Soul Meet: Accidental Encounter

Running down the corridor at Delhi University, being chased by friends, I bumped into a girl who fell over. My friends laughed as I apologised, giving her a hand while she adjusted her glasses. Then she swept her hair from her face, and our eyes met. It’s been four years. I was thinner, and she was perhaps a bit plump. Those glasses were missing, too. But that face was unforgettable.

“Pratap?”

“Ajabdeh?”

We spoke in unison as our friends smiled confusedly.

“You two know each other?” One guy asked, a little amused.

“Yes. She...” I nodded.

“We...” She looked at me and paused.

“Were friends?” her friend asked.

Were we? I didn’t know. Yet the only day I spent with her was the most memorable day I had in her city.

“Are you here for any courses?” I asked her. She shook her head.

“The inter-college competition.” She smiled. “I am studying in Chandigarh.”

“Oh, I see.” We started walking down the corridor, followed by our groups of friends.

“So, I guess I have to go now, the competition is in an hour.” She smiled.

“Sorry about the ... umm... I didn’t see.” I apologised.

“It’s okay.” She dismissed my apology. “It was good to see you, Pratap.” She started walking away when I felt that I had to stop her.

“Hey, Ajab,” I called out as she stopped. “What are you doing after the competition?”

“We have a flight tomorrow.” One of her friends quipped.

“So, you guys can hang out with us for lunch.” One of my friends offered.

They agreed. She smiled at me and left, promising to meet us at the canteen in two hours.

For the next two hours, which felt like the longest of my life, I kept staring at my watch during the lectures. Then we rushed to the canteen to see them sitting there with tea and samosas.

“What happened at the competition?” One of my friends asked.

“We lost,” Ajabdeh replied plainly. The gang got busy planning a day in the city. Ajabdeh seemed awfully quiet.

“If you don’t want to go... You can skip it.” I offered with a faint smile. Maybe she was upset with the loss.

“I don’t socialise much.” She shrugged, “Especially with strangers.”

“Really?” I smiled, amused, “I thought you took them around your city.”

“Only one.” She smiled at me through her geek glasses. “I think you people should carry on.” She said to her friends, picked up her handbag and waved me bye, to leave.

I ran after her and stopped her at the college gates.

“Ajabdeh, wait!” She stopped and turned. “Can I take you out to dinner? Just the two of us?” My heart thumped in my chest as her smile faded. I didn’t want to come across as a creep, but I didn’t know how to say it right as either. This was the first time I was asking a girl out and...

“Yes.” She smiled, “I would like that.”

“Great! I will pick you up at the hotel then, and we can drive to someplace nice.” I smiled.

“I would like to go Dutch.” She insisted.

“Deal.” I smiled as she stopped a rickshaw and got in, almost like she was a local.

“He asked you for dinner?” My sister frowned on Skype. “he knows you are engaged, right?” My hands stopped at the luggage.

“How does it matter?” I frowned. “He didn’t ask me out on a date, just a dinner.” I reminded her. Or was it a reminder to myself?

Don’t get me wrong here; Siddharth is a gem of a person. He is perfect for me on paper. Well settled and polite. His family had known ours forever. Their offer for a nuptial wasn’t to be rejected. But something was missing. As much as I tried to convince myself that everything was fine. And somewhere, meeting Pratap, someone who knew the person I was in school with, made me feel free again. I wanted to feel that way. But Heer was right. He should not get the wrong signals. So I decided to tell him that I was engaged and moving to Belgium the next year.

She walked out at the reception, grabbing a good few pairs of eyeballs in her simple yet elegant jumpsuit.

“Sorry, I didn’t pack enough clothes for...” She shrugged.

“You look beautiful.” I smiled, opening the door for her.

I could not place why she looked worried. Did my compliment make her feel awkward? I cleared my throat twice, hoping she would speak, but she didn’t.

“The Japanese cuisine here is very...” I tried small talk.

“ I am engaged.” The words blurted out of her mouth quite fast.

“What?” I was a little taken aback.

“I am engaged. We will get married next year, and I am moving to Belgium.” She spoke in a hurry. I smiled.

“Congratulations.” I said, “So do I get an invite?”

“You want one?” Her eyes expected a no. Her face looked a little disappointed.

“Yes. Of course. It is not every day that people find love.” I shrugged. She seemed a little pale at my stare.

“Is everything all right, Ajabdeh?” I asked, a little concerned.

“Yes. Yes. Let’s have dinner.” She smiled.

I turned back to the porch to see him wave me goodbye with a smile on his face. I waved back with a faint smile and rushed inside the hotel. His words haunted me.

“So, when are you getting married?” He had asked.

“As soon as I get my graduation certificate.” I had answered, trying to concentrate on the Sushi I did not quite like, and hoping he would change the topic.

“Well... How is he?” Pratap leaned in with his elbows resting on the table and asked. He seemed eager, and a smile lingered on his lips.

“He is nice. We have known each other as family friends, and I couldn’t ask for a better partner. He proposed with this.” I showed him the rock on my finger.

