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After about one month, it was time for him to join The University of The Bahamas. He got the notification on his email that the academic session has been started and all the students who have applied for intake in the university must come up on the very first day for the inaugural ceremony of the academic session. Karamjit was nervous and excited all at the same time. He would constantly think about the people that he would encounter at the University. And then get worried thinking if the people that he meet there would be exactly like the bullies that he faced in Patiala. But then he would remind himself of his father which encouraged him to think of not quitting and rather embracing difficulties and hardships as part of life.
And finally the day came when it was time for him to visit the University. It was the first day of the academic session. He got up early, washed his face and bathed. After which he ate his breakfast and dressed up in a casual manner just as he would dress up at his home in Patiala. He came out of the apartment, shut the door, and took the cab to reach university. “ Can you take me to The University of The Bahamas please?” he asked the cab driver. “ Sure. Please sit.” He said. “ It seems to me that you have come from another country to study here” “ How do you know that?” he questioned.
“ Well, I can say that just by looking at the way you politely asked me to drop you. People are quite discourteous in the Bahamas especially in the Bain town. Only outsiders talk in such courteous manner.” “ I have seen that also. Even the owner of the house which I am renting is rude and impolite. She is old but doesn’t seem that she has any experience to deal with people in the right manner.” “ So what are you going to pursue in the University?” “ I am going for the Bachelor’s degree in Business and Administration” “Have you researched about the university before you joined it?” “Not quite well. I saw a thing or two. Can you tell me something about it? You must be knowing about it very well.”
“ Well.... I also graduated from that university, so I know it quite well. Basically, it’s a liberal arts university and you can enroll in almost any program of every interest, from business and biology to engineering, whether it be theology, or law. One thing I can tell you for sure; when you get inside, you will certainly be amazed by the amazing architecture that it has. I mean, it’s one of the best that you could ever perceive.....” he stopped as he saw Karamjit feeling a bit low. Then he continued, “Seems like you are tired. You can take a nap if you want. It will take another 15 minutes to reach there. I will wake you up once we reach there.” “ No, I am good” said Karamjit.
After travelling for about ten minutes, he reached the university. All this while, he couldn’t relax but instead he was getting nervous every passing second. So he couldn’t realize when he reached there and the cab driver had to wake him up to his senses. He thanked the driver for letting him know. He stepped out of the cab. The cab left and as he turned around, he saw a big rounded stone one which was written “The University of The Bahamas” and as he moved a little further, he saw a huge architecture which was carved to shape into the hands of a praying man. It was called the praying hands.
The campus was humongous. Everywhere Karamjit could see, there were trees and plants and gardens all spread throughout the vast expanse of the campus. The round stone carving just besides the praying hands had an inverted triangle with a man in between. Around it was written: “mind, body and spirit signifying the connection between the three elements which make up a whole man or woman”. As he moved ahead a hundred meters, he saw a building which was called the ‘Praying Tower’.
As he was rummaging through the campus, he saw a large crowd gathered around a stage which was the auditorium in the open ground of the university where the director the university had to deliver the opening ceremony speech to which many people were waiting in anticipation to hear it and get a piece of mind of the director and the vision and mission of the university. There were some elderly people sitting on the chairs waiting for the ceremony to start.
He went to the place and sat down grabbing a chair for himself as he saw a number of white and black people preparing the stage for the ceremony to begin. He looked around and saw that the campus was packed with students. As he sat there and heard other people talk, he came to realize that he was not the only one who had come from a different country to study there. In fact, there were plethora number of people who came from other countries like Japan, Russia and even U.S. He learned from hearing people talk that most of them have come to study here because of the Bahamas tourism industry. The Bahamas’s major source of revenue came from tourism industry and it was no surprise to him why they spend most of their money to attract more tourist which was their major source of revenue.
Soon, the seats in the auditorium started to fill up and the narrator started narrating about the history of the university and how it originated, telling more about its prominence and how it has helped millions of students time and again to live a satisfactory life and deliver to their expectations. After the narrator spoke for about ten minutes, he invited the director to come on the podium to deliver his speech. Suddenly, he could hear a loud applause from the audience most of which were students as the director arrived on the podium.
He began his speech by clearing his throat, “ Ladies and Gentlemen, I am honored to have this opportunity year after another to deliver my thoughts to all the individuals like you who have come from many different countries to learn from this prominent university. You know that we are a multicultural campus with students representing many different countries bringing with them their talents and gifts which further help us to nurture them and refine them in their areas of competence. We offer our students not only academic excellence but also develop in them spiritual practices which helps them to find themselves so that they could become much more effective in whatever they choose to do in their life. Our mission and purpose is to produce better individuals with certain beliefs, attitudes and values that can spread in the whole community of like-minded people and create a chain of change which would help us make the world a better place to live. And we are going to do it through all of you. You are the individuals who are going to form the foundation for the manifestation of great ideas, inventions, books, and business that can impact millions of lives of people. Those people are waiting for you to manifest your gifts and talents to serve the world what you truly carry within you. We are glad that you have made the right choice of coming to this place to get equipped mentally, physically and spiritually which would not only help you to achieve your aspirations and the deepest desires of your heart but also let you make a difference to other people’s life with your life............” the director continued on with his speech.
