of love for warden. But he was not a spoon like Barkat. And it was easy to make him silent by giving some money.
Somebody stole my beautiful pen within five minutes. I had just kept it on the table and gone to wash my face there was no one in the room. So I was puzzled very much as it was difficult to doubt anyone but still I had suspicion on Barkat as the library was very near to our room and it was the habit of Barkat to read in the library instead of our room. One more dog privilege, he also had the key of library and we were not allowed to read in library. Barkat used to handle the library, we all students were allowed to read newspapers or borrow the books in morning just after the exercise routine and before the breakfast. But we all used to sleep for half an hour during that time and really nobody was interested to read other books except our course books. The next day I applied tooth paste on my brush just to find that it was just half filled and I had just bought it on the previous day. So I was much angry on the thief and determined to find who was doing such mischief with me. My first doubt was on Barkat, I asked him plainly and he replied negative, his tone was earnest but I did not believe him. His drawer was just under my drawer, so I removed my drawer out and checked his locked drawer from upper side. There was just a bottle of hair oil and some clothes. So I concluded he was right. Next to doubt was Ashok, I watched his cupboard when it was unlocked and he had gone to brush but there also I did not find anything. So the last was Amin. I opened his drawer with my key. I used to do such things in my childhood so it was not much difficult. And to my surprise and shock I found my pen which I took immediately. I also found my tooth paste filled in a gum stick which of course I did not take. So I complained to the warden when he was alone as I didn’t want to embarrass Amin. The warden told that he would take action and I was satisfied. I became more cautious and never left anything unattended even for a minute.
Then one day my white shirt of uniform was stolen. It was shocking as I had to immediately find it. So I just checked Amin’s drawer but it was not there. I tried to open his clothes cupboard but could not. So I complained to the warden but he said it was my duty to take care of my belongings and I got angry by that and had heated arguments with him but without avail. Then I realized the power of connections. Warden can not take any actions on Amin even if he wanted to as he had higher links. I didn’t say anything to Amin as it was no use of telling him anything without any proof. So from that day I had to wear old shirt as an alternate shirt. But I realized that there was no good in complaining and what was to be done has to be done by me only.
I don’t know the reason, but our first term exams were not taken and even no one in our school was prepared for it. Perhaps the school was concentrating more on the twelfth standard students. But it was a great relief for me as I was hardly prepared for it. Our school was very strict and nobody was allowed to go downstairs with their bag in recess lest we may run away and the principal himself stood at the stairs everyday for this work. The students who stayed absent in the class were not allowed in the practical and it was mandatory to be present in seventy percent practical and then only we were allowed to sit in the final exams. Even the code of uniform was followed very strictly. I was once in coloured shirt with jacket over it and suddenly principal came and removed a student with coloured shirt. I was saved by my bench mate by sitting closer to me and then I decided that next time I will wear the regular white shirt so as to avoid any punishments.
Talking about our warden. He had one thing beautiful and it was his wife. She was around twenty eight or thirty. But had good structure and her height was medium and so were her boobs. Her long hair were always oiled and arranged in braid. But the most inviting were her eyes; always looking sexy and they looked sexier when she asked us to fetch the warden. Her style was to show her uncovered blouse under saree and show her tight boobs and look inviting and she always called any student around to call the warden. Normally we used to park our cycles near by to the door so whenever anybody went there in noon it was the single work she gave to us. We always delivered the verbal message to the warden as it was not possible to deliver the message given by her body. Somehow the warden passed his noon in the office disregarding her calls. Perhaps he had lots of work to do. Then there was a student with last name Gilani. He was in higher secondary and he too had no father. So his mom used to come to visit him in hostel. She probably always came when warden’s wife was at her parent’s home. She spent one night or two nights with the warden. Her presence in the warden’s room was marked by hanging bra and underwear in the room on the cloth line in the morning and this was known to every student of the hostel. Nobody told anything to Gilani about his mother normally but when there was fight then he had to hear this ugly thing. He seemed unaffected by this fact. Perhaps he had accepted this as the reality of his life. Even the warden treated him like the other students and was also punished when he did some mischief. I think warden wants to set an example of fair treatment on us. But the better way to set this example is to stop giving privileges to Barkat. Maybe then we will feel that we are treated equally.
