BENEATH THE MOUNTAIN: Chapter 2 OH MY DARLING!(13 YEARS BACK)

in continuation to BENEATH THE MOUNTAIN: Chapter 1.....

Bell rang.last period was over and 15 minutes time for meditation started.a new commotions started in class eighth D.Some boys of the class left their seats and started peeping out of class, talking to their friends in other section. Some even left the class.Loud conversations began in every corner of the square room.Their science teacher Mrs shefali was helpless in maintaining order in class as always.she was on verge of giving homework and leaving class but there was no one who was paying any heed to what homework she was giving except few studious girls  of the class.

“this class is so out of control!” she banged desk with duster.All heads turned in her direction for few seconds and then turned away even before she could say more.She collected her notes and left class room with her handbag.

Kavya was sitting on last seat of middle row and was discussing new release Dhoom-2 with her friend.she packed her bag as she gave her views on how Dashing Hrithik looks in dhoom-2 songs.Dhoom-2 was a new craze in their lives now.every person was humming its songs, admiring its action and Hrithik, girls were going mad about him.Craze was at such a tide that boys had even formed a gang named Dhoom gang.

And now the creater of dhoom gang was himself coming towards Kavya.

“oyi, Ridhaan is coming. He is smiling. Upto something I bet.” She warned her friend, astha.Astha looked up immediately.Kavya hated the effect that Ridhaan Vashisht  had on girls.He was tall, smart, good looking with excellent sense of humour, very intelligent(always scored highest marks in boys), very cool and always dude of the class.Many girls had crush over him and worst part was that he knew about it too. He was always a flirt.Kavya never left a chance to call him by names. ‘bihari’- referring to his dark complexion , ‘flirt’ , ‘bewada’- because he always walked like  a drunk- ‘jhoom jhoom ke’. In short , she hated him, for reason undefined.

“hey listen, Anjali ma’am did an activity in eighth C. if she asks whether meditation is necessary , just say no.” said Ridhaan seriously.

“what sort of activity?” Kavya asked. A mischievous smile played at his lips that Kavya dreaded but somewhere deep down in her heart, she was flat !

“he he, she made boys say ‘oh my darling!’ from a poem with expressions and emotions. many boys took off their coats, fell on their kness, you know what I’am saying” he eyed Kavya and Astha’s doubtfull expressions . “are baba! I’am telling you this budhiya is a mast. We will have fun.” He said and turned about to where he had come from to inform other classmates.

“They will get us killed someday!”, exclaimed Astha.

Some one was screaming ‘expelliarmus’ and Kavya knew it was Mudit.He was a very big Harry Potter fan, well only next to her.Hardly a soul was on their seats.

The speaker above blackboard made a harsh sound , and then a very old , hard and emotionless voice started coming out of it.

‘close your eyes,  calm yourself, stay still..’

“started.moron.this is a jerk.why don’t we cut off that wire of speaker from joints?” complained Kavya. Some girls took their seats and started following the instructions of old jerk.

‘anna pana ki sadhna ka abhyass karein…’

“oye ma’am is coming. Ma’am is coming” somebody yelled. Everyone took their seats and pretended to be very disciplined.

“GOOD AFTERNOON MA’AM”  said whole class in chorus as Anjali ma’am entered. She was a new teacher in school and class teacher of  most mischievous class of school- class eighth, all thanks to Dhoom gang. She was a little lively creature, middle aged and was not well aware of schools twisted rules yet.

‘not even a single in- breath should escape your notice…’

Ma’am still had smile from her last fun stretched across her cheeks.

“we just had some fun in class eighth C.it was so much fun.” She said to first benchers.Whole class was supposed to be very still and counting their breaths. No one was!

“I just wish I could have that activity with your class as well!” she complained.

“ma’am that ‘oh my darling ’ one?” said Ridhaan from third bench.

“yes, you all know about it? Boys of that class were so romantic! ” she went on chattily.

‘Beaware; be very aware…’

“ma’am we also want to have it!” some one from dhoom gang said loudly.

“but now it is meditation time . come on close your eyes, all of you” she said.

‘sawadhaan sawadhaan sawadhaan’

“ma’am meditation is not necessary!” Kavya alighted the spirit. Immediately, almost whole class was justifying that meditation is not necessary.

