Riding The Rainbow of Life

Rishtey....

2012-09-25T18:56:00.001+05:30

‘It's just a trip….why are you getting so excited about it?’ yelled Rye at Abhi’s constant bickering.

‘It is not just a trip….it is a trip where you want to go alone and that too with your friends, and I feel it is not safe enough for you…and above all I can’t stay without you alone for 10 days….Do I ever leave you alone to go away with friends? I don’t understand how you can be so selfish….?’ Abhi lashed back and let the question hang in the space between them!

Rye could feel the tears sting her eyes….was it very selfish to demand some space in a marriage….and what was wrong in going on a trip with friends…. She loved Abhi alright but that did not mean she had to go everywhere with him and take him along with her in every vacation she took….she felt suffocated and ill….a dull headache kept throbbing at her temples! At times Abhi seemed the most insensitive person to be with….although he was quite modern in the treatment of women, in general, and his wife, in particular….at times he behaved in a strange and conservative manner….the reasoning he provided for all this behaviour seemed to be coming out of a 50 year old person and not from a man of today.

Rye felt frustrated because she could well understand that her trip will never materialize now…..all her plans got wasted and above all she will lose face in front of her friends….everyone will tag her husband conservative and narrow minded….there were other friends in her group who were married and whose husbands were not holding them on a leash….It was not that Abhi was dominating but at times he was just difficult, too difficult even to approach! Theirs was an arranged marriage, but love happened soon enough. The parents met first, and then the couple. Abhi and Rye decided to go around for some time before taking the plunge. Both families were ok with it. Within a short span of 6 months they started liking each other, so much so that they could not wait to get married. They conveyed their feelings to their parents, who in turn fixed dates, booked halls and the marriage got solemnised in the presence of both the families, their extended relatives, friends, family friends, friends of friends, siblings and the like!

They were now into a year of their marriage and this was by far their biggest argument till date! Abhi was feeling bad for having lost his temper with Rye and sensing her tears he came to sit beside her and put a hand lovingly on her shoulder. That touch was enough to infuriate Rye further. She jerked his hand off and stood up straight to face him. Her face a weird concoction of pain, insult and irritation, which she voiced in the following words: ‘I should have never married you in the first place….you are the biggest reason behind all my problems…Why am I expecting you to understand me and my relation with my friends….?? You have never had any real relation throughout your life. Your parents left you on your own when you were little, they thought it was better to lead their own lives without you…… it was nice of your father’s friend to adopt you, give you a name and a home…..and the people you call relatives are their relatives not yours….all of them pity you. Do you hear me…..they all pity you….A person who does not have any blood relations to call his own…..how can I expect such a person to be sensitive towards me?’ taking it all out of her she thumped back on the bed and almost immediately the realization of her words dawned on to her. Slowly she glanced sideways at Abhi; his face was red with insult….. He was hurt and pained. How could she do this? ‘Abhi….I….I didn’t mean to….’ She tried to cover up but Abhi stood up saying ‘It’s alright! Don’t bother!’ and walked out of the room.

This was the problem with Rye…..once she lost her temper she could resort to any means to justify her actions. Now she ended up hurting Abhi beyond imagination could ever reach. There was nothing made up in what Rye had just pointed out….this truly was Abhi’s life. But strangely enough, these events in his life has shaped him as a human being and made him more sensitive to human relations and feelings. He loved his foster parents more than anything else and they too returned his love with equal attention and affection, same was the case with his foster siblings…..that fact that Abhi was not one of their own was never discussed and they had probably forgotten about the whole thing and Rye would have never come to know of it, had Abhi not told her about it before their marriage was fixed. And today she just crossed her limit…..she betrayed his trust and lost more than just his faith! She knew the look on Abhi’s face and understood that he was not open to any kind of discussion now…..maybe she should go away for a day or two to her parents and let this thing rest a little. This seemed to be a good idea for the moment.

She walked up to Abhi to declare: ‘I think I should visit Ma for a day or two, I have not been there for a long time….’ Abhi sat still and muttered listlessly ‘As you wish….’ and then immersed himself in his work. Rye was not expecting this cold a reaction….she felt sad from within. Like always a part of her wanted him to stop her but she had managed to hurt him so much that he had actually turned cold….the thought scared her. She quickly returned to her room and dialled her mother’s number.

‘Ma….it’s me here’ she started the dialogue. ‘Rye…I was thinking about you just now….you remember Savita mashi….she has come to visit us now….you remember she had two sons….how she wanted you to marry any one of them….but you anyhow settled for Abhi…..’ carried on Rye’s mother without any second thoughts or even taking a breath. Rye interrupted her abruptly, ‘What’s wrong with you? Why are you saying all this even after my marriage? Abhi is a very nice person and I’m happy with him….don’t forget that…’

‘Accha achha…ok, I will not say any such thing…tell me what is it? You are calling at this hour on a Sunday means you must have had a fight with Abhi….Do you want to come over now? Although it is a nice thing that you want to come and visit, but the thing is that Savita mashi will be staying here with us for a couple of days, her husband has also come….and you know that we don’t have many rooms, all I’m saying is that since you have become used to living in big homes now, you may find this space small and uncomfortable. But we are your own people, so you can come any day, ok?’ added her mother hastily. ‘It’s ok, Ma…I was calling just to check on you and baba…..I will call you later, I think….bye & take care!’ replied Rye mechanically! ‘Bye then….will call you when I’m a little free, ok? ....You take care too!’ responded her mother and the phone shut with a click. That’s it….that was all it was….thought Rye. She felt hollow from inside, it was as if someone had cored her insides out and left her vacant!

It is not that parents stop loving you or something but after a point they tend to grow a little selfish, especially after settling their children in marriages. Maybe they feel that they have completed their biggest duties and responsibilities, and they can think a little bit more about themselves and spend time on their own…. There is nothing right or wrong about it, everyone has a right to live their own lives. It’s just that, as humans, we are somehow not built to accept the fact that parents may also want some space and time of their own. No matter how much any one grows up in age, stature or in life, do children ever grow over the need of parents? I guess not….!! Insensitivity and lack of love from the whole world can be handled but not from your parents….This was exactly what Rye was thinking. She felt hurt and alone. She thought this was her apt punishment for misbehaving with Abhi….what did she say to him… ‘Blood relations of his own’ ….and where exactly did she stand now? She felt so belittled by her own thoughts….

Sensitivity to another person’s feelings has nothing to do with blood relations….it is the relation of one heart with another that makes one person sensitive towards the other!

She dragged herself to Abhi’s study and just stood there staring at him, hoping he would look up once. Eventually he did look up and immediately saw remorse etched all over Rye’s face. ‘I’m so sorry, Abhi!’ was all she could mutter….! Having been exposed to a myriad set of emotions from a very early age, Abhi knew remorse when he saw it. He came over at once, although he was still hurt, he tried to read her thoughts.

‘It’s ok….what happened? Why are you crying again?’ he enquired! ‘I’m so sorry, Abhi for what I said….It was hasty of me to react in such a way…’ added Rye. ‘What happened? Did Ma say something….?’….but how did he know that Rye was hurt by her mother’s behaviour? Was it so obvious? Or did he know her so well? She stared intently at him; sensing her confusion he led her to the bedroom and made her sit beside him…. ‘You know that she doesn’t mean to hurt you….she must have said it without much thought, as usual!’ comforted Abhi. Rye nodded in approval without saying anything…… she was trying to grasp the meaning to a lot of things now!

The space between them was getting leaden with grief and tears! Abhi had lost the love of his parents at an age when children usually learn to talk. For some strange reason, which his Papa never discussed with him, neither of his biological parents wanted to take his responsibility. They parted ways in their marriage and left little Abhi at their friend’s place, never to return ever. He was lucky to have found his foster parents, Mamoni and Papa, who has filled his life with more love, care and affection than he could have ever expected or deserved. Mamoni, although, always emphasized that it was they, who were lucky enough to have Abhi as their son. He had learned quickly and quite well, how to preserve precious relations and keep loved ones closer to oneself. He quickly imagined himself in Rye’s place and understood why she had reacted so….although she did go overboard, but she can still be forgiven…he did love her after all! She was young, impulsive and adjusting to a new marriage and new surroundings and of course she loved him too….

Abhi tried to change the heavy mood and shifted closer to Rye to whisper in her ears ‘So…..? What next? Will you start worshipping me with kumkum and flowers for the being the perfect man that I am?’….Rye turned towards him, wiped her tears and smiled. ‘But…you are still not going for the trip….’ added Abhi on a lighter note now…. ‘That’s ok….lets catch a movie then….what say? Or do you have any better plans for the afternoon?’ quipped Rye with a heavy tear-stained voice and red watery eyes that were slowly showing signs of happiness…. ‘Actually….I do’ winked Abhi mischievously!!

Book Review: A Sinfully appealing Sin Tonight….

2012-06-04T16:01:00.001+05:30

[Image Courtesy: Novosphere]

Title: How About A Sin Tonight?

Author: Novoneel Chakraborty

Publisher: Random House India

It will not be an exaggeration if I say that this book should come with the tagline: ‘Passion Redefined’: Passion of the characters in their own journey to find love and success and that of the author to describe subtle nuances of each character to bring out the best aspect in each.

The story deals with five characters: Shahraan—the living legend of the Hindi film industry; Reva and Neev—the strugglers in the unknown land of dreams called Mumbai; Nishani—the wronged celebrity kid and Kaash—the new heart-throb. These characters dish out their own versions of the film industry and their struggle to make a mark in it but in a way, which will leave you asking for more. As the story progresses, the reader is bound to be awed, surprised, happy, sad and angry at all these characters. In his own lucid style of writing, the author has woven together urbane and smart characters in a fluid narration of events. Peppered with some emotional as well as witty one-liners, this story will most certainly stay with the readers for a long time to come.

This is the third successful attempt by the young author, Novoneel Chakraborty, to yet again delve into the uncertain boundaries of human relationships. Needless to say, all the characters seem real and convincing enough to find glimpses of ‘you’ in them. The setting of the novel being our most beloved Film industry, you are sure to be treated with a journey of your lifetime through the happening lives of five protagonists. Each have their own story and thus a moral from their version of the story! I must say, this way of dealing with several versions of the same truth is worth applauding. Although young, the author has shown a sound maturity in dealing with characters completely different and bizarre in their own ways. And in that my friends, rest the actual essence of the story!

The end has not been penned down in black and white; rather the author has left the absolute end at the hands of the readers’ imagination! The book has been termed an emotional thriller, which will keep you on the edge till you reach the end! Personally, I could not concentrate on any other work, before I reached the culmination of all the five lives! The author has very cleverly used the back drop of the beaming Hindi film industry, which both serves as a bed of desires for the characters as well as the justification of the acts committed! All in all a power packed emotional soiree that tells the readers to expect more mind-blowing works from the author in future! How about another Sin tonight? ‘Why not….?’ Should be the answer!!

About the Author:

We know the author, Novoneel Chakraborty as the mind behind the two enormously successful novels, ‘A Thing beyond Forever’ and ‘That Kiss in the Rain’. With two novels in his kitty, the author has already made a score with his style of writing into the hearts of thousands all over the country. Another feather in his hat is a successful blog, known as ‘NovoSphere’ that features paragraph-anecdotes highlighting incidents on life, inspiration and a lot more. Currently he is also cruising into the waters of scrip-writing for the Hindi film industry. Based out of Mumbai, he is steadily making a mark all over the country and also beyond it with smart words and urbane characters!

Happy reading to all my blog friends and keep watching this space for more book reviews…

Ties that bind….

2012-05-31T14:50:00.000+05:30

‘How are you feeling?’ asked Roshni. Ajay did as much as move his brow and looked up at her. He shrugged his shoulders and shot back at her ‘How should I feel? I’m fine…’

Unsure what she should say next, she lingered in the room a little bit more. Ajay got restless and shot her a questioning look along with a volley of questions, ‘What’s wrong with you? Why are you still standing here? Is the breakfast ready?’ ‘Oh yes…it is ready, I will lay the table… you come….’ replied Roshni and hurried back to the kitchen. Ajay was feeling irritated, more so at the sight of Roshni. He had never thought life would double-cross him in such a manner. He was the one, who had always called the shots in life. He was used to leaving behind others in pain for his actions, he never felt sorry for that; call it his arrogance, attitude or ego. That was how he was. Throughout his life, he had done what he wanted to do and in the process he has hurt many, including his loves ones, his parents, friends and many others. But today Life had dealt him a trump card. For the first time in his life he was confused.

He was confused of his emotions, he couldn’t figure out whether he was sad or happy or angry. His mother had called in the morning to inform him of his wife’s sudden death. It was there that he was headed to; his ex-home or the home of his ex-wife and children. The cremation rites must already in progress; his elder son had found no reason to wait for him and had specifically asked his grandmother to inform him that he should not hurry to reach their home, because he will not be allowed to touch his mother’s pyre in any case. He felt foolish now, remembering the way he reacted to the news of his wife’s death.

‘What about the property?’ he asked his mother almost instantly. His mother’s voice sounded heavy with crying. ‘My daughter has left everything to you and has also left a letter with me to give you. You don’t need to come to collect it. We will courier all those to you!’ saying so, she disconnected the call. Ajay felt that someone had slapped him hard across the face. His wife, the wife whom he had left years back for another woman had given her property to him in charity. How dare she? He wanted to thrash her like old times to show her just how un-important she was to him. On top of that his parents referred to his wife as their daughter after disowning their only son…. How dare they? He wanted to yell and shout and leave them all alone, again. If only he could…. she was no longer around to take in all his abuse! At sober times, he had tried to judge his feeling for Neeti, his dead wife now. It was not that he hated her….. It was just that he was angry at being left behind to face the world.

Roshni was at a loss of emotions it seemed. Her sole purpose of existence seemed pointless now. Since the news of Neeti’s death, she could not figure out, how exactly she should react. Who exactly was she? Was she just the other woman in Neeti’s life….the woman who had taken away all of Neeti’s happiness and her husband of 12 years. Was that the only relation she had with Neeti…..? She could still remember the shock and awe etched all over her sister’s face when she had discovered her relation with Ajay. Roshni was happy to have become the cause of pain in Neeti’s life, because she thought that justice was finally served and she was freed from a whole life of comparison with her elder sister. But it did not take her long to realize that she was wrong….justice was never meted out…Neeti always remained the favored daughter and later the favored and beloved daughter - in - law while she remained the outcast sibling and the other woman in her sister’s life.

She suddenly felt out of love with Ajay. Soon after he had moved in with her after leaving her sister, Roshni had realized that he was not a very pleasant person to be around. The only thing that was some solace to her was Neeti’s pain. She continued living in her own misery with the consolation that Neeti was also suffering. Roshni closed her eyes and concentrated on her present. With Neeti gone, maybe she could marry Ajay and start a respectable life….like everything else in her life Neeti had given her marriage to Roshni in charity. She did not feel particularly interested to marry Ajay now. The battle of Neeti’s refusing to divorce Ajay had become the driving force of her life. She had never thought that life could take a turn when she would have her opponent defeated even without a fight. She tried to remember the initial days of their courtship…..she tried to remember the extra love and care she displayed towards Ajay… the numerous times when she had shared his bed, thinking how punishing it will be for Neeti when she found another woman’s scent all over her bed. The act of making love took an almost devilish turn for her….with she being satisfied more because she was punishing Neeti. Ajay had become her way to take revenge on her elder sister.

