Coffee at its best

There is not much left to enjoy in an evening when the day hasn’t quite gone in your favor and the mind is filled with chaos and confusion.

 Late one evening I found myself in a similar situation. There was no willingness within me to talk to anyone. Just an eagerness to be away from the people I know and amidst a crowd of strangers. I stepped outside my college campus and started walking on the pavement. It was getting dark and dull, aggravating my gloomy mood. I kept walking engrossed in thoughts about the day’s ill happenings. I came across a well lit coffee bar and instincts led me inside. It was as if the coffee bar was calling me towards it and I like an exhausted traveler seeking for some respite went inside.

 I entered and occupied a chair next to the window. A person came from the counter and asked me what I would like to have. “Black coffee” I said. “Five minutes sir” he said and went away. The place was filled with an aroma of the coffee beans. It was quite strong and started playing its own games, trying to induce in me a new spirit of resilience. I surrendered myself completely to it and let it maneuver my thoughts. The person brought the coffee and placed it on the table in front of me. I looked at the coffee long and hard and it seemed to tell a story.

 Long time back, one day a plant sprouted from the ground. With time it blossomed and bore fruits, green leaves and white fragrant flowers. The plant withstood extreme conditions- rain, wind and heat. It took seven to nine months for the fruit to ripen and turn crimson from green.

The plant in the story is the coffee plant and its fruit, the coffee berry which contains the coffee beans. Without facing the harsh weather conditions the coffee berry would never have ripened. If the berry would have fallen down during the crisis, it would never have ripened. Persistence and struggle was required for it to ripen. And the nice coffee I am enjoying today is the result of all of it.

I equated all of this with my situation and got all my answers. Relishing the rest of the coffee I looked outside the window and saw the moon up in the sky. I laughed to myself as only one thought was running through my mind now, ‘the best part about the end of the day is that tomorrow it starts all over again’.

A fear like no other

Every person has his/her experience of stage fear. Its like the worst form of torture you can make anyone go through. And I am no exception. In fact I used to go in a trauma mode when asked to speak in front of a crowd. This one time when I was asked to speak in front of the class at the age of 10, I had a near nervous breakdown. And such was the enormity of that experience that even after 10yrs, I remember it clearly as if it had happened yesterday only.

It was a bright sunny afternoon and sun rays were passing through the windowpane and reaching the floor. It was my turn to speak on the topic. I stood up from my seat and moved towards the stage. This was the moment I had been dreading since the past 1 week. I stepped on the stage and faced the others. As I raised my face upwards to look at them, terror struck me at what I saw. Fifty pairs of eyes, and all staring at me. Never before in my life, had so many people looked at me and all at once. It was as if a separation had been made. Me on one side and they on the other. There seemed to be a divide, a sort of barrier between us. And I, so desperately wanted to go back in the crowd, never to be singled out. As I stood there, I wanted to hide myself, to run away from that place and never look behind. And suddenly I started feeling heavy, very heavy. My legs were beginning to tremble, unable to handle my ow weight. I tried to speak but my voice was too feeble, as if someone was choking me. By this time I was having difficulty even breathing. Air seemed scarce and my forehead was covered with sweat. And then my vision began to diminish. Bit by bit, everything before me started getting darker and darker. It felt chilling despite the April heat. And I collapsed 'on stage', right there and then in front of everybody.

I don't know what happened after that but when I opened my eyes I was lying on a bed in the medical room of our school and the nurse looking right at me and then turning towards my teacher and saying, "he's alright. Just a bit of weakness, will be fine in an hour or so". That night at home I couldn't sleep properly and woke up in the middle by a nightmare.

Actually sometimes we get paralyzed by our fears and let it take control of us. We start living with that fear all through our life. And that is just what I did. All through my school life I lived a fearful life. Never trying to combat my fear and always running away from it. Never had the courage to face it again. Afraid that a similar thing would happen.

But like any other bollywood movie, this story too has a happy ending. The protagonist does overcome his fear and in style. In the end, all seems well. How he did it? That's another story whose script has not yet been written.

Deadliest subject of all time

Previous year we had the subject 'ElectroMagnetic Fields(EMF)' as part of our curriculum. Believe it or not but this is a highly gruesome subject. Extent of its brutality is unimaginable. Legend says that many students have appeared again and again to clear this subject but even after 4 years of intense struggle they stand defeated. It has caused catastrophic effects in their lives. Unable to bear its torture in the classroom, thousands of students have given up and dozed off to sleep. And the teacher feeling like a proud mascot of this unparalleled subject, continues to give one theory after another and draw symbol upon symbol.

When I was introduced to this subject, its effect on me was no different. The scenario of the classroom had become typical during the EMF lecture. Half of the class was found sleeping, some looked outside the window in a still mode, and others were busy messaging or playing games on their mobile phones. I could have done anyone of these things but I chose otherwise. I specially purchased a magazine(India Today) to read during our EMF class unlike others who just wasted their time.

Days passed and I was happy to be utilizing my time, at least gaining knowledge in some other field. But one fateful day, the self-proclaimed mascot caught me with my magazine. He was like,"you worthless boy, this is what you do in class?". I checked the cover of the magazine and thanked my stars that our country's prime minister Mr. Manmohan Singh was drawn on it and not some skimpily dressed model. "Look at today's generation, no respect for what the teacher teaches in class". And I as defiant as ever,"but Sir I am only gaining insight into our country's economy and current affairs. What's wrong in that?". To this he responded back outrageously,"you fool, arguing against your teacher. Get out of the class and never show me your face again".

Thus I too was defeated and thrown aside by the mascot, not even given a chance to justify myself. And he even took away my magazine.

The very 1st step

As a child we were told to inculcate in us the habit of writing a diary. And very often I tried maintaining one, updating it every night before going to bed. But after few days I used to end up misplacing it. So I was a not a very organized sorts. And then I learnt  about blogging which has no diaries attached to it.

Actually the main motive of my starting a blog is that I really want to preserve my present days in college, the time spent with friends and the zeal that I possess as a young boy maturing into something more.

And for all those who would be reading my blog, if you are a college goer then you will definitely be able to relate with me and if you are past this phase then it will be like transcending to those good old times.