3:00 AM - On that night !!

It was 3:00 AM, when it all started and i dont know when it ended. But it was really brief, something i have never witnessed till now. Though i have a fascination studying all sorts of super and para natural things, had lot of encounters , some of them i knew what was happening and some left me really confused but the recent one really left me baffled.

After a long lock-down day, I, my wife and my 8 year old daughter could get some sleep and then i had to wake up for water. After having water, i went back to bed and was trying to sleep. AC on top of our bed has made the room really cold, which generally is favorable for me. Anyways, I could at last get some sleep and in a minute i heared someone speaking to me, very near to my ears.

The voice i heared, i knew because it was of my wife along with my daughter, where in all of them were in deep sleep. The texture of the voices were human and could relate with them very nearly. What freaked me is by thinking that, how can a voice be so real and convincing when no one apart from me is awake?. Unknowingly what has happened, i woke up and started looking every where in the dark room.

I couldn't get a gist of what happened as there was no sign, which indicates that anyone has woke up, sometime back and hence, this incident has left a question mark in my mind. This happened a week back and till that time life has taken many turns but today also, i try to analyse that night but unfortunately no logic comes in my mind.

I am not a believer of all these things but i cannot deny the occurrences and presence of some one whose presence is also equally there as ours and i appreciate.

Short Stories - Deception

" I loved the love, but love had a different face,

I was told that was love, but was something else,

Standing on the crossroads of life, what to choose,

all emotions, all expectations are set too loose..

Lovely were those days, when you were next to me,

holding hands together, walking in the setting sun's glaze,

but now it feels, all were wrong, not real but a foe..

My tears dried, and so the smile,
Emotions have gone in a distant land,
I see you infront of me, and a smile on your face,
I am not happy, but in pain,
My scars have dried in the rain,
looking back to what you did,
can't let you win again, in this game of fate. 

Life has given a new defination to me, but this is a bitter one,

revenge of what you have done, my heart bleeds on that,

justice to my pain, is what i want today"

It was a cold and damp room probably half of the size of her bedroom but the common thing was the sense of lonliness and a stale sent of the left over food. Her long hairs, which she always was a point of circle gossips was not there and was cut into small. Probably a sign of change was evident and swati was not the same person any more. She was sitting gazing at the .32 caliber on her hand and was sweating in the AC running in its full speed. Her emotions have died and her face was full of warth and sadness, which she has been living with.

It was around 3 months she was running to find her love and her sleep was running behind the turbulance of thoughts in her mind. The change in the events in her life has made her a criminal, which she has to borne for her entire life. But her mind always goes back when her life started as a princess and then as a queen.

Swati was an only daughter of business tycoon Mr. Oberoi, whose spread was more than any other empire. He always liked the honour wealth brought to him but he always lives closed to his root. Having a capability of buying anything in this world, he led a very simple life and so he taught the same thing to his family. Swati was made to understand the importance of money and how hard it takes to earn than how easy is to spend. 

Akash Sharma, a MBA passout was working as a finance manager in the company and Mr. OBeroi was always pleased with his pressence of mind and business acumen. In a short span of time, he achieved the trust, which people would not have achieved at such a small time and because of this he was appreciated as well as hated by may people. Gradually he became very close to the business family and was able to create contacts and credibility in the upscale business community. 

The journey from just a formal introduction to closeness with Swati didnt take much time and soon they were bonded for the entire life. Swati, being the only child was legal inheritor of the empire and Akash was the managing authority. Life was extravagant for both of them, they had everything - fame, money, houses, vecations to exotic locations - everything. But as it is said, "Change is evidant" but one cannot predict whether it will be for good or bad.

It was their 1st anniversary and akash planned a big party in one of their beach front property, for their close friends and family. Monsoon had already started but that didnt holded them to have the best time of their life. The week long celebrations was planned was in all sense to the taste of swati and she was super excited to cherish all moments of this day.

The beach property was in a close community sorrunding, not many people living arround but who so ever lived very well knew and had high regards for this family. It was 12 pm and the skies indicated that there will be a rain, Akash gets a unknown call on his mobile. Swati never doudted her husband and never felt the need to ask him about this. Akash went out the house to take this call and after 30 minutes he came inside and told swati that he had to go out for some important work and he will be back in 20 - 25 minutes. The whether was bad and demanding to be in the house and not to go out. Notifications were passed on the mobiles, TV channels and Radio stations.

In the midst of the preparation, no one noticed that akash didnt returned back and swati noticed this when the clock struck 6 PM. she tried to call Akash but the call didnt connect, she franatically called several times and his number said "switched Off". It was more than 7 hrs, akash didnt respond back and the fear was growing with a pinch of uncertainity. A search started across the town but all in vein as he was not traceable any where.

