Meanwhile, for Aby, Sehmat’s silence was deafening. He could not understand what Sehmat was thinking. What if she rejected him? The feeling would haunt him forever. Fearing a refusal, his heart nearly stopped beating.
Sehmat decided to let her emotions take the lead. She had waited so long to feel this way and was now ready to take a chance. She shook her head in an attempt to clear her feelings. Tears began streaming down her face as she barely whispered, ‘Yes.’
‘Yes, what, Sehmat?’ he asked desperately.
Sehmat looked at Aby. Her eyes held the emotive response that he was hoping for, but Sehmat went a step further. ‘I love you too. It just took a very long time for it to sink in.’
Relief flooded Aby’s face. As if guided by an invisible force, his hands met hers, her fingers clasping his palms with passion and excitement. The warmth flowed easily between them but the two lovebirds preferred to stay quiet, letting their expressions do the talking. After a few moments, Aby broke the silence, ‘When you shook your head, I thought you were going to deny us a chance.’
Sehmat smiled shyly and rested her head on his shoulders. If it were a dream, she did not wish to be woken up. Her feet were bandaged but her heart had healed, completely.
Their moment was interrupted by a sudden noise around the table. Onlookers, relieved that the suspense was over, were thumping the desks and cheering the new couple, who had just exchanged vows of commitment in their presence. Aby helped Sehmat wipe away her tears. Her face had turned pink. She was blushing, smiling and crying all at the same time, leaving telltale marks on Aby’s shirt for all to see.
‘We’d better leave this place or we will be fined for creating a ruckus!’ Aby said taking her hand firmly in his and escorting her out. They made a remarkable pair—the beautiful, delicate Sehmat, hand in hand with the handsome and protective Aby. Together they walked towards Aby’s car.
Once in the car, Aby turned to her and said, ‘I hope this is not a dream. I promise you, Sehmat, that I will always love you. You may think it is too soon for me to say this, but I have felt like this since the time I first saw you.’
Sehmat was touched by his words. She wanted to savour every moment of it and not worry about the uncertainties. She remembered what her mother had once said: ‘Love can only happen once and when it does, your heart will tell you that it is the one true love. Allow that to happen when it does.’
She voiced her thoughts to Aby, who smiled back at her with a lopsided grin, enjoying the warmth of her head resting on his left shoulder. After hours of aimless driving, Aby turned the car towards her hostel. ‘Let’s get you to your hostel before the warden decides to throw you out,’ he joked good-naturedly.
‘These two days have been truly the best days of my life, and I owe them to you, Aby. First, my chance to perform and now, your love . . .’ Sehmat sighed.
‘Now that the lady has had enough excitement for one day, her chariot drops her at her palace so she can rest and wake up fresh in the morning,’ Aby said with a smile as he applied the brakes. He opened her door gallantly, and Sehmat got out and walked towards the hostel gate. As she turned around to wave at him, she saw a sad look cross Aby’s face. She rushed back to him. Touching his cheek, she tried to lighten his mood. ‘We will be meeting each other every day, Aby. Who knows, you might get tired of seeing me so often.’
‘Ah, the lady has a sense of humour,’ Aby said, brightening up. ‘See, I picked the most amazing woman on earth. But for now, return to your palace or the stepmother will banish you from her kingdom.’
Still smiling widely, Sehmat ran to her room.
Mitali, with her head propped on two pillows, was reading a book. As soon as she saw Sehmat, she lowered her book and gave a mischievous wink. ‘That was quite a long thank you, don’t you think, Sehmat?’ she teased. The word about Sehmat’s meeting with Aby in the library had spread like wildfire. But Mitali knew she would hear the entire story in detail, first-hand.
Sehmat went up to Mitali and hugged her. ‘You’ll never guess what happened, Mitali. I had gone to convey my thanks and . . .’
