CHAPTER 17: HARIBABU’S ROADSIDE BUSINESS!

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The whole night, Ilango’s mind wondering who and what Haribabu was. He couldn’t wait to meet this person the next day and ask about his work. Now and then, he couldn’t help wondering whether the person would also be a puzzle just the way his advertisement was. Whatever the case may be, if they got a job and if it would be a permanent job, all would be good. His mother’s letter also stressed on him getting a job. He was reminded of the golden proverb, which his grandmother used to always mutter, “Wherever the cursed went, there were pits and wasteland all over.” It looked like as if the proverb had been coined just for his sake. Whenever, he would think of grandmother he would be filled with wonder and awe. grandmother belonged to the bygone golden era. More than bookish education, she had the wisdom of worldly experience. She would look bright and happy always. He had never seen her lose her cool and shadow rage. “Oh, fare thee well, my boy – my blessings are always with you,” grandma would wish them every time and hearing her words always left them feeling immensely happy. And, her cooking has no equal in the world! Her ‘Mulaikeerai’ and hot beverage and curd would prove eternally tasty, no matter how many times one had to eat it! A sturdy woman with a strong mind! Another especial quality of grandma was her mastery over words! She was indeed a maestro in handling language and its components. In the 70s, sporting Bell-bottoms and long hair, Ilango would be roaming around and if she happened to see him she would greet him, calling out, “Hey, come – you 'Peeththal Parangi'” Hearing her words of greeting, he would enter inside, with the bottom corners of his bell-bottom looking sticky and dirty with the oily residue residing inside the cycle-chain, smiling sheepishly.

That night, Ilango also informed Gosh about Haribabu and his advertisment. Gosh too felt a little surprised. “What, this Haribabu seems to be a queer fellow!” he noted, his voice clearly showing suprise. “His name sounds like that of a Maharashtrian. For what it is worth, pay him a visit tomorrow and come and tell us the tale afterwards. We are eager to hear that.”

“Gosh, how do you say for sure that he is a Maharashtrian?”

For this, Gosh smiled a little. “I have read a novel written by one famous Maharashtrian writer by the name of Haribabu Narayan. The name of the book was I. It was published by the Sahithya Academy of India. It is a quality piece of work, like Thakazhi’s Enippadigal or Vasudhevan Nair’s ‘Kaalam’. That’s why I suspected him to be a Maharashtrian. But, just go and meet him in person. Only then can we form a clear picture.”

“If only this job comes my way, I should thank Mrs.Padma Ajith.”

Gosh laughed at this. “Ilango, don’t praise her too much. She does it all with purpose. If you get a job, she gets her rent. This is the reason behind her kind-heartedness. Understand? Nothing else.”

“As far as I am concerned, it is not fair on our part to think of her in such a fashion. Yet, I respect your freedom of expression.” Arulrasa agreed with Ilango on this matter.

One more time it dawned afresh. A new day a new job-hunt. As the first step, they began their journey towards the ‘Fourth Street West’ to meet Haribabu. When they reached the street, it was already past ten o’ clock in the morning. At the point where Fourth Street West and Sixth Avenue met, on its North-Western side they came across the roadside shop of an Indian couple. The man looked a little old. But, the Indian woman looked pretty young. She resembled Manju Bhargavi of the movie Shankarabaranam. To tell the truth, even that man resembled the quality musician of the movie, looking a little old like the hero but looked strong and ruddy. With them, there was a White woman also, wearing jeans and tea-shirt.

Ilango approached the couple and began to introduce himself, “My name is Ilango.” Before he could complete the man cut him short and said, “Oh, is that you? Very well. I am Haribabu, who gave the ad. You have come to the right place."

Thus speaking with his eyes intently looking at Ilango and Arulrasa, he then turned to the woman and said, “Indhira, let me go and talk to them for a short while. Just keep an eye on these, ok?” Then, looking at the young White woman Haribabu said, “Ingrid, please remain here with Indhira for a while. I will come back soon.”

Ilango and Arulrasa paid their respect to the lady with folded hands and followed Haribabu. Haribabu took them to a tea-shop nearby. “I am glad to see you two responding to my ad and came here. Let us have a cup of tea. I will tell you everything, ok? If you like me and if I too like you, then we can join hands and work.” Haribabu briefly spoke and listening to his words, the two went behind him. While walking with him, they knew that there would not be any trouble if they were to work with him.

