Nagot, a small hill town where every turn breathes a story. In the college nestled within this town, there is a professor named Nayan. Always wearing a gentle smile, walking with grace, and possessing such restraint in his eyes that girls might lose their hearts, yet Nayan's gaze never strays from dignity.
Nayan, who maintains a respectful distance from his students, finds his life stirred by the arrival of his childhood friend Sanjana—a whirlwind of emotions. But the story takes a new turn when Vedanshi enters his class, a student destined to challenge his strict boundaries.
It was already eleven in the morning. The sunlight was mildly piercing, and a girl was briskly walking toward the college.
"Oh shoot! First day of college and I'm already late… Vedanshi, you're going to get exiled on day one!" she muttered to herself, quickening her pace.
Petite in height, wheatish in complexion, Vedanshi carried a faint shadow of confidence on her face. Sparkling diamond studs adorned her ears—perhaps gifted by someone special. Her loose hair flowed down to her waist, and a few strands danced in the breeze, enhancing her features.
"Today marks a new beginning. Whatever happened in the past, I have to leave it behind," she thought as she stepped through the college gate.
In front of her was a sign: "Department of History and Archaeology." Her eyes lit up. This was her dream—to become an archaeologist. But behind that sparkle was a subtle ache, perhaps from a yesterday she hadn't yet forgotten.
Vedanshi took a deep breath and walked inside. A few students stood nearby—some from History, some from Archaeology.
Just then, she noticed three boys standing near their bikes. Vedanshi smiled and said, "Hi!"
One boy smiled back, "Hi, I'm Akshay."
The second said, "I'm Sagar."
The third extended his hand, "Nikhil."
Within minutes, Vedanshi blended in with the three as if they were old friends. It was the first day for all of them, and their faces radiated the same excitement.
Sagar: "Let's go meet the teachers."
Akshay: "Yeah, maybe we'll get to meet Professor Nayan too."
Nikhil: "They say attending his class is like living history."
Vedanshi gave a soft smile, but inside, a strange stir had begun. Was this the same professor she had heard so much about?
"That office next door is his," said Sagar.
"But there's no one here," Vedanshi said, peeking inside.
"Maybe he's at the museum. He usually spends most of his time there. Let's head to the museum. If not the class, at least we'll get a glimpse of the museum today," Sagar suggested. Vedanshi, Nikhil, and Akshay followed him.
As they stepped outside, one corridor led back to the main gate from where they had entered. Another straight corridor led to the Anthropology Department. And a third path veered left toward the museum through a channel gate. Sagar took the lead, and the others followed.
They entered through the gate and saw a large, sprawling three-story building in front of them, completely circular in shape. It was the museum building. Surrounding it was a beautiful garden filled with vibrant flowers of every kind. There were benches scattered around, reserved only for the department's students. History and Archaeology students often sat there to take notes, and in winter, it was the perfect spot to soak up the sun.
"Wow, how beautiful is this," Vedanshi exclaimed.
As they approached the museum entrance, a guard stopped them from taking their bags inside, so they left them at the gate and entered.
"Whoa! This place could hold the entire Harappan civilization!" Vedanshi blurted out.
"You're right. I've been to many museums, but this one is the most impressive," said Akshay.
"I could study here even at night," Nikhil added.
"Oh really? And what if the skeletons here come to scare you at night?" teased Vedanshi.
"Yeah, good point. Night visits canceled. I'll only come during the day," Nikhil replied, and they all burst into laughter.
They gazed wide-eyed at the museum, scanning each artifact as if they were decoding history. The entire museum, from top to bottom, was packed with artifacts. Everywhere they looked, traces of ancient civilizations surrounded them. The three of them bounced around like they'd discovered treasure rather than antiquities. The upper two floors were just as full.
At that moment, the museum was empty. The four of them were completely absorbed in the exhibits. For archaeology students, this was pure joy.
They scattered in different directions. Sagar turned left toward a section displaying Stone Age tools from the Yamuna Valley. Akshay and Nikhil examined iron tools from the Mahabharata era. Vedanshi turned right, where numerous sculptures were displayed. As she reached out to touch one of them, a calm, gentle yet firm voice echoed in her ears:
"Touching any of the artifacts is not allowed. Don't touch those artifacts."
Vedanshi was startled. She slowly turned around and was shocked to see the person standing there.
"Ved…" she whispered softly.
"You're not allowed to touch anything here. You may look as much as you like," the person said and then turned away.