Another muse of warden was our hostel maid. You can’t say from any angle that see looked attractive. She had slim body with protruding teeth and wavy hair which was always unset able. But one thing that set her apart was her knowledge of “Kamsutra”, she knew very well how to satisfy the warden or any other man who came across. And our warden was crossing all the limits of decency with this maid. Sometimes they used to sleep in the students general bedroom and kept watch of someone so that students don’t enter there. But greatest of all sometimes they used to sleep openly in lights in the hostel compound and anyone passing from there could see their act. As it was near the general bathrooms even the small students didn’t miss the chance to see them on one or the other pretext. One relief was that whatever they did was under the sheets. So at least we don’t feel like watching a blue film. In short warden was busy with all these ladies but his own wife was left hungry. I don’t know why he did such things. Maybe he is taking some revenge on her.
When the second term exams arrived I never knew so just read for fifteen days and as it was obvious the result was poor. All the matters of the hostel had side lined my appetite to study. Other thing I did was to grab as many keys of the hostel I can. It was simple just go to the office when warden is not in the office and take the key which you want from the hanging board and to find such occasion when office is empty was very easy. But I just took only one key from the board and that was of the clothes store room. This was the store room where clothes of students were stored. Poor students were provided free uniforms and also sweaters for winter. There clothes and any unclaimed clothes were stored in the office. I opened it one day and found my one black shirt about which I was not aware that it is lost. Anyway it was not much useful except for the morning breakfast was stored once a week in this room. It was when we were served biscuits and then they were stored in that room. So it was really relish-able some times. And sometimes I even bought some of the biscuits to eat in the room. I ate them when the food provided was not up to mark or something which I didn’t like. But it was not possible to share with room mates due to Barkat and secondly I no longer trusted Amin. But it was a nice feeling to have one of the keys.
There was a beautiful girl living directly in front of out hostel main gate. She looked like a green apple in her green uniform. All the hostel students were obsessed with her. All the young and old students felt cool by seeing her for she was the only girl visible to us all. Her name was Salma. Amin was too obsessed with her so he used to follow her everyday to the school. One day when Amin was just going out of the gate on the cycle then mother of Salma called him. Even Salma was standing there. Amin went there and her mother asked Salma to tie him a rakhi. The beauty was that the day was Raksha bandhan. So Amin had no choice but to get tied in as her brother. It became the joke of the hostel for many days and we enjoyed it to the fullest by asking Amin for party. So he used to answer that “I have returned her back her rakhi with a letter that I don’t wish to be your brother. So whenever she returns the ten rupees I had given as brotherly gift, then I will give you party.” So it was very enjoyable. Some of the students used to ask “Hey Amin what’s your plan, you wish to have your cousins from her?” To this also Amin had to say yes. So the full hostel got entertained by this joke for about fifteen days.
Then entered a new maid. She had perfect body. Something like every man desires to sleep with, all the things in perfect place. She also had a very beautiful daughter of our age. As usual with our warden she also warmed his bed. She was about thirty five but her body looked like of twenty five it was only when you see the face then you can guess her age or maybe after seeing her daughter. Her daughter also found work of cleaning utensils in the nursery opposite to our hostel. So in a way both of them adjusted in the hostel. That maid also had a boy of about ten years. He also took admission in the hostel. The full family except the father settled in the hostel. And the father of the children was not at all needed with our warden around otherwise their all arrangements will go wrong and the family will lose the hostel. So all their arrangements went on well.
It was Sunday noon and my friend Joby and I was playing around. Just In mischief I kicked a broom my leg was hurt but I ignored and walked after few steps I felt sharp pain in my finger. A stick from broom had entered in my right legs little finger. So I called up Joby and we went immediately to my room and saw the finger. It had turned white; perhaps it had blocked some blood vessel. Then I took out my dissection box after all we were science students. First I offered Joby to take out the stick but he could not. Then I called our carpenter but he too was afraid at the sight of it so in the last warden came and saw the situation and took me to the civil hospital. It was like emergency case and they were not taking our turn so the warden told me to act as it pained much and ask for the wheel chair. But before I did anything my turn came. The medical facilities in the government hospital were pathetic. First of all there was no light so a nurse had to hold the torch and stand secondly it was lunch time of the doctor so he was also in hurry. I was given local and my face was covered with a green cloth so that I can’t see my blood. But I requested the doc to let me see my operation to which he agreed. It was difficult to remove the stick as it was breaking. Finally doc was successful in removing it. The nurse there told me to preserve that stick as memory so I said her you only keep it so she replied that we don’t need this stick as we have the full broom. I was prescribed heavy dosages of pain killers and vitamins and regular dressing. For dressing there was no need to go out as we had a visiting doc. He visited the hostel every Tuesday noon. But I let him dress me once only. All other times I did my dressing myself as the medical cupboard was in my room. It took a fortnight to recover from that small stick.
