Virgin Patiala Peg

by Gaganjeet Gujral

  As he was rummaging through the campus, he saw a large crowd gathered around a stage which was the auditorium in the open ground of the university where the director the university had to deliver the opening ceremony speech to which many people were waiting in anticipation to hear it and get a piece of mind of the director and the vision and mission of the university. There were some elderly people sitting on the chairs waiting for the ceremony to start.

  He went to the place and sat down grabbing a chair for himself as he saw a number of white and black people preparing the stage for the ceremony to begin. He looked around and saw that the campus was packed with students. As he sat there and heard other people talk, he came to realize that he was not the only one who had come from a different country to study there. In fact, there were plethora number of people who came from other countries like Japan, Russia and even U.S. He learned from hearing people talk that most of them have come to study here because of the Bahamas tourism industry. The Bahamas’s major source of revenue came from tourism industry and it was no surprise to him why they spend most of their money to attract more tourist which was their major source of revenue.

  Soon, the seats in the auditorium started to fill up and the narrator started narrating about the history of the university and how it originated, telling more about its prominence and how it has helped millions of students time and again to live a satisfactory life and deliver to their expectations. After the narrator spoke for about ten minutes, he invited the director to come on the podium to deliver his speech. Suddenly, he could hear a loud applause from the audience most of which were students as the director arrived on the podium.

  He began his speech by clearing his throat, “ Ladies and Gentlemen, I am honored to have this opportunity year after another to deliver my thoughts to all the individuals like you who have come from many different countries to learn from this prominent university. You know that we are a multicultural campus with students representing many different countries bringing with them their talents and gifts which further help us to nurture them and refine them in their areas of competence. We offer our students not only academic excellence but also develop in them spiritual practices which helps them to find themselves so that they could become much more effective in whatever they choose to do in their life. Our mission and purpose is to produce better individuals with certain beliefs, attitudes and values that can spread in the whole community of like-minded people and create a chain of change which would help us make the world a better place to live. And we are going to do it through all of you. You are the individuals who are going to form the foundation for the manifestation of great ideas, inventions, books, and business that can impact millions of lives of people. Those people are waiting for you to manifest your gifts and talents to serve the world what you truly carry within you. We are glad that you have made the right choice of coming to this place to get equipped mentally, physically and spiritually which would not only help you to achieve your aspirations and the deepest desires of your heart but also let you make a difference to other people’s life with your life............” the director continued on with his speech.

  Meanwhile, Karamjit got bored with the long speech that the director was delivering. He moved his attention to the campus of the university to find something interesting. Everywhere that he could see, he only saw trees and gardens with some buildings and around one of them was the library which was rectangular whose foundation was narrow but it widened as it moved upwards. He perceived the library to be his confinement as it was against his very basic nature to talk to some strangers without any strong necessity. So he thought he could probably hide somewhere in the calmness of the library and wouldn’t have to face the people out there. That would later prove to be a bad idea for him.

  After some time, the director finished giving his speech as everyone else started applauding him, he copied them to become part of the group. After the ceremony, he heard the announcement from the presenter that the classes for the business and administration would be starting from the very next day. After which, he gave the details to the fresher’s about the campus and the sports facility, then the library building and the commemorative hall. The speaker ended his description and Karamjit got up from his chair and hurried straight towards the exit to reach the apartment hoping he wouldn’t have to talk to other people out there.

  He believed if some one talks to him and he couldn’t answer them in the right way, he would end up belittling himself in front of everybody else and become a subject of criticism just like it happened with him in Patiala. So he avoided meeting with people all this while. He was still insecure in his thinking considering himself inferior than others in terms of his ability to persuade others to do something with his communication skills. He took the cab and went to the apartment. When he arrived, he felt better. This was the moment that he was turning back to that old Karamjit who was afraid to talk to somebody that he never met before.

  He thought that when he started living the Bahamas, it would change his circumstances but it was not so for him as he still was around people who were assertive and in some ways dominative. It was partly because of Karamjit’s inability to raise his voice when there was a need to do so. There was some fault on his own part that he never spoke for himself and never clearly expressed his intention of what he wanted from people that were around him. This habit of his even worsened the matter much more than ever.

  He would just sit alone in his room in the darkness afraid to go out and mingle with others. Even though he had thought many times before about going to some of the prominent beaches in the Bahamas but he had a complexion of rejection which never allowed him to do that. He always feared that since he was a very fragile guy, people could bully him easily like they did in India. And so, he would normally avoid people. He would rarely talk to Amrit now and he failed to contact Riya even though he tried it before many times. The next day he went to the university, the campus was even more crowded than it was on the opening day. His heart started pounding as he walked inside the campus building slowly gathering himself trying to look confident but his slouching posture could easily reveal to anyone who observed him that he was terribly afraid.

