The Great Downpour

Chapter V

Chapter V

The students had all gathered in the Assembly Hall and awaited the arrival of their Principal and his staff. This was supposed to be a meeting for all those who had given their names and subscriptions to join the picnic. The students were keen to hear what their Principal and the accompanying staff wanted to tell. Most of the students had already checked out their school geography atlases or the internet to learn about Pench National Park and Wildlife Reserve.

“Did you know that Pench National Park is situated on the border of both Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra?”

“I am told that Rudyard Kipling had described its beauty in his book “The Lord of the Jungle …”

“It is almost a thousand square kilometers in area … what a huge place …”

“I am told that it has dacoit gangs operating in it …”

“Wasn’t there news that some people have been killed by a man-eating tiger in the past few months?”

“I am just dying to see the birds … I have read that there are some 250 species of them out there …”

“Whatever you say, guys, I am going there to have some clean, great fun!”

“Nature at its best … no other colleges have ever gone there, you know …”

The buzz was Pench, Pench and Pench. Hardly any student was seated in the chair. They had formed small groups and were chatting away.

Sandesh stood with his group, comprising Yash, Rati, George, Farhad, Chand and Bhairavi. They were discussing splitting up the tasks that each person would have to do for the picnic. Just then, another group of friends joined them, among them Sundeep, Muhammad, Seeta and Nazima.

“Hey there, Sunny, how’s you?” asked Sandesh and Farhad almost in the same breath.

“Fine, pal, and how are you all?” responded Sundeep.

Soon all of them were shaking hands and giving high-fives to each other. Rati and Seeta went into a clinch and hugged each other. Just then, the big clock above the stage struck 11 a.m. The students gradually began to file into the rows of chairs. After a few minutes, the door to the left side of the stage opened and the Principal walked in, followed by about half a dozen teachers. The Principal, Fr. Anthony, was dressed in a white robe. He was a bespectacled man in his mid-fifties, balding and well-groomed in appearance; he walked with a no-nonsense purposeful gait. Three male and two female teachers filed in after him.. Among them were the Cricket and Games teacher Mr. Arun Chatterjee, the Portrait and Objects Drawing teacher, Mrs. Philoo Braganza, the History teacher Peter Mathias and the Maths and Physics teacher Mr. Shoaib Khan.

All the teachers took their places to the right and the left of the Principal, who sat down in the central chair on the stage. The murmuring among the students gradually subsided. A sound assistant came on to the stage and adjusted the tiny lapel microphone on the Principal’s collar. The latter shuffled in his seat to allow the former to do his thing. The assistant soon left, and the Principal came to his feet. He looked at all the students expectantly. They all quieted down.

“Hello students,” the Principal began.

There was a hum of sound wherein some “Hello Sir”s could be heard.

The Principal went on to tell about the upcoming picnic to Pench National Park the Saturday following the next.

“I have already spelt out most of the rules in the notice that is put up on the Notice Board. I would advise you all to read it carefully and obey it in both letter and spirit. I want students to get guests in large numbers. Remember that the Park is closed for tourists from the 1st of July to the 30th of November on account of the rainy season. I request all of you to remain with our guides at all times and to not go far away or to go elsewhere without informing one of the teachers, specifically, either Mr. Chatterjee or Mrs. Braganza. Your final instructions will be given to you two days prior to the picnic. Remember, we will be only serving you all breakfast and snacks. You all have to arrange your own lunches. You can take cameras and movie recorders only if you all are willing to pay for their entry at the main gates there. There are a few outhouses close to the main entrance, and the offices of the forest department are also located near there itself. I encourage you all to read about the Park, its history, its flora and fauna and so on and so forth so that the picnic can become a sort of educational one.”

The students waited for the Principal to finish.

The Principal was about to take his seat when Mrs. Braganza, who sat on the former’s right, got up and whispered something in the latter’s ears.

Just as the Principal began to get up again, the door at the far end opened and Nanda walked in, looking breathless.

