Tuesday, May 4, 2010

Love Story

Pankaj was furiously typing away at the keyboard. It was way past Night actually it was closer to the morning but sleep was miles away from his eyes. After all tomorrow was the day when his dreams would come true, tomorrow was the day when editor of a famous magazine promised him that he will take a look at his article.

Pankaj was trying to get editor to say yes for some weeks, now finally his wish came true and now he was pounding his head and although his head was full of ideas for the article each idea seemed inferior for the article. In the end he decided to just write down the first thing that came to his mind.

He closed his eyes and commanded his fingers to run over the keyboard and type something. Anything good, his fingers moved ever slightly and stopped exactly after 10 key strokes. Pankaj peeked-a-boo to see what he or rather his fingers chose to write. And his heart skipped a beat... there on his screen were words of Erich Segal's famous novel:

 Love Story

Now what can we write on the subject which isn't already being said. Pankaj got up from his computer and walked to his bed and lay there for some time and he let his eyes shut down.

"Hey Shyam" some girl shouted, Pankaj got up with a start, who was that he was in his flat on 15 floor. There was no one in his flat besides him today, and he was pretty sure that he heard the sound close by.

"Hey Shyam, catch me if you can." again the same voice

"What happened, did you forget me?" Pankaj tried to open his eyes but could not, he was seeing a dream.

"No Radha, how can I forget you?" For the first time the boy, Shyam replied

But even while sleeping Pankaj was thinking that how can he see this dream. When he didn't know any of the people.

"Do you want to come to the fair? everybody is going" asked Radha.

"Sure, not a problem. Let's go." replied Shyam

Together they walked hand in hand to their other friends to leave for the village fair. Nobody objected of them holding hands after all they were just kids 10 years old.

6 years later....

"Hey Radha, you should no longer go out with that friend of yours Shyam. Its not good for you to be with him all the time." Advised Radha's mother

"But Maa what's the problem with that, we have been friends from childhood. You never stopped me before." Complained Radha.

"Radha Beta you should understand, you are no longer a child, you are grown up woman now, and you should learn to behave properly. You should no longer go outside all the time, you should no longer run through the streets and shouldn't make noise." Continued Maa

"But Maa, what would I do all day?" said Radha, ready to cry

"What else beta, you should learn household work now. After all in few years you would be married, if you didn't learn anything, your in-laws would say that I didn't teach you anything." Cajoled her mother

"I don't want to marry" Said Radha but clearly she was shying away on the mention of her marriage till now Radha used to marry her dolls but now her mother was talking about her own marriage. Hmm. looks like I am really getting bigger now thought Radha while running away.

"Aunty, where's Radha? she did not come to play for many days now. Is she alright" Asked Shyam innocently

"Yeah, she is alright, she doesn't want to play anymore, she is learning household work now. Do not disturb her now" Said Radha mom.

"Huh who doesn't like to play?" wondered Shyam loudly while walking away.

Now it is human nature that it craves the things which are impossible or at least hard to get. When Shyam and Radha were playing together daily then they didn't have any thoughts about each other than just games. But now the situation was like this that Shyam kept on thinking about Radha even while playing and Radha kept on thinking while doing all the household work. Finally after one month of not meeting, and when the craving to see each other grew very much. Shyam sent a little girl from near by to Radha's home to see if she was okay and when will she be able to meet him.

while the girl came back Shyam was getting impatient while waiting for her.

Finally girl came back with the message from Radha, she asked him to meet her their usual spot just outside the forest.

Shyam was ecstatic and reached the spot well before time, and started waiting for Radha

After half an hour, Radha came. When Shyam saw Radha, he could not believe it was her, after all he was seeing her for the first time in a saaree.

"Hmm Go, I won't talk to you, why didn't you meet me for so long? i was missing you and you even...." Shyam would have said more but stopped mid-sentence because for the first time he also saw Radha crying.

"What happened to you? did you fall? what happened tell me." Asked Shyam worryingly

"Nothing, I was just missing you very badly." Replied Radha sweetly

"I was also missing you very badly, but please stop crying now and tell me everything whatever you did in the last month" said Shyam.

Listening this Radha started telling Shyam everything. They were back to being Best Friends. They kept on talking for 2 hours when Radha took his leave but promised to meet him at the same spot the next day.

This way Shyam and Radha again started meeting daily but earlier they used to be with friends but now they used to be alone. Slowly and steadily and without anyone of them realizing their talks moved to their future planning and before they knew they were in love.

They both used fly on the 9th cloud. Radha would now finish all the household chores playfully singing some song without any protest while before she used to find all the excuses to escape the work.