  He would simply go straight to his class where the first lecture was by the Accounting Professor Braid Williams followed by a lecture on Business Economics by Professor Nathan which was then backed up by a lecture on Marketing Management by Professor Wellington. Karamjit would keep sitting in the course although, he couldn’t understand a word sometimes uttered by the lecturer which made him even more frustrated at his situation. He would go hide in the library in the brakes between the lectures and after all of them were finished, he would go run straight to the apartment where he would keep sitting alone for hours without ever going outside. He would eat his meal when Mrs. Olsen would call her. But he wouldn’t talk to her even though she would keep telling him the stories of her youth and how she made a tough living coming from a very modest family background. Karamjit would listen to all she would say but not utter a single word other than just nodding his head in agreement whenever she looked to him for approval.

  One day, his uncle Gurtej Singh called him to ask him about his well-being. He picked up the call and greeted him. “ Hello uncle” “ Yes, yes. Hello Karamjit. How are you my Son? It’s been quite a long time since you called me here.” Said Gurtej Singh. “ I am doing well Uncle. I hope you and aunt are good too. Actually, I was busy since the university session has already begun and there’s a lot of pressure of studies so I had to focus my attention to studies. That’s why I couldn’t call you.”

  “ No worries boy. Just keep grinding hard. If there are any issues regarding anything, just let me know if I can help. Just call me whenever you need my help. Don’t even think twice before calling me. Even though you are grown up now, but it’s still my responsibility to make sure you enjoy your stay there. I am sending you the money for your rent payment. The two month period is about to end. So, withdraw
it from your account and pay it before it gets late. You see, people there are a whole lot different there. They won’t let you stay in the apartment even if you miss the payment by a single day. They are more concerned about acquiring materialistic possessions than about making healthy long lasting relationships. So please make sure you keep a vigilant eye on who you associate with. Don’t spoil yourself with people of questionable character. Okay?” he asked. “ No, uncle. I don’t even go anywhere outside the apartment I am living in. So there’s no way I can get along with wrong people.” “ I was just reminding you to be very protective of who you allow to get into your head. Getting it or not?” “ I will keep an account of that. Don’t worry please.” He paused for a second and then said, “ Okay, uncle. I will talk to you later. I have to eat my dinner now” and he immediately cut off the call and went to Mrs. Olsen’s dining table to eat his dinner at the same time listen to her never ending stories of her youth.

  Two days passed and Karamjit withdrew the money that his uncle sent him. And as he was passing through an alley and counting the notes, some men came on two motorbikes. He turned around to see and suddenly they reached closer to him and grabbed the money from his hands and raced away. He shouted but the alley was completely deserted. He ran after them with all his strength utilizing his stamina but in vain, their bikes were too fast for him to catch them. After chasing them for some hundred meters, he got tired and stopped to gasp some air.

  His knees felt weak as he felt powerless to do anything. He stood there absolutely helpless. It was the money which would have paid his rent. He thought to himself: what should I do now? Should I tell uncle about this incident and ask him to send more money? No-No- No. That would not be good at all. It’s not good to trouble him with that. But what can I do other than that? I will be thrown out of the apartment without paying the rent.

  He continued to walk to the apartment thinking he would somehow try to convince Mrs. Olsen about the matter and do some of her household work in return of the rent money. He came back to apartment and went to Mrs. Olsen’s room and told her about the incident. “ So what?” she said almost immediately. “ Can I do some of your work in turn of the rent money Mrs. Olsen? Please?” he asked politely. “ Look, young man. If I had some work to do for you, I would have asked you before. Since I already have a maid and a cook, I am afraid you will have to take your luggage with you and leave the room.” “ What if I can find a job to pay your rent? Would that be fine? Can you please give me some time to find a job to pay your rent? That would be really helpful.” He asked. “ Alright. But I give you a week to find some work to do but at the end of that week, I want my rental payment and if you are not able to make some money then I shouldn’t have to tell you again to leave the room. Do you understand that?” “ Okay, I will do something...” he murmured.

  He then called Amrit and told him how his money got stolen looking for some sympathy from Amrit. But instead, Amrit started yelling at him, “ What are you doing Karamjit? Oh, man. When are you going to learn huh? When will you become more responsible and active in your social life? I warned you several times before as well. Now, live with the consequences.” “ But Amrit....” He spoke but got interrupted. “But.... But what huh?” “ But it could have happened with almost anybody. The situation is even worse here. The place I live here, most of the people are criminals living in the alleys where it’s almost impossible to get them. How can anyone live in such a place where there is no trust and security bestowed upon us? That’s unfair” he said. Amrit took a deep breath trying to calm himself down.

  “Look Karamjit, the world is not so innocent as you are. Everybody is not like you and don’t even expect others to be like you. If you are expecting them to be like you, you are setting yourself up for disappointment. Okay now do one thing, I have heard that you can easily find a cleaning job there. You told me that the there is a lot of mess on the streets in the Bain Town. Right?” “ There certainly is” he replied. “Great. So you can ask people to clean the dirt in their locality. I am sure there would be many people who would be frustrated about the messy streets but won’t be doing anything about it. So you can do it for them” “ But that’s below me” he shouted.

