The Lost Dream (Part 4)

Posted 6 CommentsPosted in Chandrika-Bhumimitra, English, Original

“Tell His Highness,” she told the messenger, “That I will not take more than ten minutes. Mrinalini. You have to help me with my hair. It is in no condition for me to step out of my room.”

“Yes, Queen Ma’am,” Mrinalini gathered herself together on hearing her mistress’ order and got up to help her.

Chandrika entered Bhumimitra’s chamber with trepidation in her heart, but composure in her countenance. After exchanging their greetings, she asked in a low voice, “I hope all is well with Your Majesty.”

“Oh yes! I am sorry Devi Chandrika. Did I disturb your afternoon nap?”

“No. No Sir. I am not used to taking afternoon naps. If I can be of any service…”

“I was getting bored. So, I sought your company. If it is an inconvenience…”

“No,” her heart skipped a beat on hearing him, “Not at all. It’s an honour.”

“Please do sit down.”

“I hope there are no distressing news from any neighboring states,” she sat down and asked by the way of making small talk.

“No. There isn’t. Feels almost unreal. It has never been so peaceful for so many months at stretch in last couple of decades.”

“That’s why you are bored,” she joked and then got worried. Would he be offended?

But to her relief, he laughed, “Well. I am a soldier at heart, Devi. What do you expect?”

“Hmm…”

“You don’t approve of wars?”

“We’d be better off as a race, and we’d progress much more if there were fewer wars.”

“But there are always evil forces. Good has to win the wars. Evil won’t let us progress.”

“You are right at some very broad level. But in most wars around us, one can never be sure which is the good side, and which is the bad one.”

“One can’t be?”

“If Raigarh and Chandranagar had fought, which side would one consider good? One’s own side? Isn’t that always the definition? But hardly ever rational.”

King smiled. It was an irrefutable logic. “It looks like women have an advantage of broader perspective. You belong to at least two different places.”

“Possibly. And some would argue that world would be a different place if women were the decision-makers.”

“But you can’t stop wars by yourself. We are a greedy race. Even if you don’t want to fight, others will attack your home and you will be forced to.”

“I’m not saying that you have any option, Sir. You have your duties as a king. My thoughts are often ramblings of someone used to inaction.”

“You do yourself and your thoughts a gross injustice. They are always extremely refined and wise.”

“I will accept that complement as gracefully as I can. And yet…”

“And yet?”

“Nothing, Sir. Would you like to have some sherbet or a paan?”

“I want to know what you were saying.”

“It is nothing great, Sir. The ingredients for paan that I see in this paandaan are exquisite. I believe you ordered each of them from the places where they grow them the best.”

“Don’t force me to order you, Devi Chandrika.” For some reason, Bhumimitra just couldn’t let go.

She sighed, “All right. I will speak. But you will have to pardon me in advance. For my intention is not to insult anyone. My thoughts are wayward at times.”

“I have pardoned every act of yours in advance, Devi. One can hardly use conventional yardsticks with you.”

“Thank you, Sir. I often think that princesses and queens are the most useless amongst humans. Kings and princes run the country, maintain peace, protect their subjects. Common man works hard to create things the society needs to survive and progress. Common woman also has her role to play in her society. Even if her status is inferior to her man, she is needed for running the society. She cooks for her family, takes care of their health, keeps the house clean and livable. She serves her husband, she brings up her children. She is responsible for the welfare of her husband and children. But queens and princesses? What are we useful for? For adorning jewelry, for petty fights in antahpur, for symbolically giving alms from public funds? For being exchanged as a seal of political contracts, for being held up like an object – the trophy of honor? Our status as even wives and daughters is at best symbolic. Other people run our households. We just sit there, all adorned and doing nothing. And if I can be utterly honest, unlike a common woman, we aren’t needed even for satisfying the carnal desires of our husbands. They have professional women at their beck and call to do that. There isn’t another creature in the world, not even the insects swarming in mud, which is as useless as us.”

King Bhumimitra was speechless for a while. This was one extra-ordinary woman for sure. She had the ability to turn someone’s world upside-down just with her words. If she got a chance to act… She would probably turn not just his, but the whole real world upside-down. There was that spark, that intelligence, that internal strength, which was beyond comprehension by most mortals. And yet… there was something extremely pitiful about what she had said. He finally found a word for what it was…

“Devi. Such self-loathing! That’s not right,” he commented gently.

She gave an embarrassed chuckle, “I am sorry, Sir. I have scandalized you with my bitter outpourings. Don’t think too much about them. I have overwhelmed Mrinalini all my life with this nonsense. Poor woman. She finally stopped paying attention. You were getting bored. Let’s find something to talk about that interests you.”

“Devi. Unfortunately, it is time for me to return to the court. But can I have the pleasure of your company tomorrow afternoon as well?”

She was surprised that he wanted to talk more to her. “As usual. It will be an honour.”

“Shall I need to send a messenger?”

“No Sir. I will be here. Shall I see you in the evening for practice?”

“Yes.”

She already knew that it wasn’t her turn that night. So, she did not ask about that.

The king appeared lost in his thoughts when Chandrika entered his chamber next afternoon. He was surprised on seeing her there; then remembered his invitation and smiled at her.

“Am I disturbing you, Sir? Would you rather rest alone?” she asked courteously.

“No Devi. Please sit down,” he rubbed his forehead as he sat up straight and then leaned against the headboard of his bed.

“Do you have a head ache?”

“A slight one.”

“Let me give you a head-massage.”

“No!” he was startled. Why would a queen do that? “You don’t need to do that Devi Chandrika. There are servants….” Then his voice drowned as he remembered her lamenting the uselessness of queens and princesses the previous day. “I’m sorry,” he said in a gentle voice, “That was insensitive of me. I only stopped you because it might be considered beneath you. But I also know that the conventional yardstick doesn’t apply to you. If you do this for me… it would be the… most special thing anyone would have ever done to me.”

“Then, let me do it,” her voice quivered with emotions.

He nodded and lied down. She shifted to sit near the headboard so that she could massage his forehead. Her hands were warm and soft. The king was no alien to female proximity and touch. But her touch still affected him. As he recalled her quivering voice, a thought crossed his head. Was it possible that he was winning the heart of this utterly unconventional, incomprehensible woman? Even if not already, could he do it in future? Play the game of love? Something he had read about, but never got a chance to play. All his marriages had been political alliances. And while he was happy enough in them, he never had an experience of winning a worthy woman’s love!

Chandrika looked thoughtful with her naked sword at king’s throat, his own having been thrown away by her in an earlier move.

“I haven’t improved that much Your Majesty. What is the matter? You were distracted,” she asked after withdrawing.

“Please sit down, Devi. There is something I want to tell you.”

It sounded ominous. But Chandrika followed the king to the chairs placed near the practice area and sat down.

“What is it?”

“In the afternoon, what I was worried about was the news from Chandranagar. It is not good.”

“How so?”

“Our spies have reported that they are planning to break our peace treaty and try to capture the villages along the border.”

“That doesn’t sound right…”

“I’m sorry. But if you think neutrally, you’d see that it is very much possible. Even if it is from your own folks.”

“Sir. I know my father. He is a stubborn, idealist. He doesn’t promise things easily. You know how much you had to wait for the peace and alliance treaty. But once he makes a promise, he will keep it, even foolishly sometimes, irrespective of repercussions.”

“You are saying that reports are wrong?” his brows furrowed.

“No. I am trying to think what the reports could mean. The people I am not sure about are my brothers and cousins. Most of them are more unscrupulous and they don’t like to be ruled by my father’s iron hand. In all likelihood, whatever is happening is happening without my father’s knowledge.”

“Either way, we will have to protect ourselves and then react.”

“You could just have my father informed. He would himself quell what he’d see a rebellion against him. You won’t have to put your men at risk.”

“That is a very dubious suggestion you make, Queen Chandrika,” he smiled and shook his head. He had addressed her as “Queen” for the first time. Chandrika thought that he was trying to remind her of her duty towards Raigarh over Chandranagar.

“Sir. Given the vows I have taken, my loyalty lies with you first, and with my father later. Between my father and brothers, my loyalty lies with the former. There isn’t much conflict of interest here, thankfully.”

“Hmm…” Bhumimitra looked thoughtful.

“And anyway. If you decide to inform my father, you shouldn’t do it officially.”

“Why not?”

She chuckled, “He’d take the presence of your spies in his kingdom an effrontery to his honor. That you didn’t trust him.”

“That’s naïve!”

“So was the thought that he could hold his own against Raigarh. But that’s my father for you!”

“So, what do you suggest?”

“You let the ‘rumour’ reach him about the plans from his sons and subordinates. Meanwhile you do whatever preparation you have to do. If he doesn’t take action, you can take your own.”

Bhumimitra laughed pleasantly, “If your father had employed you in his court, instead of letting your run around in jungles, I’d have to fear Chandranagar. Good day, Devi. I will see you at night.”

To be continued

The Lost Dream (Part 3)

Posted 7 CommentsPosted in Chandrika-Bhumimitra, English, Original

“I’m not sure I understand you, Sir.”

“Devi Chandrika. How am I to keep you happy? You are difficult woman to keep happy. But I have my vows to stand by. I have been thinking about it since the moment I saw you walking towards the mandap.”

The silence was excruciating for her. What was he on to? What should she say?

He spoke after a pause, “I know that this wedding has been against your wishes…”

“His Highness! I apologize for interrupting you. But the circumstances are nothing new for women in my position. I respect the holy bond of matrimony.”

“I don’t doubt that, Devi.”

“I can see that there is something on your mind, Sir. You can ask whatever you want to.”

“That jungle…. It was quite far from the palace. How did you used to go?”

“On horseback,” she replied.

“With whom?”

She took a deep breath to swallow what she thought was an implied insult. She wasn’t escorted by a man. She didn’t go to meet a secret lover. “With one of my friends, Sir.”

“It would be the same young woman who was with you here when I came?”

“My friends are under my protection, Sir. I know you are gracious enough to not ask me to betray them. Whatever complaints you have are against me. Whatever punishments you have to give, it should be meted out to me. I would only request that it be done in a way that the word doesn’t reach my parents. Else the hard-earned peace would be violated forever for the sake of royal egos.”

“You are acting guilty? I am surprised. I thought you were more spirited than that.”