‘I know, I know, your love story is quite the hot topic at the moment. But I won’t let you off with an incomplete version. I want the entire story right from the moment I left you till the time you came waltzing into this room. We still have half an hour before dinner. So why don’t you shower and change first?’ Mitali looked at Sehmat’s foot, which appeared to be fine except for a slight swelling.
Sehmat dutifully obeyed. Clutching a fresh change of clothes, she disappeared into the bathroom, to emerge from it ten minutes later, scrubbed and refreshed. Her foot was beginning to throb but her heart was far too joyous to worry about the pain. While Mitali took her shower, an exhausted Sehmat lay on the bed, her eyes closed, thinking of the day’s incidents. By the time Mitali stepped out of the bathroom, Sehmat was fast asleep.
Mitali looked at her. She had witnessed Sehmat’s reaction on a few occasions when issues pertaining to women’s rights had been discussed. That was when the shy, reserved maiden from the Valley had donned the mantle of an activist and spoken passionately on issues relating to the freedom of women. But here she was, vulnerable and delicate, lost in her dreams. Her innocent face radiated with an amazing glow. There was a sense of deep satisfaction in her body language as she slept in complete peace, perhaps dreaming of Aby.
The Meerabai in her had found her Krishna at last.
7
Sunlight streamed into the modest hostel room, kissing the face of the girl sleeping next to the window. Stretching luxuriously, Sehmat woke up and glanced around to find Mitali, her room-mate, still asleep. She slipped into her bathroom slippers and decided to go to the hostel mess for her morning tea. She went downstairs to find that the cook wasn’t there yet. Sehmat decided to stroll around the hostel grounds as it was a pleasant morning.
The air was fresh and the birds were flying about, in search of scraps of food. A pigeon scampered in front of her, focused on something on the ground. Impressed by the lush green surroundings, the lone bird soon began marking his territory on the vast grassy carpet by pumping air into his neck and going around in circles. As if on cue, more pigeons joined in, challenging its authority and starting a beak fight in the process.
Sehmat sat on the steps and began observing nature at its best. Her face broke into a smile, which soon turned into a loud giggle. It was not the pigeons’ tap dance but the memory of how Aby had admitted his love for her at the library the previous day that made her laugh. What she could not see was the radiance on her own face, a natural glow which no cosmetics in the world could have brought out.
Even as Sehmat was engrossed in her thoughts, the cook had come back to the kitchen. Seeing Sehmat at peace with herself, he couldn’t help admiring her. She was blushing, he noticed, but didn’t understand why. But he cared for her and was pleased to see her in such great spirits. He approached her, holding a hot cup of tea on a tray.
‘Good morning, Miss Sehmat. I heard about your excellent dance performance yesterday. Congratulations. May you always come out with flying colours!’
Sehmat looked at the aged chef and smiled, ‘Thank you, Dheeraj Kaka. That’s sweet of you. By the grace of God, it went off very well. Your good wishes helped indeed.’ The cook was touched by her humility.
Extending the tea tray towards her, he pointed to the sky and remarked, ‘He does not make simple and warm people like you every day. To be in Meerabai’s shoes is no mean feat. And which is why he selects special people for special roles.’
Sehmat gracefully accepted his compliments and the tea. There was a big lesson in his plain words, she thought. Taking a quick sip, she raised her eyebrows in appreciation and requested another cup. The chef obliged. Holding both cups, she began climbing the stairs to her room. On the staircase, she bumped into a few early risers who were making a beeline for their morning tea as well. While Anjali, a second-year student, congratulated her, Helen, her classmate, laced her
sentence with sarcasm, ‘You seem to be the lucky one, winning two trophies in a single day!’
Sehmat simply smiled in return and continued climbing the steps. She pushed open the door to her private sanctuary and found her room-mate still asleep. Mitali’s magnanimous gesture during the competition had removed the wedge of mistrust between them and had brought the two dancers closer than ever before.
‘Wake up, sleepyhead, it is the room service,’ she said. Getting no response, she continued, ‘Oh, don’t you want to know all the details of yesterday. The offer expires in ten minutes and after that no matter how much you plead, I won’t tell you anything.’
