The Reluctant Engineer

Sunlight streamed through the window of Arjun's hostel room, accompanied by the cheerful chirping of birds outside. But inside, the atmosphere was far from cheerful. Arjun sat hunched over his desk, surrounded by a sea of textbooks and scattered notes. His eyes scanned the pages before him, but his mind refused to absorb the information.

Frustration bubbled up inside him. "This is so weird!" he muttered, throwing his pen down. "Why the hell do I have to study this shit?"

In a moment of desperation, Arjun reached for his phone and dialed his father's number. The familiar voice answered, warm but confused. "Hi Beta... How are you? Iss time pe kaise call kiya?"

Arjun's words tumbled out in a rush. "Papa... I can't study this engineering thing. It doesn't make any sense to me. I want to leave this college."

The warmth in his father's voice evaporated instantly, replaced by a sharp edge of anger. "What are you saying? Have you lost your mind? Do you know how much we have spent to get you admitted there? Just focus for 2 more years and get a degree. Then do whatever you want."

The call ended abruptly, leaving Arjun feeling more alone than ever.

As night fell, Arjun sat on his bed, surrounded by the physical manifestation of his inner turmoil – wrinkled bedsheets and a chaotic array of books and papers. The cheerful chirping of birds had long since faded, replaced by the oppressive silence of his own thoughts.

A notification pierced the quiet. Arjun's heart sank as he read the email from his thermodynamics professor: "You have not yet submitted your assignment. Deadline is over. I am going to fail you in this course!"

"What kind of sadists are these profs!" Arjun spat, disgust and despair washing over him.

A knock on the door startled him. "What happened, bro? Why are you so upset?" came his friend Rahul's concerned voice.

Arjun's frustration spilled over. "That thermodynamics bugger will fail me!"

Rahul's laughter was unexpected. "What? Why?"

"Because I didn't submit the fucking assignment," Arjun explained, his voice a mix of anger and defeat. "I tried, man... but this engineering shit makes no sense to me."

"C'mon, man," Rahul countered, his tone softening. "You're so good at building stuff. Last year we won the tech fest just because of you!"

Arjun's shoulders slumped. "But who cares, man? All the profs want is theory bullshit."

"Chuck it, man," Rahul said, his voice filled with determination. "Don't worry about that. Focus on what you're good at. And just passing is not a big deal. I'll help you."

"But man, my grades will get screwed," Arjun protested weakly. "And then no one will give me a job."

Rahul's confidence was unwavering. "Dude, focus on skill-building. Rest will be fine."

"How are you so sure?" Arjun asked, a glimmer of hope breaking through his despair.

With a grin in his voice, Rahul declared, "Apunich bhagwaan hai re!"

For the first time that day, Arjun laughed. The sound filled the room, chasing away the shadows of doubt and frustration. As the laughter faded, Arjun felt a shift within himself. Maybe, just maybe, there was a path forward – one that combined his passion for building with the degree his parents desperately wanted him to achieve.

With renewed determination, Arjun turned back to his desk. The textbooks still looked daunting, but now they seemed less like obstacles and more like stepping stones to a future he could shape with his own hands.