And, the trio went and sat in one corner of the tea-shop. Haribabu went to the counter and got tea for three. Sipping the hot tea a little, Haribabu then began his explanation, “You must be aware now of how the place is like,” said Haribabu. Ilango answered, “When we see the way things are going on here, we can get some idea about the nature of job. You have called for salesmen. Hence, it seems like that we would be appointed to help you in your sales and marketing.”

Now, Haribabu spoke in a diligent manner, “What you say is true indeed. You are a clever young man. Now, let me come to the immediate requirement. This is it. Now, we three, my wife, myself and the white woman are doing business in this platform. There is another one. His name is Henry. He belongs to the Inuit clan. And, he would be selling our products in the adjacent lane. We need to expand our business to one more street. Now, the business is very good. We should reap the most when it is the Harvest time, what do you say? And, that is our plan. For that, only we have given the advertisement. If you like it you can look after the proposed business, just the way Henry is doing. What do you think about my proposal? Do you like it? Do you think you can handle it all?” Now Arulrasa posed another question. “Well, what are the products we have to sell?”

And, Haribabu responded, “Good question. First and foremost, you should sell many Indian goods, like the copper statues which we have plentiful in our shop. You should try to sell them on the roadsides. Along with that, ”

"Along with that…? Ilango spoke thus and paused.

"Along with that, we are also having lots of ear-rings, clothes and jewelry which are appropriate and suitable to the modern times. You should try selling those too. Both of you can be together, helping each other with the sales.”

“How long are the hours of work every day? When should we start the business? And, when should we close? How much we will be paid as salary?”

As Ilango shot these queries in quick succession, Haribabu smiled a little. Then, he said, “Suffice if you work from morning nine o’ clock till evening 5 o’ clock. If the business proves hectic, and if you feel like working for more hours, you can work overtime. You will be given wage on a daily basis. What do you think? Ha, I forgot… just as it was mentioned in the advertisement, four dollars will be paid per each hour. What do you say?”

Well, the pair was in a financial crisis, so they were in no position to say ‘no’ to any job. They didn’t have the heart to do so. For, who at all would kick away the goddess of luck who was coming to their side. Hence, both of them said in one voice, “We have no objection at all!”

Their response must have made him happy.

"Fine. I like both of you very much, somehow. Then, I should introduce you to Henry also. That would prove very useful to you. After finishing our cup of tea, let us go, meet Henry. He would feel happy. And also, both of you can remain with him for sometime and learn the processes and tricks of doing business successfully. What do you say? You can get extra tips about the job at hand.”

Their conversation continued, and after finishing their tea, Haribabu began to walk towards Henry’s place with Ilango and Arulrasa.

18. Henry’s Cleverness (Yes?)

Henry was busy doing business along where Fourth Street West, Seventh Avenue and Christopher Street meet in a square, having his things spread on the platform. It was Haribabu who introduced Henry to the pair.

"He is Henry. The Henry I spoke about. Inuk Henry.” When he said that, it seemed to Ilango, that a thin ray of pride spread on his countenance. His voice too reflected that sense of pride in a very poignant manner. It could be that he might be feeling high in self-indulgence after having come all the way across the seas and having the ability to fare well in business. It could be that he was indirectly telling, ‘Hello, see how I have done well, working hard and using my intelligence and that too, myself a Maharashtrian having my errand man be a son of this soil and see the way I boss over him and faring well still.’ Ilango couldn’t help but think along these lines. At the same time, that inuk was of small stature, with short legs. Seeing him there, Ilango had no trouble to bring about his smile. With a friendly smile he asked, “You, are an Inuk, no? Why have you come here? You have also migrated from the pole, is it so? Is it that the fever of modern life has caught hold of you too, right?”

Hearing those words, Henry , the Inuk man smiled. “How long can one remain in at the ‘pole?’ I am fed up with the chill and the snow. Birds themselves migrate from the polar regions every year, so what is wrong with a human being migrating? I came here for a change and Haribabu got hold of me – lock, stock and barrel!”

Ilango, still bewildered by it all, commented, “What an Inuk can become tired of the chilliness and snow? Surprising indeed.”

"What is so surprising about it? There are many Inuit men, like me, who have invaded this city, you know!” said Henry, the Inuk. Arulrasa intervened and asked the Inuk, "As far as my knowledge goes, isn’t it that the Inuits'  physical condition is such that they can’t go and live in any other climate, away from the polar regions? That is the impression I was having so far. But, your appearance disproves this assumption. How is it?”

