Cinema has long been the passion and past time of India. From the days of Raja Harishchandra all the way to the technical brilliance of Ra.One and "don't ask how" suerhits like Dabbang & Body Gaurd. We Indians have given so much time and thought to this medium. Birth of the term Bollywood in itself proves how cinema has evolved in India as a celebration. No other nation perhaps boasts a nickname so closely aligned to Hollywood. Not to mention the regional variations of Kollywood, Mollywood and Sandalwood. However, one cannot ignore the hypocrite that lives in every average and above average Indian cinema fan. I am talking of people who watch all A grade to Z grade Hollywood masala. This hypocrisy comes to light every time a Rajnikant film is due for release or a Rajni joke does the rounds. After Shankar’s million dollar production ”Enthiran” hit the screens, Rajni mania seems to have re-iginted. I will admit – I am a big fan of Rajni but the comparisons I make here are not fuelled by my undying support for the most humble superstar the industry has ever seen. I am sure every one of you have heard how the "Style Mannan" splits a bullet with a knife, beats 100’s of bad guys on his own, kisses a snake on its head, jumps a fire engine across a broken bridge and many more countless other sequences from his movies. What really makes the fan in me upset is that the same people, who ridicule him for these sequences, applaud what every other Hollywood star does in most of the action flicks we have seen. Here are a few examples and I request to leave your prejudice behind before you continue to read this.
Arnold “The Governor” Schwarzenegger, who with his huge frame might find it difficult to get into the Airbus 380, not only manages to fit himself into the AV-8B Harrier fighter jet but also flies it as if it were a car parked in the neighbours yard (lets go for a spin baby!!). Yes, I am talking about 1994 block buster True Lies. I am sure the theatre would have exploded in applause even he made the police horse jump from the top floor of the New York sky scraper in a earlier sequence from the same movie. Move on to another film, the third instalment in the Transporter Series – Transporter 3. The bad guys have kidnapped the girl and are in a moving train and our hero, the good looking husky voiced Jason Statham, is chasing them in his Audi A8 6.0 W12. You guessed it right, it’s just a car. After all efforts fail, he finally parks his car on an over bridge with train approaching. As the train passes beneath the bridge, our hero brings the engine to life, burns a ton of rubber doing a wheelie and promptly jumps the car off the bridge and land precisely into the train compartment. No injuries, piece of cake. I couldn’t find my seat on a train with a ticket with so much precision. This guy manages to park a car. Lets visit some absolute gems in science marvels. I have seen many people talking animatedly about John Travolta & Nicholas Cage exchanging their faces in the action flick Face Off. One person’s face is cut out by a laser and pasted on the other, as if our body was a windows operating system and we could cut & paste body parts at will. Then there is the legendary John Rambo, the character immortalised by Sly Stallone in the Rambo Series, who can do anything that he wishes to. That includes bringing an entire Russian army unit or freeing Vietnamese prisoners of war on his own and many other things that the entire US Army could not do in real life. Harrison Ford did come across as a very good looking and smart US President James Marshall in Air Force One but his antics made us feel he mistook this movie for another instalment of the Indiana Jones series. What else would you comment when the President of the United States zip-lines from the crashing Air Force one onto a C-130 Hercules rescue plane. But we all watched in awe and he makes it safely with his wife and child. All this is when people can’t board the city line bus through the steps without falling once or twice. The more recent A-Team has Liam Neeson guiding his sidekick to fly a tank that has just fallen off an Aircraft. Yes, an Army TANK!! I am purposefully leaving Steven Segal out of all this. Remember, none of these are superhero movies. The characters are normal human beings. While we applaud all the above scenes with so much vigour we run jokes on Rajnikanth for biting a knife thrown at him, dodging bullets, fighting 10 goons, popping cigars in true Rajni style or swinging a pistol and for never getting killed on screen. Why? Why this difference in reception when both the characters do the exact same things.
