A NEW YEAR LOVE STORY

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….

“1^st 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 31^st 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…