feelslikeimfallinginlove

It was a Sunday evening and a number of guests had gathered at a bungalow in Lutyens Delhi. The women had come in their bright and colourful silk sarees, lehengas and designer dresses. The men were casually attired in their jeans and jackets. One thing that stood out in the crowd was the salt and pepper colour of the hair; in short, these were all people in their late fifties and early sixties. A huge three tier cake was kept ready and the hall erupted with the coming of the hosts, Mandira and Surinder. The party was thrown to celebrate their wedding. 

Surinder and Mandira had known each other since school days as neighbours. It was just another friendship and as years rolled by, they parted company and lost touch with each other. Both were busy with their careers and each was oblivious of the life of the other person somewhere on planet Earth. Then, after almost twenty-five years, they met once more at Udaipur, at the wedding of their common friend Ajay’s daughter. This was sometime in the winter of 2011.

Hi Suri… she shouted at top of her voice at the smart looking man wearing a silk bandhgala.

Oh, Hi Madi… he replied and waved back.

Where have you been… Geek, you must now be living in the Silicon Valley?

No way. I am very much here in Delhi and always have been.

What about your family…are they here? 

He smiled and then stylishly spoke…. Main aur meri tanhai, aksar yeh baatein karte hain… ha ha ha!

Kya baat hai, Handsome Prince, it is impossible that you’re a loner. You always had so many beautiful girls hanging around you during school and college days. 

He started laughing aloud and just shook his head from right to left and then left to right a number of times… Maybe I took too long to find the perfect partner and by the time I decided, it was too late. But I am having a blast alone with no one to answer to. Both mum and dad have passed away, and now I am my own master… the prince in now truly the King. What about you, Madi?

She just smiled… My story is somewhat similar. After college, I went abroad for my masters and returned, not because of the love for the country but because dad was not keeping well and there was no one else to take care of him. I took charge of his company which was in doldrums and somehow managed to keep it afloat. After prolonged illness, dad, passed away in 2000. Till then, mom had been strong and doing good but after his passing, she was completely heartbroken having lost a companion of over forty years. She lost her will to live. Now, I am taking care of her.

You are still living in the same bungalow? I will come and visit auntie. I am sure she will recognize me. After all, I never failed to give her a scare every time I came to your house, breaking some porcelain vase or shifting the old pictures on the walls from one peg to another, flicking a book… those sure were good and carefree days.

Yes, we are there in the same place and mom will be really very happy to see you. But mind it, she may be bedridden and sick but her temper is still the same. She will still warn you sternly to behave and tell all the servants to keep an eye on you to make sure there is no loss or damage to her treasured things in the house. She would often say then that Suri has ants in his pants. He just can’t sit at one place for more than sixty seconds. You were her Dennis the Menace, cute but a troublesome one.

Both sat down and shared old memories and, for the next two days at Udaipur, it seemed they were inseparable. Once they returned to Delhi, Suri went to Madi’s place and met her mother. Suri was a connoisseur of fine drinks but to auntie, he confidently said that he was a teetotaller and enjoyed Darjeeling tea. He knew very well that she was a daughter of a tea garden manager in the Dooars in North Bengal and she still got her first flush tea leaves from the same garden as a gesture of gratitude from the current garden owners. She asked Madi to bring out her fine China porcelain tea set and place the tea trolley near her bedside. Once the things were set with a floral tea-cosy covering the tea pot, a small pot of milk, sugar cubes in a small bowl, a few silver spoons, the sieve and a small plate of cookies, the lady sat up and made the tea in the finest tradition. She handed a cup and saucer each to Suri and Madi before picking up hers and gently sipping the tea. Suri admired the white cup which had blue-coloured dragons painted on the outside and when he finished drinking the tea, he saw the image of a flower at the bottom of the cup. The old lady smiled as she saw the amazement in Suri’s eyes seeing the wonderous cup and its magic. Fine tea drinking had its own moments of beauty.