What was her mistake actually…? Neeti had always loved her younger sister trying to make way for her in the world. She had gone out of her way to help her with her studies and with every other thing she did. But what she overlooked was the fact that in the process she was killing Roshni’s individuality…. She was all but reduced to Neeti’s shadow, a girl with a super genius and well behaved elder sister. From home to school and friends all had only one thing to tell her: ‘Hope you also grow up to be as good as Neeti!’ she hated it….she hated them all…her hatred became the most potent of her emotions, and she did all that she could to become completely opposite to her elder sister. She got the chance of her life, when Neeti had left her at their home to baby-sit her sons, while she attended some social event. Ajay was not supposed to return home that night, but a sudden change of plans made him return home in a completely sloshed condition. Roshni always recognized an opportunity when she saw one…. And this was one such opportunity!

She put Neeti’s children to sleep and entered Ajay’s room to untie the garb of her decency and the nuptial knot of her sister. That night sealed the future of everyone related to her. She changed all the equations and became the sole point of discussion of every member of the family and all her friends and neighbors. She had defeated Neeti; for once in her life people were more interested in her than in her elder sister! She could almost feel the joy of the triumph, staring outside the kitchen window now. But now…. what would she do now? Her life seemed to have taken a U-turn again…. And Neeti had again become the topic of discussion.

‘Where is the breakfast?’ hollered Ajay from the living room. Roshni was jolted back to her present, she quickly picked up the plate of breakfast she had prepared and headed outside the kitchen. ‘You Bitch! What took you so long? Don’t tell me you are sad because that whore is dead….!’ shouted Ajay at the top of his voice. Roshni looked at him with all the disgust that she could master….she was looking at the face of the man who was once her biggest weapon in her fight to attain her identity, now she felt irritated at his sight! She banged down the plate in her hand and yelled: ‘To hell with you and your food!’ crashing down the plate she walked towards her bedroom trying to pack her stuff and leave.

‘How dare you say that to me?’ shouted back Ajay and kept hurling abuses. She turned a deaf ear on him and started stuffing her clothes in a bag. Ajay could take it no longer and entered the bedroom to hammer some sense into her. He slapped her hard and started to hit her blindly, all the time shouting: ‘How dare you?’ ‘How dare you say this to me?’ ‘How dare you do this to me?’ and finally ‘How dare you die?’ that was it….. The last question gave her all the strength that she needed to stop him. She stood stiff and pushed Ajay with all her might. Ajay was taken by surprise and by the time he could react, she picked up her purse and ran out of his house!

Tears kept rolling down her cheeks and inflamed the regions of her face, which were bruised by Ajay. She quickly stopped a passing auto-rickshaw and gave the driver an address. By the time she reached her destination, she had started sobbing uncontrollably. It was, as if, she was crying for the first time in her life; all her hurt, all her hatred, all her pain and all her self-disgust came out in torrents of tears. She somehow paid the auto-rickshaw driver the fare and staggered inside the house, the same house that was once her sister’s happy home! She could feel all eyes on her and people pointing at her to discuss what she had done to her sister. All over the place she noticed people clad in white attires mourning slowly! Although she was not invited or in any way part of the surrounding, her grief had surpassed that of all others!

She could feel her mother come rushing towards her to stop her from entering. She stared at her mother’s aging face to think: ‘How old had she become’; the last she remembered her mother had looked quite pretty in a pink chiffon sari and pearls and now she was looking reed thin and almost lifeless….

‘What are you….’ started her mother and stopped midway to look at her surviving daughter’s face. Gone was the arrogance and the hatred, her face was bruised badly with swollen reddish-black marks and all over it repentance was etched. She stepped aside and did not stop Roshni from moving closer towards her sister. Roshni staggered and sat down with a thud beside her sister’s lifeless body. Neeti looked peaceful in death; with her forehead smeared with vermilion her face looked coy like that of a newly-wed bride.

‘What have I done?’ wailed Roshni, too afraid to touch Neeti’s body lest she did something worse!

[Image Courtesy: sinnerinrepentance.blogspot.com]

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All’s well that ends well

2012-05-02T12:31:00.000+05:30

‘Oh… What a day it was?’ mouthed the woman to her husband. ‘Indeed…. But all I can say is, all’s well that ends well. What do you say?’ asked Arun to his wife in return. Sunaina, was checking the contents of her handbag to ensure that everything was with her and she had not forgotten anything in a hurry. She looked up from it and nodded in approval to what Arun said. For a moment, she felt she caught a glimpse of the lively and casual person that was her husband. Then again that lasted only a moment; that spark went missing again and she glanced back at his sad eyes. She looked out of the window of the speeding bus. Maybe this was fate’s way of telling her not to go, but did she do the right thing by defying that and boarding the bus to leave. Her flight for Mumbai was scheduled for tomorrow evening. Boarding this bus was important to her, because otherwise she would have to cancel her Mumbai’s flight. In all this hiatus of catching the bus, Arun was silent, almost as if he was not present or as if he wanted to miss the bus. On boarding the bus, for a fleeting moment he was his normal self again, but then….

She turned and looked at Arun to ask, ‘Are you angry with me? Tell me the truth… please!’ Arun looked a little sad, and smiled. He held her hand in his and replied, ‘How can I be angry with you? Its only today and tomorrow’s morning that we have with us, to spend together. After that you will have to leave…right? So let’s not worry about all these now…!’ Sunaina put her head on Arun’s shoulder and began to think. It really was a big blow for Arun, accepting the fact that his childhood sweetheart turned wife of so many years, wanted to try her luck away from him. She wanted to pursue her career in a different city and she had informed him about all this only after confirming the last details. Right from booking the flight tickets till booking a hotel and landing a job offer in her future-company that offered a 50% hike over her present salary. Actually, it was a big blow for Sunaina too. She had never expected to actually take the offer. She had thought that as a reply to all their quarrels over the past 2-3 months she would give Arun the biggest blow. They would fight, quarrel, shout, cry and make up… of course!

But… nothing such happened! This time Sunaina had gone overboard. She had hurt Arun too much. He had turned cold and silent. After this news was broken to him, he was behaving in a surreal manner. He planned what had to be done before she left for Mumbai. He planned her visit to her parents’ place and to a temple. He also helped her with her shopping and packing. Suddenly all their fights had stopped, almost overnight. Arun did not want any explanation, neither did he shout at her or fight with her or blame her. He had accepted it, as it was. Sunaina had tried many times to explain why she did this and what her plans actually were, but every time he just smiled and put off the topic.

Sunaina took her head off Arun’s shoulder ‘Listen to me carefully, I want you to ask your Boss for a transfer to Mumbai, if he agrees then it’s fine but if he doesn’t …… then promise me that you will look for another job in Mumbai and shift there. This job, that I have got, you know that I will not be able to re-locate before a year at least…. Are you listening?’ questioned Sunaina and looked into his eyes. ‘Yes of course… but I can’t promise anything!’ his voice lacked the enthusiasm or the hope that Sunaina wanted to hear. ‘What do you mean by that? You want to make me feel guilty, right?’ retorted Sunaina. Arun smiled again and nodded his head in denial. Another attempt wasted, in the past few days Sunaina had tried many times to enrage Arun and have a fight. She was certain that a fight would bring out all his emotions and he would behave normally again, but each time he smiled at her and dropped the topic. It was, as if, he read her mind and wanted to win the situation from her, as if, he wanted this state to remain as it was: Suffocating!

Like everything they undertook together, the bus journey too came to an end, and the time of her leaving for Mumbai was drawing to a close. Was their relationship coming to an end too? They were silently treading the path of hurt and sadness, each curled inside their own selves, refusing to let the other take a peep inside. They had large issues and larger egos, and that too bruised ones; a solution was not in the offing! The day finally arrived and went by too. Life was not a Bollywood movie where the hero and heroine meet at the airport…. In real life nothing such happens! Sunaina too lost hope of Arun trying to stop her, and made preparations to leave. Arun accompanied her to the airport, hoping every minute that she will stop and change her decision. She bade good bye to her parents over phone before leaving and hugged Arun ‘Come soon!’ she whispered in his ears, when Arun was expecting to hear ‘I will not go!’ Arun smiled, when Sunaina had expected to hear ‘Yes… of course!’ She waved good-bye and disappeared through the airport terminal! Arun was left standing alone in the crowd!

You have huge expectations from people you love, and these expectations are usually not attuned to reality. Sunaina and Arun too had expectations; their only problem was that their expectations were not in sync!

After Sunaina left, life certainly was not the same for both of them. Things that they had taken for granted became the most sought-after ones. He missed the home-cooked food at all times of the day and her post-it notes on the refrigerator, while she missed curling up in bed next to him after a hard day’s work. But they nurtured their egos well enough to keep these feelings tucked deep inside them. But humans they were, and most definitely in love! The crux of the matter being that they missed each other and badly so….

In the initial days they called up one another only at night to give a robotic description of the day’s work, but the ice was broken soon enough. A little more discussion about that male colleague at office by Sunaina or the description of how one of Arun’s female colleagues had prepared lunch for him; was enough to break the silence. ‘I see that you are having a gala time there!’ retorted Sunaina. Smelling the fumes of her jealousy, Arun did not waste time in cooking up an imaginary tale about that special female-colleague’s interest in him. She laughed and fought, he teased and enjoyed! It was not even a week when they started calling each other every hour: talking, fighting, laughing, crying and loving each other again. They slept late into the night, because they had so much to talk about. Was there any fight between them ever? If there was any, it was hard to figure….

‘Today I will be wearing your favorite shirt to office…. I have a client meet. You remember the shirt right?’ Arun asked Sunaina. ‘Of course… I do…how can I forget…? I remember gifting it on your Birthday… Best of luck with your client meet then!’ chimed in Sunaina. Arun was actually trying to remind her of his upcoming Birthday, although Sunaina caught the hint, she played hard to get! She had planned a surprise gift for him, but like always she was bad at keeping surprises and invariably was tempted to tell him about it, somehow she controlled herself.

Arun broke the silence ‘Actually I have something to ask you…. Do you have any important work in the weekend of my Birthday?’ ‘No… nothing such…why do you ask?’ replied Sunaina instantly. ‘Actually I have booked tickets for us to visit Bangkok! Are you ok with it?’ asked Arun with a mischievous smile, knowing well that Sunaina had for long wanted to visit the place but every time something or the other came up and the trip was cancelled. He knew Sunaina would be elated!

‘BANGKOK?? Are you serious? I had got tickets for us to Goa for your birthday….. Oh My God! I’m so happy I will cancel the Goa tickets…Bangkok it is…’ blurted out Sunaina in her excitement. ‘So you did have some plan in mind… I thought I was the only one planning for my Birthday!’ added Arun rolling his eyes in a child-like manner and both of them burst out laughing!

Expectations, probably, get attuned to reality when your feelings for each other are in sync!

What a day it was…!

2012-04-19T12:36:00.000+05:30

[1]

‘Why did you take our responsibility when you cannot fulfill it?’ yelled Rabi’s wife. ‘Fine…just leave and go to your father’s home… I am unable to take care of any of you….’ yelled back Rabi. He was tired of the incessant fighting and the ever increasing demand for money. This fight was going on for the past 2 days and every time his wife accused him of the same things and finally of marrying her and spoiling her life.

What could he do? He was a mere auto-rickshaw driver; he tried his best to earn a living in a respectful way. He was honest and had not learned the nasty tricks like that of his fellow auto-rickshaw drivers. He always charged the exact fare; never did he try to cheat his customers. Was that his fault? It is not that he did not try; he tried many times but failed each time. Every time his conscience came in the way and he could never do any such thing. Mala, his wife now, had eloped with him some years back, because she felt that he had a heart of gold. She fell in love with his honesty; and now after a marriage of 4 years and two children, she accused that same honesty for being the reason of their poverty and want. There were fights every day because he could not earn extra money like the other drivers did. He was tired and frustrated. Every day he thought that he would leave one day and never return, but then the faces of his children cropped up in front of him and he came back home each time.

‘When will you ever try to give us a better life?’ shouted Mala at the top of her voice. Although an auto rickshaw driver, Rabi was different from others. He did not like shouting and haggling with customers, nor did he like the fact that his wife shouted while fighting with him. He felt very embarrassed when other people could hear their personal issues. He was furious but he did not say anything. He took his shirt from the clothes hook on one side of the wall and stormed out of the house. He started his auto rickshaw and went looking for passengers.

Mala got a little frightened with the silent response. She stopped abruptly in her anger and started to fear whether she had gone too far this time. She ran out of the house to see the end of Rabi’s speeding auto rickshaw disappear round the corner. She could not even ask where he was headed to. In her confusion, she slapped the toddler tugging at the end of her sari. The child shrieked loudly and started crying. Mala busied herself then, in consoling the child and went inside the house.

[2]

Rabi parked his auto rickshaw in the auto-stand and started waiting for his turn to take passengers to the station. Suddenly another auto-driver approached him shouting: ‘Today, you are not supposed to take passengers from this stand. Yesterday you fought with me over a petty passenger. I will not allow you to take any passenger from here!’ Rabi was bewildered for a moment, and then he remembered his brawl with this guy the last night. He was demanding extra money from a passenger when Rabi had stepped in to take the side of the passenger and rebuke him. Then had ensued a bad quarrel and his behavior now was the aftermath of that event. Rabi tried to smile and reason with him but it was no use. He was adamant to make Rabi leave. Finding no way out, Rabi started the engine of his auto and drove to the auto-stand close to the bus stand, hoping that his day would improve a little.

There were a lot of people at the bus stand. The Diwali holidays were coming in a few days and everyone seemed to travel everywhere, either they were returning to their homes or traveling to visit some place. Rabi noticed a couple standing near the Inter-City bus stand. They seemed quite well dressed and a little misfit in the usual crowd of bus-stands. The wife was talking over a cell-phone and motioned to her husband to take the luggage and cross the road. They crossed the road and were now standing next to Rabi’s auto-rickshaw. She went off the phone and kept checking her watch repeatedly, talking to her husband about the Bus that they were supposed to catch; which seemed to be late by some minutes. She then inquired at the ticket booth about the whereabouts of the bus.

The guy at the booth looked at her, heard her inquiry and informed her in a nonchalant tone, ‘That bus has left on time and is already half way….’ The woman could not believe what she heard and that too delivered by this inquiry-boy in such a non-alarming fashion!

‘What? Give me the number of the Bus coordinator now…I want to talk to him…How can they leave the bus without us? I had called yesterday to confirm our boarding from this point…give me the number now…’ she burst out on him. The guy at the counter replied with equal calm, ‘They must have felt that they don’t want to go this way…. so they left….here…you can talk to the bus coordinator if you want’. She was furious by the time he gave her the number but decided to talk to the bus coordinator first and then deal with this guy.

Rabi was admiring the woman’s skills in negotiating and shouting at other people to get her work done. She was again on the phone and with sound logic convinced the bus coordinator to stop the bus at the next stop, where they would reach by any means. Rabi was thinking what Mala would have done in such a situation. She would have either started crying or started a quarrel with Rabi saying it’s-all-because-of-you. It was true that education does change people and make them more reasonable. Amongst all these musings, a thought suddenly crossed Rabi’s mind.