“Before my God, and before my conscience, I am not guilty, Sir. I am not acting guilty. If I were a common woman, I would have fought for my choices. But in my position, how my conduct is perceived has implications beyond my personal life. I can’t just stop caring. I don’t want to fight with you, Your Majesty. I don’t want to invite your wrath. If you can trust my words, I was not accompanied by a man; I didn’t go to meet a secret lover. None of that. But if I can’t convince you, and you must act to save your honor, your action, your wrath must be directed solely towards me. It would be a great disservice to the subjects of Chandranagar and Raigarh, if your grudges against me should result in a war.”

Bhumimitra smiled, “Rest assured, Devi Chandrika. I don’t have any grudges against you. It is difficult to not trust someone as straightforward as you. That is a rare quality in women – the princesses and queens especially. If that is what has kept you restless and standing all this while, would you please relax and sit down?”

Even with all her forced grace and composure, Chandrika could not help letting out a sigh. She sat down on the bed without waiting for her husband to do that. But he followed the suit. He didn’t sit close to her though, almost at the other edge.

“I know that you respect the holy bond of matrimony,” the king spoke again after they were seated, “But I also know that your self-respect is hurt with the situation it leaves you in. If I had known earlier, I’d have made a different peace offer. I could have asked your hand for someone else in the court, who would have fulfilled the criteria that is most important to you…”

“My father is too proud to have accepted that. He took three weeks even to accept even your hand for me.”

“True,” he nodded in agreement, “Was he against my proposal because he knew about your wishes?”

“Ah!” she smiled bitterly, “I wish! No Sir. He had no such tender reasons. It was his kshatriya blood boiling. He thought he could defeat you in a war and he didn’t have to bow down to you. It took him three weeks of counsel from every eminent person in the court to accept otherwise.”

Bhumimitra was impressed. She was a keen and accurate observer of politics, despite her complaints with it.

“I am a man of world too, Devi. And a kshatriya. It won’t be possible for me to liberate you or to give you another man of your choice.”

“Please don’t talk like that,” she said in a small voice.

“I am only discussing politics with you, which you are fully capable of understanding. Please don’t feel otherwise about it.”

She nodded. Then he continued, “I can’t do anything like that. For the sake of my honour. For the sake of peace, and welfare of my subjects. But what I can promise you is that I won’t impose myself upon you.”

Chandrike shot a surprised glance at him. This statement could be interpreted in several ways. Was it supposed to be relief for her? A punishment? Was he angry? Hurt? Insulted? Or could his words be taken on face value? His expressions were amiable. Chandrika relaxed.

“It is such an extra ordinary thing you said, Sir, that I don’t know how to react to it.”

“Be happy. That’s all I am trying to achieve. I would still come here about one in four nights. We don’t need the world gossiping. And Devi. This kingdom sports a vast jungle as well. If you want to continue your jungle sojourns and explore the fruits, animals and flowers, as the queen of Raigarh, nobody will stop you.”

She went agape at that. Was she dreaming? Her reaction made the king laugh out loud. This had been so beyond anything she expected that she had forgotten all her grooming and grace. There was something incredibly amusing and cute about that.

She realized that soon enough and looked away from him.

“That is very kind of you, His Highness. However, I am prone to taking it seriously. If you jest, you must tell me now, before I make a blunder.”

“I don’t jest, Devi. But what I need to be sure of is your safety. Would you mind taking…”

“I can take care of myself.”

“I know you can ride and you carry the dagger, but…”

“Also the sword and the bow and arrow. I can use them. But I need a soldier’s dress for carrying them. Mrinalini is also trained.”

“Would that be enough?”

“If you’d allow, I can train more women.”

“Fair enough. I am trusting your judgment.”

“You won’t regret it.”

“In the morning, I will show you a way from the back gate of the antahpur to a very fascinating jungle. Right now, I am tired and I must lie down here. Hope you don’t mind.”

She shook her head.

“Great! As a queen you may not know what goes on in the bedrooms of your servants. But they would observe everything in yours as soon as the doors open in the morning. You’d do well to take off your jewelry, undo your hair and sleep in the bed! The sheets should be crumpled in the morning. Have a good night.”

“Good night, Sir.”

She did all he had suggested, while fighting the whirlwinds in her head. What on earth was happening to her? It couldn’t be real, could it?

But it was. It was real. The king kept his word. He showed her the back gate and the way to the jungle. He instructed the security to never obstruct her way. He arranged for commoners’ dresses and soldier’s uniforms for her that she could use when she felt like.

She also started training women in sword-fighting. Bhumimitra walked into the open quadrilateral one day when the training was going on. Chandrika was having a mock fight with one of the women and pretty soon she defeated her. Then she explained to everyone what the technical mistakes were that the woman made.

“Excellent!” exclaimed the king startling the women. They all bowed to the king. Chandrika nodded at them and they stepped out to leave them alone. Then Chandrika also bowed with folded hands to greet the king. He reciprocated her greetings.

“Shall we have a round of practice?”

“We?” her eyes went wide with surprise. Was he going to indulge her to that extent?

“Why? Are you scared?” he teased her.

“No. Just that… I don’t have your kind of practice. Or the stamina.”

“You have the right technique. Who taught you?”

“I pestered my brothers.”

“They taught you well. So? Shall we?”

“On one condition.”

“What is it?”

“You won’t treat me with kid’s gloves. You won’t let me win just to humor me.”

“That’s an admirable condition. I promise, I won’t.”

And the duel started. Despite his promise, he did fight in a relaxed manner in the beginning. But soon realized that Chandrika was quite aggressive.  He still let the fight go on for a while, before going whole-hog and finally ridding her of her weapon. She accepted her defeat with a graceful smile.

“You want more practice?”

“I do.”

“You can join me in the mornings.”

She chuckled. “That can’t be a good news for our kingdom. If you practiced with me, you will soon be over-confident. One needs to practice with equals or superiors to improve.”

“Wisdom speaking as always. Evenings then? For half-an-hour after the court is over.”

“It’d be an honour, Sir,” Chadrika replied sincerely. He was indulging her a lot!

There was no way to avoid rumors. But the rumors were not what she would have feared. That they had not consummated their marriage. They were all about how the fourth queen was king’s favorite. Mrinalini teased her endlessly. But for the first time in her life, she didn’t share much with her friend. What was happening to her was so extra-ordinary that she didn’t know what to make of it. What was she to tell her friend about her husband’s indulgences?

And the rumors gained strength, when one day, the king summoned her in the middle of the day. This was the time when court broke for lunch for a few hours and the king took lunch and rested in his own quarters near the courthouse.

It was such an unusual request for a queen to be summoned there during the daytime that she and all the women with her stared at each other in stunned silence when it was announced. As the queen, the responsibility of acting unfazed again fell on Chandrika.

To be continued

The Lost Dream (Part 2)

Posted 5 CommentsPosted in Chandrika-Bhumimitra, English, Original

“Princess Chandrika. The baraat is here. Won’t you like to take a look at your groom? We can go to the balcony.” Chandrika’s best friend, Mrinalini, came to her.

“I have to see him all my life, Mrinalini. It’s not like I can reject him if I don’t like him.”

“Come on, Princess. You can’t be this skeptical on your wedding day. It’s the beginning of your new life. I’m sure the king will love you more than his other wives. Where will he find such a companion?”

“Oh yes! I will learn to live on scraps. And would learn how to fight for a bigger piece of it. Don’t worry, Mrinalini. I will live. You go ahead and do what you have to do. You don’t have the luxury of being a bride and sitting here doing nothing. You would have work to attend to.”

“As a matter of fact, I do. But princess, I hate to see you this sad. Like it or not, the days of jungle escapades are over. Please embrace your new life.”

Chandrika smiled. She realized that her bitterness was making her friend miserable. “Don’t worry, Mrinalini. I am fine. You go ahead and attend to your work. And once you come with me to my new home, I’m sure we’ll find a brave, nobleman for you too.”

“You jest, princess. I am not going there to find a husband for myself. I am going there so that I can keep you company. Anyway. I am off now.”

King Bhumimitra should have been happy. Finally, the day had come. The wedding that would seal the relationship of his kingdom Raigarh with that of the neighboring kingdom of Chandranagar was to happen today. He had camped near Chandranagar for four weeks. It had taken three weeks for the proud king of Chandranagar to see the point in making peace with the much stronger kingdom of Raigarh. Bhumimitra would have crushed any other kingdom of that size in a one-day battle. But Chandranagar was located strategically. Having it as an ally would be far more useful than having it as a crushed dominion. And what better way of making peaceful alliance and ensuring lifelong loyalty than to bind the two royal families with a relationship of matrimony? It was a tried and tested formula for centuries. Royal weddings were rarely about love and familial aspirations. They were about politics. Bhumimitra himself had been a groom thrice earlier. At other times he had asked for the hands of princesses for other members of his royal family and court, depending on the stature of the kingdom in question.

And yet, there was something that was bothering him this time. He didn’t know what, until his bride was brought to the mandap. He figured that he wasn’t as surprised as he should have been. The woman in the jungle had gotten to him. She had made him restless. And the more he thought about her, especially their last meeting, the more anxious he became. The similarities were uncanny. She was lamenting getting married to a rich, nobleman with three wives. Her marriage had been fixed on the same day when King Chandravarna of Chandranagar had accepted his proposal of peace and had agreed to marry his daughter to him. No wonder he wasn’t as surprised on finding the jungle-woman as his bride as he should have been.

But why was she not surprised? Did she know already… No! He realized that she wasn’t looking up. She hadn’t seen his face. He had been through this motion thrice. He had known that despite the shyness, the young brides could never suppress their curiosity and excitement about their grooms and they would invariably look up at least once. But there was no curious or excited bone in her. She was listless as she walked towards the mandap. People would have passed it off as her shyness, but Bhumimitra knew that she was extremely unhappy. He sighed! He hadn’t often thought about the situation from the point of view of women. It had just seemed like the way the world naturally worked and all parties accepted their roles in it. Until one day a princess challenged the appropriateness of such arrangements and passed on her anxiety to him!

The celebrations for welcoming her to Raigarh were over. Everyone had left her alone. Only Mrianlini was there. She would leave once the king’s arrival was announced. Chandrika thought about the last two tiring days. The pre-wedding rituals, the attempts to make her look even more beautiful than she already was, the night-long wedding ceremony, her crying relatives in the morning, her mother whispering some final words of advice into her ears, her getting on the palki – she should probably call it a royal palki – with her friends, her coming here, subjects of Raigarh welcoming her with showers of flower-petals, the singing and dancing all around, the welcome done by the first queen – the maharani – her rival from now on, the delightful music in the evening that she found tiresome… She remembered everything, except the face of her groom. She hadn’t looked up at him even once.  How long would it take before all this became history and the same subjects welcomed yet another queen? The fifth; then the sixth; and she became one of the thousand faces peeping from the royal windows and balconies? What would she do in the days to come? Please her husband in bed. Hope that she bears him a son. Plot and plan to get him the kingdom or at least a good position in the court. God forbid if she bore a daughter. How helpless would it feel for her to be given away one day just like this. To some king. He would take her away. Not with love. Not because he would need her. But because it would further his political ambitions. Oh God! Would she be able to do all of that? Starting with the antahpur-politics?

