The Magical Window
This story will surely make you remember of your thrilling and exciting college days..
After nine hours’ car drive, I reached to my university campus. It is one of the most beautiful campuses of this country, situated on the hill and completely residential. I love the most of being a professor, a chance to live with young people which keeps you young and innovative.
This is the time when freshers join the campus and are fresh as new blossomed flowers and a fresh cold breeze. They talk a lot, laugh a lot, sometimes you get an impression they have been freed from the cages.
It is my first class today. When I entered the class with my laptop and books in one hand and my water bottle in other, I felt a strong sense of irritation as room was more like a perfume shop. After two three sneezes when I could open my eyes properly, I saw the students who were looking at me with curiosity.
I (adjusting the laptop on dais) -Good morning and welcome students.
Students - Good morning, Ma’am (like a chorus singers)
Frazz - Will you teach English to us?
I - No, communication.
Frazz - Who will teach English, Ma’am ?
I - Well, I am not sure, is English your favourite subject?
Frazz - Oh Not at all Ma’am, need to learn it fast to impress my father, he likes English very much.
It was my first introduction with Frazz. He was short, thin, baby face boy. Later, he impressed us all with guitar and he was a good singer too but with studies, he was not having a good relationship.
First six month goes like this. It is a time when they are in their fairly land, here girls are Juliet and boys are Romeo, few prefer villain’s role. It is the season of first love, and infatuations. When they exchange glances and then the shyness on their faces, a desire to know more about that someone special, to find excuses to have a conversation with each other, all are like episodes of college rom-com.
It is none of my business to give attention to these innocent gestures, but I am unable to control it as I am a storyteller too by nature. I love observing people, I love looking at people as for me everyone is a character. Every person talks differently, their walks are different, even all laughter are not the same.
In one of my classes, I saw Tina sitting uncomfortable in her seat.
I- Tine, are you fine? it seems you are unwell.
Tina (stammering) — No no mam, I am fine.
But my intuition said I am missing something here. I zoomed in my eye lens and saw, below the table the boy sitting next to him is pulling her hand.
I (on high pitch) — Mr. Leonardo, it will be a great gesture of manners if you leave Tina’s hand, let her study.
I said this and class is filled with laughter, even I could not stop that laugh. Now it was turn of Leonardo to get embarrassed. He immediately changed his seat.
After first 12 months in campus, comes the season of heart breaks. Now campus witnesses students with gloomy faces, girls without makeup, boys with beard and uncombed hair. Their absence from classes and playground confirms that something is happening in their life, and they are struggling with something something.
But story is not same in all cases, as it happened with Frazz. He was missing classes, enough to be noticed. He took all efforts to look like hurt and broken boy. For me it was not new. He changed his stylish hair to long ‘no style cut’. He is not bringing smart shoulder bag of Marvel but a cloth bag, good for fetching vegetables from the market.
His friends told me that he is thinking of leaving the studies. It was alarming for me. A jolly naughty, talkative student was showing too many changes in his behaviour which was not that normal, I could not ignore it.
One fine day In Class.
I — Frazz, is everything fine with you? You are looking so different.
He didn’t reply, just a forced smile.
I (Trying again)- How is your guitar classes? I miss your singing.
But response is not there. For a week I kept on thinking about him, one day I decided to make an effort to bring him out of his ice cave. I entered the class and announced that today there will be no lecture, only fun and a talk to know each other will be the activity. I started lightly and asked how their first semester was, how much they liked this campus, food, hostel life and so on..
Boys and girls enthusiastically shared their stories. There were stories of foodies, washroom singers, toilet wars, fart specialists. Students had good laughter. Me too.
After a while I decided to share my story. I looked at Frazz to grab his attention.
I (looking at class) — Dear all, you know I have a magical window at my flat. This magical window has taught me few valuable things about life, which I am sharing with you today. My flat is exactly opposite to the student’s food junction and it is my normal routine to take the morning and evening tea near window.
From that magical window I can see basketball courts, football ground, family park and your food junction. From that window, I see students spending more time there as compared to classes. Students giggle.
My window shows me how much students enjoy playing basketball, football, skating, cycling and food. In playgrounds you see a sea of power, stamina, youthfulness. On food junction benches, I see long friendships developing with time. Students do discussions, arguments, little fights sometime. But there is one more thing which that window allowed me to witness, which taught me a great lesson of life.
Now, I intentionally took a pause…
First bencher (with curiosity)- Mam what is that?
I (laugh and continue with the story) — when you are new joiner here, I see innocent lovers among you.
I saw few cheeks blush and few eyes shining.
