Pandemonium – Subbu's Kreative Smorgasboard

Disclaimer: The characters in this novelette are purely fictional. Any resemblance to anyone living or dead is purely coincidental.

Geeta, Raman and Kiran went about their day as usual, the following day. Everybody rushed to his or her respective workplace. As they all had taken a couple of hours off the previous day to visit Swati’s house, Geeta had already mentioned that she would be returning home late, so that she could catch up with her work.

Ammu was busy with her regular chores, while Vicky went to his college.

In the evening, Raghavan and Sunder came to Kiran’s house. Kiran and Raman had just returned from their work. Kiran was having his cup of tea, while pondering on what response Swati was going to give, when the doorbell rang.

‘Hello Mr. Raghavan! Please come in. Sunder, you too’ invited Raman, ‘I hope you are here with some great news for us.’

‘Hello everyone!’ greeted Raghavan. ‘As we were telling you my daughter was a bit embarrassed to tell out in front of everyone that she liked Mr. Kiran. After you people left, she did accept that she liked Mr. Kiran and that we can proceed with this marriage proposal’

‘That is a great news. So we are going to be related now’, said Raman.

Kiran was listening and was very happy to hear that.

Raghavan addressed Ammu, ‘Mami, I had gone to our astrologer this morning. He has said that the match is wonderful as apparently, there is a match 9 of the 10 requirements in their horoscope’

Kiran did not care about the horoscope and the match. He was very particular that, when it came to marriage, he should share similar views and thoughts with his future wife. Their hearts and minds had to match.

Raghavan continued, ‘there is a good day the coming week. I thought that, if you also consult your astrologer, we could probably have the engagement the coming week. What do you say Mami?’

‘Well, Mama, I don’t believe in all these astrology and stuff. I believe in the union of hearts and minds and not horoscopes. If you have consulted your astrologer and if you are satisfied, that would be fine with me. I am sure my sons will agree to this. We can go ahead and have the engagement ceremony next week.’

Looking at Kiran, Ammu asked, ‘Will that be okay with you Kiran?’

‘Yes Amma’, Kiran replied. He was thinking in his mind, ‘Amma, is this even a question to ask? I already said yes’

Kiran was very happy. The joy in his heart was shown very clearly on his face too. He started dreaming. It was going to be a new life with a new person. He liked Swati very much. He was ready to adjust himself for her sake. He was also confident that she too would adjust herself and mingle with his family well.

Poor Kiran, he was not aware about his future then. He was not aware that a day would come very shortly when there will just be pandemonium in his heart and his mind a smorgasbord. Probably, this is what the elders have said, ‘Love is blind; maybe deaf and dumb too’

‘Mami, what about the other matters that need to be discussed?’

‘Mama, if you are referring to dowry and things like that, I am not a person who is interested in all that. God has given us enough and my sons are in a good position today. So, we do not need anything from you. I have not taken any dowry from my Geeta and so will be the case with Swati. You can do whatever you would like for your daughter.‘

Ammu continued, ‘My only request is that the marriage should be conducted in a decent manner.’

‘That is absolutely no problem Mami. We will arrange for a grand marriage. Can we fix the date for the engagement?’

‘You can go ahead.’

‘Mr. Raman, I will give you a call tomorrow and confirm the engagement date’

‘Fine’

‘I think we will take leave now. You know, it is daughters marriage and therefore there will be a lot of work to complete and various things to handle.’

‘Mama, just one more thing; I want you to give me a photograph of Swati. I need to send it to my daughter Tara in Kerala. She will not be able to make it for the engagement. I want her to see her brothers’ fiancée.’

‘I will send the photograph through Sunder probably tomorrow itself. So, see you all soon.’

‘I will wait for your call tomorrow’, said Raman.

Kiran’s excitement had no bounds. Dreaming about his future, he was floating on Cloud Nine.

Little did he know, of what was going to strike him…

Once Again…???!!! Chapter 2: the Genesis
to continue…

Once Again…???!!!

Disclaimer: The characters in this novelette are purely fictional. Any resemblance to anyone living or dead is purely coincidental.

It was a dark night, without moon or stars. Time was somewhere near midnight. The second’s hand of the clock was slowly ticking. There was a slight wind blowing outside, which sent a shiver though the body. It was late December and the winter had already started, with all its vigour. A car or two whizzed through the deserted misty streets, once in while. Else, there was silence everywhere. Silence that night, after all the recent political turmoil for the demolition of Babri Masjid in Ayodhya, near New Delhi. Silence everywhere, except in his heart. There was a war going on in his mind.

He was lying all alone on his bed, on his back with his eyes wide open. His eyes moved around in the room. He could see the reflection of the green night lamp on the mirror of the Godrej bureau. The green dim light… This was the dumb witness for many of the past happenings. The silent witness for those moments when he had dreamed about her; when he had made love to her; when she talked about the other person in her life; when she declared her decision to kill his innocent child; when he was mentally tortured by her. Today, this dim dark green light was once again, the only witness, to look at him cry over the past.

He rolled over to lie on his side. His eyes slowly moved towards the window. The open window… Tears flowing through the corner of his eyes… As his head was tilted to the right, tears were collecting near the bridge of his nose. He could hear the hustling, cold wind outside. The cold wind was as sharp as her cold heart. Very coldly and very slowly cutting through his heart… He was unable to decide if it was the cold wind that made him shudder or the recent happenings. He could hear the typical noises of the night. A cricket looking for its prey; an owl hooting at a distance; a drunkard singing aloud his song in a precarious tongue; a dog howling at the street corner; a heavy vehicle rushing by… His mind was wandering… He was thinking… His mind was a smorgasbord, splattered with the events of the past…

His thoughts were disturbed by the cold tears, which had flowed through the bridge of his nose and rolled down his right cheek. He lifted his hands automatically to wipe the tears from the cheek. He rolled over and was now once again on his back. He gazed at the ceiling fan. It was moving. He tried to visualize the blades in the dim green light. He could only see the circle created by its movement He was wondering about his life. His thought was circling… He was feeling that the fan should fall on to his head. His head started reeling. He felt that there was nothing more left in his life. The world seemed dark and the relations were also dark. The future was dark too, as dark as this dark night.

How close he thought, he had come to her in these four months and yet how far he had actually been from her. How much he loved her and how much she hated him. How much he wanted her to be with him and how much she wanted to be away. How much it looked, just like a nightmare. But it was all happening in reality… It was all happening with him. Still, he was not able to decide if he hated her… How much he had wanted her to stay back… How much he had expected that she would say, that she would never leave him… How much she had meant to him…

He was questioning God… Why should it happen to him? He had always believed in the Almighty… He regularly visited the temple. He has always been generous towards the poor; always respected the elders; had always been the dutiful son. How could this happen to him? Where did he go wrong? He wondered…

Kiran thought of the entire turn of events… Kiran, meaning hope, and now, there was no hope left in his life. With this very thought, his eyes blurred…

END of Chapter 1
Once Again…???!!! – to continue…

Tag: Pandemonium

Once Again…???!!! – Chapter 1: the Pandemonium