I too have a love story..

It was a very hot and humid summer day in Bhubaneswar, the capital city of Odisha. This was the time for summer vacation, the time of the year to go to grandparents home, to drink the very famous Lingaraj Lassi and to have lots and lots of traditional pakhala ( rice fermented in water overnight) .

But for Shikha, her classes for the third semester engineering had just started.  She was a happy go-lucky and very simple looking girl. She was quite famous among her large group of friends. She is someone, who can gel with almost everyone and she always used to take her studies very seriously.  Even though, she had many admirers in the class, no one had the guts to approach her as she might out rightly reject people on their face. 

On that day she and her classmates were waiting for the RDBMS teacher to come, and till now no one had come past a week for this class. So they had all taken this class as a break and were gossiping in the class and roaming in the corridors. Just then, a very young looking lecturer, probably still in his early twenties, entered the class with a register. The register was the only thing which said that he was a professor and not one among them.

He was wearing a blue checked shirt tucked into a pair of stiffly ironed black trousers. He was sweating a lot. Either because of the summer heat or he was too nervous to face the crowd. He looked like a fresher and it clearly showed that it was his first lecture. He introduced himself as Shekhar. Something about him, made Shikha to just stare at him for a few seconds. She kept wondering, was that because of his simple innocent looks or the pleasant smell of his perfume.

Shekhar started with the lecture on the topic “What is RDBMS” and it seemed he started to gain back his confidence slowly and became more of himself. The students were also attentive and the class went well. Shikha being a good student kept asking thought provoking questions, by which not only she but the whole class was getting benefitted. At the end, when he started asking questions to judge the understanding of the class, again Shikha answered quite a few. This is was their first meeting.

His classes were always good and always carried a lot of information for the young and inquisitive minds. Shikha had those knowledge seeking eyes which any professor would always find hard to ignore. That happened to the new professor too. He started explaining many things, many a times, looking at her. If she was absent someday, he would ask for her.

In this way three months passed and suddenly one day, Shekhar announces in the class that it was his last day and from the next day, another lecturer will be taking this class. The class was a little disappointed as even in this small duration, Shekhar had become quite close to this batch. He said he was going to Mumbai for his new job in a famous MNC. He said he would be always available for them, only an email away. Anytime, they need his help, he would always be there.

That day, as Shikha goes back home, she feels very different. At night, in her bed, she thinks, what was it that was troubling her suddenly? Why was she worried, if he left .He was just a lecturer. Suddenly she was reminded of his perfume which brings a smile on her face. She thought, she might be missing his perfume and might be his classes too.

As promised, Shekhar was always a click away. Any doubts they had, he would quickly reply them back. Sometimes Shikha used to call him, to further clarify her questions or to understand the replies better. Slowly this little thing became a habit. They started calling, even when they were not discussing any technical questions and became good friends. They started discussing about their likes and dislikes, about their friends and sometimes their families too.

Then came the third semester exams. Shikha, forgot everything and started concentrating in her exams. Even after her exams, she got busy with her project and completely forgot about Shekhar. He too never called.

 

What do you think? Another sad story? NO J

 

Then one day, out of the blue, Shikha remembered him and tried calling him. Shekhar seemed very upset that she had not called even once in all these months. Shikha felt a little odd but she managed the situation well by saying that she had been very busy with her semester exams and her project. Shikha spoke to her friends about this and even they wondered why would Shekhar Sir be angry and finally came to the conclusion that he might have fallen for Shikha. Shikha didn’t agree with them at all and told them that he was her teacher and she couldnot think of him in that way.

By this time a year had passed and Shikha was now in fifth semester and this was the time for campus interviews. Her college had arranged for some extra classes for all the fifth semester students who would be attending job interviews for the first time to tell them how to present themselves, how to talk, to correct their body language and to build their confidence. While Shikha was going through all these, Shekhar Sir guided her at every step. He gave her more practical tips from the IT industry point of view and told her the interviewer’s perspective and the way he evaluates the candidates. He not only helped her in creating a very impressive resume but also told her how she needed to introduce herself to the interview panel.

