It's Better to Tell than Take Along - A Short Story

She was lying on my bed, reading the note book which I had, lazily, left on table. Her bag was put on floor, makeup box on my study table and her wet clothes were hanging in balcony. This is how I meet her for the first time. Furious…….I just banged on the door and shouted, “Excuse me, who told you to enter this room?”
She pulled the notebook down and I was looking at the most beautiful eyes of the world. Innocent, childish, soft, she mumbled, “Hmmm…actually…actually...Aunty” and by that time mom entered the room.

“I asked her to take this room. She is your maamiji’s distant cousin and lives in US. She is on a vacation and wanted to witness an Indian marriage, so we invited her. She will be here for some days and then you would have your room back” said Mummy and took her along.

She turned and gave an apologetic smile and I raised my eyebrow. I, then, secured my notebook, took some clothes and moved into the adjacent room.

I was on a week leave for my elder sister’s marriage, and had planned to spend it resting my room which has been my territory ever since childhood. A week of complete rest, even if it combines with your sister marriage, is justified for a person who has returned from the border after 1.5 years. Yes….I am an army officer posted in north eastern part of India.

My plan for rest war already gone; but now I was losing something else in me. The more I saw her, moving in company of cousins, talking with aunts, or just reading something sitting on sofa, I felt some unknown excitement, uncontrollable attraction towards her. But so far, even after two days, I didn’t get chance to talk to her.

“Tea, Saabji” I heard these simple words thousands of time from my subordinates every morning, but this was different. I opened my eye and saw her having tray in her hand. She kept the tea on side table and turned back to leave the room, saying “I am not safe if our army men sleep so long and so deep”. She was gone before I could say anything. This was for the first time, she talked to me directly and it made my day.
Next day we went to groom’s place for function. She was to come in my car. She insisted on driving and I kept making fun of her driving, even on the slightest of her mistakes. Sometimes she ignored, sometimes gave an eye and at times frowned at me. Luckily we had the conversation started between us.

For next couple of days I took her to famous places in our town, organized a dinner for her and presented the hand crafted dolls made in our town. She was enjoying and I felt closer. Once she casually asked, “when are you getting married?” and I could not muster the courage to ask her. I didn’t reply.

Finally after a week she left and I joined my post back. We kept in touch through mails and occasional calls. Mom kept on insisting for my marriage and I finally decided to ask her. But I was not sure about her feelings. She was just friendly, is it me who was exaggerating it as love? She was happy with me, or was happy in the new surrounding and warmth of India? She was keeping in touch, or would she not obviously reply to friends? I was torn between two extreme ends of thought. I asked my inner self, but it eluded me of answer.

Today I muster the courage to ask you, Mehek. Yes, the girl mentioned in this letter none but you. I have a liking for you from the day we meet, but I never had the courage to ask you. This letter when reaches you, I expect a reply. An answer need not be affirmative; needless to say I will respect your decision. I am trained enough to get bullets, negative answer will not kill me. But of course, life would be simple and uncomplicated if spent with someone I really want to.

Take your time and do reply, “Will you like to spend the remaining of your life in army colonies, with a man who in our first meeting wanted you to go out of his room. The same person would like you to rule his home. Will you marry me?

Awaiting you reply....

-Mayank.

Mehek put the letter in her purse, keeping the notebook back into the black army box which was sent to the family by Army after Mayank had sacrificed his life in an ambush with ultras. Family was shattered, but Mehek was calm. Calmness of morning dawn which is beautiful in itself but still misses the radiance of sun. She went to Mayank’s room, lying on his bed, and started reading the letter, which was never posted, again.

A Perennial Outsider: Bihar

An interview. A complicated, well educated and politically inclined professor asks me, “Ok...so you belong to Bihar. Tell me what special this Nitish Kumar is doing that makes him a darling of media and Bihar a story worth mention in newspaper and magazine”. Hmmm......blah blah....I spoke looking in his eyes. The same professor now looked historically ignorant to me. But what is his fault; same is the majority of India. Bihar is always a story of failure, I agree, but it should never be a story of pity. Those who do so should pity on themselves for their lack of knowledge.

