Success in love is… Part 14

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5  Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10, Part 11, Part 12, Part 13

We reached the Parking lot and she asked me to get into a Honda Civic parked there.

“Whose car is this?”

“Mine”

“What? You have a car!!”

“It’s here since last weekend. My father uses this car when he comes to Bangalore on his business trips. He left this here due to some renovation work in the guesthouse.” she said in a matter-of-fact tone and kicked the front tyre.

“Oh!” I said and got in.

I didn’t speak anything for another 30 minutes as she was cruising through the huge traffic with sudden sprints and sharp stops. But rather than going straight to reach Kempegowda Road from Palace road, she turned at SJR College and reached KR circle.

“Hey! Where are you heading to? The Inter-state bus stand is not in this route.”

“I am not leaving you at the bus stand. I am taking you home.”

“What?”

“Yes. I have informed Prof. I can’t let you leave in this state of mind. I also want to know why any family would reject you for their girl.”

“Hey! I will tell all that when I come back.”

“Nope. I can’t wait. I couldn’t get sleep last night after seeing you in such state. Please don’t argue and don’t worry, I am very good in driving.”

I tried to explain and make her go back but she wasn’t listening. I told Mom about the situation in hopes that she will assure her that I am fine and make her go back to campus but she was too stubborn and convinced Mom instead. The car was rarely reaching 80s and 90s and most times it was showing 3 digits in the digital speedometer. I didn’t speak anything for another 30 minutes and we reached the Karnataka state border.

She switched on the radio to hear Westlife and I watched the trees running back fast but slower than my mind to the college, coffee shops and theatres. We weren’t the couple who have never faced a misunderstanding or a fight. But we were two people who would stay close just to have the misunderstandings and fights. She is the only reason for me to have a colorful life, a life filled with happiness in college. My life was full of labs, experiments which usually leave me exhausted when I reach room. But the same experiments and labs left me energetic to talk about after she came into life. The first day we walked 5 miles not knowing if there is a road ahead or dead end was still fresh in thoughts. The first rain in which I spread my hands and enjoyed still makes me shiver. Small things like a classmate bringing lunch for me or giving a soft blow brought huge arguments every night and we used talk in the top of our voices never losing our stand. Those nights bring the most awesome mornings when I will stand on the second floor of my department and wait for her to come. She will walk to her department not lifting her head up but will turn back to see me when she turns to reach the door. That micro second meeting of eyes brings out a smile and will be followed by a longer meeting of eyes and she will convey few life threats which will be enough for my smiles the whole day.

The car stopped with a big sound. I jerked and looked at the intern who looked at me with stern face.

“What? What happened?”

“What kind of person are you?”

“Why? What did I do?”

“You were smiling for the past 10mins and having tears at the same time.”

“Oh! What is wrong in that?” I asked wiping my cheeks.

“You are going to your lover’s marriage dammit.”

“See its love. Off all the many things she has given to me, memories are the most important and no one can take that away from me. I am this person because of her. She has made me smile alone for all these days, even during the separation and even now. Love is something of the heart and it has its own world. People can’t separate us in that world.”

“Why would anyone say No to you?” she said holding my chin to lift my head which I had put down when speaking. We remained so for a second and she was scanning through my eyes.

“Caste” I said.

“What? Caste? Don’t tell me it’s only because of it. Hasn’t the caste system become a thing of past nowadays?”

I smiled at her ignorance. She showed anger seeing me smile.

“Caste is not like poverty which you can destroy by development. It something which is determined at birth and followed with pride/regret”

“Oh Come on I haven’t seen any such things.”

“How many places have you visited? How many different people have you talked to? Have you read any regional papers?”

“See my Hindi reading isn’t that good I accept but I do read English papers and the caste based violence occurs once or twice a year much like polio cases.”

I smiled. “That’s how the national papers show them. Caste violence occurs every day. Caste discrimination occurs every second. Murders and rapes occur every month because of caste. Very few are reported. And the separation of lovers and their struggles are never reported. When a model is shot for liquor by a drunkard its national news and when a family is burnt because of caste in a village its local news. I am not telling that the model’s death is small but isn’t every life important. Media brings only the misdeeds of/to the rich/influential to limelight. So coming from Delhi, you are bound to know only national news.”

