22. NSS SuMMer Camp

We neared our dreaded end sem exams of our 2nd sem. SivaSubramanium the coding wizard proved himself in the PDS lab. The faculty incharge for the lab Dr.Sekar was a stubborn psycho. He never hesitated to award a ‘0’ if you didn’t get the output irrespective of the number of lines you had typed in and how good they were.

A dozen people in my class had their internals as complete 0s. Others had single digits. Lucky for me, I successfully finished the lab end sem with a good amount of efforts. But this Subramanium guy finished the exam well before time and got full marks and kicked everyone in shock. Even the Terror Sekar himself was petrified.

Finally, the exams came to an end. Good or bad I was in no mood to think about them. We had to go for our NSS camp the day after our last exam. After the camp we will have a good; more than a month; of holidays to train ourselves on how to kill time.

Our NSS unit’s Gen-Sec has arranged our college bus to take us to the village where we had to or at least supposed to, do some social service for the next 10days. I hate summers and my dad even tried in vain to bring an air conditioner to my hostel room. Come on now, my dad loves me a lot, and so he sincerely tried.

But then in the camp, I had to stay in an elementary village school with asbestos sheet roof, which doesn’t even have an electric fan. The very thought was terrifying. This was not all, there was more. The public bathroom and toilet, sleeping on the floor, with no liquidators, but coils that add to the temperature with their smoke and failing miserably to keep the mosquito battalion in check.

I got my eyes wet. I wanted to call and speak to mom, but that was of no help, and that will make mom miserable. I repeated dad’s words, “We have to train ourselves to encounter disasters".

I don’t remember, how long it took for me to fall asleep, precisely faint. I was being shaken by a senior akka (Elder sister). I got up with a heavy head ache, fumbled for my mobile and checked the time, 4.30AM. I never in my life remember seeing such a thing in any clock, I never woke up before 6AM. I woozily walked with my clothes and soap to the bathroom. Our seniors were standing sentry around the place to ensure our privacy.

I was then well wake after such horrible bath in a pathetic bathroom, but was too tired. I sat there at the school steps waiting to go for the yoga class conducted by one of our seniors. Mobile rang, “Sweetie, How are you? How is the place? Did you have a nice sleep?” in a cool tone.

I was more irritated than tired, and more angry than being doleful, “Mom, don’t you try and irritate me, I am dying here.”

“Oh dear, I didn’t mean to, why what’s wrong?”

“Everything is wrong here, I will tell you later”

“Ok fine, you said it’s a public bathroom finish bathing soon, it’s already dawn”

“I finished bathing half an hour ago”

“What? But it’s only six now”

“Yes, I woke up by 4.30”

“Wow! How nice, grandma would be very happy.”

“Damn grandma, put the phone down”.

Mobile rang again, after a few seconds I hesitantly picked up, “Honey, dad here.”

“yes dad", in a dull tone, trying my best to show that I was hiding my annoyance.

“Don’t communicate your annoyance to mom, nor anyone else, she is upset.”

“Sorry dad, but she is teasing me, I am already in a massive miff, and she making fun of me is..”

“Hmm.. I understand but you waking up before dawn is something incredible…” sounding sarcastic.

“You too dad, hate you.”

“Cool it dear, take care, this will be a good learning experience, life has got a lot more horrific things.”

“Dad please I am in no mood for philosophies, take care of mom, I will be fine, bye.”

“Ok it’s just another week, see you.”

I rather felt it was ages long before I could get back to civilization.