“Princess… Actually Queen Ma’am,” Mrinalini addressed her with a smile, “Won’t you…”

“Mrinalini. Please continue calling me Princess. It feels good,” Chandrika interrupted her.

“But it isn’t appropriate.”

“You know I don’t care. If you are scared of others, do whatever is appropriate in their presence. But in private, please let it be the old way. I want to stay in touch with my identity.”

“You have a new and respectable identity now. Why shy away from that?”

“Yeah,” Chandirka laughed sarcastically, “I know. A new identity. Fourth wife of a warring king. How respectable and unique.”

Mrinalini fell silent at that. How could she respond to her mistress’ cynicism? But she cared a lot about her. If only she had the power to give her a piece of mind… To her relief, however, Chandrika restarted the conversation, “Anyway. Don’t bother with my bitterness. You were saying something.”

“Yeah. Wouldn’t you like to sit down on the bed? It’s quite late. His highness, the king, would be due anytime.” Chandrika was standing near the window and pacing up and down the room once in a while.

”He won’t come unannounced, Mrinalini. Kings never do. Don’t worry.”

“As you say Ma’am.”

A few minutes later, a deliberate coughing sound disturbed their respective reveries. Mrinalini saw him first. “His highness,” she bowed respectfully and sent a hurried glance Chandrika’s way. Then she rushed out of the room leaving them alone.

Chandrika stood there stupefied for a moment with her eyes downcast. This had happened unexpectedly. She was expecting someone to announce him.  But he had decided to be unconventional. Then she gained her wits back and bowed slightly with folded hands to welcome him. It was unavoidable after that. She had to look at him, at his face. She got a second shock within moments, this time a much bigger one than earlier. She almost stumbled in shock. He was not in a soldier’s uniform, but in a bright gown accompanied by all the rich jewelry. But there was no mistaking that sharp, strong face. The soldier from the jungle. King of Raigarh? Now her husband? What could all this mean for her? But she was a princess. She had been groomed to keep her grace even in the most strenuous circumstances. She managed not to lick her dry lips and collected herself together. “Pardon my unpreparedness His Highness. The honour of your arrival came unannounced.”

“Devi,” came a smiling voice to her, “I am sorry I startled you. But what I thought was right. You hadn’t seen my face through all the rituals of the last two days.”

“It would hardly become a bride to be doing that, Your Majesty. I am sure you are gracious enough to not blame me for that.”

“You must be tired. Why don’t you sit down?”

If she had been sitting on the bed already, it would have been a different matter. But now she was in the presence of the king. And some queens might actually become friendly and familiar with their husbands over time. But that wasn’t the case with them. She had to offer him a seat first.

“After you, Sir.”

“You do realize that I am here not as a king, but as your husband. And you are not my subject, but my wife.”

“And I have been taught since my childhood, Sir, that in royal households, a king is always a king first and anything else later. When it comes to choosing between your family’s and your subjects’ welfare, you would choose your subjects, won’t you?”

“You are too wise and learned to expect otherwise, Devi. But today, I don’t have to choose. I have taken some vows as your husband yesterday and I have been wondering how I would stand by them?”

A chill ran down her spine. Would he refer to her escapades now? Would he claim that she didn’t deserve to be his wife? That he would not stand by her as her husband? If something like that happened, the swords would be drawn. Her family would feel humiliated, they would retaliate and the subjects of Chandranagar would suffer the worst. She could not have that on her conscience. That was the reason she had agreed to this wedding. Without knowing that she was inviting more troubles. Through this internal storm, she maintained her outward calmness.

To be continued

The Lost Dream (Part 1)

Posted 12 CommentsPosted in Chandrika-Bhumimitra, English, Original

“Don’t eat that fruit, traveler,” the sweet, but aristocratic voice surprised the man in a soldier’s uniform, who was about the pluck a fruit from the tree. It sounded out of place in the deserted, jungle area he was passing through. Out-of-place experiences often signified danger and instinctively his hand went to the hilt of his sword. His surprise did not lessen when he turned around to face the source of the voice. Who was she? A princess in the garb of a commoner? He stood transfixed.

“Relax,” the woman smiled when she noticed his hand on the sword, “I stopped you form eating it because it could be poisonous. If you are not a native, you may not know how to differentiate the domesticated variety from the poisonous, wild ones.”

“Who are you?” the soldier was still not relaxed. But it wasn’t because of any perceived danger. The woman was incredibly beautiful. Thin, pink lips; round, innocent face; big, expressive eyes; that sharp, peacock-like nose; and the long, flowing hair.

“Someone who saved your life,” she said as she went ahead and plucked the fruit the soldier was going to pluck, “This is poisonous.”

“Thank you,” the soldier had gathered some composure by then.

“Are you hungry?” she asked.

“I am not dying. But something to eat, that won’t kill me, would have been good.”

“Let me see,” she looked around, “”Here! Try this one. This isn’t poisonous.” She plucked another fruit from a nearby tree and offered it to him.

“And how do you know the difference?”

“This jungle is like my home.”

“You look fearless. It can be quite dangerous.”

“You are passing through it as well.”

“I am a soldier. I have my sword, and my training, to protect me.”

“I have my knowledge of the jungle to keep me away from danger. And in the worst case, I can wield my weapons as well,” she deftly pulled out a dagger that was hidden under her dupatta at her waist.

“Wow! You are dangerous,” the soldier was impressed and amused, “I hadn’t noticed that you were armed.” Who could have? Before such beauty and grace! No wonder many wise men professed that women were always the undoing of men. She could have been an assassin in disguise!

“And I know the poisonous fruits from the domesticated ones! In the jungle, I am safer than you are,” she completed her defense.

“You could teach me, then. Distinguishing good fruits from the bad ones.”

“That is not like reading scriptures. I can’t hand you a book to read. This is experience. Doesn’t come in one day.”

“I can come again.”

The woman laughed at his attempts at flirting. “We’ll see. If you are destined to learn, our paths may cross again. Until then, I take your leave.”

“What on earth are you doing?” The soldier was racing his horse and barely managed to pull up in time to save the woman from getting trampled, “Why did you come before the horse so suddenly? What were you thinking?”

“I saw you and I thought I should test you.”

“Test me? For what?”

“Whether you are good enough to be my student.”

“Your student?”

“Ah! You forget, Soldier! You had wanted me to teach you the ways of jungle. Well – at least distinguishing a poisonous fruit from a good one.”

“I haven’t forgotten. But how can coming before my galloping horse at the last moment be a test of whether I should be taught the ways of jungle?”

“If you are not good at what you have already been trained for, you can be no good at what you will be taught next.”

“I see. And what is it that I am already trained for?”

“You are a soldier. You ride a fine horse. I believe you are trained in horse-riding.”

“That I am. And I can ride my horse much faster than what you have seen till now. Even in a battlefield.”

“But being a good rider is not about being fast. At least, not only about that. The ability to control the horse quickly is what distinguishes a great rider from a mediocre one!”

An appreciative smile spread on the soldier’s lips. “You are wise,” he said sincerely.

“That I am.”

“So, did I pass your test?”

“Almost.”

“Then will you teach me?”

“Were you coming here for a lesson? Don’t you have any other work?”

“I was exercising my horse.”

“Then continue doing what you were. I have to go back now. It’s getting late.”

“What about my lesson?”

“If you are destined to learn, our paths may cross again. But today I must leave.”

“Where are you going?”

“To my home?”

“You stay in the jungle?”

“No. I stay in the city.”

“Why do you come to the jungle then?”

“The city has no use of my wisdom?”

“That sounds ridiculous. City definitely has more use for wise people.”

“Wise men. Not for wise women. Bye. Until we meet again.”

“Accept my greetings,” the woman was the one surprised this time. She hadn’t realized when the soldier came with the horse and unmounted it.

“Good day, Sir.”

“Today is indeed a good day for me.”

“Why?”

“Some problems I was trying to resolve for weeks have finally been resolved. And then I got to meet you.”

She just smiled in reply. Her countenance was sad that day. Not jubilant as usual.

“Shall we start our lesson today?”

“No point starting it now. I won’t be coming here anymore.”

“Why not?”

“My parents have fixed my marriage.”

“That’s great. And aren’t you happy about it?”

“No.”

“Why? Is your finacee not handsome?”

“I don’t know. I don’t care much either.”

“Is he poor? Can’t he look after you?”

“Oh, he is rich. Extremely rich. That is the problem.”

Soldier raised his eyebrows, “Why should that be a problem?”

“He is so rich that he can afford to have multiple wives. He already has three. I will be the fourth one.”

“So? Most rich and noblemen have many wives.”

“You are a man. You won’t understand.”

“Hmm…”

“Not your fault. Even most women don’t understand what my problem is.”

“You want your rich, noble husband all to yourself?” The soldier smiled patronizingly.

“If it’s impossible to have a rich, noble husband to yourself, I can’t live without a rich and noble man for a husband.”

“Yeah? You will marry a villager?”

“I won’t. But not because they are poor.”

“Then?”

“Their mind is base and unrefined. They command no respect.”

“Then? What would you do if you had a choice? Whom would you marry?” The soldier was laughing now.

“Why not a Brahmin?”

“A Brahmin? Over a rich, noble man? Former commands respect. The latter commands respect, and has money for worldly comforts.”

Swagrihe Pujyate Murkhah Swagrame Pujyate Prabhuh
Swadeshe Pujyate Raja Vidwaan Sarvatra Pujyate.

(Translation: Even if a man is a fool, he is respected in his home (as the head). A rich, landowner is respected in his village. A king is respected in his kingdom. But a learned man is respected everywhere.)

The woman recited dreamily. It took her a while to come out of her thoughts and realize that the soldier was staring at her in disbelief. Then she realized what she had done. They had been speaking in commoner’s local language till then. But her suddenly spouting a Shloka in Sanskrit clearly gave her away. The soldier knew that she wasn’t an average city dweller. She must be a noblewoman, that too one belonging to the highest echelons of the society, for having been educated that well in Sanskrit. Her pronunciation was perfect. He had already noticed multiple times that her beauty, her grooming and her grace were impeccable. She had no ordinary upbringing.

