Yeh Dil Ab Tera

Chapter 6: Meeting

Later that day, around 2 pm, Anuj came looking for Anupama and Devika.

Anuj: Devika! Anupama..umm..ch..chalo meeting ke liye, sir aate honge..

Devika: Ha aa rahe hai! Chal Anu!

Devika and Anupama came along with Anuj. They reached the room and Anupama saw that many girls were already a part of the committee. They all looked at Anupama with a little disgust. Anupama looked at them, they all were wearing tops, jeans, frocks and all. They all were in western clothes while Anupama was the only one wearing Indian dress. Devika sat down quickly next to another girl. They both started talking the moment Devika sat down. Anupama saw how well Devika had gelled in with the rest. Anupama felt out of place. Anuj was also busy talking to people. She looked around for a place to sit.

Anuj was talking to some people and suddenly saw Anupama struggling to find a place to sit. Where ever Anupama looked to sit, the person sitting next to the empty seat gave Anupama bad looks denying her to have the seat.

Anuj: Excuse me..thode der me baat karte hai..

Anuj said this and left the guys there and came to Anupama.

Anuj: Anupama..

Anupama: A..Anuj..

Anuj: Anupama, idhar aao..

Anuj took Anupama with him and made her sit on a seat. He had found a window seat for her and then later dragged a chair next to her and sat down.

Anuj: Anupama, don't worry, mai idhar hi hu, Devika doosro ke sath baat kar le phir usse yaha bhej dunga, tab tak I'm here.

Anupama: Thank you Anuj..aapko mere liye itna karne ki koi jaroorat nahi hai..

Anuj: kaise nahi hai?

Anupama: uh?

Anuj: mera matlab..woh..mai kaise tumhe yahi rehne du akele? Maine tumhe yaha laya hai toh dhyan bhi toh mai hi rakhunga na..I mean..umm..

Anupama: Thank you..thank you..bohot bohot thank you!

Anuj: arre..isme thank you ki kya baat hai..

Anupama: hai..bohot badi baat hai! Devika tak mujhe bhool ke doosro ke sath baat kar rahi hai aur aap..aap toh jin logo se baat kar rahe the unn ko chodke aap mere paas aa gaye aur mera dhyan rakh rahe hai, isiliye thank you! Bohot bohot thank you!

Anuj: Anupama..doosro se toh kabhi bhi baat kar hi sakte hai, par tumhe yaha comfortable karna meri responsibility hai.

Anupama smiled at Anuj and Anuj smiled back. He loved how her eyes sparkled when she smiled.

Anupama: Anuj..aapko pata hai, yaha na mujhe bohot ajeeb lag raha hai..

Anuj: Kyu?

Anupama: Dekhiye ne, aas paas jitne bhi ladkiya hai, woh sab kitne..kitne modern se hai, aur phir mai..inn sab ke beech me kitni..

Anuj: Anokhi lag rahi ho? Alag lag rahi ho? Acchi lag rahi ho?

Anupama: Woh.. mai toh keh rahi thi ki mai kitni ajeeb lag rahi hu..kurta pehenke..

Anuj: ajeeb? Anupama, mere hisab se tum..

Prof. Kamal: Good afternoon students!

Anuj couldn't complete his sentence as professor Kamal had entered the class. Everyone greeted the professor.

Prof. Kamal: well, humare beech me ek aur nayi member add ho gayi hai, Ms. Anupama, welcome to the committee. Ab hum asli baat karte hai..

Anupama: (whispered) Asli baat? Toh kya abhi tak nakli baat kar rahe the?

Anuj: Abhi tak formality kar rahe the na..ab sabka sar khayenge..pata nahi kya bolne wale hai..

Anupama looked at Anuj and smiled a little.

Prof. Kamal: well now that we have a total of 60 members in the committee, hum ek team me ab 6 logo ko rahenge. So teams ko re-form kiya jaa raha hai. Total me 10 teams banege. Everyone stand up and I'll start pairing you all together.

Everyone stood up. Anupama was feeling very scared thinking that she will be put in some different team without Devika or even Anuj, in a totally new team. Professor Kamal started the distribution. He wrote the names on a sheet of paper and started announcing the names. Team 1 had all the names she had never heard of.

Prof. Kamal: Team 2 me honge Kanchan, Sweety, Dilip, Sanjay, Devika aur Parineeti.

Anupama looked at Devika. She was in some other team. She feared that she will be deserted in a team with people she doesn't know. She looked at Devika go and stand with the other members.

Anupama: (to herself) Kanha ji, mai akele ne pad jau team me, dhyan rakh che ho..

Professor Kamal named the people of team 3, they all were people who she did not recognize.

Prof. Kamal: Team 4 me honge Nandini, Anushka, Deepika, Jaanvi, Anupama aur....

Anupama heard her name. She looked at the people who were selected by the teacher, she knew none of them. She became very scared.

Prof. Kamal: Aur..aa..Anuj!

Anupama feeled very relieved! Anuj was with her in the same team! Anupama was overjoyed! Anuj on the other hand was very pleased to know that he was with Anupama in the same team. Anuj came and stood next to Anupama. The professor continued the distribution of teams and at the end, the teams were set.

Prof. Kamal: Ok, ab ki teams toh set ho gayi hai, sab dhyan se sunno, tum sabko ek ek event organise karna hoga, sponsors ko dhoondho, event organise karte samay mere sath milke kaam karna. Yeh poora event ek group me organise karna hoga tum sabko so all the best. Aur ek event aa raha hai, I want ki tum sab milke yeh event organise karo and those participating, tum sab bhi madad karna organizing me. Aur ha, we need 4 guitar players as well..so agar tum me se koi guitar play karta ho, toh please join, otherwise dhoondho aise 4 logo ko. And be in constant touch with me.

Everyone: Ok sir!

The professor left the room and went away. Some boys approached Anuj and he went off to talk to them. Anupama was happy to be in the team with Anuj, a person she knew. He fear and anxiety was a little less, although she didn't know Anuj well, or even enough, but he had become a friend of hers so she was comfortable with him. She looked at the other team members, they all were talking to each other. Anupama wondered whether she will be able to fit in or not.

A boy stepped up and got everyone's attention gathered.

Boy: Guys! Mujhe unn logo ke naam chahiye jo ki competition me bhag le rahe hai! Jaldi aao aur naam do! Sir ko dena hai!

Many people gathered around him and started giving him their names. Anupama also went ahead to give her name as she was a participant.

Anuj saw her go there and watched her struggle to make her voice reach the guys ears. He was too busy writing everyone else's names. Anuj came from behind her.

Anuj: Anupama, I've got it..

Anupama looked at him in confusion. She didn't understand what he meant by 'I've got it'. She saw that Anuj stood next to him and raised his hand to grab the boys attention, he clicked his fingers.

Anuj: Narrun! List me Anupama ka naam likh! Anupama..

Anupama: Joshi..

Anuj: Anupama Joshi! Likh diya na?

Narrun/boy: Ha likh diya Anuj!

Anuj: Chalo Anupama, usne tumhara naam likh diya, aa jao, yaha bheedh me kyu khadi ho? Chalo.

Anuj took Anupama with him and they both sat down on their chairs. A few people came to talk to Anuj, he talked with them but he never left the seat. He stayed there next to her till everyone left.