Yash Raj Finally Meets His Match (21)
My Sis: Through My Eyes
Chapter – 21 (Yash Raj Finally Meets His Match)
At 5’10” with blue eyes the color of the deep sea, Jash Raj, was not only a strikingly handsome youngman of NP, he was also one of the most notorious characters as well. Now there are some characters like him in every institution. Even the teachers, admin and other stakeholders are in awe of characters like Jash Raj. He had a whale of a time at NP till he met his match in Sis. The following is an account of that encounter of epic proportions.
The character who was actually unintentionally responsible for the encounter between Sis and Jash Raj was another second-grader called Trinangshu. Trinangshu became a source of a great headache for Sis when he flatly refused to attend school. The first time he was suffering from this, the next time from that, and from then onward, he was said to be suffering from some kind of chronic stomachache, always. It was his behaviour that made Sis suspicious. The next time he denied going to school, sister spent hours talking to Trinangshu. Another Matron, Mrs. Deepti, the one who was responsible for the third floor of the girls’ hostel, starting with standard IX to XII, was also with Sis at that time. What emerged out from the conversation between Trinangshu and the two Matrons, was some kind of revelation. Something that needed a very careful handling indeed.
“Don’t you be afraid, Beta. Who are you afraid of?” Sis asked Trinangshu one sordid evening.
Trinangshu looked right and left, up and down before keeping his head bent.
“Does anyone try to scare you? Can you tell us his name, or describe him to us?” Sis probed on but Trinangshu kept looking down at his feet.
Sis realised then that her ploy of getting any information from him was not yielding any results. So, she walked upto the wardrobe, opened a drawer and fished out a Cadbury’s bar. She walked back to Trinangshu next brandishing the bar in the air.
“Oh! How delicious this Cadbury’s is! Do you want some, Deepti Miss?” The boy who hadn’t raised his head since he entered the room, gave a quick look around, not failing to take note of the bar.
“Would you like to have this, Trinangshu? My niece brought it all the way up from Australia. Trinangshu melted at the sight of the bar and snatched it away from Sister’ hand as she was dangling it before his face. That’s how Trinangshu narrated his horrifying experience in the Boys’ toilet upstairs.
It appeared that Trinangshu was being made use of by a ninth-grader, someone called Aman. Aman was addicted to dendrite and stuff like that, and he used poor Trinangshu as his supplier. Trinangshu had lost his father some years back. His mom was yet to come to terms with the harsh reality of the irreparable loss. NP seemed the most viable option. Now there are very few so unfortunate as a lad without dad. For there are always people like Aman always on the look out for such poor fellas. Aman would meet Trinangshu in the toilet, request him to get the sniffing stuff from his mom with the promise of offering a cadbury’s bar or something similar in return.
Okay, even if that was acceptable somehow, what Trinangshu went on to tell Sis next was nothing sort of a brutal act of sheer perversion. A picture all too familiar in schools across the globe. Aman not only extracted the sniffing stuff from Trinangshu, but he also made him take off his pants, and you know the rest, don’t you, reader? The fear, shame, disgrace made Trinangshu deviate him away from school on one pretext or the other.
He was sobbing by the time Sis and Deepti Miss were done with the interrogation.
Sis and Mrs. Deepti realized at the end of the marathon talk with him that things were really serious and the sooner something was done about the matter, the better it would be to erase what looked like a sure scar. But how do you complain against someone as popular and influential as Aman? Even the Principal was said to avoid coming into any open conflict with the likes of Aman. Sis decided to take the matter into her hand, much against the advice of the other Matrons. Next day, she coaxed Trinangshu into believing that she would be there for him and he should not be afraid of Aman. Sis also requested Trinangshu to point Aman to her casually right after the boarders were released and handed over from the hostel before the assembly.
Sis was waiting for Trinangshu as the boys were climbing up the stairs on the way to their respective classrooms, when the boy, a mere child that he was, while walking up past Sis, excitedly cried out, pointing to a boy,”Miss, Miss, that’s the Dada I’s talking to you about.” Following his direction, as Sis turned her eyes to the standard-XII student going up, she was in for another shocker. The boy that Trinangshu had pointed out earlier was no Aman, but the heartthrob of the school, the fearless daredevil,
Jash Raj!
Jash Raj was also aware of some unusual happenings that morning. Probably Trinangshu might have told him as is won’t to kids of his age that he had revealed everything to Sis on the previous night. So when Trinangshu called out to Sis, pointing to Yash Raj sauntering up the stairs, he slowed down his pace, retreated his steps down backward, before halting before the figure of Sis. Then with his trademark chewing gum-in-mouth gesture, Yash Raj chimed out,”GOOOD Morning, Miss.”
Sis couldn’t believe the guts of the boy. She was so livid with the boy’s attitude that she probably wanted to give him a nice whack across the face. Yash Raj waited just for a tiny second before wishing her again, tauntingly this time.
A couple of days later, as Sis was busy releasing the boarders, with Deepti ahead of her letting the standard-XII boys step into the school ahead of the others, Yash Raj appeared like a meteor from nowhere and smacked a girl called Rupsa. Things happened in the blink of an eye and no sooner had the girl bent down holding her face in hand than the boy disappeared from the scenario. Sister was still recovering from the shock when Ms.Dweepti got inside the campass and headed straight into the Principal’s office. She, without bothering about the protocol and all, just wanted to grab this opportunity to be in the good book of the administration. Subsequently, Yash Raj was called to the Principal’s office. On being informed the reason why he was called, Yash Raj blurted out,” Sorry, Madam. I didn’t smack anyone. I’ve come to school just now.”
When the Principal informed him that the complaint had come from the Matron herself, totally unperturbed, Yash Raj remarked, pushing the gum from one corner of his mouth to the other:”You know what kind of character these people are. She’s lying, Madam Principal. “
Principal madam then pretended to be very angry with him and reminded him to be very cautious from then on. That was how Yash Raj was allowed to go scott free by not the spineless Principal!
When Sis met Yash Raj next after school in the ground, she already learnt from other Matrons about the implied threat that Yash Raj had hurled her way. Sis walked a few steps towards Yash Raj, who was busy balancing the ball from one knee to another, and once within earshot, she directed her remark to Rupsa, who happened to be nearby at that time,”Rupsa, never ever be a coward. Even if you do something wrong, commit a mistake or whatever, have the guts to admit your fault.” As she turned back to the girls’ hostel, the look on Yash Raj’s face was something to be seen to be believed. For the first time, a teacher, no, not exactly a teacher but a Matron had the pluck, the cheeks to defy his formidable reputation!
But Sis, being what she is, took the matter a step forward the next morning when right after the boarders were released,she paid Yash Raj back in the same coin by wishing him in the same tone that he had adopted earlier in wishing him: “GOOOD Morning, Yash Raj.” The boy completely taken aback,didn’t look so self-assured any more and seemed eager to get out of the way.
The story of the encounter of Yash Raj and Sis ended on a happy note, when on the Farewell Day, Yash Raj walked up to Sis, bent down to touch her feet and asked for her forgiveness. A couple of months later when he sent a Friend Request, Sis accepted that magnanimously as well.
Courage, true courage, is the hallmark of a great character and always wins you appreciation and accolade from the highest quarters.
To be continued…..
