Looking outside the window I was relishing the unparalleled scenic beauty that passes by. A cool breeze whisked the warm air around. The setting was perfect for chit-chat, which my friends and I were taking total advantage of. It was a train journey back to college and a long one at that. But the length of the journey is never felt when you are surrounded by friends. There was never a shortage of topics to banter about or games to play. The numerous train journeys we took in those 4 years played a vital role in our life, teaching us many life lessons that you can never learn in any classroom.
A pleasant and relaxed journey suddenly took a complete ‘U-turn when the train stopped at one of the major stations and a gang of seniors rushed into it. Rising up to the unexpected circumstances, we suddenly stopped our animated blabbering and rearranged the expressions on our face. This reflex action was not due to the respect we freshers felt towards our seniors but due to an emotion called fright that we often associated with the word “ragging”.
The seniors wasted no time in splitting up and taking charge of the scattered groups of juniors sitting inside the train. When tricky situations like these are thrown at you, you deal with them with the help of the unseen power above. We fervently did exactly that. Alas, our prayers went unheard and we were not spared. A group of seniors shuffled themselves into the seats occupied by us. Seeing the lethal expressions on their face, our hearts started racing like a horse leading the field in the derby. Thanks to the old and loud trains of Indian railways though, nobody heard it.
Soon after the initial round of ragging, which is of course introductions, I realized one thing. I am the chosen one. I am still not sure what it was though. Maybe it was the niceness in my name or the attitude on my face. Whatever it was, it seemed as if they saved up all their energies just to focus on me. What can I say: When the opportunity presented itself, and that too on a silver platter, the seniors made the best of it.
The first task that came my way was to sing a song, one of the most common ‘ragging tasks’. There is no need even for a non-singer like me to think twice before singing. But I sat morosely contemplating on singing. When I noticed that my non-responsiveness was starting to annoy them, I swiftly said with utmost humbleness – “Enikku nalla cold um thonda vedanayuma. Voice vallathe maariyirikka”. I thought that was convincing enough, but my hope was erased away quickly by their response – “Ee voice paattu padan best alle… vegam paadikko”. The senior who said that didn’t forget to add a good measure of tease to it. I figured that there was no avoiding it any longer.
Sitting at the edge of my seat, I leaned backward slightly and sang in a deep hoarse voice which seemed like a cross between the voice of actor Thilakan and that scary Mogambo Khush Hua dude! That soothing wordless voice seeped through the corridors of train into the eager ears of fellow travelers and made few of them freeze and the other few pause mid-stride. After listening to the blatant display of my singing talent, the seniors seemed to need a moment to gather themselves. They had no one else but themselves to blame for this onslaught. To my annoyance, they recovered fast and appeared to be wrestling the temptation to burst into a laugh. When I saw that wicked amusement flickering in their eyes, I wish I could do something to wipe it away. It didn’t help that we were surrounded by curious faces who intently watched on, thoroughly entertained but struggling to keep their smiles.
In the process of enduring all the embarrassment, I completely zoned out until I heard a teasing remark from one of the seniors – “Entha kuttiyude kai virakkunne?” He caught me off guard with his question. I suddenly looked at my arms. Surprisingly, it wasn’t shaking. I felt an honest response climb up the windpipe only to turn back when I realized that the question was not directed to me but to my friend who had kept her arm on the windowsill of the train. “Aye… athu train anagunnathu kondaanu”- My friend replied with extreme conviction, tightening her hands into fists. For a long, seemingly endless moment, her hands remained that way. Despite her best efforts, she couldn’t stop it. Her reply definitely riled up the seniors, but it only lightened our moods. My suppressed smile met instant death when I heard the next task. No points in guessing who the task was assigned to. I told ya, I was the chosen one. My first task was a cakewalk when compared to this. I tried in vain to ease the constriction I felt inside my chest.
Seeing that I was still sitting there like a statue, the senior sat back, motioning his fingers to the arena where I had to perform the next task. Despite the nervousness, I somehow managed to stand up and walk down the small space to meet the other participant in this task, who didn’t have a clue about what was about to happen. As expected, this batchmate of mine was surrounded by another group of seniors. A quick glance at his pale face conveyed his dire situation. There was no questioning what was going on with him. Who better than me to know the impact of being the chosen one?
I decided to get the task done as quickly as possible and return to my seat. Following the clear directions from my senior, I asked my batchmate his complete biodata – “Perentha?”, “Veedevideya?”, “veettil aarokkeyundu?” and whatnot. Before getting into the next part of it, I glanced around. Was there anyone to rescue me from this unprecedented situation? Apparently not, because all I found was a bunch of amused faces. ‘O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.’ Yeah… I tried that path too.
Taking a deep sigh, without looking into anyone’s eyes, I incoherently mumbled their command – “I love you”. Phew!! I thought I got it over with…
I was utterly mistaken. It was not what I said but how I said it. I had to repeat it God knows how many times to reach the decibel that satisfied everyone. Without even bothering to check the expression on my batchmate’s face, I rushed back. Not even in my wildest dreams could I have imagined saying those three words under duress. If this had happened it today’s world of social media, one or more from the entertained audience would’ve religiously captured it and made my performance viral.
Throughout the journey there were several more tasks. Nevertheless, we all became almost as good as friends and parted in good spirits by the end of the journey. And I had even longer journeys and ordeals ahead of me throughout the initial months of engineering. Looking back on my experiences now, I fully believe that ragging was a good “ice-breaker” and it was, and I guess still is, considered part of the course. It gave us plenty of memorable moments to cherish and while the years have come and gone, these memories will always be afresh in our hearts.
Nicee