Embracing the enigmatic darkness of night, the chilly winter of December was trying to mesmerize the whole city. The people of the city were enjoying the mesmeric winter night with warm quilts over their bodies and cups of hot coffee in their hands. Adding to the magic, Preeti's enchanting voice echoed on radio, "Hello friends. Myself R. J. Preeti, your host and dost. I welcome you all to yet another happening episode of your favorite radio show, 'Life - Live with Preeti'."
The show had become quite popular among the listeners over one year. In each
episode of the phone-in live show, Preeti included only one caller who narrated
his real life incident over phone.
Preeti continued, "Friends, it's the last episode of the show today. And I am gonna miss you all. Will you miss me . . .? I know you will. You know, sometimes missing your loved one is good for your love. It's because you realize the intensity of your love only when you miss your loved one. To share with us, his real life story of such intense love we have Priyam on the phone line today.
After formal introduction, Preeti asked Priyam to narrate his story. Priyam started narrating, "They say that destiny is destined to acquaint you with your love by hook or by crook. The incident happened a few years ago. Being a student of music, I was attending a music conference.
I was busy practicing, in a comparatively desolate corner of the conference, for a vo cal music contest I had enrolled for when I got disturbed by the voice of a girl, who had started singing in my vicinity. At first it got on my nerves. But I started liking it gradually. By the time she finished singing, I was so engrossed in her magical voice that I forgot what I had practiced. She undoubtedly owed a few words of appreciation. I went up to her and said, 'You sing nicely'.
'I sing nicely na? You agree na ?' Her voice was overwhelmed with enthusiasm.
'Beyond doubt.' I replied.
'Will you feel good if a nice singer like me doesn't participate in the contest?'
The answer could not have been a 'Yes'. So, I said, 'No, not at all. But why will you do that?'
'It's because I can't. I had enrolled for the 'Duet' category and my partner ditched me at the last moment.' She continued after a brief pause, 'I heard you sing well and it occurred to me that we could make a wonderful pair in the 'Duet' category. So, I deliberately let you hear me sing. Now that you appreciate the singer in me, I think I can I expect you to be my partner for the 'Duet' category. Hurry up. We don't have much time left. We will have to enroll for the contest ASAP. What's your name?' She raised her eyebrows in questioning manner.
I noticed something for the first time. She was the possessor of the most beautiful pair of eyes I had ever seen. Those out-of-the-world eyes didn't let me decline her proposal. Moreover, she had started using 'we' instead of 'I' as if we were already partners. I couldn't kill her enthusiasm though the way she talked me into being her partner was a little weird.
To our utmost surprise, we won the contest in spite of lack of adequate practice. We headed to a restaurant to celebrate the victory. We ordered two café mochas, and a double sized cheese and tomato pizza. 'With extra cheese,' she told the waiter. Then she turned to me and said, 'I am soooooo happy today.' I knew she was, as was evident from the intensity with which she stressed the word 'cheese', and from the photographic 'cheese' smile on her face. We had a nice time in the restaurant. We didn't have any formalities between us. It didn't seem like we 2 of 6 7/14/2014 2:05 PM
Preeti continued, "Friends, it's the last episode of the show today. And I am gonna miss you all. Will you miss me . . .? I know you will. You know, sometimes missing your loved one is good for your love. It's because you realize the intensity of your love only when you miss your loved one. To share with us, his real life story of such intense love we have Priyam on the phone line today.
After formal introduction, Preeti asked Priyam to narrate his story. Priyam started narrating, "They say that destiny is destined to acquaint you with your love by hook or by crook. The incident happened a few years ago. Being a student of music, I was attending a music conference.
I was busy practicing, in a comparatively desolate corner of the conference, for a vo cal music contest I had enrolled for when I got disturbed by the voice of a girl, who had started singing in my vicinity. At first it got on my nerves. But I started liking it gradually. By the time she finished singing, I was so engrossed in her magical voice that I forgot what I had practiced. She undoubtedly owed a few words of appreciation. I went up to her and said, 'You sing nicely'.
'I sing nicely na? You agree na ?' Her voice was overwhelmed with enthusiasm.
'Beyond doubt.' I replied.
'Will you feel good if a nice singer like me doesn't participate in the contest?'
The answer could not have been a 'Yes'. So, I said, 'No, not at all. But why will you do that?'
'It's because I can't. I had enrolled for the 'Duet' category and my partner ditched me at the last moment.' She continued after a brief pause, 'I heard you sing well and it occurred to me that we could make a wonderful pair in the 'Duet' category. So, I deliberately let you hear me sing. Now that you appreciate the singer in me, I think I can I expect you to be my partner for the 'Duet' category. Hurry up. We don't have much time left. We will have to enroll for the contest ASAP. What's your name?' She raised her eyebrows in questioning manner.