Meanwhile, Karamjit got bored with the long speech that the director was delivering. He moved his attention to the campus of the university to find something interesting. Everywhere that he could see, he only saw trees and gardens with some buildings and around one of them was the library which was rectangular whose foundation was narrow but it widened as it moved upwards. He perceived the library to be his confinement as it was against his very basic nature to talk to some strangers without any strong necessity. So he thought he could probably hide somewhere in the calmness of the library and wouldn’t have to face the people out there. That would later prove to be a bad idea for him.
After some time, the director finished giving his speech as everyone else started applauding him, he copied them to become part of the group. After the ceremony, he heard the announcement from the presenter that the classes for the business and administration would be starting from the very next day. After which, he gave the details to the fresher’s about the campus and the sports facility, then the library building and the commemorative hall. The speaker ended his description and Karamjit got up from his chair and hurried straight towards the exit to reach the apartment hoping he wouldn’t have to talk to other people out there.
He believed if some one talks to him and he couldn’t answer them in the right way, he would end up belittling himself in front of everybody else and become a subject of criticism just like it happened with him in Patiala. So he avoided meeting with people all this while. He was still insecure in his thinking considering himself inferior than others in terms of his ability to persuade others to do something with his communication skills. He took the cab and went to the apartment. When he arrived, he felt better. This was the moment that he was turning back to that old Karamjit who was afraid to talk to somebody that he never met before.
He thought that when he started living the Bahamas, it would change his circumstances but it was not so for him as he still was around people who were assertive and in some ways dominative. It was partly because of Karamjit’s inability to raise his voice when there was a need to do so. There was some fault on his own part that he never spoke for himself and never clearly expressed his intention of what he wanted from people that were around him. This habit of his even worsened the matter much more than ever.
He would just sit alone in his room in the darkness afraid to go out and mingle with others. Even though he had thought many times before about going to some of the prominent beaches in the Bahamas but he had a complexion of rejection which never allowed him to do that. He always feared that since he was a very fragile guy, people could bully him easily like they did in India. And so, he would normally avoid people. He would rarely talk to Amrit now and he failed to contact Riya even though he tried it before many times. The next day he went to the university, the campus was even more crowded than it was on the opening day. His heart started pounding as he walked inside the campus building slowly gathering himself trying to look confident but his slouching posture could easily reveal to anyone who observed him that he was terribly afraid.
He would simply go straight to his class where the first lecture was by the Accounting Professor Braid Williams followed by a lecture on Business Economics by Professor Nathan which was then backed up by a lecture on Marketing Management by Professor Wellington. Karamjit would keep sitting in the course although, he couldn’t understand a word sometimes uttered by the lecturer which made him even more frustrated at his situation. He would go hide in the library in the brakes between the lectures and after all of them were finished, he would go run straight to the apartment where he would keep sitting alone for hours without ever going outside. He would eat his meal when Mrs. Olsen would call her. But he wouldn’t talk to her even though she would keep telling him the stories of her youth and how she made a tough living coming from a very modest family background. Karamjit would listen to all she would say but not utter a single word other than just nodding his head in agreement whenever she looked to him for approval.
One day, his uncle Gurtej Singh called him to ask him about his well-being. He picked up the call and greeted him. “ Hello uncle” “ Yes, yes. Hello Karamjit. How are you my Son? It’s been quite a long time since you called me here.” Said Gurtej Singh. “ I am doing well Uncle. I hope you and aunt are good too. Actually, I was busy since the university session has already begun and there’s a lot of pressure of studies so I had to focus my attention to studies. That’s why I couldn’t call you.”
“ No worries boy. Just keep grinding hard. If there are any issues regarding anything, just let me know if I can help. Just call me whenever you need my help. Don’t even think twice before calling me. Even though you are grown up now, but it’s still my responsibility to make sure you enjoy your stay there. I am sending you the money for your rent payment. The two month period is about to end. So, withdraw it from your account and pay it before it gets late. You see, people there are a whole lot different there. They won’t let you stay in the apartment even if you miss the payment by a single day. They are more concerned about acquiring materialistic possessions than about making healthy long lasting relationships. So please make sure you keep a vigilant eye on who you associate with. Don’t spoil yourself with people of questionable character. Okay?” he asked. “ No, uncle. I don’t even go anywhere outside the apartment I am living in. So there’s no way I can get along with wrong people.” “ I was just reminding you to be very protective of who you allow to get into your head. Getting it or not?” “ I will keep an account of that. Don’t worry please.” He paused for a second and then said, “ Okay, uncle. I will talk to you later. I have to eat my dinner now” and he immediately cut off the call and went to Mrs. Olsen’s dining table to eat his dinner at the same time listen to her never ending stories of her youth.
