Dharini met Mrs. A.K.Singh in the party. She was impressed with the lady. They had a all army families. Her father and grandfather were in Army and her brother serving in Artillery Division, Punjab Rifles...! Mrs. Singh was impressed that Dharini was from a civilian family with no connection to Forces at all. She spent long time with her talking about her experiences. Dharini was surprised at her friendliness. The Lady seemed to be interested in interacting with people. "An outgoing type of a person!" Dharini branded her.
Dr. Guruprasad was surprised to see the letter. All the service records of Lt. Dharini Dixit was called for by the headquarters. She was yet to complete her two years. He sent the records shrugging.
"Service Records?" Maj. Vinit was surprised. Her figure before the gathering flashed... "So she has impressed him...." he thought recalling the last night's party at Officers' Mess. He had seen her with hatred talking to other officers freely and Mrs. Singh having a long talk with her. "Wait and watch!" he decided to keep a tab on the activities at the Head Quarters.
"Don't be under the impression that you have proved yourself, Lt. Dharini Dixit!" he blurted little loudly and took a breath of relief finding himself alone.
Soon the news spread... Dharini was called again with her transfer orders to Dras, J & K, 471 Engineering Brigade. Dharini was surprised. Transfer? She had not had her turn yet. But she was happy to serve in Engineering Brigade with Tanks and Artillary Maintenance. She heaved coming out of the office. Finally Time to leave DRDO!
"What?" Dras? " Vinit was surprised. He looked at her happy face with a frown and contempt... "You will soon know the hardship... " Winter was approaching.
"I am to report to Maj. Vikram Singh! He will help me till I settle down" he overheard her mentioning to her colleague. "Vikram Singh? Not the commander?" he was again surprised. Mrs. Singh talking to Rini flashed. He was puzzled. "Ok! Let me see who is heading the Engineering Division..." he thought bitterly losing interest in his present work. His brain preoccupied with her thoughts he forgot to answer the intercom. His assistant dashed to pick up the receiver. Maj. Vinit came back to his senses startled.
"Yes Sir!" he said keeping the receiver down and moving out towards Director's Office.
"Take the charge from her by next Monday! She is leaving this fifteenth." he ordered and Maj Vinit came out without a word. "Fifteenth? Only 13 days..." something churned inside. "She is leaving?" He came back to his cabin. Dharini waited eagerly for the evening. She was dying to call home to give the news. She was apprehensive about her parents' reaction. J and K... already a battlefield with insurgency and terrorists activities, she was excited but was not sure about her parents. Nilima was always against her joining the Army, Salil had permitted her reluctantly. They had taken a sigh of relief when she was posted in Pune. Now J&K would be a bomb shell on them. She might not be able to make it to Disha's wedding.
Rini had so many things on her plate. She had to plan for everything before going. She was given four days leave before joining. She was happy.
"Dharini ...!" Maj. Vinit's tall figure towered over her desk. "Yes Sir!" she got up immediately. "Start handing over the charge from tomorrow and finish it within four days..!" he said roughly and she nodded with affirmative "Yes Sir!" he gazed at her keeping his palms on her table leaning forward and she looked at him in surprise. She waited further orders and he straightened himself. "Tomorrow at 900 hours sharp. He warned her with his boring gaze. "Yes Sir!" she accepted the challenge. He lingered for a second. The boy brought in afternoon coffee and he settled himself on the chair picking up the mug. She avoided his gaze. "Why is he here?" she wouldn't know as he himself didn't know why was he there at her table. They sipped coffee silently. He didn't want to go and she didn't want him there with her. She looked up questioningly keeping the mug down. He got up and strode off briskly. She wondered not seeing frown on his face. "Must be happy to send me off!" she thought looking at his back.
********** ********** *********
Dhatri couldn't sleep ... Her friends tried to cheer her up in vain. Nothing could lift her mood. She kept staring blankly at the placards she had prepared for the next day's seminar. Her presentation was ready, she had rehearsed it several times, she had mugged it up and reproduced before her friends... but her anxiety had not reduced. "I know, I will forget everything, looking at the crowd...!" she was sure about her failure.
"Don't look at the crowd, initially! Look at the screen... and then your confidence will be back. Hold something tightly in your fist..!" Suresh Menon suggested and she tried holding her pen in her fist which didn't help. She was desperate with her heart beats increasing and her pulse racing...! Hope... someone very important... some minister or someone dies tomorrow and the collage be closed tomorrow...!" she prayed hard holding her own neck for some miracle to happen and she can escape from standing before the crowd. She held her black thread and felt the KirtiMukh hung around her neck. She took it out and held it in her fist. She felt better, with her confidence returning slowly. She rehearsed that 20 minutes presentation which ran into pages... "Ha! I have learnt it by heart... I can reproduce...!" she told herself shaking a bit in confidence. Her alarm clock chimed. She was already up.
