Category: कथा

Let me go – A love story

Samar was trying to get the task done. He has been struggling with this particular task since last morning. He was about to lose his calm if he couldn’t crack this in the next half hour. This was a really unusual thing as he was popular for figuring out the quick solutions about the task which were stuck at a point. But was it really the hard-to-crack solution that was bothering him? Or was it something else? Was it what happened a day before with Sneha? Yeah, it was about her. But exactly what part of their conversation bothered him so much that he couldn’t focus on his work?

It’s been two years since Sneha and Samar started dating. Some six months before they hunted for a cosy little apartment and moved in together. It was not all lovey-dovey in these two years but they have managed to make it up to each other. They fought, even for the silliest reason but they also knew when to raise a flag for peace. They both have been working in the same company when they started dating. Within a couple of months, Sneha got a good deal at another MNC and she grabbed the opportunity. Samar strongly supported her in arriving at the decision to switch. They adjusted their life around the new change. Spending less time together was really tough. However, they got used to it.

A day before, Samar finished his work rather early and took Sneha’s favourite flowers just to make her happy after a busy day at her office. She just had started leading a new project. Just like every other new project, initial hick-ups which resulted in stress at the end of the day. So once at home, he tidied the rooms, nicely arranged the flowers in vases Sneha bought when they moved in together. He got up from the sofa and just when he got a message from Sneha “See you in 10, dear”. He knew nothing but strong hot coffee would make Sneha happy. As soon as she smells that aroma, her stress is, Puff!!!! Gone……

Exactly in 10 minutes the doorbell rang, Samar opened the door. They had set is as rule. “If another person is at home, one will not use the key to open the latch.” Seeing happy, smiling, bubbly Sneha at the door shocked him a bit. She had brought a box full of sweets. She came in, almost pushing Samar out of the way. Opened the box and fed him the sweet. She was surprised to see the flowers. It felt amazing when the aroma of brewing coffee hit her brain. Sneha refused to tell anything before they settled in with the coffee. Samar hurriedly poured their mugs and they settled in the sit out.

Sneha excitedly pulled the envelope out of her bag and put it in his hands. Samar opened it with excitement. It was a letter from her company. He was thrilled with excitement to know about the content of the letter. His face lit with joy as he read it. Her selection for on-site assignment for the new project got him excited. They decided to hit their favourite club to celebrate the offer in excitement.

It took a couple of hours for Samar to realise that this was going to be the long assignment. As they were returning from the club, the fact of a 5-6 month long on-site assignment was sinking in Samar’s head. He was quiet when they were getting back. Whenever he is upset, he goes into this introvertive cocoon. He almost stops talking. His replies shorten to one or two words. Sneha had sensed the reason behind his silence, but she chose not to push him. She knew he would take his time to get back.

Since then, Samar was struggling to accept and get himself ready for such a long period of staying away from her. He knew it was going to be the toughest patch in their relationship. He was not sure about how he was going to handle it. From yesterday morning, Samar was trying to figure out how to make these six months liveable. Sneha knew that he was not going to stop her from taking this assignment. Just when Samar was about to call it a day and head home, his phone beeped. He checked the notification. It was a video message from Sneha. With his finger tap, Sneha appeared on screen with a perfect puppy face, saying “Let me go, dear.”

Samar had found his answer…

“This post is a part of Remembering Love Blog Hop hosted by Manali Desai and Sukaina Majeed“.

Along with this,

This blog post is part of the blog challenge ‘Blogaberry Dazzle’ hosted by Cindy D’Silva and Noor Anand Chawla in collaboration with Bohemian Bibliophile.

For more stories, click here.

January 24, 2024
A trip down the memory lane…

Imagine a room of a kid who’s barely out of his teens. For the sake of the story, let’s call him Bandya. Ohh, you think it’s out of fashion name? So, shall it be Sunny? Good! So, imagine Sunny’s room. What do you see? A single bed towards a wall, flooding with all sorts of thing that you would wonder if it has a mattress on it or not. A clutter of headphones, charger cables, iPad, heap of cloths and Sunny himself. How can you even expect to see a piece of mattress with all this? This is just a one side of the room.

