Love Net

They have waged war against each other for centuries. So much blood has been shed on both sides of the border that the hatred has seeped into the heart of its citizens too. They don’t need inflammatory speeches from their leaders any more. They hated each other by instinct. Those who did not did not dare to say that openly.

“It’s easy to infiltrate in an army of corrupted people. You can buy them, but what to do with honest, patriotic people? We need to know what’s going on in their camps or else we will be forever on our guard.”

The prime minister was talking with the defense minister. A new man in cabinet. Extremely popular for his cunningness.

The defense minister sat there with a blank expression on his face. After a while he muttered loudly, “even the strongest person has its weak points.”

“People who don’t give in to greed give in to lust or love.” He mused, “It’s a century old tradition, to use love to trap people of strength.”

He pushed an album towards him. The prime minister picked it up and opened it. It was filled with photographs of dazzling men and women.

“Who are they?

“Our nymph brigade.”

“These men and women are hand picked and trained in the art of seduction. They have an identity and family too across the border. But these all are magical families and identities they keep on changing. Just like jig saw puzzles.”

“These nymphs will act as our eyes and ears in their camp. They will trap the most powerful or influential ones any how, even at the cost of marrying them and work for us from their closest circle.”

“They will control them by love and make them puppets in their beautiful hands. We will gain access or control on all their spheres.”

“What if they are caught? Or some one becomes obsessed with them and they can’t get rid of that person?”

“They will be replaced by the person whose name, identity they are using. Who are as ordinary as you and me, so their suitor will curse his fate and walk away without daring to admit that he had an affair with this drab man or woman. Our nymph will change her identity and enter another body bag.”

“Now, if you permit, I will destroy the album. Because our success is completely intermingled.”

He got up and left the room, leaving behind the prime minister, whose heart was full of admiration and suspicion. He started to think about his latest flame, a dazzling creature who has just walked into his life.

Letting go

“She will never understand you! A person who is completely immersed in worldly pleasures and desires will never truly realize why Siddhartha left his palace to look for truth.”

 

“She may not say so out loudly due to the fear of scorn, but deep inside she will think that it was worthwhile just because he could become Gautam Buddha,  or else he would have been one of the best losers of human history. She will never even realize the satisfaction behind letting go every thing, including minimum necessities..”

 

“I can assure you, she is dead certain that you are heartbroken and miserable, that is why she keeps on flittering around you and she/her friends keep asking you the same question in fifty forms.”

 

They were sitting side by side, watching the sun set on distant horizon. Its crimson rays were lingering in the sky, clouds and every thing it could touch. Creating a world of magical beauty.

 

Ahana was Kankana’s closest friend. They have been each other’s best friends for years. Recently Ahana has come to visit Kankana from her present home in Delhi.

 

Kankana loved Atanu, they have loved each other for quite a few years, quite deeply. Then Atanu asked his family for the permission to marry her. Permission was granted, but a little time was asked from them, the time to get Atanu’s older brother Santanu get married.

 

His marriage already arranged,, with one of Atanu’s father’s friend’s daughter, Banalata. Santanu wanted to take voluntary retirement from his service in Army before marrying. So did Banalata, because she was scared of the risks.

 

They were waiting for Santanu’s retirement when he was killed in an encounter. To add up to the shock they came to know that Banalata was pregnant with his child. She refused to have him or/her aborted. There was only one choice left and that happened, Atanu married Banalata.

 

Another shock was in store for the family. Santanu came back, he was held captive but not killed. He bluntly refused ever touching Banalata. He went back to his office telling he wont take the VRS as it was no longer required.

 

Atanu’s heart was shattered to pieces. He came to meet Kankana and asked her what he should do.  He was thinking about divorcing Banalata. Though she was quite a docile wife to him and the kid was three years old, called him dad and doted on him. Their marriage blessed them with a daughter, who is yet to complete her first year on earth.

