Chapter 2 : MY NAME IS '3D'

'The name's Dyumini,' DHAPICHINPING DINNOUVE DYUMINI', said the new student in style as his favorite movie character '007'. "Where have you left the remaining 2 people", came instant reply from the class teacher, mistaking the 3 words of name to be 3 individuals separately. The entire class was in smiles including Dyumini.

The name was quite unique & tongue-twister, particularly as per Indian standards. The class teacher being the English subject teacher asked him to write his name on the blackboard with correct pronounciation & meaning as well. The teacher was so particular that she made each and every student in the class to learn the proper pronounciation.

The name was so much like a tongue twister that the one student sitting besides him, whispered "3D" among other students. The acronym-name became an instant hit & he was now re-christened as '3D'.

Almost 15 minutes of every new period, the teacher would ask his name, with proper pronounciation & meaning, but by the end of it, everyone understood that it the acronym was the best option.

His original & short names were spreading like a wild fire in the entire academic staff & pupils of the school. His short-name created such a rage among students that everyone was calling his/her fellow student by acronyms.

Suddenly, name like 'RAHUL PRATAP SINGH' was called out as 'RPS' & 'ARCHANA PANDEY' was now 'AP'. It was like he had started a new trend in the school & acronyms were the next fashion statement for students.

Even school teachers weren't left behind this scenario. Such was the rage among teacher's that in a staff meeting a teacher accidently referred to the Principal AMITA BOSE as AB. The principal, who was untouched by this scenario, couldn't understand what was going on. Given by her strict attitude towards staff & teacher, it was when she demanded an explanation from the staff, she understood what was going on in the school.

Meanwhile, 3D was enjoying every moment of the attention he was being centred around. Students from junior & senior classes would specially make trips to his class to meet him & interact with him. His class mates were getting special requests from their juniors & seniors to make them meet '3D'. It was the same scenario, as temple priests would get special requests for VIP darshans. '3D' had become an star attraction now. Wherever & whenever he was going, even for a toilet break, 3D was always mobbed by students.

This attention was enough for him to gain courage to start a conversation with the girl he fancied but 3D was a bit hesitant. It was once during a mathematics period that the teacher was to start a new chapter. The teacher simply announced, knowing the reaction of the entire class, that 'today they were going to study 3D'. 'Sir, how can we study 3D? will we disect him?', was reply in a girlie voice. The entire class burst into laughter & turned their heads to the girl sitting on the last bench. She was the girl 3D fancied. He knew this was it. Her name was NT.

Once a teacher asked him his father's name. 3D was quick to recall the scenario his name had created among the entire school staff, so he came with the idea. His reply was, "My father's name is 2D". The teacher's too understood that given the tongue-twister nature of 3D's name, his father's name would be another one for them & they settled with the acronym '2D'.

Chapter 1 : FIRST DAY IN A NEW SCHOOL

It was a hot day in April 1996, when a young boy dressed in a new school uniform accompanied by his father was sitting in his car just outside his new school. As a matter of fact or in pure excitement, both were about 30 minutes early for the day.

It was a big iron gate with black paint on it & a display board on it stating the name. Finally the moment came, the gates opened a swarm of school students started moving through a smaller gate of size 4ft X 3ft. The boy was still seated inside the car. Finally, after about a further hesitation of 15 minutes he gathered all his courage, opof ened the car door & both moved towards the main gate.

The first one to welcome was a security guard. Further, after the confirmation from the administrative office, both moved towards the same. The boy had such a different name that almost everyone whom he was introduced to asked his name twice & still couldn't pronounce it right.

After all the admission formalities, the next stop was the supervisor's room, who would assign the boy his section from the existing 5. A volunteer was called to take the boy to the designate teacher. The boy bid good bye to his father & was off on a new journey.

It took almost 5 minutes for the supervisor to assign him a particular section. The supervisor asked the boy to follow her to the assigned class. The same story about his name happened again at the supervisor's room, just to add to it was an extra question about the meaning of his name. Even though the distance must have been less than 3meters, but  with every step it was like FEAR OF THE UNEXPECTED & EXCITEMENT OF THE UNKNOWN.

Luckily, the class teacher was in the class. After a brief from the supervisor, the class teacher assigned the boy a particular seat. 

The class was a buzz with whispers among the students regarding the new entrant. The class teacher announced to the class of how about an introduction by the new one. By now, the boy was almost habitual of introducing himself to people. He stood up firmly & walked up to the blackboard, facing a swarm of eye-popping crowd as if he was a well-known celebrity. 

The moment he just finished announcing his name, the class teacher simply asked him to tell the crowd 2 simple things :

● the exact pronunciation of the name.

● secondly, as always, the meaning of it.

The period finished & it was a break of 15 minutes called "short break". As soon as the teacher left the room, entire gang just encircled the boy & was bombarded with a swarm of questions. Almost on an average everyone had about 1-2 questions. All sorts of questions ranging from whether 'he was a bowler or a batsman', 'was the earlier school the one down the the road', 'which position was he playing in football', etc etc., but 1 cute face caught his attention. It was like a DDLJ score in the background & instead of answering or even listening other's question, he couldn't move his off her.

It was like CRUSH AT FIRST SIGHT.

For the entire day, she made his day.