LOVE STORY:
‘What was he schmoozing? What would I do there? They could let me for this Saturday to enjoy myself. Chatting with Sonam won’t be as easy as falling off a log. Sonal, elder sister of Sonam and a 9th standard student would not let her sit beside someone else, let alone a boy. Sonam is a hard nut to have a crack at. Now, Sonal would make it next to impossible for me to have a chat with Sonam,’ while a man dressed up in a Van Huesen Shirt and Jeans, a big moustache and gold chain-which looked as if some steals it, he could run his family for two years ,with ease, which made him the weirdest one in the entire class. Who could it be other than the principal of the school?
He was busy in announcing the schedule of their tour to HCL, a MNC which is making news now-a-days, with every major daily publishing a column or two every week.
‘So, are you ready?’ he shouted.
‘Yes Sir’, students of class 7 responded in unison meeting fire with fire. All of a sudden student’s playing outside in the ground looked at each other in shock, completely unaware of where the sound came from; a sound which could have dominated a 1000 watts Intel Speaker.
Abhinav was thinking how his day would be, while Delhi was getting ready for yet another weekend. It was getting cold and seeming as if the winter is announcing its arrival to NCR. Moon was looking handsome as ever, glancing at the heart throb-the earth. It took 15 days for him to have this look; he was looking as cute as Shahid Kapoor in Jab We Met. The wind slowly picked up its pace.
It is the start of the famous Delhi winters and he has his new duvet, saving the day for him. It was giving a pleasant feeling to Abhinav, who slowly went into sleep, without even noticing the gift, which be fetched for Sonam, unzipped from his school bag. The last thing he wanted was to be caught by his parents. He wished if Sonam was there with him, isolated from the rest of the world.
He was thinking if he could take Sonam to where Hrithik took Amisha in ‘Kaho Naa Pyaar Hay’. He knows he’s building castles in air for the villain of his story; Sonal would be coming with Sonam, his dream girl, his classmate. Abhinav, a 7th standard student studying in a school run by Books For All, a NGO, came to know ,his school would be going for a visit to HCL campus located in Noida.
He wanted to propose to Sonam during the journey. As the clock ticked past mid night, he knows he has to catch the bus at 9am else his math teacher would give extra homework and English teacher would make him read couple more passages, to his liking. As it was running his multiplex brain, there was also a glimmer of hope, he could sit in the next row, to the row in which Sonam sits and can get a better view of her and he embraced his pillow to fall asleep.
He could not believe what was happening there. He was on cloud nine moments ago and from there gone straight to the center of the earth. When he noticed Sonal did not turn up, he was dancing in the Swiss Alps in a yash chopra movie for A.R.Rahman’s tunes (Jab tak Hai Jaan). Nothing is permanent in this world. His happiness did not last long as Rekha boarded the bus at an ad hoc stop, just minutes away from the school. He had to spend the next 45 minutes imagining what he would be doing at HCL.
At last the driver brought the bus into neutral gear. It was feeling lost, when he was driving in 4th and 5th gears. For a moment, neutral gear felt elated as the driver pleaded it to work. A man walked up straight near the exit gate of the bus and with a big Mickey Mouse smile on his face greeted us as if we all arrived for her sister’s marriage. He had a made conversation with the driver, the driver made a face while this guy was speaking. It seemed he was questioned why wasn’t he driving quickly and was asked to stay the bus only.
While all this was happening another guy, this time a hunk walked up to us and then,” How are you cute boys and angelic girls? How was the journey? Are you ready to rock at HCL…?”
He spoke for incessantly for 6 minutes according to my helix, which was a present to me, on my last birthday and it was my father who had a big heart to choose me for that. Everyone walked into a dark room where chairs were arranged as if all the cabinet would be there to discuss the financial reforms for the calendar year. There was a mike and the ceiling, made it look like a royal palace. Every student was awe stricken by the beauty of the lawn and the size and architecture of the buildings. For a moment, everyone felt they have arrived in a new land, the land none of them had been to.