On the other side, a corner specially designed for ‘studying’ which has not seen much of the use. A stack of course books which would be touched only a couple of days before exams is on the table and a huge paper pile gathered over the years. Another corner is for the sporting equipment for cricket or badminton. A room is incomplete without a special nook carved for a computer desk where you would find sunny if he’s not on his bed.

The reason for which I am telling you all these details is, so that you can enjoy the story I am going to narrate. Just like us, Sunny’s mum had taken all the clutter in from her vantage point at the door. Sunny had really tested her limits this time. She sprang into action and without giving Sunny a chance to escape, she pulled him out of the bed.

“If I don’t see this cleared and tidied you are not getting lunch today. So Mr. Sunny, better get going.”, she issued an ultimatum. “Then, I’ll go out for lunch.” He tried acting smart. After giving him a cold stare for a moment, she just left the room. At the door, she turned, closed it and just bolted it from outside. Sunny was so dumbstruck with this mood that he couldn’t even comprehend what has transpired. “Want to head out for lunch? Go if you can!” she roared. “Clean it up and I will open the door.”

In a fit of anger, he too bolted the door from inside, as if he was trying to keep the whole family locked up in other rooms. He even tried throwing stuff around. Understanding the futility of the situation, he decided to clean the room at last. Even the room almost gave out a sigh with a thought of getting a much-awaited tidying up.

Sunny started pulling all the clutter down on the floor. Once everything was on the floor, he sat in the middle and started going through it. If you would have looked at the scene, you would feel like standing in a stall selling second hand things in a weekly bazaar. When he started sorting a pile of papers from the table, he wasn’t sure from when the pile was growing. It had papers almost from his first grade. While looking at all those bits and bobs, he was forgetting that he has to tidy all of this. He was losing himself in a maze of memories associated with all those things.

He could see all of his friends, and the fun they had during his school days. The pile had bunch of photos taken during birthdays, festivals. Tickets of the movies they watched; class photos taken for every year. A box of greeting cards given by friends collected which he had collected over the years. He was so engrossed in this that he lost the track of time.

His mum, oblivious to Sunny’s trip in memory land, was waiting for him to plead for lunch. When he didn’t turn up even their usual lunch time passed, she came to check up on him. She tried calling him, but no response. Sunny was so lost that he didn’t hear the calls. She opened the bolt just to find it locked from the inside. This ticked her off again and she gave up on him and bolted the door again. She went on to have her lunch and keep working according to her own schedule.

When Sunny came back from his long stroll of memory lanes, clock was showing 5PM. A growling tymmy made him realised the hunger. He just tidied everything quickly and went to the door to go to the kitchen for food. When he tried opening it but it didn’t budge. He tried again and then remembered the whole episode which had put him in this space at the first place.

He called out to his mother to open the door. She was waiting for his calls already so she rushed to his room and opened the door from outside. She started firing all sorts of questions. “What were you doing so far? why didn’t you answered when I came to call him for lun…” She almost froze in mid-sentence as she took a tidied room in. It was a shocking transformation. She just pulled him into her arms and took him to the kitchen for his much-delayed lunch. She was looking at him eating silently with teary eyes…

This post is a part of Blogchatter Blog Hop. Read more stories like this here.

January 11, 2024
And the journey begins…

Image curtsy: internet

“It seems journey just started even after 55 years of togetherness. Though I couldn’t recollect my exact feelings, as Mrs. Nandini Suhas Naik, I can recollect those li’l eyes, wandering around with all the courage I could muster while putting my very first step through this heavily ornamented heavy wooden door. In those days, with no luxury of smartphones and WhatsApp, we haven’t even spoken with each other. Just some stolen glances when your grandfather came to see me with a marriage proposal. I was hiding behind the cover of the curtain separating hall and passage leading to other rooms of my father’s house.” Nandi Aaji was telling her story to Vishavas, her 27-year-old grandson.