For this Henry’s response was highly logical and intelligent, “When you, who is so used to living in the tropical region where the heat of the sun is quite high, can come and live in this cold region, why can’t I do the same but the reverse in a similar climate? Why do you think that I, who was born and bred in another part of this same continent, would find it hard to live in another part of this continent?”

Now, Haribabu cut them short, “Henry is a very bright and hardworking person. Be with him for several hours and see how he conducts his business. After that, if you too gain the confidence then you two can also conduct business independently like him on another platform from tomorrow onwards. I will find a place for you to get along with your work. What do you say?”

Haribabu turned towards Henry and instructed, “Henry, tell them briefly about our business. Not all can do business effectively from the roadside, can they?” Then, he took leave of them and returned to his place. Ilango and Arulrasa were now left alone with Henry.

Of the objects and articles that Henry sold, the first and foremost, were sculptures of all shapes sizes. They were made of brass; utensils used for performing pooja such as ‘kuthuvilakku,’. cooking vessels; tea-cups; and a lot more brass items. Apart from these, also had items of clothing for sale. Clothing for both the winter season and rainy season. Little trinkets, including ornaments made of beads, similar to those sold by the ‘kuravaa’ clan, were also for sale. The pedestrians approached his roadside shop and eyed the items with quite some interest. Some bargained with him and purchased some items. A stout White woman bought a chain made of beads and gifted it for her African-American lover saying that it would suit him the most by enhancing his handsomeness. He thanked her for the gift, but didn’t looked too thrilled to be getting jewellery. But, after kissing her and thanking her for the gift, he grudgingly accepted the chain and wore it.

Henry was obviously deeply involved in his business, but managed to continue his dialogue with Ilango and Arulrasa. Ilango observed the way Henry was handling his business; he observed his postures, gestures, ways of talking, ways of promoting the sale of an item – everything. In particular, he observed the tricks used by Henry in luring the customers into buying various items.

During times, Ilango and Arulrasa were conversing with each other in Tamil. A doubt came into Arulrasa’s mind. “Ilango, do you honestly think you can sell these things?”

Ilango responded, “It doesn’t seem to be that difficult. If you ask me, I think we can give it a try. What do you say?”

Arulrasa could do nothing but agree to that and said, “I too feel that we can give it a try. I don’t think there would be any problem. Let us do so. Anyway, let us first talk to him and see whether we procure any more tips from the man.”

Henry, observing that they were having some dialogue between themselves asked, “What, are you apprehensive about selling in this fashion?”

“Oh, no, nothing of that sort,” Ilango hastily replied. “Well, but how did you get to know Haribabu?”

To this, Henry responded with a smile, giving a lengthy account of their first meeting. A story that should be told…

“This village called Greenwich is well-known for its folklore artists and tourists. Further, The State University of New York is also situated here. During the summer evenings, the artists, stationed along the roadsides adjacent to the Washington Square, painted the sketches of pedestrians and passersby with immeasurable skill. As for myself, as soon as I arrived here, I started my business in this fashion.

It was in the ‘Macdugal Street’ near the Washington Square Park that I used to sell different kinds of clothing. It was then when I came across Haribabu. He had just started his business at the time. When he was canvassing the area to see who were involved with a roadside business, we met. Or, rather, he chanced to see me. He developed an instant liking towards me. Also, in this area, I was the sole competitor to him. I was the only one doing his kind of business, selling one of the items he was selling – a variety of dresses. So, he had this clever calculation of buying all the things that I had and also taking me under his tutelage as a sort of working partner. By doing so he could get a nice, skilled assistant while wiping away his competition, which would prove doubly beneficial to him. It’s like making two mangoes fall with one stone. And, this is how Henry the the Inuk has come to be. And, I lose nothing. I have got a nice job and all my products were also sold.”

"But Henry, if you do your own business you can earn more, isn’t it so? Don’t you have any worry or regret in this?” Ilango wondered.

To this query, Henry remained silent for a while and then looking at them, he spoke in a rather small voice, “If you promise not to tell anybody, particularly Haribabu, I will share the truth with you.”

The way he spoke was too tempting to resist. The two became very eager to learn the truth from him, by hook or crook. So, with their voices reflecting their eagerness both of them said in chorus, “Promise.”

Henry admitted, “You asked me whether I have no regret in not doing my own business.”

“Of course. For now you are working under somebody, aren’t you?” Ilango was curious to find out what the Inuk man could possibly mean.

“Though it appears to be so, I am doing my own business too, you know! See there, the leather-bag full of things is mine and I sell them too, in between, to the customers. Isn’t it clever of me?”

