"For men may come and men may go
But I go on forever" - 'The Brook', Lord Tennyson
Stories in the ordinary lives of ordinary people often do not have any conclusion. People are born. People die. However, the story lives on through a different set of players each time. In fact, death is the only conclusive thing in life! (Or is it?!)This slightly serious note apart, presenting to you - an unfinished story....
Ajay hit the gym. No, Aditi didn't ask him to. In fact, she didn't even know that he hit the gym. And no, Ajay wasn't working out to impress her. To him, this was a only a worthy way of spending the long vacation. He didn't know what went through her mind. He liked her and hoped she liked him as well. However, there was no way of knowing it. Girls and their secretive ways!!! But then, this story is not about Ajay and absolutely not about Aditi. So, let me get straight to the point...
It had been two or three weeks since Ajay started working out. On one such evening, while he was at the gym, he saw a young bearded man. He was struggling to get through his routine. "A fresher" thought Ajay. He very well remembered his initial days when the instructor had been sympathetic towards him!
Ajay felt strangely curious about this guy. He felt there was something wrong. He could find that out only by talking to him. How would he approach him? "I think I have seen you somewhere" was the standard pick-up line with girls. But this was a guy. Ajay still tried it. Strangely, it worked!
"I am Kiran" he said, shaking hands with Ajay.
"I shouldn't be asking this. But looking at your beard, I felt there is something wrong. Would you mind sharing it?" Ajay asked, trying his luck.
"Its a long story. Meet me after the gym. We'll discuss this over drinks - I mean, a cup of coffee at the hotel nearby."
A lot can happen over coffee! Here, Kiran opened up to Ajay, even though he didn't know why.
"I come from a typical Indian middle-class household. My parents wanted me to get settled in life. So did I. The idea of settling - you know it right? Get a degree, get a good job, earning hefty packages, get your own car, get your own house and get your own wife! Getting your own children is post-settling.
"Things went on nicely. I landed a good job in a software company at twenty-three. Within four years, with hard-work and luck, I was made project manager, with a handsome salary. Car and house came along. Wife was the only component missing before I could be "settled". That's where the problem started. I studied in a boy's school and college. During degree, I was quite shy to talk to girls. That continued at work too, though I had a healthy professional rapport with everybody. My parents started searching a suitable girl who could be married to our family. Mind you - our family, not just me! Again, a middle-class Indian's ideal!
"The girls I was shown to initially had one problem with me. I just couldn't talk confidently with them. 'Rejected' - I heard that quite a few times.
"I then decided that I would start talking to the ladies in my office, not so professionally. I believed that it would help me build my confidence, specially in matters like these. And it helped, for, after a few days the next girl I was shown did accept the proposal. The families accepted as well.
"All was well. We went out so that we could get to know each other better. Things were smooth sailing until we went to a movie together. It was after that we broke up and the marriage was cancelled."
Ajay interrupted Kiran and asked "Which movie did you take her to, sir?"
"Grand Masti!!" he said, in a low voice.
"No wonder she called the marriage off! Am sorry, but that was a very bad choice for a movie with your fiancee. What did she say to be the reason?" Ajay asked.
"She said that I didn't have a good choice or discretion. She said that if I couldn't understand simple stuff like choice of movies, there was no doubt that I would make her life miserable. She broke off! I again lost my confidence and went into depression. Recently, someone I know suggested that working out helps build confidence. I don't know if it will. But there is no harm in trying, is it?" asked Kiran, concluding his story, with the final sip of coffee.
"I don't know what to say, Sir. But, if I were in your position, I wouldn't keep that beard that keeps away other prospective brides as well" Ajay said, before leaving.
The next day, Ajay was quite surprised to see a clean-shaved Kiran. He didn't know that Kiran would seriously consider the advice of someone nearly ten years younger to him!
A few days later, Kiran told Ajay that a proposal had been okayed the previous day. The girl was also a professional in a software firm. Everything - from kundlis - another obsession with our people - to look-and-outlook seemed to match, Kiran said. Though Ajay didn't understand why Kiran was discussing all this with him, he was quite happy to play the love-guru. He suggested Kiran on all topics - what to wear on a date, where to take her on a date, what not to discuss on a date! For all this, in return, he would he get a coffee everyday and sometimes, a snack. Well, he didn't do all that for those little stuff! He was only complementing the belief that Kiran had placed in him - quite blindly, right from the beginning.
It was good all the while, Ajay concluded since there were no complaints from Kiran's side. Besides, there seemed to be an added glow on him! Ajay felt happy that he was helping out Kiran in "settling".
Kiran stopped coming to the gym. It was quite unexpected. Surprisingly, Ajay realised that they hadn't exchanged numbers despite being very good friends over quite a period of time.
Time had come for Ajay to board the flight to go back to his institute. Other more important things began to take shelter his mind that had been occupied by Kiran and his love-story over the past few days.
Ajay didn't know what happened to Kiran or what happened to his story, for that matter.
Would his suggestions finally bear fruit? He didn't know.
Would Kiran acknowledge his support? He didn't know.
Would Kiran, at least, remember him after a few more months? He didn't know.
After all, not everything is to be known. Not everything is to be properly concluded. Kiran would remain an unfinished story for Ajay.
