Ankho Hee Ankho Mein...A Love Story!

"I reached metro station and saw Train schedule board displaying '1 min'. Metro train which I was suppose to board was already on platform, ready to depart in a minute. I rushed to escalators, the door closing light started to flicker. I rushed into the train. Took a sigh of relief.

I turned back and through the windows of metro train I saw a beautiful lady sitting on the platform bench. I thought I knew her. In that split second she looked at me and we had eye contact with each other.

"Do I know you?", I enquired her through my eyes.

"Why are you looking at me?", she stared back.

"You are beautiful", I gave a gentle smile.

And the train accelerated to reach high speed in seconds. I kept on looking at her through the windows, till she was visible.

I couldn't get her reply back. I became restless. I tried to recollect. "That face is a known face...!", I told myself. In that restlessness I got down at the next station. I went to otherside of the platform and boarded metro train that would take me back to same place where I saw that lady. The thought of she might have gone by the time I could reach there, never came. Somewhere my heart knew she would be there.

I reached platform.

"Hi, do we know each other?", I asked her hesitantly moving slowly towards her thinking hard where I saw her earlier.

"Sorry, you are asking me?", she asked me with a puzzled face, grabbing handbag from her side and keeping it on her lap.

That question made me feel sad and I thought probably that eye contact conversation was my imagination and she never conversed with me.

"Are you Nishita?", I suddenly remembered her name stored somewhere in my subconscious.

"Yes....and....are you Jeev?", she asked. She was right.

Few moments passed in silence. Her face was filled with anger. She yelled at me, "How could you do this to Reema, my best friend? Why? It all looked so perfect! We never met yet I was so impressed with you by whatever she use to tell me about you!"

Commuters looked at us. I offered her if we could sit in Starbucks which was on the platform itself, 50 meters away.

After we sat in Starbucks, possibly her anger had cool down a little. She apologized for shouting but maintained that she was very angry.

"Why did you ditch her when all looked perfect?", she asked looking straight into my eyes.

I felt as if somebody has placed a revolver on my forehead and I need to spell out my bank account passwords.

I sipped coffee. I took one more sip and tried to rearrange my thoughts. It all came as a surprise because I had never thought that I would ever have a hand shake with my past in my future. Nishita, the girl whom I met on platform was best friend of Reema, my ex-girlfreind. I had never met Nishita in person because she went abroad for studies. But I always saw her photos with Reema and heard lot of stories about her.

I was looking at the paper napkin kept on our table. That Starbucks lady in green looked more beautiful that the story I was about to share. Nishita was still looking at me waiting for an answer.

"I loved Reema. No one knew me better than she did. We were madly in love and our stories were famous amongst our friend circle. Two years ago, on December 15th, I got a call from Reema at midnight. She told me that her parents got to know about their relationship and wanted to meet me. I was little surprised because it was early according to our plans.

I couldn't sleep that night. I was nervous but confident. Even IIM A college admission interviews did not make me so nervous. It was about my life. I went to Reema's mansion the next day. I was expecting some tough question-answer rounds with her grandparents and parents based on what Reema use to tell me.

We talked about cricket, about movies. We had a good lunch. I was happy that it was all going smooth. It was 2 hrs and I was about to leave. Her grandfather told me to accompany him for a walk in their garden.

"What do you expect?", he asked.

"Only Reema. We like each other and I will keep her happy." I talked to the point because Reema always told me that her grandfather liked that way. To the point and no arguments.

"You are not rich. You dont look as smart as anybody else in my family. It would be a misfit."

I got hurt after listening to those comments. I smiled and said, 'I might not have a bungalow but have bought a house on loan. I am IIM A college pass-out and have a growing career. As far as looks are concerned, they are gifted. I cannot change it and I am happy the way I look."

"We have atleat two dozens of IIM A graduates working for us in various companies."

I knew that their was no point of argument. Logically I could have defeated him but I wanted to win hearts emotionally.

"Gentleman, you may leave now. I hope this remains between us."