The proceedings started with a gentleman showing a video on what they have been doing as part of Corporate Social Responsibility. While the video was being played, Abhinav was busy in checking out the rest of the girls. His felt,” If giving an ear to some unknown guy is worth, having an eye on the known beauties is even better”.
He was watching every moment Sonam was making. When he saw Sonam leaning on a table, he wished he was that. When she was drinking water, he wanted to be the glass. And when she was breathing, he wanted to become oxygen and when she was smiling, he wanted to be the reason. When there is a piece of sweet on a table its natural to see many-an ant competition for it. Abhinav came to know even Rahul is eyeing Sonam, through grapevine. He wanted to win Sonam by defeating Rahul. Rahul is a very clever student. He was not the stereotypical student unlike his classmates who would go for hell, for attaining the class called ‘Distinction’, which eventually would fetch a photograph being displayed on the notice board. He was a merry-go-round type.
Video after Video was showed on a projector, which many presumed to be a Sony bravia. An hour of intense seminars saw the room immersed in gaining knowledge. Abhinav would have seen Sonam a million times, with a hope, she would return a smile at least once, and unfortunately the day wasn’t the one. Amidst this Sonam was having an eye on Abhinav. Like every beautiful girl, she would never let her emotions take center stage on her cute face.
The dimple she was having brought reminiscences of Prity Zinta. She had inquired Priya if Abhinav was watching her or not, every minute. She always had a soft corner for Abhinav, but never did she reveal that, as the mystery of Bermuda triangle. “Man can move mountains if only he has determination and will”, sounded a fierce voice. This brought every one alive and it had enough decibels to disturb a sleeping person.
After the videos were shown, it was the visit to ODC, followed by what was to be sumptuous lunch. The same man who walked down, to the exit gate of the bus announced,” You would be divided into three groups. Each group would be accompanied by our friends. They would take you to the workstations and you would be shown, how we would be working here. Once you’re done, you could wait outside where our photographer friends are waiting to click you. Seems one of you are Mr.Noida and Miss. Noida”.
Abhinav and Sonam, this time somehow got into the same group and he was very happy for Sonal was absent.” Hi.” said Abhinav, while walking towards the ODC.
” Hello, How are you Abhinav?” he wanted this reply from Sonam. But she had other ideas and chose to remain silent all through. Abhinav kept repeating the same word, anticipating some sort of response. All the while, an employee spoke unstoppably about computers and its accessories, which he alone understood, perhaps the only thing he understood in his entire life. The photographer clicked a disappointed Abhinav and a mute Sonam, who looked like Anjali tendulkar when he got out in the world cup finals, carrying the expectations of the entire nation on his shoulder.
The lunch was served in a cafeteria which reminded Sonam, the dinner she had in the Fortune Inn Garcia on the wedding anniversary of her parents. It was a huge campus, built with state-of-the art facilities. Just as they were about to leave the cafeteria and board the bus, she handed him a piece of paper and asked him to open after going home. He kept it in his pocket, and sat at the last possible seat in the bus. All of a sudden, he was singing “Tere bina zindagi se koi..Shikva tho nahi..Shikva nahi…Tere bina zindagi se koi..Zindagi he nahi..Zindagi nahi.”
All the employees stood at the gate to bid farewell to the students and the bus driver has to plead the neutral gear again. He then chose to ignore it again for the next one hour. Abhinav was lost. He thought Sonam belongs to Rahul, as she was seen joyful in her previous interactions with him. He walked home like a snail. When he finally reached home, he remembered the letter. He started to open it thinking it he would have to read the words written in the most horrible language possible. The letter read like this
“Dear Abhinav, I being a girl could not open up my heart. I love the way you walk. I’m crazy about your hair style. The way you eat you lunch box is just tempting. I’d love to have my math homework done by you. I’d like to meet you up in the evening at 7pm at the Café Coffee Day. Hoping to see you at 7pm CCD .Come with lots of smiles and a wallet full of notes: p
P.S.I Love You!”
The End.
