The Bus Stop...

It was a nice and cool day. He had been looking forward to such a time for long. Pleasant weather on a day off from work was the best combination for a trip around town.

Thus, with a strange but pleasant sense of expectation he walked down the street to catch the afternoon bus that would take him to the city centre.

He was still a few feet away from the bus stop when he stopped still in his tracks. There amidst the deserted bus stop, right in the center of the bench he saw her sitting. He could feel his heart skip a beat and then speed off on to the third gear.

He was in a dilemma. Should he walk up to her ? But he was unsure of her reaction towards his presence in an otherwise deserted surrounding. He stood still trying not to breath fast to check if she had already noticed him.

He didn’t move for a couple of minutes. Time was running out. A bus would soon come along. And then he would lose her. And he didn’t want to be left with just a glimpse of her. Something that had become so common over the past few days.

He moved towards her gingerly. He was sure she had noticed his presence. He slowed down still more, but didn’t stop. Just as he was within a few feet from her, she snapped her head to look at him. He froze on the spot, trying to get a grip over his breathing.

Their eyes met for a brief moment. Then she looked away. Though she didn’t get up but he could sense she was nervous too. This gave him loads of relief and a sense of courage he had never felt before.

He took one step towards her. She looked back at him again, trying to judge his intentions. He tried to muster a smile, but failed miserably. He stopped again, looking nonchalantly down the road as if expecting the bus.

She still didn’t react. Though she appeared a bit disturbed by his presence. Maybe she was making up her mind.

He could feel her presence so near to him. With a swift wind blowing across the road, sweeping the dead leaves along, he could see her stiffen up a bit. It was the first time he had been so close to her. He felt mesmerized by her fairness. She looked even more beautiful from up close.

He realized that it was now or never and took a deep but quiet breath. He took two more soft steps and slowly sat down on the bench right beside her. He could feel his heart thumping in his chest, and its sound reverberating in his ears. He felt steam escape from his ears, while it felt impossible to breathe in.

He looked at her from the corner of his eye. She was looking away from him. He felt his throat go dry. He licked his lips and swallowed twice. She was deliberately ignoring him. The last thing he wanted was to scare her by anything he did.

But the next moment he decided to try his luck. He slowly moved his hand and touched her on her back. He dared not breathe expecting a reflex reaction from her. And not a pleasant one at that too.

As soon as she felt his hand on her back, she snapped back to look at him. He looked at her, into her eyes. Immediately, he saw a questioning look in her eyes. Out of nowhere, he managed to bring a faint smile to his face.

She was still looking at him without any hint of acknowledging the friendliness in his touch. She expected him to remove his hand and her intense stare gave the impression that she meant business.

He took off his hand, while expecting her to rise and walk away. But all she did was to look back down the road. He couldn’t believe his luck. Was she opening up to him ?

With his heart racing at the speed of knots, he moved his hand and kept it on hers. He had only imagined what touching her would feel like. But this was real. And it was intensely amazing. She felt so soft.

He suddenly found her staring at him again. But this time he didn’t let go of her. He smiled at her reassuringly. He noticed that her eyes had gone wide. Maybe she was trying to judge his intentions ever so quickly.

She suddenly straightened up and he felt that she was going to get up and walk away. But instead, she came closer to him and pushed herself into his side. He couldn’t believe it. He looked at her, into her eyes. And he saw that she trusted him.

He put his arm round her and felt her warmth on his skin. He had never thought that he could ever be this close to her. He wished that time would stand still for ever.

He was brought back to his senses by the sound of the bus that had stopped right in front of them.

“Hey mister… wanna board the bus ??!” Shouted the driver across the open door.

“Uhh.. no. Thanks !” He replied back.

“Fine. No problem.” Said the driver. “And a nice cat you got there…”

And the bus sped off…

(Picture Credits : Google Images)

Strawberry Crush... (Part 5)

It is highly advisable that you read Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 and Part 4 of this story to follow the thread.

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She sat on her bed, staring at the phone in her hand. She had tried to call him for the nth time in the past fifteen minutes, but without any luck. This was supposed to be the happiest day of her life. She had always dreamt so too. But it was turning out to be the saddest one. Finally, she decided to text him. But she had barely completed typing when suddenly the door burst open and in came her father.

She felt as if her heart had stopped beating. Her hands shivered uncontrollably as she felt the stare of his eyes. She could hardly breathe.

Her heart jumped into her throat as she was startled by a deafening shout in complete rage.

“GIVE ME THAT PHONE !!!”

As if in a reflex, she lifted the shaking hand towards him. She almost let out a gasp as he snatched the device from her palm. She could sense him reading the contents of the screen.

“You are not to put a step out of this room without my permission !” Her father snapped. She felt too mortified even to look up into his eyes.

“DO YOU UNDERSTAND ?” He roared again.

She simply nodded her head while the man turned and slammed the door shut, locking it from outside. She looked up just as drops of tears rolled down her face. There was no hope now.

She sat quietly on her bed, clasping her knees close to her chest. She wondered what had gone wrong. How did her father know ? Did her Mom know too ? Nobody even cared to bring her lunch. What was going to happen to her ? She had decided she wouldn’t cry. But her eyes seemed to have a mind of their own.

It was late in the afternoon when she heard some sound outside her door. She quickly wiped off her face and dabbed at her eyes. She suddenly felt very emotional and vulnerable once she saw her friend Nancy walk in.

“Get up and get ready. Uncle asked me to take you to the bridal parlor. It’s getting late. We have to get you ready by seven.” Nancy exclaimed.

She had to make a great effort to register what her friend said. She tried to stand but her legs felt like wooden logs.

“I’ll just wash my face and come.” She replied before dragging herself towards the washroom.

Ten minutes later as she accompanied her friend through the corridor, she looked around for anything different. But everything was the same. People were running around for various errands. The house looked more decorated than ever. Music and the scent of flowers filled the atmosphere. But she couldn’t see her father anywhere around.

“Come on quick. Uncle has strictly instructed me to get you back as soon as possible. He looked kind of angry too. I wouldn’t want to upset him. Come on hurry…” Nancy pleaded as the two girls got into the big white car.

She looked out of the window as she saw various shades of life fly past. She had always wanted to go to America. And she was going to get married to a guy who lived there. She was going to experience what she had always dreamed of. But was she happy ?

She came back to her senses as she noticed Nancy pulling her out of the car and shoving her inside the door of the parlor. They were greeted by a short and well mannered lady.

“Hello. Please wait in the room backside. We’ll be right with you.”

“Go on. I’ll wait here for you. Just call me when you are ready.” Said Nancy as she shoved a bag into her hands and pushed her.

She had hardly shut the door behind her when she felt a hand on her shoulder. Startled, she turned around. She simply couldn’t believe her eyes when she saw him standing there with a slight smile on his face.

“You…??? here… ??”

“Yes.” He continued to smile.

“But…” she tried to speak.

“Do you trust me ?” He asked.

“Yes.”

“Then come on.” He picked up her bag, held her hand and guided her towards another door on the opposite end of the room.

Before she could understand a thing, they were out on a backside street. She was still trying her best to think as he took her up to a parked car and got her seated in it.

“What… I mean… where did you get this car ?? What’s happening ?” She asked him frantically.

“We are eloping !” He looked at her, smiled and turned on the ignition.

She was almost numb to all sensations by the time she noticed that they were now driving on the highway. The city was behind them. She pinched herself to make sure this wasn’t a dream. And suddenly she realized she was breathing. Breathing in a strange sense of relief.

She was startled by the sound of a musical tone. And even more so as she realized that it was the ring-tone of her own phone. He pulled the phone out of his pocket handing it to her.

“Here. Your phone. Must be for you.”

And her eyes split wide in utmost horror as she saw the name on the screen.

“PAPA !!!” She screamed.