I never looked back at Reema again. I knew she loved her grandfather most. They were bigshots and I never wanted to create any scene involving her family. I moved to Singapore for a new assignment without informing anyone. It has been more than 2 years now and I know among the friend circle, the talk is that I ditched her, to which I don't care. I have moved on."

"You are exactly the same as Reema use to narrate me.", Nishita said with a lump in her throat.

"I know you will have many questions. Why you did not do this...that? I do not have answers to them. I just told the truth and did what my heart told me to do at that time. I am above those circumstances now and do not wish to recollect or justify."

Nishita was very much impressed by my nature and personality since the time she came to know about me. She liked my simplicity and maturity. We kept on meeting on weekends and sometimes after work. The frequency increased and we discovered that we were in love with each other. We got married following year and are living happily since then. That's it. That is my story!"

That was Jeev's story. He was sharing his story at one of his book launch event. He has quit his job and has become a full time writer with relationships as his genre. This was his second book launch after a very successful first one!

fOoD fOr ThOuGhT: Looks and money does not matter. In the end it is the person's heart that matters. You should try to find a soul who could love you more than you love yourself. Life is beautiful. Be open and receptive. Keep it simple and enjoyable.

Being foodie

If I have to sit back and analyze myself to get an answer as to “what is that one thing I can’t live without?” I would instantly get an answer, “to eat, to eat good!” The love for good delicious food gets me going each day.

It is my parents from whom I got this nature, I believe. My dad is completely foodie. In a bite he can decide to continue eating more or drop it. He has an eye for detailing and a perfect taste for great food. This has helped my mom to bring out her best since it is difficult to please my dad with anything less than the best. With that upbringing, I am blessed with friends who also were passionate about great taste. There was a time when we use to go out for dinner every 3^rd day, in search of taste that could satisfy our taste buds.

It was Samosas, kachoris,Poha with tarri as a pass time outside food. Dal-baati-churmaat home. Mouth watering Italian, Punjabi and Indian continental food with friends. Two years of stay at Hyderabad for my higher studies gave me opportunity to explore almost all big-small famously, infamous restaurants and hotels. I was introduced to some fine dining there with authenticate Hyderabadi dishes. The Hyderabad Biryanis, the lemon rice, Mirchi ka Salan, the list goes on… Not to forget the all time famous Karachi biscuits! I struggled to get good pani-puri, though. The taste buds were pushed to next level of experience in Mumbai. Some of the awesomest cuisines and presentations I witnessed in Mumbai. Be it Vada pav, Bombay Sandwitch or the Pav-Bhajiat Choupaati! Customized pizza at Jazz by the Bay, interactive kitchen counter at Masala Kraft to the revolving deck overlooking the bay…

My wife is a great cook and her experimental cooking has added a new dimension to my understanding about food and various ingredients. I had some of the nicest vegetables, chutneys, cakes and pastas at home cooked by her. I am particular about few things like the perfect taste of Kheer or Gajar ka Halwa for that matter. There are things that nobody makes better than my mom. The sambar that she makes beats any 5-Star, Udupi or a good restaurant. I tried to get that taste of sambar in Hyderabad and Mumbai too; nothing comes closer to what she makes. Infact, when I eat South Indian dishes outside, it the sambar and chutney that makes me decide if I want to visit the place again. Baigan ka bharta, Daal baat churma, Gatte ki sabji, Halwa are few dishes I prefer eating at home because the best is made there.

Now again in a new city, exploring the authentic local food and restaurants that could make me happy. The other day we went out to explore some Punjabi food. Overall the food was good. The daal makhani was 10 on 10. I never tasted that authentic dilli ki daal makhani ever apart from, in Delhi itself. The flip side is, it becomes difficult for me to appreciate food even if it good but not ‘that good’.

Different cuisine helps to understand the local culture of that city. The food habit has influence of the rulers who ruled the city. Hyderabad food is influenced a lot by the Nizams. It also gets influenced by people residing, location, culture, climatic conditions and lifestyle. Mumbai is heavily influenced by Gujrati food. Due to its fast paced life, you would find eating joints at every nook and corner – serving fast with high turnover per table.

fOoD fOr ThOuGhT: It is not just the spices, ingredients and kitchen that makes the difference. It is the cook, the chief who make the difference. I also feel that the nature, mood and happiness quotient of cook puts soul in the dish.

