All I have is THIS MOMENT...!!!

All I have is THIS MOMENT...!!!

Creative Designing: Raghavendra.G.Yadav

How can you explain a blind man how a colour looks like? How can you explain someone the feeling of getting numb in pain? How can you explain someone how it feels to get blanked out sometimes? Right now, I am in the same position....

I felt I was in a different world.  My vision seemed to have blurred. In a distance, I could see myself standing with a girl in an empty road. I could see my eyes struck on her & my hands trembling with fear. I appear way too younger and not as a 28 year old man. I look 17!! Was I on a time machine??? I don’t know. The girl standing next to me was crying & I could see tears in my eyes too... Even in a distance, I could hear me scream, “Please don’t leave me. I can’t live without you.... We can probably sort things out. I cannot imagine myself in your absence. I will probably die.” She just said, “It’s all over now. I need to go. Please don’t bother me again & All the best for your life.” & left... Everything appeared to me in a slow motion. As she turned her back and walked away from the picture, I had started crying uncontrollably. I had screamed her name many times and she did not even care to turn back. It was Aditi & it was the day we broke up!! Probably I felt numb that day. I felt weak & a part of me wanted to die. I had no strength to get up and walk back. It was the pain of losing my FIRST LOVE. I sat there for a long time until the place turned dark. When I walked back home, probably the only thought which ran through my mind on a loop was, “This pain can never be erased from my life just like my love for her.... This pain will be with me FOREVER to haunt me just like she continues to haunt me with her memories.”

A sudden distortion!! A sudden change of time!! & A sudden change of place!! I don’t know what is happening with me. I was now standing in front of a tall structure. I could see a tall building with numerous blocks, a half opened gate, a rocking campus & a lot of people. It was dark. I couldn’t see the words engraved on the entrance wall clearly but I am sure I know this place. Two minutes later, it struck to me that I was standing in front of my college. In a distance, I could see myself with a bunch of people wearing the graduation hat & walking with pride. I look 21!! Sorry, I was 21 then!! Hmmm... Am I really on a time machine??? I am not sure. Things seemed a bit clear now & the bunch of people along with me was my wonderful friends. They were the same people with whom I walked 3 years of my life together, the same people who knew me deep inside & loved me even with my imperfections, the same people who fought with me whenever they missed me, the same people who took me for granted every now and then like it was their right to do so, the same people who cared for me like an immediate family whenever I missed home, the same people who welcomed me with a hug everyday to make me feel I belong here, the same people who knew every detail of my crush stories & the same people who patted my back whenever I spoke to them about my dreams in life. There was no need for me to fill any autograph books and write about our favourite memories together as I strongly felt that we will continue to create new memories together. At that moment, I felt there was no need to give goodbye speeches and miss anyone as we would continue to meet everyone even in our busiest schedules in the future. I felt we would bump into each other every now and then and show the world we are FRIENDS FOREVER.  Just as we left for the day, I probably felt that this laughter, genuinity, freedom & our bondage will only continue & not change forever.... I felt that our amazing friendship will stay forever....

Another image had made its way to my mind just as a power point slide changes. This image looked absolutely strange now. I seriously now wondered was I dead and was the God of death showing me all the images from my past? I still couldn’t figure it out. I was standing in front of a retail joint of a mall which was crowded with people. In a distance, it seemed to me like a book store. I could see the people from media with huge cameras focusing their lens towards a person sitting in the middle. I was curious to know what was going on there. I struggled my way through the crowd to find out & to my surprise, I saw myself sitting there in the centre with some books piled up on my left and right. I look younger by 3 years. I look 25!! Am I really on a Time Machine??? Or am I dead? I still don’t know... But I can now figure this out. This was from the book launch function in Mumbai in a book store & I was donning the hat of the novelist in that event. My 3^rd novel had hit the store and I was signing on the pre order copies of the novels, took questions from readers, read extracts from the new book & posed for pictures with all the fans. It was a moment of ecstacy!! I was driven in the happiness of my NEW FOUND FAME. I could see myself talking to various publishers who were trying to sign me in for the next contract for a whopping sum of money. When I walked out of that place with a never before attitude, I probably had felt that the FAME I enjoyed will stay with me forever. I felt that my work will be loved & in demand forever...

As I witnessed three episodes from my past for a reason which I can hardly make out, I didn’t know what was happening. “I am probably dead”, my mind had concluded. From the world of ILLUSIONS, a loud sound of thunder in the sky had made me wake up to REALITY. The whole episode was a DREAM!! I look at the time and the clock ticks at 2.35 A.M. I feel good knowing that I could move my body and I am not dead. I look at myself in the mirror & I feel assured when I look REAL at 28 years. I look at the sky from the window & reflect back. I wonder does this dream have anything significant to tell me. I am now lost in thoughts.

At the age of 17, when Aditi left me I had thought that the pain of losing her will haunt my life forever & could never be erased from my life. I had thought that I would never be able to forget her in my life. But the actual fact was that with time, I had moved on in life. I had stopped thinking about her & I was no longer craving for my lost love. In just a few months, my life was back on track. At the age of 21, when I graduated from my college I had thought that our lives will continue to stay the same. When we all screamed “FRIENDS FOREVER” together in unison, I had thought that our amazing friendship will stay forever and not change with time.  But with time, people changed, priorities changed, lives changed & the bondage had changed. New friends had made way & our weekly meetings had got converted into half yearly meets and even then everyone weren’t part of it. With time, Facebook Birthday reminders made us remember each other’s birthdays. With time, the only time we all met together was on a close friend’s marriage. A big group had now got converted into a nuclear one with just 4 to 5 besties who vow to be together till their last. Maybe the only thing which remained the same even with all these were those wonderful memories we had created for a lifetime....  In that case, was that friendship fake? No chance!! We all met for a reason and some parted without any reason. But we still wish good luck for each other. So friendship still exists but the intensity of it may have dipped.  At the age of 25, when I became a successful writer, I had presumed that the Fame I enjoyed then will stay with me forever. I had felt that my work will be loved & in demand forever. When my next 2 novels failed to recreate the same magic, both had turned out to be huge flops. Readers who had huge expectations had given thumbs down for them & publishers had suffered a huge loss. 10 publishers have rejected my latest manuscript & I am keeping my hopes alive to meet the 11^th one. I wonder what happened to my success line!! I wonder what happened to my story telling skills!! I wonder what happened to my magical thought flow which once people had loved!!

Yes, it has struck me deep down now. These dreams had something for me to understand so that I can tell that to the WORLD. I switched on the lights, took my writing pad and a pen & started writing:

“FOREVER is always a myth. A promise to stay forever is the sweetest lie one can ever say. Nothing is permanent in this temporary life. Our life itself comes with a limited validity of a few years, a few months, a few days, a few minutes, a few seconds. We don’t even know which our next moment in life is. When our life itself is not forever, then Love, Family, Relationships, Career, Pain, Happiness, Money, Fame, nothing can stay in our life FOREVER. You can love a person only till your last breath and not for an eternity. Even Relationships do not come with a Guarantee tag. They say CHANGE is the only thing that is constant in life. So with time, even people can change, emotions can change, ambitions can change & even destiny can change. When everything can change with time, what else can stay forever? The only thing which counts in life is “THIS MOMENT.”

If I am happy this moment, I am LIVING my LIFE. If I am enjoying what I do, I am LIVING my LIFE. If I appreciate my life every moment, I am LIVING my LIFE. Otherwise it’s just survival!!  There is always a TOMORROW for a new hope, a fresh start & to chase your dreams...!! But there is no tomorrow to postpone your happiness, to enjoy the moment & to love someone. Every moment in life is a priceless possession because they in turn become our wonderful memories. So, love people like you have never loved before, dream about something like you have never dreamt before, work like you have never worked before &enjoy like you have never enjoyed before. Because we don’t live FOREVER.  All we have is THIS MOMENT”.

 -  Naveen.S.N

Neenillade...!!!

ನೀನಿಲ್ಲದೆ...!!!


ಪ್ರೀತಿಯ ಆಕಾಶ್,


                        ಇವತ್ತು ಯಾಕೋ ನಿನ್ನ ತುಂಬಾ Miss ಮಾಡ್ಕೋತಾ ಇದ್ದೀನಿ ಅಂತ ಅನ್ನಿಸ್ತು.. In fact, I am missing your smile so much today!! ಈ balcony ನಲ್ಲಿ ನಿಂತಿದ್ರೆ, ತಣ್ಣನೆ ಬೀಸುವ ಆ ತಂಪು ತಂಗಾಳಿಯೊಂದಿಗೆ ನಿನ್ನ ನೆನಪೂ ಕೂಡ ಓಡೋಡಿ ಬರ್ತಾ ಇದೆ... ಹಿತ ನೀಡ್ತಾ ಇದ್ದ ನಿನ್ನ ಆ ಸನಿಹ ಬಿಟ್ಟೂ ಬಿಡದಂತೆ ಕಾಡ್ತಾ ಇದೆ... ಮೌನಮಾತಾಗಿಸುತಿದ್ದ ನಿನ್ನಿರುವು , ನಿನ್ನೊಂದಿಗ ನಾ ಕಟ್ಟಿಕೊಂಡ ಕನಸುಗಳು , ಪ್ರತೀ ಕ್ಷಣ ನೀ ಕೊಡುತಿದ್ದ ಆ secured feeling, ನೀ ತೆಗೆದುಕೊಳ್ಳುತಿದ್ದ ಆ extra care ನಲ್ಲಿ ನಾ ಮತ್ತೆ ಮಗುವಾಗುತಿದ್ದ ಆ ಕ್ಷಣಗಳು, ನೀನು ನನ್ನವನಾಗಿದ್ದ, "ನನ್ನವನೇ" ಆಗಿದ್ದ ಆ ದಿನಗಳು....ಎಲ್ಲಾ ಬರೀ ನೆನಪಾಗಿ ಕಾಡ್ತಾ ಇದೆ. ನನ್ನ Diaryಯಲ್ಲಿ ಇನ್ನೂ ಜತನವಾಗಿರುವ ಆ ನವಿಲುಗರಿ ನಿನ್ನೊಂದಿಗಿನ ಆ ದಿನಗಳನ್ನ ಮತ್ತೆ ಮತ್ತೆ ನೆನಪಿಸುತ್ತಾ ಇದೆ. ಅದೇನೋ Love at first sight ಅಂತ ಹೇಳ್ತಾರಲ್ಲ? ನಿಜ ಹೇಳ್ತೀನಿ ನಂಗೆ first love ಆಗಿದ್ದು ಆ ನವಿಲುಗರಿ ಮೇಲೆ. ನಮ್ಮ college life ನ last day ಇದೆಯಲ್ಲಾ still it is the best day in my Life... ನೀನು filmy ಆಗಿ ನವಿಲುಗರಿಯನ್ನ ಕೊಟ್ಟು, "I’m in love with you" ಅಂದಾಗ ಸ್ವರ್ಗಾನೇ ಬಂದಿಳಿದಂತೆ ಆಯ್ತು...!!!