“My eyes used to get moist every now and then when I was getting accustomed to the traditions of Naik family. Sometimes, I think, if I would have born in this age, would it be different than those years in any way? There are some comforts, some technological advantages to bridge the gap between two houses for a newlywed bride, but I don’t think those advances will be of much help to overcome those teary moments when she misses her home, her father, her mother. You people are fortunate you have all the time to know your partner, but when I became Naik, leaving behind Deshpande part my life, it wasn’t that easy.

Don’t think I am complaining about it. I am very happy and contained for those happy days which I am sharing with your grandpa. Even though it was not customary to take the newlywed bride for an outing, your grandpa took me out, to Matheran. This trip gave us exactly the same chance we were looking to know each other as a partner for life. Indeed it was the best trip I ever had. It was that trip when I truly find my partner on whom I can rely on, in all of the lows hand highs of our lives. Those 4–5 days were the one which made my moist eyes shine again with confidence. Confidence to have a place in a new home, feeling of being part of my new family.

That was the moment of ‘And the journey begins…’. Today your Nandi Aaji telling you this, to give some foresight to look out for your own moment of ‘And the journey begins… ’ Wish you very happy life ahead. Now, go hit the bed, tomorrow is the D day. Isn’t it the way you people call your marriage day?”

October 25, 2018
चणे चटपटे!!!ऽऽऽ

संध्याकाळी दिवे लागणीची वेळ होऊ लागली की “चणे चटपटे!!!ऽऽऽ” अशी हाळी ऐकू यायची आणि पाठोपाठ ‘राधिकाची माय’ डोईवर पत्र्याचा डबा घेऊन आळीच्या कोपऱ्यावरून येताना दिसायची. संध्याकाळी धुडगूस घालून आम्ही पडवीत तिची वाट बघत बसायचो. पोटात कावळे कोकलत असायचे. राधिकाची माय घेऊन यायची ते चणे चटपटे हाच काय तो आम्हा पोराटोरांना दिलासा असायचा. आमच्यासाठीच्या पत्र्याच्या डब्याबरोबरच राधिकाची माय तिचा साऱ्या गावातून गोळा झालेल्या बातम्यांचा बटवा, धाकट्या सुनबाईजवळ म्हणजेच माझ्या आई जवळ उघडायची. चाण्यांवर लिंबू पिळता पिळता, चटपटीत बातम्यांची फोडणीपण एकीकडे सुरु असायची. तिची मळकी, ठिगळांची साडी, पिंजारलेले केस हा अवतार बघून पहिल्यांदा कोणीही घाबरलाच असता. “ती त्या पत्र्याच्या डब्यात घालून पोरं पळवते” असं सांगून तिने रोज यावं असा आमचा हट्ट होई लागला की आम्हाला दम दिला जायचा. याच भीतीपायी ते छान मसालेदार चणे तयार होईपर्यंत आम्ही आपले आईच्या पदराआड लपून बसलेले असायचो. आणि राधिकाची माय पण अनायसे बोलून जायची, “प्वोरं घाबरत्यात वाटतं मला…”

Photo credit: Ankita Singh

आजीला काही दानधर्म करायची इच्छा झाली आणि गरिबांत वाटायला १० घोंगड्या आणण्यात आल्या. अप्पांना बरोबर घेऊन १० घरी जाऊन ते वाटायच्या कामगिरीवर आमची देखील रवानगी झाली. त्या दहातल एक घर राधिकाच्या मायच पण होतं. आज त्यातलं बाकी विशेष काही आठवत नाही पण राधिकाच झोपडं मला पक्क आठवतंय. खोली म्हणता येईल का असा प्रश्न पडावा इतकं छोटंसं. आमच्याकडच्या ड्रायव्हर आणि माळ्यांची मोरी पण मोठी असेल. पण कमालीचं स्वच्छ. टापटीप! शेणानी लिंपून पोतेरं चढवलेली चूल, तांदळाच्या पिठीनी भिंतीवर चितारलेली चित्र, आणि भाजलेल्या चण्यांचा सुटलेला घमघमाट. एक फाटकी चादर अंगावर पांघरून ती खाटेवर पडली होती. अप्पांना पहिल्या पहिल्या राधिकाची माय डोक्यावर पदर ओढून सावरून बसली. अप्पांनी घोंगडं काढलं आणि तिच्या थरथरत्या हाती ठेवलं. काही क्षण विचार करून ती घोंगडं परत करू लागली. मोडकं तोडकं असलं तरी घर तिचं होतं. त्या झोपडीत ती मालकीण होती. पण अप्पांसमोर ती बोलणार तरी काय. त्यांच्या बोलण्याखातर तिने घोंगडं ठेऊन घेतलं. जाता जाता मी वळून पाहिलं तर दोन्ही हातात घोंगडं पकडून ती एक टक बघत बसली होती. हाती आलेलं हे घोंगडं बघून तिचा स्वाभिमान थोडा दुखावला गेला होता.

