Chapter 2 – The Liaising
"NamaskarNamaskar! welcome to the software farmer family!" Vishesh Arora, a tall 6' 2" fair skinned, bespectacled man with a thinning hairline that seemed to be more partial to the sides near his ears than the center of his scalp, came around as a warm person, ushered in the Kumar foursome to his apartment.
"Mridulaaaa!" screamed Vishesh to call his wife who was busy with her kitchen obligations preparing delicious Rajasthani cuisine for the South Indian Kumar family.
"Meet the Kumars! the farmer family" at least Vishesh thought this was funny.
"Shh...Vishesh, hello ji, he keeps talking about your family all the time. It is something great that you are doing. If all of the people move out of the village to work in front of computers then in a few years’ time we all will have nothing to eat!" Mridula Arora was just playing courteous hostess.
"Sunny grows flowers Mri" corrected Vishesh.
"Ha haha.. I Guess we will have at least flowers to eat if everyone decides to become software engineers" snorted Vishesh in his own inimitable style which was quite endearing actually.
The atmosphere of laughter and cordiality immediately broke ice and both Chavi and Teju were found laughing along with Vishesh. Not because they got his satire, but they found his snorting when he laughed, quite funny.
"You have very beautiful children ji" Chavi and Teju had caught Mridula's attention. The Arora kid was an 8 year old boy who was still sound asleep as it was a Sunday and all the raucous laughter that his father emitted did not disturb the 8 year old's slumber as he was used to such noises.
"Baba is still asleep, we had been to a late nighter at the multiplex last evening and he had quite a heavy dinner. The poor fellow deserves some sleep, especially in the vacations. God knows what the schools burden our children with, these days!" Vishesh explained his son's absence from the living room before being questioned about it.
"These two here are no early birds either and they have no interest for the juicy worm" Sunil likened their kids to Vishesh's son just to normalise the situation.
While the ladies huddled up in the kitchen, the 'men'; Little Teju inclusive went about their usual discussion & contemplation over the world situation.
'Baba' was woken up and after freshening up, joined the Kumars at the table for breakfast. Delicious Pyaaz & Gobi Paranthe, dahi and saag to go with it.
After a fillip, Sunil and Vishesh broke away from the crowd to discuss on more serious issues. Chavi's school admission.
"Sunny yaar, I have spoken with my dad and he has spoken to his friend Mr. KaustabTiwary who is a trustee of the school"
"what was the name of the school again? it slips away from my mind every time" queried Sunil.
"The Aaradhya Center of Excellence or ACE.Quite cheeky eh?actually its named after the founding member's eldest son" clarified Vishesh.
"It is a co - ed, but has separate hostels for the girls and the boys. It is quite safe actually. There is a police outpost just about a kilometer from the school premises and the police regularly do rounds near there. The school has also entrusted the security of the campus to an acclaimed private security company. Bilkull tension nahi hai Sunny bhai!" assured the boisterous Vishesh Arora.
"Moreover you shall take a look yourself when we go there after lunch!".
After a pleasant morning in front of the television and a sumptuous lunch served by Mridula, all of them leave for ACE which is a huge campus overlooking a private lake and a bungalow by its side. There were piers leading to less shallow portion of the lake where a small fishing boat was also tethered.
The Kumars and the Aroras later learn from the hostel warden that the bungalow belonged to an old widow who went by the name of Ms. Lily Mary D' Cousta whose husband was a self-made millionaire who had made it big in the early 60's with his business of dealing with exquisite works of art. The D'coustas did not have any heirs for their huge property and only had a motley group of domestic helps who were appointed by the family trust that her husband had bequeathed his entire property before he died. The Kumars could also notice a couple of burly Rottweiler hounds that howled at the sight of strangers near their mistress's property.