“Oh. Let me see”. He said taking the phone from her trembling hands. She watched in horror as he pushed the green button and put the device to his ear.

“Hello. Ah… Yes. She’s with me.” He said into the phone as she stared terrified. “Ok. Here…” He said again as he pushed the phone towards her. “He wants to talk to you.”

Her body shivering with mortal fear, she felt as if her heart would jump out of her body. Her throat was dry and her tongue had stuck to the base of her mouth. But, to her own shock, she managed to put the phone to her ear and say, “Papa…”

“Shuggy… ?” came a voice from the device.  “Are you okay ?”

She felt stunned for probably the hundredth time in a matter of hours. Her father hadn’t called her by his favorite nickname in years.

“Y… Yes…” She managed to whisper back.  

“Good. Though I knew you would be fine, I just called because I wanted to tell you something. Are you listening ?” He asked.

“Hmmm…” She managed to mumble.

“You know dear, thirty years ago, I faced the biggest test of my life. To fight for something that was more important to me than anything else. But back then, I failed myself as I didn’t have the courage to fight the world. Not even for the person who mattered the most to me. I backed off. And I think life tested me again today when I met a man who had the courage which I lacked in me thirty years ago. But I have learned my lesson well. Today I have the courage to fight the world for something that matters the most to me. And that is you !”

She listened on with tears rolling down her face, biting her lips not to let a sound escape.

“And I want to tell you that your papa is there to fight for you. You don’t have to worry for anything. And remember this… even if at times, your own decisions don’t work out well for you, I won’t stop supporting you just because they were your decisions. I’ll be there for you. Always…”

“Papa…” she sobbed hysterically.

“Shhhh… Listen up. You both will be getting married tomorrow. I’ve fixed up everything. Though I had to be discreet about it. Had to throw in a bit of drama. You know how it is. One has got to give it to the world the way they expect it. You just take care. Will you ?”

“Yes papa !” she replied.

“And you hadn’t eaten anything all day. There are some sandwiches for you in your bag. Have a nice meal at some good place once you reach. Ah, and I also sneaked in a couple of your chocolates. But share it with the young man too. Okay ?”

“Yes papa.” She looked across at him smiling at her and simultaneously laughed and cried in an emotion which only she could perceive.

She looked out at the sunflower fields across the road which looked more beautiful than ever in the late afternoon sunshine. This was going to be the happiest day of her life.

Image courtesy : Google Images

Regrets...

“Beep beep” !

The sound of my mobile startled me out of deep concentration I had managed for a few minutes reading through the latest trends in the treatment of Myocardial Ischemia. I looked up at the clock on the wall. 11:00 PM. I sighed as I closed the book and stood up for yet another round. The bi-weekly night shifts weren’t my favorite. But being a resident in a hospital had its drawbacks. Resigning to my fate, I picked up the stethoscope and stepped out of the duty-room into the Intensive Care Unit.

The I.C.U. seemed the calmest place on earth. Except for the continuous but rhythmic beeps of machines, there was not a sound to be heard. Each cubicle looked tranquil as I passed by them. But as I neared cubicle # 8, I could perceive sounds which seemed to break the patterns of beeps around. I remembered that the cubicle was occupied by the once famous business tycoon of the city who was admitted a couple of days back for breathlessness and chest pain. The man was no less than 85 years old.

Stepping into the glass walled cubicle, I saw the old man wincing and moaning in obvious pain.

“Pneumonia in old age is lethal. This doesn’t look good.” I thought.

“Are you having some trouble ?” I asked the old patient, looking at the vitals on the monitor and hardly expecting a reply.

“Uhh… huh… Can you give me something for the pain ?” The old man’s voice was so frail, I hardly heard it.

I turned towards the patient. The elderly patient was looking at me with tired eyes and a half open mouth which seemed to want to speak, but couldn’t.

“I’ll just give you an injection. That’ll ease the pain and help you sleep.” I said with the slightest smile. I could feel the old man’s eyes on myself as I prepared the dose. The man winced once more as the needle entered the skin. But then seemed to ease up.

As I discarded the used syringe, I turned back to look at the old man. The gentleman still had his eyes shut tightly. But I could clearly make out trails of tears down his cheek. I felt bad for hurting the elderly man. But injections pricked, and that couldn’t be helped. Still, I wanted to make the patient comfortable.

“Sorry. Did it hurt much ? You’ll soon feel better.” I said.

The old man opened his eyes slightly. “Come here son. Why don’t you sit here with me for a while…”

I moved across to the other side of the bed and sat down on the empty chair. All was quiet for a few minutes. The patient kept his eyes closed while I waited for the medicine to take effect. But suddenly, the old man opened his eyes. They were wet.

“I’m sorry if the injection hurt. But you see, it will bring you comfort in no time.” I tried to console the man.

“Do you know me ?” The old man asked.

“Yes. Who doesn’t ? You are such a well known figure. We have grown up watching you on tv.” I replied.

“But I guess, you would never have seen me crying on tv…” The old man smiled a bit.

“That’s ok. These things do hurt. Specially at your age. But you’ve taken it rather well.” I tried to reason.

“No son.” The old man interrupted. “It’s not my eyes that are crying. It’s my soul.”

“What ? Why ? You’ll be fine.” I blabbered.

“Pneumonia at my age doesn’t leave me with much time. I know it well… and I accept it.” The old man continued. “It’s just the realization of having lost in life that’s…”

“Lost ??? Sir, you have been one of the greatest and most successful businessmen of our times. People dream to be like you. You have achieved what others cannot even think of. How can you even use the word lost for yourself ???” I questioned.

“Come closer son. Let me tell you something that I’ve never told anyone.” He closed his eyes for a few moments. Then opened them again. “Sixty years ago, I was a poor man. I was an apprentice at a small company. I worked hard. Was honest to the core. And I had some big dreams. Really big. That was when I met this girl.”

The old man closed his eyes again. I could see the man was fighting some intense emotions.

“She used to work with us. Soon we became really good friends. Within a few months, I started to feel she was a lot different than all my other friends. She used to help me with everything. Used to share her lunch with me on days when I didn’t have any money to buy food. We used to sit and talk for hours after work. She always made me forget everything even after a tiring day’s work. I knew how she really cared for me. And I felt special.”

The old man stopped speaking again, swallowed, and continued.

“Then one day, she asked me to have dinner at her place. I was sure she was in love with me. Maybe I realized I was too. But I wanted to be sure. But as luck would have it, the owner of our company asked me to do some work for him the same day. And when I reached his house in the evening, he asked me to marry his daughter and take charge of all his business. I guess he was over-awed by my hard work and honesty. That was my chance to get my dream. And I couldn’t miss it. And I accepted.”

There was another pause. The old man took a deep breath.

“I married the owner’s daughter. Didn’t even tell my special friend the reason. And she never asked. She just left the job and went away. I progressed in life. Got all one could dream of. My wife loved me. I had a nice family. I had everything. And I have lived my life believing my success.”

The old man stopped again. And as he started again, a tear rolled out of the corner of his eye.

“But now, when I’m in the final moments of my life, it is destroying my very soul as I realize the emptiness my entire life had. As I lie here, counting my final moments, my entire life flashes in front of my eyes. And every time it pierces my soul by telling me I never had something which was my life. If only I would have told her how I felt for her… if only I had trusted her to accompany me to my dreams… if only I had some patience for success… if only…”

There was silence for a few minutes.

“Tell me son… have you ever loved ?” I was still quiet. “If you have, don’t wait for circumstances. Be honest and tell that someone special how you feel. Coz if you don’t, you’ll regret like me one day. And nothing can be worse than leaving the world with the biggest regret.”

As if on an impulse, I turned to look around. And I saw her across the hall, looking at an X-ray she held up against the light.

