The Terrific Threesome (LXXXI)

Reviewed by Padu.

I was walking side by side with Anu. People were making their way out of the lab towards the steps after a weary afternoon of Advanced Networks Lab. The 3rd floor lab with around 100 good configuration systems with the letters IBM embossed on them were installed with all sort of softwares we would ever need during the 4yr course.

I was walking besides Anu making way through the bustling crowd out of the department building. It was then Venkat blazoned out asking everyone to take a look at the notice board.

Back in our hostels Sangi whimpered, “Why not it be a two days before or after. I was looking forward to attending Symantec placements.”

Not just Sangi, many people where a tad appalled though we were all looking forward to the 0th review notice. We all feared facing the panel of 3 senior faculty members. If at all our ideas were rejected, in the middle of the 7th sem exams and the placements we had to work again to produce a better idea.

“We had been working on this idea for 3 months now. If they reject this, how do they expect us to come back with a better idea in less than a month?” Anu said gloomily.

“That too in the middle of the semester exams” I added.

Our worst fear was soon substantiated. Dr.Sekar was one amongst the three panel members. Anu soon started to aquiver. She was in my team in the compilers project, but for some reason he had spared her then.

We visited our guide Ms.Anitha for more help. She was a very amiable and knowledgeable person. She grew thoughtful when we finished finking about the cheating during compilers project.

“You lot better go, and apologize to him.” She said contemplating our situation.

“But we already did” frowned Anu.

Later even our seniors felt she was right. So we decided to visit him and apologize for the second time praying to all Gods in the Hindu mythology.

“Sir, we are really sorry.” Shantanu said sympathetically.

“Sorry!! Why?” with his notorious simper.

“Sirrrr..”

“For cheating in the compilers project” I completed blankly.

“Oh I see. I wonder why you are here apologizing all of a sudden.”

“We really felt very bad about it sir. We wanted to apologize for long but: but,”

“We felt guilty to face you Sir.” Anu completed gloomily as planned already.

“Well you will sow what you reap. Now get out of here.” He replied gruffly.

We came back disappointed and broken. For me and Shantanu it was more horrifying as we had to take the compiler practical exams again.

We prepared our best for the 0th review. Ours was a project that would indentify gestures by image processing, and convert them into input impulses. We simply had no idea of how to do that. Anyway in the 0th review we just needed to explain the idea.

Seniors saying that 0th review was nothing, made us feel more apprehensive about other reviews rather than making ourselves feel better about this one.

Professor Arunthathi Palaniswamy the pop AP was the most frightening one amongst the panel as she was very knowledgeable, and was well known for her tricky questions during reviews. Both Shantanu and I had impressed a good name in her in our fifth semester in her Networks classes, and we were not afraid of being questioned but DrSekar!

On the day of the review Shantanu was dressed in modest formals, combing his hair with ample oil and looked more sanctimonious than ever. He gave a meek smile while waiting outside the department for our turn.

The next was our turn. My hands went cold and sticky. Both Anu and Sindhu where looking pale. We entered the presentation hall with our laptop powered on and ready with our assiduously prepared presentation.

As soon as we entered, Rani ma’am asked, “Hey I reckon you are that Microsoft girl.”

Anu and I exchanged looks. There was no way she would have known my nickname. In a moment it was clear she was looking directly at Anu. Anu nodded with a meek smile.

AP ma’am, “This girl Elvia here had a good chance of getting into Mic” she said looking at Rani ma’am, and with a sideways look at Dr.Sekar himself. I never knew she would be so personally following her students.

Dr.Sekar cleared his throar, “Hem hem, well start the presentation” with his usual gruffness.

Sindhu started with the first lines swallowing a few words in between. None interrupted for a while and Anu continued with confidence. Before I could start the concluding part, AP ma’am, “I guess it’s ok…”

Sekar interrupted, “So you will be doing all those funny actions sitting before the computer” mimicking a few gestures with his sarcastic villainy smile.

“Sir a few decades back if people saw someone talking over phone she would have been considered as a lunatic or a witch. But now it has become something common. Similarly after a decade there will be no mouse or the keyboard but people will be using our system” I sniped back trying not to loose my cool.

“Certainly we will be looking forward to this evolution my dear. You may go now” Rani ma’am ignoring the second attempt of Dr.Sekar to jest at us.

Though it felt good at the support of AP and Rani ma’am I certainly was scared at the hard expression on Sekar’s face.

I walked out of the hall wishing Shantanu ‘Good luck’ as he entered the hall with his team mates, wondering how bad Sekar would have his revenge on Shantanu.