Eyes

I

 

Tilak was coming out of his cubicle when he heard Chandan call him. “Will you come here for a while?”

 

“Will you please read what is written in the sms?” he asked when he entered his cubicle.

 

Chandan was one of the most meritorious employees of their company. He was a magician when it came to composition of background scores of the ads that their company created but just like all the geniuses, nature has balanced his fortune with a misfortune. He could see things alright when they were far but could not see things that were close, or things which were hard to read, like smses on a cell-phone.

 

He often asked for the help of his friends, who happily helped him because he was a wonderful person.

 

Tilak read him the message.

 

“Will you please answer it? I will tell you what to write.” Chandan requested again.

 

It seemed that the girl who has written the message truly loved Chandan. Tilak answered the sms.

 

He heard Chandan talking with the girl as he closed the door of the office behind him.

 

“Hey Tilak, I want to see Pausha, I want to know her more.”

 

“I think that’s a good idea. She seems to like you. Why don’t you take it a step further and see if you can end up together forever.” He laughed.

 

“I think you are right. May be we should meet. I like her very much. She is a very sweet girl.”

They were having their lunch together. On Chandan’s request Tilak texted the smses and fixed an appointment in a restaurant next Sunday.

II

 

 

“Tilak, I am scared. What if she refuses me? And calls off the friendship?”

 

“Don’t be scared buddy, she will like you, and you are a marvelous person.” Tilak smiled at him fondly.

 

It was Sunday morning. Tilak was still in his bed when his cell-phone rang. It was Chandan. “I am on my way to airport. My flight is at ten. I am leaving for two years to Singapore.”

 

“Will you do me a favour? Will you meet Pausha on my behalf? She will be coming here all the way from Raniganj just to meet me. Tell her that I am really sorry that I had to go away like this. I received the sms fifteen minutes back or else I would have called her up myself. She must be on her way to Kolkata so calling her now is useless and rude. I will pay you the bill buddy; just take my girlfriend to a date. Please!”

 

Tilak agreed because he knew that if none showed up in the restaurant that will mean end of Chandan’s friendship with Pausha, there are slim chances that she will take it sportingly.

 

He got up and left for the restaurant at the given time. Pausha was sitting in the table; it was love at first sight. He spent the whole day with her and left absolutely drowned in her love.

 

She really was like an autumn morning. Simple, calm and serene. An air of purity enveloping her whole being.

 

He hid the fact from her that he was not Chandan. Why heaven only knows. He told her that he has changed his phone number and email address and gave his phone number and email id to her.

 

He knew Chandan has left his phone in India. He was dead sure that he will forget her in two years.

 

Sometimes people lie just without any reason at all. May be he thought that it would be their first and last meeting. But then why did he give her his own number? Hoping she too will be smitten by him?

 

She did not contact him back and two years passed by. Though he tried his level best to befriend her she remained aloof.

 

Chandan returned to India as his boss. Tilak got a little scared that he will ask about her, and if he finds out the bluffs, the results will be extremely bad for him.

 

Well, he did, the first question he asked him when they met was about Pausha, how was the meeting and what type of person she was.

 

“She is married. She came with a small daughter.” Tilak blurted out.

 

“She can’t be married. She told me she is unmarried and she is not a liar.” Was Chandan’s firm answer. He brushed off all that Tilak said to convince him.

III

 

He has already replaced Pausha’s number with the number of his cousin sister. Who lived in Raniganj. He has told her every thing and begged her help. She was furious but promised that she will help him as much as possible.

 

He has gathered enough knowledge about Pausha pretending as Chandan, he shared them with his sister and requested her again and again to get rid him of Chandan as early as possible, or else she might get caught and that will mean his doom.

 

He has failed to gauge the depth of Chandan’s feelings for Pausha. He was one of those persons who loved very rare, and when they did they loved with their every thing.

