rangbadloo girgit

" I need to be continously infatuated!" she chirped over her extra long Long Island Iced Tea. Sneha just looked at her and rolled her eyes, gaped, let out a sigh of frustration & amazement, all-at-once. " No you don't, you just need to focus on shoes, clothes, perfumes and other things you have been focussing on for 4 months", Sneha very wisely said. Three years and two succesfully failed relationships on (successful as they were great when they lasted, failed, well, for obvious reasons), Misha had formed a habit of being in one. It was not so much about the guy anymore, as it was about the feeling of being 'in' love that attracted her. And somewhere deep down, she knew it, and was perfectly OK with it. " A love for all seasons is just as normal as a shoe for the wrong reasons" she always said.

But, (as there always is a very potent BUT in all stories that don't seem to go anywhere at first look), true love, is not seasonal. And Misha found out one day.

It was her first trip to the other side of Sahar Airport. Dressed impeccably in her BEBE 'fatigues' Misha pulled her JUICY luggage with one tiny bejewelled index finger, and made her way through the narrow aisle of Swiss Air's A320. The fat lady at the counter had refused to give her a window seat despite Misha asking for it armed with her most charming and disarming smile. " Some women, just can't get past jealousy". She flipped her just coloured dubai blonde hair and nearly crashed into 29D. Hoping against hope that a handsome, smart, witty, tall, rich, adventurous, spontaneous, funny, mature, child-like, intelligent DUDE sits next to her.

After a painstaking 20 minutes, Ramesh Mudaliar politely asked her, " excuse me , but I'm on 29E, can I get in please?". And all hopes of Prince Charming on this flight came crashing louder than the avalanche on the Alps.

" Are you European", he asked her, after having sat next to her for 2 straight hours.

She shot him a Draconian look, and flatly said, " No."

30 slow minutes passed.

"Are you from Dubai?" what else was the dubai blonde hair supposed to indicate?!

She drew a patient deep breath, pursed her lips, and said, "No."

And that was the extent of that romance at 35,000 feet above sea level.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x


Staring into the brown Arabian sea, Misha was looking for answers. She wasn't sure of the questions yet. But she needed the answers somehow. It had been 6 months, and she had still been single. Sneha thought it was the most natural thing to do. But what did Sneha know?! She had her boy to give all her love to!

Women, unlike men, like the 'giving' in a relationship. It stems from the natural maternal instinct in them. Obviously, it follows that all this 'giving' is neutralised by a lot of material 'taking'. But then who can put a price to emotional support and physical intimacy, let alone the glow that only a woman can infuse into a man's life? She sighed, and decided to give up on this random-answer-finding-in-absence-of-questions expedition. She collected her gold gladiators, and was about to get up when she the hair on the back of her neck stood up. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a guy standing about 20 steps to left, looking intently at her. She turned to face him head on, after all Misha was a green belt in taek won do.

He smiled at her, and she gave him her best scornful frown.

"Oddball. This city I tell you, is not safe anymore".

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x


She walked into office in an exceptionally grumpy mood the next day. Sneha couldn't make it for the movie tonight and Misha was beginning to grow increasinly grumpy about being the only hapless single soul in her ENTIRE friend circle. Why did people in Bombay make such a big deal about being single anyway?! But for someone, who was looking for THE one since she was 16, the wait till 26 had been a tad too long. Some people are just made to be with people. And in the absence of a partner, they get all grumpy, and flaky, and irritating, and annoying. So do old spinster aunties. The thought of probably spending her life alone was eating Misha up. There was no hurry, and she knew it. But was that the way she wanted it to be?

When her boss summoned her in, to meet with someone, Misha was in half a mind to ask him to 'buzz off' for lack of better words. But she refrained. And even she didn't know why.

" Misha, I want you to meet Ramesh, he's from E&Y Guernsey, for the Investment we spoke about a couple days back? I need you to work closely with him on the debt funding proposal we need to preesent to their Board".

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x


He saw her struggle with her oddly big luggage as she entered the airport all alone. Dressed in a loud pink jumper she looked like a pink panda warrior. But beneath all the hullabaloo, was a scared girl. He caught her nervous twitch at immigration, and smiled to himself. Isn't that how it felt when he travelled the first time, 10 years back? Life as an Investment Banker had taken him to almost all the continents at least. He was amused when he found himself stand right in front of her in the line at Economy class, and heard her grumble about the window seat as he walked away.