Ilango, who just previously thought of the pride of Henry’s employer in selecting such an able hand and loyal assistant through his eyes, felt somewhat shocked to hear such a direct response from this man with a small stature. ‘How can he be disloyal to the person so casually and tell it so openly?’

As his face revealed his sense of surprise and shock Henry asked, “What, have I frightened you?”

“No, but, you say these things so openly. That’s what jolts me. Usually, people would prefer to conceal these things or they would talk about these things in an indirect, round-about manner. But, you are revealing it all so openly, having so much faith in us!”

“Oh, don’t give too much importance to such matters like proper and improper, good and bad, righteous and sinfull… here, my friend. If you are to ponder over such things you can’t do anything in this city. This is a world that dogs eat dogs, remember!” At that moment, some more customers had arrived and so Henry went to deal with them. When the two of them were alone, Arulrasa observed, “Oh, a real hard nut, this one is – capable of preparing beverage out of Yama, the god of death, Isn’t he?!”

Chapter 19 GOSH IN LOVE !

That evening, when Ilango and Arulrasa returned home with thoughts revolving around the roadside business that they were going to start  for Haribabu the next day. Spending several hours with Henry that day had given them a fairly good understanding of Henry’s roadside business.

They even felt that with a little extra effort, they could even increase the profit-margin. For a moment, Ilango couldn’t help walking down the memory lane and recollect all those incidents that had befallen them since the beginning of this new journey, since they came out of the detention camp. Each day since dawned with a hoard of new experiences, but with nothing to help them build a firm financial background for their life and for stabilizing their future. This harsh reality hit him hard. And, he shared his apprehension with Arulrasa. “Arul! So far nothing has taken place to provide us the hope and opportunity to build a stable future for ourselves. I wonder if this new venture will prove to be fruitful!”

“What is this Ilango, you are again not being positive – you are usually the positive one, and you have already gone through a few bouts of depression! When you say things like these, what am I to say… as you always observe, let’s consider all our experiences and adversities as stepping-stones for future successes, can’t we? What is the use of having such negative attitudes and speaking with such despair, tell me?”

Once again, Arul’s words were soothing to Ilango. At the same time, the way his friend countered him with his own oft-repeated words made him feel proud somehow. His heart, which was somewhat dejected, leapt up in renewed hope and energy! And, he said, “What you say is indeed true Arul! This opportunity that we have got with Haribabu seems to be a real good one indeed! This is a golden opportunity for us to try  to refine our prowess in the art of selling – so we should take it up and get along with life…and, that is in fact the truth, isn’t it? Let’s try with all our might to remain with Haribabu…. Let’s try…”

Gosh soon returned to the house and greeted them both, “Hi friends! What happened? Success or not?”

Ilango was happy to see him back, “Fruit indeed! We are going to begin our work with him straight from tomorrow onwards. Today, we spent some time with his salesman, Henry, and learned some tricks of the trade.”  Ilango went on to explain the entire situation to Gosh, including the items being sold and the fact that Henry was an Eskimo man.

Gosh interfering at this stage surprising asked, “What? a Maharastrian businessman has an Eskimo as his salesman! Must be a real cunning person, I say!”

Arulrasa piped in, “In a way, what you say is true. He seems to be a thoroughly cunning person! But, only after getting acquainted with him further, and gathering more information about him, we can then get to know him better and assess what sort of a person he really is! Anyway, let’s work with him for what it is worth. After all, there is nothing wrong in trying, isn’t it so?” Arulrasa turned towards Ilango.

Hearing him speak, Ilango was proud to say, “You have said this very genuinely Arul! Instead of arriving at hasty decisions and regret later we should learn to think calmly and with patience and then arrive at conclusions. And, we have a wonderful opportunity here, so let’s take it.”

At this juncture Gosh couldn’t hold back with what he wanted to say, “My friends! I like you very much. No matter how many times you fail in your efforts, even when all the initiatives do not bring in the desired results, without losing heart you keep on trying with the best of your ability. I like your spirits! You will survive and come up in life, I’m sure! Suppose this time also…”

Both Arulrasa and Ilango asked in one voice: “What? You intend to say in case this attempt also proves wrong, then what? Isn’t it that what you imply?”

Gosh responded, “Oh, no, I just wanted to tell you not to worry if this too goes wrong. For, I will surely talk with our factory people and get you job – what do you say?”

