An inconceivable meeting

At this moment, Avi was somewhere on the southern Mediterranean Sea, watching a glorious sunset with his former class mate. He thought, “OMG! Is this really happening to me?” A kaleidoscope of images from a distant past in his life flashed through his mind’s eye.

Avi vividly remembered the gloomy rainy day in June many years ago, as he walked through the crowded Scholar’s Avenue among a parade of bicycles that was moving at a quick pace on the road. A slight drizzle came down from the dull and gray sky.

It was the inauguration day of freshman classes at his college. Avi walked out of his dormitory onto Scholar’s Avenue covered by a leafy canopy formed by the trees lined on both sides. He could see small puddles of water on the side of the road. The rains produced a moist, damp and peculiar smell which emanated from the wet green leaves. At the end of the road on the right side was a bright white building. A few young women dressed in saris or kurtas came out of this building. This must be the ladies dorm — thought Avi.

The tower which accentuated the sprawling academic complex became visible through the leaves of the trees, as Avi reached the end of Scholar’s Avenue. He crossed the main road at the traffic circle, and walked through the open main gate with trepidation in his heart — fearful of what would happen on the first day of classes. Avi was panicking a bit not knowing what he was supposed to do regarding classes, when he overheard one of the freshmen students explaining to his friends:

We have to look up on the bulletin board for our lecture room and for our daily class routine.

Avi followed this student and entered the main corridor of the college. On the central wall inside this building — hung a rather long bulletin board with few paper notices stuck on it. A group of students thronged in front of the board. Avi tried to shove past this group to take a close look at his class routine when he noticed that a girl was ahead of him. She pointed with her fingers toward a particular notice on the bulletin board, and said to another girl standing next to her:

That’s our class routine!

Really?

There are so many lecture periods in a day!

Avi soon found out that this girl was actually pointing towards his own class routine! He was glad that at least he came across one freshman student from his class. This girl then walked away from the crowd towards the lecture room. Avi followed her quietly to his class.

He entered the classroom through a solid wooden door and was amazed to find that this was no ordinary class room — it was a huge auditorium with rows of tables and benches — stacked from the bottom of the room — upwards to the top end the room. There were stairs on the side that led all the way from the bottom of the classroom floor towards the back wall near the top row of desks. Avi had never seen such an arranged lecture auditorium in his young life. He timidly took a seat in the second row. Some of the students knew their neighbors, others did not. They introduced themselves to each other and waited for the first lecturer to arrive in the class.

A few minutes after 8 AM that morning, a middle-aged gentleman walked slowly through the entrance of the classroom towards the podium. He got up in front of the long blackboard and introduced himself:

Hello, I am Professor Madhavan.

I will be your Math teacher.

At first I will record your attendances.

He then started calling out the names of the students.

He started calling the students by their first names — starting with letter “A”.

Abhay Bose?

Yes sir!

Aniya Chowdhury?

Yes sir!

That response came from the girl in the first row.

Arun Sen?

Yes, sir!

And then it was Avi’s turn

Avi Mitra?

Yes, sir!

He responded to the call of his name by the teacher — but in his mind he was thinking that the girl he me met in the corridor was after all Aniya?

Later that afternoon after lunch at his dormitory — Avi walked back to the main building at around 1 PM. He knew he would have a laboratory session that afternoon. Without knowing where exactly that laboratory was located in the academic campus, he waited in front of his classroom hoping that he would be able to catch one of his classmates there to go together to the laboratory. In the class routine that was pasted to the bulletin board — it was shown that the workshop session would run from 1 PM to 4 PM.

A few if his classmates soon came to the lecture auditorium. All of them were perplexed as to where this workshop was located. Then one student said,

I know it is near the old academic building at the far end of the campus.

They walked slowly towards the old building through a secluded pathway with a continuous roof above it which provided cover during the monsoon rains. The workshop was located at the end of that pathway. When all of the students had gathered in front of the workshop, an instructor came out of the office and announced

We will divide your class into groups of four students. Four groups will work in the carpentry workshop this semester.

The other four groups will work in the machinery shop this semester.

