The mornings of Chandigarh are better than of any other Indian city I have ever known. All odes to its architect Le Corbusier whose planning ensured that the rapid industrialization does not hamper the reds and greens of residential areas.A good reason of my morning exercises and my walk through the park in my sector. The only part of the day when you feel like being in laps of the Mother Nature.But,nothing would have been more rejuvenating had not i walked into her on that day!
My jogging partner Mr. Ramandeep stopped for a while and pointed towards a couple,
'O Sadde naal Survey daftar ch kaam karde ne!'
(He is my colleague from the regional Survey office)
'Hor, O unandi missej!'
(And that is his wife)
'Chaloji! tuhada inroduction karanda hoon'
(Come! let me introduce you to them)
'Halle hi shift kitta hai, saddi gali ch'
(They have recently shifted to our lane)
I felt goosebumps while going near her. Does she remember me after all these years? All the blast from my past started reverberating in my mind.
' Oh! so you are the columnist of a popular daily. It is a pleasure meeting you!', her husband exclaimed, to which she gave affirmative gestures. I wasn't exactly looking at her but my mind was completely conscious of her presence.I wondered if she could recognize me majorly because a lot had changed in me since then. I have grown a beard, have longer hairs, wear spectacles and gained a little weight. She was pretty much the same plump girl she used to be except her boy-cut hairdo and her age showing through the lines on her face and around her eyes.
Anyways, she left along with her husband after a while without batting an eyelid which only left my mind restless. I went straight back to my home moving towards the store room in the backyard to search for my old belongings.
'Where had you kept my school stuff mother?', i asked the moment i heard her preparing tea in the kitchen.
'That day i took an off from work only to ransack my house for memories of the year 1986!
Carefully wiping out the dust, i looked at the group photo of the 86 batch of my school. Felt like wiping the years away pushing myself back to my teens when i was just an average charming 12th standard pass out!
Even a single picture can sometimes tell you numerous stories. Every moment seemed to return in a flash. Nostalgia was too small a word to express the impact it was having on my mind. My past slowly began overpowering me by laying a cold sheath upon myself. All this was surreal!
The students popped out of the picture screaming and running towards the playground as i found myself running along with them. There was a lot of screaming and yelling. We were overjoyed and we had all the reason in the world to be. The final exams would start in March and it was our last day of study at school. We will join again only after few more days for the farewell party. The day was 18 February, 1986.
'No way, Jaggi! This is stupidity, moreover i don't think she will accept this!', said Govind as others looked at him with curious faces.
'Oh! stop it you coward! You never had the guts to propose Supriya, now you don't start discouraging him as well!' interrupted Gurinder.
'You just go ahead man! We are with you, after all its just a matter of few hours, you are not taking her away for your whole life!', he continued.
Though in my heart, i seriously wished if i could and why not? After all she happened to be my first crush.
' I can even get you my brother's bullet! Punjabi girls love it, she will never refuse its ride', he added.
I just couldn't get my eyes off her when she stepped in the school premises along with other girls. She looked incredibly stunning in a bluish-white sari so much that she became my absolute center of attraction on our big day. It also happened to be the first time in our school life that i got to see her without braids, her open hairs which only added to her beauty.
'Don't worry Jaggi, everything is ready! Supriya will tell the teachers that Surveen has gone back home as she wasn't feeling well' whispered Govind in my ears while the farewell function was about to commence.
Minutes later...
'Jaggi wants to meet you in person! He is waiting for you at the parking!', Supriya told her in a hushed up tone.
My heart both jumped and thumped the moment i saw her crossing the school gate, reaching towards me. I swiftly kick-started my dad's Priya scooter which i had borrowed for my D-day. I chose it over bullet as the latter's high decibel levels would alarm the teachers and the school authorities.
'Why have you called me here?', she asked. She looked nervous.
'Don't ask! Just sit!', I instructed her while racing the scooter for take off.
