Chapter 1 - Once upon a Time (BOY)
I was just like any other good student who used to wake-up quite early in the morning, do the regular morning stuffs, get ready and wait for the school bus, go the school, be nice to everyone, study well.
I had two habits (they are not at all bad habits in reality….but for parents and teachers the only good habit a student should have is ‘STUDYING’) and they were ‘Watching TV’ and ‘Playing Sports’.
My dad never cribbed on my habits but my mom was like, ‘chikku, by watching those bad TV shows and pictures, day by day you are getting spoiled….hope it will not affect your studies’. And because of mom’s pressure, sometimes my dad use to give lecture. By the way, my real name is ‘Aditya’ and I just loved my pet-name ‘chikku’ as well as my real name J.
But I was least bothered about all their concerns and lectures because in a day if I don’t watch TV for 2 hrs and play for at least 2 hrs then, I could not sleep in the night (And I use to get sleep only after midnight J ). May be this habit of mine has made me a ‘nocturnal’ person now J
So most of you might be wondering about when did this lad use to study then? Of course while watching TV because that’s how I had studied throughout
TV was (and still is) an integral part my life during my school days. I never believed in ‘CLASS ROOM’ teaching but still I never cribbed or commented on it because I hated getting into controversies. But I learnt a lot by watching TV (though none of the stuffs were related to my syllabus). And let me also tell you folks that I was extremely fascinated after reading the life stories of Einstein,
Most of my friends were behind this so called ‘girl-friend’ concept but I never understood it as I treated any girl the same way I treated a boy. But I had a thought about the ‘girl’ who is gonna come into my life and I always believed in ‘One Women’s Man’ conceptJ.
I never studied to get the highest marks but just to please my parents and their desires. So in terms of Academic performances I was in top tens (and I never counted on it though).
Things went well, finished my schooling, and became a college going guy and slowly things started to change…….
Chapter 2 - Once upon a time (GIRL)
When I was born, doctor told to my dad that, ‘I will become a great person one day!!!’. And the reason behind was that I almost smiled when I entered into this world (as far as I know every child comes crying into this world… and how is smile correlated to greatness in anyway???).
But the worst pain of this incident was my name ‘Hasanmukhi’ which means smiling face. How can someone really live with such a weird name? Of course I have a smiling face but that doesn’t meant that I should be named with such a weirdo…..By the way I coined myself a pet-name ‘Kushi’ which means almost the sameJ.
I was a very bright student throughout my Academics and my parents were very proud of it. And I should accept the fact that I was that stereo-typed student who believed in studying and studying and studying. I never got into playing sports or cultural activities or any other extra curriculum activities.
All my school life just went by in studying and I really never got myself into that so called ‘school girls’ stuff which every girl would have had enjoyed during those days. I do regret about that but I am also proud about the fact that I was more matured than what my age required and my level of thinking was quite higher!!!. Many of my friends hated me for this trait but you see that’s the most common trait in all the girls on this universe i.e. to hate the girl! And they were also jealous of me as I was the prettiest girl in my classJ.
There were many boys who tried a lot to get me but I had this head-weight that I am the best and you boys don’t deserve me (of course I agree that it’s the other part my maturity, the immaturityL)
I finished my schooling as the topper (which I had always dreamt of) and the time came for me too to climb the steps of the college life. But this time I had thoughts of getting the best out of my college life……
Chapter 3 - Again, Once upon a Time (Aditya)
I finished my schooling and I had no clue about what’s next? Since most of my friends opted for Engineering, even I opted Engineering and got into ‘Mechanical Engineering’, the royal branch of all the engineering branches and the buzz word of it – ROYAL MECH.
Unlike any other fresher, I was docile rather than being excited about the so called ‘College Life’. But as the days went by, I gradually started to get into the groove and enjoy the engineering life.
As everyone on this planet knows, Mechanical branch will hardly have girls in it, and we were no different but with one difference. We did have one girl (a fatso) about whom none of us had an interest. Its better I don’t use the word ‘DIFFERENT’ J
Apart from academics (was indeed the least part of our life during that time), the other part (of course the major part and thanks to Carry-Over system we hadJ) was GIRLS which was more interesting. And being from Mechanical branch, we were like a database which stored the information about all the good looking girls across all the engineering branches. So the talk in the canteen or in the dining hall or in the room was just about one thing – GIRL (I just pity myself and all my Mechanical Engineering BrothersJ)
During this course, I did get to meet girls and started mingling and moving around (thanks to some of the fests and sports activities that happened during our academics which got us a chance!!). I don’t consider myself a very good looking guy but somehow girls found me interesting and things started getting better on this major part and worst on the minor part.
