Chapter 5: Reverberation
The first rain of July arrived with dramatic intensity. Belagavi rains had a beauty to them, like nature itself was romancing the city. The rain wasn’t harsh, it wasn’t unkind, just enough to drench you occasionally… but always there as a drizzle to make you poetic.
By evening, the entire campus smelled of wet mud, cigarette smoke, and damp leaves. Water dripped steadily from broken concrete edges while students sprinted between buildings holding bags over their heads in failed attempts at protection.
Kuldeep hated the rain in Belagavi. Not because of the weather itself, but because of all the inconvenience it brought along with. Wet jeans, mushy laundry, mud-streaked corridors, fogged spectacles, delayed classes, and sometimes the gloominess of the weather would get to him, in a strange melancholic way. But today his annoyance was specifically from an unexpected phone call from the principal’s office.
He stood outside Dr. Kale’s office adjusting the strap of his bag impatiently while rain hammered against the corridor windows, wondering why had the principal called him personally? Did somebody complain about the backstage fight from the fest?
The office assistant, Mallesh, peeked out finally, “Principal Madam is calling.”
Kuldeep entered cautiously. Dr. Tejashwini Kale sat behind her desk reading through papers while sipping tea. Beside her sat a man Kuldeep recognized immediately — Dean Shetty from the medical college. “Not good” he thought to himself silently, “This was not good…”
“Come, Kuldeep,” Dr. Kale smiled warmly. “Sit.”
Kuldeep gingerly pulled a chair and sat down.
Dr. Kale adjusted her glasses and continued, “You know about the Annual Battle of Bands?”
Kuldeep blinked once. “…Kind of!”
“The medical college band participates every year,” Dr. Kale continued. “This year they have a small issue.” She looked at Dr. Shetty asking him to continue and said “Sir?”
“So, one of the lead vocalists, Dr. Niyati, has been put on complete voice rest.” said Dr. Shetty, “She has been diagnosed with a laryngeal cyst.”
“Now,” Dr. Kale continued calmly, “Dr. Shetty asked if we had any strong vocalists who could temporarily collaborate.”
Kuldeep immediately understood where this was going. His eyebrows were rising as the next line came out of Dr. Kale’s mouth. And he said – “No!”
Both principals looked at him, with a piercing calmness. He cleared his throat awkwardly.
“I mean… respectfully, ma’am… I don’t think I’m suitable for band performances.”
Dr. Shetty smiled mildly and said, “Well, you already defeated them once.”
“That was a solo competition.” Kuldeep retorted.
Kuldeep resisted the urge to sigh loudly. Dr. Kale folded her hands over the desk, “Kuldeep, this is a larger representation. Not merely departmental politics.”
“With respect ma’am,” he replied carefully, “they already have a vocalist.”
“Who is currently forbidden from speaking more than necessary,” Dean Shetty interrupted dryly.
Kuldeep stared at the table. The voice in his head was shouting – “Absolutely not! There was no universe where rehearsing daily with Utsav Ghosh sounded psychologically healthy.”
As if summoned by intrusive thought alone, his phone buzzed. It was an unknown number. He rejected it instantly. Within 5 seconds or so it rang again. This time Dr. Kale raised an eyebrow.
“It’s ok, take it.” she said
Kuldeep answered reluctantly, “Hello?”
“Wow. You reject calls fast.” the voice was annoyingly familiar. It was Utsav. Of course!
Kuldeep closed his eyes briefly, with embarrassment and irritation, “What do you want? I am busy!”
“Such warmth.” Utsav said with his typical sarcastic voice.
“Say it quickly.” Kuldeep said, pressing his phone closer to his right ear, struggling to hear over the noise in the background of the call – guitar distortion, people yelling and laughing.
“We need a vocalist.” Utsav continued loudly.
“You have one.”
“She is medically unfit”
Kuldeep pinched the bridge of his nose.
“I’m not joining your circus.”
“That’s offensive. Circuses are coordinated.”
From across the desk Dr. Kale mouthed, “Put it on speaker.”
Kuldeep looked horrified. He took the phone away from his ear and unwillingly pressed speaker mode. Utsav’s voice filled the office immediately, “Look, before your ego starts another independence movement—”
Dr. Shetty interrupted sharply, “Dr. Ghosh, is it?”
Utsav was startled into silence for a moment and then continued, “…Oh… Sir?”
Suddenly Dr. Kale looked delighted. “Hello, Dr. Ghosh, you are on speaker. This is Dr. Kale speaking. Dr. Shetty and Dr. Kuldeep are here in my office at the dental college”
The audible chaos in the background of the call came to a complete silence. Someone whispered – “Bro PRINCIPAL?” Another muffled – “I told you not to call now!”
Utsav cleared his throat, “Good evening, ma’am. Good evening, sir.”
Dr. Kale smiled pleasantly and continued. “Good evening Utsav, we have already spoken with your friend Kuldeep over here to join the band this time. Now it is up to you to convince him. I hope you can keep your differences aside and come together for the institution… for music.”
