Prithvi... [Vol 1] (Ongoing) (Winner of Wattpad India Awards 2019)

Chapter 11

"Prakash, come out of the bathroom."

Nandini was standing outside the bathroom door, hands on her hips. Her brother, who never took baths in the evening and usually took less than 60 seconds to bathe, had announced his decision to take a shower at 6 in the evening and had been inside the bathroom on the first storey of their house for a long time.

"Can't a man take a bath in peace in this house?" he yelled from inside.

"A man could...if a man didn't have a math test tomorrow and hadn't studied a thing," she said, rolling her eyes. If there was anything in this universe that Prakash hated more than having his cheeks pulled, it was mathematics.

"That's not true," he shouted from inside. "I know everything already, so I don't need to study."

"Really?" Then you can continue with your bath," Nandini responded cheerily, "And when you come out I'll give you a test to solve. Won't that be fun?"

There was a brief silence, then the door opened by an inch and two black eyes peeked at her.

"Okay, I'll come out now," Prakash said crossly, "but close your eyes."

Nandini closed her eyes with one palm and stood to a side, as Prakash came out of the bathroom enveloped completely in a huge white towel. After ensuring that she wasn't peeking through her fingers, he scampered into his room and shut the door to get dressed. Nandini removed her hand from her eyes, grinning at her brother's efforts to protect a man's dignity.

"I'll study in my room," he declared from inside.

"No, you wont," Nandini corrected him. "You'll study downstairs, where we all can see what you are doing. I'll help you."

"Don't you trust me to study on my own, Di," he demanded, sounding very insulted.

"No, I don't," she confirmed.

He opened the door a few moments later with some books and a pencil in his hands and a very morose expression, apparently contemplating the hours of maths ahead of him.

"I'm going down to study, but I'll study alone," he said stubbornly. "Are you happy now."

Nandini smiled, walked over to him and bend down in a conspiratorial manner. "If you score well in the test," she whispered, "I'll convince maa to get the TV repaired."  The TV had been out of order for a month now, and their mother had refused to get it repaired because she felt Prakash had been spending a lot of time in front of it.

Prakash's face lit up. "You will!" he asked gleefully. When she nodded, he declared, "Then I'm going to top the class this time, Di...just wait and watch."

Nandini laughed and straightened, and pat his head playfully, only to find that it was soaking wet.

"You haven't dried your hair properly, Prakash," she admonished. "You'll get a cold."

And still scolding, she prodded him to her room, hurried to the cupboard and took out a fresh towel. Prakash obediently came and stood with his back to her, and Nandini started to towel his head dry.

"Di..."

"Hmmm..."

"Are you wearing more bangles than usual?"

Nandini stopped, surprised. The marks had faded slightly, but to be on the safe side, she was still wearing the bangles to keep her wrists covered.

"How did you know..."

"They didn't make so much noise when you were drying my hair two days ago."

Nandini smiled. "I just felt like wearing more bangles today. I'll be taking some off by tomorrow."

"No, Di. Don't remove them...I like how noisy they are...and why have you removed your anklets. You should wear them, I like that sound too," he said, nodding vigorously.

"Hmmm...why do I feel you only want me to wear these many bangles and anklets so you'll hear me when I am coming to your room and know when you hide your comics and take up your school books," she said dryly and hung the towel on the chair, finding his hair adequately dry now. Then she turned him around to face her, picked a comb from the table and started to brush his hair into place.

Prakash looked affronted. "That's not true, Di. I really love it when you wear your anklets."

"Alright, alright... I'll keep the bangles and wear the anklets. I must remember to tell my future sister in law to wear lots of bangles and anklets," she giggled, and after giving his hair a final inspection, she replaced the comb on the table.

"I've already told her, Di," he answered promptly.

"You've told what....to whom?" Nandini asked, astonished.

"She is in my class and she is very pretty," Prakash replied brightly. "Everything has been fixed. But don't worry, I'll bring her over to meet all of you before the marriage," he said consolingly.

"You will, will you?? You naughty little -" She began to tickle him furiously.

Prakash roared with laughter, and then wriggled out of her hold and ran out of the room.

"Does my sister in law know that your pet name is pikku?" she called out loudly after him.
 
Then still chuckling, she walked over to the table and pulled open a drawer. A pair of anklets were inside. Prakash must have had his devious reasons for wanting her to wear them, she thought with a grin, but she also had missed the anklets.

Nandini took them out, sat down on the chair and started to fasten them on. She was just tightening the hooks when she heard a familiar voice downstairs.

