“What do you want to be when you grow up?”

The stern face of the school inspector scared the hell out of him. Nirmal stood twisting the end of his loose shirt and cursed his luck to be the ‘chosen one’ to answer this question. He felt the eyes of the whole class piercing him. He swallowed hard and prayed to God. An answer was unavoidable. All at once, a word slipped from his mouth.

“Professor…”

The lips of the school inspector curled to reveal a smile.

“Hope you achieve your dream my boy!”

Nirmal was pretty sure he didn’t even know the meaning of the word ‘Professor’. It just came to him. He heard it somewhere and liked the ring of it.

Maybe on that day, his stars started aligning.

The third among six siblings, Nirmal was one free spirit, a loner. He spent most of his time wandering alone in the jungle near the village collecting edible mushrooms or catching fish in the water filled paddy field. It gave him immense pleasure to get drenched in the monsoon rains and he loved to take a dip in the cool water of the pond on hot summer days. He had created a world of his own among the jungles and never seemed to need anyone. But he loved to see the happiness on his family’s face when they enjoyed the scrumptious fish curry or the mouth-watering stir-fried mushrooms in mustard sauce.

Only one person was bothered by his activities. It was his elder brother who was himself an academician and saw potential in Nirmal which he felt was getting wasted away. He coaxed him to pay attention to studies. He had understood the importance of education and didn’t want Nirmal to end up wandering in fields all his life. All kudos to him that Nirmal was able to complete his schooling with flying colors.

The idea of college secretly terrified Nirmal. He had never stepped outside his village. The home he had created for himself in the jungle and paddy fields felt so cozy that it never occurred to him to look ahead of it. This time also his brother shuffled his comfort zone and persuaded him to go to the city to get admission in the college. He had completed all the admission formalities beforehand. Nirmal didn’t know he was happy or sad. He only knew that he had no other choice.

After independence, the zamindari system was abolished. The once rich zamindar families lost all their glory. Income became meagre and other options of survival needed to be explored. Nirmal’s family was one of them. His father handled whatever land they were left with but he didn’t want his children to depend on that. He educated his oldest son and handed him the responsibility of the younger ones.

Nirmal packed the tin suitcase with his meagre belongings. The railway station was far away from his village. As he neared the railway station, the sight of the red brick stone building gave him goosebumps. Nirmal had never even seen a railway station before.

His throat went dry while asking for a ticket at the counter. But the real deal came when he entered the platform and saw the monster-looking huge trains chugging up and down the railway lines. It simply blew his mind. A picture in his book had turned to reality. He mustered all the courage he had to board this steel machine.

Nirmal chuckled in excitement as the train gained speed. He sat huddled in a window seat clutching the tin suitcase on his lap. Vendors moved inside the train selling delicious smelling food. His brother had given him a meagre amount for the journey but he knew he couldn’t spend it on such pleasures. Nirmal had learnt the importance of money quite early and he never let himself forget it ever. He satiated himself by having the simple food his mother had packed for him. The view of vast green fields and trees blurred past him and his heart ached for his village.

All the students were standing in the queue. They were well-groomed in impeccable clothes and their guardians hovered around them like fireflies. Nirmal was the odd one out. He noticed them whispering, laughing and staring at him as if he was an alien. Sweat beads formed on his forehead and his heart thumped loudly in his chest. He felt like running away but it was too late for that.

The hostel superintendent who was standing there and watching everything, suddenly spoke up to his colleague in a loud tone.

“Mark my words… If anyone deserves to achieve something in life, it is this boy who has come all alone from a remote village to fulfil his dreams. Not the ones who can’t move a step without their parent’s pampering!”

All the murmurs were silenced. Nirmal never forgot that day. The superintendent’s words stirred something within him. Then onwards, he was no more a boy who was forced to study because of his brother. His confidence rose by leaps and bounds.

The superintendent handed him some money and asked him to buy a few good clothes for himself. The college could become a mean place for a simpleton like him. Later, Nirmal had tried to return the money but he had refused.

Life was not smooth. He glided proficiently through the academics but finance was always scarce. He received money from home intermittently and tried to save as much as possible. When his college-mates savoured poori sabzi , he managed with the cheapest food available, puffed rice smeared with mustard oil and chillies. He had just two pairs of clothes. He never took to any kind of addictions like paan, gutkha or cigarettes which some of his friends indulged in to look cool.

Nirmal was a minimalist. Even when he climbed multiple ladders of success and could afford anything for himself, he remained the same. A man with a few pieces of clothing with no luxurious items or habits. While he provided everything that his family ever needed, the only asset he retired with was a huge pile of books.

Nirmal proved to be an excellent student. He also helped other students with their studies. Some of his college mates who used to mock him earlier became his good buddies. Hopes were running high that he would secure an awesome result in the final year. But life was never that predictable.

Money didn’t arrive from home at the time of no-dues clearance. He wrote letters asking his father for money but there was no reply. Nirmal was in a fix. He was compelled to make a tough decision for himself. He decided to rush home immediately to get the money. Maybe the letter didn’t reach home. But he had an inkling that there might be other reasons also for the delay. So, while leaving he requested his friends to either donate or dispose of his belongings in case he did not return. His worst fear had come true. After all his efforts, he won’t even get a degree. No money, no college. It was a complicated yet simple calculation.

Nirmal was right. There was a crisis situation at home. His father and brother had tried to arrange the money but had failed. Nirmal tried to cope with the fact that it was the end of his academic career. He began thinking of other options to earn a livelihood to help his family.

Just then, help came to him. His elder brother’s wife pawned her marriage jewellery and arranged the money. Nirmal was speechless. This gesture needed a big heart. He remained forever grateful to her all his life.

Nirmal rushed back to college only to find that the last date of no dues was over. He was frustrated to the core but thought of meeting his friends one last time and taking his belongings. His friends were overjoyed to see him and also gave him a surprise. They had discussed his condition with the college authorities and since Nirmal was an excellent student, they had agreed to wait for his no dues clearance. Nirmal’s happiness knew no bounds. He thanked them misty eyed.

Nirmal’s result was outstanding. After this, there was no stopping him. He got a chance to do his postgraduate from one of the most coveted institutions of those times, Vishwa Bharati University, Shantiniketan. Later, he also earned a doctorate degree in mathematics. He got a chance to teach in some very reputable engineering institutions of our country like IIT and BIT.

Dr. Nirmal Chandra Mahanti was also given the prestigious title of ‘Professor Emeritus’. It’s a title given to retired professors who have made an exceptional contribution in their fields.

Nobody in that classroom might have thought that this meek looking loner boy would actually fulfil his dream of becoming a ‘Professor’ one day, not even the boy himself! But maybe the Almighty up there was listening and smiling…

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Copyright © 2021 by Neepomanjaree Mahanti