I (continue with my flow)- It is very lovely to see the young people in love, they look into each other’s eyes for hours, they talk for hour and hours. Sometimes I leave them talking in morning and found them at same place in lunch time.
(Laugh echoes in the class)
I (continue..)- Unbelievable love. They dress up great and it all seems so perfect. Sometimes they bring gifts for each other and open those gifts there. I feel as if I am watching a love story on a TV. Believe me you all are no less then Tom cruise and Emma Watson.
Class is laughing loudly.
I (moving towards the class, raising my arms and now I am behaving like an actor, sometimes I do it) - That magical window shows me how disciplined, patient and caring you are when you fall in love. Ohhh! It is amazing to see those lovey- dovey faces. You share your food, gifts and just forgot the sense of time spent there.
All students are looking at me as if it is the most important lecture of the year. I cleared my throat. I enjoy their silence and focus.
I -Time flies, final examinations, holidays, and end of semesters. In all semesters I look forward to seeing those love birds again. I miss them. It is very happy moment to see them again. They are back, I can see them, but….
A complete silence in the class. Like a TV serial, I was successful in creating that minor suspense of ‘what happened next?” type.
Frazz - then what?
I - They are with new partners. OMG they are in love again with new partner. Now these new couples are also happy, again!
I finished the line and now it is impossible to stop the laughter in the class. My attention is on Frazz, he is also smiling. I am successful a little.
Students were shaking their heads and laughing, it is a mixed gesture to say, yes it happens all the time, but we don’t do it.
I - Oh! please.. please… story is not finished yet. Love is love, what if they changed their partners. Love is same. Same good times, same hour-long talks, looking into eyes, gifts, little dance trips, kisses and love story keeps on going.
Liz (most serious student of this class) - Ma’am, don’t you think it is wrong, falling in love like this, it like making fun of love, after all it is a very pious thing…
I - My dear, don’t go too deep, I am still to finish what I started. My window shows me 2,3, 4 to 5 love affairs of one student, who were freshers once upon a time. But they suffer same number of heart breaks too. I saw them facing and coming out of those heartbreaks. So magical window showed me how, with each passing year, infatuation changes into love and mature good relationship, which may survive for years, decades, or maybe lifelong. To understand these strong bonds, heart breaks are part of the process.
I took a pause and open my water bottle to sip water, just to observe the class. Students are listening.
Michael (shouts) - it is amazing!
Edward (from the last bench) -it is funny. But even then, it seems wrong to fall in love again and again.
I was waiting for this question to appear. Frazz is listening carefully and from his looks, it was sure he wants to know more.
I -When you join this university, you bring a half-baked view of life and future dreams with you. Your age is natural to fall in love, these are more like infatuation, falling for deadly smiles, charming faces, dark mysterious eyes.
But gradually with time we learn to see beyond the beautiful faces and mysterious eyes, and here reality knocks. When you realize you are too different to be together or not sharing the wavelength to be in a relationship. This is your growth and break-ups are the first symptoms of that growth.
Now class is showing serious gestures, mixed expressions.
I — It is good to fall in love and equally good to fall out of that. After the heartbreaks, you realize your heart is very strong and your heart is durable enough for next hundred years.
Laughter hints me to stop a while.
I — Before your farewell party, you will learn to laugh over these heartbreaks. But then there are few who are weak and foolish enough to think that first semester love was the end of the life, and there will be no more love stories in their life.
Frazz is looking into my eyes, and it seems he is not liking my words.
I — Their behaviour is like visiting the wonderland and coming back after seeing the first wonder only. How can you belittle your life so much. Life has enormous possibilities. I have seen miracles happening in classes. I have seen wonders done by students. But wonders happen only when, you decide to stay back and complete your journey, with all sweet and sour experiences.
To my surprise, Frazz is seemingly a bit fresh and happy. Students are clapping, and I leave the class with a hope.
After two days, surprise is there for me, Frazz knocks on the door, ask for the permission to enter the class. I am very happy to see him clean shave supporting dashing hair style, smart t-shirt jean and his Marvel shoulder bag is back.
In the coming months, I could enjoy his talent with guitar and beautiful songs. New development was that he started writing his own songs, maybe he has given a good direction to his emotions.
In the Farewell, a goodbye to this batch, I saw Frazz dancing with a beautiful girl, they are carrying a healthy smile on their faces. It is a pleasure to see the same intensity of love in their eyes.
One more story to my addition, it is amazing to see him smiling, playing again. It is as sweet as a fairy tale. Life goes on….
Thanks, Magical Window!!
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