Hereafter, the meetings between Mandira and Surinder became a regular feature. Initially they would meet at each other’s place for a couple of hours, just for some chit-chat over drinks. Then they started going to social get-togethers as a pair. They were a strange duo. While one was heavily the right wing and spoke about saffron and ridiculed the country’s ruling family of the past sixty-five years, the other was more balanced and had a kinder view of the past. One was a voracious talker and could talk even to strangers on any subject for hours together, the other was the quiet one and unless poked and pushed, was happy to stay in his own world. While one was an early riser and would go to parks and monuments in Delhi, take pictures and then post them on social media immediately, the other would enjoy a good night’s sleep and get up late and had almost zero digital footprint. One loved reading history books, collecting antiques and made the room look like a cluttered and an unkept museum, the other was more interested in keeping the house clean and tidy. But two things were common, one was their genuine warmth towards all and second was their mutual love for dogs. She had a German Shepard Dog and he had a French Bull Dog. When the two people met, it was also a meeting for the doggies and they got along well with each other despite their difference in size. 

Soon the one-off short meetings gave way to weekend getaways. Suri had a home in the Dehradun hills and he would drive off with her in his SUV. They started spending weekends and holidays in the hills which had a calming effect on their lives and then of course this companionship for the duo was like manna that both longed for in life but had not experienced it for long. All the friends knew about their meetings and they did not hide it from anyone. Anyway, why should they have hidden, after all they were two mature consensual adults. Madi’s mother, too, was happy at the change in Madi’s life. Her girl looked so much more radiant and happier now. She started prodding her daughter to get married. The only answer she would always get is …But why Mumma? We are happy the way we are.

Surinder, after a while, gave up his rented accommodation to join Mandira and her mother in their palatial house. This was so much better and put all gossip and speculations to rest. Now they lived bindaas under the same roof, went on holidays together and invited people to their homes. The mother, too, was happy. Now, she not only had a good daughter, she also had a caring man in the house who cared about her and more importantly, loved her daughter. Live-in is what rest of the people may call this relationship but they never gave it a name, they just lived happily together. They never thought of marrying, for this was good enough for all. And as they say in all the fairy tales, they lived happily, till one day after almost fourteen years of their coming together, things took a turn.

Mandira was a music fanatic. The band, Coldplay, was, coming to India and she wanted to see the first show live. While millions of fans in Mumbai and elsewhere were disappointed at the way online booking fiasco happened on the day with the net crashing, Madi was able to get two tickets. She was excited and even though Suri was not a music buff, she convinced him to join her at the Mumbai concert which was still a couple of months away. She quickly booked the flight tickets which had skyrocketed. Suri was a member of Delhi Gymkhana and he confirmed to Madi that it will be far more economical and better staying in the corresponding club at Mumbai than any top hotel there. He put in his request for a double room. The gymkhana rules, however, had not changed from the times the colonial masters had framed them. They allowed only married couples to stay together and room allotment was subject to the duo being legally and officially wedded. Madi was disappointed and started scouting for hotels around the concert venue when Suri came and suddenly announced… 

Let’s get married!

Whaaat?

Yes, you heard it right, let us get married now. We will go to the court tomorrow and get the marriage registered. It should be easy. Let me talk to my lawyer now.

Madi turned red… she had not expected this reaction but was also happy and said to herself… Why not?  She went and woke up her sleeping mother and told her… Mom, we are tying the knot.

The mother started crying and hugged her daughter tight. She put her hands in the air as if her prayers had been answered.

Suri soon realized, it was one thing to say it but getting it done was not all that easy. They needed documents like age proof, identification cards and many more papers before getting the marriage registered. For date of birth, the lawyer asked for their respective mark sheets for tenth standard because no one had birth certificates issued in those days when they were born. Madi opened up the big wooden trunk of hers and soon saw that white ants had gobbled up the school documents. She picked up the paper which crumbled like dust in no time. Suri, after the multiple changes of residence, could not trace his documents. 

The lawyer said… You guys must surely be having your passports. That should suffice for date of birth, names of parents and other identification details. Madi and Suri handed their passports to the lawyer who opened both and made a dirty face… These have expired three years ago and these cannot be used as documentary proof. 

