The Long Karaoke Nights

 As I was driving home after dropping her home, listening to the radio I remembered the amazing memories we have with the radio and it is of them that I will be talking now.

    I remember it was a little more than three years ago, I was on the phone talking to Nidhi and suddenly accidentally I put on the radio in my room and some song was playing, I can’t recall which one but I know it was some funny song because I told her to put the same station and she did and before you knew it we were singing together (I think it was a Honey Singh song). Then we sort of shifted stations to look for a decent song and whoever found the song first would  tell the other one and again we would sing together, it was pure joy.

  Looking back I realize that those karaoke sessions were one of the happiest times of my life. I used to come to my room every night at around 11ish and would just bide my time, waiting eagerly with a lot of restlessness for that phone to ring and smiling gleefully when it did and then we would just put the radio on and start singing to the songs there. We got so lost in the melodious flow of music that sometimes when we kept the phone down it would almost be dawn and hours since we started, Infact a couple of times we actually made it till down, singing the night away (me with my hoarse voice and she with her beautiful voice). I used to be bouncing around from one corner of my room to another just to make sure I had network connection and so the call wouldn’t get cut, while singing side by side. Sometimes the network would just be in one corner where I sat on the floor for hours, singing myself but mostly because I was lost in an enchanting lullaby like voice of hers and apart from an aching buttock I had no regrets because I felt our bond growing stronger and that was something I liked very much.

   Everyday we used to look for songs but we had our favorites, songs that we would look for till we found them. Like Jiyen Kyon by Papon was one which I think we heard every night for atleast two weeks. Then we both are Coldplay fanatics so that was a must.  I remember there was this RJ who is doing pretty well now but we could not stop laughing over him. That guy is too funny; he would talk in this really seductive voice (or try to) and he would call people and talk to them about their love life issues and give them the weirdest advice ever. I mean he was like the KRK of radio but just in a much more seductive voice and he was limited to love. He would talk of love in a love drunk way and then play love songs, just hilarious.

  Singing with that wonderful woman those days made me realize how much she meant to me because I would give my sleep up for no one but those days I did and for her I still do (except when travelling in a bus). I can still hear that voice singing and maybe I will tell her that we should start this practice again. It is utter bliss.

They say its over.

So my college is done with (more or less) and its time to become an adult now. The best part of our life is over, school is over and so is college and its time to struggle now ,to earn now to get so busy with our work that we forget to breathe, that we forget to keep in touch and that we forget that there was ever a place called college where we had the time of our lives and where we met wonderful people. So before we forget let us remember all those who made this journey beautiful. So here I present a short recap of my college life and I hope you find your moments in here somewhere.

I entered college and I found it hard to talk to people. I basically had no motive to come to college but attendance. I had no friends, even though I used to play basketball with Devas, Mizan, etc but they were never really friends and that had something to do with the fact that I was a bit reserved. I remember coming to college with my headphones on and that was the way I stayed practically the whole day, that is if I stayed in college the whole day which was a pretty rare sight. I remember I even had to sign an attendance bond to give the first semester.

By the start of the new semester I had found a few friends. I remember our maths teacher assigning Abhishek to teach me some concepts and as it turned out rather than him teaching me I was telling him jokes and that guy was so fed up by the quality of the jokes that he wound up laughing not on the jokes but at the confidence at which I was cracking them. He became a really good friend at that time. Then through him gradually I became friends with Akshit, who is one of the most helpful guys I know. Whenever he can help you he will without a doubt. I also became friends with Raj who is one of the funniest guys I know and at the same time is a big harami. I remember he telling me totally the wrong course for the stats exam and he also studied the same and we both got a back. We had a few problems in the middle but till date he is one of the few people that I genuinely respect and enjoy his company.

I was at home for most of the third semester only coming to college in October and the first day that I came back the first memory is of Devas getting up and asking the whole class to clap for me in the most sarcastic of manner. In this semester a lot changed for me in college, I had a stronger bond with my friends and added three of the most amazing people in Mamta, Devas and Gautam to my friends. More on them later.

College was an amazing place to chill even when I didnt have many friends in the first semester I remember going to FOG with Devas, Gaurav, Yuvraj and Mizan and me and Mizan just beat those three in FIFA comprehensively. Then going to Vspot almost every week with Abhishek Akshit and Raj or be it going across college to eat rolls almost everyday with Devas and Gautam or going to "some place nice."The memory which stands out is the one where Devas me and Gautam played 1000 rs less on a bill and literally went running through the restaraunt and the streets of Khan market. I have had some of the most awesome times on trips be it Kasauli with Abhishek Gautam Devas and Nidhi or be it Manali college trip which was just a new level of crazy.

