This is a story of six lives and numerous others who walked into the premises of a new world, idealizing success, and embracing the unknown. They were what almost every young aspirer wanted to be. They were, young, vibrant, beautiful and bright. They were Lawrencians.
Zara looked at her mails, flipped open an envelope and read the letter with no interest. She tossed the letter into the air and started walking out the door. Mr. Zafar watched Zara leave. He stared closely at the letter lying on the floor, it read "L". Zara was accepted into Lawrence Business School. She never anticipated its arrival, nor awaited its response. She always knew she could get anything, well almost anything. All she had to do was want it.
Zara was fiercely independent. She carried an energy that could be felt across the room she entered. She needed to win to survive, almost like an ingredient for survival. She was raised as the only child to a single father and had everything given to her before she could even feel the need for it. She lost her mother at a young age. Mr. Zafar never felt the need to remarry to have a mother-like figure for his daughter. He knew he could pay the best baby-sitter in the city to do that job, which he eventually did. He never crossed her decisions and she never crossed his. They lived like estranged roommates in a 3000 sq ft house. So when she was accepted into Lawrence, it didn't make him happy or sad. Just another triumph, is what it was to them.
Nandita's parents had planned and laid out the entire life for her and she was extremely happy with that. The Saxenas were amongst the most elite business families in the city neighboring Delhi, where Nandita grew up in. They wanted her to major in Business. Although she didn't know what she would do with a Business degree and neither did her parents, she was accepting of their decision and rather relieved to have her parents choose a school and a stream for her. She absolutely hated making decisions. Mr. Saxena however, had given some thought into it. He understood that to have his daughter married into a wealthy business family, a major in business could make her a front-liner. And that could be a win-win strategy for both families in terms of business ties.
Along came the letter that the Saxenas were eagerly awaiting. "Of Course she made it!" exclaimed Mrs. Saxena after reading the letter. Mr. Saxena made a few phone calls to his friends and went up to Nandita's room to give her the news. She was playing the piano that her father had bought for her on her 18th birthday. "Nandu, it's about time, you got selected to Lawrence beta," said Mr. Saxena with a proud grin.
"I did papa? Congratulations to you too. Isn't it in Delhi?"
Koyel Dasgupta was a small towner. She lived her dreams and 18 years of her life in a small town in Bengal. She belonged to an educated middle class family with liberal views. Though her life was confined to the town, her dreams were not. She wanted to experience life and see the world. On occasional trips with family to hill stations and beaches, she had almost experienced bliss, but not quite. She knew there was more to it and that she just needed to take a dive. She would go fairly unrecognized in a crowd but also carried the potential to be recognized when she wanted to.
It was a Friday and Koel was sitting with her family discussing the Hazare movement, the new female Chief Minister of Bengal, and the agonizing admission criteria in the A-list schools, when she thought of something and suddenly turned to the calendar. It was over a month and there was no response.
"I think you should consider accepting admission in Kolkata Business School. If you wait longer, you will miss out on the other schools too" said Koel's mother.
"I know mom. But going to other places is not going to make me happy. I will wait another week and then decide," Koel replied.
It was half way down the week when her father came in with the mails. She opened the letter, smiled at her mother, and said, "I guess I don't have to wait anymore."
Roshan Lal was an impetuous man. He was very passionate for what he wanted, more like a fanatic. When Aashiyan's new music album was launched, Roshan spent his entire month's savings to buy a CD from the city's biggest music store, when all his other friends waited to download it for free. His father, a poor old clerk at the Municipality office, had a hard time talking sense to his son. He believed it was just his son's luck and not any hard work that got him so far.
"If you had not been admitted to Lawrence, I would have kicked you out by now. Just thank God that you got lucky and made it to Lawrence. If you expect me to spend my entire life's savings on your college tuition, I expect you to not fool around. I hope you work hard now and stand on your feet and not spend everything on your worthless CDs and video games," cried Roshan's father.
Roshan looked at his feet and chuckled, "But I am standing on my own feet pops. OK, I need to hang up now; you are still paying for my cell phone, remember?" Roshan asked with a giggle and hung up the phone.
On the other end of the line, Kishori Lal slapped his forehead in misery, stared at his son's picture in dismay, and uttered under his breath, nalayak!
William Chouhan, fondly known as Will, was a magnet that attracted anyone that stood in its radius. He had the charm that sprung from the likeness of a protagonist in a novel, the edginess of an ultra-modern hunk, and demeanor that pointed to his royal roots. He could have chosen the lifestyle of a prince, but was uninterested in any of its prospects. He believed in living, learning, and discovering. Will's great grandparents were half English and half Indian. His royal roots were from his great-great grandfather who ruled over a small district in Madhya Pradesh. Will's name of course was a reminder of his half-British heritage. His father was a self-made man, an entrepreneur who moved to Yale only 12 years back. Will however, wanted to come back to his roots and get an MBA from one of India's top institutes.
"Think about it, you don't have to go. You can go to any institute in USA. Why India, for God's sake?" questioned Will's father in an annoyed voice.
"Too late dad, I am going. I already got an email back from the admission committee," Will replied. Needless to state how terribly disappointed Will's father was, he continued trying to convince Will for the next thing; of Will staying at his upscale residence in Delhi.
"Like everyone else I have to and want to stay inside the campus. That is going to be one of the main highlights of this experience," Will sternly replied.
"All right then. Since you have already made up your mind, there is nothing left for me to say. Do what you want, but mark my words, when reality hits, you will come running back to this empire I have set up," Mr. Chouhan added, "and, when are you planning to depart for this spiritual vacation of yours anyways?"
"Tonight," answered Will.
Will stormed out of the room to meet his mother who lived in the other side of the city.
Will's mother, who had trouble working on her marriage with an egocentric and unyielding husband, was very supportive of Will. She had her own business of decorating homes and was doing quite well for herself. She knew she had lost her husband years ago to his business. Supporting Will was her only way of keeping her child close to her heart. She bid her son farewell with good wishes and a promise to visit him in India.
Aditya Saini was an assiduous man with a serious disposition. He had the rugged looks of a man that has lived his life under the sun. He liked speaking when spoken to. He liked challenging others, when asked for. Aditya was a man of silence. This keen observer had made his way into the gates of Lawrence. Hailing from a family of upper middle-class farmers, he was very proud of his background. He was the only one in his family to have studied in an English medium school and lived away from home to study and work.
He had done immense research on agro-based business. When his teachers would ask him questions about his future plans, based on his excellent grades and speaking skills, he would say, "Set up a community business for all farmers and artists in my village and export their products."
His aim was to step out of Lawrence with the knowledge he needed to start his own agribusiness, educate the farmers about modern farming and irrigation technologies, provide them low-interest loans, and a brighter future; something he thought he owed to his village. He was 24, with a degree in bio-chemistry, and a few years of lab experience in a company that made fertilizers. He was now on his way to get his second degree. To him, this degree would be a tool, not a resume-filler.