 

“Tilak, Chandan is nagging me to meet him again and again.” It was Doyel, his cousin on phone. “He is ignoring all my attempts to brush him away. I can’t be cruel to him without any reasons… tell me what I will do!”

 

“He is convinced that I am not married, because he calls up at all hours and asks me to let him speak with my husband or daughter, now from where will I get a husband or daughter?” she added, “So I avoided his grilling without saying anything.”

 

“Give me little time sis, just little time, I will try to shake her off his head. Can you give me your phone for a few months?” he asked and she happily gave it to him because she was absolutely disgusted with the entire affair.

 

Tilak started to sms him as abusively as possible. Trying to shake him out of his obsession.  He could see that Chandan was shattering to pieces, his heart started to curse him.

 

So he tried to treat him with firm friendliness even that failed. He could see that he was deeply in love with her.

 

His mother complained to him that he is turning down all the marriage offers.

 

He felt like banging his head to the wall.  He truly liked Chandan and hated himself for slipping into this quagmire of endless lies. He was sinking deeper into it with every passing day. He could see no way out of it.

IV

 

Pausha was sitting in her room when her phone rang, it was Chandan. She was a little irked. He did not turned out the man she thought he was and have been trying to get rid of him since then but he just was not giving in.

 

“Pausha, I am coming to Raniganj, can you meet me for a while? It’s urgent.”

 

“When and where?”

 

The venue was fixed. Tilak met her, told her the whole story and begged her to save him and Chandan.

 

Pausha scolded him but forgave him.

 

Next day Tilak entered office, “Chandan, Pausha wants to meet you.”

 

“Where? How did you know her?” Chandan beamed.

 

“I gave her my number when we met.” Tilak said, she is coming to Kolkata tomorrow. Please don’t go to Singapore again. Tilak laughed hiding his pain and fear.

 

They met in the same restaurant. “Where is your daughter?” Tilak asked her naughtily.

 

“I am not married; she is my sister’s daughter. I brought her with me as a safety measure.” She laughed. “When you told me that you are not Chandan I was so mad at him that I deliberately lied to you and gave away the phone to my sister. She has been playing all these pranks with Chandan.”

 

“I am sorry. Really.” She smiled at Chandan. Tilak could feel their mutual attraction. He tried to slip out but was not allowed. They passed the day together happily. Pausha went back to Raniganj glowing like a jasmine in early morning. Leaving behind a ecstatic Chandan.

 

(END)

 

treachery

I

Dusk was slowly settling down in the town when Madhurima stopped her sunny in her courtyard. Three doors opened instantly. A child peeped from one of them and a teenager from the other. She looked up and smiled at her mother who has come out to the balcony after hearing her enter. Next she smiled at the kids who were already near her.

“It’s my turn today.” The teenager girl said.

“You never take me out for a trip.” The child pouted.

“Didi, you took Lina yesterday, it’s my turn today.” A young boy shouted from the doorway.

“Come upstairs and change first.” Her mother said and Madhurima started to climb the stairs after locking the sunny.


She has shifted to a small town in UP to pursue her career. She has lost her father in her childhood and rest of her family lived in a small town in west Bengal. Only her mother accompanied her to this small town. One of her distant relations lived in this town and they were the one who informed her about this job.


They rented a floor of a three storey house. The landlords lived in the top most floor and Madhurima occupied the first floor. The ground floor was occupied by a family. Husband, wife and their two children – one son and one daughter. The son was about Madhurima’s age, he lived in Delhi, worked there. The daughter Kanti was a few years junior than her. Not married yet. Kanti was Madhu’s dearest friend, she trusted her with all her heart.

“You are back!” Kanti opened the door of her flat and smiled at her. “Are you coming in or going out again to give them a ride?”

“I will need your bike for a while when it is free.” She said. She treated her like her own sister and never bothered about formalities like permission. She just informed her like siblings do.

II

 

Madhurima entered Kanti’s rooms after an hour. She was sitting there with Gudiya on her lap. Her brother’s daughter. Her mother has passed away when she was just a baby. Kamesh has left her with his family.