Though I had quite a good number of girl-friends, none of them were really of my type. Deep inside I knew, just for the heck of it, I am doing this.
I always dreamt of a girl who is real intelligent and smart, who is quite witty in her nature, who is very strong as an individual. Unfortunately none of those girls had these traits and in fact they were quite opposite of itL.
For some reason there was this girl called ‘Meghna’ towards whom I was quite attracted. Even she had the same kind of feeling towards me. Though we never expressed it mutually, we behaved as if we were “made for each other”. But we knew we will never be together for the rest of our lives.
Time went by, reached the final year and by then had all the fun an engineering student would have had like hanging out in the nights, playing pranks in the class, in the campus, ragging, fag and booze, girl-friends, flunk in semesters etc. Overall it was an average as far the studies was concerned, good as far as the girl-friends were concerned but pathetic as far as my dream of my girl was concerned. And I and Meghna realized that it was more of an infatuation than true love that existed between us. Though we stayed together till the end of final year and soon we departed and again I was all alone………
Chapter 4 - Again, Once upon a Time (Kushi)
My dad always wanted me to become a doctor and so was I. I even got a seat in one of the best colleges and was in full zoom to get into the college. And also that was the very first time I was parting from my parents.
The complete batch was assembled at the beginning of the academics and they gave that boring lecture about how great the college is, how difficult it is to get a seat in this premier institution, how big the future of ours will be if we make the best out of this college etc etc etc…… I was just having a look at all my batch mates and most of them literally appeared to be the stereo-types and I started wondering if I had made the right choice by getting into this so called premier institution!!
As usual, classes started and I still remember my first Anatomy class where in its more of a practical one. We were taken to the Anatomy lab and as soon as we entered into the lab, every one of us started feeling so weird and at the same time we girls started to laugh at the guys. That was the first I saw a male body in complete nudity (of course it was dead man’s body) and all guys could neither stair at the body nor at any of the girls because they felt it so embarrassing…..soon after a week or so, it was guys turn to laugh at us as there was a female body this time and we went through the same embarrassment like the way they had last time. But gradually we started getting used to it and we knew we will be doing this for next 5 years!!!!
Just because our academics were so hectic, we practically dint had enough time to have that typical college life. At the same time we dint had this Carry-Over system like the Engineering colleges had. So everyone was scared to take any kind of chance or risk. But I was quite confident of pulling off this hectic schedule and at the same time enjoy this college life to the best possible extent.
To my surprise, I had become talk of the canteen, talk of the room, talk of the dinner in boy’s zone. I started liking that attention and things literally started to change then. I never had any idea about the kind of guy who is going to come into my life and I found myself quite comfort with everyone (and even the head-weight had vanished without to my knowledge).
Time went by, and I was a renowned figure in the college campus and that’s when this guy called ‘Rishith’ came into my life, the very first love of my lifeJ. We all had been to a university fest in some part of the state and were on our way back to the college in a train. It was around 1 AM in the midnight and I could hear some sort of sound and I got afraid and I woke-up. There I see Rishith with his guitar staring at me. I got more scared and before I could say anything, he came very close to me and said ‘1 4 3’, kissed my cheek and slide down his palm on my face and went off. First and foremost I had no clue about what had happened at that point of time and I could not even understand what’s this ‘1 4 3’ all about. Then I realized what he meant by that and though I did show some sort of opposition to it in my thoughts, deep inside I knew I had fallen for him J
Rishith was my senior and was so different in thinking and he was the one who truly imbibed in me the concept of ‘life is not just about being successful’ but there are so many other things in life which we ignore. He was always busy in doing good to the
society, indulging himself in NGOs, helping out poor people and all those good deeds. He was literal free floating mercury who was never constant and very brainy when it came to studies. He changed my thoughts about life; I felt much secured with him and started considering him as the man of my life. I expected nothing but only one thing from him i.e. to love me like nobody else can. And he did love me like one real crazy guy and every time I realized it, I used to feel as if I am on cloud nine and float back to my hostel on clouds. My dreams about the coming future with him started getting to build like a necklace of pearls. And I always felt ‘life doesn’t get better than this’ until that day.