Hearing his encouraging words, Ilango said, “Oh, thank you Gosh! Such soothing words you utter and prove a source of great hope and inspiration to us. We will never forget you. Your words have given us the encouragement and energy to do our work in the best possible manner, you know! And they have given us the hope that even if we are to lose this job we would get another with your help and support. And, this hope is so inspiring that we are doubly energized to get into this job and prove our mettle!”

“Good, this is what we want. If you succeed in this, then nobody would beat you. Hope you would remember this poor Gosh even after you taste sky-high success!”

Ilango replied in sing-song, “Of course, who else can we think of except Gosh!”

Gosh felt very happy to hear this. “Then, why not arrange for a party to celebrate!”

“Why not ! Let’s have it!” Ilango replied.

The entire night was spent in revelry and merry-making, with drinks and talk and what not! They discussed various things and shared their dreams and aspirations and also worries and apprehensions. They walked down memory lane and remembered their life in days past and present. Eventually, their conversation turned towards that of Love. It was Gosh who steered the conversation this way. “Ilango, all too frequently you get letters from your home town… ten to twenty a day, shall we say! Are they all sweet-nothings!”

Arulrasa responded to this in a slightly mocking tone, “Oh, don’t ask that! It is the result of falling in love without even looking at our friend’s face, you know!” Hearing that, Gosh asked in a somewhat surprised voice, “What, love that has sprouted without even the two concerned meeting? How can love sprout in this fashion?!”

“Don’t ask ‘ how can’ for it has indeed sprouted in this fashion in his case!” said Arulrasa.

Ilango intervened and said, “Oh, that is a long story. Let me tell you some other time please. Now, let us forget everything else, at least for a short while and enjoy, shall we?”

At this point, Gosh turned a little sad. His face turned dull. “Ilango, you are a lucky fellow. See my fate. For a long time I had been nurturing a one-sided love on her but she laughed at me and is now leading a happy life with another fellow. But my heart keeps languishing still, not being able to forget her…”

The love-story of Gosh amused and surprised Ilango and Arulrasa. Ilango asked, “What, pining after a woman who didn’t love you? If your love is reciprocal then at least we can understand your pain and sorrow… but, it is just one-sided love… how can you remain pining for it all these days…?”

These observations of Ilango and Arulrasa caused a little anger in Gosh. How easily they have placed judgement over his pure love! He has been nourishing and preserving his love for more than fifteen years and these two have evaluated it just like that, in a flicker of a second. Gosh turned morose, with memories of Sumithra overflowing within. She was the one who planted love in his heart and then destroyed it as a wild boar. Was it her fault…’

Unable to bear the pain and anguish caused by the recollection of his beloved Sumithra, he took another swig of  Johnny Walker. His eyes soon became bloodshot. Ilango and Arulrasa became all the more eager to listen to his love-tale. At this point Ajith, the house-owner, had also decided to join them. Half-listening to their conversation while coming towards them, he asked, “What, I hear words like love and things like that! What is the matter?”

Arulrasa took note of Ajith’s interest and asked, “See uncle, is it fair on the part of anybody to waste one’s life for an unrequited love?”

As Arulrasa spoke in a somewhat mocking tone, Gosh became enraged once again. “Look here, if you are going to humiliate me again and again, I will leave at once, not taking part in your gala meeting.”

Realizing that what started as fun was getting serious, Ilango tried to pacify Gosh by saying, “Oh, don’t take his words seriously, Gosh. We believe in the intensity of your love, don’t we uncle?” Ajith all too readily nodded. “That is his viewpoint Arul. Whether one-sided or mutual, the very fact that one is prepared to sacrifice even his very life for the sake of love- that is clear proof of the sincerity and intensity of his love, isn’t it so? I knew a lady who loved a person in this fashion, so dearly. But, the man she loved, not knowing the feelings of this lady, fell in love with the friend of this lady and married her. The lady who loved him so much, no matter whether it was reciprocated or not, remained single her whole life. She is contented with living with the memories of the person who is so close to her heart. She is still living with her deep love for the person. What do you say to this?”

Now, Arulrasa once again joined the conversation. “Gosh, please forgive me. I didn’t intend to hurt you or insult you. As far as I am concerned all such lovey-dovey stuff are unnecessary. They are all the result of hormonal influence and nothing else. That’s why I opined thus. Yet, each time I come across such people steeped in love and live for the sake of it, I can’t help feeling astonished. Maybe, I am incapable of understanding the significance of these feelings and sensations… I don’t know”.

