So that day
When the black bearded turban covered tall guy began talking
I paid close attention
I noticed when he would say something
Everyone would laugh
If not laugh their ears would be glued to him
He somehow said exactly what people wanted to hear.
Or he had some magic in him
That everyone wanted to just hear him
So finally, after a few days of listening to him
Trying to make sense - Which nothing was
I decided to pop the question
So when the bell rang
Signaling for all of us to go back to our classes
Me the 6th standard boy
Followed the 12th standard big guy
As we both walked ahead
I patted him on his arm
And I asked him the big question.
I asked him the question I was dying to ask him since day 1
And I asked him with all honesty
And I felt a great burden lift from my heart
When I asked him this question….
“Why is it that when you talk everyone listens to you
But when I talk everyone tells me to shut up”
He stopped walking
For a second he looked surprised
Not surprised that I asked him this question
But rather the surprised look that said…
Really?
He looked at me
He looked at me strange
And then looking at how sincerely I was asking him the question
He laughed a silly laugh
As if to dismiss my comment
As a childish compliment and fascination towards a senior.
He then patted me on my head
And asked me
As if blushing at the fact
That someone recognized his greatness
Why what happened?
I told him the truth
I poured out my battered soul to him
A soul, a song, a confession
As to my quest to have people to listen to me.
And why it was I came to stand there in the group.
He listened to me
With great interest
And finally he looked at me
And said
Cool.
Meet me during the break.
I agreed.
I couldn’t but get excited at the prospect
That a big 12th standard guy
Was going to meet me
A 6th standard guy.
And share this ‘secret’ secret.
So during the break
With absolute anticipation
And excitement
I ran off to his class
He was sitting down with his buddies
On the desks
Eating their snacks and talking
And as soon as I came in
All the guys burst out with laughter teasing him
Stating his son had come to meet his mother
Brushing their sarcasm aside
He took me with him
With respect and care
And then took me to the place
I least expected to get my answer
He introduced me to the school librarian
A dark tanned south Indian
With a nice round beer belly
Resting nicely on his firm but tight belted trouser
He had a beard dark face with gold rimmed glasses
And a gold watch on one hand
a gold bracelet hanging on the other
And as a matching pair
a gold cross pen in his pocket
and gold chain hanging around his hair neck
And if that was not enough
He even had lots of gold rings with some gem stoned in each of them.
With chest hairs bursting out of his formal shirt
Making it look more like a carpet of hair covering his entire body
And a upper body frame that was bigger than his lower limbs
He had the look of a gorilla adorned with jewellery
About to entertain guests at a rich mans event.
And as I found out soon
This gorilla was the librarian
And the Punjabi guy was his close friend.
And he introduced me as a special boy
Who should be given special privileges for reading books.
The librarian didn’t seem to mind that request
Because it seemed I was the first one in his 9 years as a librarian
to have such a request
I got a special treatment and access to some nice books.
And I would try my best to read as many as I could every break time.
One day I was suggested why not take a book home.
And I was like REALLY?
I guess I was too young
I didn’t even know I could borrow a book home.
So from that day on wards
I took a book home
Every week from the library
I took them home
Read it as fast as I could
And waited restlessly for the week to pass by
And then took another book
Over here a pretty interesting incident to share.
I would try to read it whenever possible.
But this privilege was only available
When I was ‘not’ studying
(Even during study time I was reading my story books – when no one watched)
That is my free time.
I didn’t have the creativity to know
When or where else to read my precious book
And I hated being disturbed during my free time
One day as I was sitting down with everyone on the table having dinner
My grandma who always compares me to all other children
And gives me 1000 reasons why others are better than me
Informed me in front of everyone on the table
How smart my neighbours kid was
And how dumb I was
She even gave me an example
Seems my neighbour’s boy
would take a book while having breakfast or lunch and read
While he was eating
He was so smart
That he even had to read when eating.
Suddenly it stuck me
Hmm now that’s interesting
So to everyone’s shock
I immediately ran from the table
Which we normally are never allowed to do
Went and got the book from my school bag
I came back
Sat on my chair
Took out my book
And began reading
While eating.
Suddenly there was silence.
No one said a word
Everyone was staring at me
While I quietly ate from my plate
While reading my book
Now the funny bit was
Now no one could shout at me
Because my grandma had just opened her big mouth
And her word had to be honored
And the best part no one knew what I was reading
Because I had covered the book with a brown paper
Making it look like a school text book
So after a few seconds
Really long seconds
Everyone continued to eat quietly
And my grandmother decided to shut her news channel for the day at least
Then that habit of reading while eating stuck on ever since
And moved to reading while waiting
Reading while in the toilet
Reading while studying
Reading before sleeping
Reading before and after everything.
And that in turn resulted from taking one book per week
It became 4 books per week
And soon it became 4 books every 3 to 4 days.
Strangely
As I began to read more
My passion from talking became reading and talking
I began to talk more of what I read
And this in turn
Attracted a new market
Not boys
But girls!
Because the funny thing was
The only ones who loved reading apart from me in the library
Were girls!!!
And though in the beginning boys were making fun of me
Very soon all of them began wondering
How was it I was scoring more points than them
But like they say
Everything has a price to pay
This too had a price to pay
One that has impacted my life to this day.
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