By now, the phone call was over and she and her husband started looking for a mode of transport to reach the next bus stop. Rabi jumped into action. The usual fare to reach the next stop would be a mere 30 rupees but he thought he would demand 150. He waved at them to come and sit in his auto rickshaw. They came and started getting in when the woman inquired about the fare. Rabi’s reply of 150 rupees infuriated her further. ‘Are you crazy?’ she replied and instantly got off his auto rickshaw and started looking for another. Rabi got a little scared, she seemed tough and maybe he had stretched the fare a bit too much. He shouted back, ‘Okay…120 rupees…not a penny less than that….’

‘Just because you heard the problem that we are in, doesn’t mean you that you will take advantage of the situation! Look at how you are charging so much more…!’ haggled the woman. Rabi also did not want to charge more but he had to take some more money home, because he wanted to give Mala and their children a better life. He had to start earning more sometime or the other, and this was a golden opportunity, so why not! Rabi saw that they had no other mode of transport, so he tried his luck and replied,

‘If you don’t want to go then don’t go…I don’t want to haggle with the price’. The lady was adamant too, ‘Fine! We will give you what you are asking for, only if we catch the bus, but nothing if we miss it…’ Rabi was certain that he could reach the next bus stop on time, and the fare was quite a bit more than he usually got, he agreed. The couple was also in a fix, although he was charging more than the usual fare, they had no other way out, so they got back into the auto rickshaw and asked Rabi to speed up as much as he could.

The woman constantly kept track of the bus’s movement by talking to the coordinator over phone. Rabi started to like the woman’s crisis-handling abilities. He caught a glimpse of the woman talking to her husband now, from the rear view mirror. She was pretty, confident and certainly educated enough to control and mold the workings of this male dominated world as per her requirement. Nevertheless, he sped his auto-rickshaw as much as he could and was quite near his destination. He jived and juggled between several cars, buses, pedestrians and people on bicycles to reach the bus stand on time!

The couple sighed in relief as they saw the bus waiting for them at the bus stop. Finally they reached the bus stop, took their luggage out and paid Rabi the fare. They boarded and the bus sped by, leaving Rabi content. ‘Oh… What a day it was…isn’t it?’ mouthed the woman to her husband!

[3]

Rabi was happy, not only because he had earned a little extra money but also because this money would make Mala forget her worries for some time. He was also feeling good because he could help the couple catch the bus on time. He also made a mental note of taking his daughter’s schooling seriously, for the simple reason that he saw today an example how education made a person confident and independent. The biggest reason for their poverty, he felt, was a lack of education.

He kept thinking about all these while faring other passengers to and from their destinations. Finally, at the end of the evening and the break of the night he decided to return home. He had stormed out of the house in the morning without saying anything, Mala must be worried, he thought to himself.

He reached home and called out to wife in a happy voice, ‘Mala… come and see what I have got for you!’ Hearing her name, Mala almost ran out with a glass of water in her hand, already ashamed at her behavior in the morning. He put the day’s income in Mala’s hand. She smiled gripping the money in her fist, and replied with a smile still on her lips, ‘Oh… what a day it was…isn’t it?’

Image Courtesy:

http://500px.com/rajeshhh

(To be continued......)

Maa….(Mother)

2012-04-03T23:36:00.000+05:30

[ Please Note: This post was originally published in http://wehaveastory.blogspot.com/2012/03/maa.html
But I’m reposting it here on request of some of my blog friends. Enjoy! ]

A little girl was jumping with joy, holding her father’s hand in one hand and a chocolate in the other. She was not too small almost in her teens but her innocence made her appear smaller than she actually was. Her family along with her mother, grand parents and brother had gone to visit a famous Kali Temple in the district of Bhirbhum. They were on a weekend trip and had plans of going for a little sightseeing once they finished offering the prayers. She was very happy, firstly, because it was her post-exam break. She had been cramped at home all this time and was enjoying every moment of the trip. Secondly, it was a family outing; she could do all that she wanted and her granny would save her from her mother’s scolding!

She could see the temple from the moment they entered the narrow alley leading to it. Both sides of the alley were littered with shops selling all kinds of articles with the picture or name of the Goddess Tara inscribed on them; starting from pens to key chains to photo frames and large posters…. You could get them all here. There were some modern things of utility too, like torches, costume jewelry, hand bags and a number of edible items like sweat meats of all kinds, and shops selling hot kachoris and jalebis too were aplenty. She was making a mental note of all the things she wanted to buy and have once they finish offering the prayers. The day being a Saturday, which was supposed to be the best day of the week to offer prayers to the Goddess Kali, the temple was thronged by millions of devotees. There were people everywhere!

Sounds of ‘Joy Ma Tara! Joy Ma Tara!’ resounded all over the temple. Thousands of devotees had thronged the Holy Kali Temple to offer their prayers to the Goddess. The prayer hall, which offered a clear view of the Goddess’s idol, was covered with a human carpet. The crowd was so huge it seemed like an entangled mass of human hands and feet, all trying to get a glimpse of the goddess in the process of being worshiped during Aarti.

Among all this noise, the pleas of a girl barely in her teens, was getting lost. She was small in height and was trying desperately to break free from the crowd, the smell of human bodies and the disgusting touch of the man who was freely roaming his hand all over her. She shouted for her mother ‘Maaa….!’ But there was no one listening. She tried to break free, meanwhile the noises around her increased and the rants of ‘Joy Ma Tara! Joy Ma Tara!’ was getting louder and louder. With the increase in the decibel of the noise, the man was getting emboldened in his vile act. In the crowd she had somehow lost grip of her father's hand and got plastered in front of this man. With all her strength she tried to move out of the crowd. After a lot of struggle somehow, she broke loose and sat down on the floor. From among the web of human legs she managed to crawl to the side of the prayer hall, which was a little empty. She leaned on the wall and started sobbing! All her innocence was shattered in one blow!

What was her fault? Like all devotees even she had gone to the temple and had plans of having a good time with her family? Is this what her family had prayed for? How can human beings be so cruel?

[Neither am I anti-religion nor an atheist. I believe in God. The narration of this incident is an attempt to bring to notice the cases of rampant child incest taking place in our society in seemingly harmless situations. This could have happened anywhere; in buses, trains or any other crowded areas. Awareness in such cases should be increased. Parents should educate their young children in ways and means to avoid such situations and bring to notice any kind of uncomfortable touch by anyone whatsoever.]

Falling Out of Love…..

2012-04-02T11:34:00.000+05:30

Kalpana was reading the email with all due attention with the help of her newly made reading-glasses, perched on her nose. At 55, for the first time, the family doctor had advised her to use reading-glasses as a precautionary measure lest her eyes got damaged with too much reading. The email was from Riya, her daughter settled in California for the past four years. Because of the geographical distance emails and the Internet were the best way of communicating regularly with her. A mail a day was Riya’s schedule. Any break in the schedule meant something serious. The mail that Kalpana was reading had arrived after a full four days interval. Kalpana had planned to call her in the night, if the day passed without receiving an email. But the content of the mail was more perplexing than the fact that it had arrived after four days. Kalpana started reading it one more time to comprehend the meaning fully.

“Ma,

I was extremely busy in the past few days so could not take time out to send you a mail. Actually I was trying for a long time to tell you something…. Pranay and I have drifted apart in the past few months. At first we used to have regular fights but then things got sorted out, but now whenever we fight…. Neither of us feels like making up. From yesterday we are staying in separate rooms. And… I think… soon we have to think about separate homes. I am unable to find the reason that has triggered this distance. Maybe it is my fault…. Or maybe it is his….it is just that I have fallen out of love with him and I think….. same is the case with him. Pranay’s parents are supposed to visit next month…. So as of now, we are not moving into separate homes…. This one month we will try to give our relationship one last try….. if it doesn’t work out…. I will have to move out.

For now, please don’t tell anything to Baba*. If anything is finalized I will call him up myself. Tell me something….. did you ever feel such a thing for Baba? I mean did you ever feel that life would have been better without him? Please don’t call today itself…. I’m in no state to reason. I need some time. I will call you tomorrow. Missing you more than ever! Take care.

Riya”

Kalpana felt very tensed after understanding the implication of the whole thing. Her daughter’s marriage was breaking up and that too thousands of miles away from her. Riya must be huddled somewhere crying or sitting alone with her own sadness. Although she had asked her not to call, Kalpana reached for the phone. In a very unlikely coincidence, she couldn’t get through and talk to her. But like a fresher doctor just out of college, Kalpana could see the symptoms but could not identify the disease. What was the phenomenon of ‘falling out of love’ exactly? The last questions that Riya posed were outside her realm too. She was married to her husband for life. For good or for bad they were always together. Never for once did she think that life could be better without him.

Riya’s was a love marriage, it was four years back when they had proclaimed fearlessly that they were in love with each other and could not live apart…. And now the same Riya and Pranay had fallen out of love…. Was that at all possible? Kalpana was feeling a slight headache develop around the temples of her forehead. She figured it was mainly because in all the happenings of the morning she had forgotten to have breakfast. Riya’s father had not yet returned from his morning walk and she would wait up a little longer on breakfast for him. In the meanwhile she was thinking about Riya’s letter. She had asked if Kalpana had faced the same thing ever. What was love exactly? Wasn’t it the occasional fights and the realization of being-unable-stay with each other and them making up?

For her, love was when her husband bought her favorite fish or vegetable from the market instead of the regular ones. It was in waiting up for each other for lunch or dinner…. or feeling something-was-amiss when either was not present. Last year when they had visited Riya in California, she was so happy. Pranay was very caring and Kalpana felt that they were very much in love with each other. Then what could have happened in a year that made them ‘fall out of love’? Her daughter was facing an incomprehensible problem and Kalpana could do nothing to soothe or comfort her. The noise of the door bell announced the arrival of her husband, Somnath babu*. With the thought of Riya’s letter suspended in her mind for the moment, she opened the door and soon after starting preparing breakfast.

As was his routine, Somnath babu sat with the newspaper. He sensed something amiss with Kalpana and asked ‘Is everything alright… ? You look tensed.’ Kalpana smiled replying that it was nothing such. She wanted to call Riya and tell her that this concern was love. And this concern for one another was enough to spend your life together. Had education, jobs and money made life so complicated for Riya and Pranay that they were missing out on such simple things….. wondered Kalpana. Unable to control her tension over her daughter’s failing marriage, she confided in her husband. He was tensed nonetheless, but he tried to comfort Kalpana that they would plan to visit Riya soon…. if that could help her in any way.

The day’s routine followed with the maid, milkman, courier and some neighbors dropping by. A multitude of things happened and the day dawned to an end to give way to the night. But all through, Kalpana remained sad. She felt guilty and in some way responsible for Riya’s problem. She was waiting desperately for the night to come, when she could get a better connection and talk to Riya. She tried her number…. and got through in the first try itself…

Kalpana carried on anxiously, ‘Hello…Riya…. How are you?’ Riya replied with concern in her voice, ‘Ma…. I asked you not to call today…but still… actually I wanted to call you myself. Did you get my mail?

Kalpana was getting impatient and pleaded with her, ‘What is it? Lokkhi Sona*…. Don’t be impatient. Tell me ….what is the problem?’

‘Ma… actually I should have waited for some more time before writing the mail….’ responded Riya. Kalpana immediately jumped to a conclusion, ‘What? Have you already moved out?’

‘No… it’s not that… actually we were having a bad fight and I was very angry… I wanted to leave him and go…. And there was no one here to talk to me… so I wrote you that mail’ reasoned Riya. Kalpana was at a loss of words at what she should say. She was slightly angry at her daughter’s childishness, ‘Ufff…. You almost had me on the verge of nervous breakdown. Does anyone say such things to their mothers? I mean…I am so happy that nothing is wrong…. But when will you be mature enough to understand that you must be patient and not rush into things…. Tell me…how serious is the matter?’

‘It is nothing serious…. Sotti bolchi* everything is fine. Pranay and I had a long talk…. And it is absolutely fine now… I’m sorry to have given you undue tension!’ added Riya sheepishly. Kalpana heaved a sigh of relief and in the meanwhile Pranay snatched the phone from Riya to talk to her, ‘Ma, you have tied your crazy daughter in a life-long knot with me. How did you think that I would let go off her so easily….?’ he added in a light tone. His manner made Kalpana and Somnath babu break into laughter. When Kalpana was confirmed that there was no matter to worry about, she had put the phone on speaker to allow her husband to listen to Riya and Pranay too.

Pranay went on to say, ‘Why don’t you and baba plan to come here soon? I will look up the tickets over the Internet and confirm when it is available….’

Glossary

*baba – father in Bengali

*babu- respectful way of mentioning a gentleman’s name in Bengali, somewhat like Mister in English

*Lokkhi Sona- affectionate rendering of a person in Bengali

* Sotti bolchi – I’m telling the truth (made popular by the song ‘Ami Sotti Bolchi’ in the Vidya Balan starrer movie Kahaani)

Image Courtesy: http://images2.layoutsparks.com/1/220726/silent-thoughts-starry-sky.jpg

Stylish Summer!!

2012-03-16T16:57:00.001+05:30

Greet summer this season with 5 easy-to-do style tips

With the summer setting in, in almost all parts of India, I thought of writing something related to beauty and fashion this time. Although, this is a completely different genre from what I usually write, hopefully my endeavor will prove useful to my readers!

After the dark and cold wintry days, we are finally free to let the summer breeze cool our senses. Its summer…..so… take out all those floral and colorful pieces out of your wardrobes! Flaunt the colors and do so in style! Below are five suggestions that will jazz up your summer look and set you for the kill! Take a peek in the below list to see if you are all ready to greet summer in a stylish way!

1. Color me White! - The piece of clothing in question may be a shirt for men and women alike, but may also be a white salwar suit or a dupatta and salwar. White, being a soothing color, it will not only keep you cool if you are traveling or working in office, it will also give a soothing touch to your whole appearance. For gals, if a complete-white attire irks you, then combine darker shades of maroon, red, green or blue with a white Patiala salwar and dupatta. You can also pair a colorful kurti with white leggings.

All things said, steer clear of white footwear. White footwear tends to draw a lot of dirt and is a little high maintenance. Wearing a white footwear to work every day will also draw everyone’s attention to it, putting you ill at ease. However, if your style is ‘I-really-don’t-care’ then why not?

(Check out the cool white salwar suit made with self-embroidered fabric)

As for men, I think a white shirt paired with a casual terri-cot or linen trousers or denims, for that matter, has become a style statement in itself. White linen trousers are cool and comfy and you may wear them to work, if you can carry it with style. A casual white tee with some cool message spread across in the front will work very well with a casual pair of jeans.

(Check out the stylish white shirt and denim combo sported by actor Ranbir Kapoor)

2. Printed & Sequined! – All of us has in some point of time invested in a loud piece of outfit, be it a T-shirt with sequins all over it or a satin shirt or a sequined sari or a too bright and printed shirt, top or skirt. It is best to keep these pieces of outfit away for the summers. But if you are absolutely in love with these pieces and you have just the right occasion to them flaunt them; then pair them with other subdued pieces.