I have enjoyed every Hollywood movie mentioned above and I have enjoyed Rajnikanth for years. I think its really time we appreciated our home grown heroes for taking the fight to Hollywood. The days are not too distant when Indian heroes and Indian movies will be far ahead of anything that comes out of Hollywood. Until then I have one statement for the hypocrites – Thalaiva! Nee Than Hero!
From a Rajnikanth Fan – The Scribbler
Friday, August 27, 2010
The Girl & The Unknown Soldier
Once a certain human rights campaigner by the name MKG, said "If you feel that you are unlucky and life is treating you harshly, then look towards someone who is poorer than you are, who has more problems in life than you have, then maybe you might feel that you are not that unlucky after all, you may begin to believe that life is not that harsh after all" Well, he might not have said exactly these words but I am certain this is what he meant. How many times have you, and of-course I, spend time worrying about the non-availability of milk in the public distribution system, about the anti-social goons making a mockery of the judiciary and police; about how the government is inactive on problems like the price hike in essential commodities, about how the high street banks play with our money and brings about the downfall of the stock markets, about recession and job losses, a good percentage of us wake up worrying about what school or college our children will go to, we worry about what career they may chose and how successful they will be, we worry about what kind of a day it would be at work, we worry about how to survive on the monthly budget; we stare for hours at the question "to invest or not to invest". We worry about how our life will be when we retire, we worry about eating healthy and staying fit, we worry about car loans, home loans, personal loans, credit card bills, insurance premiums & hospital bills, we feel forced to watch the latest movie in 3-D, we are left confused on which mobile phone to buy and curse the dealer when they come up with the next model the very next day, we feel jealous, we feel hatred, we cry, we feel hurt, we take revenge, we give to charity and then announce it to everyone who cares to listen, we worry about what to write in our next blog, we worry about the comments on our latest post in the social networking group, at the end of the day we express disbelief that we can manage all this into 24 hours, we sit back and crib about what a messy world we live in... Is that true?
On this very same planet, somewhere is a civil war torn country, a 19 year old black girl wakes up praying that she be able to make it through the same 24 hours without having to live the horrors she has seen. She hopes she does not have to see murder, like her father's and brother's when they were chopped off - legs, hands, genitals, eyes - and then left to bleed to death. She prays she is not raped like her mother and sisters before her, by countless men who would not stop even if she were dead. She prays that she would get to eat someting so that she can run when the rebels invade her home. She fears for her future which she hopes is not of a sex slave. She fears for her children which she hopes she will be able to give birth to. She has no fears about milk, goons, movies, phones but she fears to breathe: for she does not know when it will bear the scent of blood,torture and death.
On this very same planet there walks a man from one of the most privileged countries in the world, equally scared, a soldier who walks the streets of a country that he hardly knows. Not knowing whom he protects. Not knowing whom he fights. His knowledge is about death that lurks in the alleys that have no resemblance to his childhood memories. His fear is surely not one that is shared by you and I. He fears the stray bullet that will take his life. He fears the innocent looking suicide bomber who will detonate for a cause that neither of them understand. He fears that the picture of his family in his combat vest will be torn into a million pieces with him. He fears the reasons why he wanted to be a soldier and what he does as a soldier are poles apart.
On this very same planet there are underprivileged humans who are denied justice, who are denied food, who are denied shelter, who are denied freedom of speech. On this planet there are brave men who guard the borders of our nation so that you and I can peacefully worry about the million things in our messy world.. Isn't that the truth? May be Mr. MKG was right. Next time you find your life messy, spare a thought for The Girl and walk with The Unknown Soldier. May be, just may be? you will feel your life is not that messy after all?
Oh! By the way MKG is better known as Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi.
