Tuesday, 27 February 2007
Paris Travelogue
২৩শে ডিসেম্বর প্রসেনজিত , হিমাদ্রি, অভ্রদা ও তার বউ সংগীতা আর আমি রওনা হলাম প্যারিসের উদ্দেশ্যে। আমরা অফিস থেকে বেশ তাড়াতাড়ি বেরিয়ে পড়েছিলাম। সিটি সেন্টার থেকে লন্ডনের বাসে প্রথমে গেলাম লন্ডন। সেখানে একটা য়ুথ্ হস্টেলে উঠলাম। সকাল ৫:৩০ এ আমাদের পিক্আপ ছিল, তাই ৪:০০ এতে ট্যাস্কি বোলে রাখা ছিল। ভোর বেলা ঠান্ডার মধ্যে রেডি হয়াটা বেশ চাপের কাজ। অনেক কষ্ট করে শেষবেশ বাস স্ট্যান্ড এ এলাম। আমরা একটা দোতলা বাসে প্যারিস ঘুরেছি। বাসটা লন্ডন থেকেই আমাদের সঙ্গে সঙ্গে ছিল। বাসে করে প্রথমে আমরা ডোভার গেলাম। ডোভারের পথে অনেক সুন্দর দৃশ্য আমার দেখা হল না। অত সকালে উঠে আর জেগে থাকতে পারছিলাম না। ডোভার হল ইংল্যান্ডের দিকের ইংলিশ চ্যানেলের একটা বন্দর। সেখান থেকে বড় বড় ফেরি ছাড়ে। আমাদের বাসটা একটা বড় ফেরি নৌকায় উঠিয়ে দিল। সেটায় করে আমরা ইংলিশ চ্যানেল পার করে পঁৌছলাম ক্যালে, ফ্রান্সের বন্দর। আমাদের সঙ্গে যারা ছিল প্রায় সকলেই ভারতীয়। সেরম ভাবে কারুর সঙ্গেই আলাপ হয় নি, আমরা আমাদের নিয়েই ছিলাম। ক্যালেতে ভেবেছিলাম হয়ত আমাদের পরিচয়পত্র দেখতে চাইবে কিন্তু তা নয়। পরে জেনেছিলাম যে ফ্রান্সে প্রবেশের সময় পরিচয়পত্র দেখাতে হয় না, বেরনোর সময় দেখাতে হয়। ফ্রান্সে প্রথমেই যেটা চখে পড়ল তা হল যে ওখানকার সব গাড়িরই লেফ্ট হ্যান্ড ড্রাইভ আর রাস্তায় গাড়িগুলো উল্টোদিকে চলছে। ভেবে নাও আমাদের বাড়ির সামনের রাস্তায় বঁাদিক থেকে ডানদিকে গাড়ি যাচ্ছে, তাহলে যেরম অদ্ভুত লাগবে ঠিক সেরম অদ্ভুত। ইংল্যান্ডেই বল বা ফ্রান্সে, এখনও অবধি কোনো গিড়িকেই হর্ন দিতে শুনি নি। এত ভদ্রভাবে এখানে লোকজন গাড়ি চালায় যে হর্ন দিতে হয় না। ওভারটেকিঙ্গের জন্য পরিষ্কার নিয়ম আছে। ইংল্যান্ডে যদি সিংগ্ল লেন রাস্তা হয় তাহলে ওভারটেক করা চলবে না। দুটো বা বেশি লেনের রাস্তা হলে সবসময় ডানদিক দিয়ে ওভারটেক করতে হবে। শুধু তাই নয় যদি তুমি দেখ যে অনেক দুর অবধি কোনো গাড়ি তোমার সামনে নেই তাহলে তোমায় আবার বঁাদিকে চলে আসতে হবে যাতে তোমার পেছনের গাড়ি তোমায় ওভারটেক করতে পারে। ফ্রান্সে অবশ্য পুর ব্যাপারটাই উল্টো, যেন একটা আয়নার মধ্যে দিয়ে দেখছ। ক্যালে থেকে আমাদের বাস রওনা দিল প্যারিসের দিকে। সবমিলিয়ে বাসে লেগেছিলো ১০:০০ ঘন্টা লন্ডন-প্যারিস তাতে ৫ ঘন্টা শুধু ক্যালে থেকে প্যারিস। বাসে ভিডিও দেখাবার ব্যাবস্তা ছিল। নতুন ডন সিনেমাটা দেখলাম। মাঝে বাসটা একটা হটেলে থেমেছিলো সেখানেই দুপুরের খাওয়া খেয়ে নিলাম। ফ্রান্সে আসার পর ওই প্রথম ভাষা নিয়ে অসুবিধায় পড়েছিলাম। ইংরাজিও বঝে না। ইশারায় কাজ সারতে হলো। খাওয়া দাওয়ার পরে আর একটা সিনেমা দেখলাম, ধূম-২। প্যারিস পঁৌছলাম প্রায় বিকেল ৫টা নাগাত। প্যারিসের সময় আবার ইংল্যান্ডের সময় থেকে এক ঘন্টা এগিয়ে সুতরাং প্যারিসে তখন বাজে ৬টা। হটেলে ব্যাগপত্র রেখেই বেরিয়ে পড়তে হল ডিনার খেতে। আমরা যে ট্যুরের সঙ্গে গিয়েছিলাম তাজ ট্যুর, সেই গাইড আবার রেস্তরঁাটা চেনে না। সে এক কান্ড। ১ঘন্টা এদিক ওদিক ঘুরে শেষে সে একটা ট্যাস্কি ঠিক করল। ট্যাস্কিটা বাসটাকে চিনিয়ে চিনিয়ে রেস্তরঁাতে নিয়ে গেল। ২৪শে ডিসেম্বরের রাতে প্যারিস যা লাগছিলো তা ঠিক বলে বোঝাতে পারবো না। এত ঝলমলে শহর আর এত লাইটিং যে চোখ ধঁাধিয়ে যায়। প্যারিসে যে রাস্তার দুধারে গাছ আছে সেই রাস্তাগুলোর নাম হল এভিনিউ যেমন ধর রাশবীহারি এভিনিউ, আর যে রাস্তার ধারে গাছ নেই সেগুলোর নাম হল রোড। এভিনিউগুলো দিয়ে গেলেই চোখে পড়বে অবিস্বাশ্য লাইটিং। সমস্ত গাছে ছোট ছোট লাইট দিয়ে ডালগুলো সাজানো। রাস্তার উপরে আলোর ঝালড়। সে যেন দূর্গাপুজোর লাইটিং আর তুমি যেন একডালিয়া এভারগ্রীনে পুজো দেখতে বেরিয়েছো। এরই মধ্যে বাটার একটা দোকান দেখে বেশ মজা লাগল। মনে হয়েছিল যেন চদ্দ নং বাসস্ট্যান্ড থেকে বাড়ির দিকে ফিরছি। রেস্তরঁাতে যাওয়ার পথে একঝলক আইফেল টাওয়ার দেখলাম। প্রানে যেন একটা অদ্ভুত আনন্দ হল। কত সিনেমায় দেখা সেই অদ্ভুত টাওয়ারটা সত্যি সত্যি যে কত সুন্দর তা হয়ত ছবিতে বোঝা যায় না। রাতের প্যারিসের আকাশসীমায় সে যেন এক সোনার জ্বলজ্বলে বিশাল তরবারি। চারিদিকের বড়দিনের সজ্জা আর তার সঙ্গে আইফেল টাওয়ার মিলে যেন অকটা রূপকথার জগত্। সন্ধ্যা ৬:৩০শে আমাদের ডিনার বুক করা ছিল সেখানে রাস্তা গুলিয়ে ঘুরে টুরে আমরা শেষ বেশ ৮:০০টার সময় রেস্তরঁাতে পঁৌছলাম। রেস্তরঁাটা ভারতীয় খাবার দাবার বানায়। খাবারের ব্যাবস্থা বেশ ভালই ছিল। সব্জি, নান, পোলাঊ, মুর্গি,ডাল ও শেষে আইসক্রিম। ভালো করে ঠঁেশে খেয়ে আমরা আবার বেরিয়ে পড়লাম আইফেল টাওয়ারের উদ্দেশ্যে। প্যারিস নিয়ে অনেক কথা লেখা যায়, এরম সুন্দর শহর আগে কখনো দেখার সৌভাগ্য হয় নি। সাধারন বাড়ি গুলোও যেন পৌরানিক যুগের কনো দারুন শিল্পীর হাতে বানানো। শহরের সবকিছুই যেন শিল্প। ছবি দেখে কতটা বুঝতে পারবে তা বলা শক্ত, হয়ত অনেকটাই বুঝবে না। চোখের দেখা আর ছবিতে দেখার মধ্যে অনেক পার্থক্য। চিন্তা কোরো না সুযোগ সুবিধেয় থাকলে তোমাদেরকেও হয়তো প্যারিস ঘুরিয়ে দেখাবো এটাই আমার ইচ্ছে। ঠিক আইফেল টাওয়ারের সিমনেই বয়ে চলেছে Seine(শেন) নদী। সেটায় সকাল থেকে রাত ১টা অবধি ক্রুজ ট্যুর হয়। আমরা রাত ১১টার ট্যুরটা নিয়েছিলাম। আইফেল টাওয়ারের সিমনেই জেটি থেকে আকাশ খোলা একটা বড় ক্রুজ নৌকায় আমরা উঠলাম। শেন নদীর ছবি হয়ত দেখবে এবং বুঝতেই পারবে যে নদীটা বেশি চওড়া নয়। সমুদ্রতল থেকে মাত্র ২৪ মিটার উচুতে বয়ে চলার জন্য নদীটা বেশ শান্ত। নদীটার উপর অসঙ্খ ব্রিজ। সবকটা ব্রিজই আর্চ করা আর প্রত্যেকটাই সুন্দর। প্রত্যেকটারি কোন না কোন ইতিহাস আছে। আর্চ-এর পিলার গুলোয় পাথরের উপর সুন্দর সুন্দর নক্সা করা। নদীর ধারেই সমস্ত বিখ্যাত বিখ্যাত সৌধ, মিউসিয়াম, চার্চ। ক্রুজ ট্যুর শুরু হওয়ার এক মিনিটের মধ্যেই হঠাত্ আইফেল টাওয়ারের রূপ একেবারে পাল্টে গেল। সে এক অদ্ভুত দৃশ্য, যেন আইফেল টাওয়ারের গায়ে অসঙ্খ যোনাকী পোকা লেগে রয়েছে। ঝিলমিল করছে আইফেল টাওয়ার। অসঙ্খ ক্যামেরার ফ্ল্যাশের মত আলো জ্বলেই নিবে যাচ্ছে পুরো টাওয়ারের গা জুড়ে। আমরা হৈহৈ করে ছবি তুলতে লাগলাম। প্রসেনজিত আর হিমাদ্রি দুজনেই ভিডিও তুলেছে। কাজলের হাতে আমি যে ডিভিডি টা পাঠাবো তাতে ভিডিওগুলোও আছে। নদীপথে যেতে যেতে বঁাদিকেই পড়ল Grand Palais (গ্র্যান্ড প্যালেস) আর Petit Palais (পেটিট প্যালেস)। এক সময় গ্র্যান্ড প্যালেস ছিল প্যারিসের মিলিটারি বেস এখন এটা একটা মিলিটারি মিউসিয়াম, পেটিট প্যালেসও এখন এটা একটা মিউসিয়াম। নদীর উল্ট তীরেই হল Esplanade des Invalides (ইনভ্যালিদেস্ মোড়) এবং Hotel des Invalides (ইনভ্যালিদেস্ প্যালেস যেটা এখন একটা হটেল)। একটু এগিয়েই বঁাদিকে পড়ল Champs Elysees (শঁৌঔ দে-লিসে)। এই শঁঁৌঔ দে-লিসে জায়গাটা ঠিক ময়দানের মত, Fort William থেকে ধর্মতলা যেতে যদি ধরে নাও রেড রোড দিয়ে যাচ্ছো আর দুপাশে বড় বড় গাছ, রেড রোড যেখানে শেষ সেখানে যদি একটা ইন্ডিয়া গেট থাকে (Arc de Triomphe আর্ক দি-ট্রায়াম্ফ্), সেরম খানিকটা। আবার যেখানে রেড রোড শুরু সেখানে ধর্মতলার মনুমেন্টের মত দেখতে Obelisque (ওবেলিষ্ক), একটা ২০-২২ মিটারের প্রস্তর খন্ড যেটা গ্রীসের রাজার ফ্রান্সকে উপহার। একটু এগিয়ে বঁাদিকে Musee du Louvre (লুভ্ মিউসিয়াম) আর ডানদিকে Musee d'Orsay (অর্সা মিউসিয়াম) আর Assembly Nationale (বিধান সভা)। নদীপথে আরও খানিকটা এগিয়ে বঁাদিকে হল Saint Michele Notre Dame (নটার ডেম)। এখানথেকে অমাদের নৌকটা ঘুরলো। নটার ডেম একটা ব দ্বীপের উপর। অমাদের নৌকটা সেই ব দ্বীপের ওপাশ দিয়ে ঘুরে ফিরল। ব দ্বীপের ওপাশের তীরে পড়ল Hotel de Ville (ভিল প্যালেস যেটা এখন একটা হটেল)। দেখতে দেখতে কখন এক ঘন্টা কেটে গেছে টেরও পাই নি। রাত ১২:১০ এ আবার আমরা আইফেল টাওয়ারের সামনের জেটিতে ফিরে এলাম। ঠান্ডায় হাতপা জমে যাচ্ছিল আর কুয়াশার জন্য আইফেল টাওয়ারের চঁুড়াটা দেখা যাচ্ছিল না। সেদিন আর কিছু দেখি নি। হটেলে ফিরে গরম জলে চান করে শুতেশুতেই ঘুম। সকালে ব্রেকফাস্ট হটেলেই দিয়েছিল। পঁাউরুটি, জ্যাম, মাখন, চিজ, ফলের রস, চা, কফি, দুধ, কর্নফ্লেক, হ্যাম ও বেকন্ স্লাইস। দেড়েমুষে খেয়ে অমরা অবার বাসে করে বেরিয়ে পড়লাম, দিনের বেলায় আইফেল টাওয়ার দেখতে। সেখানে পঁৌছে আমরা আইফেল টাওয়ারের দর্শন পেয়ে মহিত হয়ে গেলাম। একটা পায়ের থেকে অন্য পায়ের দুরত্ব প্রায় ১৫০ ফুট। আমাদের বাড়ির দরজা থেকে ওপারের তেলেভাজার দোকান যতখানি, প্রায় ততটা। আইফেল টাওয়ারের উচ্চতা ১২০ মিটার। ঠিক ১৫০ মিটার পেছনে হল Champs de Mars (শঁৌঔ দে-মার), একটা মিলিটারি স্কুল। ১৫০ মিটার পেছনে থাকার কারন:- যদি কোনদিন আইফেল টাওয়ার পড়ে যায় তাহলে যেন স্কুলটা বঁেচে যায়। আইফেল টাওয়ার তিনটে ভাগে বিভক্ত, চারটে পা থেকেই লিফ্ট উঠেছে দোতলা অবধি। এখন শুধু উত্তর দিকের পায়ের লিফ্টটাই চালায়। প্রথম তলায় একটা বড় রেস্তরঁা আছে। অত্যন্ত দামি। দোতলায় কয়েকটা দোকান আছে, ছবি, ম্যাপ ইত্যাদি বিক্রি করে। আমরা একেবারে দোতলায় চলে গেলাম। সেখান থেকে আবার আরেকটা লিফ্টে গেলাম একেবারে উপরের তলায়। পুরো প্যারিস শহরটা একটা প্রকান্ড ম্যাপের মত দেখাচ্ছিল উপর থেকে। আমরা অনেক ছবি তুল্লাম। দোতলা ও একতলা থেকেও ওনেক ছবি তুলে অমরা সকাল ১২:৩০ নাগাথ রওনা দিলাম (Château de Versailles)ভারসাই প্যালেসের উদ্দেশ্যে। ভারসাই প্যালেস পঁৌছলাম যখন তখন প্রায় ১:০০। মনে পড়ে মাইশোর প্যালেস? এটা সেটার থেকে প্রায় তিনগুন। প্যালেসটাতে ১০০০টা থাকার ঘর আছে আর প্যালেসের পিছনের মাঠটার কোন শেষ দেখা যায় না। প্যালেসের নিজস্ব একটা জঙ্গল আছে যেখানে রাজারা শিকার করতে যেত। এই প্যালেস মিত্তাল ভাড়া করেছিল মেয়ের বিয়েতে !!! লোকের কত টাকা হলে সেটা করতে পারে তাই ভাবি। আমরা প্যালেসের একটা গাইডেড ট্যুর নিয়েছি। প্যালেসের এক একটা ঘরের এক একটা গল্প। সেসব লিখতে পারলাম না, একটা গোটা উপন্যাস হয়ে যাবে। ৩:৩০ নাগাধ আমরা অকটা দোকান থেকে একটা করে বড় বার্গার খেয়ে দুপুরের খাওয়া সেরে ফেল্লাম। প্যারিস ফিরতে ফিরতে ৬:০০ বেজে গেল। এবার আর ভুল না করে আমাদের গাইড সোজা সেই ইন্ডিয়ান হটেলে নিয়ে গেল। আগের দিনের মত ঠঁেশে খাওয়া দাওয়া করে আমরা ৮:০০ নাগাথ বাসে করে প্যারিসের বিভিন্ন যায়গা ঘুরতে লাগলাম। প্রথমেই যাওয়া হল Champs de Mars (শঁৌঔ দে-মার)। সেখানে আমরা নেমে ছবি তুল্লাম। আইফেল টাওয়ারের আরেকবার দর্শন হয়ে গেল। তারপর আমরা গেলাম Invalides (ইনভ্যালিদেস্ প্যালেস যেটা এখন একটা হটেল)। এখানেও নেমে অমরা ছবি তুলেছি। তারপর যাওয়া হল Ritz Hotel (রিজ্ হটেল)। এই হটেলেই ডায়না তার জীবনের শেষ রাত কাটিয়েছিল। হটেলের ঠিক সামনে একটা চৌক মত জায়গা বরং বলতে পারো যে হটেলটা একটা চৌক মত জায়গার এক কোনে। সেই জায়গাটাতে নেপলিয়ন-এর স্ট্যাচু রয়েছে। এখানেও নেমে অমরা ছবি তুলেছি। তারপর আমরা গেলাম Palais de Chaillot (শ্যালো প্যালেস)। এখান থেকে আইফেল টাওয়ারের সবথেকে সুন্দর ভিউ পাওয়া যায়। সেখানে ক্ষনিক সময় কাটিয়ে আমরা গেলাম Arc de Triomphe আর্ক দি-ট্রায়াম্ফ্ । এখানে Gateway of India র মত অকটা সৌধ আছে। এটা আবার প্যারিসের সবথেকে ব্যাস্ত মোড়। ১০টা রাস্তা এখানে মিশেছে (খানিকটা শ্যামবাজারের মত)। নেপলিয়নের উদ্দেশ্যে তৈরি এই সৌধের মাঝখানে অকটা আগুন সবসময় জ্বলে। যদি Day of the Jackal সিনেমাটা দেখে থাকো তাহলে এটা সেই জায়গা যেখানে চার্লস্ দি গলকে মেরে ফেলার কথা ছিল। একটা জিনিস দেখে বেশ তাজ্জব হয়ে গেলাম যে ঐ মোড়ে কোনো ট্রাফিক সিগনাল নেই যেটা ঠিক করে দেবে কোন রাস্তার গাড়ি কোথা দিয়ে যাবে। সেখান থেকে আমরা সেদিনের মত ঘোরার শেষ ঠিক করে হটেলের পথে পাড়ি দিলাম। রাস্তায় লুভ্ মিউসিয়ামের একবার দর্শন পেলাম। সব ছবি তোলা আছে। পরের দিন সমস্ত দিনটা আমরা প্যারিসের ডিসনিল্যান্ডেই কাটালাম। সকালে যথা রীতি গান্ডে পিন্ডে ব্রেকফাস্ট করে নিয়েছিলাম কারন সেদিন আর ডিনারের ব্যবস্থা ছিল না। ডিসনিল্যান্ডে আনন্দ প্রচুর হয়েছে। নানারকম রাইড ছিল। নিক্কো পার্কের মত জায়গা তবে একটা বেহালার মত বড় জায়গা জুড়ে এই যা তফাত। দুপুরে এখানেই বার্গার খেয়ে খিদে মিটিয়ে নিলাম। পুরো পার্কটা দেখতে দেখতেই রাত ৯:০০ বেজে গেল। আমরা একটা ছোট রেস্তরঁাতে রাতের টুক টাক খাওয়া সেরে আমরা হটেলে ফিরে এসেছিলাম। পরের দিন ফেরার কথা। সকালে খানিকটা সময় ছিল তাই সকাল সকাল একটা প্রকান্ড ব্রেকফাস্ট সেরে আমরা গেলাম Saint Michele Notre Dame (নটার ডেম) দেখতে। ২৬শে ডিসেম্বর বলে নটার ডেম চার্চ বন্ধ ছিল। আমরা বাইরে থেকেই ছবি তুল্লাম। তখন বাজে প্রায় ৯টা। সেখান থেকে আমরা গেলাম Musee du Louvre (লুভ্ মিউসিয়াম)। লুভ্ মিউসিয়ামও বন্ধ ছিল তাই আমাদের আর মোনা লিসার সেই বিখ্যাত ছবি আর দেখার সৌভাগ্য হল না। মিউসিয়ামটা এতই বড় যে লোকে বলে পুরোটা দেখতে গেলে ৭ দিন লেগে যাবে। আমরা বাইররে থেকেই ছবি-টবি তুল্লাম। লুভের সেই বিখ্যাত কঁাচের পিরামিডের ছবিও তুলেছি। লুভের তলায়, মানে বেসমেন্টে অনেকগুলে খাবারের দোকান ছিল। সেখান থেকে আমরা ফ্রেন্চ ফ্রাই আর অকটা করে বড় বার্গার কিনে নিলাম দুপুরের খাবার হিসেবে। বেলা ১২:০০ নাগাথ আমরা ফেরার পথে রওনা হয়ে পড়লাম। সেবারের মত শেষ বার আইফেল টাওয়ারের দৃশ্য দেখে নিয়ে প্যারিসকে জানালাম বিদায়। ক্যালেতে পঁৌছলাম সন্ধ্যা ৬টা নাগাথ। সেখানে ইমিগ্রেশন্ হল। আমাদের পাসপোর্টে ফ্রান্সের ভিসার ছাপ পড়ল। আবার সেই একি রকম লন্চে করে আমরা ডোভার পঁৌছলাম। আমি ডোভারের থেকে লন্ডনের পথে আবার ঘুমিয়ে পড়েছিলাম। লন্ডন পঁৌছলাম রাত ১০:৩০ নাগাথ। প্যারিস যাওয়ার সময় যে য়ুথ্ হস্টেলে উঠেছিলাম সেইখানেই আমাদের বুকিং ছিল। বাস স্ট্যান্ড থেকে ট্যাস্কি নিয়ে সেই য়ুথ্ হস্টেলেই উঠলাম। আমরা সবাই একদিনের ছুটি নিয়েছিলাম, পরের দিন তাই প্ল্যান করা হল গ্রিনউইচ্ ঘুরে আসা হবে। এই গ্রিনউইচ্ দিয়েই আমাদের পৃথিবির মুখ্য দ্রাঘিমা রেখা (Prime Meridian Longitude 0 degree) যায়। সকাল সকাল বেরিয়ে আমরা প্রথমে গেলাম সেন্ট্ পলস্ ক্যাথেড্রাল চার্চ। সেটার সঁিড়িতে বসা অবস্থায় আমার একটা ছবি পাবে। তারপর সেখান থেকে আমরা গেলাম লন্ডনের বিখ্যাত টাওয়ার ব্রিজ দেখতে। ব্রিজের পাশেই লন্ডন টাওয়ার, একটা পৌরানিক ক্যাসেল্। সেখান থেকে আমরা একটা লন্চ নিয়ে আমরা টাওয়ার ব্রিজের নিচ দিয়ে পাড়ি দিলাম গ্রিনউইচের উদ্দেশ্যে। এখানে অবশ্য নদীপৃষ্ঠে সেরম দেখার কিছু ছিল না। গ্রিনউইচে পঁঁৌছে আমরা গেলাম গ্রিনউইচ্ মুখ্য দ্রাঘিমা অবসারভেটরি। সেরম কিছু দ্রাষ্টব্য ছিল না ঔ অবসারভেটরি থেকে একটা লেসার বিম বেরোয় মুখ্য দ্রাঘিমা রেখার প্রতিক হিসাবে, সেটার ছবি তুল্লাম। ফিরতে ফিরতে ৫:৩০ বেজে গেছিল। আমরা য়ুথ্ হস্টেল থেকে আমাদের জিনিষপত্র নিয়ে চলে গেলাম ভিক্টরিয়া কোচ স্টেশন। সেখান থেকে ৬:৩০এর বাসে করে ব্রিস্টল ফিরে এলাম রাত ১০:০০ নাগাথ।
A travelogue in transit
I boarded an aircraft for the first time in my life and it was really some mind-blowing experience watching the landscape like a contour map right below... The flight was from Kolkata to Delhi in a Jet aircraft. The landscape of Kolkata with lights (it was 8:45 in the evening) was amazing.
