Shivering in the sunlight

Ping! Radical Empathy

• The Ping! Radical Empathy Project
• Chess, Time-Turners, and Tea
• Shivering in the sunlight
• Blessings
• Peace of mind.
• Boats and Valorant

It was one of those 3 am walks; and as a general routine, we all stopped by David’s to buy the beloved fried Maggi. This is where we met our first interviewee.
He is one who never shies away from saying what he’s thinking. At first glance, he might seem intimidating. But once he speaks his mind, you can’t help but be in awe of him. He’s got the perfect mix of charisma and drive, that can enamour anybody. 

This was our interview with him. 

“What is your most treasured memory?“

“What is my most treasured memory? I can’t think of anything except driving around in my car. Probably all alone.”

“That’s interesting. Tell me, do you want to be famous? If yes, in what way?”

“Oh my God, actually, yes! I definitely do want to be famous.” || “I want to be famous in the sense that I want to have a huge, huge, huge impact on every person’s everyday life. As in, in the sense that a lot of what I do affects a lot of other people’s lives. Doesn’t necessarily have to be a good thing. But I want that.” || “Yeah, so I might as well be a weapons developer or might as well be Mother Teresa.” || “That’s one thing. I want to be famous, but I don’t want to be famous in the sense that, like, a lot of my personal private life is out there.”

“Cool. Next, tell me one thing you’re ambitious about or one thing you’re proud of.”

“I’m ambitious about…starting a business on my own.” || “Hopefully I see that as a real opportunity and a need more so for me for various reasons.” || “Something that I’m proud of? I’m proud of the experiences that I’ve had throughout life despite the fact that I come from a kind of background that you’d expect would not have a lot of experiences, But I’ve had a lot of experiences in my life. I’m proud of the fact that I’ve learned, I’m proud of the person I’ve become. It’s not exactly the one that I want to be. But I’m content.” 

“Yeah, that’s good. I agree. You should be proud of the person you are.”

“What’s a piece of advice you’d give a stranger? That’s the last question.”

“In what sense?”

“Like any sense. You choose your sense and answer.”

“ A piece of advice I’d like to give a stranger is–never get too overwhelmed with any emotion you’re feeling at any particular time. But don’t underwhelm yourself with emotions either. you need it in the right amount or you won’t be able to make decisions. Another one and this one is very important–listen a lot more than you speak because knowledge is definitely power. I feel the more you listen the more information you gain. The more knowledge you have the more powerful you are.” || “And yeah, definitely look for new experiences to come, but don’t waste your time on [looking for] opportunities that you think would be better. Just look for new experiences and be content with the things you have. Just make the best of stuff that comes your way.”

“Cool. That’s it.” || “Any other comments? Any questions for me?”

“How much are you getting paid to do the ping! article?”

“Absolutely nothing!” 

(laughter) 

As first years, we spend a lot of our time engulfed in the lively-rhythmic buzz of the workspace. Here, is a place with lively discussions, furious typing, and hard-working students. 

As we stopped by, a bright cheery laugh pulled us towards this interviewee. She is the life of every room. Always well dressed, with the ultimate accessory of a smile adorning her pretty face. She’s one who knows how to live her life. At the same time, she’s one of the most hardworking and smart people you’ll find. 

An enigmatic personality, this is our interview with her. 

“Okay, first question. What’s your most treasured memory?”

“So, it was holi and after we were, like, thrown in the mud and danced in the rain. We were super cold. This was back in Kolkata at around 2 pm and the sun was, like, shining pretty brightly.” || “I remember, a friend of mine and I just sat, like, fully mud-covered, shivering. But the warm sun rays were hitting us. I remember feeling very nice.”

“Ooh, I can totally imagine that! Okay, next question. Would you like to be famous, if yes, in what way?”

“Yes, I would love to be famous, I’m a huge attention seeker (laughs)” 

“But in what way, for what reason?”

“Oh for what reason? Acting. I would love to be famous for acting.” || “Oh wait, no, not acting, because I can’t act! (laughs)” 

“It’s like saying I want to be a famous chef, can you cook? No! (laughs)”

“If I had a talent that could make me famous, I would already be doing that…” || “I don’t have a talent that could make me famous.”

“But you would like to be famous.”

“Yeah, exactly–”

“Exactly, so you can become an actress.”

“I would love the money and the fame.”

“Oh, let’s go!”

“And I would love to sell literally anything just for money”

“Damn, bro about to sell her soul for money”

“I mean if you have the power to do it… might as well…”

“… might as well (laughs)” || “What are you ambitious about?”

“What am I ambitious about?” || “I want to know more stuff than I do currently. Is that ambition? I don’t know.”

“That is ambition. It’s a pretty cool thing to be ambitious about. Next question: if you could wake up tomorrow and gain one quality or ability, what would it be?”

“I mean, I know I said I want knowledge–but to just become very hot! (laughs)”

“Win bro, win honestly. (laughs) I personally would like to squat 115 in the gym.”

“Oh wait, I should be asking you back!”

“No, you don’t have to ask me back.”

“No, but I want to know! Because your answer is good…”

“That was actually not my answer, my answer would be to stop time.”

“Stop time? Why?”

“Because then I can sleep properly.” || “If you were to die in the next 24 hours, how would you like to spend your time?”

“Exactly like I am spending it right now honestly.”

“Oh my god! You are happy in life!”

“No. It’s not about being happy’. This is what I chose for myself, right.”

“It’s good that you enjoy it here though.”

“Yeah, I do!”

In the quiet cadence of their laughter and the soft glow of their screens, each person weaves their unique story. Every individual here carries a narrative rich with dreams, struggles, and triumphs. Our journey is not just about hearing these tales, but about truly listening, understanding the depth behind each smile and every thoughtful pause. So, why not start now? 

Editor: Arghya Roy