Bhadre! Who are you? You adorn a commoner’s garb. But that is just a façade.”

He had questioned her in Sanskrit. That made it clear that he, too, was no ordinary soldier. Must be a nobleman and someone high-up in the chain of administrative command of a kingdom. If he were a commoner, she would have cooked up an alibi that she learned that particular shloka in the accidental company of a noblewoman. But he would be able to see through it and would know that she was lying. So, instead of trying to lie, she decided to appeal to his kindness.

She replied in Sanskrit, “Arya! You could gain nothing from learning about my identity. And obviously I do not know your real identity either. Let’s leave it at that.”

“Why?”

“God is my witness that I have done nothing wrong. But anyone in the society knowing about my little jungle escapades won’t take it kindly.”

“Why do you like the jungle so much?”

“It afforded me the freedom that my society never will. This is the real childhood home that I will have to leave behind and that I will miss. Anyway, this is probably my last escapade. I take your leave and wish you all the best. It was a good day for you. Don’t let it be spoiled on my account.”

 

Hopeless Hope (Part 20)

Posted 9 CommentsPosted in English, Original, Rupali-Paritosh

“Rupali,” Asim spoke to Rupali alone before leaving, “I know that I startled you with the proposal of a wedding in Kolkata with me making the arrangements. I am sorry. My idea is not to impose myself on you. So, if you say no, I won’t mention it again. I had been thinking about it for a while. But had not been sure how to talk about it. It just came out on the dinner table,” he paused for a moment before continuing, “The reason I want to do it is…. selfish. It will make me really happy. I had wanted to be a father to you. I genuinely had. Unfortunately, the way the game of life played out, I didn’t get to do that. But that wish, that feeling never went away. You have no idea how I had leapt with joy when you called me after our accidental meeting at the concert. I couldn’t be a father to you in your growing up years. But all through those years, every time I thought about Mou, I also thought about you. In my obsessed mind, I had a daughter. Not that I could do anything for her, but I had her. If you would let me do this, arrange your wedding, it’d make me really happy. However, don’t feel any pressure to say ‘yes’. Do it only if it’d make you happy too, or if it doesn’t interfere with your happiness at least. Okay?”

Rupali’s eyes were moist at his honest declaration. “I am just the luckiest person in the world Mr. Sen, surrounded by so many people who care for me. But for this I’d need to consult Paritosh as well.”

“Of course.”

Paritosh hadn’t objected. The winter break had come and they had all flown to Kolkata. The wedding was lavish, arrangement impeccable and the concert was grand. Despite feeling extremely conscious Mouli had sung with Asim once. It was one of the songs she had written and composed herself all those years back. The song had received a cult following in Kolkata in those days. When Asim announced that Mouli was the songwriter, the applause refused to die down for several minutes. All her songs were credited in his albums. With the name “M. Chatterjee”. Nobody knew who that was. And most people did not look for the names of the lyricists.

The newlyweds were not sure about leaving Mouli alone for their honeymoon. But Asim promised to take care of her when they were gone. So, they went on a week-long trip to Mauritius. Mouli had stayed back in Kolkata for that period. She didn’t agree to stay at Asim’s house. But he made arrangements for someone to be always there with her in her hotel suite. Whenever he didn’t have any engagement, he stayed with her himself.

Paritosh and Rupali landed back in Kolkata. They were to go back to Mumbai after three days.

“Ma. You had to get your check-up done the day before. Did you…” Rupali started asking after Mouli’s health as soon as they entered her room.

“Yes Rupali,” Asim replied before Mouli could, “Relax. We got the recommendation for a local doctor from her doctor in Mumbai and we took her there. Everything is in control. No effect whatsoever of stress from the wedding.”

“What stress did I have that it should make a difference,” Mouli said with a smile, “Asim had made all arrangements. I was here like a guest.”

“Come on…”

“She is right Mr. Sen,” Paritosh interrupted with a smile, “That was true for both of us as well. But none of us are complaining. We enjoyed it thoroughly.”

Rupali noticed that Asim’s eyes betrayed more emotions and happiness than his smile or facial expressions did. He was really happy to have played that role.

But it happened that afternoon itself. Her breathing became laboured. “It’s a stroke,” Rupali screamed, “Ambulance. Let’s get an ambulance. And call the doctor for immediate help.”

They had managed to revive her for a while. But even the doctor was bewildered. Such severe blockage. It wasn’t there two days ago. How could it happen so soon? Another surgery wasn’t an option. Too risky.

“You will be all right, Mou,” Asim stroked her hand. She shook her head to the extent she could. “My songs were all I had ever given to you Asim. They are all I will leave you with. I stopped singing, but not writing. Rupa. Two diaries are there in the shelves with his albums. Hand them over to him.”

“Ma. You will do that yourself,” Rupali was having trouble holding her tears back.

“It was my fault Rupa that you grew up fatherless, when you could have had such a wonderful and responsible father. Now, I leave you in his care. Give him the respect you always gave me. Okay?”

Rupali just nodded. A lump had already formed in her throat and if she tried to speak, she would cry.

“Paritosh. You brought Asim back in my life. I can never thank you enough for that. I am dying happy and fulfilled. Try to find the happiness you deserve in Rupa. I have nothing else to give to you.”

“You have given me the family I had lost one by one. I don’t want to lose my family again. You are not going anywhere.”

A weak smile formed on Mouli’s lips, “That light there… It’s very bright. But it doesn’t feel hot. It is very soothing…”

Paritosh looked around. It was clear to all of them that she was hallucinating.

“Mrs. Banerjeee. Ma….” Paritosh tried to bring her back.

Mouli’s hands felt heavy in Asim’s and he looked at her face in shock. It was expressionless. The beautiful, ever smiling face had death’s whiteness all over it. “Nurse,” he shouted.

“I’m sorry,” the doctor said. Nurse had already told them this. But the doctor was needed to give an official confirmation, “She has passed away.”

Rupali’s silent tears became miserable sobs. Paritosh held her and tried to comfort her, his own eyes betraying his pain and loss. Asim walked to them and patted Rupali’s head, “She died a happy woman, Rupali. Don’t cry and distress her now. She’d be looking at you.”

‘Jiboner Jatra’ (life’s journey) became the new best-selling album for Asim Sen. In the beginning of the recording he had emotionally introduced Mouli as the lyricist and reminded people of the songs they had loved. Probably for the first time in the history, people bought the album not for the singer, but for the lyricist. The royalties were all going to Rupali. She had objected at first. But Asim had a reply ready, “You have a right over what you parents earn. You can’t just turn away from it.” He’d be recording more albums with Mouli’s songs.

Rupali sat down with Bengali-English dictionary every day for one hour and read her mother’s poetry. “I wish I knew Bengali better,” she lamented before Paritosh. “I wish I knew Bengali at all,” he laughed, “Why don’t you explain this poem to me in English or Hindi.”

“If the dictionary isn’t failing me, this one means

We are the product
Of our choices
Let’s not blame
Forced sacrifices.

Sacrifices too after all
Are our own choices
World is not responsible
Responsible are our inner voices.

Grow the roots
Or chase the sky?
Decide for yourself
To stay or to fly.

Happiness comes in
Different things.
In growing fruits,
And in growing wings.

You might not have
Both the things.
But you can savour
What one of them brings.

We are the product
Of our choices
Let’s not blame
Forced sacrifices.”

“Beautiful!” Paritosh exclaimed, “And it rhymed in English too.”

Rupali chuckled, “Born to a poetess, married to poet, I had to try it. Rhyming is awkward, but I am trying to translate them in English.”

“Wonderful idea. I’ll get them published.”

“Really?”

“Yes!” he said as he lied down, kept his head in her lap and shut her eyes. Knowing Mouli and having Rupali were the blessings he couldn’t thank God enough for. Rupali kept aside the notebook and dictionary and bent down to plant a kiss on Paritosh’ forehead. She could feel lucky anew everyday with this man!

– The End –

Hopeless Hope (Part 19)

Posted Leave a commentPosted in English, Original, Rupali-Paritosh

“Rupali!” Paritosh’ alarmed look at the door-bell ringing changed to a happily excited one when he saw who was at the door. He held her hands and led her inside the house closing the door after them. He held her wordlessly before him for a few moments and then planted a slow, sensuous, lingering kiss on her lips. She was smiling shyly when they parted. “Thanks for coming,” he whispered to her and started caressing her back and nape right there.

“Dr. Khanna,” she objected through her laboured breath.

“What happened?”

“Raja…” she referred to the housekeeper.

Paritosh grinned, “Raja is not a problem. He is fast asleep. But ‘Dr. Khanna’ is. We’ll get rid of it tonight. Come.”

He led her to his bedroom. The lavishness of the room was something she was used to by now.

“Do you want something to drink?” he asked after she was seated on the bed. She just shook her head in reply.

“Aren’t you going to talk?”

“Ma thought we had fought,” Rupali said with a smile of shared understanding.

He smiled and sat down beside her. “Did we?” he asked in a gentle voice.

“No,” her voice was hardly audible, but she also shook her head. Her eyes were lowered.

He cupped her face and lifted it to make her look into his eyes, “I am sorry. For scaring you earlier in the evening.”

“Don’t worry. I didn’t complain to Ma about it,” she chuckled at her own joke.

“Not even about your crumpled clothes?” Partiosh mocked seriousness.

“No.”

“But they will be crumpled again.”

“This is satin. It won’t crumple.”

“You are telling me we are safe.”

“Yes.”

It was only for so long that he could keep himself away from those lips of hers on which a naughty smile was playing. But if their encounter earlier in the evening was like getting high on tequila shots, this one was like sipping a vintage wine slowly to savour the subtle, delicate taste. He went slowly and she responded in the same rhythm. But that didn’t lessen the power he had over her. Her body grew needier by the moment. She arched her back, grabbed at the sheets and literally struggled under his weight with the sensations running through her body. When he could see that she was at his mercy and he himself was on the edge, he whispered in her ear, “You know what I am waiting for. I want to hear your voice, please Rupali.”

She shut her eyes tightly. How she hated and loved him at the same time! He was really going to use that moment to get her to call him by name? She won’t give in. But that resolve did not last long. The only way to not give in was to pull away from him. Otherwise her need would kill her.  And pulling away was not an option for her. He must also know that. What else could explain her coming to him at that hour? Slipping out like a teenager after her mother was asleep?

“Paritosh. Please!!”