Local police was involved in this but that was in vein. At about midnight, the house phose ranged twice and swati jumped to take the call, thinking that it might be from Akash. With fear in her words she responded, "Hello..." , there was a harsh voice on the other side "hello madam, I am inspector sharma, We have found a dead body, which some what matches the description you gave to us. The body is taurmented to the extent that we are not able to see face but we have found certain things which indicates, that might be Mr. Akash" Swati with blank mind was hearing everything, he started feeling chocked but thought not to break down now. He might not be akash, he might be some thief who might have robbed him. akash cannot be dead, he cannot leave his swati...while she was running between en emotional turmoil, the voice again appeared " Hello madam, are you OK? " with a shaking voice she said "yes.." she was responded with " OK...Can you please come to the police station to identify the body and the objects, so that we can release the body tonight only" This was it ... how this can happen, we were just to bigin our party..But she replied "Ok inspector, will be there in another 15 mins." The call was disconnected "Ok madam, we will be waiting"

It seemed that the whole world changed at once..all colours faded in white, the colour she have to live with for her entire life. but how she will live, how she will survive?, Akash never said her anything about the business, investments etc but neigther she asked him. Now the time is differnet, she was alone in the world of vultures, who might be waiting to snatch everything she had... all the thoughts started pouring in her mind. She was standing in her balcony..rains had stopped and a unbearable silence was making her more uncomfortable. she almost forgot to visit the police station untill the door bell rang twice. The sound of the bell broke her trans and she ran to open the door and found the police inspector standing infront of her. Before saying anything, he said " We could understand your pain on the loss happened and so we brought the body and the objects here. There was a neck chain, wallet, mobile..."she was just looking at the body covered in white cloth with teared eyes..all the physical features was matching with Akash. Emotions overpowered the belief and she broke down. The cremination process was done in the pressence of family, friends and business associates.

Life started to change now and the biggest shock came to Swati, with a legal notice, which says that the company was sued for fradulant transactions worth 100 million to its customers and the company was liable to repay back the amount to the victims. "what ??? ...." was her first reaction and she never heared anything like this in her father's time. One more time she wanted to believe that this cannot be true and so she approached Vijay, who was a legal consultant to the company and also a very close to the family. " Are you aware of this???..." Swati almost shouted showing the paper in her hand. Vijay took the papers and went through that, quickly as if he was aware of this. "Are you aware of this??" she repeated and vijay was silent. "Vijay .. i am asking you .. Akash never told me about this.." she was loosing her patience. "I dont know about this but i heard from the community. I never gave an ear to this, thinking this might be a propaganda to bring the business down.. Akash was tensed from couple of days but he never shared anything with me..." Vishal paused, wiping the drops of sweat on his forehead. As if he was still hiding something. "Are you telling me the truth? or hiding something from me??" "why should I??" Vijay intruppted before she can complete.

"How we can solve this? do we have this much money in the company?" she asked him. "I dont think so... Akash has made some big transactions from the company's account. i knew that even i tried to stop him but he never listened to me and i think, he died because of this only..." "He used to meet some people, who i felt are not good people..I warned him but all in vein and now the fact is the company is bankrupted..." Swati was listening in suprise.. "Now what is a way out?" she asked. "He made you the director of the company and you signed the document..." " what??? i never did that..." she intruppted.

"yes you did, he took out the leagal undertaking copy which had her signatures" Swati rolled back her memories and tried to remember when she signed these papers and remembered that Akash gave some papers to her saying that these are the vendor contracts for the aniversary party. She never felt the need to read the document because she trusted him. Two drops of tears fell from her eyes.."how he can do this to me ?" but now questions do not not hold any value. "Tell me .. what to do now?" She asked to Vijay looking at him. After a pause, he said " If you accept and surrender then i can get a benifit of doubt for you.. Since you never were infront of anything i can get you out from this..." a sparkle was there in her eyes. Swati was trying to understand everything, what was told to her. She thought this might be the only way to get out from this.

Swati was sentenced 10 yrs of hared punishment for this and was moved to the district jail. An orthodox facility in the out skirts of the city. Designed full proof, unbreakable and unescapable, where it was a proven that only coming in was possible without going out. Swati was put into a cell with some of cruel inmates. First couple of months she was scared, tormented yet assured by Vijay that he will take her out from this but his assurance were loosing the ground of reality.

She knew this was not right and she will never be able to come out or this and she only have to find out a way to come out of this. Something she never did in so many years, something she never thought, she will ever do. The thought would require a complete mental and physical transformation of herself. A strike of revenge against Vijay, as she thought, he is responsible for everything, she has been going through...along with her husband or Akash for fooling her and driving her into something which she was never related to.

She is a different person now and thanks to the deceit she got and have been getting, which landed her in this mess. She started spending the in making friends. In this process, she met Sunita, who was convicted on a murder charge and was kept in the next cell and she would able to meet her in the work time and breaks. In couple of weeks time there was a unseen bond between both of them. she told her problem to her and agreed to help her in getting out from this provided she lets her to come with her, which was never a problem with her.

"Where is the money??" Shewta asked herself, when she tried to roll back on the series of events happened in the recent time. There was only one grey point that how so much money got disappeared without anyone even knowing about this. Vijay was always suspected because he was never confident on what he spoke but the main part is Akash. "Was Akash really was killed?" "The body was there, the objects were there but still the body could not been identified " She tried to think on the possibilities but staying inside a cell, she cannot do anything and she have to go out and fast.

