Here is the second video on the book, ‘Spinning into a Career’
Smitten by fear, Ruchi goes home and breaks down into tears. She is mocked by her parents when she thinks of discontinuing her education due to the incident. Ruchi solves her problem by changing her path she takes to college so that the intruder may not trace her.
The first two years of college are a trying one. She is impressed by William Golding’s novel ‘Lord of the Flies’. Her literature professor creates a world by using his own words in which Ralph, Jack and Piggy lived. Mr. Gale is a middle aged man with a beard. His face is scabrous with a rugged nose. He is stout with broad shoulders. He secured a B.S.C. degree and then turned to English literature. His medium of schooling was Marathi. He knows other Indian languages as well. He sketches well.
His wife, who is thin and slim serves in the same college. She teaches History of the West. Her lecture goes on for forty five minutes. She does not stop to ask any question to students. She is draped in wonderful saree, a new one each day.
Tutorials for languages are meant for language improvement. A small test is conducted in the tutorial class. Ruchi scores four out of ten. She asks her professor what is wrong with her writing. He says that she writes correct English but her statements leave a lot of things unsaid. She can write English at two levels; one very simple and the other very complicated. A homework assignment is given. While working on the assignment, sitting in the train, she notices that the train is moving in the wrong direction. She is stunned. She lands at Pahisar. The platform is unknown to her. The indicator indicates that the train for St. Thomas Gate will arrive on platform no. 4, She walks on the railway bridge that leads to platform no. 4 and boards the train to St. Thomas Gate. Such experiences create a dent in her complacency that she does not like.
The English lecturer Mr. Gale, speaks British English. Ruchi is asked to answer a question put up by the lecturer. She stutters incessantly. The whole class laughs. Her classmates mock her saying, ” Gale will definitely spot you and ask you a question. Look, your Gale has come.” English class turns out to be a nightmare for Ruchi. The compassionate Mr. Gale who also stutters, advises Ruchi to stutter as much as possible. When Ruchi is reading the poem, ‘Futility’ by Wilfred Owen, she has taken ten minutes to utter the syllable ‘fu’.
Her father buys a textbook of psychology by Stanley and Morgan. Ruchi finds the book useful. She lends it to one of her college friends who does not return the book. She cannot recollect who. Contents of the book are taught at random. The experiments baffle her. She does not know how to study psychology.
The day is cloudy with storm and wind. She has to take her psychology exam. Ruch is a whirlwind of confusion. It drizzles. Somehow she appears for the exam and writes whatever she can.
During her spare time alone in the classroom, she sings a classical song sung by a maestro : ‘Savara re maara savara, Maari preet nibha jo jee…’ Her friend Ranjitha discovers she sings well. The annual revue begins. Students are expected to take part in it. Professor Rosh conducts cultural activities. Ranjitha informs her that Ruchi can sing. She selects Ruchi for the practice sessions during the evenings. Ruchi sings a Hindi song. The blaring sound of instruments baffle her and she trembles. Feeling like a miserable failure, she does not want to sing the song. A student persuades her but Ruchi steps down.
Ranjitha Murthy takes Ruchi to her house in Sainagar, Chirgoan. Ranjitha’s mother is fond of music. Ranjitha introduces Ruchi to her sister who has wheezing problem. She is podgy. Ranjitha’s mother requests Ruchi to sing songs for her. She listens to Ruchi’s songs and is pleased. Her songs are followed by a full course meal that consists of rice, sambhar, curry, vadai, rasam, pappadam and buttermilk.
Thank you for listening. I hope you have liked it. I come again with another video. Till then goodbye.
Video can be accessed on you tube by typing, ‘Spinning into a Career’ by Usha Raman.
