ஜெய ஹோ

ஜெய ஹோ
தெருவில் "ஆஸ்கார் நாயகனே வருக"
மற்றும் "Slumdog Millionaire" சுவரோட்டி பார்த்து
காலை கடன் கழிக்கும் சேரிச் சிறுவன்

டிஷ்யூம்
ஹீரோ ஆவேசமாக சண்டையிடும் காட்சி
ரசிகன் கத்தினான் "தலைவா சூப்பர்"
டுப்பின் முகத்தில் பெருமிதம்

வியாபாரம்
ஒருவனுக்கு ஒருத்தி விளம்பரத்தடியில்
பேரம் பேசினார்கள்
விலைமாதுவும் கஸ்டமரும்

அவிழ்ந்த முண்டாசு
பாரதியின் பெயரில் பல்கலைக்கழகம்
விண்ணப்ப படிவத்தின் பிரதான கேள்வி
"என்ன சாதி?"

The Game Plan

"Why should we change the name of the game?" yelled the 8 year old.

"We should update it. Let's start with the name." said their 10 year old leader-of-the-pack.

"From now, we will call it Vakil-Police instead of Chor-police. The rules remain same. We run and fight."

All kids laughed.

"Run". The game had started.

P.S: Thanks to Nivi for the 55-Fiction idea. :)

7/10 - 2

"I want you to know something before we get married. I was in love with a guy in my college days and we were close to getting married."

"Well....So what?" asked Siddharth coldly.

(surprised)"So what? Is that your reaction?"

"Yes. Why do you expect me to react wildly?"

"Siddharth. I wanted to tell this to you many times. But every time we talked, I felt a deep connection to you. And I found myself procrastinating this....and it has come today. I don't want us to start our life on a bed of lies."

"Why do you think that it would bother me?"

"We live in a country of opinions Siddharth. Everyone might have different opinions on different issues, but the unanimous opinion in the issue of marriage is that the women should be the man's first love."

"You must be living in rock ages Shobhana. Any half-decent looking girl is chased by minimum 3-4 guys everyday on her way to home from outside world. Pardon my language, but admittedly we are a country of sexually frustrated citizens who lie to ourselves and the rest. You are beautiful and it is obvious that boys must have resorted to all kind of tomfoolery to get your attention. Infact I would have done the same if I had met you in my teenage days." (smiles)

Both smile but are still uncomfortable.

"Sorry to interrupt your dream Siddharath, but we still live in rock ages. You belong to the new-generation of city-bred, pizza-munching and accented English speaking group of educated punks. I don't even think you know that even today women die on account of dowry burns…and most of them are from your upper class society as well. Those who appear educated on the outside are still savage inside and the greater crime is that everyone walks scot-free."

Siddharth remains silent. Frankly, he never even bothered to think about it.

"Just because, we wear jeans and T-Shirts, drive cars and work doesn't change the popular mindset. We might be developing software for the next generation, but more than half of the population hasn't got past the independence era."

"Well....since you know that I am not from the usual crowd, I think we can put this issue to rest."

"But this is different Siddharth. I was in love with him as well."

"Everybody loves Shobhana. We are not living in Taliban regime if you count out the senas and sanghs. It is a free country and we are creatures with emotions. Everyone wants to be loved Shobhana. Love is not a matter of ability but opportunity. Given a chance, every one of us would fall in love. Some don't because they are shy to accept or because they cherish their ambitions or because of their circumstances. Safe to say that atleast 7 out of 10 people fall in love with some, but less than half of them are fortunate enough to walk hand-in-hand with the same people for their whole life."

She looks at him with a puzzled expression as he continues hesitantly.

"I loved a girl in my college days too."

"What happened then?"

"The same that must have possibly happened to you and to most other innocent fellow innocent of my dear country. Caste and religious differences. Is it the same thing with you?"

"Yes." She replies coldly with tears brimming her little eyes.

"Look. I didn't tell this to you, because apparently no woman wants to share her man. And I thought that sharing this news would....you know...make you feel alien to me."

"Frankly, aren't you bothered about my past?"

"Let's be practical Shobhana. Tell me, after a week what will happen to us?"

"We will share our life?"

"And?"

"Our joys...happiness...today and tomorrow."

"Exactly. We are going to share our today and tomorrow. The past is over and out. You and I have dealt with it and thats why we are here today. If I was bothered about your past, then so must be you about mine. Maybe it is written that we must be together. Maybe its a start that we must know more about each other and understand every little detail about us."

"But...marraige is different Siddharth."

"Marriage is same like any relationship Shobhana. Every relationship should withstand the tide of doubts and issues and must be firmly based on trust. The day we lose our trust on each other....it is over."

"What if we fight over this issue sometime in the future?"

"Now you know the skeletons in my cupboard as well. You fire back." smiles looking at her.

"Are you sure Siddharth?"

"Let me put it very simply for you. It is impossible to marry any man or women without a romantic past or a shred of love for someone else in their heart. The people who marry the only ones they loved are blessed...and not all of us are acceptably blessed. So...wisely let's make use of an opportunity that destiny has presented before us."

"I AM NOT PERFECT" said Shobana in between sobs.