She wasn’t the only one who was helpless. He would have liked to make her repeat that name. Again and again! But his own self-control was giving way. He nibbled at her earlobes as the last act of foreplay and entered her making her gasp in surprise at first, but moan in pleasure later.

“I need to go back,” she sat up after a while.

“Do you?”

“Yes. It would be awkward if Ma wakes up to not find me at home.”

“She takes her medicines. She won’t wake up before morning, right? I will walk you back before that. Let’s say at three in the morning?”

“What if we fall asleep?”

“I will set an alarm.”

“Fine, Dr. Khanna.”

He raised his eyebrows, “Looks like you are a dumb student in this course. Shall we repeat the lesson?”

“No. No,” she protested, “You were being mean. That was not a fair trick at all.”

“Everything is fair in love and war, Rupali. And I had fairly requested you many a times earlier.”

Rupali smiled in defeat, but still argued, “It is the habit of years.”

“We hadn’t even spoken for over six years Rupali. How can it be a habit? Of years?”

“Habit from thought, if not from speech. Our not speaking didn’t mean I didn’t think about you, did it?”

“No,” he conceded with a smile, “Then let me appeal on the grounds of change. A lot has changed since the time when we didn’t speak to, only thought of, each other, hasn’t it? So, how you address me needs to change as well.”

“I will try. But I feel very awkward. Especially before others. People in the department, for example…”

“Fine. Let’s start with it in private at least?”

“Okay.”

And they talked on. Intimately and comfortably. About their past, other people in their lives, about their future dreams!

The alarm came handy not for waking them up. But for reminding them that she needs to be back at her house.

“You don’t need to come with me, Dr. Khanna. It isn’t unsafe. Stay in bed.”

“Firstly, if you call me Dr. Khanna, nothing you ask for is going to be accepted. Secondly I just want those five extra minutes with you, walking down the road.”

Rupali blushed and grinned as both of them got out of the bed and dressed up to step out.

“Mou. You should sing with me,” Asim was back in town after couple of weeks and was dining with them.

“Sing with you? Where?”

“Wherever! On the stage. In an album.”

“Ma sings?” Rupali was surprised.

“Used to,” Mouli replied before Asim could, “Long, long back. In some other era, Rupa. Asim is joking.”

“I am not joking. Because your mother was very promising as a singer and as a songwriter.”

“Songwriter? As in poetry?”

“Do you hear Bengali songs, Rupali? Have you heard ‘Majhir Nouka’ sung by me?”

“Ma has the recording. She has played it several times.”

“Who do you think was lyricist?”

“I… never found out. You are telling me it was Ma?”

Asim smiled and confirmed it with a shrug that indicated that it was obvious.

“Wow! What all do I not know about you, Ma?”

“Nothing that matters, Rupa. It was all a long time ago.”

“Well. It matters a lot to me,” Asim said, “Until I ran out of the songs from the notebook you had left with me, most of my performances and recordings used your lyrics. Only after that…”

“Good you ran out of them then,” Mouli laughed slightly in a self-deprecating fashion, “Because it is only after you picked up other poets and lyricists that you started becoming famous.”

“That is again not true. Do you know Rupali which is my best-selling album till date?”

“I’d do some Wikipedia search on you before we meet next time, but for now – no. I don’t know.”

Asim laughed, “Since I didn’t understand exactly what you intend to do to find out before we meet next time, I will tell you. My best-selling album is one of Bengali songs and not of Hindi as one would expect. It is called ‘Jibon-Dhara’ – meaning ‘the stream of life’. ‘Majhir Nouka’ belongs to that album. And all other songs in that album were also written by Mou.”

Mouli colored. “I had no idea,” she mumbled. She actually didn’t know that ‘Jibon-Dhara’ was his best selling album.

Rupali stared wide-eyed from Mouli to Asim. Then her eyes fell on Paritosh. He had been silent, but was obviously quite surprised by the revelations.  “In a way, I am not surprised,” he spoke when he felt Rupali’s eyes on him, “Her sensitivity is incomparable. It is not at all surprising that there is a poet’s heart behind it. A great poet’s. What is surprising is, of course, that we didn’t know the extent of her achievements and the sacrifices she made…”

“For me,” Rupali added with some sadness.

“No Paritosh, Rupa. I made no sacrifices. I only took some decisions. We all have to choose between difficult options from time to time. And I believe that we are all the results of our choices, not that of any forced sacrifices. And Rupa. You don’t be an idiot. Even if you term that choice as a sacrifice, it was made at a time when you weren’t even born. The choice was made when I had decided to not wait for Asim and move on in my life.”

“But why not continue with music? With writing?” Rupali asked.

Mouli replied in a low voice, “That would have made moving on impossible. Music was too strongly related to him.”

“So coming to my original point,” Asim said cheerfully to make the mood lighter, “You should sing again, Mou. With me.”

“Don’t be ridiculous Asim. The number of years for which I have not practiced is more than the number of years I had learnt.”

“You might not remember the technique, but the soul can’t go away. Music is in your soul.”

“Granted. But the audience won’t be forgiving about technique. I don’t want rotten tomatoes and onions on stage or the studio going bankrupt trying to record me at some minimum acceptable quality.”

“She doesn’t leave much scope for me to talk her out of her conviction, does she?” Asim addressed Rupali and Paritosh, “Fine. We’ll sing together in their wedding. You have to accept that, Mou.”

“Sing in their wedding?”

“We’ll have a live concert during the reception. I will sing and you will sing too.”

“You are so adamant, Asim.”

“What option do I have? One has to work hard to get small concessions from you.”

“Right. Right. Make me sound like an evil woman,” Mouli laughed, “If they agree to having a concert for their reception, I don’t have any objection.”

“I don’t see what is objectionable in that,” Rupali said and looked at Paritosh. He nodded in agreement.

“Actually, I have a better proposal. Let’s get them married in Kolkata. We’d have a great musical gathering then.”

“Kolkata? Come on Asim,” Mouli objected, “Who is going to make arrangements there?”

“I will. And you plan to get married during winter break, right? The weather will also be good.”

“But Mr. Sen, it will be too much of a hassle,” this extended proposal made Rupali and Paritosh uncomfortable.

“They are right, Asim,” Mouli agreed.

“Mou please,” Asim was sincere, “I want to do it. Please.”

Mouli sighed, “I understand you, Asim. But it is not for me to decide. Why don’t we give them some time and see if they are comfortable.”

“Sure.”

To be continued

Hopeless Hope (Part 18)

Posted Leave a commentPosted in English, Original, Rupali-Paritosh

“Do you still have that dress with Rupali? The one you had worn then?” Paritosh asked after Asim’s car had picked Mouli up in the evening and they were left on their own. They were in Rupali’s room.

“When?”

“On our first dinner,” he said with some hesitation, hoping that she understood.

“Of course,” she said without realizing which first dinner he was talking about. “I am not a celebrity. I can wear a dress many a times,” she joked, “Where would it go away so soon?”

“Which one are you talking about?”

“The one… Oh! Which one are you talking about?”

“Our first dinner…”

“Oh! Oh God! I don’t know. I don’t remember what I had worn. You do?”

“All too well,” he smiled, “It was a cream dress, with red dupatta…”

She felt guilty about lying. She remembered the dress as well as he did. But she continued her pretence, “I don’t have it now. I gained weight. It didn’t fit any longer.” She had shredded the dress into pieces in one of her depressive fits.

“Hmm…”

“Why were you asking about that?”

“I was just wondering. Never saw you in it again. It looked good.” He also lied. He wanted her in that dress that evening. But there was no point making an issue out of it. “And anyway,” he continued, “It is a thing of past when I had to live with the memories of your dresses, your old exam papers, your project reports, the taste of a piece of fried fish etc. Now I have you, right?”

Rupali smiled shyly and nodded. Paritosh encircled her in his arms and pulled her close. She pressed and ran her palms against his chest. Her eyes were lowered and voice low as she spoke, “I’m probably supposed to resist… at least a little, to act unwilling, to run away, to say that we should wait…  or whatever… But I won’t be able to do any of that Dr. Khanna. I am too much in love to do any of that. I have thought about you, waited for you, and wanted you for too long to be able to do any of that. I don’t know if I am spoiling things for you, but I am just helpless…” Her fingers were toying with the buttons on his shirt and she had unbuttoned one.

“Are you?”

She looked up puzzled.

“I doubt you are that helpless, Rupali.”

The colour drained out of her face. Was so much of honesty a mistake?

“There is something you have been resisting for long.”

What on earth did he mean? Her throat went dry.

“Aren’t you going to ask what it is?”

Rupali was thoroughly confused. She felt like she was being asked humiliating questions in a court. She tried to step back and get away from him. But instead of letting her do that, he tightened his arms around her even further.

She was now forced to speak. She tried to use her saliva to restore some function to her parched throat. “I don’t know what are you talking about, Dr. Khanna. Just now I probably said things that were inappropriate…”

“Of course. Hadn’t I told you long back that among colleagues, we are on a first name basis here?”

“Excuse me?”

“And between fiancées we definitely are so.”

“Dr. Khanna. You…”

“Paritosh!”

“No. I can’t do that. And let me go. You scared the hell out of me. I hate you.” She struggled to be freed. But he was stronger.

“Too much of resistance for one evening, Dr. Banerjee,” he was amused and liked this game.

She stopped struggling, grew completely still. She wasn’t looking at him. He was surprised with his lack of reaction. He continued to hold her with one of his arms and used the other hand to lift her chin. He was surprised to see that her eyes were full of tears.

“Hey! What happened? Why are you… I…” he brought up his other hand and cupped her face with both his hands, “I am sorry, Rupali. I was joking. You know that. Why are you crying?”

“Don’t. Ever. Do. That. Again.” That steely voice! She assumed it rarely. The last time she had spoken like that to him was when she was worried that her mother’s health would suffer because of him.

“It was just a joke, Rupali,” he tried to explain miserably.

“Do you have any idea how terrified I am of the possibility that you would go away if I did anything wrong? In a moment of weakness I decided to be utterly honest with you and the next moment with you talking the way you did, I thought that I had made a mistake. And I had lost you. Again and forever!” Tears started flowing freely from her eyes.

He did not say anything, but his eyes reflected her pain. He led her to the bed, sat down on it with her and cuddled her until she had calmed down. He repeatedly kissed her hair and forehead and caressed her upper arms soothingly in that time.