Bihar, originally called Vihar-as Buddhist monk used to do vihar in this sacred land, had Nalanda University and Vikramshila University when the whole India was living in Dark Age. It was a land of knowledge which had its wings spread into many countries and other nationals used came here for education till a monstrous Muslim invader burnt them to ashes. It is said library of Nalanda University was so big that it kept on burning for six months.

Aryabhatt (Mathematician India is proud of and who gave ‘0’-‘Zero’ to the world), Panini (Sanskrit Scholar), Chanakya( Greatest Politician) and Vatsayana (writer of Kamasutra) are believed to be born in Bihar, so they were a Bihari.

Chantragupta Maurya and the great Ashok were the greatest rulers of India. It is said Maurya kingdom spread way ahead of Afghanistan and that was the best period of India. Magadh kingdom king Jarasandh attacked Krishna 17 times and forced him to shift his capital to Dwarka in the middle of sea. King Mahabali is known of his valour and strength.

Bihar which is currently know as a lawless state, is interestingly the place where two of the most peaceful religions were born. Buddha was enlightened in Bodhgaya and Vaishali was the first republic of world where Bhagwaan Mahavir started Jainnism.

Gandhiji started his first movement in India from Champaran against British called Champaran Satyagrah.

Enough of Bihar bhakti for now. So where did it go wrong for Bihar to take it to the quagmire it today exists in. I attribute it to two time frames: one during Indira Gandhi regime at centre and other to Lalu Yadav rule in the state. Bihar was moving with same pace as other states post independence, till Indira Gandhi came to rule India in 70s. She ruled India one dimensionally and most of chief ministers of India bowed in front of her. Bihar refused and became a centre of socialist movement under the leadership of JP, Karpoori Thakur and Babu Jagjivan Ram etc. Then, she forced emergency and Bihar became the focal point of anti-indira agitation. Sampoorn Kranti movement started by Jayaprakash Narayan(JP) took him to the forefront of movement and made Bihar a perennial rebel. It acquired an anti-establishment image and was subsequently kept out of centre’s plans and development strategies. As Bihar started moving backwards, people become unemployed and it landed into a deep hole where venomous snake of cast system bite it hard. It moved deeper into corruption, illiteracy and poverty.

When Indira was gone and India moved into liberalization phase giving big push to the development of industries in other states, came Lalu Prasad Yadav to rule Bihar. He brutally destroyed the systematic structure of governance, which was already shaking. It came down easily, leaving Bihar starving. People, still lost into the battle of caste supremacy, didn’t realise the pace with which other states were moving. It took 15 years for realization and now a dynamic, earnest, hardworking and visionary Nitish Kumar is at the helm of Bihar; and for a change Bihar is moving in the right direction.

Still “what special this Nitish Kumar is doing that makes him a darling of media and Bihar a story worth mention in newspaper and magazine”, I leave this question unanswered for now and will reply in next blog, hoping will get my result from the professor by that time.

IPL is too perfect to be True; Is it Fixed?

Let me start here with no fancy words, no round about introduction and not the perfectly created sentences. Let me cut it short and come to the point directly. IPL is too good to be true. It is too competitive, matches ending in perfect finishes and points table shuffling till the 14th round to give us the complete four slots for semi-finals. It has been the trend since its inception. It is too good...too perfect to drag my cautious (or wicked) mind to something that may be happening behind those boardroom doors and Modi’s twitter updates. Fake IPL player gave us a hint of that last year, this year Kochi team’s rendezvous with Lalit Modi promises an interesting coming week. If actually ‘All izz not so well’ behind the doors, how can the finishes be so tight and tables so compact? Punjab suddenly starts winning, spoiling other’s party. Bangalore intermittently keeps losing. Mediocre Mumbai is leader of the table and 6 of the teams end up on the same point after every round, still not clear which of them will make to the semi-final. IPL is too perfect to be true. Is someone playing off the field as well? I can’t even imagine players like Sachin, Kumble, Rahul and Sourav to be part of any such activities. But a crooked and manipulative person like Modi can do anything. Team selection, some time, is unexplainable. Does Modi guide owners to dictate captains whom to play and whom not to? Do owners kneel to Modi, knowing well that next year it would be their turn to do good in the tournament? Modi knows very well that predictability will kill IPL and hence he is trying everything to keep results and points table fluctuating. I am happy that I am entertained; but also worried that someone might be selling me something which actually is not it. Is IPL too perfect to be true, or is it my mind which is unable to embrace something which could just be as perfect?