राधिकाची माय पुन्हा अळीच्या तोंडाशी दिसली नाही न कधी तिची “चणे चटपटे!!!ऽऽऽ” अशी हाळी ऐकू आली. गरीब भिकाऱ्यांना इतका कसला माज? आजीचा संताप झाला होता. असो, कोपऱ्यावरच्या वाण्याकडून आणलेला वडापाव खायची आता आम्हाला सुद्धा सवय झाली होती. पण अर्थात त्याला राधिकाच्या मायची खास खबरांची फोडणी थोडीच असायची. एक दिवस अचानक, म्हातारी अंथरुणाला खिळली आहे सांगायला राधिका रडत रडत घरी आली. एकदा शेवटच म्हातारीला भेटाव अशी प्रबल इच्छा आमच्या आईला झाली आणि मला आणि दादाला हाताशी घेऊन आई तिच्या झोपडीकडे चालू लागली. हुडहुडी भरवणारी थंडी पडली होती. झोपडीत आता न चणे होते, न म्हतारीत काही जोर उरला होता. चुलीची उबही कुठे जाणवत नव्हती.

राधिकाची माय आता शेवटच्या घटका मोजत होती. मी राधिकाचा हात पकडून उभी होते आणि आई तिच्या आईचा. हृदयाचे ठोके अधिकच जोरात पडत होते. राधिकाच्या मायने थरथरत्या हाताने कोपऱ्याकडे इशारा केलं. कोपऱ्यात एक पत्र्याचा डबा पडला होतं. मी तो घेऊन तिच्यापाशी आले. तिनी तो थरथरता हात माझ्या केसांतून फिरवला आणि कापत्या आवाजात म्हणाली, “तुह्यासाटीच हाये हो बाळ. घे. मला घाबरू नगस” तिनी कायमचे डोळे मिटण्याआधीच मला दादाबरोबर आईनी परत पाठवून दिले. घरी येऊन डबा उघडून बघावा तर तो गरम चटपट्या चण्यांनी काठोकाठ भरला होता. राधिकाच्या माय अशाप्रकारे आमच्या उपकरातून उतराई झाली होती. तिचा तो स्वाभिमान आठवला की आजपण मला अंगावर काटा येतो.

मोटारगाड्या, मोठ घर, आणि इतर सोविधांच्या रुपात घरी झुलणाऱ्या श्रीमंतीत आजपण दिवेलागणीची वेळ झाली की हवेत तोच मसालेदार वास दरवळतो आणि दूर कुठूनशी हाळी येते…

“चणे चटपटे!!!ऽऽऽ”

—

अनुवाद – आदित्य साठे

मूळ कथा – अंकिता सिंह

May 21, 2018
Zero Hour

It was around 2130 hours, Major Vikram rallied the bravo company around him to prepare for an ambush. Everyone on the team was already briefed and was aware of their role in the mission in the evening. Intel was heavy and solid this time. Group of insurgents was mobilizing in the forests on the other side of the border. It was moonless night, perfect opportunity to cross the border. Everyone on the border posts was alert. Major and his team at their base were getting ready, communications were getting double checked.

Major and his team at their base were getting ready, communications were getting double checked. Ammunition was loaded in a set pattern, supplies were checked. Final cleaning and assembly of their weapons of choice completed. Soon the table was cleared of all backpacks, ammo, and weapons. Major came forward and a map of the area was unfurled on the table.