“Do you get me ?” Asked the old man.

“Yes sir. I get you !” I replied. I knew I had to wipe out any chances of possible regrets in my life. “Thank you sir !” I held the old man’s hand in my hands and smiled as I got up. “Good night.”

It was 8 AM in the morning but there wasn’t a hint of tiredness in me. The events of the night had changed my life. I felt like flying as I rushed across the long corridors of the hospital to get to the I.C.U. to tell the old man about what had happened during the night.

I was breathless as I reached cubicle # 8. It was empty. I stopped a nurse who passed by. “Nurse, where’s the patient of cubicle # 8 ?”

“Ohh. Don’t you know sir ? He passed away in his sleep last night.”




(Image courtesy : Google Images)

Strawberry Crush... (Part 4)

It is highly advisable that you read Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3 of this story to follow the thread.

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He suddenly opened his eyes wide. But all he could see was pitched darkness. He realized himself lying on his bed trying to recall the time since when he was asleep. Or was he unconscious… ?

He also realized that his abdomen had stopped hurting. He had lost track of when he had the last meal. It seemed like his stomach had gotten immune to the hunger pangs which his mind refused to acknowledge. His body seemed numb. He again tried to adjust his eyes to the complete darkness. The uselessness of the attempt made his mind to drown once again into the thoughts that had engulfed his mind. Engulfed his soul. Engulfed his very life. The thoughts of Her…

Once again he desperately tried to fight off the thoughts of the realization that in about twenty four hours time, she would belong to someone else… forever…

He clenched his fists and forced his eyes shut as if to prevent those images entering into his sight. But his eyelids couldn’t hold back what was brimming to spill over. And he could feel the cold traces of fluid which rolled over from the corners of his eyes moving across his face and falling on to the bed.

He gripped his head with his hands. His ears boomed with each beat of his heart. And the sounds kept getting louder and quicker. He knew he was hyperventilating, gasping for air. But little could he realize that it were the thoughts in his mind which were suffocating him. He tried hard to pick himself up from the bed and switched on the light. But once on his feet, he could feel his ears getting hot and strange sensations up in his nose. Something told him he was going to bleed through the nose.

He rushed inside the washroom and looked into the mirror. The face in the mirror looked hazy. Was it the mist in his own eyes… he thought. He quickly splashed handfuls of water on his face. And suddenly he noticed his fingernails which had turned to shades of purple. His fingertips felt numb. He looked up into the mirror. He had never tried to read his own eyes. But now he did. And they shouted back at him. He staggered back to the bed and slumped on it.

He could clearly feel his heartbeats racing like never before. His heart thumped heavily against his chest. His head seemed to be ready to burst any second. He reached out for his phone. He pushed the green button and saw her number right at the top. He remembered trying to call her many times… but pressing the red button before he could hear the bell ringing. He didn’t know what to say to her. Or how to say it. And the chain of thoughts began yet again.

It had been five days since he had seen her. And as each day passed, the levels of his anxiety reached a new high. He thought about talking to her. Telling her everything that was on his mind. The way she had captured all the available spaces in his heart. The way she was all around him.

He wanted to confess to her how he had been crazily searching for perfection all his life. And when he had finally been able to find that perfection, it wasn’t to be.

But then he thought about keeping everything concealed. Never to tell her how he felt about her. She had probably a happy life ahead in store for her. He didn’t want to disturb her in the most important phase of her life. Though he knew he wouldn’t be able to handle it. But he wanted her peace of mind.

He was still fiddling with his phone. Watching her Facebook wall over and over again like the countless times in the past few days. And then he came on to a quote which said, “Nobody Will Know What’s Going in Your Mind… Its Better To Express Rather Than to Expect”.

And he knew what he was going to do. He wasn’t going to leave the world one day with the regret of not letting her know what he felt for her. He wasn’t afraid of the consequences now. He had to talk to her. And he pressed the green button.

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He opened his eyes as the sunrays hit his face through the open window. He was sprawled on his bed with half of his body on the floor. He jumped up to check the time in the clock on the wall. It was already 12 noon. She was getting married that very night.

How did he fall asleep ??? Maybe the lack of sleep for almost an entire week had taken its toll on him. He had to rush. He didn’t have any time.

It was already 1 pm as he walked towards the grandly decorated gate of the palatial building. There was brisk activity all around. People ran around with stuff while others shouted orders. He scanned the area twice to check for any possible hindrances. He rehearsed his words again in his mind, took a deep breath and moved inside the house.

He knew that asking for the bride’s father wouldn’t be much of a difficulty. People had enough on their hands already. So, no one even bothered to ask him any further details as one elderly man directed him towards the entrance of the room where he would find her father.

As he stepped up towards the door, for once his heart leapt up into his mouth and then settled back in its place. He knew now there was no turning back. And he stepped inside the room.

The only occupant of the room who was talking animatedly into a telephone had his back towards the door. He at once recognized him as her dad. The man was well known figure in the city’s who’s who and looked all the more imposing in his white dress.

“Yes… ??” He boomed back as he smashed the receiver back on the table and turned.

“What do you want ?” He enquired again.

“Namaste…” He folded his hands and introduced himself.

“Oh. So you are her classmate ? But she is very busy right now. I hope she invited you for the wedding tonight… ??” The father asked.

He swallowed once. And hardly taking another breath, he slowly said…

“Sir, I am in love with your daughter. And she is in love with me. And I humbly ask you to…….”

He couldn’t complete his sentence before he saw the color of blood in her dad’s eyes as the man in white leapt at him in utter rage.


(to be continued.......)


Image courtesy : Google Images

Strawberry Crush... (Part 3)

It is highly advisable that you read Part 1 and Part 2 of this story to follow the thread.

*** Warning : A very long post ***

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He was utterly bewildered. He simply had no idea about what was happening to him. He had lost track of everything. No clue to the lectures he attended. Or to those that he missed. Sunny reminded him that he had been absconding from the training for the entire week and that the coach was out in search of him with a cricket bat in his hands and breathing fire through his nostrils. He was even disoriented about the days and dates. He had been missing his meals and still didn’t remember feeling hungry. It was getting crazier by the day.

But one thing he never seemed to miss was to get to the lecture-theatre a good fifteen minutes early every morning. Staring towards the door and counting every passing second until he would catch a glimpse of that face. And then he would feel the blood rushing to his face. Blocking off all the noise in the hall from entering his ears. The sound of someone’s footsteps and the voice of their owner were just the sounds he could hear.

She had always hated waking up in the mornings. But all that hatred seemed to have vanished into thin air. Getting to the morning class had never felt so exciting. And she would find herself trying to catch her breath as she neared the lecture-theatre. And just round the bend, from the corner of her eye she would catch a glimpse of that face. But as she would make her way inside the door, she made sure not to let her eyes wander across to the far end of the hall.

He was hysterical this morning. It had been almost a week since he saw her. The strange sense of irritation was crushing him. He could feel his head hurt. He fidgeted for the hundredth time when suddenly he saw her entering the hall.

He suddenly decided that he couldn’t take it any longer. He had to put an end to all the misery. He had to talk.

By the time the longest ever lecture of his life concluded, he had meticulously planned his every move. He rehearsed each dialogue over and over again in his mind. There was no turning back. He leaped from his seat as he saw her leave the hall. He saw her walking towards the lawns. He quickly matched her pace and anticipated to catch her just round the fourth tree.

She could sense him following her. She felt a strange sense of fear and excitement. But she had to make sure. She suddenly stopped and turned around. He wasn’t expecting this from her. He stopped dead in his track. All the confidence which he had built during the past hour seemed to have made a dash for the restroom.

