I usually never bunked lectures but it so happened that I was down with fever and felt too delirious to attend that day.
I was in my third year I think . My room was on the 1st floor and my bed was positioned next to the window. I had kept it open, but the security bars were fixed in position. I must have slept the whole morning and it was nearing noon time. I felt the blanket slipping down and I pulled it up and snuggled further into the bed with no intention of getting up. This happened a couple of more times and I finally sat up feeling irritated.
To the shock of my life, I saw a monkey sitting on the window sill outside with one arm inside tugging at my blanket and the other arm wrapped around the security grill for support. I screamed with fright, jumped off my bed and dashed out of the door. The monkey too disappeared within seconds and I was left wondering which one of us had got more frightened.
I remember Meenakshi (Rao) used to keep her room spotlessly clean … everything would be always neat, tidy and in their place. Once, after spending the weekend at home, she came back with a lot of fruits.
As per her love for perfection, she kept a fruit bowl at the center of her table and meticulously arranged the grapes, apples, chikkus and oranges beautifully. On returning back from lectures that day, we heard her shriek with shock. We rushed to her room and were aghast to see her bed totally rumpled up, half eaten fruits and seeds strewn all over the place – some lying on the table and some others on the floor etc. The invaders (monkeys) must have had a gala time that day. Jumping on the bed and having a variety of fruits to feast upon. Although we were all shocked, we too burst out laughing imagining what a sight it must have been.