Temptation ruled over discipline. Ma’am agreed.

“meditation is not compulsion?” she asked.

Someone screamed “NOOOOOO”.

“so we will have this activity now.these are lines from Elizabeth Browning’s poem. She was a romantic poet. ‘OH MY DARLING OH MY DARLING  OH MY DARLING!’. Boys will have to come here” she pointed to her side, “ and say these lines with full emotion. Its going to be absolute fun. Lets see, boys of which class are more romantic, eighth C or eighth-D. come on. Who will come here?”

‘keep full control of your breath.don’t let it cheat you…sawadhaan sawadhaan sawadhaan’

Excitement increased the pulse rate of Kavya.

Ridhaan was the first one to raise his hand and jump up.

“nautanki saala! He wanted to do, that’s why he was going about the class, asking everyone.” Kavya said in undertone to Astha.

“woooooooooooooo…….!!!” Whole class jeered.

“who else?” asked ma’am.

No one. Cowards! They all were too shy.

“just one boy is romantic?”

Daksh raised his hand.He was a decent boy, nice and intelligent too but no one ever paid any attention to other heros of class as long as Ridhaan Vashisht was there. He was masters in catching attention.

Daksh and Ridhaan left their seats and moved to mam’s side. Show hadn’t yet started and whole class was already howling and laughing.

It was first Ridhaan’s turn to be romantic hero. He got to front, faced whole class, and opened his mouth. He was blushing.

“oyye hooyee……!!!” and whole class was in fits.Ridhaan himself was laughing.just the idea of what he was about to say was so amusing to 13 year old kids that the sound of old jerk from speaker was drowned in howls and laughs. It went on for next few minutes.each time Ridhaan will open his mouth and no sound will come out.he himself was shaking with laugh.so was ma’am and whole class. Piyush, Ridhaan’s best friend was jumping in his seat and banging his desk with his fists. Kavya’s sides were already aching.

“romantic? And that flirt? Ha ” she mocked.

Somehow, after several attempts, Ridhaan steadied himself, controlled his laugh and said in audible whisper “oh my darling   oh my darling   oh my darling!”  .

The moment he said the last word, he fell on the first desk, laughing. Everyone was in hoards of laughter.

“oooooooooooooooooooooo”

Kavya almost dropped from her seat. Ridhaan raced back to his seat and kept his head down. Piyush was thumping his back, cheering.

Now was Daksh’s turn. He was a shy person comparatively but he didn’t take as long as Ridhaan had taken. He must have prepared himself mentally when Ridhaan was on show. Only after a minute of his blushing and hooting from class, he managed to take out the magical words.

But he had only started when a disaster struck.

“Oh my darling…”

BANG!

Class room door was opened wide and there stood Kanika ma’am.She was responsible for compulsory meditation and she always made sure that each and every class of school performed it.

Her face burned with anger on seeing the condition of the class. Each and every soul present in class got goose bumps  and there was dead silence . no sound was heard apart from that of Daksh’s.kanika ma’am watched him with eagle’s eye.It so happened that he had his back towards the door and he was completely unaware of the upcoming hurricane.he continued….

“oh my darling oh my darling”

And it was on the last word that he turned to raise his arms and saw kanika ma’am standing at the door.He forgot his half raised arms, about being romantic, completing his act and only thing that struck him was ‘run’. He raced back to his seat like a mouse, stumbling multiple times in his way.

Anjali ma’am sensed the tension and interruption. “ma’am we were just having some fun in class.” She said moving forward.

“but ma’am this is meditation time. I’am sorry, but there are strict instructions from principal ma’am that every student has to meditate.” Said kanika ma’am. The density of her angry stare was burning even the air in room. Everyone felt hot.

This took Anjali ma’am by surprise, “ma’am but they said its not necessary.” She pointed to the class.

“What?” anger increased by many folds in kanika mam’s voice and she screamed, “WHO SAID ITS NOT NECESSARY?”

“WHO SAID?”

She turned to look at Anjali ma’am who was looking from class to Kanika ma’am with absolute ‘oh my God! Faswadia!’ sort of look, “ma’am meditation is very strictly compulsory.”

“WHO SAID?”

Not a soul took a sound out.

TO BE CONTINUED...............