He took a quarter of an hour sitting beneath the guava tree trying to rebuild the confidence which had given him the slip at a crucial moment. And just then he saw her go into the cafeteria at the far end. He jumped up and rushed towards her to get it over with before it got too late again. With nerves of steel, he entered the cafeteria house to confront her when he saw her standing across the hall with five of her closest friends. Their eyes met. And he could feel steel turning to wax.

It was the post-lunch bell that got him out of his trance. He dejectedly walked towards the academic building with his head as clear as an empty can. He was still brooding, staring blankly as he turned the bend and found himself face to face with her just as she appeared from the opposite corridor.

Panic !

“Hi !” He said. Though he wasn’t sure if he heard his own voice.

“Hi.” She replied with a faint smile.

“Err… Umm..”

“Yes ??”

“Could you please guide me to Lab Three ??!!??”

“Yeah.”

She turned to walk. And he followed her. Still trying to gather his wits and telling himself that he actually spoke to her. They climbed two floors worth of stairs as she led him into a door labeled ‘Lab No. 3’.

As he walked across the strange smelling room, he was startled as a familiar voice boomed across. “Late again ?? You’ve been attending this lab for almost one year now. But you can’t ever come on time. Can you ???!!”

He was still sulking as he emerged out of the lab a couple of hours later, when he saw her talking to her friend.

“You go on. I’m going to talk to the HOD. See you later.” She said. Suddenly she looked back at him and turned around to the professor’s room.

He was petrified. It was clear she was going to report him. He tried desperately to think of some excuses. But he felt stymied. And in utter panic, he ran after her. She was already into the corridor when he reached her.

“Hey… !!”

“Hmmm ??” She looked at him.

“Why are you going to the Prof ??”

She kept walking. Still trying to think of something to say.

“You’ve got it all wrong. See, it’s nothing like that. I’m not like those guys. You’ve got to believe me !!” He implored.

She gave him one last look and turned to enter the professor’s room. He felt his heart sinking to newer depths. He turned to walk away to escape the inevitable. He had hardly got to the stairways when he realized the peon running after him.

“Sir wants to see you in his room.”

‘That’s it ! I’m done for.’ He thought, and moved towards the dreaded room, resigned to his fate.

“May I come in sir ?” He enquired feebly.

“Come in. See,… she’s missed two of my lectures last week. Just give her the notes and help her with any problems she has !” The professor ordered.

“Yes Sir !” He found his voice for a change. His heart which had gone into arrest, starting to beat once again. It was in an overdrive by the time they emerged from the teacher’s room. As they walked the length of the corridor, he looked at her and found her looking back. And suddenly, they both burst into laughter.

They found the lecture hall empty and decided to sit there so that she could copy down the text. She was still smiling when he handed over his notes to her.

“Why were you saying all that ?” She asked with a giggle.

“I thought you were going to report me for following you.” He replied looking away.

“You were following me ?? But why ???” She looked at him.

He looked back at her. And then he felt as if time had stopped again. Looking into her eyes, as she looked into his. Looking right through each other. They let the eyes do all the talking. The eyes confessed. And the eyes accepted. And suddenly, all seemed to clear.

All of a sudden, he didn’t feel that anxiety. He felt strangely calm. He felt like flying. And he wanted to capture the moment for ever.

She couldn’t believe what was happening too. She had never felt so happy. Not in a long time. She felt giddy.

And suddenly, her eyes stopped on her hand. And she felt as if she had been stabbed. She could feel her eyes brimming.

“You know, I wanted to say something to you…..” He started to speak.

She assembled her belongings in haste, and quickly got up to leave. He was taken aback by her sudden action. She got up and turned to leave.

“Hey…. !!! Heyy…. !!! What happened ??!!” He exclaimed.

She stopped. And put up her hand for him to see. The glitter of a jewel twinkled through his eyes.

She turned back to face him. “I’m getting married this Friday !”

And she walked away.

(to be continued.......)


Image courtesy : Google Images

Strawberry Crush... (Part 2)

Please read Part 1 before reading the following continuation.

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He flipped the book on to the table as he stood up and ran his hand through his hair. What on earth is happening ?? He was utterly perplexed.

It had been getting crazier by the day ever since that incident in class. And he couldn’t even get a hold on matters. He was finding himself in awkward situations once too often.

Just the other day as he stood by the tree with his group of friends. And suddenly he saw Her. Across the lawns. Walking down the path with two of her friends. His eyes following her. Watching her face. And all he contributed to the discussion with his friends was a mumbled ‘Yeah’ to something Ronnie had said. And was startled to death as all of them exclaimed a ‘Whaattt ???’ in unison.

“Did you just agree with Ronnie that Sachin should be dropped from the team for the next series ??” asked one in complete disbelief. “Noo. Yeah. I mean. Noo. I didn’t… What ??” was all he could reply. Had they caught him looking at her ?? No. They didn’t. Could they ?? They shouldn’t…

And then the other day when he saw her coming out of the library. And how she had suddenly looked back. And he had turned hastily, bumping into Mrs. G ! He cringed at the mere thought of the events thereafter.

He had been able to make a complete fool of himself. But somehow, he had been finding her all around. In the class, in the library, in the canteen or in the corridors. Just about everywhere. Or maybe he had been hallucinating. He was completely baffled.

She was pretty disturbed. Her life was going on fine. At least for a normal girl. But things were getting complicated lately. Though she was happy before. But recently she had experienced moments when she felt even happier. And then hours when she felt really depressed. She wasn’t prepared for such a contrasting phase of emotions. What was happening ??

She remembered the other day when she was in her room, deep into a fantasy world, when she was shaken back to reality by her friend. “What are you dreaming about ? Do you want to be late for the lecture ??” asked Nancy. “Uhh.. Ohh… Actually, we are having a party at home. So, I was just thinking about which dress to wear…” She had tried to make up a story.

“Okk. We know who’s that special someone coming to the party. That’s why you want to look your best…” Her friend had winked while the others laughed. They had run off before she could get up to chase them.

Somewhere at the back of her mind, she knew what was disturbing her. It was Him ! Ever since that day, he had somehow captured her mind. He had hijacked her thoughts. And she kept running into him everywhere and every time. Every morning, she would find her eyes searching for him. And sooner than later, she would spot him. And then she would feel a strange sense of relief. Everyday, on returning, she would be filled with a sense of guilt. But all such sense would vanish into thin air on seeing him the very next day.

She had been catching him stealing quick glances at her. And every time she would catch him, he would quickly turn away or look elsewhere. And she would find herself fighting to prevent a small smile on her face. She could experience the delightful thrill in this other world of hers. She wanted to test if it was real. And she decided to play the game with him. Things were surely getting crazier.

It was still some time for the class to start. She looked around in search, and found him standing by the pillar talking to his friend. She walked up to the smart guy right across him.

“Hi”.

“Hi’. He replied.

“I was wondering if you could help me out with this question from yesterday’s test.” She asked him, while making sure He noticed her talking to this guy.

“Sure. Let’s sit here”.

She sat down on the empty bench trying to force her attention to what the guy was talking about. I hope he’s watching. He must be watching ! I’m not going to look up at him !

But it was hardly a minute before she gave in to the temptation and looked up. HE WAS GONE !

“So, you see, you just have to analyze…. ” the guy was still speaking.

“Ok. I got it. Thanks !” She said as she abruptly got up and walked towards the crowd of students near the hall.

“Hey… But I’ve not even started…” The guy called her, but she was already into the crowd. Searching for Him.

And then, she saw him talking… and laughing… with the girl who had almost every other boy falling for her.

He stood there, fixed, looking at them talk. When suddenly, he turned to look at her. Once again, their eyes met. But only this time, it was a lot different.

She turned away and walked. Fuming. While he turned in the opposite direction.

“I HATE HIM !!!”

“I HATE HER !!!”

(to be continued.......)

(Image source : Google Images)

Bride & The Prejudiced...

