Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Treacherous grounds

His father, mother and sister sat silently when Amit declared that he wont marry any other girl but Shrimayi. Amit finished his dinner and retired to his room.

His father, mother and sister sat in a close group in the drawing room, thinking hard what to do, they have dug the well, they introduced Shrimayi to Amit thinking that she belonged to a rich family, whereas her father was completely drained. Shrimayi did not knew any thing about Sharma family’s plan, Amit was introduced to her as a family friend. Shrimayi had all the qualities which any family would like to have in their daughter in law. She was sweet looking, well behaved, had good family background. The only problem was her father’s penury. Whereas it was already in the future plan of Sharma family to use Amit’s dowry to set up another showroom.

The next morning Mina, Amit’s sister told him that father and mother are almost ready to accept the proposal, but as Shrimayi is not so rich, they will just test without her knowledge whether she fits in their circle or not. Shrimayi was looking for a job, so Mina said she will appoint Shrimayi in one of her friend’s office and observe her secretly, when Amit said he does not cares whether she is up to their mark or not, Mina pleaded him to agree to make their parents happy and Amit had to give his consent. But he said that no trick will work.

According to plan Shrimayi was appointed in one of Mina’s friend’s office on pretext of reply to her applications. It was a office filled with boys and girl’s of high society, Shrimayi has been introduced to them (before her joining) as an opportunist who has trapped Amit, and every one was requested to help Mina in getting rid of her.

From the day one, Shrimayi used to notice with surprise that every guy in the office was over eager to flirt with her, and the ladies were excessively rude. Shrimayi was of exactly the opposite nature, she started to get very depressed, because no matter how much cold shoulder she showed them the men used to flitter around her and no matter how sweetly she spoke with them the women used to treat her rudely. They were always complaining against her, cooking up things and blaming it on her. Some of the men were also doing the same.

Amit used to talk with her regularly, initially he used to listen to her patiently, then he too started to think that may be the fault is with Shrimayi and started to distance from her. Mina’s friend has already successfully painted Shrimayi as a querulous, un-adjusting, selfish and self centered person above all a flirt who could not keep away from attractive men, even if they were married. Amit was shown dozens of photographs in which Shrimayi was standing or sitting closely with men. Now you don’t have to be with someone to fool a third person, that person’s being with you is enough, is not it? so the photographs were taken in a way that any one will think that Shrimayi was standing or chatting whereas it was just the other way round.

So, by end of six months, Amit was married to a girl of his family’s selection and Shrimayi was thrown out of her office after cooking up a flimsy excuse.

Money and love

Smriti has fallen in love with Anirban within a month of joining his office as his secretary. Anirban had every thing which Smriti never thought any one can possess. He was kind, considerate, patient and most of all he had an extremely good character. They used to work together for hours, some times only the two of them, but never for even a second Anirban has made her feel uneasy. Smriti knew very well that they are not meant for each other, because she was ordinary in every sense and Anirban exactly the opposite. He was rich, good looking, very polished and well mannered. So, she kept her feeling within herself and kept working for him. Her love for him was extremely deep but as she knew that she will never get him, it reached the purest height. A very rare, unselfish form.

One day while they were working Anirban asked her why she was sticking with a small organization like that, and not looking for a better job in a bigger organization. She was a little shocked, then he said as he thinks of her as a very good friend, not a subordinate, he would like her to get settled in an organization where she will get her due. Smriti tried to shrug it off but Anirban started to apply for her, and shoved her to give interviews, within one month she was selected by a lot bigger company, she was utterly confused but joined the new job.

Just two days before her first salary was due Anirban called her up and told her that she is going to spend the next Sunday with him and give him a treat. So Smriti started to wait for him impatiently, she was surprised to see him coming down from a bus.

When he reached her door, she opened it and greeted him with a big smile, he took her mother’s permission and went out with her for a movie and lunch. They watched the movie took the lunch and amidst Smriti’s furious protest Anirban paid the bills. Then when she got really upset he told her ok, if she spends the evening with him he will have dinner at her expense. So off they went to a park.

After they were seated down, Anirban looked at her with a mischievous glint in his eyes, and asked her why did she not asked her about his descending from bus in place of car. Smriti looked at her questioningly and he grinned. Then he told her that he was not the proprietor of that office, he was only the manager, the proprietor lives out side West Bengal, that is why he has requested Anirban to introduce himself as the proprietor, so that no one dares to disobey him. He also belongs to a normal middle class family like Smriti. The office car is only for week days. Smriti felt like blessed. But did not dared to hope much.