I noticed something for the first time. She was the possessor of the most beautiful pair of eyes I had ever seen. Those out-of-the-world eyes didn't let me decline her proposal. Moreover, she had started using 'we' instead of 'I' as if we were already partners. I couldn't kill her enthusiasm though the way she talked me into being her partner was a little weird.
To our utmost surprise, we won the contest in spite of lack of adequate practice. We headed to a restaurant to celebrate the victory. We ordered two café mochas, and a double sized cheese and tomato pizza. 'With extra cheese,' she told the waiter. Then she turned to me and said, 'I am soooooo happy today.' I knew she was, as was evident from the intensity with which she stressed the word 'cheese', and from the photographic 'cheese' smile on her face. We had a nice time in the restaurant. We didn't have any formalities between us. It didn't seem like we 2 of 6 7/14/2014 2:05 PM
met only a couple of hours ago.
The next three days were perhaps the loveliest days of my life. We were together almost all the time. I didn't know why we were together. I didn't care what people would say if we were together. I just loved being with her. I was even afraid I might fall for her if I continue to be with her; still I was with her. I liked everything about her. I didn't know whether she reciprocated my feelings or not. I didn't care whether she had equal reactions to my actions and my emotions or not. Who minds the laws of Physics when a perfect chemistry exists between two. As they say, all good things must come to an end. It was the last evening of the conf erence, and bonfire was going on. People were busy dancing to the tunes of the D.J. But we two were sitting together quietly. We hadn't talked a word to each other in an hour. The only thing that was communicating between us was silence - the silence that was incomprehensible, annoying, and yet romantic. Sometimes silence is more effective than a hundred words in expressing one's feelings.
She wasn't looking happy that evening. She didn't have the photographic 'cheese' smile on her face. But the look in her out-of-the-world eyes was trying to say a lot.
'Would you mind if I ask you something personal?' She broke the silence.
'Of course not. You can count on me.'
'Do you believe in love-at-first-site?' She added after a pause, with some hesitation, 'I mean have you ever been in love with someone whom you have hardly known for a few days?'
I thought I understood what she meant. But I was not sure. I wanted to say, 'Yes, I am in love with someone whom I have hardly known for 4 days.' I wanted to say, 'The girl is none other than y ou.' Instead, I said, 'What do you exactly mean? Are you speaking of any particular girl?'
'How can I say directly? I'm a girl after all.'
I thought I almost knew what she exactly meant. But I was not sure. What if I was wrong? What if I was building castles in the air? I didn't know what to say. I remained silent. She remained silent. Silence prevailed. We didn't talk anymore. We didn't even bid goodbye to each other when we parted that night. Only two unhappy smiles did the job. I noticed teardrops sparkle in her out-of-the-world eyes just before she turned to leave. I saw her leave. She didn't turn to look back. I wanted her to come back, I wanted to talk to her, and I wanted to be with her till eternity. But I was still not sure whether she loved me or not. So, I just stood there like a log until she
disappeared from my sight.
I couldn't sleep properly that night. I couldn't concentrate on anything the next morning. I was missing her a lot. I was feeling very lonely and helpless. I was desperate to be with her.
I kept analyzing her words again and again. The more I analyzed them, the more optimistic I became about her feelings for me. By the evening, my mind had stopped playing tricks with me and I was convinced that she loved me. As soon as I was convinced, all my depression vanished into thin air. I got euphoric. I stopped playing the music CD titled 'Sad songs of Mukesh', which I had been listening to the whole day. Instead, I started listening to another CD titled 'Romantic duets of Rafi and Lata'.
I knew I had to talk to her as soon as possible. But then I realized my mistake. We had not exchanged our cell numbers though we had been together almost all the time. I couldn't figure out how to get in touch with her. Still I set out to search for her, and in no time, I was on my way to the conference venue.
Fortunately when I reached there, the event coordinator of the conference was there though the conference had ended the day before. A hundred eyebrows are likely to be raised when a boy asks about a girl. No wonder, the event coordinator asked me a lot of questions when I asked him a girl's address. I ha d to convince him that I just 3 of 6 7/14/2014 2:05 PM
The next three days were perhaps the loveliest days of my life. We were together almost all the time. I didn't know why we were together. I didn't care what people would say if we were together. I just loved being with her. I was even afraid I might fall for her if I continue to be with her; still I was with her. I liked everything about her. I didn't know whether she reciprocated my feelings or not. I didn't care whether she had equal reactions to my actions and my emotions or not. Who minds the laws of Physics when a perfect chemistry exists between two. As they say, all good things must come to an end. It was the last evening of the conf erence, and bonfire was going on. People were busy dancing to the tunes of the D.J. But we two were sitting together quietly. We hadn't talked a word to each other in an hour. The only thing that was communicating between us was silence - the silence that was incomprehensible, annoying, and yet romantic. Sometimes silence is more effective than a hundred words in expressing one's feelings.