Suri said… I have my driving license. That’s an acceptable government document for my residence proof. He took out the license from his wallet and handed it to the lawyer. The man shouted… This shows your name as Surender. How quickly can you get this amended… Surender to Surinder.

This is not a Delhi license but from Dehradun RTO. I am sure I can get it done quickly. 

Go and get this done fast while I get some affidavits and get some documents made. All this will cost you extra money.

Madi said… Suri, this hassle and the amount that we are spending in getting this marriage registration done, won’t it be cheaper and easier to book a five-star hotel in Mumbai. Let’s forget this madness, this registration will not change anything for us and we are happy the way we are now.

No Madi… now that we have decided, let us get this done once and for all. Then we can travel and stay everywhere, legally and officially together. Moreover, auntie will be very disappointed if we change our plans now. She is so happy. Don’t want her to go through another heartbreak.

Finally, the documents were made ready. The date was fixed at the Patiala House court. In the company of a couple of friends and with a special permission to allow the pets for the big occasion, Suri and Madi got married. Now they were a legally wedded couple. The first thing the couple did was to go home and take blessings from Madi’s mom who gave her daughter a beautiful jewellery set and an antique silver hookah, possibly from the Mughal times, to Suri. In the evening, they had an impromptu gathering of friends and family to celebrate the joyous occasion.

Late in the night, the couple flew to Mumbai and checked into their cozy double room in the Willingdon Club booked in their names. Next evening, they both went to DY Patil Stadium and witnessed Chris Martin and his Coldplay band playing… 

Oh, it feels like

I'm fallin' in love

You're throwin' me a lifeline

And this is for a lifetime

SS

Mothers

Three short stories adapted and inspired by reel and real life. 

Seoul, South Korea, in the far East.

The receptionist in the pediatric ward of a large hospital in Seoul was surprised to find a box of freshly made food on her desk. The woman, who had kept it, walked in straight, did not say anything, she just kept the tiffin box on the counter as if to say…eat it. Before the receptionist could speak to her, this woman gave her a blank expressionless look and went to the place where the other women were sitting with children in their arms, waiting to meet the doctors. Surprisingly, this woman did not have a child around her but was trying to be playful with the other toddlers. The receptionist called for the resident doctor, Soon Yoo, to come to the front desk. Dr. Soon came running and the receptionist narrated the incident to her and also pointed towards the woman who had given the food. Dr. Soon looked at her and was shocked to see the lady staring back at her intensely.  

That’s Min Su’s mother!

But Min Su died a couple of months ago. Why is she here then?

She is observing our activities and must be recording them as well. She may be planning to sue the hospital for the death of her baby.

If she does that, we are all done. I will lose my residency and be debarred from practicing anywhere… said the resident.

Let us not jump to any conclusion. For the moment, she looks pleased and happy. Anyone who is disturbed and seeking revenge will not be playing with others’ children.

After a while the woman went away, and the resident and front desk ladies all sighed a huge sense of relief and went back to attending to their routine work. Rest of the day was like any other day. In the days that followed, however, the strange act of Min Su’s mother coming at a fixed time, handing over a large food container at the reception counter and staring endlessly at Dr. Soon Yoo and the ladies at the reception continued. Dr. Soon was very worried and she thought of informing Dr. Han, who was her Departmental Head about Min Su’s mother and her apprehension about a possible legal suit for negligence that may be filed against the attending doctors and the hospital.

Dr. Han was a very balanced man. He was extremely good with his work and even better with managing people. Not only the staff at the hospital but even people living around his residence looked upon his deep understanding of human psyche. Mostly his assessments and easy solutions never failed. When he heard Dr. Soon, who was almost in tears while narrating the story, Dr. Han just raised both his hands, calming her and said… You are worrying for no reason. Min Su had a serious heart related ailment from the time he was born. All the doctors at the hospital tried their very best to save the infant. The struggle went on for not less than three months and the mother never left the child’s side even for a single moment. The other family members would come and go but she stood there all through. Her baby died in this hospital and never went home even for a single day. For the mother, this hospital holds a special place. You, Dr. Soon, who had been so kind to her in those days is someone she has good memories about. I am sure she comes here just to revisit the place which was the only home to her child. The food that she brings everyday is to thank you and all others on the floor. You need not worry Dr. Soon, and next time you see her, just go up to her and offer her a cup of coffee, take her to the cafeteria and speak to her. She may just open up to you and feel better.