Tujhse naaraz nahi zindagi, hairan hoo mein...

“What’s there in your tiffin boxes today?” Raju asked excitedly to bunch of his friends after the morning prayer was over. Raju was the fattest guy in his class and probably the only motivation for him to live was to eat, eat and eat. Everyday his first questions to his friends use to be about the lunch box contents.

“Veg biryani”

“Pav Bhaji”

“Pasta with Sun dried tomatoes”

“Wow, I am gonna have a feast today also! We will share and eat. OK? You guys can have my lunch box. I have brought ‘Roti-Sabji, as usual. My mother is very health cautious. I love you guys for bringing such good food”, responded delighted Raju after listening to the food items he was going to have in lunch.

“Sampat what did your mother gave? Yesterday also you ran away without answering!” enquired Raju.

Sampat ran away from there without speaking anything.

Sampat had recently joined his new school. He was in class 4^th. The earlier school was only up to 7^thstandard, so it was decided to admit him in new school which was up to 10^thclass. He use to roam alone in school and never talked much with classmates. He didn’t have any friend.

It was Mother’s Day. English teacher Mrs. Deshpande gave an assignment to write a letter to their mother expressing their love towards her.

“The best letter would be displayed at School notice board”, declared Mrs. Deshpande. All the faces brightened up and students got busy in writing letter.

Sampat was adjudged the winner. Not for the use of correct grammar or correct spellings but for expressing his emotions and the bravery he displayed. The letter read as:

“Dear Aaii,

I know this letter will never reach to you because it is just an assignment. But still today I want to tell you how much I miss you. Sheetal tells me that her mom combs her hair every day. She gives her hot food when she reaches home.  Her mom listens to her for hours as to what all happened that day in school, which teacher taught what, who got punishments, who won race in sports period. Kunal told me that since he is not able to tie shoe lace, his mom does it for him. Ajit’s mom plays video game with him, Gaurav’s mother forces him to drink complete glass of milk in the morning otherwise he gets scolding. When Sujata is not well, her mom feeds food to her with her own hands…

Mummy, we also talk every day. I wait all day long for your call. As a good mother you call me every day. You ask me if I had lunch and dinner at proper time, have I done my homework, am I studying properly or not. You tell me to score good marks so that dad will give me gifts. You also ask me if I am troubling nana-nani, am I listening to them or not, do I trouble them in getting up. You ask everything to which I reply mostly in yes or no.

Dear mummy, someday I would like you to listen me out and not just answers to your questions. Zillions of questions run through my mind, I want to ask you and look at your facial expressions; I want to hug you and cry in your lap. I want kiss on my cheeks and not just from the receiver of the phone.

I love you very much. More than Sheetal, Raju, Kunal and Gaurav do to their mom. And tell papa I will study well and score good marks. I just want to be with you.

Love,

Shonu (Sampat)"

There were tears in Mrs. Deshpande’s eyes. She couldn’t control her emotions. At once she discussed the issue with school principal. Sampat’s Mother and father were called and were handed the letter. His mother could not believe what her son wrote. It didn’t require second thought for her to decide what to do.

A letter changed Sampat’s life and his wish of staying with parents came true.

fOoD fOr ThOuGhT: The story is fictional but the situation in real. The other day, I heard somebody known has sent her kid to nana-nani’s place as both parents are working and they don’t want to put their child in day care. I think for a child, childhood is the time when his personality is shaped. Character is built when we are really small. The surroundings and experiences determine our outlook towards life. In today’s world, it does pose a question as to how to manage above situation. Adjustments are way of life. Let yourself adjust as your parents did and not your child!

Luck by Chance!

With the onset of May month, every year, the speculations of how much rain we are going to receive, starts. The intensity of the discussion keeps increasing with the passage of time. Discussions on rains take centre stage. Be it on television, MET department, politicians or household late night discussion while watching television.

