THE ROCKET

 

No sooner did we settle after the Holi incident saving us from the danger which we had just bypassed by taking advantage of the probability, Harpal one day came up with yet another idea;

“How about firing a cracker in the girl’s hostel?”

“What? Are you mad? We have just come out of such a risky incident. Moreover ‘Diwali’ is far off” I replied.

“I was only a spectator till now but I want to perform some action as you did”said Harpal feeling left out.

“No I am not into this, so please count me out as everyday is not a Sunday” I tried to avoid my presence in the new prank.

“You just be my moral support I’ll manage the rest” he said again.

“But I will not enter the girls hostel now in any case” I made it clear as crystal to him.

“Agreed. We’ll do it remotely”

“How are you going to do it?” I asked him to make sure I am out of trouble.

“First you say yes” he pleaded.

“What would be my role and the where do you intend taking me to? I’ll not leave the boys hostel premises.” I clarified.

“You will be with me and be a watch out man as I cannot trust anyone else since this requires secrecy to be maintained.” he clarified.

Fearing the conditions of the plan I was trying to explore maximum out of him so that he does not involve me in any trouble after taking a commitment from me. I hesitantly agreed to him being his close friend.

“Ok but do not involve me directly”.

“Thanks” he replied with his naughty eyes.

“Now tell me about your plan.” I asked him with curiosity.

“We will place a rocket on the terrace pointing it towards the girl’s hostel and light it which will zoom to their balcony and blast. Simple” Harpal briefed.

“Are you a kid? Do you think it’s that simple? Will nobody come to know that you have placed a rocket and lighted it with a match stick. The flame of the fire by a matchstick will at once draw attention of anyone in the vicinity and also the smoke emanating out of it cannot remain hidden as a result we can be easily noticed by someone. We will not have adequate time for doing this.” I said criticising his plan.

“You leave that to me as I’ll be able to manage that. You just have a look around the area while I am placing it in position and signal me all clear. That’s all. The rocket will not go off immediately since I have applied some brain.” Harpal said confidently

“What? How?” I asked with curiosity.

“At least have some faith in me” he reiterated and requested me not to ask any more questions as he is of the opinion that if he speaks out his plan it may fail; a superstitious belief he believed in.

I kept quiet after that and smiled at him.

The very next day he brought some crackers with a long Rocket nicely packed in a brown sheet which nobody could make out from outside what it was. After having lunch when everyone had settled down and there was no disturbance he locked the tower bolt of the door of our room and unpacked it in front of me laying it on his bed. Soon he took out an incense stick from a packet already kept in his box and tied it to the wick of the rocket with a thread. Keeping a match box in his pocket he got up and said,

”I am ready let’s go now as everyone is relaxing”

I followed him. He inserted the rocket into the sleeve of his shirt to hide it.

We climbed the upper floor and then finally reached the terrace. As we approached the parapet wall of the terrace facing the girl’s hostel, he asked me to have a round of the terrace and see if all is clear with nobody around. I quietly went and circled the complete periphery. There was hardly anyone as the students were in their rooms. Some music systems were switched on at low noise in the lower floor comprising of first year students. After having a round of the terrace I came back to him. He was leaning on to the parapet wall and looking below towards the Dhaba and the girl’s hostel. We both gossiped for a while and after about 5 minutes decided to act.

Harpal asked me to stand near the door of the staircase mumty and indicate him with a gesture by raising my hand in case anyone is seen approaching the terrace. I saw him pulling the Rocket out of his shirt sleeve slowly which he placed on the wall facing it towards the girl’s hostel. He oriented the wick part towards him. There was hardly one girl sitting on an easy chair reading a book in the balcony of their hostel.

He took out the matchbox and awaited my signal of all clear. I confirmed all clear to him.

“CHHHHHHHHHHHHHHZZZZZZZZZ !”

I heard him light the matchstick in his cupped hands with which he lit the incense stick tied to the wick of the rocket. As soon as it was lit he quietly moved in a casual manner looking at all the sides and joined me.

“Come let’s go” he said and placed his left hand on my right shoulder indicating to get down from the stairs.

“Should we hurry up?”I asked him.

“No not at all” he said smiling and switched on to a different topic discussing about the Moment of Inertia while getting down stairs.

I was worried that any moment the rocket may go off but it did not.

We safely crossed the second floor where the juniors lived.While on the way to our room he shook hands with two more of our friends who crossed us and chatted with them for a few moments making me tense as the safety fuse was already on fire both on the wick of the Rocket and patience of my mind. We reached the first floor and finally to our room. After getting inside he again smiled while I looked at him.

“Now you watch the fun precisely after 5 minutes” he said while opening the window partially. We had locked the door from inside and were lying on our respective beds facing the window with chins resting on our hands and elbows on the pillows. We gazed at the girl’s hostel through the partially opened window waiting for some action to take place.