Shyam also started working on his father's farm. And they kept on meeting everyday after work in their secret place in the forest.

They started loving each other so very much that their 2 hour meeting was looking less and less everyday. On the other hand their family members were getting suspicious of them being missing from home every day. But these things didn't trouble the young lovers.. yes lovers that's what they had moved on to from being best friends.

But as they say "Ishq aur mushq chupaye nahi chuptay" finally one day Radha's mom followed her when she left the house and caught her when she met with Shyam.

Radha's Maa was thundering when she caught them. Thapak!!!! Thapak!!!!! both to them received a tight slap on their faces. And she warned Shyam not to ever see her daughter again. And then she dragged her only daughter to her home.

Shyam-Radha were devastated. They were now in-separable but kept apart from their families. Radha's mom has come to his house as well and shouted on his parents as well. And asked them to make their son understand.

Now Shyam had only two things to do -- Cry and plotting on how to rescue and elope with Radha

The main problem was Radha's Maa she never liked Shyam from the beginning his father liked him very much but ever since he passed away after a long disease. He wasn't welcome to the house. And ever since she caught them Radha's mom never ever left Radha alone in the house.

But even universe works towards making sure that two loving souls meet and try to find their happiness together in each other. Shyam's family was with him but they did not want to hurt their old friend. But their son's pain was getting out of their hands and they started working out details on how to make sure that the young couple can meet again.

"Do you really love her?" asked Shyam's father

"Yes, Pitaji I really really love her very much and can do any thing for her." said Shyam crying

"Beta, don't cry, we will see what can be done." Assured his father.

The same night Shyam's parent went down to see Radha's mother and also to see if she would agree to marry them. They went there and greeted Radha's Mother and said :-

"Bahenji, children have made the mistake, and we have punished them enough but they are suffering without each other. Will you accept to give your daughter's hand for my son in marriage?" asked Shyam's father politely

But Radha's mother's reply was anything but polite - "How dare you come to my house and insult me? How dare you think that I will marry my girl in your house? I have fixed her marriage in a very wealthy family. Never come back to this house again now get out of here."

Defeated and worried for their son they came back and informed him of their decision.

"No, this can not happen, father please say that its not true, please say that you are just kidding" He was crying loudly


"Please my son don't cry we will see what can be done" his father assured him.

Three days later....

"There beta, Shyam please get this powder to Radha and ask her to mix this in her mother's nightly milk, this will make sure that she doesn't wake up while you guys leave the village. Go to the next village to your mothers home and wait there for some time." Said Shyam's father.

everything completed as planned, Radha looked at her mother one last time before leaving her home forever. She put some clothes in a chunni and went to Shyam's home. from there they left for Shyam's Grandmother's home in the next village.

Next morning when Radha's mother woke up, she realized what had happened, she looked for Radha in the house but she had left a long time ago, although Radha had left a small letter for her mother informing her that she was leaving her home for the sake of love, and if she ever accepts them again, then she might come back to the village with her husband - Shyam.

After reading this Radha's mother started crying and collected all her friends and neighbors and told them that Shyam mislead her daughter and forced her to elope with her.

Everybody shouted with anger and started looking everywhere for them. They reached Shyam's house but his parents acted really well made it a great play to be unknown that their son left and told Radha's mother that Shyam also gave them milk in the night and when they woke up Shyam was gone.

After looking though entire village, Radha's mother asked entire village to follow her to the place in the jungle where she had caught them. When they reached the entry to the forest everybody froze in their steps.. because right in front of them was one of the most horrific sight ...

Just at the entrance of the jungle there was a dead body of a Tiger.

And a few steps ahead lay the dead body of Shyam

And above him from the tree hung the dead body of Radha.

Everybody understood what must have happened. The tiger must have attacked them when they reached here. Shyam fought the tiger to save Radha and killed it but could not save himself and died in Radha's arms due to the fatal injuries caused by tiger. And finally Radha committed suicide unable to face the greatest tragedy of losing her love after almost achieving it. She filled her 'maang' with Shyam's blood and hung herself with one of the saarrees.

The story of Radha-Shyam became a legend in the village. Its really strange people are obsessed with love, but can not bear the idea of love story and lovers but feel proud in remembering lovers once they are dear. Well their story didn't end there after 100 years village grew but their legend stayed with them. villager constructed a temple and established lover's statue there, naming it Radhe-Shyam's temple.

With time from lover's for local people they firstly transformed into God's incarnation and then god itself. Now a days the village is called Vrindavan and a tragic tale of two young lovers has been converted to a divine pair.