**********************

When she entered the living room, it was to find Sumer Singh chatting comfortably with her grandfather. Prakash was sitting at the table in a corner with his books, pretending to study, but in reality, eavesdropping on their conversation.

When she walked over to them, both the men looked up at her and returned her smile. She sat next to her grandfather.

"Nandini, did you know, Prithvi is joining your college tomorrow," Her grandfather said happily.

"He is?" Nandini asked delightedly and Sumer Singh nodded with a smile. "Which course is he joining?"

"He'll be joining as a Phd student in aerospace engineering," Sumer Singh said proudly.

"Phd student?" grandpa asked, looking bewildered. "But isn't he just 19 years old? He should be in the second year of graduation, shouldn't he?"

Nandini remembered the conversation she had had with Bahadur chacha earlier that day. So that student was Prithvi. But she was as confused as her grandfather...

"Prithvi is 19," Sumer Singh confirmed "but he is not an ordinary student - his IQ is remarkably high. In school, he was given double promotions every year. He completed with his schooling and junior college in 7 years, instead of 12."

"He was accepted by the topmost universities in the world for his graduation in engineering, but he chose to join India's best college," he gushed, exhibiting clear joy in his nephew's considerable achievements. "And then for his masters he decided to go abroad. He finished at the top of his class there and won a gold medal. They wanted him to join for their Phd course, but he chose to come back."

Nandini and her grandfather exchanged impressed smiles, and she now recollected something.

"Grandpa, Garewal uncle had told us something about this when he had come to visit, remember?"

"Hmm...yes...I think I recall Rajesh saying something like that," Grandpa said slowly.

"He got admission to the best institutions in this country, but I wanted him to come -" Sumer Singh stopped abruptly. "I...I mean we both decided that Ramchandra Institute would be the finest option," he concluded hurriedly.

"What time will he be coming to college tomorrow, uncle?"

 "His meeting with the guide is at 10:30." 

Bhoothnath was looking somewhat lost and was sitting quietly, as though still trying to digest everything he had heard.

Nandini started to say that she would try to meet him, but then she remembered the unkind trick he had played just a couple of hours ago, and didn't say anything. How easily and callously Prithvi had almost reduced her to tears by saying that they were going to look for another house...she recalled with indignation. She was not going to ask anything more about him. Well...maybe just one more question. Not that she was very concerned...of course not...

"How will he reach there, uncle?" she asked hesitantly. "There are a few buses that stop at the main road. Then he'll have to walk a little to reach the campus," she added contemplatively.

"His bike will be coming in a few days...until then I think he is going to walk all the way to the institute."

"Walk all the way to college?" Nandini asked in amazement, forgetting her resolve to only ask one more question. "It will take him an hour at the least!"

"He enjoys walking," Sumer Singh smiled, and then turned a little serious.
 
"And an hour on foot is nothing for him...nothing..." he added in a very low tone, almost to himself.
 
**********************

It was 9 in the morning and Nandini had deposited her cycle at the parking space in the campus and was walking at a leisurely pace towards her college. It was a beautiful sunny morning and air felt exceptionally fresh and crisp. They had been informed yesterday by the authorities that today's first lecture had been cancelled. So she had been able to leave home without the usual tearing hurry and could stroll along this beautiful tree-lined campus road instead of almost running as she usually had to. At some distance ahead, many tables and chairs had been placed on both sides of the street for students to study and also unwind. But there were very few students around and the tables were largely unoccupied, as morning lectures were going on across faculties. Also, their college was quite strict about students loitering outside the college and most students preferred to hang out at the canteen during their free time.

Nandini was halfway through when she heard someone call out to her from the left. She turned around to see Rishabh waving to her energetically from a table somewhere in the middle of the arena. She grinned and made her way towards him.

"Where were you for the past few days, Einstein?" she queried, sitting down opposite to him.

"Classes, classes and more classes," he said resignedly. "I don't know why I chose engineering. I should have taken up English literature like you, Vrinda and Nishi. Then I could have passed the exams with my eyes closed."

"Hey...Literature is also very tough," she protested and then laughed when she realized that he had been pulling her leg.

"But I can see what you were doing, Nandini."

"What?" Nandini asked quizzically.

"You were busy robbing a bangle shop."

Nandini giggled.

And then she noticed it.

There was a small bruise on his cheek.  Nandini's heart sank at the sight - this was not the first time Rishabh had come to college with bruising on his face and hands.

