Admiration is what A has for P and inspiration is what P is to A (and for that matter to all of us). Ever since A came into this world he closely followed the footsteps of his older brother P. A decided to open his eyes for the first time on the same day as P did, only two years later. He was christened P without the initial letter P (if you put a P before A's name it becomes P's name). He followed his brother to college and to the same branch. And if science dictates that only identical twins look same, I would rather believe in miracles.
It was during a casual discourse with KA that this subject came up and my thoughts wandered. We realized that P has had a tremendous effect on our lives. So I decided to pen down some thoughts. This post is about my friend P, owner of the most charming personality I have ever seen and a smile that reminds one of good old days.
It was four years ago when I first saw him. First day of our JEE coaching class and there he was - a short, dark, bespectacled guy who entered into the class with a poise and studious air about him. He looked like a perfect example of what toppers are made of. Every day, he would walk straight to the second bench and occupy third seat from right. Heavily oiled hair added to his geek quotient. As the year progressed and everybody immersed themselves in studying, I became more and more convinced that he would surely crack the exam. And he did. It was no surprise. What took me by surprise was that he and I were going to the same college.
P and I became friends instantly. I don’t remember when we spoke to each other for the first time but I can vividly recall the countless bakar sessions we used to have at KA’s room. KA, KS(KA’s roomie), GS, JS, P and I would sit for hours on end engrossed in desultory conversations. Gradually, JS and P became our objects of light-hearted mockery. KA and I were the first ones to observe, by chance, JS’s faint Charlie Chaplin moustache, and then nothing could deter us from using that fact to regularly invent new jokes about him. With time we realized that P had a tendency to provide every one with frequent paternal advices on trivialities of life. The upside was that they weren’t irritating, unlike the ones that come from teachers and other adults. In fact the way he spoke made them sound funny. We would observe his solemn expression every time he would start to dish out a piece of advice, his whole body language assisting him in his noble efforts and a trembling mouth jerking out Ratlami accent, only to give in to loud outbursts of laughter after he had finished. As a reaction an incredulous sigh was all he could manage. Many a time he would unintentionally utter something double entendre and KA would grab the chance. We grew fond of P. He had a solution to every problem. Eventually he found himself being called P Baba.
A special part of our daily evening fun consisted of shooting videos of P Baba. In one of them, which I might still have in some deep recess of my C:\, he is having a hard time putting on a rain coat with his bag underneath it. The memory of it still conjures up in my mind a comic image of P with a hunched back. In another one he is throwing expletives at us, irritated by the simple fact that we were recording him for some time, without his knowledge, while he had been deeply involved in some serious conversation over the phone (again, blessing someone with his advice). Funniest situations were the ones where P Baba would start lecturing JS, never realizing that JS was the last person on earth one would want to waste time talking some sense into. During all this time, I realized I had a lot of misconceptions about P Baba when I had first seem him at the coaching class. He was not very studious. He was an affable, fun loving and cheerful guy, very convivial and congenial. Moreover he would always give his sincere opinion on any matter.
Train journeys would provide excellent settings for fun. Since we hailed from same hometown, we would always go home together during vacations. Our loud conversations and fits of laughter late into night would incense fellow passengers. JS, KA and I would fight for upper births and P would come to mediate.
Three years have passed since. We still keep in regular contact with each other, though we live in different hostels now. Whenever we meet, we fondly remember all the fun we had during first year.
