Romantic Prodigy I

In the recess, the notice-board which often was deserted, was surrounded by the large group of students. Some walkers were wondering about what notice apart from the results would have grabbed attention of such a huge crowd. Few girls came out from the front and started discussing, "Do you know, who is Rohit?" "No yaar, but he won the college level essay competition, I heard he is in our class." "I don't know any Rohit." "Yeah me too, perhaps its time to know him", the girl gave a naughty smile to her friend. On the corner wall of the porch, a boy smiled greedily.

The class was supposed to start at 3 o clock but only few students were present inside the class when the professor entered. Among the students Rohit was the one sitting alone on the bench. Slowly students started coming and as the old habit, the professor was giving them time to settle down. The boy came hurriedly across the hall and sat next to Rohit as if somebody will take the seat from him. Actually he was the only benchmate and the best friend of Rohit, Dhruv. "You won't believe what I heard today?", exclaimed Dhruv. "No, I won't", Rohit smiled without looking at him. He was busy solving the yesterday's homework problem. "Nisha and Prerna were talking about you." "Why?", Rohit said casually, but Dhruv was looking as if Rohit slapped him on face. "How do you ask the question, why?" Rohit gave an honest confused look. "Dude, if the most popular girls in the class talk about you, you don't ask why? You just jump in the air and dance." The professor restlessly started the lecture knowing that these people will never settle down and keep quite. "I bet today one of them will come and talk with you.", Dhruv slapped on the table. " Yeah sure", Rohit replied. Dhruv was aware of the fact that Rohit didn't even listen to the last line. After the lecture was over, everybody started leaving the room and Rohit was teaching Dhruv to solve the problem which he didn't listen properly, being engrossed in his self possessed fantasies. Suddenly Rohit realized the head dangling from above was not Dhruv's alone. He suddenly lifted his face and saw the girl looking at him. She smiled at him and said, "I read your essay. It was really worth winning." "Thanks", he muttered. It was followed by the long awkward pause. "So where did you read it?", Rohit spoke finally. "I was the analysis team member." "Oh..thats good." "Ok, see you later.", she left the room. "So, who was she? Nisha or Prerna?" "I don't know...but none of them for sure.", Dhruv looked disheartened.
           

Next day Dhruv came running as usual and whispered in conspiratory tone, "Rohit, the name of the girl who have a thing for you is Pranjali." "Which girl?", Rohit muttered indifferently. "The one who congratulated you yesterday.", snapped Dhruv. As Rohit turned his head around the classroom, he found her friendly face smiling towards him. As the part of courtesy he smiled back. "See, don't you notice the obvious?" "Yeah maybe..", Rohit spoke with thinking distantly. Rohit was among those boys who for the most part of their college life maintained a low profile. He was never the popular guy but the recent essay competition suddenly brought him into limelight. In old times, he never had to care about the classmates but now everywhere he found the smiling and friendly faces ready to start the conversations. He had the ambition of being a writer. He used to write the short stories but used to keep them to himself. One day he showed his stories to his friend Dhruv. Dhruv praised him madly and suggested him to publish them in some magazines but he discarded the idea. He used to read books and one day it struck him that he could write not better but of same quality of what he was reading. He left the book and decided to go for higher league. He went and brought the Shakespeare works, but within few days he hit the waves of depression. The dramatic handling of the topics and linguistic interpolation by Shakespeare was too heavy for his mind. Then one day he found the book "War and Peace" by Leo Tolstoy and he fell in love with his style of writing. He googled about Tolstoy and started reading the philosophy and then he came to know the fact that Tolstoy believed that he can not write about something unless he had been through it and thats why to prove his point he went through all the hardships of the War. This was the secret of his narrative power, Rohit thought. He remembered the lame novels which he used to read, he thought of starting his first masterpiece. But for the start, he needed the topic. There was nothing grand in his life which could be portrayed as the masterpiece story. He decided to wait for the right moment.

Today seating on the balcony of his house, Rohit was thinking of the same chance he was awaiting for. The Reader's digest have announced the competition for the upcoming novelist, the writers were supposed to submit their story and the panel of prominent Indian writers were supposed to select the best amongst them. The competition consisted of the qualifying round which required the short story. Rohit had sent one of his stories and surprisingly was qualified. Now he along with 50 other writers was competing for the Award. He was thinking of the genre of the story. The romantic story was the first and foremost ambition of any writer. He thought of the girl Pranjali. They had been good friends after the essay competition. Obviously she liked him. Rohit remembered the Tolstoy approach, if you had to write it, you must go through it. He was reluctant about his decision but the last date of submission of the story was coming fast. Only 3 months were left and Rohit was yet to decide the genre. But today seating in balcony at the wee hours of the cold morning, he took his decision. It was the time to apply Tolstoy approach.

There was risk involved in the plan. I must get her into the belief that I love her, Rohit warned himself. Next day morning, he waited for her at the canteen which was now the daily place of their meetings. He decided to make the move today. The excitement of proposing someone must be felt first-handed, he thought. He saw her from far away and was trying to think of typical Bollywood scenario where girl approaches boy slowly and the boy watches her beauty in awe. "I want to talk something important with you", he spoke even before she took her place. "Good morning!!", was her reply. He was taking mental note of all her behavioural changes. "Tell me what is it?", she took a sip of coffee which he had ordered for her. "I am not sure how to start." Rohit was trying to add each and every spice of an uncertain and under-confident hero to his character. "I think I am falling for someone", he added gently. Her expressions became suddenly intense and more attentive. "Do you mean to say that you have liking for someone?", she spoke breathlessly. "I think I am in love but I don't have any clue how to reveal my feelings.", Rohit gave her a helpless glance. The tact of creating virtual competitor for a girl was always effective. She frowned and asked, "Who is she?" "I guess she knows but right now she seems to be confused whether she knows it or not?" She heard it and smiled. He knew he had conveyed the message, because her face was blushing madly. Today they walked together in campus as usual except for the fact that today he was holding her hand.....

   The boy was waiting eagerly when he saw the angelic beauty conquering the surrounding. The girl of his dreams was walking towards him. She was wearing the Red Salwar Kameez, her long black hairs, the strand of hair which she was repeatedly shifting behind her ear. Her smile was the beautiful reminder to him that he would like to keep her happy and right at that moment he decided to tell her that he had madly, immensely and irrevocably fallen in love, Dhruv was reading the draft aloud. When he stopped Rohit was eager to listen to the feedback of his only critic. Dhruv looked pale when he spoke, "Dude, how come your writing getting so bad? I mean you are describing the dress and hairs of a girl. You are not supposed to submit final draft like this? This is such a novice writing. Even I could write something like that. There is no creativity. Last line is the copy of famous twilight novel." Rohit was not at all ready for this blast. He got angry over his incapability not to please Dhruv. "But I did it The tolstoy way.", he felt the helplessness in his own voice. Dhruv was acquainted with his tolstoy obsession of his friend. He suddenly jumped from the chair and asked, "Don't you say that you had faked love? Who is the girl?", But the moment Dhruv put this question he realized that he knew the answer. "No, You didn't do it with Pranjali?", he waited for the answer. But in reply he could see the guilt in Rohit's eyes. Pranjali was not only close to Rohit but also the close friend of Dhruv. "You should not have applied this tolstoy approach bullshit in real life", and he stormed out of the room.