"How did you get that injury," she asked anxiously.

"What injury...oh this one...its nothing," he replied airily. "I had just woken up and wasn't wearing my glasses and banged into the bathroom door."

"Don't lie to me, Rishabh," she said sternly. "Did those senior boys do this to you?" 

She knew Rishabh had been a victim of merciless ragging and bullying from the day he had joined college, partly due to his timid personality and looks and partly because of his family problems.

"I'm not lying, Nandini. They haven't troubled me for a long time now."

"Thank God," Nandini said fervently. "But if they try to rag you again, you should complain to the authorities. Stand up to them and don't take the harassment quietly. I know you can do it, Rishabh. I have full faith in you," she added earnestly.

"Thanks, Nandini...that means a lot to me," Rishabh said quietly, not meeting her eyes. He felt shame welling up within him. He had lied to her. The persecution had not stopped at all. The bruise on his face was the result of a beating he had received in the hostel a couple of days ago.

But Rishabh swore that he would do as she said from now on, he would stand up for himself and not accept mistreatment in silence. He would do it because he wanted nothing more than to justify Nandini's confidence in him.

He was very fond of Vrinda and Nishi. But Nandini was the closest friend he had ever had, and the sister he had never had...

***********************

Rishabh kept down the book he had been reading and looked at his watch. Nandini had just left some minutes ago and he had told her he would be coming to the canteen to meet Vrinda and Nishi also in another 5 minutes. He would have to keep that in mind, because he tended to lose himself in his books and forget everything else.

Just then a hard knock at the back of his head sent his already loose spectacles sliding down his face. He caught his glasses before they fell down and repositioned them on his face, and then looked up to see three final-year boys come around the table and stand facing him. Dhiren, Nilesh and Abhay - his biggest tormentors in the college and the hostel. Dhiren was the worst amongst the three. A father who was a rich businessman and an uncle who was in politics made him feel almost invincible. Along with Rishabh there were many other engineering students who were waiting desperately for the day he would leave college.

"Get up, *****," Dhiren ordered. They could have sat at any one of the vacant tables, but this way they could relish the rush of power that they felt when could order around weirdoes like this scrawny idiot.
 
Accustomed to this behaviour from the seniors and even his classmates, Rishabh started to gather his books. He had just taken the first one to keep it in his bag, when Nandini's face flashed in front of his eyes, and he paused with the book in hand. She was right. He couldn't keep giving in to this kind of bullying.

He nervously kept the book back onto the table. He tried to meet their eyes, but their sneers forced him to look down again. Trying to keep his voice steady and fixing his eyes on table's surface, he said, "I came here first, Dhiren. And there are other empty tables...you all can sit there."

"I came here first," Nilesh imitated him in a high-pitched, shrill voice. "Did you hear that guys...."

The other two boys snickered loudly. Rishabh felt his face burning with humiliation but he remained seated.

"My last lesson can still be seen on your face," Dhiren smirked. "Do you need a new one?"

Rishabh flinched at the memory of the bashing he had received two days ago in the hostel for accidentally spilling water on Dhiren. He found himself wishing that someone would interfere, and then hated himself for being so weak.

Only a handful of students were sitting at nearby tables. Most turned around to see what was happening and then looked away, and pretended that they couldn't see or hear anything. But a couple of them were quietly watching the fun without any misgivings. The campus road was quite deserted and the security guards were at the gate which was quite a distance away.

"I-I wont get up."

Dhiren leaned forward and splayed his hands on the table. "So it is already time for another lesson," he smirked. "But first, tell me...how is that loser dad of yours? Is that scum enjoying life in prison...."

Forgetting himself in sudden anger, Rishabh jumped to his feet and gave Dhiren a shove. It was a light push and he regretted it immediately, but the damage had been done.
 
Enraged at his audacity, Dhiren grabbed the skinny teenager by the scruff of his shirt and dragged him out from behind the table, abusing him throughout.

Dhiren slapped him hard. Rishabh lurched a little but managed to remain on his feet, but his spectacles flew and landed near Nilesh. He, in turn, kicked the glasses away. Abhay took Rishabh's bag from the table and emptied the contents on the ground. The books fell in a jumble, and he scattered them around with his legs.

The 6-7 students who had been sitting at nearby tables could no longer pretend that nothing was happening. They slowly got up and stood huddled in a group, wanting to help but afraid to do anything.

Dhiren walked up to Rishabh, who was already bleeding by the side of the mouth, and hit him viciously again.