Speechless at India International Centre

I woke up at 8:00 in the morning, collected the paper and prepared a glass of kesar milk since no one was at home. I read the paper, had my milk, took a bath and left for the American Centre Library to study. It was an average day for an average boy but little did I know that fate had something else in store for me.

I reached back home at around 5:15 pm, retired to my bedroom and tried to take a nap. I closed my eyes but the algorithm of the mean value theorem wouldn't let me rest; it was still haunting me!
"There's no point in taking a nap" said I. "Lemme check my WhatsApp and then I'll read a book."
So, I checked it. It notified me of a message from a very dear friend of mine- Ayush Tiwari, who is pursuing his degree from The Symbiosis International University, Pune. This is what the message said:

"If I were you, i would be at the India International Centre, Lodi Road where Dr. Shashi Tharoor would be talking about the WW-1. It's open to public! "
                                                                                                                                      -11:42AM

"Damn! he sent me this at 12! What's the time now? Gosh! it's 5:30. Have I missed it? No! No!"
So I replied:

"When is it???!!!" 
"It's at 6!" 
"Its near my home. I'l be there. Love you :*"

And, off I went flying to my closet. I effectively had 10 minutes to dress up if I were to reach on time. The amount of energy in me cannot be compared with anything less than a thunderbolt. But since I was in a Mathematics hangover, I could not avoid inevitable thoughts.
"I have an awkward looking beard, should I trim it?"
"No! I am running short of time!"
"But will He refuse for a photograph given my Talibani resemblance?"
"No! He is a generous man. He knows His fans might have a dense beard but that is not inversely proportional to the love that they have for Him!"

So, I hired an auto rickshaw and reached there just in time only to learn that people had to register themselves online before turning up. I was heartbroken. But I had already reached this far! There was no chance, in heaven or on earth, that I was returning home disappointed. I lobbied around, gathered some information and learnt that IF some people [who registered] do not turn up for the event, the authorities will let me in. And as a matter of sheer luck, some unfortunate ones did not turn up.[I wonder what's more important than meeting Dr.Shashi Tharoor!]

I was finally in the auditorium now and boy! I loved the feeling. I sat down in the corner most seat of the second row of the left wing of the auditorium. The host and the guests arrived shortly. The chairs on the stage were now occupied by Ms. Razia Iqbal, our host from BBC; Professor Mridula Mukherjee from the JNU and Dr. Srinath Raghavan, a well known personality in policy research and defense analysis. They discussed how the Indian soldiers fought a war which was not their own, why Mahatma Gandhi supported the war, how did the sepoys came back from the war with new ideas of freedom and liberty among other things. In fact, their discussion had stimulated me to such an extent that I cursed the CBSE for not having a comprehensive syllabus of history in the 10th grade.

In midst of these thoughts, I heard Ms. Razia Iqbal saying something and before I could comprehend her British accent, Dr. Shashi Tharoor was already walking down the aisle! I was just next to Him when He crossed the corner most seat of the second row of the left wing, but I don't think He noticed. :P He read His essay with a state-of-the-art oration and glorious diction. Everyone looked at Him with awe. He had captured the hearts of the ladies and the minds of the intellectuals with His charms and the whip that He gave to the strands of hair falling on His forehead.

My expressions are a mixture of inexplicable pride, happiness and an adrenaline rush.

He became a part of the discussion after reading His essay, presented His viewpoints and the event was concluded shortly. After all of it was over, me and some other young students ran up the stage to congratulate Him for His refined views. I even had the opportunity to tell Him how impressed I was when He highlighted the importance of innovation, in one of the TED Talks, using the glasses He wears. At last, I requested Him for a photograph and guess what- He did not say no! In fact, He was very generous and humble as He had His photograph clicked with everyone. This photograph, I thought, will be a priced possession of my life!

By the way, did you notice that I forgot to brush my teeth in the morning? If you did, leave it in the comments. :P