The school building was a built like a giant horse shoe with sharp corners replacing the round U bend. They were three storied blocks and each block looked exactly same as the other. The whole building was given a generous coat of white both from the inside and the outside with a striking coat of Violet on the borders where the plinths and columns crossed each other with a streak to give the structure a contrasting effect of Vanilla and Black Currant shades.
At the mouth of the U shaped structure was a concrete ground large enough to house the school's entire population for the morning and post lunch assembly sessions. There were two masts on which the flags of India and the school were hoisted.
The school flag had a violet background with an emblem emblazoned in bright orange. The emblem was remarkable, more like a coat of arms and had a white Pegasus on its hinds and wings spread wide, a phoenix with its claws in seizing position and a giant mythical turtle on which what seemed like the sun rested with the Pegasus and the Phoenix on its either side.
The school's motto was written on a scholar's ribbon in usual Latin as is the fad with all schools that liken themselves to the schools of Oxford and Cambridge.
Gloria Fortitudo Victoria
The Pegasus of the Olympians represented eternal Glory as it was immortal, the turtle supporting the sun represented stupendous strength and the mythical bird Phoenix which rises from its own ashes represented Victory under all circumstances.
The school's management had quite aggressively promoted this International residential all across the country as well as abroad by sponsoring various Indian cultural programs by the huge expat community. It was well rewarded with people from many parts of the world evincing interest in the school and since then the school had gone from strength to strength churning out quality students who came in as pupils but went out as ladies and gentlemen.
Like most International residential schools, ACE's brochures were full off attractive shots of the school's sprawling grounds, main structure, lab facilities, equestrian courses, Olympic grade swimming pools, a fully functional state of the art athletic track with a football & hockey grounds, tennis court and a huge Indoor gymnasium. Vishesh had brought along the brochure of the school which he had received from his father.
"Oh My Gosh! Sunny! I should have admitted Baba too here!" an astonished Vishesh remarked while an unimpressed 'Baba' looked at his father with suspicious eyes.
"It is indeed a fantastic school! Isn't it Chav?" Sunil was happy that his decision was turning out to be the right one.
"I will survive Papa!" was Chavi's way of expressing her excitement in a more suppressed manner.
"Good, then! since the admission itself is not a problem, I guess we can fix up a meeting with the school's princy, a one Mr. Aadarsh Prasad for an F2F with Chavi! What say Sunny boy?" Vishesh asked.
"Of course" Anitha was fast in her response. She had fallen in love with the school and had now begun to think like a responsible parent.
"Will I also be coming here papa?" little Teju was feeling left out of the conversation.
"No, baba, you are now too small to be staying away from home! don't you like your home better?" Mridula was trying to convince Teju in her own style.
"But papa, if akka is coming here, then I also want to" Teju was getting restless with the idea of his separation from his akka.
"No Teju, you will be with St. Patrick's till your seventh grade!, you can come over in the vacations when mumma and papa will come here to pick me up. Ok?" Chavi was more direct and drove home the point straightaway.
Teju usually did not throw tantrums while with company so he just stood silent sulking to be attended by his caring mumma as well as Mridula.
"Well, then let us go have a look at the facilities here, dad had asked me to call up one Ms. SadhanaTalapatra. Wait up, let me try her number, I only hope the reception is good around this place" Vishesh had been asked to contact Ms. Sadhana who was the warden of the girls's hostel.
"Hello! Mrs. Talapatra? this is Vishesh, Vishesh Arora.. I am a friend of Mr. KaustabhTiwary..yaya.. ok.. we are here.. ya...correct... ok" Vishesh got off the line with Ms. SadhanaTalapatra.
Originally from Paradip in Orissa, now Odisha Ms. SadhanaTalapatra had settled in Bangalore with her family. Her husband, Mr. SandipTalapatra was also a member of the school's faculty and taught gym classes as an assistant gymnastics coach. Their daughter was also admitted into the same school and they all lived in the faculty quarters just a stone's throw away from the boys' hostel which was in fact about the quarter of a kilometer from the girl's hostel.