A very familiar scene:

Boy and girl, a very committed couple since long, having a candle-light dinner, with some soft mushy music playing in the background…(obviously!) are lost deep in each other’s eyes, when…

Boy: My princess…
Girl: My angel…
Boy: I love you…
Girl: I love you too…
Boy: Will you marry me?
Girl: Ohhh… YES!!
Boy: Great. Then let’s get you converted…
Girl: …… ??!??!!??!!

Well, maybe it’s not usually as bluntly put as that. Or maybe it is. I don’t really know. But it certainly is put sooner or later before a person decides to marry someone he (or sometimes… she) loves, who belongs to a different religion/caste/community.

And all this while people tell me that the new, young and developing India has moved into the twenty-first century!! (Really?)

Which makes me wonder that why would someone want to change a person he loves! People have simply no issues when they ‘supposedly’ decide to fall in love. No issues still while going around the town dating that someone special. And no issues still more while flaunting their ‘committed’ status on Facebook, Orkut and what not.

But when it comes to actually marrying a person from a different background, issues start appearing from absolutely nowhere. Then is the time when age-old and absolutely pathetic reasons fly out from left, right and center.

We have such different customs and traditions…
My family won’t accept her without getting converted…
We have to answer the society…

Do we ever realize the heights of ridiculous prejudices regarding different communities in our own country, though we see it all around us, everyday of our lives?

My granny’s cousin was so prejudiced against certain communities that she wouldn’t even let such a person anywhere near her kitchen, let alone eat the food prepared by him/her. Unfortunately, she passed away before I could put some of my questions for her to answer.

For any such person prejudiced against other communities, who happily eats food cooked by someone he or she approves, I’d just like to take things back to their origin. Does such a prejudiced person actually know…

• the caste/community/religion of the person who sowed seeds in the farms?
• the caste/community/religion of the person who carried the grain to the crusher?
• the caste/community/religion of the person who crushed the grain into flour?
• the caste/community/religion of the person who packed the flour?
• the caste/community/religion of the person who distributed it to the market?

The answer is a big NO!

We all travel in buses, trains and planes. Do we ever bother to ascertain the caste, community or religion of the driver or pilot? Someone in whose hands we literally put our lives…!!!

Does a person stop sending his/her child to the school because one of the teachers is from a different community? Does a person refuse to do business with someone of the other religion? Does a critically ill patient first ascertain the caste of the doctor on duty?

NO! Because those are our needs! In times of need, we let all our prejudices go into hibernation. Only to appear with renewed vigor when it’s the time for marriage!

And most often, it is the girl who is expected to ‘convert’ if she decides to marry into a different community (though there are many examples otherwise too… as per my own experiences!).

And then I again wonder why such ‘wisdom’ dawns on the individual not once before the talk of marriage. It baffles my mind no end. Are people in a state of illusion or delusion while they are falling in love? Do they imagine their love-interest to be of their own communities? Do they forget all such reasons of ‘wisdom’ while they date?

Why would a sane person try to change anything about someone he or she so dearly loves?

I have actually known people who broke-off their ‘relationship’ (that’s such a big misnomer!) just because the other didn’t agree to convert into their community. I seriously ought to be informed if there’s anything more ridiculous than that.

I would simply ask such people, that “while falling in love with that special person, did you ask your family’s, community’s or the society’s permission? (And did they allow you?) And even if your partner accepts your preposterous demands, wouldn’t you be changing the very identity of the person?

What would be better?

1. A bride who doesn’t convert, but cares for everyone and follows all the customs of her new family as they should be followed.
OR
2. A bride who converts (or is from the same community) but cares for nothing.

We, in India, are brought up on a daily dose of some outrageous prejudices regarding different communities. Though in unspoken terms, we are also taught to forget all such prejudices in times of materialistic needs. But as it is said, ‘Love is blind’, one becomes blind while falling in love.

I so dearly wish that love was deaf as well, so that all such ridiculous talks from our society wouldn’t affect lovers' ears…

Picture Credits: Google Images

An open letter to the 'honor-killer(s)'...

Congratulations !

You must be highly delighted at your success of late. Especially around North India, where you have managed to accomplish no less than nineteen incidents between April 9 and June 30 of 2010. Which translates to about one every four days. And it clearly appears that there is a lot more to come.

It really intrigues me as to how and from where do you manage to gather such courage and inspiration to shed the blood of your own. Is it the commendation from your community that drives you to act ? Or is it something bigger ??

Oh… I’m sorry ! I completely forgot that it is the threat to your family’s and your community’s honor that drives you to take the path to glory. Certainly, you will go down in history as champions for the cause of honor.

But my idle mind fails to understand what exactly is the honor that you fight for. Maybe it is something you get in exchange of the highly expensive weddings that you plan for your children ? Or something that you receive in exchange of the big fat dowry that you give and take in such arranged marriages ? Or, to sum it up, it is what you get in return for selling off your very own children ??

Ok. I get it. Your honor is centered on your children’s marriage.

It doesn’t matter then, if you are a cheat in your profession. Or even if you are a traitor to your nation. But your honor rests solely on how and where your child marries. Wonderful that you have managed to keep it as simple as that.

Please pardon me for my stupidity as I used to link your honor to your beating up your wives in the confines of your houses. Or for that matter, to any such instances where I found you turning a blind eye to any misbehavior towards a female either in public or in your own home.

Maybe that’s why you don’t care to loose your honor while openly mouthing foul words in public. Or staring at more than suggestive huge-sized posters of ‘C’, ‘D’ or ‘X’ grade movies that decorate your cities and towns. How foolish of me to link your honor to such ‘normal’ things.

Obviously, it is absolutely normal to chase girls around on your bikes or cars. And it is also absolutely normal for you to stare at girls your daughter’s age. And maybe even go a few steps further. You don’t need to care about losing your honor there. But of course your honor is at stake when your daughter/son/sister/niece/nephew dares to choose their life-partners. Bravo !

Ohh… But I see where this is leading to. You actually have no real problems with your family member marrying someone from a different community. The religion, caste, gotra, village and all that rot is just a big cover-up. It is actually love that you cannot tolerate.

Ok, I know that you searched for love too when you were young. And I also understand that you never had the courage to stand for your likings. It had to be sacrificed for the sake of honor too, back in those days. So obviously, how can you let the next generation have their say even if they manage to gather courage to stand for their love ??? It is so very unfair to you.

Kudos to you that you will not hesitate to even kill your own loved ones to get justice !

But I must applaud you to turn all your vengeance towards the females who commit the ‘crime’ of love. I must say you have used your brains to the fullest and have exhibited extreme bravery in silencing the female ‘criminals’. That is why, most, if not all cases of you killing for honor are from the girl’s family.

I can only admire your valor in brutally and mercilessly killing your daughters/sisters/nieces/granddaughters and keeping your honor intact. It really glorifies you as champions of honor.

Obviously, it isn’t clever to kill your own son/brother/nephew/grandson. A female is a safe target and a better route to glory. I can only laugh at all those poor souls who relate the lack of education as the reason for you being a champion 'honor-killer'. If only they knew that many of you are highly educated people too.

So, in the end, I apologize for having so many meaningless myths about you in my mind. I will always remember that basically, you are dead against love. And that being a male-dominated society, you obviously cannot tolerate a girl standing up for her love which then leaves you no control over her life. And if she tries to do anything of the sort, it is a direct threat to your honor.

I specially commend all you elderly female 'honor-killers' who are providing the much needed support to their male counterparts in maintaining the society’s honor.

People say that our country is hundreds of years behind many other countries in terms of development. But I can surely say that with honor-killers like you, who amazingly carry on to protect our ‘culture’ and ‘traditions’, we can certainly give the Taliban a run for their money.

Once again my greetings to you for being real 'honor-killers' and efficiently killing our country’s honor for the world to see… !!!

