I was in CCD sipping my tropical
iceberg and thinking about what should I pen down as a love story since I had
never been in love. There was a couple sitting opposite to me, playing
scrabble. They were almost of my grandparent’s age. They asked me what I was
thinking since when. I told them about it. And here I pen down the story that
they narrated to me.
***
For Raj, it was just another night. The silver
crescent in the sky played pee-ka-boo moving through the clouds. At times it
shone brightest of all and at times it hid itself behind the clouds. The sky
wore the blanket of grey clouds because of which only the smattering of stars
was visible.
Looking at the stars, Raj just took one more puff
and the grey smoke escaped his lips and a tear rolled down from the corner of
his eye. He missed her - Amara, his love. He looked at the dark black sky and
enjoyed the gushing breeze that played with his hair. He felt as if she was
moving her delicate and smooth fingers in his hair and making him sleep. He was
just about to sleep once his 50th cigarette of the day got over as a
daily routine. Raj Sharma was a thirty-year old handsome boy with a perfect
body-built. He was an investment banker and lived alone in Ahmedabad as a paying
guest. He had the personality of the most eligible bachelor, any girl would die
for. But now, he had preferred to be alone after he lost Amara.
Amara was a girl in late twenties, her dark brown
eyes always rimmed with kohl and her tresses of darkest brown hues perfectly
matching her eyes; and her lips – baby pink and glossy. She was a beautiful girl who also lived alone
in Ahmedabad and was a painter by profession.
That night, when Raj just took the last puff of his
cigarette, he heard a soft whisper. It was a sweet melodious voice of a female,
same voice like that of Amara. He wondered where did it come from. It was late
night and everyone was fast asleep. The apartment below his own, had no female
member. And the apartment above was vacant since last 1 year. And how was it
possible for someone to have voice ditto like Amara? Was it an illusion?
It had been 1 year Amara had passed away. Yes Amara
was dead! Ironically, the meaning of name ‘Amara’ is – one who is immortal.
Raj tried to find out the direction from which the
sweet melodious voice was flowing. It was easier to trace where the melodious
voice came from, since the night was quite calm. The only sounds were
occasional bark of a dog and distant steps of workmen going back home. By now,
Raj could make out that the voice came from the apartment above. As the girl
spoke, the words seem to flow out of her mouth after getting dipped in nectar. The
girl seem to be angry and scolding someone. But even that scolding had the
sweetness.
Raj felt her voice ditto like – Amara and got lost
in his own thoughts and imaginations about Amara. Just when he was lost in his
thoughts, he was suddenly shaken up by the gush of wind.
Raj went to bed that night with the thought in his
mind – “If the voice of the girl is so sweet, how pretty the girl would be?
Would she also be having mesmerizing beauty like Amara?”
He went to sleep hugging Amara’s picture that night.
Again he saw the same dream that night, a dream that had been haunting him
after Amara’s death, since a year.
***
A
year before…
That
day, Amara was dressed in a pearl white kurti and light blue jeans. She had a
red satin scarf around her neck and her darkest-brown tresses left open. That
day, Raj was going to take her on a lunch date and was going to propose her for
marriage. They were going in Raj’s open jeep. Raj was mesmerized by Amara’s beauty. She kept giving Raj romantic
and seductive glances while Raj kept driving. The dew drops of love in her eyes
were quelling Raj’s scorching heart. Her butter-smeared lips as glossy as ripe
cherries seemed to be inviting him. He somehow managed to resist for a while
since he was driving. But then he saw, that the road was clear and the bend on
the road was a km away. So he thought of taking the chance and enjoying the
taste of those ripe cherries. He grabbed Amara from her waist and pulled her
closer and implanted a soft kiss on her lips. He felt same as if it was some
nectar that he was sucking out of the flower. Little did he know, that kiss was
going to change his entire life. The kiss became more passionate and Raj got
lost in the nectarous world, just then he heard a sudden bang. Before he could
realize where the bang came from, he saw the front glass of his jeep broken
into atomic pieces, and pearl white kurti of Amara turning into crimson red. The
truck had hit his jeep and gone by. Amara was lying in his arms, with the blood
streaming out of her skull and all her face had pieces of glasses pierced. That’s
all he could see.
Raj
himself was injured on head. And in no time he dropped unconscious with Amara
in his arms.
When
he gained consciousness, he was in Samved hospital. He was dressed in blue
hospital clothes. He had oxygen mask covering his nose and mouth. And his head
was bandaged. He was unable to move much because he felt heaviness in head. As
soon as he moved his head, he felt giddy. But all he thought was whether Amara
was okay or not and how he landed in the hospital? And whether Amara was also
admitted or not?
As
the nurse entered, with an injection in her hand, Raj asked – “Hey sister! Who
brought me here? And I had a girl with me. Where is she?”