One day when I returned from the school and got the fiery news of the war between the warden and his wife. The story actually happened at night but we were not aware of it. It went on like this. As usual she called the warden and he didn’t come so she got very angry and decided to return to her father’s home. So she packed her bags and started to go but the warden locked the gates so she was infuriated and said “You fucker even the sweepers fuck their wife once in a week, so are so much down trodden that you don’t fuck once in a month also”. She then tried to run away by scaling the Iron Gate so the warden pulled her down and she got a fracture in her hand. I could also see that plaster on her hand in the evening. So there was no reason to not believe the story. I think that the person who tortures his wife is the worst kind of man for she is the girl who left her everything and came with her husband with lot of expectations and all the appropriate needs should be fulfilled at any cost. Never the less I didn’t mind the warden sleeping with all the maids and I even didn’t mind the ill-treatment of his wife as it was his personal matter and I was there to study and nothing else. But it was a fact that the warden will never have respect in my eyes for him.
Navratri came and our hostel was used by the committee to allow the girls to change their clothes in our TV hall. Actually we were co-operative towards both Hindus and Muslims. Like we gave them hostel for Navratri, we gave the hostel to Muslims to cook during their annual “Ursh”. There was no choice and we had to give as the area in which the hostel is communally very sensitive and every time any riot has started it has started from this area. Here there are lot of criminals and bootleggers too of both the community. So it was obvious that the hostel authorities had to co-operate with them. You can say that all the students were neither safe nor the surrounding atmosphere was enabling. It was dangerous to ride a bicycle in the area especially with no brakes in the cycle. I say this as normally our cycles had weak brakes but our steering power was good so we never did any accidents. Every evening we used to go out. We had only one addiction of pani-puri. Even the pani puri wala was so familiar that if we didn’t go to him even for a single day he would ask on the next day Where were you all yesterday? It was fun to spend time in the local market.
Coming back to Navratri, in it we were told to sleep in the lobby adjoining the TV hall, there was a window in the hall. There all the students would climb up silently and peep. The Navratri organizers were very strict to this nuisance and kept a strict watch. But I was really not interested in all this. So I was sleeping in my bed in lobby and all other students were peeping. Then somebody closed the lobby door from outside. So no one had choice but to stay there. Then the boys saw Salma and other girls changing. And I heard the girls talk. Other girls were asking Salma to use towel to change then she said “Come on if the boys see I don’t mind, its ok and they are to be shown only” I was shocked and excited both by hearing these words. But by thinking that she was Amin’s sister I slept again.
It was Diwali and out tuitions for twelfth science was starting. I was very weak in maths so there was no choice but to keep the maths tuition. So I kept its time in morning 6:00 just to escape the exercise routine. I was very much bored by the time wasting routine. So I to miss my breakfast but it was ok as there was no need to exercise. I also thought of keeping the chemistry tuitions so I went and paid half of my fees to the sir and I was given the evening time. But that tuition was very far from the hostel. So I thought for one full night and decided that I will study by myself and not go for tuitions as then I will have no time to read. Secondly in no case dad will get me a bike and it was time consuming to go on cycle there. So next day I went to sir and apologized and took my fees back from him. Our maths sir is very good person. Normally he takes us many times for tea and snacks in the morning. Then after that we went to our school. Once the sir asked me in private for tuitions of Physics for free, in case I am not able to afford it. I said “No, sir this is not the case of money but of time”. But that proved that he is a very good person. Students of my batch told me that there was a student whose financial position was very poor. His elder brother sold his cycle to pay his fees. When sir heard about this he scolded that boy and returned his money and told him that he will teach him for free.
