The Three Phases... Poem by Rosmin Elsa Mohan

First and foremost, I would like to acknowledge the three phases I have written about below. Whatever I have written is nothing personal, but not fictional either.

Inspiration comes about in different ways, as different faces, in phases too!

You are reading this because You are one of them!

Preface

It was not an easy moment for me when they came, but now I feel that was much easier.
With every new encounter that has taught me something- about me; about them.

Phase I: Worldly

It was a boring day as usual. Firstly as I had not yet figured out what Nonlinear Optics was. Now for all those who think they've just read Greek and Latin - that was my broad area of specialization for a doctoral degree at Amrita. The early days were a mess. Rules were the villains. Every new day I would come and start typing request letters- course work, work table, computer terminals, take away stuff which some crazy researcher had left back…. The list was never ending. Days passed and I began used to what was happening around, leaving behind boring (non) researching days and cherishing good old college times.

Then one day, it happened.
They came.

Not all of a sudden, for a fact. The name Lakshmi was been uttered by many around for a few days. Especially because she was a replacement for an existing staff and secondly - she was to occupy the same cabin in which I was. Well I had to change my worktable and make space for the newcomer. For a fact, at that point of time I was alone and as I thought then, it was always better to have company.
It was the 3rd of Jan 2010(I think!) when she came. As per the regular custom, she was accompanied by a parent. I don't think I need to write about the formalities and how we all settled together (that is history! Because that's not why am writing this) .

Anyway, she came along as the one and only person of my age, I knew so far at Amrita.

Lakshmi was a chatter box. At times, at home I used to think about her nuances and laughter. The world was not enough for her, and the things in it. Well for a fact, I was able to formulate a theory:
If Lakshmi is in a happy mood, it will be fun to have her around. She will do most of the talking and you will never even have the time to think why she is not talking.

If Lakshmi is angry, then you better step out of the cabin. Prevention is always better than cure!

If she doesn't say anything when you ask her something, it means you still have got time - To get out before the terror strikes!
I was lucky to have had experience with practically all of the above cases.

Sometimes I wished I could laugh my heart out, but then she'd want me to just smile! !

I will never forget about her singing, which used to give me nightmares and the friend in her :) :)

As I still am trying to figure out a poem which she once wrote, I realize one thing:
Things have changed!

Phase II: Silence

Jyothi.

Now the first time I saw her, I knew I had seen a typical South- Indian homely girl. She was accompanied by a parent too. But then that's a rule again. Girls being accompanied by parents!
Jyothi was known to Lakshmi, they were batch mates- from the same all-boys college in mid Travancore (for Master courses girl students were admitted - oasis in the desert!)

So it was not hard to guess - Birds of the same feather flock together!

Family girl, family values, and daddy's girl- those were the keywords.

Jyothi had many concepts about how a good friend should be, perhaps she was one! But quite often I was confused by her mood swings and an offset attitude.

She always used to tell me about her best friend. Perhaps it was a comparison, or the innocence of a pure heart. Anyway I enjoyed and still do enjoy her company.
She loved to sing (for a fact she sings well, with training I think she'd go professional) and never failed to appreciate when she saw something good. A good quality Jyo! !

I just want to see you happy always; as much as I want to see you smile.

Phase III: Out of the World

Now I must say I'd rarely ever met anyone like him. He was special, or was beyond ordinary the right word? ?

Sometimes I felt he talked as of from a different time.

But unique as the name- Sathyanarayanan. At first when Lakshmi said Satyettan (Again, Lakshmi and Satyettan did a course together, and Lakshmi was Jyothi's batch mate and course mate, who was a course mate of Satyettan as well. In conclusion, Lakshmi and Jyothi and Satyettan knew each other - That's it!) I was expecting a hefty 28 year old. But, thoughts are deceptive too. Satyettan was (hardly) our height :) (and the quest for 4 feet girls continues for him! !)

Satyettan had concepts - sometimes I felt he was brilliant, at times I felt it was unusual, occasionally I felt overruled, but mostly, it was fun.
He knew what he knew in Physics. Now that was something that I lacked, as I hardly knew what I really knew.

Mood swings were not passive to Satyettan either. I hardly know about him to know whether it was genuine or not.

He liked what he liked, and though he wanted to like what he didn't like- it was hard for Satyettan to mask faces.

Now I am still trying to figure out more about them that may inspire me.
But a question still persists - Do they know each other?

So that was it - the phases I was talking about. I am still trying to learn them as much as I can. Not because I want to, but knowingly or unknowingly they constantly give me chances to write something that I'd never attempted before:

I dedicate this to them..

For giving me another chance to dream and write and perhaps wonder,
About relationships… About friendship!