Sanket Ghag's Blog - Posts Tagged "love"

The heat bounced off the roads, and caused a mirage of wavering images. An occasional dog would lope by its tongue hanging out so far it was touching the ground in an effort to keep cool. Tar melted on the streets. Nothing stirred, no birds, , not much people . It was too hot to make the effort to walk from the front door to the car. The sun beat down like a hot oven with no breeze to lighten its fiery breath. And after the argument with my mother my head was getting more heated up. I walked down road hiding under any shade i got from trees or bus stop or even the shops along the road. I was walking just for 5 mins and it felt like i was walking for hours together. The sweat on my face was slowing drifting from the forehead to my cheeks. I walked more 5 mins and took shelter small shop along the road took a bottle of chilled water and splashed on my face was trying to cool down my anger and my body too. As i stood there for a while i saw and old lady she was in her late 70’s stood along the road side under the scorching sun shooing away the dog who was walking besides her. The wall fan in the shop swung his head towards me the breeze and the cool water on my face gave me a heavenly feelings. I closed my eyes and the argument with mom flashed in front of me. I quickly opened my eyes and shrugged the thoughts and started walking down the lane. The old lady was still trying to shoo the street dog away but the dog wasn’t moving an inch . The old lady looked at me as I passed by. Her face was wrinkled her eyes had sunken in , her lips were dry and had few teeth in her mouth. Her silver scanty hairs were tied into a bun. The clothes she was wearing had patches on it. As I moved ahead I heard a low decibel voice. I again looked back at her . She was waving at me. I thought for a brief moment and walked towards her. I had predetermined thoughts that she would ask for money or food like any other beggar but I still walked towards her
“Son can you Help me please” the old lady spoke in a soft and low voice
Without thinking I put my hands in back pockets and took my wallet out and dug my hand inside.
“No No No.. I don’t want money” she waved her shivering hands
I looked blanky at her “ What help do you want then” I asked
She looked at the street dog who looked so weak , one could easily see the shape of his rib cage he looked like a dog who was not feed for week together . “Can you please scare this dog away, Every time I shoo him away he again follows me back”
I felt guilty of myself that not every poor looking man or woman is a beggar. As I picked up a stone the dog started walking backwards, as I did the action of hitting him he ran away quickly. I looked back at the lady she dint looked happy but still smiled and thanked me. I took her to the shop which I had just visited and made her sit there. I offered her juice to which she plainly denied she just asked for water . I brought a chilled mineral water and gave it to her. Just then my phone buzzed, My mom was calling me I received . She was trying to convince me to come back home and complete my lunch which I had walked leaving it halfway. I just disconnected the phone without replying. I turned and saw that the dog and again returned and sitting beside her feet looking at her. I picked up the stick and was about to hit the dog , he again ran away quickly .
“Why is the dog following you again and again?” I asked the old lady
“10 yrs back once when I was returning home from market a small pup followed me , I had bread in my market bag I removed one and gave it to the pup, and then onward this became a routine , That pup grew into a dog and stayed around my house. I always gave him something to eat. My husband passed away one year back and then onwards my kids started ill treating me . they treated me so bad that I myself left my house six months back.. They dint even come looking for me. And Now I don’t have anything to feed this dog but he still keeps on following me.. How do I make him understand that I can’t feed him anymore. Can you please do that for? Can u make please make him understand this???”
I stood there with choked feelings for sometime !!

The old lady stood up and started walking and the dog started walking with her. My phone buzzed again and it was my mom.

