After all these years : Story 3 of Sunshine and Wildflowers

It’s been ten years but I made no mistake in recognizing her. There were only five people in the train compartment, out of which she was one. At first, I thought to avoid her. What was the point in exchanging pleasantries after all these years? She had not noticed me as her gaze was transfixed on the screen of her phone. I looked out of the window as I felt the past merge with my present.

No. I cannot run away. I have to face it. If this person can affect me even after all these years, I definitely should not run away.

I picked my bag and moved towards her seat. As I sat in front of her, she hesitatingly turned her gaze from her phone to me. The smile on her face faded away at once.

“Hi Diya! How are you doing?” I asked.

She clearly did not expect to see me all of a sudden. And the fact that I was greeting her as if nothing had happened between us baffled her. After a silence of two minutes, she nodded in reply.

“Just like this train, life moves on. Holding on to anything eludes our peace of mind.” I said looking at Diya who did not utter a single word.

She looked at me, her face tainted with myriad expressions. It was a combination of sadness, guilt, and anger.

“I noticed you for a long time, but couldn’t gather the composure to greet you. After fighting a battle with my demons, I am here sitting in front of you, acknowledging your presence. I can clearly understand what you are feeling.” I continued.

“It’s good to see you, Meera after all these years,” Diya said with a soft smile.

“It’s great to see you too. Hope you are doing well.” I said.

We talked to each other about our present life, family, and work. The cloud of awkwardness did not fade away, but the sun was peeping somewhere behind the clouds. Diya and I were best friends in college. We were inseparable and that’s why people used to call us Siamese twins. As far as I can remember, I couldn’t spend even a single day without talking to her. I considered her my sibling and pleaded with my father to adopt her. We used to argue at times but never harboured any grudges against each other. 

One day, we had a bitter fight full of accusations. In anger, I told her all the things I did for her and she pointed out my faults. The nasty fight was accompanied by several misunderstandings that destroyed the foundation of our friendship. I started avoiding her as even seeing her face pinched my wounds. We went separate ways and never tried to contact each other.

I thought Diya had taken advantage of my helpful nature and exploited me. Maybe, that was true. But in anger, I have also said her things that the present me would have never said. Today, in retrospect, when I think about it, I understand that we both were at fault. And after all these years, it’s meaningless pointing fingers at each other and evaluating who was more wrong. The best thing that we can do to each other now is to release the pent-up anger and get a closure.

“It’s time to leave. My station has almost come. You take care.” I said to Diya.

“Meera, I am sorry for what happened.”

“I am sorry too. And thank you for today. It was great meeting you.” I said and shook hands with Diya. She beamed and waved me a goodbye.

As I alighted from the train, my phone beeped, alerting me of a new Facebook friend request. It was from Diya Sengupta. I felt liberated from the baggage that I was carrying subconsciously for the last ten years. My heart was at peace. It was overflowing with love and gratitude.

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Nature's Child : Story 2 of Sunshine and Wildflowers

All her life, she was fed the line “Loneliness can kill a person.” But no one told her, “Loneliness is a state of mind. It’s a choice. What seems to be loneliness for one person can be the blessing of solitude for another person.”

Natasha looked at the beautiful hills, marveling at the beauty of Nature. She was seeking this inner calm all her life, which was amiss since her childhood. Belonging to a rich and orthodox joint family, she always felt chained. An invisible cage followed her like a haunting shadow. 

Her happiness did not lie in money, but in simple things that Nature offered. The colorful orchids, the various shades of green, the whiff of petrichor, the play of butterflies, the hide and seek of sun and clouds, the laughter of a child filled her heart with uninhibited joy.

Natasha’s family failed repeatedly to understand her heart. She always had to follow her family’s decision whether she liked or not. She wanted to be a painter, but her family told her there is no money in scribbling lines with a pencil. She was compelled to do B.Com followed by MBA. When she got poor marks, she was admonished and ashamed by her entire family. 

Yes, it was true that she never had any shortage of money and material pleasures. But they were meaningless pursuits to her. The biggest wealth for Natasha was freedom and in that respect, she was a pauper. She felt she was an inanimate picture who is shrewdly caged in an expensive golden frame.