(A combination of the sequined top and the plain scarf will subdue the outfit and make it look cool)

For example, guys can pair a bright satin shirt with off-white or white trousers. Similarly, gals need to pair a gorgeous sequined sari with a plain blouse preferably with a sleeveless one; this will at once move your look from a traditional one to modern-chic. You can also go for contrast with the blouse color, instead of matching the blouse exactly to the sari color. Red and green for example make for a classic contrast.

Same should be the treatment meted out to large prints and patterns all over a kurti or a top. If you have a lot of bold prints on a top or kurti you can mellow down the outfit by using a mono-colored scarf or dupatta, if you are comfortable with the latter. A brightly colored, printed or sequined trouser or skirt can thus be teamed with a nude color blouse or with a white stretchable top or tee. In all case, try to restrict the sequined pieces to evening outings or some special occasions, which will have other people dressed up too. However, large and bold prints are in fashion this season, so flaunt them as much as you can!

3. Accessorize Right! – Accessories play an important role in completing your whole look. Accessories does not always mean necklaces, earrings and bangles, it also encompasses the wide range of neck ties, cuff-links, belts and bags. This point is mainly for the gals to watch out for but why should guys be left behind! In general, Guys... pair your black or brown shoes with office formals and a similar belt to go with it.

You can stylize your casual office wear with a stylish laptop sling bag or a light brown belt paired with trousers in light hues of gray, white or beige. Red or green or printed canvas shoes are also in fashion, but this, of course, is not for the faint-hearted!

(Check out the uber cool silver jewelry)

You can add bling to your otherwise plain white or pastel shade churidar kurta with ornate buttons or large chunky earrings in white or black metal; Silver will do just wonders. You can also add a number of bangles in white or black metal to go with your otherwise plain outfit. A lot of bangles often, interfere with the nature of your work, like typing, so you can substitute it with a sleek looking watch.

If you are not a person who likes accessories much, then invest in some colorful scarves. These scarves can be hung loosely around the neck and goes really well with Indian or western outfits. Another unique style of draping a scarf is to tie it around your handbag. It gives a careless look to your whole appearance.

(Isn't it absolutely cool and sassy to tie a scarf around your handbag?)

4. Shady Connection! – If you are a person about town, then it will do you good to invest in a pair or two of sunglasses or shades. If you can carry it well, then pink, orange, green or purple color shades will drastically change your personality. For those who wanna play it safe, go for the good old black or brown color shades. The city stores everywhere will offer you more than a couple of designs for choice. Along with being stylish, sunglasses are very important to save your eyes from the harsh UV rays of the Sun.

(Check out actor Priyanka Chopra's stylish shades)

Along with shades you may also like to carry a lacey umbrella or a plain old conservative one, but in a bolder shade this time, like red, orange or bright green. If umbrellas are too old fashioned for you, go for big hats or caps. If you stay near a beach then getting hold of straw hats or colorful big ones will not be a problem at all. People in the cities wear big hats only if you are comfortable with it, otherwise stick to your old friend, the umbrella!

5. Watch your Step! – The winters are gone, stack up your covered boots and shoes and bring out the flat, strappy and cute sandals, peep toes and the loafers. Before I embark on a discussion on the right kind of footwear, it is absolutely mandatory to mention that you should first get a pedicure done. Either get it done professionally or do it at home. For men and women alike, personal hygiene is of utmost importance and cleaning your footsies before flaunting them will increase the appeal manifold. Gals.... go for a change in the color of your nail polish. Paint those talons a bright red or blue or pink before you slip into your sandals and watch those heads turn!

(Take your pick from strappy colorful sandals or strappy high heeled ones)

If you spend most of your time indoors, like that in an office, then you can comfortably go for high-heeled sandals, otherwise if your work requires you to walk and travel a lot around town then go for flat, well-fitted sandals. Comfortable footwear is a precondition to a more confident you.

A loose, flowy outfit made of cotton or linen, with a dab of minimal make-up, a cool pair of shades and the matching pair of trinkets or bangles, and you are ready to hit the town and shock the summer Sun.! And yes… don’t forget to slip on those super cute strappy sandals! Guys… gear up your casual look this summer with cool message tees and a pair of colorful shades! Happy Summer to All….

[P.S: The above article is based on my personal research and opinion. This article is not an act of promotion or publicity and does not endorse any particular brand or product. The pictures used are only for aiding the reader to visualize the summarized suggestions.
Please let me know what you think about the suggestions in the 'Comments' section.]

‘To Do’ or ‘Not To Do’….

2012-03-09T21:49:00.000+05:30

Was it the door bell ringing? No… all was quiet….. it was just her mind…. imagining things. The sound of the clock in the Living Room was going on at full speed. It was, as if, someone was purposefully increasing the volume of the clock. It seemed too loud. Rye held the pillow on her ears to drive out the noises. What noises would she drive out? She had a lot of things going on….and she needed to get some of it out of her system. She pulled the covers, got up and started walking towards her Parents’ room. She could see a light glowing from under the door. It meant that, may be, her father was still up reading something. Slowly she knocked on the door. She heard shuffling steps hurrying to the door. ‘Are you alright? What happened?’ asked her father worried to see Rye standing at his door at 2 in the night.

‘Nothing…. It’s just that I am scared…I don’t want to marry Papa…’ she blurted out all at once! Suddenly she broke down almost sobbing. Her father removed his reading glasses, held her hand and closed the door behind him to move towards her room along with her. He held her by the shoulders and walked beside her ‘Shh… it’s alright… you don’t have to marry. We will call off the marriage!’ he soothed his 28 year old daughter, who was engaged to be married within a few days.

‘Really…? You will do that..?’ asked Rye forgetting her tears. ‘Yes of course! Why not? We decided to get you married because Abhi and you liked each other, so we thought it was best to have you settled. As it is, you are my only child and all I want is your happiness. If you are not happy about this, we will not have any marriage… alright?’ reasoned her father.

‘No… actually it is not that… maybe…..maybe, not cancel… can we delay it?’ asked Rye apprehensively…. already confused at her father’s proposition. She had not expected him to be so supportive. A few days back, she had asked her mom the same thing, but what had followed then was sobbing, crying and blaming…. when her mom blamed her of trying to malign their family name in the society. Had she known her father would react in this way, she would have never gone to her mom in the first place. Right from her school days till the time she secured a job, she had shared everything with her father and he had supported her and also spoiled her with all his love.

‘I think, Abhi is a fairly understanding person….. he will understand why you want to cancel the marriage… isn’t it? Then in the meanwhile, if they find another bride…. he may marry her and we will find a better groom for you…. Is that alright?’ offered her father.

‘No… I don’t want that… how can he marry someone else?’ questioned Rye quite perplexed by now. ‘That is not what I want…. actually I don’t know exactly….’ trailed off Rye’s voice and she looked down. Her father lovingly held up her face and said: ‘But I know exactly…. I still see the small girl in you, who never wanted to go to sleep without hearing fairytales and stories…. It is perfectly okay to be scared, Rye…. We will miss you a lot when you are married and gone. But whenever you get married, it will be the same process and we will miss you still….. whether you marry now or later it will not make any difference….. but if you feel so, I’m okay with having you with us forever…. There will never be any marriage. And you will never have to leave us and go. For now… go to sleep and we will think it over in the morning….ok?’ he could see a childish smile appear on his daughter’s face, akin to that of a child, who has finally seen Santa Claus, and had proof that he existed.

‘What about Ma? Will you talk to her too?’ she asked her father. ‘Oh…. What about her? You don’t worry about anything… I will take care of everything…. You just get back to bed and try to sleep. We are all with you!’ Rye was relieved…. finally her problem was solved. She would not get married and Papa would take care of everything. She felt light at heart and felt her eyelids go heavy with sleep. With a sleepy smile she concluded: ‘Good Night Papa!’

‘Good Night to you too’ saying he left her room and closed it behind him. He smiled knowingly to himself and headed towards his room.

The morning was happy with bright sunlight streaming in through the curtains and cool breeze blowing from the balcony. Rye slept till late and got up around 10 in the morning. She was totally refreshed and very happy after her talk with Papa last night. As was her habit, every day before getting up from bed she checked her phone and put it off the ‘silent’ mode. While doing so, she found 5 missed calls from Abhi and a message saying: ‘Unable to sleep without you anymore. Come Soon. Love you!’ her face blushed reading the message and she got up from bed quickly. She was about to call back Abhi when she remembered the talk, she had with her father the last night. She was thinking of what to do next when the door to her room opened and her father entered with her morning-tea in one hand and the newspaper in another.

‘Good Morning….Sleepy-head! It’s almost afternoon…. Get up now?’ chided her father playfully.

‘Papa, I…. I want to talk you about what I said last night…’ replied Rye.

‘What talk? Last night? Did we have a talk? And if we did….. then its top secret and already forgotten…’ added her father with a wink. ‘Now have your tea and call back that fool, he has already called and woken up the whole house trying to reach you. I asked him to wait since you were sleeping…’ added her father almost teasing. Rye laughed out loud and mouthed ‘Thank you Papa!’

Her father kissed her forehead and added ‘Shh…don’t mention it ever….and now….. call Abhi… he’s been waiting for a long time!’

[P.S: For another interesting read check out http://wehaveastory.blogspot.com/2012/03/surprise-surprise.html ]

As Long as you love me….

2012-01-20T12:26:00.000+05:30

‘The hour before the dawn is the darkest’…. Does it always have to be true?... wondered Ryi. So many events were happening all around her and in so short a time that she was feeling exhausted at the very thought of it. She traced back her life a year ago. It was so peaceful, no fear of the impending future and regret of the days gone by, just enjoying the present…. She was way too happy for an average person. She had bagged the best job in campus, had a great group of friends and a steady boyfriend for a year.

Vikram was her dream man, just as crazy as she was, he was always game for every weird idea that Ryi ever had. He was not typically handsome but had a mind-blowing personality. He was charismatic enough to have persuaded the most number of sponsors for their annual fest and also the prestigious job as a Sales intern in a reputed company. They were just perfect for each other. Both were from good families, had strong careers, good jobs and a zeal to live life differently and on their own terms.

It was then that the bombshell struck, destroying the perfect balance of Ryi’s life. Although it was not raining that night, the atmosphere everywhere was grim and suddenly serious…everything had stopped momentarily, and it was then that she received that fateful call from her mother.

‘Ryi… come home soon, your father is very ill…. Yesterday night he complained of chest pain and we have admitted him at the G.D Hospital. I thought he would recover but the doctors are saying he is not getting any better…. I am unable to understand what to do…’ trailed her mother’s voice, followed by loud sobs. Ryi reacted as if struck by a thunder. What? Was she hearing right? How could it possibly happen? It was only yesterday morning when she had talked to her father and he seemed perfectly well to her. What could have happened to make him so ill….she removed the receiver from her ear and checked her breath. She had a small party going on in her room….and she worried the drink was making her hallucinate things. She shook her head as if to her thought process and enquired ‘Hello? Are you sure there is no mistake. I am Ryi Sen from the 2010 batch and my parents are….’ Before she could finish her introduction, the voice on the phone shrieked ‘Ryi….this is me... your mother, Papa is very ill, beta…please come soon.’ This time her mother’s voice jolted her to her senses. Her father was ill and she had to go home. Feeling helpless she replied ‘Ma…what happened? I’m coming tomorrow by the first train…please hold on till then’ saying so she replaced the receiver. Slowly she let her mind process the information. She had to pack and rush home.

‘Ryi… make it fast… are you planning to take the whole day to get ready…the wedding is today Darling… you have a deadline to adhere to…’ teased Payal, Ryi’s office colleague. Right she was, Ryi had a routine to adhere to. These memories could be traced back later too. After marriage she would have all the time in her life to think about these things. Moreover these things were in the past. The present should be much more pleasing than the past. But is it at all pleasing? This question had disturbed her for long but she did not find an appropriate answer to it. She had stopped planning things and expecting good things to happen. She was too wary of the concept of getting married a good three-four years before she had actually planned the event. Wasn’t marriage supposed to change everything in a girl’s life? Could she ever be the same person after marriage? And what about her career…. It will stay certainly but will she be able to devote just as much time to it? As has become the rule in the past year, subconsciously she slipped into the past again.

All good things stopped happening to her when she came home last summer to a cold house, where all was lost. Her father had been rendered immobile by the life threatening heart attack that he suffered. His life was spared but he was sentenced to a life imprisonment in bed. Ryi could not bear the sight. She had never seen her mother as much as cry and now she sat wailing beside her father’s bed for most of the time. Ryi had always led a protected life, she could not imagine what all was expected of her now. But being responsible by nature, she slipped into the role of the guardian of the house soon. Her new company understood enough to let her have a transfer in her home town, so that she could be near home. Although she had to accept a cut in salary but these things had stopped worrying her. She had larger issues now; issues that she never knew existed!

Almost as soon as her father started showing signs of improvement, the relatives started pouring in their house as unexpected torrents of rain in a winter evening. They coaxed, advised, ordered and pleaded in various ways to have Ryi married off as soon as possible and they all had wonderful grooms in store.

‘Are these people for real? As it is I’m worried about Papa and now you want me to get married? That too… because your relatives think so…?’ fumed Ryi at her mother. Although her mother had a point but it was too painful to imagine herself as another reason of worry for her parents. She was their guardian, was she not? Then how could her marriage be of any help whatsoever? But her mother knew better and she kept pleading with her. Unable to put her off any longer Ryi told her about Vikram and promised to bring him home to meet her. Promises are made to be broken and this one certainly qualified in that category.

‘Marriage? Now? Are you crazy? I mean… of course I love you but what about our plans….remember we wanted to go for on-site opportunities then reach a salary of at least 1 lakh per month and then get married. We both made these plans and you can’t back off now….? Please Ryi think of our future together…’ reasoned Vikram, her Punjabi boyfriend of almost one and a half years. He was right, they had made these plans but things have changed. Everything had changed, life was different now.

‘Please Vikram, understand that a lot of things have changed. If you don’t get married to me now, I will have to get into a stupid arranged marriage…. I don’t want to ruin my life. Our plans will stay the same just that we will marry earlier…’ countered Ryi. What a fix….what a situation they had gotten themselves into….she knew that Vikram was right and it hurt her ego badly to pressurize him on this issue. Even she was not ready for marriage but she was not the only one making decisions now. She had a sick father and a nervous mother at home, who had all their remaining hopes pinned on her.

She had gone home accepting defeat and also her fate. She asked her mother to look for grooms. The search started and she barely managed to survive three sessions of bride-display, when her patience snapped. Were these guys for real? It was as if they were buying vegetables in a market. They wanted it all: a pretty wife, who was convent educated, had a good job, knew house-work, will stay with his unlimited relatives in the same house and bear him wonderful children! ‘Oh God…irritating!’ exclaimed Ryi and left in the middle of such a display session, wherein the groom’s mother had crossed all levels of expectation. She was almost mentally ready to stay single forever when….

‘Ryi…. are you planning to trip and fall on the stairs on your marriage day?’ shouted her mother at a lost Ryi. Ryi was so lost in her thoughts that she had not noticed that she had almost reached the beginning of the stairs. She was unacquainted to this place. It was a marriage hall taken on rent for the event of her marriage; as a result she couldn’t judge the area and placement of the stairs. On the floor below she could see the decked up area being made ready by her cousins and friends. It was a sight to behold; the flower decoration was her mother’s idea. Although skeptical in the beginning, Ryi was quiet liking the look now. She spotted her father sitting propped against pillows on a single sofa. Although unable to display any movement physically he was surprisingly calm and satisfied, almost happy. His eyes gave Ryi the feeling that she was doing the right thing and he was beside her even in his silence. Amidst all this, the groom had arrived. Her friends and cousins streamed past her to greet the groom.