"Mari mai... Mari mai... she prayed hard like tribals....locking her hands behind and touching the floor with her foreheadhead. "Dhatri... stop it! You will do it!" Ragini held her shaking hand. Dhatri wiped her sweat with her other hand. "See? I am turning cold... by the time we reach our class I would be frozen...!" she said shivering a bit. Ragini laughed... "Dhatri... its only a class room presentation... Stop this drama...!" she scolded Dhatri and Dhatri went ahead morose. Suresh was at the door. "Daatri... I will assist you in changing the slides in your PPT..." he gave her a good news and she heaved a sigh. "Ha... Mari Mai!" she prayed thinking her Marimai! She thrust the presentation papers in his hands and said... "Prompt me..Ok?" he nodded and Ragini winked at him.
The inevitable happened. Her mouth was dry. She forgot everything, even to swtich on her laptop and start the presentation, shaking and sweating profusely... Suresh had already talked to the professors that he would help Dhatri in her PPT. Everyone waited... some in tension, some contemptiously, some ready to pounce on her with questions, some to see the drama, some waiting for her to fumble and make fun of her.. some with sympathy... some praying god to help her...! Suresh started her presentation and the first slide flashed on the big screen. The slide triggerred Dhatri and she started with tremendous speed.... Suresh grew restless. She had moved on to slide number 10 in just seven minutes. By this speed she would finish within fifteen minutes.
"Oh! Wait Wait!" her professor stopped her and she went blank suddenly. She looked up blank with dropped jaw and her friends banged their foreheads. "Aaj toh Gayi...!" Ragini prayed hard. Smirk appeared on many faces... "Aaj toh Gayi..!" smirk grew into grinn. A murmer ran through the class.
"Ms Dhatri... Elaborate on spiral model please...!" said the professor. Dhatri went blank. "Spiral?" she forgot that she had prepared slides on that model... A spiral staircase flashed before her eyes... she felt like she was sliding down spirally with lightening speed. She looked aghast. Suresh frantically searched for the previously displayed slides and his notes... Nothing...
A blue rock pigoin appeared from nowhere flew through the window fluttering! Its "Ghuk Ghuk... sound reverberated distracting the class... The students lost focus... Suresh thrust the highlighted text in Dhatri's hand... She glanced at the first word and remembered everything. A smile of relief appeared on her lips... she was ready to answer... and she had found out a way out ...!
Suresh flashed the slide... and she started off...! Another boy got up smirking... "Ms Dhatri... you talked about the Automated testing... where can we apply this? and where we should not?" he asked bringing studiousness on his face.... A dog barked outside the door furiously and the support staff ran out of the Trapizoidol hall to shoo it away to find the deserted corridors... The class was distracted again... Dhatri smiled at Suresh who thrust the relevant text in her hand... She started off again when the things settled.
A comparitive analysis of waterfall method, spiral method, rapid prototype methods was the concluding slide and Dhatri took a sigh of relief as if coming out of the waterfall thoroughly drenched in the scorching sun....!
"Hushhh....!" she sat at the back with Suresh, both wiping off the sweat. "It was good!" he complemented. She grinned... Whatever it was... Its over...!" she said reclining back. Ragini looked back with thumps up. Dhatri grinned... the ordeal for her was over... She didn't bother about the results...! Mari mai and her papu mari had saved her....!!
Dr. Guruprasad was surprised to see the letter. All the service records of Lt. Dharini Dixit was called for by the headquarters. She was yet to complete her two years. He sent the records shrugging.
"Service Records?" Maj. Vinit was surprised. Her figure before the gathering flashed... "So she has impressed him...." he thought recalling the last night's party at Officers' Mess. He had seen her with hatred talking to other officers freely and Mrs. Singh having a long talk with her. "Wait and watch!" he decided to keep a tab on the activities at the Head Quarters.
"Don't be under the impression that you have proved yourself, Lt. Dharini Dixit!" he blurted little loudly and took a breath of relief finding himself alone.
Soon the news spread... Dharini was called again with her transfer orders to Dras, J & K, 471 Engineering Brigade. Dharini was surprised. Transfer? She had not had her turn yet. But she was happy to serve in Engineering Brigade with Tanks and Artillary Maintenance. She heaved coming out of the office. Finally Time to leave DRDO!
