"Long time can never be so long"

New Delhi railway station,
Standing on platform no. 8, I could hear the lonesome whistle blow. Train arrives and I board into it. After taking my seat, I could just think of getting a hot cup of tea. The caterer serves the tea. There are two more passengers sitting in front of me. A boy and a girl. They are sitting as if they are strangers to each other. I don't know if the train conductor knew the silence sounding so loudly in the compartment that he plays the song
"ye raatein, ye mausam, nadi ka kinara..Ye chanchal hawa"..
After an hour a soft voice breaks the silence .

Girl: - Pratyush, How are you doing?
Boy: - Hey Mahek, Am doing fine. How about you? Long time.

I am completely blown away by this surprise. A minute ago, I didn't have this slightest guess that they knew each other.

Mahek: - Yes, it was really long. Some 11 months. We last met at the alumni meet.
Pratyush: - Yup! And "ab mile bhi hain to train mein".
Smile touches their lips and it seems as if it was trying to narrate all that happened in the last 11 months.
Pratyush: - So you are going to Patna.
Mahek: - Yes. To attend the marriage of Nikhil and Sony.
Pratyush: - Hey what a coincidence. I am also going to attend their marriage. Sony lives just a few building away from mine.
Nikhil, Sony, Pratyush and Mahek were classmates at MDI, gurgaon.

Pratyush: - So how is your work going? Are you working for the same bank or switched your job?
Mahek: - Nope! I am still loving my old job. How is your interior designing business going?
Pratyush: - Yes it’s going fine and the good news is that I will be moving to UK for some assignments.
Mahek: - That’s great. So how is your girl friend? Has she completed her studies?
Pratyush: - She is fine and is working for an HR consultancy after her studies.
Mahek: - So when are you two getting married?
Pratyush: - I don't know. I don't know where our relationship is heading towards. At this stage, we both are giving time to each other to think about this relationship of two years. Initially she could not live without me but I was too careless to think about all this. Now she is getting busy to shape her career and our relationship is facing all this heads and tails.
Anyways forget all these. Tell me, what’s the scene with you. I just hope you could have found someone too good for you. (Pratyush smiles and Mahek tries to match him with an artificial one)
Mahek: - Yup! I am getting married this November. I am not very sure if he is too good for me but my parents think he is good for me. I have met him couple of times and I find him nice and matured.
Pratyus: - Congrats yaar!! So you must be very excited and eagerly waiting for these months to pass by, as a flash.
Mahek:- I donno if I am happy or not but I just think it as another inevitable thing going to happen in my life. And I am accepting it because it had to happen someday.

Pratyush: - Why are you sounding so complacent about the changes that is going to happen in your life. You don't sound excited.
Mahek: - Why are you asking all these. You are not oblivious of the reasons. So better stop this discussion and let’s talk something else.
Pratyush tries to get himself into the magazine, he is holding and Mahek looks outside the window.

Again a long silence surrounds the compartment and adding to it is the song played,
"Na umra ki seema ho na janmon ka ho bandhan, Jab pyar kare koi to dekhe kewal mann...Tum haar ke dil apna, meri preet amar kar do…."

End of Part[I]....

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"khamoshi ko khamoshi se, zindagi ko zindagi se baat karne do
ankhon mein kho jaaye aankhen, bole haathon se haath
baahon mein chupkar saanson se, jaise dole raat

ungaliyo ko ungaliyo se, mausamon ko shokhiyon se baat karne do

honthon par honthon se, likhe bin shabdon ke geet

dharati se ambar tak guunje jismon kaa sangeet

bekhudi ko bekhudi se, aashiqui ko aashiqui se baat karne do.."

I am 'trying' to read the novel, which appeared to be a nice read when the train started but now the surrounding is more exhilarating than it. My adrenalin flow has increased to know 'What Next?' . I still believe that this was the middle of the road.

After the supper, everyone has gone for sleep but Mahek and Pratyush are still awake.

'116 chand ki raatein ek tumhare kaandhe ka til..geeli mehndi ki khushboo,Jhooth mooth ke shique kutch....'

I was so lost in the song and silence that a sudden soft voice surprised me.

"You know these lines hold the gist of this movie"

Pratyush: - Thank God, tumne kutch bola to sahi. (Smiles and this is equally reciprocated by Mahek). Haan, I know. In the movie heroine is trying to remind the hero, those glorious 4 months, they spent together. Its 116 because beech mein 4 amawas ki raatein aati hain. She loved the mole on hero's shoulder so much ki wo uske shirt ka shoulder ke paas ka part fad deti hai, so that she can see that mole.

Mahek: - Yup!! I hope you are still a big fan of Gulzaar saab.

Pratyush: - Yes. and how can I forget how crazy we were. We used to watch Gulzar movies almost every day and the Gulzar songs were the trademark of our hostel room. Tumne to Gurgaon ke saare Planet M mein hungama macha diya tha ek baar because you could not get the album having the song "kitabon se agar gujro to ye kirdaar milte hain, gaye waqton ki dyori pe khade kuch yaar milte hain".

Both of them start laughing at this and this was the first time Mahek was looking happy.

