Abhijit studies Botany to be a Cop

Meeting Abhijt was quite eventful I must say. It was day after Saraswati puja and the town was grooving to Bollywood; preparing for the visarjan (closing of the festival). For all those who know and all those who don’t, Saraswati Puja in West Bengal is also the Indian version of Valentine’s day. Come to think it, this place has “been there, done that” much before the West introduced 14th Feb to us. Boys and girls all dressed up in kurtis and sarees, to attend the glorious function in schools and colleges. The red and yellow roses are not necessarily bought for “the pooja”. Ahem.

Heading to Abhijit’s place, I saw a group of boys around in crisp shirts and snazzy reflectors. Very Dabang inspired I thought. Turns out, one of them is Abhijit, my very borrower to interview. He felt a little shy of having seen him in an utter swag moment outside his house. I started off by asking details of the festivities around to make him little more comfortable.

Abhijit is a  first year student of Taki Govt College. Studying Bachelors of Science with Botany Honours, he loves working out and cricket. I must admit, I was a little surprised when he told me his future plans. He wants to join the Police force. And believe me when I say this, this 17 year old has figured it all out. Which exams apply for or working on physical fitness, he is already taking baby steps to make it happen.

Having a degree will help him get in the Force with decent position, he said. No doubt he is giving his 100 percent to it.  Also, this has become a dream of the whole family now. Exactly why his mother, Kalpana applied for a loan of Rs 15000 to fund his first year of degree. She runs a saree business and is known in the locality for selling the best quality of Tant sarees (a kind of handwoven cotton saree with broad zari prints). His father runs a flour grinding shop (chaki in Hindi). Their income is sufficient to cover their household expenses. But it gets a little tricky to suffice it with college and tuition fees involved. The Milaap loan of Rs 15000 helped Abhijit cover his college and tuition expenses. With attending regular college classes and three different tutions for each subject, this boy has his hands full. I left his place feeling very optimist of his dream of joining the Police force. In total Dabang style indeed!