She wasn't looking happy that evening. She didn't have the photographic 'cheese' smile on her face. But the look in her out-of-the-world eyes was trying to say a lot.
'Would you mind if I ask you something personal?' She broke the silence.
'Of course not. You can count on me.'
'Do you believe in love-at-first-site?' She added after a pause, with some hesitation, 'I mean have you ever been in love with someone whom you have hardly known for a few days?'
I thought I understood what she meant. But I was not sure. I wanted to say, 'Yes, I am in love with someone whom I have hardly known for 4 days.' I wanted to say, 'The girl is none other than y ou.' Instead, I said, 'What do you exactly mean? Are you speaking of any particular girl?'
'How can I say directly? I'm a girl after all.'
I thought I almost knew what she exactly meant. But I was not sure. What if I was wrong? What if I was building castles in the air? I didn't know what to say. I remained silent. She remained silent. Silence prevailed. We didn't talk anymore. We didn't even bid goodbye to each other when we parted that night. Only two unhappy smiles did the job. I noticed teardrops sparkle in her out-of-the-world eyes just before she turned to leave. I saw her leave. She didn't turn to look back. I wanted her to come back, I wanted to talk to her, and I wanted to be with her till eternity. But I was still not sure whether she loved me or not. So, I just stood there like a log until she
disappeared from my sight.
I couldn't sleep properly that night. I couldn't concentrate on anything the next morning. I was missing her a lot. I was feeling very lonely and helpless. I was desperate to be with her.
I kept analyzing her words again and again. The more I analyzed them, the more optimistic I became about her feelings for me. By the evening, my mind had stopped playing tricks with me and I was convinced that she loved me. As soon as I was convinced, all my depression vanished into thin air. I got euphoric. I stopped playing the music CD titled 'Sad songs of Mukesh', which I had been listening to the whole day. Instead, I started listening to another CD titled 'Romantic duets of Rafi and Lata'.
I knew I had to talk to her as soon as possible. But then I realized my mistake. We had not exchanged our cell numbers though we had been together almost all the time. I couldn't figure out how to get in touch with her. Still I set out to search for her, and in no time, I was on my way to the conference venue.
Fortunately when I reached there, the event coordinator of the conference was there though the conference had ended the day before. A hundred eyebrows are likely to be raised when a boy asks about a girl. No wonder, the event coordinator asked me a lot of questions when I asked him a girl's address. I ha d to convince him that I just 3 of 6 7/14/2014 2:05 PM
wanted to share the prize money with her. He
looked up in his diary that contained the details of the participants of various
contests and gave me her address.
She stayed in a girls' hostel. When I reached her hostel and asked the gatekeeper to call her outside, he spent ten minutes giving me a lecture on his moral responsibilities, and refused to fulfill my request. Then I spent one minute and two hundred bucks to get him engaged in moral turpitude. He went inside, returned back after five minutes and told me that she had left for her hometown in the morning. He gave me her hometown address. Without any delay, I took the next bus to her hometown, which was two hundred kilometers away. It seemed like the longest journey of my life. I was happy, but anxious. I didn't know what the future had in store for me." Having narrated this much, Priyam stopped.
R.J. Preeti said, "Priyam, our listeners are waiting eagerly to know what happened next."
Priyam responded, "You know, you radio people always keep the listeners in suspense till the next episode. What if I do the same thing today? I think I will narrate the rest of my story in the next episode." From Priyam's voice, it was clear that he was not playing any joke.
Preeti panicked, "No, no, no, you can't do that. This is our last episode. You will have to tell us the rest of the story right now." But Priyam disconnected the phone line before Preeti could say anything else. When Preeti tried to call, Priyam's cell was switched off. No one had expected the last episode of the show to end so imperfectly. All were disappointed. However, Preeti apologized to the listeners and tried to wrap up the show as properly as possible.
Two days later, Program Director of the channel, Mr. Sandhu, who was a well-wisher of Preeti, met Preeti at her residence, and said, "General Manager of the channel is very much disappointed by the imperfect ending of the last episode of your show, as it's not good for the reputation of the channel. He wants you to take up another episode and let Priyam complete his story. He believes only you can contact and persuade Priyam."
Preeti revolted, "Why should I? Some people of the channel have played enough politic s not to let my show get another year's extension, though all are aware how much popular my show is. Go and te ll him that I will take up the episode only if my show is given another year's extension." Seeing no point in arguing with Preeti, Mr. Sandhu left.
