This is a prequel to my "
Landlord vs Tenant Girls
story where the past of Neha is explored. Thanks Rustyoznail for one again editing and bdrew86 for beta reading. Rusty had continued the story of Madiha and Neha in his series "
India vs Australia
", Do check them out.
I guess Madiha might have given a very vague description about me in her recollections, but do remember that she has had more experience than me. It may not seem that way, but it's true.
I was a foodie from childhood and chubby as far back as I can remember. I was not obese by any margin. I just had a few extra pounds on me, which people would call thicc nowadays. I didn't mind that during my school days as I was busy with class and friends, but an incident a few years later in college shook my self-confidence and I resolved to slim down.
But what were my options? I didn't want to run around the campus and make a fool of myself. The gym was something I wanted to try, but this was the early 2000's when there were no unisex AC gyms. The only decent places were for large enforcers and serious bodybuilders. It was a sausage party, not a place for average women. I didn't want to try any competitive sport, but then I had the idea of trying yoga. It was supposed to relax the body and mind, both of which I needed.
Despite being the birthplace of yoga, India did not have those swanky yoga centres other countries had until recently. Also, my college was in a small town so I wasn't sure if there was even one in the area. I asked the watchman of our hostel if he knew anything. He was our Yellowpages of the entire area and would give us information for a small price.
The next day, the watchman handed me a slip of paper with a number on it. I called and a male voice answered. When I enquired about the classes, he asked me to come over in the evening so that we could talk further. His voice sounded confident and assured, so I went to the address after my classes had finished.
The Yoga centre was only around 15 minutes from my hostel. It was in the topmost room which was part of the terrace of a house. I knocked on the door and went in. I was greeted by a man in his late '30s to early '40s. He looked decent and very healthy which I thought was good for a yoga teacher. He introduced himself as the Guruji, or Teacher, and then asked about my problem. I told him that I wanted to lose weight.
He said that I'd come to the right place and then started giving me a history lesson of yoga and how Indians can tap the potential it gives. I phased out after two minutes. After a 15 minute lecture, I learned that he worked for a government office and he did yoga training for 'passion' or 'dedication' etc. He was worse than some of my college lecturers.
Guruji finally told me to be in the class at 5 am every morning for a one hour class. He asked me to bring the first month fees along with a coconut, a banana, and betel leaves to present as 'Guru Dakshina' or Offerings to the Teacher.
The next day, I was awake very early. It was cold at 4:30 am. I took a bath and brushed my teeth. I dressed in a full sleeve salwar suit to help keep me warm, but I also wasn't a fan of showing a lot of skin as I was brought up in a very orthodox family.
I arrived at the centre and hesitantly went into a big carpeted room. Five men were sitting inside, eyes closed meditating. The Guruji was sitting in the front and as I cleared my throat, he opened his eyes and gave me a smile. All the other men did not open theirs.
'Probably in deep concentration.' I thought.
The Guruji asked everyone to open their eyes and he told them that I would also be a part of their team now. All of them surveyed me like I was a zoo animal.
I gave him the Guru Dakshina and then prostrated before his feet. I could hear sighs from the men behind. They were all in their 50s and 60s, most probably retired and had now decided to concentrate on their health when life was sunsetting on them.
I stood and sat in the last row as I wanted to be away from their gaze. I didn't have much luck with boys due to my weight but it had never bothered me. I just felt a little bit uneasy with these men staring at me. I wasn't afraid of them, just wary as I was the only hen in the cock house.
Guruji asked us to close our eyes for meditation but my inner sense could feel that the men were glancing at me now and then. I just decided to concentrate on what was being taught. The class was pretty boring as it was only theory. Guruji then made us do a few asanas. I had to keep adjusting my kameez as the slits kept parting and my naked waist was showing.