With so much of preparation, the D-day came and the first IT company ,a very renowned company in India, came to her campus. She qualified the written round and her interview was scheduled the next day at 8 am. Her interview went well for her and Shekhar was also equally anxious to know the result. Almost the whole day had passed with neither Shikha nor Shekhar Sir taking a bite of food and for both of them it was getting very difficult to wait anymore. Finally at 5 pm, results came and Shikha had been selected. She was so happy to hear the news that she was in tears. She called up Shekhar Sir first to tell him the good news, even before she informed her parents. He was also extremely happy for her and thanked God for everything.

This incident made them a little more closer. They started sharing their daily routine and started taking part in each other’s life a little more. If they didn’t talk for a day, both started missing each other. They wanted to spend all their time talking to each other and they felt as if nothing or no one else mattered to them more than each other. A concrete foundation of trust and respect was laid on which their friendship was growing very fast. There comes a phase, when we tend to cross the thin line between friendship and love, when the other person’s happiness becomes our sole aim in life. In most of the cases, in this phase, both the parties become fully aware of each other’s feeling and start reciprocating them too. Just that, they are not told and acknowledged in open. But that is the most difficult part for any couple.

Shekhar comes to Bhubaneswar for some work and he meets Shikha. He asked her if she was willing to be his wife. Even though Shikha was expecting this somewhere, still she was surprised by the way he asked her, pleasantly surprised. She didn’t say anything and left for home.

On her way back, she called up her friends and told them what had happened. They told her they were already suspecting something like this would come up and they told her strictly not to say him a ’yes’ before they could complete their investigation.

She told them ok but she was hardly listening to them. After putting the phone down, she drove her bike at full speed and she broke all the signals on her way back home. She was extremely happy and was running up the stairs to her house on 7^th floor and felt as if she was flying. She could not eat or sleep that day and she was only thinking about him.

The next day morning she called him up and said a yes. He almost shouted in joy over phone and told her he was extremely happy and lucky to have her in his life.

After nearly a week, Shikha’s friends spoke about their investigation plan and then Shikha remembered Shekhar telling her about someone troubling him from past few days and trying to flirt with him. He had already told her that he was in a relationship but she was not stopping. Shikha had not paid attention to him that time but now she knew the culprits. She was very happy to have such friends and such a life partner too. She started laughing loudly. Her friends told her never ever to disclose this to Sir and asked her to say a yes.

She smiled and thought, heart never needs an investigation to find another true one. She was happy she had accepted the right proposal.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Life goes on...

Saying goodbye is always the most difficult thing to do, especially when it is to your parents. Neha was hiding her urge to cry as much as possible so that she does not make her parents cry. She has spent nearly a month with them in her home town as her kid had summer vacation. And finally the day to leave for Delhi, where her husband works, has come. She hugged them once again, tried her best to put up a fake smile and bid them goodbye for the last time as she started pushing her luggage in the trolley to go to the airport check-in counter. Her daughter Aditi was running behind her, holding on to her dupatta.

There was a long queue in the counter and all the while Aditi kept on looking and smiling at her grandparents. Finally there turn came and Neha gets the boarding passes and proceeds towards the security check-ins. After that, her parents are no more visible and with a heavy heart she spots a place where she can sit down with her daughter and wait till boarding starts for her flight.

Aditi finds another kid in the same row and she starts playing with her. Neha realizes it is so easy when we are kids to forget our sorrow and to be happy at the next instant. The happiness of the kids brings a smile of Neha’s face too and she felt a little more relaxed.

She looks around her at other people waiting for their flights in the lounge.  An older couple was engrossed in their books. A young girl and her father were discussing about her office work and colleagues.  A young couple sharing a cup of coffee and some cookies while talking to each other.

From a distance, he looked familiar. Neha could not recollect, exactly like whom. But as he approaches closer, within a few seconds, Neha just could not believe her eyes. It cannot be Rohan, is all she was telling herself. But all her worst fears are going to come true as he comes closer and closer in her direction. He has already seen her.