“It must have switched off,” I said to Harpal as already 10 minutes had gone past.

“Not a chance! It is a good quality incense stick” he replied with confidence.

While we were busy discussing about it I could hear a loud hissing sound with a trail of fireballs approaching towards the girl’s hostel right from our hostel terrace as if some aircraft was about to crash on to their hostel. It was our Rocket which got ignited and headed straight at the target.

“ZHHHHHHHHHHOOOOOOOOOOSSSSSSSHHHHH!”

It went just over the girl who was reading the book in the balcony and out of reflex she dived down while the Rocket went inside their room. After about two seconds there was a large sound of explosion.

“BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!”

Out came all the girls screaming towards the balcony including Amrita while two of them rushed out towards the Warden’s room.

“Oh my God!” I only prayed for no one getting hurt.

“Don’t worry nothing will happen to them they are just screaming out of their habit” replied Harpal.

It was a real fun watching them react to our stumuli. The incense stick fixed to the rocket acted as a safety fuse giving a time delay of 10 minutes during which we easily came down and also gossiped with some of our friends on our way back leaving no scope of anyone doubting us for the act. The eyes of suspicion were definitely not on us as we were on our beds when the rocket was actually fired.

The teachers residing under the the girl’s hostel immediately came out to find out what happened and soon it was inferred that someone had fired a cracker in the girl’s hostel. The million dollar question was,

Who?

The girl sitting outside in the balcony who was reading the book must have explained to the warden that she experienced a Rocket flying over her head from the boy’s hostel side pointing the needle of suspicion towards the boys hostel. All eyes were thus focussed on the terrace to trace out the prankster. They expected someone from the top floor to have done this due to close vicinity of the terrace to the second floor.

The first year students staying on the upper(second) floor were obviously expected to face the music. The warden immediately came out of the Girl’s hostel building with his eyes raging with fire towards the boys hostel terrace to watch for any student movement there. He immediately called for a ‘fall in’ of all of them. There was lot of noise and I could see all the first termers standing in three lines on the ground facing the warden where he addressed them.

“Coming straight to the point; One of you had fired a rocket at the girls hostel. Kindly own up immediately as I will pardon him with lesser punishment or else all of you will have to vacate the hostel within 24 hours” he roared at them.

Everyone looked at each other as did not know who the culprit was. They kept quiet and on repeated insistence by the warden one of them gathered some coursge to say,

“Sir no one actually has seen who did it so why punish all of us”

“Shut up” he roared back.

I told Harpal,

“Yaar we have unnecessarily put them in trouble this is not fair we must help them out”

“Hey don’t utter a word about it or discuss anything on this matter. Nothing will happen to them as the warden is just trying to instill fear in refreshers to force the culprit to own up. Do you think he can get the hostel vacated for such a petty thing and that also when the culprit is not known. Have these peanuts and go to sleep for the time being” he said handing over some of them to me while raising the volume of the songs in the background coming from the radio and went to sleep.

How could I sleep in such a tension while the warden carried on with his lecture addressing the students on ground which I could hear clearly from the partially opened window.

The warden finally dispersed them on the condition that the name of the culprit must be given to him in next 24 hours or else severe action will be taken against them. I could see all the girls in their balcony watching the event as if were watching some match in the stadium.

As everyone dispersed I could hear Harpal snoring by now. I kept thinking that I have not done anything wrong directly and the person who had done it is snoring to glory so why should I be tense. Having a handful of peanuts and gulping a glass of water over it I also slid in my blanket to have sweet dreams.

In the evening while in the dining hall there was only one discussion going on,

Who was the person who did this and what will happen if he is not traced out by tomorrow?

I only kept quiet showing no interest in it and observed what Harpal was discussing with others.

“You people have become very mischievous” he said to a refresher asking him what and how it had happened.

“I do not know sir but I am worried where would I get a room to live if the culprit is not found out as we have been told to vacate the hostel if his name is not given to the warden by tomorrow.” replied the first termer terrified.

“Oh my God! Don’t worry and wait for some time till the warden cools down. If you are unable to find out go and apologise collectively to him. I think he would listen to you as he is a very kind hearted person” Harpal convinced him with assurance.

“Thank you sir for your advice I think we have to adopt this technique only” the refresher nodded in agreement with him.

“But leave no stone unturned to find out the culprit as he must be punished.” added Harpal further taking the junior student into his confidence.

“No sir we will not ” saying this he went to collect rice from the table.

I only smiled looking at my face in the steel thali I was holding and went ahead to put salad in it.

As thought of by Harpal things went our way. The warden cooled off after the first day. No culprit was found and the first termers went and apologised to him who pardoned them being their first mistake.

The chowkidaars were made vigilant and were asked to keep a watch over the terrace on the activities of students for the next few days but could not detect anything except noticing  sikh students drying their hair in sun on Sundays.