Dotted lights of cars and street lights looked very much like the army of ants marching through the network of paths that crosses and formed a mesh… I was staring intently out of the window like a school kid of four watching as the view of his parents receded on the bus stop when the school bus gathered speed. I felt a pang of grief, which was interrupted by the singsong voice of an airhostess who was offering some sort of handkerchief roll to the passengers with a pair of tongs. Unsure about what to do I looked at my adjacent passenger and he was unrolling the hanky and looked pretty sure about his surroundings… "Cold towel Sir" insisted the airhostess and without further ado I took one. As if quite confident, I unrolled it, all the while watching the person wipe his hands and face with it… I proceeded t do the same making sure I finish after him and do as he does… I felt silly. But it was too late and I had nobody to turn to for help… The person next to me folded the towel and pushed some switch above his head. A small light lit up and I hear a faint ring somewhere in the back. As if by magic an airhostess arrived and switched off the light … this did not seem to bother the fellow passenger and he proceeded to order some fruit juice… It suddenly became clear…the switch was some form of a calling bell and the light indicated who pressed it… Fancy gadgets I wondered and proceeded to look out the window…
Much of that flight was then uneventful, except for the fact that I did… what my fellow passenger did; making sure that I do not arouse the suspicion that I was a first time flier.… Oh yes I did not call the airhostesses once during my flight while my fellow passenger seemed to have taken up an oath to not let the pretty girls off the hook for a moment. Fruit juice, water, blanket, pillow, magazine, water, fruit juice… and he was constantly on to something… Antd then there was this "hot towels" and another bout of "cold towel" game…After almost four hours (one hour behind the scheduled arrival time as there was no clearance) I landed in Delhi… A bus awaited the disembarking passengers and took us all to the Baggage collecting area of the Indira Gandhi International Airport Domestic terminal. Then after another wait for about half an hour I finally collected my luggage and stepped out of the airport gates… Delhi. My first visit to the capital.
Delhi had lived up to its reputation of being the most corrupt place in India other than the fact that it was also the capital... I finally got out of the airport to meet this Sikh swindler (could you believe it? and we joke about them on their lack of intelligence!!) ... He was about to mug me when I realized something was utterly wrong and this person was no prepaid taxi driver as he had claimed. I managed to get hold a cop at the airport premises and the cab driver (or whatever he was) just vanished in no time. Then there was this genuine prepaid taxi driver who did not know where he was supposed to take me... again a cop came to my rescue and guided me to the USI residency (the place that was booked for my overnight stay). The taxi driver bragged for some tip (on a prepaid taxi!) and it was only when I gave him some twenty bucks that he finally let go of the last of my luggage!
The stay at the hotel was good... and then they had a complimentary drop at the international terminal of the Airport... then on, it was a piece of cake.... After all domestic flights teach you everything about aeroplanes and you can rest assured that I had a good teacher in my fellow passenger….Checking in took almost an hour as there was this high alert for the recent sub-way bombings in UK and on top of that some senseless Delhi airport personnel tore off my through check-in tag from my luggage. I was dismayed when I got to know that my coveted window seat was no more available. I quarrelled about it and finally sympathetic personnel upgraded my economy class seat to a flat-bed one. I was not sure what that meant though but I was satisfied with the words… "We are sorry sir, I will upgrade your seat to a flat-bed one"… I felt victorious. The whole process of immigration check and finally boarding the plane took more than 2 hours. It was then to my utter surprise and joy, I understood what a flat-bed seat meant. The flat-bed was a single seat with a small stool to rest your feet… with a personal folding table, your very own video screen and your very own reading light… There were some fancy switches and after some investigation and help from the airhostess I realized that the seat could be aligned to meet the stool and form a full-length bed! I could want nothing more… after such tiring journey last night and arriving to the airport at 6:30 in the morning all that I could possibly think of was a sleep… Before the British Airways flight was even fifteen minutes into its flight I was sound asleep under a very comfortable blanket and a soft pillow.
I rose with a start realizing that a British airhostess was calling me. I woke and groggily saw that breakfast was being served… I looked at my watch and realized that it was 10:30 and I have slept for over two hours. I was ver unsure about what t take and finally decided upon a full English breakfast with Ham and scrambled eggs served with freshly baked loaves and butter. Having finished the breakfast within minutes (I was really hungry for I had no opportunity to have any food in the morning). Coffee was served and having finished that too I felt the need for a wash room. I proceeded towards one and it was only then that I had a view through a window… and I let out a gasp! The landscape below was incredible…I realized that we were perhaps flying over Sindh for the landscape matched very much like the one I had seen so many a times in the Atlas. The snow-capped mountains in Pakistan and Afghanistan, with channels of rivers flowing between them like the strings, looked more like some geography drawings from up above. It was amazing....
Finally I found a wash closet … The aeroplane wash closets are great (I mean to say that they are very efficiently and cleverly designed but a bit claustrophobic). I had some trouble finding the right kind of tissue paper for the right job…I had champagne for the first time in my life. It was wonderful... (they serve that on BA but I am not so sure about AI) I had three glasses before I felt I was becoming tipsy and out of bounds... with complimentary drinks... it is always a problem with people like me :-) you can never have enough.... ;-)
My flat-bed seat allowed me to sleep for about 4 hours which had definitely put me in the right groove...(I hardly had any jet lag and adjusted effortlessly into the different time zone). All thanks to the stu**d personnel at the Delhi airport who accidentally tore off my check-in luggage tag and as a result I had the upgrade into the flat bet from a normal window seat (chuckle).Finally, I landed in Heathrow… on the land where the sun never used to set… I collected my luggage from the baggage collection conveyer and proceeded for the clearance… The immigration was very quick and before I realized what was happening I was cleared and I was out of the airport. It was almost 1:40 p.m. GMT and I felt relived to have arrived to this country at last after such a wonderful experience of riding the plane for the first time (second if you consider the break at Delhi).
Bristol, the city of my destination, is a nice small town in the Avon district of UK (South-South-West of London). The closeness to the sea attributes to the moderate climate of this place... There is a city centre with a memorial like the martyr memorial in Delhi, where people place poppies and orchids on national holidays to salute the brave soldiers who died fighting to subjugate the other nations (sic). There is a central bus station named Marlborough (like the Dharmotollah but much too small and much too sparkling in the appearance and cleanliness). This was where I disembarked first on Bristol after a 3-hour bus journey from Heathrow (I had been sleeping a good 2 hours on that journey).
There are a lot of pubs in the city centre and some of them are pretty interesting (now dont jump to conclusions... I have only heard). Then there is a railway station by the name Templemeads that offer train links to various parts of London and UK. The Heathrow has a train station too that links Bristol via Paddington St. On an average each of the houses (a maximum of three storeys high, ours is a two storey one) has a lawn… and a backyard the size of a badminton court. The one we have has been cared in ages and now tall grasses adorn the backyard adding to the misery of having moths and other such birds (sic) flying in the house at night.Immigrants drive most of the cabs here and an Iraqi drove the one, which I took from the bus stop. He was a very friendly guy in about 40s and was very generous in offering me a lighter as a gift when I asked for a light. He was genuinely impressed at the statement that I was on a company deputation from India and that I have a Master's degree in Computer Science at such a (according to him) "tender age" (lol). He was kind enough to offer me some good advice on how to get about living in the UK and where all I could get good bargains. He even advised me to get a bicycle and use it as transportation to and from the office. He was all praises for the Indian Mango pickle and how his lunch is incomplete without it! And the spices that make his curry mouth-watering...
I had reached my house (the one I would share with 3 others) at about 5:30 in the evening and had to wait outside for everyone was at the office (I arrived on a weekday). Finally, at around 6:15 people came back and I moved into the warmth of the house.
Dotted lights of cars and street lights looked very much like the army of ants marching through the network of paths that crosses and formed a mesh… I was staring intently out of the window like a school kid of four watching as the view of his parents receded on the bus stop when the school bus gathered speed. I felt a pang of grief, which was interrupted by the singsong voice of an airhostess who was offering some sort of handkerchief roll to the passengers with a pair of tongs. Unsure about what to do I looked at my adjacent passenger and he was unrolling the hanky and looked pretty sure about his surroundings… "Cold towel Sir" insisted the airhostess and without further ado I took one. As if quite confident, I unrolled it, all the while watching the person wipe his hands and face with it… I proceeded t do the same making sure I finish after him and do as he does… I felt silly. But it was too late and I had nobody to turn to for help… The person next to me folded the towel and pushed some switch above his head. A small light lit up and I hear a faint ring somewhere in the back. As if by magic an airhostess arrived and switched off the light … this did not seem to bother the fellow passenger and he proceeded to order some fruit juice… It suddenly became clear…the switch was some form of a calling bell and the light indicated who pressed it… Fancy gadgets I wondered and proceeded to look out the window…
Much of that flight was then uneventful, except for the fact that I did… what my fellow passenger did; making sure that I do not arouse the suspicion that I was a first time flier.… Oh yes I did not call the airhostesses once during my flight while my fellow passenger seemed to have taken up an oath to not let the pretty girls off the hook for a moment. Fruit juice, water, blanket, pillow, magazine, water, fruit juice… and he was constantly on to something… Antd then there was this "hot towels" and another bout of "cold towel" game…After almost four hours (one hour behind the scheduled arrival time as there was no clearance) I landed in Delhi… A bus awaited the disembarking passengers and took us all to the Baggage collecting area of the Indira Gandhi International Airport Domestic terminal. Then after another wait for about half an hour I finally collected my luggage and stepped out of the airport gates… Delhi. My first visit to the capital.
Delhi had lived up to its reputation of being the most corrupt place in India other than the fact that it was also the capital... I finally got out of the airport to meet this Sikh swindler (could you believe it? and we joke about them on their lack of intelligence!!) ... He was about to mug me when I realized something was utterly wrong and this person was no prepaid taxi driver as he had claimed. I managed to get hold a cop at the airport premises and the cab driver (or whatever he was) just vanished in no time. Then there was this genuine prepaid taxi driver who did not know where he was supposed to take me... again a cop came to my rescue and guided me to the USI residency (the place that was booked for my overnight stay). The taxi driver bragged for some tip (on a prepaid taxi!) and it was only when I gave him some twenty bucks that he finally let go of the last of my luggage!
The stay at the hotel was good... and then they had a complimentary drop at the international terminal of the Airport... then on, it was a piece of cake.... After all domestic flights teach you everything about aeroplanes and you can rest assured that I had a good teacher in my fellow passenger….Checking in took almost an hour as there was this high alert for the recent sub-way bombings in UK and on top of that some senseless Delhi airport personnel tore off my through check-in tag from my luggage. I was dismayed when I got to know that my coveted window seat was no more available. I quarrelled about it and finally sympathetic personnel upgraded my economy class seat to a flat-bed one. I was not sure what that meant though but I was satisfied with the words… "We are sorry sir, I will upgrade your seat to a flat-bed one"… I felt victorious. The whole process of immigration check and finally boarding the plane took more than 2 hours. It was then to my utter surprise and joy, I understood what a flat-bed seat meant. The flat-bed was a single seat with a small stool to rest your feet… with a personal folding table, your very own video screen and your very own reading light… There were some fancy switches and after some investigation and help from the airhostess I realized that the seat could be aligned to meet the stool and form a full-length bed! I could want nothing more… after such tiring journey last night and arriving to the airport at 6:30 in the morning all that I could possibly think of was a sleep… Before the British Airways flight was even fifteen minutes into its flight I was sound asleep under a very comfortable blanket and a soft pillow.
I rose with a start realizing that a British airhostess was calling me. I woke and groggily saw that breakfast was being served… I looked at my watch and realized that it was 10:30 and I have slept for over two hours. I was ver unsure about what t take and finally decided upon a full English breakfast with Ham and scrambled eggs served with freshly baked loaves and butter. Having finished the breakfast within minutes (I was really hungry for I had no opportunity to have any food in the morning). Coffee was served and having finished that too I felt the need for a wash room. I proceeded towards one and it was only then that I had a view through a window… and I let out a gasp! The landscape below was incredible…I realized that we were perhaps flying over Sindh for the landscape matched very much like the one I had seen so many a times in the Atlas. The snow-capped mountains in Pakistan and Afghanistan, with channels of rivers flowing between them like the strings, looked more like some geography drawings from up above. It was amazing....
Finally I found a wash closet … The aeroplane wash closets are great (I mean to say that they are very efficiently and cleverly designed but a bit claustrophobic). I had some trouble finding the right kind of tissue paper for the right job…I had champagne for the first time in my life. It was wonderful... (they serve that on BA but I am not so sure about AI) I had three glasses before I felt I was becoming tipsy and out of bounds... with complimentary drinks... it is always a problem with people like me :-) you can never have enough.... ;-)
My flat-bed seat allowed me to sleep for about 4 hours which had definitely put me in the right groove...(I hardly had any jet lag and adjusted effortlessly into the different time zone). All thanks to the stu**d personnel at the Delhi airport who accidentally tore off my check-in luggage tag and as a result I had the upgrade into the flat bet from a normal window seat (chuckle).Finally, I landed in Heathrow… on the land where the sun never used to set… I collected my luggage from the baggage collection conveyer and proceeded for the clearance… The immigration was very quick and before I realized what was happening I was cleared and I was out of the airport. It was almost 1:40 p.m. GMT and I felt relived to have arrived to this country at last after such a wonderful experience of riding the plane for the first time (second if you consider the break at Delhi).
Bristol, the city of my destination, is a nice small town in the Avon district of UK (South-South-West of London). The closeness to the sea attributes to the moderate climate of this place... There is a city centre with a memorial like the martyr memorial in Delhi, where people place poppies and orchids on national holidays to salute the brave soldiers who died fighting to subjugate the other nations (sic). There is a central bus station named Marlborough (like the Dharmotollah but much too small and much too sparkling in the appearance and cleanliness). This was where I disembarked first on Bristol after a 3-hour bus journey from Heathrow (I had been sleeping a good 2 hours on that journey).
There are a lot of pubs in the city centre and some of them are pretty interesting (now dont jump to conclusions... I have only heard). Then there is a railway station by the name Templemeads that offer train links to various parts of London and UK. The Heathrow has a train station too that links Bristol via Paddington St. On an average each of the houses (a maximum of three storeys high, ours is a two storey one) has a lawn… and a backyard the size of a badminton court. The one we have has been cared in ages and now tall grasses adorn the backyard adding to the misery of having moths and other such birds (sic) flying in the house at night.Immigrants drive most of the cabs here and an Iraqi drove the one, which I took from the bus stop. He was a very friendly guy in about 40s and was very generous in offering me a lighter as a gift when I asked for a light. He was genuinely impressed at the statement that I was on a company deputation from India and that I have a Master's degree in Computer Science at such a (according to him) "tender age" (lol). He was kind enough to offer me some good advice on how to get about living in the UK and where all I could get good bargains. He even advised me to get a bicycle and use it as transportation to and from the office. He was all praises for the Indian Mango pickle and how his lunch is incomplete without it! And the spices that make his curry mouth-watering...
I had reached my house (the one I would share with 3 others) at about 5:30 in the evening and had to wait outside for everyone was at the office (I arrived on a weekday). Finally, at around 6:15 people came back and I moved into the warmth of the house.
A Short Story
Partho watched another train go by… It was the 3:15 local that was late. He had watched it from a distance moving into the station in a centipede like motion. The turn near the station was always something of a treat to watch. The trains made a sort of loop before entering the small station of Payera Danga and that turn made the train look amazingly like a snake or a centipede in motion. His train was late again and he was restless. He would miss the ferry and would have to depend on the conditions of the road before he could reach Burrabazaar. Ratan-da would be waiting for him to come and deposit the cash, he safely carried in the bag that he clutched tightly…
Weather was another concern for him, it was dark and wet. Even at that hour of evening it seemed almost late evening. The drizzle had presently stopped and he felt drenched. This money was all he had.
Four months back he had loaned a handsome amount of money… 10 thousand to be precise from Ratan-da. It was with this money that he wanted to start his sweet shop in the lines that Ratan-da had advised him. After all Ratan-da was an accomplished sweetmeat seller in Burrabazaar and had profits close to a lakh per month. Partho had learnt the tricks of the trade from none other than his idol Ratan Shau, once a local gangster and a friend of his father. After Partho’s father passed away a couple of months back, the only source of steady income for his family that comprised of only him now, has come to a full stop. His father used to work as the accountant at a local grocers’ and made just enough to make a living for the two of them. It would be unwise to say that Partho had a way with the local people. Twenty-three years of existence under his belt, he was a terror of the local people. He worked alone albeit under Bishu and spearheaded various acts of vandalism and fistfights in Payera Danga. But after his father passed away and he was left with nobody to abstain him form his rogue lifestyle realization in the form of sanity dawned upon him. He saw Ratan Shau turn into a moneylender with his business flourishing and wanted to replicate the success story. The day the cremation got over he had gone straight to Bishu and expressed his willingness to turn into a sweetmeat seller. Bishu had obviously been very amused at first and tried persuading him to continue with his older profession but Partho was adamant. Bishu tried entreating him even offered him a full salary of Rs. 800 a month to continue working for him but that was not to be. Finally when nothing seemed to have come out of the discussion Bishu threatened Partho of dire consequences to which Partho laughed at and walked straight out. That was days ago. He had heard nothing from Bishu since.
He had in the meantime set up his own thatched roof shop near the station and sold sweets. Business was not good initially for he was a marked goon, but it slowly picked up and by the end of his second month it was doing well. Being the only sweetmeat shop near to the station people often brought sweets on arrival or while departing for a visit to some relations. He had spent only a thousand for his shop and bought it from the old fisherman who dreaded Partho. Investment was minimal and with a couple of thousand more he had the full furniture ready complete with a glass display and a couple of benches. Raw materials arrived from the neighboring Madanpur and he made the sweets himself. He had been able to save about 7 thousand from his sales in four months and decided to return the money he had borrowed.
He presently moved out of the platform shade and strolled impatiently and pointlessly looking every now and then at the large electronic clock at the platform. Another couple of intent eyes scanned him from a distance.
The platform was mostly deserted. It was after all a very murky day with intermittent drizzling. There were very few unfortunate people who had some important assignments in other places waited for their trains to arrive.