Before it gets too late...

The other day, I saw the movie '2012'. Though its review requires a separate post in itself, I would like to share one scene from the movie which conveys more than just one message.

Here's an old man working in a music troupe on a cruise ship. He hasn't talked to his son ever since the son married a Japanese girl. But now he calls his son after knowing that the world is about to end....



A few messages that this short scene conveys beautifully are....

* Parents always love their children. No matter if they disapprove of certain decisions and pretend to break away, there is always the love....

* Love knows no boundaries. Be it either caste, religion, race or nationality. We ultimately love irrespective of any differences....

* One should not wait to accept and express love. One never knows when it gets a bit too late to do so....

I hope you like the scene. Specially the cute little girl... !

Escape to Love...

Having been extremely busy with stuff, I haven’t been able to post anything here of late. To finish off an eventful year, I’m posting a story which I wrote for Avada Kedavra as a guest post on her blog. I’ll be back with lots more in the new year soon.

******************************************************************************

She felt weak in her knees as she hopped down on to the platform.

She didn’t know if it was due to the exhaustion of the tiring journey or due to the biggest step she had ever taken in her life. But either of the reasons didn’t really matter now. Here she was. All alone, in an entirely unknown city.

She looked left, then to the right. No sign of him. “He must be there somewhere, checking every coach for me.” She thought. She hadn’t had a chance to tell him the coach number.

She saw an empty bench ahead. “I better wait for him here.” She sat there with her bag clutched in her lap.

There was life all around. Families getting off the train with loads of baggage. Porters running along in search of prospective customers. The vendors shouting at the top of their voices while doing brisk business. She tried her best to divert her attention to those little details of people’s lives. But at every next minute, she would involuntarily look around in search of him.

Amidst all the noises, she found her mind recollecting the events of the day.

It was early morning, when her dad had announced that the prospective groom and his family would be arriving in two days. And that was when she had lost it. She had announced her disapproval about the idea in no uncertain terms. And her dad had shouted at her. And she had shouted back at him. For the first time in life… !

And then she had rushed in to gather her belongings. She couldn’t breathe anymore in that cage. She shoved her things in the bag even as her mom continued to let her have more than just a piece of her mind.

She had decided. She was leaving. She wanted to be with HIM. HE was her life now.

She had tried to call him. But couldn’t get through. So she messaged him to let him know that she had left all for him. And that she would be arriving by the evening express. She got herself an un-reserved ticket with whatever little money she had saved. And she boarded the train. She was free. She was finally going to be with him.

A slight chill in the air shook her back into the present. The sun had almost gone down, letting the darkness take charge of things. But he still wasn’t there…

She felt her throat go dry. She quickly took a couple of gulps from the bottle she had bought. She felt better. But still…

It was almost an hour since she had de-boarded. Why wasn’t he here ? Did he get her message ? She took out her mobile phone. She hadn’t even got a chance to recharge the battery before leaving. The screen was blank. She switched it on. It showed some signs of life. Suddenly it blinked twice. “LOW BATTERY.” And it went dead again.

She saw a pay-phone on the side of the coffee shop. She went up to it, dropped in a coin and called his number. “NOT REACHABLE !”

She tried again. And again. And again. But without any luck.

She was starting to panic. Here she was, all by herself, in a completely new city. She didn’t know a soul. Except him. She didn’t know where to go. And she didn’t even have enough money.

She took out her purse and counted. She hadn’t eaten anything all day. Would that much be sufficient to buy her a meal ? If it was, then what after the meal ? Or should she skip the meal and buy a ticket back to home ?

HOME ?? What home ?? She had left home for good. There was no one to receive her back. Even if they were, did she have the courage to return ? She had argued… shouted… and vowed never to return. Could she face them now ?

And suddenly she felt her heart sinking…

She slowly went back to the bench and sat. What were the options for her now ? Were there any ?

“Why isn’t he here yet ? He’d surely have got my message. He always does. Ohhh… Why did I leave ? Why didn’t I think ? Did I act too hastily ?” That was all she could think of. Her heart sinking deeper with each passing second. Her mind was inching closer to the extreme decision. Her eyes brimming with tears.

He smiled as he looked at her from behind the pillar, still trying to catch his breath. Running the length of the long railway platform coupled with the immense anxiety about her had almost left him breathless. And then he slowly moved towards her.

He stood there, quietly, in front of her, while she looked down at the floor, almost numb with hopelessness.

“Hi.”

Startled, she looked up. And there he was, smiling at her.

She suddenly felt extreme emotions ready to explode inside her. Nothing could match the sense of relief she felt. But the raging anger felt matchless too. She loved him all the more now. But she also hated him with all she had. She wanted to run into his arms. And she wanted to kill him.

But all she could manage to do was to stand up and say, “Where were you ??”

“Sorry. Late as usual. You know I can never get my things ready in quick time…” He replied, still short of breath.

“Things ? What’s in that bag ? Where are you going ?” She was puzzled.

“WE are going back. To your place. I have to ask your dad for you. I don’t want him shouting later that I stole you.” He grinned.

“He won’t let you…”

“Then we’ll run away together. That’s why the bag…” He laughed.

She couldn’t keep herself from folding into his arms. Finally, she let go of the tears as well.

“I’m hungry…” She said.

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Wishing you all a very HAPPY NEW YEAR !!!

Unacceptable Love...

Almost all of us, at some point of time or the other, have been witness to couples (lovers) being separated instead of letting them marry and live peacefully ever after.

Reasons ? Differences in caste or religion or nationality or even financial status.

But whatever the reason may be, we see it happening day in and day out. And eventually, the helpless lovers give in and marry as and where they are demanded to.

It was only the other day when I came to realize the real reason of such incidents happening with an amazing frequency in India. I was talking to a close friend, discussing about his plans for his marriage.

As usual, his is an inter-caste case. So, obviously, not much help with starting things (if you are in India !). The girl’s family is not too pleased about it all. In fact, there has been an un-official refusal made already. So, while discussing about the available options, he informed me about the case of the girl’s elder sister, who had already experienced a forcefully broken relationship.

“Inter-caste too ??” I asked him.

“No.” He replied.

“Inter-religion ??” I asked again.

“No.” He replied again. “Same caste and religion.”

“What do you mean ?? Was the guy a criminal or something ??” I asked back.

“No. He was a well settled doctor.” He replied back.

And thus, it dawned on me that the reason for the family’s disapproval of the match was that the girl knew the boy before marriage. And that couldn’t be allowed.

CAN YOU BEAT THAT ???!!!

Yes ! That is exactly the reason why us Indians are never comfortable with love marriages. We make all sorts of excuses. We so confidently claim that arranged marriages are always more successful than love marriages. That a person can never adjust to the lifestyle of a family of a different community. That there is nothing called love that’ll last a lifetime. And a pile of such age-old arguments.

But the bitter reality is that whatever excuses we make, it is actually the idea of love that we cannot accept. We just cannot see two people who are happy being with each other. Instead of being content with our own happiness, we are troubled to see others happy. Even if the others are our own children.

Take for example, the recent cases in Haryana. A whole village made life hell for a couple who fell in love and wanted to marry each other. Reason ?? They belonged to the same ‘gotra’… (whatever that is supposed to be)

So that means, they won’t take people marrying out of their community. And neither would they allow people marrying in their own community. But don’t you get it ?? Actually, they wouldn’t tolerate a love marriage.

But why this intolerance ?? Is it merely an intolerance or is it in fact, a sort of payback ??

People who fall in love, but give in to the demands of their parents, family or community, wouldn’t often tolerate their next generation trying something similar. If they couldn’t have their way, how can the kids have theirs… ?? What they went through in their times, has to be paid back.

