Those were the days when we used to stay in a rented
apartment at Belapur, Navi mumbai. One evening we were reclining on a small
couch, pushing each other to get enough space. Our eyes were fixed on the TV as
our favorite show was going on. We were so engrossed into the show that we had
forgotten to switch on the fan even though we were sweating profusely in that
hot sultry evening. I didn’t get up to switch on the fan, afraid of losing my
place on the couch to another friend who was sitting down on the mat keeping an
eye on the couch. I guess others too have turned down the idea of switching on
the fan fearing the same.
Suddenly Prabin, who was sitting just beside me
jumped up his place, shouting, “Rahila”. “Yes, she is there”, he added. We were
startled. At first we couldn’t understand what he was trying to say. “Yes, I
found her. Yes I did”, he muttered. Astounded, we all surrounded him. Of a
sudden our attention turned towards him. But he pushed us aside and kept his
gaze on the show, threw the pillow he was holding and moved close to the
TV. His eyes glued to the show and ours
to his insane behavior.
The show got over in the next few minutes. We went
close to him. We didn’t ask him anything, but looked at him closely. With his
moist eyes and trembling lips, he uttered, “Rahila…Rahila is here”, his fingers
pointed towards the TV. It was as if he
had seen somebody, someone he was searching from quite a long time. “Where?
Whom are you talking about?” it was the first question I asked him. “Rahila”,
he replied with wide eyes.
Then he narrated his story….
“1st
January of 2006, we were going to meet. I had asked her to come to the oldest
banyan tree close to the lake after her father had left for his work. I wanted
to confess my love for her on the New Year's eve. I was always said by my mother that
whatever you do on the New Year day, you do the same throughout the year. I
wanted to express my feelings to her on the same day. I wanted to do the same
throughout the year.
Like
most of the malayalis, I was more interested in football, swimming and fishing
than in arithmetic and history. Being born to the most beautiful place on the
mother earth, Munnar, I was a nature’s boy. I spent my whole childhood wandering
in the nature’s lap.
Apart
from my nagging parents, the only reason I used to go to the school was her,
Rahila. I would cycle behind her father’s scooter from her place to the school.
Sitting behind her father, she would keep grinning, showing her pearly whites.
My legs used to work synchronous with the speed of his father’s scooter. They
paddle faster when his scooter used to gain some speed and would slow down as
he would break at the speed breaker.
At
school our teachers never allowed boys to interact much with the girls. So, my
interaction with Rahila was very limited. But still we always used to find out
some way to talk. I used to catch fish every evening. And I used to take the
most stunning, colored fish to Rahila. I used to keep the fish alive in my Tiffin
box by filling it with some water and show her the same, the next day in the
lunch break. I just loved to see her smile and those shinning dark eyes that used
to get bigger seeing the surprise. I was up to doing anything to see that
divine, glittering smile of her. I didn’t know, but every time I used to see
her smiling, my heart used to get filled with immense happiness. It was like as
if her smile was enough to please my soul.
It was always a beautiful feeling to have her
by my side. When, I was a kid I remained confused but when I grew up I realized
that it was nothing but love. Soon I decided to express the same to her. I
planned to give her a surprise and that too on the New Year eve. I wanted to
make the day special and nothing can be more special than a New Year day. She
had always told me, how much she wanted to see a tree house. There was one, an
abandoned one. It was on a huge old Banyan tree near the lake, just half a mile
away from her house just before the woods started. I worked on it for days, cleaning
and remodeling it, replacing few old damaged wooden planks. And at last I made
it ready.
So,
the special day arrived. The New Year eve's arrived. I was all set to express her,
my feelings. I was convinced that she would never deny me. As I believed it’s
not only from my side, the fire of love was burning in both the sides. I didn’t
want to keep it inside me anymore. I just wanted to take our relationship to
the next level. I thought when we both have the same feeling for each other
then it would be my foolishness if I would keep it hidden any longer.
But
she didn’t come that day. I waited for her till the evening. But she didn’t
come. Yes, she didn’t.
Even
she didn’t come to the school the next day. The next day too. I went to her
place. Her house was locked. It remained locked ever since then. Seeing me
waiting infront of Rahila’s house every day, one day her cousin sister who
lived close to her place came out and talked to me. What she said shocked me,
brought tears to my eyes. I cried incessantly. I trembled in anger. But nothing
was there left in my hands to do. I had already lost her. I had always thought
that Rahila shared with me everything, even the smallest of the affairs that was
occurring in her life. But I was wrong. She had kept one secret hidden from me.
She was in love with someone and she had kept me aloof of that secret.
