Lochan makes a visit, gives a stare, and goes away with a blushed smile and the cycle repeats. However, the sitting duck here is me, Aryan.
I seldom remember the day we met for the first time, but her grey matter was of top-notch.
The crucial part of the human career was the 12th grade, as our parents blurt out very often and to my ill-fated destiny, I had fallen in love with this lass at the same time. The feeling was like two people boarding a titanic vessel. Nothing was of sheer importance when you are in a relationship. Every aspect of your life would be a second option excepting for the love of your life. Every moment went on well, be it - watching talkies over a tub of popcorn, popping phone calls in the witching hours, long walks within a few minutes. Theory of relativity made its presence.
Was that Love or Infatuation? It was an intriguing moment to decide. As I knew, this ain`t the right time for the sparks to fly. Moreover, graduation was waiting for me at the other end of the tunnel. The competition was toilsome; I was stuck in a grueling situation, where I was to choose upon my career and this yet-to-be-finalized relationship.
As I told before, everything feels secondary at that time even though it does not make any sense. However, I was true to my relationship, not knowing what was going on in her loaf. She aspired to be a Filmmaker and sometimes I used to get pissed off with her inclination towards Art. In the beginning, every moment was delirious and fresh. A few months later, the process became a bit predictable and the long walks suddenly transformed into one-way traffic.
I was not possessive by nature; she had a free hand after all. Everything went on well, but not as before. However, dropping a bombshell was not my idea. If this was not enough, the final exams were about to begin in a week`s time. I had fallen down in the dumps; I sometimes really wonder what the subjects in my grade have to do with my career?
However, I change my mind and come back to the boring books and the most important aspect - which makes a presence in every student`s ontology- The Distraction part.
Holding the math book, staring at those curved hyperbolas and the inner soul shouts in a different pitch. It is a common process, as I have mentioned before.
THE GRUESOME PROJECT
Lochan could never meet me due to the exam preparations and the pressure from her orthodox parents was up to the sky's limit.
Finally, the Gruesome Project came into the limelight. Everything went on well and the results were out in a fortnight. Her results had a boasting percentage of 88 and I was on cloud nine to be the premier among the last benchers.
She was not happy about my results. However, she did not show it on her face. I knew where I stand in my academics and was not picky about the grades.
Because, somewhere in my deep senses, I knew that the books were of no use to my career. However, according to the protocol, I needed them in my closet. It is just my opinion.
I slightly turned my career curve towards cooking as the white toque interested me and cooking was my impetuous passion from childhood. I was hardly 8 summers old when my granny passed away and she was a cooking maestro. However, she was a bit orthodox by nature and made sure that no one enters the kitchen.
Being youngest among the lot and most pampered in the entire house, I took this as an advantage to enter in the scullery. It was indeed a pride moment for me because no one so far had dared to go the kitchen.
However, I was of no use to my granny. She single-handedly managed the entire process with a passion. Strict scrutiny was only my task.
After my granny passed away, the kitchen was no more heaven. My mother went through a hellish process all day. She had to shuttle around between her work and the household songs. It was this time; I had a free hand in the kitchen and the entire room was mine.
However, I used to help my mother doing those veg - curries and south Indian dishes even though it was completely monotonous.
Being a vegetarian, I was more interested to cook some Italian cuisines and up to the minute recipes in kebabs. However, for me - Chinese recipes were tasty and didn`t kill time.
At the age of 17, the authority of the kitchen was under my control and I had learned many recipes by now. However, becoming a chef was not a cakewalk. It would be a step by step process and since cooking is an art; the main asset an artist has to boast about is patience.
Yes! A positive mindset is mandatory without a second thought and the most vital part of an artist`s life is to have immense self-confidence. I feel nothing more is required for the activity.
I was ready for the next level, where I had to convert my passion into my profession. Therefore, I enrolled for a degree in Hotel Management and I could not stop myself sharing this with Lochan. On top of this, we did not meet each other for a month or so; the gap was a bit exaggerating.
THE FINAL TOUCH
The `LONG WAIT` for the girl, the common aspect - which every guy encounters during his relationship. Even though my clock was punctual, Lochan always chose to be tardy for the hangouts. It has been a month seeing her beguiling face and on the other hand, I went berserk, as she didn`t turn up according to the time mentioned. The `135 Minutes wait` finally ended with her presence. She was in her casual jeans, which she normally dislikes and this surprised me to think beyond the curve. I could see the odd vibes surrounding her and sensed something bizarre.
She gave me an orthodox hug. “Hi, Aryan. What`s up?”
Nothing had changed in a month; I was literally getting bored of her questions popping from her nous.
There is nothing much to blurt out Lochan. I have enrolled for a degree in Hotel Management as you know I have the zeal towards cooking.
“Holy shit, what is wrong with you?”
“Are you nuts? Cooking can only be a passion. How can you be so stupid thinking to make a career out of it? It is not too late, join engineering with me and we will have a blast together.”
