Saka sat quietly in the car with Atira, tensed about how the day was going to turn out. Vira had dropped him home and had disappeared. He was then dragged by Atira for their promised date.
It was needless for him to worry.
Atira was, in many ways, just like Vira. Or was it the other way around? She was generous but did not throw away money. Unlike Vira, she loved talking.
She told him about Vira, what he was like as a child, and what a nightmare he was at college.
"He did a dual degree at Phupha."
"Phupha? Maw Mina is from there as well!"
Atira cackled, "Indeed? She must have heard about Vira then... She did biology, you said?"
"Biomathematics, I heard."
"Oh? She must be older than my grandson. Vira did a number on his professor, which escalated to the principal.
The principal didn't know he was my grandson and took the professor's side. Vira got so mad. I think that's when he decided to become a full-time teacher."
She had piqued Saka's interest. "What happened?"
"He had completed his graduate degree in two years, one and a half to be precise, since he took the exam in March."
Saka nodded. He was listening. "The next degree course started only in August, because that's when a course starts."
He nodded again.
"In the four months, out of boredom, he wrote two books under the pen name Ariv."
"Maw Lava had told us about that!" He exclaimed. The fact that his teacher wrote award-winning books because he seemed bored was news to him though. That was so Vira!
Atira continued, "That got the attention of some guys from the government who decided to consult him on some high-security projects. Vira still works with them occasionally."
"Oh! It must have been a lot to handle!" He couldn't imagine himself running around writing, studying, and working.
Atira laughed. "Vira didn't have friends till he did his master's. He had nothing better to do. Also, it was a blessing in disguise. He got interested in physics and decided to pursue a degree in Astromathematics."
"He sure studied a lot!" Saka exclaimed.
She laughed. "A lot is an understatement. He is the only guy in the family to do a degree in each of the three colleges our family owns."
Saka looked surprised.
Atira stopped. "You do know we own Gaya Institutions, right?"
Saka nodded. "Maw Lava told us. Vira doesn't know I know though. I thought I'd wait for him to open up."
Atira smiled. For a young one, Saka seemed extremely understanding.
"Why would Maw Lava tell you though?"
"He told my brother, and I eavesdropped on their conversation." Saka explained what had led him to eavesdrop and ended up telling her all he knew about Vira.
Atira was quiet. Then she asked, "Have you spoken to Vira about it?"
Saka shook his head. "He opened up about his mom only last night. I want him to feel comfortable enough to tell me things freely."
"You love my grandson, don't you?" Atira asked, impressed by Saka's gentlemanliness. Vira had actually opened up to a person other than her. Even Mark didn't know that side of Vira. Vira must really love Saka.When he had told her the other day, she wanted to see the sort of person her son had feelings for. Now, she was impressed. Her grandson had chosen wisely for himself.
Saka said very matter-of-factly, "I do."
She laughed. "I hope you continue to support him," she said and gently patted his back.
"Anyway, coming back to my story, he took up a certification course in history and tried to do a thesis on how culture and history played a vital role in deriving theorems."
"Oh! That's how he met Rin!"
Atira nodded. "Vayu focuses on arts and spiritual studies. His math teacher could not digest the fact that he could make math an arts paper. He decided to scrap Vira's works."
"Vira lost it." She laughed. "When he gets mad, which is very rare, he takes people to task. And that's exactly what he did.
He published his paper in the history journal instead of mathematics and got a degree from Vayu instead. As you do for a master's degree or your doctorate degree, accepted publication is the only criterion for a degree. You don't need to write semester exams."
"This touched the ego of the professor, who claimed his degree was invalid.
Vira just shrugged and walked away, adding another degree to his belt. He was already doing mathematical modeling for Dara, upon my request to help out the medical students. He didn't have time for such petty fights."
Vira was so cool! To be able to do so many courses in six years!
"When the teacher couldn't rule out Vira's degree, he took it to the principal, but he couldn't do anything. The degree was awarded by Vayu, not Phupha. It came to me.
It was only then that I realized how shrewd Vira could really get. I was surprised and proud.
From an institution's perspective, he has done everything by the book. I cannot nullify his degree, I told them.
That was the last straw. He threatened to leave the institute if suitable action wasn't taken.
Vira had had enough. He was still a resident; he was doing astromath under the physics professor, a gentle lady.
He took up the international professorship exam, which gave him a license to teach at any college.
He showed his license certificate to the principal and offered to cover for the professor should he choose to leave.
That was the last straw. After that, the professor never involved himself with Vira."
Saka was in splits. "Sen Vira is so cool! He is the best of the best!"
Atira smiled. "Indeed! He can fight with his brains when he chooses to."
"Why didn't he do a doctorate if he liked academics so much?"
Atira replied, "He didn't have to. By working with the government for the last two years on the special project, he is by default a doctorate.But even otherwise, given the number of publications he has, he would be one, by just applying.
"I didn't know that about Sen!"
"He doesn't speak much about his achievements because he doesn't believe they are that great."
"Why is he a school teacher?"
"As a guy who had a horrible time at school, he swore to himself that no one else in his place should suffer that way. He wanted to be a teacher who would fight for his students and get them to shine, no matter what."