College Days (Ch. 8)
8. Know Thyself
8. Know Thyself
The sun had dipped low when Neil and Avani stopped at a local theka: a small pub tucked behind an old haveli. A wooden board swayed outside: Kesar Kasturi-Pride of Rajasthan.
(The first chapter of the series can be read via below link:)
Neil lifted the glass to his lips, took a careful sip of Kesar Kasturi (Rajasthan’s special drink). “This is awesome,” he declared, warmth spreading down his throat like liquid sunlight.
Avani smiled over the rim of her own glass. “In the old days, this golden drink was made with saffron, honey and dry fruits. It used to be the favourite of kings.” She sipped, eyes glinting. “Ever heard of Roger Moore?”
Neil, already tipsy on the atmosphere, hummed the James Bond tune with mock drama.
“Exactly,” she laughed. “He was very fond of Kesar Kasturi.”
“Then let me buy this for Chinu and Baba,” Neil said, motioning to the bartender to pack two bottles.
Avani tilted her head playfully. “Would you like to watch a movie?”
He grimaced. “But there isn’t a good release.”
Avani pointed toward a torn poster hanging near the door: Pyaasi Chudail.
“Horror movie? I find them funnier than comedy movies. The opening of the old door…krrrrrrr… Emerging hands from a basin or a bathtub…,” he mocked. “Have you seen those old horror movies where terror scene was created by the croaking sounds of frogs…”
Avani gave a frown look to him.
“Would you like to see them for real then?”
“I am looking at...”
“Very funny!”
Neil flashed an embarrassed smile.
“If you think that all of this amusing, then let’s visit a cursed palace nearby,” she suggested.
“I would, but I am feeling sleepy.” He yawned.
“What happened? Are you scared?”
“Listen, Neil darta nahi, daraata hai (Neil doesn’t get scared, he scares others).”
“Then, let’s go.”
-------τβπ-------
The palace stood in silence, half-swallowed by vines and shadows. A crescent moon hung above like a watchful eye. As they stepped through the rusting iron gate, Neil slowed down, his shoes crunching on gravel.
Neil took some steps back and slowly turned his head down. Then, his eyes darted up slowly. Avani observed him strangely.
“Did you see anyone else on the hilltop at Goa?”
She was confused.
“Have you ever talked to any of my friends?”
“Dude, stop it.”
“I am a ghost,” he whispered in ghost voice, trying to scare her.
“And I am a witch. Haha…”
“Come on, Avani. Be a sport.”
But suddenly, they heard the sound of something falling from the upper floor. He jumped and embraced her.
“What are you doing? Stay away.”
“Someone is there!”
“There is no such thing as a ghost.”
“It must be a dog or a cat.”
But then came the slow thud… thud… of footsteps descending the stairs.
“Avani, someone is coming down the stairs,” he whispered and hid behind her.
“Then, it must be a thief.”
“What will a thief steal from the ruined palace?” He asked and picked up a log of wood.
Avani was also scared a bit but put on a brave face. She picked up a wooden stick that was lying around. They heard whispers again and moved back slowly. Neil regretted for pretending to be a knight in shining armour at the local theka. They stepped back but were ready to attack anything that appeared before them. They heard the sound of movements in the room. Their hearts were throbbing. He retraced back but collided with someone who was looking in the other direction. Neil turned back and raised the log to attack but he identified the other guy.
“Amancha!” Neil gasped.
Amancha was trembling with fear and hit him on his shoulder.
“Ouch!” Neil shrieked.
Amancha was scared as hell and shouted, “Rini, help me! The ghost knows my name.”
He struck again but Neil defended this time by putting forward his log of wood.
Rinichi encountered Avani and cried, “Avani! What are you doing over here?”
-------τβπ-------
Later, the four of them sat in the palace’s veranda, gathered around a bonfire crackling with dry twigs. The night smelled of smoke and laughter.
