IN THE EYES OF AN

The evening was dawning, with moon lit brightly and stars twinkling under its shade.

I was rushing into the fields with my friends behind me as we were trying to get the moonlit spot under the tree. We all settled under the tree with takeout food, big backpacks full of books and comics. It was our first year in the university and we were all bummed about the exams next week,
We had our thick books under the lamps and our hands busy taking notes.

After some intense studying and discussion for some hours, we took a break.

As our mouths were getting filled with burgers, She told, " I'm so glad to be here, I've always thought I would end up being an uneducated wife of a thug  or my own uncle ,to whom my family was ready to sell me off."

"And I thought, I would just end up being a tailor like my dad, forced to oversee his shop and job for the rest of my life" he said.

I  smiled. I know that they were here despite getting less marks than others in the entrance exams . I thought to myself that if women and minorities gets all the privileges , what about those who deserve it because of their talent and hard work. I felt it was unfair, though I couldn't comment then.

The night went pretty fun and also surprisingly productive. We made a promise that time that we will meet the same way before every exam and hangout.

But, we grew apart as time flew and suddenly we were in graduation. Both of them had got a good CGPA and was placed in a good company with a decent package. They were really happy for their situations, but I could sense their lack of vision and ability to dream. I had got an offer from a company for a slightly lesser package, but I wanted to do PG in a global university so that my portfolio can be better, when I step into my career. Once again, I didn't say anything.

We exchanged numbers, clicked photos for our Instagram updates,  faked tears and this time made a stern promise that we will meet at the same place after three years.

I finished my PG in the states, got a job in a MNC, got a handsome package ,settled down with a beautiful bride of culture and a flair of style.  I went onsite to the states occasionally, now looking at a chance to settle there completely and toured down to Europe during holidays. In short, my life cannot be more prettier.

One fine day, the whats app group of our college batch rose from the dust and suddenly within minutes, the reunion meet was fixed. I pretended to be busy and tried to avoid the day, but internally I was excited.  I wanted to see how others were doing. No, No, to be honest, I wanted to compare myself with others and have a smirk upon the fact that ,I'm doing better.

The day arrived and I met a lot of people there, exchanging pleasantries and cherishing some old and funny (supposed to be) memories with my batch mates.  A lot of them congratulated for my growth  and awed at my status. I tried to act humble, but my inner conscious was feeding off the praise.

A little later, my eyes were searching secretly the whole hall for those two, but they were nowhere to be seen. " Huh, they chickened out, probably out of embarrassment " I thought. I tried to act high and uncaring, but my curiosity won at last. I asked one of my batch mate who were close with both of them.

What followed was a little shock , that I would always try to forget in my life.

He was doing well in a company, until one day out of the blue, he was laid off without reason. The company stated economic recession, but others who are undeserved than him were not. He understood it was discriminatory in  nature and tried to let out in social media. His posts became viral and a certain group of "Internet thugs" cyber bullied him, asking him to go to Pakistan ,where he belongs. He was falsely branded with so many titles . Unable to cope, He had cut ties with the digital world and is supposedly back to his village, doing his ancestral work.

She was also doing well, until marriage happened. Despite her earnings and work, she was still married to her uncle due to family pressure and had to leave the job.  He was a conservative family Indian man with drinking habits and abusive nature. She couldn't come to the reunion, even if she wanted to.

For a moment there, I  felt a sharp pain of guilt stinging my heart . I felt sorry for them, I thought something was wrong with this society and I wanted to call them and extend my feelings and support.

But, like every INDIAN , UPPER MIDDLE CLASS ( as we would like to call ourselves) PRIVILEGED MAN, I pacified myself with :

" What can I, as a single person can do and change?"
"Tch, Tch, I sympathize with them, after all its their fate"
" God help them"
............
"Oh, I completely forgot, I should go and give a missed call to a certain number, I am going to be a NRI after all, soon"
..
 and drove back home to my beautiful wife and a session of hot tub romance.

P.s: I tried to write how it would be in the eyes of a privileged person( which most of us are, in some or the other way). The piece don't relate to any particular person or incident. The plot might be fictitious, but the entire story isn't.

P.P.S: Do the least, support the unprivileged's cause , don't always hold on to your privileges. Don't let your humanity go away, its the only true and pure thing left.

P.P.P.S: The entire title is in the bold font.