-*-
Bishu needed money… and urgently. He had never thought that of all people Partho would desert him. Now that he needed some fresh blood to take care of his fast waning popularity; he was stranded. He knew the day Partho had walked out on him was the start of his fall. He had resented Partho since then and vowed revenge. He had sported a new look with a complete beard and a back-brush, which indeed changed, how he looked. He wanted to start afresh but he needed money now… needed it bad for there was his sister’s wedding and it should be some affair for everyone to speak about. He had been to Ratan-da after he came to know that he had helped Partho. He expected honor amongst thieves but to his dismay he returned empty handed. The collections from the local shops were of not much help either… moreover he has lost a good amount of territory after Partho left and had no longer the muscle power to regain his territories back. But one good thing he learnt from his visit to Ratan Shau, Partho would be in next week to return the money… and he made up his plan.
He watched from a distance covered in a raincoat as the tall figure moved about the platform. He knew what was in that bag. His new henchman Ali stood a bit further away from where Bishu stood and was drawing on the beedi intently. He was hardly in his twenty… This lad has promise, thought Bishu looking at Ali… But what he was about to do would test the steel in him. Partho was no ordinary target. He was well versed with all of this.
Somehow Bishu could not accept his present situation and believed axiomatically that his present woes are the direct consequences of Partho leaving him. He froze. Partho looked at him and then past him and he breathed again…
There was a distant whistle of an approaching train and he moved… Ali followed his motion and together they started approaching Partho.
-*-
The train snaked past the loop and approached the station decelerating. The announcement sometime back relieved Partho that his train was approaching. He let out a sigh of relief and walked towards the edge of the platform and again watched the train snake by the loop. It never failed to remind him of the childhood thoughts of a giant snake making its way towards the waiting preys…
The train was close now. He truned to move away from the edge and bumped into someone…
He felt a tug for his bag and before he could realize what was happening someone pushed him off the edge of the platform. Time seemed frozen for a moment as Partho helplessly tried to grab something in the thin air. He felt his bag gone. And in split of a second he saw a face that looked somewhat familiar. He knew who it was! But then it was too late… The train has come into the station and he fell as if for an eternity…
Weather was another concern for him, it was dark and wet. Even at that hour of evening it seemed almost late evening. The drizzle had presently stopped and he felt drenched. This money was all he had.
Four months back he had loaned a handsome amount of money… 10 thousand to be precise from Ratan-da. It was with this money that he wanted to start his sweet shop in the lines that Ratan-da had advised him. After all Ratan-da was an accomplished sweetmeat seller in Burrabazaar and had profits close to a lakh per month. Partho had learnt the tricks of the trade from none other than his idol Ratan Shau, once a local gangster and a friend of his father. After Partho’s father passed away a couple of months back, the only source of steady income for his family that comprised of only him now, has come to a full stop. His father used to work as the accountant at a local grocers’ and made just enough to make a living for the two of them. It would be unwise to say that Partho had a way with the local people. Twenty-three years of existence under his belt, he was a terror of the local people. He worked alone albeit under Bishu and spearheaded various acts of vandalism and fistfights in Payera Danga. But after his father passed away and he was left with nobody to abstain him form his rogue lifestyle realization in the form of sanity dawned upon him. He saw Ratan Shau turn into a moneylender with his business flourishing and wanted to replicate the success story. The day the cremation got over he had gone straight to Bishu and expressed his willingness to turn into a sweetmeat seller. Bishu had obviously been very amused at first and tried persuading him to continue with his older profession but Partho was adamant. Bishu tried entreating him even offered him a full salary of Rs. 800 a month to continue working for him but that was not to be. Finally when nothing seemed to have come out of the discussion Bishu threatened Partho of dire consequences to which Partho laughed at and walked straight out. That was days ago. He had heard nothing from Bishu since.
He had in the meantime set up his own thatched roof shop near the station and sold sweets. Business was not good initially for he was a marked goon, but it slowly picked up and by the end of his second month it was doing well. Being the only sweetmeat shop near to the station people often brought sweets on arrival or while departing for a visit to some relations. He had spent only a thousand for his shop and bought it from the old fisherman who dreaded Partho. Investment was minimal and with a couple of thousand more he had the full furniture ready complete with a glass display and a couple of benches. Raw materials arrived from the neighboring Madanpur and he made the sweets himself. He had been able to save about 7 thousand from his sales in four months and decided to return the money he had borrowed.
He presently moved out of the platform shade and strolled impatiently and pointlessly looking every now and then at the large electronic clock at the platform. Another couple of intent eyes scanned him from a distance.
The platform was mostly deserted. It was after all a very murky day with intermittent drizzling. There were very few unfortunate people who had some important assignments in other places waited for their trains to arrive.
-*-
Bishu needed money… and urgently. He had never thought that of all people Partho would desert him. Now that he needed some fresh blood to take care of his fast waning popularity; he was stranded. He knew the day Partho had walked out on him was the start of his fall. He had resented Partho since then and vowed revenge. He had sported a new look with a complete beard and a back-brush, which indeed changed, how he looked. He wanted to start afresh but he needed money now… needed it bad for there was his sister’s wedding and it should be some affair for everyone to speak about. He had been to Ratan-da after he came to know that he had helped Partho. He expected honor amongst thieves but to his dismay he returned empty handed. The collections from the local shops were of not much help either… moreover he has lost a good amount of territory after Partho left and had no longer the muscle power to regain his territories back. But one good thing he learnt from his visit to Ratan Shau, Partho would be in next week to return the money… and he made up his plan.
He watched from a distance covered in a raincoat as the tall figure moved about the platform. He knew what was in that bag. His new henchman Ali stood a bit further away from where Bishu stood and was drawing on the beedi intently. He was hardly in his twenty… This lad has promise, thought Bishu looking at Ali… But what he was about to do would test the steel in him. Partho was no ordinary target. He was well versed with all of this.
Somehow Bishu could not accept his present situation and believed axiomatically that his present woes are the direct consequences of Partho leaving him. He froze. Partho looked at him and then past him and he breathed again…
There was a distant whistle of an approaching train and he moved… Ali followed his motion and together they started approaching Partho.
-*-
The train snaked past the loop and approached the station decelerating. The announcement sometime back relieved Partho that his train was approaching. He let out a sigh of relief and walked towards the edge of the platform and again watched the train snake by the loop. It never failed to remind him of the childhood thoughts of a giant snake making its way towards the waiting preys…
The train was close now. He truned to move away from the edge and bumped into someone…
He felt a tug for his bag and before he could realize what was happening someone pushed him off the edge of the platform. Time seemed frozen for a moment as Partho helplessly tried to grab something in the thin air. He felt his bag gone. And in split of a second he saw a face that looked somewhat familiar. He knew who it was! But then it was too late… The train has come into the station and he fell as if for an eternity…
Love in August -- 8th August 2005
*** 8th August 2005
9:30 AM.
--------
Subhankar was in great distress. Sitting cramped in the small space of the mini bus seat he switched his stance clearly bothered by the lack of leg space in front of him. Those who had only seen him would take him for an ordinary and not so intelligent person. That was how he looked. But that would be a mistake. Subhankar was a fair and was well built. Body building has always been his passion and without a forty minute jogging and stretching in the morning he would be sick. Having completed his MBBS from the Medical College Kolkata last year he was associated with the SSKM Hospital as an intern and he was damn intelligent. He only had a pronunciation difficulty for the letter "S", the kind you will find common in people from Burdwan (no malice intended) and that seemed to be his only problem and negated his smartness to some extent.
It would be difficult to get down negotiating the way through passengers onboard he thought, as he made adjustments to how he sat. There was something else that bothered him very deeply. For the last two weeks he had been trying to engage himself in a conversation with this girl, Deboti, but it always turned out that since the accidental introduction to her two weeks back when he had helped her with some change, she has made up her mind not to look his way or speak to him. Staring two seats ahead of him he made out the slender neck and her neatly tied hair yet again. Her ears were so white and looked so soft that the fashionable earrings seemed too heavy for them. He saw her rise from her seat and knew he should also be doing the same. Getting out after a lot of difficulty and making sure that he stayed just behind Deboti, he made his way to the gate. When he got down at SSKM following Deboti, he deliberately crossed her and kept walking fast till he reached the entrance of the hospital. He was disappointed. He had hoped that somehow Deboti would call him and they would talk about... what? He did not know but he wished she would call him. Deboti did not call. He watched as he entered the hospital gates, Deboti kept on walking and then crossing the street went in her college Gokhale. Enough is enough; he decided to consult Sailen that evening.
7:40 PM.
--------
"What do you mean you cannot muster courage?" Sailen was saying with a look of disbelief. "You perform all the dangerous operations everyday, you take all tough decisions concerning the life and death of your patients everyday and you tell me you are afraid?"
Sensing the touch of incredulity in his voice Subhankar could not help but make a sorry face and a gesture of helplessness. The idea of walking up to Deboti in a packed bus and taking the initiative to request her to hold his bag was too much, thought Subhankar. The idea had some purpose but the cat needs to be belled before the reactions could be judged. Cutting up corpses or treating a third degree burn patient seemed far more comforting. "No, I am really helpless Sailo... I would surely make a blunder of things and perhaps there is no use..."
"Then it is over, thank God! You don't really want to talk to Deboti and take your acquaintance to another level..." Sailen cut in "If you want something really bad then you should not let your ego get on top of you... rather ease yourself and be positive... I am not advising you to give up your self respect but be a little bold for 'No risk no gain'" he remarked with a wink.
"What do you think she would do?" Subhankar asked.
"Look Subha, this is no algebra that you can equate, it is real life. You may predict something but things might not go that way. You can never know what the other person might be thinking by not knowing the person at all.... even if you know the person for a long time it hardly will give you any clue ... at the most you might just predict from your experiences. You cannot expect her to just understand you and accept you as the introvert you are." started Sailen, "About the options she has, she can a) refuse to hold your bag... b)Ignore you or c) hold your bag. The worst is if she refuses and the best is that she holds your bag. You would have then made what it is technically called your 'Contact'. If everything goes fine then you could extend your conversations in bits and pieces like isn't it very hot today? And the sorts...Surely she would not be so reserved that she would not talk"
"What do you mean introvert?" Subhankar fumed "and what if she decided to go fuzzy?"
"Look let's not deviate from what we had been discussing... you tell me that you cannot speak your mind and yet I cannot call you an introvert... that is funny. You will have to speak up and let you mind out or else you will be left sulking forever" Sailen said with finality, "Moreover if she decide to ignore you and pretend that she did not hear you that might just be as good.... she also might be trying to speak to you and is shy... and if she ignores then you cannot throw away this angle".
Subhankar could not make out how cold-shoulder is going to bring some positive outcomes but did not say it. Saying it loud would mean a lengthy discourse and an almost-brainwashing session with Sailen. Feeling desperate now, he decided "... that's it; I will have to do as Sailen says and take my chances..."
9:30 AM.
--------
Subhankar was in great distress. Sitting cramped in the small space of the mini bus seat he switched his stance clearly bothered by the lack of leg space in front of him. Those who had only seen him would take him for an ordinary and not so intelligent person. That was how he looked. But that would be a mistake. Subhankar was a fair and was well built. Body building has always been his passion and without a forty minute jogging and stretching in the morning he would be sick. Having completed his MBBS from the Medical College Kolkata last year he was associated with the SSKM Hospital as an intern and he was damn intelligent. He only had a pronunciation difficulty for the letter "S", the kind you will find common in people from Burdwan (no malice intended) and that seemed to be his only problem and negated his smartness to some extent.
It would be difficult to get down negotiating the way through passengers onboard he thought, as he made adjustments to how he sat. There was something else that bothered him very deeply. For the last two weeks he had been trying to engage himself in a conversation with this girl, Deboti, but it always turned out that since the accidental introduction to her two weeks back when he had helped her with some change, she has made up her mind not to look his way or speak to him. Staring two seats ahead of him he made out the slender neck and her neatly tied hair yet again. Her ears were so white and looked so soft that the fashionable earrings seemed too heavy for them. He saw her rise from her seat and knew he should also be doing the same. Getting out after a lot of difficulty and making sure that he stayed just behind Deboti, he made his way to the gate. When he got down at SSKM following Deboti, he deliberately crossed her and kept walking fast till he reached the entrance of the hospital. He was disappointed. He had hoped that somehow Deboti would call him and they would talk about... what? He did not know but he wished she would call him. Deboti did not call. He watched as he entered the hospital gates, Deboti kept on walking and then crossing the street went in her college Gokhale. Enough is enough; he decided to consult Sailen that evening.
7:40 PM.
--------
"What do you mean you cannot muster courage?" Sailen was saying with a look of disbelief. "You perform all the dangerous operations everyday, you take all tough decisions concerning the life and death of your patients everyday and you tell me you are afraid?"
Sensing the touch of incredulity in his voice Subhankar could not help but make a sorry face and a gesture of helplessness. The idea of walking up to Deboti in a packed bus and taking the initiative to request her to hold his bag was too much, thought Subhankar. The idea had some purpose but the cat needs to be belled before the reactions could be judged. Cutting up corpses or treating a third degree burn patient seemed far more comforting. "No, I am really helpless Sailo... I would surely make a blunder of things and perhaps there is no use..."
"Then it is over, thank God! You don't really want to talk to Deboti and take your acquaintance to another level..." Sailen cut in "If you want something really bad then you should not let your ego get on top of you... rather ease yourself and be positive... I am not advising you to give up your self respect but be a little bold for 'No risk no gain'" he remarked with a wink.
"What do you think she would do?" Subhankar asked.
"Look Subha, this is no algebra that you can equate, it is real life. You may predict something but things might not go that way. You can never know what the other person might be thinking by not knowing the person at all.... even if you know the person for a long time it hardly will give you any clue ... at the most you might just predict from your experiences. You cannot expect her to just understand you and accept you as the introvert you are." started Sailen, "About the options she has, she can a) refuse to hold your bag... b)Ignore you or c) hold your bag. The worst is if she refuses and the best is that she holds your bag. You would have then made what it is technically called your 'Contact'. If everything goes fine then you could extend your conversations in bits and pieces like isn't it very hot today? And the sorts...Surely she would not be so reserved that she would not talk"
"What do you mean introvert?" Subhankar fumed "and what if she decided to go fuzzy?"
"Look let's not deviate from what we had been discussing... you tell me that you cannot speak your mind and yet I cannot call you an introvert... that is funny. You will have to speak up and let you mind out or else you will be left sulking forever" Sailen said with finality, "Moreover if she decide to ignore you and pretend that she did not hear you that might just be as good.... she also might be trying to speak to you and is shy... and if she ignores then you cannot throw away this angle".
Subhankar could not make out how cold-shoulder is going to bring some positive outcomes but did not say it. Saying it loud would mean a lengthy discourse and an almost-brainwashing session with Sailen. Feeling desperate now, he decided "... that's it; I will have to do as Sailen says and take my chances..."
Love in August -- 11th August 2005
*** 11th August 2005
10:20 AM.
---------
"My God! Sailo you are a genius!! You are a Love Guru! You are a soul reader..."
Sailo had to literally cut short Subha on the phone "...Thank you Subha... Yes but.... STOP. Will you PLEASE tell me why you are acting this way?"
"I did as we planned... I boarded the bus and saw her sitting and walked straight up to her and handed her my bag." Subha said in a single breath, obviously enjoying the effect of the words on me, for his voice carried that savoring, that suspense a person might show when he is very excited.
"What happened then?" Sailo asked, "Surely Deboti had thrown the bag out of the window?"
"Stop bugging and listen, will you?" Subha's voice sounded hurt. "She asked for my mobile number..."
"What! What have you done my dear friend! She asked for your mobile number on your first real meet?!!..."
"Actually she wanted some help from me... She knew from our brief introduction that I was a doctor. She wanted me to help her get through in some reputed hospital for a project she is doing on Nutrition and Health..."
"Oh!"
"No, no listen, this is not the end of it..." continued Subha hurriedly, "we talked for about FIVE minutes..."
Sailo was at the end of his wit and suppressed a giggle but he also had a pity for Subha who, he knew was a gem of a person. He could have easily punctured the balloon of hope Subha has so carefully built but decided it was too early to actually discourage his best friend. "Tell me the story" is all that he said.
9:10 AM.
--------
Subhankar was nervous. He could feel his palms go moist with as he neared the bus stop. Benefits of his low BMR, a direct consequence of his regular exercise, seemed to have deserted him and he felt very awkward within. What if she was not on the bus like the last two days? What if Deboti was on the bus and refused to hold the bag? He thought about it and then smiled... at least that would give him some solace that he tried... yes, Sailo was right a contact has to be made before anything else sets in. All he needed was a good conversation so that he may present his case before her.
He saw the bus come to a stop and to his surprise and relief the bus had no seats left. It happened very rarely as he boarded the bus form the stop next to the stand. Usually there would be seats but today there were none... he had never believed in the forecast section of the Telegraph magazine but he had looked it up yesterday after he had made up his mind to go through with Sailo's suggestion. The magazine promised new and exiting adventures, making new friends and lots of travel this week... perhaps this would be the new adventure, thought Subha. With all these thoughts he boarded.
There she was; sitting by the window of the seat reserved for the handicapped... Subha felt his heart skip a beat. He boarded and gave a customary glance around as to see if there were any places to sit and then stood near the first row of the mini bus. Did she show any interest? Did she just steal a glance? Subha broke into a cold sweat thinking what he was about to do. He looked around as if to find some support but he knew he had to do it alone and NOW!
"Hi Deboti, Could you please hold my bag?" he spoke. The tension seemed to have evaporated and a void filled the space. Now he has done it! There was no turning back now...for as a boy he had experience what words could do once they left the mouth and there was no turning it back.
Deboti glanced his way and accepted the bag. "Sure..." she said... looking uncertain "... Subhankar isn't it?"
Subha was impressed. This is after some very long time that a stranger had remembered his name. Generally people forget the name of the introduced person after a few days of introduction if they happened to have no business with them. She obviously had a good memory, Subha noted with rising relief of having passed the initial hurdle of breaking the ice. "You do have a good memory..." Subha began, "... I did not think you would recall my name... Thank you"
"What for...?"
"The bag was really heavy you see..." Subha managed the goof up.
"Oh!" she said and looked out of the window.
What Deboti did not know was the fact that Subha carried the same bag for the last four years. When Subha had first met Sailo in the bus 3A/1 on his way to Medical College four years back, he had refused to hand the same bag over saying it was okay and he was used to it. Today however it was a different story. The idea was to hand over the bag even if you could carry it perfectly. Subha made a mental note of the first white lie he had spoken, later he could clarify if things were favorable. As much as he hated speaking anything but truth he still had carefully prepared for this bout of questioning if occasion demanded. He could say anything today to seek attention. Mentally he thanked Sailo for preparing him for all the eventualities. He was confident that he could identify the signals that would decide which way the conversation would go, and take corrective measures if it went for bad. Subha was more prepared today than he had been when he sat for his medical entrance examination (JEE). Come problems...There is a solution waiting.
Deboti, it seemed, had taken a new outlook to the world outside the window. She stared out as if she had never seen the passing stores and bus stops. "Damn! What to do now?" thought Subha. "Nothing" replied some warning voice inside him and he heeded. There was hardly anything that could be done now. He has played the ball to her court and there is nothing to do now but to wait for some return. The initial euphoria Subha felt, of having made the contact, was dying now. He tried standing casually and a look as if he had no definite purpose, but that, he felt, made him rigid and panicky. A thousand thoughts gathered in his mind... The whole idea of this adventure filled him with a strange enlightenment; it is a game he thought, if you are to play it with the spirit of the game you will not be hurt even if you lose, if however, you win there are prizes to your hearts' content.... Sailo where are you my friend? Help me.
The journey was uneventful except when Deboti had looked his way for some fleeting moments. Their stop came and Subha collected his bag. He had hoped the conversation would go further but Deboti had handed him over his bag without a word. He had mumbled a word of thanks but she seemed not to have heard him. Disembarking from the bus, Subha took to his usual hurried walking. It was then he heard his name called aloud from behind him. Subhankar felt he was on the verge of a triumph and turned to face the hurrying figure behind him. Deboti came up to him while he waited with his heartbeats playing funny games.
"Sorry to call you like this and bother you... but I need some help" she said.
Subhankar would have robbed a bank had she asked him right then to so.
"Yes, tell me what I can do for you?" he replied with his professionalism setting in. After all he was a doctor and he was there to help everyone, he thought.
"I am doing a project on Health and Nutrition and I am yet to find a good medical institute that can help me complete my assignment... You are a Doctor so I thought maybe..."
"Okay I will see if I can place you in Medical College and if that is okay with you?" Subha replied. "It’s my college and I think I can influence the people to get them to help you... but I am not promising... there are difficulties ... I will see what I can do".
Subha stared at her and felt a sense of despair. He was not a great conversationalist but desperate situations needed desperate measures. Thinking of nothing more to say but the burning need to carry on the conversation, he ventured "This is not very proper; I wish you could come to the hospital and we could sit and talk rather than stand here."
"No actually I have a class from 10:00 and I must hurry for I am already late" Deboti replied checking her watch which showed it was 10:10 AM. "Oh yes, can I have your mobile number please... you can take down mine it is 94331 07655. I will get in touch regarding the placement... so long."
Subha wished she could stay a bit longer as she hurried off towards her college. He would immediately seek out the information and let her know about it he thought as he moved towards his own destination. Time seemed to have lost dimension and suddenly he was not feeling the humidity. The skies have started taking a menacing texture and the humidity soared. It would rain, he thought looking at the gathered cloud, and what a perfect day to rain down. He went up to a tea stall and took a seat. His thoughts were in turmoil and the excitement seemed unbearable. The handing of the bag has worked wonders...just like Sailo had guessed it would. Sailo could not have predicted the exact reaction but he was surely very close. He started dialing Sailo... "My God! Sailo you are a genius!! You are a Love Guru! You are a soul reader..." he started.