                        ನಿಂತ ನೀರಲ್ಲೂ ಸಾಗಲೇ ಬೇಕಾದ ದೋಣಿಯಂತೆ ಸುಮ್ಮನೆ ಎಲ್ಲೋ ಕಳೆದು ಹೋಗುತಿದ್ದ ನನ್ನ ಬಾಳಿಗೆ, ತಂಗಾಳಿಯಂತೆ ಬಂದು ತನ್ಮಯಳಾಗುವಂತೆ ಮಾಡಿದೋನು ನೀನು... ತುಟಿಯಂಚಿನ ಕಿರುನಗೆಗೆ ಕಣ್ಣಂಚಿನ ಕಣ್ಣೀರನ್ನ ಒರೆಸೋ ಸಾಮರ್ಥ್ಯ ಇದೆ ಅಂತ ಅಂದ್ಕೊಂಡು ಪ್ರತೀ ಕ್ಷಣಾನು ಯಾವುದೋ ನಂಬಿಕೆಯಿಂದ ಜೀವನ ನಡೆಸುತ್ತಾ ಇದ್ದವಳಿಗೆ, ಈ ಜೀವನವನ್ನ ಪ್ರೀತಿಸೋ ರೀತಿಯನ್ನ ಹೇಳಿಕೊಟ್ಟವನು ನೀನು...  ಪ್ರತೀ ಕ್ಷಣಾನು ನನ್ನದು ಅಂತ ಅಂದ್ಕೊಂಡು Life ನ Enjoy ಮಾಡೋ ರೀತಿಯನ್ನ ನೀನಲ್ಲದೆ ಇನ್ನ್ಯಾರು ತಾನೇ ಕಲಿಸೋಕೆ ಸಾದ್ಯ... ?

                         ಹೇಗಾದರೂ ಇರು ನೀ ನನ್ನವಳಾಗಿರು ಅನ್ನೋ ಆ ನಿನ್ನ ಕಣ್ಣಂಚಿನ ಪ್ರೀತಿ, ಸಾವಿರ ಸಲ ನೀ ಹೇಳ್ತಾ ಇದ್ದ "takecare" ಎಂಬ ಆ ಮಾತು, ನಾನೆಷ್ಟೇ ಬಡ ಬಡಾಯ್ಸಿದ್ರೂ ಹೂ ಗೊಡುತಿದ್ದ ನಿನ್ನ ಆ ತಾಳ್ಮೆ,ಇಳಿ ಸಂಜೆಯ ಹೊತ್ತಲ್ಲಿ ನಿನ್ನ ಕೈ ಹಿಡಿದು ಸುಮ್ಮನೆ ನಡೆಯುತಿದ್ದ ಆ ಸುಮಧುರ ಕ್ಷಣಗಳು...  ಆಗೆಲ್ಲಾ ಈ ಸುತ್ತೋ ಭೂಮಿ, ಮುಳುಗೋ ಸೂರ್ಯ , ಓಡೋ time ಎಲ್ಲ ಒಂದ್ ಸಲ ಹಾಗೇ ನಿಂತು ಬಿಟ್ಟಿದ್ರೆ ಅದೆಷ್ಟು ಚನ್ನಾಗಿರ್ತಿತ್ತು ಅಂತ ಅನ್ನಿಸ್ತಿತ್ತು. 24 Years ನೀನಿಲ್ಲದೇ ನಾನು ಹೇಗೆ ಇದ್ದೆ ಅಂತ ನನಗೆ ಅನ್ನಿಸುತ್ತಿದೆ ! ನಿಮ್ಮ ಮನೆಯವರೆಲ್ಲ ನಮ್ಮಪ್ಪನ ಹತ್ರ ನಮ್ಮ ಬಗ್ಗೆ ಮಾತಾಡಿದಾಗ ನಮ್ಮಪ್ಪಂದು ಒಂದೇ ಹಠ, "ಅವ್ನು software engineer ಆದ್ರೂ soft ಇದ್ದಂಗಿಲ್ಲ, ನೀನೋ journalist, ಕಥೆ ಕವನ ಪುಸ್ತಕ ಅಂತ ಓಡಾಡ್ತಾ ಇದ್ರೆ ಒಬ್ಬರಿಗೊಬ್ಬರಿಗೆ ಹೊಂದಾಣಿಕೆ ಆಗೋದಾದ್ರು ಹೇಗೆ ?"ಅಂತ... ಅದೇ ಈಗ ಅಪ್ಪ ಹೇಳ್ತಾರೆ, "ನನ್ನಳಿಯ ಅಪ್ಪಟ ಅಪರಂಜಿ "ಅಂತ. ಅದೆಷ್ಟು ಖುಷಿ ಆಗುತ್ತೆ ಗೊತ್ತಾ...:-)

                         ಮೌನಸ್ವರದ ಸಾಹಿತ್ಯಕೆ ಮುನ್ನುಡಿ ಬರೆಯಲು ಬಂದ ನಿನ್ನೊಂದಿಗೆ ಸಪ್ತ ಸ್ವರವ ಹಾಡುವಾಸೆ ನಂದಾಗಿತ್ತು... ನನ್ನ ಭಾವನೆಗಳಿಗೆ ಪ್ರತಿ ಭಾವವನ್ನು ನಿನ್ನ ಕಣ್ಣುಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ನೋಡುವಾಸೆ ನನಗೆ, ಎಲ್ಲಾ ಹುಡುಗಿಯರಂತೆ ನಂಗೂ ರಾಶಿ ರಾಶಿ ಅಸೆಗಳಿತ್ತು... ನನ್ನ ಜೀವನ ಸಾರಥಿಯಾಗಿ ಬರುವವನು ನನ್ನನ್ನ ತುಂಬಾ ಪ್ರೀತಿಸಬೇಕು ಹಾಗೆ ಹೀಗೆ ಅಂತೆಲ್ಲಾ. ಆ ಸೂರ್ಯ ತನ್ನ ಕೆಲಸ ಮುಗಿಸಿ ಮರಳುವ ಆ ಮುಸ್ಸಂಜೆಯ ಹೊತ್ತಲ್ಲಿ ಸಮುದ್ರದ ದಂಡೆಯ ಮೇಲೆ ಸಾಗಿದಷ್ಟು ದೂರ ದೂರ ಸಾಗುವ ಅದರ ಅಂತ್ಯದವರೆಗೆ ಅವನೊಂದಿಗೆ ನಡೆಯಬೇಕು... ನಾವಿಬ್ರೂ ಮಾತಾಡ್ತಾ ಮಾತಾಡ್ತಾ ದಿನಾನೆ ಮುಗುದ್ರು ಮಾತು ಮಾತ್ರ ಮುಗಿಲೇ ಬಾರದು... ಜಗತ್ತೇ ಬೇಡ ಅನ್ನಿಸಿದಾಗ ಅವನ ತೋಳಿನಾಸರೆ ಎಲ್ಲದನ್ನೂ ಮರೆಸಬೇಕು ಅನ್ನೋ ನನ್ನ ಕನಸಿಗೆಲ್ಲಾ ಆ ದೇವರು ಉತ್ತರವಾಗಿ ನಿನ್ನ ಕೊಟ್ಟಿದ್ದ... It was 21st April 2013. ಆ ದಿನ ಹೇಗೆ ಮರೆಯಲಿ ಹೇಳು?


                         ನೆನಪಿದೆಯಾ ಆಕಾಶ್, ನೀ ನನಗೆ ನಾ ನಿನಗೆ ಅಂತಿದ್ದ ಮದುವೆಯಾದ ಆನಂತರದ ನಮ್ಮ ದಿನಗಳು...ನೀನು ನನ್ನ life ಗೆ ಬಂದ ಮೇಲೆ ಜೀವನ ಎಷ್ಟು ಚೆಂದ ಇತ್ತು ಗೊತ್ತಾ? ನನ್ನ ಪ್ರತಿ ಕಷ್ಟ ಸುಖದಲ್ಲೂ ನೀ ಜೊತೆಗಿದ್ದೆ. ಸಂಜೆ ಇಬ್ಬರೂ ಸೇರಿ ಇದೇ Balcony ನಲ್ಲಿ ಕೂತು ಸೂರ್ಯಾಸ್ತ ನೋಡುತ್ತಾ Coffee ಕುಡಿತಾ ಆ ದಿನದ update ಕೊಡ್ತಾ ಇದ್ವಿ. ಮನೆಗೆಲಸದಲ್ಲೂ 50% ನೀನು share ಮಾಡ್ತಾ ಇದ್ದೆ. ಯಾವತ್ತೋ ಒಂದಿನ ನಂಗೆ office ನಿಂದ late ಆದಾಗ auto ನಲ್ಲಿ ಎಲ್ಲಾ ಬರಬೇಡ, ನಾನೇ ಬಂದು pick ಮಾಡ್ತೀನಿ ಅಂತ ನೀನು ಸಾವಿರ ಸಲ call ಮಾಡಿ ಹೇಳ್ತಾ ಇದ್ದಿದ್ದು ನೆನಪಿದೆಯಾ? ಮನೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ನೀನು late night ಕೆಲಸ ಮಾಡ್ತಾ ಕೂತಿದ್ದಾಗ ನಾನು ಬಿಟ್ಟೂ ಬಿಡದೆ ನಿನ್ನನ್ನ ಮಾತಾಡಿಸ್ತಾ ಇದ್ರೆ, ಪಾಪ ನೀನು, ವಿಧಿ ಇಲ್ಲದವನಂತೆ ನನ್ನೊಂದಿಗೆ ಮಾತಾಡೋಕೆ start ಮಾಡ್ತಾ ಇದ್ದೆ. ಅದ್ಯಾರೋ ನಿನ್ನ colleague ಸ್ವಾತಿ ಇದಾಳಲ್ಲಾ ಸುರ ಸುಂದರಾಂಗಿ, ನೀನು ಬೇಕಂತಾನೇ ಅವಳ ಬಗ್ಗೆ ಹೇಳ್ತಾ ಇದ್ರೆ ನಂಗೆ ಅದೆಷ್ಟು ಉರಿತಾ ಇತ್ತು ಗೊತ್ತಾ ... ನಮ್ಮಿಬ್ರಲ್ಲಿ ಯಾರೇ ಜಗಳ ಆಡಿದರೂ ಪಾಪ ನೀನೇ sorry ಕೇಳ್ತಾ ಇದ್ದೆ... ನನಗೆ ಅಮ್ಮನ ನೆನಪಾಗಿ ಬಿಕ್ಕಿ ಬಿಕ್ಕಿ ಅಳುತಿದ್ದರೆ ನೀನು ಪುಟ್ಟ ಮಗುವಿನಂತೆ ನನ್ನನ್ನ ಸಮಾಧಾನಿಸುತ್ತಾ ಇದ್ದೆ...!


