Anand surveyed the class room. He couldn't find the girl. Where was she? He had seen her on the previous day. A pretty looking chic, he thought. Indian, or a Pakistani or a Srilankan, going by her appearance. They had seen each other just for a fleeting second, when she gave him an irritated look. He was in her way as she was leaving the classroom in a hurry. But the dark expressive eyes had an arresting quality about them.

He was sure he would find her today, the second day of first semester in the Master's class.  He turned back in disappointment.

There she was, right behind him. Again with the same irritated look. He cursed himself! Why did he always have to stand in her way? In any case, couldn't she open her mouth or what, instead of standing and waiting for him to move? He moved away, but decided to introduce himself.

"Hi, I am Anand!" he extended his hand cordially. She looked at him for a second and grasped his hand, "Hi! I am Tarika!" Tarika, what a beautiful name! "See you at lunch time?" he asked hesitantly. She remained thoughtful for a second. "Fine!" she said and walked back to her place.

He walked to her desk as soon as they broke for lunch and waited as she gathered her things. That will put off any other guys asking her out for lunch, he thought cunningly. They walked up to the cafeteria. She stood in the line to buy some lunch. "I brought my lunch from home, I will grab a spot for us," he left to find a cozy, secluded table in the noisy area.

She gave an amused look at the "upma" in his box, while munching her burger.

"Right. Now tell me all about you!"
"Hmm! Nothing much to say. I arrived from India a few weeks ago, to adjust to the new climate and get ready for the semester. I am from Hyderabad, St.Ann's College!" She paused as if that meant something. He had no clue, but guessed that must be a cool college, so played along. "Oh! St.Ann's College! No wonder you are so smart!"

"I did not say anything particularly smart!" her defenses were up. Perhaps, he should not have used that line!  Girls are too shrewd these days!

"You did not say anything smart, but you make the right decisions, you see. For instance, agreeing to eat lunch with me." She tried to look stern, but couldn't help the smile spreading on her face. Smart Aleck, she thought to herself.

"What about yourself?"
"About me? Nothing special. My family came to Australia when I was a year 5 student. That was nearly twelve years ago. I studied here and graduated last year. I started working on a PhD this year, in Artificial Intelligence and Robotics."
"Oh! PhD! Then how come you attend these lectures with me."

He did not have the courage to tell her that he attended the lecture, just because he had seen her there on the day before. Instead he said, "Oh! I need to learn this subject for my research. So I attend these lectures."

"Never heard before that AI and Robotics have anything to do with Microbiology," she remarked dryly. He slapped his forehead mentally. Was he rushing things or what? How did he forget that the lecture he attended just now was a subject for students of Microbiology? He dozed off through the entire class!

He thought he should change the topic before it became too hot for him to handle!
"So, what do you do on Friday nights?" he tried to sound casual.
"I go out with a bunch of friends." She left no room for any negotiations.
"And who are these friends?"

She raised an eyebrow. "You ask too many questions, considering you've known me just for about ten minutes." Again he was lost for words. She picked up her bag, "Ok, then. I will see you some time soon." She moved to go. "Hey, hang on! How will I contact you? Give me your mobile number!"

 She smiled mischievously, "Why? I thought you were taking this microbiology course? I will see you tomorrow, in the class. Perhaps you would help me with my project." She walked away, laughing.

Oh God! He slumped on the table.  How do these girls know to talk like this and why was he so tongue tied! Now he has to listen to those microbiology lectures until she gave him that wretched telephone number. He groaned and ran to the Robotics lab.

* *

He sat at the library entrance waiting for Tarika. Today he would get that telephone number, he decided firmly. There was something about her, her shining eyes, smiling face and a certain restlessness that was amusing and attractive. It has been nearly one month since they first met and still that telephone number was elusive! There were a bunch of girls with her always laughing and giggling. He might have asked them, but that was even deadlier! They have this way funny way of smiling, as if they knew what you were up to! "Ah! Girls! They are terrible!" he thought.