“What are you doing, guys?” Avani asked.
“Maybe they have a penchant for frozen yoghurt in this balmy duskiness,” Neil intervened.
“What!” Rinichi exclaimed.
Amancha was embarrassed.
“We came here to celebrate our wedding anniversary,” Rinichi clarified.
“Which one? The Court marriage, the Aryasamaj wedding or the Church one?”
Amancha and Rinichi were shocked. Avani widen her eyes at Neil in horror.
“Who are you?” Rinichi demanded.
“Sorry,” Avani said and introduced Neil to them, “He is my good friend Neil. He has come to Jaipur for sight-seeing.”
Then, she pointed at Amancha and Rinichi, “Neil, you know them-Amancha and Rinichi.”
Neil shook hands with Rinichi and Amancha. They disliked his invasion of their privacy. But Neil knew how to woo them. He snapped as if he remembered something and picked up his bag. After rummaging through it, he whipped out an old edition of ‘Mein Kampf’ from his bag.
“One of the oldest editions of Mein Kampf for Rinichi.”
She was elated to hold the old book on Hitler. She embraced him. Amancha was jealous when she did that. Neil observed that.
“We had bought something while coming over here. I think Amancha will like to open it on their wedding anniversary.”
Neil pulled out a bottle of Kesar Kasturi from the bag and handed it over to Amancha. His eyes twinkled seeing the bottle. He thanked him and opened it.
“He is a great guy. He should come tomorrow,” Amancha said and took a sip.
“Where?” Neil asked.
“But, he has to go to Jodhpur for his industrial trip on Monday,” Avani interrupted.
“He can go from there. The wedding is tomorrow. You should attend it. It will be fun,” Rinichi proclaimed.
-------τβπ-------
The next evening, they went to attend the wedding. Avani was getting dressed for the wedding. Neil was ready and was waiting outside the room.
“But, Moogly, sorry, Arun is in the final year. Why is he marrying so soon?”
“His grandpa had a cardiac arrest last week. Very critical condition. His last wish was to see him getting married.”
“Last wishes! Yeh buddho ki aakhri ichcha kabhi khatam hi na…” but he stopped when she emerged from the room, Neil was stunned by her beauty. She was dressed in a green coloured lehenga having a beautiful traditional Rajasthani embroidered work. A golden necklace glittered on her slender neck. Her loose hair swayed over her shoulders gracefully. He was amazed at how she would take away his breath every time. He stared at her that made her a bit self-conscious. She frowned at him and gestured to him with her eyes to look away.
“Itni kaatil nazaron se mat dekho (Don’t give me that murderous look). I may die!” Neil quipped.
“Don’t worry, I will hunt down Dragon balls for you.”
-------τβπ-------
Outside, Neil noticed a familiar face. “Hey, isn’t that Jenny Ma’am?” he said, pointing at a girl beside a burkha-clad woman.
“Who is Jenny?”
“Arey, Jenny ma’am! She punished Arun for clicking her photo in class.”
“Oh, shit!” she exclaimed and darted towards Jenny ma’am. He realised his mistake and followed her. But before they could catch them, Jenny ma’am and the burkha-clad lady escaped on a bike.
Avani and Neil realised that the burkha-clad lady was none other than Arun, so they hurried to his room.
“I asked you to check if he had any love affair or not,” Avani hit him on his arm.
“I did conduct a thorough research but there were no traces of any affairs. How would I know that he would be so smart that he would woo Jenny ma’am?”
“I am dead,” she said, entering Arun’s room.
Pia was reading the runaway groom’s letter.
“What will we do now?” Pia asked.
Pia’s parents entered.
“The groom ran away,” they said in unison
“And the bride too,” Rinichi announced as she entered.
Tears started flowing incessantly from her mother’s eyes. Her father sank into the nearest chair. The scene was no lesser than that of a routine saas-bahu teledrama.
