The olive and wristwatch

Present moment… 

Ashvini got a bit jerked and panicked as he heard a statement from the man in the left corner, his confidence was shaken a bit there. 

Upon observing this, the young man in the middle changed the topic, comforting Ashvini's side by asking 

"So, what do you expect to learn here? What skills would you gain if we gave you the opportunity? What could you contribute to the making of an independent India?" 

Listening to this, he thought, 'Why are they asking questions like I'm a grown man, although I believe that, but why are they assuming this?'

Then he saw a wristwatch in the young man's right hand and thought I should always earn one for myself. 

"Sir, I might be unaware of how I can become a great scientist, but I can be a good student of science and nature, as I can assure you that you may still find students better than me, but not as good as a researcher I can be. And talking about the country, I can serve this well as a scientist and unleashing its potential on a global level, might win a Nobel prize for one." 

The old man found this pretty humorous, answered with a thriller of optimism. 

"Okay, so tell me, Ashvini, what would you think? Why will I approve this scholarship to a boy who wears a beige tie with a white shirt?" 

The old man was trying to check his humour there 

"Maybe he would be wearing a fabulous olive blazer! Sir," 

Ashvini replied, looking at his tie. 

Upon hearing this, the youngest and the oldest both burst out in laughter, but it didn't work for the man in the left corner 

He said, "The interview is over for you, kid!" 

Ashvini gets up, bows down, and goes out. Although he just couldn't understand what impression he just created for them? 

But why didn't they ask much about science or any other studies? 

His father was waiting for him outside. As he saw Ashvini getting out of the gate, he nodded his head indirectly asking what had happened?. to which Ashvini shrugged his thin, muscle-less shoulders as saying I don't have any idea. And Ashvini sat down near his father, the silence held all the suspense there for about an hour, till other candidates were interviewed. 

Then suddenly, the interviewing committee was dispersed, and all three men went to the main gate, where three cars were waiting for them, chauffeurs opened the door for their respective owners, and they went by. 

The next moment, an office boy gets out of the room and sticks a list on the notice board. Ashvini went to take a look and saw..

ASHVINI KUMARAEN DUBEY 

To his pleasure, he got the scholarship, he was just thrilled in the air and couldn't be content with his happiness.

A tap on his shoulder, but to his surprise, it wasn't a man's hand that he could expect from his father, but a little, soft one of a girl's 

"Congratulations! Mr. Ashvini Dubey" 

Although he didn't turn around to look, she herself came in front of his eyes, a little girl with a profound mature female voice, dressed in British attire, 

"How do you know my name?" Ashvini asked,

"It was written on your face." 

"Was it so obvious?" he said in a childish disappointment 

"Maybe it's not, as five boys were seemly happy after looking at the list, there are five male candidates in the list and you are not from Bengal like those three there, and neither could you be Thomas Williamson, but your child-like excitement suggested you are from a small town, and your skin looks like, maybe from the central provinces. Hi!, I am Palki!" 

To his amazement, Ashvini was mesmerised by her observations 

"Wow! Palki Holmes isn't it ?" 

"Palki Devi Banerjee, it is." 

"But a great deductivist, I can see here." Ashvini was totally splendid 

But his father wasn't feeling it, watching them talking from afar, 

He just strolled him by grabbing his blazer's collar. 

"It's a new scene, new skin, and totally new air, it shouldn't be getting up on your head. Just remember: where you are from, what your reality is, and what dreams you are working on. You won't be getting another chance in life, and shouldn't be paranoid with the city." 

"Pita ji, I got the scholarship!"

"Okay, so pack your bag and be prepared to be enrolled in a very new environment," his father said in a strict tone. 

The remaining day, his father was filling up formalities, and Ashvini was shifting into the hostel there, which was a double-sharing room 

Currently, fully vacant as there was still a week left before the beginning of the academic session. 

The next day, Mr.Dubey, before leaving, shared an incident with Ashvini. During the time, when I began doing surgery, one of the most senior surgeons of our hospital advised me, "See Dubey, we don't wanna do something different here, just do what has been done over the last few decades and don't try to be heroic." 

"Just remember, you are an average boy, your father is a common man, and you shouldn't try to be heroic"

And he left for Chanderi. 

And now it was Ashvini's task to navigate his life through the vacant, dead-silent Bay of Bengal, in St. Xavier's alley. 

But before he could begin his day, a sudden knock he heard on his door, he opened up, and there was the hostel warden and two tall, muscular men standing. " Ashvini Kumarean Dubey, from Chanderi?" 

"Yes, it's me. What happened ?" 

"Come with us." 

"But!" 

Before he could think, they pulled him out of the room. 

And one by one, they gathered 4 other students from their rooms.

They were all confused and couldn't grasp what they had done wrong. 

They took them out of the hostel into an old abandoned building which looks like a hundred years old. 

As they entered, they were made to sit on wooden chairs in front of a stage in the hall. And closed the doors from behind, it was a blackout, except for a single lamp that was placed on the stage ramp. 

And the stage curtains were opening the mystery, 

Seven men with elegant and pride on their faces, as if they were the authority of some kind, were sitting there. 

Here, Ashvini wakes up from his own imagination, finds that those other four boys were from the scholarship candidate lists too. 

Those three interviewers were also there among them.