Caged birds cannot sing. So, as days rolled on, Natasha became sick and depressed. Her zest for life was fading away like the colors of the sunset. Without painting the glory of Nature on her canvas, she felt her limbs are amputated. When her family saw that her condition was deteriorating, they arranged her marriage with a rich businessman without her consent. This triggered survival instincts in Natasha. She knew that if she blindly followed even this decision of her family, she won’t be able to survive anymore.

She left her house with her savings and paint brushes, determined to fly amid the vast sky. After a few years of struggle, she got a job and settled in a small house in Shillong. She taught English and painting in a primary school, where her students loved her. Her evenings were dedicated to her canvas where she sang the glory of Nature through her paint brushes.

“Don’t you feel lonely living all by yourself in this remote hill station?” The fellow teachers asked Natasha many times to which her reply remained the same.

“I used to live with twenty family members in a huge mansion, but I never had any inner peace. What use it is to have people around you who tell you what to do and what not to do? We are all independent beings. We have no ownership over anyone. Only the Supreme owns us, not any human being. Then, why should I sacrifice my wings and agree to crawl all my life?”

“So, are you truly happy now?” They asked Natasha with a tint of pity.

“Yes. It is long-term happiness because I am under the umbrella of Nature, my Divine Mother Nature. In her bosom, there can only be peace, wisdom, and overflowing love.” Natasha replied with a serene smile.

Alone, but never lonely

She has slowly befriended

Beautiful, arcane, wild things-

Tidal waves on full moon

Gurgling rivers in

Torrential July rain,

Violet and purple wild flowers

Swaying with the whimsical wind.

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Choice: Story 1 of Sunshine and Wildflowers

Trisha woke up in the morning with a serene smile. It was the festival of Janmashtami and she could feel the divine presence of Lord Krishna all around her. The flowers in her garden were blooming with all their vibrancy. The soft breeze soothed the unseen blisters of her heart.

The last few months were like a nightmare. She felt that she was walking amidst the hurricane for hours and yet could not reach her destination. The storm was not raging outside but within Trisha’s mind. It was a ferocious battle not only between the brain and the heart but also between her longing and duty. She had spent long nights struggling to find the answer to her questions. Finally, an unseen power planted courage and determination within her which helped her solve the quandary.

She went to her mother’s room and kissed her on her cheeks. This is how she wakes up her mother every single day after her father passed away a few years back. As she prepared breakfast, her phone beeped.

See you in two hours. I am so happy you finally made a decision.

It was a text from Akash. Trisha and Akash have been in a relationship for 5 years. With a content smile, Trisha replied to the message.

See you soon.

After having breakfast, Trisha got ready and embarked on the most important journey of her life. She reached the café in thirty minutes.

“It’s so good to see you smiling, Trisha. I felt that I lost you in the last few months. But now, my girl is back.” Akash greeted her with a smile.

“You know Akash, it is not heartbreaking when the world does not understand us. It is heartbreaking when we don’t understand ourselves. I was feeling lost as I could not hear my inner voice all these days.” Trisha said as she seated herself on the couch.

“You are great at words. I wonder why you haven’t studied philosophy in college. You are so good at it.” Akash smiled and took Trisha’s hand in his. He gently said, “Let’s get married now.”

“I cannot marry you, Akash. Today, I won’t request you to continue our relationship, unlike other days. You are free to leave me and marry anyone. I will always pray for your happiness.”

“Don’t start this again, Trisha. Can you see me with some other girl? Please be honest.”

“Yes, it will be painful, but I can. The thing I cannot see and tolerate is my mother in a help center for Alzheimer’s patients. As long as she is in this world, she will stay with me. I cannot give her responsibility to paid caregivers. I am a part of her. If I cannot be loyal to my own part, how can I be loyal to you, Akash?”

“But what about your own life, Trisha? You are in your late twenties. You will need a life partner someday who can take care of you.”