“The wedding has to be conducted, Pia. It has to be,” her father said and gazed at her. “Do you have a boyfriend?”
“Papa, what are you saying?”
“Grandpa is not in a condition to handle this situation.”
“Papa, be practical. Why are you sacrificing my entire life for grandpa?” Pia argued.
“Sorry to intrude in your family matters,” Neil interrupted, “If the wedding is important then why don’t …”
His eyes moved from Amancha to Rinichi.
“You are right. Rinichi, let’s go to the bride’s room,” Avani said.
Pia understood their plan and followed them. From the balcony of the bride’s room, a saree was hung. Rinichi clutched it and climbed up. Pia and Avani followed her.
Neil helped Amancha to put on the groom’s sherwani.
“I don’t understand,” Pia’s father asked. Neil explained the relationship of Amancha and Rinichi and their wedding stories. Pia’s father hugged Amancha and gave his blessing.
-------τβπ-------
The next morning, Avani accompanied Neil to the railway station. He had hardly slept for two to three hours for last the three consecutive nights but still, he wasn’t sleepy. There was a restlessness in him. He paced up and down frantically and tried to calm himself. He gazed for the arrival of the train and then looked at Avani.
Source: Humpty Sharma ki Dulhania
“I can’t hold this anymore. Let’s not pretend that you aren’t aware why I come here.”
She nodded her head.
He spoke slowly, “Then, please say ‘yes’.”
“Neil…” she sighed, “try to understand.”
“Why? What is the problem? We like to talk to each other. We like to share happy moments with each other, sad moments with each other. I know more about you than yourself and vice versa. If this is not love, then what is it?”
“I have already told you that I will be leaving this country for my post-graduation.”
“Yeah, you had mentioned that but…”
“Then?”
“Can’t you pursue your higher studies over here?”
“But there aren’t enough good facilities in India. I want to do research. I have to go outside India.”
“Okay, how long? One year, two years or five years. I will wait for you.”
“Maybe I won’t come back.” Her voice was quiet but unwavering. “The kind of research opportunities that I will get over there has no match compared to the limited opportunities in India.”
“Avani, please don’t go.”
“I can’t.”
“Why? Don’t you love me?”
Neil was irritated.
She exhaled deeply, eyes glistening. “Neil, please. Don’t make this harder.”
He was losing his patience.
“You aren’t trying to understand this. Why isn’t this possible?”
“Neil, we are such good friends. Why are you ruining everything?”
“I am ruining this? You are the one walking away! You are being a selfish bitch!”
Her eyes flared. “Wo! What did you just say?”
The train horn screamed through the air, its thunder swallowing their words.
“Aren’t you thinking only about yourself?”
Avani’s face tightened. “Who is unsure of one’s life? You! yet you have audacity to call me a selfish.”
Her voice quivered but didn’t falter. “At least I am living for myself. You can’t even do that. If you think so highly of yourself then why don’t you come over there? But you can’t and won’t. You know, why? Because nothing means to you. Nothing interests you. You don’t have a purpose in life. No Passion. No Fire.”
Neil froze, her words slicing through the air.
“You keep professing love to me but do you even love yourself?” She continued, her voice cracking. “You claim to know me but do you even know yourself? What do you want to do in life? Have you fervently fought for anything in life? Cried incessantly till it broke you? No, I don’t think so. But asking me to drop my dreams…”
Her words hit like blows. Neil’s anger deflated into shame. He lowered his gaze, unable to meet her eyes. Silence reigned between them on the noisiest platform.
The train roared in, drowning their silence. The crowd surged, sweeping him toward the door. He clutched his bag, glanced at her one last time.
She watched him boarding the train with tear-filled eyes.
When the train moved, Avani’s composure cracked. Her lips trembled, her chin dropped and tears slipped down unchecked. She didn’t wipe them. She just stood there, watching the train vanish into the horizon.
-------τβπ-------
(Continued in the next chapter.)
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