GRAPHIC NOVEL - Masked Connection

 Masked Connection      https://acrobat.adobe.com/id/urn:aaid:sc:AP:eca018b7-fe84-49c4-82ca-bc576c4c03f6

Vishaka Vishal (R23AF019), Vasundhara H (R23AF014), Gayathri Nayak

(R23AF004), Deeksha S (R23AF016), Rachana Kulkarni (R23AF018)

MA English, 2nd Semester

Once upon a time, in a faraway land (but within the country, of course), a woman called

Shurpy stood nervously inside her college campus, pacing back and forth, her eyes

wandering.

Why was she nervous? A good question, indeed.

It’s because Ram’s classes were about to end, and she would finally confess her feelings to

him today. Was she scared? Yes. Did it seem that she should not do this? Also, yes. But was

she going to do it anyway? Of course.

She fiddled with her mask (it was 2020, you get it) and kept eyeing the exit of the building

with bated breath. She wasn’t exactly sure why she was doing this. Ram was…more popular

than her. He was involved in sports, the student council, and the university newsletter, and he

was friendly with everyone so everyone loved him. She didn’t even know if Ram knew who

she was.

Well, she was about to find out.

She snapped out of her thoughts as she saw him come out of the building and her feet

subconsciously carried her to him. Her tongue was suddenly twisted. What was she going to

say, again? At once, she couldn’t remember what she was doing here. Then his eyes glistened

as he looked at her and her feet tingled.

As they stood six feet apart, Ram could sense that Shurpy had something to say. Even in the

hustle and bustle of students leaving classes, it felt as though they were standing in silence.

‘Hi,’ Ram said, ‘Don’t I know you from somewhere?’

‘We have psychology lab together,’ she blurted.

‘Oh, right,’ he said. As the crowd of students thinned around him, he removed his mask,

smiling. ‘You’re the one who sits at the front.’

‘Yes,’ she breathed. She couldn’t believe he actually remembered her.

She took in his facial features; his high cheekbones, his structured jaw, his long lashes, and

everything was a sight to behold. His smile only made the conversation better, especially with

his not-so-short hair dancing in the breeze.

Shurpy’s words were caught in her throat. She reached her hand forward to remove her mask

but stopped short. She couldn’t; she had to tell him how she felt first.

‘Are you waiting for your friend, or..?’ Ram let the question stand.

‘I–I’m actually here to–to speak to you,’ she stuttered. Ram tilted his head, curious. She

continued. ‘I…’ She let out a deep breath. ‘Are…are you single, by any chance?’

The next few seconds felt like they were going on forever, as Ram furrowed his eyebrows. As

Shurpy held on to his every breath, he said ‘I’m sorry, I didn’t hear a word you said. Could

you remove your mask?’

Shurpy felt her stomach drop. Feeling defeated, she reached her hand towards her face and

removed her mask.

‘I have a crush on you,’ she said. ‘Are you single, by any chance?’

Ram’s smile was gone and he stood dumbfounded. One, because the entire college knew Ram

loved Sita, and they were already talking about marriage. Two, because her face disappeared

behind her nose. Ram didn’t even know what he was looking at. Her nose looked like it was

strangely carved out of wood and it was somehow bent and crooked at the same time.

‘I…’ Ram didn’t know what to say. ‘I…have a girlfriend.’ He finished, still in shock. ‘I love

Sita and I want to marry her someday.’

Shurpy suddenly felt her vision blurring. In a haze, she made an excuse to leave the situation,

quickly wore her mask again, and started walking away. Feeling guilty about his sudden

rejection, Ram runs behind her, calling her name. She stops in her tracks.

He fumbled for words for a few seconds and finally said ‘I’m sorry that I cannot accept your

feelings…but you should speak to my brother.’

She stopped crying momentarily ‘I’m sorry, what?!’

Ram realised what he had just said. ‘No no, my brother is Lakshman! You know him, right?’

Shurpy registered what he was saying, and slowly nodded at him. Ram smiled again.

Lakshman was very different from his brother, but he was just as popular. He was calmer,

kept mostly to himself, and didn’t speak much. He mostly spent his time sitting in the college

gazebo, studying psychology.

And that’s where Shurpy saw him.

She clutched the letter that Ram had given her and walked towards Lakshman. At first, he

didn’t acknowledge her. When she stood there for a few seconds, he looked up.

He fixed his dark, rimmed glasses. ‘Can I help you?’

She wordlessly handed the letter to him. He read the letter in his calm demeanour and sighed.

‘Alright, what happened?’

And so Shurpy narrated the entire story to him. When she was done, she was in tears. He

adjusted his glasses.

‘Look, you can’t define your worth by how someone else sees you. Not everyone will see you

the way you want them to. Don’t put the power to define you in their hands.’ he smiled ‘As

Carl Jung said, ‘The world will ask you who you are. If you do not know, the world will tell

you.’ ’

He stood up, gathered his notebooks and said ‘You will find your person. Until then, and even

beyond, don’t stop loving yourself.’

With that, he left the gazebo, leaving Shurpy alone with her thoughts.

It was already evening by the time Shurpy left the college. She was sitting by the lake,

watching the sunset, her head filled with the conversation she had had with Lakshman. Then

she pushed the tip of her nose with her index finger. How can she love herself?

Her thoughts were interrupted by a rustling noise behind her. Startled, she turned around to

see a guy who looked vaguely familiar. She was sure she had a class with him, but which

one?

‘Hi,’ he said breathlessly. Confusion took over her features, but she managed a smile.

‘Hi,’ she said in return. ‘Do I know you?’

‘Yes, we have Tree Plantation together.’

‘Oh, right,’ Shurpy removed her mask, no longer concerned about her nose. ‘I’m Shurpy.’

‘I know,’ he said ‘I am someone similar to you.’

While Shurpy was wondering what he meant, he removed his mask and Shurpy gasped.

He also had a crooked and bent nose! He smiled at her, showing his dimples. His smooth hair

was ruffling in the wind.

‘Can we be friends?’ he asked her softly.

He sat down next to her as the sun drowned into the lake behind them. He looked at her,

taking in all of her facial features. Her beautiful eyes, her soft skin, her long hair, and

everything was a sight to behold.

He couldn’t help but think she was perfect.