He so very badly wanted to take her home to meet his parents. But he was so scared! He was scared of her opinions, her frank expressions and her confident body language. She was nothing like his mother's descriptions of the Indian girls.

His mother had said that Indian girls were docile, soft spoken and emotional, nothing like Tarika. What would his mother say when she met Tarika, he worried.

He spotted her, rushing as usual. She always looks as if she needs to be in ten spots at the same time, he thought. She did not smile as she usually did, but waved impatiently.

He approached her.
"Now what is it?" she snapped.
"Oh, here is the book you were looking for in the library, yesterday."
"tokkalO book!" she snapped.
"What?"
"Never mind! I am swearing in Telugu, that's all.  Now leave me, I need to finish this assignment in an hour."
She started to descend the stairs impatiently. He turned to go.
"Anand," he heard her call. He turned back. Is she going to swear more now?
She smiled.
"Thanks for the book. Coffee today?" He felt the clouds lifting in the sky.
"Of course, my pleasure."

They sat in companionable silence. He watched her, looking intently at the passers by. Girls in skimpy dresses seem to catch her attention quite frequently. He smiled to himself. It must be difficult, to adjust in a new culture and environment.

"Culture shock!" he commented.
"What?"
"That is what you are facing. Seeing all those girls in such skimpy clothes is making you wonder about different cultural environments." He added wisely.
"tokkalO  shock!"
"Why do you swear in Telugu so much?"
"That is not what we were discussing. You were educating me about culture shock. I am not reeling under any culture shock, for your information. The girls in Telugu films wear even skimpier clothes than these girls. I am not one bit shocked with these girls. They, in fact would die of culture shock if they see our films." She concluded triumphantly.

"Then why were you looking at them interestedly?"
"Oh! I just wondered if they were not cold! That's all." She dismissed.
She gave him her mobile telephone number that day.
"Hi Anand! Waiting for your FOB girl friend?" Jan slapped Anand's back.
"Don't call her FOB and she is not my girl friend."
His old friends were getting to annoy him these days.
They teased him relentlessly about his obsession with an FOB girl!  What could they have against these newly arriving students from India into Aussie universities, he wondered.

Jan was the worst offender. Janardan Nayayanan preferred to be called as Jan. He hated Tarika and all the other Indian students who were arriving in truck loads to study in Australia. He called them "cheats" and "thieves". He said all the Indian students plagiarized assignments and cheated in laboratories.

He noticed Tarika approaching them and wished fervently for Jan to leave. Jan just waited for Tarika to come closer.  
"Hi Janardan."  Tarika sat down on the chair nearby and wished him.
"Hi Tar."
"The name is Tarika!" Why does she react so quickly? Now they would start quarreling, Anand thought helplessly.

Jan was watching the passing crowd aimlessly. Tarika opened her book and started reading.
"Why do you bother to study Tarika? Doesn't your bunch of friends help you with assignments and tests? I heard that the new batch of  FOB Indian students figured out how to get their friends in India complete their assignments on line, for them! Really smart!" Jan taunted.

"Oh yeah? You should do something about the University authorities then, who come to India begging students to join. "
"Australian Universities don't come to India, begging students to join."
"That shows how little you know of the world outside, Jan. Hardly surprising, of course. Kids brought up here think their little city is the beginning and end of the world."
"That's not true." Anand protested.
"Then how come you guys don't know that the Universities here send representatives to India and China offering places to students?  The money that students like us bring is supporting the Universities."
Jan left without a bye, after glaring at her.
"Why do you dislike him so much?"
"Why does he dislike us so much?"
"He thinks you increase the competition here."
"But then so did his parents when they arrived here, didn't they? How can people forget their roots and past so easily?" She asked passionately? He just liked to watch her dancing eyes.

* *

Anand sat at the cafeteria looking forlorn. Tarika went home to Hyderabad. He couldn't believe a full year passed since they met. He still did not know whether he understood her or not. Her moods, passions and strong opinions were all endearing and infuriating at the same time.