“Hmm...” He seemed impressed.

“So you will come?” I asked him again as he seemed absent-minded.

“Huh?” He looked up from his plate.

“For the wedding... I...” I wanted to ask so that I could ask him for his contact information.

“No. I was joking.” He shook his head firmly as I stopped myself from enquiring, and our eyes met. “I will probably not be here as well.”

“Oh, I see.” The rest of the evening was fairly silent. We ate the food, discussed our friends, and I said it's time I return to the hotel for an early morning flight.

I came back home with a heavy heart. I didn’t know why I didn’t feel like asking for her number. There was no point. She was starting a new chapter in her life, and I was not even a friend. Just an acquaintance from a long time ago. Instead, I found myself typing her name into the Facebook search, hoping to find her. Nothing. It was not much of a surprise to me that she wasn’t on any social media. I would have been surprised if she were. I had lost her, just like that.

Purnota: Chapter Sixteen

It had been a month since Bondita had started working in the firm. With Somnath’s wedding date being set for winter, many things were keeping Trilochon and Kalindi busy as they took charge of the smooth running of things leading up to the wedding. They needed to shop for everyone, buy gifts and choose jewellery and sarees for the bride. Despite his attempts, Trilochon found Binoy reluctant to participate in his son’s wedding arrangements. Somnath took him and Kalindi to places they wanted to go, especially Kolkata for shopping, and Trilochon made arrangements to make sure that the first wedding of the generation was grand enough. Bondita tried to help as much as she could as she noticed Aniruddha being oddly aloof from the entire thing. She assumed it was due to Trilochon’s reactions to his lack of interest in marriage. Trilochon kept pestering her to enquire into his reasons while she kept stalling him with excuses. Bondita also failed to know more about Kalindi and Trilochon’s past, ...

My Everything

Kunwar Pratap stormed into the Mahal at Gogunda amidst uncertainty and chaos. Happy faces of the chieftains and soldiers welcomed him as Rawat Chundawat, and some other chieftains stopped the ongoing Raj Tilak. A visibly scared Kunwar Jagmal looked clueless at a visibly angry Kunwar Pratap. Rani Dheerbai Bhatiyani hadn't expected Kunwar Pratap to show up, that too, despite her conveying to him his father's last wish of crowning Kunwar Jagmal. Twenty-one days after Udai Singh's death, she was finally close to a dream she had dared to dream since Jagmal was born. He was not informed about the Raj Tilak as per Dheerbai's instructions. She eyed Rawat Ji. He must have assembled the chiefs to this revolt against her son, against the dead king. No one except them knew where Kunwar Pratap was staying. It was for the safety of his family. " What are you doing, Chotima?" A disappointed voice was directed at her. She could stoop down so low? For the first time, an anger...

Towards You

The Afghans, after Sher Shah Suri's untimely demise, were at loggerheads for power. Their troops near Mewar were now led by Mehmood Shah. They secretly captured territories in the forests and waited to attack Mewari camps when the time was right. Rawat Chundawat and his spies had confirmed the news, and Udai Singh sent a warning to Mehmood Shah to withdraw his troops from Mewar in vain. Now that it was out in the open, it was time they declared war. Mehmood Shah had limited resources in Mewar. His internal rebellion against his commander did not help his cause. His spies clearly suggested that in no way could he win, especially with Kunwar Pratap leading his troops. He was having second thoughts about the war. It was then that one of his aides suggested a perfect plan. Maharani Jaivanta Bai had decided to go to the Mahakaleshwar Temple near the outskirts of Chittorgarh, in the forestlands of Bhilwara. They had travelled a long way and across the Gambhiri river that meandered during...

Purnota: Chapter Seventeen

Bondita opened the curtains of her room at The Park to find the view of Stephen Court and the street below going towards the Maidan. She eyed the double bed and placed her things on one side while lying down on the empty side. The soft bed made her yawn as she sat up, staring at the clock. She needed to change for a quick dinner. They had an early matter at the High Court, and the client’s car was supposed to pick them up around 9 AM. As she changed into a full-sleeve black top and jeans, removed her earrings and adjusted her smudged Kajal, she heard a knock on her door. She opened it to find Aniruddha standing in a pair of jeans and a grey polo-necked T-shirt, his hair brushed back, as he cleaned his thin-rimmed glasses with the edge of his T-shirt. “Are you ready for dinner?” He asked, putting the glasses back on. As she nodded, she grabbed her handbag. They walked into The Bridge, and Bondita was a little conscious of her environment. Many foreign guests, businessmen and even s...

Purnota: Chapter Twenty One

The morning after the Chief Minister of the state attended the reception party, Binoy wrapped the newspaper that had just arrived at their threshold, eyeing the picture of him and Trilochon with the chief minister smiling proudly, made a mental note of framing it for his office in Siliguri and stepped out to see the car waiting for him in the entrance to take him to the station. He glanced over his shoulder at the house, still asleep and watched Bihari put his luggage in the back seat. Bihari had been with the Roy Chowdhury House since he was a teenager. He eyed Binoy as he lit his pipe and straightened his jacket when Bihari approached him. “Boro Saheb, should I inform Kotta Moshai once?” Binoy eyed Bihari with a disapproving glance. “If I wanted to tell him, I would have done so myself, Bihari. Where is the driver?” He checked his watch. Bihari sighed as he ran to check on the driver. Bondita stopped on the gravelled path leading from the entrance to the main gate as she watched...