"What?" Dras? " Vinit was surprised. He looked at her happy face with a frown and contempt... "You will soon know the hardship... " Winter was approaching.
"I am to report to Maj. Vikram Singh! He will help me till I settle down" he overheard her mentioning to her colleague. "Vikram Singh? Not the commander?" he was again surprised. Mrs. Singh talking to Rini flashed. He was puzzled. "Ok! Let me see who is heading the Engineering Division..." he thought bitterly losing interest in his present work. His brain preoccupied with her thoughts he forgot to answer the intercom. His assistant dashed to pick up the receiver. Maj. Vinit came back to his senses startled.
"Yes Sir!" he said keeping the receiver down and moving out towards Director's Office.
"Take the charge from her by next Monday! She is leaving this fifteenth." he ordered and Maj Vinit came out without a word. "Fifteenth? Only 13 days..." something churned inside. "She is leaving?" He came back to his cabin. Dharini waited eagerly for the evening. She was dying to call home to give the news. She was apprehensive about her parents' reaction. J and K... already a battlefield with insurgency and terrorists activities, she was excited but was not sure about her parents. Nilima was always against her joining the Army, Salil had permitted her reluctantly. They had taken a sigh of relief when she was posted in Pune. Now J&K would be a bomb shell on them. She might not be able to make it to Disha's wedding.
Rini had so many things on her plate. She had to plan for everything before going. She was given four days leave before joining. She was happy.
"Dharini ...!" Maj. Vinit's tall figure towered over her desk. "Yes Sir!" she got up immediately. "Start handing over the charge from tomorrow and finish it within four days..!" he said roughly and she nodded with affirmative "Yes Sir!" he gazed at her keeping his palms on her table leaning forward and she looked at him in surprise. She waited further orders and he straightened himself. "Tomorrow at 900 hours sharp. He warned her with his boring gaze. "Yes Sir!" she accepted the challenge. He lingered for a second. The boy brought in afternoon coffee and he settled himself on the chair picking up the mug. She avoided his gaze. "Why is he here?" she wouldn't know as he himself didn't know why was he there at her table. They sipped coffee silently. He didn't want to go and she didn't want him there with her. She looked up questioningly keeping the mug down. He got up and strode off briskly. She wondered not seeing frown on his face. "Must be happy to send me off!" she thought looking at his back.
********** ********** *********
Dhatri couldn't sleep ... Her friends tried to cheer her up in vain. Nothing could lift her mood. She kept staring blankly at the placards she had prepared for the next day's seminar. Her presentation was ready, she had rehearsed it several times, she had mugged it up and reproduced before her friends... but her anxiety had not reduced. "I know, I will forget everything, looking at the crowd...!" she was sure about her failure.
"Don't look at the crowd, initially! Look at the screen... and then your confidence will be back. Hold something tightly in your fist..!" Suresh Menon suggested and she tried holding her pen in her fist which didn't help. She was desperate with her heart beats increasing and her pulse racing...! Hope... someone very important... some minister or someone dies tomorrow and the collage be closed tomorrow...!" she prayed hard holding her own neck for some miracle to happen and she can escape from standing before the crowd. She held her black thread and felt the KirtiMukh hung around her neck. She took it out and held it in her fist. She felt better, with her confidence returning slowly. She rehearsed that 20 minutes presentation which ran into pages... "Ha! I have learnt it by heart... I can reproduce...!" she told herself shaking a bit in confidence. Her alarm clock chimed. She was already up.
"Mari mai... Mari mai... she prayed hard like tribals....locking her hands behind and touching the floor with her foreheadhead. "Dhatri... stop it! You will do it!" Ragini held her shaking hand. Dhatri wiped her sweat with her other hand. "See? I am turning cold... by the time we reach our class I would be frozen...!" she said shivering a bit. Ragini laughed... "Dhatri... its only a class room presentation... Stop this drama...!" she scolded Dhatri and Dhatri went ahead morose. Suresh was at the door. "Daatri... I will assist you in changing the slides in your PPT..." he gave her a good news and she heaved a sigh. "Ha... Mari Mai!" she prayed thinking her Marimai! She thrust the presentation papers in his hands and said... "Prompt me..Ok?" he nodded and Ragini winked at him.
The inevitable happened. Her mouth was dry. She forgot everything, even to swtich on her laptop and start the presentation, shaking and sweating profusely... Suresh had already talked to the professors that he would help Dhatri in her PPT. Everyone waited... some in tension, some contemptiously, some ready to pounce on her with questions, some to see the drama, some waiting for her to fumble and make fun of her.. some with sympathy... some praying god to help her...! Suresh started her presentation and the first slide flashed on the big screen. The slide triggerred Dhatri and she started with tremendous speed.... Suresh grew restless. She had moved on to slide number 10 in just seven minutes. By this speed she would finish within fifteen minutes.