 

Gudiya was a very sweet child; she was adored by every one in the house. She was a very soft and well behaved kid.

 

“Come beta. How are you?” Kanti’s mother Manju asked. “How is your work going on?”

 

“Every thing is perfect aunty. How are you?” she smiled before sitting down.

 

“Ma brings some tea for Madhu. Madhu I am taking your sunny for a while, ok?” Kanti said before leaving. “I will be back within an hour ma; I am going to Saroj’s home.”

 

Saroj was Gudiya’s aunty. Her mother’s sister, they lived a few miles away from here. Saroj often came to see Gudiya and vice versa. But Gudiya doted after Madhurima so much that it was impossible to make her go to any one else when Madhurima was around. She just glued herself to her.

 

Kanti returned an hour later and they both went to the roof, it was a summer evening, and sitting on the roof was a great comfort for anyone. All the roofs were occupied with people.

 

“Kanti, Devesh again tried to talk with me.” Madhurima told her after a while.

 

Kanti took a long time to react, may be she was thinking about some thing. “Give it some time he will move on when he will know that you don’t like him.”

 

“It really does not look like that. I have seen his car following me when I come home from school. He has never tried to talk with me in the road but he follows me all the same.”

 

“You know he is a rich and influential man’s only son. I am scared.” Madhurima was scared.

 

Devesh was the only son of a rich businessman here, a strikingly handsome man. Madhurima knew they were no match so she never entertained him. But he seemed to be obsessed with her. He had a showroom right outside her school and whenever she went to school or came out of it she was sure to meet him. Standing outside his showroom just staring. But his gaze was so intense that she could feel its burning sensation.

 

Not only that he escorts her to her home almost every day, that is, his car follows her to her home every day when she returns from school and she has seen it inching on the road near her home too many times.

III

 

A few months passed by and just like Kanti told her, the scenario did change but it became a perfect nightmare.

 

Devesh was no longer seen in the streets, in place of his car half a dozen cars driven by rowdies started to stalk and scare her whenever she dared to step out.

 

After being saved from sure death a couple of times she decided to leave that place and return to her native town with her mother.

 

Kanti came to bid her goodbye in the station. Her eyes were brimming with tear.

 

She got an invitation to her marriage a couple of months later. To her shock she was getting married to Devesh. It was a arranged marriage. She apologized that she wont be able to attend her marriage because she really hated that place and did not wanted to go there ever again.

 

She soon moved forward in life and time flew away like a bird out of cage.

 

She was running for the train when someone blocked her path. She was about to give him a piece of mind when the man startled her by calling out her name, “Madhurima? Is that you? How is Kamesh?”

 

She stared at the guy. “I am Devesh. You don’t recognize me? I recognized you instantly.” He said in a little complaining way.

 

“Kamesh? Who Kamesh?” she asked.

 

“Your husband.” Devesh replied.

 

“I am not married. Who is this Kamesh by the way?” she asked. She has missed her train already because he did not step aside. They were sitting in the cafeteria of the station.

 

“Kanti told me you are engaged to his brother and later told me that you will marry him…. “He was staring at her with a shocked expression.

 

“How is Kanti? I did not have any contact with her since ages. As for Kamesh, now I remember who he is but whatever Kanti told you is wrong because I have never seen this guy, forget about marrying or loving him.” She answered.

 

“Are you going to Kolkata? We live in Kolkata now. Please come with me and meet Kanti.” He requested.

 

They boarded the next train. Reached Kolkata and Devesh requested her to sit in a restaurant, have a cup of tea. Then Devesh shared a story with her. A story which she will never forget.

IV

 

“I fell in love with you at the very first sight. I still remember how you walked to the school wearing a white sari. Simple yet gorgeous.”

 

 

“I used to stand there just to see you but soon I realized I won’t be able to live without you so I tried to become your friend but you snubbed me again and again.”