- The Scribbler
On this very same planet, somewhere is a civil war torn country, a 19 year old black girl wakes up praying that she be able to make it through the same 24 hours without having to live the horrors she has seen. She hopes she does not have to see murder, like her father's and brother's when they were chopped off - legs, hands, genitals, eyes - and then left to bleed to death. She prays she is not raped like her mother and sisters before her, by countless men who would not stop even if she were dead. She prays that she would get to eat someting so that she can run when the rebels invade her home. She fears for her future which she hopes is not of a sex slave. She fears for her children which she hopes she will be able to give birth to. She has no fears about milk, goons, movies, phones but she fears to breathe: for she does not know when it will bear the scent of blood,torture and death.
On this very same planet there walks a man from one of the most privileged countries in the world, equally scared, a soldier who walks the streets of a country that he hardly knows. Not knowing whom he protects. Not knowing whom he fights. His knowledge is about death that lurks in the alleys that have no resemblance to his childhood memories. His fear is surely not one that is shared by you and I. He fears the stray bullet that will take his life. He fears the innocent looking suicide bomber who will detonate for a cause that neither of them understand. He fears that the picture of his family in his combat vest will be torn into a million pieces with him. He fears the reasons why he wanted to be a soldier and what he does as a soldier are poles apart.
On this very same planet there are underprivileged humans who are denied justice, who are denied food, who are denied shelter, who are denied freedom of speech. On this planet there are brave men who guard the borders of our nation so that you and I can peacefully worry about the million things in our messy world.. Isn't that the truth? May be Mr. MKG was right. Next time you find your life messy, spare a thought for The Girl and walk with The Unknown Soldier. May be, just may be? you will feel your life is not that messy after all?
Oh! By the way MKG is better known as Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi.
- The Scribbler
Twice.. In a Lifetime
PREFACE
Love is one of those things in life that has confused the most brilliant minds in this world. It is undoubtedly the most cosmic phenomenon known to man. There are so many glimpses in history to prove that if anything can make a living soul act in a complete irrational way, it is love. I have never believed in love at first sight, though I should admit that physical attraction at first sight is a more acceptable truth. After all, no matter how evolved or civilised we may call our self, we still have the basic animal instincts. But when we bypass the physical beauty and start to see the real beauty beneath it, the feeling is hard to pen. Then attraction gives way to affection and a feeling of caring.
Many a times I find it really amusing, or rather strange I should say, when people talk about finding that someone special. Especially, since I considered myself a zealot of love thorough out my life. My amusement was not about finding that someone special. Isn’t it possible that we might find that someone special … more than once.
Andrew Pritchard was just out of university and had been inducted into a reputed construction firm in London. He had moved from his lovely village, Aviemore, in Scotland. He found that the English spoke English in a rather strange way. He was one among a group of bright fresh graduates chosen from all over the country to join the company as trainee engineers. It was an opportunity he was waiting for quite long time. In fact he was desperate for it. The prime reason being Elizabeth Miller, his girl friend for 10 years. Andrew and Liz, as he calls her, have been with each other even before Madonna was a virgin. They lived for each other. Andrew never had any other ambition in his life other than Liz, all the other decisions in his life was taken for this ultimate goal. He went away to study in York, as a degree from a reputed university is not something that everyone had. He returned from York only with a diploma as he failed his final dissertation, thanks to his senior professor in-charge. He was not sad of losing a degree. He was only worried if he would lose Liz if he could not secure a job. Liz’s father approved of Andrew but would not agree to the wedding unless Andrew had a reputed employer to boast of. He thought of all this as he was being introduced to the top management of the company. All he wanted to do was get over with his apprenticeship and marry Liz.
The group was a mixture of males and females. Evenly balanced. In the batch was another fresh graduate from Preston, her name was Anoushka Nayar. An Indian by origin but her parents were doctors in Edinburgh for the past 14 years. Every one called her Nush, Attractive enough for any average guy. She was not one bit a cynosure who would skip a heart beat in any specimen of the opposite sex. At least that is what Andrew’s first impressions were. Their Scottish roots did give them enough reasons to talk to each other. Over the next 4 months they did see much of each other but it was not something one would call quality time. They met in the office and occasionally while travelling to Edinburgh. These journeys brought them closer to each other and they became close friends. It wasn’t soon before they started going out together in groups and later just as a pair, especially on weekends they didn’t travel to Edinburgh. They went on sight seeing trips of London, but in fact they were seeing more of each other.
