Dharam Yuddh - 1

“Students! Listen up! As next week is your last week before the annual leave, nominations are starting for the upcoming school year's class president."

The faint din of the back bench boys whispering to each other loomed over the classroom as Miss waved a sign-up sheet in front of us all. I turned to Dharam sitting next to me at the front bench. He was looking down at his textbooks with a straight face and a hesitant smile. Miss smiled separately at him while walking back to her desk. 

"I expect to see your name there, Dharam. I desire to see one year where this school has a proper class president." She placed a sign-up sheet right in front of him. "Hopefully, that will be you."

Dharam looked up and nodded. 

"I'll try my best, Ma'am."

~ ~ ~

"You know however much you 'try your best', you don't have a confirmed guarantee to get class president that easily, Dharam."

Dharam, Vijay and I were the 'It' trio at Kurukshetra High School, and I was only part of the trio because I did a hundred Surya Namaskars a day, was in the school’s Kabaddi team, and had a cooking channel. I had been aiming for a thousand followers before Sankranti but I just missed it, so now, the extended deadline for a thousand followers was Vaisakhi.
Vijay was a year younger than us, and was the all-rounder. Bookworm, dancer, and the hundred metre sprinter (14.02 seconds). He always ran around the school with a book in his hand and showed a wide grin on his face whenever he ran up to meet us after his classes. Vijay procrastinated on his homework by practising Tollywood dances, and participated in every local competition around the place. Needless to say, he’d win more than seventy-five percent of them.
Dharam was the taciturn, but extremely popular nice-boy of the school, always ready to help anyone in need. Everyone liked Dharam. He was the only student of our school with the initiative to transform the empty and ugly oval at the back of our school into a lovely park. That was no small deed of his, but Dharam did also have to thank Vijay and Vijay's charming cousin for their massive help in making his redecoration dream come true. 

Vijay's charming cousin went to Dwaraka Nagar High School, a school in the neighbouring suburb, but after the creation of the park, he started to hang out with us often. He fit in with us like a glove (or actually, it must've been the other way around). Vijay's charming cousin was named Sarathi and he had no dearth in friends at Dwaraka, but still chose to hang out with us. His Instagram handle was @coolbluedude and he had the most followers in our area, with his wonderfully quirky videos on life. His most famous video was the meme he created with Vijay depicting a depressed kid and the dad-friend™ giving advice that was obviously not working ("Bro, get up. It's time to go to school"). Sarathi was a dad-friend™ and he loved utilising his automatic position to give us unsolicited advice, which actually turned out to be greatly-timed most of the time. Dharam and I loved Sarathi, but he and Vijay were just something else. Dance partners, criminal masterminds, always biting into each other's ears and giggling away. Their relationship was interesting and entertaining to watch and ponder about. 

"What do you mean, Sarathi?"
"I mean that you can't just campaign in your own school and expect to become class president. You need to take care of someone."
"Oh no. Don't tell me."
Dharam shook his head with worry. We all knew who Sarathi referred to with this much suspense.

Sarathi had gotten up to a lot of stuff at Dwaraka. He had been elected class president every single year since his school transfer in 5th standard, but he had never accepted the position for some reason unknown to everyone (despite the fact that he was a tad too young for the role). He had found a special trophy that had gone missing, and he had beaten up the guy who kept cosplaying him (I don't understand it either, I wish there was a proper video of the fight, but a fire broke out and everyone ran away). 

Most importantly, Sarathi had rescued Dwaraka from the humiliation of being defeated by their nemesis Sandhu 18 times.

"Sandhu is your worst enemy now. He has the power to sabotage anyone's school life, and Dharam, when everyone has their eyes on you, so does he." Sarathi kicked his shoe off and a whole trail of sand fell out of it. He bent down and put the shoe back on. "Sandhu’s word becomes the truth in every place around here."
"But Sarathi, that's literally you as well."
Sarathi glanced at Vijay, who was grinning wide and shaking his knee. He put a hand on Vijay's knee, which stopped shaking, and smiled.
"My dear, you only say so as you are the one who makes my word become the truth."
Vijay's grin widened more, now with a little silliness. Dharam pressed his lips together and shook his head.
"Why do you two always act like this?"
"Look Dharam, Vijay has a point."
Vijay beamed at Sarathi's compliment. Sarathi continued.
"Everyone likes me, but being liked is quite different from being feared. Correct?"
Vijay sighed and rested his head on his palm. "I fear I will like you."
Sarathi rolled his eyes with the same smile. A doubt arose in me.
"Sarathi, everyone likes you, so you do have a lot of influence..."
Sarathi shook his head and laughed. "I promise you Pavan, I'm not an influencer."
"Ah, you influence every decision I make, Sarathi."
"Vijay, stop interjecting. We're discussing something important here. Do you want to see Dharam as class president or not?"
Dharam and I watched Sarathi scold Vijay with amusement. Vijay never listened to anyone, but after Sarathi's little words of berating, there'd be no squeak from him. I heard Dharam sigh loudly and laughed to myself. Sarathi turned back.
"Look Pavan, I have influence but I can't make Dharam your school's class president. But although Sandhu goes to a different school, he has a way to make only who he likes as your school's class president. He has that power. He has almost every school in this district under his rule." Sarathi made a clenched fist and turned to Dharam. "And he definitely won't like your new ideas for change once you're Kurukshetra's class president."
"This is getting too political for me." Vijay stood up and we heard a crack in his knees. "Oh, Sarathi. Do you want a beverage?"
Sarathi seemed to be back in his pleasant mood with Vijay. He looked up and smiled into Vijay's eyes.
"That shouldn't be a question by now!"

