16th December 2007
That day remains truly unforgettable for me. I can still feel the gentle breeze that swept through my heart as I stepped into the IMysore campus. It felt like a dream come true when I saw the building with the name “Infosys” written in bold blue letters. I was entering one of the most reputed companies in the world, renowned for its exceptional training for fresh graduates, Infosys Mysore Campus.
All around me, I saw young, budding talents brimming with hope and ambition. It was one of those rare, precious moments in life that I wished I could CTRL + S and save in an imaginary photo album within my heart. But even in the midst of all the excitement, my heart was racing for a different reason—someone unseen, someone I was longing to meet.
I was there with Anoop and Rency. Together, we were meeting Gayathri’s parents. All of us were full of energy, stepping into this new world for the very first time. Then, my phone rang. It was her, the reason for my excitement.
“Where are you? I’m here at Building No. 1 with my parents. Soon, I’ll be shifted to Urban Oasis, where they’ve arranged our stay.”
“Oh! I thought you might get accommodation inside the campus. So, what time are you leaving? I need to see you.”
“No idea… I think we’ll be leaving shortly.”
“It’s okay… I’ll be there in a few minutes.”
I disconnected the call and looked at my friends, who were busy chatting and laughing. I said, “Hey Gayu, Rashmi’s here. She’ll be heading to a hotel outside since her stay is arranged there.”
“Is it?” Gayu asked. “We have to see her!”
“Who?” Anoop and Rency asked with excitement.
“Deepika Padukone,” I said, don’t know where that came from, but I’m pretty sure it was cheesy
As I walked along the short road from FC1 to Building No. 1, the security guards blew their whistles, reminding us to stay on the footpath. But I hardly noticed, as my mind was walking backwards through the last two months.
Somewhere in November (a month back)…
After quitting Sutherland, I mostly spent my time surfing the net or watching TV. I rarely went into the city, it took too long, and the traffic was crazy. Until I joined Infosys, I considered laziness a divine gift given to a special few, and I believed I was one of them.
Most of my time was spent in front of the PC. That doesn’t mean I was always reading or researching, of course. Life was kind of an adventure back then, online 24/7, despite what some so-called doctors and physicists claimed about internet addiction affecting our health. Is that even true?
One day, I happened to see a post in the Infosys 2007 Orkut community asking for help with the Campus Connect portal. I had the info, so I replied. Then I noticed a profile picture of Bollywood actress Gayathri Joshi, and below it, the name: “Rashmi Gopinath – young talented girl from Bhilai, placed in UST, Wipro, TCS, Infosys, and Tata Elxsi.”
CRAP GAL! I told myself. Who boosts themselves that much?
But then came her reply. And that’s when the race began—“On your mark… Set… Go.”
I had plenty of chat friends then, but something about this was different.
“Hi Rashmi, this is Midhun Hari. Hope you got the answer for your query. How did you get selected into Infosys? Through SHREDS or campus recruitment?”
“I got through SHREDS. What about you?”
“Same here! I’m from Narayanaguru College of Engineering under Anna University, Tamil Nadu. I’m from Trivandrum. Where are you staying? Where did you complete your engineering?”
“I’m from Bhilai and I did my engineering at Calicut University College, Kohinoor.”
That answer hit me in two ways—one part shocking, the other delightful.
I was disappointed because she said she’s from Bhilai, so I assumed she wasn’t a Malayali. I had never even heard of Bhilai before! She studied at Calicut University College, which is near my beloved St. Paul’s EM High School, where I spent my beautiful school years.
I quickly Googled where Bhilai was (thank God for Google Maps), and found it in Chhattisgarh. A new piece of knowledge for me. I resumed the chat.
“Oh Bhilai! That’s in Chhattisgarh, right? Hmm… so you’re not a Mallu. Interesting.”
“Yes, actually I’m from Kerala. But I was born and brought up in Bhilai.”
Another challenge began,I had to keep MS Word open to check meanings of difficult English words because I assumed she didn’t know Malayalam!
“Your college is close to St. Paul’s, right? I know those areas well.” I played it cool, as if I was a genius. And it worked, she was surprised and asked:
“How do you know my college?”
I told her about my school days, and it turned out we had mutual friends. That first chat lasted a while, and our conversations continued regularly after that.
Every morning around 8 AM, I found myself sitting in front of my PC, waiting for her to come online. I didn’t know why back then, but now I understand, she was the one I truly wanted to share my life with.
One day I found some chat exchanges between Jisha and Rashmi in Orkut scraps. Jisha had been asking everyone in the community about joining dates, much like an excited kid waiting for school to reopen.
She asked Rashmi:
“Why did you change your profile pic? This Aishwarya Rai one is beautiful. So do you look like Aishwarya? I think everyone resembles their profile pic. Are you beautiful in real life?”
Rashmi’s reply cracked me up:
“Hmm… What do I say? You decide after seeing me.”
It was cheeky and confident, and honestly, I liked it. Not out of arrogance, but innocence. That’s when I started calling her Deepika Padukone, just to tease her. She was annoyed, but unknowingly, I was already falling for her.
From that moment on, all I wanted was to see her. Just once.
Back now .. December 2007
“Dude, come fast. What are you thinking?” Anoop asked me. We were about to reach Building No. 1. My heart was racing, I was about to see her for the first time. Though we had great conversations, this moment made me nervous. I’ve always been self conscious and struggled with inferiority complex.
I was wearing a red T-shirt and blue jeans, instead of the black shirt I had promised to wear for our first meeting. Her unexpected hotel arrangement gave me no time to change. But it didn’t matter. In a way, I trusted destiny.
I checked my outfit,decent enough. I adjusted my black-rimmed specs, the ones she had suggested when I bought a new pair. I walked slowly towards the crowd.
My heart was racing like it was in a 100-meter sprint.
I scanned the crowd. No one stood out. Then I saw Gayu talking to someone along with her parents. Behind her stood Anoop and Rency. And there she was, the girl who made my heart race all these days. I looked into her eyes. Were they searching for someone? Maybe I imagined it.
She was beautiful. But her eyes were even more beautiful. And beyond that, her smile was utterly mesmerizing. Yet, what I liked the most was her way with words, simple, sincere, captivating.
As I was slowly slipping into a dream, reality hit me. A tall six-foot man with a long moustache stood beside her, watching everyone with a suspicious eyes. Her father! Thanks, Uncle, for waking me up from that dangerously beautiful dream.
I slowly walked up to them. She looked at me, a little confused, and smiled.
“Hi, I’m…” I introduced myself.
Her smile grew warmer.
“Hi… he’s here,” she said and turned to tell her mother about us.
Soon, she left for the hotel arranged for her stay outside the campus.
But just before boarding the bus, she turned around...... and smiled.
That smile… it’s still with me. It unlocked a door in my heart and walked right in without asking permission.
That smile became the melody of my life in Mysore.
And that misty December morning, where I saw her for the first time near Building No. 1, will forever be one of the most precious gifts life has given me.
Love doesn’t take long to recognise.
It’s a spontaneous burst of emotion straight from the heart.
What do you say? :)
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