                        ಆದರೆ ಆ ದಿನಗಳೆಲ್ಲ ಅದೆಷ್ಟು ಬೇಗ ನೆನಪುಗಳಾಗಿ ಹೋಯ್ತಲ್ವಾ? ನೀನಂತೂ ಇತ್ತೀಚಿಗೆ ಮನೆಯಲ್ಲಿರೋ ದಿನಗಳೇ ಕಡಿಮೆ ಆಗಿದೆ. ಯಾವಾಗ್ಲೂ office tension ನಲ್ಲೇ ಇರುತ್ತೀಯ. ಈ ಬಡಪಾಯಿ ಹೆಂಡತೀನ ವಿಚಾರಿಸಿಕೊಳ್ಳೋಕೆ ನಿಂಗೆ time ಹೇ ಇಲ್ಲ ಅಲ್ವಾ..? ಸಿಗೋ ಒಂದು Sunday ನು ಅದೇನೊ office party ಅಂತ ಕಳಿತೀಯ. ಕೆಲಸ ಅಂತ ನೀನು foreign trip ಹೋದಾಗ್ಲಂತೂ ಅದೆಷ್ಟು miss ಮಾಡ್ಕೊತೀನಿ ಗೊತ್ತಾ... ನೀನೇನೋ ಕೆಲಸ ಅಂತ busy ಆಗೋಗ್ತೀಯ but ನಂಗೆ ನೀನಿಲ್ಲದೆ ತುಂಬಾ lonely feel ಆಗುತ್ತೆ...:-( ಅಡುಗೆ ಮನೆಗೆ ಹೋದರೆ ಮುಂಚೆ ನೀನು ನಂಗೆ ಅಡುಗೇನೇ ಮಾಡಕ್ಕೆ ಕೊಡದೆ ಗೋಳ್ಹೋಯ್ಕೊಳ್ತಾ ಇದ್ದಿದ್ದು ನೆನಪಾಗುತ್ತೆ. ಯಾಕೋ ಬೇಜಾರು ಅಂತ ನಾವಿಬ್ರು ಮಾಡಿಟ್ಟ ಆ ಪುಟ್ಟ library ಗೆ ಹೋದ್ರೆ ನಾನು ಒಂದೊಂದೇ ಪುಸ್ತಕದ ಕಥೆ ನಿನಗೆ ಹೇಳ್ತಾ ಇದ್ದಿದ್ದು ಮತ್ತೆ ಮತ್ತೆ ಕಾಡುತ್ತೆ... ಬರೀ ನಿನ್ನ ನೆನಪುಗಳೊಂದಿಗೇ ದಿನ'ಕಳೆಯೋಕೆ ಆಗ್ತಾ ಇಲ್ವೊ. ಅದೇಕೊ ಗೊತ್ತಿಲ್ಲ ನೀನಿಲ್ಲದ ಆ ಒಂಟಿತನದಲ್ಲಿ ಅಮ್ಮಾ ತುಂಬಾನೇ ನೆನಪಾಗ್ತಾಳೆ... :-(


                        ಯಾಕೋ ಹೀಗಾಗಿದ್ದೀಯ ಆಕಾಶ್? ನಂಗೆ ಅಂತ ಇರೋನು ನೀನೊಬ್ಬನೇ ಕಣೋ. ಅದೇನೇ ಇರಲಿ, ಯಾವುದೇ ವಿಷಯ ಇರಲಿ, ನಿನ್ನ ಹತ್ತಿರ share ಮಾಡಿಕೊಂಡರೆ ಸಮಾಧಾನ. ನಂಗೆ ಗೊತ್ತು ಕಣೋ ನೀನು ಬೇಕಂತ ಹೀಗೆ ಮಾಡ್ತಾ ಇಲ್ಲ ಅಂತ. ಮೋಡದ ಮರೆ ಸೇರಿರುವ ಆ ಚಂದಿರನಿಂದ ಇವತ್ತು ಎಲ್ಲಾ ಕಡೆ ಬರೀ ಕತ್ತಲು ತುಂಬಿದೆ. Actuallyಈ ಕತ್ತಲು ನಂಗೆ ತುಂಬಾ ಭಯ ಹುಟ್ಟಿಸ್ತಿದೆ. ಈ ಕತ್ತಲು ತುಂಬಾ ಹೊತ್ತು ಇರೋಲ್ಲಾ ಅಲ್ವಾ? ಅದೇನೇ ಇರಲಿ ಆ ಕಗ್ಗತ್ತಲನ್ನು ಭೇದಿಸಿ ಮತ್ತೆ ಬರುವನಂತೆ ಆ ಚಂದಿರ please come back to me soon ಆಕಾಶ್... Hmmm ನಂಗೊತ್ತು ನೀನು Party ಮುಗಿಸಿ ಬಂದು ಅದೆಷ್ಟು tired ಆಗಿರ್ತೀಯ, ಅಲ್ವಾ? ಇವತ್ತು ನನ್ನ Birthday ಕಣೋ idiot. ನೀನೇ first wish ಮಾಡ್ತಿಯ ಅಂದ್ಕೊಂಡಿದ್ದೆ... ದಿನವಿಡೀ ನೀ call ಮಾಡ್ತೀಯ ಅಂತ ಅದೆಷ್ಟು wait ಮಾಡಿದೆ ಗೊತ್ತಾ? Hmmm but its okay ಇನ್ನೂ time ಮೀರಿಲ್ಲ... atleast ಈಗಲಾದ್ರು wish ಮಾಡೋ ....!!!


                                                                                                                 ಪ್ರೀತಿಯಿಂದ,
                                                                                                                     ಭೂಮಿ


                         ಆ ಪತ್ರ ಓದಿ ಮುಗಿಸಿದಂತೆ ಆಕಾಶ್ ನ ಕಣ್ಣಿನಿಂದ ಹನಿಯೊಂದು ಜಾರಿ ಆ ಪತ್ರದ ಮೇಲೆ ಬಿತ್ತು. ಆಕಾಶ್ ಗೆ ತನ್ನ ಮೇಲೇನೇ ಕೋಪ ಬಂತು. ಒಂದು ಕ್ಷಣ ಏನು ಮಾಡಲು ತೋಚದೆ ತನ್ನ ಹೆಂಡತಿಯ ಕಡೆ ತಿರುಗಿದ. "ತನ್ನ ಪ್ರೀತಿಯ ಭೂಮಿಯ ಹುಟ್ಟಿದ ಹಬ್ಬ ಮರೆಯೋ ಅಷ್ಟು busy ಆಗಿದ್ದೀನಾ ?" ಅಂತ ತನ್ನಲ್ಲೇ ಕೇಳಿಕೊಂಡ ಆಕಾಶ್ . Maybe, it was time for him to change his PRIORITY LIST. ಭೂಮಿ ಆಗ ತಾನೇ ನಿದ್ದೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಮಗ್ಗುಲು ಬದಲಿಸಿದ್ದಳು. ಅವಳು ಮಲಗಿದ್ದ ದಿಂಬು ಸಹ ಅವಳ ಕಣ್ಣೀರಿಗೆ ಸಾಥ್ ಕೊಟ್ಟಿತ್ತು. ಇತ್ತ ಗಂಟೆ 11.55 ತೋರಿಸುತ್ತಾ ಇತ್ತು. ತಕ್ಷಣ ಅದೇನೋ ಹೊಳೆದಂತಾಗಿ ಆಕಾಶ್ ಆ room ನ Bedlight off ಮಾಡಿ dining hall ನತ್ತ ಹೊರಟ...