He started calling out the groups for the carpentry workshop. To utter surprise of Avi — he and Aniya were in the same group! Avi had never worked with a chisel or saw. The first task for that was to saw a piece of wood to proper dimensions. Only Abhay among them was dexterous enough to chisel the shape of the wood and then to saw. In high school, Avi had never worked with a woman partner. He introduced himself to other team members

I am Avi

Before anybody could ask him where he was from Avi said,

I am from Kolkata

The others then took turn in introducing themselves.

Hello, I am Aniya.

Avi picked up courage to ask her

Where are you from Aniya?

I am from Bangladesh!

That caused some amount of excitement in the three other students present there.

Aniya was a tall dark complexioned woman, with an aquiline nose. She wore glasses most of the times. Aniya sometimes looked very serious as she would tackle math assignments in the class. In Physics and Chemistry labs Avi was partnered with the same group of four students to work on experiments. Anya’s dad was a member of the diplomatic staff in the Bangladesh consulate in Kolkata. Aniya was from Dhaka. She visited her home once a year for two months with her family.

Aniya was well trained in music. She earned accolades from the audience when she sang in the fresher’s introduction cultural program held early in first semester. When Avi heard her perform, he was spellbound by her melodious and sonorous rendering of classical and popular songs. Aniya felt comfortable discussing the finer nuances of music with other musical aficionados. To Avi this was all an unknown world. Avi held Aniya in great reverence. He thought, “Why didn’t I learn anything else in life other than to study?” Needless to say there were many admirers of Aniya in college, not only for her beauty, but also for her melodious voice.

Although friendly in nature, Aniya remained detached from all of the male students in the college. However, most of the times Avi had Aniya as his lab partner because of the close proximity of their student roll numbers. She was intelligent and helpful. Usually, she worked diligently to complete her part of any class project. Many times Avi would have to bike from his dormitory to Aniya’s dormitory to discuss how to complete an assignment for the class. Avi felt good (was comfortable) working with Aniya. In his mind he secretly developed a liking for her, which he kept concealed from her.

While meeting Aniya at the foyer of her dormitory he would say:

Come on let’s go for a cup of tea

They would walk a short distance to a tea stall nearby and have a cup of tea and a sandwich

On hot muggy nights in the months of April and May they would walk to a kulfi stand just outside Aniya’s dormitory and have an ice cold sweet kulfi each. Towards the end of their last semester at college one day Ania asked Avi:

What are your plans after college?

I have applied for graduate school in USA. If they offer me scholarship, I will probably go abroad for further studies. But what are your plans?

You know Avi, my dad is keen that I return to Bangladesh after my college classes are over.

What will you do in Bangladesh?

With a demure smile, Aniya replied

Probably follow my parent’s advice like an obedient daughter!

What do you mean?

My parents have already arranged for my Nikah!

Are you serious? Asked Avi

Yes, I am!

That was heartbreaking news for Avi. He had a special liking for Aniya. Surreptitiously he had thought that he would get a job after college, and he might be then able to propose to Aniya.. He knew that he might have competition in that area — but it did not hurt to day dream! Now his idle day dream was rudely shattered to pieces.

Come on Aniya, will you agree to marry so early?

You will soon graduate to become an engineer!

I have to listen to my Abbu. He has arranged this marriage with the son of his friend. I cannot say no to him!

But you could pursue graduate studies at our college!

No!

Avi, my family’s prestige comes ahead of my higher studies. I have to get married to this person — that’s my Abbu’s and Ammi’s wish!

Avi could not argue with her. She had already planned for her future.

She smiled and said

Do not worry! We will remain good friends and lab partners till the end of this final semester!

On the last day of college, Avi completed his final oral examination in the afternoon. Aniya had her final oral examination early on that morning. He was able to answer most of the questions, as he was quizzed by his professors. After completing the oral examination successfully, he thought he would stop by at Aniya’s dormitory to find out how she had done. Avi went to the foyer of her dormitory and requested the attendant

Can you please tell Aniya that Avi has come?

Sir, she has already packed up her stuff and left for Kolkata early this afternoon.

Avi was greatly disappointed to say the least. He then thought that she would probably stay with her father in Kolkata. The next day Avi reached Kolkata and called Aniya at her father’s residence. No body answered the phone. Later, he came to know that they had already left for Bangladesh. This was a little heart breaking news to Avi at that time. He pondered in his mind,
Why would she do this to me?

Was it so necessary to immediately go back to Bangladesh?