 

Kankana told him to forgive her, if she is loyal to him, may be she faltered only once and lied to save herself from ruin. If she is adulterous then Atanu can always walk away from her he has enough proof to get a divorce.

 

“Don’t think for a second that you will be able to get rid of Banalata’s shadow from your life, as her soul is guilty she will always keep a watch on you.”

 

“It should not have happened this way but sometimes life takes most unpleasant turns but I am glad that it brought out the best in you and molded you into gold.”Ahana held her hand firmly.

 

 

Devil’s own

“So you say that you loved her thinking that she was an innocent girl but your views changed after all these years?” he was looking at him with a strange intensity in his eyes, Sitendra shifted uneasily under the stern gaze of those eyes. It appeared as if a dark fire was burning behind those dark eyes.

“All these years which you and your hired men spent stalking her, finding out her wherever she went ? Keep talking, it’s a good story.” His gaze was fixed on his face.

“You are trying to say that you wasted those thousands of dollars I sent you without even knowing that her siblings are usurping that money without giving her a single penny? Not only that, they presented another girl who introduced herself to you as her, then she got married to your son, and then the game was caught but you could not throw her out because your son was in love with her…. Interesting! To compensate you started to monitor Bibhabari’s whereabouts so you could help her, and you pretended as ME to keep an eye on her, as a guardian of course, then you fell in love with her because your wife was a fiend…. You should have opted for a career in movies as a story writer”

“I sometimes really wonder how you men first start lying and then how you keep adding more and more to that thinking everyone else is a fool.”

The speaker was Sarvesh, Sitendra’s friend. His son fell in love with a girl of poor family during his trip to India. Sarvesh asked Sitendra to check in stealth if the girl is alright. There was another reason he wanted to enquire about her a little, although his son Rik was a very handsome man, the girl has repeatedly refused his proposals saying she will never marry. That was the point which bothered him and that was the reason he wanted the investigation in secret. He did not wanted any problem with his daughter in law.. if she was meant to become so.

“As was supposed to happen, when that impostor married your son, my heartbroken son was healed by your daughter and they eventually got married three years back.” Sarvesh chuckled.

“But my mean men are telling me that you made up this story to keep MY money in YOUR family.”

“You know, there are so many flaws in your story… first my men say your son’s wife is Bibhabari’s neighbour, your son used to meet her quite often before marriage. While original Bibhabari was residing in the same i.e. her home, it’s strange that you two, who knew every thing about her slipped on this, I believe all her neighbours call her bibhabari and that impostor Renuka, right??”

“Then comes the question, when you knew that your daughter in law is a fraud, why did not you instantly inform me? If you had spent the money you might have apologized.”

“But in place of that you stalked Bibhabari for last three years faking as me, a widower. And last three years have been nightmarish to her, she has been provoked so much that a normal girl would have committed suicide, its her nerve of steel or may be God has kept her going so I could know the truth.”

“You have been sending her saucy mails year after year using my name, pretending as her well-wisher on net and your hired men have been harassing her out on the street, then your fiend of a wife came to know that….”

“She was as furious as hell and tried to get her murdered and failed..” an expression of boredom crept on Sarvesh’s face. “Phew!!!”

“You brought her to one of your friend’s houses with the help of her brother so you could save her from the fury of your wife.”

“But my nasty men say you did it all to keep her under vigilance, a group of your men always stalked her, and followed her whenever she tried to join a job or have a social life, they followed her as a pack of flees following a deer, as a result she ended up without a job or social life.”

“You know, I trust my men, they are professional and have reputation.” Sarvesh said, “They have even told me about some of the matches you fixed for her, one of the was a severe psychiatric patient, the other a jailbird, third an electrician of another religion..”

“Neither I nor my son have any faith left on you any more. I have already shared your story with my son, he is sitting in the next room listening to your story, and we have unanimously decided that your daughter will go back to you and Bibhabari will become my daughter in law, if any of you object……. You can get your daughter remarried to any one of your selected grooms, I will pay the dowry”