"I want to go out from here and to very fast and you have to help me.." She told to Sunita. "Hmm...give me a day's time and i will get this done..." Sunita thoughtfully replied. It didnt took Sunita to freeze a plan for them. She had resources, people to help her and Shewta knew that..."Tomorrow..we will take the kitchen duty. At 12 pm, a truck will come with the grocery..My guy will bring the truck here.. This truck will be here only for 30 mins and we have to jump in the truck before it leaves. But the major risk is that the truck will be checked ...." Sunita paused. "I'll take it.." Shewta without thinking much accepted it. " Well then..." Sunita gave the assurance and they went to each other's cell. The whole night Shewta couldnt sleep thinking, where would she go then..but it is the hunt of the truth to prove her innocence.

Like the plan was, Sunita managed to get the kitchen duties for both of them and the truck arrived in the facility at exact 12 pm. After checking, it was allowed in. Both of them saw the truck getting parked 10 meters from the kitchen. Helpers started to offboard the truck as per their requirements in the pressence of the jailor. "We have to distract their attention, to something different so that we can run from here." Sunita said to Shewta. Her mind was running here and there and out of a reflex, she banged the can of oil and it fell on the gas and there was a blast, loud enough to shake the entire facility. Shewta and Sunita along with other inmates almost bounced and hit on the opposite wall. Everyone left their work and rushed for help. They somehow managed to take everyone out of the site. Though hurt, they were pretending to be unconsious. They were kept away from the fire and called the fire brigade. 

Both of them managed to get on their feet and ran towards the parcked vehical. "The truck is empty..they will catch us..." Shewta shouted. Soon she waived to sunita pointing below the truck. "We will have to hang there, till the truck is not out of the facility. No other options" Time was running and the decision needed to be made fast. Both of them jumped below. They had to hold the hot shaft but towards the cost of freedom this pain was negligible.

It took another 10 mins for the truck to start but till that time, the news of 2 disappearance speaded like fire. There were checks in the truck and the sense of uncertainity was developing in their minds. Below the truck, it was dark and hence no one could see anyone, when checked. Within few minutes, search vehicals were on the road and the truck as well hit the road. It was broad daylight and the truck stopped on the highway behind a car. Shewta and Sunita both jumped out and ran towards the car, but unfortunately they were noticed by the searching team. Upon warning, when they didnt stopped, they started firing at them. Sunita jumped in the car and made way for Shewta, its when a bullet just the her hand and went.."aaaahhhhh" Shewta shouted as blood was oozing out from the fresh cut, but before she fainted, sunita pulled her inside and the car skidded on the road.

"Police is in search of us, we cannot go to hospital... We have to find some place to hide and plan..."Sunita said to the driver tying a cloth on Shewta's hands. The car picked up the speed and moved towards the outskirts of the city. It was getting dark when they left the city way behind and there was a no sign of police vans following them.

The car off tracked in a dense forest and stopped outside a house. The house looked like a great hidding place with no one arround and even not a simple thought that there might be anyone living in that place. The house looked like stranded from many years, waiting for someone to come and live.. But there was no one. The driver Umesh, quickly stopped the burning engine of the car and there was a ultimate silence every where, with sounds of nature and animals, who are out for their dinner. There was a weak mobile signal all over the place but once they stepped inside the house it was full..suprise.

Inside of the house was a full contained control center conected to the monitoring systems accross the city. Shewta, roamed in side the house looking for any loose points but that was like a fortress much different how it looked from outside. Every one changed and burnt their clothes and there were new sets ready for their consumption. Every thing which are needed for her to avange her pain and loss was already there in the house...Guns, bombs, tracking devices etc..

She sat on one terminal and rolled its mouse, suddenly a black screen popped infront of her eyes with a green clicking bar. She typed "Vijay Malhotra" and within fraction of seconds the entire list of people with the same name popped up in front of her eyes. She carefully scrolled across the list and finally found the person whome she was searching, she clicked on "Trace" button and the screen changed to a map with a red dot moving all over the screen and then stopped in a place. This was not the same place where she met him, it was some other place..She wanted to write the location but she knew, if he changed his co-ordinates..

"Am I traceable through this" Shewta suddenly shouted without knowing, if anyone was there or not. But when no answer came to him, she shifted her eyes from the terminal to the room and no one was there..She was all alone..she shouted "Umesh..." "Sunita...." but no answer came. A strike of fear, an emotion which almost died in her but some parts of that..was still there somewhere inside her, has now grown...She jumped off the chair and started searching for someone for help. 

After a long search, she found no one she again came, from where she had started..and found a small note on a table with some money, she picked up the note and started reading, " You can hide here as much you needed and there is everything which you will need to complete the job. We cannot stay here, as this will create too many risks for all of us and so we are leaving but we will be in contact always whenever you need us to help you...and one more thing...You will never be tracked through the terminal and so you can locate anyone and every one through this, without their knowledge..""she didnt write how do i contact them" she thought and suddenly there was a glowing light from the other side of the table. she stood to check, there was a pager lying, which was blowing on its own. She picked up, there was 1 message there, she opened the message which said, "use this to contact us.." and the message deleted itself...really hi-tech...