“Hmmm. But aren’t you guys equally qualified. I can also see that you belong to upper middle class at least. Then…”

“Caste is nothing about money. How much ever you earn you can’t change the system that still calls some people as lesser humans and protest when you attempt to go into a temple. How many temples allow the devotees inside the inner sanctum near the idol? How many temples have priests from lower castes? But thanks to some efforts by the government, nowadays few temples don’t have these rules. But this has to go a long way. If you drive a few more kilometers I can make you meet two people who have lived all life fighting against caste discrimination and won the battle.”

She started the car with a confused mind. I pitied the people who have grown inside apartments and blocks where only visible discrimination was based on the eating habits, where the people who don’t eat non-vegetarian foods are considered as subjects for mockery and sometimes ridiculed for their voluminous prayers and other religious activities. This discrimination, though very small considered to the violence meant out outside the apartments also should have to be stopped. After all any discrimination subtle or violent, is against humanity.

We met the old couple and their daughter in law who explained their life to the intern on my request. She was all tears when she heard their struggles and reached to their shoulders. She was kissing their daughter in law and hugging her when she said about her love story. We left by 1AM and she slept soon after we started. I plugged in my pendrive and made Illaiyaraja spell out his magical tunes, opened the window and made the breeze flow in. She had lifted her legs and slept like a fetus inside the womb, with the captivating smile that always spreads itself around.

We reached home at 6AM and I introduced her to Mom, who in turn introduced her to everyone. My aunt came and hugged me, wetting my shoulder with tears. I said “I am fine Chithi.”

“I know you are not” she said

I came out of the hug and smiled. I went to my bedroom after breakfast and was asked to sleep, which I did. I woke up at 4PM and saw dad has come and the intern has transformed into a family member serving tea to everyone and was wearing my cousin’s saree. I smiled at them.


She was getting glued into our family and getting involved with numerous discussions happening. She joined the cousins in playing cards, became the chief taster for the Kitchen, suggested the jewels and sarees for my Mom and aunts, went on a walk with my Grandma, made my entire family laugh and the house was slowly getting to become normal.

The Swaraj mazda executive bus which came home by 9PM and we started loading the things. I saw my aunt adjusting the necklace of the intern when I went in to fetch a bag. They had grown very close to the point that they didn’t even notice me walking in and out.

I came out to welcome the cousin who got married a few months back and she hugged me crying in my shoulders and her husband was having wet eyes as well.

“Back in college, I never liked her. She wasn’t like how a girl should be according our society. She was very playfully and we had numerous silly fights when we were together. Though I showed anger whenever we see each other, I admired the small pranks she does, silently. But I couldn’t accept that my cousin is talking only to her and not to me. I know I was silly, we were never close but still you were my cousin and I felt I reserve the right to be close to you since we were far away from our family. I don’t know if my grudge has separated you. I am very sorry dear.”

“It’s not your fault. In college we were of two different streams BE and BSc with different timings and you never had a mobile phone. Apart from that I always considered you as my best friend. I still remember the day when you came running from the placement cell and hugged me shouting you got placed. Very few people in college knew we are relatives and everyone was staring at us. But you never cared, neither did I. We are just two people who are close in heart and far in real-time.”

“I wish she had not taken this decision, I was hoping she will come to our house and we can have our silly fights all life and I can make her jealous often.”

“There were numerous times when she had become jealous. She becomes furious whenever I refer you as the most important person in college.”

She smiled and reached her husband’s shoulders saying, “You don’t deserve this.” I smiled and waved them bye. They stayed back as she said she won’t be able to see the marriage without crying. My brother and few cousins came in the intern’s Civic. We left to the marriage and I took the first seat in the bus so that no one notices my face after seeing the video player stream the first romantic comedy we saw together. There are many memories to remember for remembrance is the only thing left for me.