Pratyush: - Yaar am sorry, i din't want to hurt you. I was just asking as a friend.

Mahek:- I know but yaar am really bugged by this question. Everyone asks me the same.

Mahek: - Do you remember the small amphitheater inside our college campus. It was almost mid-way between boy's and girl's hostel.

Pratyush: - Ofcourse I remember that yaar. It was called the proxy canteen of our college.

Mahek: - You might remember it just for those reasons but that place is very close to my heart. This was the place where I had expressed my feelings to someone. And after that, this was the place where I used to spent those lonely mid-nites. You know I still remember that line "I am already taken up".

(Mahek tries to make a balance between her emotions and the words. But often Word slips out. Pratyush is listening to her. He tries to speak in between but it seems that something holds him back and asks him to let Mahek speak.)
Log mujhse kehte hain ki ab tum mechanical ho gayi ho..Just you and your career. But this is the way I am. They say I don't socialize and I ask them why should I? If they don't like me and my attitude they should better go and boil their head.

I am completely taken up by surprise and fear. The girl who appeared to be so sweet and calm was shivering with anger. But this was not her anger but her frustration. Every word she spoke reflected what she has been going through, how badly she felt when she could not get the love of her life, how much she loved that guy, how much she loves that guy.

Pratyush: - Yaar, but this won't be good for your future. It may affect your marriage. You should forget the past and look into the future.

Mahek:- It is too easy to say this but its too tough to actually forget. And one more thing I have not committed any crime so that i should forget the past. I respect myself as I did what my heart said and I cherish those small moments. Infact, i would have been dipped into this guilt feeling, had not i said that. My love does not need any reciprocation. I had lot many reasons to find a love, many more to remember them but not a single one to forget that. (Deep breath) Don't worry, I am not so weak to let the past overshadow my future. I know I will happily manage my future. Bitter moments cannot be forgotten but they cannot close the door for future ones. Infact I am happy to get Aman in my life. (Aman is Mahek's fiancee).

Mahek's eyes are completely red. Not that she was crying but just that she was trying hard not to appear weak.
Pratyush was too dumbed to say anything. Silence and only silence is moving inside the compartment. Most of the co-passengers are deep down into their dream to get a whiff of what happening around. The conversation between Mahek and Pratyush are not disturbing me to sleep, but thrilling me to be awake.

End of Part [II]
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Mahek:- Kya yaar, hum bhi kaisi baaton mein ulajh gaye hain. Kutch aur baat karte hain na. Tum batao tumhara kya scene hai? Kya chal raha hai? What's your plan?
Pratyush: - Plan...I am planning to have a cup of tea. I guess 'mughlasarai' aane wala hai.Wahan ke kulhad ki chai bahut achchi hoti hai. (Pratyush tries to make a cozy environment)

Mahek: - I am asking about your plan for getting married.
Pratyush: - I am yet to find Miss right for myself. You got your Mr right, but I am not as lucky as you are. (Smiles)
Mahek: - Don't be silly. I am serious.
Pratyush: - So am I.
Mahek seems to be bitten up by goose-flesh. She tries to get normal and speaks.
Mahek: - What happened to your girl-friend. You two were very much in love. What happened to the girl who had "taken you up".
Pratyush: - We said goodbye long back.

It seemed both of them are out of words. Its 4am and the train stops at Mughalsarai junction. Pratyush gets down and comes back with two kulhadd of tea in his hand.
Pratyush: - Have it. Yahan ki chai achchi hoti hai.
Mahek: - Thanks. I really needed this. Remember we used to go to that tapri behind the west side gate of our college. Kitna achcha lagta tha raat ke 2 baje garam garam chai peene mein.
Pratyush: - Yup!! and we used to sit there and have chat for the whole night. Just me and you.
Mahek: - And haan ek baar jab mere marketting ke paper mein kam marks aaye the and I was very depressed to tumne poori raat wahin bitha kar mujhe samjhaya tha. Thanks for all that.
Pratyush: - Don't be. I loved to spend time with you and us waqt I wanted to be with you.
Anyways lets go to sleep. Warna kalh Shaadi mein we won't enjoy. Good night.
Mahek: - Good night.

Its 8am in the morning. The train is about to reach Patna junction. Caterer serves the morning tea.
Pratyush: - Good morninng.
Mahek: - Good morning. I am really excited to join the marriage. Maine suna hai Bihar mein Shaadi ka rashm bahut alag style ka hota hai.
Pratyush: - Haan, You will really enjoy that. (Smiles)

Train arrives at Patna Junction.
Pratyush tries to help Mahek in taking out her luggage.
Pratyush: - Chalo I will get you a taxi and then we will meet in the evening.
Mahek: - Thanks. (She stands there and after a minute). Pratyush, I don't know I should say this now or not but I still love you.

Pratyush stands there, completely blown up by surprise. He holds Mahek's hand for sometime and tries to speak something. But he appears to be too happy to suppress the joy and rather than saying anything he just moves his hand on Mahek's head. He just says: 'Lets go'.

As I get down, I could see them going with smile on their face Joy in their heart.
I catch the bus to Muzaffarpur. I will always remember this journey.

'The Start'