"Hello Sir! I hope I didn't keep you waiting for long!" Ms. Talapatra was in her mid-thirties and bore a pleasant outlook unlike the stereotypical wardens of girls' hostels portrayed in most of Indian movies. She was dressed in a violet track suit with the school emblem embroidered on the top. She was a petite woman and would have been around 5' 2" in height, she was quite fit as she doubled as gym instructor for the girls and also had her husband's assistance in maintaining a tight fitness regime.
"Not at all, we were just appreciating the school campus!" Anitha replied.
"Great! Aadarsh sir had called my husband earlier this morning and had informed us about your arrival. Sandip, is engaged with the boys' on the equestrian course and I shall be obliged to give you a tour of the school campus" Ms. Sadhana was very cordial and guided the two families to follow her for a campus tour.
"We shall now be going towards the grounds, the labs and classrooms are all closed today and only the gym, pool, the open grounds, the auditorium and the equestrian course is accessible on weekends and national holidays" said Sadhana.
"Ok. No problem Madam, we shall be pleased to see whatever is available now" reassured Sunil.
After she showed them around the football & hockey grounds and the tennis court where a small group of kids could be found engrossed in their games, they proceeded towards the grand Olympic grade swimming pool.
"Some of our students have been representing the school at district, zonal and state level swimming competitions, In fact a couple of them have been champions and have got the school significant recognition. We have a national level swimmer who coaches the students thrice in a week. He comes down every Sunday, Wednesday and Friday" one could see the sparkle of pride in Ms. Sadhana's eyes when she spoke about the school's accomplishments.
After showing around the splendid campus and leaving the two families gaping in sheer admiration, Ms. Sadhana took leave to carry on with her duties in the gym.
"Wow! Sunny boy! what luck! Chavi will not learn swimming, dancing, singing, horse riding and what not!these guys probably offer flying lessons too!" Vishesh was at his jovial best.
"haha, right Vishesh, anything is possible! so when do we meet up with the principal, Mr. Aadarsh?" Sunil was eager to close the deal and confirm Chavi's admission into the school
"What say Anu, Chavi and Teju?, shall we go ahead huh?" Sunil realized he must fulfill the formality of consulting the remaining members of his family, though it was obvious from his behaviour that a decision was made already.
"Sure Sunil" Anitha smiled at Chavi.
"Ok then, I will give a call to Mr. Aadarsh, he probably lives with his family in the faculty quarters as well, he should be here any minute" assumed Vishesh
The phone went dead after a very brief conversation and after a 15 minute wait near the hockey ground, Mr. Aadarsh met the two families.
"Hello everyone! Ms. Sadhana appraised me of your arrival. I would have come myself but was preoccupied with some other work, so I requested the nice lady to attend to you" Mr. Aadarsh was not hesitant to readily get acquainted.
Mr. Aadarsh Prasad had been an academician all his life and had made quite a good name as a teacher and principal of a very well renowned school in Bangalore city. When ACE was established and its founders were scouting for the best faculty, some one proposed Mr. Aadarsh as an ideal choice to head the faculty and the management soon found out that they had made the right decision appointing him. He was a middle aged man with dark curly hair, hairy forearms, large broad shoulders and a slightly protruded belly which was acceptable for his age. He was married and had a single kid who was studying college in Bangalore & the wife was a master at home management.
"Not at all Sir, she was very courteous and happily showed us all around the campus, might we say we are pretty impressed by what we see" Anitha responded. Such niceties were her forte.
"Very well then, so where's your child who wants to get into ACE?" Mr. Aadarsh queried with a light smirk on his slightly wrinkled face, rubbing his hands in animated anticipation.
Chavi was introduced and after a few informal questions and few serious questions, Mr. Aadarsh seemed quite convinced to allow Chavi's admission into the school. Her grades were testimony to her intelligence and her little brave act preceded her and the so called 'interview' was a mere formality. ACE would have been proud to admit Chavi.