Rains do have regional charms as well. When you say ‘Mumbai Ki baarish’ it is different! When it rains, it rains cats and dogs. The ever bustling city comes to a standstill. The pleasure of roaming in rains on a Marine drive can never be experienced anywhere else in the world. I am short of words in describing the satisfaction and peace you derive after getting drenched in rains sitting close to the sea. On the flip side, you have traffic jams, roads block, buildings collapse, false promises, casual off from work, hassle to catch local trains and the every moody and irritating Autowalahs!

Anuj Gupta, happy go lucky guy was on his way to office early morning with his friend on his friend’s bike. In midway it started raining heavily, suddenly. That’s the beauty of Mumbai rains. It can hit you at any moment without any prior intimation. Anuj got down nearby and asked his friend to carry on as he was wearing raincoat. Anuj told him that he would take an auto and reach office, ignoring the Autowalah murmur that was waiting for him.

After getting down, he saw umpteen numbers of people struggling to convince the passing-by autowalahs. 30 minutes passed. Rains stopped. No auto found.

“I should have asked Kunal to wait for some time. The rain stopped.” he cursed himself.

Lot of people got autos and they moved to their respective destinations. He cursed himself. He observed a girl in her mid twenties also struggling for auto since long. “Where are you going?” asked Anuj. “Andheri” She answered. “Oh then we can pool a cab and share the fare, if you are ok! I am going to the same place.” “Ya, that looks fine” she said in agreement. That’s another aspect of Mumbai. Seldom would you find people saying no, because people here are by and large likeminded. They want to reach office as soon as possible, keeping the fares low, and with minimal hassle.

“What do you do?”Asked Anuj casually as the two were on their way to office in a cab.

“I work at MightyHeart publishers. We are basically into IT books publishing.” She said.

“Interesting”, said Anuj with a nod.

“And how about you?” the girl asked.

“I am working with Elephant Softwares.” he said exuberating confidence.

And he continued, “If you would have been working in Novel publishing house, it would have been a lot more interesting!”

“You write?” she asked.

“Yeah kind of. I am looking for a publisher to publish my first novel” he said with a gentle smile.

“Wow. What is it all about?” she asked showing some excitement.

“It’s a love story. Actually a real one with lot of fiction put into it. It is based on my friend’s real life story” he said.

Silence surfaced for some time. The auto was stuck in heavy traffic.

“Is your work interesting?” Anuj asked taking the conversation further.

“Yeah, very much. Actually I am a project manager and managing projects. Books are our projects!” She said with a smile.

“How is yours?”She asked.

“Well….it is interesting…Actually it is good. From one angle it is mundane and boring however it is also a high profile work…! replied Anuj, scratching his head.

“Are you from Mumbai itself?” She asked.

“No. Jaipur.” “And you?”

“Faridabad.” She smiled.

“By the way, what is your name?”

“Anuj Gupta” he replied.

“I am Shruti Banerjee” She said.

With a pause she continued... “Actually Elephant Softwares happen to be my dream company. I want to get into an MNC.”

Anuj asked her experience and qualification and told her that he can give it a try.

“You can always give it a try, if you want, anyways you have a stable job, if nothing works out!” he said after listening her professional details.

Anuj gave his email id, where she could mail her resume.

Shruti gave her email id, “tapsya.kale@bhppublishers.com”

“But you said you are Shruti?”, asked Anuj hastily. “Yeah I am Shruti and Tapsya happens to be my friend who can help you in taking your novel to the readers!” She smiled.

“Wow… you completed your impromptu project (of taking my book to a publisher or at-least guiding for it) successfully. I am impressed!” Anuj exclaimed.

Today, Shruti is in Elephant softwares living her dream and Anuj is happy to endorse that he has authored a book which is taken well by the readers.

fOoD fOr ThOuGhT: Luck by chance! Yes it was. Life always has mysteries stored in it. We mere mortals always realize it after it becomes past! Life’s good… Keep rolling!