She cleaned her wounds with hot water and antiseptic, took some food and went to the bed. she was scared to switch off the lights but she thought, that any one can trace her with the lights open. He had adopted darkness when she was in jail but this was not a jail, this was a house abandant in this dense forest where animals freely hunt for their food and she cannot die without avanging her pain..she have to live and have to be strong..Calculating a plan, she went to bed after switching off the lights.. the house was dark, and darkness complimented the actual meaning of the condition of the house.

She couldnt sleep as her mind always ran back to the older times, when she was happy with Akash and also the tough times she had to undergo after her death .."is he really dead??" her mind striked a cord of uncertainity, she atonce jumped on her bed, ran to the terminal, like a child, who at once saw her toy which she was searching from a long time, with a click of a button, the dead terminal again came to light, she didnt bother to open the lights, and with shaking hands, she typed " Akash Sharma" and pressed enter. The screen changed into a list of people with similar names. She scrolled through the list but didnt found anyone matching with the details in her mind.

She went back to her bed and tried to sleep..thinking on a plan to trace Vijay and with this heaviness in her mind she was asleep. Her sleep broke with cry of birds from the nearby trees. She woke up and without doing anything she went to the terminal. she found a blinking button, which was not there yesterday. she clicked the button and there was a message with a timer running on the top..."Come out of the house...take right...walk for 1 KM....take left ... sit inside the car..." she just completeted reading and the message dissapread.

She got ready as quickly as possible and ran out of the house.. the doors locked on their own. She started running on the directions which she memorized from the message and soon she reached infront of a black car. without looking anywhere she jumped in the car. The engine came back to life in no time. The car stopped infront of a junkyard...perfect hide out for anyone.. she came out of the car and the car speed out of the premise. Suddenly her pager started blinking, she 

Short Stories - Love

He pulled out the house keys from his pocket and unlocked the door. The door opened in a dark room full of shanti's pictures. But instead of switching on the light, he went inside and threw his bag on the broken sofa. He remembered Shanti always told him to change this sofa and he always but he never showed the interest in it. But he loved shanti in every sense.

The house once glowed with the presence of shanti, was now a barren piece of land starving for rain from ages. Ashok lost the pace of life after shanti left him 2 years back. he took out his shoes and just dropped his body on the sofa. He was thirsty and called shanti, " i am back, please give me some water" he waited for a reply, as usual but this time nothing came and no one came out also. This brought tears in his eyes. He never felt the need of shanti, so much. He woke up from the sofa and went straight to the table, which was partially visible from the near by light pole. He took a glass and poured some water for himself. He took the glass of water and went back to the sofa. He closed his eyes and let his mind go back to those years, when he met shanti.

Ashok was from a middle class family with not much expectations from life neither complaints from the life, being a small family of 4 members with 1 working member,they lived a happy life in a small city of big hopes. Ashok was a bright student and dreamt of becoming a doctor, all his academic realities inclined with his aspirations but with a financial hurdle. But he knew that, he will anyhow make this work to achieve his dreams. Because of his excellent he got scholarship and a study grant to get admitted in one of the most prominent medical college in the city.

Time flew and he was proving his mettle in his studies, when life gave him his first surprise of his life. He was completing his first year and there was a girl in his class, who didn't want to loose any single chance of looking at him. In few cases, their eyes met and then parted away. This went on for days, weeks and months and nothing was hidden from anyone, what is cooking between both of them. But the only problem is, none of them had that courage to speak with other. Time flew like this and the only change happened was they went to the next graduation year but nothing actually moved.

Fed up of all this, their friends decided to take up this on their own hands and so they thought of planning something to make them speak to each other. It was the night before the day of love and they took a card and invited the girl to their party. The card was written from Ashok's name, without letting them know, and it was handed over to the girl, through a common friend, "Priya". Priya had an easy access to their house. 

She rang the bell and a middle aged man open the door, "Namaste Uncle, Is Shanti there in house?" Shanti's father gracefully accepted her question, "jeete raho (keep living)and come in" and Priya went in. He called shanti "shanti, Priya is here. Don't spend the whole night chatting" and he walked back to his room. Quickly Priya took out the card from her bag and gave it to shanti. Shanti was clueless and asked "what is this?" confused, she opened the card and read the entire content in one breath. 

Priya could see the change in the colour and expressions on her face. she was thrilled, Excited but latter tensed. "What happened? aren't you happy? You wanted this from such a long time" She questioned shanti but shanti was in another world calculating the probabilities of worst case scenarios. After a long time, Priya shook shanti to break her silence. Shanti woke up as if she was dreaming and still she was in dreams. "Father...." she paused, a deep line of concern became visible on her forehead.

"Don't worry....Things will be sorted out" she assured her. "just be ready tomorrow" she said and left her house. Shanti was standing holding the card, excitement in her eyes and fear in her heart. She stood there for a long time until her father's call woke her up " Is Priya gone??" "Yes father sometime back and i am also going to sleep?" She answered "OK, check all the locks and switch off the lights" he ended. Darkness of the night was nothing in front of the glow in her eyes. She went to her room, locked the room, read the card once again kissed that and slept.