9:30 PM.
--------
The brainstorming was now over and so was the drizzling that had started around noon. It had been a very animated discussion and had someone chanced to see Subha and Sailo at it, they would have mistaken it as a quarrel. The point of contention was in the uncertainty of the outcome of the whole affair... Sailo was certain that the fire has started at both the ends and they are of the equal intensity while Subha was more pessimistic, perhaps from the ease with which he was able to get the contact details. He had argued that it was just some help that Deboti had wanted and there was no scope of any further conjectures while Sailo had insisted that Deboti had given her number to him for she too was interested, otherwise no girl would give out her contact details to some stranger. Subha wanted to believe the explanation but was not sure whether to take it very seriously. He was losing his interest to think hard for he had hardly slept last couple of days.
"It is a classic example of a person in Love ..." Sailo had quipped. "First you lose sleep because you are in love and you cannot think of anything else. Then you will lose your sleep again when the affair is going steady in the fear of losing her. Finally you will become an insomniac when she leaves you..."
Subha had taken the remark with sufficient humor but he felt the truth behind it. That he could not sleep was true. He only never thought the reason behind it. He had heard of people losing sleep when they fall in love but had never thought it was possible...there was no medical explanation. But it was happening and he cannot deny it. He had even missed his jogging and stretching today and it has happened after almost a whole year. Last time he was down with fever... and now...Love?
"What do you think I should do?" he enquired. "Shall I call her up to let her know that I have arranged the induction to the Medical College?"
"Wait! My dear friend, you are missing the subtle points in the game. The idea is not to show you are head over heels or she might end up on top." said Sailo with conviction. He was after all a veteran and he knew the human psychology like the back of his hand. It had taken a lot of refusals, a lot of pains to be where he was but it was worth it, he thought, more because he could help his friend out. He was certain that Subha is in luck and the girl has also responded predictably. He knew the importance of waiting in this game and the importance of subtle timings. After all it is just for a few initial days that this game has to be continued. "All will set in perfectly at the end and then there would not be the need for playing it on. Once the making-impression period was over, nothing else matters."
"When do you think I can call her up?" Subha asked impatiently. "Tomorrow?"
"No. You don't call. It was her need so let her call"
"What if she doesn't?"
"If she doesn't call by tomorrow you SMS her with the news but don't call." warned Sailo, knowing very well that his friend would not heed this particular warning. "If you call you will hardly have any reason to show..."
"Okay." Subha nodded. "And what do you think she would do?"
"If I am not very mistaken Subha, she doesn't even need the information you have collected with so much importance." said Sailo with a twinkle in his eyes. "I am sure that her college seniors would have provided her with ample guidance and she happens to be from one of the best of institutions. Her college would have surely endorsed her with some connections. It is hard to imagine otherwise. Nevertheless, a clever way to get the contact going...don't you see it? She has played her part and well too! All that you have to decide is when to return the ball again for her to plan her next response..."
"You have some imagination! But I am afraid this is just a speculation. On a broader and more general view I think she really wanted my help" reasoned Subha. "I admit that she has acted very unpredictably but then she might have been in dire need for that information. No. No Sailo, I think I should let her know what I have found out."
"Go ahead then do what you like and spoil it" Sailo tried one last time "if you reply too soon she will know she has you in the bag. You will send her the news but all I advise you is to wait for about 24 hours...just 24".
Sailo's mother announced that the dinner was ready and they left the discussion at that.
10:20 AM.
---------
"My God! Sailo you are a genius!! You are a Love Guru! You are a soul reader..."
Sailo had to literally cut short Subha on the phone "...Thank you Subha... Yes but.... STOP. Will you PLEASE tell me why you are acting this way?"
"I did as we planned... I boarded the bus and saw her sitting and walked straight up to her and handed her my bag." Subha said in a single breath, obviously enjoying the effect of the words on me, for his voice carried that savoring, that suspense a person might show when he is very excited.
"What happened then?" Sailo asked, "Surely Deboti had thrown the bag out of the window?"
"Stop bugging and listen, will you?" Subha's voice sounded hurt. "She asked for my mobile number..."
"What! What have you done my dear friend! She asked for your mobile number on your first real meet?!!..."
"Actually she wanted some help from me... She knew from our brief introduction that I was a doctor. She wanted me to help her get through in some reputed hospital for a project she is doing on Nutrition and Health..."
"Oh!"
"No, no listen, this is not the end of it..." continued Subha hurriedly, "we talked for about FIVE minutes..."
Sailo was at the end of his wit and suppressed a giggle but he also had a pity for Subha who, he knew was a gem of a person. He could have easily punctured the balloon of hope Subha has so carefully built but decided it was too early to actually discourage his best friend. "Tell me the story" is all that he said.
9:10 AM.
--------
Subhankar was nervous. He could feel his palms go moist with as he neared the bus stop. Benefits of his low BMR, a direct consequence of his regular exercise, seemed to have deserted him and he felt very awkward within. What if she was not on the bus like the last two days? What if Deboti was on the bus and refused to hold the bag? He thought about it and then smiled... at least that would give him some solace that he tried... yes, Sailo was right a contact has to be made before anything else sets in. All he needed was a good conversation so that he may present his case before her.
He saw the bus come to a stop and to his surprise and relief the bus had no seats left. It happened very rarely as he boarded the bus form the stop next to the stand. Usually there would be seats but today there were none... he had never believed in the forecast section of the Telegraph magazine but he had looked it up yesterday after he had made up his mind to go through with Sailo's suggestion. The magazine promised new and exiting adventures, making new friends and lots of travel this week... perhaps this would be the new adventure, thought Subha. With all these thoughts he boarded.
There she was; sitting by the window of the seat reserved for the handicapped... Subha felt his heart skip a beat. He boarded and gave a customary glance around as to see if there were any places to sit and then stood near the first row of the mini bus. Did she show any interest? Did she just steal a glance? Subha broke into a cold sweat thinking what he was about to do. He looked around as if to find some support but he knew he had to do it alone and NOW!
"Hi Deboti, Could you please hold my bag?" he spoke. The tension seemed to have evaporated and a void filled the space. Now he has done it! There was no turning back now...for as a boy he had experience what words could do once they left the mouth and there was no turning it back.
Deboti glanced his way and accepted the bag. "Sure..." she said... looking uncertain "... Subhankar isn't it?"
Subha was impressed. This is after some very long time that a stranger had remembered his name. Generally people forget the name of the introduced person after a few days of introduction if they happened to have no business with them. She obviously had a good memory, Subha noted with rising relief of having passed the initial hurdle of breaking the ice. "You do have a good memory..." Subha began, "... I did not think you would recall my name... Thank you"
"What for...?"
"The bag was really heavy you see..." Subha managed the goof up.
"Oh!" she said and looked out of the window.
What Deboti did not know was the fact that Subha carried the same bag for the last four years. When Subha had first met Sailo in the bus 3A/1 on his way to Medical College four years back, he had refused to hand the same bag over saying it was okay and he was used to it. Today however it was a different story. The idea was to hand over the bag even if you could carry it perfectly. Subha made a mental note of the first white lie he had spoken, later he could clarify if things were favorable. As much as he hated speaking anything but truth he still had carefully prepared for this bout of questioning if occasion demanded. He could say anything today to seek attention. Mentally he thanked Sailo for preparing him for all the eventualities. He was confident that he could identify the signals that would decide which way the conversation would go, and take corrective measures if it went for bad. Subha was more prepared today than he had been when he sat for his medical entrance examination (JEE). Come problems...There is a solution waiting.
Deboti, it seemed, had taken a new outlook to the world outside the window. She stared out as if she had never seen the passing stores and bus stops. "Damn! What to do now?" thought Subha. "Nothing" replied some warning voice inside him and he heeded. There was hardly anything that could be done now. He has played the ball to her court and there is nothing to do now but to wait for some return. The initial euphoria Subha felt, of having made the contact, was dying now. He tried standing casually and a look as if he had no definite purpose, but that, he felt, made him rigid and panicky. A thousand thoughts gathered in his mind... The whole idea of this adventure filled him with a strange enlightenment; it is a game he thought, if you are to play it with the spirit of the game you will not be hurt even if you lose, if however, you win there are prizes to your hearts' content.... Sailo where are you my friend? Help me.
The journey was uneventful except when Deboti had looked his way for some fleeting moments. Their stop came and Subha collected his bag. He had hoped the conversation would go further but Deboti had handed him over his bag without a word. He had mumbled a word of thanks but she seemed not to have heard him. Disembarking from the bus, Subha took to his usual hurried walking. It was then he heard his name called aloud from behind him. Subhankar felt he was on the verge of a triumph and turned to face the hurrying figure behind him. Deboti came up to him while he waited with his heartbeats playing funny games.
"Sorry to call you like this and bother you... but I need some help" she said.
Subhankar would have robbed a bank had she asked him right then to so.
"Yes, tell me what I can do for you?" he replied with his professionalism setting in. After all he was a doctor and he was there to help everyone, he thought.
"I am doing a project on Health and Nutrition and I am yet to find a good medical institute that can help me complete my assignment... You are a Doctor so I thought maybe..."
"Okay I will see if I can place you in Medical College and if that is okay with you?" Subha replied. "It’s my college and I think I can influence the people to get them to help you... but I am not promising... there are difficulties ... I will see what I can do".
Subha stared at her and felt a sense of despair. He was not a great conversationalist but desperate situations needed desperate measures. Thinking of nothing more to say but the burning need to carry on the conversation, he ventured "This is not very proper; I wish you could come to the hospital and we could sit and talk rather than stand here."
"No actually I have a class from 10:00 and I must hurry for I am already late" Deboti replied checking her watch which showed it was 10:10 AM. "Oh yes, can I have your mobile number please... you can take down mine it is 94331 07655. I will get in touch regarding the placement... so long."
Subha wished she could stay a bit longer as she hurried off towards her college. He would immediately seek out the information and let her know about it he thought as he moved towards his own destination. Time seemed to have lost dimension and suddenly he was not feeling the humidity. The skies have started taking a menacing texture and the humidity soared. It would rain, he thought looking at the gathered cloud, and what a perfect day to rain down. He went up to a tea stall and took a seat. His thoughts were in turmoil and the excitement seemed unbearable. The handing of the bag has worked wonders...just like Sailo had guessed it would. Sailo could not have predicted the exact reaction but he was surely very close. He started dialing Sailo... "My God! Sailo you are a genius!! You are a Love Guru! You are a soul reader..." he started.
9:30 PM.
--------
The brainstorming was now over and so was the drizzling that had started around noon. It had been a very animated discussion and had someone chanced to see Subha and Sailo at it, they would have mistaken it as a quarrel. The point of contention was in the uncertainty of the outcome of the whole affair... Sailo was certain that the fire has started at both the ends and they are of the equal intensity while Subha was more pessimistic, perhaps from the ease with which he was able to get the contact details. He had argued that it was just some help that Deboti had wanted and there was no scope of any further conjectures while Sailo had insisted that Deboti had given her number to him for she too was interested, otherwise no girl would give out her contact details to some stranger. Subha wanted to believe the explanation but was not sure whether to take it very seriously. He was losing his interest to think hard for he had hardly slept last couple of days.
"It is a classic example of a person in Love ..." Sailo had quipped. "First you lose sleep because you are in love and you cannot think of anything else. Then you will lose your sleep again when the affair is going steady in the fear of losing her. Finally you will become an insomniac when she leaves you..."
Subha had taken the remark with sufficient humor but he felt the truth behind it. That he could not sleep was true. He only never thought the reason behind it. He had heard of people losing sleep when they fall in love but had never thought it was possible...there was no medical explanation. But it was happening and he cannot deny it. He had even missed his jogging and stretching today and it has happened after almost a whole year. Last time he was down with fever... and now...Love?
"What do you think I should do?" he enquired. "Shall I call her up to let her know that I have arranged the induction to the Medical College?"
"Wait! My dear friend, you are missing the subtle points in the game. The idea is not to show you are head over heels or she might end up on top." said Sailo with conviction. He was after all a veteran and he knew the human psychology like the back of his hand. It had taken a lot of refusals, a lot of pains to be where he was but it was worth it, he thought, more because he could help his friend out. He was certain that Subha is in luck and the girl has also responded predictably. He knew the importance of waiting in this game and the importance of subtle timings. After all it is just for a few initial days that this game has to be continued. "All will set in perfectly at the end and then there would not be the need for playing it on. Once the making-impression period was over, nothing else matters."
"When do you think I can call her up?" Subha asked impatiently. "Tomorrow?"
"No. You don't call. It was her need so let her call"
"What if she doesn't?"
"If she doesn't call by tomorrow you SMS her with the news but don't call." warned Sailo, knowing very well that his friend would not heed this particular warning. "If you call you will hardly have any reason to show..."
"Okay." Subha nodded. "And what do you think she would do?"
"If I am not very mistaken Subha, she doesn't even need the information you have collected with so much importance." said Sailo with a twinkle in his eyes. "I am sure that her college seniors would have provided her with ample guidance and she happens to be from one of the best of institutions. Her college would have surely endorsed her with some connections. It is hard to imagine otherwise. Nevertheless, a clever way to get the contact going...don't you see it? She has played her part and well too! All that you have to decide is when to return the ball again for her to plan her next response..."
"You have some imagination! But I am afraid this is just a speculation. On a broader and more general view I think she really wanted my help" reasoned Subha. "I admit that she has acted very unpredictably but then she might have been in dire need for that information. No. No Sailo, I think I should let her know what I have found out."
"Go ahead then do what you like and spoil it" Sailo tried one last time "if you reply too soon she will know she has you in the bag. You will send her the news but all I advise you is to wait for about 24 hours...just 24".
Sailo's mother announced that the dinner was ready and they left the discussion at that.
Love in August -- 12th August 2005
*** 12th August 2005
10:45 PM.
---------
"No news yet" Subha said clutching the handset harder, "Sailo, the situation doesn't seem good does it?"
"Arrey don't let it consume your thoughts..." Sailo said comforting, in the last two days he has always been able to guess what Deboti might do. This was possible for Subha had been a very good observer... they had discussed her every reaction and every expression as Subha had described. It seemed that she really did not want the information after all as he had predicted... Someone in need will always look up all the avenues before giving up and by the lack of communication from her side it seemed she really did not care. "Send her the information tomorrow at around 11:00 AM."
"Why that late? I can do it at 9:00 if I meet her"
"Because, you fool, it would then suggest you had the information yesterday and decided to pass it over today" snapped Sailo, "you will update me what happens.. ok?"
"Okay Saab. I'll do it"
10:45 PM.
---------
"No news yet" Subha said clutching the handset harder, "Sailo, the situation doesn't seem good does it?"
"Arrey don't let it consume your thoughts..." Sailo said comforting, in the last two days he has always been able to guess what Deboti might do. This was possible for Subha had been a very good observer... they had discussed her every reaction and every expression as Subha had described. It seemed that she really did not want the information after all as he had predicted... Someone in need will always look up all the avenues before giving up and by the lack of communication from her side it seemed she really did not care. "Send her the information tomorrow at around 11:00 AM."
"Why that late? I can do it at 9:00 if I meet her"
"Because, you fool, it would then suggest you had the information yesterday and decided to pass it over today" snapped Sailo, "you will update me what happens.. ok?"
"Okay Saab. I'll do it"
Love in August -- 13th August 2005
*** 13th August 2005
10:45 AM.
---------
It was a holiday and Sailo woke up late. He was deeply into the morning newspaper after having a light breakfast when Subha came looking fussed up. He flung onto the bed and let out a deep sigh. Sailo sensed the symptoms... Subha had some terrible announcement so he folded up the newspaper and turned to face him expectantly.
"This came in today fifteen minutes ago." Subha said and handed over his mobile phone.
"’thnks for ur concrn.got chnce in woodlands.they confirmed yesterday.’"- Sailo read aloud the message and gave out a soft whistle. Now everything was making sense to him. The game was on. He could not however understand why Subha was dejected. He went on to explain his theory.
"What did I tell you? She had everything fixed but had asked you to help." Sailo said winking, "Look this is great news! Have you congratulated her? You should have done it."
"You laugh and the world laughs with you. You cry and the world laughs even louder- is that what you are doing Sailo?" Subha snapped back.
"I suggest you let go that anger and listen..." Sailo said leaning forward "... give her a call and let her know that you are very happy that she has got through in Woodlands. Tell her anything and show that you are really relieved. Then, say goodbye, and make it sound very convincing as if this is your last call for the reason has ceased to exist to call her up again. Then see what happens."
"What will happen?" Subha said sitting up now. "What will happen, Sailo? Will she say...'No no don't hang up dear Subha? I cannot live without you ... bla bla bla'"
"Trust me. I have never let you down, have I?" Sailo said sensing the sarcasm.
"Only that, I have never asked your help before... yes you have been very reliable... that is most comforting" Subha was furious. He could not see what Sailo was driving him into. It seemed they were daydreaming about this whole game thing.
"Okay but do trust me this time. I am sure the whole situation would be very clear once you can do it well."
"Fine. I guess there is nothing more to do. So I will do it; repent all my life but I will do it. And I will let you know, you Smart-guy, Mr. Know-all." Subha said resigning.
Subha went to the balcony for the signal was better there. He dialed. Sailo could make out his voice but not what he was saying... he was, for the first time, a bit tensed at his suggestion. He knew if the girl was interested she would not fail to see that it was a goodbye call and would do everything to stop this happening but if she was not... "God help me" he thought.
Subha came back into the room almost after a fifteen minute talk. He was frowning. "There is a problem. The authorities of Woodlands had obviously called her up and informed her about some problem. She has to go down there and sort it out. There is some problem with the dates. She said it was nothing very serious but some additional harassment..." Subha trailed off.
"Hooray! Subha you are in! YOU ARE DEFINITELY IN. Congratulations man! You have won yourself a pretty girlfriend. I am envious" Sailo burst out relieved.
"What the heck? Why do you say so? You are not joking are you?" Subha demanded indignantly. "What is her problem got to do with this?"
"Don't you see she has kept an avenue open for you to enquire again? Don’t you see it?" Sailo was now smiling.
Realization set in. It took Sailo a Herculean effort to draw out the conclusion to Subha's satisfaction but at last Subha saw logic in the explanation. Sailo was right. He had tried to say the goodbye with a lot of conviction and then she fell silent for a moment... Loss of signal perhaps Subha had thought, but then she started with her latest problems saying about the alleged call and the harassment she would have to undergo... She did not say all these when Subha had congratulated her but waited till he had said the parting words. Subha began to see the logic Sailo had laid and he too felt like his former self again. Hopes began to rise and he was seeing light again.
"You might be right" he said at length, "but what now? She has started a new episode altogether. What do I do Sailo?"
"Send her the mushiest SMS you can think of and wish her all the luck. Also mention that you would like to know the status of this problem when it is addressed"
"Now you are talking." Subha smiled and started the composition immediately. "What do I write?"
"That is something that you have figure out yourself for it has to be original..." said Sailo.
Subha stopped for a moment and looked at his friend. The cool and calculated and always-right fellow was very much unlike him and yet he seemed so wise and so much ahead of his years. Subha wished many a times under different circumstances he could be like his friend. That was one such moment. Sailo was not a very hard working and exercise crazy types and therefore he was of more than normal gait. He was, what doctors would call, slightly overweight. With a round face and oval shaped glasses he looked no more than sixteen but his eyes were bright and intelligent and often Subha could read a lot of expressions in his eyes. It was almost as if he could speak with them. When Subha had met Sailo, he had been much heavier and it was Subha's constant nagging that Sailo has trimmed down a bit resulting from his controlled diet. Sailo was fearful of exercising and Subha's repeated insistence to Sailo to join him in his jogging had been fruitless. He was the late-riser types. Subha remembered his more important work at hand and proceeded to write a romantic SMS for the first time in his life.
8:40 PM.
--------
It was adda at Sailo's place and Subha was chattering loudly about the recent developments. Raja was listening attentively. He was Subha's friend since childhood. Raja had come to Sailo’s place with Subha and since then he too had taken a liking to him. Raja was adding comments here and there, clarifying the details where Subha had missed out when the SMS came. Subha opened it with obvious expectancy and made a face that suggested he had been taken for a ride. Sailo leaned right and tried to read the message when Subha handed the phone out to him with a puzzled expression.
"'Thiking about me? Actually I am also doing the same. Ha ha.'" Sailo read aloud for the benefit of all present. "Well, well, well. It looks like she has dropped her guard. I can hardly expect this SMS from a stranger... What say you Raja?"
"True. It sounds like she is enjoying the confusion. You can ask her out now" said Raja, "or at least make unannounced phone calls."
Sailo had recovered from the state of confusion and felt clear headed. Sailo was right yet again. He could not believe the ease with which he had been able to conduct this whole affair... it was almost surreal. Thanks to Sailo's vast experience in dealing with the fairer sex, he could not have made it even to the first SMS stage without him.
As if reading his thoughts, Sailo asked "So when are we to get the treat we deserve? Next Saturday okay with you Raja?" It was just a courtesy question. Sailo knew Raja would postpone anything for a treat; but he had to make sure that Subha would not give them a miss. As expected Raja had any problems but the host Subha himself protested.
"Let us not count our chickens before they hatch..." he tried, "Letting me get the facts straight and then perhaps..."
"No excuses Subha, you miser" added Raja, "Remember you had promised me a treat, which never materialized, when you get through in Joint? I still remember; so no lax this time. Next Saturday it is."
"Yes next Saturday" two cried out together.
"But, Guys this is not even a date it is just a harmless SMS" Subha protested.
"Okay. If say, you go out with Deboti within the next Saturday then? Would you still not treat us?" said Sailo, his eyes taking that unusual glitter.