On
the 31st December, she had lied her parents to be with that guy. And
that guy was a cheat who had no love for Rahila. He only wanted to play with
her body. He took her to an abandoned place. Blind in love, she too followed
him. There he tried to molest her. But fortunately she was rescued by few
workers working there. To save themselves from the humiliation, her family ran
off the place the same night.
Ever
since then till now on every New Year day, I visit the same place where I had
called her with a hope that someday she will come there and I can get back my
love.”
The next day we went to the set of that particular
TV show. A Mumbai friend of ours introduced us to a team member of the
production house that runs the show. We talked to him. We talked to many other
people. But no one had any clue about that particular girl in the audience. Prabin even took leave from his job and looked
for her at every possible place throughout the Mumbai. He didn’t miss the shooting
of even a single episode for next two months, thinking that one day he would
find her for sure. But that didn’t happen. After few months, he was transferred
to Pune. Before leaving, he met the same team member of the show and gave him a
picture of Rahila that he had shot from that episode, with his contact details
written at the back and asked him to tell about him if she ever comes to the
show in the future.
Months passed by but he didn’t get any information
about Rahila. I tried to convince him that she is not written in his destiny.
But he was not ready to accept it. He was not ready to admit that he should
move on by now. How clear the situation may be, one will never accept the fact
that they have already lost the person they love. You give them plenty of
reasons to forget and move on but the person in love will always come up with
that single reason that will shut your mouth. A person in love always convinces
himself that someday he will get back his love, how much impossible it may
appear. Love has that strength; it gives that immense power to look beyond the
impossible, to fight against and rewrite the destiny.
The year end arrived and there he was ready with his
bags packed. This time I accompanied him too. Actually I was looking for a
chance to visit at least once the place which people calls, “God’s own country”
and there I got the opportunity.
The New Year day it was. He woke up early in the
morning and wanted me to accompany him. My lazy body didn’t want to get up so
early. My eyes were heavy too. With half opened eyes, I looked at him. He was
ready. I saw hope sparkling in his eyes. It seemed as if he was sure of meeting
her that day. I knew he would return
back again with broken heart. But I went with him.
We arrived there, shivering in cold. My thick woolen
jacket had already surrendered to the chilled winds. The fog had made us
partially blind. Prabin used a torch light to find the way through the rough
terrain covered with the green growths. I just followed him like an obedient
kid.
In the dense fog, only the fat trunk of that huge
tree was visible to me and nothing above it. The lake appeared dark and frozen,
as if I can walk on it. The grasses were constantly poking my legs. The
chilling cold had made their tips tough and sharp. They were hurting me, as if
I was the one responsible for that icy winter. Prabin directed the torch
towards the tree, putting some light on the huge branch that carried the tree
house. “Amit, this is it. This is that tree house”, he said.
“Wont you
show it to the person you had built for?” someone spoke from a distance.
Listening to the voice he turned back in a fraction
of second, as if it was a known voice to him, the voice he was waiting to hear
from quite a long time. I tried hard to look through the dense fog. I was only
able to figure out that someone was standing just few meters away. I thought Prabin would switch on the torch to
see the person. But he didn’t. As if he knew the person very well. And then I
heard something that stunned me and froze me for a minute. I heard Prabin
murmuring, “Rahila…” and “yes, Your Rahila is here for you”, I heard from the
other end.
And then… then there was just both of them hugging
each other and the silence. And they hugged till they surpassed the pain of
separation for years, hugged till both of them shared the warmth of their hearts,
till they healed the woes of the past, till their hearts expressed the love for
each other, till the sun burnt stronger and brighter in the sky, till the
sunrays penetrated the opaque leaves and melted the fog, till the lake water
dazzled, till the dew drops on the green grasses sparkled, till the birds
chirped and they hugged each other till they realized it’s no dream but truth.
Yes they hugged each other till they believed that they have found each other
and no power on this earth can ever separate them.
Rahila had met the crew manager of that show. He had
lost Prabin’s contact but told her about him. And Rahila knew where and when
she can find her love.
That day I realized the superpower of love and the
New Year day. Yes, the New Year day is special. If you are in love and you are
looking for a special day to express your feelings, then the New Year day is
that special day. You won’t find any day as special as the New Year day. This
day is fresh, full of happiness and filled with lots of hope. The New Year day
has a magical power to heal all the wounds of the last year. It has the immense
power to make you get over all the failures you have faced the last year and to
make you strong enough to fight your battle again with a new zeal. The New Year
day patches relations, spreads love and happiness. So, if you had a fight with
your friend the last year, go and hug that person tight on this day, you will
find that person melting in your arms. Go and express your love to your
parents, siblings and yes if you are in love with someone, go and tell that
person on this New Year day.
Spread love and happiness with everyone you meet on
this New Year day and you will be doing the same throughout the year…
