“Bravo! The warrior is ready! May be as a metaphor, I am the driver, the charioteer of the warrior!” Amogh bestowed an honour upon Ojh. Honour is usually bestowed as an acknowledgement of tremendous achievement, over a period of time. Ojh was yet to accomplish the later. However, when the right person is honoured in advance, it imbibes a sense of higher responsibility and strengthens the person’s belief needed to match that responsibility. Amogh was hoping the same in case of Ojh.

Amogh now turned to Shardul. “Shardul, you said that in order to understand my words, you need to find a person who loves you… or, as you said, looooves you!” Amogh tried to complement his words with the necessary theatrics, but preferred to reflect reality, “Though that ‘loooove’ may not be what you would really want. You would want simple, unwavering love. That builds us!”

“I like it, Amogh, your attempt at theatrics!” Shardul was impressed by Amogh’s dramatisation of love. “But I sense some education coming my way, on this topic of love, and not loooove!” Shardul made a sheepish face, and his audience laughed in admiration.

“Yes, correct! You may not need education on the latter, I would bet!” Amogh winked. He started on a serious note now. “There’s one aspect, perhaps as important as being loved, and that is, having a purpose. A person having a purpose in life can also be immensely happy, just as one feels happy, satisfied in the presence of someone who loves the person. So, Shardul, having someone who loves you unconditionally is the best thing to happen in life. However, if it has not yet come to that, you know what can be equally strong. So, I want you to ask yourself, ‘what is my purpose of life?’ You already know this, though you have not weighed upon it.”

“My purpose is clear – I want to pursue MS in robotics in a top-10 university in America,” came a prompt, straight reply from Shardul.

“Wow! I see you going to Stanford one day, Shardul! That will be SOMETHING!” Ojh was impressed, more so, looking at the conviction in Shardul’s voice.

“No, my friend, the path is not so clear. I haven’t told you two till now, but that tutor rejecting me was not really his plan. It was the plan of a lobby – a strong lobby – that doesn’t now want me to excel, because of my background. Mind you, that girl, those people, all were interested in me till they came to know my dad has lost his job and I cannot make it to America…” Perhaps for the first time, Shardul signed off with resignation, a sense of helplessness and hopelessness. “That lobby just doesn’t want me to succeed now onwards. Fixing runs deep in this country.”

In the midway of Shardul’s talk, Amogh had turned his head down, towards the floor. He hadn’t noticed Shardul had stopped speaking, and with his head down, had closed his eyes. He took notice of the eerie silence a bit late. “I can empathise with your situation, Shardul, believe me, I do. I have gone through very similar situation.” Amogh took a long breathe and went further. “Ok, still. Tell me, how does all this impact your purpose? These people are degrading your environment, not your purpose! That’s a huge difference. May be the only difference. You still have the purpose in your life. If you focus only on that, you are still going to be happy, Shardul! You are fortunate to have a clear purpose, consider that! Go, chase your Stanford, my dear!”

Amogh’s pep talk woke up a sleeping giant, for what Shardul did next was very unlike him. Shardul closed onto Amogh and hugged him tightly, his eyes already wet. The I-don’t-care personality of Shardul started speaking with deep emotion, with the hug still and so tight that no force in the world could separate him from Amogh. “I realise what you are saying, Amogh. For the first time in many days, I am seeing a ray of hope. That ray gives me warmth, just like your hug! And happiness as well!”

Saying so, Shardul looked into Amogh’s eyes, emotionally bromantic. Rubbing his eyes, perhaps to ensure getting back to his normal, brave, carefree himself, he thanked his companions. “Thanks a lot, Amogh and Ojh, for reigniting the MS dream in me!” As if his words were not enough, Shardul pounced fiercely towards the terrace railing, and roared like a lion, “America, I am coming!”