“The only thing,” he finally said in a husky whisper, “That your honest confession had done to me was – and I have no better or poetic words to convey it – to arouse me excessively.” She didn’t lift her eyes to him, but he felt her shiver. “Allow me to prove it,” he said as he gently made her lie down on the bed. Rupali forgot all about her tears and her anger at him as he started kissing her face. Gently, but with surety. With the knowledge that she wanted it as much as he did. He paid attention to her neck next and she arched her head back to give him access while clutching on to the bed-sheet to stop herself from thrashing around too much. The sensation was incredible. Suddenly he licked one of her ear-lobes and a moan skipped from her, even though she bit her lips to stop it. “I need to know,” he whispered in her ears, “That you are with me.” As his hands caressed her breasts and belly, she let go of her hesitations and lifted her hands to his head. She dug her fingers in his hair and caressed them urgently. Then she brought her hands to his chest again and restarted the job of unbuttoning him. When she rubbed her palms against his bare chest, he gave out a loud gasp of delight.

“Talk to me, Rupali,” he said as he rolled over on the bed so that she was now on top of him.

“I love you,” it seemed like the words had flown out of her mouth despite herself and her next words almost confirmed it, “Hopelessly and helplessly.”

“Me too,” he replied and let her take the lead in the kiss that followed, responding to her rhythm and pace. Then he rolled over again pinning her beneath him, undressing her to the extent he could without letting her out of his hold. “Let go, Rupali,” he hissed. And she did let go. Their passionate exploration of each other’s bodies was interrupted by the sound of a car stopping outside the house.

“Oh God! Ma is back!” Rupali exclaimed. Paritosh got up hastily, freeing her. Silently, but hurriedly they smoothened their clothes. Rupali had been wearing a cotton top. “This is too crumpled. I need to change,” she said, “You go out in the hall before they come in.” But as he made to leave, she noticed something on the bed. “Dr. Khanna. Keep this,” she handed him a packet of condoms. It must have slipped out of his pocket earlier.

“You can keep this somewhere here. I don’t want to be carrying it in my pocket.”

“What are you talking about? How would this packet look if discovered in my room? She isn’t going to check your pocket, is she?”

“Right,” he mumbled foolishly and went out.

Paritosh was in calm enough after stepping out. He greeted Mouli and Asim and they sat down in the hall.

“Where is Rupa?” Mouli asked.

“In her room. She is changing.”

“Changing? Why? Are you guys going out now?”

“No. Actually… I don’t know why she is changing.”

“I see,” Mouli said amusedly and Paritosh’ foolish reply, “You are the most non-interfering kind, is it?”

Asim laughed out loud. Paritosh felt that he guessed what was going on and tried hard not to blush.

Rupali came out by then. “So, why did you change, Rupa?” Mouli asked still smiling. She was in a good mood.

“I had spoiled my top, Ma,” Rupali had thought about it while changing and had the answer ready, “While eating.”

“Okay. So, you guys had your dinner?” Mouli was not interrogating, but it almost outed Rupali and Paritosh because Rupali replied in negative instinctively.

Paritosh gave her a what-the-hell look and she realized her mistake. “We were having some juice and snacks,” she added to explain her earlier insconsistency.

“Okay. Have your dinner then. It is quite late.”

“Yes Ma. Shall I get dinner for you and Mr. Sen too?”

“No. We had our dinner. I just invited him in for a cup of tea.”

“I will get tea for you and him.”

They sat on the dining table together. Asim having his hot and Mouli her iced, unsweetened tea as Rupali and Paritosh had their dinner. Mouli noticed some awkwardness between Paritosh and Rupali.

“Have you fought with Paritosh?” she asked Rupali after Asim and Paritosh had left.

“What? No!” Fight! Whatever happened to her mother’s perceptiveness? But for this misperception she was not complaining. It was for good that she didn’t realize what made them awkward.

To be continued

Hopeless Hope (Part 17)

Posted 2 CommentsPosted in English, Original, Rupali-Paritosh

Mouli and Asim were still talking when Paritosh and Rupali came back. They overheard part of their conversation as they walked in.

“Since I come to Mumbai so often, I have a house here too. Didn’t like spending too much time in hotels. I am going to Kolkata tomorrow morning. Have a concert there in the evening. But I will be back after that.”

“A concert tomorrow evening? You should have travelled earlier.”

“Travelling today had been the original plan.”

“You cancelled because of Rupa’s invitation?” she asked looking emotional.

“To be fair to her, she had asked me for Friday night. But weekends were booked. I came for you.”

“You have been an idiot Asim, you know that. You should have moved on.”

“I have been an idiot forever. You know that very well. Else we both know that my family could have supported us initially. My priorities were wrong. Despite all that, despite there being no reason for it, I had a hope. Of at least getting back in touch with you. A hopeless hope, I agree. Because the way it was fulfilled was a pure coincidence. If you hadn’t been dragged to that concert, if I hadn’t noticed you, if your daughter had not been so sensitive, if she hadn’t taken the initiative… Yes. It was a hopeless hope.”

Paritosh smiled on hearing ‘hopeless hope’. That phrase resonated with him.

“They are back,” Mouli noticed Rupali and Paritosh, “Come here. I think she has come to remind me that it is time to sleep.” Mouli looked at her daughter fondly.

“I can relax it for today,” Rupali replied.

“No,” Asim said resolutely, “I also have to travel in the morning and need to be rested before the concert tomorrow. You must go to sleep Mou. Can I… call, once I am back in Mumbai?”

Mouli nodded.

“I will e-mail… no SMS you her number,” Rupali said.

Asim grinned at that. “Do you mind storing it in my phone right away? I don’t know how to use SMS either. And I don’t want to go to my secretary for that.”

Only Rupali got the context and laughed at that. “Sure,” she said and entered the number as Mouli and Paritosh looked on quizzically, not understanding their private joke.

Rupali explained to them later what he had told her about e-mail and they shared the laughter. Paritosh left soon after and Rupali sat beside Mouli, “You are not angry at me, Ma. Are you?”

Mouli affectionately patted her cheek, “No. And I am sorry. I scolded you and had almost ruined the evening.”

“Please Ma. Don’t apologize. I am not sure surprise was a good idea. I didn’t know what the past was like. It could have been horrible, I realized later.”

“Don’t think like that.”

“You must sleep now. It is already later than usual.”

“Yes,” she got up to go to her room.

Rupali stopped her once, “Ma.”

“Yes?”

“Please don’t get angry at what I am going to ask.”

“Just ask Rupa.”

“Do you want to get married?”

“What! No. Don’t be ridiculous. It is your marriage I am thinking about.”

“You have thought about me all your life, Ma. But right now…”

“No Rupa. It’s too late. We are different people. If you want me out of your way, I have your Baba’s house to go to. Your Kaku and Kaki don’t mind.”

“Don’t be ridiculous, Ma,” Rupali used one of her mother’s pet phrases without realizing it.

“I was joking, sweetie. Have a good night.”

Rupali found an envelope at her desk one morning with her name written on it. She knew the handwriting well. Since the time he had graded her answer papers and left comments on her project reports. And only he had the spare key to her office. She smiled as she opened it and her smile grew wider as she read through the note sitting inside.

“Through my dark past,
Through my present insecurities,
Through my misunderstandings,
Through my hesitations,
Thank you, for keeping up
Your hopeless hope.
Thank you, for giving me
A hopeless hope.
Thank you, for fulfilling
That hopeless hope.
Thank you, for giving me strength
To hope for more than hopeless.
And with that strength
I ask –
Will you marry me?

A responsible son, husband, son-in-law, he definitely was. But he had the ability to be a hopeless romantic as well! She thought for a moment and then took out her notebook. She started modifying something she had written a few days back on his encouragement.

“Tranquillity of night
Gives way to
Clarity of day.

Coolness of night
Gives way to
Brightness of day.

Escapades of night
Give way to
Acceptance of day.

Hopelessness of night
Gives way to
Hopes of Day.

Loneliness of years
Has to give way to
Togetherness for life.

Yes!

Paritosh read it and then looked up with moist, bright eyes. He went to the office door and locked it. For once, not caring about what anyone would think. He held her and informed that his divorce had come through. She had guessed as much. Then he cupped her face and bent down for a long kiss sealing their fate together. He didn’t let go of her even after breaking the kiss. His hands moved back and dug into her hair. He then directed her head to his chest and put his other arm around her to embrace her. Her arms which were resting on both sides of his chest went around his neck completing the embrace. She didn’t know much about perfumes. But whatever he used had such subtle, intoxicating smell that it must be something costly whose habit he had acquired in his days of extravagance. Between the perfume and his body, it had become his smell. Something she was very familiar with by now. And very much in love with. Desire was probably a better word, she thought truthfully to herself. And then her prayers were answered. He whispered to her in a bold, demanding tone, “I want you Rupali. Tonight.” She shivered at the suddenness of his demand, rather the declaration. He had said that he “wanted” her. But his voice made it clear that he had “decided” that he would have her. Her heart started pounding faster than she had imagined it to be possible. But none of her reactions meant a complaint. She had dying to have this moment with him for years now. She snuggled up even closer to him and that was her reply.

This other-worldly tour in the middle of his office was interrupted by a knock on the door. Paritosh broke the hug unwillingly and looked at the door with mild irritation. “What couldn’t wait?” he mumbled; then looked at Rupali, “I will get the door. Don’t come out unless absolutely necessary.”

She nodded. It was someone from the director’s office. The director wanted to meet him in the afternoon.  “Fine. I will be there,” Paritosh tried to keep his voice as controlled as possible. He guarded the door until the visitor was out of sight. Then he did not close the door again.

“Is Mrs. Banerjee’s plan of visiting Mr. Sen still on?”

Rupali only nodded. She would have to search for words in her throat. They seemed to have deserted her in the aftermath of anticipation created by Paritosh.

“If you don’t have anything important to attend to in the afternoon, let’s go to her before she leaves and tell her about this. After my meeting with the director.”

“Tell her about what?” The shock overcame the anticipation and Rupali found her voice. She was thinking about nothing other than his declaration that he wanted her that night.

“About our decision to get married.”

“Oh!” He was talking about the proposal and acceptance, official engagement, wedding. Of course! What was she thinking?

“What did you think?”

“Nothing. I was just a little lost. Let me know once you meeting gets over.”

“Rupali,” he stopped her as she made to the door. She looked at him curiously. “You weren’t so lost that you didn’t hear me, right? You heard and understood me, didn’t you?”

She gulped and nodded. His insecurities! Will they ever go away? Even if not, she was willing to fight them all her life. “Left to my understanding and preparedness,” she added in a low, soft voice, “we wouldn’t have to wait till now.”

