(In the
school)
Just two
minutes after the class teacher entered into class, she said, “Anjali and
Raaj.” I hated this—my name being called after a girl’s.
Anjali
stood up at her place and I stood up at mine.
“Good, you
both are present. You have got to do some work.”
The lines
of my mom flashed before me—‘If you are lying, God is watching you.’
“You both
together have to prepare the design pattern of our class magazine by the next
saturday—is that Ok?”
“Yes.”
Anjali said.
“Punishment
for not obeying my mother.” Came out of my mouth subconsciously.
“What?”
Madam asked.
“Nothing
madam, Agreed.” I said
The teacher
said, “You work together after the school hours. Concentrate on this work for
the next one week.”
The
word—‘together’ was constantly pinching me. Suddenly Hanumanji whispered into
my ears, “My son, do you think you are smarter than me?
After this,
I started getting sarcastic comments from my friends such as,
---Aha,aha.
You and Anjali—together—after the school—Aha,,aha.
---Chance
pe Dance..for one week..
---Naughty..naughty..You
and Anjali—naughty after the school.
---Enjoy
the time, boy, enjoy..
---Don’t
miss this chance..
After the
school was over, I and Anjali waited in the school library. Our class teacher
came, gave some advice and went away. Though the library was open, a song came
into my mind subconsciously-----
‘Hum tum ek
kamre me band ho or chaabi kho jaye….’. Then another song played in my mind,
‘Hum bhi
Akele, Tum bhi Akele, mazaa aa raha hai..’
I had no
wrong intentions but don’t know how automatically these songs started playing.
For 20
minutes I didn’t speak anything. We just kept on referring the articles to be
published in the class magazine. Anjali broke the silence,
“Speak
something Raaj.”
“You are so
beautiful.” I said.
“What!” She
was baffled.
“Your face
seems to be the godown of Fair and Lovely.”
“Raaj.” She
said with a typical feminine accent.
“You look
like Priety Zinta with a special dimple on your cheek when you smile.” I said.
She let out
a big smile and was trying to hide her face depicting her shyness.
“You want
to hear these, right?” I said with changed tone.
“What?”
Again she baffled.
“I know,
you girls want us to keep appreciating your beauty. Always wanting us to speak
good about you. I have seen those film heroines. But don’t expect this from me.
I am not a foolish film hero who will lose his balance on looking at a
beautiful girl and start showering praise on her.”
“Now when
did I ask you to speak all this stuff? I just wanted to get your opinion on
these articles. By the way, are you God or something who can read people’s mind
that what they want to hear?” She said.
“If I would
have been God, I would have never created a thing like ‘Girl’.
“Oho(with
broad eyes) So you don’t like girls? Does it means you are Homo?” She said.
“Not only
me, we all are Homo. We all are Homo sapiens.” I replied.
“I am not
talking about genus. By Homo, I mean Homosexual.”
“What
rubbish! Shut up..” I said in a shattering tone not knowing what to reply.
“Why? Why shut
up.” She started laughing.
“Get back
to work.” I said to discontinue the argument.
It had
become a daily routine for us to work after the school for 2-3 hours. There was
some attractive force in this girl that tempted the eyes of a firmly determined
person like me to look at her. Her personality was magnetic. Her enthusiasm was
contagious.
But I had
my conscience with me to keep myself firm and steady. It constantly reminded
me—Don’t let yourself fall in the trap. You may feel good in the beginning but
the end result… you know it.”
(One such
day)
While
arranging the articles in order to make it ready for publishing, I came across
one article which was written by Anjali herself.
‘Not AS
HAPPY As U’
Sometimes
in life we feel so blue, but someone, somewhere is not as happy as you.
Somewhere
far at the border when a soldier sleeps,
missing his loved ones he silently weeps.
Somewhere a
mother painfully sighs,
because
her new born baby didn’t open her eyes.
Somewhere a
poor dad cries,
when
he sees his son begging for a bowl of rice.
Somewhere
in a hostel a boy is sad,
when he misses his mom and dad.
So at times
a reason to smile you may not have any,
say to yourself that you are happier than me.
Because
life is beautiful and its not always blue, and someone, somewhere is not as
happy as you……
It was
really touching. I didn’t know that a girl could think so deeply. This was
something contradictory to what previously I had thought. I had seen in films
and serials like—Kyunki saas bhi kabhi bahu thi (“Because mother-in-law was
daughter-in-law someday”) that girls were the main cause of depression.