Some of the people I wished I had known better:

Sumedha- You are the most chilled out person I have ever known.  No qualms about talking to anyone whatsoever. We share such a similar choice in music and I really really wish you make a successful singer. Uncle Uncle sooji hai? Forever.

Sakshi- I remember you sitting behind me on the first day of college and you were talking to someone and I was thinking how much can this girl talk. Then one memory is of you in the metro asking me how long have I been in a relationship and I was like 2 months and you said arre fir toh ho he jaega break up and I thought ye badi random ladki hai. But gradually as I saw you more in class I noticed that tu boht mast ladki hai and please waise he rahio. More recently I remember that you asked me if I wanted to copy your answer in the logic test and I love such friends! May you go scooba diving and keep in touch!

Mizan- Canvas turbo rocks and so does Manchester United. Also I find your cats too cute.

The three best people now!

Devas: Well what can I say about this guy? I remember him being the funniest guy in class since day one and i remember calling him from time to time to do certain mimicary. But I really became friends with him in the third semester where he became really close to me. He is one person you can always call when you feel low and he will just make you laugh and laugh. Sometimes he gets on your nerves as he is bloody self obsessed but nonetheless I have grown immune to him and his friendship I hope to cherish for life.

Gautam: Well the first memory I have of Gutam is him filling an attendance bond with me and he has always accompanied me on the road of studies. We start one night before the exam and we finish the course together on the phone. Me and Devas have really enjoyed getting his attendance cut and spoiling his name for the teachers on every occasion. But he has offered me some really crucial advice on crucial issues which has helped me a lot and still helps me and for that I hope to have him as a friend forever.

We three have formed the best "group" ever. We take peoples cases together and when there is no one to mock we mock each other to no ends. 

Mamta: Last but never the least the most beautiful girl in college. I regret it so bad calling her a sister because she is so pretty. I remember telling her "she looks pretty today" everyday that I even stopped saying it because it was obvious. She is the most helpful person ever, she will do assignments for you and not say a word, she will keep reminding you to study which I will always refuse. The first memory I have of her is of a shy girl who never speaks and has a lovely smile but boy when she opened up she was a volcano of words. I will miss you so much but I wont because we will keep in touch. I love you.

These were the best years of our life and these three made it all the more special for me.
Best of luck to the best class and don't forget the tall boy who always had headphones on.

For all those who are just beginning college a few words for you.
I've learned one thing and that's to quit worrying about stupid things. You have four years to be irresponsible here, relax. Work is for people with jobs. You will never remember the time in class but you will remember the time you wasted hanging out with friends. SO stay out bloody late. Go out on a Tuesday when you have a paper due on a Wednesday. Spend money you dont have, drink till sunrise just dot worry about parents, permissions or what people will think or what your teacher will think or about that assignment or that weak subject because worrying and work never ever ends, but college does.

The Modi factor.

If you are an AAP supporter there is stuff of your interest right at the bottom.

So elections are hitting most of the country tomorrow and we probably all believe that its “abki baar modi sarkaar” and 90% this is going to be the case. Well this is the best scenario for the country isn’t it? Mr. Modi certainly knows how to move a crowd, the BJP will bring about the development they have been talking about for ages now and well overall everybody believes it is going to be great for the country as what is done in Gujrat will be replicated in the nation.

  Well Lets just take a minute to analyze Modi and his party BJP. First of all,the so called hype over the development of Gujrat. A big reason for Modi love is, many of us think, wow, "Development" and "progress". "Modi really developed Gujarat - I want India developed". Again, the truth, as everybody has pointed out - is that nothing spectacular has happened in Gujarat in all these years of Modi rule.

Sure, Gujarat has done one or two things well; it is average or below average on loads of other things, and it is terrible on one or two things. You could perhaps grade the state government as a "C" on its report card. Average to below-average.