                         ಗಂಟೆ 11.57 ಆಗಿತ್ತು . "ಭೂಮಿ , 2 minutes ಎದ್ದೇಳು ಪ್ಲೀಸ್ ... ನನಗೋಸ್ಕರ ಪ್ಲೀಸ್ " ಎಂಬ ದನಿಗೆ ಭೂಮಿ ಯಾವುದೋ ಕನಸಿಂದ ಎಚ್ಚರಗೊಳ್ಳುವಂತೆ ಎದ್ದು ಕುಳಿತಳು . ಕಣ್ಣು ಬಿಟ್ಟಾಗ ಅವಳ ಮುಂದೆ ಆಕಾಶ್ , ಹಾಗು ಅವನ ಕೈಲೊಂದು ಪುಟ್ಟ Candle. ಸಂಪೂರ್ಣ ಕತ್ತಲಿಂದ ಕೂಡಿದ್ದ ಆ room ನ ಆ ಬೆಳಕಿನಲ್ಲಿ ಅವಳಿಗೆ ಕಂಡದ್ದು ಆಕಾಶ್ ನ ಮುಖ ಮಾತ್ರ. ಭೂಮಿಯ ಕಣ್ಣಲ್ಲಿ ಕಣ್ಣಿಟ್ಟು ನೋಡುತ್ತಾ , "ಭೂಮಿ, ನಿನಗೆ ತುಂಬಾ ಬೇಜಾರ್ ಮಾಡಿದೆ ಅಲ್ವಾ? I am really Sorry ... ತಪ್ಪು ನನ್ನದೇ . ಇನ್ನು ಯಾವತ್ತೂ ಈ ಕತ್ತಲೆಗೆ ನಿನ್ನ ಭಯ ಪಡಿಸೋಕೆ ನಾನು ಬಿಡೋಲ್ಲ . ಈ ಬೆಳಕಿನಂತೆ ಯಾವಾಗಲು ನಿನಗೆ ಶಕ್ತಿಯಾಗಿ , ಸ್ಪೂರ್ತಿಯಾಗಿ ನಿನ್ನ ಜೊತೇಲೆ ಇರ್ತೀನಿ. Many many Happy returns of the Day, Bhoomi. I Love you so much ...!!!" ಅಂತ ಹೇಳಿದಾಗ ಭೂಮಿಯ ಕಣ್ಣು ತುಂಬಿ ಬಂದಿತ್ತು. ಆ ರಾತ್ರಿ ಅವರಿಬ್ಬರೂ ತುಂಬಾ ಹೊತ್ತು ಮಾತನಾಡುತ್ತಾ ಕುಳಿತಿದ್ದರು. ಭೂಮಿಯ 'THE BEST BIRTHDAY' ಅದಾಗಿತ್ತು. ಅವರಿಬ್ಬರು ಮಾತಾಡುತ್ತಾ ಮಾತಾಡುತ್ತಾ ಹಾಗೇ ನಿದ್ದೆಗೆ ಜಾರಿದರೂ, ಆ candle ಮಾತ್ರ ಉರಿಯುತ್ತಲೇ ಇತ್ತು.

                       ಎಷ್ಟೋ ಸಲ ನಾವು ತುಂಬಾ ಪ್ರೀತಿಸುವವರಿಗೆ , ನಮ್ಮ ಪ್ರೀತಿನಾ ಹೇಳ್ಕೋಬೇಕು ಅಂತ ಅನ್ನಿಸಿದರೂ, ಬಿಡು ಮತ್ತೆ ಯಾವಾಗ್ಲಾದ್ರು ಹೇಳಿದರೆ ಆಯ್ತು  ಅಂತ ಸುಮ್ಮನಾಗಿ ಬಿಡ್ತೀವಿ ... ಇನ್ನೂ ಕೆಲವೊಮ್ಮೆ ನಮ್ಮನ್ನು ಪ್ರಾಣಕ್ಕಿಂತ ಹೆಚ್ಚಾಗಿ ಪ್ರೀತಿಸುವವರು ಜೊತೆಗೆ ಇದ್ದರೂನು ಅವರ ಪ್ರೀತಿ ಅರ್ಥನೇ  ಆಗೋಲ್ಲ. We just take them for granted ಅಲ್ವಾ? ಕಾಡೋ ನೆನಪುಗಳು, ಕೂಡಿಟ್ಟ ಕನಸುಗಳು, ಕೊನೆಗೆ ಬಚ್ಚಿಟ್ಟ ಪ್ರೀತಿ ಇದೆಲ್ಲದಕ್ಕೂ ಉತ್ತರ ಸಿಗೋದು ಮೌನ ಮಾತಾದಾಗ... ಕೆಲವೊಮ್ಮೆ ಮಾತಿನಲ್ಲಿ ಹೇಳೋಕಾಗದ ಎಷ್ಟೋ ಭಾವನೆಗಳಿಗೆ ಪದಗಳು ಬಣ್ಣ ನೀಡಿರುತ್ತೆ.  ಒಂದು ಸಣ್ಣ ಪತ್ರ ಎಷ್ಟೋ ಮುನಿಸುಗಳಿಗೆ ತೆರೆ ಎಳೆದು, ಎರಡು ಮನಸುಗಳನ್ನು ಬೆಸೆದಿರುತ್ತೆ.  Maybe, ಆ ಪ್ರೀತಿನ carry ಮಾಡಬಲ್ಲ ಶಕ್ತಿ ಇರೋ Strong Carrier ಅಂದ್ರೆ ಅದು ಪದಗಳು ಮಾತ್ರ.   
 
                     ಅಂತು ಪ್ರೀತಿಯ ಕಡಲಲ್ಲಿ ಆಕಾಶ್ ಮತ್ತು ಭೂಮಿ ಮತ್ತೆ ಒಂದಾದರು.ಅವಳು ಭೂಮಿ, ಅವನು ಆಕಾಶ , ಅವರಿಬ್ಬರ ಪ್ರೀತಿ ಮಾತ್ರ ದಿಗಂತದಾಚೆಗೂ ಮೀರಿತ್ತು...!! 

                                                                                                            -ಮೇದಿನಿ .ಎಂ .ಭಟ್ 

"When Life Ditched Me...!!!"- Final Part

                                                         (Continued)

It was 4.45 AM in the morning. The nature was blessed to listen to three stories that day. One person had spoken his heart out. Shawn felt like sharing his story. First of all, there was no reason for them to share their stories with each other. They were just strangers. It was not even an hour since they met. But somehow we get close to some people without any REASON.

The spotlights had shifted from Aditya to Shawn. He started, "28 years back, when I was in my mom's womb, the doctors had advised my parents to get me aborted, as the test results showed that there was a possibility of the child being born with a disorder. Everyone was worried & the entire family including my father had asked my mom to consider the doctors advice and abide by it. But maybe my mother had already developed that love for me. She decided to have the child against all odds and finally brought me into this world. The child had looked absolutely normal and the family had rejoiced. Two years went by & my parents had started worrying. I had not spoken a word even after 2 years. The doctors were right. I was born with a neuro developmental disorder. The medical field had already given it a name called 'Autism'."

Aditya & Sucheth looked at Shawn. "What is Autism?", Sucheth asked him. Shawn replied "Autism is a neuro developmental disorder which impairs the personal interaction, verbal & non verbal communication of the child. I was just making some feeble attempts to talk. Everyone in the family started blaming my mother for going against the doctors advice. The doctors had told that the treatment would cost Rs.60,000 but that was a huge amount considering our financial capability. With time, everyone stopped bothering much about this. But my mother didn't give up at all. Every morning, she used to take me to a hillock which was 3 kms from the village & spent time with me. We used to play, she used to tell me stories, she used to make me write on those rocks, she used to teach me utter words of small syllable,she used to shout every word at the top of her voice just to make an impact on me. Only nature was blessed to witness the love between me & my mother." The intensity in his voice had now changed.

He continued after a pause, "My mother repeated the same exercise every morning for four long years like it was a ritual. It seemed like her voice had reached Jesus. I had started speaking word by word. While uttering every word, I used to remember how she used to shout it out. They say nature is the best medicine available to everyone. It had worked for me. My mother who gave a new dimension to my life came in like a goddess.... Unfortunately, my goddess is now battling with death in the general ward of a hospital in Bengalooru. She is suffering with a very rare disease called Pulmonary Embolism....The doctors had assured to operate her the previous night. The operation would cost us Rs.14 lakh. It was only then I had realised that after 4 years of work, I had not saved anything much. My father sold the only house we had in the village to fund my mother's operation. My father came home yesterday morning with the cash. Everything was set. The specialists had come from London. The appointment was at 4 PM. My dad kept the cash in the drawer next to the television and went to the hospital to take care of my mother."

"I left home and reached the hospital. I met the specialists & they had assured everything will be alright & my mother would be operated that night subject to payment of amount in the next 2 hours. Just when I was sitting relaxed, I got a call from my neighbour asking me to come home urgently. I was unable to figure out a reason. I reached home in the next 20 minutes. I saw my neighbour, Raghu standing in the parking area. The house door was open. It didn't actually sink in then, until Raghu came up to me & said, 'You know what? You had not locked the main door of your house. It was left open for almost an hour. Everything actually looks intact. You please go and check once.' The first thing that popped up in my mind was the money in the drawer. I ran towards it & when I opened the drawer, I actually saw the money in it. One part of my brain got relaxed but the logical part started telling me its not so less. Yes, it was right & Rs.12 lakh was stolen. I just found Rs. 2 lakh in the drawer. I tried to remember what happened. Just when I was about to leave the house, I got a call from my father informing me that the specialists had already arrived & I was late. In a hurry, I had forgotten to lock the main door. Even the gate was left open. I felt like slapping myself. I didn't know how to react. I was angry on my own foolishness. I mean, how can I commit such a blunder? It's nowhere justifiable. It was not a small amount & it was not for a small cause. I had lost my father's years of earnings & my mother's only hope to survive. I didn't know how to show my face to my father. I had let him down completely. The enormous amount of GUILT made me run away from everyone. I decided not to show them my face again & left the city with a promise of never coming back...How nice it would have been if Life had an UNDO button in it!!"

Just when Shawn was narrating his tale, Sucheth was getting all restless. His hands had started shivering. Just when he finished, he asked, "Shawn...(stammers) where do you...stay?" When he told "Frazer Town" it was all clear. Suddenly all the things which Shawn told, started haunting him. All his attempts to hide the nervousness had become futile. He started sweating. His hands were shivering. His heart started beating so fast. All the actions were involuntary. He just stood up & moved a bit. He couldn't walk much. Sucheth was now confused what to do. He had two options in front of him. He either had to leave the place as early as possible as however Shawn had no idea that his money was with Sucheth or he had to admit his mistake & give Shawn his money back. His opportunistic nature was dead against the second option. Aditya & Shawn had no clue what was he up to. They had a worried expression on their face. Finally, after much thought, Sucheth came in front of them & said, "I don't know if you both would see me the same way as you see me now, after this. And yes my friend(pointing to Shawn), you were right. If life had an UNDO button in it, I would have gone back in time and erased that moment when I was labelled as a 'thief' for no mistake of mine. If only I could erase that, then I would not have got sacked from my job, my marriage would not have got cancelled, I would not have got humiliated by my friends & finally I would not have stolen your money Shawn..."