I was into my final year and Rishith was into Housing. Then a news came where in there was flood situation in one of the coastal areas and they needed doctors. And in this kinda situation Rishith always stood. When he told me about his plan of being a volunteer, I was happy for him but some where in my mind I started to feel as if something is going wrong. At first I was fine but after some while I started acting very weirdly, started crying and all. Rishith got completely perplexed with my behavior and tried to make me understand the situation. Even then I tried stopping him but I knew he was hell bent and he would never listen to me no matter what I do.
And with utter reluctance I said ok and he left for the flooded place without a word but a kiss on my forehead and slide down his palm on my face……
Two days over and there was no call, no message from him. I started getting tensed and situation looked very uneasy for me. Tried contacting him, his friends and other team members but dint get any reply. Two more days went by and on the fifth day, early in the morning, I could see all my hostel mates tensed and moving around as if something has gone wrong. And when I asked what has happened the answer was ‘the vehicle which was carrying our college doctors had went missing two days back and its been found with almost everyone inside the vehicle dead………………………….’.
Chapter 5 – A couple of years back
Aditya: Soon after completing the engineering, I got a job in one of the best companies and was quite happy about it. Meghna was still there in my thoughts but I knew neither I will go back to her nor she will come back. All in all it was more of a mutually exclusive break-up kinda stuff. And after a couple of months my mind and heart was completely empty and was feeling very fresh about everythingJ.
Kushi: After that incident, life became very tough for me. Every minute without Rishith seemed to be like years and was just unable to get over it. Even thoughts like committing suicide, running away from everything thing, locking myself inside a room, etc started coming into my mind. But things that I learnt from Rishith about life and happiness held me and over a period of time, I learnt controlling myself from these emotions. Completed my Medicine and on the last day I had nothing but Rishith in my mind, heart and tears in my eyes.
After taking break for a couple of months, I decided to start working and joined one of the good hospitals as pediatrics practitioner and got myself involved into it.
Aditya: I don’t go home that frequently and I just hate travelling in a train. One day I got a call from my dad asking me to come home and I said ok even though I had to travel in the train for 14 hrs.
Kushi: It had been quite a while since I had been to my home and I was missing my parents. So I decided to take a break and go home for some time.
Chapter 6 – In train a couple of years back
Aditya: It was winter with chilling cold and the train was leaving at 12:45 AM………
And I have this bad habit of going late every time, trying and catching a running time…this time it was no different J.
Kushi: Since the train was leaving at 12:45 AM I decided to be in the station by 11:30 PM so that I don’t have to hassle in the last minute…..
Train reached the station on time and departed on time….. J
Kushi: I was all settled in my seat with a flashback running in my mind on how Rishith scared the hell out of me and ‘The Motor-Cycle Diaries’ by Ernesto 'Che' Guevara novel in my hand (Rishith was very much impressed by the life of Guevara and I got this novel from him). As I was reading I saw a backpack just flying and banging the seat in front of me. After few seconds I turned towards my right and I saw one lean, well built fairly tall guy staring at me……
Aditya: As usual I came late and started running to catch my train and in that course got into a wrong compartment. Then went on hunting for my seat and finally I could get it. As soon as I saw No-10 I just threw my backpack like a Jonty Rhodes throw and tilted my head a bit towards left. Maaaaaan, I saw a girl with combination of train light and moon light glowing-up her face and her front hair disturbing her view on the book. And the killing smile on her face even though she was not at all smiling. I went numb and dumb in all my senses for few seconds……
Kushi: As soon as I looked at him, he took his eyes off me, put his hand into his hairs and slide down back to his neck. Rather than coming and sitting in his seat, he moved ahead and after some time he came back and sat…..