She was beautiful and he was creative, she was obedient and he was Rebel, She lived like her parents asked her to and he made his own world, She was MUSILM and he was HINDU.
Then
Mehek Ansari was in her early twenty is from a orthodox family . Her father Mr Ansari was government officer and had taken a voluntary retirement from his duty to complete his last duty of getting Mehek married.. He had a successfully married of his two elder daughters away from the city in the interior native of Maharashtra. Being retired he had decided to live his later life in his native place and Drag Mehek along with him. Mehek never disobeyed her father discussion even if it wasn't against her wish.
And on other hand Sunny was creative and did was his heart wanted he was rebel but somewhere deep inside he was emotionally weak
Sunny and Mehek were college friends. Sunny was among the few male friends she had. Mehek spoke her heart out with Sunny and so did Sunny. She was her ownself when Sunny used to be around. She was also there with him when Sunny was going through his break up with Sania . She patiently listened to the crap Sunny said, but never gave opinion just silently heard what he had to say , Mehek got to be herself and Sunny got Patience ears, this symbiosis brought them closer, Whenever they travelled in auto rickshaw or taxi together Mehek use to simply hold Sunny hand and sometime keeps her head on her shoulder , Sunny use to like this, Their feeling had grown for each other, But Mehek couldn’t break the cage her father had made for her, and Sunny thought if the feeling are misunderstood he will be at a loss of a very very very dear friend, So they both kept mum about their feelings, Days , weeks and months kept on passing in this silence , Finally the day came When Mr Ansari decided to shift to his native and Tag Mehek along with him..
Mehek had her train that night which would take her away from Sunny; She was desperately trying to reach Sunny for the last time, she left a msg on his cell saying that she will be waiting for him at the usual place they meet, Mehek reached the place on the decided time but there were no signs of Sunny, She sat on the old wooden bench which was adjacent to the bumpy by pass road.. being an bypass road the number of car or bike movement was less , but each time any bike or car pass it would slow down at the bench where Mehek was sitting, She was wearing Yellowish Punjabi dress which Sunny had gifted her, hair neatly tied behind ,two strands of hair playing with her soft milky cheeks , she slowly with her slender finger which were covered with reddish brown heena design tucked the hair strand behind her ears, She then draped her face with the dupptta which hung on her shoulder to avoid unnecessary attention one could only see her small almond shape twinkling eyes . Just then Sunny Jumped in from behind,
“Ahh Madam is hiding from me” Sunny said jokingly and sat besides Mehek
“Where the hell were you?? I have been trying reaching you from so long!! Mehek blasted off while removing her dupptta from her face , showing her glossy pink lips and tiny little nose
“Ek toh chood ke jaarahi hai, aur mujhey hi chillarahi hai” Sunny replied while digging into this bag
“ I can never leave you” Mehek replied in lowest decibel
“What???” Sunny turned around to listen what Mehek said
“Nothing, ahh nothing !! But what are u searching for??? Mehek changed the topic as she was scared what the outcome would be of her statement
“What I m searching for was in front of me but I just lost it? Sunny said turning in bag upside down , and there was shower of paint tubes, paint brush, a small color palate a novel “The Death of the Hearts” by Richard Lacayo , scribbled paper and a neatly tide paper roll.
“ ah found it” Sunny handed over the rolled paper tied with a yellow ribbon
Mehek neatly untied the yellow ribbon and tied it on Sunny’s wrist and unrolled the paper and just kept looking at it . There was silence between them just the noise of city road far behind…Sunny was lost looking at Mhek and Mehek was looking at painting , her eyes became moist and just then a pearl appeared in her eye
“I don’t want to go Sunny, I have never got to live my life my way, I always did what Abba said.. I wanted to be a fashion designer and he made me do graduation, why because my degree will never come to use then why fashion, Now he is taking to me to native where there is no life, whatever friends I have they are here, I don’t want to go” The flood gates in Mehek eyes had open and her face had turned red like her eyes she was uncontrollably crying….
Sunny silently kept listing to her… He was just helpless standing
“Abba will get me married to someone of his choice, he never consider my feeling, my liking , and after marriage also I will have to live life like they would want me to, I m living life like machine taking orders” Mehek was crying so bad that she was fall short of breath
Sunny step ahead and wrapped his arms around her ,Mehek to put her arms around him and held him by his shoulder , she was breathing heavily, “Sunny I don’t want go Sunny I don’t wanna go”
Sunny then pulled himself back and held Mehek by her shoulder, while Mehek looked away, the sun had mellowed down and the rays falling on her face made the pearl shine brighter, Sunny wiped her tears by his index finger and moved her face towards him, but still she looked down, she then looked at Sunny and their eyes met each other and they deeply looked at each other
“Come Mehek come with me, I will take you away and give you all that you want be”
“Take me away Sunny, Just take me somewhere I can be me”
They spoke to themselves; heart full of love and mind full words but their throats ran dry,
“Don’t worry Mehek , everything is gonna be fine, Whatever happens ,happens for good, your parents love you, they want you to have a happy life, and you will get a life partner who will forever love you and give you all the freedom” Sunny spoke and planted a kiss on her forehead ,