Subha knew Sailo has decided upon the next course of action and it was probably to make him go out with Deboti by the next week. He was excited. "Tell me what do you have in mind?"
"First things first, reply the SMS with an affirmation and say something very poetic. If I am not mistaken, she is in a romantic mood right now and you should hit the iron when it is hot. Then I will tell you what to do."
Subha had been thinking in the same lines and he set off to reply. Raja poured over his screen watching with rising excitement at the prospect of playing the mediator in such sensitive and important times. When the reply was sent Subha turned to his "guiding light" as Raja had put it.
"The next time you meet her or call her up do make sure you get her college schedule. If she has a busy schedule and cannot bunk classes then try to meet on the 15th, it is a holiday, so no college, and go out to some eatery if possible. Get her to talk and I am sure you will have your date. I would suggest The Scoop"
"Remember to sound assertive" Raja chipped in.
Subha felt like he was a seven year old, being warned of the dangers associated with talking to strangers, but he was prepared to let his friends take him on if the prize was Deboti. Only the other day he had heard the song by some Ronan Keating. It was particularly very catchy and it seemed to have captured all of Subha's feelings. It was something like "It's amazing how you could speak right to my heart... Without saying a word, you can light up the dark... " he did not know the words well but he felt in harmony with the feelings it expressed. He decided to try his luck with the setting up of a date with Deboti.
"Sleep well" Sailo said when they parted at the gate.
10:45 AM.
---------
It was a holiday and Sailo woke up late. He was deeply into the morning newspaper after having a light breakfast when Subha came looking fussed up. He flung onto the bed and let out a deep sigh. Sailo sensed the symptoms... Subha had some terrible announcement so he folded up the newspaper and turned to face him expectantly.
"This came in today fifteen minutes ago." Subha said and handed over his mobile phone.
"’thnks for ur concrn.got chnce in woodlands.they confirmed yesterday.’"- Sailo read aloud the message and gave out a soft whistle. Now everything was making sense to him. The game was on. He could not however understand why Subha was dejected. He went on to explain his theory.
"What did I tell you? She had everything fixed but had asked you to help." Sailo said winking, "Look this is great news! Have you congratulated her? You should have done it."
"You laugh and the world laughs with you. You cry and the world laughs even louder- is that what you are doing Sailo?" Subha snapped back.
"I suggest you let go that anger and listen..." Sailo said leaning forward "... give her a call and let her know that you are very happy that she has got through in Woodlands. Tell her anything and show that you are really relieved. Then, say goodbye, and make it sound very convincing as if this is your last call for the reason has ceased to exist to call her up again. Then see what happens."
"What will happen?" Subha said sitting up now. "What will happen, Sailo? Will she say...'No no don't hang up dear Subha? I cannot live without you ... bla bla bla'"
"Trust me. I have never let you down, have I?" Sailo said sensing the sarcasm.
"Only that, I have never asked your help before... yes you have been very reliable... that is most comforting" Subha was furious. He could not see what Sailo was driving him into. It seemed they were daydreaming about this whole game thing.
"Okay but do trust me this time. I am sure the whole situation would be very clear once you can do it well."
"Fine. I guess there is nothing more to do. So I will do it; repent all my life but I will do it. And I will let you know, you Smart-guy, Mr. Know-all." Subha said resigning.
Subha went to the balcony for the signal was better there. He dialed. Sailo could make out his voice but not what he was saying... he was, for the first time, a bit tensed at his suggestion. He knew if the girl was interested she would not fail to see that it was a goodbye call and would do everything to stop this happening but if she was not... "God help me" he thought.
Subha came back into the room almost after a fifteen minute talk. He was frowning. "There is a problem. The authorities of Woodlands had obviously called her up and informed her about some problem. She has to go down there and sort it out. There is some problem with the dates. She said it was nothing very serious but some additional harassment..." Subha trailed off.
"Hooray! Subha you are in! YOU ARE DEFINITELY IN. Congratulations man! You have won yourself a pretty girlfriend. I am envious" Sailo burst out relieved.
"What the heck? Why do you say so? You are not joking are you?" Subha demanded indignantly. "What is her problem got to do with this?"
"Don't you see she has kept an avenue open for you to enquire again? Don’t you see it?" Sailo was now smiling.
Realization set in. It took Sailo a Herculean effort to draw out the conclusion to Subha's satisfaction but at last Subha saw logic in the explanation. Sailo was right. He had tried to say the goodbye with a lot of conviction and then she fell silent for a moment... Loss of signal perhaps Subha had thought, but then she started with her latest problems saying about the alleged call and the harassment she would have to undergo... She did not say all these when Subha had congratulated her but waited till he had said the parting words. Subha began to see the logic Sailo had laid and he too felt like his former self again. Hopes began to rise and he was seeing light again.
"You might be right" he said at length, "but what now? She has started a new episode altogether. What do I do Sailo?"
"Send her the mushiest SMS you can think of and wish her all the luck. Also mention that you would like to know the status of this problem when it is addressed"
"Now you are talking." Subha smiled and started the composition immediately. "What do I write?"
"That is something that you have figure out yourself for it has to be original..." said Sailo.
Subha stopped for a moment and looked at his friend. The cool and calculated and always-right fellow was very much unlike him and yet he seemed so wise and so much ahead of his years. Subha wished many a times under different circumstances he could be like his friend. That was one such moment. Sailo was not a very hard working and exercise crazy types and therefore he was of more than normal gait. He was, what doctors would call, slightly overweight. With a round face and oval shaped glasses he looked no more than sixteen but his eyes were bright and intelligent and often Subha could read a lot of expressions in his eyes. It was almost as if he could speak with them. When Subha had met Sailo, he had been much heavier and it was Subha's constant nagging that Sailo has trimmed down a bit resulting from his controlled diet. Sailo was fearful of exercising and Subha's repeated insistence to Sailo to join him in his jogging had been fruitless. He was the late-riser types. Subha remembered his more important work at hand and proceeded to write a romantic SMS for the first time in his life.
8:40 PM.
--------
It was adda at Sailo's place and Subha was chattering loudly about the recent developments. Raja was listening attentively. He was Subha's friend since childhood. Raja had come to Sailo’s place with Subha and since then he too had taken a liking to him. Raja was adding comments here and there, clarifying the details where Subha had missed out when the SMS came. Subha opened it with obvious expectancy and made a face that suggested he had been taken for a ride. Sailo leaned right and tried to read the message when Subha handed the phone out to him with a puzzled expression.
"'Thiking about me? Actually I am also doing the same. Ha ha.'" Sailo read aloud for the benefit of all present. "Well, well, well. It looks like she has dropped her guard. I can hardly expect this SMS from a stranger... What say you Raja?"
"True. It sounds like she is enjoying the confusion. You can ask her out now" said Raja, "or at least make unannounced phone calls."
Sailo had recovered from the state of confusion and felt clear headed. Sailo was right yet again. He could not believe the ease with which he had been able to conduct this whole affair... it was almost surreal. Thanks to Sailo's vast experience in dealing with the fairer sex, he could not have made it even to the first SMS stage without him.
As if reading his thoughts, Sailo asked "So when are we to get the treat we deserve? Next Saturday okay with you Raja?" It was just a courtesy question. Sailo knew Raja would postpone anything for a treat; but he had to make sure that Subha would not give them a miss. As expected Raja had any problems but the host Subha himself protested.
"Let us not count our chickens before they hatch..." he tried, "Letting me get the facts straight and then perhaps..."
"No excuses Subha, you miser" added Raja, "Remember you had promised me a treat, which never materialized, when you get through in Joint? I still remember; so no lax this time. Next Saturday it is."
"Yes next Saturday" two cried out together.
"But, Guys this is not even a date it is just a harmless SMS" Subha protested.
"Okay. If say, you go out with Deboti within the next Saturday then? Would you still not treat us?" said Sailo, his eyes taking that unusual glitter.
Subha knew Sailo has decided upon the next course of action and it was probably to make him go out with Deboti by the next week. He was excited. "Tell me what do you have in mind?"
"First things first, reply the SMS with an affirmation and say something very poetic. If I am not mistaken, she is in a romantic mood right now and you should hit the iron when it is hot. Then I will tell you what to do."
Subha had been thinking in the same lines and he set off to reply. Raja poured over his screen watching with rising excitement at the prospect of playing the mediator in such sensitive and important times. When the reply was sent Subha turned to his "guiding light" as Raja had put it.
"The next time you meet her or call her up do make sure you get her college schedule. If she has a busy schedule and cannot bunk classes then try to meet on the 15th, it is a holiday, so no college, and go out to some eatery if possible. Get her to talk and I am sure you will have your date. I would suggest The Scoop"
"Remember to sound assertive" Raja chipped in.
Subha felt like he was a seven year old, being warned of the dangers associated with talking to strangers, but he was prepared to let his friends take him on if the prize was Deboti. Only the other day he had heard the song by some Ronan Keating. It was particularly very catchy and it seemed to have captured all of Subha's feelings. It was something like "It's amazing how you could speak right to my heart... Without saying a word, you can light up the dark... " he did not know the words well but he felt in harmony with the feelings it expressed. He decided to try his luck with the setting up of a date with Deboti.
"Sleep well" Sailo said when they parted at the gate.
Love in August -- 14th August 2005
*** 14th August 2005
10:00 AM.
---------
"Sailo?"
"Yes"
"I am afraid, THE TREAT IS ON!! "Shouted Subha, at the other end of the phone.
Sailo had to take the receiver away from his ears for the benefit of his ear drum, but the news had registered and he felt almost Godly. This was the first time he has ever provided his expertise in dealing with women for someone else. He felt relieved. Having had to bear in mind the constant pressure that he was in ... from his experience he knew affairs could ruin friendships and create misunderstandings. Had this idea of his' backfired, he had no doubt that there would have been tensions between him and Subha. He took on the risk for he knew Subha and wished him well. He knew Subha was very serious about his likings and this girl, Deboti had bowled him over. "So what did you plan and when are you going out?"
"Tomorrow." Subha said triumphantly "and this would have never been possible without you.... I simply cannot thank you enough... "
"No ‘thank you’ and ‘sorry’ in friendship." Sailo cut him short "Wish you all the very best of luck."
There was a pause and Subha seemed to be breathing heavily. When he spoke, the voice sounded somewhat choked "Sailo, you may be offended but I HAVE to thank you for what you have done. Had I been your position I would not have taken up the trouble of guiding you. You have helped me immensely. If this affair is to continue it would be solely because you have helped me overcome the toughest period of the courtship, 'making an impression'. I know I can handle from here on but I will never forget what you have done."
"Okay! Save something for the treat too ..." said Sailo and they broke into a laugh.
10:00 AM.
---------
"Sailo?"
"Yes"
"I am afraid, THE TREAT IS ON!! "Shouted Subha, at the other end of the phone.
Sailo had to take the receiver away from his ears for the benefit of his ear drum, but the news had registered and he felt almost Godly. This was the first time he has ever provided his expertise in dealing with women for someone else. He felt relieved. Having had to bear in mind the constant pressure that he was in ... from his experience he knew affairs could ruin friendships and create misunderstandings. Had this idea of his' backfired, he had no doubt that there would have been tensions between him and Subha. He took on the risk for he knew Subha and wished him well. He knew Subha was very serious about his likings and this girl, Deboti had bowled him over. "So what did you plan and when are you going out?"
"Tomorrow." Subha said triumphantly "and this would have never been possible without you.... I simply cannot thank you enough... "
"No ‘thank you’ and ‘sorry’ in friendship." Sailo cut him short "Wish you all the very best of luck."
There was a pause and Subha seemed to be breathing heavily. When he spoke, the voice sounded somewhat choked "Sailo, you may be offended but I HAVE to thank you for what you have done. Had I been your position I would not have taken up the trouble of guiding you. You have helped me immensely. If this affair is to continue it would be solely because you have helped me overcome the toughest period of the courtship, 'making an impression'. I know I can handle from here on but I will never forget what you have done."
"Okay! Save something for the treat too ..." said Sailo and they broke into a laugh.
Love in August -- 6th November 2005
*** 6th November 2005
8:00 PM.
--------
"Deboti, meet Sailendra alias Sailo... Sailo meet Deboti"
"Alias?" quizzed Sailo with a charming smile. "Nice to meet you Deboti"
"Nice to meet you too..." she said with a sweet voice "He always talks so highly of you, and keeps telling me that someday he will make me meet you because of something very special you did to help him out when he fell in love with me."
"Oh that’s a loooong story and perhaps the evening would be spoiled if we start once again."
Subha’s eyes met Sailo's and they winked.
8:00 PM.
--------
"Deboti, meet Sailendra alias Sailo... Sailo meet Deboti"
"Alias?" quizzed Sailo with a charming smile. "Nice to meet you Deboti"
"Nice to meet you too..." she said with a sweet voice "He always talks so highly of you, and keeps telling me that someday he will make me meet you because of something very special you did to help him out when he fell in love with me."
"Oh that’s a loooong story and perhaps the evening would be spoiled if we start once again."
Subha’s eyes met Sailo's and they winked.
A Tat for a Tit? -- Part 1
"Hello."
"Hello, Abhi?" replied a familiar voice at the other end. "Could you please meet me? 3:30 Music World?"
"Umm… I am not sure…"
"I want to meet you" persisted the voice at the other end. "It is really important that we meet."
Abhi thought for a while. He had been seeing Rima for about a couple of months and already there were tensions. Abhi, independent and open minded as usual, had initially found it difficult to keep up with his pressing schedule at work as a "Marketing Executive", as the company termed it with such flourish although in reality he was a salesman. Not just any ordinary salesman, but one who has risen through the ranks to have his own flat in South Kolkata. He was looking forward to book a Santro soon. He definitely worked hard and had a difficult time meeting his work pressure and meet Rima too every other day. Not that Rima complained, but Abhi felt bad and helpless.
But as days had progressed he came to consider the difficulties as some blessing in disguise for there was another factor that had been bothering Abhi the most. Rima, he has seen, was an impulsive liar. That had not been very obvious at the beginning, but as days progressed, Abhi realized with growing concern, the inconsistencies of the accounts she had shared and the views that she expressed. For instance: Rima might have a plan to visit her college friends and go for a movie, but if you asked her out, she could invent a story about some dead uncle and the funeral and how difficult it would be for her to avoid it, hence she was unavailable. Abhi understood but could do nothing about it.
"Well… if you say so… then make it 5:00" he replied unwillingly and with all the uncertainty he could muster in his voice.
"No, no. Not that late. I need to meet you by 4:00 max" she declared with finality. "See you then" and she hung up.
Abhi looked at the receiver with rising resentment and disbelief. Why could he never say "NO"? He had been thinking of having a good sleep to make up for the week’s loss of it. Now he knew he could not sleep. He was tensed about the meeting but decided to go anyway. If she wanted him to buy any Music CD he could refuse, or could he? This was the crisis he could not avoid and not even a Sunday afternoon nap could deliver him from the trap. Abhi remembered his escapades to the various malls round the city with Rima. She would carelessly pass among the various display sections and strategically comment on items she fancied buying. "Isn’t that pendant lovely?" or "Neha has one just like that… her boyfriend bought it for her" or "Look how cheap this jewelry is… It costs a fortune in the Shopper’s Stop"…
He considered going to bed for a moment and not turn up at the appointment but dismissed the idea and then decided to call up Rudra his cousin brother, five years his senior but his closest confidant.
When Abhi had first seen Rima at a wedding, she wore a cherry red sari and made her look very sensuous. Abhi could hardly take his eyes off her or better to say he was struck by her sight. She had noticed the interest in his eyes and they had gone out after a week of exchanging telephone calls. All was fine but there again after a month Abhi had felt his sixth sense beeping warnings. The signs were not very obvious. The troubles with her lying habits were becoming more and more visible. Still Abhi had hoped that the particular habit was a ploy to tease him, only to have realized later that it was her nature and nothing more. The relationship was not perfectly like the ones that you would see between two persons in love. It was much a relationship of convenience. Abhi hated being cowed down by her lies and demands. It was as if he was paying a price for being in love. Every other day she would want to go to the Movies and hang out for the dinner. It was Abhi who ended up paying most of the times for she could tactfully avoid the bill. Abhi would have had paid the bills anyway, but it became so glaringly obvious with her comments and expressions that she would not pay. The matter was not very grave but Abhi certainly felt an undercurrent of exploitation every now and then. He had hoped that kindness and good faith will have some effect on her but as the saying goes ‘You cannot straighten a dog’s tail’, she too refused to adjust.
Abhi had been through a lot of stress and he knew it had originated solely from his association with Rima. Rudra had been a kind shoulder to lean onto and Rudra had always discouraged this association with her as the incidents unfolded. Abhi wanted to see till the end so he had stuck on otherwise the warning bells were always ringing. Rudra could not deter him from his resolution to see till the end even if it meant a lot of trouble and ultimately lead to some form of bitterness. Abhi knew that he was serious about Rima and have taken a definitive liking for her. He was also aware that Rima was probably fleecing him but then ‘Love is blind’. The more Abhi sensed the hard fact the more resolute he grew to see it to the end. After all no one is really bad at heart and everyone tries their best until destiny takes over. It was a strange experiment that Abhi had indulged in and he knew it would soon end… he could almost smell the end of this tyranny.
Rudra arrived within thirty minutes and they set about to make a strategy. Rudra talked and Abhi listened with occasional disagreements. Finally it seemed they have had arrived at a solution and Abhi sat back in the couch to light a cigarette with a satisfied look. Rudra had brought along with him some high quality Marijuana that some student of his, who currently studied in the North Bengal University, had presented him. He set about preparing a high dose of the narcotic. Some clear thinking was required and the weed would help… and after a puff or two, Abhi felt his head swim in a lake of changing colours…
"Hello, Abhi?" replied a familiar voice at the other end. "Could you please meet me? 3:30 Music World?"
"Umm… I am not sure…"
"I want to meet you" persisted the voice at the other end. "It is really important that we meet."
Abhi thought for a while. He had been seeing Rima for about a couple of months and already there were tensions. Abhi, independent and open minded as usual, had initially found it difficult to keep up with his pressing schedule at work as a "Marketing Executive", as the company termed it with such flourish although in reality he was a salesman. Not just any ordinary salesman, but one who has risen through the ranks to have his own flat in South Kolkata. He was looking forward to book a Santro soon. He definitely worked hard and had a difficult time meeting his work pressure and meet Rima too every other day. Not that Rima complained, but Abhi felt bad and helpless.
But as days had progressed he came to consider the difficulties as some blessing in disguise for there was another factor that had been bothering Abhi the most. Rima, he has seen, was an impulsive liar. That had not been very obvious at the beginning, but as days progressed, Abhi realized with growing concern, the inconsistencies of the accounts she had shared and the views that she expressed. For instance: Rima might have a plan to visit her college friends and go for a movie, but if you asked her out, she could invent a story about some dead uncle and the funeral and how difficult it would be for her to avoid it, hence she was unavailable. Abhi understood but could do nothing about it.
"Well… if you say so… then make it 5:00" he replied unwillingly and with all the uncertainty he could muster in his voice.
"No, no. Not that late. I need to meet you by 4:00 max" she declared with finality. "See you then" and she hung up.
Abhi looked at the receiver with rising resentment and disbelief. Why could he never say "NO"? He had been thinking of having a good sleep to make up for the week’s loss of it. Now he knew he could not sleep. He was tensed about the meeting but decided to go anyway. If she wanted him to buy any Music CD he could refuse, or could he? This was the crisis he could not avoid and not even a Sunday afternoon nap could deliver him from the trap. Abhi remembered his escapades to the various malls round the city with Rima. She would carelessly pass among the various display sections and strategically comment on items she fancied buying. "Isn’t that pendant lovely?" or "Neha has one just like that… her boyfriend bought it for her" or "Look how cheap this jewelry is… It costs a fortune in the Shopper’s Stop"…
He considered going to bed for a moment and not turn up at the appointment but dismissed the idea and then decided to call up Rudra his cousin brother, five years his senior but his closest confidant.
When Abhi had first seen Rima at a wedding, she wore a cherry red sari and made her look very sensuous. Abhi could hardly take his eyes off her or better to say he was struck by her sight. She had noticed the interest in his eyes and they had gone out after a week of exchanging telephone calls. All was fine but there again after a month Abhi had felt his sixth sense beeping warnings. The signs were not very obvious. The troubles with her lying habits were becoming more and more visible. Still Abhi had hoped that the particular habit was a ploy to tease him, only to have realized later that it was her nature and nothing more. The relationship was not perfectly like the ones that you would see between two persons in love. It was much a relationship of convenience. Abhi hated being cowed down by her lies and demands. It was as if he was paying a price for being in love. Every other day she would want to go to the Movies and hang out for the dinner. It was Abhi who ended up paying most of the times for she could tactfully avoid the bill. Abhi would have had paid the bills anyway, but it became so glaringly obvious with her comments and expressions that she would not pay. The matter was not very grave but Abhi certainly felt an undercurrent of exploitation every now and then. He had hoped that kindness and good faith will have some effect on her but as the saying goes ‘You cannot straighten a dog’s tail’, she too refused to adjust.
Abhi had been through a lot of stress and he knew it had originated solely from his association with Rima. Rudra had been a kind shoulder to lean onto and Rudra had always discouraged this association with her as the incidents unfolded. Abhi wanted to see till the end so he had stuck on otherwise the warning bells were always ringing. Rudra could not deter him from his resolution to see till the end even if it meant a lot of trouble and ultimately lead to some form of bitterness. Abhi knew that he was serious about Rima and have taken a definitive liking for her. He was also aware that Rima was probably fleecing him but then ‘Love is blind’. The more Abhi sensed the hard fact the more resolute he grew to see it to the end. After all no one is really bad at heart and everyone tries their best until destiny takes over. It was a strange experiment that Abhi had indulged in and he knew it would soon end… he could almost smell the end of this tyranny.
