THAT DREAM...
I rested my head on my Business studies book as the teacher continued to talk about the formation of a company. Thanks to the two tall girls who sit in front of me, the teacher cannot spot me at this corner of the classroom. From the last seat of the row, I enjoyed a detailed view of the whole class.
I felt my partner grumble in disapproval beside me. She hated when the teacher did not get the ‘well deserved’ response in the class. She was the study-in-advance kind-always alert and attentive in every class. I was a complete contrast. Not that my grades revealed my disinterest in the boring subjects. I always used to get satisfying grades-for me, my teacher and my parents.
Finding a comfortable position for my head to rest, within minutes, the darkness in front of my eyes got replaced by our country’s newly elected prime minister. For a moment, I was amused at myself. After all it wasn’t everyday that somebody like the prime minister came even near my day dreaming. She was standing on the stage. Even strange was the fact that it was the stage of our school auditorium. I was sitting in the audience with all other students. I turned to face Apoorva, my neighbor who stays on the first floor of our building. It was comical because firstly, she was still dressed up in the clothes she was wearing yesterday to our accounts tuition and secondly she wasn’t even from our school…not even from my class as a matter of fact. I found my lips stretching into a broad smile at her, despite the fact that she seemed to be the only one not wearing a school uniform apart from the teachers.
I turned back to the Prime Minister noting that she was giving a speech. She too was dressed up in the same off-white saree she was wearing yesterday in the After-9 News, minutes after the result of the national elections was declared. She spoke with the same smile she had yesterday. She was neither tall nor beautiful. Yet her personality and the way she spoke made me and everyone else around me, mysteriously magnetized to her. Her somber expression and her body language felt pleasant and promising. She was undoubtedly pretty and flawless in her own way.
The only difference in the scene was the topic on which she spoke; apart from the venue. Her thin lip line produced clear English speech and she simplified what she was trying to say through hand gestures.
“I know how it feels to be an adolescent” she said maintaining her smile as she emphasized on ‘feels’. Again the odd familiarity of those words baffled me. These were exactly the words which my mother used last night while she was trying to convince me to miss my friend’s birthday party to go to my grandmother’s place. The Prime Minister continued “Even I got really put off when my mother ordered me to study and leave the guitar alone. Guitar is my only love and all I wanted to do was sit and play my guitar.”
I couldn’t believe I was hearing the Prime Minister of all the people, who was a lady not less than 50 years of age, wearing an off white saree and having considerable amount of white hair on her head, speaking about her passion for guitar! I shook my head in disbelief as the rest of the audience laughed impolitely.
The Prime Minister merely smiled at the reaction “My mother tried to scare me by reminding me of the consequences I would have to face if I continued to neglect my studies. But I always scored well despite studying mostly on the last days. The same continued till I reached twelfth. Board year.”-she paused to shake her head and roll her eyes making everyone smile and murmur –“everyone started to work hard and strive to complete the course. I remember how I saw students revise notes and memorize the text in the free classes. The study mania slowly gripped everyone, being pressurized by their teachers and parents. Everyone but me. I had a big concert coming up just five days before our exams started. I remember how my mother’s tender speeches and informal lectures changed into severe remarks and daily scolding. I turned a deaf ear to every one-I may add-a blind eye, to my declining grades. The concert was a great success” I couldn’t help noticing the hint of regret in her voice now “but I failed to pass math and English.”
The last line suddenly made the air in the auditorium thick, as the students fell into ear piercing silence. To my surprise something inside my stomach dropped, as the familiarity of the story hit me. Behind me Apoorva signed deeply.
“But it still did not disturb me much because I was quite clear that I’ll be a guitarist and that these subjects wouldn’t hold of much importance then. My parents were…shaken and so was everyone else who came to know about it. But I still couldn’t see the seriousness of the situation until…that day when I went to my music school and discovered I could no longer continue my classes there because of my failure in academics…”she stopped speaking and just stared at the audience motionless.
I turned to have a look around. I saw our history teacher checking papers at the other end of the auditorium. Beside her was our school Principal. She was nodding at the prime minister. I don’t know why. I also saw our sports teacher who was scolding some children pointing again and again at their open hair. Then I turned to look back at the stage to find that it was not just the prime minister who was there anymore. The maid who worked at my house was there too cleaning the podium with a duster.
“Why is she dusting? She should be washing clothes first” I heard Apoorva say into my ear. I merely shrugged. I realized that students all around me were murmuring and feeling sorry for the prime minister.
The Prime Minister, however, tried to relax the suddenly intense atmosphere by stretching her old lips into a pleasant smile. “Oh don’t worry. I still got to become the Prime Minister! But that’s why I’m telling you all to study hard and balance everything. Don’t just play or don’t just watch TV. I hope you know what I mean Siya…” she said looking straight at me. That’s what assured me that I was still dreaming.
But suddenly every head in the hall turned to me. Even my history and sports teacher turned to stare at me with all others. I was petrified on the spot.
“You’ve got the ability so make it useful” the prime mister said earnestly. “And don’t forget to clean the bathroom after taking a bath.” With that she started to laugh and so did all others. I was numb and frozen to the spot.
Then someone started nudging me from the behind. I didn’t turn but groaned in reply. The person didn’t stop and I was shaken up from my dream by my partner.
The class had ended and the teacher had left. I collected my books and hurried out into the sunshine…still sweating.