I asked
her, “Is this written by you or copied from somewhere?”
She
replied, “Its completely original, 100%. You won’t find it anywhere else.”
“Good. Its
really very good.” I complimented. First time I appreciated a girl in my life.
“Thanks.”
She said.
The class
teacher came and asked, “How is the work going on?”
“Perfect.
According to the plan and timings.” She said
“Now
listen. This magazine is to be inaugurated by the principal madam on stage in
the assembly. So, you both prepare how you will present it, Ok?”
“Ok mam.”
She said.
I didn’t
speak a word as the thought of standing with a girl, that too before the whole
school horrified me. My confidence level was going down.
“Raaj,
tomorrow is holiday. School would be off. Better you come to my home. There we
shall give the finishing touch as well as prepare for the presentation.”
“Home? How
can I come to your home?” I asked with some doubt.
“What? My
home is not ‘Haunted House’ that you get afraid. If you have some problem, I
shall come to your home.” She said.
Instantly I
replied, “No,No.No problem. I shall come to your home. I didn’t have the
courage to welcome a girl to my house. It was better to go myself into trouble
rather than inviting trouble home for the entire family to face it.
“At what
time shall I come?” I asked. I knew it would be any time before 8.00 pm.
“12.00
midnight.” She replied in somewhat sensuous tone.
“What!”
“Just
kidding…4.00pm in the evening, tea time.” She replied.
“Ok, at
tea. Will you be alone in the house?” I asked and soon realized that it was a
foolish question.
“Why do you
want to know that?” She said in a suspicious manner.
“I am
afraid. You would do something to me.”
“Shut up. I
won’t eat you up. By the way, my mom will be there. And if you are really
afraid then you may bring your mom with you.” She replied
“Ok. I
shall be there.”
“4 pm in
the evening-tea-mom. All these led to the beginning of a song in my brain---
‘Shaayad
meri shaadi ka khayal dil me aya hai, isliye mummy ne meri, tumhe chai pe
bulaya hai.’
‘Stop it.’
I said to the music player in my brain.
‘I should
stop watching Hindi movies and songs’-I said to myself.
(Next day
evening)
Exactly at
4.00 pm I pressed the doorbell of Anjali’s house. Her mother opened the door.
After the traditional Namaste, I was seated in the drawing room.
“Beta, you
sit here. I shall call Anjali.” She said.
“Anjali,
Beta Anjali, Raaj has come.” I wondered why she addressed Anjali as Beta and
not Beti.
A low
intensity voice came., “coming mom..”
Slowly and
gradually she came from upstairs, covering each footstep in half- minute or
rather it was my perception. While coming down she was trying to fix her hair
by making a knot of her long hair. I took my eyes off before I get too nervous
to handle the scene.
Arriving in
the drawing room, she said, “Hi” with a captivating smile.
I replied
with ‘Hello!’
She said,
“I amnot going to eat you. Don’t be nervous. Be relaxed.”
I was quite
confused, “Why did you say that?”
She just
pointed her eyes towards my knees, “Look at those.”
I saw that
subconsciously I was shaking my knees with my hands.
“So, lets
start.” She said
“Ok.”
We started
practicing for the presentation of magazine.
“See I
shall start like this—
‘Good morning, Respected principal madam,
teachers and dear friends..Today myself Anjali and my Friend Raaj…..
“Wait a
minute.” I interrupted spontaneously.
“What! Any
mistake?” She asked.
“Do you
really mean it?” I asked.
“Mean
what?” She was baffled.
“This-‘my
Friend Raaj’. I mean, do you really consider me as your friend or this is just
formality?”
“O my God.’
She gave me a surprising look with a smile.
“Are you
really innocent or just pretending to be?” She asked. I didn’t know what she
was asking about.
“Yes, I
consider you to be my friend. Is there anything wrong with that?” She asked.
“Nothing
wrong. But you didn’t say me anything before.”
“That’s
because you don’t like to talk to girls as friends. There is nothing wrong in
being just good friends.” She said.
“But don’t
you know that dialog from the film ‘Maine Pyar Kiya’---Ek ladka ladki kabhi
dost nahi ho sakte.’” I presented my doubt. Unknowingly I was showing my level
of foolishness to a girl.
“Its all
bullshit and filmy things are not real.” She assured.