Many states, Bihar included, did far better. What you're seeing is a PR campaign, well-funded, and with a lot of print and TV fluffing it up. Oh, by the way, the HT owner - a Congress MP - has his child married into the Ambani family too, if you're looking for even more conspiracy fodder here . If you are actually looking for a CM who developed a state you need not look further than Nitish Kumar in Bihar. The state is India’s poorest state, yet along with developing infrastructure(which Gujrat honestly has done fantastically well) he has also developed health and education sectors which are essential to sustain growth over a period of 30-40 years and not 15 years. (Gujrat’s spending on these sectors is second lowest in India.)

  Then why many of us love Modi is purely because of the anti-congress wave in the country. The country is sick of corruption, scams and god knows what else. But lets just step back a minute even though the UPA terribly screwed up in the last 5 years, lets not forget their first term where they actually were very good for the nation. Furthermore please stop kidding yourself that the BJP is not corrupt! Heard of the Ambani family?

The thing is, we don't see deeper that the hidden figure behind the Congress' corruption - Mukesbhai - is the same guy who has since decided to support and bring in a BJP government, one that will again jump to its whims and fancies, till you get tired of it too, 5 or 10 years from now.

And Ambani has done it indirectly, through the media he owns: First Post, First Biz, CNBC, Lokmat, Awaaz, CNN IBN, NDTV, ETV, 9x and more.

And directly too, via his cousin-in-law, if there be such a term - Saurabh Patel - running the Petrol, Energy, Mines and Tourism industries in Gujarat - all of the more corrupt ones. The Mining Scam in Gujarat is a Rs. 2,000 crore loss to the state government, and the gas price scam is Rs. 25,000 undeserved crores every year in Mukesbhai's pocket. Arvind Kejriwal thus had every reason to file an police complaint against Mr. Ambani for the gas which should be sold at Rs.3-5 is being sold at Rs.15 per kg.

But we can and probably should leave even these issues aside as to be honest if miraculously the UPA does get a third term, there will be major screw ups from them too. The main point is the ideology of the man and the party he represents. Firstly if people say can you move on from the 2002 riots, I really don’t think I can move on from such a mass massacre, but in any case enough has been said about that. The thing is the BJP doesn’t want us to move on with Modi’s best friend Amit Shah asking us to vote for him if we want revenge for our Hindu brothers, well someone tell him the bloody national pledge which says “All Indians are my brothers and sisters.” Then there is Mr Shah and Modi again snooping on a girl for no rhyme or reason.

  Moreover you have to understand if there is a BJP candidate in your area who actually has done work and deserves to be voted for you should vote for him. But wait Mr. Modi says “aapka vote seedha mujhe aaega” I mean seriously?  Its plain to see that Rahul Gandhi is a “shehzaada” but its even more clearer to see that Modi is Hitler. He literally has no care for his party and the party increasingly has become a one man party. Its not abki baar bhaajpa sarkaar but Modi sarkaar, then you have leaders like Sushma Swaraj and Advani sidelined completely and a great man in Jaswant Singh banned altogether. It’s a shame that Vajpayee isn’t there anymore. In him you had one of the best PM’s this country has seen and I have nothing but respect for him. (He wanted Modi removed as CM of Gujrat in 2002. Just saying)

Then coming to the party itself, they really need to outgrow this Hindutva motto now. This is 21^st century India and you just cannot be about one religion and totally anti anyone else. The manifesto of the party said “If we come to power India shall be a home of persecuted Hindu’s.” Have the others really committed a crime by being of another religion. Then the BJP is perfectly fine with section 377 of the constitution and they have supported it on countless occasions, with party president Rajnath Singh saying “ Being gay is against being Indian.” Also a major issue is women safety  (the congress has failed pathetically here no doubt.) but you forget that it is the BJP and RSS who have said on countless occasions that girls in short skirts and sleeveless tops provoke the rapists and it is as much their fault as the rapists, and then they literally enter pubs and beat up women, saying women shouldn’t go to pubs. ( Beating up women is to be Indian!). Then there is the situation in Bangalore where for an eatery to be open after 10. Pm is illegal and they literally ask you to leave your meal mid way as the BJP workers break their shops if they don’t close.

Then it comes to leadership. "Man, what a commanding presence this guy is, what a leader." Well, Modi certainly seems to have turned India into a Presidential form of government, with every message - including "Ab ki baari" being about him and not the party or its principles or its candidates. While I don't have an issue with egoism itself - I personally dislike egoistic folks, but others seem to like such people - perhaps one should ask, who is leading him from behind, and where is this gent going to lead us to?

