In Love : Once & Forever
Page 7
run this movie, our movies went out of theatre, mainly because of audience shortage…
This incident caused fear in every boy’s mind to love a girl… especially the girls who had gotten prizes in the running competition. We actually wondered what the mistake Pradeep had really done was. Her father was very much angry towards him. Had he really raped his daughter or what?
On the next day, Pradeep came to the school. After that incident, he was afraid even to look at her… for he would have thought about the large fist of his father. Nevertheless, we incited him to see her, saying that,
“We think she is casting her sweet eyes towards you because girls sympathise very much. And it seems that she was really impressed, and her heart was touched when you sacrificed yourself by getting beatings from your father...”
“Really?” He exclaimed with a blissful face… and started to gaze at her.
What we expected had happened, and we were happy. The reason was twofold. One was that we did a good thing by joining a loving pair. The other was that we had escaped the subsequent parents' meeting also. We got assured that next time the sequel of Pradeep’s last film would occupy all the theatres. Moreover, the mothers would also support the role of the villains in that sequel…
” If hundreds are not going to suffer, then it didn’t matter that one is going to. If it was made sure that we were one among the hundreds.”
11.MIRAGE:
And one day I discussed everything with Syed, everything included how some shades of love fell on me.
After hearing this, he said to me,
” We experience this kind of attraction during this stage of our life. Do not yield yourself to such thoughts. If you do so, then your studies will be spoiled, and your result may turn out to be the worst”
He advised and warned me. Though Syed and I were envious of each other’s marks, we always wished that,
“He should get very good marks, and I should get at least one mark higher than him.”
Our thoughts were selfish but at the same time, it was harmless, and sometimes we needed it for each other’s progress. So I completely brushed aside the thoughts about her and yielded myself in getting good marks in the exam. During that time, it was a very easy task for my juvenile and immature heart.
A year went, after our ninth standard holidays, we entered our tenth standard. I enjoyed my holidays so blissfully. At times, most of our school friends went to the common ground and played cricket together. To everyone’s surprise I even hit a sixer and took some incredible catches. They hadn’t allowed me to bowl but if they had, then I would have also taken some wickets…
Syed and I often ate at each other’s houses; we went to both temples and mosques. We went to the movies and returned home with empty pockets. As a whole, we never forgot to decorate those days with our normal activities, because of which they always appear glamorous in our minds when we think of those good old days.
Then our tenth standard began, so much hope and so many expectations were kept on our tenth public exam.
We first went to the English tuition with the intention of getting good marks in the exam. However, in the Sundays what we actually did was something different. We would go as early as possible to the tuition and we played cricket on the nearby ground of our English Maam’s house. I hated this much because most of the times when we played cricket I stood only as an umpire to their game.
Our English Mam, in fact motivated us to study. She believed that I had some skills that would make some wonder, if I could succeed to use them in a right way. She often said this to me.
One of our friends said to us that he loves a girl, and he would even give his life to her. After he told that we watched his grades dropping from A to B then to C-may be up to Z if it had existed. The most shocking part about that was he too loved the same person, whom I loved and pretended as if not loving any girl, during that time.
When our English madam came to know about that, she advised us.
“Everyone during the age of 16 will definitely have to cross the barricade of love in their path. Everyone will be having some impression or attraction towards someone. However, they are just illusions in your path. It will vanish after you attain some age so never get into it. They are mirages and when you go near them, you will be realising that they are nothing. With your tender hearts, it is difficult to differentiate between the infatuation and true love. Just concentrate on your dreams and first try to attain them. If your impression or infatuation is a true love, then you will wish to attain your love even after your dreams are realised. So give the preference to your dreams “
I felt what she said was 100% true.
During the age of 16, “Does our heart, which had been obstinate about years to fall in love, was violently being taken by someone's hand at last? Alternatively, does our heart waits for a long time looking for the best one to give itself voluntarily into their hands? We couldn’t feel either of this happening because when this happens our heart wouldn’t be available with us.”
12.IN THE TALE OF LIFE:
In those days, every student of our class feared to love someone. It was because of the fear that was created for us by our parents and teachers. They gave us impression that loving someone was a sin. This fear given to us was like a red signal, prohibiting our love trains to move ahead. Before we came to know about the true meaning of love, they advised us not to fall in love with anyone at any time. That was the free advice everyone wished to give us, by telling their love stories (most, which would resemble close to some of the super hit love stories of that time). They warned us not to taste the wine of love by any chance and lose our soberness.
It was because most of them had already experienced and read their love stories. In the middle of everyone’s tale of life, which we start to write, right from the day they are born, contains a page prewritten by some. After reading that page named “love," few lucky ones are able to get the same person to write their entire other left out pages. Most complete their tales by some other writing the left out pages, while others leave their tale unfinished.
Our teachers and parents, who hold their place in one among these first two, preferred us not to fall in love. Since they were afraid that some of our tales might also end unfinished.
In our school days, the only thing we were much awaiting for was the public exam. Our preparations for the exam reached the peak when we started to count the days of our exams. While most of us were busy in reading our subjects, a few really enjoyed their days at our school. Intense friendship words, special words, lovely words, caring words and advising words filled the pages of our slam books. I could remember the every word I wrote in her slam book. Neither I nor Syed bought a slam book for us. We were too busy in the preparations of our exams so we gave least importance to it.
Syed and I were so serious that we even refused to remember a phone number. We said to each other that the memory portion in our brain that we used to store the phone number could instead be utilised to save an answer for our one mark questions.
13.SAVING THE MIDNIGHT OIL:
The exam, which we had been expecting for all these days, came at last. Everyone was busy studying his or her subjects. I still wonder how my study holidays ended so fast that I might have watched only one or two films a day.
We all were sad about the exams. However, we were happy for one thing regarding the public exams, that our teachers would not be evaluating our exam papers. For they always gave us least marks. It might because their bank balance came down for each mark, they provided us.
That DAY was the last study holiday of ours, i.e. our exams were going to begin the next day. On my last study holiday day, I started studying in the morning at 10’o clock. I studied up to 12’o clock in the afternoon. Then I thought of relaxing myself for a few minutes, so I switched on the Television.
I they are telecasting my favourite, the trailer of which had never been telecasted before that day.
I kept on seeing that film saying to myself,
“I will study after ten minutes,"
The ten minutes time extended, and at last, I saw the whole film, which ended only at 3’o clock. First, one should warn every TV station that they are not to telecast new or popular movies during the exam times of the students. Most of the students fail to study their subjects by watching the films, saying,
“Just for ten minutes,” exactly like I did.
Then I went to sleep because of the tiredness of watching the film continuously. I woke up at 5’0 clock and again started studying up to 6’o clock.
Another time I switched on the T.V. With the same thought,
“I will switch it off within 5 minutes.”
The next was the India- Pakistan cricket match. The Indian players played awesome like never before. It was impossible to quit the match in the intermediate because every over contained at least one sixer, four or a wicket. I watched T.V. even after the match ended.
After that I went to eat. My mother’s dinner made me to doze in my study table itself. Then I again awoke at 10’o clock. I saw the light in the Syed’s house still glowing,
I warned myself that,
“Look Syed is studying still now,"
Then I was wide-awake