“The universe will take care of that, Akash. When you proposed me for marriage in front of your family at the beginning of this year, I was overjoyed. But soon, your parents told me that my mother cannot live with us after marriage. I have to send her to a professional help center for Alzheimer’s patients. You supported your parents, saying I cannot spend my life being a caregiver.”

“I didn’t mean it that way, Trisha.”

“You are not wrong, Akash. The responsibility of being a caregiver is huge. I am not ready to marry and start my own family.”

“You are making a terrible mistake, Trisha. You will pine for children and husband one day. You cannot spend your life alone.”

“Every woman has motherly instincts in her. Right now, my mother is my daughter. So I am already mothering her with my unconditional love.”

Trisha’s answer rendered Akash speechless. She got up from the couch and said with a smile, “I will always cherish our memories, Akash.”

After reaching home, Trisha snuggled up to her mother and cried her heart out. Her mother had a blank look on her face. After a few minutes, she gently lifted her hand and caressed Trisha’s hair. After years, Trisha experienced a drizzle of mother’s affection. It flooded her heart with emotions. At that moment, she knew that she made the right decision, under the supervision of Lord Krishna.

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The book that I have always wanted to write

I was in my sweet slumber

A stranger to myself in this world;

Your fateful golden touch

Awakened me like rare bliss

I discovered myself.

For me, there is no joy greater than writing a novel. A story that I conceive from nowhere in my subconscious mind and see it developing on the white pages give me a sense of thrill and excitement. The characters that become an inseparable part of my life help me to see myself in a new light. I believe each time I write a story and create a character, I rediscover myself in a new way.

I have always wanted to write a novel that has a lot of poetry in it. When I saw this exciting “Get Published with Story Mirror” contest on Indiblogger, I thought about the book that I have always wanted to write, but for some reason or the other couldn’t do it.

The book tells the story of a young, beautiful girl who is a successful television actor, but suffers from depression since her teenage days. A very disturbing childhood along with failed relationships had made her a victim of chronic depression. She tries to cope with it by keeping herself busy at work, but she cannot come out of the clutches of depression no matter how hard she tries. She finds it extremely difficult to love and accept herself the way she is.

Although she has a smiling countenance, she knows how broken she is from within. During one of her shoots at a hill station, she comes across a man who is a brilliant poet. They meet each other at such a juncture when both of them want to give up on their lives. But as they talk to each other, they find comfort. It feels like home. There is an instant connection between the two of them.

The more she spends time with him, the more she realizes how similar their life experiences and nature are. She finds an enormous freedom in the knowledge that she is not alone in the world. There is someone who has gone through equally tormenting things that she has gone through in her own life.

For the first time in her life, she confides to someone all her deepest fears, insecurities and anguish. He teaches her to see life in a new light: to love and accept herself. She slowly starts seeing life in a different way, where she refuses to be the victim of her own story. As she falls in love with her own self, she realizes that somewhere, down the line, she has also fallen in love with the man who has helped her win in her battle against depression.

When she decides to confess her feelings to him, she realizes that he is a poet whose occupation is to weave beautiful words. She realizes he might never be able to return the love that she has for him. The mission of his life is to pacify every hurting soul. He finds salvation in providing peace to other aching hearts through his poetry. It breaks her heart as she realizes she can never get him all of her own, but she is indebted to him for teaching her how to love herself. No one has taught her that in the 25 years of her life.

This novel will also have a lot of poetry along with prose. I remember reading Rabindranath Tagore’s “The Last Poem” which is a beautiful amalgamation of prose and poem. I had always wanted to write a novel like that. If Story Mirror gives me the opportunity, I would put all my heart and soul in writing this book.

You are there,

Sparkling in every verse

That I write;

Sometimes, as a romantic muse

Other times, as a painful memory

You make me a poet

Because you are my poetry.

I only miss you

When I am not writing;

You dwell in the crevices of letters

And in the intricacies of my words

I only miss you

When words fail me

As you are my poetry

I am your moonstruck poet.

 (From “The Heart Listens to No One by Purba Chakraborty) 

Cover Reveal of my 3rd novel "Canvas of a Mind", a psychological mystery

Blurb

What lies within?