"The semester begins from 10th May, we plan to start early and complete the portions well in advance for our students to get sufficient time to revise and master the subjects. As you know we follow the central board syllabus here and the classes are going to be quite rigorous" Mr. Aadarsh had come down straight to the point and directed Sunil about the fee structure, the progress reporting structure, ward monitoring, hostel fees etc etc.
"Ok then! WHO WANTS TO GO SHOPPING!" Sunil was setting the mood right after bidding good bye to Mr. Aadarsh and getting inside the car!
Tejus was quick in grasping the opportunity and his hopes of getting his gadgets soared high again.
The two families reached the city and spent the rest of the evening wandering through aisles and aisles of clothes, perfumes, sun glasses, toys and what not! After a mega shopping spree, Sunil seemed to have wiped off a small portion of his hard earned fortune in one single evening!
"Thank you Vishesh, Bhabhiji for the wonderful weekend. I insist you come over to Coorg while we can try to repay your hospitality in kind" Sunil & Anitha bade farewell to the Aroras and the Kumar foursome proceeded to their hilly abode in the dark of the night.
It was soon 30th April, and Chavi had just 15 more days at home.
Chavi was quick to escape into her world of books and the wonderful tales that her companions would spin. Chavi was trying out different genres and was soon in the clasp of Adrien O Toole's horror thrillers. The tryst with the supernatural & the paranormal would send shivers down her spine when she would read the books in the privacy of her cozy room with a view. The large French windows and the Venetian blinds provided her no consolation during times when she just wanted to tightly clutch on to something.
All of you might have heard of Deja Vu when things strangely feel like they have happened with you before. It's that feeling in the mind that sometimes leaves exasperated & short of breath! Chavi's life at the school hostel was about to take a much unwanted drastic turn when something unearthly begins to happen to her and the people around her.
"Chavi!go to sleep! you need to give your books a break! you have the whole day tomorrow!" Chavi could hear Anitha shouting from across the living room.
"Hmm.. I guess I must give it a break now.." Chavi turns of the lights.
The next 15 days are quite hectic for the Kumars and they are busy getting Chavi's school uniforms, gowns, equestrian suits, fencing gear, swim suits, books, stationery etc etc. Time flew by and before she could sit back and relax, Chavi was standing in front of Mr. Aadarsh Prasad's office at the ACE campus.
"Good Morning Sir"! Chavi's voice sounded like chimes caught in a mild breeze.
"Good Morning Ms. Chavi! please come in" Mr. Aadarsh Prasad was extremely formal and he looked quite different that day and was quite a departure from the smiling and warm person that she had met along with her family some time back.
"You will have to meet Ms. SadhanaTalapatra who is the hostel warden, she will guide you to your room and brief you about the house rules" explained the celebrated academician.
The International residential school had houses - 4 of them and was a mixture of girls & boys. As is the case with all schools, the house would be given points for their effort in academics, sports and other extracurricular activities. This was most essential to imbibe senses of team work, owner ship, pride, reliability,mutual trust, competitive spirit and leadership qualities among the students.
The 4 groups were named after creatures of Indian mythology: Uchashrava (The celestial horse), Garuda (The Bird King), Airavatha (The celestial elephant) and Mayura (the divine peacock)
There was no particular means of classifying students into the group and the faculty randomly selected students for the houses to try make the teams as even & balanced as possible. Chavi was 'randomly' selected for Uchashrava, the celestial horse which is described as being pure white & was most difficult to get hold of, may be a metaphor for man's highest desires which are almost impossible to get hold of.
"Hello mumma? haa..I have been given a room in the hostel, it's on the fourth floor,haa.. no.. yet to set up my stuff.. I gotta get ready for the morning assembly..will talk to you later mumma.. love you.. bye.." Chavi got off the line with her mom.
Chavi would be sharing her room for the first time in her life! her roommate would be in the same class as she.