Utsav paused for a moment and then sighed dramatically, “Kuldeep, man listen… Band War selections are in three weeks. Niyati’s on strict voice rest. And unfortunately, you’re irritatingly talented.”
Kuldeep stared blankly ahead at the faces of both the principals in front of him as they looked dangerously entertained.
“I’m busy,” Kuldeep replied flatly.
“So are we.”
“I have MDS preparation.”
“We have an entire band collapsing.”
“Sounds unfortunate, but it is not my responsibility.”
“Oh my God,” Utsav muttered. “Do you negotiate with human emotions like this too?”
Kuldeep ignored that.
Dean Shetty finally intervened. “This collaboration will reflect well on both colleges. And I’m sure it will enhance your letters of recommendations. Also, you know, that you have to come to me for a letter of clearance as well when your internship ends.”
There it was, institutional diplomacy used as an ultimate weapon. Kuldeep knew resistance was becoming more and more impossible.
Dr. Kale leaned back calmly and said, “You should do it.”
“Ma’am—”
“You are good enough for it.”
That landed differently because praise from her was rare. It was not one to be received easily. It had to be earned. She removed her glasses gently and continued, “And frankly, Kuldeep… sometimes artists should allow themselves larger rooms. A couple of weeks away from clinics and MCQs won’t take your MDS seat away. You should also make memories while you are an intern. Sometimes the bonds that you forge today will be bigger assets than a rank in an entrance. Trust me!”
The sentence lingered quietly in the office. Kuldeep looked away first. He knew he couldn’t say no anymore, it would just be insulting to Dr. Kale who he respected like a parental figure. Damn her for sounding wise.
On speaker, Utsav spoke again — softer this time, “Just come once.”
Rain hammered outside harder now, as the room remained in silence for a moment that felt like eternity. Finally, Kuldeep exhaled slowly, “One rehearsal.”
Celebratory screaming erupted instantly through the phone speaker.
-“HE SAID YES.”
-“— YAYYY! LET’S GOOOO”
Somebody started drumming aggressively on what sounded like steel utensils. Kuldeep pulled the phone away from his ear immediately and exclaimed with annoyance, “And this is exactly why I said no.”
Utsav was laughing now. The same annoyingly infectious laugh – unrestrained. “Tomorrow evening,” he said. “Six-thirty.”
-“Where?”
-“My place.”
-“Absolutely not.”
-“Don’t worry… You’ll survive my apartment.”
-“That remains scientifically unverified.”
Even Dr. Kale laughed at that one.
Utsav paused briefly before saying, “I’ll text you the address. Chalo bye!” And then the line disconnected. Kuldeep stared at the dead phone screen like it had personally betrayed him.
Dr. Shetty stood up satisfied, “Excellent.”
“This feels less like volunteering and more like trafficking,” Kuldeep muttered.
Dr. Kale ignored him smoothly, “You’ll go.”
The next evening, Kuldeep took Aditya’s scooty after college to the location in Sadashiv Nagar that Utsav had sent on maps. He found himself standing in front of a building named “Simply Pride”.
Faint music came from an apartment on the first floor. Some random cheap Bollywood song from the early 90’s era. Somebody was singing along to that song horribly off-key.
The nameplate outside apartment number 101 on the ground floor read: “Bagewadi Residence.” On top of that nameplate was written in a makeshift frame: Dr. Utsav Ghosh.
Kuldeep figured that Utsav was staying here on rent like most of the other apartments in the four storied building. Kuldeep adjusted his bag uncertainly wondering if this was a mistake. He took a deep breath and rang the doorbell. The front door swung open. Utsav stood there barefoot in grey track pants and an old sleeveless Metallica shirt, hair damp from a shower. For one full second both simply stared at each other. Then Utsav smirked slowly, “You actually came.”
Kuldeep looked past him into the chaos inside. As he was scanning the room, an Indie dog came running, wagging its tail from the room inside and gently pounced on him and started licking his face. He got startled by the pleasant furry surprise.
Utsav gently called the dog out, “Tojo, relax! Tojo, friend! Tojo, come here, come here…!” He looked up to Kuldeep while petting Tojo and said, “Seems like he likes you already!”
Kuldeep was still a bit taken aback at the state of the room he had just entered. A gust of air blew past him; stale coffee mixed with cigarette smoke. As he entered, he saw the room was a maze of cables lying everywhere. A few drumsticks on the floor, next to an amplifier. Empty coffee mugs left unwashed like they were self-cleansing. Two electric guitars, one on a stand, another hanging on the wall. A keyboard on a stand. Two volumes of Harrison stacked next to the wall on a table that had notebooks and diaries thrown around. Fairy lights hanging badly from the wall opposite to the one with the guitar. Two empty Red Bull cans repurposed into ashtrays on either corner of the room. It was less like a rehearsal studio and more like talented people had survived an explosion together with almost zero sense of tidiness!
Kuldeep couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow, “You live like this voluntarily?”
Utsav stepped aside dramatically and with a smile gestured him in,
“Welcome to Scintillating Euphoria!”
to be continued…