Love...love...love everywhere, no one in the college was interested to study. Attendance was record low and management was angry, but what to do, the time has gone when one can force kids to sit and study. the entire gang has planned really good on the name of Ashok and without knowing him. They knew, if he knew then he will never agree for this. the entire day went in calculating the speculations. Priya in a way, managed to bring Shanti to the party. Ashok was still unaware of the objective of this all arrangement, he was told that its a general get together meet to celebrate the love.

Ashok came late in the venue and found no one was there, he took a chair and sat down holding a book on his face and suddenly he felt some one sat in front of him. he slowly lowered down his book and was surprised to see Shanti in front of him. She was holding the card and a rose in her hands. A small smile was on her face with a sparkle in her eyes along with a glow on her face. Both sat across each other, with no words on their lips but eyes talking with each other.

Suddenly, Ashok, still spell bounded, said " You look beautiful..." and then there was a long silence, nothing more was spoken by both of them but probably things were understood by this. Silence spoke thousand words than any words. The cupid has played his part but now life has to test their compatibility on the time to come but now this was wonderful as we see an unexpected to turn to expected.

Time flew and both Shanti and Ashok enjoyed their best times of life. They got married after 2 years after completion of their graduation and together completed MD. Ashok completed his Masters in Neuro-Surgery and Shanti completed her masters in general medicine. Things were going good as they made a perfect balance between work and job, no complaints from life and relationship....all fine. They wanted to take their relationship to the next level to become parents.

As all knows, no one knows what time and life has stored for you and soon they have to face the hardest reality of life. Ashok was invited to speak in a conference in a near by city, which is about 2 hrs drive from his work place. Unfortunately this came on their anniversary date and both had planned to celebrate it together. The plan was that shanti would drive to him in the conference center and then they would celebrate their anniversary and go back.

The plan was right but probably the time was wrong, Ashok, as usually, left in the morning to attend the conference and left the car keys for shanti to drive to the venue. Everything was perfect, as seems, it was 4 PM, shanti, excited, winded up her meetings well in time, took the car keys and drove to meet ashok. She took the fastest route to the venue through the highway. Suprisingly, the sky was blank and rain drops dropping on the car. It was sudden, when the drops changed into a pour.

Shanti looked at her watch, it was still half an hour, for the conference to get over. He thought, why to waste time in stopping, when she can drive slowly and she can reach him before time and wait there. So she kept her car in a constant, the visibility dropped less than 1%, she switched on her parking lights and was moving on a steady pace. Suddenly her phone ranged, it was Ashok's call, his conference was over and was waiting for her. She thought twice to pick up the call but at the end emotions took over the thinking ability and she took up the call.

"Happy anniversary... my love.." a serious but romantic voice came from the other end. She recognised the voice, but thought to play a little. "Reply to this, will get in person..." she gave a naughty smile and pressed the accelerator. she could see a trailer carrying a bunch of iron pipes and banged the trailer. In this crash, 2 pillers went through her forehead and crashed the back glass. Phone was ringing with ashok's name flashing but she couldn't take that. Suddenly crowd started gathering around her car but no one was really coming ahead to help her. She was not dead and still to react to the reflexes.

Suddenly a hand came and opened the door. The door war locked as it was badly damaged, but after lot of pain, the door actually opened and the hands unlocked the seat belts but how to take the her out as the slabs were still in her head. The crowd called a iron cutter and he cut the larger portions of the slabs and kept a small section inside. The person took out shanti from the car and made her sit in the side of the road. He quickly called the emergency service of the nearby hospital and the hospital in turn gave a call to ashok, who was the only neuro surgeon in the town. 

She was able to relate what was happening, she was also able to hear her phone ringing but she couldn't take up the call, after trying multiple times, ashok left the venue and rushed to the hospital. he kept trying shanti's number but all in vein. He the moment he entered to the main gate of the hospital, he saw the ambulance entering the gates. He rushed to ambulance to have a look to the patient. the wardens were in the process of taking the patient out and as he reached near, he was shocked.

He saw 2 iron pillars, wet in rain water, was still in her head, the blood was clotted around the wound and her face was turning blue, as if some kind of poison was getting mixed in her blood. Without the any delay he told the wardens to go to the Operation theater, he ran to his strength, to the changing room, got changed and sanitized himself and ran to the OT.

"Thank god.. her heart was beating..." he assured himself by checking the nerves and the heart beat. He told his team to give anesthesia to her and started operating. It took more than 6 hrs of gruelling and finally it was over. He checked the vital statistics, all OK, kissed her forehead and went out. She was shifted to the ICU, where she will be kept for next 48 hrs. 

Ashok made sure that he was with her all day and night. It was 3 AM in the night, when the pain raised. Ashok ran to to her checked and found that her heart was sinking. He called the nurse, she came running with the antibiotics. He pressed the needles straight to her ribs and gave CPR to her. Situation went in control, Shanti opened her eyes and saw ashok near her.."Sorry ...." tears came out of her eyes, he came near and wiped her tears and told her to take rest.