Purnota: Chapter Twenty Two

The winter morning was pleasant, especially when the sunshine hit the dewy grass on the lawn, and Bihari set down the porcelain cups for Trilochon and Kalindi to start their day. Kalindi had just taken up some orders to knit sweaters and mittens for some of the neighbourhood kids as she wrapped the thick brown shawl tightly around herself, on the chilly morning as she sat down on the lawn chair with her needles, pin and colourful balls of wool, as she knit a pair of mittens while waiting for Trilochon to join her. Bondita hurried out of their place and stopped at the sight of her sitting alone, unsurely. “Do you need something?” Kalindi raised her eyes briefly from the wool and asked as she shook her head. “I was hoping to talk to Jyatha Moshai…” She shivered a little as Kalindi scolded her to find a sweater first. She rushed indoors as Kalindi spotted Trilochon in a thermal t-shirt, a pair of pants and a shawl walking towards her with the cane in hand. He stopped as he watched her kni...

Purnota: Chapter Twenty

Trilochon’s only desire for Som’s wedding was for it to be so grand that the entire Chandannagar remembered it for the longest time. He had also invited the leaders of the opposition, ministers and even the CM, and if rumours were to be believed, he would accept the invitation. That meant trying to impress him for a ticket to the next Lok Sabha elections. He knew the only way to do so was also to showcase Som as a prodigy. Their family name was enough to earn votes for the party in the area. “Perhaps you could tell him about Somnath Babu’s involvement in some of the projects here. Like the slum area where water was flooding the pathways…” Poritosh had suggested. “But it was done by…” Bapi Da had stopped as Trilochon shook his head, “How does it matter who did it? What matters is that we say Som did it.” They agreed. “Jyatha Moshai.” Bondita walked into his room, not expecting the elderly men from the Party office to be there. “ Bolo, Maa. ” “The Gaye Holud is here.” She smiled. “How a...

Purnota: Chapter Fifteen

A week was all it took for Bondita to get used to work and the new routine. She would wake up early and hurry through her chores, helping Kalindi prepare a tiffin of either Chirer Polao or bread jam and then proceeding to the Roy Chowdhury house. She would arrange the day’s paperwork before Aniruddha arrived at the study room. Occasionally, she would hear him call out to Koeli for breakfast and pack her things, knowing he was almost ready to leave. He would walk into the chamber, check his list, and they would go to work. She would follow him from courtroom to courtroom. She would be sitting in the audience and learning. She would follow him to conferences and client meetings and take notes. They would discuss complicated cases. She would share the tiffin she brought from home. He would at first take a reluctant bite, then eat more than her. She often gave him her share of food discreetly. They usually stayed back after everyone was gone and ordered food for dinner. Some days, he woul...

Purnota: Chapter Twenty Three

“So the question is, do the slum dwellers get their dues to relocate, or do they protest on the road, grabbing media attention? If one of them mentions the sewage project where all this started, we can’t guarantee not dragging certain names then. It will be beyond our control.” Bondita breathed in as she eyed everyone at the table. The conference hall of ARC & Associates had an oval table with a whiteboard, projector and podium and sitting around the table were a stenographer, Bondita’s secondary attorney, Debashish Ghosal, the contractor and his attorney Biswas, the representative of the NGO with the Union leader of the slum, Trilochon, Somnath and Aniruddha. The people of the NGO appreciated her strategy with a nod. Ghoshal looked perplexed as his lawyer whispered something in his ear. Somnath did not look up from the table as Aniruddha passed a note to Trilochon in writing. “Now the decision is yours.” Bondita continued. “We are keen on out-of-court settlement if our basic ...

Purnota: Chapter Nineteen

“Wake up, wake up!” Bondita smiled, amused at Aniruddha and Batuk sleeping on his bed, hugging each other like children. She removed the curtains, and the room was flooded in daylight. “Urgh.” Batuk stirred as Aniruddha sat up. “What is wrong with you?” Batuk threw the pillow Bondita caught before it hit the floor. Her wet hair shone in the sunlight, with droplets of water lingering on its tips as she adjusted her well-pleated orange saree with a blue border and opened the window. A gust of cold breeze blew in from the Ganges, prompting Batuk to pull his blanket over his face. “Let me sleep, Daini !” He murmured. “Is it not enough that you all gave away my room to guests?” Aniruddha was stretching and yawning as Bondita chuckled, amused, pulling her wet hair to the side of her shoulder. “Why are you dressed up?” Aniruddha asked, suppressing a yawn. “Oh, you should be, too. Jyatha Moshai said We are going to Kalighat.” She raised her brows, amused. “Oh shit,” Aniruddha murmured, hitting...

RAABTA

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