Born & brought up in Delhi, Arvind loved the fresh air of the early mornings that are otherwise so rare.  He had never thought of being away from home, but his aspirations brought him to Bangalore, where he had decided to start his venture. The typical north-south divide, the language barrier, the food shocks …nothing could hinder his determination. What he loved about Bangalore was that it is a conglomeration point of the south, just like Delhi is a conglomeration point of the North! He had kind of fitted in, or rather trying to find his niche.  

It was the sharp pitch of the morning Alarm that woke up Arvind from his deep sleep.  Well built & in his early thirties, the young entrepreneur Arvind loved early mornings. The colour of the sky slowly changes from crimson red to golden yellow & Arvind felt alive while witnessing this metamorphosis.  But today, something was different. He felt a sense of dizziness.  He could still remember some of it in a blurry manner.

 The college building among the trees looked serene until it transformed into a chaotic place when the gates opened. Some known faces & a lot of unknown ones filled every possible space. From gardens to corridors to classrooms, everything became noisy & just came alive.  The canteen that smelt of coffee, patties & bread pakoras was the most popular place. From lovers to ragging gangs to player teams, everyone gathered in the canteen to have their part of the gossip.  On most days, at the corner table of the canteen, sat a young boy …alone, lost in his thoughts. That day he was there too, sipping his coffee & flipping through his diary. Suddenly, someone tried to snatch that diary away & that young boy revolted. Soon he was overpowered & before he could realise, his diary was flung in the air. As he tried to reach for it, he felt a punch on his face. His nose had started bleeding. Everyone was laughing & pointing fingers at him…the young boy closed his eyes tightly & screamed aloud.

Arvind closed his eyes tightly, trying to fight away all the past memories that had been haunting him for years now. Suddenly, a message popped up on his WhatsApp. It was from Deepa.

Good morning.

 Hope you have woken up? If yes, then please remember that you have to reach the Client’s Office sharp at 1:00 p.m. for the meeting. 1: OO Clock, Bangalore Traffic!

“What the hell is this? Who is the boss? I mean… what the actual hell? And WhatsApp?  These Gen Z, I tell you!”

 Irritated with the message, Arvind checked his watch & rushed to freshen up.

( To be Continued)

Glossary: Gen Z- Generation Z refers to the demographic cohort born roughly between 1997 and 2012. They are the first generation to grow up with the internet, smartphones, and social media, earning them the title of “digital natives.”

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Disclaimer: All the names & events in this are fictitious & any resemblance to any person or incident is purely Coincidental

Love,

Chinmayee

This post is a part of Blogchatter Half Marathon 2025