Is this leading to more money for Reliance? More freebies for Adani? The manifesto just came out today and it seems to be saying "We'll do quite a bit of what the Aam Aadmi Party says, plus in addition we're going to screw the Muslims".

6. Which probably brings me to the point that few seem to talk about. "Modi showed the damn Muslims." Many of my Hindu friends say it after a drink or two. It's some matter of pride, perhaps. Maybe Modi-love is really about Hindus taking revenge centuries after the Mughals screwed us over.

Which is also the perhaps the reason why the rabid RSS and even more rabid VHP have pushed Modi down the throats of the once-apparently-secular BJP. (Yes, yes, some fake account will come by and say "sickular" as though being secular is sick.It's in our constitution. You've heard of that thing, right?")

Modi is a RSS man, and will support every RSS belief. Being gay is a crime. So forget about Section 377 being repealed in the BJP tenure. Women being equal to men cannot be tolerated, because that idiot Manu said so in his Smriti. The country can't eat beef, because of some silly chant like "gaai hamaari maata hai", even though were were traditionally a beef-eating country.

All of this is just a Hindu version of religious fundamentalism in Pakistan or Saudi Arabia. And it's just as nauseating. This is Hindu Sharia - rule by the demented old farts in khakhi chaddis, and nothing else.

And remember, Modi's rise started only after the direct support, shielding and protection of the Hindus who killed over a 1,000 innocent Muslims in Gujarat. That wasn't a Hindu movement - it was a goonda movement in the name of Hinduism. That let him take the "Hindu Hriday Samrat" crown away from the equally racist Bal Thackeray. That made him the RSS's new point man for the Hindufication of India.

When it comes to that, I really have only one defence or alternative to suggest. If you're a rabid Hindu who believes India should be Hindu and the rest of Indians - Muslims, Christians, or even Atheists and Agnostics like me should not be tolerated, then say so openly. Carve out a different country for yourself, - and go there.

India's constitution doesn't support you and your beliefs.

And don't tell me you're a patriot. You're not. You're a Hindu zealot.

Sure, you can love Modi. You can even make him one of the darn Shankaracharyas if you like.  (sure you do know about all the wrong facts at his speeches.)

I suggest and of the personal view that probably AAP should win a certain number of seats so that everyone in this country actually does their jobs, knowing that if they don’t there is someone rising out of nowhere, For all of those who said AAP ran away from governance in Delhi. Here are some facts on AAP (Taken from Mahesh Murthy)

let's take this "AAP ran away from Delhi" allegation. Here are the facts, should you choose to consider them at all:

* AAP did not win the most seats in Delhi. It won 28 out of 70. The BJP won 31 and had 1 external support. The Congress had 8. No one had majority.

* The BJP declined to govern when it was asked to. It "ran away", and not the last time either as you'll see. The assembly was in limbo, if you remember. There was talk of re-polls.

* The Congress offered AAP support from the outside -do note, the AAP didn't ask for it. The AAP said "Hey, if you agree with us on the 18 laws we want to change, and if you agree in writing to support them, then we can break the deadlock and give Delhi a government. Else we are happy to stay where we are or go for a re-election."

* The Congress - perhaps fearing a re-election where they would win even less, said yes, in writing.

* The AAP formed the Delhi government with the outside support of the Congress. In the first 7 weeks they passed 16 of the 18 laws they had promised to pass. This itself is unprecedented, if you choose to see it as such, and some sort of proof of governance, again if you choose to see it as such.

* The two laws they could not pass, because of staunch opposition from Congress and BJP, were the Jan Lok Pal bill and the Swaraj Bill. The Congress by now had gone back on its written word, and they teamed up with the BJP who were also afraid of their corrupt netas and even more corrupt sponsor Ambani being found out, and opposed these bills.

* Perhaps the tipping point was the FIR filed against Mukesh Ambani and Reliance for attempting to steal Rs. 25,000 crores from the coffers through artificially inflated gas prices. In a clear show of who actually directs the Congress and BJP, both parties came together 3 days after the Ambani FIR to vote down the AAP-proposed bills and in effect, end the AAP government.

* Faced with this, the AAP had a choice - they could either compromise and govern Delhi under the proxy thumb of the Congress-BJP-Reliance combine - or they could resign and seek a fresh mandate from the people- and get the 36+ seats they needed, to rule Delhi the way the voters wanted.

* The AAP resigned and asked the Lieutenant Governor to call fresh elections right away to see if they could the full mandate to govern without compromise. This was a few months ago.