Dr. Soon stood there and shook her head in agreement. Next day, she waited for Min Su’s mother to come and the moment she arrived, Dr. Soon, smiled and went up to her. She spoke to her and made a request to accompany her to the cafeteria and the lady readily agreed.  Both the ladies sat there for long and spoke to each other. One of the receptionists peeked inside the cafeteria to see if all was fine and Dr. Soon invited her over to the table where Min Su’s mother sat. Soon some other doctors, nurses and support staff of the pediatrics department came together and enjoyed the food Min Su’s mother had got for them. Slowly the mother’s visits became infrequent but the staff in the hospital looked forward to her coming and bringing them hot, delicious food. Then, one day, Dr. Soon got a call… I am pregnant again and I will again come to your hospital very soon. I refuse to go anywhere else.

Santiago, Chile, in the far West.

Lovina was an assistant in Judge Benjamin’s office. Her work involved typing and recording minutes of deliberations and interviews conducted in the office of the judge who took on criminal cases. She also did some odd jobs from time to time which the judge asked her to do. Lovina found her work very fascinating as she got a chance to see some rich and the famous people along with their equally famous lawyers who would argue their cases before the judge who was always very fair. He would not pronounce any judgement without being fully satisfied with the investigations. Lovina was the sole bread earner in her family. Her husband kept trying his hand at various odd jobs including photography while her two sons were studying in college. She paid for all things but found no help from anyone at home. She had to cook, clean and do almost everything. The men in the house took her for granted and did not even lift a dirty plate from the dining table after dinner and place it in the washing sink. It was all left for Lovina to do it. They would just loiter around and play cards while she toiled hard. Lovina never complained and just went about her work at home and was always excited about her work at the office where she felt important as the other people in the judge’s room treated her with respect and she was never made to feel small.

The latest case Judge Benjamin was handling was of a high-profile lady who had shot dead her lover in the restaurant of a prominent hotel in the city in front of a lot of people. There was nothing much for the lady’s advocate to defend as witness after witness came and testified how the murder had taken place. Based on the eye witness account, the judge had sentenced the lady to imprisonment. However, the lady had good connections right up to the President of the country who spoke to the judge and instead of sending her to a high security prison, she was allowed to spend her prison period in a nunnery in the outskirts of the city. This nunnery was used as a correction home for some other convicts as well. Soon stories began to appear in the dailies that the murderess was living a life of grandeur in the nunnery and making a fool of the so-called punishment. Judge Benjamin was very confident that nothing of that sort was happening at the nunnery but to put to rest the speculations in the press, he asked Lovina to go to the nunnery and take pictures of the living conditions of people there and the convict’s room and amenities. 

Lovina was very happy at getting this special assignment and fought with her husband to part with his camera for a day. The husband showed her a few simple ways to handle the big camera and how to get the best shots. She listened to him carefully and then after loading a new roll, hung the camera from her shoulder and sat at the back seat of the car the judge had arranged for her. Lovina made sure everyone in her family and neighbourhood saw her sitting in a big car driven by a chauffeur. The car reached the nunnery and Lovina was ushered in. She took pictures of the common areas in the nunnery; the room of the convict and she saw that everything was very basic there. There was no trace of any luxury in the place be it in the food served, clothing worn or the other utilities available. The convict was getting no special treatment. After finishing her work, she sat down near the exit gate to smoke a cigarette. She wanted to relax a bit because her toil at home would start the moment she set foot there. Just then a tall woman with a broom came and stood before her and said… will you take my picture, please.

