Chapter 18 :When departures end and Arrivals began

Three years later

While walking through the main road towards the gate, Akshi could feel her heart beating at it’s best speed. The knot that gave her a delicious feeling was there again.

As the distance decreased even more her hands began to clad with sweat. It was a beautiful feeling, never had she thought that getting anxious, nervous would give her such a delight.

It made her want to experience it again and again.

Though she knew till the time she was silent and away from a crowded area she was free of any embarrassment. Just one wrong move and all things would go down the hill.

With a deep breath, once again she reminded herself to keep her left foot in front of the right and walk straight towards the entrance.

Then wait by the watchman and ask him the details.

It seemed very simple while planning it out, but as soon as she reached the main gate, the scenario changed drastically.

All of a sudden, a tall person, much- much taller than her, wearing white kurta , jeans, his hair long tied up in a pony, with his dslr hanging in his neck – a young about her own age, guy walked out of the huge entrance of the main building of the college.

But that wasn’t the alarming and disturbing site, as soon as the guy was out of the main gate, a pair of dogs came running towards him. They were supposed to go towards him, but as bad as Akshi was with dogs, she screamed so loud that the scared dogs turned towards her, finding an unknown smell started to bark at her, making her even more frightened.

It was embarrassing for sure, a minute or two later when the same weird looking person calmed the dogs, looked at Akshi and gave her a small smile, she knew she was in trouble. On the very first day of college, she had made a huge scene, what an introduction it would have been.

She mentally chided herself and then looked at the person whose kurta she held as if her life depended on it.

And like that awkward moment she looked at the person, then to the kurta and again at him, and as if she was touching a fire she let it go and stood back.

“I am really sorry, I didn’t mean to…”

“Hey, that’s fine. And as much as I and my camera remembers we haven’t seen this pretty face around here?” his voice had that weird accent, though she wasn’t that of an expert to know much about accents and dialects yet his looks, his dressing style and the way he spoke were different from what she had seen around.

“umm, no actually second year, I was at curtin university, Bently… but my parents wanted me to come back so here I am .” Akshi informed as she adjusted the bag on her shoulder, the bag now seemed now a huge problem. 3 years in Australia had surely taken away her habit of carrying books around with heavy bags. she surely did miss her locker back in college.

“curtin… that’s huge, at least for me, yet I believe you could have finished it and came back here.” he lifted his camera and all of a sudden clicked a picture of hers.

Shocked and unexpected, Akshi staggered back a bit and looked at him, the way he smiled at the camera screen looking at her picture. For some moments He really creeped her out now - she came to a conclusion.

Yet like a fool she stood there, for what only the Lord knew.

“You are quite photogenic…” he looked at her, a confused expression marrying his face.

“ohh what's your name?” he asked and adjusted his bag on his shoulder once again. A bit flustered, Akshi cleared her throat and said

“Akshita Singhaniya… and you are?’

“Oh hi,I am Aron dsouza, an original breed from Goa.” The two laughed. And then did she realize it really felt good to talk with some unknown person and laugh at the most petty statements.

The huge voice of the bell made her realize the true reason for being here… and somehow, the nervousness was nowhere to be seen anymore came up again – and it only made her frown.

“Well Aron it seems I need to leave, I don’t really know what’s up for me right now, it's like I have never been in college earlier…”

“ohh, chill I can guarantee you, you would be alright… just enroll yourself in each and every club you would work out great, I would be waiting for you at the students council we have huge plans for the student’s body”

“Student’s council was never my thing, though I will give it a thought, thank you. And ohh …well one more thing, can I know the way to the Auditorium.”

“Yep, just go to the middle building and at the top floor you have your auditorium… but why audi, you would have your classes in the west wing as much as I remember.” He asked. It seemed as if within the two minutes of their conversation they knew each other at the back of our hands.

Though Akshi had been throughout her life here in India, It seemed difficult to accept the idea that each person was as friendly as your family would be.

And then again… why wouldn’t she be happy for being back in India.. .well guess mom was right, india isn't actually a bad country. She thought.

