Kashi was feeling sick. He was feeling sick of everything. Even the rivers with crystal clear water displaying the colorful pebbles couldn’t cheer him up. He sat under a tree and thought of his days with his love of life (so he thought) Nila.
Ghanshyam Bhat, AKA, Kashi was the only son of a rich father. He had sisters, about whom he never bothered about. As a custom, his elder sisters were expected to take care. Taking care here means serving and waiting on him. The Bhat family had a palatial house in a town very close to the western ghats. 3 Generations before they have migrated from the north of India. Even though Bhat family members can speak the native language of the area Tamil very fluently, they were never expected to communicate in Hindi inside the house. This was to prove their superiority over the locale dwellers.
Kashi was brought up like a prince. he never went near the fridge. A voice then a glassful of water or a plateful of refreshments would appear before him. The hands which carried the glass or plates he never looked up. As far as his needs are taken care of, why bother who does it? That was his policy.
He was a fitness freak. Regular exercises, trekking, and protein shakes made him a macho man. He was a perfect bachelor.
When he turned 22 both his sisters were married off. His father wanted him to take an interest in the business and his mother started complaining about her joint pains. All these changes were sudden for Kashi. He never had any close friends. Because he was taught his classmates had eyes only on his wealth. So, He took some time off from their palatial house and went to the farmhouse owned by his family.
It was called a farmhouse, but officially it was amidst the forest. The Bhat family had a plantation of over 200 acres. Elaichi, clove, and other spices were grown there. Amidst the plantation, some huts belonging to the workers were scattered around.
There is where he met Nila.
One day, he was returning from the evening trekking. On the way to his farmhouse, he had to cross a narrow wooden bridge over a small stream. It was a winter day and the fog was heavily setting. “We must have some lamps here” thinking he stepped on the bridge. The other end of the bridge was not visible. In the middle of the bridge, he came face to face with an angel. That was what he thought when he saw her for the first time.
“Can you please give me way?” asked that angel.
“Where are your wings? Can’t you fly?”
The face of the angel became red with fury.
“Mocking at me? eh?” with those words she pushed him aside and went.
That was a shock to Kashi. She had never been treated like that before. At night he thought he had hallucinated the angel and her fury. But the next day, Kashi met her again in his office. She was one of the staff in the accounts department.
Slowly they became friends and then their friendship turned to love. He even planned to introduce her to his family. But she was evasive when it came to meeting the family. She said, his family would never approve of her.
The days went fast. They talked about many things. Practically anything under the Sun. He found it so fascinating that both their interests and likes were similar. 6 months passed and they were still in the same place as far as the relationship was concerned, Kashi felt uncomfortable. He wanted to have her by his side as wife.
While Kashi was in his world of true love, the manager of that estate informed his father about Kashi’s indifference to work. As a result without any previous information, his parents arrived at the farm house with a load of groceries and other items enough to last for at least another year. His father declared his intention of staying there till Kashi was ready for the responsibilities. This irritated Kashi beyond words. To add to his irritation, Nila stopped meeting him when his parents arrived.
Kashi felt like a child who lost his/her beloved toy. Irritated, temperamental, and aloof. He spent most of his time outside the house. He searched for his angel in the forest area, at the banks of the brook, a burnt tree near a damaged hut….No sign of Nila.
One day Kashi’s father called him to his side. Though he felt irritated, he obeyed. The smell of his father calmed him down.
“Kashi! What happened to you, my boy? Why are you like this?”
Irritation surged again.
“How am I?”
“Just look at yourself in the mirror Kashi! You have been here just a year, you look like a ghost of your former self. Where is that bubbly, commanding, overconfident Kashi? What have you done to him?” His father choked as he spoke. His mother was silently crying.
Kashi thought it was time to speak the truth.
“Dad! It’s like…..I have fallen in love. Please don’t say anything. She is an angel dad. Very beautiful, intelligent, and has a business brain. Everything you want from your daughter-in-law”
Kashi was sweating profusely. There was complete silence. His mother sobbed loudly. It was evident that with supreme efforts his father was controlling his emotions.
“You could have told us earlier Kashi. We are not your enemies. Ok, leave it. When can I meet her? What about her parents?”
A big burden in Kashi’s heart had been lifted. It was so sudden that he felt dizzy. He held on to the wall for support. His mother ran towards him.
“What happened dear? Are you ok?”
Kashi slowly surfaced. To his astonishment, he realized he was sitting on another chair.
“Ma..How …?”
A big sob escaped his mother. Kashi’s father sternly looked at her with a warning. She buried her mouth in her pallu.
“Beta! You fainted. We made you sit in this comfortable cushion chair. But that is not important. Tell us when can I meet her?”
Oh yes! Now Kashi realized why he was feeling so light. He could not believe his luck.
With a feverish fervor, he poured out the details about his girlfriend Nila. As he rambled about Nila, his mother sobbed now and then.
“Very nice dear! Can you bring her home? Or shall we visit her house?”
In his glee, Kashi started laughing loudly. His mother shrank back and ran into the kitchen. His father patted him on the shoulder with tears in his eyes.
“No need Dad! I will ask her to come here.”
No more was said after that. The family had lunch as usual. For Kashi, it was important to meet Nila, as his parents did not oppose the match. With happiness, he started searching everywhere. He went to the office. Nila was sitting there and working as cool as a cucumber.
He was so annoyed, without even thinking he started yelling at her.
“You are here! Do you know I have been searching for you? Can’t you come and meet me? Or at least leave a message on the phone? You girls are impossible to live with.”
Nila was almost in tears. That melted his heart.
“Sorry, Nila! I have a great news for you. Please come to our house around 4. You will be surprised.”
The girl simply nodded.
When Kashi reached his house, his sisters had arrived. He felt happy that his family was very supportive. His sisters murmured something between them and greeted him enthusiastically.
“Looks like our baby brother has grown up” With a big smile he hugged them.
“We have been hearing so much about Nila. When can we meet her? I am so impatient” Kashi’s eldest sister almost yelled. The other one squeezed her hands.
“Oh! Didi! I am surprised at your enthusiasm. I asked her to come here around 4. It’s almost 4 now. Any time you may see her.”
The digital clock showed the seconds in red. Seconds became minutes. Kashi felt anxious. A doubt crept in his brain and soon the doubt started consuming him.
At 4.25 Nila came in. Kashi was disappointed. He expected her to arrive like a bride, after all, she was visiting her future in-laws. But it seemed like she had come directly from the office.
Kashi’s father asked her to sit down.
“Nila, is your name right?”
“No sir! My name is Aruna.”
After that, everything was a blur to Kashi.