Rudra arrived within thirty minutes and they set about to make a strategy. Rudra talked and Abhi listened with occasional disagreements. Finally it seemed they have had arrived at a solution and Abhi sat back in the couch to light a cigarette with a satisfied look. Rudra had brought along with him some high quality Marijuana that some student of his, who currently studied in the North Bengal University, had presented him. He set about preparing a high dose of the narcotic. Some clear thinking was required and the weed would help… and after a puff or two, Abhi felt his head swim in a lake of changing colours…
A Tat for a Tit? -- Part 2
Abhi was calm and composed when he had met Rima, primarily because he was still under the effect of the narcotic, and secondarily because he had now a plan to see if Rima was serious about him. Time seemed spaced and colors more vibrant. Abhi took to drag occasionally but never failed to wonder at the mental peace it seems to produce… It was high time that he knew what his beloved thinks of him and their relationship. Only problem was that in order for the plan to work it would take at least a week or two. They had walked from Music World, after having spent some odd 45 minutes window shopping inside it, to the famous Nandan complex mainly talking about nothing in particular. The meeting was as usual purposeless as Abhi had feared it would be. Sitting beside the moat that surrounded the complex; Abhi could not bring himself to follow the suit of other pairs around. It was dusk and the lights were fast fading. In the gloom Abhi made out various couples in various stages of endearment acts. They acted as if they were the last ones alive on the planet, completely disregarding the glances cast their way. It was not his nature to be very expressive about his carnal instincts and he disliked doing it in public… he felt rather out of the place. He only wished he could travel in time to see the plan put to work but time was unrelenting.
Rima had been blabbering on for sometime and Abhi had lost focus of what she was saying. Then when Rima told him about her latest crush that he stirred; Rima took no notice and kept on talking about the guy she had met in her work place. Abhi could sense the effects of the narcotic slowly fading and his senses sharpened. Rima had by then got dangerously close to him and he felt very uneasy and flushed. Rima’s touch had a sense of electricity about it and … Abhi realized with embarrassment … that aroused him… He got up abruptly and walked straight out of Nandan and kept walking.
He heard the voice behind him first entreat him, and as he kept on his pace, turn into commands, but he paid no heed. When he was almost near the Exide bus stop with Rima struggling to keep up with his fast pace, that he stopped and turned to face her.
"What is the matter with you?" she asked incredulously "what was the hurry about?"
"I … er ...I was feeling sick" Abhi managed to blurt out. It had taken a huge effort to calm down from the rage he felt for some inexplicable reason. He liked the company of a woman, but if there is no respect for your companion, no understanding of the likes and dislikes of your companion then it was better that he stayed alone.
"You were not feeling sick Abhi" she regarded him calmly "You have fled from me as if I were some man-eater. Are you jealous?"
"Nothing like that… dear" Abhi managed with a supreme effort. He knew he could not make her see what went wrong in that intimate moment. His reaction was very instinctive and he was himself not sure why he was so enraged. Was it her closeness that unnerved him? Or was it something else? Jealousy? Or was it because he had felt aroused even when he had disliked the situation and the surroundings? Was he a hypocrite?
"I was really not feeling well and I was in the need of some fresh air" Abhi replied as a mini bus sped away spewing a rush of black smoke.
She did not reply. They had kept silence for some moments when Abhi’s mobile rang. Relieved to have come out of the gloom Abhi hurriedly picked up the phone.
"Hi Dude! How’s your date?" Rudra asked
"Okay."
"Tell me has she stopped lying? Oh! Give me one good news?" Rudra’s earnest voice cried out at the other end of the receiver. Abhi knew Rudra was pulling his leg.
"Okay then. Talk to you later" he said as he disconnected deliberately cutting off any conversation. He was determined to not show his discomfort and that too in front of Rima.
They had stayed for some more time before they parted at the Rabindra Sadan metro station.
Rima had been blabbering on for sometime and Abhi had lost focus of what she was saying. Then when Rima told him about her latest crush that he stirred; Rima took no notice and kept on talking about the guy she had met in her work place. Abhi could sense the effects of the narcotic slowly fading and his senses sharpened. Rima had by then got dangerously close to him and he felt very uneasy and flushed. Rima’s touch had a sense of electricity about it and … Abhi realized with embarrassment … that aroused him… He got up abruptly and walked straight out of Nandan and kept walking.
He heard the voice behind him first entreat him, and as he kept on his pace, turn into commands, but he paid no heed. When he was almost near the Exide bus stop with Rima struggling to keep up with his fast pace, that he stopped and turned to face her.
"What is the matter with you?" she asked incredulously "what was the hurry about?"
"I … er ...I was feeling sick" Abhi managed to blurt out. It had taken a huge effort to calm down from the rage he felt for some inexplicable reason. He liked the company of a woman, but if there is no respect for your companion, no understanding of the likes and dislikes of your companion then it was better that he stayed alone.
"You were not feeling sick Abhi" she regarded him calmly "You have fled from me as if I were some man-eater. Are you jealous?"
"Nothing like that… dear" Abhi managed with a supreme effort. He knew he could not make her see what went wrong in that intimate moment. His reaction was very instinctive and he was himself not sure why he was so enraged. Was it her closeness that unnerved him? Or was it something else? Jealousy? Or was it because he had felt aroused even when he had disliked the situation and the surroundings? Was he a hypocrite?
"I was really not feeling well and I was in the need of some fresh air" Abhi replied as a mini bus sped away spewing a rush of black smoke.
She did not reply. They had kept silence for some moments when Abhi’s mobile rang. Relieved to have come out of the gloom Abhi hurriedly picked up the phone.
"Hi Dude! How’s your date?" Rudra asked
"Okay."
"Tell me has she stopped lying? Oh! Give me one good news?" Rudra’s earnest voice cried out at the other end of the receiver. Abhi knew Rudra was pulling his leg.
"Okay then. Talk to you later" he said as he disconnected deliberately cutting off any conversation. He was determined to not show his discomfort and that too in front of Rima.
They had stayed for some more time before they parted at the Rabindra Sadan metro station.
A Tat for a Tit? -- Part 3
-3-
"Phase 1 set into motion"
"Any replies?"
"Not yet. But let us hope that she doesn’t reply" Rudra was honestly earnest. He knew Abhi. He knew that Abhi was indeed head over heels for this girl but he is also a fool. Rudra had explained that Rima wanted what was known as a "One Night Stand" and was not interested in a long-term association. Abhi had repeatedly and categorically denied believing any of the "Crap". Crap or no crap that was the truth and if Abhi failed to see it, it will be difficult for him to believe that even this kind of a relationship existed. Abhi had yet to see a lot of life. Platonic love and that sort of thing do not exist any more. In this instant-age even love is a commercial object and could be contractually bound. Rudra had cited the instances of people living together and their views about it, but to no avail. Abhi was a fool and a person with values and ideals that were relevant twenty-thirty years back. Losing faith was always easy, Rudra knew, but keeping up with what you believe and trust is a difficult task.
Rudra took one last deep drag of the magical cigarette that cleared his thoughts and made things more coluorful around him. He had always reasoned with himself when he was high and that day it was no exception. He had been through a time when there was a huge transformation among the teens. A clubbing culture aping the west had sprung up almost overnight. He had seen the girls dressing skimpier day after day, getting more disreputable and snobbish. He had seen boys getting more desperate, less caring and having a more of give-it-a-damn types. Expectations all around were low in terms of fidelity and that was what was the culture all around. He must admit he was fortunate (or was he?) to have struck the right chord with the changing times without changing too much. He kind of had it in him all along… He had seen a lot of the life. With an impressive look he had been all the more "successful" with the fairer sex. He had been successful in negotiating all his associations with some unknown girl to finality. He did remembered all the girls who slept with him and there were numerous…but he never forgot the lesson it taught him… It was never easy giving up on the inhibition of engaging into an act that has no turning back, and Judge by your heart and you are a sucker… judge by your instincts and you could just survive… judge by your most deeply placed needs and you will reign!
Abhi was not only his brother but also his friend and that was the most disturbing factor behind this episode. Had this incident happened with anyone else, Rudra would not have cared. Rudra liked Abhi for his bold and honest outlook and secretly wished he could be like him… Perhaps if he had not lost his parents at an early age he too would have been like Abhi…bold, confident and straightforward… infused with all the moral values his parents would have lovingly taught him. It would be most unfortunate to see someone taking undue advantage of Abhi for he would go all out for someone he cared for, and that was one of the things that have landed him in this trouble. It was also another quality Rudra secretly admired. Rudra was not well liked by his other cousins for his dubious reputation but Abhi stood along with him all the way and even brought on unpleasant confrontations on him for Rudra’s sake.
Rudra came back to reality from his trance and thought about the situation in hand. This girl was twisting his brother and mate to go against his nature. This was intolerable. Rudra knew the kind of regret he had felt after his first real encounter with the neighbor’s daughter two years senior to him… He felt a pang of guilt and it was still there. Riddhimadi has married and is in Jamshedpur but on occasions he had met her since there had always been some moments of discomfort and awkwardness… He knew it was not very desirable… and he has no way now to undo what was done. He knew that not all the girls were the same and there are girls who thought differently. Rudra wished that Abhi would find someone like that. But now the situation was not as it should have been. He shifted his thought to the letter that he had e-mailed before calling up Abhi. He hoped that there would be a reply so that Abhi could realize the kind of mess he was in. At the same time he wished that Rima did not reply and his worse fears were for no reasons. It was like the horns of dilemma. If Rima did not reply that would tantamount to Abhi’s conviction that she was genuinely in love with him which Rudra could sense was not the fact, but if she replied … nothing would be left to imagination… He could then teach the tramp a lesson that she might never forget.
"Phase 1 set into motion"
"Any replies?"
"Not yet. But let us hope that she doesn’t reply" Rudra was honestly earnest. He knew Abhi. He knew that Abhi was indeed head over heels for this girl but he is also a fool. Rudra had explained that Rima wanted what was known as a "One Night Stand" and was not interested in a long-term association. Abhi had repeatedly and categorically denied believing any of the "Crap". Crap or no crap that was the truth and if Abhi failed to see it, it will be difficult for him to believe that even this kind of a relationship existed. Abhi had yet to see a lot of life. Platonic love and that sort of thing do not exist any more. In this instant-age even love is a commercial object and could be contractually bound. Rudra had cited the instances of people living together and their views about it, but to no avail. Abhi was a fool and a person with values and ideals that were relevant twenty-thirty years back. Losing faith was always easy, Rudra knew, but keeping up with what you believe and trust is a difficult task.
Rudra took one last deep drag of the magical cigarette that cleared his thoughts and made things more coluorful around him. He had always reasoned with himself when he was high and that day it was no exception. He had been through a time when there was a huge transformation among the teens. A clubbing culture aping the west had sprung up almost overnight. He had seen the girls dressing skimpier day after day, getting more disreputable and snobbish. He had seen boys getting more desperate, less caring and having a more of give-it-a-damn types. Expectations all around were low in terms of fidelity and that was what was the culture all around. He must admit he was fortunate (or was he?) to have struck the right chord with the changing times without changing too much. He kind of had it in him all along… He had seen a lot of the life. With an impressive look he had been all the more "successful" with the fairer sex. He had been successful in negotiating all his associations with some unknown girl to finality. He did remembered all the girls who slept with him and there were numerous…but he never forgot the lesson it taught him… It was never easy giving up on the inhibition of engaging into an act that has no turning back, and Judge by your heart and you are a sucker… judge by your instincts and you could just survive… judge by your most deeply placed needs and you will reign!
Abhi was not only his brother but also his friend and that was the most disturbing factor behind this episode. Had this incident happened with anyone else, Rudra would not have cared. Rudra liked Abhi for his bold and honest outlook and secretly wished he could be like him… Perhaps if he had not lost his parents at an early age he too would have been like Abhi…bold, confident and straightforward… infused with all the moral values his parents would have lovingly taught him. It would be most unfortunate to see someone taking undue advantage of Abhi for he would go all out for someone he cared for, and that was one of the things that have landed him in this trouble. It was also another quality Rudra secretly admired. Rudra was not well liked by his other cousins for his dubious reputation but Abhi stood along with him all the way and even brought on unpleasant confrontations on him for Rudra’s sake.
Rudra came back to reality from his trance and thought about the situation in hand. This girl was twisting his brother and mate to go against his nature. This was intolerable. Rudra knew the kind of regret he had felt after his first real encounter with the neighbor’s daughter two years senior to him… He felt a pang of guilt and it was still there. Riddhimadi has married and is in Jamshedpur but on occasions he had met her since there had always been some moments of discomfort and awkwardness… He knew it was not very desirable… and he has no way now to undo what was done. He knew that not all the girls were the same and there are girls who thought differently. Rudra wished that Abhi would find someone like that. But now the situation was not as it should have been. He shifted his thought to the letter that he had e-mailed before calling up Abhi. He hoped that there would be a reply so that Abhi could realize the kind of mess he was in. At the same time he wished that Rima did not reply and his worse fears were for no reasons. It was like the horns of dilemma. If Rima did not reply that would tantamount to Abhi’s conviction that she was genuinely in love with him which Rudra could sense was not the fact, but if she replied … nothing would be left to imagination… He could then teach the tramp a lesson that she might never forget.
A Tat for a Tit? -- Part 4
-4-
It was another Sunday and tempers were running high. Abhi was visibly undecided and stubborn. Rudra on the other hand was sad and angry and the reason they were fighting was because Rima had agreed to go out with Rudra!! The plan they had made has evidently materialized but Abhi was undecided… as if not so sure if it was right in the first place and he said so. Rudra was furious and sad; furious because backing away now would be of no use and the elaborate trap set to capture Rima’s true colours would go down the drain, and sad because his premonition about Rima was going to be proved true. He had not predicted Abhi’s present reaction. The plan had been agreed upon and now there is no point backing away.
It had taken three letters to lure her to meet him next Saturday and Rudra was certain that he could bring her to admit her feelings for Abhi. The problem was how to bring up the subject of Abhi and that too very discretely so that the connection does not become obvious. But the way Abhi reacted, it seemed the plan would be very costly… for rifts in their relationship would be unacceptable.
Abhi could not let his feelings show. In spite of being very close with Rudra he could not confess of being very jealous and helpless. If only he could now back away… The thought that most infuriated him was the fact that Rima has replied to the last mail Rudra had sent out to her. It was very straight forward yet deceptive. Rima had called up Rudra on his cell and they had been chirping behind his back. She had agreed to meet Rudra because she thought Rudra to be "cute". That WAS alarming. Rudra had been impressive about his mails and he was an expert in Psychology. He had the distinction of being the only male student to have passed the masters in Psychology in Calcutta University in 6 years. Not that the subject was tough but because it was a non-professional subject and no-one, without a small fortune to support them, would venture to take up the subject. Everyone wanted some job or the other. Rudra never had the trouble of sustaining himself for his parents left him a small fortune. All of his classmates were girls. Hence, he was what he was… an expert in the area. Abhi had often heard about the various exploits of Rudra, who seemed to take a certain amount of pride in his lady-killer skills.
Abhi felt foolish and guilty to have brought on this impasse onto himself and Rima. He should have never agreed to the plan of unfolding the true nature of Rima… He should have walked away from Rima in the first place rather than abetting this dangerous game. He could not morally support what he had done. He never believed in deception and yet he has done it. He never liked to bring trouble onto someone he admired and loved and yet he has set wheels into motion that would lead only to further bitterness. Now he was even not sure what Rudra’s intentions were and he was definite that if Rima went out at all with Rudra… Oh he shuddered at his thought. He felt betrayed and yet he could not blame everything on Rima. Somewhere he felt, it was he who should be blamed. Now, with this development he was not sure if he could speak out his inhibitions to Rudra. It was already decided and the only consideration Abhi had deciding it was his faith in Rima. Somehow the whole situation was confusing and he felt he could have some time alone with himself to reason out what he should do as his next course of action. He looked over to Rudra, who was watching him closely. Abhi felt guilty again at not being able to be frank with his closest confidant.
"Rudra… err I think I am having a nightmare of a time now… Could you please leave some weed and leave me alone for a while…"
Rudra let out a loud sigh and made a move.
"Okay! Bro… suit yourself…" he flipped open his purse and brought out a small packet. Flipping it on the couch beside Abhi he turned to leave and then turned back once again…
"I understand the problem you are facing, but I know and we both know that this meeting has to be done and…" he paused, making sure that Abhi had his full attention…
"… I promise you that I would not … well… you know… touch her… okay?"
Abhi felt his face turn red with shame… all he could do was to nod in acknowledgement. He had been dreading this moment of truth and he felt stupid to have made it so obvious to Rudra. Very much in shame he also felt a part of his anxiety wane off.
Rudra grinned and gave him a nudge on his shoulder and winked…"Now… You relaxed?"
It was another Sunday and tempers were running high. Abhi was visibly undecided and stubborn. Rudra on the other hand was sad and angry and the reason they were fighting was because Rima had agreed to go out with Rudra!! The plan they had made has evidently materialized but Abhi was undecided… as if not so sure if it was right in the first place and he said so. Rudra was furious and sad; furious because backing away now would be of no use and the elaborate trap set to capture Rima’s true colours would go down the drain, and sad because his premonition about Rima was going to be proved true. He had not predicted Abhi’s present reaction. The plan had been agreed upon and now there is no point backing away.
It had taken three letters to lure her to meet him next Saturday and Rudra was certain that he could bring her to admit her feelings for Abhi. The problem was how to bring up the subject of Abhi and that too very discretely so that the connection does not become obvious. But the way Abhi reacted, it seemed the plan would be very costly… for rifts in their relationship would be unacceptable.
Abhi could not let his feelings show. In spite of being very close with Rudra he could not confess of being very jealous and helpless. If only he could now back away… The thought that most infuriated him was the fact that Rima has replied to the last mail Rudra had sent out to her. It was very straight forward yet deceptive. Rima had called up Rudra on his cell and they had been chirping behind his back. She had agreed to meet Rudra because she thought Rudra to be "cute". That WAS alarming. Rudra had been impressive about his mails and he was an expert in Psychology. He had the distinction of being the only male student to have passed the masters in Psychology in Calcutta University in 6 years. Not that the subject was tough but because it was a non-professional subject and no-one, without a small fortune to support them, would venture to take up the subject. Everyone wanted some job or the other. Rudra never had the trouble of sustaining himself for his parents left him a small fortune. All of his classmates were girls. Hence, he was what he was… an expert in the area. Abhi had often heard about the various exploits of Rudra, who seemed to take a certain amount of pride in his lady-killer skills.
Abhi felt foolish and guilty to have brought on this impasse onto himself and Rima. He should have never agreed to the plan of unfolding the true nature of Rima… He should have walked away from Rima in the first place rather than abetting this dangerous game. He could not morally support what he had done. He never believed in deception and yet he has done it. He never liked to bring trouble onto someone he admired and loved and yet he has set wheels into motion that would lead only to further bitterness. Now he was even not sure what Rudra’s intentions were and he was definite that if Rima went out at all with Rudra… Oh he shuddered at his thought. He felt betrayed and yet he could not blame everything on Rima. Somewhere he felt, it was he who should be blamed. Now, with this development he was not sure if he could speak out his inhibitions to Rudra. It was already decided and the only consideration Abhi had deciding it was his faith in Rima. Somehow the whole situation was confusing and he felt he could have some time alone with himself to reason out what he should do as his next course of action. He looked over to Rudra, who was watching him closely. Abhi felt guilty again at not being able to be frank with his closest confidant.
"Rudra… err I think I am having a nightmare of a time now… Could you please leave some weed and leave me alone for a while…"
Rudra let out a loud sigh and made a move.
"Okay! Bro… suit yourself…" he flipped open his purse and brought out a small packet. Flipping it on the couch beside Abhi he turned to leave and then turned back once again…
"I understand the problem you are facing, but I know and we both know that this meeting has to be done and…" he paused, making sure that Abhi had his full attention…
"… I promise you that I would not … well… you know… touch her… okay?"
Abhi felt his face turn red with shame… all he could do was to nod in acknowledgement. He had been dreading this moment of truth and he felt stupid to have made it so obvious to Rudra. Very much in shame he also felt a part of his anxiety wane off.
Rudra grinned and gave him a nudge on his shoulder and winked…"Now… You relaxed?"
A Tat for a Tit? -- Part 5
-5-
Abhi woke with a start… and realized that he was lying on the bed in his room in the dark. He felt terribly hungry and his throat was completely dry… He must have dozed off sometime during the evening when he had smoked on the last joint from the weed Rudra had given him in the morning. He remembered not going down for lunch when his mother called him making odd excuses. He gathered himself up and groped for the water bottle near his bedside table. Having taken a swig of water he felt more at ease. He remembered his resolutions and the course of action he had concluded to. Basically the weed had helped clearing his thoughts and keeping the emotions at bay. It was mathematically simple and all he had to do was to eliminate the choices that had some uncertainties. There was just one decision he had to take and he had two choices… He picked up his mobile phone and saw two missed calls from Rimi. The two options he had really a tough time choosing upon before he fell asleep now suddenly got resolved. Not bothering to call back as he would normally do he felt light headed and proceeded to have some food.
* * *
Abhi waited five days before he called Rima … Accepting no calls from her during this period.
"Hello…"
"Hi, Abhi what was up you were not accepting calls what has happened?"
