DO I HAVE TO STOP DREAMING DAD?????

When I was hardly three years old, I overheard three neighbours talking about the best school in town.
Uncle 1: " Dada which school should I get my son admitted to??? I'm in a fix! This little chatterbox does everything except padhai! His Mom and I are at our wits' end in getting him learn even the alphabets and numbers"
Aunt 2: " Mount Assisi, aur kahan!! Is saal ka national topper wahin ka hai. Bhaisaab ye bhi koi poochne waali baat hai!! Apna Monu bhi toh wahin padhta hai.",pat came the reply.

I was pretty much impressed by their conversation and the first thing that I told my Mom after that  this is it -MAS is the school I want to get into. No wonder, I got into the best school in Bhagalpur. My parents were proud to have succeeded in their first step towards imparting me the best education that was within their reaach.


I wasn't poor in studies, but somehow I always used visit the classrooms where extra Drawing classes were held for students, after class hours. I used to get fascinated by beautiful sceneries and sketches on the blackboard and wished that someday I would be able to draw all these...


On my terrace was kept an old "banjo", I was told that my Kaku (uncle) used to play it in his teens. I sometimes longed to play a musical instrument...

When I was in the Second grade, I stealthily went to the neighboring colony to a Didi's  place with my fellow colonite Shiuli. Shiuli had told me that Didi used to learn Classical Music and taught it to kids like us. I was elated when Di taught me my first sa-re-ga-ma-pa...and could not contain my happiness when she told that I can sing well....O My!!! How happy I was! I  rushed home to tell my mom the Breaking News.
"Why did you go to her house?" asked Mom.
"Shiuli was going. I thought music will be fun",I replied with a long face at the bucket full of water that Mom's reaction had thrown on my enthusiasm.
"But Beta, you have to study. Look at Madhu (my neighbouring aunt's neice). She sings so well. Her Dad got her trained in Classical Music. But what's the result?? Participating in national level competitions,but cannot pass her school exams. I cannot understand how such kids will end up earning their bread and butter! I dont  want to see you failing sweetie!" was Mom's explanation. "Now do not go to that Di's house ever. Why disturb her?"
"But Mummy!! What's wrong...erm..with music???"
"You have to study child."

OK. Shiuli can learn music once in a while but Nupur has to study. Accepted.

My musical misadventures continued in the LA periods that we had as the last period on Fridays. Sometimes it was a soft number from A R Rehman's Bombay,at other times melodies from Anand. My classmates and I used to get very excited if anybody in the class would sing the full song  "Achcha sila diya tune mere pyaar ka" sung by Sonu Nigam. We actually were fans  of this oh-what-a-heartache number, like the entire country. Its quite ironic that I now despise such "emosanal attyachaar" type of songs .

On Sunday afternoons when I sometimes sat by my Grandpa's side, he used to give me examples of scientists-Madam Curie was his favourite! He said I should study hard to become one.  In Class Two,scientists used to fascinate me.I thought they might be cool people discovering new things.Okay Dadu!! I'll try my level best to become a Scientist.

There is another contradictory aspiration that I nurtured at that point of time. I was a freak in following beauty pageants right from Std Two-courtesy the 1994 jackpot that India struck at the Miss World & Miss Universe pageants. I had a calendar of the two beauties that made India proud,namely Aishwarya Rai & Sushmita Sen,courtesy the brand new Kelvinator refrigerator that Papa had brought home. I was in their awe. I kept following beauty pageants till Seventh Grade. I dont know why but as a kid they fascinated me. I loved the panache with which the participants sashayed down the ramp,showcasing their talents and touring the world - getting paid for looking great and enjoying life! I took special notice of the Judges' Question Rounds and loved to listen to different and innovative answers. I loved their long evening gowns,the elegance and the fun. And I loved the way Eric Morley declared "And the Miss World 199x is .....". As a kid I looked a lot less nerdy than I now look 'cause I didn't wear spectacles. And I thought that if at all I become as tall as those Miss XYZs were, I could try my luck there. I was desparate to grow taller and often told my Mom "Ma ,aap bhi zaada lambi hoti toh I would have been taller!" Wow,a kid in standard Two planning to enter beauty pageants. Beauty business is something that now irritates me for its ostentation. I hate superficiality. But still, as a kid I have dreamt of this as well !!!!!!!!!!! Sound ludicrous now,ha! My friends will roll in laughter when they read this because they know what a fashion disaster I can be :D


Anyway, thank God dreams don't require a prepaid/postpaid connection :)


When I was in the Fourth grade, I read an article in my school magazine. It was titled " My Aim In Life" and was written by Ankur Choudhry- the star student of my school. "Legend has it that Ankur hasn't forgotten even a single thing he's read ever since he's begun studying,"  was what our teachers told us. I was in his awe. So I read his article. It went like- " Life without an aim is like a boat without sails..............................................................................................My aim in life is to become a doctor and serve the society." WOW!!!!!!!! I was glad to know that a doctor serves the society by treating the sick,old and poor...lol!! This might sound shallow but it was about time when Papa asked me "Beta,aap kya ban_na chahte hain?" and I instantaneously replied "DOCTOR" !