“Well my schedule says I have history first… with professor Arindam chauhan.” Akshi looked at her so-called schedule and then with a sheepish smile at Aron, the later smiled at her and took the schedule and studied it, but with just one look at it and he exclaimed.

“vooh lady,you have luck by your side, just know that he is that beautiful season around the odd seasons here in college… I got to go, so see you around.”

And just like that, the very first person whom she met today walked away… leaving her all bothered to find out about the said season.

For the time period that Akshi had been away from Mumbai and India, she knew that somewhere it was difficult to even think that 3 years would do such wonders to the country.

With a deep breath, Akshi walked yet again slowly trying her best not to trip over her own legs as she made her way towards the auditorium. The idea of having a history lecture in the auditorium seemed a bit weird yet there were things that you couldn’t tell about.

With the breathing exercise intact, she walked towards her destination. The college campus was huge, yet so different from that in Bentley, it had such a rush here, all noisy, colourful words flying around and the homey feeling with the hindi language. It really felt as if she was home again.

As she looked at the huge groups gossiping, rating people walking through the corridors, the charts lined up on notice boards and walls, some small groups huddled together, their heads joined as one looking deep into their phones, watching the latest songs, videos and even exchanging pirated movies.

Ahh!! How had she missed such an environment. The foreign education did give beauty to her cv but this, this gave her satisfaction, knowing she did have a life.

A life where she didn’t do much rather than lazing around, just talking about the random shit… yet she knew at the end of the day she had huge memories to curse at and then smile.

Akshi once again checked her clock, it had just been two minutes that she had left the main gate, though it seemed like hours finding this place. She walked ahead as she saw a number of students standing right in front of the double doors that presumably would lead them to the interiors of the auditorium.

The crowd was huge and quite interesting. Girls wearing beautiful crop tops, shorts, leggings and kurtis, boys with brown rings, tattoos and mostly guitars.

The guitars gave her a weird feeling, again and again reminding her about one of those wishes that she wasn’t able to achieve.

The thoughts were surely leading her to where she would now never want to visit, and hence with a huge shake of her head, she walked towards the group of students and mustering yet again the huge courage, she welcomed the butterflies, she would have fooled herself for a moment if she wouldn’t have mentally said a hi to them.

“Excuse me; is professor chauhan’s lecture going to be held here?” Akshi asked, her voice for sure might have sounded confident she thought and smiled at the group.

It was great to know that at least now the speculation of standing with boys, their hands on the shoulders of the girls were considered friendly enough for them to live.

She for sure couldn’t have lived with the thought that the country was still at the olden yet golden thoughts of one hand distance.

“yeah, it is, but I haven’t seen you much here?” a girl with pixie styled hair that was presumably died in blue which was now turning into light green asked.

Her smile and postures made Akshi feel weird; for sure things hadn’t changed for the newbie.

“I am a new admission for the second year, my former year was at Australia in Curtin University, but I decided to shift back to home.” Akshi smiled at each one of them. And was very happy to receive a neutral face!

It seemed not all were like Aron around here.

“That's great, we hope you would like here, hi I am Paakhi it's really nice to meet you, so where are you staying right now, because the dorms are full.” A girl with long hair, wearing the most beautiful kurti leggings and huge jhumkas that almost touched the base of her long neck said. The friendly gesture and warm yet chilly feeling that roamed around made each of them at ease, it seemed that somehow making new friends wasn't that difficult after all.

“hii, I am Akshi. I have a flat here. I am staying with a cousin of mine.” Akshi smiled as each one of them began to introduce.

The conversation for the next few minutes rolled around perfectly, it was about 11:30 when finally the professor arrived and everyone walked into the auditorium, which unlike the arrangements of a theatre had round tables with exactly five seats In and around.

The ones who took the seat on each table were considered to be the partners for the chapter, the method that the lecture went off was really different. Each story of the chapter was shown through some or the other movie, or play or many times stories as well.

For sure Akshi knew her days here were now going to be beautiful, there weren’t going to be things that would make her cry to sleep, there weren’t things that would make her think about herself…. All she had to do was go in with the flow of stories and create a world that would be hers to live in.