Patience For Priti

 

Patience For Priti

P K Routray

 

 

(1)

Preamble

 

 

Waited, they till the fourth year

with life, dull drab and drear

till Priti came all on a sudden

as a fairy from the eastern horizon.

a nectar gifted by Providence

after a test of her classmates’ patience.

But I shall wear them down to sleep

while into Priti in brief with her now I peep.

On Priti at twenty epics exist and epics will appear

but her mystery none can ever clear.

Salute I, Priti a girl at her sweet teen

choosing a career like a boy with the machine

in a male dominated coeducation

with wraths of adolescent perversion.

Competently she handled the five years,

the covetous passions of her peers

to lead a long conjugal life in harmony

a tale she only can tell with stories and pages many.

 

 

(2)

Apology

 

 

Hey Samuduni dear!

Be gracious to bear

a few blunt revelations of yesteryears

mischievous, frivolous then now cause cheers.

Be saintly magnanimous, me to pardon

if hurt I, Priti at twenty by my old age deliberation.

We have come of age and stage

packing our bag and baggage

waiting for our final call to go

performing our last minute show.

Search I for you those days

to bring out a few pearls that blaze.

Some may prick you as a teenager dame

but at such age, I pray you to laugh at them.

Add to it, Remember, I have bonded you with a relation

that permits me since then at you to make a fun.

 

 

(3)

Her Friends at Twenty

 

 

Unlike the boys and girls as on today

enacting the scenes in Hollywood way

making viral their fun in social net

as for them social dogma is not a threat.

But we were conservative and ethically bound

its freedom, the devil inside us hardly found.

Ages around twenty

with lecherous, devilish thoughts plenty

inflamed by many a fertile brain

makes the adolescents insane

that too when two hundred fifty of them together

sharing their lusty thoughts inciting the sensuous tiger.

to search for a companion of the opposite sex

but refrain as to the well-wishers these will vex.

Potent creators are they and need only a canvass

to create many Shakespeares Einsteins with much fuss..

The space in their heart has infinite dimension

like a pin of the paper stand it can embrace a billion

still hunger is left as it can accommodate many more

Gita, Sita, Lili, Biju, Sneha and their friends together.

The passionate urge, with difficulty, is kept veiled within

being gentle outside to the pride of the kith and kin.

Parents are impressed to praise their son

being unaware in his son peeps a roaring lion.

The histories and the geographies of lassies many

occuped our tongues’ tip ready to break our monotony

to discuss on them with funny and fancy dissection.

Engineering subjects were too boring in comparison.

Unlike today talking even with a girl alone

then was acclaimed as the deed of a champion.

The ecstasy and egotism of this act throbs the heart

Envy this, the friends, grapevines with spices they start.

 

 

(4)

Priti at Twenty

 

Suddenly your entry to our batch directly in the fourth year

disturbed the stability and habits of our friends dear.

The portrait of Vivekananda the celibate master was unhung

with the cine stars on wall vibrated their rooms with film song.

Designed dresses new to market decorated their wardrobe.

You being smart compared to ages was the heartthrob.

The late risers spent their pocket at the back post

to be raised to be regular, attending the classes most.

The squint-eyed attendant of your hostel was our focus

from the dawn, his arrival was keenly watched by us.

Your letter “ In spite of kadi dhup I am ready to go”

with one group from many to attend Lila’s noon show

came to a wrong hand of rival group to others’ bewilderment

- a food still for us braving the time for our merriment.

A friend cycled nonstop for three days, you being the cause.

His dream was fulfilled when you came and gave the applause.

A thin lanky friend now still a professor even today laments

that you did not turn up to witness his arduous marathon events.

The drama, you in a lead female role was a hot topic

to act opposite to you the novices started learning basic,

envied the senior batch, juniors looked up with awe

whispered the lecturers but a good drama the campus saw.

With fond memory I recollect

the brutal assault, your cycle met

as if a hungry lion got a prey,

on the inert cycle it relished the play

when you came to my room for a lesson

a perverse slip was pushed under the door by Maya Pradhan

who later turned saint and spends time in celibacy and isolation

remaining bachelor in life with austerity and meditation.

Not to forget each other you and I framed a relationship

a friend called me by the same name for a possible kinship...

Being adjacent to you in our Memento he was overjoyed

I keep his name anonymous lest he may get annoyed.

Many incidents vanish with fading memory

but all your batchmates sing your glory.

 

 

(5)

Priti at Seventy

 

 

After almost five decades we saw you in our jubilee meet

searching our Priti at twenty in you I forgot you to greet

The physique has weakened, skin wrinkled eyesight aided

hairs dyed, gaits subdued but the zeal to life has not faded.

The roaring lion within us has turned to a howling jackal

turning us to citizen senior conceding our youth fickle/

Almost after a half-century then we had met

your love and affection for each of us is a milestone set

In you now we felt motherly love and sisterly affection

to our pride our spouses revered you reversing their opinion

You are a true woman with all her values and valor

pray we the Lord on you the peace and prosperity of life to pour.

 

 

 

(N B  This author was a student of engineering in a five years course fifty years back in R E C Rourkela with 250students in one class and stayed in one hostel and together moved to another hostel at the beginning of each session. A girl student joined us in the fourth year. Her name is Priti. She was the only girl student. “Samuduni” we call the mother of our son in law or daughter in law. Kadi Dhup means hot sun. Memento is a book containing photo and brief at the end of the course in 1970)