Anirban slowly placed his hand on hers and told her that his feelings for her were exactly the same as hers, that is why he was so over eager to get her out of the office, so that he could atleast try his luck. And they both just beamed at each other.

meaning of life

Mohini was busy with the children when Shreya first saw her, she was born and brought up in another branch of the orphanage and joined this branch as office assistant.

She observed that Mohini was a regular visitor on Sundays and most of the holidays. The orphanage was for special children, they were severely autistic, children who were barely in control of their limbs. They were dumped by their parents, who either were embarrassed by their existence or too poor to look after these completely helpless children, hence they were being brought up in the orphanage with lots of care, because the main fund raisers were European or American.

Soon she became close friend of Mohini, even though Mohini was lot senior than her but the friendship blossomed because of similarity in nature. She came to know very little about Mohini because she was a very reserved person. All she gathered was she was unmarried, lived alone, worked in Railways as a clerk. Mohini doted after the children, the thing which surprised Shreya was why was she not married, she might have had her own children.

A few months later Shreya hesitatingly asked her why she has not married, she might have done it even after having her own children. Mohini told her that she belonged to a very poor tribal family, which lived miles away from Asansol. She struggled a lot in the school and college day but could only complete the graduation, without good percentage.

Her parents were very poor and she was the only girl in her village to complete graduation, hence all the marriage proposals she got were from towns and their demand for dowry was huge. One thing which she was dead against.

Then slowly months turned to years and she concentrated on her career, first she worked in a private concern and then a few years ago she got this railway job. And her life changed ever since. She has been flooded with marriage proposals, she cant have her own children at the age of forty, so she made up her mind for giving her affection to the children who really needed it and enjoy her independent life, because with age her interest in marriage has completely gone.

She came to know about this orphanage by accident and started to visit these children because they somehow filled up a gap in her heart.

crooked masks

Mrs. C and her daughter both believed in the age old proverb, diamonds are a girl’s best friend. Mr. C left her for his heavenly abode at a very young age leaving behind a son and daughter. Mrs. C amassed a pretty amount of wealth, so did her daughter, even though the sources of that wealth was not very clear. Ms. C lived with her mother along with her husband and sixteen year old son.

Mrs. C was furious when her son announced that he is in love with a girl of ordinary background. All her son cared for was good nature and spiritual nonsense. Both mother and daughter talked among themselves and then with Jr. C to no effect.

All of a sudden an idea struck them, they knew that the girl was living in a rented house, and was looking for a change of accommodation, they asked Jr. C to make arrangement of her renting a nearby empty house whose owner was their family friend.

The family has left the house after a tragic accident, hired a caretaker family who used to live there, and left the duplicate keys with them in case they get any tenant for that house. They told Jr. C that they will see if the girl is nice they wont have any objection, but if the girl is not nice then he can back off without causing any embarrassment to himself and the girl.

The girl came along with her older brother, she has lost both her parents in an accident, the remaining siblings preferred to maintain a distance with her in case they had to marry her off in or bear her for the rest of her life, the girl being self respecting allowed them to create the distance and struck off any superficial relationship with them.

Mrs C pretended that she was the owner and the Mr. Vult, the caretaker was her son in law. She introduced Ms. C as her neighbour.

Mrs. C and Mrs. Vult scrutinized them, their luggage and saw that it amounted to nothing, there was no sign of luxury, even some bare necessities were missing. They looked at each other with deep dismay. They held a secret meeting and struck out a war chart.

Both of them started to shower the girl with excess affection and attention, the girl was simply overwhelmed. But there were few things which she did not liked from the very beginning were their over curiosity in her extremely private matters, why was she still single, why was her elder brother not married, why her remaining siblings did not visit, how much is her worldly possession, how did her parents die….their curiosity was never ending and they kept on repeating the same questions like a pair of parrots, ignoring the pain and embarrassment they caused. Sugar in the plum was Mrs. C’s son in law aka Mr. Vult.
He played his role best, whenever she dared to venture out of her doors he would appear out of the blues and on one pretext or another start talking to her, he was always indecently dressed and over eager for physical contact, the girl started to feel threatened by his lusty nature and started to show her dislikation, now Mrs. C has done her home work right, that guy was an influential political leader of the area. And just like any other political leader he had a wide variety of masks, one for each occasion. In the society he was Mr. clean. Only few helpless victims knew his dirty ways.

Then with Mrs. C’s instruction the Vult family started to play their little games, they used to play cunning little games to bother that impudent girl, the moment they used to realize that she has retired for her bed they used to start all sort of activities, starting from dragging furniture at midnight or their grown but not grown son playing with plastic balls.