She told the nurse to leave them alone, she took his hand on her hand, ashok, though understood, what was going to happen , was still waiting for any miracle to happen. she pulled him close to herself and whispered in his ears "Happy Marriage Anniversary...love you" She kissed and collapsed on the hands of ashok. All went silent, the constant beeping sounds of the monitors were so prominent in that room that is almost made him deaf. Ashok couldn't believe that, shanti is no more, his love is no more... his everything is lost, which cannot be brought back... He wanted to shout on this but refrained himself. He knew this, would happen, if not now then within a week's time.

He sat down looking to the innocent face of shanti, who had a smile on her lips and solace on her face. He smiled looking to her that now there will be no pain.. all pain gone... or given to him. He couldnt control the tears dropping from his eyes and started crying in pain... with a shock he came back to reality..the same dark room.. with a glass of water in his hand not drunk.

He took the nearby lying photograph of himself and shanti in happy times and just was about to cry, a sudden knock on the door..shook him from inside. He checked his watch .. it was past 9 PM. "who came at this time of night ? then he remembered that it was the time when shanti used to return from her hospital. He went to the door...bounced badly on the table and the glass dropped on the carpet. He opened the door, but found no one. He thought that some kids in the building might be playing with him, as he was about to close the door, he say an envelope sticked on the name plate just on Shanti's name. He took the envelope and checked every corner of it.

Nothing was written on it, he opened the same and found a letter and a key chain. He remembered that it was of the same car keys, which shanti took that day. He opened the letter and start reading that ...

"Don't insult love by repenting, why it happened..

Love brings people together... People don't..

So smile to the last breath you take..

So that you can start the journey with a smile....

Love is not question but it is an answer..

Love is not a puzzle but it is a picture..

Love is an emotion not an impulse..

love is a smile not a tear...

Since you smile, i also smile .. 

This is my house and i don't like it dark ..

Its not important, whether i am there or not ...

Love should remain as we brought in there...."

He folded the letter and kissed it.. and kept close to his heart. before entering the house, he switched on the light. Darkness was no where and an optimistic glow was all around..................................................................

A Life called "Marriage"

It took me 11 yrs to understand what marriage really means, it i san epitome of one's test of loyalty and trust and you have to clear it, on the parameters which you don't set for yourself but someone else sets for you. You have to clear on the expectations which is not yours but of someone else, which you have to fulfil.

the thought threw mw back to the era,when i was studying in school and my parents wanted me to fulfill their wish, wishes which i didn't had but of someone else and I am burning the midnight oil to fulfil that. I tend to get trained to apply me strenght to enter those worlds which do not relate with me, that kept me thinking, what is the fun left in a life, where you cannot even live for yourself, forget dreaming.

well coming to the test match of 11 overs, where every over is a year, i always put my best efforts to win the match but for whome, i didn't want to even play this match but then what do you do when you are thrown on the pitch with stadium full of people. I had to take the bt in my hands and wait of the time to put googlly to me. The success ratio of making a century in this game is next to impossible because the one will decide your game is not you, its someone else only.

well, jumping back from the sarcastic mode to a bit emotional note, people say that time is the healer and a killer but the real killer is the surprises you ger from life. You feel that what you do is good which will make the life happy but it do not happen. You try to  built the most beautiful monument of love but still you fail to get that. what i understood is that you have to be superfecial because  no one will like your face after so many years of marriage.

I am sure, any of my friends will agree that, even though they tried to convince, tried to keep everything happy and beautiful, tried or trying to clean the mess of mis understandings but still haven't suceeded in getting the same in a right perspective and i am sure that they will never able to do it because the success criteria is not set by you but by someone else. So the life called "Marriage" is nothing but looking the same life from other's glasses. It can be good and beautiful or ugly and disgusting.

How am I driving?

Its being time that i was thinking of writing some of my recent experiences, but due to hectic schedule couldn't do so. So now, when i am free i thought of recalling the instance in my mind and putting on the paper.

This happened couple of months back when i was coming back from my office. I was about to reach kharghar. I was driving my car and was very much awake. The road was open with moderate traffic. I was driving on a slow pace then suddenly i saw a car over taking me. I didn't bother much, but what next i saw bowled by head.

The time, this car over took me, i could see myself driving that car and the same man was sitting in the rear passenger seat. When the car came in front of me, he looked back to me and smiled, then the car speeded up and disappeared.

Now people might think that i was not in sense or was half sleep. But being witnessed of something unusual, i only know how i could control myself from thinking, who is this person? or why I am always seeing him only?

The questions are too many and there are no answer. I havent met with this person in my life time and suddenly i started to see him. He smiles at me as if he knows me very well. There are no answers to these questions and so i also stopped looking for the answers.

Its all about me !!!! - Concluding Part

Time passed quickly and I was getting prepared to enter the harsh world of corporate jargons. I was nervous from people saying their experiences in interviews. I was good but not the best and I realized that to be best I have to bury all my past and focus on the things which I intend to do or things which I were waiting for me. But this was not so easy. Now writing this post, I can speak hundreds words of “dos” and “don'ts” but that time, it was not so easy to busy everything.