Then our final exams came and as I knew I just managed the passing marks. I was horrified to think what would have happened if I had failed. The vacation started but I could not go home as my tuitions of twelfth were on going without any holidays and I had to attend them regularly. Whole hostel was empty. Only Amin, I and warden with all his maids were left. His wife had already gone to her house. So it had become a very boring place but no choice. I will have to stay there till the end of vacations. Also warden gave us all kinds of work in vacation as he was obliging us by letting us stay in the hostel during vacations as it was against the hostel rules. So I day I got angry threw all his work on my hand and went to my room in spite of his standing there. From that time he never gave me any work. My rest of vacation passed in reading. Then the warden played another trick on us. He sent us both me and Amin to stay in the room of the marriage hall owned by the hostel. It was dangerous for one of the rooms was occupied by the local don Pappu. We gathered courage and went to stay for it was very calm there. Amin was very afraid. We read there till noon and nothing happened. We were going for lunch when we found that our locks of the gate were stolen. We kept the doors open and went for lunch and returned there after lunch. We read there till evening, then suddenly our light went away. It was not a power cut as there was light every where except our room. Amin got so scared that we left the room immediately without caring for our things. We came next morning only to pack our bags and return to our original rooms. The warden had thought a nice plan. If we would have stayed there in spite of everything we would be harmed physically and if we fight with him then also it was the warden’s benefit. So it was best that we stay in our hostel rooms only.
Finally the next year started and hostel was again full with the students. I got two new room partners. One was Ajit from a nearby village and other was Kumar, a student of law he came with his bike and had a good personality. He too came through the connection. But finally I got two new friends. So we all shifted into a new room and I was too happy to leave Amin and others. Actually it happened that I had bought all new books for my twelfth and they all were stolen. I knew Amin did this as we two were only English medium students and those books were not useful to other students. I tried to trace my books but without result. So I stole his books to read but they were old books. My one more question was solved. I knew that Amin had sent all the books plus my shirt to his younger brother. His brother was younger than him and he too studied in science so that my books will be useful to him next year. I was very angry and left the room as every time theft was intolerable. Dad used to visit me often and ask me do I want anything. I would normally ask for pocket money and he would give me half of whatever I ask. So I used to ask his double of what I actually wanted. Mom used to send snacks for me every time with dad. I shared them with my friends and in return they too shared their snacks with me.
I used to bring chocolates and other bakery items for free on the account of hostel. Then I brought some good soaps bathing for free. When the warden got the bill he knew that some one is doing this. But he could not pin point anyone for lack of evidence. Then he gave strict instructions to the baker and general store owner to give things only on his chit and to take the signature of who ever comes to buy.
Ajit was a chocolaty guy; he had a good sense of humour. He was out of his house for first time and his innocence was good. So he came under my wing. With me with him no one ragged him. As for Kumar he had taken instant liking for Nissim from the first day. Nissim was the daughter of the maid. He tried hard by his dressing and managed to talk with her on the first day itself. Slowly slowly their love story also started to progress and we all room partners knew about their story. He even went to fetch her from outside. Her mother was not aware of this as she was too busy with cooking for us and warming the bed of the warden. And even if she knew she kept mum as Kumar’s parents were rich and she knew this well. Ajit and I every day went in the market for pani-puri and sugar cane juice. Sometimes Ajit’s friend also joined us. I had taken a liking for the juice selling girl so used to drink two glasses each just to stand there. Ajit used to tease me for that. She was not very beautiful, just slim figure and simple face. But what I liked that she helped her father in managing the business and did all the work of crushing the cane which normally a boy does. Her father was busy in collecting money and giving orders. There was even a servant to help them but she did that work by herself. So I liked her. I never even tried to talk also with her, for I very well knew my target was to study and not to flirt. So we just went there every evening and saw her and drank juice and returned to the hostel for our prayers and dinner.
All the students of twelfth were given 100 ml of milk to prepare tea so that we can stay awake till late night to read. With milk we were also given the ration of sugar and tea also. All the students stayed till twelve in night just for tea as it was rule that we can’t make tea till twelve. We stayed awake just that others don’t drink our tea. We slept instantly after drinking tea. Sometimes if there was no sugar and tea we simply drank the milk and slept. The idea was that no one should drink our tea. It was funny as sometimes we also ate the sugar just for fun and finished the ration of sugar earlier than usual. But it was fun doing all that. One night I was in kitchen throwing onions in air and slashing them with a big knife. The knife slipped out of my hand and fell on my leg. I had a deep cut. But I laughed and went to dressing cupboard and dressed myself. I still have that slight scar on my right foot. Any way it was fun.