The tap used to run dry every day after she used to go to toilet for bath and she had to come out and start the pump, they never used to come downstairs to start the pump, then one day that impudent girl made the mistake of starting the pump before going to the toilet, she had to come out within five minute because of loud banging at the door, she rushed to open the door to see Mr. Vult fuming outside the door how could she dare to start the pump when the tank was not completely drained! She was sternly and very rudely told that it is the system of the house that the pump is started only after the tank is drained of the last drop of water. The message was clear, their intention was harassment.. and they were going to do that.

No one’s life is perfect, the girl had her problems too, her brother’s bossom friend was a regular visitor of their home and that girl had an acute allergy for this guy, the guy was absolutely repulsive, she hated every thing about him. Initially she liked the guy but as his true nature surfaced she first distanced herself from him and then started to dislike him with all her heart. Because that guy was in and out repulsive hidden behind a pretty face. His sole intention was to create problem amongst the brother and sister. So he could reap his benefits from the brother.

Mrs. C and Vult family realized within a month that she had an acute phobia for her brother’s chum, so they set their targets on this, they started to grill the girl to no end and throwing indirect, indecent hints and threats about his regular stay at their home.

As all the mischief was done very cunningly and slyly all that girl could do was fume inside and complain to her brother. Her brother gave her the practical answer, that it was not possible for him to change the house before at least another year.


The girl used to watch with disdain the way they transformed when a third party was around, their voice used to drip with honey then, the girl was a little stupid in these wise ways, so she started to treat them with the disrespect they deserved and Mrs C being a smart lady used all the cards against her, and her son, who trusted them with all his heart backed off from that relationship

budhdhoo

Buddhu was mother goddess Durga’s favourite fawn. One day while mother was busy in work he chewed up the most beautiful lotus of Mother Laxmi’s lotus plant. She got infuriated and cursed him to take birth as a human being.

Buddhu went to mother goddess weeping, mother goddess told him sadly, that she cant revoke the curse, but if Buddhu faces any problem he can come to her at the night after every one is asleep and she will show him the solution.

On Buddhu had to go as a human being, he took birth in an educated family, brought the kindness and virtues of heaven with him. He passed his first fifteen year in peace, but on his sixteenth birthday he went to Mother Goddess asking her answer for a question.

He went to mother goddess and sat down before her, she asked him what had happened and he showed her a scene, a young lady was working in an office with full dedication, but her bosses were regularly abusive to her, in the end she could not bear their regular insults and submitted her resignation, on the final day, when she was to be handed over her salary, they made her sign the salary slips and then bolted the door of the office, all the staffs were watching the drama without protesting, and then they gave her a huge list of works to do before getting her salary. The girl was dumbstruck. She knew that it was not possible for her to finish that mammoth work in six months, it only meant that they wont pay her salary, so she just cleared her duties and left the office in shattered state of mind.

Then budhdhu showed mother goddess the second scene, an year or so later a young lover died a tragic death, and the same organization, which has robbed that girl off her rightfully earned salary, treated her so inhumanly were out on the street to protest for the death of that young lover, keeping candles burning in front of his picture, braving storms and rain.

Then budhdhu asked mother goddess, that did they changed so much over the year or they don’t like live human beings but like people after they are dead?

Mother goddess sat silent for a few minutes, then placed her hand on Buddhu’s head and said, son, its business policy, it does not has any connection with conscience or love. Its just they want their names in newspaper so they have more business proposals in future.

budhdhoo means someone extremely dumb.

musings of budhdhu

Buddhu was sitting in front of Mother Bhagwati, and showing her a queue in a auto stand, a few women were standing in the long line, there were men also, one of the men in front of the women lighted a cigarette and started to blow out the smoke, the women were visibly disturbed but the man chose to ignore them and for the next thirty minute kept on smoking cigarette after cigarette.

Buddhu asked Mother that why did the women not protested when they were feeling so much bothered, after all government always says that cigarette smoking is harmful for health and it causes more harm to those who are nearby and inhaling that smoke.

Mother smiled ironically and showed him a scene, a woman was sitting beside window in a bus, there was a sign on the bus which said no smoking, a man was sitting right beside her, he did not asked for her permission and lighted a cigarette, the lady first fidgeted for a few minutes and then gently requested the guy to not to smoke because she does not likes the smoke.

The guy snubbed out the cigarette, turned at her and snapped that if she is so much choked by smoke she should go by taxis not bus. And for the remaining journey continuously grumbled and taunted the woman. The woman suffered the journey in blushed silence and got down at her stand. Not a single person supported her.