Mehek just closed her eyes in reply and smiled, she looked up, stepped closer to Sunny and hugged him hard “Thanks Sunny, I don’t know what will happen to me tomorrow, But I know right now I m in the place where I want to be”
A tear grew in Sunny eyes, they silently hugged, while the sun touched the horizon and the sky turned reddish orange, they stepped back ,smiled and walked in opposite direction to their destiny , Sunny turned back and saw Mehek in silhouette , her duptta fluttering and her silky hair waving in breeze, another tear grew in sunny’s eye ,he then turned back and continued his journey

Now
Five years later Sunny got a friend request on his Facebook account from Mehek , Sunny was overjoyed seeing Mehek , He quickly accepted the friend request and went into the profile information, she was now settled in Us and married to Hussian , He further went to see her photo album , where he saw picture of her baby princess, there were also picture of her Indian wear Fashion Studio in US. He was liking all the picture she had uploaded, just then a messaged popped in ,it was Mehek and the message read
“Whatever happens, happens for good ”
The message had a photo attached of a painting of two hands, one guy and other of a gal tightly held together, It was the painting by Sunny that he gifted her on their last meet.

A simple question asked by afriend of mine acted as a wrap machines, took me back to the times when I was akid, where things were simple and life was easy, where your father got you a mechanicaltoy kit , and mother got you a medical toy kit , where you were unknowingly decidingyour future and I had decided mine .
It was a summer afternoon; I hadaccompanied my mother to the market, we had guest coming over to our place offor dinner, My mother was busy buying vegetables and dragging me from one vendorto another, I was busy crying and cursing the heat, I wanted to go back homebut the grocery list was endless , Sweat was dribbling over my face and palms ,my cheeks had gone red and throat ran dry ,I was panting , I was just draggingmy feet and after grueling hours the shopping came to an end. All the energy wasdrained out from me, I can easily relate with one of the ads playing on TV nowa day’s “ a big straw attached to a kids head and Sun sucking up the energy” I guessI was that kid. I looked up to my mom with fuzzy eyes and she read the agony inmy eyes. She picked me up in her armsand somehow managed to hold on to the grocery too. I don’t know how she managed,but she did and I guess that what we call superheroes power .
She carried me to make shiftstall which was at the end of the road , A huge colorful umbrella kept the sun at bay , there were kids like me standing around the stalldesperately looking at the man who was crushing ice with the help of an icecrusher . He then plugged the crushed ice on to a stick and kept adding crushedice until he got his desired shape, then poured colorful syrup on it and gaveit to the kids and some elders to.. They were relishing it as if it was a savior, the happiness on their face was unmatchable , my mom handed me a glass oflemonade ,the moment I touched the icy glass it transported me into a land full on snow , now I couldunderstand their happiness , I relished each and every drop of lemonade . Eventoday I remember the icy ,sweet and sour taste .
Later that night after the dinnerwith Khanna uncle , I was playing with the tool kit given by my dad, and my doctorkit was taken by Naina who was Khanna’s uncle daughter . I was busy repairing abroken toy . Suddenly my father asked Naina.
“Naina What do you want to be ,when you grow up??”
“Doctor” She said in a sweet softvoice
Now it was my turn , everyonelooked at me. Khanna uncle asked me
“And what do you want to be Sunny”
I looked up, I guess everyone hadtheir own answers in their eyes
“I want to be a GOLA-wala” I dintknew why I said that but there was asilence for a moment and then everybody exploded into laughter’s .
So the question remains “ I alwayswanted to be a writer ?? or a GOLE-wala”
Today I know why I said “ I wantto be a Gole-wala” as kid. The happiness, the content , the smile , the pleasureon the face of the patrons who drank the icy lemonade was unmatchable . I wantto keep people around me happy, give them joy , give them smile . A writer is a Gole-wala , he adds happiness , sweetnessand a little bit of sourness in his stories and makes his reader elope in a differentworld .
So the answer to the question is “YesI always wanted to be a Gola-wala”

Note : Gola-wala is a man who makes Ice candy, Lemonade Juice etc