After the class, Guruji called me over and told me to wear more appropriate clothing so I could do asanas better. I didn't know what was 'appropriate'. Should I wear shorts? Skirt? Track pants? I was also in two minds about asking if I could have a separate class but I didn't know how to explain that I didn't like the stares from the old men.
Later that morning, I was in the Electric Motor practical class and thinking about whether I should continue with my yoga class. I could hear the two boys at the next desk whispering something and giggling. I looked around for the reason for their childish behaviour and realised they were staring at my classmate, Riddhi. She was adjusting the electric motor's belt and pressure to take the readings for the experiment. Her dupatta failed to cover her chest at such angles and they could partially see her breasts.
Riddhi was blessed with 34D breasts which were in contrast with her thin waist. That combination made her a very well known celebrity around the college. I could faintly see an inch of cleavage every time she bent down. I was shocked as I observed these guys. They stared at her non-stop for a full 45 minutes till the class was over.
I wanted to immediately caution Riddhi who seemed totally unaware of her exposed cleavage, but I knew how the professor barked whenever we talked or even moved from our places. I thought that these guys were so cheap. How could you stare at some piece of flesh non-stop for so long? Ridiculous. Yet true. I couldn't imagine what kind of pleasure they got from that.
That evening, during dinner, I reluctantly told Riddhi about this as I felt guilty for not warning her during class.
"Oh," she replied nonchalantly. I was shocked. How could someone be so cool after what those pervs did?
"What else are you expecting me to do?" she asked. "Catch them by the collar and ask why they looked? Ever since I had this growth spurt, I've been ogled by everyone. My sports teacher asked me to wear a better fitting dress even though it was the mandated uniform they gave everyone. At first, I used to feel so cheap and vulnerable. It was like they were raping me in their minds."
She sniffed and shrugged. "But then I realised, I can't stop enjoying life just because of these oglers. What's the maximum that can happen? They might ogle me and then jerk off? I'm not wearing a miniskirt or bikini to display my wares? If you still can't stop ogling me in a salwar then the problem lies in you, not me."
I could see her slowly erupting with anger but trying to control herself. I could also see other girls nodding in agreement. That night, I was unable to sleep, Riddhi was right. I had made a big decision to reduce my weight. I couldn't back out just because a few old pervs were staring at me. So what if I exposed the slightest bit of skin in my yoga class in front of those old men? Their wives would also be so old. What if I could have some fun teasing these old souls? I smiled and went to sleep with a plan.
The next morning when I woke up, I decided to ease back on my power dressing skills. I wore a salwar, but this one had a very interesting cut towards the sides. Though it did not initially reveal any skin, it would be interesting if he asked me to lift my hands as the side of my stomach would be revealed. I reached the venue and found everyone already present. They all eyed me, then quickly looked away. Disappointment for them again, but I was smiling inside. The Guruji asked us to do some stretching exercises first. He directed us to stretch our hands forward and then lift them up.
That was exactly what I was waiting for. I lifted my hands to the maximum extent possible. I knew that some skin around the side of my stomach was revealed as cold air hit my bare skin. I slowly looked out of the corner of my eyes and saw one old man had noticed the lift of my salwar top and some fair skin was visible to him. I was sure Guruji had also noticed because he made us stay in the stretched position for a considerably long time. I was feeling happy inside. After the session, I went to Guruji and asked him about some doubts I had with different Asanas. The rest of the class crowded next to me. They just wanted to be close to me.
I went to college completely elated with my new outlook on life. The classes went on blissfully and I could hardly concentrate. All I could think of was what to wear tomorrow. I didn't want to degrade myself too soon. I wanted the old guys to literally pray to God that they could have a slight glimpse of my body.
After much deliberation, I wore a t-shirt with buttons and track pants. Ideally, this should have covered me better than my salwar kameez with slits except I tied the pants so low that they were sitting below my navel. I stood in the mirror and looked critically at myself. My body was covered but when I lifted my hands, there was a peek of skin below. Just the way I wanted it.