She left Paritosh desperate and satisfied at the same time. Her bold reply had increased his desire for her.  And had also assured him of her desires for him.

“I have done it wrong twice earlier. And you didn’t try to correct me, Mou. If I am doing something wrong again, please correct me. But don’t let me suffer for it.”

“What are you talking about?” Mouli asked as she sipped her unsweetened ice tea. Asim had found out from Rupali that it had been the drink of her choice since she was diagnosed with diabetes.

“Marry me Mou. And if you are going to say ‘no’, tell me how to make you say ‘yes’. Please.”

“Did Rupa tell you something?”

“About?”

“This?”

“No. Why would you think so?”

“Just wanted to be sure. Asim, my daughter is planning to get married. I have to think about her wedding, not mine.”

“Let me help you with her wedding, Mou. Let me be the partner to you that I have always wanted to be.”

“You won’t help me if we were not married?” Mouli asked looking amused.

“Words! They are your biggest weapons, aren’t they? I didn’t mean that. You know that very well.”

“Yes Asim. I know that. And you also know that I was joking.”

“Why are you refusing me again?”

“Asim. I never had an artist’s eccentricity. I was never as irreverent as you were. Otherwise I could have waited for you all those years ago, instead of succumbing to my parent’s wishes. I am still the same person Asim. Getting married at this age… I don’t know how to feel comfortable with that idea.”

“It was for your parents’ wishes then. Who are you sacrificing for now? Do you think Rupali will dislike it?”

“Rupa?” Mouli laughed affectionately, “No. No Asim. She is a mature and open-minded girl. She has the conviction to get married to a man many years his senior, a match that is definitely going to cause some raised eyebrows in the society. But she doesn’t care. She, in fact, persisted in her love and fought hard against his insecurities…”

“Something I couldn’t do.”

“She did have some advantage of my counsel. But her own belief was the most important part. She asked me much before you did if I wanted to get married. She is not my problem, Asim.”

“Then?”

“I don’t see myself as a victim of circumstances. I had loved you despite knowing what you were – an artist first, a lover much later; and despite knowing what I was. A conventional girl next door first, everything else later. I hadn’t been coerced into my marriage Asim. It was a result of my own choices. The choice of fulfilling my parents’ wishes, because ignoring them for my artist lover and living an uncertain life was not a comfortable situation for me.  Today too, it is I who is not comfortable in announcing to the world that I am getting married. This old woman has grown from the same simple, conventional girl next door. I still don’t have the irreverence. Nobody would coerce me, my daughter would not judge me, even I would not judge if someone else were to do this. But I… I won’t be able to do it.”

“There definitely is something that I don’t see here. Last time also I had assumed that you were resolutely against marrying me, because you didn’t find me good enough. But it turned out to be something else.”

“The only other thing that nobody other than me sees here is that I am on death’s door, Asim. I have not given you anything all my life. I haven’t been a part of your life for most of it. I don’t want to come in with death now. No.”

Asim sighed, leaned towards her and took her hands in his, “Why have you gotten it in your head Mou? Your surgery has been successful. The follow-ups show great results.”

She did not reply and looked at him with a helpless ‘I-can’t-explain’ expression.  He grew desperate, “Mou. It’s not like I am young any longer. But whatever little time I have left with me, finding you feels like I have gotten another chance. I don’t want to lose you once again… Please…”

“And you have done nothing wrong this time, Asim. That is not a regret you will ever have. I am the one who is lucky. To have found you a third time. I don’t want to squander this chance away either. But the time to be together in a worldly sense is over. We have been star-crossed lovers. Let’s be the soul-mates we have always been. Let’s not try to give this connection a name now and invite all the associated complications. I have been through them and I don’t have any strength left.”

“Fine. So long as you are happy and we are together, I will ask for nothing else.”

“I am. But are you?”

“I have more than I deserve. Name, fame, money, and you!”

To be continued

Hopeless Hope (Part 16)

Posted Leave a commentPosted in English, Original, Rupali-Paritosh

Mouli and Asim sat in silence for a while.

“Does she sing, or play?” he asked after a while.

“Rupa? No.”

“You never tried to introduce her to…”

“No Asim. I deliberately kept her away.”

“Why?”

“She has better control over her life this way Asim. Not like us…”

“You never forgave me, did you?”

“Don’t be ridiculous Asim. When did I ever blame you that I should forgive you?”

“Are you happy, Mou?”

She averted her eyes before replying, “Yes. I am happy. My happiness lies with my daughter.”

“I envy you.”

“Come on. Aren’t you happy Asim? You have achieved everything. Your music has got recognition. You have the name, the fame, the money.”

“Since when did you become so materialistic?”

Mouli sighed and did not reply. If he insisted so much her defences would start crumbling.

“It is obvious,” he said when she did not speak, “That you have raised a wonderful daughter, Mou. She is witty just like you. And she is a sensitive soul. Else I won’t be here today.”

“Asim please…”

“You have done your duty. And you have done it very well. Can’t you think for yourself now?”

“Think for myself?” Mouli chuckled bitterly, “I am at the death’s door Asim.”

“Excuse me?” he was alarmed, “What’s the matter with you? You did look unwell, but…”

“Nothing,” she had revealed something she didn’t want to, “When you have such a grownup daughter, you feel sufficiently old.” She tried to joke it off.

“You didn’t think I was good enough to be a father to your daughter. But now… You don’t think I am good enough to even know anything about you? This is not fair, Mou.”

“Asim please. There is nothing to know.”

“Nothing?” he became agitated, “Nothing to know. Nothing to tell. Nothing to share! Why Mou? Rupali didn’t even know about me?”

“She is my daughter Asim, my baby. Not a sister, or a friend. What would I have told her?” Mouli asked miserably.

Her discomfort brought Asim to his senses. “I’m sorry,” he apologized, “This wasn’t what I had in mind when I came here. I got carried away, Mou. I didn’t intend to trouble you any more than I already have. I was hoping to have a nice family evening. I got carried away…”

They heard footsteps coming out from the kitchen and fell silent. They consciously made efforts to not look as anxious and miserable as they were feeling.

“Tea for you,” Rupali handed a cup to Asim. There was some unsweetened ice tea for Mouli and for Paritosh and herself. “Ma. You can also take your medicine with the tea. Here,” she said as she handed Mouli her juice glass.

“It is not necessary Rupa. I can take it later.” Mouli was annoyed at her daughter and it was so rare that Rupali was visibly startled.

“What’s the matter, Ma? You must take it on time…”

“Leave it, Rupa.”

“It’s okay Mou,” Asim sat up, “Don’t stress yourself and don’t scold her for no fault of hers. You don’t want me to know. I won’t know. Whatever it is, this stress cannot help you. I shouldn’t have come.” He looked at Rupali and gave her a sweet, but sad smile, “I’m sorry child. I should have known better. Really sorry. But take care of your mother. Have a good night.”

Paritosh was mortified at the turn of events. It had been his idea. And it had been such a bad idea. And he could not think of any way to salvage the situation.

Rupali was also stunned for a moment. But she thought of something and ran after Asim. “Wait Mr. Sen. You can’t leave like this.”

“What you had in mind, Rupali, was your mother’s happiness. If she doesn’t want me here…”

“That’s not true. That’s not true at all. Please come with me. Once. Please,” she held his hands and led him to her mother’s room.

Mouli meanwhile buried her head in her hands and cried silently.

Asim was surprised when Rupali opened a cupboard filled with cassettes and CDs. She took a few of them out and gave them to him. “If you can tell me a single album of yours that is not in this collection, I won’t stop you from leaving. I don’t know what your story is. I don’t know what went wrong, or who is the culprit. But these… that I have seen her hanging on to since my childhood. And what I saw on the day of the concert… And what I saw today… They tell me a story that should not remain unresolved, even if it is doomed to remain incomplete.”

Asim was starting at the collection all this while. He kept back the ones Rupali had handed him. Then he turned to her, patted her head and kissed her on forehead. “Thank you. You have no idea what you have done for me.”

“What had happened? What went wrong between you?”

“That is not for me to tell you, Rupali. I’m sorry. If your mother doesn’t want it…”

“I will tell you,” Paritosh entered the room just then.

When Rupali had dragged Asim inside the room, Paritosh had gone to Mouli and had kneeled on the floor near her feet. “I’m sorry. It is not Mr. Sen’s or Rupali’s fault. It was my idea and obviously I have gone horribly wrong.”

Mouli had wiped her tears before looking up and had asked, “You were trying to pay me back?”

“Pay you back? No. I can never pay you back. You have given me, Rupali. I had no such audacious intentions. I had felt that whatever be the complications, there was no bitterness between the two of you and I thought you would spend a nice evening in the company of a friend, that’s it.”

She had sighed and sat back on the sofa. Paritosh had gotten up from the floor and had pulled a chair to sit near her. “What had happened? You can share Mrs. Banerjee. Your daughter is grown up. She will understand.”

“I’m sure she will. It’s I who doesn’t have the strength.”

“You can tell me.”

Presently Paritosh narrated what Mouli had told him. She and Asim were in college together. Madly in love with each other and music. Asim wanted to make it big the world of music. That became a problem for their love story though. Mouli’s parents wanted her to get married after college. Asim was still a struggling artist. He couldn’t afford to marry her just then.

“That wasn’t the time and age when girls could endlessly resist the societal pressure to get married. And Mouli was, has always been, a very sensitive person. She didn’t want to let her parents down,” Asim continued the story once he was convinced that Mouli didn’t mind sharing it and had already shared it with Paritosh, “She got married according to her parent’s choice and came to live in that small town near Mumbai, so far from her home. Don’t misjudge her for any of this Rupali. She was devoted to your father.” Rupali nodded in understanding. “I wrote to her a couple of times, just to keep in touch, but she strictly forbade it. I knew where she was, of course. We had many common friends. I had come to meet her twice after your father’s death. Once just after the accident. I wanted to ensure that she was holding up fine. I found that she was. Then I came back after a year. By then I had found some foothold. I could have supported myself and her. I proposed her. But she refused. She didn’t think I’d be good enough a father for you.” Rupali bowed her head. She could easily imagine her mother being so protective towards her.

“That’s not what she thought of you Mr. Sen,” Paritosh interrupted, “What she told me was that she felt insecure in any potential relationship between the two of you. She thought she’d come with a baggage, a past and it won’t work out.” Rupali looked up in surprise. She had used similar words to describe Paritosh’ situation in their relationship. And she had been accurate. From experience?

Asim also looked surprised. “That’s what she told you?”

