A Love That Heals

 

Rahul and Shree have been married for the last 10 years, and they’ve known each other for 13 years. Today is their anniversary they both love each other very much. They were having dinner, and Rahul got up to pay the bill, but he forgets his phone on the table. A notification appeared on his phone, and Shree picked it up. It was a notification from Google Photos which read, ‘Your favorite photo from 15 years ago.’ Shree was shocked to find her photo in it. In the photo, Shree was on a train and in one of them was written, ‘The first day in Jaipur, and found my love already.’ She was confused, why she can’t remember anything and starts questioning, if is she really knows her partner well.

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It was her first day in Jaipur. She had never left her home alone there was always someone from their house to see her. But this time, she was alone. Due to the pandemic and short-term notice, she had to leave as early as possible. She took the risk of going alone, and she was happy about her decision. It was her college hostel where she was to spent her future 3 years. She was ready for the best moments of her life but not for the worst ones.

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Whereas, he already lost everybody in his life. Money is the only thing left in his life, everything else was gone. He made a promise to himself that whomsoever he happens to meet first, will be his partner for all his life, not caring about whatever comes. He was ready for the worst but not for the best. He meets her on the train to Jaipur and took some photos of her without her knowledge. He followed her and came to know about the college. He joined the same college as hers.

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He loves her and has never lied to her, but now it felt as if he should not tell her the truth this time. If he would have told her the truth, she would have been devastated. He said, “It is not clicked by me. I found it in Riya’s phone, and I just saved it, thinking it will be useful someday." She believed him. They both hugged each other and felt the spark they felt the very first time.

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In the beginning, Rahul wanted to destroy Shree’s life, whom he blamed foreign for Riya’s loss. Riya was an orphan so, there was no case filed, and she only had the two of them. Rahul wanted revenge for his lost lover. Is there any bigger punishment for someone than to live their whole life in a lie? Rahul did not know that he was healed with the time, and he had fallen in love with Shree.

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-Suraj Nair.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

मुश्किलें बहुत हैं।

बहुत मुश्किल है,

उन खयालों को कैद करना जो कभी जाने पहचाने थे, 

उन गलियों का सूनापन अब मन को खाता है,

जो हमारी बातों, ठहाकों, शोरगुल को खुद में समेटे हैं,

जहां लोग चबूतरे पर साथ होते थे,

जहां बच्चे तरह-तरह के खेल खेला करते थे, 

वह लहरों के कारण घर में आज सहमे-सहमे है,

दिमाग पर ज़ोर डालना मुश्किल है 

और 

उसको शून्य कर देना बहुत मुश्किल है।

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बहुत मुश्किल है, ये मान लेना कि

दो साल आंख झपकते ही निकल गए।

कितने मौके थे, जो सफ़लता में बदले जा सकते थे।

सफ़लता सुख देती है,

असफ़लता सीख देती है,

लेकिन बिना किसी विकल्प के हम कैसे सोच लें की हम सफल हो सकते थे या असफल हो गए हैं?

हम दो साल किनारे पर खड़े रहे,

क्योंकि नदी पार करने को न कोई नाव थी न कोई ब्रिज।

ऐसा लगता है सब होकर भी कुछ नहीं हुआ।

हजारों घर उजड़ गए, 

मां ने बच्चे को खोया, 

बच्चे ने मां को खोया, 

पिता को खोने के बाद घर पर छत न रही,

रह गया तो अपनों को आखरी बार देख पाने का ग़म, 

दिल में बहुत गहराई है,

किसी को भूल जाना मुश्किल है 

और 

उनकी यादों के साथ जीना 

बहुत मुश्किल है।

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बहुत मुश्किल है आगे सुखद जीवन की कल्पना करना,

भूतकाल में हुई घटनाएं,

वर्तमान को खोखला कर रही हैं,

भविष्य में सूनापन है

चारों तरफ कोहरा छाया है 

इस कोहरे में जीवन रूपी 

गाड़ी को चलाना मुश्किल है 

और 

जीवन का स्थाई रूप से आगे बढ़ाना

बहुत मुश्किल है।

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-यश शक्तावत

Lost & Found In Death.

It was dawn. I was sitting on swing, just swaying my legs into the sand, attempting to mush it. The park was just a place that caught my eye while driving around.The first day I came here was when I lost my best friend. Why? Well, I haven’t been able to figure that out. I took a nice scan of the area and started walking around. I couldn’t bear the tightness of the band, and as I attempt to take it off it pulled more of my hair, but once I was able to, it was as if I felt light. The very band was holding all my emotions, the emotions which I kept inside of me from the minute I got the news, to the minute his body was uplift in front of my naked eye. The minute my hair were free, my feelings escaped. Tears were flooding over my cheeks before I could realise that I was crying, that I was sad. How strong could I possibly act? It was obvious, he and I were too close to forget in a day. I wasn’t his best friend and he wasn’t mine, but isn’t it about a bond so secure, so strong, so loving that makes every relationship unique in its own manner? I missed him. 

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In a situation like this, he would’ve been my first call. What does one do when the person you’re feeling down because of, is unreachable? Not for a minute, nor for an hour but forever! How selfish am I to think of my sadness, what might his parents, his family, his friends be going through? I saw his mother there, running in the middle of all the activities, trying to keep a smile. She couldn't spare even a minute to her sorrow, instead, she has to actively participate in all the so-called rituals. Whenever we hung out, he told me fun stories about his mom, and I’d laugh at every word. His relationship with his dad was somewhat about the traditional wishes on birthdays, anniversaries and festivals, the refill of his pocket money every once in a while, and that was about it. But, when I saw his father, I saw regret. The regret of not valuing time and his son’s creditability. I wish I could run towards both of them and give them a tight hug, which I’m aware won’t bring their son back but may offer them some comfort amidst the loss. 

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Oh how much I miss his stupid smile! While wiping the tears away from my face, I saw the swing. As I recall it, this was my first time on a swing other then me being a 5 year old kid. As, reminiscing the day I had, I felt nothing short than clueless. I zoned out straight for an hour, time was running by while I was lost in my own world, my phone rang loud in my ears, breaking me out of my little crying session. Since the day I returned home, from the park, I’ve sort of always been pulled in it's direction. It might sound stupid to a strange ear, but would you believe me if I said, that I could feel his presence sitting on the swing by me, watching over me while everything I did sitting there. The relationship we shared was playful yet meaningful. We made fun of each other, but respected the other one, we laughed together, but also held each other and cried. Ever since that very day, I come here, and sit there every time in the belief that I would feel him again, looking upon me. I find comfort in this space, I come here whenever the real world begins to crawl under my skin, and I need a breather. The one move I take a lot of pride in is that no one knows that I visit here, whenever, except him, but he’s one of those people I don’t mind visiting me, in fact, that’s what I count on. What’s the logic behind having a hiding place when people know about it, right? I like this place, as it has every quality he had, incorporated in a Park; an unknown territory, an open ground, a light breeze and a feeling of exhilaration. Like the protagonist runs away to some unknown location, and they somehow already know that we might find them here, in Hollywood movies; that’s how it is, with me and the Park. I won’t call it an escape, but my very own time capsule. Where time takes a pause, giving me an endless choice of memories to reminisce about, and life choices to weigh about. I’m not glad for the day that had to come, for me to discover this place, but I am glad that at least the Universe tries in it’s own way to somehow allow see those whom we ever cared for. Does it compensate for the pain that was caused in the process of us losing some? No, but it gets you where you can talk to 'em whenever you desperately miss them, when you wish to feel their warmth, which you still find lost somewhere, but may be in another timeline my friend, we unite again with them. 

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-Priyal Sharma