As good friends Andrew had mention Liz more than once to Nush. She was very interested and was awed by his dedication, zeal and love for Liz. She once even quipped she would love to have someone like him in her life too; Andrew didn’t take too long to offer he could do just that for her. From then on it was more than just friendship.
Andrew and Nush always travelled together to Edinburgh. They always sat together, very often in a near empty carriage. Andrew wanted to spend more time with Nush; he cursed whoever invented fast trains as he longed for a longer journey. He hated it when Nush got off at Edinburgh and he had to continue his journey to Aviemore. Only thing he wasn’t aware of was that the feeling was mutual. They didn’t realise for the entire journey they had never let go of each others hands. They found more pleasure in whispering things into each other ears, rather than just talk. Nush was sure Andrew would never leave Liz for her, and Andrew knew he could never thing anyone other than Liz as his wife. But still they were falling in love with each other.
One evening after work Andrew took Nush for a walk in London’s Hyde Park. They spent so much time just lying down and chatting about many things. Both wanted to know each others likes and dislikes, as if they were preparing for a life together. Andrew felt he had conquered the world when he realised Nush was lying down with her head on his chest, hugging him tight as if she never wanted to let him go. Soon it was dark and they still didn’t want to leave.
Nush looked up to the sky and said “Andrew, I always has fascination for stars. As a kid I wanted to collect stars to decorate my room. Have you ever imagined how many stars might be there in the sky? Aren’t they beautiful?”
Andrew pulled Nush closer to him, looked straight into her deep dark eyes and said “I can’t see any stars in the sky, I can only see is beautiful little star in my arms and I too wish I could collect it to decorate my life”.
A tear dropped from Nush’s eyes as she smiled. Nush held Andrew’s face in her hands and kissed him on his lips. For him it was short of a catharsis. Andrew could only wish the world would freeze over for ever at this moment.
The following week started with great news. Andrew was selected along with 4 trainees to go to Malaysia for the company’s new assignment. This was a one month long on site training not everyone gets. Andrew called Liz and told her about the news. He was ecstatic that this would fetch him the finances required to plan their wedding. Liz could hardly sleep after this. She had picked up a very common disorder called the pre-marital syndrome, more commonly known as day dreaming.
Nush was very happy for this great achievement Andrew had made, but she was not sure if she could cope without him in the office. Andrew too was upset. He even asked Nush would she miss him. For some reason Nush decided to lie. She said she wouldn’t. She didn’t want to get close to him, as she was sure she would loose him very soon. Her answer made Andrew feel as if he was marooned in a lonely desert.
He had a heavy heart and a smile eluded his normally cheerful face. Nush was aware of his feelings as it was no different from what she was going through. They both entered the office elevator together, alone. As the door closed they looked at each other.
She broke into tears and said “What have you done to me?”
Andrew said “I just wanted to know if you would miss me”.
Nush hugged Andrew and said “I will miss you for the rest of my life”.
Malaysia is country with a high momentum. It was becoming the tourist and business capital of South East Asia. Andrew arrived at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport on a fine morning. He travelled by rail to Seremban, in North Malaysia, which was his project site. The first thing he did after reaching Malaysia was to call Liz and inform her of his safe arrival. He walked out of his hotel room but walked back in and called Nush. It skipped his mind that the phone didn’t ring more than once. They both talked for some time. He called Nush everyday he was in Malaysia. She did restrict him from spending so much money, but it was not a strong request so Andrew didn’t obey. He would regularly ask her what she would like him to bring for her, when he returns.
She maintained a consistent reply for that “Just come back soon safe... for me”.
