Dream Lecturer

It has been a lull day after seeing my results going negative for the second time. Still, my parents were very supportive and they wanted me to pursue this professional course and finish it off at my convenience and to that extent I am always lucky. I quickly decided to join a coaching class which was offering rapid revision sessions.

When I entered the class I had a strange feeling, a déjà vu, as if I have came to that place earlier itself. When I saw the students around me, to my astonishment I found many faces somewhat similar to some other persons, with whom I would have worked or my college mates etc, but they were just look alike.

Then entered the lecturer, who was from a typical orthodox South Indian Brahmin family, wearing dhoti and a shining shirt with a “U” shaped holy marked creating an impression and commanding respect. I am seeing him for the first time. He started the class and explained the concepts with crystal clear clarity.

Days progressed, and throughout the sessions, I had a strange feeling about the people attending the classes and the whole environment. Whenever I tried to make an eye contact with those persons whom I felt that they are resemblances, they look back at me as if they too knew me for quite a period of time and I was taken aback.

On the final day of the class, our lecturer was concluding and giving ideas as to how to approach the professional exams. Suddenly during the course of lecture he looked at me and asked to stand up. I thought that he was asking someone besides me to stand. He became more serious and called me by my name and asked me to stand up. I was shocked and stood up wondering what I did.

He smiled at me and asked, “Are you feeling something strange or uncomfortable that you don’t have words to explain?” I was perplexed and shivering as he was literally telling what I was going through all these days. I replied, “No sir.” Then he started laughing and said “Tell me the truth and be honest.” I reiterated whatever I said earlier.

Then he told, “Let me make things easy for you. Just patiently look around you and tell me your opinion.” I looked around slowly and one by one, students started vanishing. I could not believe my eyes. Only a bunch of students were left and I couldn’t believe the happenings around me and looked at him. “Now, your opinion please?” he asked. “Yes, yes, and please stop this.” was my reply in a shaky voice. His smiled and said “Be calm and now look around you.”

When I turned around there were few students sitting whom I had earlier felt that they were resemblance of some other person. Suddenly their faces started changing slowly, many of the faces become recognizable. Most of them used to be my peers from my college days and those who used to be my colleagues when I worked as an apprentice and these people have finished this professional course and are settled. After looking at them I hung my head low. Tears were brimming in my eyes because of my inability of 2 things – for not accepting who they are and my inability to finish this course.

My lecturer’s hand reached to my chin and lifted my face up and told, “This is the reality son. Look around you.” I looked around. He continued, “People around you are progressing, but for you.” I was seeing them and they too started dissolving in thin air, one by one. The hall was almost empty as one by one started vanishing but for me and my lecturer.

I looked him eye to eye and he told, “Did you see them, they achieved something, but at the end all these known face vanished uniformly. You have to realize that you can go far beyond them and win over the sands of time. You are someone special. Just think about it. I have done my duty.” and he gradually disappeared and only the holy mark which he used have in his forehead was there for a while and a bright light shown upon my face.

Then I saw my brother holding a pen torch upon my eye. I got frustrated and woke up and shouted at him. He told that my eyes were partially closed and tears were coming and he was afraid to wake me up and that is why he did like that. Then I realized that all this was a lengthy dream in a short sleep. Suddenly I looked at my brother, and asked him to come besides me. He came. I asked him, “Shouldn’t you be in Germany? Aren’t you the project manager? How come you are here? What the hell is happening around me?”

I woke up with sweat and anguish in my air-conditioned by early morning 3.30 on the day when my third round of professional exams begun.