Meanwhile, during this conversation, my inner soul was visualizing me dressed up as a chef and serving delicious dishes to the customers and on the other hand, I was in no mood to pay attention to whatever Lochan said.
“Thanks for your advice Lochi; I am in no mood to think anything apart from Cooking as it has been my passion right from my preteen days.”
“So, is this your final decision! She blurted out in a squeaked voice.”
I gave her a big YES!
After having a limited chat, we both left to our places.
THE GIRL`S BLOW
Trrrrnnnnng! My phone buzzed. It was an SMS from Lochan, "Hi Aryan, I have a got a seat in IIT Chennai. I would be leaving Bangalore tomorrow. So, have a nice life and I would not like to be with a person who is out of his senses. All the best and hope we meet in the future and good-bye".
I was in a strange dilemma for a few minutes. I was broken completely. I only had two options in my mind right now, follow her dreams or cook the bread.
I chose the second option. As Mr. Farrah Gray Quoted -
"Build your own dreams, or someone else will hire you to build theirs." It was absolutely a masterpiece.
THE BEGINNING
After completing my graduation in hotel management, I got a job as an intern in a seven-star hotel. My job was nothing but to make a note of the number of vegetables used every day.
The first month went on to be a boring task, the work that I did; had nothing to do with my career. So I used to wind up my daily routine within two hours and jump to the kitchen to lend my hand to all those chefs.
Mr. Mukund was an executive chef and he had 6 years of experience in the hotel industry. He was highly impressed with my passion for cooking and shifted my base to the kitchen. 8 months down, now I was a full-time chef in the snacks division.
A few months later, I got bored with my job and I had planned to start a business of my own.
Hailing from the middle-class family, I did not have the guts to lend my father`s hand. I modified our Maruti Omni into a mobile food court and started traveling to all the IT hubs in Bangalore.
The survey on the latest Gen says that 90% of all the people strive for fast food and this was the plus point for me to implement this idea.
On an average basis, I used to spend two hours near every IT Park, so I could cover the entire city. This process went on for 3 years and I had 6 mobile food courts by now.
One fine morning, I was serving hot sandwiches to an old man, looking at his attire and color; I came to know he is not an Indian. However, I was happy after seeing him munching those hot buns.
“Young Man, Can you please share the recipe with me as well?”
I was astonished for a second and asked me why he wanted to know about it?
My name is Walter Mike and I am from Germany. I own a restaurant in Hamburg and I came to India for a vacation.
I was not in a mood to listen to all his shit, because I couldn`t waste my time in peak hours.
He walked away paying the bill and giving me a visiting card of his. I felt he would have liked my sandwich. However, the question, which troubled me, was how he could assess my talent with just having a sandwich.
10 years later...
The Sapphire,
The Hotel,
Bangalore.
Hotel Sapphire was one of the famous seven-star hotels in the entire city. They covered all kind of cuisines in the same hut.
One fine day, a couple walked into the restaurant and ordered a combo meal for them. The wife was immensely happy with the taste of the hot chicken kebabs and wanted to have a word with the chef who made it.
“Excuse me! Can I meet the chef who made these dishes?”
“Of course, Ma'am”, and the bearer left.
Sir, you have a call from one of the customers in the main hall. "What`s the matter, John?", I asked.
She`s impressed by your dishes and wants to meet you. "Well, I will be back in a few minutes."
THE BITTER FACT
Compliments from the customers are one of the best appreciations you can have in your life. That makes your day, even though it would be hectic.
I could not believe the fact that the customer was none other than Lochan. She had goosebumps all over her body. I could read her face completely by now and she was numb.
Good Noon Madam,
Did you call me?
Yes, her husband started the conversation and told me that Lochan was highly impressed with the dish and that`s the reason they had called me.
After a while, they were getting late for something and had to leave the hotel. Lochan told her hubby to take the car out and she would join him in a few minutes.
"What`s wrong with you Aryan? Even in my dreams, I`d never thought I would see you someday in this kind of situation. Why did you ruin your career?"
Without any hesitation, I asked, "What did I lose Lochan?"
"I am completely satisfied with my job and enjoying my work."
" What kind of work is it? Did you waste so many years for this? I don`t think you`re on the right track!"
All of a sudden, inexplicably, one of the managers interrupted into the conversation and said - Mr. Aryan, we are getting delayed for the meeting in the Oberoi.
"Two minutes Henry," I said and I took a break from Lochan and told I would be back in a few minutes.
"Hi Madam, are you Ms. Lochan?" Henry asked.
"Yes. How do you know my name?"
"Everyone knows you here in the entire hotel madam."
"Mr. Aryan is the Founder of this hotel, every morning he would share a story of his past to his staff so he could ignite some amount of inspiration to all the young guns out here."
Before I came, Lochan had left; I guess she did not want to make a fool out of herself.
Both of us were right in our own perceptions, but at the end of the day, she fell for the society`s prey and I simply followed my heart.