Vijay ruffled Sarathi's hair and sauntered off towards the nearby tea stand, hands in pockets, humming "Ek Ho Gaye Hum Aur Tum".
"I think Vijay believes Dharam will get the spot without doing anything."
"No, no." Sarathi picked at his nails. "He knows Dharam will get the spot. But Dharam has to do what I say."
Dharam licked his lips and sat up straight. He nodded responsibly.
"Sarathi, I would trust you with my life. But I want you to know I'm only standing for class president because so many people trust me and want me to lead them. I don't want to do anything to Sandhu to break that trust my classmates have in me."
Sarathi stared at Dharam, who stared back with a clenched jaw. Sarathi then nodded.
"Fair fair." He thought for a while. Vijay returned with two teas.
"What about for me?" I asked, without shame. Sarathi smiled as he mixed his tea. Vijay rolled his eyes at me.
"You get it yourself."
I humphed and Dharam patted my knee with a soft, reassuring smile. He got up and walked off to the stall. Vijay smirked.
"Should've kept your mouth shut."
"No, it's fine." Sarathi smiled at me. "Dharam likes helping his friends."
"I feel bad now.” I shook my head. “Oh, I wish I could do something in return for everything he does for me."
"Oh, but you could."
I looked up and raised my eyebrows. I knew Sarathi had influence, but what could he do to make me even with Dharam? It didn't even have to be even. Just one little thing that made me feel better about being worthy of Dharam's friendship.
"You can defeat Sandhu on his behalf."
I blinked blankly and watched Vijay gulp down his tea as Sarathi's eyes followed Dharam, who walked back over to me and held out a tea tumbler.
"Hello? Pavan? Wake up, bro. Here's your tea."
I shook my head and looked up. Dharam smiled down kindly at me. He only had one tumbler. I took it hesitantly.
"Y-you didn't get tea?"
Dharam shrugged plainly. "I didn't feel like it. It's fine Pavan. Really!"

I sipped down my hot masala chai and thought about what Sarathi had said. I could very well do anything for Dharam. I looked down at the tea grounds at the bottom of the tumbler and smiled. 

Of course with Sarathi around, there would always be hope for me. 

~ ~ ~

The next time we saw Sarathi was on Sunday afternoon. Lying to our parents that we were meeting up to study, we all went over to Dharam's house and laid down on the terrace, our open textbooks strewn all over the place. Dharam came up the stairs with a plate of kachodis, and promptly shook his head at the sight that beheld him.
"Guys, how do you expect to study when you outrightly disrespect your books like this?" He picked up my trigonometry book and touched it to his forehead. Sarathi and Vijay laughed.
"Dharam, it's the same way you expect to win class president title without going to any efforts of gaining political power."
Dharam bit his lip. The It trio hated the mere thought of disappointing Sarathi. It wasn't like he was wrong in his thoughts and ideas. He was perfect, but confusing, and therefore prone to misinterpretation.
"Sarathi, I... I don't know. I told you right, last time-"
"Yes, and I understand, my happiness." 

When Sarathi wanted to make his friends feel loved, he resorted to the use of endearments rather than merely referring to them with their names. Dharam became his "happiness", I was his "sweet sunshine", and Vijay was a whole array of pet names, mostly featuring the phrase, "my dear sleepy-head". 

"We might have a remedy for your problem though." Sarathi glanced at me, a signal for me to start explaining.

I cleared my throat, closed my eyes and began to recite the speech I had readied for pledging my eternal service to Dharam (till the end of our school years) in all matters social, political, and economical.
"Dharam, you are my closest friend and I-"
"Pavan, what is going on, are you-"
"Shh, let him continue."
I sighed. I had forgotten the rest of the speech already. It had been a silly prospect anyways.
"Dharam, I am going to defeat Sandhu."
"DEFEAT?" Dharam laughed, freaking out. "Defeat him in what, Kabaddi?"

Sarathi sat up straight. He looked me straight in the eye, his dark eyes glistening.
"Yes."
"Sarathi, I was joking. Pavan, I appreciate it but-"
"It's a great idea." Vijay scoffed down his kachodi. I glared at him. That was no way to eat a kachodi. "Sandhu is terrible at Kabaddi and our guy can beat him up like anything."
Dharam folded his arms. "And Sir, how do you know that Sandhu is terrible at Kabaddi?"
"I don't know." He grinned cheekily. "But if my Sarathi says it will work, it's surely to be with reason."
I shook my head with a smile and looked up at Dharam, who was looking at the three of us with disbelief. He threw his hands in the air.

"Oh Lord, protect us all." He bowed down at us three and continued, "Protect my three dearest friends from the paths of evil as they venture to protect me in this mighty battle of justice."
Sarathi laughed and stood up.
"Whoa, you mean to say we actually have the approval of Shri Dharamraj Pandey to resort to violence?”
Dharam shrugged and nodded.
"Only because you’re there, Sarathi.”

Sarathi and Vijay started dancing around in celebration as Dharam sat down next to me and opened up his history textbook. I leaned down onto my elbow and watched the dancers burn off the calories from the kachodis. I looked down at the plate. One left. I had eaten two. Vijay and Sarathi had each eaten one. This one must be Dharam's. I forced my eyes up to watch the two start arguing over the iconic foot-dance of "Naatu Naatu". Left, right, back, front?

Dharam quietly pushed the plate towards me and continued reading his book and taking notes. I picked the last kachodi up and showed it to the dancers like a 'cheers' mug, which they made a whoop at. Dharam shook his head.
"Guys, quieten down! My parents think I'm studying!"
"Oh, but you are, are you not?" 

Vijay laughed at Sarathi's joke. Dharam went back to his notes. I went back to my kachodi. It was a good evening. A good start to a great, eventful week.