‘Go inside the room Ryi, we will call you when the rituals will begin. You are the bride. You can’t keep standing at the head of the stairs like this….’ exclaimed her aunt almost scolding. Her aunt was right, what was she thinking. The least she wanted was to shock her future-in-laws. She shuffled inside only to be called within minutes to carry out the marriage rituals. Heavily veiled she could not see her groom. There were people everywhere: friends, relatives, friends of relatives and some strangers who were relatives too. She tried hard to see through so many faces, how her groom looked in all his marriage finery. It was not an easy thing to do though.

Finally they came face to face to look into each other’s eyes and exchange garlands. A pair of mascara-lined eyes met a stern gaze from light-brown eyes. His eyes… Vikram’s eyes made Ryi forget all her fears. The apprehensions evaporated bringing a shy smile to her lips. Even the last month, seemed distant now, when she was actually getting prepared to marry a total stranger; Vikram came back in her life almost as a blessing and took hold. After that everything happened swiftly. His parents opposed to a Bengali-Punjabi marriage, he persuaded them with ways and means no one knew existed. Apparently after their discussion about marriage, Vikram had realized that all his plans had a meaning when they were to be executed along with Ryi and not alone. That is what he told Rye, ‘It was not love….it was just a feeling of emptiness that I feel without you’. Men will be men and Vikram too kept the mystery about his emotions alive. Mystery or not he was clearly in love and couldn’t let her go.

In a quick movement Vikram jerked her towards him, shaking her out of her thoughts and whispered in her ears: ‘It’s alright….Don’t look so tensed….go for it…this is my first time too….’ Shouts from all around separated them; Ryi smiled at his remark and flung the garland across his neck.

Love Actually….

2011-12-28T17:20:00.000+05:30

[1]

‘Who asked you to take the car out on your own? Are you out of your mind?’ shrieked Joy looking at Sirin.

Tears welled up in her eyes, she felt humiliated to say the least. How could Joy be so insensitive? Sirin had driven the car to Joy’s office to pick him up after work. She had thought that it would be a nice surprise on his Birthday. But his reaction left no doubt in her mind of exactly how surprised Joy was. Sirin was tired of Joy always telling her to do this and not to do that. She felt like an overgrown child with an adopted parent, who was over-protective of her.

Where had they gone wrong? Was five years too long to stay with someone or was it too short a time to know each other? They were married for five years now. It was a love marriage certainly. Sirin had always felt that they were complete as a couple. Each completed the other. But down the line, something had gone wrong; their relationship had gone from a loving one to a suffocating one. Joy’s idea of caring had taken the turn of suffocating Sirin out of her life. Lost among her thoughts she could hear a faint voice. She slowly came back to the present. Joy was telling her something:

‘I’m sorry… I didn’t mean to shout at you. It’s just that I’m concerned that you may hurt yourself! Come sit in the car I will drive!’ Sirin did as instructed. She looked out of the window at the passing scenery. Maybe she was giving chance to a dead relationship. She certainly needed a break from all this. She could hear Joy say something. But she was not paying attention…. they had drifted apart and she didn’t need a qualified psychiatrist to tell her that. Just a few days back, she had rejected an offer from her office to go for an on-site project for a month. She did not even think about it for once because she could not bear to stay away for Joy for such a long time. But…now…. she felt that she needed to be alone. She needed to be herself again.

‘Let’s drive straight to home…..I don’t think it will be healthy for you and also for me to eat outside today. Remember we had gone out for dinner even last week….’ instructed Joy. Sirin was too tired and emotionally drained to answer. She just nodded in agreement. What was wrong…..why had Joy suddenly become so insensitive towards her. Was he seeing someone else? Was she thinking too much about it? Or was it just a passing phase? It was too much for her now. She needed a break. She prayed that her boss was still ready to consider her interest in the on-site opportunity. Returning home she mailed her boss stating her change of mind.

[2]

‘You don’t have to go on an onsite project…. You can’t do that to us?’ shouted Joy to a stubborn Sirin. ‘I don’t have to go but I want to go…’ was all Sirin said. ‘But why….if it is for the money, then….’ pleaded Joy. ‘No it’s not the money….’ added Sirin even before Joy had finished. ‘See… my work is important to me and I need to do it. There are others contesting for this opportunity but I was chosen…so I don’t think I should let go of this’ replied Sirin logically. ‘Fine…if that is all you want…but before that I will have to be in Hyderabad for a week starting day after tomorrow. Since you are not leaving before the end of this month I will be back well within time’.

That’s it…. wouldn’t Joy fight any longer and plead with her; the discussion was over….? What was the point in going away if Joy didn’t care at all….! In an attempt to punish Joy she was actually punishing herself. She felt stupid, to say the least. This was a new phenomenon in their relationship. They avoided fights because of lack of time or simply because of fatigue. It seemed that they had burdened each other with so many expectations that they were always tired of carrying the relationship around. Everything had become mechanical. Things were done because they had to be done. Gone were the days when they had spent hours trying to persuade the other person or apologizing for something silly. Likewise the topic of Sirin-leaving-for-an-onsite-project was dropped…dropped for the time being….dropped because they had become fed up of arguing with each other!

The irony of the matter was that, they fought with each other because of a peculiar reason. The main reason why they had got married was the reason why they fought with each other. The reason was that Joy felt, Sirin was a carefree, happy-go-lucky girl; while for Sirin, Joy was the responsible family-man. And now after five years of marriage, Sirin felt that Joy was too responsible and actually very boring, while Joy felt that Sirin was too casual and actually immature and childish. How can people change so soon? The very reason why they had fallen in love with each other had become non-existent. Both of them were aware of the fact that they had once liked these qualities in the other and now hated each other for these qualities itself.

However, since Sirin always insisted on the rule that ‘Work is work’, she couldn’t ask Joy to stay back and not go to Hyderabad. In that case, he may also ask her to leave her onsite project and stay back. And then, the focus of the matter will shift and she will lose her point to him. She couldn’t let that happen; she would not let Joy steal the emotional limelight from her this time, not in any way. Although irritated, she reluctantly accepted his official trip to Hyderabad.

[3]

What was that noise….Sirin was jolted out of her sleep by some noise. She sat up straight and tried to assess the situation. She was sweating…the fan had stopped…probably a power cut, and the clock in the hall had just struck 12…. And most importantly she was alone…Joy was in Hyderabad for a week. It was too boring…fighting with Joy was much better than this peace…. Whatever new happened in office she itched to tell Joy…but talking over the phone was never the same as talking in person…. She had even contemplated a divorce few days back…..she shuddered to think of that now. Her whole existence was filled with Joy’s presence. She hated herself for loving her adversary…for missing the person who was responsible for all her worries. She felt helpless and sad. Was Joy feeling the same? Maybe… but Sirin did miss him and that was the simple fact….irrespective of the fact whether he missed her or not…

She will have to make this marriage work….and what about her on-site project? She cannot even survive a week, how on Earth will she survive a month without Joy? She was worried as how to handle this. Her ego was too huge to tell Joy that she will not go because she will miss him. Miss Him? Was that at all possible after so many years of being married to each other….. It certainly was… that was what she was feeling at that moment. She realized foolishly that happiness, sadness, anger, confusion and every other thing had a meaning…only when she was with Joy. But she could never let him know that. Not in this life at least! With these thoughts clouding her mind, days became noons, noons became evenings and evenings ended in sleepless nights. The week finally got over leaving Sirin relieved to have Joy back from Hyderabad.

[4]

Routine life once again pushed behind all sorts of worries from both their minds: Commuting to work every day, meeting work targets and dealing with weird colleagues, planning the months’ budget while having quick lunches and quicker dinners, while almost never having breakfast became the routine of their lives again. The day when Sirin will have to leave for a month was drawing to a close; even Joy had become very busy with his work. Work had become demanding for both of them and rightly so, they wanted to be busy to avoid any unpleasant confrontation with each other. Joy never discussed the topic of her leaving. He never even pleaded with her to stay. Sirin was certain that he was no longer interested in her. There must be someone or something else that made him uncaring towards her. Time just flew past them and it was almost time for her to leave.

A week before her departure, she was busy packing her bags when Joy announced: ‘I had applied for a month’s sabbatical in office. A month is not possible but given the fact that I have been working so hard for the last month they have agreed to give me a leave for 15 days provided I report from our onsite location’s office after 7 days. So basically we can be together for 15 days and even enjoy a small vacation…..what say?’ It took some time for Sirin to digest the whole information. ‘What..?? Are you serious?’ exclaimed Sirin. With a smirk across his face, Joy just nodded in reply. Sirin jumped up and flanked her arms around him in a huge embrace. This was by far the best news that she had heard in days. There was no ego involved now… life seemed simple. She felt happy and content just holding him. So…that was it….he was trying to buy out his leaves….and that was the reason why he was working so hard….Sirin was relieved that her worries were baseless. Joy stroked her hair and kept her in his embrace.

It took them some time to return to normalcy after the emotional upheaval that had seen a culmination after almost a month. Once back to the present, Joy took note of his surroundings: Sirin’s half-packed bags were scattered all over their bed room.

Looking around, his first question was: ‘Have you checked all the papers? Let me see ….what you were packing…..’ saying so, he started going through her half packed suitcase.

‘What is all this? Pack some important things instead of six pairs of shoes….’ scolded Joy. Joy was his usual self again, back in his role of her guardian! Sirin smiled at his rebuke and thanked God silently for having Joy in her life!

Life is perfect…

2011-12-16T18:56:00.000+05:30

[1]

Riya closed her eyes and rested her head on Ryan’s shoulder. This feeling of safety was primal to Riya’s existence. She was unable to think that a day will come when she will not be able to enjoy such moments of solitude with Ryan. Over these few years, he had become an important part of her life: her friend, love and confidante. She could trust him with any secret of her life. He always had solutions to all her problems. No matter how tricky the situation was, Ryan found a way to bail out Riya from it. His suggestions in her work life as well as personal life were objective and practical. Even Ryan depended hugely on Riya. She was his pillar of strength. With each day their relationship had grown manifolds and found a new meaning.

She felt a slight jerk and looked up to see that Ryan was motioning her to keep her head off his shoulder. Lost in her own thoughts, Riya had almost forgotten that they were traveling in a crowded bus instead of Ryan’s car and both of them had huddled together to occupy the only empty seat in the bus. The journey to and from office was the most memorable part of Riya’s day. This was for the simple reason that she could be with Ryan and share all her happiness and worries with him. All her worries actually, turned to happiness when she was with him. Wherever they went she met a few envying gazes from women around them. Needless to say, she felt very proud to be with him.

‘By the way…why were you shouting at your team members today?’ inquired Ryan, breaking into her stream of thoughts. ‘When…? Oh..Yes…even you would have done the same had you been in my position’ defended Riya.

‘Why? What happened?’ questioned Ryan. ‘You know about that big client delivery that we have on the 20th….? Regarding that, my efficient team members had gone ahead and sought Subho Sir’s advice…even without telling me anything. Naturally….Subho Sir was irritated. He called me in his cabin and asked me to improve my relations with the team. Just imagine….. How big an insult that is to me?’ fumed Riya.

‘And…. you think…the solution to all this is shouting at your team? I don’t think it will help in any way. Just cool your temper for once…and think…. Do you actually give time in building communication within your team? Your team members may find you hard to approach…..maybe that is the reason why they went ahead to met Subho Sir! Why don’t you sit with them tomorrow first thing in the morning and ask them their issues…. What say?’ advised Ryan.

Ryan did have a point. Being busy with the client delivery she did neglect the issues plaguing her team members. Riya thought that maybe she was a little too hard on them. Actually she was stressed and angry at the same time for being called by Subho Sir. Thus, she conveniently vented her anger on her team.

‘Well…I think you are right! I don’t know what happens to me when I get angry…. I will talk to them tomorrow’ said Riya smiling. Saying it, made her feel relaxed. What would she do without Ryan….? She could not even think. He was just the radar of her life’s ship; the savior in her distress. Her thoughts were broken by the incessant ringing of Ryan’s phone. Ryan picked up the phone and cupped his hands over the speaker to avoid any disturbance. Riya looked out of the window to wait for his call to end.

‘So…what are you doing tomorrow? Can we go for shopping?’ asked Riya trying to change the serious atmosphere. ‘Shopping....? let’s see…You know that I cannot stay out of home for a long time after office. If you can manage to leave office a little early then maybe we can plan something..’ suggested Ryan. Riya beamed with joy, such rare moments were always to be cherished to the utmost. She entwined her fingers in his and whispered in his ears, ‘Thank you for being so understanding…..I love you so much’. Ryan smiled in agreement and added ‘I love you too….’ For Riya, the moment lasted for an eternity and everything else seemed to fade into oblivion! He slowly untangled his fingers from hers and motioned her to move and give way. His stop was coming next. She woke up from her reverie and smiled. As he approached the door she waved him goodbye. Riya’s stop was next. As soon as Ryan got off the bus, she also got up from her seat to walk towards the door. For as long as she could, she craned her neck to stare at Ryan’s fading silhouette in the darkness outside.

Ryan walked the ten minutes path leading to his home thinking about Riya and smiled to himself. He pressed the calling bell and waited patiently. The door opened and Sunaina flashed him a hearty smile. ‘Hey…how was your day?’ asked Sunaina enthusiastically. Entering, Ryan gave her a huge smile and added: ‘Just office…you know…you tell me what you did the whole day? And where is our little princess? Did she complete her homework?’

‘Oh…Yes…she has been a good girl all day. But she is fast asleep now’ replied Sunaina, obviously proud of her four year old.

Ryan went straight to his daughter’s room and carefully opened the door, conscious not to make any noise. He kissed the forehead of his sleeping child. She was in a sound sleep. He left the room silently to go back to his room. He then freshened up and sat down to dinner opposite his wife of 7 years. Dinner was the only time when he caught up with Sunaina, and talked about everything, especially, about their daughter. Their daughter was in school now and quite a bright child too. Life was just perfect for this family!

[2]

Riya walked herself home almost dragging to take every step; all the time thinking about Ryan and sometimes about her parents too. At times, she was worried about her parents, who were busy finding a groom for her. The way they were looking, it will not be long before they find someone appropriate. She was worried that this was also taking a toll on their health. They were always stressed about not finding the right guy. She smiled thinking about their concern for her and thought how lucky she was to have such wonderful parents. Her mother opened the door with a volley of questions.

‘How will I ever explain to the groom’s family that their would-be daughter-in-law has to return at midnight from office? I don’t know how will you manage when you get married? Not everyone will be as adjusting as Ma and Papa. Are you listening to me?’ shouted her mother. Riya flung her arms around her mother to stop her lecture. ‘Ma…enough…I’m tired already…give me something to eat please…’ pleaded Riya. Her mother softened instantly and set out to get the table ready for dinner. Riya freshened up and sat down to eat, all the time fidgeting with her phone.