But I go on forever" - 'The Brook', Lord Tennyson
Stories in the ordinary lives of ordinary people often do not have any conclusion. People are born. People die. However, the story lives on through a different set of players each time. In fact, death is the only conclusive thing in life! (Or is it?!)This slightly serious note apart, presenting to you - an unfinished story....
Ajay hit the gym. No, Aditi didn't ask him to. In fact, she didn't even know that he hit the gym. And no, Ajay wasn't working out to impress her. To him, this was a only a worthy way of spending the long vacation. He didn't know what went through her mind. He liked her and hoped she liked him as well. However, there was no way of knowing it. Girls and their secretive ways!!! But then, this story is not about Ajay and absolutely not about Aditi. So, let me get straight to the point...
It had been two or three weeks since Ajay started working out. On one such evening, while he was at the gym, he saw a young bearded man. He was struggling to get through his routine. "A fresher" thought Ajay. He very well remembered his initial days when the instructor had been sympathetic towards him!
Ajay felt strangely curious about this guy. He felt there was something wrong. He could find that out only by talking to him. How would he approach him? "I think I have seen you somewhere" was the standard pick-up line with girls. But this was a guy. Ajay still tried it. Strangely, it worked!
"I am Kiran" he said, shaking hands with Ajay.
"I shouldn't be asking this. But looking at your beard, I felt there is something wrong. Would you mind sharing it?" Ajay asked, trying his luck.
"Its a long story. Meet me after the gym. We'll discuss this over drinks - I mean, a cup of coffee at the hotel nearby."
A lot can happen over coffee! Here, Kiran opened up to Ajay, even though he didn't know why.
"I come from a typical Indian middle-class household. My parents wanted me to get settled in life. So did I. The idea of settling - you know it right? Get a degree, get a good job, earning hefty packages, get your own car, get your own house and get your own wife! Getting your own children is post-settling.
"Things went on nicely. I landed a good job in a software company at twenty-three. Within four years, with hard-work and luck, I was made project manager, with a handsome salary. Car and house came along. Wife was the only component missing before I could be "settled". That's where the problem started. I studied in a boy's school and college. During degree, I was quite shy to talk to girls. That continued at work too, though I had a healthy professional rapport with everybody. My parents started searching a suitable girl who could be married to our family. Mind you - our family, not just me! Again, a middle-class Indian's ideal!
"The girls I was shown to initially had one problem with me. I just couldn't talk confidently with them. 'Rejected' - I heard that quite a few times.
"I then decided that I would start talking to the ladies in my office, not so professionally. I believed that it would help me build my confidence, specially in matters like these. And it helped, for, after a few days the next girl I was shown did accept the proposal. The families accepted as well.
"All was well. We went out so that we could get to know each other better. Things were smooth sailing until we went to a movie together. It was after that we broke up and the marriage was cancelled."
Ajay interrupted Kiran and asked "Which movie did you take her to, sir?"
"Grand Masti!!" he said, in a low voice.
"No wonder she called the marriage off! Am sorry, but that was a very bad choice for a movie with your fiancee. What did she say to be the reason?" Ajay asked.
"She said that I didn't have a good choice or discretion. She said that if I couldn't understand simple stuff like choice of movies, there was no doubt that I would make her life miserable. She broke off! I again lost my confidence and went into depression. Recently, someone I know suggested that working out helps build confidence. I don't know if it will. But there is no harm in trying, is it?" asked Kiran, concluding his story, with the final sip of coffee.
"I don't know what to say, Sir. But, if I were in your position, I wouldn't keep that beard that keeps away other prospective brides as well" Ajay said, before leaving.
The next day, Ajay was quite surprised to see a clean-shaved Kiran. He didn't know that Kiran would seriously consider the advice of someone nearly ten years younger to him!
A few days later, Kiran told Ajay that a proposal had been okayed the previous day. The girl was also a professional in a software firm. Everything - from kundlis - another obsession with our people - to look-and-outlook seemed to match, Kiran said. Though Ajay didn't understand why Kiran was discussing all this with him, he was quite happy to play the love-guru. He suggested Kiran on all topics - what to wear on a date, where to take her on a date, what not to discuss on a date! For all this, in return, he would he get a coffee everyday and sometimes, a snack. Well, he didn't do all that for those little stuff! He was only complementing the belief that Kiran had placed in him - quite blindly, right from the beginning.
It was good all the while, Ajay concluded since there were no complaints from Kiran's side. Besides, there seemed to be an added glow on him! Ajay felt happy that he was helping out Kiran in "settling".
Kiran stopped coming to the gym. It was quite unexpected. Surprisingly, Ajay realised that they hadn't exchanged numbers despite being very good friends over quite a period of time.
Time had come for Ajay to board the flight to go back to his institute. Other more important things began to take shelter his mind that had been occupied by Kiran and his love-story over the past few days.
Ajay didn't know what happened to Kiran or what happened to his story, for that matter.
Would his suggestions finally bear fruit? He didn't know.
Would Kiran acknowledge his support? He didn't know.
Would Kiran, at least, remember him after a few more months? He didn't know.
After all, not everything is to be known. Not everything is to be properly concluded. Kiran would remain an unfinished story for Ajay.