Paritosh nodded. Asim went out of the room to the hall. Paritosh and Rupali followed, but stopped at a distance. Mouli was slumped on the sofa, looking all exhausted. Asim found the tablet Rupali had offered to her on the table. He picked it up and sat beside here.

“Here. You don’t want to tell me what it is for. Fine. I won’t insist on knowing. But it seems it is important for you to have it on time. Please take it.”

Mouli straightened up a little and took the tablet with trembling hands. She picked up the ice tea glass that was still lying untouched and gulped the tablet down.

“I should have tried harder, shouldn’t I?” he asked with a sad smile.

“Yes. You should have. It was years later that Shivani told me what you had interpreted my refusal to mean.” She seemed to welcome the opportunity to speak her heart out.

“I am sorry. I really am. For myself too,” he continued with the same sad smile.

“You never married?”

“Tried once. Failed.”

“Oh!”

“I could not move on. I think I obsessed about you, about us, about what could have been.”

“That makes a room full of obsessive people,” Paritosh whispered to Rupali jokingly. She rolled her eyes at him and he grinned.

“Excuse me,” Rupali went forward to put an end to the grim mood, “But I have worked really hard for this dinner. Do you mind having it before it goes cold?”

Everyone smiled at her fondly. “Let’s get the dinner,” Asim said cheerfully.

“Ma. Me and Dr. Khanna are going to take a stroll outside,” Rupali said after dinner, “We will be back soon. But if Mr. Sen makes to leave before that, please give us a call.”

Mouli nodded understanding very well their intention of leaving her and Asim alone.

“And Ma…” she added a little hesitantly, “You must take your medicine in fifteen minutes.”

Mouli nodded again, with an apologetic smile.

To be continued

Hopeless Hope (Part 15)

Posted Leave a commentPosted in English, Original, Rupali-Paritosh

“I was wondering Mrs. Banerjee. You had understood my issues, my insecurities quite well,” Paritosh said while visiting Mouli the next day, “From experience?”

“Experience of loneliness? Yes,” she gave a small smile.

“And you never found someone who could give you company, with whom you could move on? Like you helped me do?”

Her face coloured, but she replied, “I had Rupa. I wasn’t as lonely. And I had her responsibility. You have none.”

“But the possibility of moving on was there? Which you sacrificed?”

“I will die a happy woman Paritosh. I don’t regret my choices.”

“That’s a good thing. But you really have to stop talking about dying. You scare Rupali. And me too.”

“I’m sorry. But I just feel it. Anyway. Let’s talk of happier things. When do the two of you plan to get married?”

“I haven’t talked to Rupali yet. But the divorce will take some time to process.”

“Of course.”

“And… I needed your advice about something.”

“Tell me.”

“Rupali wants to meet Amrit. Do you think that is advisable?”

“Arr… If she wants to meet, why are you asking me?”

“I just wasn’t sure…”

“Treat her like an adult Paritosh. I have let her make her own decisions always and have never regretted it. I am not going to meddle in her affairs now.”

“Right. I am sorry,” Paritosh suddenly felt foolish for having asked.

“No,” Mouli smiled, “Don’t be sorry. I feel happy when you ask me. Who else will you ask when in doubt?”

Paritosh was relieved and smiled, “Thank you.”

“Hello!” Rupali chirped entering into his office that afternoon.

“Rupali. Come,” he beamed without restraint and took his feet off the window sill where it was resting while his hand was busy playing with the paper-weight on the table.

“You were lost in thoughts. What’s up?” she asked as she came in.

Paritosh considered asking her to shut the door, but doing that too often would unnecessarily give rise to rumours in the department. So, he decided against it.

“You have Mr. Sen’s card?”

“I would have it in my purse. Why?”

“I think you should invite him over. For a dinner probably.”

“And why?” Rupali asked not particularly surprised by the proposal. But she wanted to see what Paritosh’ reasoning was.

“Well… It was obvious that he knows Mrs. Banerjee pretty well and was very happy to see her.”

“Dr. Khanna. Are you thinking what I am thinking?”

Paritosh chuckled, “Depends on what you are thinking.”

“I don’t know. Ma was so unwilling to go there initially. Then she didn’t like the idea of the front seats…”

“Because it would be costly?” Paritosh objected just for fun.

“So I thought initially. But later… Anyway. You know what I mean. Don’t badger me for the heck of it. All that obsessive collection of his albums over the years…”

“Obsession runs in the family, it seems. I am worried now,” Paritosh joked.

She raised her eyebrows, “I’d be worried about our kids. Obsession running on both sides of the family. They would stand no chance at all.”

“Kids? Thinking quite far Dr. Banerjee, eh?”

Rupali realized what she had said and coloured. “Stop annoying me,” she pouted.

“Okay,” he grew serious, “So? Inviting him?”

“I’m not sure, Dr. Khanna. She, obviously, doesn’t want me to know anything. That is, if our imagination is not running wild, and there is something to know. In either case, she might not like it.”

“I’d say let’s take the risk,” Paritosh was more comfortable with the idea after his chat with Mouli earlier in the day.

“But will he agree? He is a celebrity. A busy man… And his enthusiasm may not be real, after all.”

“At worst he would refuse. What harm could come from it?”

On hearing “at worst he would refuse”, Rupali recalled the time when she had thought the same about asking Paritosh for a favour. She smiled and nodded. “Fine. I will do that right away. Tomorrow is Friday night. If he is free, that is… My phone is in my office. I will go there.”

“Hello Rupali,” the mobile was picked up on the first ring itself, “How are you?”

Rupali was taken by surprise. He had her number? How? He had noted it down from her card? Why?

“Hello Mr. Sen. I am…” she started speaking her rehearsed line introducing herself, when she realized that he already knew who she was.  “I am fine,” she finally said answering his question, “How are you?”

“I am fine too. What a pleasant surprise to hear from you,” his voice was as eager as it had been on the day of the concert.

“Reaching you is a pleasant surprise for me too,” she had gathered her wits by then, “I thought I would have to explain to a secretary what business I had with you.”

He laughed at that. A carefree, unaffected laughter. “You have your mother’s wit Rupali. It is a good thing. How is your fiancée? Dr. Khanna, right?”

Rupali blushed even on phone. Referring Paritosh as her ‘fiancée’ was not something she was used to yet. “He is fine too,” she managed to say, “Mr. Sen. I was wondering if you would be free tomorrow evening. I know it is probably too much to ask you. Your schedule will be busy. But still… Could you have dinner with us?”

There was a silence for a moment on the other side. Rupali waited with bated breath. Was he too shocked that she took that liberty? “If you are busy…” she started offering him a way out.

“Rupali. Weekends are, unfortunately, busy with concerts and appointments. But does Monday evening work for you?”

She sighed in relief, “Yes. Of course. It works very well.”

“Great. So, I have to come to your campus?”

“Yes. Shall I send the directions and address by e-mail?”

He laughed slightly, “I am technologically illiterate, Rupali. That will certainly go to my secretary. But that should do.”

“And Mr. Sen,” she decided to be honest with him, “Actually… This is a surprise for Ma. I haven’t told her.”

“Oh!” Rupali waited with bated breath again. Will he refuse? “That sounds like a good idea,” he spoke to her relief, “It would be fun to see her reaction.”

“Great. Done then. I will send you, or your secretary, a mail,” she said jocularly, “Hope it won’t be filtered out.”

“No. It won’t be,” he replied. He was obviously smiling.

“Bye then, Mr. Sen. See you on Monday. At 7.30?”

“Looking forward to it. Bye Rupali.”

“Who is this friend of yours Rupa that you are preparing such an elaborate dinner?”

“You will see soon, Ma.”

“You have been in the kitchen the entire afternoon yourself. Why can’t Pammi do it?”

“Oh stop worrying! I am fine. Why don’t you put on one of your Asim Sen’s albums to play?”

Mouli raised her eyebrows, “So, this friend is an Asim Sen fan?”

“Possibly,” Rupali said. ‘He doesn’t sound that narcissist though,’ she thought amusedly to herself.

The doorbell rung at around seven.

“Looks like your friend is already here,” Mouli said, “Will you get the door? You haven’t even changed…”

“That must be Dr. Khanna, Ma. I will get the door. He will come by 7.30 or so.”

But Mouli’s words proved prophetic. She found Paritosh as well as Asim Sen at the door. She grew conscious about her attire, but decided not to worry on her count that day. “Please come in Mr. Sen,” she invited him in excitedly, “How did you two find each other?”

“He had passed by your house failing to notice the number and the only soul he found on the road to guide him was me,” Paritosh replied.

“Oh yes. The numbering is confusing here. Come here. Please sit. Ma is in her room. Let me call her.”

“Wait. Take this. These are for you.” Rupali smiled on seeing a packet of Bengali sweets.

“Thank you,” she said warmly, “I will get Ma. Dr. Khanna. Will you please keep him company till then?”

“Sure.”

But Mouli had already come out of her room into the hall by the time Rupali turned to leave. She looked shocked and for a moment Rupali regretted doing this. Was this too much for her sick mother? But Mouli overcame her shock and walked forward. She was still uneasy, but didn’t look angry. Rupali was relieved.

“Rupa. You never told me…”

“Mr. Sen agreed to our idea of keeping it a surprise for you, Ma.”

“That was sweet of him, but you must have troubled him so much for this.”

“I am very happy to be here, Mou,” Asim was smiling, but some mortification could be heard in his voice, “But if this is an inconvenience to you…”

“Don’t be ridiculous, Asim. Please sit down. It’s an honour….” suddenly her voice quivered and died down. She turned to Rupali, “Get him something to drink Rupa.”

“It’s quite hot today. I have made some fresh juice.”

“Make some tea,” Mouli said, “He is devoted singer. He won’t take anything cold.”

“Ohh! Okay…”

“Don’t bother her Mou. Rupali, it’s not that strict. Get me juice you have made and…”

Rupali laughed, “Don’t be so formal Mr. Sen. Making some tea won’t take more than a few minutes.”

“I’ll help you,” Paritosh said and before Mouli could object, he was out of the hall. He wanted to be out of their way.

“Help me in making tea? You are too much Dr. Khanna. Do you even know how to light a stove?”

“Don’t be fooled by my extravagance, Dr. Banerjee,” he replied in jest, “I have lived on my own most of my life.”

That made her serious, “That’s true.”

“Now don’t look so serious. I was only joking. I’m sure you don’t need any handholding for making tea. I just wanted to get out of their way.”

“Very thoughtful, as usual,” she said half-jokingly.

To be continued