Now Gosh responded in a friendly manner, “Friend, it is alright. Forget it. I too went a little overboard in expressing my feelings. Please don’t take it to heart, ok? Maybe, what you say has some truth in it. Am I wasting away my life in cherishing these feelings? I wonder…”

Ilango added, “Gosh, you said that you were deeply in love with a woman. How long?”

“For fifteen long years. I had been loving her, Sumithra, in the depth of my heart. Without telling her anything about it, without expressing my feelings to her I was going on, loving her, for fifteen years.”

The others were all greatly surprised and they couldn’t help exclaiming their thoughts.  “What! Fifteen years! All these years didn’t you express or rather try to express your love to her? Unbelievable! Is such a thing possible at all?!” Ilango let out.

“Men, that remains beyond my comprehension. Why did I remain so, like a tortoise with its head ducked deep into its shell? I don’t know why. But, one thing… in those fifteen years, there was not even a single day without thinking about Sumithra. Every day, every moment I had thought of her. I had dreamt of her… And, in all those moments when I would be thinking of her, pining for her my heart would go melting with lust and passion for her. I thought that it was because of the fact that the whole of my heart was overflowing with her. And, somehow I had a firm belief that if we keep on thinking of someone, loving someone from the depth of my heart, in course of time, the person concerned will come to love us. It was a kind of psychological belief in me. Therefore, I lived with the hope of winning her love one day. I have spent fifteen long years with this hope. It was only afterwards that I could get the courage to approach her and confess my love to her. But, before that she became the wife of someone else. Yet, I told her. As I felt that if I didn’t reveal my love to her, that would weigh heavy on me and that my head would split into two.  When I got the chance, I confessed my love to her so as to ease my heart and let go of the burden. Also, by disclosing it to her, though my love had not succeeded, I could at least get the satisfaction of letting her know of my deep love for her thereby turning my one-sided love into kind of two-sided one – so I thought. And, indeed I could feel somewhat relieved after disclosing my love to her.”

Uncle Ajith was fascinated by all this and asked, “Gosh, when you disclosed your love what did she say? How did she react? Was she enraged? Or, sympathize with you?”

“At first, I too expected such reactions from her. But, she took it casually. I did ask her whether she felt offended at my disclosure and whether she was angry at me or was thinking ill of me. But, she said neither and instead said that she respected me. From that moment onwards, I too had bundled all my thoughts of her and kept it one corner of my heart. Yet, the impact of fifteen years of love couldn’t be wiped off so easily. No other feelings cause you that much pain and anguish like those of the feelings of unrequited love, you know.”

As Gosh shared his love-tale and the feelings therein the others too started narrating their own. First it was uncle Ajith, who began narrating his love-tale in a brief manner. “If you listen to my tale of love, you would feel like laughing, I am sure. I too fell in love with a woman. And, the person whom I used as the messenger to take my love letters and deposit into her hands safely, it is this woman who is now in my house, as my wife! The one I loved, who accepted all those love-letters of mine, eventually married the boy chosen by her parents, better-off than me in education as well as status and did not have the guts to disobey them. Unable to bear the pain and humiliation of it all, I suffered so much then and unable to see my sufferings Padma accepted me as her husband. Today, I can’t think of a life without Padma. Life is such. We think something, but something entirely different happens. They say ‘Man proposes; God disposes…’ Hence, we should learn to adapt ourselves to the changing world.”

Hearing it all, Ilango too was undoubtedly reminded of his love-tale. And, he felt like laughing too. It was just once that he ever wrote a love-letter. It was adolescent love. Love at the age of sixteen. Her swerving curly hair and her eyes looking downwards, her razor-sharp, crystal-clear eyes used to make him feel terribly restive and excited as a result of which he dared to pen a letter and give it straight to her. In it, he had asked her to come adorning her hair with jasmine flowers in case she too loved him and that if she didn’t reciprocate his love, to forget the letter as a bad dream and not to disclose it to anyone else. But, she, instead of doing what he wanted her to and had requested her to do, did all that he had requested her not to do. As a result, he became a thing to be mocked at and ridiculed at for her friends. Whenever they chanced to cross each other, the girl’s friends made it a point to giggle and make fun of him. As for him, feeling resigned to the fact that he was not blessed with that boon in life, he moved on to the next stage of his existence on earth. After that, never again, not even once he had met her. It was all infatuation – typical of that age. Of course, it was because of such infatuations that particular period in life is full of blossoms and fragrance. How many of those who were drawn towards each other in that age actually become man and wife in real life?

The rest of the night was spent gulping down rejuvenating drinks and many trips along the memory lane…musing over their feelings of love.