Love, Unrequited [Thread 2 : Pg 140] - Page 24

Posted: 3 years ago

The young man of the house words,deeds, actions and shenanigans were a delight to read πŸ˜‹πŸ˜˜

 There are preferences - coiffeuses to naai and frying in gurgling olive oil for sins . πŸ˜‚The entire exchange between Dadi and Biplab with Kirti as a target was hilarious. The guy is funny spirited, forthright and loves his Di and Dadi.


Anyway this new encounter will be delight to read..he speaks the language of brother/sister duo.  Will it be more about Estella and Pi or.ugly umbrella owner and borrower will talk/acknowledge in public 

This was a delight to read

Ps. 

So things are closing in on Tejas even Dadi cautioned Biplab and I loved how Biplab remained firm with him. It was mentioned before that he started living with Bua after his father remarriage. Kindred spirits and Kirti became close friends with him in school. I am.guessing there is a broken engagement ...what will happen to their friendship now ?

 

Posted: 3 years ago

Originally posted by Ginnosuke_Nohar


I understand the need to delve into his mind. 

In fact the story up till now has been entirely from Kirti's POV so it must feel claustrophobic to be trapped in just her mind.  There are lot of blind spots and limited information as well.

But for now it's a story technique, that is how I see it. 

Other characters' POV will come but not until much later.  But be rest assured, when I give their/his POV, we'll revisit everything. I will try not to leave you all high and dry, as they say.

Hello again! I wanted to reply to CP's comment for the previous chapter about wanting a chapter from Nishit's POV but it slipped my mind. I wanted to say that I was okay not getting a chapter from Nishit's POV. I was kind of liking the mystery behind the bandha and enjoying the speculations my mind was throwing at me.

Though this chapter delves a little into Nishit's life, that it did not give away too many of his thoughts was good. He seems to have nurtured feelings for Kirti for a while. Maybe he didn't want to accept it himself. You've made me really curious as to what happened in their lives earlier.  

I really like his relationship with mami. And I am totally loving mami's character! I love the banter she has with Nishit. That Tejas doesn't appreciate her or even want to acknowledge her is not surprising. Well, it is his loss. 

On a different note, you know I read this chapter while sitting at the dentist's office πŸ˜†

Luckily(or not), it was for my boy's cavities and not mine! Anyways, I almost burst out laughing when the chapter started at the dentist's. Okay, now moving on to the next chapter. 


P.S. I have a small request. Though it probably makes sense for you to have some dialogues in Hindi, could I trouble you to provide a translation too(even if the flow is not what you like)? I can totally understand Hindi but my brain shuts down when it sees Hindi or any other regional language written in English. For some reason, It takes me away from the story. Thank you.

Posted: 3 years ago

Originally posted by Ssanjinika


Hello again! I wanted to reply to CP's comment for the previous chapter about wanting a chapter from Nishit's POV but it slipped my mind. I wanted to say that I was okay not getting a chapter from Nishit's POV. I was kind of liking the mystery behind the bandha and enjoying the speculations my mind was throwing at me.

Though this chapter delves a little into Nishit's life, that it did not give away too many of his thoughts was good. He seems to have nurtured feelings for Kirti for a while. Maybe he didn't want to accept it himself. You've made me really curious as to what happened in their lives earlier.  

I really like his relationship with mami. And I am totally loving mami's character! I love the banter she has with Nishit. That Tejas doesn't appreciate her or even want to acknowledge her is not surprising. Well, it is his loss. 

On a different note, you know I read this chapter while sitting at the dentist's office πŸ˜†

Luckily(or not), it was for my boy's cavities and not mine! Anyways, I almost burst out laughing when the chapter started at the dentist's. Okay, now moving on to the next chapter. 


P.S. I have a small request. Though it probably makes sense for you to have some dialogues in Hindi, could I trouble you to provide a translation too(even if the flow is not what you like)? I can totally understand Hindi but my brain shuts down when it sees Hindi or any other regional language written in English. For some reason, It takes me away from the story. Thank you.


I hope your son is fine now.


Thank you for the feedback. Ch 27 has very little Hindi so it shouldn't be much of a problem. Ch 28 has none at all and I intend to keep it that way for the future updates.

Posted: 3 years ago

28. North And South


β€˜So many books? You have free time to read all of them?’ Biplab asked, eyeing the hardbound and softcovers in her lap.


β€˜Oh, they won’t even last a week.’


Biplab nodded. β€˜That must have cost you a fortune. Why do you spend so much on buying them when you can loan them from a library? I know a place where they sell books by weight!’


