So the caterpillar has blossomed into a beautiful butterfly….

Anticipation, chaos, excitement, and all the known emotions in the world seemed to have gripped me. I was feeling strange and awkward for no reason at all. I was about to meet an old pal nearly after a decade. Weird thoughts were rushing past me, and I was feeling the butterfly tickling in my stomach. Bizarre as it sounds, so it was! I tried to compose myself but wacky ideas wouldn’t let go of me. I seemed to be lost as I didn’t know how the meeting would shape up.

I was going to meet Amrita Mann, of the Centenary Batch 2000-2001. Faint, no, clear cut memories about her evoked at the back of my mind. In a rewind mode I began to recollect her image and personality. I could clearly visualize the studious soul (that is what most of us thought about her and I am sure Amrita would agree with me today) whose sole interest lied in books and whose only aim in life was to score 100 on 100 in every subject.

I was never too close with her in Sacred Heart High School, popularly addressed as SHHS, but today I was yearning to meet her. Yeah it is peculiar! Perhaps being in Bangalore, the place I term alien to my needs and culture and indifferent to my cause, has taught me to value and cherish people, old chums and acquaintances.

The reminiscences of Amrita, whom I last saw in Sacred Heart High School in 2001 are that of a pretty, intelligent young woman. At that time we were busy exchanging pleasantries, parting gifts and promises of keeping in touch with each other till forever and meeting at the first given opportunity. We were so naïve to even understand the fact of life that “Change is the only permanent law.” Still held up in our cocoons, thinking that life was going to be a bed of roses thereafter, we talked endlessly to each other (aware heart in heart that it was perhaps the last time we were doing so), posing for a cheerful click and bidding tearful adieu to the (lucky, it was the desperation to get out of the building) ones whose parents arrived to fetch her. We, the innocent caterpillars were aware and unaware at the same time that it would be a long wait before we would get to see or hear each other.

So my thoughts were wandering about Amrita as I finally started to walk from my office to the destination for the evening, Mainland China. I have reached where are you Amrita, I said over the phone. And it wasn’t even a minute before she landed in front of me. Apprehensive as I was, we exchanged the regular Hi(s) and warmly hugged each other. It is not all that bad to reunite with a long lost school mate after all, I thought. We then quickly decided to walk in to the restaurant.

After comfortably seating ourselves and placing the order, we got into the mode. So, we got talking and me as usual did the most of it. We met straight after school and heavens here we were discussing marriages, classmates, old times, careers and all the mature topics that once only amused us and we thought were meant for others as they did not fall under the purview of our Priority List. We sipped our respective soups, ate lemon chilly potatoes and talked on varied subjects that we assumed were a forbidden territory once upon a time.

From school kids to matured and married ladies, we discussed the fascinating journey of our lives. I was counseling her on marriage and the importance of choosing the right guy before taking the big leap. It was a bit odd, but I somehow managed to hold my ground. Needless to say that so very dreaded “M.A.R.R.I.A.G.E” took the centre stage of our conversation. I shared the experiences of my married life while she, with a childlike innocence, listened patiently to every word that was being said. She confessed about her fears and trepidations and I comforted her with my familiarity with the issue.

The rendezvous came to an end but not before we promised to meet each other soon. So the meeting with Amrita, who has now fine tuned into a beautiful and elegant young woman was great.

I still can’t fathom the caterpillars of my Batch having blossomed into beautiful butterflies and can only imagine the divas that my classmates must have turned into today!!!