Akashi lives with her younger sister, Ipsha in Kalimpong, a remote hill station. Their tranquil life turns upside down with the arrival of a stranger in the town, who stalks Ipsha desperately. He tries to lure her by sending love notes and playing a haunting tune on his harmonica, without revealing his identity and showing his face.

As Ipsha gets bewitched by him, Akashi tries to protect her from the creepy stalker. She tries to solve the mystery of the stranger and gets shocked by certain revelations. Meanwhile, she realizes that her sister has been deceiving her at every turn of the road.

Why is Ipsha deceiving Akashi? And, what does the stranger exactly want from the two sisters? Will Akashi be able to save her sister from the darkness she is walking into? Or will she be shattered, knowing certain things about her sister that she had no idea about?

Taut with suspense, “Canvas of a Mind” will take you on a riveting ride. Are you eager to know what lies within?

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I am exhilarated to announce that my third novel "Canvas of a Mind" is a psychological mystery, set against the backdrop of Kalimpong, a remote hill station in West Bengal. The book will be published in July, 2017 by Become Shakespeare as a part of their Wordit Art Fund Projects.Will be sharing the order links soon and also many things about the book. 

Do let me know what you think about the blurb and the cover. Need your best wishes! 

Letter to Her! Say No to Domestic Violence

Dear Smriti,

                 You might not know me very well. Apart from passing a smile when we coincidentally bump into each other at the nearby grocery shop, we haven’t had any conversations. I am the girl who stays with her dad beside your house. Now, you might be wondering why I am writing this letter to you. Well, I hesitated at first, but couldn’t stop myself from reaching out to you. A woman’s heart compelled me to do so. I would plead you to read the letter till the end.

                I still remember the day when you got married to Rajdeep, my neighbor. You looked beautiful with that striking smile and the glow of happiness on your face. When I met you at your reception and congratulated you, I could see a vibrant, happy woman who wants to live life according to her own terms. But within a few months of your wedding, I could see the smile on your face gradually fading. I could often hear your sobs and sometimes shrieks at midnight. 

              When I wake up in the morning every day at 6 am and do my yoga, I can see you cooking in the kitchen and then getting ready for work. Sometimes, I wonder how many hours do you manage to sleep. When I watch television at the end of a tiring day, I can see you again in the kitchen preparing dinner. The maid of our house used to work in your house too. When I asked her why she is not working at your place, she said that your father-in-law has told her they don’t need her anymore.

                To say that I was shocked that day will be an understatement. I couldn’t fathom how anyone can treat a family member in this way. I used to wonder why you don’t realize that you don’t get any time to rest the entire day. Why don’t you protest? Sleeping after 1 am and waking up before 5 am is not healthy. Moreover, you have your office every day. I wanted to ask you these questions whenever I met you at the grocery store, but somehow I hesitated as I did not want to interfere in your family matters.

               But the incidents after your miscarriage enraged me to the core, and therefore, I am writing this letter, shedding my inhibitions. I did not even know that you were expecting due to the tremendous amount of work that you do every day. I couldn’t see any changes in your lifestyle to understand that a new life is blooming within you. Then all of a sudden, one day at 10 pm, I could hear you wailing and whimpering. You were taken to the hospital. 

               Two days later, I learned that you had a miscarriage. From that day onwards, I can hear you getting tormented by your husband and in-laws. Although I can’t see exactly how they are treating you, your inconsolable sobs and wails every night tell me your story. I can hear your husband shouting at you when you refuse to stop crying. And then again in the morning, I see you cooking in the kitchen and then rushing to work. I also saw some cigarette burns on your arm when I met you at the grocery shop last time.

              My dear girl, I don’t know why you are choosing to live such a hellish life every single day. I can only tell you that it is not right to tolerate domestic violence of any kind, whatever the reason may be. The person who tolerates injustice is equally at fault as the person who commits injustice. If you become a mother of a daughter, have you ever thought what kind of a life your daughter will get? She will see her mother tolerating injustice every single day and believe that this is how it should be. Do you want your daughter to suffer in silence like you all her life? 