He still looks the same, though fifteen years is a very long period. His face now marked with many stress lines and hair turned salt and pepper, but somewhere the charm is still there. He is looking smart in a well fitted business suit and shoes. She quickly checked his fingers, she clearly remembers them and they have also have not changed. She kept on staring at him, for a long time, not realizing what she was doing, until Rohan extends his hand towards her to greet her.

As she suddenly comes back to her senses, she stood up and shakes his hands. The touch sent shivers down her spine and not knowing how to react she looked into those familiar eyes and tears roll down her cheeks. She quickly regained her composure but she felt very weak in the knees and sits down. He too sits down beside her. After a long pause, which both of them needed, he asks her, “How are you?” She was not in a position to reply and she continued looking down. Finally she looks into his eyes and he had tears in them too, which he quickly tries to hide.

Aditi comes to Neha and sticks to her, little surprised at this “new Uncle” who is making mama cry. She asks Neha, “What happened mama, why are you crying”? Neha replies,” I am fine Aditi, Meet Rohan Uncle”. She says a ‘hi’ to him and goes back to her friend. “Your daughter is very cute, very much like you”.

Suddenly, an announcement is made for Neha’s flight. Neha says,” That’s my flight, we need to leave.”

Rohan smiles gently and said Ok. Neha takes her handbag, calls Aditi and gets ready to go. She looks one more time in his eyes, as if asking many whys. Why, why and why? The same look was on Rohan’s face too. As if there are many things unsaid between them, a lot of pain and lots of strings attached between them.

She gets ready to go, holding Aditi in one hand. She says a final goodbye and leaves. He does not respond. She knew, like the last time, he won’t. He won’t call her from behind; he will be silent as he always has been. She has no expectation this time.

In a few seconds, he calls her name. He calling her by name, like those older days,  made her all the more emotional. She just stops and does not turn back as she does not want him to see her crying like this.  He says, “All the best Neha, always be happy”.

Neha nods and she walks swiftly and quickly disappears in the crowd.

Rohan kept on sitting there. He was too stunned at this accidental meeting to do anything else. He also could not believe, what happened a few minutes back. He has always wanted to meet her at least once more in his lifetime but he never knew, it will be like this.

All he wants and prays today is her well-being, wherever she is, with whoever she is. But there were days, when he wanted her to be only with him.

She is his first love. During those college days when they first met, she was very smart and intelligent, a very positive and happy person. She was not the classic beautiful type girls but something about her had made him want her madly. Her big eyes and her beautiful smile were unique to her and she was different from the many “English-medium” girls in college.

But maybe, for her, he was just a friend. She was too much for him, he had always felt that way and he never had the guts to approach her. He had tried hinting her, many times, but it never worked. He had tried many times to tell it through eyes, but she never understood.

He had written many poems for her in his poem book. Almost everyone in his class would have read them and appreciated them and almost everyone knew whom it was for. But being an “English medium” girl, she never asked for the poem book as she won’t be able to read them.

His friends used to tease them together, even sometimes the lecturers. But she was too engrossed in her studies to even notice that.  The whole of his family also knew that he liked her.  In short, everyone around him knew but the person who needed to know the most, was unaware of everything.  He used to just love it when people used to take their names together. Someone said rightly, “If a guy loves, the whole world knows except the girl. But if a girl loves, only she knows”.

Anyways, two years passed very soon. He kept waiting for the most unfortunate day of his life – the last day of college. Because after that, he won’t be seeing her or talking to her anymore, which had become his daily habit by now.

And on the last day of college, he reaches college very late and first thing he does is to look for her. They see each other, but for some reason, she looked very unhappy and angry. Has he done something? Has anyone told her that he loved her and she is angry because of that? Should he go and talk to her? At least bid her a goodbye? May be he should wait for some time, for her to come and speak to him.

Meanwhile, she takes out the bike and she gets ready to leave. She looks at him in the pretext of checking the rear wheel of her bike and she still looked angry. She starts her bike and leaves.

As he sees her leaving, he could feel a lump in his throat and all he wanted to do was to cry out her name loudly and stop her. But he never had the guts to do that. He kept staring at her, till she was no more visible, just the way it happened few minutes back.