Then Mother Bhagwati told Budhdhu softly, I gave more intelligency to human beings to help each other, love each other but they used it to invent things which are slowly ruining them, and they have become so inconsiderate that they are ruining the entire earth with them.

Cigarette is too harmless in comparison, think, they invented religion, and now they are using it to kill each other, they invented dynamite and its current use is destruction. I think every thing they invent they use it for self destruction.

I have stopped looking at earth a long time ago, it is you who is forcing me to look at them again, but I wont get involved with them ever again, they are creating problems so they will solve it. All I will do is I will help you in your personal problems.

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

real love

Rahul was sitting in his favourite place, the chair beside window. Even though he could not see the moon shining out on the sky, yet he could hear the wind rustling the leaves and smell the fragrance of flowers it was bringing his way after gently touching his face with its tender touch.

He has lost his sight in an accident which almost took his life, he was returning home from an office party and made the blunder of taking lift from a friend who has taken too many pegs. For the first two years he thought his life has ended, but slowly he started to pick up his pieces with extra ordinary courage, and started to work as a customer care executive of a call centre.

He was sitting their silently, all of a sudden the silence of the night broke with a peal of child like laughter, he instantly recognized the person, and his dark night was full of the moon shine he could not see. It was his new neighbour, daughter of the family which has recently moved from Agra to Calcutta, Mamata, she has been adding light to his little gloomy life by her childish ways, even though they were almost of the same age, she being one month junior to her.

She was learning spoken English from him, used to visit him each and every day without failing and he was slowly and desperately falling in love with her, but never dared to admit or propose, because he has heard that a part of his face has been severely damaged in that accident and he has overheard some of his well-wisher that it was god’s mercy that he did not had to see that. On the other hand he has heard that she was pretty, confident and extremely charming. Her sheer presence used to light up his days and fill up his dreams.

He was talking to one of his intimate friends Rajesh about his heartache, he poured out his heart to him, that how like all other people he too would like some one to be with him through up and down of life, his love for Mamata, her charming nature, all of a sudden his friend said that he would have to leave for a few minute and left. He was shocked and dumb-struck. When he felt a soft hand on his hand. And instantly recognized the touch.

Mamata told him that Rajesh has called her before coming here to listen everything with her own ear. Then she told she too has deeply loved him for a long time, for his courage, his gentle nature and loving way. When he tried to ask about his distorted looks, she just brushed that away and told him that she is too matured to fall in love without thinking about all the disadvantages. But finally she has found that his plus side is way too much for his negative side. And they both sat down silently, side by side to enjoy the serenity of the moonless night and the companionship of the person who has accepted him/her just as the way he/she is.

Ramesh

The moment Juhi heard the phone she knew that it has to be Ramesh, she ran to the phone and with great disappointment noticed an unknown number, she picked up the phone just to confirm that it was a wrong number.

She was just about to put down the phone when it started to vibrate in her hand and it was Ramesh this time, they talked for a long time and then Juhi retired to her bed, happy.

Ramesh has brought warmth and happiness into Juhi’s bleak life. Juhi made the mistake which young people often do, she became pregnant before her marriage, and her fiancĂ© bluntly refused to marry her, her parents lodged a case, Court ordered him to marry Juhi or go to jail, but Juhi flatly denied. The baby did not survived but Juhi’s family told her to move out, because they had to marry off their other daughters, and according to them, as Juhi has dug her own grave, and denied to come out of it when given a chance, she will have to bear the brunt, not them.

Juhi moved out to Calcutta, and terminated all contact with her family, because she was too proud to accept to be looked down at. She was a very shy, homely girl, who was completely engrossed in her own family, did not had much idea about the world outside, so the first thing she faced was extreme loneliness. That is when the idea struck her and she started to look for a friend on net.

Initially she found a lot, but only one stayed back Ramesh, he used to call her up every day, whenever Juhi was sad, Ramesh used to call up as if by some magic and fill her day with happiness. Whenever she was lonely she used to cling to Ramesh. Their friendship became the life breath for both of them.

Juhi was very eager to see Ramesh but Ramesh always used to turn it down, saying that if she sees him their friendship will end, because he is too ugly. No matter how much Juhi tried to convince him that look has nothing to do with love or friendship Ramesh ignored her plea.

One day Juhi got hit by a car on her way to home, as Ramesh’s no. was one of the numbers, and the number which has been last dialed the hospital authorities called him, when Juhi came to sense she saw that a person was sitting beside her bed, with blood shot eyes, in physical sense he was very ugly, but there was a glow of good nature and affection on his face, which made his face more beautiful than angels.