Joby and I one day thought of having a tobacco mava. So we went to the pan shop and ordered him for 135 no tobacco mava. In fact this was the only name I knew. We did it half-half and Joby gulped one half and after one second he spat it out and said if was not good. I took my half to the hostel and ate in my room. I felt like vomiting and ran toward bathroom. My head was whirling and it was difficult to walk as my both legs were shivering even everything around me looked hazy. I vomited 2-3 times and washed my mouth with care that I don’t bang my head on the steel tape or fall down. It was very difficult to again reach my room. But I managed it somehow. I had no energy to stand up and go for dinner so I wrapped myself and slept without even caring to switch off the tube light. It was this experience that had kept me away from the mava and tobacco.
One day a class mate and I decided to run away from the class just for fun. As I have told it is very difficult to do so with books with us. On that day we had biology practical. I handed my journal to Amin and asked him to bring for me. We two descended and drank water. Then the principal shouted, we started running he also started to run behind us. My companion’s pen fell down. He ran back and took the pen and we ran again and the principal could not catch us. It was a thrilling experience. I reached hostel and became happy over that incident. When Amin returned I asked for my journal. He said he lost it. I was very angry over him. My friend Joby was with me. He told me that his cycle’s key can open Amin’s cupboard. So I opened his cupboard and took his all three journals. Actually our biology journal is the thickest with all the diagrams and experiments and it is very difficult to copy it. Amin complained this to the warden. I knew he will do this so I had given my journals to Kumar to keep. Kumar instead of keeping these journals with him gave them to the nearby shopkeeper to safe keep. This was good in case our cupboards are searched. But the warden confiscated the cycle of Joby and kept it in his room. So I went to him and explained the full situation. So he understood and told Amin to return my journal. Amin had given them to his friend. So he said he will return the next day. Then the warden allowed Joby to take his cycle back and he went home. It was very important that nothing happens to Joby as he was living with his aunt and had already run away three times from her house. So I never wanted to involve Joby in anything. I returned those journals to Amin only after I received my journals after two days. One learning that I got from this was that a snake will stay snake and we should not trust him anytime even if he stays with us and is friendly with us.
The affair between Kumar and Nissim was in full gear. They were seen as happy couple even I used to help kumar by lending my things to him for I saw in him something like true love. Then one day Kumar gave me a packet of condoms to hide. I said “No, I will not keep them” but he insisted. I could not refuse him as he had been useful to me at the time of misadventure with Amin. So I hid them in the cover of my suitcase. I think that target of Kumar was to have sexual relation with Nissim. But it is natural when there is love between two persons.
The warden and some students were jealous of me and my increasing popularity. So one time I was falsly blamed of putting salt in a student’s milk and the warden was very angry. He asked me to remove my specks so that he can slap me. Of course I never removed them and saw straight into his eyes. He smelled rebellion in me and stopped his plan there. For he knew very well that if he would slap me I would not stand back and any physical tussle will reduce his all powers on the students as they all were watching. So instead he fined me. Which was ok, I could not do anything in that as every student’s some money was deposited with him. But it was good for me to forget the incident as if I kept that in my mind it would affect my studies.
There was a daughter of one of the maid. Shirin was her name. She was a divorcee and of my age. She had a daughter of perhaps two years old. She had beautiful butts and they seemed to crush each other when ever she did her cat walk. It looked like two bowls of engine mingling with each other and they generated lot of heat. Joby was very fascinated by her butts. I always had a feeling that she liked me. She used to sweep my room when ever I asked her. One day I was in room and she started to sweep with a cool smile and she closed the doors to sweep under the doors. I became very cautious and left the room. It was not that I was not attracted to her she was real black beauty. But we should not tease the person whom god has already teased. So I controlled myself and decided that never to stay in the room when she is sweeping.
One day that perfect bodied maid’s husband arrived. He had come after many days. So when all students went to pray then started heavy petting outside near the bathrooms. So the warden gave them our library. But all the small students enjoyed their shameless act. At night also Ajit told me that he didn’t go to pray instead he saw them enacting Kamsutra from our room. Our room and library had a common door and it was possible to peep inside. So lately I also tried to look inside but it was late. They had already completed everything, night lamp was still on and I could see that maid sleeping with her saree raised till her knees. So satisfied by this much I slept that night.
One night we all senior students of making omelette in hostel so we all bought eggs. Ashok had the store room key. We kept a student on vigil for the warden and went to store room to take some ghee. Our kitchen was always open as there was nothing in it. We prepared our omelette and ate too. It was fun to do that. We also took some dry grams from the store room for time pass eating. It was fun together. We got hungry from reading at night. We were not allowed to go out and eat even the gate was locked so we had to do all such things. I fully remember that out of hunger I had climbed a chickoo tree one night but could not find any ripe chikoos. I had to bath after doing that as all the dust of tree plus its gum came in my hand. Any way my bathing schedule was of night as in morning I had no time to bath. We all senior students had unique bathing system. We kept a reserve light bulb. Who ever went to bath took that bulb and fitted that in bath room for there were no bulbs in the bathroom. After bathing that bulb also returned to our room.
