Good tidings to you all. Here is the fourth video on my second fiction, ‘Spinning into a Career’
Shakespearean plays help Ruchi understand human psychology. Ruchi attends a few lectures before an exam. The result shows an improvement in her performance. She scores second class. She does well on her job too.
Once, Ruchi goes with Susan and friends to watch a Shakespearean film, ‘Romeo and Juliet’. Before entering the theater, they have their snacks. It is masala dosa. Ruchi uses fork and spoon for the first time. She has to apply pressure to cut a piece of dosa. The fork cannot withstand the pressure. It goes flying straight into the counter, where the owner of the restaurant is preparing bills. Ruchi remains quiet and grim. Her friends have a hearty laugh. They enter Regal cinema theatre. Both Romeo and Juliet are heavenly. The conflict between Montagues and Capulets does not allow divine love to thrive. The gentle friar tries to help Romeo and Juliet, but Romeo stabs himself before Juliet gets up from her trance. Juliet too kills herself. It is a soul-elevating story.
Susan and Ruchi decide to watch a film, ‘Helen of Troy’. Susan plans to board the train from Chirgaon and Ruchi from Bhimpoli. One can reach Sharanai city quickly by local train. The train halts on the way for a long time. The movie has started. There is no point in going farther. Her friend waits for her. Ruchi takes another train to go back home. She explains to her annoyed friend, the situation.
Bad news shakes Ruchi. Ratna, her classmate who has been recently married, dies due to household gas cylinder leak. The knob was left open during the night. Ratna lit the gas stove in the kitchen in the wee hours. The kitchen caught fire. Her husband tired to save her, but the fire caught him as well. The couple was rushed to the hospital with 80 percent burns and they succumbed to death. The next day, Ruchi feels the absence of her classmate.
The five papers for Junior B.A. are shared by nine lecturers. Each of them teaches a portion of the paper. It is taught in such a confusing way that Ruchi cannot remember which portion belongs to a particular paper. Being a member of Bhilai university library, built during the British era, Ruchi spends her time in the library from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. The librarian , with the inhaler, has a wheezing problem. Ruchi enjoys reading literary criticism, history of English literature and about authors. She buys foolscap sheets in kilos and uses it to make notes. The calm environment helps her read. The colorful glass windows of Gothic architecture increase the pleasure of study. Hours seem to pass unknowingly. A book on symbolism by S.T. Coleridge engrosses her. She brings lunch from home and eats in the afternoon.
Ruchi fills the application form for her final year B.A. exam. The exam center is at Tarabai college at De Lapar. On examination day, she boards a fast train that does not stop at De Lapar. The train slows down for a while. It is time to reach the examination center. In anxiety, Ruchi jumps down from the train on a log of wood and is not hurt. She answers all the questions well.
After the exam, she goes back to work. Her elder brother who helps their mother with household chores, needs to have a job. On Mahashivaratri, which among the Hindus is considered to be an auspicious day to worship Lord Shiva, her elder brother fasts without food and water. Surprisingly, he gets a good job in Gulf as a computer executive. Ruchi’s parents are very happy. Ruchi waits for her B.A. exam results.
Ruchi is fond of ‘Sadiyon ke Geet mala’ on radio. The voice of Amit Saloni is interesting. Lying on her bed, she listens to Hindi songs and imagines herself singing. She daydreams. She imagines herself as a singer. She dreams of in-laws torturing her and her husband forcibly being separated from her. Her eyes well up with tears. But the husband is driven towards her due to her voice, fame and success. As a singer, she owns a house in a remote area. The courtyard behind it is a grassy patch lined by flower plants with a flowing river at the back. The house has a front courtyard.
We continue the story in the next video. Till then, goodbye!
Video can be viewed on You tube by typing, ‘ Spinning into a Career’ by Usha Raman.
