During our time it used to be very difficult to score high marks in language subjects particularly in English during our school leaving examination. I could not even become a five point some one in any one of them. However, Satyen was an exception. I do not recollect how much he scored, but it was highest in our batch, that’s for sure. He was very sober and used to sport a scholarly look (not like me who used to look more like a street urchin!) with his unkempt curly hair and thick rimmed glasses. He was involved in all sorts of literary activities in our institute (IIT, Kharagpur) which were beyond most of our capabilities. Even with so much of scholarly differences he accepted me as a good friend!
Normally during the off periods I used to go to canteen along with Gora, Debu or Swapan. Sometime, however, I used to visit our Library and go through some popular magazines like “Popular Mechanics” & “Popular Science” which used to be quite interesting.
Once I became little more adventurous and wanted to explore the Library and to find out what my other friends were doing. After saying hello and hi to some of my friends at various sections, I located Satyen in a cubical marked “English Literature” engrossed in reading a book with a huge pile of books in front of him on a table. On my enquiring Satyen informed me that he was reading short stories.
I cannot now recollect what bugged me then, but I innocently requested Satyen whether he could select a story book for me to pass the remaining half an hour or so. Satyen readily obliged and for the next half an hour gave me an extempore lecture on nuances of short stories, typical characteristics of various short story writers in English literature, what I should read if I were a novice (which I was!), what I should read if I could manage to graduate to a next higher level (which I never could achieve!) and so on and so forth!
Satyen went on selecting a suitable book for me (more or less with the same enthusiasm of selecting a “Suitable Girl” for me!) from the pile of books in front and discarding each one, saying that it was not the exact book he was searching for me!
By then my head was ringing and I could understand how innocent I was (and still am) about English literature! I would have drowned myself in self pity but for the GOD who saved me by announcing the end of the off period!
Normally during the off periods I used to go to canteen along with Gora, Debu or Swapan. Sometime, however, I used to visit our Library and go through some popular magazines like “Popular Mechanics” & “Popular Science” which used to be quite interesting.
Once I became little more adventurous and wanted to explore the Library and to find out what my other friends were doing. After saying hello and hi to some of my friends at various sections, I located Satyen in a cubical marked “English Literature” engrossed in reading a book with a huge pile of books in front of him on a table. On my enquiring Satyen informed me that he was reading short stories.
I cannot now recollect what bugged me then, but I innocently requested Satyen whether he could select a story book for me to pass the remaining half an hour or so. Satyen readily obliged and for the next half an hour gave me an extempore lecture on nuances of short stories, typical characteristics of various short story writers in English literature, what I should read if I were a novice (which I was!), what I should read if I could manage to graduate to a next higher level (which I never could achieve!) and so on and so forth!
Satyen went on selecting a suitable book for me (more or less with the same enthusiasm of selecting a “Suitable Girl” for me!) from the pile of books in front and discarding each one, saying that it was not the exact book he was searching for me!
By then my head was ringing and I could understand how innocent I was (and still am) about English literature! I would have drowned myself in self pity but for the GOD who saved me by announcing the end of the off period!
4 comments:
Biplab,
Satyen ei lekha ta porecchhey ki? Mone hoyna..
Satyen shambandhe besh bhaloi likhcchhili, kintu akdom sheshe eshe Bhagabaner dayay or haat theke chhara pabar kawtha (off period shesh..)pore or ektu abhimaan hoy jodi?
Ha ha ha ha !
Enjoy korlaam, as usual..likhe jaa.
Indra
Indra
indra, i am not sure whether satyen has read it though it is in response to satyen's violent reaction against my confession that i am illiterate. God only saved me from drowning in self-pity and not that i wanted to be saved from satyen.if i have hurt satyen's feeling in any way it is only my poor power of expression
I wonder what is/are your literary choice/s & preference/s these days ?
Satyen and I were in St. Lawrence and obviously he was favourite of Fr. Vetticad and was hovering at the top of the class and I was bringing up the bottom. I wondered how he could write such exact precis whereas whatever I wrote was invariably not up to the mark.
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