Their friendship grew even deeper after that instant, and they finally married, and till date Ramesh is teased to no end by Juhi about his lack of confidence on the victory of heart over face, and brain over brawn.

light in darkness

Parna loved Yash with all her heart, and she knew that he too feels the same. Their marriage was an affair which was not yet fixed but was glowing brightly in the horizon like morning sun.

Yash was a sales executive in a multinational company and Parna a call center executive. They were busy in planning their future together. They lived a life of harmony, they were first friends and then lovers.

It has been raining very hard that morning, Parna was getting ready to leave for office when all of a sudden the door bell rang, her mother answered it, and came to her room after 10 or 15 minutes. Her face has lost all its colours, she softly informed Parna that Yash was in an accident, and he was hospitalized. She has already called Parna’s office and told them that she wont come.

She told Parna that she is going to call a taxi. Half an hour later Parna was sitting in a nursing home, listening to the doctors, every thing sounded extremely unreal.

The doctor was telling them that Yash met an accident while going out to meet a client, a reckless matador driver knocked him down and left him on the street, fortunately a traffic sergeant saw him on his way to his office and immediately made the arrangement of his hospitalization. Otherwise it might have been fatal.

Yash was out of danger within a few days but after losing two priceless gifts of God, one of his leg was broken in five pieces, hence the bone had to be replaced by steel, and his sight.

Parna used to spend all his spare time in the nursing home, helping as much as she can. Yash started to recover, Parna was there whenever he stumbled. Then after his discharge she requested her mother to finalise their marriage at the first available date.

When her parents went to Yash’s parents Yash rudely refused the proposal. Parna went to visit him. He tried to not meet her but she forced her way into her room. He was sitting in a chair with a stony expression in his face. Parna pulled a chair and sat down beside him and asked him what made him refuse their marriage.

Yash coldly told her that he is completely capable of handling his own problem by himself, he does not feels any need of ruining the life of a healthy person, who can find a far better match then him.

Parna asked him that from when has marriage become the union of two bodies? Marriage is union of two minds, and she has been married to him a long time back, they were just waiting for the social formalities. And as long as she is alive, she will take care of Yash, help him back on his feet, make him walk again and walk beside him. Because her path is the same path as Yash’s path, and nothing can alter her decision, not even Yash.

Abir

Amrita was a typical Bengali girl, too soft to handle the rough and tear of the office world. Her first office was extremely good, but she had to change job for relocation. And the next job she joined, even though better paying was simply ordered from hell. It was one of those offices where every one was shouting at every one, every one trying to paint others black and themselves white, tamper others projects, for better perk and so on. It became daily routine for Amrita to cry her head off atleast once. Not because her way of working was immatured, but because she was completely incapable of handling the politics. She started to become so depressed that she decided about leaving the job and join elsewhere.

The next job she joined was not of such high profile, but the environment was completely under the control of the proprietor. He was a very just man, very soft speaking and kind. He did not looked much older than Amrita but his strong personality compensated for his lack of years.

The more Amrita saw him the more she became his fan. He never raised his voice, he never spoke to her harshly, even though every day he used to find out couple of dozen mistakes in her work, because he was extremely perfectionist and Amrita was learning the work.

A few months passed away like dream, then all of a sudden Amrita noticed that other staffs were becoming jealous of her, they used to complain to Abir about her, Abir never told her any thing. Then one day, one of her colleagues tipped her that Abir is very angry at her about some mistakes she has made in the log book.

When she sat down to the desk all of a sudden she noticed Abir’s peon standing behind her, when she asked him what he wants, he said Abir has told him to supervise when she is writing the log book, she was shell shocked, because that peon has not even completed his class eight studies. She thought that he wants her out of the office. She went back to her home and cried for a few hours and then started to look for job. She soon got one and changed. At the time of leaving she only told Abir that her new office was giving her better benefit, she did not told him the truth because she did not wanted to hurt the person who has given her so much happiness.

One day while she was returning from office she bumped into one of her colleagues, who told her that abir was hospitalized, he had an cardiac arrest and a lot more problems, after that he has been hospitalized. She felt like crest fallen. All of a sudden she realized that the feeling which she used to think respect was actually love. She was from a lower middle class family, and Abir was very rich. So like any intelligent girl she did not expressed any thing from outside but for the next three months every day, she used to go to Abir’s office after her office and help the staffs to run the office properly.

All of a sudden one day Abir called her, and offered her some compensation for all the help she has done, she politely refused, but Abir kept on insisting. Finally she requested him to donate the money to some charitable organization and bade him good bye for the second time, this time from heart.