‘Leave the phone alone and concentrate on your food!’ instructed her mother. Like a school girl, she grimaced at her mother mockingly, but obliged. Her father joined them on the dinner table.

‘How was your day, beta?’ asked her father. She smiled and replied with a nod, signifying that it was 'OK'. Mr. Awasthi was quite proud of his only child and discussing her office at dinner had become a routine for the past few years.

She was about to turn, to tell her father something about her office, when the screen of her phone lit up with the words: ‘Boss calling…’

Riya stopped to smile, picked up the phone and walked away from the dining table.

‘Hello…Ryan...? Calling so soon…..?? Is she asleep already…?’ she asked in a hushed tone.

Strings Detached….

2011-11-17T11:53:00.001+05:30

Her lips quivered to tell him the truth, but she was too overwhelmed with emotion to speak anything. ‘Everything will be fine now. We will be together always’, Shayan was whispering to Simi, as he cradled her in his arms.

Simi was jolted out of her dream as a thunder struck outside. She woke up perspiring in the rainy December night. For a while she was too dumbstruck to understand what was happening. She slowly wiped her forehead and took deep breaths to regain her senses. She was sitting on her bed, in her room and she had had a dream. She peered at the other side of the bed to see Joy sound asleep. She was thankful for Joy’s deep sleeping habits as opposed to her light sleeping ones. Since their marriage, she had always been the one getting up earlier or in the middle of the night due to some small noise or sound to find Joy sleeping peacefully.

But that was something else, her mind was disturbed by the dream she just had. Or was it a nightmare? No …certainly not a nightmare! She could not dare to think that whatever she had ever felt for Shayan was a nightmare. Shayan, the name stirred all those hidden memories in her. She was puzzled why after so many years, she was suddenly dreaming of him. They were not even in touch….neither was she unhappy in her marriage and missing him….then what was it? What was it that had not broken off still…sitting there she could still relive the incident on her wedding day.

Simi was looking exquisitely beautiful. More than her face she had intelligent eyes that did half her talking. In the bridal attire her eyes were to die for. As she sat in the marriage hall waiting for her groom to come, she heard her phone ringing inside her purse. It was Shayan. He must be calling for the direction to reach the wedding hall, thought Simi. He was always early for everything, be it a class or an interview or a date. He hated being late.

‘Hello…Oh my God…. You look too good!’ exclaimed Shayan over the phone. Simi laughed at his easy self. After that day at his flat, there was a weird silence between them. She was happy to find Shayan in his normal self. ‘As if you can see me through the phone…’ retorted Simi. ‘I don’t need to…I know that you’re looking stunning…..I just called to tell you something…..that I…’ he searched for words.

‘That you are sorry to let me go and not propose marriage to me when you should have…isn’t it?’ teased Simi with a mischievous giggle.

‘How did you…. Yes you are right. I love you a lot and I don’t know what I was thinking. I should have proposed to you that day at my flat when you told me that your marriage was fixed…..’ Shayan’s voice was suddenly serious and almost pleading. The smile on Simi’s face vanished and her joyful expression was replaced by that of panic.

‘It’s not too late…. I can arrange everything…You call off the marriage….or maybe we could elope and get married….what do say?’ carried on Shayan.

Simi was suddenly furious, ‘How dare you say all that to me…you are still not ready…and you never will be. You really think all this is a game….right? Either call off the marriage or run away….how could you suggest such a thing…..how could I ever fall in love with someone like you…?’ no matter how much angry she was, Simi had confessed her feelings for him.

‘So you do love me…. Then why are you getting married to this guy?’ pleaded Shayan. ‘Just leave me alone Shayan….just leave me alone….before I lose my temper and….. After so many days and months you suddenly call me on my wedding day and expect me to leave my marriage and family and go away with you. Who do you think you are?’ ‘But I….’ Shayan tried to say something, Simi closed her eyes to let the tears sting her face. She had to do something quickly before any further scene was created.

‘Please do come and have dinner at my wedding!’ added Simi with a strict tone, trying hard to control her tears.

Shayan was too shocked at her sudden change of expression. He wanted to say something to her when he heard voices of relatives filling the room. ‘Silly girl….why are you crying on your marriage day…you are ruining your mascara….Renu…can you please fix her eye make-up? Look at her…such a pretty bride with mascara all over her face!’ exclaimed some female relative. And then there were other voices, which almost engulfed her amidst them. Shayan could only hear the phone click when she disconnected the call. She had pushed him out of her life.

That was five years ago, now Simi was too happy in her marriage. She could not have asked for more. Then why suddenly did she dream of him. She took out her diary from its hiding place under the mattress and went back to the initial entries. There, on the top of one of the blank pages she found Shayan’s number. She thought of calling him, but why…suddenly after so many years….they would not have anything to tell each other. After that day, they had not talked to each other even once. She didn’t know whether he was married and most importantly, whether that number still existed!

The night passed slowly and unable to sleep or unable to try to sleep, Simi finally caught up on slumber just minutes before the alarm clock struck. She grabbed it and got out of bed. She mechanically did her routine work of the morning and got ready for office. ‘Is everything alright?’ inquired Joy, finding her unusually quite throughout the morning. ‘Yes of course…just worried about a presentation I have in office…’ covered up Simi.

They left in opposite directions for their offices. When alone the first thing Simi did was to dial the number she had written on her palm. Before the ring, she cut the call, then again and…..again. The last time she left a missed call. ‘Damn!’ she muttered feeling like a schoolgirl in love giving missed call to strangers. Strangers….? Was that what they were….? Then what was that they had shared that afternoon in his flat….?? They had been so close to each other, that time seemed to have stopped and everything else had lost its meaning. But then she had moved away…not letting them commit what they had started to….. Was it that unfinished story between them that tied them together? What if…the story had ended as they had wanted it to…??

There were too many questions. She had to meet him once…. maybe, to talk about what happened…. maybe to move on from him and with her life. But had she not moved on? She was married and settled but there was something that still tied her to him. Otherwise why would she dream of him? In the initial days of her marriage, she did think of him often but then she got busy with work and life and he went out of her mind. What was it now that she wanted to know….? Certainly she was not looking for a fling with her ex-flame….Joy was more than what life could give her. Then what was it…that was tying her to Shayan. An apology maybe….or at least to talk about things to make them straight….to depart with a sweet ending than a sour thought. But was it at all possible….??

Her phone’s loud ringtone brought her back to the present.

Shayan’s number flashed on her phone display. She hesitated but picked up.

‘Hello….I got a call from this number. May I know who is calling?’ inquired Shayan in a business like tone.

‘Hello….I’ was all Simi could start with.

‘Simi…is that you?’ chirped in Shayan’s enthusiastic voice.

‘Yes… how are you? It’s been so many years….I just thought….’ She replied.

‘Oh my God…I’m so excited to talk to you. Where are you? I’m in Delhi…..it seems from your number that even you are nearby…..My God…there’s so much to talk about…why don’t we meet? Today at lunch….are you free?’ asked Shayan excitedly.

Simi was taken aback at his casual behavior. What had happened? Had they time-travelled? It seemed as if that day of her marriage had not happened at all. Shayan sounded like the good old times. Puzzled, she heard herself say: ‘Yes I’m in Delhi itself and…hmmm…. I’m free… I think we can meet!’

‘Great! See you at lunch then. I will text u the details of the restaurant’ saying so Shayan ended the call.

She instantly regretted her decision to meet him. She toyed with the idea of calling it off till the time when she could no longer cancel it. She reached the restaurant, the address of which Shayan had texted her an hour back, informing her that he had made a reservation for two. Walking in hesitantly, Simi saw Shayan waiting at the table. Always before time, thought she and smiled. Shayan was dressed in smart formals, which spoke of the rising curve of his career. He had also put on a little weight that added a streak of maturity to his personality. Watching him sit there waiting for her, all her inhibitions were gone. She felt relaxed, approached the table and took her seat opposite him.

‘So…how has life been?’ asked Simi. ‘Life had never been the same…since you left me with a broken heart…’ retorted Shayan with a glint of mischief in his eyes. With that they both started laughing. ‘Oh really….I know I have that effect on guys….but in your case I should be given all the credit for your successful career. I broke your heart and you worked hard to succeed in your career.’ she quipped. ‘Oh yes…absolutely…’ added Shayan. The mood was lightened and they started talking about good old days.

‘I am sorry about that day…Shayan. I hope you understand that we were too young then to have taken a more mature decision’ added Simi finally. ‘Apology accepted. But I’m to blame too…. I guess I was too full of Hindi films to think that you will run away with me…. and I’m sorry too. You know after your marriage I did have thoughts of calling you so many times but…. somehow….I restrained myself. Today your call made things a lot easier for me.’

‘I did love you then…but…. There was no childishness or immaturity in that’ Simi blurted out and lowered her eyes. It was too candid a confession but she needed to get it out of her system. ‘I know…..even my feelings were very true…believe me. I know that we were honest then and….now….you and me…we are no longer the same…. Even if I try I cannot fall in love with you again. I fell in love with a pretty girl named Simi years ago……But years of pondering has made me realize that no matter how hard you try you can never go back to a phase in life which you have already passed. It doesn’t happen somehow. We have changed…everything else has changed….. don’t you think so?’

‘Oh my God…. I can’t tell you how relieved I am to hear you say that. Yes exactly…that is what even I wanted to say. I don’t want to have hard feelings for you…I think we should put the past behind us’ added Simi. She felt a burden go down her shoulders, she could breathe more easily. They smiled at each other.

‘Oh….it’s almost half an hour past my usual lunch time…. I should be leaving now’…declared Simi looking at her watch.

‘Oh yes…me too. And yes…did I tell you that you have become prettier than before. Had I met you now I would have never let you go!’ winked Shayan. ‘I think…what we finally have now is a relationship with strings detached!’ stated Shayan. ‘I guess so…’ chirped in Simi.

They enjoyed a hearty laugh, shared the bill, tipped the waiter generously and left the restaurant. They hugged each other and waved goodbyes to carry on with their separate ways.

Simi felt light and happy almost ecstatic with herself. Smiling happily, she called Joy to ask:

‘Will you be able to come home a little early today? I will prepare something special for dinner and…you….’

Marriages are made in Heaven

2011-11-01T11:47:00.000+05:30

Ritu could hear her mother wail from the next room. ‘I don’t know what I have done wrong? Why is God doing this to my daughter?!!’ wailed her mother and the sobs continued. But strangely enough, unlike the other times of facing refusal from a prospective groom’s family, Ritu was not feeling sad at all. All she had was a little pool of happy feeling at the pit of her stomach. The happiness was slowly spreading all over to engulf her whole being. Her mother entered the room in a tear-stained avatar to console her. To say the least she was surprised to see the happiness on Ritu’s face. She was sure that grief had affected her weirdly. ‘Beta, it’s all right! You put on the face pack and then take a bath. There will be better news coming our ways soon’, consoled her mother. ‘I know’ was all Ritu said.

She was suddenly feeling liberated. She was not sad at all. For five long years Ritu had held her breath to find that perfect guy in the marriage market. She had met hundreds of men, boys and even uncles, who were all ready to marry her. Luckily or unluckily, something went wrong each time and the marriage did not take place finally. Today was also such a day, when Ajay’s family had called in the morning to inform her mother that they were not ready to proceed with the marriage.

Ajay Ahuja was not the most sought after bachelor in town. But he had a simplicity about him that made Ritu notice him. She had met Ajay a month back, through some common relatives. He was an average guy with a well secured job, plans for the future and a confidence about him. Ritu had thought that there might be a chance of a little something happening between them. He looked like an average Punjabi guy, but had intelligent eyes, that seemed to be full of honesty to Ritu. Since their meeting, she had prayed at least a thousand times to God to make this proposal work out. She had always been extra sweet with his parents whenever they had met. Last week they had come to see her and had told that they would finalize their decision and let them know over phone. And there stands the decision: Rejected yet again.

For the first time in her life, Ritu accepted her life as it was. She did not cry or blame herself. She realized that she could not keep hurting the person she loved the most. That person was she herself. She was suddenly happy to be living with her parents and living the kind of life she was. All of a sudden, she realized that she was waiting with bated breath, for her certain life to change into an uncertain one. She had no clue what marriage had in store for her. There was no guarantee that all will be well after marriage. Running after the mirage of marriage she was losing on her real life.

Last time she checked she was 24 and today she would turn 29 next month. She sat before the mirror and looked at her image. Age was not evident on her face but there was a sadness, a shadow of defeat at having left behind in the race of marriage. All her plans were at stake, she could not change her job let alone move to another city because she could get married any minute. She could not go on a vacation because it was not decent for single girls of her age to roam about alone, especially when her marriage could be fixed any day. Her mother selected the weddings she attended and the parties too, in the hope of finding that perfect guy. On such occasions, Ritu was not allowed to be herself, she had to be dressed as a would-be-daughter-in-law and behave very properly.

'Oh…!' exclaimed Ritu aloud, exasperated with her own thoughts. Too many things were clouding her thought process. First things first; she first needed a vacation or a something to break the monotony of her routine life. Once back from it, she would apply for a better job and in the criteria for location she will not specify any specific place. She was open to relocation. Ritu felt a burden go down her shoulders. She was happy to meet her real self: the carefree, happy girl, who was somehow getting lost in the marriage market. She felt a new confidence surround her as she got ready for office. Everything was perfect. She prayed to God before leaving the house. In her prayers, she couldn’t thank God enough for what he had given her.

An idea struck her and she dashed into her parents’ room to announce: ‘We will go to a movie today, Papa. I will get the tickets. Both of you should be ready when I get back’. Her mother was a little surprised seeing Ritu so happy. However, she also felt relieved to see happiness in her face after so many years. She was tempted to ask what had happened suddenly, but she restrained herself replying, ‘That will be really nice…. Of course… we will be ready’. ‘Beta…. Don’t waste so much money. Why don’t you go with your friends? You won’t enjoy with old people like us’ added her father affectionately. ‘No Papa, I want to go with you two please!’ insisted Ritu. Her father saw the genuine request in her eyes and nodded consent. Satisfied she left for office.

Reaching office, she first uncluttered her desk, which was full of stick-on notes, loose sheets of paper, files, pens and what not. She had kept the desk that way thinking that she would be married soon and move to another place and perhaps another office, thus postponing the cleaning of her desk. While in the act of sorting out things, Ritu smiled at herself thinking how foolish she had been. She had practically stopped living, waiting for each day to pass so that the next day would bring some better proposal for her. She looked around and noticed, maybe for the first time, that there were quite a few new faces in office. ‘Am I blind?’ she thought aloud. She had missed so much on her life already. She felt as if she had got back from an emotional coma and waited eagerly to soak in the surroundings as much as she could. Before she could feel, the day’s work wrapped up and it was time to go home. She quickly logged in to get the movie tickets from the theater’s website. Being a weekday there was hardly any rush. She booked the tickets and headed home.

She took a cab instead of waiting for the bus and gave directions to the driver to reach her home. Sitting there, she thought how long had it been when she had last broken her routine. She smiled as the wind lashed at her face and hair, blowing it into a mess. Reaching, she rushed through the stairs and stood outside their flat, ringing the bell impatiently many times. The door clicked open, ‘Mamma, how long do you take….’ she stopped mid-sentence to see Ajay’s parents sitting in their living room sofa. Her mother’s expression was grim; she nudged Ritu at the elbow, indicating her to greet them. ‘Namaste!’ was all she could manage looking at their direction.