Beautiful Gift of Life!

“I reached near the scanner machine in my office. I found that it was not working. Hesitantly I requested to one of the colleagues sitting close to scanner that if she could help me with that scanner. I told her that I had to scan some important documents and it was a bit urgent.

That beautiful lady looked at me and realising the urgency of matter, she got up from her work station. In the next moment she was checking the scanner. I prayed hard in my mind to fix that scanner quickly, as I had to mail my documents to the prestigious IIM - K college. I hoped that things would just work out fine in moments. And it did.

I thanked her for readily providing me her helping hand. “I am Nivedita. My pleasure” she smiled and was out of my sight in moments.

I was in a hurry. I scanned all my mark sheets and certificates and mailed to the college address. Then I left the office hastily to prepare myself for the moment of my life. The big day. The then next day I was having my interview with the eminent panel of IIM - K college for MBA admissions.

30 minutes later, when Nivedita was leaving from her work place, she found that scanner was left on by me. Being particular about small small stuff, she put it off herself and as she was leaving she found corner of a document poking outside the scanner machine. She lifted the panel and read the document. “Aaryan Jain, IIT B – Final Year Mark sheet.”

"IIT Bombay and yet so careless attitude!” She thought.

Realising that the document could be important for me she decided to go back to her work station and search for my details in the company employee directory. “Seven ‘Aaryan Jain’ found” The system displayed output. Three working in Mumbai office. Two in the Powai office, Mumbai. “Oh one is a senior associate, but he didn’t look like” she thought and then finally she was left with one option and that was me. She got my desk number. Knowing the fact that I might have left for the day, she still gave it a try.

“Hello, is this Aaryan?”Nivedita asked, not sure with whom she was talking.

“This is Swapnil. Aaryan has left for the day; I sit in a cubicle next to his.” A heavy voice beamed.

“This is Nivedita. Aaryan has left one important document near scanner machine. This could be needed urgently by him. Can you give his number so that I can inform him?” She kept it short as she was also getting late for home. 

“This is his number. If you are unable to get through him, you can get back to me.” And the phone went blank.

Nivedita gave me a call. I was clueless as I never realised of my stupidity. The first 30 minutes, only she was speaking, rather shouting on me for not putting the scanner off and then being careless blah blah. I was happy that I would get my document, I was feeling lucky, I was also feeling stupid over my careless attitude and then silly over giving trouble to Nivedita. And then nervousness gripped me realising that the then 12 hours away, I would be facing the moment of my life. I told her that I had an interview next day and I was to carry that document with me. Then I asked her where she was staying. It was far from my place and also from where I had interview. It was not feasible for me to go back to office and collect due to time constraint. I requested her that if she could come to NM college next day morning around 10 AM to hand over the document. I was feeling awkward and I am sure she also felt so. But I guess that was the best option I could find out that time. At the back of my mind I knew she might agree as next day was a Saturday which meant an off from office. I made a small prayer.

She was reluctant and she wanted to shout at me. But realising nothing could be done then and probably I had a big interview next day, she agreed and banged the phone.  I felt bad and then good at the same time.

Next day, I met her at the NM college. She gave me my document and wished me good luck. I was expecting that she would again shout but probably she was more understanding than me. I smiled with rejoice and offered to have a lunch with her after my interview. I knew that she had come from far and it would be almost lunch time, by the time I would have finished my interviews.

We went to Pizza Hut. She was very angry, she scolded me for 20 minutes and I listened to her patiently. I was analysing her. She was pretty, prettier when she was angry. I admired her concern for me. We became friends. Good friends. I got into IIM - K. Probably she brought me all the luck. We exchanged our likes and dislikes. We dated for next 2 years.  I completed by studies and got a cool offer from Coco Cola Company. And then we got married. 

Now sleep, it is already late. You both have schools tomorrow. 

Eyes close. Sleep well, good night.” and the light went off.

fOoD fOr ThOuGhT: In the journey of life, we never know who will touch us, when and how. Life holds gifts for us, it is for us to realise and make the most of it.