Aditya: Suddenly she looked at me and I was in no way could react to it and just moved a head towards the door and just started dancing as if Elvis Presley’s rock &r roll ‘jailbreak’ song was played in the background…..then I moved back to my seat like a decent guy……
For few minutes I dint look at her (of course I was controlling) but again I started to stare at her. Every time she stares back at me, I hide my face and view….this ‘aankh-micholi’ went on till I tired to see her face with my hands closing my face and stare through the gaps of fingers…and she caught me on the dot and gave the faintest of her smile and again started looking back into the novel. And that faintest smile just killed me maaaaaan….. I just laid flat on my seat and turned left and that’s when I realized she was reading one of my all time favorite novel ‘The Motor-Cycle Diaries’!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.....
For a moment I felt like jumping into conversation on the novel but I dint wanted to miss the view of that twin light glowing face even for a while….After some time even she decided to sleep and the best part was I could see her face without any circus as our faces were diagonally opposite to each other…. I don’t know when I fell asleep but was just staring at her now only moonlight glowing face….and that was just the best moment anyone can have in his life…..
It was around 6:30 AM in the morning, I woke up and see only the bedspread and not her… for a moment I got lost and I heard a sweet voice ‘Hay….bad dream??’
Kushi: Though the guy looked crazy with his actions, it was fun to watch him do that. When I woke-up in the morning, I saw his face like a small baby sleeping with a warm smile on its face. All of a sudden the guy woke-up as if chilled water was gushed-out on him…. I literally felt like laughing but said ‘Hay…bad dream?’ J
Aditya: ‘Hey…yeah it was an heart-breaker’ and I just shut my mouth and went towards the bathroom…there was no limit to my happiness and again I started dancing and people around me started laughing at my actions….got fresh and went back to my seat…..
Kushi: ‘Hi I am kushi’
Aditya: As soon as she offered her hand my heart-beat doubled its phase and ‘Hi hi.. I am Aditya’…..without any clue on how to continue this conversation I continued ‘that’s one of my all time favorite novel’…..
Kushi: ‘Oh yeah…it’s well written and well executed and of course a real story’………
Aditya: As soon I as heard it from her, I knew she isn’t reading just for the heck of it and she knows quite a lot about it….’so you have read it completely…I don’t remember how many times I have read it’
Kushi: ‘oh! You seem to be a great fan of ‘Che’…..’
Aditya: ‘in a way yes…but I have my views on some of his decisions that he takes at such a young age…’
Kushi: ‘so let me guess…you loved the concept when he decides to go on such a long trip just before his final semester of medicine….’
Aditya: ‘no no…I mean any guy will be crazy at that age…education is just a means for us to get a job or whatever….but my point here is he had such a loving family, such a crazy friend and a childhood lover….may be he was naive but when you have so many caring hearts around you, does it make any sense practically to leave them just like that and chase-down your fantasies or dreams whatever?.....every time I try to understand his psyche he just fails me in these aspects….may be the Latin America was really bad at that time and may be even I would have felt something like that….but I would have never taken such a decision which would hurt so many caring and loving hearts…of course later on what he achieved through his deeds is exceptional…but my point here is life is not just being crazy about what you do…..but to love the people who love you and respect their love and be sensible in the vital decisions you make…….’
Kushi: after listening to him the one thing that flashed through my mind was the day before Rishith left me forever….it reminded me of how much I tried stopping him and he never listened….I could not speak for while and reverted back ‘so you think he his decision was completely wrong?’
Aditya: ‘No…absolutely not….and my view here is not on whether its right or wrong.. my view is just that you should respect the words of your loved ones…some times it just saves you from doing something which might later appear to be wrong…In ‘Che’ case I may not be able to sustain my argument as it went on to the level of ‘Revolution’, the ‘Cuban Revolution’ ..but later he was assassinated in a jungle….but his best friend Alberto is still alive even to this day….even he had seen the pain all through the journey…’ and as I looked at her and I could see agony on her face crystal clear, eyes filled with tears and I stopped talking…..
Kushi: He continued talking but by then I was broken down completely and the memories of Rishith started haunting me…I just started to go through an unbearable pain and tears in my eyes…..and then I see Aditya stop talking…. I could not react and walked to the washroom…..
Aditya: I was like ‘why the hell did I started on this book’.. But again I was like ‘what made her get upset?’ ….. But looking at the situation I decided not to continue on this topic and also to shut my mouth….she came back, sat on her seat and for some time there was this unbearable silence…..
Kushi: ‘Hey I am sorry.. I just ….it reminded me of something….but your point of view is also correct….’