Lovina could not say no and clicked a few pictures of this woman who would be in her sixties and had a big frame. The woman now asked Lovina for a cigarette and started chatting with her. Lovina asked her the reason why she was here and the woman said…

My husband died young and I had a daughter. She was beautiful and I made sure she got good education. She was my angel and soon she found a good job and then a man. I never liked the man and disapproved of their relationship but then love is blind. She liked him far too much for me to dissuade her. They got married and started living separately. Soon, the real face of the man came to the fore and my lovely daughter realized her mistake. The man was a drug addict and would often beat my girl. She never said anything to me for she knew I would be worried. She bore the pain quietly for long and then, finally, she turned up at my house one night and told me everything. She also said that she was pregnant. I told her that she could now live here with me and I will take care of her. She agreed and we were living happily when one day, while I was at the market, her husband came to my home and foolishly my daughter opened the door for him. He started beating her mercilessly and then pushed her down. He caught hold of her hair and started dragging her out of the house, all the while abusing her. I returned and saw the scene. I rushed inside the house, went straight to the small workshop we had in the garage, took out the machete and slit the man’s throat. I was arrested and have been living here for the last fifteen years.

Lovina asked… what about your daughter now?

Oh, she is a mother of a pretty girl. They come to meet me every weekend, come snow or rain. I wait for that one day and that one hour I get to spend with them. 

Delhi, India, at home.

Shambhu was an office boy in a multi-national company’s office in Gurgaon. He would diligently take his two-wheeler to the metro station very early in the morning, board the metro and get off at the terminal station and then, finally, walk another two kilometres to reach the office. He always made sure that he reached the office well before eight in the morning and after changing into his light blue shirt and dark blue trouser, he would begin his activities which included dusting the office, filling up water bottles, arranging the cups and saucers and, finally, checking the beverage vending machine. The office started at nine and all those who came in early would greet Shambu with a smile and a warm good morning. He was a person no one disliked for he always made sure to get things done fast and well. By nine-thirty almost all the staff would be in and the office would come alive. Almost all… one senior lady would always walk in at eleven in the morning. No one bothered about it as in MNCs it is the work that mattered, entry and exit time never was given important. Shambhu was also told by another office boy that the lady had been given special permission to come in late. She was very good with her work and the company valued her much but to Shambu, he found it very strange.

One day, the lady was relatively relaxed and in a good mood. Shambhu got her nimbu-paani in the evenings and she loved its taste. Shambhu would do it perfectly to her taste. It must have been a relatively light day and so she started chatting and asked Shambu about his family. Shambu told her about his wife and two children. He even told her how naughty the boys were and it was becoming difficult for his wife to manage them. Finding her in a light-hearted mood, Shambhu asked the lady about her family. The lady said, …. Life is very busy. My husband is the CEO of a company and has long days and often travels outside. I have two lovely daughters of five and eight and have a full-time nanny to take care of them. I have a cook and another domestic help to do other chores and take care of the house plus the two drivers to get us from here to there in this mad traffic. To manage all these people at home is quite a task. Plus, I sleep late and get up late as well. When I do not get my eight hours of sleep, I feel groggy and feel sick. After getting up, I do an hour of yoga without fail. That is something I have learnt from my father and never miss it even for a day. Then I spend a good amount of time in the puja room. So even though I stay less than two kilometres from office, I have told my boss that the nine am time will not work for me. I need flexi-time and he agreed. But I must say Shambhu, life is tough and very hectic.

Shambhu sympathized with the lady and then left for home after a while. Post dinner, after the boys had slept off, he sat with his wife on the terrace and started chatting. He was narrating the life of his lady boss and then said, I wonder how my mother managed to do all and yet reach office on time every day…. We were three kids in the house and one of us was a special child as well. My father would do all the grocery shopping, etcetera, but would not do a thing in the house. We were not well off to keep servants, so Ma had to get up very early in the morning, clean up the clothes and utensils, prepare breakfast for all of us, pack tiffin for us and when Baba would take us to the bus stop, she would mop the house, take bath and then eat food before rushing to work. On return from office, her cooking, cleaning and managing the children and the house never took a breather. Don’t know when she found any time for herself. She worked in a government office and there was no flexibility of time allowed to her. Her washing clothes with the wooden bat, cleaning the utensils with the iron jali and going down on her knees to mop the floor were part of her daily yoga. Getting into the DTC buses daily and managing three kids was her total body exercise… every inch of her sinews turned and twisted many a time every day. She would have never got more than five to six hours of sleep and that too with the help of pills she would pop each night, something I came to know much later in life. Her biggest joy was in cooking tasty meals for the family and then eating food together with the children and talking to them. I wonder how she managed it all. 