Ajay’s mother started saying: ‘I was telling your mother, how nice a girl Ritu is….. It was just a little misunderstanding that made us call in the morning. Actually we realized that Pammy’s family was not as cultured and good like yours. We decided to marry Ajay here itself. Ajay is also liking this house.’ Cultured and good meant wealthy, that means they must have increased their demands on her parents. She looked up to see her father sitting sheepishly beside her mother. Even Ajay was the same, thought Ritu. When they had first met, she thought that Ajay had a personality of his own but even he could not take a strong decision.

She glanced at her watch and saw that time was running out, the show was in half an hour’s time. ‘Actually Aunty, we had a plan for the movie today. Maybe we could talk about this tomorrow. The show will start in half an hour’s time. If you don’t mind, I want to be there with my parents’ Ajay’s mother was scandalized at the request. She was too surprised to say anything. Ritu’s mother started to say something but her father squeezed her hand indicating her to stay silent. ‘Oh…ho…We had completely forgotten about that movie. In the morning itself, Ritu had requested us to go with her’ added her father with a confident smile. Ajay’s parents shot up to their feet, seeing no imminent invitation of prolonging their stay, they shuffled towards the door, forced a smile on their faces and started to leave. ‘Please do come again!’ added Ritu with a genuine smile. Ajay’s mother forced a smile and left.

Ritu’s mother was surprised at the sudden change in her daughter and before she could say anything Ritu pulled her by the hand saying: ‘Come on, you two…. I will never forgive you if I miss the first scene of the movie.’ Laughing, the trio left to rush to the movie hall.

Movie, popcorn and dinner at a restaurant sealed the day with a happy ending note. Even her mother was not complaining and not even for once did she bring up the Ajay episode.

Content with the day, Ritu enjoyed a good night’s sleep and was awake early the next morning to prepare for office. The phone was ringing in the hall. Ritu had no mood of picking it up; she lazed around the balcony with her cup of tea.‘Ritu…. Get the phone. It’s for you’ shouted her mother from the adjacent room.

‘For me??…Who wants to talk to me now…?’ muttered Ritu under her breath picking up the receiver.

‘Hello? Ritu?’ asked the heavy, manly voice.

‘Yes…’ answered Ritu curiously.

‘This is Ajay here. Can I talk to you regarding something…?’ A bit flustered and a little blushing she replied back: ‘Yeah…sure…!’

Subho Bijoya

2011-10-18T16:42:00.000+05:30

In Bengali tradition, the meaning of the term Bijoya, means Victory in the literal sense. Shubho Bijoya, thus, means "The Positive Victory". Bijoya is celebrated from the final day of Durga Puja, that means, from Vijaya Dashami till Kali Puja or Diwali. That is, it has a celebration time of about almost a month. Vijaya Dashami signifies Maa Durga’s victory over the demon God, Mahisasur. This signifies the conquest of good over the evil. Shubho Bijoya is the way of greeting each other after the Durga Puja to mark this victory of positive energy in our lives.

‘Is he here too?’ asked Khuki to her sister-in-law, Bokul. Bokul was the epitome of motherly grace and charm, the perfect Bengali wife, yet too refined and sophisticated in comparison to her contemporaries. Being the eldest daughter-in-law of a renowned zamindari family had its own pros and cons. She effortlessly fit into the requirements of the character. She was subtle yet strong, sensitive yet supportive of all the decisions taken by her husband. Never once in her 33 years of marital life had she fought or rather quarreled with her husband disgracefully. She had her opinions, and quite strong ones, so to say, but she had her own way of asserting them. Yelling and fighting was too below her. Being a daughter of a zamindari family, she had the restraint and the mind equivalent to a royal Princess.

‘Yes, Khuki…. We are all here for the Pujas. How are Samiran and your children? By what I know, both your sons are doing quite well’ offered Bokul. ‘Yes, Boudi (sister-in-law in Bengali)…. God has been graceful to us….but dada (elder brother in Bengali)…. How is he? Is he still angry with me? When I come to think of it now…. I think it was my fault…. I shouldn’t have fought with him regarding the distribution of property rights….’sighed Khuki. Khuki was the youngest of five siblings with Binoy Mohan being the eldest. Of five siblings, one was no longer alive, cancer killed Juin. Binoy was not only the eldest he was the only son, followed by four sisters. After Juin’s death, Binoy had wanted to sell the ancestral home and move towards the city. It was then that the last day of the Durga Pujas, Bijoya Dashami, culminated in an unpleasant row in the family pushing them away from each other forever.

It’s been 10 years since the last Durga Puja, which the Mitra family had attended together as a family. The misunderstanding or the fight or the quarrel or the event or whatever that infamous event was known as, had successfully split Binoy Mohan Mitra along with his wife and children away from the rest of the family. Khuki was Binoy’s favorite among all his sisters. When she had fought face to face with him demanding equal rights in the property, he could not take the insolence easily. He said nothing and retired that night early to his room. He suffered a massive heart attack in the middle of the night. Although with U.S return and city bred doctors present in the extended family, his life was saved with timely medicines and immediate attention, Binoy was scarred for life. He could never recover from Khuki’s verbal attacks that evening. During the one month, after the Durga Puja when Binoy stayed at their ancestral home to recover, Khuki never, for once, visited him.

Today, after 10 years, for the first time Binoy decided to visit his ancestral home in Midnapore for the Durga Puja. In these ten years, life had changed a lot: now his daughter was married and was a resident of Seattle, U.S.A, while his son had secured a job in one of the prestigious companies in Mumbai. On the insistence of his Seattle-born Bengali son-in-law, Binoy decided to show them around at their home in Midnapore. When he had checked with the housekeeper, he was informed that no one else was supposed to come at the same time. However, with a sudden shift of plans the rest of the extended family with their husbands, wives, daughters, sons, son-in-laws and daughter-in-laws reached the ‘Mitra Bhaban’ on Ashtami evening (the eighth day of Durga Puja celebrations). The old house suddenly came alive with so many voices, laughter, yelling, smell of food and most importantly, people. People of three generations in different shapes and sizes thronged the house. Needless to say everyone was enjoying the sudden, unplanned reunion as a respite from their daily clockwork lives.

The caretaker, Topon kaku (uncle in Bengali) was particularly happy to have so many people around him and was happy to serve their many demands. Off late he had started thinking of himself as a mute furniture like all the old furniture in the big zamindar house. It was the last day of Durga Puja, the ladies of the house bid farewell to Durga in the traditional way of smearing vermilion on the goddess and each other; while the young boys and the men in the house physically accompanied Ma Durga and her children to Bisarjan (Immersion of the idol) to the family pond. It was Bijoya Sammiloni then. This event marked the departure of Ma Durga and signified the coming of prosperity and happiness till she returned next year. The younger generations touch the elders’ feet to show their respect while the elders blessed them generously and treat them with sweets. The festivities continued and were more evident in the kitchen; with every daughter or daughter-in law of the house trying to show their finesse in cooking.

Khuki watched Binoy from the corner of her eye and did not try to confront him face to face. Instead she asked Topon kaku to call Bokul aside. Seeing her, Khuki bent to touch her feet and take blessings. Bokul stopped her mid-way: ‘First touch your dada’s feet. He is waiting in his room for you.’ Khuki was too stunned to react and she blurted out: ‘Are you sure he is waiting for me and not anyone else?’ ‘No, he has not mentioned your name but after staying with him for 33 years I think I can read a little of his mind. He is old now and too tired to carry on the fight.’ Khuki could feel the tears welling up in her eyes; she knew that Bokul was right. They were old now and neither had the will or the strength to carry on in life without each other. ‘Come with me!’ said Bokul and tugged Khuki at the elbow. Outside Binoy’s room she asked her to wait and went inside to inform him. Binoy was furious. How dare Bokul reconcile with his sister on his behalf. ‘If she wants she can come but I will not talk to her…. That’s for certain!’ declared Binoy in strong words. Knowing her husband’s temper she did not object to him but went out of the room to send in Khuki.

‘Subho Bijoya, dada’ said Khuki touching his feet. Binoy instinctively held out his arm to bless her by touching her head. Doing so, he met her eyes and was shocked initially to look into the old face of his youngest sister. ‘You look older than me!’ exclaimed Binoy with a sparkle in his eyes. ‘Yes, of course, as if you are getting younger each day!’ retorted Khuki. ‘I can still challenge you to climbing the stairs as many times as you want. Do you remember dada, how we played in the afternoons when everyone was asleep. What silly games were they? Climbing stairs…. then marbles at the back of the house….Do you remember?’ questioned Khuki. ‘Yes I do…. How have you been Khuki? It’s been so long..’ the moment their gazes met, their hearts connected and all the anger and bitterness of the past ten years melted away in tears and concern for each other. Conversation flowed effortlessly and it was not before dinner that they were disturbed by their children and they started sharing childhood memories with the younger generation. Bokul smiled knowingly, as she stood outside the room listening to her husband cite funny anecdotes.

Satisfied, she started walking across the corridor.

‘You know what happened after that…….’ trailed off Binoy’s lively voice as Bokul walked towards the kitchen in preparation of the grand dinner!

Midnight Rendezvous

2011-09-24T23:19:00.000+05:30

Rimi stormed out of the room and slammed the door behind her. She heard footsteps reaching the door and turned back to shout: ‘Don’t you dare follow me…. You are the sole reason for my sadness. I did a mistake marrying you.’ Prasun’s visage changed from a pursuing one to an extremely angry look. He just muttered ‘Fine’, turned back and went into the bedroom to close the door on Rimi. Momentarily, Rimi was a little scared at his expression. Did she hurt him a lot? She should not feel sorry. She did want to hurt him, only she had expected him to cajole her into changing her mood and dropping their quarrel.

In her fit of rage she had also forgotten that they were no longer staying alone. Her parents-in-laws were sleeping in the adjacent room. ‘Damn!’ she muttered under her breath. Why was she always expected to remember everything? For the last two hours she had been fighting incessantly with Prasun. There was actually no specific reason. They were married for just two years and love was very much evident between them. Then what was it? It was just that she was irritated…..she was irritated at the way the evening had shaped up…at the way she had thought that this get-together after their return from abroad would be celebrated by all. How naive of her…. She had been staying alone for too long and she craved family… it was she who forced Prasun to change his plans to get back home, because she felt that she was missing out on everything starting from the cousin’s marriages to the friends get-togethers and all the fun their relatives were having back at home. But the moment from when they had reached home, life was miserable. There were too many people around, and everyone had huge expectations from her! At least she thought they did!

Wiping away the tears stinging her face Rimi reached behind the kitchen counter to retrieve the pack of cigarettes she had hidden there after they had unpacked. She had all but completely forgotten about it, until now. There were a few left in the pack. She grabbed a match box and headed for the balcony. Closing the door behind her she huddled in a corner to light the cigarette. She took a long drag…it did not actually feel good but she felt in control. She was simply tired; she just sat there staring at the moonlit road below.

She thought to herself, what had she done…. What a fool she was…she had left her settled job, her known atmosphere and most importantly her independence and come back willingly to a prison house. Not that her in-laws were bad people. No they were not, they were all too supportive but sometimes support and love can become excessive… so much so that she felt suffocated. To top it all, the flow of relatives was non-stop…they were everywhere… and they had too many questions…. One aunt-in-law had also asked Rimi in the evening if she was pregnant and whether that was the real reason why they had returned. ‘What?’ was Rimi’s instant reaction at the question, the aunt-in-law backed up in time but Rimi’s evening was spoilt. Was that what everyone was thinking? While they were too happy with each other… they had not even given this idea a second thought.

‘Ouch..’ whispered Rimi as the cigarette stub burned her fingers. She lit another and kept staring at the moonlit road with these thoughts racing in her mind. She was tired now from the quarrel that she was having with Prasun and with the quarrel she was having with herself. She was even feeling suffocated at her mother’s behavior. Since they had reached India, her mother had been calling her everyday to enquire what was happening to her and how she was reacting to everything. She was enjoying these calls for the first few days but now she did not even pick up her call in the evening. Oh….she closed her eyes tightly to shut out these thoughts….Was the problem with the people around her or with her? Was she actually fickle-minded? She wondered how soon her euphoria of settling in India had waned out…. Every decision had its good and bad consequences… Was she not strong enough to stand by her decisions? She kicked herself mentally for living in her fantasy world and for behaving in the way she was. If there was anything in the world that she was absolutely sure about… it was her love for Prasun. And now she had so conveniently succeeded in hurting him. She was feeling scared of herself now.

Just then she heard a tap on the balcony door, which she had left half open. She did not stub out the cigarette thinking it must be Prasun. She kept sitting and pulled the door towards her with her feet to open it. Reena’s smiling face peeped in. Reena was Rimi’s mother-in-law. At once alarmed, Rimi tried to stub out the cigarette. ‘Oh…that’s not required…it’s absolutely fine with me’ said Reena at once. A little awkwardly Rimi held the cigarette between her fingers. Reena came in and sat on the floor opposite her. Looking directly at her daughter-in-law, she asked: ‘Can I borrow one?’ pointing at the half-burnt cigarette in Rimi’s hand. Too alarmed to respond she passed the pack to Reena. Reena smiled at her awkwardness and offered: ‘Why? Am I not young enough to smoke?’ a small smile crossed Rimi’s face. Reena kept the pack with her but did not light any.

She looked at Rimi to say: ‘You know that you are a very brave girl, right?’ Rimi was starting to say: ‘But..I..’ when she stopped her and said: ‘Let me finish…. You know you are very much like me, when I was young but I was not as brave as you. I could have never done what you have done for us. I could never leave my job and stay with my in-laws…. That was the reason why your father-in-law and I have fought all through our lives…. Prasun is our only son and I knew even I’m destined to the fate that I had written for my mother-in-law. She is dead now and I cannot go back and re-do what is already done but I cannot thank you enough for letting me and your father-in-law become a part of your lives. One day when you will be as old as I am, you will feel very proud of your decision. If today you do decide to stay away, remember that I will always support you in whatever decision you take; because I understand how difficult it must be for you. I see a part of a revised version of me in you. Just give yourself a little time…don’t be so hard on yourself’ saying so she squeezed Rimi’s hands lovingly. Of course….it was so simple. She needed time…Why didn’t she think of it earlier or why didn’t Prasun point this out to her? She was at once relieved to find a solution to her problem and smiled in response. ‘Thank you so much’ added Rimi, ‘Oh…don’t ever mention it’, added Reena smiling motherly. She quipped: ‘Let this be our little secret. You keep my secret and I will keep your cigarette pack!’ both of them shared a little laugh at that. Rimi felt the tension ease out of her, ‘It’s quite late… I think we must go to bed now’ offered Reena. Both of them got up and walked towards their bedrooms. Rimi was feeling happy and relaxed now and she whispered ‘Good Night!’ ‘A very good night and sweet dreams too’, answered Reena with a warm smile.

Entering, Rimi saw Prasun was fast asleep. She slowly slipped in beside him and hugged him tight from behind. Waking from his slumber, he asked: ‘What happened?’ and turned to face her. ‘I am so sorry, dear’ replied Rimi ‘I should’nt have said all that. I love you so much’ saying so, she cuddled up next to him. Content, Prasun hugged her back, closed his eyes and whispered in her ears: ‘Love you too!’