“Yes, Miss Tripathi? Why are you late?” asked Fr. Anthony as he stood up to address the students.

“Sorry Father, the bus I was travelling in was late in coming!” said a much embarrassed Nanda.

“Okay, okay, come in and sit down,” ordered Fr. Anthony.

Nanda rushed in and went in to join Sandesh and his group, whom she spotted quite easily. She sat down timidly at the end of the row in the one available chair.

The Principal cleared his throat and said, “Mrs. Braganza reminds me to warn you that the Park has some resident bandits or dacoits as we call them, as also, one, or perhaps more, man-eating tigers. Every student who comes to the picnic is hereby informed that while the college staff will take the utmost precautions to avoid these potential perils, the students are themselves responsible for their own safety, particularly if they decide to venture out into the unsupervised part of the park or if they disobey any of the rules that are laid down. I have asked your class-teachers to give each of the participating students an Indemnity form. You are all to read it carefully and sign it at the bottom. The form is to protect the school and the staff from vicarious responsibility should the students come to any harm because of their own mistakes. I hope I have made the position amply clear.

“Any questions?”

Fr. Anthony wiped his face with a handkerchief and sat down. A murmur rose among the students. Some of them got up timidly to ask about their doubts, while the rest began to file out of the hall. The meeting had come to an end.

“My father has gifted me the latest Canon movie camera and I am sure to get it,” said Yash, whose father was a business tycoon with interests in steel, pharmaceuticals, banking and finance and computer hardware manufacture. It was rumoured that Yash had a fat bank balance and a net worth of over Rs. 10 million already!

Bhairavi laughed and said, “Of course you will, Yash! If you didn’t have one, I am sure you will buy one!”

Yash felt acutely embarrassed as he was normally not given to bragging. He kept quiet as Bhairavi ran out of steam and then laughed back and replied, “No one can contest me in material wealth, just as no one can beat you in oomph!”

Now it was Bhairavi’s turn to blush with the compliment, as it was widely acknowledged that no one in St. Aloysius could beat her in pure, unadulterated sensuality. She was naturally well-endowed, but even more than that, she carried herself so well that every male eye was turned in her direction when she passed by. Over and above that, she dressed very tastefully and applied very minimal make-up. Fair in complexion and over 5’6” tall, she was a moving diva, the cynosure of all eyes.

She looked away and then back at Yash and smiled, saying, “Touché!”

Everyone joined in the laughter then, and Rati said, “Bhairavi, when are you gonna choose your male? It seems that over 500 men want you to be their life-partner!”

“Come on, Rats, you aren’t so bad looking either!” replied Bhairavi.

Sandesh immediately looked at Rati who looked back at him and then looked away, aware of the expected attention from him.

The group moved out of the hall and towards the canteen. Ordering a vegetable burger and coke for everyone, Yash joined them at the table to thrash out the plans for the picnic. Nazima rushed home. Her parents had a strict protocol for her to reach home under “any circumstances before six in the evening”, and she wasn’t about to break the rule this day. Sundeep too excused himself to attend football practice.

“Seeta, remember to reach home by six, mom and dad are receiving guests today!” he told his sister before leaving.

“Okay, bhaiya, I will,” replied Seeta.

It was finally decided that Sandesh would carry his cricket kit, his first-aid box and a large can of water; Yash would get, besides the camera, two large boxes of oranges and a fruit-knife; Chand would get a chess-set, some playing cards and enough biscuits for the whole group, while Farhad would arrange for lunch for the entire group from a Parsee caterer who was related to him; George agreed to help him organize the packing and transportation. The women all took up responsibilities like getting crockery, napkins, sheets of cloths to spread on the floor and so on; Rati promised to bring her radio-cum CD player, while Seeta would bring badminton rackets and shuttlecocks, thanks to her brother Sundeep’s stock. Bhairavi volunteered to bring her latest pair of binoculars. It was left to Muhammad to bring ice and cold drinks.

Finally, it was done. The friends broke up and went off their own ways.

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