* At this point, both the BJP and Congress, in unison protested and said they were too busy doing other things to care about fighting elections in Delhi. In effect, both of them ran away again. So Delhi suffers under no rule right now - but this is not because the AAP ran away. It's because the BJP and Congress did.

* And currently that's the situation. The AAP wants elections in Delhi. It believes it can clearly win a majority by itself. The Congress and the BJP are the "bhagodas" in Delhi, unwilling to face the electorate for the state legislative assembly right away.

* What they are hoping for, perhaps, is to try to win some presence in Parliament and then buy AAP legislators over to their side later. They believe the more they can delay elections in Delhi, the more they can create fear, uncertainty and doubt to try to get voters back to them.

Now these are the facts about who ran away and who didn't. These might be useful, should you choose to get facts into your consideration at all, or should you want to share this note with others who might have a different understanding of what happened.

Nonetheless even if you do like Modi after all this, please do go vote. Because if you don’t vote you have no right to criticize anyone so do go vote.

A Drowned Relationship

Little Amara sat on the pebbles by the Beas, watching the ferocious river tear its way through the landscape, down the slope to the valley below. It was quite a sight for a six year old and she was enjoying it to the fullest by sitting right next to the edge and was quite brave to do so as the slightest of slips would mean her getting taken by the river, taken to a point of  no return. Even though her parents were a bit worried they knew that she would not listen in any case, she was a wild spirit who could not be tamed. She was a reckless girl but not a careless one. Reckless because she had no fear of what would happen to her, she just wanted to live to the fullest. She once climbed quite high a Neem tree next to her house in Delhi just to see what the view was like with no regards to her age or the danger of falling down.

   Right next to her on the banks sat her little brother Viraj who was half her age. He adored his sister, and those two were inseparable. Amara felt very protective of her little brother and was very emotionally attached to him. She used to spend the entire day in his company and never really let him out of sight and since joining school she runs to him as soon as she gets back. They did everything that kids do at that age, much of which was watching cartoons together for long. As their parents saw them play with each other a smile came upon them, this was their first vacation as a complete family and they could see it being a success.

  It was almost dark and time for them to return to their hotel, they told the children that they would be leaving in five minutes and they seemed to be ignorant of this. They were lost in each other. The sun had set and it left in its tail an orange haze in the sky, the lush green hills had a much darker shade to them now. The orange of the sky was reflected in the river in a somewhat ruffled way due to the speed of the water. One could see many flocks of birds returning home against the backdrop of the sound of the water. It was an alluring setting that nature offered. Yet the two siblings were splashing water on each other and fighting playfully paying no heed to their parents or the scenery, for them ignorance was truly bliss.

 It was time to leave, the mother started walking towards the car to put in sheet they had been sitting on to avoid getting muck on their clothes. Amara got up and said “first to the car gets to sit in front” and as that meant quite a bit, Viraj got up in haste and then, disaster struck. As he was getting up, he stepped on a loose rock and tripped and within seconds he was carried away by the sheer velocity of the current. As Amara looked on in shock, too taken aback to even scream, their father wasted no time and jumped in after his son as if something was not done Viraj would surely collide against a boulder which would be his demise. Their mother came running right to the edge and screeched for help, Amara soon followed, but there was no one around and even if there was it was too late anyways as the father and son were already out of sight.

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  Three hours after the incident a rescue team was searching for the two missing men downstream. They found no luck for atleast 5 hours after which the mother and daughter were advised to go back to their hotel. There was stunned silence on both the faces. The mother knew that 8 hours in that current and it would be practical to assume the worst as it would take more than a miracle to avoid those rocks and still be breathing and as for Amara, she was drowned in guilt and in her mind she was responsible for the possible death of both her father and brother and that was a harsh burden to bear, especially for a six year old, a burden she would bear for years to come.  

  A day later as they were in their room and their hopes hung on a thin thread, the news was delivered. Amara was lying mute on the bed, her body had no more tears to shed and their mother had not even shed a tear as she was in shock. They heard a knock on the door, and almost mechanically without any emotion Amara got up to open the door, she was too scared to hope, to even think that it could be good news. Her fear was well placed, as the person brought tragic news with him. “Ma’am there can be no good way to put this, so I will come to the point. We have found the body of Mr. Chopra. He passed away due to his head smashing against a boulder and subsequent drowning; we need you to come to the police station to claim the body. I am so sorry for your loss. The body of your son could not be found and I would say it is time to assume the worst. I am sorry again.”  With that pile driving news the man went on his way, leaving Amara motionless and the Mother had the same blank expression as though she had not yet heard the news.