Aditya: She broke the silence but with broken sentences and this made me feel more uneasy…….’Listen Kushi, I am really sorry if I have hurt u n your feelings in anyway…I just over-spoke I suppose....’ and she cut me in the middle…
Kushi: ‘No no…plz don’t be…. I should be sorry for all this’…..
Aditya: After that again there was silence and this time it was a healthier one J
Again I started ‘So what do u do? Still studying?’…. She replied with that faintest smile of hers ‘No…I am a doctor….Pediatrics’.
As soon as she told Doctor I was like ‘this girl is a doctor and still she is agonized with something…I always thought all these Doctors are shrewd in nature and but I was wrong. Completely wrong….. I started falling more for her….
Kushi: ‘So what do u do? Even you still studying? ‘
Aditya: To her question I just smiled at her and replied ‘I used to…actually I do nothing….yeah to tell I have a high earning job but I truly do nothing….’
Kushi: ‘Hmm.. interesting…. So what is that you want to do?.. What is it that you are looking for? ‘
Aditya: As soon as I heard these questions from her I replied back ‘I don’t know what exactly I want or I am looking for….. but if I get you then I don’t think I will ever be wanting for anything else in my life’ and just ran to the doors as I felt as if I am running out of oxygen…….
Kushi: The moment he gave me that answer I was dumb-stuck and I could not react to it…. And he ran to the doors….I just gave sometime and then walked to him…’Aditya, I truly appreciate your thought but don’t get me wrong but I am feeling that it’s more of a naive act…I mean we hardly know each other…. Hope you understand’
Deep inside I knew I had fallen for Rishith without even knowing even a damn thing about him then……
Aditya: ‘No no no…it’s not at all naive….no…. yeah may be we hardly know each other…but in past 8 hrs or so what I have learnt about you is ‘you are humble, you are clean from your heart, you are not materialistic and above all you are such a loveable person’….And I don’t think there is anything else that’s required for someone to fall in love……’
Kushi: I truly had no answer to his reaction….absolutely not…but at the same time I was not in a position to accept what he said…Before I could further deny him he kept his fingers on my lips and said ‘you don’t know how wonderful you are... how good and how strong you are.…and all I know is you deserve all the love this world has to give’ and slide down his hands on my face and walked away back to his seat……After that moment I completely broke-down and stood at the doors with nothing else but Rishith in my mind………….
After an hour or so I calmed down, went back and I see Aditya not in his seat. Soon I realized he has left….I just started wondering how can someone be so influential in such a short span of time or is it just that I am too week emotionally……But he did leave an impression on me…………..
Chapter 7 - A year back
Aditya: I don’t know why I did not continue my journey with her…but deep inside I knew I had fallen for her and I just could not take the rejection from her end…. Things again came back to normal but with one change… Kushi in my mind and heart……
Kushi: After that incident in the train, my thoughts about life had started to change and I had started to look at the positive aspects of life. But forgetting Rishith was something that I just could not think of….
Parents started to think about my marriage and everyday they started calling me and discussed on this topic… More I opposed them more intense they started becoming…
Finally they convinced me to see a guy who also hailed from my native…. So I went to my native….
Aditya: I was relaxing in my native and my dad came to me and said, ‘Today we are going to one of my friend’s house….so get ready and make sure to wear formals. You look good on it….’ He smiled and walked away. For a moment I could not understand but I figured out it was all about marriage… At first I wanted to go oppose my dad but later I felt ‘what’s wrong in just going and coming back… And end of the day I am the decision maker’ and I decided to join them….
We reached the house and the house was really good. Some wonderful plants inside the compound with a small water fountain… It looked to a well maintained house….. As soon as we entered inside, like usual the formalities and other stuffs which irritates me but still I had to behave myselfJ.
After all the formalities were done, it was the turn of the girl to come and show her face.
And finally the girl did come and sat in front of me (And I always consider this segment extremely embarrassing to both the guy and the girl). With all that embarrassment I looked at the girl and maaaan, who am I looking at……Kushi !!!!!!!!!!!!
Kushi: I had no clue that it’s going to be Aditya and I was like…. about to faint….. I dint know how to react and I just sat there like a mute…..