Soon we were vrooming past the Fiats, 800s, ambassadors...and the timeless cycle-rickshaws..clearing one roundabout to another metering closer to the northern sectors carefully away from our residences and our fathers workplaces.
I noticed her through the rear mirror. She was quiet throughout seated with her head down as if she blushed profusely. In order to break the monotony, i applied a quick brake at the sector-17/8 lights. She leapt over me holding my chest tight. She spoke at once.
'Don't drive so rash, Jaggi! What will we answer our parents if we hurt ourselves?'
'Just hold me tight Suvee! I promise this to be the best ride of our lives!'
She withheld her arms in a fit and patted on my back saying, 'Just be quiet and better keep your eyes on the road!'
We were about to reach Sukhna lake when i felt her head resting on my shoulder and her constant breaths alternating with mine.
I looked at the mirror again.
'Her eyes were partially close and a peaceful smile had appeared on her face'
The happiness of achieving everything you wanted in this world!
We sat on the water steps, holding hands while she rested her head again on my shoulders. The waters shone against the noon sun as we looked at the people cycling their boats. Destiny was cycling ours as well. To where, we had no idea!
We spent some more time together later that year. She applied in Arts at Khalsa Girls College while i secured a seat in English Hons. at Punjab University. We remained in touch through our home phones(mobiles and internet were still a decade away) and with the help of our friends. We would bunk lectures and meet up to watch flicks or simply walk around sector 17 market. I still have vague memories of buying first show tickets of the hit movie 'Karma'. But, our favourite was 'Love 86' which happened to be symbolic of our days.
The days went on until her engagement in the summers of the following year and her marriage in the subsequent autumn and off she went away from my life!
Years just lingered on and after finishing the Masters, Jaggi became Mr. Jagmohan Bhatia- a reporter in a regional daily. Times passed, but i couldn't get her out of my mind, so much that i remained single all through these years.
Today apart from my work as a media political analyst, i run a Sunday School where free education is provided to kids from slums and villages. I have teamed up with some young volunteers for this noble cause but with a little self motive hidden in it.
The smiles of these children remind me of the smile on her face!
Even though i had lost her
but with the love of these kids
I have found a reason to love again!
My jogging partner Mr. Ramandeep stopped for a while and pointed towards a couple,
'O Sadde naal Survey daftar ch kaam karde ne!'
(He is my colleague from the regional Survey office)
'Hor, O unandi missej!'
(And that is his wife)
'Chaloji! tuhada inroduction karanda hoon'
(Come! let me introduce you to them)
'Halle hi shift kitta hai, saddi gali ch'
(They have recently shifted to our lane)
I felt goosebumps while going near her. Does she remember me after all these years? All the blast from my past started reverberating in my mind.
' Oh! so you are the columnist of a popular daily. It is a pleasure meeting you!', her husband exclaimed, to which she gave affirmative gestures. I wasn't exactly looking at her but my mind was completely conscious of her presence.I wondered if she could recognize me majorly because a lot had changed in me since then. I have grown a beard, have longer hairs, wear spectacles and gained a little weight. She was pretty much the same plump girl she used to be except her boy-cut hairdo and her age showing through the lines on her face and around her eyes.
Anyways, she left along with her husband after a while without batting an eyelid which only left my mind restless. I went straight back to my home moving towards the store room in the backyard to search for my old belongings.
'Where had you kept my school stuff mother?', i asked the moment i heard her preparing tea in the kitchen.
'That day i took an off from work only to ransack my house for memories of the year 1986!
Carefully wiping out the dust, i looked at the group photo of the 86 batch of my school. Felt like wiping the years away pushing myself back to my teens when i was just an average charming 12th standard pass out!
Even a single picture can sometimes tell you numerous stories. Every moment seemed to return in a flash. Nostalgia was too small a word to express the impact it was having on my mind. My past slowly began overpowering me by laying a cold sheath upon myself. All this was surreal!