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      As Amara entered the house from the market she saw her mother had already come home from work and rushed to the kitchen to get her some water. Her mother seeing this let out a smile thinking to herself how much her daughter had grown up since that unfortunate incident three years ago. Of course the void left by her husband and son could not be filled ever and even Amara knew this but she tried nonetheless and her mother sometimes wondered if this was because of the fact that she held herself partly responsible for what happened that day, her mother however didn’t share this feeling of hers.

   In the three years that had passed a lot of things had changed. First of which was that they moved to Mumbai from Delhi, selling of their lavish house in Chanakyapuri. They did this as that place had too many memories of a happy complete family and the trauma was too much to deal with. They had to move on with their life and fast. Luckily Amara’s father had left behind enough savings and the house fetched a lot of money to help them start anew. Her mother wanted no connection with that life and luckily they hadn’t too many relatives, just a few friends without telling whom they had moved to Mumbai. The mother had a good education and was working before she conceived Viraj and now worked as a marketing manager in an MNC. Amara went to a decent school here and was decent in studies. But things were not always so rosy for her. She still held herself responsible for what happened to her brother and father but to a much less degree than at the start of their stay in Mumbai. She used to have nightmares and hallucinations, and the only thing that kept her from killing herself was the will to not abandon her mother. Luckily for her too, her mother was a strong woman, she took sometime but eventually learned to carry her grief with her and move on for the sake of her daughter. With time things got better and even though they will never be the same, it’s safe to say that they held their own. Over this period the mother and daughter bonded a lot. They would go for evening walks along the seaside or go for movies together and her mother would try to be the father too. Likewise Amara too tried to fill in for Viraj and helped in all the household chores. They weren’t the ideal family, but they certainly showed inspirational resolve to overcome their immense misfortune.

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  As Vikram came home from the temple with his mother, he straight away ran to his father who had promised him a chocolate if he went to the temple along with his mother. As his father fulfilled that promise the ecstatic joy he saw on his sons face was an immense source of happiness to him. Even though Vikram was adopted he was always treated as their own son, and he also accepted them as his parents. His adopted parents could not have a child of their own and so adopted Vikram. The reason they chose Vikram from the orphanage three years ago and not any other child was partly due to his extraordinary story. Vikram’s real parents were never known even to the orphanage.

     One evening after sunset a couple who lived right at the outskirts of a remote village by the banks of the Beas, saw something flowing down the river at rapid speed. At first they saw just a man who was just going with the flow of the river doing nothing to stop. His head was bleeding and was most probably dead by that time and then they saw a very young boy also going the same way, but he was miraculously alive and as luck would have it, he got stuck in the fishing net the couple had set up for their evening meal. Immediately the man rushed to save him, and save him he did. However the boy was unconscious for three days he phased in and out of consciousness. On the fourth day when he was in his senses, the couple asked him about his family but he was in too much of a shock to say anything. He knew his father was dead, he saw him die in that river and that was too much to take. After about a week he opened his mouth when the couple asked him his name for the umpteenth time and all he could muster was “V……” and the same again and again. They went to the local police station to report this. The police however in this forgotten village was lazy, incompetent and insensitive and hardly put in an effort to locate his family. This couple was a poor one and could not take care of him, so they sent him to an orphanage, where he was named Vikram as that name started with  ‘V’.  He had a quiet stay at the orphanage for about a year before he was adopted by his new parents. He took some time to warm up to them, but once he did he took them as his own.

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It was a very important day in the life of Amara. She went to her mom and asked her how she looked. “You remind me of me in my young days, your father would have really liked to see you like this.” The mention of her father brought a slight smile to her face. The smile was of both wonder and pain. She missed her father a lot and sometimes spent nights wishing he was there, even so she wondered what he would thought of her wearing this blood red sari. Though she still missed her dad, in the 16 years that had passed since his tragic demise she had been able to overcome the guilt and finally accept that his and her brother’s death was not her fault and was an accident.

