The Fallen

Well I know what you are thinking. Is this about that stupid transformer movie or something? No. It isn’t.
            This is the story about a senior. My senior.
            When I first came into college life, I came to know the hostel life. And I loved it. I loved its freedom, care freeness, friendship, being able to share your happiness, grief and insecurities with someone other than your parents. One of the most important thing about college life is its seniors... they have a great impact upon u. Both the good ones and the rotten ones. Yeah especially the rotten ones. At first when u r ragged you hate them with all your guts. Spew ugly (and well deserving) things about them. Then comes 2nd year. They start mixing with u. They become your friends, like an older brothers u never had. You start to revere them. Hell you even worship them.

             Lennin, the senior. Well to be frank he is a pretty messed up guy. I didn’t know him much. His roommate was one of the best seniors I had ever met. But yeah he was there. Lennin was a rotten egg. He did all the things one can imagine a person would do when he wants to mess up his engineering career big time. He smoked, he drank. He failed in more subjects than he passed. Yeah I agree with you. Pretty big screwed up na?
            He was a decent boy (I know what u must be saying; “bullshit”, but it is the truth). He was the most kind hearted senior I have ever known, i.e. when he was not drunk. Believe me, he was a bundle of joy. He smiled from ear to ear. He would do anything to help u. And he didn’t expect anything from u in return. He lend all his books to his juniors (u must be thinking...Yeah he did), even to those juniors he knew those spoke ill about him. Whenever he was sober he came to me and asked me about my studies, encouraged me. And his best dialog”Dost.. 4 saal me idhar se pass ho ja”. He may not be a ideal senior. But he was my senior.
            The Fallen. What has it to do with what I have written till now? It’s about the falling of this senior from grace. When he got a year back he wasn’t down...” chalta hai yaar” he would say. He was still living in his old hostel life then. Masti with batch mates and everything. But what he didn’t anticipate was as to how his life was going to turn around when his friends and batch mates will leave the college.
            Life became hell for him. The hostel which he ruled 2 months ago turned its back on him. He couldn’t find a room to live in (u know about the population density in government hostels right). None of the juniors wanted to keep him. Who would want a pot smoking year back senior?  Finally he got the room that was rejected by all. You see; the room had 2 inches of water on the floor all the time and its roof leaked water. The Fall.
            Lennin was in love. I know u must be thinking which girl in her good senses would love this damaged goods. Arunima. Yeah she was the crack headed girl. I don’t know much about her. Lennin was very protective about her. Good for him. Lennin adored her. Lennin loved her with all his heart.
             It was her birthday. I still remember the day. He called me into his room. I struggled through the water and finally reached his bed and sat on it. He passed me a cigarette. He was in a great mood. He said that it was Arunima’s birthday today and that he had promised her that he was going to make the college music band sing her some of her favourite songs to her. She had initially declined (she was a pretty smart girl.. she already knew what was going to happen). Any ways she tentatively said yes. I was a bit worried. I played guitar in the band but I couldn’t give any guarantee that others would be interested. But this thought never came to his mind. “Sab to mere juniors hai...bhai ke liye itna nahi karenge kya”, he said as he lit another cigarette.
            He booked an auto and reached hostel. All smiles he called me. I immediately caught my guitar and reached downstairs. When I saw his face I knew the worst had happened. He was on his phone pleading to the drummer of our band. He had told him about the plan 3 days earlier and he had assured him he is going to come. But that D day he said that he is not going to play because it was hot outside and his mom has said not to go outside. I was heartbroken when I saw him plead. ” Tu bhai hai mera...itna kar de mere liye... maine usse vada kar diya hai”. Na... no chance. I couldn’t stand it anymore. I went to Ritwik’s room. He was the bass guitarist of our band. He was playing games on his computer. I dragged him out with me. He said”arrey bol de usko mai nahi hun”. Still I dragged him out. He came grudgingly. When Lennin saw him he was very happy. He embraced him, “Tune jaan bacha liya dost”. He said. He was on phone again. Ritwik said to me with all the sarcasm, “Sala pagal hai...kaam dhanda nahi hai sala hamiri edhar mar raha ha”. I couldn’t control myself. I flung off my seat and said to him, ”Senior hai mera...u bloody give him some respect”. He gave me a sarcastic look and turned the other way. I heard Lennin plead to our band singer,”Yaar mane to 3 din pahele bola tha thujhe...abhi kya urgent kaam ay gaya“.  The Fall.
 I felt embarrassed by his repeated pleadings. It was to a guy 3 years junior to him. When he was a senior he was the king. “Bhai notes, bhai book” bolte the. But now his condition.
            But he didn’t lose hope. For an hour he called all the guys he knew just to convince the junior to come. After all he had given a promise to his love. He tried and tried. I felt helpless. Finally after a long time he gave up. The auto wala left. Ritwik seeing the opportunity immediately left, grumbling something about missing his afternoon sleep. I sat beside him.  Finally I saw resignation on his face. He didn’t cry. Maybe all the tears had dried up by then. I said to him that it was his girlfriends birthday and he should be with her rather than trying to convince these fools. His eyes became flimsy when he said “but I promised her” like a 8 year old boy. I couldn’t say anything anymore. He got up said “bhad me jou tum log”. He didn’t even give me a glance and left. While climbing the stairs to my room holding the guitar and the amplifier I wished none of my other senior or any of my batch mates end up like him. No one.  None to fall from the dream land they live during the 4 years of their engineering life. The best years of a guy’s life. I wish this upon no one...
             I got a call from Arunima didi later that day. She said Lennin didn’t show up and she was worried. I was worried. I went to his room. It was locked. I asked the side room guys what happened. They said that Lennin left the hostel and went to his native place.
            After that I tried to track him down but I couldn’t find him. Lennin was gone. He never showed up again. My senior was gone. He didn’t complete his B.Tech degree. He never met Arunima again. His room now is abandoned. It’s like he fell through a black hole never to emerge again. No one seems even to remember him anymore. It’s like he never existed....