Blessings

Ping! Radical Empathy

• The Ping! Radical Empathy Project
• Chess, Time-Turners, and Tea
• Shivering in the sunlight
• Blessings
• Peace of mind.
• Boats and Valorant

As we visit the familiar hub of the workspace, our first interviewee catches our eye. She is the type to lighten up the room by just being there. She is blunt, funny and brilliant. Words cannot wholly describe how enigmatic she is. You’ll see her coding, designing, dancing, singing- name it. She does everything with a huge smile on her face.

This is our interview with her.

“Interviewer (Vaishnavi): What’s your most treasured memory? If you could name one.”

“From college and stuff?”

“No, in general.”

“Most treasured memory… It’s collectively, literally all the birthdays I’ve celebrated so far. I can’t pinpoint a single one because every birthday party has something unique about it.” || “Maybe a different group of friends because I just want to focus on each group or maybe family or something.” || “So, collectively that.” 

“Birthdays?”

“Yes.”

“Actually, I never liked birthdays because [I have a] twin sister. But I like my birthdays now. Like I can see it’s going to get better. Okay, next. What would constitute a perfect day? If you were to describe a schedule, or a general vibe…”

“Classes lite, classes can be there, that I don’t mind. Maybe no lab after lunch. They’re annoying. Tutorials also don’t bother me to be honest. I don’t mind, as long as I have the afternoon free.” || “No sports. Like I’m basically in the workspace the whole day just doing stuff. Give me good programming questions. I want to use my brain. I don’t want to feel like time-pass.”

“You’re the first person who has said that, to be honest.”

“The thing is, I can’t stand not doing something. It just bugs me. I like doing everything. Anyways, I’d like to continue on like that till dinner. Maybe, [afterwards] I could just go and dance and sing a bit. I haven’t gone to Srujana in a long, long time.” || “I could sing in the workspace if I want, to be honest…” 

(Editor’s note: This interview was taken when Srujana was still here) 

“You could sing in the washroom.”

“I could sing in Parijat.” || “Legit, I’d thought before coming to college that I would come here, call all the girls in the room and sing for everyone.”

“Oh damn, we should do that. Just for Parijat–vibing session.”

“Yeah, exactly.” || “So, basically do a bit of that stuff. And then dinner. And after dinner, I can go back to the workspace and do some stuff. And then at 12 am, go to JC, pick up a cup of tea and just do two rounds of campus. Perfect ending.”

“I actually do that also.”

“It’s a perfect ending.”

“It’s a perfect ending, yeah.”

“Tell me one thing you’re ambitious about and one thing you’re proud of.”

“I think I’m ambitious about fame.  Like, the thing is–everything else you will find naturally. Either you get it because you need it in life or you get it because it just sort of comes to you. If you’re talking about money, then you get whatever you deserve. If you’re talking about love and friendship–all that will come.” || “But fame. Fame is something that you need to be really careful with. In a way, money and friendship is predictable. You know that if you are low on money, you have to budget and account for it in certain ways. Similarly, in friendship, you know that if you love someone, you will have to do certain things to maintain that friendship.” || “In that way, fame is very unpredictable. It can come and go as it pleases. One day you can be unknown and suddenly get famous. Similarly, one day, you can be famous and lose it all.” || “There’s also the matter of being famous for the right reason. And the fact that one should not let fame get to their head. It’s a challenge in a way. I want to be that social butterfly that everyone knows, for her qualities–but I also don’t want to be proud. I want to keep a balance.” 

“Hmm, I get that. I think It is a balancing act for sure.” 

“Okay. Next: for what in your life do you feel the most grateful?”

“Literally every talent I have. Every achievement I have. Everything. I mean I can’t believe how lucky I have gotten. It’s all Kali’s blessings. I’m just doing what I love, and I just participate for the sake of fun. But when I actually [do] get somewhere? I just feel so-oo grateful.” 

“If you could have tea with anyone, dead or alive, who would it be?”

“Okay that’s a really really good question. Hmm.” || “My great-grandma from my mom’s side, like, my mom’s mom’s mom–a lot of people say that she was very similar to me. So of course, I want to meet her. I’m just curious about how we were similar. Also she seems like a very sweet lady.”

“You are also a very sweet lady, so that checks out. Okay last question: what’s a piece of advice you would give a stranger?”

“Don’t have regrets. Even if you do stuff that you regret, even if you overthink, even if you get nightmares about it–don’t let it get to the point that it eats you up. It’s okay if you do something you’re not proud of… it’s okay. Unless, of course, you’ve committed murder. Then let it eat up your life.”

Our next interview, as a slight change of pace, takes place within the confines of Bakul Nivas. It was long past midnight; the sort of time where you’d encounter those vestiges of deadline euphoria as well as the onset of sleep that comes after a walk to David’s. This interviewee, who might at first glance appear quiet and distant, is a very passionate and observant individual – and is often easily excited about sports, films and film music. Earnest, dead honest and loved for it; here’s our interview with him.      

“Interviewer(Hari): Let’s start with the first question on the list. What’s your most treasured memory up until now?”

“I’d say my treasured memory is me just talking with my parents; me, my father, my mother and my sister–just sitting around having a chat. That would be one of my most treasured memories.”

“Would you like to be famous? In what way?”

“More than being famous, I want to be someone who doesn’t waste his life.”

“What’s one thing that you’re proud about–something that you can think of and feel better about yourself?”

“I would say that during the last phase of my JEE preparation, I got really sick and it lasted for a whole year or something. Despite that–I’ve managed to overcome that to be here now.”

“If I told you that you were going to die in 24 hours, how would you spend that remaining time?”

“24 hours… That’s not really a long time to talk to everyone you know. So I’d just select some people, the people I’m closest with: and I’d spend my last few minutes with them. My family, my friends, something like that.”

“Last question: what would be a piece of advice you’d give to a stranger, someone you’ve never met, and someone you’re probably never going to be acquainted with?”

“I would tell the stranger to try to keep his motivation levels up. I think that eagerness to do something is very important for people to achieve whatever they want. I just want people to not waste their lives.”

“I wouldn’t say you’ve wasted yours.”

“I still have some life in me.”

Editor: Arghya Roy