Mitali sprang up from her bed as if jolted by an electric current. Smiling and yawning almost at the same time, she accepted her cup. The mischief in her eyes showed that she was ready and wide awake. ‘If love makes you get me a cup of tea each morning, I pray you never fall out of it.’
‘Just this morning, dear. I woke up early and decided to be nice to you,’ quipped Sehmat. She then picked up her pillow, put it on her lap and sat down on Mitali’s bed to regale her with details of the entire incident, ending with the comments from Helen on the staircase.
Mitali dismissed Helen’s comments with an elegant wave of her hand, fully aware that Sehmat was capable of standing up for herself. ‘Those girls are jealous for a reason. Both of you are stunning creatures. Aby has been the heart-throb from the moment he joined college. Then you walked in and many of us began to wonder when you would cross paths. It was obvious to all that Aby was in love with you but we were never sure about your feelings for him.’ The girls chatted for another hour before preparing for another day. Sehmat dressed slowly and carefully as if it were her first day in college. The woman in her had begun to take charge.
They were greeted with both pleasant and unpleasant looks all through the long corridor. Bemused, the girls giggled their way to the classroom. Sehmat looked around for Aby amongst the few students who had arrived, her eyes scanning the rear bench that he usually occupied. Mitali was quick to notice her disappointment. ‘Oh, so from now on, the lady would prefer to sit at the back for a panoramic view and take lessons on love rather than attend the lecture?’
Sehmat smiled back meekly but did not respond. Holding her by the elbow, Mitali climbed up the steps of the class and walked to the last row of benches. The classroom began to fill up as more students arrived. The two took the fifth bench from the rear. Mitali looked at Sehmat’s disappointed face and said, ‘He’ll come. Men often need more time to get ready. After all, it is his first day too!’
The first lecture on Shakespeare dragged endlessly, even though it was Sehmat’s favourite subject. Walking up and down the stage, the professor described Romeo’s eternal love for Juliet. He described the scene when Juliet appears in the balcony and Romeo looks at her. ‘Thou . . .’ he began the dialogue of Romeo. He was so engrossed that his hand went up comically as he enacted the scene, leading to bursts of laughter from the students. But Sehmat was not paying attention. With her head resting on her arm, she was waiting for her Romeo to arrive. Her eyes were closed, and she was blissfully unaware of the comic melodrama that was taking place in the class.
‘Thou!’ she heard again. Only this time the voice sounded familiar to her. She opened her eyes and listlessly turned around to see Aby sitting behind her, grinning from ear-to-ear. ‘Thou,’ he whispered again, winking at her. Sehmat blushed a pretty shade of pink and turned her face towards the professor. Almost at the same time, the gong sounded, signalling the end of the lecture. The classroom emptied out in minutes except for the three students huddled together as if engaged in a serious group discussion. Mitali was centre stage, acting as the group leader, giving sermons to Aby.
‘From now on, Mr Romeo, a simple “thou” won’t do. I expect you to pick Sehmat up from the hostel, drive her to college and be by her side for the rest of the day, each day! Though I sincerely wonder what would happen if you two decided to skip a few classes. The sky surely wouldn’t fall or would it?’
Aby smiled in return. ‘Thank you, Miss Mitali, for bringing us together. All I can say is I am deeply indebted to you.’ Sehmat noticed the gratitude in Aby’s voice as he spoke to Mitali. He is different, she told herself. She closed her eyes momentarily and thanked God in a short prayer. Mitali broke the silence, ‘It was a pleasure indeed. You two beautiful people deserve each other. It had to happen one day. Now will you two please get lost?’
The trio left the room together, only to be separated again at the car parking. Mitali bid them goodbye and stood watching Aby’s car roll down the long driveway towards the college gate. Sitting by his side, Sehmat had inched closer to Aby. The two indeed made an inseparable pair.
Their love blossomed with each passing day. It was rare for either to be seen alone, except in the classroom. Even while attending lectures, Sehmat fought hard to focus on her studies.