  “ Do you think you are in a position to talk of what’s below you and what is not? It’s the only way I see to resolve your problem. If you want my take on that, that’s it right there. Go for it and don’t think too much of the ramifications of doing it. Just hit it right now if you don’t want any further trouble for yourself ” Said Amrit. “ Alright, I will get started from tomorrow onwards but I will have to manage my timings of the university as well. It’s going to be tiring as I am already travelling a lot from apartment to university and back again.” “ But that’s the only way. Just remember who your inspiration is.” “ Yeah, that’s my dad. Thanks for reminding it to me again. I will get something done soon. Bye”

  The next day he woke up and went to the university to attend his classes and then rushed back to the apartment after that. After which he finally got out of the apartment for the first time for a purpose other than just withdrawing money. He knocked on every door in the street next to the alley. He asked people if they wanted to get the dirt in the street sorted out. Most of them rejected him saying they have no time to even talk to him. Some ignored him. But some actually paid him to get the streets cleaned up. And at the end of the day, he was all greasy with dirt but he also earned some bucks which gave him some hope of not losing the apartment.

  He went to Mrs. Olsen and showed her the money that he earned. “ But that’s not okay for me.” She said. “ You have to keep earning every day, only then you would gather enough money to pay your rent. Don’t think I will be lenient towards you because you are young. You are simply a regular guy to me who pays rent and uses the resources in this house. That’s it ” “ I will surely pay your rent. But please don’t throw me away. I have nowhere else to go. I don’t even know anybody here.” “ Well, that’s your problem. But as long as you are paying the rent, I don’t care what you do, you can stay here” she left for her room saying that. And Karamjit picked up the money and went marching towards his room with a crushed spirit.

  He had never thought that he would be washing dishes and cleaning dirt of other people’s houses to pay some money to an old woman. He would continue doing that everyday even though he was getting frustrated every passing day with the way his life was going on. There seemed no way for him to break out of his rut and live a life that he dreamt of living. Every time he thought he is out of the trouble, something much terrible would strike him and leave him devastated. This was becoming a normal part of his living and the sad part for him was that he accepted this condition to be normal and never thought of getting through it by doing something that he has never done before.

  7.

  Misery Continues

  Karamjit’s life continued in the same manner for the next one month. He would clean streets, houses, and wash dishes to get some money for his rent. And he was successfully paying it after every week without ever missing a single payment. That gave him some relief that at least he is not a burden to his uncle now by being able to manage his own expenses. He would earn sufficient money which would save him some bucks even after paying his rent. One day, while he was coming back after attending his class, a shrill voice stopped him from behind.

  “ Hey dude, can you stop for a second?” it said. Karamjit stood there afraid to turn around until the man who had called him came to him. “ Where are you heading to?” “ Why should I tell you?” said Karamjit. “ Boy, you are very eccentric. Do you know that I am in your class? It’s been three months for you in this university and since the time I have been observing you, I have never seen you talk to anyone. You are quiet in the lectures after which you straight away leave the campus without mingling with anyone. Is everything okay with you or is it just that you talk less with strangers?” “ I am good. Thank you. I don’t need your help.” “Woah ... dude. You are
being too rude. Listen, me along with my friends can hang out with you if you feel lonely. What’s the matter huh? Tell me.” “ Please leave my way. I have to leave for home” said Karamjit. And he left as soon as he finished saying it.

  The next day, while he was sitting in the lecture room, the same guy came to him and sat next to him. Karamjit’s posture began to fall down as if he was almost going down the chair on which he was sitting. Some other bunch of boys and girls came with that guy. “ Hey guys, this is the person I was talking about” he said. “ What’s your name dude?” he asked. “What do you want with my name?” “ Calm down dude, why are you hyper all the time? I am just asking your name.” he said. “Karamjit” he responded. “ Guys, meet Karamjit.” He said to his friends as everybody started waving at him. “Karamjit, these are my friends. I am Nile from Haiti.” He said and then started introducing every one of his friends to Karamjit.

  Karamjit felt comfortable now as he perceived no threat from those people. “ So are you free today? Maybe we can have some fun in the cafeteria together.” Nile asked. “ Well, I don’t have to do anything specific for today but.....” “ Well, that’s great then. Let’s meet in the cafeteria after the lecture.” Said Nile as he interrupted Karamjit. “But what are we going to do in the cafeteria?” “ Umm... Nothing specific. We will have our lunch and talk some politics, some sports, some general issues. That would give us a clear picture of what’s going on around us.” “ So, is it a kind of group discussion?” “ You can say so. Discussions are a good way to sort out some uncluttered things in your mind and we generally do it to get rid of our old ways of thinking. You know, to think in a creative way. To get the things done in a new and unprecedented way. Hope you are getting it. Haven’t you talked to any stranger before? Don’t mind Karamjit but it seems to me that you are into yourself all the time, hasn’t anyone pointed out that to you before?” he asked. “ A lot of them did actually. But doesn’t matter to me. I am the way I am. And I believe if someone really likes you, they would accept you the way you are. So I don’t have any unrealistic expectations from anyone either. I mind my own business and I expect others to do the same.” “ You are surely different man. Okay, the lecture is about to start. But anyhow, as I said, come to the cafeteria after the lecture and I’ll see you there.” Said Nile.