But Andrew decided he wanted to buy something for Nush. He would window shop on all evenings and weekends for a gift for her. Finally he brought her a necklace and a pair of ear-rings from an antique shop specialising in ancient jewellery. He picked up an ancient Indian piece.
He was delighted to be back in London after a month away from home, away from Nush. He arrived on a Friday. The office was closed on weekends. He called up Nush and arranged to pick her up from her house. He was not sure if it was just a feeling, but she looked like a fresh half open bud of red rose. They went out for a meal and then drove to Hyde Park. They sat under the same tree where she had first kissed him. Many more kisses, many more hugs. It was not easy to keep track of numbers anymore. But each kiss had an improved fragrance of love; each hug had increased warmth of caring and the power of being wanted.
He gave her the gift he had brought her. She was delighted, but asked him why he has spent some much money for her.
He just replied “I have a new hobby of decorating angels, and I didn’t want to miss a chance to decorate the queen of angels”.
“What would you do after you have married Liz? Would you still decorate me?” asked Nush.
Andrew didn’t have an answer to that. Gathering all his strength he asked her “If things were as normal, if I were free, would you have married me”.
She just smiled in return. He couldn’t repeat the question. He was lost in her bewitching smile.
Andrew decided to get married to Liz in 3 months time. Nush was happy to hear it, but Andrew was not happy telling her about it. All his life he wanted to marry Liz and now when the time had come for him to marry her, he wished he had more time.
Why – it was beyond logical reasoning.
Nush teased him about what he would do after he got married, would he still love her, would she still be his little star, would she still be the queen of angels.
She could not continue because she saw a tear roll down Andrew’s cheeks and end on his lips. She held his hand and stopped him. They were both standing in the centre of Paddington station swarming with people but they had all the privacy in the world. They were unaware of the thousands of commuters passing them. They stood there looking each other in the eyes. Their vision blurred by the tears in their eyes.
Andrew asked her “Why didn’t I find you earlier, why did you come to me now?”
Her reply was lost in her silent cry “Well then find me early in your next life”.
Nush came to Andrew’s to desk the next morning and told she wanted to go out for dinner with him. She had a surprise for him. They went to “The Queens Head”. Andrew was eager to know what she had to say.
Nush asked him “Can you guess what it is?”
Andrew mocked “What is it, are you getting married or something?”
She said “Yes, I am”.
Andrew didn’t know if he wanted to smile or cry, he was not sure if he was happy or was upset.
He said “But how is that possible, you never told me you had a boyfriend”.
“I don’t have a boyfriend, it is an arranged marriage”.
Nush explained to him the traditional Indian way of the parents finding a life partner for their children. Andrew took time to understand what was being said. His thoughts were full of fear of loosing Nush.
“So who is the lucky guy?” asked Andrew.
Andrew was not really interested in knowing who was going to marry her. In fact, all he knew was it wasn’t him. They were not looking at each other.
“He is a Doctor in India, a family friend” Nush said.
Andrew tried to laugh “Is he tall and handsome?”
Nush looked straight into eyes and said “I am getting engaged next week and married the week after, this is my last week in the company... my last week with you”.
She picked up her bag and walked out of the pub. Andrew didn’t eat the dinner and left an hour later.
Nush called him late at night.
“Didn’t you sleep” She enquired.
“No, I can’t” he replied.
“I’m sorry for leaving the pub tonight; if I stayed any longer I would have wept”. She said
“Do you love me Nush” Andrew asked. “Can you say that to me once, just once?”
“Yes Andrew, I love you!! I wish you were mine for ever. I wish you had found me earlier and then I wouldn’t have let you go until my last breath.” Nush was almost in tears when she said that.
“I promise you, if I am born again I will come looking for you and would never let you go”.
Now Nush could not control her tears “Will you forget me Andrew”?
“I might not think of you everyday, but I promise you when the moment I die arrives… I will have your face in my heart; I will have your name on my lips”.