Aby maintained his backbencher status. But his voluminous collection of poetry on Sehmat began drying up. Instead, he passionately admired her and occasionally exchanged paper slips, commenting on her clothes, hair and their meeting plans. Every note carried a couplet or two, often leaving Sehmat spellbound with his selection of words. Sehmat dedicatedly kept the tiny notes as prized possessions, neatly pasting them in a scrapbook at the end of the day. These notes soon became her favourite pastime and she pored over them whenever she found herself alone.
They met regularly even as the annual exam fever gripped the college. Aby promised to carefully study her notes but found it difficult to focus. Somewhere deep within, he was worried about the approaching summer vacation that would take his sweetheart away from him.
Perhaps he had a sense of foreboding of the impending storm in their lives.
On the day of their last exam, Sehmat had barely stepped out of the hall when an unknown person approached her. He introduced himself and gave her a sealed envelope. Thinking it to be one of Aby’s pranks, she looked at the envelope carefully and found the sender’s name at the bottom. She was taken by surprise and hurriedly opened it and read the short note. Mir had requested her to fly back to Srinagar. The envelope also contained an air ticket for a flight that was scheduled to depart the next day.
Sehmat instinctively realized that all was not well at home. Shortly thereafter, she was sitting in the principal’s room, talking to her mother over the phone. Aby sat by her side, maintaining a studied composure. Tej tried her best to allay her daughter’s fears and pretend that all was okay, but failed. Aby too couldn’t do much to bring cheer to her face. They dined in silence, after which Aby dropped her at the hostel, only to return a few hours later, this time to take her to the airport.
In a way Sehmat felt guilty. She hadn’t really thought about her parents in these past couple of weeks. She wondered if she’d been unusually selfish in being absorbed in love. The guilt and the worry began to consume her. Aby was patient but also worried, ‘Please call me as soon as you reach home. If you need me, I’ll take the next flight. Are you listening, Sehmat?’
Sehmat was lost in her own thoughts. She merely acknowledged Aby as she left him. On the flight, worry consumed her in the form of various thoughts. What could have happened for them to send for her like this? Her father hadn’t spoken to her, was he okay? She sighed tiredly and looked out of the window as she knew she would have to wait till she got home.
Once at home, Sehmat slowly became aware of what was happening. She came to know about her father’s ailment and spent a day crying as she thought about the possibility of him passing away. Her mother was patient with her, talking and explaining things till late in the night. Sehmat told her about Aby, and the two found solace in their tears. Tej told Sehmat about the possibility of her becoming a part of the intelligence-gathering network across the border. Even though she had dreaded talking about it, she explained how it would happen.
‘Aby is but a small sacrifice,’ she said. ‘Your father has toiled hard and taken grave risks for
the sake of our country. He would like you to take over from here and help in controlling the other end, especially in light of the growing battle cries from the overconfident Pakistani Generals. Besides, we have known the Sayeeds for decades. Iqbal is a very fine, well-mannered and educated boy. You’ll be very happy and safe,’ she said. Sehmat was to be married to the son of a Pakistani Brigadier, Sheikh Sayeed, in a bold move to understand the operation being carried out against India.
Deep in her heart, Tej felt a stab of pain for her daughter. This is not how she had imagined her daughter’s marriage. She knew Sehmat would obey her and do as she was told. But she also realized the consequences of sending her only daughter into the enemy camp.
Sehmat found the shock of losing both her father and Aby unbearable. She wept and sought explanations from the Almighty in the privacy of her room. If it were a test, she would rather fail than be away from her family and Aby, she argued with him.
Swinging between anger and despair, she sought answers that no one could provide. The dark night reflected her state of mind: a sense of doom reverberating all around the stillness. It was an omen of things to come, Sehmat thought. Her thoughts flew to Aby, who was waiting for her. Her anger was directed towards her fate. She couldn’t let her father down but she also wanted to be with Aby. And there was no middle ground.
Calling Sehmat Page 5
