Ankur

I remember very clearly, I was then in Class IX in Andrews School, a co-ed school in South Kolkata, where our Bengali teacher Mr. Kar, decided to direct a Bengali play called ANKUR, for our School Annual Day. I was selected to play the lead role, that of a boy who is a spoiled guy, bad in studies, and how he transforms himself, with the guidance of a good teacher, into a better person and student.

There were some 6 scenes in the play. There was a scene, where I stole a pen from a fellow student’s desk. As I went through the play, at the end of every scene, there were announcements made on the microphone stating that someone in the audience has offered a gold medal to me, impressed with my acting. I received 5 gold medals that day for my acting. Everyone felt I was outstanding. I did not realise it. But felt good. All the girls in the class, were very impressed with me. They immediately wanted to become friends with me, as overnight I became a hero in the school. Adulation always makes you feel good, no matter what age you are. I was very young. It felt ecstatic.

This was one of the memorable incidents at that age for me. Perhaps, after that incident, my relationships, in general with girls improved significantly. I was a lot more relaxed with them and this helped me in my IIT days, or even later. One does not really know which incident influences your life in what manner. But it is interesting to investigate those moments and think about them today.

Thank you, Ankur.