 

“Then I befriended Kanti and she gave me a number, telling me it was yours. Believe me that girl had a stunning similarity with your voice and way of talking.”

 

Madhurima remembered Kanti used to mimic her expertly.

 

“That girl kept on squeezing me for more than a year. I have showered costly gifts to her through Kanti because she said that she will meet me only after marriage and for that I will have to wait for a year. She wanted to know how deep my love was.”

 

“The year dragged by and I asked you, that is, her to permit me to meet her mother. She said Kanti will tell me the date and venue.”

 

“I waited for a month for Kanti, and you (she) stopped responding to my calls.”

 

“Then Kanti one day came and told me that you are in love with her brother. She showed me your sunny standing outside his deceased wife’s home. Not once, but at-least a couple of dozen times. For hours at a go.”

 

“I lost my humanity and asked my workers to teach you a lesson. To confirm that you are scared out of that town so that I don’t have to see your face again.”

 

“I married Kanti to settle my scores with you. We were returning from our honeymoon when the car overturned. I was saved unharmed but she lost both her legs.”

“I guess we paid for the sins we did against you.” he concluded the story.

 

“I feel pity for you both but please don’t ask me to meet any of you again.” Madhurima got up and walked away.

 

 

(END)

The great outing

15.12.2009

It’s been more than four years alak and nanda has married each other. Alak wanted a child and Nanda was not giving in. they both lived a very hectic life, hardly had any time to meet each other except on weekends and holidays.

When they both were able to manage a fortnight at the same time they felt like they have won half of the world.

They both settled in their seats of AC first class, planning to spend the fortnight in goa, just with each other.

They were already in the mood for their second, well earned honey moon when they heard a soft, sweet voice in the passage, the giggling of a child. Alak looked at Nanda with mystery in his eyes.. then the door to their cabin opened and a middle aged couple entered the cabin with six children aging from two year to 14 years.

A few minutes later an elderly lady apparently the grandmother of the kids walked in.

All of them settled in the seat opposite to them and the love struck couple found themselves under the intense scrutiny of 16 eyes, only the two year old spared them. She simply scampered out of her mother’s laps and landed herself on them. Her mother pulled her back with a proud smile and told them in English, “She is very friendly.”



Alak and Nanda had a look which made it impossible to guess their province. And this time they both decided without even consulting with each other that they won’t let the family know that they belong to the same province. Alak just shrugged at them and Nanda stared out of the window, Alak could guess she was trying to hide her hysterical giggle.

Well, soon their amusement vanished because the kids were out at vandalism. They forced their way to both the windows of the coupe. The entire coupe became a battlefield, one was screaming, the other one climbing to the upper berths, third one jumping down from the birth to show his acrobatic skills and the parents smugly smiling and watching them with great affection.



They looked with utter disgust at the scorn on the face of the poor couple when their precious ones were at rampage of things, regardless of owners.

Well the ticket collector came and the hapless couple got the information, two seats each of this coupe and the adjoining coupe has been reserved by their amicable co-passengers.

As the night settled in they gathered that the grandmother will sleep in their room with two of the older children and the couple will go to the next room with smaller ones.

Well, they retired to their coupe well past midnight, all the while keeping the coupe busy, bluntly ignoring the displeasure on the face of their co passengers.

The tired couple retired to their berths but could not sleep .. the children decided to chat the night through and climbing up and down the berth.

Finally peace settled just before the morning. They were deep in sleep when they were jolted out of sleep, someone was banging at the door like a maniac.

“Open the door now!!!” a shrill child voice pierced through the door. One of the kids scampered down to obey it. The moment the door opened two of the older ones scrambled inside the compartment.

“I will sit beside the window!!” everyone was shouting the same thing and tugging at each other while their grandmother sat watching them fondly.

“uncle, uncle please open the window!!! I want to see outside!” one of them started to tug at Alak’s sleeves.

He got up and opened the window, and went to brush his teeth in the toilet.