Aditya: For that moment, I truly believed in coincidence and at the same time some where in my mind I knew she is gonna reject again… But again I was like ‘I am getting a second chance…and not all will have second chance in their life… so let me try and convince her…..’
Kushi: I was like ‘why am I being tested like this? And how am I gonna reject him? .... ’
But again I started to think ‘why is this coincidence then… pretty strange…. Isn’t it? … will I remain like this through out my life and keep thinking about Rishith who is never going to come back…..’ And the words that Aditya had said in the train started to roll in my head and I was totally confused……..
Aditya: I decided to talk to Kushi privately and asked her father if I can talk to her in person. His father with no obligation said yes and she took me to her room…..
Kushi: I just wanted to make sure that he understands why I am not in a position to marry someone and I made up my mind to tell him about Rishith. As we entered into the room, I closed the doors and from one of the books in the shelf I took Rishith’s photo and gave it to Aditya. Before I could say anything about him again Aditya kept his fingers on my lips gave back the photo and said ‘I don’t know who it is in the photo…. And I don’t want to know…. And you have a past which you want to share then again my answer will be no to it… Because I am going to leave with you and not with your past… And let me repeat what I have already told you – “you don’t know how wonderful you are... how good and how strong you are as a person. And all I know is you deserve all the love this world has to give”. If you still think my thoughts are naive and I should reconsider it then I have only one thing to say ‘I am sorry and I can’t… and it’s up to you to make the decision’. He left the room with a smile on his face……
After thinking about it for a couple of days, just for parents, for Aditya I said yes to the marriage with still Rishith in my mind and heart……..
We got married the next month and we started to settle down and make a family of our own. I even started my own clinic…. I was lucky to have some one like Aditya who loved me like more than anything else… So did I but with a fact that Rishith was still there in me, in my thoughts……. Every time I wanted to tell him about Rishith he just used to find some way or the other to not to listen… And I never understood why he doesn’t want to listen at least…… and just like that a year went by.……………………………….
Chapter 8 - Today
Kushi: As usual he woke up in the morning, kissed my forehead, slide down his hand on my face and started his daily routine… So was I…. Finished all the morning stuffs and we left for our work…..
It was Aditya’s daily routine to pick me up from the hospital no matter how much late it’s gonna be… He used to wait for me like hrs until I am done with my work.
But today day, something happened something dangerous… There was a fire break in the whole building and things went out of control in no matter of time…. And we all were stuck inside the building……..I called Aditya……
Aditya: Just when I was about to leave my office and go to Kushi’s place, I got a call from Kushi saying there is a fire catch in that hospital… And I just rushed through to the building and saw it in complete fire….. Fire Brigade is doing its best to get rid of the fire but things are not coming into control… for one moment I thought ‘will I ever get to see Kushi?’ and that literally scared the hell out of me…. And I decided not to give-up and ran into the hospital building with all the resistance from the police force…. Inside the building I could see nothing but killing smoke…. Ignoring all these, I ran towards her clinic and when I reached there I could see Kushi down on the floor with no conscious…. At that moment I had only one thought in mind and it was to get out of the building as soon as possible…. Some how I came out of the building with Kushi in my arms……. But in that course I had burns and bruises on my body. But for me Kushi’s safety was more important than anything else….. And I came out of the building.
The first aid took care of us and we were rushed to the hospital…. On our way to the hospital I could see her still not in conscious…..
After 2 hours of anxiety and doctors continuous efforts, she started to breathe and could see everyone and sense things around us…. When she saw me, she got tensed and hugged me like never before…. Gradually her tension level came down and she fell asleep……
It took quite a lot for her to regain her conscious level and become normal…..
She was sitting on the bed and I just came from the medical store… She looked at me and with tears in her eyes opened her arms…. I just went and hugged her……
Kushi: ‘Why did you risk your life when you knew how dangerous it was? What if something had happened to you?’
Aditya: ‘And what if something had happened to you? There is no wrong in doing something which will save your most loved ones…. Even if it has to be with my death’
That’s when I realized why ‘Che’ left his family, friend and lover… he loved his family but he loved more the exploited
Kushi: The moment he said ‘even if it has to be with my death’ I just cried like one small baby in his arms….
And it made me realize ‘Rishith loved me like one crazy man….. But he loved more the poor and the suffering sect of the society…………………………………………..