Andrew attended her wedding. He met her family and met her husband. He noticed among all the jewellery she had worn, the gift he had brought her from Malaysia was standing apart. She had worn it in such a way that it was the first thing everyone noticed.
He wished good luck to both of them and prayed for a happy marriage. He walked out of the banquet hall and turned one last time towards the stage.
She was looking at him.
For one last time they looked at each other from a distance.
Their lips smiled, their hearts wept.
Andrew boarded the next train to London. He sat in an almost empty carriage. But this time the seat next to him was also empty. He reached London late in the evening. He walked to Hyde Park. He sat under the tree where he used to sit with Nush. He could not cope with cosmic irony that had just happened in his life. God looked to him like an antihero or as someone with a cruel sense of humour.
He looked at the stars but he could not still admire them. He could now at least see them as his little star was not in his arms anymore.
- The Scribbler
Love is one of those things in life that has confused the most brilliant minds in this world. It is undoubtedly the most cosmic phenomenon known to man. There are so many glimpses in history to prove that if anything can make a living soul act in a complete irrational way, it is love. I have never believed in love at first sight, though I should admit that physical attraction at first sight is a more acceptable truth. After all, no matter how evolved or civilised we may call our self, we still have the basic animal instincts. But when we bypass the physical beauty and start to see the real beauty beneath it, the feeling is hard to pen. Then attraction gives way to affection and a feeling of caring.
Many a times I find it really amusing, or rather strange I should say, when people talk about finding that someone special. Especially, since I considered myself a zealot of love thorough out my life. My amusement was not about finding that someone special. Isn’t it possible that we might find that someone special … more than once.
Andrew Pritchard was just out of university and had been inducted into a reputed construction firm in London. He had moved from his lovely village, Aviemore, in Scotland. He found that the English spoke English in a rather strange way. He was one among a group of bright fresh graduates chosen from all over the country to join the company as trainee engineers. It was an opportunity he was waiting for quite long time. In fact he was desperate for it. The prime reason being Elizabeth Miller, his girl friend for 10 years. Andrew and Liz, as he calls her, have been with each other even before Madonna was a virgin. They lived for each other. Andrew never had any other ambition in his life other than Liz, all the other decisions in his life was taken for this ultimate goal. He went away to study in York, as a degree from a reputed university is not something that everyone had. He returned from York only with a diploma as he failed his final dissertation, thanks to his senior professor in-charge. He was not sad of losing a degree. He was only worried if he would lose Liz if he could not secure a job. Liz’s father approved of Andrew but would not agree to the wedding unless Andrew had a reputed employer to boast of. He thought of all this as he was being introduced to the top management of the company. All he wanted to do was get over with his apprenticeship and marry Liz.
The group was a mixture of males and females. Evenly balanced. In the batch was another fresh graduate from Preston, her name was Anoushka Nayar. An Indian by origin but her parents were doctors in Edinburgh for the past 14 years. Every one called her Nush, Attractive enough for any average guy. She was not one bit a cynosure who would skip a heart beat in any specimen of the opposite sex. At least that is what Andrew’s first impressions were. Their Scottish roots did give them enough reasons to talk to each other. Over the next 4 months they did see much of each other but it was not something one would call quality time. They met in the office and occasionally while travelling to Edinburgh. These journeys brought them closer to each other and they became close friends. It wasn’t soon before they started going out together in groups and later just as a pair, especially on weekends they didn’t travel to Edinburgh. They went on sight seeing trips of London, but in fact they were seeing more of each other.
As good friends Andrew had mention Liz more than once to Nush. She was very interested and was awed by his dedication, zeal and love for Liz. She once even quipped she would love to have someone like him in her life too; Andrew didn’t take too long to offer he could do just that for her. From then on it was more than just friendship.