After long and hard begging she visited their home the night before she left. Surprisingly, she had conducted herself very nicely in front of his parents and her cool confidence made him proud.
He still remembered their walk after dinner.
"So, what will you do at Hyderabad?" He was talking rubbish, while there were other questions plaguing his mind.
"What will I do? Just spend time with my parents, my sister and some friends."
"Oh, so all your friends are in Hyderabad. Hmmm.. Anyone special?" He thought the agony of uncertainty would kill him. She was suddenly silent for a few minutes.

"There was someone whom I liked a while ago, but I broke up with him a year ago."
He was taken aback. Surely, he did not expect this.
"It must have been very traumatic." He said gently.

"tokkalO trauma! I forgot him long ago. I wouldn't say hello to him if I saw him now."
He was surprised. He thought that girls, especially Indian ones, took long time to get over such experiences.
"Ok, I admit I was angry, and hurt too. It was nobody's fault. We were two different types, who just hung out together for a while, that's all.  I need to move on with life, don't I?" Quite a practical girl, he thought.

"I was too young to think of such things, anyway. Let's forget it."
She calmed down.
"You will keep in touch, won't you?"
"Don't be silly! I am going for just four weeks. Anyway, next year don't you need to take Microbiology-II course?" Her eyes were shining with laughter.

"Can I come to the airport to see you off tomorrow?"
"To make me a laughing stock in front of my friends? No Thanks. What is worrying you so much?"
"I don't know."
"Well, try to figure it out. Now I am off. Good night."
She left.

* *

"What's the matter? Why are you looking so preoccupied?"
"Don't nag. I am checking cricket score." Her eyes were glued to the computer screen.

"Oh no, Laxman is out." She groaned. "I was sure he would make a century. How could he get out now?" she continued to lament.

"Is Laxman out? Fantastic! Yippee." Too late it was, by the time he realized that he put his foot royally in his mouth.
"What? You are happy that Laxman is out? You want the Aussies to win? How dare you?" Her eyes flashed dangerously.
"Oh come on! It is only a game!"
"So you are rooting for the Aussies! How could you? How can you like them?"
"They are good players!" he said meekly.
"They are just a bunch of big fat bullies! You can't like them! You shouldn't be cheering them."
"Ponting took a picture with me sometime ago, when I was representing the Uni!" He tried to justify his preference.

"tokkalO  Ponting. You should be taking pictures with Sachin, Laxman, Gambhir etc. Not with Ponting!"
It was more than two years since they met, but he still couldn't predict her responses, nor could he swear like she did!
"Don't start swearing in Telugu now!"

"I will swear in Telugu, Tamil, Kannada and Malayalam, if I want to."
"Do you know all those languages?" He asked curiously.
"I cannot speak but I can swear in all languages and if I cannot, I will learn! Anyway, that was not what we were discussing!"
"What were we discussing? I forgot."
"Don't try to sweet talk me! We were discussing about ungrateful Indians who do not support Indian teams. How could you break my heart so?"
"Oh come on! What is there about breaking hearts here?" Sometimes she takes things too far, he thought.
"Tell me, how can we live together, if we support two different teams? Will there be any peace at home?"
Hang on, what was she talking about? His heartbeat doubled in pace.
"What are you saying? Why will we live together?"
"Now don't tell me that you want to marry me, but don't want to live with me! Is that possible?"
"Who says I want to marry you?"
"Everybody in the Uni." Suddenly she realized this was no longer a flippant talk and stopped.
"Well, guess what? Everybody thinks.." He paused, reflectively.
She did not want to hear anymore. Too embarrassed to look at him, she got up to go. He held her hand to stop her.
"Everybody thinks right! I want to marry you. Will you marry me? I will support the Indian team for ever!"
"tokkalO team! First submit your thesis! Then if you get a job I will talk to my parents!"

She walked away.
Aaargh.. Why couldn't she say yes or no?
"Anand", he heard. Now what?
"I already told my parents that I want to marry you." She left smiling. Girls these days! They were nothing like the ones his mother described!
Talk about culture shock!

* * *