Major re-briefed the plan. The border was sealed any way at every post. Every pair of eyes was vigilant for movements across the border. Strategically a gap was created in the border detail to serve as a funnel. Right across the gap, there was an open patch, big enough to dig the graves of all insurgents. Surrounded by all sorts of covers and high ground, as if they were created for this ambush only. Major had done the recce and identified the position of his troops. All the birds knew their nests. Everyone had already memorized the details of every cover and open grounds in the zone. their minds have carried out the action already in the mind space. Routine night petrol was going to be there on the regular schedule. Major asked if anyone have a doubt, none responded. Heads nodded and gathering dispersed.

Everyone was keeping their calm and there was pin drop silence. The only thing you could here was ticks of the clocks which team had already synced together at re-briefing. Radio came to life and chattered about the routine petrol communications. Everyone in the company sprang on their toes. Bravo company was cleared to start setting the ambush. Zero hour has started.

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Today is the last day of A to Z challenge with Blogchatter, day 26. Z is for “Zero hour”. You can find my other posts from this challenge here.

April 30, 2017
Table for two

Sketch by Natoly

It’s 9-30 am, first Sunday of August. Hakuna Matata is a cozy little place on the busiest part of the town. It’s famous in the town for their delicious breakfasts and amazing coffee. Being early Sunday morning, streets are rather quiet. As luck would have it, it’s drizzling. Just like a year ago. Kishore is waiting for Ramaa, right at the corner, where he was waiting last year, in blue denim and white shirt. White and blue, her favorite combination. They had planned this celebration breakfast last week only. It was his idea to celebrate the anniversary on first Sunday of August rather than on the date. Kishore knew he is 15 min early as usual and Ramaa is going to be late. She loves to make him wait.
Kishore enjoyed these waits, even today, he is imagining how her entry would be. Will it be like it was a year before, or will there be something different? After sharing nice friendship for a couple of years, Kishore has opened his heart on the first Sunday of August last year. Kishore’s mind flew back to last August.
Kishore was very nervous when he reached the cafe. He had decided to take this step with a tension of losing her friendship. He had arranged morning coffee with the very specialty of Hakuna Matata, delicious crisp parmesan omelet. He knew her love for cheese and coffee. He was dressed in very casual jeans and a t-shirt. He had booked the table by the same window out of which he was waiting very eagerly.
After making him wait for half hour, Ramaa showed up at the place. They shook hands, followed by side hug and he led her to the table he had kept ready for them. Soon they were seated, the waiter greeted them and served the coffee. Ramaa was shocked by this prompt service. Hakuna Matata was famous for delayed service. It was the exact reason for it being famous among couples and people who wanted to have long chats. Aroma of coffee hit the brain and she thanked Kishore for coffee and sipped it. Kishore was almost frozen in his mind as the moment of confession was nearing. He was almost silent.
Ramaa on the other hand, unaware of the storm in his mind, was busy chattering as usual. But suddenly it ringed in her head and she paused. She spanked his hand and asked, “Kishore, what’s happening dude, not a word since I am here? Have you left your tongue at home?” and suddenly he burst out, “Ramaa, will you be my girlfriend? I love you very much”
This was not anything like Kishore had imagined. The moment passed, words were out and now he couldn’t change it at all. He was cursing his tongue, why didn’t he just kept silent like he was before. His face was almost flushed with helplessness. Ramaa was also stunned and jaw dropped for a second and the wave of laughter hit her. She was laughing like mad. Kishore was getting restless with her laugh. He was about to leave the table to hide. Suddenly, Ramaa stopped laughing. She held his hand and she said: “I love you too, Kishore”. Kishore relaxed instantly and color returned to his face. She held his hand and pressed warmly.
The warmth of hand brought him back to present, Ramaa was standing next to him in a white dress with blue floral design. Her face was glowing with a beautiful smile. He welcomed her with a warm hug. He presented her a bouquet of white lily and took her in the cafe. Kishore had reserved their “Table for two”

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I am participating in A to Z challenge with Blogchatter and this is my take on day 20 challenge. “Table for two”. You can find my other posts from this challenge here.

April 24, 2017