SS

The Quakes

Recently, the world witnessed two quakes. One measured 7.7 on the Richter Scale and caused huge loss of life and property in an impoverished nation. The other quake happened, far away and magnitude and scale of which is still being measured daily and its repercussions are being felt globally.

My Ma in MynMaar

Mama, wake up

Son, I am tired. Go back to sleep.

Mama, the bed is shaking.

You must have seen a bad dream.

Mama, the window is crashing.

Darling, don’t make up things. All day long I have been working hard and I need my sleep tonight.

Mama, the door opening and shutting on its own.

Go put the latch and come back to bed.

Mama, I am afraid, something bad is happening.

Come, let me hold you tight and then we can sleep together.

Mama, see the fan above, it is shaking hard.

You are imaging things son.

Mama, can’t you hear the people shouting outside.

That happens all the time here… what’s new, son?

Mama, I can hear sounds like explosions all around.

Must be the rebels attacking the city, son.

Mama, it is not like the sound and shake up ever before.

Go outside and see for yourself but come back quickly and sleep off, my baby.

Mama, I will run out of the house and rush back in no time.

Craaaash….Craaash…

Mamaaaaa! My hands are shaking, hold me please

Mama, my legs are shaking, talk to me please

Mama, I am shaking…where are you

Mama, it is time for you to wake up and go to work

Mama, come out of the rubble and stand by me

Mama, I am feeling so lonely

Mama…Dear Mama, O My Mama!

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Of Beasts and Birds

One evening in a shrink’s office, a huge giant of a man with golden hair, wearing a bold red tie was lying on the couch.

Tell me, Your Highness, what brings you here?

You see, I wanted to do great things and was also doing many great things but suddenly for the last few days I am seeing things that I do not like.

Can you please give me in more details as to what you have been seeing and experiencing?

The other day I was in my office and a big bad bird jumped up and pooped before me. A month ago, it was bad enough for a kid to put the dirt from his nose on my desk; today, this is the ultimate insult!

What beast, being or bird could dare do that to you Sir?

It was a big… very big bird which was white in colour and wore a black coat.

You mean it was a penguin, Sir?

I don’t know the name but it was definitely not an American bird. Must be an illegal immigrant bird.

What else, Sir?

Another day, I was doing a meeting with my core team and whenever I tried speaking, a strange voice would come from my throat.

What sort of sounds came out, Your Highness?

Faint sort of barking.

Was there a dog in the room?

Did you just say doge?

No Sir, I said dog. Spelt as D..O..G.

No, there was no dog there but there suddenly appeared a wriggly fat thing lying on the floor.

What did the animal look like?

You see, it had a cute face and looked at me like a pup but it did not have legs and the tail resembled that of a fish.

The shrink opened up his iPad to show the man some pictures.

Yes… that’s the one.

Oh, that’s a seal. But what is a seal doing in your office?

Did your security team check on them?

Ya, they did. I told you these illegal immigrants are the problem. These creatures are from some islands that are about four thousand kilometres off the coast of Australia, almost close to Antarctica. I am sure my predecessor allowed all such creatures easy entry into my great land. Some dirty islands called Heard and McDonald… not related to me in in any way.

But that’s just two bad instances. It must be a security breach that they entered in your office. But why have you come to me?

You see… I am unable to sleep. I close my eyes and I see these penguins and seals dancing on my bed, walking on the window and making noise all through the night. When I walk in my gardens, these creatures and their likes come charging towards me, making funny faces.

Understood, Sir. You have a serious problem and it will take me the next four years to cure you. For every sitting, I will charge you $100,000.

You have been ripping off my country men and women for far too long. Now you are doing the same to me. This stops today! It is liberation time for us and going forward, instead of me paying you, you will pay half of what you have been charging us for years. Your money will make me and my country rich, very rich! 

SS