Shawn couldn't believe what he just heard. It came in like a shocker. He was extremely angry now. But before he could react to it, Sucheth had started narrating the entire record of what happened in his life the last 3 months. He had told what had happened that day & what made him commit such an act. He continued, "At that moment only one thing was running in my mind. I needed money to come out of my problems. I saw the gate open, there was no vehicle in the parking area & moreover the door was open. I waited for 15 minutes. Firstly I went inside the house just to check if everything was intact & so as to inform the neighbours that the door was not closed. I had no intension to steal. But when I saw 14 lakh in the drawer, my mind told me to use your foolishness to my gain. So I stole 12 lakh which I required & left Bengalooru.... But trust me, I am not this very emotional kind of person. But listening to what you just said about your mother, how she had changed your life & how important that money was for you right now, I couldn't just be normal. I feel ashamed of myself now. Ìt was not necessary for me to tell you all this if I still had an intention to deceive you. I am sorry Shawn. Please take your money back." & he handovers the bag to him. Shawn had mixed emotions after getting the money back. His anger was now getting converted into a priceless happiness. He didn't speak anything. Three people just sat on that platform bench & thought about everything that happened in those last 24 hours. It was 5.30 AM. Sun was on his way to start the new day. Nature had indicated a transformation from the night to a morning. It was a perfect backdrop for a SELF INTROSPECTION.

Time: 6 AM

Thirty minutes had gone by & there was an absolute silence. All the three people were lost in thoughts. Their mind had become a battlefield for various thoughts. For one last time, it was Aditya who broke this silence. "I will tell you guys one thing." Both turned towards Aditya. "All the three of us have a link without our knowledge. Our problems are inter related. If I look back, everything that happened in this 24 hours looks so PERFECT. So perfect, that it seems like all these were MEANT TO HAPPEN. Why did we get into these problems? Why did we get that thought of running away from everything? Why did we miss our trains? Why did we all meet together in such an unexpected situation? I mean... everything just fell in place like it was some force acting behind this. It was DESTINY. We all met because we had a problem & I think we got into such a problem, only because we could all meet this day. Maybe, we were all destined to meet... For me it seems like a MIRACLE!!!"

Shawn & Sucheth nodded in agreement to Adityas statement. All the three men had a smile on their face. Aditya continued, "I now feel my problems are less when compared to yours. I am pretty sure even you guys would have felt that your problems are less when compared with the other two. I now regret thinking of ending my life. There is so much to experience & explore in this world.... Just when I was thinking, something flashed my mind. If we analyse our problems, two common factors are money & love. When you both are struggling for money every moment, my problem is I have a lot of money. I do not have people who love and respect me for reasons other than my wealth. Until I met you guys, I didn't know the plight of a common man.... So how about starting an NGO together? You both can work for this organisation with me. We shall work together with a mission. There are so many people with problems, which we cannot even think of. We can touch many lives. It seems like, this maybe our PURPOSE in life."

He looked at the other two in anticipation of their replies. He was more than happy when the other two replied, "I am IN!!" He was amazed by seeing the excitement in their eyes. It was an excitement of a new idea, a new dream & a new walk of life. He said, "So first let's go meet Shawn's mother & once the operation is done, we will start planning for this new organisation. Sucheth, I will help you pay your debts. Let's make this new dream possible guys(says in excitement)..." The Sun had made his way to start a new day. Just when he rose, to remove darkness & bring in light to the world, a new hope had already started driving these three people. Aditya finally remarked, "Just when I was thinking Life had ditched me...l fell in LOVE with it once again!!!"

So three people, having three different stories, with three different approaches to run away from them had MET & found ONE SOLUTION for all their problems. Every person who comes into our life, comes in for a reason. Every person who stays in YOUR WORLD, is there in your life only because a purpose exists. More often, the purpose is known only at the end. We all are linked to each other without knowing that fact. Sometimes it's a chain reaction. Our actions hit someone, somewhere without our knowledge. So no person comes into our life, without a DUE. If you have fought with your friend, broke up with your partner, lost money somewhere, met someone new today, it's all because it is DESTINED TO HAPPEN. Miracles do happen in life. Miracle is not only when something filmy happens in life & you come out of a problem. It is when something happens instantly, which will change the course of your journey & give a new dimension to your story.

And for these three people, what happened in THOSE 24 hours is still a MIRACLE!!!

                                                                                                              - Naveen. S.N

                                                   

"When Life Ditched Me....!!!"- Part II

                                                             (Continued)

"When things are MEANT TO HAPPEN, nothing can stop them. They say everything has a purpose. Wind blows only to reach people, clouds shower rain only to reach the earth, your heart beats every second only to make you realize that you are ALIVE this moment, after hours of sleep, you still wake up alive every morning because you have a purpose in life."

Date: 11/07/2014

Time: 4 AM

Location: Nalwar Railway Station, Near Yadgir.

It was still dark outside. After 13 hours of journey from Mumbai the train had reached Nalwar Railway Station. Aditya had a bad sleep. He was finding the journey irritating. After all, he was not used to all this. For the first time in his life, he was traveling in a train & moreover it was the first class passenger coach. A person, who was the King of an Empire a day back, was no longer interested in the luxury. It was a 15 minute halt in Nalwar station. Aditya wanted to have a smoke. It had become his best friend off late. He knew a smoke was just a temporary relief & would ruin his body but he believed that his soul had already died. He saw a Tea joint in the station and got down.

At the same time the train from Bengalooru reaches Nalwar station. 11 hours had gone by and destination was still far ahead. Shawn had not slept the whole journey. How can he get a sleep when he had committed the biggest blunder of his life? The train had halted and he came out in need of fresh air. Just when he landed on the platform, he saw a small boy with a bag in his hand running hard. The small boy crossed Shawn & he wondered why he was running so hard with a bag in his hand. Just when he was trying to figure out the reason, he saw a person chasing this small boy & that's when he realized that the small guy had stolen the bag of this person. He did not think twice, but ran hard to chase the boy. The small boy managed to cross the platform and immediately took a road which connected to the nearest village & the chase lasted for a few minutes. When the small boy knew two men were chasing him & it became very difficult, he gave up. He threw the bag to them and ran away into the dark.

Shawn took the bag in his hand & the owner of the bag came running to Shawn & said, "Sir... thank you (breathing hard). Thank you so much. I mean, if you weren't there, I would have lost this bag. This bag means a lot to me... I owe you so much." Shawn just said, "Its okay. It just struck to me at the right time." The other person said, "Sir, I really don't know how much to thank you. If I had lost this bag, I would have had no reason to live." and shrugs his shoulder. He added, "You really came in like a HERO." Shawn smiled and said, “Hmmmm... Sometimes we fail to become heroes in our own life & you are calling me a Hero. That's funny!!" Two minutes of abrupt silence followed and finally Shawn broke it by extending a handshake and said, "This is Shawn George." The other person immediately reciprocated the gesture and said, "Oh I am sorry I didn't introduce myself... Anyways, My name is Sucheth Krishnan." That's how they MET!! *click*

By the time they came back to the platform, the train had left the station. They didn’t know how to react. The station master told them that the next train to Mumbai was only at 11 AM. It was 4.15 in the morning, they had missed their train & they were now sitting idle on the platform bench of a railway station in a place they had never heard of. Reasons were more than sufficient to cause irritation.30 minutes had gone by and there was utter silence. Just on the other side of the station, there was a person sitting on the platform bench & looking at the stars. Was he searching for someone? Sucheth could recognize this man on the other side. He got up and suddenly screamed, "Its Aditya Sharma!!” & ran onto the other side.

Shawn wondered who was that person & why did Sucheth go to meet him. He didn’t think much but just followed Sucheth. Aditya had willfully missed the train. He somehow felt of staying back looking at those stars for an eternity. It gave him a lot of peace, which was such a missing figure in his life after Priya's death. The cool breeze which hit his face now & then, made him feel that his decision to stay back was apt. He was bought back to reality when Sucheth came upto him & asked, "You are the CEO of Sizzlon Group, Mr.Aditya Sharma right?" Aditya was not interested to talk to anyone. With a stern expression on his face, he just said "Not anymore." "What are you doing here? Do you know the implication of your resignation?" Sucheth asked. Aditya was raged but he did not want to reply back and take the conversation further. He just tried to ignore. "Do u know how much I lost yesterday by trading? I lost 10 lakh on a single day & you are responsible for it. Being a CEO of a Large corporate group, are you not aware that every price sensitive decisions like this must be communicated to Stock exchange prior so that investors will be protected? Do you have any idea how many people lost their money yesterday?” Sucheth had raised his voice. Aditya could not control his anger then. He shouted back, "Hey who the hell are you? If you lose your money, it’s your fate. I don't care man... First of all, I am bugged up with life. Now please leave me alone." He gets up and decides to leave that place. Just when he was about to leave, Sucheth had uttered this, "Why do you care? After all, you are a businessman... the only heartless creatures on this planet. Do you know the impact of your decisions on a common man? Do you know how a middle class guy like me feels when his dreams get shattered? Do you atleast know what is pain? Do you know what is love? All you care is about your wealth."

