Chapter 1: (1) Carelessness or An Act of Providence
Krishnendu took a plate of dumplings from the vendor and ensconced himself in an empty corner which was opposite to the 4th gate of the university. The entrance examination was to commence at 1p.m., hence he couldn't put these thirty minutes to any other use as he was by no means petrurbed with the prospect of the examination, rather it would have surprised him had he failed it. How wonderful it would be, he thought while piercing a dumpling with his fork, when the gold medal would adorn his self on the day of the convocation.
His conjectures met an abrupt halt as the stuffing within the dumplings seared his tongue. Not angry, but rather dismayed at his lack of caution, he put the plate down on a nearby empty bench. He was about to attempt a series of bifurcations on the dumplings to dispel their heat but providence wished to relive him of such an effort. A splash of water fell on his plate and before he could detect its source, a stream of water followed its predecessor and the dumplings lied on his plate like a flotilla of miserable boats upon a muddled sea. He was rather angry then, but dismay got the upper hand once again. An elderly man, who was relishing his lunch, also came under the influence of the bathing outdoor unit of a high rise that was situated alongside the footpath. Besides wrinkling his nose for a second, he displayed no other emotion whatsoever and pounced upon his lunch once again after relocating himself in a different corner.
Krishnendu glanced at the stall with the corner of his eye, the vendor was not there. He briskly walked across the road and while passing through the university gate, he debated the vitality of his actions on his favour despite the fact that he had had no wherewithal whatsoever. The ethical dilemma got easily engulfed in his fiery reasoning which was further aided by the fact that a corner of the plate, that had been provided to him, was broken. As his hunger intensified, he pondered whether he should try another vendor at a different gate but ultimately decided against it. He was surely to be treated with some delicacies at his student’s home in the evening, he would better fulfil his ravenous instincts there.
While he was walking towards the Literature Department, someone tapped on his shoulder and he turned back to find out Abhijeet. He was particularly antagonistic towards this fellow, for no apparent reason, since they had met each other at school. Krishnendu was particularly disgusted to gaze at his visage on such a day and specifically after such an incident but the cigarette between his lips and its whirling smoke provoked him into speech. Abhijeet had not come to make an appearance in the entrance examination, as Krishnendu had suspected, but to provide mental support to a junior student, towards whom he harboured fraternal feelings.
Krishnendu exercised his lungs with borrowed equipment. He didn’t put forward any display of dissent despite being able to unmask the shear hypocrisy within Abhijeet. Why would he anyways? He had to listen to some rubbish or the other everyday and everywhere but Abhijeet was generous enough to forget about the packet that he had not been handed back by Krishnendu.
Eventually, a girl with a remarkable countenance approached Abhijeet and the rascal didn’t even bother introduce him to her. With great impatience, he decided to thrust himself between them.