"Sorry darling, I was not in town and I had to go to Jalpaiguri to look after the divisional training that we had organized…"
"But you could have called and let me know that you were leaving the town…" she sounded agitated…
"Well… you would not believe this but I had tried calling you up several times but every time it has given me out of network…"
"You could have sent me a SMS"
"I did not have my cell with me Rimi… Do you think I could not see you and not send you any updates about my whereabouts… Can we meet tomorrow? Now don’t say no…"
"Tomorrow?" the voice sounded as if she had skipped a beat… "Well I am not very well today and I was thinking of staying in bed tomorrow… lets meet on Sunday"
"Oh! So you are not well?" replied Abhi putting all his concern into his voice… "Shall I come over to visit you then? I really want to meet as soon as possible… this assignment has pushed me to my limits…"
"Oh! I remembered…" hastily replied the voice at the other end cutting him short "I have some relatives coming over tomorrow as well… I don’t think your coming over would be a good idea. Abhi lets meet day after tomorrow and it is Sunday and we can have the whole day… really"
"What’s the matter Rimi? I want to meet you tomorrow or forget it" Abhi replied shivering inwardly… "I think I deserve to see you don’t I?"
"Please not tomorrow… I will go out on Sunday … be reasonable…" entreated Rimi.
Abhi felt a wave of sorrow pass over him as he spoke… He knew he was still fighting a losing battle and the end is very near.
"Okay… dear. But Sunday might be too late" and he hung up.
Immediately after he had hung up he received a call from Rimi. His heart fluttered for a moment and he picked up the phone.
"What is the matter with you Abhi? Why did you disconnect? And what is this thing about tomorrow? Don’t you believe me?"
The flurry of questions took Abhi by surprise. He had expected that somehow without him saying anything, Rimi would be able to see the logic behind his strange persistent request. But, it seemed that nothing of that level of intelligence was forthcoming. All she had asked were some questions that would help her keep the point of not coming tomorrow at bay. It was a defense that she was building in order to avoid the real reason for her not coming tomorrow. She could not of course say that she would be meeting her new suitor in Rudra and she would never admit to that… It was something that Abhi saw plainly and wondered if he would ever speak with Rimi.
"WHY don’t you answer? What is it with tomorrow? And Don’t you believe me?" cried a shrill voice from the other end.
"You know something?…"… Abhi was taken aback by the calm resoluteness that emanated from his voice… "You never could lie properly…" he heard himself say, almost unable to control his speech from bursting out in rage…
"All I wanted from you was a meeting tomorrow and you have not agreed. This goes on to show how much you really think of me. I have never turned my back on you as you have done today for a reason that even a four-year old boy would know to be untrue. You never were considerate and your materialism is really glaring. Your ideals, your futuristic plans and your lies have always bothered me…. Now I know for sure that you are lying. Don’t ask me how but get this right, you have been a dishonorable person all along and I wish you realize some day what you have done. From this day forward please don’t bother to call me up for I won’t be answering your calls anymore… Good bye and Good Luck!"
Abhi did not realize that he was actually shouting in the phone towards the end of his conversation. Having disconnected the line and switching off his mobile he suddenly felt the growing silence around him. The options were difficult and the resolution even more difficult. He knew that he might falter and give in somewhere but this was done clinically. Only if he had kept his cool towards the end it would have been very satisfying. But he felt no regrets. He knew that regrets were of no use for they only hurt. In-spite of having a tiring day at work Abhi felt suddenly relaxed, as if a load had suddenly been lifted from him. That night he had a sound sleep for the first time in the whole week.
Abhi woke with a start… and realized that he was lying on the bed in his room in the dark. He felt terribly hungry and his throat was completely dry… He must have dozed off sometime during the evening when he had smoked on the last joint from the weed Rudra had given him in the morning. He remembered not going down for lunch when his mother called him making odd excuses. He gathered himself up and groped for the water bottle near his bedside table. Having taken a swig of water he felt more at ease. He remembered his resolutions and the course of action he had concluded to. Basically the weed had helped clearing his thoughts and keeping the emotions at bay. It was mathematically simple and all he had to do was to eliminate the choices that had some uncertainties. There was just one decision he had to take and he had two choices… He picked up his mobile phone and saw two missed calls from Rimi. The two options he had really a tough time choosing upon before he fell asleep now suddenly got resolved. Not bothering to call back as he would normally do he felt light headed and proceeded to have some food.
* * *
Abhi waited five days before he called Rima … Accepting no calls from her during this period.
"Hello…"
"Hi, Abhi what was up you were not accepting calls what has happened?"
"Sorry darling, I was not in town and I had to go to Jalpaiguri to look after the divisional training that we had organized…"
"But you could have called and let me know that you were leaving the town…" she sounded agitated…
"Well… you would not believe this but I had tried calling you up several times but every time it has given me out of network…"
"You could have sent me a SMS"
"I did not have my cell with me Rimi… Do you think I could not see you and not send you any updates about my whereabouts… Can we meet tomorrow? Now don’t say no…"
"Tomorrow?" the voice sounded as if she had skipped a beat… "Well I am not very well today and I was thinking of staying in bed tomorrow… lets meet on Sunday"
"Oh! So you are not well?" replied Abhi putting all his concern into his voice… "Shall I come over to visit you then? I really want to meet as soon as possible… this assignment has pushed me to my limits…"
"Oh! I remembered…" hastily replied the voice at the other end cutting him short "I have some relatives coming over tomorrow as well… I don’t think your coming over would be a good idea. Abhi lets meet day after tomorrow and it is Sunday and we can have the whole day… really"
"What’s the matter Rimi? I want to meet you tomorrow or forget it" Abhi replied shivering inwardly… "I think I deserve to see you don’t I?"
"Please not tomorrow… I will go out on Sunday … be reasonable…" entreated Rimi.
Abhi felt a wave of sorrow pass over him as he spoke… He knew he was still fighting a losing battle and the end is very near.
"Okay… dear. But Sunday might be too late" and he hung up.
Immediately after he had hung up he received a call from Rimi. His heart fluttered for a moment and he picked up the phone.
"What is the matter with you Abhi? Why did you disconnect? And what is this thing about tomorrow? Don’t you believe me?"
The flurry of questions took Abhi by surprise. He had expected that somehow without him saying anything, Rimi would be able to see the logic behind his strange persistent request. But, it seemed that nothing of that level of intelligence was forthcoming. All she had asked were some questions that would help her keep the point of not coming tomorrow at bay. It was a defense that she was building in order to avoid the real reason for her not coming tomorrow. She could not of course say that she would be meeting her new suitor in Rudra and she would never admit to that… It was something that Abhi saw plainly and wondered if he would ever speak with Rimi.
"WHY don’t you answer? What is it with tomorrow? And Don’t you believe me?" cried a shrill voice from the other end.
"You know something?…"… Abhi was taken aback by the calm resoluteness that emanated from his voice… "You never could lie properly…" he heard himself say, almost unable to control his speech from bursting out in rage…
"All I wanted from you was a meeting tomorrow and you have not agreed. This goes on to show how much you really think of me. I have never turned my back on you as you have done today for a reason that even a four-year old boy would know to be untrue. You never were considerate and your materialism is really glaring. Your ideals, your futuristic plans and your lies have always bothered me…. Now I know for sure that you are lying. Don’t ask me how but get this right, you have been a dishonorable person all along and I wish you realize some day what you have done. From this day forward please don’t bother to call me up for I won’t be answering your calls anymore… Good bye and Good Luck!"
Abhi did not realize that he was actually shouting in the phone towards the end of his conversation. Having disconnected the line and switching off his mobile he suddenly felt the growing silence around him. The options were difficult and the resolution even more difficult. He knew that he might falter and give in somewhere but this was done clinically. Only if he had kept his cool towards the end it would have been very satisfying. But he felt no regrets. He knew that regrets were of no use for they only hurt. In-spite of having a tiring day at work Abhi felt suddenly relaxed, as if a load had suddenly been lifted from him. That night he had a sound sleep for the first time in the whole week.
A Tat for a Tit? -- Part 6
-6-
Rudra and Abhi sat in silence. The SMS he received in the morning was what Abhi was thinking about. Rima had text-ed her to say that she was sorry and she did not understand why there was any confusion. She would like to meet him on Sunday. Abhi realized with a growing emptiness that it was not to be. Rudra had been on the date with Rima and the evening was one of the longest in Abhi’s life. Having had to wait without any news about what was going on he was torn down between anguish and despair. What if Rudra was unable to bring out the truth about her intentions? But he has been successful and the topic of Abhi was brought up on the first date they had together. Not to mention that it was not respectfully discussed and it was sometimes joked upon by the newly met. Abhi could understand how furious Rudra was but there was noting that he could do. Rima’s ploy to fleece him was now out in the open and she had laughed her guts out over the fact that Abhi was so sensitive about her.
The mobile phone rang. It was Rudra’s.
"Hellooo… So have you reached safely…" Rudra spoke fluidly indicating it was Rima on the other end …He turned on the speaker phone.
"…Thank you Rudra, that was a wonderful evening I enjoyed a lot"
Abhi was distraught… it felt like the final nail in the coffin of the memories he so fought to recover… He watched Rudra who was making an expression of ‘Don’t worry she will know what she has done’-type all the way indicating Abhi to be silent…
"Oh really! Was it better than the ones you had with that lover-boy…Adhi or Abhi … of yours…"
"..Don’t talk about him… I think I told you that there was nothing personal going on between us… he was just a convenient friend…" giggled Rima on the other end.
Rudra looked over to Abhi who looked very uncomfortable. His face looked pale as if he had been stabbed through the heart…He felt a pang of guilt but pressed on unflinched with the same smooth voice as he was enjoying the conversation…
" But don’t you think he might be hurt if he found that out? You are a sweet devil you know that…"
"Nah! He is too occupied to find out… although recently he has been suspecting something… I am supposed to meet him tomorrow … I might even squeeze out the reason behind his sudden transformations… after all life is so dull without having such clowns around…" Rima burst into a pearl of laughter… "You know… He might just gift me that perfume that you refused to buy for me today…"
"I am sure he will… He might be head over heels for you… Okay go ahead if he is so generous why don’t you go out with him in the future…" Rudra sounded playfully hurt…
"Don’t be silly… You are really cute you know that? I have never met anyone like you before…" replied the sing song voice at the other end.
"I am surprised darling… surprised because you have met my brother who is a thousand times better person and not found him interesting… and you find me interesting…"
There was a pause.
Abhi was stunned… Has he been out of his mind? What does Rudra plan to do now? This was unforeseen and not agreed upon. In-fact they had no plans for the future… but this was unthinkable…
"What? What are you talking about?" Rima sounded confused.
"I am saying exactly what you have just heard… Abhi is a thousand times good person than you think… he is clever and intelligent and you might not believe this… he has heard the whole of this conversation on the speakerphone… Say hi to Rima…" Rudra was nodding vigorously in aprroval…
"Hi Rima… Hope you have enjoyed being with Rudra…" Abhi managed to blurt out with some snigger.
"Who was that? And what is going on…?" Rima stammered
"You are caught in the act you hopeless girl… that is what is going on… You consider yourself lucky that you have escaped some severe punishment… But if you ever bother to call up and harass my brother again I promise I will teach you a lesson you will never forget…" Rudra said with a lot of modulation sounding overjoyed "Bye Rima and goodbye".
"Wait…"
Disconnecting the phone Rudra finally let out a satisfied sigh. Abhi was not sure what had happened… it felt like a small hurricane… his senses were badly shaken with the show of deception yet he felt thankful to Rudra that it was finally over. The cell phone rang again. Rudra ignored it and set about reaching for his pocket with a smile and a sparkle in his eyes…
Rudra and Abhi sat in silence. The SMS he received in the morning was what Abhi was thinking about. Rima had text-ed her to say that she was sorry and she did not understand why there was any confusion. She would like to meet him on Sunday. Abhi realized with a growing emptiness that it was not to be. Rudra had been on the date with Rima and the evening was one of the longest in Abhi’s life. Having had to wait without any news about what was going on he was torn down between anguish and despair. What if Rudra was unable to bring out the truth about her intentions? But he has been successful and the topic of Abhi was brought up on the first date they had together. Not to mention that it was not respectfully discussed and it was sometimes joked upon by the newly met. Abhi could understand how furious Rudra was but there was noting that he could do. Rima’s ploy to fleece him was now out in the open and she had laughed her guts out over the fact that Abhi was so sensitive about her.
The mobile phone rang. It was Rudra’s.
"Hellooo… So have you reached safely…" Rudra spoke fluidly indicating it was Rima on the other end …He turned on the speaker phone.
"…Thank you Rudra, that was a wonderful evening I enjoyed a lot"
Abhi was distraught… it felt like the final nail in the coffin of the memories he so fought to recover… He watched Rudra who was making an expression of ‘Don’t worry she will know what she has done’-type all the way indicating Abhi to be silent…
"Oh really! Was it better than the ones you had with that lover-boy…Adhi or Abhi … of yours…"
"..Don’t talk about him… I think I told you that there was nothing personal going on between us… he was just a convenient friend…" giggled Rima on the other end.
Rudra looked over to Abhi who looked very uncomfortable. His face looked pale as if he had been stabbed through the heart…He felt a pang of guilt but pressed on unflinched with the same smooth voice as he was enjoying the conversation…
" But don’t you think he might be hurt if he found that out? You are a sweet devil you know that…"
"Nah! He is too occupied to find out… although recently he has been suspecting something… I am supposed to meet him tomorrow … I might even squeeze out the reason behind his sudden transformations… after all life is so dull without having such clowns around…" Rima burst into a pearl of laughter… "You know… He might just gift me that perfume that you refused to buy for me today…"
"I am sure he will… He might be head over heels for you… Okay go ahead if he is so generous why don’t you go out with him in the future…" Rudra sounded playfully hurt…
"Don’t be silly… You are really cute you know that? I have never met anyone like you before…" replied the sing song voice at the other end.
"I am surprised darling… surprised because you have met my brother who is a thousand times better person and not found him interesting… and you find me interesting…"
There was a pause.
Abhi was stunned… Has he been out of his mind? What does Rudra plan to do now? This was unforeseen and not agreed upon. In-fact they had no plans for the future… but this was unthinkable…
"What? What are you talking about?" Rima sounded confused.
"I am saying exactly what you have just heard… Abhi is a thousand times good person than you think… he is clever and intelligent and you might not believe this… he has heard the whole of this conversation on the speakerphone… Say hi to Rima…" Rudra was nodding vigorously in aprroval…
"Hi Rima… Hope you have enjoyed being with Rudra…" Abhi managed to blurt out with some snigger.
"Who was that? And what is going on…?" Rima stammered
"You are caught in the act you hopeless girl… that is what is going on… You consider yourself lucky that you have escaped some severe punishment… But if you ever bother to call up and harass my brother again I promise I will teach you a lesson you will never forget…" Rudra said with a lot of modulation sounding overjoyed "Bye Rima and goodbye".
"Wait…"
Disconnecting the phone Rudra finally let out a satisfied sigh. Abhi was not sure what had happened… it felt like a small hurricane… his senses were badly shaken with the show of deception yet he felt thankful to Rudra that it was finally over. The cell phone rang again. Rudra ignored it and set about reaching for his pocket with a smile and a sparkle in his eyes…
Dawn with hope
It was not raining, but was about to rain. The canopy of the sky seemed to gawk towards earth and the dark was getting even darker, the lanky coconut trees swung their heads, as if in despair. The waves fumed, as if with rage against the rough caress of the strong winds that were blowing over the seas, as they lashed against the shoreline. Arnab felt the first drops of the rain as the haze over the east moved closer. It was not a day that you would want to venture out in the open seas as he saw few small boats at a distance, wobble over the surface vanishing every now and then between the crests and troughs of the swelling water. The lighthouse stood silently like a ghost on the east of where he sat, in the direction of the arriving rains. He had looked at the red and white bands that adorned the lighthouse and made it look like a Lego toy from a distance. The beach was deserted. He took a swig from the bottle wrapped in a brown paper bag and felt the burn of alcohol as he ingested it. He felt very bitter like the taste of the cigarette that was lingering in his mouth. Nothing was going according to how he had dreamt.
He proceeded to move to the small shelf-like shelter that had formed under a large overhang boulder on the beach. It shielded the rain which was driving harder now and he could scarcely see the lighthouse through the haze. He was drenched thoroughly when he had finally made himself comfortable under the shelter. He groped his pockets urgently and swore under his breath as he took out a cigarette pack. They were dry to his relief as he proceeded to light one with the aid of his wind-proof lighter. Dragging hungrily at the cigarette he let the kick set in. The alcohol was taking effect and he could sense in his head a falling sensation. He took another large gulp from the bottle.
He had received the news of his failure only today just after he had arrived back home from his college in Pune. Satish had called up and had informed him of the final list and that his name did not figure in it. The interview had been fine, the HR round also went fine and he was confident he would make it to the most prestigious IT company of the country but … Arnab took another gulp and felt slightly numbed. He took the bottle out from the sodden paper bag and lifted it up to see the level of the golden yellow fluid inside. He was startled. There was hardly a peg or two left in it. He realized with rising concern that he had almost ingested a whole pint of whiskey.
The rain was slowing now. It was not a seasonal rainfall and Arnab knew that it would soon pass. He took another swig and felt his limit. The boats were now much closer but the swell of the seas still made them disappear and reappear amongst the waves. It was almost dusk, and Arnab saw the beam of the lighthouse light up. The lighthouse seemed very lonely in the stretch of the rocky coastline and Arnab felt a kind of solidarity with it. The difference being while the lighthouse had light he had none. The immediate future looked pitch black and bereft of any hopes. There were a few more campus interviews coming up but he has lost all his hopes. This was the third time that he had been through with the interview only to be refused the employment offer letter. All his classmates were by then placed in some organization or the other and it had been very discouraging. He could see the look of pity in the eyes of his classmates and knew he was a topic of their discussion. In spite of being moderately brilliant in his class, he was still jobless. He had taken to mailing his seniors in the alumni association of his college stating his plight but none could help. None SHALL help he thought bitterly.
The light was fast fading now and the skies have cleared a bit. In the gloom Arnab could still make out the boats. He wondered if the fishermen were happy with their lives. He often would look around him and watch the people intently. He tried to make out if a person was happy and if he had any complaints in life. Often he would find that everyone had problems, the difference was how each coped with them. He took a final long gulp and held the bottle to his lips till he was certain nothing of the fluid was wasted. He then threw it away and the bottle shattered hitting a rock. He tried to get up but fell and then blissfully passed out.
When he woke it was dark and the sky was clear. There was a bright moonlight and the sea, quiet now, glowed with strange green phosphorescence. The sea had receded baring the jagged rocks that would have been otherwise submerged. Arnab felt cold and tried to sit up. His head ached terribly and his mouth felt dry. Slowly realization set in that he was alone in the beach and looking at his watch he realized it was well past four in the morning. He gave a start. His parents would have been worried to death by then for he had not reported to them since his coming to the beach alone that evening. He felt all the more miserable, irresponsible and guilty. Pulling himself up from the sand he walked out from under the overhang shelter and looked at the lighthouse. It was an unending motion of the lights that threw a powerful beam across the seas. The Lighthouse, the moonlight and the splashing of the seas had added to the eerie atmosphere. Arnab had never seen the sea during this time of the day and felt strangely elated at the seascape. He fumbled for a cigarette and finding one lit it. Walking unsteadily, still under the influence of the alcohol; he stepped up between the rocks and made his way towards the more sandy part of the beach beyond the lighthouse.
The road was just about hundred meters from the lighthouse and the parking lot was a further hundred meters or so from there. He reached the base of the light house when he realized that he was strangely not so worried now. The sleep had helped to ease his tensions and he felt transformed. Still making his way through the scattered rocks he joined the road. He could see the parking lot and the small police booth at some distance. Arnab walked up to the parking area and saw his bike at once. He was worried if it had been stolen but seeing it there relieved him. He took his seat and puffed away in silence and watched the eastern horizon turn deep violet. The dawn was breaking.
Arnab was deep in retrospect irrespective of the dull throbbing pain in his head. He had felt a change come over him from the last evening and felt the change was positive. He remembered his suicidal thoughts and felt he had crossed into the stage of acceptance. There were four phases of the mental state of human beings, he knew. When a person comes to know of some terrible misfortune "Denial" sets in, where they simply deny that the terrible incident actually took place. It could last for a minute to a year depending on the sufferer in question. Then there was the state of "Doubt", wherein the sufferer starts to doubt whether the incident actually took place. Then "Uncertainty" follows, where the person finds that the incident might have had taken place but still has doubts but of much lower intensity. Finally, state of "Acceptance" sets in, when the person resigns to the incident.
The lights of the lighthouse went out. The eastern sky was pale grey now, turning steadily into faint white and then as if with an explosion the first rays of sun lighted up the eastern sky. Looking at the sunrise Arnab felt hope flooding his senses like the new day’s promise as the sky progressively turned from ash to blue. The whole incident took no more than a minute. He threw away the butt of the cigarette he had been puffing and which had presently died out. He watched for a while and when his eyes began to water from the intensity of the sunrays he kicked the machine to life.
A new day has dawned and Arnab would try again…
He proceeded to move to the small shelf-like shelter that had formed under a large overhang boulder on the beach. It shielded the rain which was driving harder now and he could scarcely see the lighthouse through the haze. He was drenched thoroughly when he had finally made himself comfortable under the shelter. He groped his pockets urgently and swore under his breath as he took out a cigarette pack. They were dry to his relief as he proceeded to light one with the aid of his wind-proof lighter. Dragging hungrily at the cigarette he let the kick set in. The alcohol was taking effect and he could sense in his head a falling sensation. He took another large gulp from the bottle.
He had received the news of his failure only today just after he had arrived back home from his college in Pune. Satish had called up and had informed him of the final list and that his name did not figure in it. The interview had been fine, the HR round also went fine and he was confident he would make it to the most prestigious IT company of the country but … Arnab took another gulp and felt slightly numbed. He took the bottle out from the sodden paper bag and lifted it up to see the level of the golden yellow fluid inside. He was startled. There was hardly a peg or two left in it. He realized with rising concern that he had almost ingested a whole pint of whiskey.