"Shut up!!.. Just shut up!!", Aditya screamed at the top of his voice. His voice echoed & the intensity in his voice had shocked Sucheth & Shawn. "Are you telling me about love? Are you telling me about pain? Do you know what I am going through right now? Do you know how much I love my wife?" His voice choked & he broke down completely. He sat on the bench & 5 minutes went by in absolute silence. All the three were now seated on the platform bench & Aditya started narrating his tale: "I am not a heartless businessman. Yes, Priya has taught me what love is.... I and Priya were friends from childhood. We grew up together & with time our friendship turned into love. Her parents had given their consent & we got married. As time went by, our love for each other only increased….We were a wonderful couple. We were more like friends. I lost my parents 4 years back & since then she was my only family left. 2 months back she met with a massive car accident in Mumbai. I was in Canada when I got this news. I felt numb. I couldn't move a bit. I felt like my soul was being separated from my body. My senses were lost. I couldn't react. Finally I collapsed on the ground. The love of my life had left me.... (Aditya cries uncontrollably) She was the only one I had. Is there any reason for me to be alive now? I went through a stage of severe depression. I lost interest in business. I tendered my resignation... I lost my purpose in life. Finally I decided to end my life. And here I am...sitting next to you guys & sharing my sob story!! "

Silence followed for the next 10 minutes & there was no conversation among the three. Sucheth had nothing to say. He felt bad for hurting Aditya. He kept silent. It was Shawn who broke this silence this time. He said, "Hmmm (smiles to himself)...Everyone has a story, is it?" & both of them turned towards him....

                                                      (To be continued)

"When Life Ditched Me...!!!"

"TIME changes many things in Life. Sometimes it so happens that with time, even people very close to us become strangers & many a times even strangers become so close to heart. But as they say, everything happens for a REASON."

Date: 10/07/2014

Character 1: Aditya Sharma

Time: 2.15 PM

Nation's Prime News channel reports a Breaking news: "Mr. Aditya Sharma, CEO of Sizzlon Group of companies, which is the country's major business group, sells all of his shareholding in the Company and resigns as the CEO of the Company. This news which came as a sudden shock to the Company's stakeholders & the Management has raised speculations all over in the economic market of India. Denying all the requests to address the media, Mr.Aditya rushed out of the office after tendering his resignation. The company's internal sources revealed that the resignation came as a shock to the Management & it was tendered due to Mr.Aditya's personal problems. Aditya, who is 33 years of age was termed as the "Youngest CEO" in the corporate world. Aditya had recently lost his wife in a car accident in Mumbai & was reported to have been going through a severe depression off late.

Time: 3.30 PM

Stock Market crashes!! Sensex closes at a steeping low. Aditya's resignation creates storm in the stock market. FII's (Foreign Institutional Investors) withdraw their investments & investors suffer a huge loss. When the whole world was behind this one man to know the reason for his decision, this man was already traveling to Bengalooru via train. He wanted to meet his grandparents, who were his only family left, for one last time before he bid goodbye to this life. He was a broken man. He had decided to die, as he had now lost his purpose in life. His fellow passengers did not recognize him. In fact who was he? Just a big name in the corporate world. What has he done to the common man? Nothing!!

Character 2: Shawn George

Time: 4.15 PM

He came out of the cabin after meeting the specialist. He sat on the chairs in the sideways of the lane. He seemed a bit relaxed now. 15 minutes back when he went in, his heart was pounding hard with anxiety. After all, it was his mother lying there in the general ward of Room No. 18. She was diagnosed with Pulmonary Embolism. He thought of the agony she may be going through at that moment. A tear drop in his eye and the lump in his throat made him realize how much she meant to him. He knew Jesus will always be beside him. The doctors had assured him that his mother will be operated that night. They had asked him to pay Rs.14 Lakhs in the next 2 hours, so that they can prepare for the operation.

He still remembers, 12 Days back when he was told that he need to pay Rs.14 Lakhs for the operation, he was lost in thoughts. It was his dad who came up with the idea of selling their house in the village to fund the operation. The money was now in his house. He looked outside. Sun was much brighter that day. He smiled by the thought that 12 days of continuous agony was now followed by a slight ray of hope. Suddenly he gets a phone call & the voice on the other side yells, "Shawn, where are you? Do you know what has happened?...Come to your home right now. It's urgent." & hangs up.

Time: 4.45 PM

Tears roll down Shawn's cheeks. This time it's not due to any deep pain or suffering but due to the huge amount of GUILT. Completely devastated by the series of events, Shawn decides to leave the city. He boards the 5 PM train to Mumbai.

Character 3: Sucheth Krishnan

Time: 3.30 PM

His sleep was disturbed by the knock on his house door. It was the person from the bank at the door step. He exactly knew why he had come that time. It was obvious that his loan payment of 20k p.m was due from 3 months. 15 minutes later, he left warning Sucheth that the property would be taken over by the bank if the payment of installments is not done within 3 days. It was a month since he had shaved & it was 3 months since he got sacked from his job. Just 3 months before, his life was so PERFECT. He had a lucrative job & based on that he had bought this house too. If everything had went fine in his life, he would have got married to the love of his life by now.

All of a sudden, he was suspended on the suspicion of misappropriation of cash. He was punished for an act which he was not guilty of. He lost his job after 2 months of the charge. The marriage was called off as the girl's father feared his ability to take care of his daughter after marriage as he now had a black mark in the industry. He was completely wretched now. He now had a loan of Rs. 12 lakhs to repay. Adding to his woes, he had lost Rs.10 lakhs in speculation trading today, which he believed was the only source which would absolve him of his problems. He had lost his job, his girl, his reputation & in 3 days he would lose this house too. In a sense of frustration, he leaves the house for a walk....

                                                             (1 Hour later)

Time: 4.30 PM

He knew his life would never be the same from now. He found a temporary solution for all his problems. He knew it was not right. But he had stopped caring for what is right & what is not. Once he was accused of an offence he was not part of & now he had looted Rs. 12 lakh from the house whose door was left open. He did not feel guilty at all. Instead he took shelter under the fact that he was just OPPORTUNISTIC. He did not want his conscience to call him a "Thief". He thought it would not be safe for him to stay in Bengalooru at this moment with this cash. He decided to board any train to any destination & stay there for a week & come back when things get normal. The only train that was available that evening was to Mumbai at 5 PM. He boarded that train.

So Three people, having three different problems & with three different approaches towards them have started their JOURNEY... Will they succeed? Can they move ahead in Life, even with that baggage of problems on their shoulder? What happened in the next 24 hours is a MIRACLE!!!

                                                             (To be continued)

ಆಕಾಶಕ್ಕೊಂದು ಸಣ್ಣ ಏಣಿ...!!!

                        ಆಕಾಶಕ್ಕೊಂದು ಸಣ್ಣ ಏಣಿ...!!!

       
    ಘಂಟೆ ಹನ್ನೊಂದಾಗಿತ್ತು.. ಬೇಸಿಗೆಯ ಬೇಗೆಗೆ ನಿದ್ದೆ ಬರದಂತಾಗಿ ನನ್ನ ಹಾಸ್ಟೆಲ್ ನ terrace ಮೇಲೆ ತಣ್ಣನೆಯ ಗಾಳಿಯ ಮುದ ಸವಿಯಲು ಹೊರಟೆ.. ಆಗ ತಾನೇ ಮಲಗಲು ಹೊರಟ ನನ್ನ ಗೆಳತಿಯ ಒಂದು ಮಾತು ನನಗೆ ಗೊತ್ತಿಲ್ಲದೇ ನನ್ನ ಮನಸ್ಸಲ್ಲಿ strike ಆಗಿ, ನನ್ನ ಬಹಳ ಕಾಡಲು ಪ್ರಾರ೦ಭಿಸಿತ್ತು.  "ಸದ್ಯ ಇವತ್ತು ಮುಗಿತು, ಇನ್ನು ಏಳೇ ಘಂಟೆ! ಮತ್ತೇ ಆ ಸೂರ್ಯ ಹಾಜರಿರುತ್ತಾನೆ. ಕಣ್ಣು ಬಿಟ್ಟಾಗ ಮತ್ತದೇ routine life! ಅದೇ ಅಸಾಹಯಕತೆ! ಅದೇ ಬೇಸರ...!  Hmm ನಂದಿದ್ದಿದ್ದೆ ಬಿಡು, good night" ಎಂದು ಹೇಳಿದಾಗ ಬೇರೇನು ತೋಚದೆ Goodnight ಎಂದು ಮೇಲೆ ಬಂದೆ. ಕೆಲವೊಮ್ಮೆ ಬೆಳಕಿನ ಕ್ರೂರತೆಗಿಂತ, ಕತ್ತಲೆಯ ಸೌಮ್ಯತೆ ಮನಸ್ಸಿಗೆ ಎಷ್ಟು ಹಿತ ಅನ್ನಿಸುತ್ತೆ ಅಲ್ವಾ? ಅವಳು ಯಾಕೆ ಹಾಗೆ ಹೇಳಿದಳು, ಅವಳ ಮನಸಲ್ಲಿ ಕಾಡ್ತಾ  ಇರೊ ದುಖ: ಏನಿರಬಹುದು? Infact Every person has a Story ಅಂದ ಮೇಲೆ ಅವಳು ಮಾತ್ರ ಅಲ್ಲ, ಈ ರಾತ್ರಿ ಈ ಕ್ಷಣ ಇದೇ ತರ ಯೋಚನೆ ಮಾಡ್ತಾ ದಿಂಬಿನ ಮೇಲೆ ತಲೆಯೂರಿ ಮಲಗ್ತಾ ಇರೋರು ಎಷ್ಟು ಜನ ಸಿಗಬಹುದಲ್ವಾ ಈ ಭೂಮಿ ಮೇಲೆ!! ಸುಮ್ಮನೆ ಮೇಲೆ ನೋಡಿದೆ. ಅಲ್ಲೆಲ್ಲೋ ವಿಮಾನದ ಹಾರಾಟದ ದೃಶ್ಯ ಕಣ್ಣಿಗೆ ಬಿತ್ತು. ಇತ್ತ hostel ಎದುರಿನ ಗುಡಿಸಲೊಂದರಿಂದ ಒಂದು ಮಗುವಿನ ಚೀರಾಟದ ಸದ್ದು ಕೇಳಿ ಏನೆಂದು ನೋಡಲು ಕೆಳಗೆ ಇಣುಕಿದೆ...       