β€˜Oh, is there a place like that? I don’t know,’ Prasanna replied. β€˜Anyway, these will go to my personal collection and I don’t really like used books. These books on sale have really low quality pages which sucks! I find it an impediment while reading. I need my books fresh and clean.’


β€˜Did you finally start reading?’’ She counter questioned.


β€˜I read a little now and then,’ He answered.


β€˜Enough to be not clueless about the characters and authors anymore?’


β€˜That I cannot say. You’ll have to quiz me on that.’


β€˜I might take you up on the offer. There’s nothing more that interests me than talking about books.’


Biplab smiled. 


β€˜Lunch together? So much to catch up!’ Prasanna offered.


β€˜Sure, why not?!’ Biplab agreed.


β€˜Sorry to be a damper but Biplab...Dadi is alone...we should head home,’ Kirti reminded, cutting into the younger people’s conversation.


β€˜But didn’t she say she was going to visit Ananya aunty? Her daughter delivered a son. She’ll be back only by late evening,’ Biplab said.


β€˜Oh, it must have slipped my mind,’ Kirti’s tone was clipped.


β€˜It’s done then. We’re having lunch together,’ Prasanna eyes glinted with glee. β€˜The food court here has really good options. Let’s go.’


β€˜No, not here,’ Biplab objected. β€˜The prices here are really exorbitant.’


β€˜Don’t worry about that. It will be my treat. I can pay,’ Nishit, who had been quietly listening to the back and forth after the initial greetings, offered generously.


β€˜Treat for what?!’ Kirti asked.


β€˜We’ve no doubts about your ability to pay, Nishit Bhaiyya. It’s just that we would really like to eat with an easy mind and clear conscience,’ Biplab said, steam rolling his sister’s fiery outburst.  β€˜So if you both have no problem, there’s a place nearby. The quality is good and prices affordable too.’


β€˜Bhai?’ Prasanna looked at her brother, asking for his opinion.


He nodded, all of them heading towards the exit, when Nishit halted to make a call. Gesturing all of them to continue, he hung behind making a call.


When he returned, Prasanna was insisting Kirti and Biplab to accompany them in the car.


β€˜No, it’s okay,’ Kirti said. β€˜You know the place, right?’ She asked Prasanna’s brother. When he nodded, she said, β€˜Then let’s meet there.’


As Nishit helped Prasanna inside the car, he listened on to the little argument Kirti and Biplab had on who was going to ride the vehicle and a certain ornament she didn’t buy.


Dismissing all his pleads and arguments, Kirti keyed in the scooty, β€˜We’ll buy the earring some other day. How shall I let the Lord of Lords, our budding lawyer, the Messiah of the poor, ride on his own. No, never! Now, if my dear little lord will get on the bike, this lackey of yours will take you to your destination.’


β€˜You better take care. A scratch and I’ll tan your hide, you flunkey!’ Biplab thundered, as he got on the pillion.


β€˜Little easy there, Milord. This lackey has a weak heart!’  Kirti said zooming off.


β€˜They are so cute,’ Prasanna remarked to her brother who was putting on his seat belt.


β€˜Who?’


β€˜Biplab’


β€˜Hmm?’


β€˜And Kirti’


β€˜Hmm’ 


XxxxX


β€˜Which are your favourite plays?’


β€˜Not including Shakespeare, here. Shakespeare's is an entirely self sufficient world full of human nuances, the moralities and immoralities all captured in his genius works. Incomparable. Sheer poetry all of them. So favourite plays, Pygmalion for the masterstroke that the heroine does not marry the professor! Talk about breaking stereotypes. Sarah Rhul’s The Clean House for it’s poignant take at class, it’s whimsical writing about love and redemption. Most importantly for it’s quotes like, β€˜I don’t read magazine, Virginia. I go to work exhausted and come home exhausted. That is how most of the people in this country function. At least people who have jobs.’


β€˜Ouch, I haven’t read this. But why do I feel personally attacked!’ Prasanna said.


β€˜Girish Karnad’s Hayavadana for it’s remarkable wit, the moral dilemma of identity, of what one loves in a person, body or soul. Samuel’s Beckett’s Waiting for Godot for it’s minimalist style. Keep reading the play to just know what it wants to say. There are more in Marathi as well but I would stop here.’ Biplab finished his list, many more names springing in his head.


β€˜Marathi? You can read?’


β€˜I can. I studied it till ninth as my chosen regional language.’


β€˜Okay, so small quiz. Hamlet or King Lear?’


β€˜King Lear. Bad egoistic dads over indecisive brooding heroes anytime.’


β€˜But Hamlet is such a dynamic character! A bisexual, a brooding cynic, a man who weighs between the wrongs and rights,’ Prasanna protested.