Nanda pulled her sheet up to her nose and thanked God that she has chosen the upper birth. But her happiness was short-lived, suddenly she felt something scurrying under her feet, she jumped up and saw one of the kids, sitting there, grinning from ear to ear at her surprise.

She folded the sheets, pillows and went down below, sat down on her seat with a look of exasperation on her face.

Suddenly she heard a commotion and to her surprise she heard Alak muttering in the passage, she went out and saw that one of the children has bumped into him, and the tea cups he was carrying were lying on the floor.

“Come inside, we will order when the caterers come.” She cooled him down with her sweetest smile.

He sat down beside her and handed her over one of the newspapers and started to read the second one.

“Uncle can I see the cartoons? Please uncle!!!” he heard a voice and gnashed his teeth this time.

“No you cant, not till we are finished, you go and watch outside the window till then.” Nanda said sweetly. Alak could see from the corner of his eyes that she was grinning like Cheshire cat.

“Sweets, it will so much fun if we have two of them as our children, wont it? He heard her voice.

Then she started to first giggle and then laugh hysterically. He was stunned for a while and then joined her.

Different hues of life

The dwellers
19.11.2009

“Don’t forget to send the car back after reaching office.” He heard her shrill voice ringing.

“Why does that witch uses phones to eat my brain, she can scream from here, I will be able to hear from esplanade.” He smirked inside.

“Masi, Masi!” her voice ranged out again. He smirked this time openly before pressing the lift button. The liftman saluted him and looked at him through the corner of his eyes.

The whole housing had deep sympathy for him. Some of them smirked at his back, calling it result of his greed but still had some pity for him deep in their soul.

He was born in a poor family. People say he was so poor that he did not knew what butter tasted like before he married Sunaina.

They were collegemates and Ajit got bewitched by the cars which used to pick and drop her. He and a lot of his collegemates used to gawk at those cars.. big and shiny.

None of them were interested in the sharp mouthed young girl who came out of those cars except Ajit.

He was tired of hand to mouth life. His poor father has toiled hard to collect his college fees and books. He knew that he will have to do something immediately after college.

When he saw Sunaina he decided his future plans. He did not had to work very hard. Sunaina’s parents passed away in a freak accident, as if to clear his path.

He won her heart while wiping away her tears. They got married and he realized that he has opened the gateway of hell for himself.


The dwelling:

In next ten years he bitterly regretted his decision of marrying her. He sometimes thought that he might have been better off in that one room set with his parents.

Who can say, he might have procured a decent job, but the alley he chose as a short cut turned out to be a blind alley. Now he is stuck in this darkness forever. Every time he thought about leaving her two tiny hands gripped his legs.. his daughter. He knew he will lose custody battle and Sunaina will torment the child to settle her scores with him. Even though she was her own born still she used her to keep Ajit under control.

A couple of hour later he was sitting in his chamber, it has been hardly a minute since he sat down. There was a massive rally in esplanade resulting in horrible harassment of poor office goers.. a divine experience of getting roasted in their vehicles or dragging themselves wearily under the scorching sun.. to reach office in time.

The phone rang and he picked up, “You were supposed to send the car back an hour ago.” A very familiar voice shrieked out of the phone.

He held the earpiece a little away from his ear and explained the reason behind delay then added, “ This is why I ask you to buy a personal car for yourself sunaina.”

“Who will give the money? You? First earn something on your own merit and then gift me a car with that money.” She snickered. “Send the car back now.”

“Its already on its way.” He answered and disconnected the phone.

“Wonderful way of starting a day in office.” He mused within. He was quite habituated of her poisonous tongue but still it sometimes succeeded in stinging him. because it was always looking for new ways..

“Good morning sir!” a soft voice sounded. It was his secretary entering the chamber. She smiled at him apologetically. “I had to walk from howrah bridge, there was a massive rally in esplanade today.”

“I know, I almost fell asleep in the car. waiting for it to pass.” He said. “There is no need to say sorry, I know you are always on time.”