   In the past 16 years her mother had worked extremely hard to be able to maintain their financial security, there were a lot of late nights and early morning flights or long hours at the office but Amara could see that it was all worth it. She had lived a comfortable life for someone with a single mother, that too in an expensive place like Mumbai. Today Amara was graduating from college and would take her first steps towards adult life. She had topped her college with amazing grades and had got a job in a leading marketing firm. She knew that her mother was proud of her and more importantly she was proud of herself, because her mother had recently told her that now that she will be earning that her mother will resign within a year as she was now tired of running the house for more than a decade and wanted to relax now, she was just waiting for Amara to be well settled in her new environment. As Amara left the house for her graduation ceremony she looked up to the sky and wondered for a fleeting moment if her father was seeing how grown up his little girl had become.

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 Vikram was leaving for Chandigarh railway station. He was leaving his home to start a new journey in Delhi. He had got admission in Delhi University and was excited and anxious to start college life. His parents had come to see him off. His father had initially been against him leaving home and had suggested that he choose a college in Chandigarh only, however he agreed once Vikram gave him the practical reasons about the quality of the colleges. His mother had packed some food for the short train journey. She kissed him on the head as he bent down to take her blessings and his father did the same.

  Sometime later as he was in the train, looking out at the passing fields, but he was totally oblivious to them, there could have been the sea instead of the fields and he still would not notice, he was thinking of his parents, his biological parents. He thought where his mother and father were, were they alive, if so why they did not find him. Did they think him dead? He was missing something, he could not remember their faces at all, there was someone else also in the family, someone who he was very close to, probably even closer than his parents but he could not remember who, he was thinking hard and suddenly her face came before him as clearly as though it was only yesterday that they were sitting beside the river, his sisters face was before him but before he could try to remember more the train had reached its destination.

      His mother had arranged for him a pg in Delhi. It was a small house but was in a decent locality and was clean. He had another roommate with whom he thought he would get along well enough.  He intended to study hard and was looking to earn straight after college without doing a post graduate course. He wanted to start early as he did not want to live off his parents income for much longer as he felt much indebted to them for raising him up as their own.

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  The news was both good and bad. Amara was going to Delhi, she had been made the head of marketing in Delhi after 3 and a half years of faithful service and would get a significant pay rise and would get a lavish apartment to live in. However on the other hand she would have to leave her mother, an idea she was not very comfortable with. Her mother had practically raised her up on her own and now when it was time for Amara to take care of her, she was moving out for her own reasons. She felt selfish, but her mother soon talked her out of it, as she usually did in such situations. Amara was going to Delhi it was decided, the place where it all began. She however also convinced her mother to move there once she was settled, she told her mom to sell off everything in Mumbai and to move in with her in Delhi, their home.  Her mother was highly reluctant to move back because of all the memories of her husband and Viraj, but she loved her daughter ever so much and agreed.

  As Amara was at the airport saying her goodbye, she saw a certain sadness and fear in her mother’s eyes. “ It will be alright” she said. “I have a good feeling about Delhi, please come soon.” Her mother nodded her head and Amara kissed her on the forehead and was off. As she sat in the waiting room, she admitted to herself that even she was really anxious about going back somehow, even though no one waited there for them she was anxious in a way that she did not seem to dislike.

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  As Vkram came home from his internship he was in a gleeful mood the reason was simple he had got a permanent job with the MNC he had been interning with. Vikram had topped his college with flying colours. In the three years of college, he came first in his class in all of them and had applied for a job as planned. The company he liked the most took him on as an intern for a three month period, thereafter deciding if he was capable of a job. He worked really hard, excelled in every task given to him and had finally got his reward. He was to be junior marketing assistant, the pay was nothing great but the scope for growth was enormous and the job profile really excited him. It was something he knew he could be the best at. The marketing department needed new and capable employees also as the company had doubled its production in the region and the old number was not enough to handle the marketing. His boss told him now that he would be taking orders from two people working in tandem, the other person being a certain young lady who was transferred from the Mumbai branch to help handle the expansion in a better way. It would make an interesting team he thought to himself, his boss was 63 years old and this lady was definitely under 30. He had called home to confirm this news and his parents were really proud of him, he promised them that he would visit soon and would bring something for them with his first salary.