For instance, in the above case, the parents didn’t want their daughter to marry someone she already knew. But they wanted to marry her off to some unknown guy who, only God knew, would turn out to be what. They would rather take the risk of marrying their daughter to a possible wife-beater instead of letting her marry a decent guy she already knew. It would just be the girl’s luck if the guy turns out to be nice. If not…

In other words, if the mom found things out the hard way, why shouldn’t her daughter too ?? Is that the question they are trying to ask ??

And such a thing is not just limited to the un-educated population. Education has nothing to do with the mindset of the individual these days. I know well about a very senior doctor who is the head of his department in a reputed medical institute, who is making life hell for one of his residents just for the reason that this resident married a girl he loved out of his community. (the biggest irony is that this senior doc married his wife in just the same manner when he was a resident himself !)

We call ourselves the largest democracy in the world and take pride in it too. But do we let it out to the world about the type of sadists that we are ?? That we don’t even spare the happiness of our own kids… We don’t have the guts to love and then face the world. But we revel in targeting anyone who dares to.

Why can’t we just mind our own businesses ?? Why can’t we feel happy if our children are happy ?? Why can’t we just simply accept love ???

Strawberry Crush...

He was still in a trance when the missile hit him. The small, white cylinder got him somewhere around the right pectoral. The impact was enough to jolt him back to the real world. In the next couple of seconds, his mind raced quickly enough to evaluate the summary of what was happening while he was away. The results were quite startling.

Professor Mr. D was the source of the piece of chalk that was sent flying across the hall towards him. And Mr. D was now practicing the dreaded stare he was famous for. It was the conditioned reflex that instantly told him to stand up. Mr. D’s eyes seem to see right through him coming from behind those thick glassed spectacles.

“I’m sorry to have disturbed your visit to dreamland.” The tone was sarcastic. “Should we expect an answer from you ? I guess we aren’t fortunate enough. Well, it would be just as fine if you could repeat my question.”

Darn. Had Mr. D caught him ??? Did she know he was looking at her ??? She’d surely know now… How could he be so careless ??? What to do now ??? What was the stupid question Mr. D had asked ???

There were whispers from the immediate neighborhood. Most probably suggesting the answer. Not the answer but the question. In fact, the answer to Mr. D’s question. But he didn’t seem to grasp anything. His mind seemed to refuse to do so. Bonny from the back seat even said it loud enough for Mr. D to hear. But panic didn’t allow his mind to work.

This sudden activity startled her a bit too. Though she was constantly feeling uneasy about something. What was it ? Maybe the sixth sense which was perceiving the stare of a pair of eyes. But she daren’t look. How could she, sitting in the first row of the class.

And she was trying her best not to look there, even now. She was just listening to voices. Voices, which tried to make a picture of things in her mind.

“I think you need some fresh air. Better if you go get some outside.” Mr. D’s voice boomed. And that was that. There was no other option left, but to comply with the suggestion. But now was the most difficult part of it all. He would have to walk across the room. Right in front of her. Darn. Better to get it over with as quickly as possible, he thought.

He gathered his belongings, and walked up towards the front. Even approaching Mr. D in one of his bad moods didn’t seem as tough a task. His mind was just concentrating on the front bench. The silence was deafening.

She couldn’t look up. Or at anyone else. She just glued her eyes into her notebook. But her eyes couldn’t read. The letters seemed to be some haphazard design in ink. All she could sense was him walking past her. But she didn’t look up.

At last, he was out of the hall. Somewhat a with a sense of relief which a ringmaster would have experienced after coming out of the ring, completing the dares with a pair of newly recruited lions. But still, he wanted to kick himself. How could he act so stupid ? Why on earth did he have to look at her ? Why ?

He was still sulking when he seated himself on an empty bench in the shade. And it all came flashing back in his mind for the hundred and sixtieth time in two days. Just two days ago, the past weekend, there he was, outside the lecture-theatre-complex, waiting for the doors to be open so that he may peacefully complete the mid-afternoon nap that was so mercilessly broken by the odd hourly class. He restlessly looked around as people were busy chatting with their friends.

And that was when, suddenly, out of nowhere, without warning, their eyes had met…

It couldn’t have been much longer than two seconds. There wasn’t a smile, nor a frown. Just two expressionless faces staring into each other’s eyes. Those two seconds seemed longer than eternity. And suddenly, back to reality.

And that was the beginning of the strange uneasiness…

(to be continued.......)

Elopement...

Ok. So, I’m back !

Back after a rather adventurous fortnight of my life. Being somewhat in the thick of things, I couldn’t really get time to post about my exciting life lately.

Ok. So as you must be knowing by now that I got involved into helping my friend elope and marry. It being the usual ‘inter-religion’ case, things weren’t easy at all. So, desperate measures were required.

But rather than the usual ‘elope and marry’ thing, it became a sort of ‘marry and elope’ scenario. Well, if you are failing to grasp the plot, I’ll just elaborate it for you.

As mentioned in my last post ‘Right or Wrong...’, I was on my way to get my friend married to the girl of his choice. Though both their families were well informed of their choice, neither was ready to accept it. (Isn’t it ironical that people who carry on an affair behind their parents’ back are always considered the obedient son/daughter by them. But if they are honest enough to confess their choice, they at once become the spoilt and disobedient child…)

So, they eventually got married. It was decided after the ceremony was over that neither would inform their family and they would keep it a hush-hush affair till their parents see some sense and they could manage to persuade their parents to accept their choice in due course of time.

But as usual, there are always people around who cannot do without getting some ‘excitement’ into other people’s lives. And it so happened that within the very first week, both the families got the news of their lives. (Well, surely not everyone does get the ‘news’ of their child getting married…)

As almost always happens in such cases, the scenario regarding the girl’s family is usually the more delicate one. And it just sounded like a co-incidence to me when their arose an emergency of sorts in the girl’s home which resulted in her arriving in some panic.

If I have not mentioned it earlier, I should tell you that the girl is from my own city living not more than five minute’s drive from my house. (And her dad’s office is just two houses down my own street…!)

So, I received the couple when they arrived at the station. I dropped the girl some distance from her house to avoid her being seen by someone which could result in some unpleasant consequences. We (my friend and I) were driving to my home when she called to inform that there really was no emergency. It was a trick to call her home and look into matters (which I was sure wasn’t going to be something pleasant…)

While my friend continued to try to get to talk to her on the phone (there appeared to be quite a commotion on the other end between her and her mom as I could hear), I decided that certain drastic measures were needed to be taken in the situation. We had already entered the street to her house when I heard her mom shouting into a phone for her dad to return home immediately. Which meant, he had no clue about the proceedings by then. But the return of her dad would make sure that things would get highly complicated. I had already heard about the shortness of her dad’s temper before.

So, I quickly and strategically parked my car into a by-lane very near to her house while my friend suggested her to come out of the house as quickly as she could. Now, when I say suggested, it was more of a mix of panic and desperation. But it surely was effective.

We were rapidly losing precious time, as it wouldn’t be much more than a matter of five minutes before her dad would be driving in, his sleeves rolled up to his elbows. Well, we didn’t get to see if actually he did so because before long, she could ‘escape’ out and made her way towards us. I was ready with the door open and she had hardly got inside, when I told her to lie down on the back seat.

And we drove off….

I still wonder about the number of seconds by which we gave her dad the slip. But yes, I had to drive around town (with her still lying on the back-seat) into clever short cuts and by-lanes to avoid barging into her dad or someone even remotely known.

I have always believed that the best place for any criminal to hide after committing a crime is the police station. That is the last place where anyone would go searching. And so, I got them to my home, knowing that her dad’s office was barely a few steps away. But as I said, he would never come searching for her anywhere near his own office. Though I had to use a back-lane to get to my own house, but that was worth it.