The escapade:

“Daisy, I am leaving for couple of an hour, if madam calls tell her that I am out on a meeting.” Ajit said before leaving.

Just like any hen pecked man, who cant desert the hen Ajit had other ways to entertain himself. He used to go back home sharp at seven, unless he was stuck in traffic jam but was free as a bird 9 to 7, his huge business covering the whole state gave him ample amount of excuses.

He was not a man of easy morale, he was just tired of constant harassment, he had a friend he loved very much, Meeta. Who was just opposite to Sunaina, sweet natured and soothing. He used to spend regular time with her.

She was a decent girl, who attached herself to him to save herself from falling into black abyss. An orphan tricked out of orphanage on pretext of marriage.

Ajit had heard her story and felt nothing but deep pain for her and other girls like her. she was not beautiful, but was cute and attractive. A guy came to their orphanage and asked for her hand. Mother superior made cursory checks, he seemed perfectly fine.

They lived happily for a year. Then they left for his native place. He already had a wife. She but naturally threw her out of the house the moment she knew who she was. He begged for her forgivance and rented a room for her in the neighbouring town.

Soon his visits became rarer, especially after their first daughter was born. One day the child came under Ajit’s car and they became aware of each other’s presence in earth.

Though their relationship was completely platonic, Ajit often used to think about divorcing Sunaina and marrying her. He used to give her enough money so she could live decently with her daughter. She forbade him for spending any thing but that.


The wrath:

Roguishness and shamelessness walk hand in hands. Rogues are born with a deep confidence that they are always right, and they always justify their evil deeds to themselves.. perfectly.

The rogue who ruined Meeta was no exception. He used to plunder on the money which Ajit gave her, soon his greed started to shoot sky high. He spied on Ajit and found out who he was. Immediately he contacted Sunaina and told her every thing about Meeta. He collected his reward and vanished from the town.

Sunaina hired a detective who confirmed Ajit’s regular visit to her home. She had a showdown with Ajit who vehemently denied her charges about immoral acts.

She was now completely sanguine that he was ditching her. How we tend to forget after a few years of conjugal life that our spouses deserve and owe some quality time and love from us. Sunaina too did the same. She forgot aptly that she has forced Ajit to walk that way by taking his love for granted.

She had a secret meeting with some of her friends and one of them, who was quite jealous of her money concotted an outrageous scheme which sank deep in her vengeful heart.

She went through the photographs taken by the detective and made a few phone calls. A few weeks later a mysterious woman rented a flat in a housing just a few blocks away from Meeta’s flat.

Soon her neighbours find out that she lives a dual life, she comes to this flat after leaving her daughter to school for a few hours, entertains her clients and slips back to her respectable flat a few blocks away, her name on housing society’s register was Neeta.

Sunaina ruined the reputation of her rival by the sheer power of her money. She on one hand tracked her whereabouts, and whenever she was out of home Neeta used to pop up in public view in her shady little flat. She has found out a woman with stunning similarity to Meeta. She made arrangements with Meeta’s husband to show up there from time to time so that every one is convinced.

Her poor victim was at her wit’s end, never realizing what was going on, then she thought it must be because of her mixing with Ajit and she told him so. He proposed her to marry him but she refused saying she wont ruin a family. He walked away broken hearted.

He arranged for a job and flat for her in another place. Meeta naturally shared the information with her ex husband and he in his turn shared it with Sunaina, his new mistress, who was paying him a hefty sum of money every month to help her settle her vengenance.

So Neeta followed Meeta to her new town and the misery continued.

One day, when her ex husband was coming out of a bar fully loaded he had a terrible accident and both of his legs were amputated. He called up Meeta and Ajit and told them every thing.

A few months later Sunaina received divorce papers from her husband. “If you don’t sign them, I will furnish all the proofs of your malicious actions against Meeta. Her ex husband will testify to it.”

Six months later she received an invitation to Ajit and Meeta’s wedding who were now settled in an undisclosed place.