Naxals are at door, state stand still

Finally I got a chance to visit my ancestral home last week, almost after 4.5 years. It is said that change is the only constant and so is it. Village has changed....changed a lot. Some changes were brought by its own people who for the look of opportunities have swamped the locality with shops, though the economic viability of them looks bleak to me; and some by the local government which has recently been focusing on road, electricity and education. Change was evident, so was the beauty of farms during this time of the year. I might have been looking those fields for the first time from a third point of view and believe me they looked beautiful. I might have looked at them thousands of times earlier but never was interested in its beauty. Wheat (locally called Gehu in Hindi) harvesting time is near, so it was all golden over the fields as far as I could see. Intermittently were Maize cultivation...still young and timid plants...so they were still green. The mix of green maize and golden wheat plants spread all along as far as I could see, it was beautiful, indeed mesmerizing. Mango and Litchi orchards are ready for the harvesting season in May and June. This time it is going to be abundance of mangoes and no doubt trees were full of manzars. River had some water but they will soon get dry in coming summer months. Our village is so beautiful, I had never realised this; but today I am proud and optimistic.

Amidst all this beauty came the incident that left me worried and a bit frightened. I and my father were sleeping on the roof top and we heard one blast. Papa said that it might be celebration of a marriage party and we slept off. We woke of next day with the news that a local police station, some kilometres away, had been exploded by the naxals. Ours was never a naxal infested area but situation seems to have changed. Next day was full of police round ups, vehicles carrying commandos plying on the village road; some said they were on round, some said for attack, some said for arrest. Whatever it was...it was not a sign to be proud off. I knew naxals were active in some districts of Bihar, predominantly Gaya and Jehananbad. But Saran was never on card. If they have reached Saran, it means they might have reached other parts as well. Some reports say Bihar government have secretly given consent for operation green hunt, not publicizing it as it is wary of impending state election. Whatever it is....its time state (be it centre or state) act or it would not be too late when naxals reach delhi through state capitals. Reports say they plan to attack cities now. They are marching ahead...they can’t be allowed.....they have options either sit, have dialogue and solve the problems together or go to the gallops of history. I agree they have some genuine demands but gun cannot be the means to get your demands fulfilled. Either come to negotiation table or else be prepared to be sent to a faraway place called hell. A state cannot be held hostage to whims of some organization. Chidhambram is acting swiftly, I am sure he will succeed. Till then I have my fingers crossed.

IPL is Back, so are Memories

IPL3 starts today. Personally, first two has been very memorable, specially the first one. I vividly remember our own battles in Ojas Flat in Pune. Me, Mithun, Ravi and Rohan fought hard, maybe harder than our teams. Me and Rohan were supporting Bangalore Royal Challengers(RCB) all because of Rahul Dravid, Mithun was for Mumbai Indians (I am afraid Tharkeys will force them to change the name to Mumbai Marathis ) and Ravi was supporting Hyderabad Deccan Chargers(DC). I used to send outlook invites to everyone before every RCB match, predicting huge win for RCB and the murder of opposition. But it, usually, happened the opposite in real. We had pasted the full schedule on wall and kept on updating it with every match’s result. By the middle of the tournament, all our team, RCB, MI and DC, we out of the tournament. We left updating the schedule chart. But the enthusiasm of Rohan was praise worthy, he kept calculating all the permutations and combinations for probable entry of RCB to semi-final. Such was he, a way ahead of us, a man different from us.

2nd season was not that much memorable. I had shifted with Mayank and Tapas. Ojas flat was gone. Rohan and Ravi were at onsite and Mithun had shifted to Mumbai. Mayank is not a very ardent supporter of cricket and Tapas was pre-occupied. But the less I was interested, RCB played better. Last few matches were just mind boggling. Narrow wins, impressive batting and killing bowling, add Kumble’s focused leadership to it and what else you want. Above that the occasional steely glances of him along with Mallya’s partying and Katrina’s presence. It could not have got better. RCB reached final and lost (else gifted) it to DC. Whatever RCB was a winner.

This year……..its worse. I am leaving alone, started reading and am more homely now. Hope RCB brings some cheers….cheers……….anyone there with beer mug……..don’t put it down without a sip ………..RCB is out for kill this time 