For those five minutes in time, I reflected back on all the discussions, presentations, comments I had experienced in the past four months. My optional paper on 'Overseas Indian Communities' made me confident. Every paper I presented was well received, every discussion we had was well structured. In fact, the entire course was well laid out for the students. The final term paper on 'Social Structure of the Diaspora in the US' was a last minute decision. The initial idea was to understand clashing identities of being a cosmopolitan, a diaspora and citizens of the host country in today's day and age. It was a bit too ambitious a topic, as I later realized.
Back to my frozen self, those five minutes of silence in my Professor's room was agonizing. I had submitted my paper almost a week prior to the deadline. I needed to be home in time for my niece's birthday. Correction. I wanted to be present on that occasion. Since I hadn't been called for the viva, I was compelled to pay an unannounced visit to Dr V. He was surprised I had already booked my ticket.
"How can you go when the term finishes on 5th May?" he asked, before disappearing behind a pillar, through the corridor.
I then imagined myself postponing my tickets online. I imagined myself grumbling and whining away about the heat. The cloudy images in my head were shooed away once Dr V. asked me to give a call after 10 a.m. the next day. So it seems I might be able to make it for the celebrations after all. The wait begins.
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