Suddenly Pankaj woke up all sweaty and thirsty. He knew from where he knew these two lovers from a picture on the wall. Picture of Radha-Shyam or Radha-Krishna whatever call them.



Now, he was ready to give a new love story to the editor.

P.S. - I wrote this as the first story, which I wrote instantly without any prior planning. I wrote it as I went along. Hope you like it Please don't forget to post your precious comments and suggestions.

Saturday, May 1, 2010

Escape

This post has been published by me as a part of the Blog-a-Ton 10; the tenth edition of the online marathon of Bloggers; where we decide and we write. To be part of the next edition, visit and start following Blog-a-Ton.

 He was heartbroken, he was defeated. He had no one in his life now - no motive, no goal, no chance for success. Why, it was only yesterday when he was sure that he will be promoted to the Assistant Manager position in his company but even that went to his junior.

He earnestly believed that he deserved that position after all, who wouldn't, after dedicating their life to the company and the work. He used to invest 14-16 hours a day for the last 5 years in the office because he wanted to work his best and reach where he wanted to by the sheer hard work  but  he was defeated by the office politics.

Broken he decided it was time to pull the plug from this soap opera called Life. After thinking for some time he decided to hang himself as all the other ways were too messy and he didn't want to cause much trouble to other strangers as some children may see him. So after all the deliberation he started with the preparations.

Along came the rope from a long forgotten corner of his tiny room, and there it went around the fan so that it could handle his weight and wouldn't come down no his head making all the more mess and would even leave him dead just some nasty injury.

Well all the funny bits ahead he was in different state sobbing one minute and chuckling the next, he was almost like a madman but in this case he was IIM bred MBA Madman.

With very heavy feet he worked his way towards the rope to finish his story. Just as he put the deadly rope around his neck, bloody mobile rang disturbing the zen like state of his room. Although his first instinct was to let go the call and complete the journey to the next world. But then he thought that there's no harm in looking who the call is from. Tentatively he got down from the chair and walked to his cell phone still blaring 'Unbreak my heart', the call was from his company's HR department.

Now he was very angry but controlling his instincts to throw and break the mobile phone in hundreds of small pieces, he pressed the call accept button - Hello he said slowly

'Congratulations' came the reply from the other side.

'For what' he asked tersely

'You have been selected to be the new Manager for your department considering all the hard work you have put in for the company' came the cheerful reply, obviously unaware that the person on other end was just about to commit suicide.

'Tell me you are not kidding' he asked

'No sir this is no joke, please come to the office tomorrow at 2 PM to complete the formalities and remember you have an off tomorrow so relax in the morning' the voice on the other end said helpfully.

'Yes, I will be there at the exact time' he replied happily, Thoughts of suicide lost somewhere.

He was stunned on how his life was shaping up, if he had decided against answering the phone he would be dead by now. With shaking legs he went back to the room, climbed on the chair but this time not to hang himself but to take down the rope.

After dumping the rope again in the forgotten corner of rubbish. He lay on bad, now that he was calm, he laughed and laughed and laughed, on himself, on his life and on his company, if they would have called him next day he would be dead. This sent the shivers down his backbone.

'You will have to wait for me for many years. I am coming to your doors death.' He shouted. Feeling lucky that he escaped the death that too by his own silly hands by just few seconds.

He didn't know when he slept only that when he woke up he was feeling very hungry remembering he didn't cook anything because he was planning on dying. He was very thirsty as well so he went for the water, looking at the clock he realized that it was already 12 noon.

He sprung into action to get ready for the highlight of his career. Within half hour his smiling self was emerging from the bathroom. another 20 minutes and he was draped in his best clothes after all this was the day he was to be appointed Manager. After, all the hard work he was getting his due.

It looked like that whether was also playing with him, sun was blocked by dark clouds and a cool breeze was flowing all around making it the whole atmosphere pleasant. Smiling he started his bike and started for his office which was half an hour away so he had around 1 hour to reach there very comfortable.. 

He was traveling at a gentle 55 Km/pl enjoying the lovely whether. Suddenly a tanker passed him blaring horns, startling him but he regained his control on the bike and muttered a silent curse for the driver who kept on going up the slope ahead on the road. He also increased his speed a little to cross the slope as quickly as possible.

Suddenly there was a loud sound BANG!!!! on  the slope the tanker hit a truck head on and fell covering the entire road and at that exact moment the tank from the tanker started rolling towards him and before he could really grasp what happened there, the tank crushed him over him finishing his life line and went on to destroy many cars.

Life was crying but Death was laughing.

No Body escapes the death said death while it went away collecting its many prized scalps.


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