Shalini wiped off the little beads of sweat from her forehead and upper lip with her cotton dupatta. Her big round eyes from behind her oversized thick glasses were pleading mercy. Her tormentor- a worn-out pink Lady Bird Cycle with its chain hanging from the bike's cassette, stood unaffected, mocking her. She was going to be late for the afternoon class—the third day in a row. Head down, she plodded towards the hostel parking lot, pushing the cycle through the elaborate iron gates of the Sharda Girls Hostel.  

"Hey, you can take mine if you want, Shalini. You will be late for the class if you are planning to go on foot." A familiar voice called out to her.

 Shalini looked up in surprise. It was Vasudha.

"And you? Aren't you going for your class?" Shalini probed, fixing her glasses.

"No…I am not attending the afternoon class.  I over-ate my lunch and am feeling sleepy now. I would rather sleep than attend that horticulture field class with the sun piercing through my bones." Vasudha answered, stretching her arms. 

"You will bunk the class… to sleep?" Shalini implored in her usual feeble voice.

"Yes, my friend. It took a lot of contemplative effort to arrive at this decision. I chose my sleep over the sun and that bland lecture! You go, man, attend the class. Write notes. Do the fieldwork, plant trees, and make this world beautiful. The world needs more people like you, darling!" Vasudha chided Shalini and cuffed her shoulders playfully.

"uhm.. okk. Thanks. I will return the keys once I am back." Shalini grabbed the keys from Vasudha's hand and hastily pedalled out of the hostel gate in Vasudha's grey bike.

"Thank me later with those epic laddus of yours," Vasudha screamed from behind.

Shalini's legs pedalled faster.

Vasudha laughed again, watching Shalini disappear.

Poor Shalini! She was just a month old in the country's top agriculture university.  Born and brought up in a protected and conservative family set up in a remote village in Rajasthan, she had never met anyone like Vasudha. Vasudha's bold and larger-than-life persona was a contrast to her own quiet and reserved disposition. They had met during the first ragging night of the hostel. Vasudha offered to dance on a raunchy number in front of her seniors as a replacement for a visibly shaken Shalini. That was the start of Vasudha's entry into Shalini's room.

In the evening, Shalini went to Vasudha 's room to return the key.

"Arre, only keys? Where are the laddus?" teased Vasudha, winking at Pratima, her roommate.

Shalini stood defenceless at the doorstep. She could feel needles pricking her all over.

Oh no. The laddus again. She has not forgotten!

"Oh, Laddus. I forgot… How about.."

"You want us to have tea in your room, right?  You can give us the Laddus there!" Vasudha interrupted; her eyes were busy doing a victory dance.

" ummm.. Yes. That is what I was about to say. I cannot get the laddus here. Someone will see, and then they will also start asking." Shalini agreed with a soft nod. 

Vasudha and Pratima moved past the hostel corridors swiftly towards Shalini's room, followed by a sulking Shalini. Shalini's roommate, Mona, opened the door for them. Her face lit up seeing Vasudha.

A contemplative Shalini walked towards her bed and slowly got down on her knees. She pulled out a big steel canister from under the bed. Placing it carefully on her bed, she loosened a tiny, almost invisible set of keys from the locket adorning her neck.

"Seriously, Shalini! Nothing cracks me up more than this sight! To see you unlock a canister full of laddus. I would not keep gold like that! There is no one like you, baby!" Vasudha guffawed. Pratima and Mona giggled along and high-fived each other.

Shalini was not particularly pleased on seeing them laugh at her expense, but she ignored it nevertheless. Fixing her glasses again, she opened the lock, dug her hand in through the half-opened lid, pulled out a total of four laddus, and distributed them. Without wasting another breath, she locked the canister and put it back where it belonged, right under the bed.

Everyone nibbled on their respective laddu with delight and pleasure. After all, they were authentic Rajasthani Churma laddus prepared by Shalini's mother. No one could stop at one. The taste lingered on in the tongue and the mind, For a foodie like Vasudha, consuming them meant being one with flavours.

Those laddus became the nucleus of their discussion that evening, yet again.

Another week went by. Holi was around the corner. Everyone was busy packing their bags. Late in the evening, Vasudha walked into Shalini's room to check on Mona.

"Packing done, Mona? What time are you leaving tomorrow morning?" She enquired.

"I will leave around 6.30 am. Packing is all done. So excited to go home. This was my first time away from home for so long!" Mona clapped her hands in excitement.

"Great! Let us catch up for tea after dinner in my room then. A tea party never hurt anyone!" Vasudha announced enthusiastically.

As she spoke, she noticed the gloom on Shalini's face from the corner of her eyes. Even the spectacles failed to filter the sadness that was lurking in her eyes, for Shalini, going home meant travelling in a train for 24 hours. And another 24 hours to report back to the hostel.  Out of four, two days would be wasted in just the travel, that too alone. Flight tickets were unaffordable for her family. She had been instructed by her parents to stay back in the hostel. It was a matter of just four days. There were a few others as well who had chosen to stay back at the hostel for Holi. But none that the quiet Shalini was friends with.

It was the night before a vacation, and the hostel air felt free and fresh. Every room was filled with teenagers packing and prattling in excitement. Vasudha was preparing tea on a hot plate when Mona asked why Vasudha's bags were not packed.

Stirring the tea in the pan, Vasudha cleared her throat before declaring, "I am not going home this time. For so many years, I have spent every single day at home. This is my first time away from home. I have decided to celebrate Holi in the hostel! I have already informed my parents."

Everyone, including Shalini, looked at Vasudha, astounded. Vasudha, who had been raving about the Holi celebration at her home for so many days, had decided to drop it! It wasn't just odd. It was unbelievable.

"What! Why are you all ogling at me? I have already informed my parents, and they are chill about it." Vasudha rolled her eyes and poured tea for everyone in the ceramic mugs kept near her.

A moment of confusing silence prevailed before everyone started praising Vasudha for her tea-making skills. Mona, Pratima, and Vasudha laughed and chit-chatted. But Shalini kept silent, thinking about Vasudha and the silly reason she had handed out to everyone for not going home.

The next evening, when most of the hostel mates had left, Vasudha and Shalini took their tea mugs and sat on the steps of the Hostel entryway. There was an awkward silence between them. No one to bridge the apparent gap that existed since the first day. Five minutes into the silence, Shalini got up and told Vasudha that she would be back in a jiffy, and she did. Just not alone. With her came two laddus!

"Vow! You got the Laddus. I did not even ask today! I thought you must be sad." Vasudha reacted.

"Well, even you stayed back. Did I ask you to? But you did. I know why you changed your plan." said Shalini, looking at her with a smile.

Vasudha swallowed the knot in her throat and sat in silence with Shalini. Her friend.

They enjoyed the tea, laddus, and a heart-to-heart conversation that evening. The two friends spent the next two days helping the kitchen staff in preparing savouries.

It was on the bright and sunny morning of Holi that Shalini did the unthinkable. She got all the laddus out of the Canister. All of them. That morning, once the inmates were soaked in coloured water, Shalini served the Laddus to everyone who had stayed back for the Holi vacation.

"These are the tastiest laddus on this planet." Vasudha joked, looking at Shalini. 

"I agree. I will ask my mother to double the quantity next time." Shalini chuckled.

Vasudha pushed the laddu in her mouth in one go and hugged Shalini, who was drenched in the colours of Holi. And the colour of happiness.