"Oh! Wait Wait!" her professor stopped her and she went blank suddenly. She looked up blank with dropped jaw and her friends banged their foreheads. "Aaj toh Gayi...!" Ragini prayed hard. Smirk appeared on many faces... "Aaj toh Gayi..!" smirk grew into grinn. A murmer ran through the class.
"Ms Dhatri... Elaborate on spiral model please...!" said the professor. Dhatri went blank. "Spiral?" she forgot that she had prepared slides on that model... A spiral staircase flashed before her eyes... she felt like she was sliding down spirally with lightening speed. She looked aghast. Suresh frantically searched for the previously displayed slides and his notes... Nothing...
A blue rock pigoin appeared from nowhere flew through the window fluttering! Its "Ghuk Ghuk... sound reverberated distracting the class... The students lost focus... Suresh thrust the highlighted text in Dhatri's hand... She glanced at the first word and remembered everything. A smile of relief appeared on her lips... she was ready to answer... and she had found out a way out ...!
Suresh flashed the slide... and she started off...! Another boy got up smirking... "Ms Dhatri... you talked about the Automated testing... where can we apply this? and where we should not?" he asked bringing studiousness on his face.... A dog barked outside the door furiously and the support staff ran out of the Trapizoidol hall to shoo it away to find the deserted corridors... The class was distracted again... Dhatri smiled at Suresh who thrust the relevant text in her hand... She started off again when the things settled.
A comparitive analysis of waterfall method, spiral method, rapid prototype methods was the concluding slide and Dhatri took a sigh of relief as if coming out of the waterfall thoroughly drenched in the scorching sun....!
"Hushhh....!" she sat at the back with Suresh, both wiping off the sweat. "It was good!" he complemented. She grinned... Whatever it was... Its over...!" she said reclining back. Ragini looked back with thumps up. Dhatri grinned... the ordeal for her was over... She didn't bother about the results...! Mari mai and her papu mari had saved her....!!
Hey Mymind,
ReplyDeleteYou are the only one to comment!! Thanks a ton...! Hope you like this one too!
You will soon know who is Major Vikram ...!!
Love
KF
Nice update.. I can exactly relate to Dhatri as I get shivers if I have to speak in public or give a presentation :)
ReplyDeleteShe is so intimate with nature....and she should remain so...rather than getting drifted to machines....but she is so good at everything she lays her hands on...Khushifan...college yaad dila diya...SDLC through...
ReplyDeleteHmm...Maj.Vinit confused!!!!...needs to sort his heart and mind!..
Really enjoying the read Khushifan...each update makes the mind work...something to ponder on on every read....thank you!
WOW di!Lovely update!You've given me the taste of college life without entering there myself!Lovely!Dharini's ventures were written with aplomb too! I hope she soon gets that Vinit's mind right!Please continue soon di!
ReplyDeleteLove
Same here.... I too get shivers in group discussions... Dhatri ki presentation to achi ho gai... Meri help kaun krega...:-(
ReplyDeleteC
anyways d update was really gud as always.... Curious 2 noe abt rini's story...
Luv u kf....
nice update...
ReplyDeleteyou Know when ever there's seminar n its compulsary..same tension starts for me..I too wish for some thing to happen n there's a holiday or some thing lyk that.I too feel that i will forget whatever i've prepared.
Reading dhaa fear is kindof funny.
Yours,
Me :P
Hi Khushifan!!
ReplyDeleteAhh, how much Vinit has been resenting Rini when she was here, but hearing the news of her leaving so soon, he is feeling at a loss...."He didn't want to go and she didn't want him there with her"...!! She was impressed with Lt. Gen Singh, then Mrs. Singh and now going to report to Maj Vikram Singh... great!! Poor Dhaatri... what an ordeal she had, but helped by her friends and her other friends, she scrapped through with flying colours!! LOL, "hope someone very important dies tomorrow and the college be college tomorrow"... such a typical wish by students, hahaa!! LOL, "a spiral staircase flashed before her eyes, she felt like she was sliding down spirally with lightning speed", haahaaha!! Loved "took a sigh of relief as if coming out of the waterfall thoroughly drenched in the sun"... wonderfully said!! Loved "everyone waited... some in tension, some........",... how well described, all the different feelings evoked!!
Really enjoyed the update... wonderfully written!!