The rain was slowing now. It was not a seasonal rainfall and Arnab knew that it would soon pass. He took another swig and felt his limit. The boats were now much closer but the swell of the seas still made them disappear and reappear amongst the waves. It was almost dusk, and Arnab saw the beam of the lighthouse light up. The lighthouse seemed very lonely in the stretch of the rocky coastline and Arnab felt a kind of solidarity with it. The difference being while the lighthouse had light he had none. The immediate future looked pitch black and bereft of any hopes. There were a few more campus interviews coming up but he has lost all his hopes. This was the third time that he had been through with the interview only to be refused the employment offer letter. All his classmates were by then placed in some organization or the other and it had been very discouraging. He could see the look of pity in the eyes of his classmates and knew he was a topic of their discussion. In spite of being moderately brilliant in his class, he was still jobless. He had taken to mailing his seniors in the alumni association of his college stating his plight but none could help. None SHALL help he thought bitterly.
The light was fast fading now and the skies have cleared a bit. In the gloom Arnab could still make out the boats. He wondered if the fishermen were happy with their lives. He often would look around him and watch the people intently. He tried to make out if a person was happy and if he had any complaints in life. Often he would find that everyone had problems, the difference was how each coped with them. He took a final long gulp and held the bottle to his lips till he was certain nothing of the fluid was wasted. He then threw it away and the bottle shattered hitting a rock. He tried to get up but fell and then blissfully passed out.
When he woke it was dark and the sky was clear. There was a bright moonlight and the sea, quiet now, glowed with strange green phosphorescence. The sea had receded baring the jagged rocks that would have been otherwise submerged. Arnab felt cold and tried to sit up. His head ached terribly and his mouth felt dry. Slowly realization set in that he was alone in the beach and looking at his watch he realized it was well past four in the morning. He gave a start. His parents would have been worried to death by then for he had not reported to them since his coming to the beach alone that evening. He felt all the more miserable, irresponsible and guilty. Pulling himself up from the sand he walked out from under the overhang shelter and looked at the lighthouse. It was an unending motion of the lights that threw a powerful beam across the seas. The Lighthouse, the moonlight and the splashing of the seas had added to the eerie atmosphere. Arnab had never seen the sea during this time of the day and felt strangely elated at the seascape. He fumbled for a cigarette and finding one lit it. Walking unsteadily, still under the influence of the alcohol; he stepped up between the rocks and made his way towards the more sandy part of the beach beyond the lighthouse.
The road was just about hundred meters from the lighthouse and the parking lot was a further hundred meters or so from there. He reached the base of the light house when he realized that he was strangely not so worried now. The sleep had helped to ease his tensions and he felt transformed. Still making his way through the scattered rocks he joined the road. He could see the parking lot and the small police booth at some distance. Arnab walked up to the parking area and saw his bike at once. He was worried if it had been stolen but seeing it there relieved him. He took his seat and puffed away in silence and watched the eastern horizon turn deep violet. The dawn was breaking.
Arnab was deep in retrospect irrespective of the dull throbbing pain in his head. He had felt a change come over him from the last evening and felt the change was positive. He remembered his suicidal thoughts and felt he had crossed into the stage of acceptance. There were four phases of the mental state of human beings, he knew. When a person comes to know of some terrible misfortune "Denial" sets in, where they simply deny that the terrible incident actually took place. It could last for a minute to a year depending on the sufferer in question. Then there was the state of "Doubt", wherein the sufferer starts to doubt whether the incident actually took place. Then "Uncertainty" follows, where the person finds that the incident might have had taken place but still has doubts but of much lower intensity. Finally, state of "Acceptance" sets in, when the person resigns to the incident.
The lights of the lighthouse went out. The eastern sky was pale grey now, turning steadily into faint white and then as if with an explosion the first rays of sun lighted up the eastern sky. Looking at the sunrise Arnab felt hope flooding his senses like the new day’s promise as the sky progressively turned from ash to blue. The whole incident took no more than a minute. He threw away the butt of the cigarette he had been puffing and which had presently died out. He watched for a while and when his eyes began to water from the intensity of the sunrays he kicked the machine to life.
A new day has dawned and Arnab would try again…
Do you cry too?
Abhra watched the station of Yashwantpur pass as the train started rolling. He cast a last look at the landscape that was visible beyond the station walls and noticed the busy traffic. He took notice of the sad face of the little girl he had come to adore so much. Hena had been on the verge of tears. She clutched at the Bugs Bunny; she had earlier received as a gift from Abhra and lifted a silent but very meaningful eye at him as if to say "please don’t go". Suzanne was waving but Abhra could tell she felt sad too. It was already getting dark and the lights of the city were starting to come on. It was a sight that he would remember and more because of Suzanne Mridul Iyyer. The thought of her had brought a lump in his throat and he felt heavy at heart. It seemed only yesterday that he had received the letter that was mistakenly sent to him…
***
He had received a letter from some Mridul Iyyer from Bangalore branch of his office stating him to perform a peer review on the report sent along with the mail. He had not understood a word of the letter neither could he get how it got to him in the first place. He then had looked up on the mail server address book and found that there were two Abhras listed; he had realized it had been sent to him by mistake and replied to the mail to that effect. He had received yet another such mail the following week. That time too he had politely sent the reply stating that he was not the intended recipient. When he had received a third mail from Mridul Iyyer he had not even bothered to open the attachment and had replied back rather urging the person (he had not been sure of the gender then and the name had not suggested the gender either) to stop mailing him every now and then. Abhra was not of those types who would send out mails without a thorough checking of the language, the idea and the tone the language conveyed, the spelling errors, the mailing list and so on. In a nutshell he was a perfectionist and never left anything for a further comment from his seniors. So, the idea of a person sending out project mails to him was unthinkable. Mridul had been very polite and apologetic in the reply. The mail thanked him for his continued help and also stated that Mridul had found Abhra’s mails reflected his cheerful disposition. Abhra had sought clarification feeling elated and thus their pen-friendship grew. It had been a whole month of courtesy good morning mails and other chit chats that they had first spoke, over the intra-organizational telephone network. Mridul, as Abhra had learnt then, was a lady of about thirty (much to his surprise as he had thought, by the name, that Mridul was some guy. It was later that he learnt her full name that he realized that she used her middle name for official purposes.) and was married. They had then exchanged their mobile numbers and kept in touch. While Abhra’s office colleagues jeered at him for having a married lady as a friend Abhra knew and felt that it was nothing to be ashamed of. A friend is a friend be of any age.
Their friendship had grown for about five months and Abhra had come to know about her in-laws, her husband and her little five year old daughter Hena, when Abhra was selected to be sent to Bangalore for some project requirements. It was then that Mridul had suggested that he should stay at her place. Abhra was not too sure if he should accept the invitation. It had been only five months and they have only spoken over the phone or had exchanged mails. They had not even seen each other. Abhra knew about facial expressions and body language, and he also knew that they were difficult to forge and therefore they would only give a true picture of a person. But to observe them you would have to meet the person and unless you meet the person you will never have those gut feelings about him/her that often turn true. He was skeptic about the invitation but agreed all the same. After all what had he to lose. Suzanne worked for the same company that he worked for; she was polite in her mails, could converse extremely well in flawless English, could empathize with the finer feelings of life, liked poetry, liked to go biking and feel the freedom, etc, etc. What had to fear for thought Abhra and decided to stay at her place.
He had been received at the Yashwantpur Station by Suzanne and her little daughter Hena. Abhra had immediately taken a liking for the kid. She was a sweet kid with an aura of innocence that is hard to come by amongst kids of her age. Kids were born wiser now often Abhra had thought. They seemed to know all about everything thanks to the age of information and idiot boxes! To a four year old Marukh Mann or Theity Pinta would be the role models, to them entertainment would mean watching the item numbers and dance along, to them reading story books were a taboo or even the good old Grandpa-Stories were a complete waste of time. But Hena seemed strangely like what normal kids would be like. Abhra knew about Suzanne’s father, who was a very good storyteller and also knew that Hena spent a considerable amount of time with her grandparents since both her parents were of working community. That would have been the reason for her sweet and innocent nature thought Abhra, or perhaps it was a regional occurrence. Abhra had remembered his niece in Kolkata who was about the same age as Hena and felt the glaring distinction.
Suzanne had a very calm and calculated and friendly outlook it had seemed to Abhra, as she deftly drove her way through the famous Bangalore Traffic snarls. They had talked about how excited they both were about this trip and how the mails had started a friendship that has resulted in this meeting. Hena had been intently following the conversation of the stranger she came to meet and when Abhra noticed she seemed to curl up in shyness. They had seen the VidhanaSauda, the lower house of the state parliament, the famous Lal Bagh, the Hosur Lake and the Museum on their way to Koramangala where Suzanne stayed. It was a Sunday and the PVR had stated to draw the crowd even at the early hours of morning. Abhra could make out the uniqueness of Bangalore he had heard so much about. The climate was like the most wonderful thing about Bangalore, and Abhra was in love with the city within the very first hour that he had arrived.
They had spent the day together. Sudhakar, Suzanne’s hubby, whom Abhra had met when he had arrived at Suzanne’s place, was a very jolly fellow. He was a scientist at the NAL (National Aeronautics Limited) and knew a little of Bengali, much to Abhra’s pleasure. They had gone out to the PVR where they had window shopped for an hour before Abhra bought a stuffed Bugs Bunny for Hena, who had been so overjoyed that she had kept springing on every step she took as if in a dance and continued to do so for the rest of the day. They had lunched at the Maharaja and then they went back to Suzanne’s place. They lived in a sprawling complex of three bed rooms of which one was allotted at his disposal. Tired and stuffed Abhra had rolled into a slumber. In the evening they had gone over to the PVR again and enjoyed a movie.
The following days passed rapidly, for Abhra had to work very hard for the requirement demanded it. He came back late accompanied by Suzanne on most of the days for she too had to work late to meet her unrealistic deadlines as she had put it. Then on Saturday Abhra accompanied by the whole family went to visit on Suzanne’s parents. Mr. Charles, Suzanne’s father, was indeed a very easy going personality and he started to converse with Abhra as if he knew Abhra for a long time. They had talked about Suzanne’s childhood, the climate of the city and the history of Bangalore and many more things that Abhra could not clearly recall but the overall visit was a huge success. Abhra met Suzanne’s brother Abraham who it seemed took pleasure in pulling Suzanne’s leg. They had discussed lots of incidents and Abhra had shared his’ too. They had their dinner there and had planned out the outing for Sunday. The food was prepared by Suzanne and Abhra admitted that she was indeed a fine cook.
Abhra had till Tuesday for the assignment and as it drew near he had felt his heart add on weight. He could not gauge it but his week long association with this family had moved him closer to Suzanne. Sunday they had gone out to see the city. They had visited the ISKCON temple and then they had lunch at the Nandini Chain of Hotels. Abhra had found the traditional North Indian food much palatable. He had been fed up with the South Indian dishes that had to be sour and contained the traditional South Indian sambhar daal and rasam. Then they had visited the NAL where Sudhakar worked. Abhra could not of course get to the more sensitive areas of the laboratory but he was satisfied with the tour his hosts had prepared for. They had then gone to Suzanne’s father’s place where Hena was dropped off and they proceeded to the famous and notorious M. G. Road. It was a sight to be remembered for the place seemed like buzzing with crowd. With neon lights and pubs all around, it was as if Abhra was in Las Vegas. They had taken on a small pub and had chattered away their time over pegs of strong liquor, with the music playing in the background. Abhra found a glaring difference in the way pubs are conducted in Kolkata. He had the opportunity to be at the Someplace Else, the pub in Kolkata that he had heard too many praises about, but it was dingy and played the music too loud. The girls, mostly of the student category were no doubt very different from what Abhra was accustomed seeing in Kolkata. There in Bangalore, it seemed, the girls were all from the US of America. They certainly dressed and behaved similarly and perhaps thought in the same lines as them, Abhra had said. Suzanne had endorsed his views and had remarked "You know Kolkata chicks become babes in Bangalore. The transformation is amazing and I had the opportunity to see one change myself". Abhra had been taken aback by the comment but he had kept quiet. Suzanne by then had had a drink too much.
Tuesday had come. Suzanne had taken the day off for Abhra was to leave. Abhra could sense the heaviness that kept mounting till it was time to say goodbyes. Abhra had bid farewell to Sudhakar in the morning when he had left for work. Suzanne gave him a ride to the station. Abhra had carried pure cotton saree from Kolkata. He had decided to give it away on the occasion of farewell. At the station Abhra had presented the sari to Suzanne who was clearly overjoyed. Cotton sarees were costly in Bangalore Abhra had learnt then. He took his berth in the train and it was then that he received a Blazer from Suzanne. It was beautiful. Abhra had been wondering what was there in the bag that Suzanne had carried along with her, he knew then that it had the blazer in it. He was overcome with powerful emotions but he had steadied himself….
***
He could barely see the face of Hena now but that was not because of the distance. Abhra realized he had been crying and the tears blocked his vision. He felt like crying out loudly to ease the pain that had resulted from his attempts to hold back his tears. He could hardly breathe. It was strange that human mind can be attached to someone in a way to induce tears and that too in such a short time. Abhra remembered his initial fears and doubts. They seemed so futile now. As the train gathered speed and the station lights went out of view Abhra could not stand at the gate any longer. He went into the wash room and cried his heart out.
***
He had received a letter from some Mridul Iyyer from Bangalore branch of his office stating him to perform a peer review on the report sent along with the mail. He had not understood a word of the letter neither could he get how it got to him in the first place. He then had looked up on the mail server address book and found that there were two Abhras listed; he had realized it had been sent to him by mistake and replied to the mail to that effect. He had received yet another such mail the following week. That time too he had politely sent the reply stating that he was not the intended recipient. When he had received a third mail from Mridul Iyyer he had not even bothered to open the attachment and had replied back rather urging the person (he had not been sure of the gender then and the name had not suggested the gender either) to stop mailing him every now and then. Abhra was not of those types who would send out mails without a thorough checking of the language, the idea and the tone the language conveyed, the spelling errors, the mailing list and so on. In a nutshell he was a perfectionist and never left anything for a further comment from his seniors. So, the idea of a person sending out project mails to him was unthinkable. Mridul had been very polite and apologetic in the reply. The mail thanked him for his continued help and also stated that Mridul had found Abhra’s mails reflected his cheerful disposition. Abhra had sought clarification feeling elated and thus their pen-friendship grew. It had been a whole month of courtesy good morning mails and other chit chats that they had first spoke, over the intra-organizational telephone network. Mridul, as Abhra had learnt then, was a lady of about thirty (much to his surprise as he had thought, by the name, that Mridul was some guy. It was later that he learnt her full name that he realized that she used her middle name for official purposes.) and was married. They had then exchanged their mobile numbers and kept in touch. While Abhra’s office colleagues jeered at him for having a married lady as a friend Abhra knew and felt that it was nothing to be ashamed of. A friend is a friend be of any age.
Their friendship had grown for about five months and Abhra had come to know about her in-laws, her husband and her little five year old daughter Hena, when Abhra was selected to be sent to Bangalore for some project requirements. It was then that Mridul had suggested that he should stay at her place. Abhra was not too sure if he should accept the invitation. It had been only five months and they have only spoken over the phone or had exchanged mails. They had not even seen each other. Abhra knew about facial expressions and body language, and he also knew that they were difficult to forge and therefore they would only give a true picture of a person. But to observe them you would have to meet the person and unless you meet the person you will never have those gut feelings about him/her that often turn true. He was skeptic about the invitation but agreed all the same. After all what had he to lose. Suzanne worked for the same company that he worked for; she was polite in her mails, could converse extremely well in flawless English, could empathize with the finer feelings of life, liked poetry, liked to go biking and feel the freedom, etc, etc. What had to fear for thought Abhra and decided to stay at her place.
He had been received at the Yashwantpur Station by Suzanne and her little daughter Hena. Abhra had immediately taken a liking for the kid. She was a sweet kid with an aura of innocence that is hard to come by amongst kids of her age. Kids were born wiser now often Abhra had thought. They seemed to know all about everything thanks to the age of information and idiot boxes! To a four year old Marukh Mann or Theity Pinta would be the role models, to them entertainment would mean watching the item numbers and dance along, to them reading story books were a taboo or even the good old Grandpa-Stories were a complete waste of time. But Hena seemed strangely like what normal kids would be like. Abhra knew about Suzanne’s father, who was a very good storyteller and also knew that Hena spent a considerable amount of time with her grandparents since both her parents were of working community. That would have been the reason for her sweet and innocent nature thought Abhra, or perhaps it was a regional occurrence. Abhra had remembered his niece in Kolkata who was about the same age as Hena and felt the glaring distinction.
Suzanne had a very calm and calculated and friendly outlook it had seemed to Abhra, as she deftly drove her way through the famous Bangalore Traffic snarls. They had talked about how excited they both were about this trip and how the mails had started a friendship that has resulted in this meeting. Hena had been intently following the conversation of the stranger she came to meet and when Abhra noticed she seemed to curl up in shyness. They had seen the VidhanaSauda, the lower house of the state parliament, the famous Lal Bagh, the Hosur Lake and the Museum on their way to Koramangala where Suzanne stayed. It was a Sunday and the PVR had stated to draw the crowd even at the early hours of morning. Abhra could make out the uniqueness of Bangalore he had heard so much about. The climate was like the most wonderful thing about Bangalore, and Abhra was in love with the city within the very first hour that he had arrived.
They had spent the day together. Sudhakar, Suzanne’s hubby, whom Abhra had met when he had arrived at Suzanne’s place, was a very jolly fellow. He was a scientist at the NAL (National Aeronautics Limited) and knew a little of Bengali, much to Abhra’s pleasure. They had gone out to the PVR where they had window shopped for an hour before Abhra bought a stuffed Bugs Bunny for Hena, who had been so overjoyed that she had kept springing on every step she took as if in a dance and continued to do so for the rest of the day. They had lunched at the Maharaja and then they went back to Suzanne’s place. They lived in a sprawling complex of three bed rooms of which one was allotted at his disposal. Tired and stuffed Abhra had rolled into a slumber. In the evening they had gone over to the PVR again and enjoyed a movie.
The following days passed rapidly, for Abhra had to work very hard for the requirement demanded it. He came back late accompanied by Suzanne on most of the days for she too had to work late to meet her unrealistic deadlines as she had put it. Then on Saturday Abhra accompanied by the whole family went to visit on Suzanne’s parents. Mr. Charles, Suzanne’s father, was indeed a very easy going personality and he started to converse with Abhra as if he knew Abhra for a long time. They had talked about Suzanne’s childhood, the climate of the city and the history of Bangalore and many more things that Abhra could not clearly recall but the overall visit was a huge success. Abhra met Suzanne’s brother Abraham who it seemed took pleasure in pulling Suzanne’s leg. They had discussed lots of incidents and Abhra had shared his’ too. They had their dinner there and had planned out the outing for Sunday. The food was prepared by Suzanne and Abhra admitted that she was indeed a fine cook.
Abhra had till Tuesday for the assignment and as it drew near he had felt his heart add on weight. He could not gauge it but his week long association with this family had moved him closer to Suzanne. Sunday they had gone out to see the city. They had visited the ISKCON temple and then they had lunch at the Nandini Chain of Hotels. Abhra had found the traditional North Indian food much palatable. He had been fed up with the South Indian dishes that had to be sour and contained the traditional South Indian sambhar daal and rasam. Then they had visited the NAL where Sudhakar worked. Abhra could not of course get to the more sensitive areas of the laboratory but he was satisfied with the tour his hosts had prepared for. They had then gone to Suzanne’s father’s place where Hena was dropped off and they proceeded to the famous and notorious M. G. Road. It was a sight to be remembered for the place seemed like buzzing with crowd. With neon lights and pubs all around, it was as if Abhra was in Las Vegas. They had taken on a small pub and had chattered away their time over pegs of strong liquor, with the music playing in the background. Abhra found a glaring difference in the way pubs are conducted in Kolkata. He had the opportunity to be at the Someplace Else, the pub in Kolkata that he had heard too many praises about, but it was dingy and played the music too loud. The girls, mostly of the student category were no doubt very different from what Abhra was accustomed seeing in Kolkata. There in Bangalore, it seemed, the girls were all from the US of America. They certainly dressed and behaved similarly and perhaps thought in the same lines as them, Abhra had said. Suzanne had endorsed his views and had remarked "You know Kolkata chicks become babes in Bangalore. The transformation is amazing and I had the opportunity to see one change myself". Abhra had been taken aback by the comment but he had kept quiet. Suzanne by then had had a drink too much.
Tuesday had come. Suzanne had taken the day off for Abhra was to leave. Abhra could sense the heaviness that kept mounting till it was time to say goodbyes. Abhra had bid farewell to Sudhakar in the morning when he had left for work. Suzanne gave him a ride to the station. Abhra had carried pure cotton saree from Kolkata. He had decided to give it away on the occasion of farewell. At the station Abhra had presented the sari to Suzanne who was clearly overjoyed. Cotton sarees were costly in Bangalore Abhra had learnt then. He took his berth in the train and it was then that he received a Blazer from Suzanne. It was beautiful. Abhra had been wondering what was there in the bag that Suzanne had carried along with her, he knew then that it had the blazer in it. He was overcome with powerful emotions but he had steadied himself….
***
He could barely see the face of Hena now but that was not because of the distance. Abhra realized he had been crying and the tears blocked his vision. He felt like crying out loudly to ease the pain that had resulted from his attempts to hold back his tears. He could hardly breathe. It was strange that human mind can be attached to someone in a way to induce tears and that too in such a short time. Abhra remembered his initial fears and doubts. They seemed so futile now. As the train gathered speed and the station lights went out of view Abhra could not stand at the gate any longer. He went into the wash room and cried his heart out.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)