Before
the nurse could answer, Raj’s mom entered with Ganges of tears flowing down her
cheeks and her mouth covered with her saree. She immediately came and took
Raj’s hand in hers and said – “Thanks to Ganpati bappa! You are saved. I got a
call yesterday afternoon from this hospital that you are hospitalized and I
took the first flight and came here without even packing my bags for the days I
have to spend here. You have turned so slim. You don’t eat properly. You don’t
take care of yourself. You are ruining your life. I am going to take you to
Mumbai this time with me. No arguments.”
Raj
was too much in pain to argue at that time. He just smiled and said – “Okay
Mom. But…”
Raj’s
Mom stopped from uttering a word ahead and said – “No ifs and buts right now.
Now after you heal yourself I am going to take you to Mumbai with me and there,
we will go to Mahalaxmi temple together and offer lots of modak to Ganpati
bappa to thank him for saving you. And that’s final.”
His
mother’s care melted his heart but her increased spirituality made him smile.
Raj’s
mom, Rajvee Sharma was in fifties. Needless to say, Raj being her only child,
she was very possessive about him. She had been widowed when she was 25 years
of age. At that time, Raj had been only 4 years old. She was alone but she
brought up Raj in a wonderful way as if he was a prince born with golden spoon.
Although being a single parent, she never let Raj give up his desires. She took
up the job as a teacher and worked really hard. She was bachelors in Arts. But
just to give Raj every facility, she did her Bachelors in education after being
widow so that she could work as a teacher. After doing her B.Ed. and M. Ed.,
she became a principal of renowned school in Mumbai.
She
sacrificed her own wishes so she could buy Raj the best things and best
facilities. Raj was always proud of his mother for managing everything
single-handedly and yet being so strong. So he never would go against her will.
Rajvee was a renowned principal in Mumbai. She carried herself really well. She
always remained well-groomed in her crisp cotton sarees and a personality that
depicted that she could rule the world if given a chance. She was never a
sympathy-gainer. Infact, she always believed in standing for her ownself.
In
the hospital room, Raj obeyed his mom and kept quiet for a while. But his
hurricane of thoughts didn’t pacify him and he started feeling restless and
that in turn increased his headache. Amara was the only truth of his life that
he had not revealed to his mother.
Raj
collected all the guts in the world finally and asked – “Mom. I had a girl
travelling with me too when I was driving that jeep. Where is she? Is she fine?
Her name is Amara. And mom, I am sorry but she’s my love and she’s my life
Always and Forever.”
Rajvee
started looking away as if she had not heard. She started pouring water in the
glass from the glass jug lying on the side-table in the hospital.
Keeping
her eye-lids down, she told Raj- “Please have some water. You talk a lot dear.
I told you to rest.”
Raj
resisted this time and said – “No mom! First, please tell me about Amara. I
want to know if she’s okay or not.”
Giving
a stern look, Rajvee told him – “I will tell you but first you have a sip of
water please.”
She
gave water to Raj, with her one hand holding the glass, and the other hand
resting behind his head to help him raise and drink.
Raj
just drank one sip and asked – “Now tell me mom! How’s Amara? Where’s she? Has
she also been brought here? Is she okay?”
Rajvee
took back the hand behind Raj’s head and made him sleep. She put the glass on
the side table and said plainly – “Raj, beta, I am sorry but she’s no more.”
Raj
could not believe what he just heard. He could not bear that blow and started
weeping aloud. He felt as if the world had ended for him there and then. Rajvee
held his hand and let him cry. She cuddled him up after a while and said –
“It’s okay Raj. God might have got something better in store for you. When we
go to Mahalaxmi temple, we will pray that her soul rests in peace.”
After
that episode, Raj had never smiled. Laughing was a far away thing. He decided
to stay alone and aloof in Ahmedabad with Amara’s memories and requested her
mom to bear that much for him. And looking at Raj’s depression, her mom agreed
but she decided to visit him for 15 days every month.
***
At present…
Raj’s routine is fixed since a year after that
episode. He wakes up at 6 a.m. Then he goes for a walk for an hour at the
beautiful river front constructed by the bank of river Sabarmati. Then he comes
back at around 8 and has a cup of black coffee and a brown toast and goes to
office. He works really hard and remains engrossed in work so that he doesn’t
miss Amara more. He eats canteen’s blend food in lunch and returns back home at
night 8 p.m. He again has black coffee and brown bread toast and again goes for
a stroll along the river front enjoying the calmness of the nature.
He returns back around at 10 p.m. At 11 p.m. or so,
he starts listening to the music and at times – “Love Guru” on radio on 91.1
f.m., sitting alone on the swing in his balcony. He loves the solutions that
Love Guru gives in his husky voice. And every time, he would ask a caller to
move on and forget the past, Raj would change the station. Because, maybe he
could not move on since a year and that made him feel helpless or maybe he
didn’t want to move on.
Life had been same for him since last 1 year till he
heard that sweet voice that night.
