Ria thought all the students would be excited for fresher's day but she was wrong. Her classmates did not show much excitement. Apart from the girls who stayed at the hostel and the students who participated no one was excited. This shocked Ria. Back in America, at her school, the situation was quite different. Any competition would be something everyone would talk about and watch. Whether it was sports, singing, dancing, debate or quiz, many participated as per their interest and many would be excited about it. The hype for fresher's day here was not even remotely similar to that.
The girls from the hostel who were rude to Ria now became quiet. Their acne was still visible. Few of them were so embarrassed about it that they sat at the back almost away from many. They only stood up for their attendance covering their faces with a cloth. Ria did feel sorry for them until she rememb
What is a beauty pageant? Is it just a public entertainment where judges select a girl whom they find to be the most beautiful? Or is it a contest beyond physical appeal? Pageants were platforms for showcasing women's empowerment, diversity, intelligence and leadership.Women who take part in pageants have utilized the platform to empower other women, others have also used pageants as a way to advance their careers. Although this was the meaning of a beauty pageant, it also somehow became a medium for fame for several young ladies but Miss Fresher was nothing at all compared to this.Ria realized that neither it gave any fame nor it would help her in her career. It looked like a contest meant only for popularity. Perhaps this was the reason why many of her batchmates weren't interested in participating. It would only boost her image among the students b
Ria and her friends quickly rushed out of their hostel. The auditorium was in the building next to the second year building. The ground floor had two huge rooms opposite each other. This was where the third and final year MBBS students had their classes. The auditorium was upstairs. It was very huge with several ceiling fans. The auditorium also had a very huge platform. Several girls who wore sarees stood in a corner near the stairs of the platform in a queue. Ria rushed forward and stood last in the line. Her palms and soles began to sweat due to nervousness but she was relieved at the fact that the contest hadn't started. Clenching her lips, she turned her neck and looked for her friends. They were in the second row on the left side of the hall. A cooler was right next to them. Nancy and Nazia both gave her a thumbs-up as they sat down on a white plastic chair.
Do people face unfortunate events regularly in life? Of course, everyone does occasionally. In Ria's case, that unfortunate event came in form of a fracture of her cousin on whom she pranked. She wore makeup and a costume to look like a ghost. Her cousin slipped on the stairs while running and ended up with a fracture. Luckily it wasn't his head that got affected but since he fell more than three flights of stairs, he ended up with a fracture in his right elbow. This unfortunate event changed Ria's life suddenly. Her parents were so upset by this that they decided to send her to India for her bachelor's in medicine and surgery. A couple of other events troubled Ria's stay in India but none were unfortunate because she managed to shine in those events among her peers. She thought she could manage her walk wearing a sari on the stage in front of her batchmate
I DEDICATE THIS STORY TO MY BEST FRIEND Dr NANCY WHO DIED A FEW MONTHS BEFORE DUE TO COVID. FEW WORDS TO BE KNOWN BEFORE READING THE BOOK. SINCE IT IS AN Indian Story written in English, some words are written here with meanings to help all the readers. CHACHI is someone a child calls to father's sister in law. CHACHA is someone a child calls to a father's brother. BHAI/BHAIYA means brother. MAMA is someone a child calls to mother's brother. MAMI is someone a child calls to mother's sister in law. BEHEN means sister. SARI is a dress worn by Indian women consisting of very piece of thin cloth wrapped around the body. NAMASTE is a respectful form of greeting any guests, relatives or strangers. It was her cousin little Meenakshi's fifth birthday and Ria decided that since she
It was a hot, sunny day and the residents of Park View Street remained indoors. It was a residential street almost filled with apartments. A bus stopped at the corner of the street near a small cafe.Two girls stepped out with their bags. They both wore blue jeans. The girl with brown hair wore a beige crop top. The other girl with black hair wore a black t-shirt. They both had tied their hair in a ponytail."Hey, is everything ready?" asked the girl with brown hair, as they walked further inside the street."Yes Ri, I have hidden those clothes under the mattress." said the girl with black hair."Good. let's be careful this time.""Don't you think you are going too far this time?""Leela, I hate Indian parties and weddings because of our stupid relatives. On the top, even our older cousins are the same. Their mindset is so old. It's about time our parents stop sending us to such events.""I too get irritated especially whe
By the miracle of God, Anil did not hit his head. He somehow managed to catch the handrail with his left hand. However, he had fallen more than three flights of stairs and suffered a fracture in his right elbow. Ria and Leela's parents had to pay for his medical surgery.Both Ria and Leela were now grounded. They could only go to school and come back home. They could no longer attend any party or watch movies together.Leela's mother was convinced that Ria was a bad effect on her daughter. She told Leela to stay away from Ria but they continued their friendship.Ria's parents on the other hand were furious with her behaviour. They had stopped talking to her after Anil's accident. They would leave out text messages and notes to communicate with her.After a whole horrific week, finally, her parents relaxed on Sunday. They took Ria to an Italian restaurant for lunch.They sat in corner of the restaurant. Ria kept her cellphone on the circular table and
Ria was grounded for nearly a month after her great argument with her mother at the restaurant. Her exams were finally over and the results still had to come out. Leela came up for a sleepover.They both sat on Ria's beautiful round, king size platform bed. For the past one hour, they both were looking at pictures from their high school prom. Ria looked at them and felt very unhappy."We had so much fun in high school here. In India, they don't have proms in high school. I don't know how a medical institution will be. I bet all guys are dorks.""I heard from other cousins that those who have to became doctors finish their tenth and immediately join a corporate college to get a medical seat. These colleges teach the syllabus of eleventh and twelfth very thoroughly. The students give a regular test every week. These colleges want students to study for hours and even make students stay for an extra hour. They don't keep any sports or other activities in such
For the past one year, Ria had to study hard at home. Her parents did not let her go out as much as they used to before. Unlike her, Leela could go out on a trip with some of the people at the school. She had gone to Las Vegas for a month and enjoyed her stay at a resort. The photographs they uploaded on Instagram made Ria jealous.As soon as she uploaded the photographs, there was an uproar in the family. Many condemned the action of her parents. Sending Leela to a place like Vegas was the biggest mistake they had done particularly, after the prank on Anil. Vegas was a place known more for drinking, gambling and parties. To almost everyone, this place was not right for girls. Their relatives were already livid when Ria and Leela were permitted for prom. This trip made them more upset. Aunt Anita told them to bring her back instantly and keep her grounded like Ria but Leela's mother stood up to them.According to her, the entir