              You are a special person sent to this earth for a purpose. Do not embrace a life where people treat you worse than a doormat. Search for your light within, gather the courage, speak up and rise above your pain. Your beautiful eyes are not meant to shed a thousand tears every night. They are meant for seeing this beautiful world. Take a stand against the injustice.

               Today, when you take a stand, you will not only fight for yourself, but also for the thousands of women who are frightened to take a stand against domestic violence. And if you need my help, just know that I am always there for you ready to help you. But today, you need to help yourself and then everything will get better. I can assure you that all your wounds will get healed, only if you take a step to save yourself today. I hope this poem of mine can motivate you to some extent:

Dear girl, stop!

Don’t do that to yourself

A couple of people might be cruel to you

You don’t need to be cruel to yourself;

Look away from the arduous wounds

Don’t pinch or touch them

Let them be;

Have faith in the greatest healer, Time

The scars will evaporate like magic

You won’t even understand how and when.

Embrace yourself today!

Embrace life with all your love

Breathe, smile, live!

Let the positive energy flow into your heart

Drop the baggage that robs you of life.

You are stronger than your wounds

Your life is much bigger than your pain;

Have faith in the greatest healer, Time

Embrace yourself today!

Embrace life with all your love

Breathe, smile, live!

Love and light,

A woman who believes in your strength,

Purba

Note: The incidents mentioned in the letter #ALetterToHer are largely drawn from real life and is slightly fictional. I have changed the names to protect privacy.

Meena Kandasamy's latest novel When I Hit You is a chronicle of an abusive marriage and the celebration of the power of art. I would love to read this novel as it is a courageous take on traditional wedlock in modern India. The incidents in the book are inspired from the real scenario in the country. 

From this moment on...

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She wept uncontrollably, sitting on the cold floor at 3 am in the morning. Her heart was bedecked with thorns and the pain was unbearable. Her parents were sleeping in the other room. All her friends were sleeping too. She had no one in the world to talk about her maladies. She wanted to scream and yell, but she didn't want to wake anyone up. Tucking her head between her legs, she kept sobbing with those questions that haunted her again and again.

What is my mistake in this? I try to be good and kind to everyone, then why do some people hurt me so badly? Why is my heart injured and broken for literally no fault of mine? And this is not the first time...it keeps happening again and again. How can some people be so cruel and selfish? 

As she felt lost within the tangled web of questions, her eyes fell on the mirror. She hated the sight. Red, swollen eyes. Runny nose. Dark lines under her eyes. Messy tresses drenched with tears.  

She wiped her tears and looked into the mirror again. She grabbed a rubber hand and tied her hair. Now the sight did not disturb her as much as it did a few minutes back. She touched the dark circles that were accumulated due to loss of sleep for almost a week. Her eyes looked tired due to severe crying. There were marks of nails on her cheeks that she inflicted on herself. When the pain in her heart became too excessive for her to tame, she tried to cause physical pain to herself, in vain.

What have I done to myself? Here, I am crying because some people I loved, have deeply wounded me. But was I kind to myself?

The more she looked at her in the mirror, the more she realized how cruel she had been to herself, for no fault of hers. She took some face wash in her hand and washed her face thoroughly. Instead of sitting on the cold floor, she went to her bed. She covered herself with the blanket and took a deep sigh. 

I can't control people's behavior towards me. Some people can be cruel and selfish. Some people can be insensitive or manipulative. But I promise that from this moment on, I won't be cruel to myself. From this moment on, I won't inflict myself with pain and conflict. From this moment on, it is my first responsibility to take care of myself so that I can battle with the wounds given to me by others. From this moment on, I will treat myself with kindness, care, forgiveness, compassion and love. I will be there for myself as a friend, always. 

P.S. Especially wrote this post because one of my close friends is going through a bad phase. I hope the message reaches out to her and she gets encouraged to love herself with all she has. 

Prompt 97- From this moment on

She finally got a lifetime friend!

She started sobbing as her mother asked her how her day at school was.

“I won’t go to school from tomorrow, Mom.” Pari said between her sobs.

Her mom took her in her lap and cajoled her to say what’s troubling her. She was afraid that some teacher must have punished Pari.