He was feeling the same pain, the same intense pain, the same sense of helplessness that he had felt fifteen years ago. Time heals everything, but some wounds are perhaps never healed. They pain for a lifetime, but still life goes on.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A few reasons why I love you

1. First thing in the morning, if I think of someone its you.

2. I might be happy, angry or sad, you are always there for me.

3. You make tasty mutton for us and next day ask me to make my trademark biryani.

4. You make yummy coffee for me when I am tired. You make green tea for us when we have a heavy lunch. Ofcourse, all the other 'normal' days, you like my tea.

5 You listen to all my crappy stories of brother-sister , of friends or of office colleagues and you try to remember all of them.

6. You tell me your same old stories 100 times with the same excitement.

7. You are a great father and love our daughter the most. You always protect our daughter from my bad temper.

8.You are friends with my friends and sometimes they become more close to you than me.

9. You still drop me and pick me from office even if we are not talking, because of a fight.

10.You keep praising me if you like something I cooked, till I tell you to stop and eat peacefully.

11. You eat how much ever bad I cook. If I ask how is it, you say if it was good, I would have told.

12. You get me my favorite chocolates.

13. You encourage me and help me to dream bigger.

14. You scold me when I have done something wrong.

15. You don't scold me when I have done a blunder, if I tell you beforehand not to scold me.

16. You do accessory shopping with me before saree days in office.

17. You make our daughter's breakfast, if alarm is not waking me up.

18. You don't let me take an auto or bus and ever ready to drive me anywhere and everywhere.

19. You surprise me with your gifts on special occasion.

20. Sometimes when gifts are stolen even before you could gift them to me, you are surprised (or shocked).

21. If I tell you, I want to buy some gadget, you search the entire internet and hell lot of online sites and you will be very busy for the next 4-5 hours.

22. You want me to take the fish bones, even in a restaurant.

23. You have the worst time management and the way you silently listen to my scolding.

24. You will be working late night, reason being you are not sleepy. I convince you to take some rest and the next moment you will snoring, even though I am still talking. Story does not end here. I wake you up and complete my story.

25. If I ask you, am I looking fat. You never say yes. You say, no, this much fat every women has.

26. You give me your new phone and use my old one , saying I am not a phone freak. I do not think that is true.

27.If I am unwell, you will call me 100 times in office, till I get angry and scold you.

28. You don't like to have tea when I am not at home and as soon as I come home we have it, always from the same cup.

29. You are extremely caring, not only to your family, but to people even you don't know. You make me a better person by setting your example.

30. You get ready to bunk office any day, if I don't want to be in office and we go for unplanned dates.

You are just you and no one can be like you in this entire world. You taught me how to love and how to be in love. I can never imagine my existence without you.

Last Day

It is the last day of her college. Rhea, has been always good at studies and with a score like hers, anyone should have been on the top of the world.Today is the day, she will be stepping into a new world. World of more opportunities, challenges, successes.

But she is not so happy. Although, she wants a prosperous future and she is looking forward to it eagerly, something somewhere is just not right today. What is it that is troubling her so much today.

All her friends are saying goodbye to each other, congratulating and wishing each other all the best for their future careers. Some of them are also shedding tears, thinking that life will change so much after today. They are sad of loosing their close ones, with whom they have shared many happy and sad moments in the past few years.Some of her close friends met her and Rhea is sad that she wont be seeing them daily. But more than all these, something is breaking inside her, something which she is experiencing for the first time and she doesnot even know, how to handle this.

She looked around for Prashant. He is among his friends, and he didnot notice her looking at him.

Finally, her favorite lecturer, Mr Shah, was addressing the whole class and gave his blessings and his best wishes for their bright future. And in that whole crowd, their eyes met for a second. Then again, and again a few more times. Rhea was again conscious and she looked away.

At the end of the final class and final goodbyes, people started leaving for their homes. Rhea felt, that moment should never end. She wanted to talk to Prashant. she wanted him to call her, tell her something, that she has been longing to hear from a long time. And if something doesnot happen today, she had a feeling it wont forever. It is never easy for her to loose him but she felt as if with each passing second she is getting more and more sure of loosing him and as if there is nothing she can do to stop this to happen.