Let’s Meet…

2011-09-22T14:35:00.000+05:30

‘Let’s meet at the new Mall that has opened up near my office… is that okay with you?’ asked her new found Facebook-friend to Sirin. Instantly, Sirin’s interest in the guy waned. She hated shopping malls. Yes she did…and why would people choose to meet at shopping malls other than any other place in the whole wide world. Sirin felt that shopping malls exuded a sadistic pleasure for the rich, for all those people who did not mind spending those extra bucks for all the over-priced stuff available in the malls. It was a sad place, a place where expectations were raised and broken every minute. Every couple moving hand-in-hand in the long corridors of the malls had a secret to tell. The girl secretly hoped that someday their boyfriends will make it so big that they would be able to afford all the glossy stuff in the windows even if that meant moving ahead from the-then boyfriend to a newer one!

Sirin thought to herself, ‘Why are all men the same?!’ They all thought in the same way. Was she different from the other girls of her age? She must be…. otherwise she would have been happily married like most girls of her age. Sirin Verma was 30 years old. Her dedication to her work has helped her reach quite a comfortable position in her work life, mainly because she had no problems whatsoever, with sudden travels, late night office or any other thing. To top it all, she was pretty in an innocent manner and carried the brains too. Professionally, she was certainly happy but in her personal life she craved company. Facebook had become a comfortable way for her to meet people and interact with them over mails before actually meeting the person face to face. This was the first time she had come so close to someone this way and she liked sharing her thoughts with him.

Joy Sengupta, the Facebook friend, claimed to be a photographer by profession. Although Sirin seriously doubted that piece of information, she still played along. Photographer or not, she had exchanged some hundred mails with this guy over the last two months and she felt like she was sharing her thoughts in front of a mirror. Their thoughts were so similar! But today suddenly she was not very happy with the conversation. It was she, who had brought up the topic of meeting soon. She regretted it now. Or maybe it was normal to meet at shopping malls, maybe, she was over reacting on this. Actually, she was hoping he would say something intellectual like a bookstore or something romantic like a coffee shop. But a mall was not the idea of her meeting an unknown person, especially with so much competition around!

At 30, she was old enough to chase guys and young enough to lose hope that she will certainly find her perfect match. Her parents were quite fed up with their search of a perfect groom for their only daughter. Momentarily thus, she herself had taken over the responsibility of finding someone nice, at least to spend the life with. She was an architect by profession. With the boom in the real estate industry her career too had found new heights. Working in an environment dominated by males, she had woven a protective cocoon around herself to shield her emotions from the harsh world outside. Once earlier, at the start of her career, an office affair was blown out of proportion resulting in her shifting jobs. She did not want to repeat that mistake again. After so many years of being hidden within herself, she felt conscious now of meeting some stranger suddenly. It felt childish to say the least.

However, there was no denying the fact that she liked sharing her thoughts with Joy. She thought about her odds, if not a partner for life she may at least find a good friend. Like nice grooms, good guy friends were rare too. So why not go for it? After much deliberation, she thought of calling Joy and asking him to meet somewhere else. Yes, they had exchanged numbers some days back but neither had called the other. The mails they exchanged each day were self explanatory and informative enough. Sirin called Joy, half expecting a teenager to answer the call; or maybe, someone old enough to be her father. He was certainly not an average single guy, he was either a possessive demon-boyfriend shunned by all his ex-girlfriends, or a divorcee accused of wife-beating or maybe a terrorist, trying to get entry to her office through her! Phew… she had exhausted all her negative possibilities. She shook her head, as if to clear it of all the various aspects of doubt and tried to focus.

To her dismay or astonishment, the call was answered by a mature and friendly voice! ‘Hi Sirin!’ greeted Joy. Sirin let out her held-breath and replied with a ‘Hi Joy!’ ‘Are you relieved or disappointed that I am me?’ offered Joy at her sigh. ‘Ah… it’s just nice… just nice to talk to you after so long. That’s it!’ was all Sirin could manage. She was relieved that after all, Joy did sound like an average guy. With the initial hesitation over, both of them talked non-stop. It felt as if they were old friends, reconnecting again. More specifically, it felt right and she felt happy.

Sirin was laughing without any reservation at their conversation. Jokingly Sirin asked, ‘How do I trust you? I mean what is the proof that you are what you claim to be?’ The question was followed by silence at the other end. Sirin thought the line got disconnected, she enquired: ‘Hello?...’ ‘Okay… let me do one thing…I will carry my Passport or Voter ID card….you can verify from it then. I think Passport is a better idea since it is tough for me to recognize myself in the Voter Id card picture; it will be tougher for you and will add to your confusion!!’ it took Sirin some time to realize that Joy was mocking her. When she did, she burst into peals of laughter just like a love-struck teenager, giggling to her heart’s content. A guy, who connected to her mind as well as heart and also had a sense of humor was not bad….not bad at all!

Sirin suggested: ‘Lets meet tomorrow at Crossroads, the book store at Elgin Street; is that okay with you?’ ’Yeah…no problem at all’ replied Joy. ‘Say around 6? What say?’ enquired Sirin. ‘Sure! I will wave my passport, when I spot you!’ came the witty reply followed by another bout of laughter from Sirin!!

The Date

2011-09-17T15:06:00.000+05:30

Quality time….how exactly do you spend it? This was the question that was eating into Sunaina’s mind since she had read the morning papers. The paper that day had a whole section on ‘Lifestlye’ explaining how unattached spouses have become in a modern way world. The punch line of the article emphasized the need to spend quality time with each other. And this was what, was disturbing her. Almost the whole of her waking up hours were spend with Abhi. Abhi who? Sunaina’s partner for life and the name is just ‘Abhi’ not a shortened version of something longer like ‘Abhimanyu’. His parents were way ahead of their times and had decided to name their only son in a modern manner, thinking that any longer name would in evidently be shortened to a shorter version. Thus a short and stylish name retained in its exact form!

Abhi was an understanding and caring person and Sunaina did not particularly have issues with him. The issues were with their relationship. After five years of marriage they were used to each other, just as you become used to brushing your teeth every morning. But there was a silence….a silence that lasted between them when they did not get topics to talk about. Having close by offices they commuted together mostly. The journey was certainly better than the destination but seldom did they talk, talk like they used to when they were not married. Well times were different then…and now topics usually veered around office. As in who ditched whom in office to get a promotion or how bad the work culture had become in office with no scope for fair play. The best topic was ‘The Boss’…both of them could carry on for hours on this topic. Another quintessential topic, which both of them passed onto the other was ‘the need for a baby’.

Among all this what was lost was the understanding, the patience, the zing and of course the romance. Life was timed and divided into slots for all important things. But that was not the reason why they got married. They got married so that they could be with each other, share that exclusive bond which was now been tugged at by various other issues like work, who will sacrifice whose career for the other and of course a joint investment policy called ‘Baby’. Sunaina was determined to turn the tables and give it one more shot. The day in office was not busy and she spent it planning a small date with her hubby. A Coffee date…..although Abhi would cringe at the loss of time and the uselessness of the activity but still she would pester…

‘Let’s leave a little early today… Say around 6? Can you make it?’ Sunaina tried to sound as sweet as possible over the phone. Maybe taken by surprise or just shocked Abhi uttered: ‘Yeah, why not!’ Sunaina did not waste any more of the precious time and hung up saying ‘OK, see ya then’. Abhi was a little scared, to be precise…was it another shopping spree…the ones he detested so much and wanted to yell and tell her that although he loved her he did not think that shopping was some kind of sport that had to be indulged in weekly once… at least. Was it something he had forgotten…his mom-in-law’s Bday or his in-laws Anniversary….and this was Sunanina’s sarcastic way of making him feel sorry. He checked his calendar, he has missed nothing….then what was it? Leaving the office, which was their actual home so early, felt odd.

Freshening in the men’s room a crazy thought crossed his mind…Was Sunanina pregnant? Maybe she just found out and wanted to surprise him….he was confused…how should he react to the news…as far as he knew Sunanina, like all women, she was complicated. If he became too happy she would think that now he was more interested in his offspring than in his wife, and if he became worried she would burst out into tears that tell him that he need not worry about money always…she was perfectly capable of taking care of her own child. Abhi was sweating now…..he decided on a small but genuine smile on getting the news and sensing her reaction he will increase or decrease his smile. Phew….what a situation. Of course…all this would happen only and only when she was pregnant.

Sunaina fumbled in her huge handbag for the mascara that she had carried to office last month for attending a colleague’s marriage party. Work pressure had been too much and she could not make it to the wedding and the mascara had remained in her hand bag. She found it, applied some on her lashes, touched up the Kajal and a little lipstick. Was it a bit too much? Not that she was not conscious about her looks….she was one of the best dressed girls in office. Only thing was… she had forgotten when had she last put on make-up for Abhi….it was a little out of place… she grabbed a tissue and wiped off the Lipstick and settled with a little lip-gloss. She hurried past the elevators, took the stairs and waited at the front gate for Abhi.

The car sped along the nearly empty road. They were a little too early today for the office-returning crowd. Abhi was a little nervous to ask and so was Sunaina. It felt a little like their first date. Finally Abhi summed up the introduction: ‘Why suddenly early?’ Sunaina was hoping he would notice the extra care she had put in to freshen up before meeting him; however his question startled her from her thoughts. She replied: ‘Why? Were you busy?’ ‘No…No actually I was thinking if we are heading straight home or somewhere else?’ quipped Abhi. ‘Oh…actually I was thinking of trying out the coffee shop near our place. We seldom go there… seems to be a nice place to me…What do you think?’ asked Sunaina. Being married for half a decade Abhi knew that the answer to this question should be ‘Yes’ in order to maintain family harmony!! He agreed likewise.

The coffee shop was a little off route for most people so it was almost empty. Even the guy at the counter was not expecting anyone, nonetheless was happy at the sight of a couple, who looked like they could pay the bills! The menu was long and Sunaina searched for new items, which she had not tried before. She was not the one, up for experimenting but Abhi was…and he was a little taken aback seeing his strong willed wife do things his way….however to her utter dismay none of those items were available. They had to settle for two large Cappuccinos and muffin. Sunaina was already feeling let down by her plan…and thinking of calling it a day. The coffee was served and they sipped in silence.

‘So…say something?’ Abhi stared at her to realize that the ball was in his court….he thought of just asking her straight if she was what he thought her to be…pregnant that is…but he decided against it. ‘I..’ with that the power went off and the shop was plunged into darkness. Sunaina instantly caught Abhi’s hand in her own and pressed it hard. ‘Don’t get scared… its ok’ cajoled Abhi….the chord was struck; Sunanina slowly loosened her grip and held his hand with fingers entwining his. The guy at the reception had gone out to look into the matter, he came in to announce that the Back-up power supply had failed and it would take some time to repair. He dashed out with a torch in hand.

Who was in a hurry anyway?? By now the two pairs of eyes were getting adjusted to the darkness. Sunaina stared at her husband of five years and saw the receding hairline on his forehead and the worry lines too, not too evidently though but the silhouette certainly. Abhi thought how soft her hands still felt against his. He traced the line of her face in the darkness…she was certainly pretty. She kissed his hand; Abhi was not surprised at being usurped of the actions that a guy was supposed to do …. Sunaina had always been like that… strong and self-willed…that was what made him fall in love with her….her independence and strength to be different. No matter how much he had fought with her in the past years accusing her to be just those and hence unfit for marriage, he secretly knew he loved that zing about her. The lights sprang back to life but there was not much movement around their table.

The guy from the reception rushed in to make the bill lest the power went off again. He called out: ‘The Bill Sir?’

Abhi did not move, just replied saying: ‘Not as yet…two more Cappuccinos please…’

Happy Birthday (a short story)

2011-09-16T15:21:00.000+05:30

The pain is the worst accompaniment of these visits. It is tough to see Gerry lying limp on the bed with blank eyes and saliva dripping from the side of his mouth with exactly the same expression for twenty long years of his life. Today, like always, mom has brought a chocolate fudge cake to the ‘Home’, where he is kept to celebrate another of his lifeless birthdays. Who has told her that Gerry likes chocolate fudge cake is not known, because as long as I remember he has never spoken a word, being affected by a brain disease while still in the protective cocoon of mother’s womb.

Another reason for celebration today is my graduation from medical school. I will be starting independent practice from tomorrow. My only wish was, however, to spend the night here with Gerry. Overnight stay was not allowed but I was permitted to stay till 9 in the night.

After the cake cutting and distribution of money to the nursing staff, which took care of Gerry all year round, mom and dad left us alone. Knowing that I am a doctor now, the night-nurse left him alone with me to attend to her personal work.

I stared hard into Gerry’s blank eyes, squeezed his hand and waited patiently for a response or a blink or just a twinge of fingers. Nothing happened. I sighed… took out the vial from my coat pocket and with a syringe pushed the liquid into his glucose drip. A five minutes’ wait… followed by cardiac arrest…..and…eternal peace…

I whispered into his ears… ‘Happy Birthday’…

I thought I saw a single curve of smile on his lips for the first time ever…

Fun as it is….

2011-09-16T15:07:00.000+05:30

The world around somehow functions on its own rules. By the world I mean the society that surrounds us and at times engulfs us. Like State, society is a body which does not have any existence of its own. We are the society. We form it, we make the rules, and we also mend the rules as per our convenience. All of us have at some point or the other discussed other people and their lives. What we overlook is the fact that someone somewhere may be discussing us; that discussion is not very favorable every time. Well… I do not mean to bog you down with the negative notion but I am just asking my readers to understand and respect the fine lines that constitute the fabric of human nature.

When you laugh at something, that thing is invariably superficial. A recent post doing the rounds in Facebook status messages is the one that asks you to be proud of what you are, thin or fat, fair or dark. That’s exactly the point… while having grown up we conveniently forget what we have learned in our growing up years, that is, to respect others for what they are. It is said that laughing at someone’s physical appearance tantamount to laughing at their Creator…. that is God. That is too huge a sin to commit, don’t you think?

However, with so much tension to handle at work and at home we give the finer details a miss and enjoy a hearty laugh often at the expense of others. It is similar to the fact that it’s always easier to cite watching TV as a hobby instead of developing some actual hobby, which requires you to use your brains and get up from the couch. And please…. video games and mobile games don’t count as hobbies either. Often we get back from work and lie down to watch TV, which instead of making us relax makes us realize that we have done nothing fruitful throughout the day…however when you end the day doing something good you will certainly feel good.

I know the final objective of whatever we do is to stay happy, be it at the expense of others, laughing at them or their ways or watching TV or gulping down Pizza although you promise to be on a diet. I think a miss one time is fine but this should never become a rule, otherwise the exception will become the rule and before you know people will start avoiding you for being shallow. Fun of this sort is short-lived and will wane out sooner or later. On the other hand it’s better to see every situation in a happy way and then enjoy that moment. For once try to enjoy the scenery around even when you have lost your way and have traveled some extra kilometers and burned that highly costly liquid called Petrol :P

Stop calculating the amount you burned and relish the fact that you traveled a lost route and enjoyed something different!! Is it too difficult a task??