The students popped out of the picture screaming and running towards the playground as i found myself running along with them. There was a lot of screaming and yelling. We were overjoyed and we had all the reason in the world to be. The final exams would start in March and it was our last day of study at school. We will join again only after few more days for the farewell party. The day was 18 February, 1986.
'No way, Jaggi! This is stupidity, moreover i don't think she will accept this!', said Govind as others looked at him with curious faces.
'Oh! stop it you coward! You never had the guts to propose Supriya, now you don't start discouraging him as well!' interrupted Gurinder.
'You just go ahead man! We are with you, after all its just a matter of few hours, you are not taking her away for your whole life!', he continued.
Though in my heart, i seriously wished if i could and why not? After all she happened to be my first crush.
' I can even get you my brother's bullet! Punjabi girls love it, she will never refuse its ride', he added.
I just couldn't get my eyes off her when she stepped in the school premises along with other girls. She looked incredibly stunning in a bluish-white sari so much that she became my absolute center of attraction on our big day. It also happened to be the first time in our school life that i got to see her without braids, her open hairs which only added to her beauty.
'Don't worry Jaggi, everything is ready! Supriya will tell the teachers that Surveen has gone back home as she wasn't feeling well' whispered Govind in my ears while the farewell function was about to commence.
Minutes later...
'Jaggi wants to meet you in person! He is waiting for you at the parking!', Supriya told her in a hushed up tone.
My heart both jumped and thumped the moment i saw her crossing the school gate, reaching towards me. I swiftly kick-started my dad's Priya scooter which i had borrowed for my D-day. I chose it over bullet as the latter's high decibel levels would alarm the teachers and the school authorities.
'Why have you called me here?', she asked. She looked nervous.
'Don't ask! Just sit!', I instructed her while racing the scooter for take off.
Soon we were vrooming past the Fiats, 800s, ambassadors...and the timeless cycle-rickshaws..clearing one roundabout to another metering closer to the northern sectors carefully away from our residences and our fathers workplaces.
I noticed her through the rear mirror. She was quiet throughout seated with her head down as if she blushed profusely. In order to break the monotony, i applied a quick brake at the sector-17/8 lights. She leapt over me holding my chest tight. She spoke at once.
'Don't drive so rash, Jaggi! What will we answer our parents if we hurt ourselves?'
'Just hold me tight Suvee! I promise this to be the best ride of our lives!'
She withheld her arms in a fit and patted on my back saying, 'Just be quiet and better keep your eyes on the road!'
We were about to reach Sukhna lake when i felt her head resting on my shoulder and her constant breaths alternating with mine.
I looked at the mirror again.
'Her eyes were partially close and a peaceful smile had appeared on her face'
The happiness of achieving everything you wanted in this world!
We sat on the water steps, holding hands while she rested her head again on my shoulders. The waters shone against the noon sun as we looked at the people cycling their boats. Destiny was cycling ours as well. To where, we had no idea!
We spent some more time together later that year. She applied in Arts at Khalsa Girls College while i secured a seat in English Hons. at Punjab University. We remained in touch through our home phones(mobiles and internet were still a decade away) and with the help of our friends. We would bunk lectures and meet up to watch flicks or simply walk around sector 17 market. I still have vague memories of buying first show tickets of the hit movie 'Karma'. But, our favourite was 'Love 86' which happened to be symbolic of our days.
The days went on until her engagement in the summers of the following year and her marriage in the subsequent autumn and off she went away from my life!
Years just lingered on and after finishing the Masters, Jaggi became Mr. Jagmohan Bhatia- a reporter in a regional daily. Times passed, but i couldn't get her out of my mind, so much that i remained single all through these years.
Today apart from my work as a media political analyst, i run a Sunday School where free education is provided to kids from slums and villages. I have teamed up with some young volunteers for this noble cause but with a little self motive hidden in it.
The smiles of these children remind me of the smile on her face!
Even though i had lost her
but with the love of these kids
I have found a reason to love again!
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