Luck favored me in this and I got my first professional break as an internship, with an US based software company. But it needed a lot of confidence to sit in front of 4 interviewers and answer their question. One girl helped me to ease my pain. It happened before my graduation completed. I was totally distorted with what had happened and lost focus on almost everything. I used to blindly spend time on internet without knowing what to do. I used to spend hours in chat rooms chatting and flirting. My personality changed and I didn't like it.

Then one day while chatting, I met with a girl who was alone in the room. Although there were lot of people interested in talking with her but she was not responding to any of the requests. I found this a little strange as she was in a public room. I gave her a private message, asking if she wants to talk with me. I was least expecting a reply from her, as she was not replying to anyone in the room, but probably that was my luckiest day. She agreed and we moved to a separate room.

Since it was the first day, we did only high level talks. We talked about our profiles. Although, this kind of talk is practically not logical in these mediums, but we had to start somewhere. We almost continued to chat everyday on the time we decided to meet. Anyone who would come early would create a separate room for the other person to join. Sometimes, I used to get confused with the names, she used to use. Then one day, I asked her, her actual name because some where I knew that she was using false names. Till that time, we had become very good friends and probably I was sure that this is the right time to ask her about her name.

She took a day to reply back to me, as it was normal. She might not trust someone whom she has not met nor spoke with, till now and the time spent was not so much to trust someone to give her details. But our relationship was more of trust than anything else and this came automatically in us. We knew that the other person will not misuse the information in any sense. She told her actual name and surprisingly her name was same of the girl in my class.

I told her to use her real name in the chat as I use to do. Without any further delay she changed her login name to her real name. Time passed like this and I started feeling good while speaking with her. Her company would make me forget my pains and live a good life. I felt an attraction, although we did not meet. I started putting her to the place which was vacant from a long time and felt good in thinking that probably god has made her for me.

But how to ask her or propose her? I didn't want to lose the precious friendship which has grown between us in this time. On calendars it was 3 months past. I thought, I have to anyhow tell her what I felt for her. The least can happen was rejection, so I prepared myself mentally and thought that I would propose her tonight. She came in the night the same time and after a little chat. I told her that I want to express my feeling to her. She didn’t thought much and allowed me to speak. I told her that, I feel good when I am talking to her and probably I think I started loving her. She was silent for the entire time and suddenly went out of the room.

I tried to convince her saying that this is something I felt and do not hold any obligation on you. I am good with your friendship and afraid to loose that. She asked me from when I was thinking about this, I told her that its being a month I am getting that feeling inside me. She told me that she will answer my proposal in a day’s time. I thought that’s it !!!! all gone. I couldn't sleep that night thinking on my foolishness, I had least to expect.

Next day she came and told me that she wanted to test my authentication. She told me that you do something, which will define the level of trust and authenticity that I should be able to put in you. She waited as I was thinking, what I can do? Then without any second thought, I gave my personal mails id and password to her. I told her, this is open my personal account and you can see my trust on you. She was surprised seeing this as no one would give their credentials like this.

She opened the account and without reading anything logged out. But some where she was convenienced that I am not the type of other guys who would cheat someone like this. Then the next day she came with her reply. She paused and gave me her acceptance. Heaven broke on my head and I was on cloud 7. I was more than happy hearing this that at least I didn’t got what I expected. She logged out instantly.

Then the chat went into personal mode and we used to discuss everything on this earth. That was the time when she asked for my phone number. I gave her without thinking a lot. I still remember the confusion happened when she called me and my mom received the call. Most of the people confuse between my and my father’s names. Although they are entirely different in writing, but in pronunciation they have a similarity. She also fell into the same problem. She called me and my mother received the call, she asked for me but said my father’s name. My mom thought that the call is for my dad and she told her that her husband is out for some work.

Listening this, she broke into tears and disconnected the call. I came to know later that she was with her friend and she was thinking that I broke her trust. To teach me a lesson, her friend called me again and luckily this time I picked up the phone. She started firing me and I was not even aware of the situation. I told her to cool down and tell me the problem. I was getting a little nervous because I could hear her voice, she was crying continuously. Her friend told me that, I cheated her by saying that I am not married and she just spoke to your wife. I wanted to laugh at it but looking to the seriousness of the situation, I controlled myself.

I asked her, what name did you tell her? She said the name. I said, it is a shame that your friend do not even pronounce my name correctly and expects a proper reply. The name you told just now is of my father’s name and to whom your friend spoke was my mother. I added to the heat by saying that, now my mom is suspicious as to what is happening. The time I stopped this, her friend broke a laugh and she was scolding her from behind. She dropped the receiver by laughing and didn't speak a word.

Then after some time, again I got the call and this time my mom, started asking me about the calls. She was getting suspicious on the calls coming from a girl and that to long distance. Sorry, one thing I didn't tell you guys that, she was not in Mumbai as to she didn't live in Mumbai. The time we met she was in Delhi, studying her masters and computers. So she was calling me from Delhi. So she called me back and I explained her, the confusion just happened. Things were light and she understood the confusion.