And then he heard her grumble some more to someone called Sneha, on their way to France. She was glued to her phone the 40 minutes that the plane was on the tarmac. Don't women get enough of phones?? But something about her was endearing, and intimidating at the same time. She bragged to Sneha woman about how her hair looked like she had spent a summer in Dubai without ever having set foot there, and how she had read up so much on Europe on Wikipedia that she felt like a native.

At that instant he wished he wasn't named Ramesh though (and made a mental note to curse the author about this uninspired selection).

It would be 2 months before he would spot that shiny blonde head again. That's the great thing about aweful hair colour. It's easy to spot in a sea of bobbing black heads. She seemed disturbed and at peace at the same time. As if she was having a quite fight with the sea. And felt like a naked outsider eavesdropping on that argument. He wanted to pick up a conversation. He'd done at a million times when he lived in the US. But this woman just grunted at him and left him completely baffled.

It had not been difficult to trace her though. Misha Garg had left an old boarding pass at the Paris Airport... And rest as Google facilitated, is history.

Sitting in this plush office, in her MD's cabin, Ramesh felt a rush when she pushed the frosted glass door open. And he turned around and smiled.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

And he blessed the makers of When Harry Met Sally and God ofcourse for not making his wait too long.

Harry Burns: I came here tonight because when you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible.

She stood at the cobbled pathway everyday, at 8 am. Tomorrow it would be 2 months since the town went gray, since the last day the sun shone. In this sleepy town in the middleofnowhere in Jammu, sun bathing was a luxury. Not that any of it's modest inhabitants knew anything of sun bathing. Kashmir isn't exactly known for it's liberal culture. It's known however for it's striking, earthen, untouched beauty.

 

And beautiful she was. In a very banal sort of a way. Her's was a beauty that didn't invoke awe at first sight, but one that grew on you with familiarity. Long, silken, wavy, jet black locks, framed her round Kashmiri face. She was tall, not in a intimidating way, but in a very feminine way. And grace she got with her genetic inheritance. Her mother forever worried about her, the plainest of  four girls, but the brightest of all. Big eyes looked at everything with a flicker of hope. She imbibed that quality from the children at school. 8 year olds have this strange way of dealing with profoundity with the most natural grace and intelligence.

 

The bus came, and she lifted her pashtooni salwar to reveal a delicate, porcelain ankle, the sight of which made her blush, and got into the bus. Her regular seat was occupied by an unknown face today. Sigh. Nothing in this world is permanent then. Looking around, she took the seat ahead of him, still wanting to maintain some semblance of familiarity. School was still 45 minutes away and she wasn't about to compromise on the one thing that made this bus ride worthwhile- an unobstructed view of Dal Lake and it's million Shikaras. Will I ever stop being a useless romantic? :)

 

Gulaab attar, he followed the scent and his eyes fell on the dark halo of a head seated in front of him. Reminded him of his ammi. Do all of them always smell like this? When she got up to leave, he found himself inextricably drawn to that dark halo. Yalla, can all of them cast spells as well? In Kashmir, love is easily found. All it takes a long look, and you're hitched, hook-line-sinker.

 

She sensed she was being followed, but didn't dare to look by whom. And the thought of being followed still brought blood to her cheeks. Impishly she glanced sideways, and caught the shadow of a man dressed in a Pathani Salwar and Achkan. Must be some Mulla wanting a young bride. Quickened steps, heavy breathing, and an almost perpetual fear of the unkown got her to the school faster than usual. Just when she was turning into the gate, she saw him. Just for a flicker of a moment. And rushed into III B.

 

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

The sun shone lazily today. And there was the promise of spring in the air. 2 months, and love can conquer all. Especially those looking for it. Her love had found her at the turn of the gate. And she had more than willingly given herself away. Now it was about time. Shadab was the best thing that happened to her. Tall, handsome, strong, always patiently listened to her, and above all, he wanted to leave the Valley as much as she did. What more can a woman as for? For years she had longed to live in peace, and now her chance had come. Just the thought of her head resting on his broad chest was enough for her to start chanting the Uleema. The boy IS evil.  But WHERE is he today? She'd already missed 2 busses and was definitely late for her first class. Just then she saw a dust cloud rise up at the curve of the road, and a white Safari speed towards her. Quite a few rich kids in town now. It stopped about 10 meters from her, and there his head popped out. Confused, and happy, she was about to ask him where he'd been when it all went black.

 

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

And to think sacrificing oneself for this war is the toughest thing one can do.