Andrew and Nush always travelled together to Edinburgh. They always sat together, very often in a near empty carriage. Andrew wanted to spend more time with Nush; he cursed whoever invented fast trains as he longed for a longer journey. He hated it when Nush got off at Edinburgh and he had to continue his journey to Aviemore. Only thing he wasn’t aware of was that the feeling was mutual. They didn’t realise for the entire journey they had never let go of each others hands. They found more pleasure in whispering things into each other ears, rather than just talk. Nush was sure Andrew would never leave Liz for her, and Andrew knew he could never thing anyone other than Liz as his wife. But still they were falling in love with each other.
One evening after work Andrew took Nush for a walk in London’s Hyde Park. They spent so much time just lying down and chatting about many things. Both wanted to know each others likes and dislikes, as if they were preparing for a life together. Andrew felt he had conquered the world when he realised Nush was lying down with her head on his chest, hugging him tight as if she never wanted to let him go. Soon it was dark and they still didn’t want to leave.
Nush looked up to the sky and said “Andrew, I always has fascination for stars. As a kid I wanted to collect stars to decorate my room. Have you ever imagined how many stars might be there in the sky? Aren’t they beautiful?”
Andrew pulled Nush closer to him, looked straight into her deep dark eyes and said “I can’t see any stars in the sky, I can only see is beautiful little star in my arms and I too wish I could collect it to decorate my life”.
A tear dropped from Nush’s eyes as she smiled. Nush held Andrew’s face in her hands and kissed him on his lips. For him it was short of a catharsis. Andrew could only wish the world would freeze over for ever at this moment.
The following week started with great news. Andrew was selected along with 4 trainees to go to Malaysia for the company’s new assignment. This was a one month long on site training not everyone gets. Andrew called Liz and told her about the news. He was ecstatic that this would fetch him the finances required to plan their wedding. Liz could hardly sleep after this. She had picked up a very common disorder called the pre-marital syndrome, more commonly known as day dreaming.
Nush was very happy for this great achievement Andrew had made, but she was not sure if she could cope without him in the office. Andrew too was upset. He even asked Nush would she miss him. For some reason Nush decided to lie. She said she wouldn’t. She didn’t want to get close to him, as she was sure she would loose him very soon. Her answer made Andrew feel as if he was marooned in a lonely desert.
He had a heavy heart and a smile eluded his normally cheerful face. Nush was aware of his feelings as it was no different from what she was going through. They both entered the office elevator together, alone. As the door closed they looked at each other.
She broke into tears and said “What have you done to me?”
Andrew said “I just wanted to know if you would miss me”.
Nush hugged Andrew and said “I will miss you for the rest of my life”.
Malaysia is country with a high momentum. It was becoming the tourist and business capital of South East Asia. Andrew arrived at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport on a fine morning. He travelled by rail to Seremban, in North Malaysia, which was his project site. The first thing he did after reaching Malaysia was to call Liz and inform her of his safe arrival. He walked out of his hotel room but walked back in and called Nush. It skipped his mind that the phone didn’t ring more than once. They both talked for some time. He called Nush everyday he was in Malaysia. She did restrict him from spending so much money, but it was not a strong request so Andrew didn’t obey. He would regularly ask her what she would like him to bring for her, when he returns.
She maintained a consistent reply for that “Just come back soon safe... for me”.
But Andrew decided he wanted to buy something for Nush. He would window shop on all evenings and weekends for a gift for her. Finally he brought her a necklace and a pair of ear-rings from an antique shop specialising in ancient jewellery. He picked up an ancient Indian piece.
He was delighted to be back in London after a month away from home, away from Nush. He arrived on a Friday. The office was closed on weekends. He called up Nush and arranged to pick her up from her house. He was not sure if it was just a feeling, but she looked like a fresh half open bud of red rose. They went out for a meal and then drove to Hyde Park. They sat under the same tree where she had first kissed him. Many more kisses, many more hugs. It was not easy to keep track of numbers anymore. But each kiss had an improved fragrance of love; each hug had increased warmth of caring and the power of being wanted.
He gave her the gift he had brought her. She was delighted, but asked him why he has spent some much money for her.