Rhea goes to the parking lot, unlocks her bike and gets ready to go. She is doing it as slowly as possible in the hope that he might call her from behind. She is also listening to all the sounds around her carefully, so that she doesnot miss him calling her name. But she doesnot hear anything.

Rhea starts her bike and just one last time she looks back, pretending to see if something is wrong with the rear wheel of her bike and tries her best to find Prashant. He was there, speaking to a few friends and at that moment, she could feel a sea of emotions overtaking her. How can he be so relaxed and why is she so much worried ? Like the other thousand times, she has had felt before, that it is just from her side, is that really true?  Can she be so wrong in reading those gestures, those eyes? Can those eyes lie so much?  Every time , he used to look at her , she used to feel as if  something is piercing her soul through her eyes and as if she is loosing her own control of herself , and at that very moment, she looks away. Was there really no connection between them? With great difficulty she controls herself and she starts her bike and moves on. She didnot looked back any more time.

But wearing the helmet and driving at full speed, she was crying as loudly as possible. She felt, no one can see her tears through the helmet and in that crowded and busy street.  She kept on crying and driving till she could feel her neck and clothes geting wet with her tears.She parked her bike under a shady tree away from the noisy place and removed her helmet. She started breathing deeply and tried controlling her. The day was very bright and sunny and the cool breeze under the tree felt good on her stressed mind and tired body.

She remembered how they have met. During the initials days in one of the exams, they were sitting one after another and as Prashant was not concentrating, Rhea pokes him from behind and asked him to write and not talk to his friends. That was the begginning and very easily they became friends.

She had always liked him, yearned for him, always wanted to talk to him at every possible occasion. She would keep trying to get a glimpse of him  in every possible opporunity and if their eyes met, she would look away. She had also caught him staring at her a few times and only god knows how happy that used to make her. She clearly remembers, how she used to feel, when he had not come for a class. She wont be able to concentrate and as soon as he enters, she could tell from his footsteps that he has come. And the moment he passes her place, a shiver runs down her spine. She wont be able to look at him even though he might be sitting very close. She would be waiting to touch the testtubes, or flasks or anything that he had held for sometime in the lab classes.In short, she was totally mad for him.

Not only this, some incidents here and there, sometimes made her feel, that he too cares. He too likes her company. That day in the chemistry lab, they were doing
an experiment together and she pours some liquid into a testtube which he was holding and a few drops fell on his fingers. He starts screaming and she became very scared.
His friends were helping him and in the meantime accidentally, some again fell on Rhea. It was like ice cold water. She looked at him and that mischievous look at his face,
she can never forget. As if he wanted to see if these things trouble her and if she really cares for him.

Or that day when there were fights between the two contesting parties and college was closed immediately. He didnt leave her side, he didnt go home until Rhea’s father came after nearly 2 hours and picked her up. He was away from her in a nearby shop in front of the college keeping an eye on her, as she waited near the college gate. Even though, they have never spoken about this, she very well knew why he was there.

Ahead of exams, he will collect notes from god knows how many lectures/students and gives it to her, even without her asking him once.

She has never been able to understand this, this strange thing between them. Whenever she has needed him, he has been there. Was that only friendship?

She was always so jealous of other beautiful girls talking to Prashant. She has always been a plain jane, and sometimes that made her feel, her feelings will
always remain one sided, exactly the way, it has been proved today.

Coming back to the present, she never realised, she has been crying all these while.

Even though, it was not easy for her on that day or for all the days to come in her life, she stood up, she gathered herself once again. She has to look forward, she has to
march ahead into her bright future, if not for her, but for her ever loving parents. she cannot let them down at any cost or anyone’s cost.

She started her bike and she drove, this time neither too fast, not too slow, but at a controlled speed as if she is taking charge of her life from today. She forgets her helmet and
the cool breeze is gently drying her tears away.

She not only goes away from him in miles and kilometers, but in days, months, years and perhaps, a lifetime.