Tirthodeep Roy, known as Nikhil. At the age of sixteen, Nikhil was like any other ordinary teenager, but something about his mind was different—he thought differently, felt differently, acted differently, and had come through life in his own distinct way. He had already been through it all and returned from it.
The day was the 26th of January—the day after Republic Day—and it was the same year as Nikhil's Madhyamik examination. In the afternoon, he was sitting with his closest friend, Indra, talking together.
Conversations between boys don't really depend on a single topic—that's a universal truth. That day, their discussion moved from football and stars like Messi to deeply personal matters that they shared with each other. Indra smoked, so he took out a cigarette from the packet in his pant pocket and asked, 'Got fire?'
Nikhil made Indra sit down, then went to the top of the refrigerator, brought a box of matchsticks, and handed it to him. Indra lit the cigarette and took just two drags when suddenly Nikhil said, 'Give it here for a second.'
Indra was startled. This was the same boy who would say "chi chi" whenever the topic of addiction came up—now asking for a cigarette. Indra asked him, 'Hey, what happened to you? Are you okay?'
In reply, Nikhil said, 'Hey, hey, I'm fine. I just felt a little comfortable, that's all. Don't think this is my first time—because if it were, then…'"