It was 1998. I was now in the senior section of my school. We had more subjects to study- History,Civics,Geography,Literature,Physics,Chemistry,Biology......and not to forget Moral Science. But I 

enjoyed History the most. Ancient History-wonderful ... most people wont believe me but I used to read about Indus Valley Civilizations, Aryans, Gupta age,and all that from all textbooks that I could lay hands on.I would find out for all possible History texts in my home,right from my Grandpa's bookshelves to my aunt's books packed in cartoons more than a decade ago! That was the time when I began watching watching Discovery Channel -the Pyramids of Egypt,the Maya civilization,Mesopotamia,Rome,Forts,Palaces,excavations,the mystery of King Tut,Vedas.....I knew what I wanted to become-ARCHAEOLOGIST!!! Yes this was it! I was made for this. That year Dad took us on a trip to Agra,Jaipur,Fatehpur Sikri & Udaipur & my love for History knew no bounds...

Alas! We had Medieval History next year and my love for History was now a history!

Hey,but I was happy folks!!! We had an amazing Biology syllabus and an even more amazing teacher-I thought I could now be a Doctor in making. Skeletons,Foetuses,and brains in our Bio lab were now arousing my interest . I was diligently into bio and just desired reasonable grades in other subjects. Maths was anathema. OK. So what if I was fed up of always being stuck on the fourth position in my class in all examinations I studied diligently for? I gave shit to it. But I could not stand favoritism by teachers. I remember screwing up when asked to solve Maths problems on the blackboard.And the teacher told me-"Shreya why do you have to move your fingers all around your head for a simple 1.25*5." Then I realised how dumb I was to solve it as 1.25x5= 1x5+0.25x5  HUH!!!!!! Papa was fed up of my mathematics marks always hovering in the ballpark of 40s. Somehow I was beginning to believe that I was a dumbo.Those days everyone was like "Oh beta! you are in 7th std now,only 3 years to Board exams! Its high time you should be serious about studies." As if scoring in Board exams was like landing on moon.And being unable to score in mathematics was some sort of a curse. C'mon Mom,Dad,uncles &aunts,what on earth is so special about Board Exams??????????????? My Grandad told me about his times-how he was the only guy in his village to pass the Board exams with a first class when their exams were conducted by Calcutta University! Great time to carry forward the yoke of family traditions! I felt more ashamed of my mathematics marks when I saw that most of my relatives were working in banks..!!  What a disgrace,black sheep I was -or so I thought.

Anyway, I again stood FOURTH in VIIth. I was kind of jinxed at number four.

Std. VIII- First day of the class- I clearly remember our Principal , Fr. Chittoo hastily entering our classroom."So this is VIII B. Children ,Assisi has its hopes hooked on to you. SHIT. Now live up to the hopes of Assisi. For the first time I was delighted to score highest marks in Physics.Huh! I forgot Quizzing,Music ,History,Beauty Pageants,novels,medicine.....when I saw a yellow piece  of paper pinned to the Bulletin board of class XII the school- "INDIAN INSTITUTES OF TECHNOLOGY   BOMBAY,DELHI,GUWAHATI,KANPUR,KHARAGPUR,MADRAS ...............JEE......." .I cannot exactly tell whether it was this notice or the hype of our star alumni, but IX,X,XI,XII and an year after that...four priceless years of my life -everything revolved around Xth Boards,IITJEE,IITJEE,IITJEE and IITJEE. I hardly did anything else. My love for literature remained. But the time that it found in my schedule almost vanished.
The year I was in Std XIIth, I came to know that Ankur Choudhry had secured AIR 14 in IITJEE and a seat in the prestigious CSE at IITK!
I managed to find myself a seat in BIT Sindri. 

Books ,books and more books....no time for anything else..I didn't know why I was studying...

Chetan Bhagat rightly says,"First they tell you to study hard for two years and crack one entrance exam.And after you have studied hard for four more years,they again tell you to study hard and crack another entrance exam."  

Its strange.I had almost forgotten dreaming. And now when I have begun dreaming once again, my Dad's words constantly ring in my ears- " Pehle daal roti ka jugaad kar lo,fir hawaa mein udte rehna".

DO I HAVE TO STOP DREAMING DAD?