After two days, Mr. Sandhu returned back with the agreement papers that allowed Preeti's show another year's extension. He got them signed by Preeti, congratulated her and said, "The channel was not in a position to deny your proposal. By the way, I am also eagerly waiting, for the next episode, to know what happened next in Priyam's story."
Preeti smiled and said, "You won't have to wait till the next episode." She handed a wedding card to Mr. Sandhu. Mr. Sandhu went through it and stood dumbstruck.
The wedding card read - 'Priyam weds Preeti'. Mr. Sandhu regained his composure after a few moments and asked, "Priyam is your fiancé? Priyam and you hoaxed everyone by creating a fake story? And leaving the story incomplete was part of your plan? You did all this only to get the contract extended for another year?"
Preeti justified, "Not a single word of the story is fake. It's our true story. The girl in the story is none other than me. Now let me tell you what happened next. Priyam took the bus to my city that night. He met me there and gave me the best gift I had ever received in my life - his love. We have cherished our love against all odds since then. And finally, we are going to marry next month."
After a pause, Preeti continued, "Don't you think my show deserved an extension? Getting my show to the heights of popularity had been no cakewalk for me. I had worked hard for it. But these days, only hard work can't get you what you deserve. Sometimes, you need to be canny enough to achieve things. Had the channel 4 of 6 7/14/2014 2:05 PM
She stayed in a girls' hostel. When I reached her hostel and asked the gatekeeper to call her outside, he spent ten minutes giving me a lecture on his moral responsibilities, and refused to fulfill my request. Then I spent one minute and two hundred bucks to get him engaged in moral turpitude. He went inside, returned back after five minutes and told me that she had left for her hometown in the morning. He gave me her hometown address. Without any delay, I took the next bus to her hometown, which was two hundred kilometers away. It seemed like the longest journey of my life. I was happy, but anxious. I didn't know what the future had in store for me." Having narrated this much, Priyam stopped.
R.J. Preeti said, "Priyam, our listeners are waiting eagerly to know what happened next."
Priyam responded, "You know, you radio people always keep the listeners in suspense till the next episode. What if I do the same thing today? I think I will narrate the rest of my story in the next episode." From Priyam's voice, it was clear that he was not playing any joke.
Preeti panicked, "No, no, no, you can't do that. This is our last episode. You will have to tell us the rest of the story right now." But Priyam disconnected the phone line before Preeti could say anything else. When Preeti tried to call, Priyam's cell was switched off. No one had expected the last episode of the show to end so imperfectly. All were disappointed. However, Preeti apologized to the listeners and tried to wrap up the show as properly as possible.
Two days later, Program Director of the channel, Mr. Sandhu, who was a well-wisher of Preeti, met Preeti at her residence, and said, "General Manager of the channel is very much disappointed by the imperfect ending of the last episode of your show, as it's not good for the reputation of the channel. He wants you to take up another episode and let Priyam complete his story. He believes only you can contact and persuade Priyam."
Preeti revolted, "Why should I? Some people of the channel have played enough politic s not to let my show get another year's extension, though all are aware how much popular my show is. Go and te ll him that I will take up the episode only if my show is given another year's extension." Seeing no point in arguing with Preeti, Mr. Sandhu left.
After two days, Mr. Sandhu returned back with the agreement papers that allowed Preeti's show another year's extension. He got them signed by Preeti, congratulated her and said, "The channel was not in a position to deny your proposal. By the way, I am also eagerly waiting, for the next episode, to know what happened next in Priyam's story."
Preeti smiled and said, "You won't have to wait till the next episode." She handed a wedding card to Mr. Sandhu. Mr. Sandhu went through it and stood dumbstruck.
The wedding card read - 'Priyam weds Preeti'. Mr. Sandhu regained his composure after a few moments and asked, "Priyam is your fiancé? Priyam and you hoaxed everyone by creating a fake story? And leaving the story incomplete was part of your plan? You did all this only to get the contract extended for another year?"
Preeti justified, "Not a single word of the story is fake. It's our true story. The girl in the story is none other than me. Now let me tell you what happened next. Priyam took the bus to my city that night. He met me there and gave me the best gift I had ever received in my life - his love. We have cherished our love against all odds since then. And finally, we are going to marry next month."
After a pause, Preeti continued, "Don't you think my show deserved an extension? Getting my show to the heights of popularity had been no cakewalk for me. I had worked hard for it. But these days, only hard work can't get you what you deserve. Sometimes, you need to be canny enough to achieve things. Had the channel 4 of 6 7/14/2014 2:05 PM
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