“Puja is not talking to me. Ever since our class teacher changed our seating arrangement, she has stopped talking to me. Now, she talks with Seema the whole day. She doesn’t even bother to share her tiffin with me. She was my best friend, but now I think Seema is her best friend.” Pari explained with glistening eyes that made her innocent face clammy.

Her mom listened to the whole incident with empathy. Although she had to manage so many difficult problems in life, Pari’s simple problem started bothering her.

For a ten year old, this is not a simple thing. Their minds are so tender that things like this have a huge impact on them.

“Puja shouldn’t have behaved like this. But why do you want to stop going to school, my dear?” Her mom asked, wiping her tears.

“I feel lonely, Mom. I don’t have any other good friend other than Puja and now she is also not talking to me. Everyone has their own groups and I belong to nowhere. I have to eat my tiffin alone.” Pari continued.

“What if I introduce you to a new friend today who will always be there for you?” Her mom said.

“Really? That will be great.” Pari said with a twinkle in her eye.

Her mom told her to close her eyes for a minute. She felt some object in her lap and instantly opened her eyes.

“What’s this? You told you will introduce me to a new friend.” Pari said, feeling dejected on seeing a book. It was written on the cover Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone.

“This is the friend I was talking about. It will never leave you. It will never start preferring someone else. And It will always give you company.” Her mom said with a smile. Pari however, looked more disappointed than ever.

“I don’t want to read it. A mute book can never be my friend.” Pari said, keeping the book beside her.

“Alright. Let me put it this way. Once you start reading this book, you will meet a lovely friend who will enchant you with his adventures. In fact, he will take you along with him to the land of his adventures. Just give him a chance to do so.” Her mom continued with a smile. 

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Pari never thought that her mom’s words were so true. Of course, she was so right. Not only one, but she got 3 wonderful friends inside the book: Harry, Ron and Hermione. She never feels bad now when Puja doesn’t talk to her. She has her book to give her company.

Books and the characters in the books had a tremendous impact on young Pari’s mind. They made her a wiser and a calmer person. She never felt desperate to grab someone’s attention because she always had a friend by her side. 

As Pari grew older, she often questioned her. Who is a better friend: Books or the characters inside the books?

Now, she knows the answer to her question. Books are friends for a lifetime. They are not only reliable, but they also introduce you to many more friends i.e. the characters living inside them.

She knew she would never feel lonely in life as long as she has a book with her. She is lucky to have a friend for lifetime. 

This blog post is inspired by the blogging marathon hosted on IndiBlogger for the launch of the #Fantastico Zica from Tata Motors. You can apply for a test drive of the hatchback Zica today.

The Music Teacher

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Riya sipped her coffee and gazed at the beautiful handmade card with reverence, that her student, Rahul has gifted her on the occasion of Teacher’s Day. Rahul is an average music student and a very shy child. He struggles a lot while playing the synthesizer, but Riya never loses her patience. May be he is gifted in playing some other instrument!

“All your students love you a lot.” Her reverie broke as her husband, Samar uttered these words.

“May be, because I love all of them too. I am never harshly partial.” She replied with a smile.

“This thing amazes me the most. You don’t only love the students who are the most talented, but also the students who don’t perform so well.”

“A teacher can create a magnificent impact in a student’s life. A teacher should enlighten her students and fill them with a zest for life. A teacher is the candle that kindles and rekindles the potential of her student from time to time. Every single child is gifted and has some talent concealed within him. The duty of a teacher is to help her student find his talent and true potential.” Riya said.

“However, all teachers don’t walk in the same line as you do, Riya. They are only concerned with seeing which student is performing well in their subjects or which student is obedient to them.” Samar replied.

“I know that. Some people employed as teachers also dampen the spirit of a young mind with their harsh and unruly words. They never have an idea what a tumultuous impact they are making in a child’s mind” Riya said with a choked voice.

Samar looked at her, waiting for her to speak.

“There was a girl who had to change her school in class eight after her mother passed away. She was so psychologically affected by the loss of her mother and the change of place that she started living in a cocoon. She never talked much in class. She was a shy and introvert person. She was average in studies and she never got the courage to participate in extra-curricular activities in her new school, despite having learned music since the age of five.