Although I would say that was a test of our loyalty and trust in us that our relationship was able to sustain the waves of confusion without even getting a little shake. Even though, we were in a relationship which was the next level of friendship but still we decided to remain as friends. We were comfortable in interacting with ourselves as friends than as a couple. But that doesn't mean, we didn't have romance in our relationship. We enjoyed all colors of this relationship and with each experience; our bonding was more proper, more stable, more flexible and more durable.

Within all these happening, my graduation and NIIT training completed and I got an internship in a software company as a programmer. I never liked programming and kept that as the last sought career position. But my luck started counting the lost from down and I got a job as a programmer. First job in life, first salary everything first, wonderful feeling. Weeks passed like weeks and weeks like years. We used to talk everyday on phone. We wanted to meet and see ourselves. But how??

That was a time when my granny came to Mumbai from Kolkata. I was very close to her. Although she was much stricter than my mom but somewhere she made sense in everything she did. I planned to tell her about this. I was scared because she comes from that ole generation, where love was only after marriage. I told her to send her snap to me. I still remember, she mailed me a marriage photograph which she attended. That is how I saw her for the first time. She was damn beautiful and pretty. She asked for my photo. Well.. I am not into much of clicking photos; I would rather click someone else but not myself.

But luckily there was a party in office and people clicked the party. Fortunately there were couple of snaps, where I was there and that I mailed her those. Well… the point is how to meet? In a good day, when everything was normal, I opened her pic in front of my granny and asked her, how do you find her? This question was very important because my granny loved beauty because she was damn beautiful. At the age pass 70 she used to look at least 20 – 30 years younger, just because she maintained it. Granny loved her, as she was also beautiful.

I made so many plans to go and meet her but then it didn't work because of the work and by that time another big thing happened. Both of our family got the telephone bills and it was around 11000. On checking the bills, her family found a Mumbai number and my family found a Delhi number. Then what…. Questions..Questions…Questions….

I still remember, I was getting ready for office and suddenly my phone rang. It was a STD, I was sure something has happened, as I hadn't expected her call so early. I answered the call and found a male voice. He asked my name and I told him and then he asked whether I knew his girl. I was not pre texted. So I agreed and also told him that we met on chat. By this time, my family knew the entire situation. I told them and also told them that whatever it takes, I will marry her or no one else.

I told my mom to call that number back and tell them the entire story. I was not aware of her situation. When the call was made, she was not in house and the call was answered by her father. I was in office and was praying to god. What I came to know that when my mom called and spoke with her dad, she entered home. Her dad, asked her about me and she was blurred. She denied that, she didn’t know me. I was very furious and I thought of putting a mail on it. But my mom told me to calm down. I was very much angree as to why to put my mom in a fix.

I think also understood, what she did and she told the entire thing to her parents. There was no problem as I also come from a good family. Things sorted out and the same night, her father called on my cell and apologized to me. I told him that if I were in his position then I would have reacted the same way. Then everything sorted out, I used to call her only on Sundays and talk with him and her mom. Her mom used to ask me about the future of this relationship and I was very sure of the future. But by the time this happened, my granny passed away.

I wanted her to stay with me to see all these things, she also spoke with her one day in Hindi. I couldn't believe that. When she got the news, she cried endlessly, she was attracted to her warmth. My granny will be always my favorite. But she wanted to my marriage and so taking her last wishes, my parents agreed to visit.

But how to recognize her? Looking someone in photo and in individual, are both different things. But no one believes that we both were psychologically connected. I could sense the color of her dress, by sitting in Mumbai. So recognizing someone was not a big deal. That was a first time I met her in person, wonderful feeling indeed. Sitting and talking, holding hands..Was simply great. Our marriage was decided the next year in winter. Everything was going as per our expectation.

We invited them to visit Mumbai and to see our place. They agreed and visited us, so that was the final meeting we had in person and then in a year we got married to each other. I always say by this our relationship climbs the next level but still we remain what we were….Good friends. We had a only pact between ourselves that.. Whatever happens our friendship will never break and maintaining this promise..We are completing 10 years of commitment and loyal togetherness.

She had been always besides me in good and bad times and I am grateful to her for that. Today by completing 10 years of marriage I have completed 12 years of professional commitment. She was always a vital support for me to complete these years. I have no regrets in saying, academically and practically, she is much more superior to me, but I love it. Today I have a small world called “Family” where I, my wife and my daughter live.

I feel apart from the position I am working on, it was a dream 12 yrs back, when I was fighting for survival. Today I help people to survive as I did. The journey from a 4 figure salary to 6 figure salary was exciting, lot of lessons learnt and lot of experiences.

Before putting a full stop to my short reflection of my life, I would like to say something to all of you, It is not what you achieve but what matters is how you have achieved. Life tests everyone but it also gives you a solution and love is a part of the solution. Loving someone is not something which should be repented, when you don't get that person. Love does not understand revenges, egos … nothing. For love.. Even Black is beautiful, if you believe it is beautiful.

So people… Love unconditionally and enjoy the colors of life…… thanks.