'Four Chords In Grey'

It was some special school day where we had to be present, but not be studying at all. We grabbed our bags and headed wherever we wanted, within the school compound. Just about everyone was doing the same. No teachers were to be seen. And so the common-place scenery that day had boys playing football/basketball/some hybrid-sport with a tightly crumpled ball of paper, the wastebasket the goal, classroom style. Some were drawing on the whiteboards (I distinctly remember that these were whiteboards and not chalkboards) - and later, desks. We were heading towards the room in the back of the school.

Some had called it the 'Siberian Block', supposedly to impress or strike awe. But Georaphy never had a hold on any of us. We called it by its real name.

This was the room used by the St. John's society in our school, but since one of us had obtained the keys to it, it became easily accesible; thereafter it was a place of gathering, after school and sometimes, even during. I didn't know that a few of my prefect seniors had a penchant for music - they brought their guitars with them that very day to the room and played. I myself, had only been exposed to radio, at the time - keeping myself awake till at least ten or eleven on Thursday nights, for the local alternative rock show to come on. I'd do all my school work till around the aforementioned time and ditch it when the show started. Sometimes, I'd fall asleep and wake, way after the show has ended and switch off the radio. And always, dissapointed the very next morning.

That day, they played some of the songs I heard from the radio show. One of it was this really big single at the time:

A 'G'.
A 'B'.
A 'C'.
A 'Cm'.
Progression repeated.

It was the first time that I saw 'Creep' being played.

I had no idea what it was that they were doing at the time, but something inside urged me to be a part of it and learn. It was the year that everyone was learning to play the guitar. And 'Creep' became the first song that I learned.

And somewhere between that first song and the ones which would be next, I dreamt of playing and singing; my hands on the guitar: comfortable, moving, agile, proficient. My voice, sung in unison to the playing. Nowhere in a dream so grey would anyone expect that to happen. But happen it did.

And I remember it still.

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