She could have said at least goodbye to me for the last time!

Why our friendship did end so abruptly?

Did she sense Avi’s fondness for her and wanted to avoid that emotional moment to bid goodbye to him?

A feeling of emptiness seared through Avi’s heart and he felt sad. Downtrodden he biked back to his dorm and packed up his stuff to return to Kolkata.

Avi moved to USA for graduate school within a few months. After graduation from the US University, Avi pursued a faculty position at another university in US. He lost touch with Aniya from the day he had left college back home. Once in a while he would be overtaken by fond memories of his college lab partner — Aniya.

Many years later during a hot summer month of August, Avi visited Athens to attend a technical conference. He planned for a few days of sightseeing at the end of the conference. On a bright sunny Friday morning, he flew out of Athens on a short flight to the Greek island of Santorini. Santorini is a crescent moon shaped volcanic island nestled in Aegean Sea — which is part of the Mediterranean Sea between Turkey and Greece,

His local travel guide met up with him at the airport.

Do you have acrophobia?

Asked Avi’s guide, Gabriel, who was fluent in English.

Sorry?

No, I just wanted to know are you afraid of heights?

Not really!

Well, then I will take you somewhere, which will pleasantly surprise you!

Gabriel took Avi for lunch to a charming restaurant perched on the top of a small rocky mountain, at the edge of the cliffy shore of Santorini.

Look in front, and on the side through the restaurant windows!

A panoramic vista of serene turquoise blue colored Aegean Sea opened up, as Avi looked out of the windows. From the side of the restaurant he saw rows and rows of white-painted houses built at different levels on the sharp face of the cliff, extending all the way down towards the rocky beach. Quintessential Greek Orthodox churches, with their classic blue domed roofs, adorned the mountainous landscape.

Later that afternoon, his guide arranged for him to travel abroad a cruise ship to the western edge of the island. The ship perched at an advantageous position on the Aegean Sea off the shore. The travelers were told that this would be the best position to view the famed sunset off the coastal town of Oia on the island of Santorini. Just before the sun went down Avi went to the bar to get a drink. Ahead of him was a dark complexioned lady dressed in a t shirt and jeans ordering a drink. The gentle sea breeze blew her hair to cover the side of her face.

Avi was surprised. The sonorous voice was so well known to Avi. The side profile of her face with that aquiline nose also seemed familiar. Was it a voice from the past? By then, the sun had slowly drifted close to the horizon. The sun appeared as a big red ball in the sky hugging the dark blue wavelets on the ocean in the distant horizon.

Avi was in a flirtatious mood to ask the lady:

Are you from India by any chance?

No, I used to study near Kolkata — but I am from Bangladesh — the lady replied

OMG thought Avi!

Is that Aniya back from our college days? He mused about it.

Avi became bold enough to ask her at that point

Are you Aniya by any chance?

Yes, and are you Avi?

Yes, I recognized you from a distance standing at the other end of the ship.

Where is your better half? Asked Avi.

He passed away in USA from a severe heart attack last year.

I am sorry to hear that,

What about yours? Asked Aniya.

I got divorced last year

So you are travelling alone?

Yes, I just attended a conference in Athens. How about you? Asked Avi.

Oh, I am on an academic tour of Greece this summer. I am a professor at a college in USA — replied Aniya,

But I cannot believe that I will meet you after so many years in Europe! Exclaimed Aniya.

At that moment, a few small gray clouds covered part of the crimson sun. But the sun did not flinch on its unearthly sunset show, as it peeked out of the clouds to recede slowly on the horizon, beneath the ocean. The sky was covered with the chiaroscuro of crimson orange and gray created by the setting sun among the thin streaks of clouds.

Avi wanted to ask Aniya:

Why did you leave the college campus so hurriedly on that last day?

I just wanted to say “Goodbye” to you, but why you did not give me that chance?

But he did not muster the courage to ask her that unanswered question from the distant past. Nor did he want to spoil the pleasant feeling in his mind by brooding over the distant past. Instead, Avi and Anya stood close to each other on the shipboard and witnessed the most heavenly sunset with all its glory on the calm waters of Aegean Sea. For that moment, Santorini seemed as close to the heaven as they could reach in life.

~Subhashis Nandy (79, ChE, LLR)