          ಆಕಾಶದೆತ್ತರದಲ್ಲಿ ಅದೆಲ್ಲೋ ಕಿವಿಗೆ ಕೇಳಿಸಿಯೂ ಕೇಳಿಸದಷ್ಟು ಶಬ್ದ ಮಾಡ್ತಾ ಹಾರುತ್ತಿರುವ ಆ ವಿಮಾನದ ಸುಳಿವು ಸಿಕ್ಕಿದ್ದೇ , ಆ ಮಕ್ಕಳು ಮನೆಯ ಯಾವುದೇ ಮೂಲೆಯಲ್ಲಿರಲಿ ಎಲ್ಲದನ್ನೂ ಮರೆತು, ಅಂಗಳಕ್ಕೆ ಓಡಿ ಬಂದು ಹಣೆಯ ಮೇಲೆ ಕೈ ಅಡ್ಡ ಇರಿಸಿ, ನೀಕಿ ನೀಕಿ ವಿಮಾನ ನೋಡ್ತಾ ಕೈ ಬೀಸ್ತ ಇದ್ದ ಆ ಸನ್ನಿವೇಶವನ್ನ ನೋಡ್ತಾ ನಿಂತಿದ್ದ ನನಗೆ ಹಾರುತ್ತಿರುವ ವಿಮಾನದ ಕಡೆಗೆ ಗಮನಕೊಡ್ಬೇಕೋ, ಆ ಮಕ್ಕಳ ಮುಖದಲ್ಲಿನ, ವಿಮಾನದಲ್ಲೇ ಪ್ರಯಾಣಿಸಿದಷ್ಟು ಸಂತೋಷಪಡುತ್ತಿರುವ ಆ ಖುಷಿಯನ್ನ ನೋಡುತ್ತಾ ನಿಂತಿರಬೇಕೋ ಒಂದು ಕ್ಷಣ confuse ಆಗಿ ಹೋಯ್ತು .... !!! ಈ ಥರ ಜೀವನದ ಸಣ್ಣ ಸಣ್ಣ ವಿಷಯಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ದೊಡ್ಡ ದೊಡ್ಡ ಖುಷಿಯನ್ನ ಹುಡುಕ್ತಾ ಬದುಕುತ್ತಿರುವವರು ಅದೆಷ್ಟು ಮಂದಿಯೋ ಈ ಭೂಮಿ ಮೇಲೆ...! ವಿಮಾನ ಕಣ್ಮರೆಯಾದರೂ ಅದು ಹೋದತ್ತಲೇ ನೋಡುತ್ತಾ ನಿಂತಿದ್ದ ಆ ಪುಟ್ಟ ಹುಡುಗನ ಕಣ್ಣುಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ನೂರು ಪ್ರಭೆಯ ಪ್ರತಿಫಲನವನ್ನು ಕಂಡಂತಾಗಿ ಒಮ್ಮೆ ನನ್ನ ಮನಸ್ಸು ಎಲ್ಲೋ ತೇಲಿಹೊಯ್ತು...

           "Hmmm ಪ್ರತಿಯೊಬ್ಬರ ಜೀವನದಲ್ಲೂ ಒಳ್ಳೆ ದಿನಗಳು ಬಂದೇ ಬರುತ್ತೆ , We have to just wait for that." ಅಂತ ಅನ್ನೋದೆಲ್ಲ ಕೇವಲ ಔಪಚಾರಕ್ಕೆ ಯಾರೋ ಬಿಟ್ಟು ಹೋದ ಪೊಳ್ಳು ವೇದಾಂತವೇ ಸರಿಯೇನೋ ಅಲ್ವಾ..? "ಅಕ್ಕಿ ಮೇಲೆ ಆಸೆ ನೆಂಟರ ಮೇಲೂ ಪ್ರೀತಿ " ಅನ್ನೋ ಭಾವನೆಯಲ್ಲೇ ಬಲವಂತವಾಗಿ ಆ ಆಸೆಗಳನ್ನೆಲ್ಲ ಹಿಡಿದಿಟ್ಟುಕೊಂಡು ಬದುಕುತ್ತಿರುವವರು ಅದೆಷ್ಟು ಜನ ಇದ್ದಾರೋ. ಒಂದು ಹಿಡಿ ನೆಮ್ಮದಿಗಾಗಿ ಇಡೀ ಜೀವನವನ್ನೇ ಪಣವಾಗಿಟ್ಟಿರಬೇಕು. ಆ ಸ್ವಚ್ಛಂದದ, ಅನಿಯಮಿತ ಸಂತೋಷದ ದಿನಕ್ಕಾಗಿ ಜಾತಕ ಪಕ್ಷಿಯಂತೆ ಕಾದರೂ ಕೊನೆಗೆ ಸಿಗುವುದು ಬರೀ ನಿರಾಶೆ ಮಾತ್ರಾ...!! ಕೆಲವೊಮ್ಮೆ Life ನಲ್ಲಿ ಕತ್ತಲು ಎಷ್ಟು ಘಾಡವಾಗಿ ಆವರಿಸಿರುತ್ತೆ ಅಂದ್ರೆ, ಒಂದು ಸಣ್ಣ ಬೆಳಕಿನ ಕಿಂಡಿ ಹುಡುಕುವಷ್ಟು ಶಕ್ತಿ ಕೂಡ ಉಳಿದಿರೋಲ್ಲ...!!  ಆಕಾಶ ಮುಟ್ಟುವ ಆತುರದಲ್ಲಿದ್ದೋರು ಸೂತ್ರವಿರದ ಗಾಳಿಪಟದಂತೆ ಪಾತಾಳಕ್ಕೆ ಇಳಿದು ಬಿಟ್ಟಿರ್ತೀವಿ...!

             ಯಾವುದೋ ಬಟ್ಟೆ ಅಂಗಡಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ಬಣ್ಣ ಬಣ್ಣದ ಬಟ್ಟೆ ನೋಡಿ ಇದನ್ನ ಕೊಡಿಸು ಅಂತ ಮಕ್ಕಳು ಕೇಳ್ದಾಗ, ಆ ಬಟ್ಟೆ ಚೆನ್ನಾಗಿದ್ಯಾ ಅಥವಾ ಅದು ಯಾವ colour ಅಂತ ಸಹ ನೋಡುವ ಮೊದಲೇ Price Tag ನೋಡಿ, ಅಬ್ಬಬ್ಬಾ ಅನ್ನಿಸಿ, "ಪುಟ್ಟಾ ಇದು ಚೆನ್ನಾಗಿಲ್ಲ, ನಿಂಗೆ ಚೆಂದ ಕಾಣಲ್ಲ." ಅಂತ ಹೇಳಬೇಕಾದ ಸಂಕಟದ ಪರಿಸ್ಥಿತಿಯ ಅಪ್ಪ ಅಮ್ಮಂದಿರು, parents ನ ಸೂಕ್ಷ್ಮತೆಯನ್ನ ಅರಿಯದೆ "ಛೆ ನಂಗಿಷ್ಟ ಆಗಿದ್ದು ಸಿಗಲಿಲ್ವಲ್ಲಾ" ಅನ್ನೋ ನಿರಾಶೆಯಿಂದ ಸುಮ್ಮನಾಗಿ ಬಿಡುವ ಮಕ್ಕಳು, ಕೊನೆಗೆ ಪಾಲಿಗೆ ಬಂದದ್ದು ಪಂಚಾಮೃತ ಅಂತ ಅಂದ್ಕೊಂಡು ಸುಮ್ಮನಾಗಿ ಬಿಡ್ತಾರೆ. ಕೆಲವರ ಜೀವನವನ್ನ ಆ ದೇವ್ರು ಅದೆಷ್ಟು ಕ್ರೂರವಾಗಿ ಬರೆದಿರ್ತಾನೋ....

          ಸುಮ್ಮನೆ ದಾರಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ನಡ್ಕೊಂಡು ಹೋಗಬೇಕಾದ್ರೆ, ಕೈ ಚಾಚಿ "ಒಂದು ಹೊತ್ತು ಊಟ ಮಾಡಿಲ್ಲ ಏನಾದ್ರೂ ದಾನ ಮಾಡಿ" ಎಂದು ಭಿಕ್ಷೆ ಬೇಡುವ ಆ ಪುಟಾಣಿ ಕೈಗಳನ್ನ ನೋಡ್ತಾ ಇದ್ರೆ, ಆಗ ತಾನೆ ಆ ಸಂತೆಯ ಗಿಜಿಬಿಜಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ಗುದ್ದಾಡಿಕೊಂಡು bargain ಮಾಡಿ ತಂದ ಆ ತರಕಾರಿಯನ್ನೆಲ್ಲ ಕೊಟ್ಟು ಬಿಡುವ ಮನಸ್ಸಾಗಿಬಿಡುತ್ತೆ... ಆದರೆ ಆಗಲೇ ಜೇಬು ಖಾಲಿಯಾಗಿರುವ ನೆನಪಾಗಿ ಅವರವರ ಹಣೆ ಬರಹ ಏನ್ ಮಾಡಕಾಗುತ್ತೆ ಅಂತ ಅಂದ್ಕೊಂಡು ಮುನ್ನೆಡೆದು ಬಿಡ್ತೀವಿ. Life ಕೆಲವೊಮ್ಮೆ ಅದೆಷ್ಟು ವಿಚಿತ್ರ ಸನ್ನಿವೇಶಗಳನ್ನ ಕೊಡತ್ತೆ ಅಂದ್ರೆ.... "ಪರವಾಗಿಲ್ಲ ಬಿಡು" ಅಂತ ಅದೆಷ್ಟೇ ಸಮಾದಾನ ಮಾಡಿಕೊಂಡರು, ಮನಸ್ಸಿಗೆ ಆಗುವ ಒಂಥರಾ ಇರಿಸುಮುರಿಸು ಯಾರೊಂದಿಗೂ ಹೇಳ್ಕೊಳಕ್ಕೆ ಸಾದ್ಯ ಆಗಲ್ಲ...
           
