Chapter - 4 (Jishnu Enters the Scene) 

Jishnu got up from his chair at the study table, placed the thick volume of the Physics text book in between the Chemistry and Biology books, put the study lamp off and looked at the wall clock above. Both hands of the clock were pointing to 12.30 a.m. He picked up the towel from the rack and headed to the attached bathroom. He badly needed a shower to drive his exhaustion off. He knew what he required was sound sleep to be ready for the day. He had three tuitions to attend. Besides Mr. Pradhan was conducting the Physics test that very day itself.

As he plunged into his bed, he turned on the music system. Almost immediately a popular Hindi number permeated through the room:

Raho main unse mulaqat ho gayi,/ Jisse darte thi, wohi baat ho gayi….(Met the one on the way, what I feared, came to reality.) 

He realized that sleep was the last thing on his mind. Something, or someone rather, that he kept off his mind, started forming a shape in his head. He turned his head in the pillow to the other side. The next moment a familiar picture emerged in his mind. He could see that girl, a girl he did not even know, existed till that day, sitting on the chair on his left. He had just learnt her name a moment or two earlier when he had heard the Principal greet her by her name :

"Hi, Anushka. Congratulations." So, she must be the sister of Akanksha, the girl he had congratulated earlier on the stage, he assumed. Both the sisters were new comers to CPS that year and if not creating ripples exactly, they were being looked upon as exceptionally talented by all and sundry.

Jishnu fiddled with his name tag for a while before putting it back in its place. Looking up, he saw the queer look on the faces of the toppers of X and XI across the table. He even heard one of them whisper to the other :

"She shouldn't be here actually! Rima is supposed to be here! What's she up to? "

Jishnu recollected what he had heard from Ms. Neena, the Hindi Teacher, earlier. On her first day at school, she had seen the girl heading towards the room on the ground floor where students with Bengali as their Second Language were all gathered. Ms. Gupta finding her walking along the corridor, stopped to ask her:

"Why are you going to that room? You should be going up to the first floor for your Hindi class? " She had heard the girl converse with Shriya earlier in Hindi. Her accent coupled with her stylish looks, made her feel that the girl was a non-Bengalee. 

"My second language is not Hindi, Madam, " the girl said in a tilting voice, very decently.

"How come you speak Hindi so fluently then? " Ms. Gupta asked her. 

"I studied abroad till June this year. I could only coverse with my friends in English and Hindi there, " she replied. Ms. Gupta was so taken by the girl's beauty and decency that she shared this incident with her students of Standard XII in the class next. 

While this was replaying in Jishnu's mind, he cast a sidelong glance at the girl again. From the conversation that ensued between Principal and Anushka, (Anushka. What an uncommon name!) he could make out what was bothering her. She was supposed to sit at Table-14 actually. Due to her shyness or nervousness, somehow she joined their table. She looked so crestfallen while talking to Principal that Jishnu felt sorry for her. Right at that moment, he saw Harida, one of the school Security Guards, come upto their table and say something to Principal. Jishnu missed it all as he found the girl's beauty quite bewitching. She was tall, of average build, thinner rather, than most of the girls of her age. But she had the most divine face with the most hypnotic pair of eyes. There was something about those large, black eyes that made one feel protective of her the moment they rested on one! 

Normally, Jishnu didn't give a damn to most of the girls. He had already been proposed to a couple of times but he knew his priorities quite well. He somehow believed in what his Dad used to tell him often:

"Clearing the NEET Exam, should be your first priority, son." He had been working really hard towards that end for the last two years, since he had topped the ICSE from his school for the entire Eastern Region. All that separated his dream of of being a Doctor now, a Sergeant rather by clearing the NEET and the Selection Test, was the ISC Board Exam. Jishnu knew that he would do well in both the examinations. Some people are born to fulfill their dreams in this world. Jishnu was certainly one of them.

Anushka had already stood up by then but Principal asked her not to worry and get her nametag from the tables next while getting up from his chair and proceeding to the exit at the southern end of the auditorium. 

Jishnu cleared his throat, looked at the retreating figure of the Principal and remarked in a tone more friendlier than he could ever think of himself capable of adopting, especially to a girl. 

"Don't look so shook up, Anushka. Mistakes like the one you made, happen all the time."

For the first time, Anushka looked up straight at Jishnu. There was something more than gratitude glinting in those mesmerizing eyes. 

"Anyway, mind telling me about your aim. No, on second thought, why not tell me about your interests instead? " Jishnu asked her, keeping his eyes on hers all the while. 

"My father wants me to be a doctor. That's why I am lined up for the Science Strean next year. What is your aim? What do you wanna be in life? " she asked, looking very innocent. 

"I've always wanted to be a doctor since I was a kid," he answered, looking lost in thought. 

"I've no such intentions though. Bio is not my cup of tea and I abhor Maths. " She chirped in flawless English.

"You can always take tuitions in those subjects or seek help from your seniors at school," Jishnu said the last sentence more casually than he would have intended. 

"I do take tuitions. But my private Maths Teacher is a mobile freak. He gives us tasks and spends the whole time fiddling with his mobile, " Anushka heaved a long sigh. 

"I am said to be a Maths genius." Jishnu said without any hint of showing off. "If there is anyway I can help, let me know. You can always find me in the Library during the Lunch Break." Was he being too friendly? For the second time, Jishnu wanted to let it sound like a casual remark and succeeded remarkably well. 

"That's really kind of you, Bro, " Anushka replied. "You wouldn't really mind if I disturb you with the Maths problems, would you? " There was such innocence and entreaty in the way she talked that Jishnu really wanted to help her right then.

"I wouldn't like to miss a chance of helping such a lovely girl, would I? " Jishnu asked, getting up with the others in the group as the gong for the break was sounded. 

Now, lying in bed, replaying  that conversation in his mind, the smile around Jishnu's mouth grew wider as sleep finally overpowered him.