Siddharth replied "Well...since you have told me your dark secret, I guess it is time I tell you mine."

He went near her, gently pressed his lips on hers and whispered.

"NEITHER AM I".

7/10

"You are sure you that she is the one for you?" asked Ravi.

"Yeah...she is gotta be the one." replied Siddharth.

"Dude. You know her for how long...maybe a month?"

"Yeah. Maybe less, but not more."

"And you have not even met her once?"

"When I was in US, my parents fixed the alliance. It was all web chat and phone calls and so on. And when I landed here, I met her at the airport."

"You gotta be kidding me man."

"Oh cmon Ravi. Don't make so much fuss out of it. You don't expect me to escort her all around chennai, eat bajji in the beach, drink cold drink with a shared straw and all that mushy-mushy stuff like in the movies. In today's busy life, almost half of the marriages happen on the fly. You think working people have all the time in the world to run around the tree and sing songs in foreign locations?"

"Look Sid. You are my best friend. I wish the best for you and nothing else. But I get a feeling that you should know what you are getting into."

"Oh cmon. Mom sent me her photo and I liked her. We talked few times and we seemed to like each other. I have come here on vacation, get my visa renewed, will get married, get her a Visa and go back to US with her. As Simple as that."

"Sid. This is not some goddamn project implementation. You have to spend the rest of your whole life with her. Have you even thought about that?"

"Yeah I did. And I think she is perfect for me."

"Oh you do? And what does she think?"

"I think it is a mutual admiration. That is why we are getting married in less than a week buddy."

"Tell me something Sid. What is her favorite color?"

"Why does it matter?"

"Just answer me. What is her favorite color?"

Siddharth paused. Infact apart from her academic details, family background and few childhood incidents which she recited and he half-heatedly listened over phone, he didn't know anything about her.

"Oh cmon Ravi. These are just general stuff."

"Exactly my point. These are general stuff about her that even her friend or her college mate could tell you. But you are going to be her life partner and you don't know these little details. Sid, life is all but a big collection of small moments of happiness. And these small moments are derived from the smallest details about the person with whom you are going to spend your life with."

Siddharth remained silent.

"You have to know if she prefers salwaar to jeans, she likes Ganesha or Vishnu, loves Shahrukh or Brad Pitt, plays cricket or tennis, wakes up early or late, prefers gold or silver, eats vadai or Pizza. Frankly, have you ever bothered to ask these?"

Silence.

"You were just talking about yourself right? Where you studied, where you work, your pay scale, your boring manager, your nagging client...all the blah blah was about you right?"

Silence.

"And when she told you something about her, either you were half listening and working on your comp or half-asleep on the way to bed. So precisely, you practically don't know a shred of information about her."

Silence.

"The truth is you don't know her Sid. I am not asking you to cancel your marriage. I am just asking you to make it work."

"So you are free today evening?" Siddharth asked Shobhana over the phone.

She was pleasantly surprised. Just for sake of tradition she asked her mom to go out with him although even she had decided that whatever be the answer she was going to meet him. She decided that it was now or never for her.....to tell him the truth.

Sid drove his Ford Esteem over to her office and picked her up. They exchanged pleasantries and she sat next to him in the front seat. They remained silent for most of the journey which was interrupted by the Radio Mirchi RJ with his old jokes and new songs.

She was wearing an orange color chudidaar with some rajasthani mirror work on it and a matching light green color dupatta. She had a small bindi on her forehead which was not big enough to warrant attention and not too small enough to be unnoticed. Sid was not sure if she was using Christian Dior or Mont Blanc as he was still not very much accustomed to women's perfume tastes. She had painted her toes with darker shade of pink which almost matched her black sandals. Possibly only women could think of all permutations and combinations of colors to bejewel their body.

Marina Beach.

He was coming to Marina after almost 2 years. In the mean time he had been to Hawaaii, Florida, Chaupati beach, but Marina was one place where he felt like home. It was home.

The smell of Mirchi Bajji and jasmine garland, the fake fortune teller who herself was not sure where her next morsel of food would come from, the balloon shooter who hoped that his customers miss as many as possible to stay in business, the paav bhaji and bhel puri waala who wondered when America's recession will come to an end so that their business would boom again, the kid selling chick peas to lovers (illicit or true or time-pass), the ice cream vendor, the Frisbee players, the beach cricket batsman who was wondering if the next ball would be a bouncer or full-toss, the traffic police looking for illegal couple to make some dough, the cargo ship which looked far across like smaller than a paper boat, little children getting wet in the waves without any shame or fear, adults just washing their feet and looking back regularly to check if their slippers were safe. The beach was so full of life and characters.

But that was not what Sid had come for. He wanted to talk to Shobhana and know her. Like most introvert men, he waited for the other person to start some conversation. He coughed and smiled at her. She smiled. Well...that was a good start.

Before he could open his mouth and talk to her she shot back.

"Siddharth. I have to tell you something."

He looked with an eagerness of a student facing his final year exam papers.

"I want you to know something before we get married. I was in love with a boy in my college days and we were close to getting married."

First ball. Clean bowled.

To be completed on Feb 13^th