          ಇನ್ನೂ ಆಟ ಆಡ್ತಾ ಇದ್ದ ಆ ಮಗುವನ್ನು ಒಳಗಡೆ ಕರೆಯುತ್ತಿದ್ದ ಆ ತಾಯಿಯ ಕೂಗಿಗೆ ನನ್ನ ಮನಸ್ಸು ಮತ್ತೆ ವಾಸ್ತವಕ್ಕೆ ಮರಳಿತ್ತು.. ಈ ದಿನಕ್ಕೆ ವಿದಾಯ ಹೇಳಲು ಸಜ್ಜಾಗುವಂತಿದ್ದ ಆಕೆಯ ಮುಖದಲ್ಲಿನ ಆ ಕಳವಳ, ಆ ಭಗವಂತನಲ್ಲಿ ಅನೇಕ ಪ್ರಶ್ನೆಗಳನ್ನ ಕೇಳುತತ್ತಿರುವಂತೆ ಭಾಸವಾಗ್ತಾ ಇತ್ತು. "ಹೇ ಭಗವಂತ! ಇವತ್ತು ಯಾವುದೋ ವಿಷಯದಲ್ಲಿ ಒಳ್ಳೆದಾಗಿದೆ, ಅಬ್ಬಾ ಅಂತ ಸಂತೋಷ ಪಡುವಷ್ಟರಲ್ಲೇ, ಇನ್ಯಾವುದೋ ಅಸಹನೀಯ ಅನ್ನೋ ಘಟನೆಗಳು ಸಂಭವಿಸುವಂತೆ ಮಾಡ್ತೀಯ. ಮನಸ್ಸಿನಲ್ಲಿರೋ ಒಂದು ಚಿಕ್ಕ ಆಸೆಯನ್ನು ಪೂರೈಸಿಕೊಳುವುದಕ್ಕೂ ಸಾವಿರ ಸಲ ಯೋಚಿಸಬೇಕಾದ ಅನಿವಾರ್ಯತೆಯ ಜೊತೆಗೆ, ಇವತ್ತೊಂದಿನ ಹೇಗಾದ್ರು ಕಳೆದ್ರೆ ಸಾಕಪ್ಪಾ ಅನ್ನೋ ಚಿಂತೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ನಾಳೆಯ ಕನಸು ಕಮರಿ ಹೋಗುವಂತೆ ಮಾಡ್ತಿಯ... ಅಂತು ಈ ದಿನ ಮುಗೀತಪ್ಪಾ ಅಂತ ನಿಟ್ಟುಸಿರು ಬಿಡುತ್ತಿರುವಾಗಲೇ ನಾಳೆಯ Alarm ಶಬ್ದ ಮಾಡೋಕೆ ಶುರು ಮಾಡಿರುತ್ತೆ.. ಒಂದೊಂದ್ ಸಲ ಅಂತು ಈ ಜೀವನದ ಜಂಜಾಟ ಸಾಕೆನ್ನಿಸಿ ಕೂಗಿ ಕೂಗಿ ಅಳಬೇಕು ಅನ್ಸತ್ತೆ, ಆದರೆ ಆ ಅಸಾಹಯಕತೆಯ ಕಣ್ಣೀರನ್ನ ಒರೆಸೋಕೆ ಯಾರು ತಾನೇ ಬಂದಾರು ಬದುಕಿಗೆ..ಕೊನೆಗೆ ನೀನೂ ಕೂಡ...!!"

          ಆಕೆಯ ಪ್ರಶ್ನೆಗಳಿಗೆಲ್ಲ ಉತ್ತರಿಸಬೇಕಾದ ಆ ಭಗವಂತ ಮೌನಕ್ಕೆ ಶರಣಾಗಿ ಸುಮ್ಮನಾಗಿ ಬಿಟ್ಟಿದಾನೇನೋ ಅನ್ನಿಸ್ತು... ಪಾಪ ಅವನೇನು ಮಾಡಿಯಾನು?  ಈ ರೀತಿ ಅದೆಷ್ಟು ಕೋಟಿ ಜನರು ಈ ರಾತ್ರಿ, ಈ ರೀತಿ ಅಸಹಾಯಕರಾಗಿ ಪ್ರಾರ್ಥಿಸುತ್ತಿದ್ದಾರೋ ಅವನಲ್ಲಿ?

          ಏನೋ ನಿರ್ಭಾವುಕಳಾಗಿ ಒಮ್ಮೆ ಆಕಾಶದತ್ತ ಕಣ್ಣಾಡಿಸಿದೆ. ಇಷ್ಟು ಹೊತ್ತು ಮುದ ನೀಡುತಿದ್ದ ಆ ಚಂದ್ರ ಕೂಡ ಮೋಡದ ಒಳಗೊಳಗೇ ಒಂದಾಗ್ತಾ ಕಣ್ಮರೆಯಾಗ್ತಾ ಇದ್ದ ...!!!
                 
    
                                                                  - ಮೇದಿನಿ.ಎಮ್.ಭಟ್   
                                                                                  -  ನವೀನ್ ಎಸ್.ಎನ್

Thirty Six Hours before those Seven Steps...

It is the first rains of the season that night. The rain outside the windows makes her alienate herself from the crowd gathered in her home and makes her sit by the window in her room and enjoy the rain. Everytime it rains, she wonders why can't her thoughts stop going back to him? Is it love? "Arrange Marriage...& I hardly know him", she tells to herself. A cute lil red card draws her attention yet again and she picks it up. It reads Sampriti weds Chirag. How can she forget that its her wedding the Day after? After all she has been waiting for this day since the first wedding she attended as a kid. "When will I get to wear the saree and sit there Maa?" was the question of Sampriti as a small kid wearing a pink frock. Her mom would bend down to say, "Maybe after you turn 18 and get your voter licence" & wink at her. As she enjoy the sight of each rain drop falling on the ground, her thoughts go back to all the time she had grown up fantasizing about her marriage.....The day she had dreamt of is not far anymore. It's less than 36 hours now for them to start their Journey of a LIFETIME

The first rain of the season had casted its spell on another person too. He sat there thinking of how soon time had passed by. He recalls going to school with that heavy bag, forging his dad's signature on getting low grades, searching for pickup lines to impress girls in his college & now he was getting MARRIED!! The sound of the rain drops falling on the ground & ticking of the shortest clock hand made him realise that time was indeed flying & he is at the THRESHOLD of a new life. The day when Diya ditched him & their 4 long years relationship, he thought it's the end of life. A message which he read long back started haunting him: "Someday someone will walk into your life & make you realise that why it did not work out with anyone else." He started waiting for that SOMEONE. He saw the card lying on the table. It read Sampriti weds Chirag. "Was she that Someone?", he asked himself. He didn't get his answer. But the rain gave its answer silently by filling love into the TWO HEARTS without their notice.

March 16th, 2014 is still the best day in her diary because that is the first time she met him. Her excitement knew no boundaries as thousand of thoughts ran through her mind. She couldn't stop smiling that day. But she was in a fix. What would he like? A red saree or a denim blue jeans and a black top. The confusion lasted for two hours after which she chose to wear the latter. The first time she saw this handsome fellow, he had a blank expression on his face. She wonders why? The first question on her mind was how will she greet him when he gives her a handshake & introduce himself. But when he just blurted out a vague "Hello!!" without even a handshake, she was more than disappointed. Just after 2 minutes of their formal conversation, she thinks how can he even come to meet a girl for the first time without even a gift in hand? He is such an Idiot. Isn't he?? As they settle down, she goes on and on speaking to him, without even giving him a chance to talk. Their conversation ends with an abrupt end when she tells him that she is getting late and wants to leave thinking that her one sided conversation maybe boring him as he sat there without even speaking anything. She wonders, "Why did he not ask me to stay back for some more time? Why didn't he even ask to drop me back atleast? Such an insensitive guy!!..... Yet he is so tall and handsome(smiles to herself). Hmmm... Let me take care of this guy after marriage" is what she thinks before leaving.

The rain had not stopped it's game yet and the earth was enjoying meeting rain for the first time that season. His gaze turned towards a blue shirt lying on his bed, the same shirt which she had gifted him on the day they met for the first time. He remembered that day pretty well. He woke up an hour earlier than usual. His 8 hours usual sleep was disrupted when he saw the calendar which reminded him that it was the day he is going to meet her. He reached the restaurant on time. Maybe it was time for him to understand why 5 Minutes was never JUST 5 MINUTES in Girls Standard Time :-P . He sees her coming from a distance. A blank expression on his face was enough to convey how his expectations of seeing his girl for the first time in a saree got busted. He starts thinking what must he do? Should he give a handshake or restrict himself to a Hello? What will she think? He chooses the safest option by blurting out a "Hello!!" It is when they settle down that he realises that he had forgotten the gift which he had bought for her. He felt sick when he remembered how neatly he had wrapped that gift just for her to make his first meet a special one. How can he be so stupid? he thought to himself. The conversation between them made him realise that he can just sit there, listening to her talk for the whole of his life without even saying a word. God!! she had such a sweet voice. She is such a SHOW STEALER. Her words caught his attention more than her beauty. He sat there awestruck. He wonders why did she want to leave so early that evening? But he didn't ask her. The only question which was running in his mind when he left was, "Was she that SOMEONE?"

Even the rain knew it has to stop. But human thoughts? Do they have any limitations? No!! Their chain of thoughts broke when they realised that the rain had stopped. The Earth was extremely happy meeting the rain & so were they, in anticipation of their soulmates. 36 hours just flew by & it was now time for them to start their JOURNEY OF A LIFETIME with those 7 STEPS. Walking those 7 steps together towards eternity, made them realise that Sampriti & Chirag were DESTINED to meet. Many a times we fail, trying to write our own love story without realising that God is the ultimate DIRECTOR. He rejects your script if he feels it is not bound to happen.

And for these two, it was the beginning of a BEAUTIFUL LOVE STORY, written by God:-) 

                                                                     

                                                                     - Naveen & Medini

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Welcome to our Blog “Khaas Bath & Lots More…!!!” This blog is our attempt to reach you all through our posts .   We are here to give different dimensions to everything & make you think.  Hope you like it. We would love to hear your valuable feedback.

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Naveen &  Medini