We waited until it was dark and then I got them bundled onto a bus headed out of town to escape being pulled up by any acquaintance. So it became a case of ‘marry and elope’…

It has been many days since, and they have returned and resumed their work. The families, though still sulking, are somewhat recovering from the shock. But we all are positive that they will manage to please their families in due course of time.

As for me, I’m rather satisfied to have been of help in preventing at least two lives getting spoilt for good.

And also that I got sufficient practice at driving off with a girl in the back of my car… I don’t know yet if I’ll require that for myself too.

But, who knows… :p

Right or Wrong...

Lately, I have been pre-occupied with matters of life and death. Not exactly mine, but of someone extremely close to me. If you have read my earlier post about ‘Being an Indian Girl…’, you would very well know what I’m talking about.

Ok, so there’s this case of a young couple who are in love and are facing some pretty bad opposition from their families in order to end it all. But thankfully, due to the prevailing of some better sense (and some serious efforts in persuasion from yours truly), they finally decided to marry.

So, just the other day, I suddenly got a call that all was decided and they would be marrying in the quick way which such couples usually have to resort to ultimately. As I was needed as a witness, I had to leave immediately for the destination.

Since all this was a hush-hush affair, there wasn’t anyone else who would be there to give some much needed confidence and support to the marrying couple. Not even our other friends. So, I decided to hook along one of our close friends who was visiting his family during the Puja holidays.

All I told him over the phone was that we were going to attend a wedding. Whose, I did not tell. I promised to let the secret out once we met at the bus station.

I found him inspecting the vacant seats of a bus when I reached there. As he caught sight of me, he gave me that look which said, “You have some explaining to do… and pretty fast”. I smiled and suggested that we find seats for ourselves first.

We had hardly been seated when he threw the flood of question at me. I had to break this slowly to him, for I knew about his history of being really bad at taking surprises. More so, this would be surely a shock rather than a surprise.

But experience isn’t everything. Because, hardly had I revealed the name of our mutual friend (who was getting married), his eyes bulged out of their sockets and he jumped almost bumping his head on the luggage rack above his seat. A classic example of watching someone jump even while he is seated…

After a few minutes, when things had probably started to sink in, and also the bus had started moving, did I see him coming back to life once again. The following is the conversation we had between us after that.

______________________________

Me : So…. ??

Friend : This is not right !

Me : What is not right ?

Friend : They shouldn’t marry like this…

Me : But there’s no other option…

Friend : How will their parents feel…

Me : They’ll feel bad. Obviously.

Friend : They should think of their parents who’ve done so much for them all these years…

Me : Hmmm…

Silence…….

Friend : They should have thought about all the problems before starting their relationship…

Me : When love strikes, the brain is always in deep slumber. Love is not a decision. You cannot decide emotions.

I just remembered my earlier post ‘Decision or Emotion…’

Friend : How can they just forget about their parents… ??

Me : Who said they are forgetting their parents ? Or they would forget after marrying ? Why is it that everything that they’ve done for their parents is calculated on the basis of this one decision… ?? Would everything they’ve done for their parents get wiped off just by their decision to marry… ??

Friend : I mean why can’t they think of what their parents wish for them.

Me : Isn’t their wish in this matter unreasonable ?

Friend : Why ??

Me : What’s the shortcoming in the boy or the girl ? Just that they were born in different communities ?

Friend : Still. They are trying to make their lives at the expense of their parents.

Me : How do you mean ?

Friend : Their parents have to live in this society.

Me : Yes. So… ?

Friend : They have to be answerable to the society.

My hand twitched to hit something in a fit of irritation….

Friend : It will be a difficult life for their parents.

Me : Leaving this case aside, have you ever seen anyone from the caste/community come forward to help one of their own in times of any difficulty ? But yes, they’ll be right there to criticize once a person does something off track.

Friend : Still…

Me : Still what… ? Tell me. Is pleasing one’s own community more important than the happiness of one’s children ?? That community which gives a damn to everything once the wedding dinner gets over….

Silence…….

Friend : Have their parents done all that they have done to deserve this ?

Me : Deserve what ? If they both give the utmost care and respect to their own and each other’s parents after their marriage, is that a raw deal ?

Friend : And how long have they known each other ?

Me : A little over three months.

Friend : How can they expect to know each other so well in such a short time that they expect everything to go nicely ?

Me : Hadn’t A****** (another mutual friend of ours) met his wife just for an hour and decided to marry her. Is it valid just because theirs was an arranged meeting through their parents ? In most arranged marriages still, most couples meet each other for a few hours once or twice. How then, is that considered to be a good prognosis for a happy married life ?

Friend : Still how can they put their lives in each other’s hands… ? Parents know best as they are experienced.

I thought of reminding him that he hadn’t known the driver of our bus well enough too before putting his life in his hands. The way these drivers drive these days, it’s really like putting our lives in their hands. But I decided against telling him this.

Me : Usually parents look for a decent reputed family, financial stat…

He chipped in…

Friend : Yes. A reputed family background. That’s not a wrong criteria to look for.

Me : Agreed. But does a reputed family background guarantee a boy or a girl with a good moral character ?

And I named a few such examples from good families whom we had seen and experienced in college.

Friend : In an arranged marriage it is not just the couple but the bonding of two families…

Me : So, is that bonding between two families more important even if the couple are not a good match and are not happy being together... ?? And if the couple themselves cannot bond, how can you expect the families to bond... ??

Friend : Do you mean to say arranged marriages are wrong ?

Me : No. In fact they are the best possible option for certain people. I’ll tell you which people. They are the best for people who have never loved. Those who are happy to live with a person who has been searched according to the criteria they and their family have. Those who want a simple life with a partner who can manage the aspects of married life according to their own and their family’s needs in life.

Friend : So ?? Aren’t arranged marriages more successful ?

Me : If you consider success by two people living together just because they are wedlocked, then I don’t agree. There are so many examples where the couple can’t stand the sight of each other. But are still together. Either for the sake of family or for the sake of their children. You can call that a successful marriage. But I won’t. But then again, there are numerous examples of successful arranged marriages too. But it’s absolutely wrong to arrange a marriage elsewhere for someone who is already in love with another person.

Friend : They are resisting their family’s wish to get married elsewhere. I know its difficult. But after marriage, everything becomes fine. Everyone forgets and moves on in life.

Me : How do you know… ??

Friend : Why ?? Isn’t A*** (another mutual friend) happy ? He got married as per his parent’s wishes. He forgot his love.

Me : Hmmm… It may be possible for boys to forget and ‘move on’. But I guess it’s not so with girls. And I have ample proof to support my statement which unfortunately I cannot divulge. It’s easier for boys more so because they have the upper hand in a marriage.

Friend : Huh…

Me : And by any chance, a guy gets to know that his wife had an affair before marriage, which most often he does, then life’s nothing short of hell for that girl. Is it right to ruin the life of one’s own daughter just for some false honor… ??

Friend : Hmmm…

Silence…….

Friend : But if I were in a similar case, I wouldn’t have done this…

Me : That’s why you are not in a similar case…

Friend : I would never approve of my children marrying into another community…

Me : Well, I hope such a situation never arises. But I know you’ll love your children more than anything else.

Friend : You may say what you like. But caste/religion/community does matter.

I wished to ask him if he knew what caste or religion or community was the vendor in the bus from whom he had purchased the bottle of cold-drink earlier which he was busy sipping now.

Me : I know parents do all they can for the good of their children. And also that children do all they can for their parents. But they should be allowed to take this one decision of their life.

Me : They are making a difference. And I’m with them in this. That’s how some stupid mindsets would eventually be eradicated from our country.

Me : And you are with us too in this. Aren’t you ??

I smiled....

Friend : Hmmm… Yes. I am. Why do you think I’m accompanying you…

My smile broadening….

Friend : But…

Me : It’s not wrong… !