He just replied “I have a new hobby of decorating angels, and I didn’t want to miss a chance to decorate the queen of angels”.
“What would you do after you have married Liz? Would you still decorate me?” asked Nush.
Andrew didn’t have an answer to that. Gathering all his strength he asked her “If things were as normal, if I were free, would you have married me”.
She just smiled in return. He couldn’t repeat the question. He was lost in her bewitching smile.
Andrew decided to get married to Liz in 3 months time. Nush was happy to hear it, but Andrew was not happy telling her about it. All his life he wanted to marry Liz and now when the time had come for him to marry her, he wished he had more time.
Why – it was beyond logical reasoning.
Nush teased him about what he would do after he got married, would he still love her, would she still be his little star, would she still be the queen of angels.
She could not continue because she saw a tear roll down Andrew’s cheeks and end on his lips. She held his hand and stopped him. They were both standing in the centre of Paddington station swarming with people but they had all the privacy in the world. They were unaware of the thousands of commuters passing them. They stood there looking each other in the eyes. Their vision blurred by the tears in their eyes.
Andrew asked her “Why didn’t I find you earlier, why did you come to me now?”
Her reply was lost in her silent cry “Well then find me early in your next life”.
Nush came to Andrew’s to desk the next morning and told she wanted to go out for dinner with him. She had a surprise for him. They went to “The Queens Head”. Andrew was eager to know what she had to say.
Nush asked him “Can you guess what it is?”
Andrew mocked “What is it, are you getting married or something?”
She said “Yes, I am”.
Andrew didn’t know if he wanted to smile or cry, he was not sure if he was happy or was upset.
He said “But how is that possible, you never told me you had a boyfriend”.
“I don’t have a boyfriend, it is an arranged marriage”.
Nush explained to him the traditional Indian way of the parents finding a life partner for their children. Andrew took time to understand what was being said. His thoughts were full of fear of loosing Nush.
“So who is the lucky guy?” asked Andrew.
Andrew was not really interested in knowing who was going to marry her. In fact, all he knew was it wasn’t him. They were not looking at each other.
“He is a Doctor in India, a family friend” Nush said.
Andrew tried to laugh “Is he tall and handsome?”
Nush looked straight into eyes and said “I am getting engaged next week and married the week after, this is my last week in the company... my last week with you”.
She picked up her bag and walked out of the pub. Andrew didn’t eat the dinner and left an hour later.
Nush called him late at night.
“Didn’t you sleep” She enquired.
“No, I can’t” he replied.
“I’m sorry for leaving the pub tonight; if I stayed any longer I would have wept”. She said
“Do you love me Nush” Andrew asked. “Can you say that to me once, just once?”
“Yes Andrew, I love you!! I wish you were mine for ever. I wish you had found me earlier and then I wouldn’t have let you go until my last breath.” Nush was almost in tears when she said that.
“I promise you, if I am born again I will come looking for you and would never let you go”.
Now Nush could not control her tears “Will you forget me Andrew”?
“I might not think of you everyday, but I promise you when the moment I die arrives… I will have your face in my heart; I will have your name on my lips”.
Andrew attended her wedding. He met her family and met her husband. He noticed among all the jewellery she had worn, the gift he had brought her from Malaysia was standing apart. She had worn it in such a way that it was the first thing everyone noticed.
He wished good luck to both of them and prayed for a happy marriage. He walked out of the banquet hall and turned one last time towards the stage.
She was looking at him.
For one last time they looked at each other from a distance.
Their lips smiled, their hearts wept.
Andrew boarded the next train to London. He sat in an almost empty carriage. But this time the seat next to him was also empty. He reached London late in the evening. He walked to Hyde Park. He sat under the tree where he used to sit with Nush. He could not cope with cosmic irony that had just happened in his life. God looked to him like an antihero or as someone with a cruel sense of humour.
He looked at the stars but he could not still admire them. He could now at least see them as his little star was not in his arms anymore.
- The Scribbler
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