Two days passed and Karamjit withdrew the money that his uncle sent him. And as he was passing through an alley and counting the notes, some men came on two motorbikes. He turned around to see and suddenly they reached closer to him and grabbed the money from his hands and raced away. He shouted but the alley was completely deserted. He ran after them with all his strength utilizing his stamina but in vain, their bikes were too fast for him to catch them. After chasing them for some hundred meters, he got tired and stopped to gasp some air.
His knees felt weak as he felt powerless to do anything. He stood there absolutely helpless. It was the money which would have paid his rent. He thought to himself: what should I do now? Should I tell uncle about this incident and ask him to send more money? No-No- No. That would not be good at all. It’s not good to trouble him with that. But what can I do other than that? I will be thrown out of the apartment without paying the rent.
He continued to walk to the apartment thinking he would somehow try to convince Mrs. Olsen about the matter and do some of her household work in return of the rent money. He came back to apartment and went to Mrs. Olsen’s room and told her about the incident. “ So what?” she said almost immediately. “ Can I do some of your work in turn of the rent money Mrs. Olsen? Please?” he asked politely. “ Look, young man. If I had some work to do for you, I would have asked you before. Since I already have a maid and a cook, I am afraid you will have to take your luggage with you and leave the room.” “ What if I can find a job to pay your rent? Would that be fine? Can you please give me some time to find a job to pay your rent? That would be really helpful.” He asked. “ Alright. But I give you a week to find some work to do but at the end of that week, I want my rental payment and if you are not able to make some money then I shouldn’t have to tell you again to leave the room. Do you understand that?” “ Okay, I will do something...” he murmured.
He then called Amrit and told him how his money got stolen looking for some sympathy from Amrit. But instead, Amrit started yelling at him, “ What are you doing Karamjit? Oh, man. When are you going to learn huh? When will you become more responsible and active in your social life? I warned you several times before as well. Now, live with the consequences.” “ But Amrit....” He spoke but got interrupted. “But.... But what huh?” “ But it could have happened with almost anybody. The situation is even worse here. The place I live here, most of the people are criminals living in the alleys where it’s almost impossible to get them. How can anyone live in such a place where there is no trust and security bestowed upon us? That’s unfair” he said. Amrit took a deep breath trying to calm himself down.
“Look Karamjit, the world is not so innocent as you are. Everybody is not like you and don’t even expect others to be like you. If you are expecting them to be like you, you are setting yourself up for disappointment. Okay now do one thing, I have heard that you can easily find a cleaning job there. You told me that the there is a lot of mess on the streets in the Bain Town. Right?” “ There certainly is” he replied. “Great. So you can ask people to clean the dirt in their locality. I am sure there would be many people who would be frustrated about the messy streets but won’t be doing anything about it. So you can do it for them” “ But that’s below me” he shouted.
“ Do you think you are in a position to talk of what’s below you and what is not? It’s the only way I see to resolve your problem. If you want my take on that, that’s it right there. Go for it and don’t think too much of the ramifications of doing it. Just hit it right now if you don’t want any further trouble for yourself ” Said Amrit. “ Alright, I will get started from tomorrow onwards but I will have to manage my timings of the university as well. It’s going to be tiring as I am already travelling a lot from apartment to university and back again.” “ But that’s the only way. Just remember who your inspiration is.” “ Yeah, that’s my dad. Thanks for reminding it to me again. I will get something done soon. Bye”
The next day he woke up and went to the university to attend his classes and then rushed back to the apartment after that. After which he finally got out of the apartment for the first time for a purpose other than just withdrawing money. He knocked on every door in the street next to the alley. He asked people if they wanted to get the dirt in the street sorted out. Most of them rejected him saying they have no time to even talk to him. Some ignored him. But some actually paid him to get the streets cleaned up. And at the end of the day, he was all greasy with dirt but he also earned some bucks which gave him some hope of not losing the apartment.
He went to Mrs. Olsen and showed her the money that he earned. “ But that’s not okay for me.” She said. “ You have to keep earning every day, only then you would gather enough money to pay your rent. Don’t think I will be lenient towards you because you are young. You are simply a regular guy to me who pays rent and uses the resources in this house. That’s it ” “ I will surely pay your rent. But please don’t throw me away. I have nowhere else to go. I don’t even know anybody here.” “ Well, that’s your problem. But as long as you are paying the rent, I don’t care what you do, you can stay here” she left for her room saying that. And Karamjit picked up the money and went marching towards his room with a crushed spirit.
He had never thought that he would be washing dishes and cleaning dirt of other people’s houses to pay some money to an old woman. He would continue doing that everyday even though he was getting frustrated every passing day with the way his life was going on. There seemed no way for him to break out of his rut and live a life that he dreamt of living. Every time he thought he is out of the trouble, something much terrible would strike him and leave him devastated. This was becoming a normal part of his living and the sad part for him was that he accepted this condition to be normal and never thought of getting through it by doing something that he has never done before.