After some time I knew that Nizar our servant was a homo. There was a man named Nashru who used to come to hostel. He came there with all vulgar books. What’s the use of bringing such things in a boy’s hostel? Then I realized they were for Nizar, he used to have good time with Nashru. But one thing that I liked about him that he didn’t do anything with small students. Then one day one lady came she fell head over heels on Nizar. She was very decent looking and good, she was older than Nizar but she had taken a liking for him. They had two three sittings. But Nizar was very shy so he even didn’t touch him. So the warden used to tease him that you should do something if I would be in your place. But then Nizar’s elder brother refused to this relation and nothing went ahead. With that lady there was her maid. As usual our warden who is always in search of soft targets targeted her and laid her in the bed. Then one day that maid’s bra and under wear were lost. We all students were accused. As a fine we had to pay ten rupees each I had no problem to that. For me this was also funny. But I regretted more about that lady as she was not able to get the man she desired. It was really sad as Nizar had no brains to feel and this was his last chance to be normal from being homo.
One evening Nissim looked croaky but happy. It was obvious that she had sex with Kumar. Her walking style showed everything. So ultimately Kumar succeeded in bringing her to bed. After that Kumar was not to be seen again and he even left the hostel. Nissim used to ask me always “What happened to Kumar, has he given you some message?”I avoided her as much as possible. Then after wards I found from my friend of his city that Kumar was expert fucker and he even didn’t spare his relatives. Nowadays it’s difficult to know people. Especially in love we should never trust strangers without knowing anything about them.
Finally our exam arrived and after the first paper itself it was clear that none of us will pass. So Amin and Ajit were aghast and were deciding that they will not give other papers. Some how the warden convinced them to give the rest of the papers. I was also sure that I will never pass. But the best option was to face the papers and go home and enjoy the vacation and worry only when the result comes. My number came in a school which had no fans and no windows. It also had no ceiling but roof tiles. So it was difficult to stay and write in summer heat of the noon. But we had no choice. I completed all the papers and all the practicals and went home. To end my journey which I had started two years ago. All my family members were against my going to live in hostel. I had gone against their wishes and spoiled my two precious years.
Finally the result came and I failed in Physics, Chemistry and Maths. I decided to reappear for the exams next year. Suresh sir, our maths sir informed through Joby that I can come to his tuitions for free. It was his rule that if a student fails then he can come for free for the next year. I refused because I was not interested to live in that hostel again. I prepared for the exams full year by myself. One day I read in the newspaper about the murder of our warden. I was not surprised as he had lot of enemies, which consisted of all the maids he had ever fucked. But still it was the mystery for police about who had murdered him.
Next year I went in hostel for reappearing exam. I was to stay there for just a week. Lots of things had changed. Amin had lived there for full year, he also got in company of some local goons and he was threatening all other students. There was a new warden; it was difficult for him to handle Amin. Ashok had gone to Africa before one year. He had failed for second time and had left the idea of studying. Amin showed me an ugly looking maid and told me that he had done everything with her except inter course. I didn’t believe him for people like him are last quality people who can go down to any lows. Nissim had already married and had left the hostel. Her mother was still serving there, but she had become thin. I think she missed the old warden. New warden was not interested in sex with the maids. So he was very strict as he got time to think out of bed. I finished my all papers and practicals. Amin had changd to commerce stream so he had no practicals. On the last day he asked me “Who do you think murdered our warden?”. I replied on his face “It can be you too”. He said “Don’t be crazy then I won’t be here but in Africa”. I said “What do you mean? Did Ashok kill the warden? Its impossible”. Amin replied “No one knows exactly, but Ashok was very angry over his loss of his one year. And he thought that the warden was responsible for that”. It was unbelieveable for me, for I had already made many mistakes of believing Amin but still he had no interest of his own in this story. After that no one really bothered about that murder and the story was completely lost.
I passed out and I never miss my hostel days. I don’t know anything about any of the students and neither do I wish to know about them. I am sure about one thing that nobody great has every passed out of our hostel.
