Debates and discussions have always been my forte, and I owe it all to Ms Nandita, my social science teacher in school. Her knack for nurturing her students’ abilities was commendable. Not to mention her elegant sarees and confident demeanour that never failed to impress me. As someone who thrived on academic excellence, I proudly held the title of being her best student. I found myself at home in her classroom. And while I may be boasting just a bit, it was no secret that I was the one who held everyone’s attention in class. Even Vedant used to constantly remind me of my charm, especially in front of our classmates, who were envious of me.

Why am I suddenly thinking about my school days? Well, after breaking up with Nia, I spent two days looking for a flat in Mumbai before I finally settled on one. Then I flew to Delhi, packed all my stuff at home and came back to Mumbai and began the process of moving into my new pad and setting it up. And in the middle of all the unboxing that I’ve been doing, I found a small carton filled with things I had saved from my school days—certificates, test papers, slam books and whatnot. That’s what led me to think about those days and, more specifically, the day I interacted with Kiranjeet for the first time.

I was both excited and nervous that day because although I’d been through almost every chapter in our social science book, only God knew which topic Ms Nandita would pick for the class debate. I couldn’t help but worry about my performance.

When Ms Nandita entered the classroom a little later, the entire class stood up.

‘Good morning, ma’am,’ we greeted her with such synchrony that it sounded like a group of trained vocalists preparing for a church choir.

Ms Nandita signalled to the class to sit down as she placed the class register on the desk and took her own seat.

‘All right, class,’ she said, ‘today’s debate topic is: Brain drain is a good thing for developing countries. Nirvaan will open the debate by arguing against the motion, while Kiranjeet will argue in favour of it. Let’s begin! It’s going to be fun.’