The Arrogant Boy

A notice is brought in the middle of one the classes. And a rough reproduce of it goes as follows:

All students are required to come in decent color dress.

A student sitting in the last bench, that's me, commenting, Common now.. what nonsense is this? The uniforms are due in a few days and the notice comes in now..

"T-shirts with provocative writings and graphics are not allowed"

(Note the line carefully, coz the whole post is based on it..Finding loop holes in rules, yeah that's going to be fun..)

Round neck t-shirts, sleeveless t-shirts not allowed....

The rest of the notice was never heard as our bench was already discussing about the stupid rule. We were sure our HOD Mr. Hala Nayak would surely be the key person responsible for the notice and it would soon be as good as a power of attorney in his hands to bash all the students.. (Mind you, the degree students fear him a lot.. God knows for what reason, I still haven't realized..)

My friends wouldn't like me to mention their names I suppose, so let me do them a favour by not doing it. Anyway one said, from tomorrow this fellow will roam around with the notice in his hand and would to pounce on anybody who is wearing a dress opposed to the so called decency..

A few days later one fine morning our HOD comes into the class, before the beginning of an English class to be precise, and starts repeating the same things again.. As usual I was in the last bench simply staring at him when he saw me.

You there, stand up.. I did.. I was in a full sleeved round necked t-shirt, but then he just checked me out and asked me to sit.

OK, in every class the lecturers will note your dress while taking the attendance and anybody who breaks the dress code will be noted. The names will go to the principal, and your parents will be summoned and you will have to pay a fine for breaking the rules..

Now I am waiting for that.. I will certainly question him back saying why cant we wear round necked tees..and of course what is provocative in this tee..

A few days passed uneventful, until one day when we were standing nearby the stage, he came by and standing directly in front of me asked the boy next to me, Dint you hear to the notice? He produced the notice and asked him to read it.. And the fellow said sorry sir, I wasn't well so was absent for a few days...

(Shey!! He dint even say anything to me.. and I was wearing a round necked tee..)

The following Friday again the same place more or less, and this time it was finally my turn..

I was in a orange tee, a collared one mind you, with "THE PRIDE OF TODAY IS THE HERITAGE OF TOMORROW" written in white to cover the full length of the shirt!!

He came up to me and blasted, Whats your roll number?

09107, Ist B.Com (Voc) sir, I said.

What nonsense are you wearing?

This is not nonsense, sir!!

(That just hit him square in the chest.. ouch!! :P)

Don't argue with me. Don't you know that these kind of shirts are not allowed? Its been almost a month since the notice is put up on the notice board and you still continue to break the rules!!(Damn now.. the notice, oh! sorry his power of attorney wasn't with him.. else could have asked him whats provocative.. )

Whats your roll number?

09107, Ist B.Com (Voc) sir, I calmly repeated again.

OK, meet me in the department today @ 4.

Off he went..

(Now who is such an idiot to go to the department to go the moment someone calls, that too after such a confrontation, and so I never went)

The next day during the FA class the mam tell that myself and another fella are supposed to meet the HOD after the class!!

(Lo ji.. ye to kal ka parinaam he.. Ab mazak ki baat ye he ki mein ab phir se t-shirt me hi hu, woh bhi round necked aur kuch chitr bhi that us par.. )

My friends suggested that I go home, change and then go to meet him.(I was again in a red round necked tee, with some little design on it) I thought about it for a while and then decided that when I had done no wrong, why should I even fear him.. Told them I would be going the way I was, and jo bhi hoga, dekhajayega..

The class ended and that day we had no other classes after that, also we had to change join in to Red Cross, so went to the department, spoke to the concerned mam and got the work done.

When I was about to go out our HOD enters.. tadtarada!!!

What's your roll no?

Sir, you had asked me to meet you now..

Oh, Manoj Kini, yeah right. You are Mularidhar Kini's son right? Come in, I want to speak to you.

(Lo ji.. ab baat na jaane kahan jaayega.. par mein to kuch bolne wala nahi hu.. )

Went and stood in front of his table.

Should I speak to him about you?

Yeah sure sir, you can.

(He dint even expect me to say that.. hehe.. He just skipped it..)

Yes, whats your problem?

(Oye, you called me saying you wanted to speak to me and you are asking me whats the problem?? lol..)

You are again in the same dress.. What does this mean?

(He went out, washed his hands, and comes back.. )

Yes, tell me.. Even after telling you yesterday, you are again in the same dress again!!

This is not the same one sir.. (lol..)

I meant with design and all..

But sir, this is not at all..

No, don't argue with me.. You are challenging me.. In spite of me telling you yesterday, if you are again doing it, it means you are challenging me.. Is it so??

(Obvious right?? I thought it was very much obvious.. and to think he is asking me.. he he.. maybe he wanted me to tell otherwise..)

You are not speaking.. You have something in your mind..

(Ab jab kuch bhi bole to sunne ko hi taiyaar nahi he to mein kya bhi bolu..use mind reading shayad aata hoga.. par gham ki baat he ki woh bhi pura nahi..)

No sir, I don't have a so-called plain shirt..

What do you mean, you don't have?

(I must say repeating whatever is said is a very bad habit.. If I said something, I meant it.. Whats the need to check on it by repeating it again.. )

I don't believe you.. Should I call your father and ask?

Yeah, sure sir you can call him anytime..

He picked the phone but kept it back again..

OK if you don't have, you should get one.. (If you pay, I can think of it..)

I am sure your father fulfills all your needs.. and your brothers too..

(Now why was that extra phase added? I realized where the conversation was leading to.. )

But sir, the uniforms are due anytime..

How can you say that.. Just because the uniforms are distributed, it doesn't mean you are to wear it from the next day. We haven't yet decided if the uniform is to be worn this semester or not. In fact we have still not decided if its there or not.. It could be from the next year too..

(Are you alright sir?? I wanted to ask.. He certainly was losing ground on his argument and cover that all this nonsense.. If the uniforms weren't yet decided upon then why did they even bring it? They we have money plants at home.. pathetic..)

Well If that's the case I will think of it..

Your father was my favourite student. When he was studying here I was here as a lecturer.. Though I never taught him, he was my favourite.. He was and still is such a gentleman. Such respect towards everybody. I still hold a very high regard for him. And you being his son, doing like this!!!

I know your whole family.. most of them were my students.. You can ask Vidya, Aruna, Jaya..(My relatives) They were all so humble, descent..

You are the first ARROGANT BOY in your family.. Never before did I see a boy like you, who is so arrogant..

(Zidh karo, duniya badlo.. Dainik bhaskar.. lol)

You have not even tuck your shirt in..

(Ab toh ye puri tarah se phisal gaya he.. )

You got 91? 92 % percent in PU ryt?

Yeah..

See, you have such intelligence.. Am sure you will do well in your studies, no am sure you will excel in you studies and do better than anybody else.. Understand the reason you are here for, and am sure you will do well.

You may go now..

Done!! Guru charitre mugitu.. I came back, least bothered about anything he said..

Walking down one of the teachers says, I wonder why he even scolded you.. thought it was for the writings on the shirt, but I find none. This is a good shirt na...

To date I still continue wearing round necked tees, of course I dont have a so called plain tee.. He stares at me sometimes, I dono whether intently or otherwise, but I stare back, and he just walks away..

Its only a matter of time before we have another confrontation and well if the limits crosses am sure there will be a lot to pay.. I am not too eager about it, but if it comes up then certianly there wont be any looking back..

(Kindly ignore any mistakes, if there are any in this post, as this is mostly written with the emotion of the incident that I just went on narrating without bothering much about either my language or the grammar..)