However, one day, she thought to participate in the annual concert. She mustered some courage and gave her name to her class teacher. The teacher scanned her from top to bottom and said, “You? Please, don’t even try doing such a thing. You should better sit in the audience and clap for the other participants.”

Her eyes welled up and she looked at her class teacher with embarrassment. Without any sense of guilt, she continued, this time with a sarcastic smirk, “You’re such a cry baby. And you plan to sing in front of an audience? Just go sit and don’t waste my time, ever.”

This incident shattered all her confidence and made her feel worthless. She lost her self-esteem for a really long time, until she decided to be her own teacher and guardian. 

She motivated herself, fought her demons and came out from the shadow, victorious. Today, she has her own music academy and she is standing in front of you, Samar. However, her scars have not evaporated totally. Therefore, she loves all her students and tries to encourage and motivate each one of them. This is her path to happiness and solace.”

Without saying a word, Samar embraced Riya and whispered in her ear, “I am so proud of you and the positive impact you are making in the life of all your students.”

This blog post is inspired by the blogging marathon hosted on IndiBlogger for the launch of the #Fantastico Zica from Tata Motors. You can apply for a test drive of the hatchback Zica today.

The lady at the bus stop

The roaring thunder and the vigorous pouring of rain was enough to predict that it was a bizarre night. Rajeev has been working overtime that day. He reached the bus stop finally, when it was 9pm. The bus stop was secluded and instantly, Rajeev worried about getting a bus so that he can reach home. 

It was still raining heavily and the clouds were clattering every few minutes. After Rajeev seated himself at the bus stop, his eyes rested on a woman who sat at the extreme corner. 

She was covered with a stole right from her head and therefore, Rajeev couldn’t catch a glimpse of her face. He got up from his seat and sat beside the woman, intending to talk to her. He cleared his throat to make her aware of his presence.

The woman didn’t respond until a strong wind hit her face that resulted in the stole to fall down from her head. She was definitely the most attractive woman Rajeev has ever seen, courtesy her beautiful eyes. 

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His eyes were transfixed on her and finally the woman looked at him. Rajeev noticed that the woman gazed at him, as if she knew him, as if she wanted to tell him something. It was an unusual gaze, her eyes brimming with excitement, eagerness, angst and pathos. She mumbled a few words, which were inaudible to Rajeev.

Rajeev took his eyes off her, but even after a few seconds, he realized that she was ogling at him. He was definitely happy that he was being gazed by such a beautiful woman, but then, it was also awkward.

“Rajeev Sengupta. What’s your name?” He asked the woman.

After a long silence for two minutes, she replied “Meera.”

Rajeev kept talking to Meera. However, all the talking was mostly done by him. The lady barely replied in monosyllables, albeit her gaze intact on Rajeev. There was no hint of the rain to stop. Rajeev could see that Meera was trembling slightly due to the chill in the air.

“Would you like to have a cup of tea?” Rajeev offered, empathizing with Meera’s condition.

Meera nodded her head. Rajeev assured her that he would be back within a few minutes and went to the nearest tea stall which he knew would be open even at that hour.

I never knew I was so good looking that a beautiful lady would turn speechless on seeing me. Yes, Meera is a little weird, but anyone can die for those beautiful eyes. I need to take her number.

Rajeev soliloquized as he bought two cups of tea. He rushed towards the bus stop, but to his sheer disappointment, he saw a bus moving past him and Meera looking at him from the window with the same intent gaze. 

It broke his heart as he realized that Meera was gone. With dismay, he sat on the bus stop sipping his tea silently when he noticed a piece of paper on the floor getting to and fro with the direction of the wind. He picked the paper instantly and opened it.

You look exactly like my husband who had passed away three years ago. It took me a while to realize that you are Rajeev and not my Jai. God bless you.

Meera

Rajeev swallowed the lump that was formed in his throat. He looked at the direction where the bus went by. He read the note again, things registering in his mind slowly. 

If only I could meet Meera again! If only this story hasn’t finished here…