My only ragging experience!!

Our college is one of the well-known “strict” colleges in Chennai. And so a big NO to ragging( mind you.. only if u are a day scholar u escape). However u get caught the moment u step out of the college to participate in culturals or sports. That is the only way the seniors get to meet and converse with the first year students. During one such sports meet(TIES-2000 at Crescent Engineering college), my friend and I went to a stall there to have something for lunch. Unfortunately two of our seniors were having lunch there. Their faces lit up with a mischievous grin when they saw us. As expected they called us and we dutifully went near them. One of them started firing questions at me.

Senior : Which year?
Me: First year
Senior: Which Branch?
Me: ECE
Senior: Do u know Naveen? He is also from ECE
Me: Yes. He is in my class
Senior: I heard most of the first yr gals are behind him. So u are also one of them, right?
Me(was taken aback at this question but answered innocently and truthfully): No, I don’t like him at all.
Senior: I know that u are lying.
Me(in a haste to defend myself I gave a “vaaku moolam”): Not at all. I actually hate him. He comes by the same bus as me and from my bus stop. He smokes everyday before boarding the bus. And he is part of a rowdy gang traveling by the same bus. I hate them all.
Senior(taking a minute to digest what I had just said..): Well.. this guy is also part of that gang. Do u hate him?
He was pointing to another fresher with whom I had spoken a couple of times. Anyway it was not a good tactic to ask my opinion about a member of that gang when he is also present there.
Me: No ( The mono syllable sounded better than lengthy answers which put me into tight spots like this one)
Senior: Then u like him!!
Me: uh..oh…ummmm… (was feeling very embarrassed)

To add to my misgiving the senior called him and asked him if he liked me. He was also blinking not knowing what to answer. I didn’t know why this senior was bent on asking such embarrassing questions (side business edhaavadhu panraara nu therila!!). Just when I was praying for the ordeal to end, our PD came to inform us about our event timings. We were so relieved that the next moment we vanished from that place.
As luck would have it, I later learnt that the senior was actually from the same school as Naveen and his gang and that he was also PART OF THAT GANG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Well.. that led to “unwanted” popularity because the gang started commenting and “ottifying” whenever they saw me after the incident.