   The next day when he went to office, his first day officially he went to his boss to understand his task for the day, his boss told him to go and introduce himself to the new co- head who wants to meet each member of her team personally. “Make an impression” he said. As Vikram entered the room, he saw her looking at some files with some concentration. “Ma’am you wanted to see me?” As she looked up and saw Vikram and he saw her, they stared at each other, as if they had been waiting all their life for this day. There was silence for a good 2-3 minutes when finally he said “Ma’am?” “Yes, sorry.” She said suddenly. “ Iam sorry I was a bit lost. I am your new co-head Amara Bhatia. You are?” The name seemed to ring a bell but he had no time to dwell on it, he had to make an impression. “Vikram Singh.”  “Aah, so you are our youngest employee. Your work as an intern has been quite brilliant I am told. I would expect even better quality now. You can leave, your duties will reach you soon enough.”  Vikram did as he was told, but on his way out he wondered why there had been that silence, Amara wondered the same.

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  It was good day at the office for everyone, their company recorded profits more than anything ever seen before and it seemed as though the decision to expand over two years ago had been the right one. Vikram had now got two promotions in as many years and a significant pay rise. It was not time to buy a new house as his place was too cramped and small for someone in his position. As he went house searching, he looked for houses all over the city and even liked a few but none of them seemed just right. He decided to search more or else he would take the house he saw in GK-2. It wasn’t perfect, but it was in a good location and was of decent space and was worth the money it commanded.

  The next day he was almost done with all the houses, when the property agent sensing his disappointment said “Sir, there is one more house, it is a bit above your budget but is one of those finer houses that has a really classic look to it. It is in Chankayapuri, might I take you there?”  Vikram was in no mood to go as he knew it would be way too expensive, plus he had already convinced himself to buy the other house.  Yet he went to see it, and when he saw it something happened. They had just reached the driveway and Vikram knew in his heart of heart that he would be buying this place. He saw the interiors and fell in love, they were really good and lavish but he could find that in a better place or at a better price but somehow he knew he would be buying that house He did. He took a significant loan from the bank and put in all his savings into that house. Even though it was priced more than it was worth, Vikram felt happy.

   The following week as he reached office his old boss called him to his cabin. He was retiring and though the news made him sad as he shared a good rapport with him, he was overwhelmed with joy when he learnt that he was going to take his place. His boss told him that his dedication, innovative ideas and unconditional hard work had led him to recommend him as his replacement, and the board agreed. He was even happier as he was going to be working with Amara now, someone who he really enjoyed working with.

   As he went to Amara and received his congratulations he told Amara of his new house and asked her that she come with him to look at the house and they could order pizza to celebrate them working together. Amara who was really fond of Vikram in a friendly way agreed. As they parked in the driveway of Vikram’s new home and were walking towards the porch Amara suddenly stopped. Vikram urged her to follow and when she didn’t he figured something was wrong. When he asked her, the reply shocked him.“ I used to live here.” She said. Vikram was surprised to say the least and even more so when he saw Amara cry. He put an arm around her shoulder and took her  till the porch where they sat after he got her some water. “I cannot go inside. I used to live here with my family till…………..till my father and brother passed away.” She sobbed.  Vikram was truly shocked now. “You actually lived here?” he asked in disbelief and when she nodded sobbing he was silent. After about 10 minutes when she finally stopped crying Vikram asked her about her family and what happened to her father and brother. She was reluctant to tell a mere co-worker but she did upon insistence from Vikram. “We had gone on our first vacation as a family….. then as quickly as Viraj fell my father dived in after him to save him and they went downstream. After sometime they found the body of my father, all life had left him, and my brother….” “ They never found him. Right?” Vikram asked. “Yes. How do you know?” Amara asked a bit surprised. “Because I am Viraj Bhatia, your brother. There was utter and complete silence as they stared at each other with tears in both of their eyes, even the wind seemed to have stopped.

    It took them ten minutes to break the silence and a further hour for Viraj to complete his story by the end of which they both were crying and that too loudly, both tears of joy and sadness. The sadness of being apart for so long, while Amara thought him dead and Viraj could do nothing but wonder about the whereabouts and identity of his family. Sadness because they had been seeing each other everyday for so long and yet they never really found out who they truly were. But the joy overpowered any other emotion, the joy of seeing each other after more than two decades and at the same house where they were born and where they were raised together, the same house where they played hide and seek and other games. They embraced each other for a long time before they let go. “Its time our mother knew of this.” Amara said. She took out the phone and called her up.  “Hello mom? Guess who I found. Here talk to him.” As Viraj took the phone, both nervousness and excitement filled him. A tear ran down his cheek when he took the phone. “Hi mother, it is me Viraj. Your son.”