β€˜For far too long in my opinion,’ Biplab said.


β€˜Charles Dickens or Thomas Hardy?’


β€˜Dickens, undoubtedly.’


β€˜Because he wrote about the middle class?’ Prasanna asked, tilting her head.


β€˜Because Hardy’s novels are generally grim and depressing and Dickens works despite all his realism and exaggerations to draw out tears, are filled with hope and new beginnings.’


β€˜Pride and Prejudice or North and South?’


β€˜North and South’


β€˜How come? You are choosing North and South over Pride and Prejudice?! It was Austen that had inspired Gaskell.’


β€˜Might have,’ Biplab replied, β€˜with all due respect to Jane Austen and her fans, I liked both Thornton and Margaret more than Elizabeth and Darcy. The industrial revolution, the stark differences between North and South ideologies only added to the beauty of it.  It is commendable how Ms.Elizabeth Gaskell imbued social concerns along with an epic romance.If there is any man who loved fervently, it was John Thornton.’ He, then quoted the man, β€˜I know you despise me; allow me to say, it is because you do not understand me.’


β€˜You remember the lines?’


β€˜I don’t intend to. But anything I read and like, it stays with me’


β€˜Haruki Murakami or Kazuo Ishiguro?’


β€˜Ishiguro is a British writer, by the way. Anyway, none of them. Yasunari Kawabata!’


Prasanna sat back and looked at him.


β€˜Which school did you go to?’


β€˜Holy Acrostic Public School, why?’ 


β€˜Where is that?’


β€˜Borivali’ Biplab replied. 


When no flit of recognition passed through her face, he said, β€˜Don’t give me that I don’t know where Borivali is, in a typical SOBO girls’ fake accent. Very off putting, it is.’


β€˜Of course, I know!’ Prasanna bluffed. She didn’t want to be counted among those frivolous South Bombay girls.


β€˜ICSE board?’ she asked.


β€˜No, state board, why?’


β€˜Nothing,’ she dismissed. 


β€˜You think Borivali, state board passouts can’t know literature?’


β€˜No...generally…’ her sentence petered out.


β€˜Generalizations are dangerous. Even this one,’ he winked, quoting Alexandre Dumas.


Short, curly hair. Spots of acne on left cheek. Braces. Eyes small, and friendly. Ordinarily cute, Prasanna thought. β€˜Read little now and then, eh? You know your texts too well for that,’ she commented.


β€˜I had to! Once upon a time there was an Estella who had mocked Pip’s lack of knowledge in books.’


β€˜So you owe all of this to me, then?’ Prasanna asked, her tone flirtatious.


β€˜Ever in character you are, Estella!’ 

 

Kirti felt proud looking at her brother being able to hold his own in a conversation. She wished their father were alive. She could have shown him that school doesn't matter.


The man next to her cleared his throat. She turned to meet his eyes, the color of which were more defined because of the rich blue shirt he wore. 


β€˜Dessert order. They have sewai kulfi,’ Nishit informed her.


β€˜I know! I’ve been here many times.’


β€˜So sewai kulfi for you, right?’ 


It was the surety in his tone that made her say,’Chocolate Fudge’


Coursing her hand through her hair, she flipped it, gathering the entire mass of her tresses on one side of the shoulder. The side where he sat.


He scrolled through his phone as they waited for their desserts.


She tapped the table, taking in the people around her.


β€˜Why were you shopping in this part of the suburban world?’ She asked finally. β€˜Phoenix not enough to cater to your needs?’


β€˜Why? You have a monopoly over the area?’ He asked, his eyebrows raised.


β€˜But I understand even though your side of the world might boast of having firsts of everything, we can now boast of all the international brands malls here.’ She continued unperturbed.


β€˜Right,’ he said.’I agree. You answered your own question. That’s why I am here.’


β€˜Aren’t you having breathing issues? I’ve heard the air on this side of the world is cheap and dirty as compared to your cleanlier South Bombay atmosphere.’


Biplab and Prasanna, lost to the world, were discussing The English Patient.


β€˜But you forget I have dropped you home more than twice,’ Nishit said, β€˜The air quality is the lowest there or so I have heard. I survived. This is still East where we are sitting in.’


Bristling, she sat back, looking away.


β€˜Sometimes, Kirti, I think you are unnecessarily picking fights with me. Like, the underlying issue is altogether different. Is it so?’


β€˜You tell me, Nishit? What underlying issue could I have?’


β€˜I am clueless,’ he shrugged.


β€˜Unless it could be about you ignoring me a few days back at Food Plaza. But that is your regular behaviour, isn’t it?’


β€˜Ohh. That!’


β€˜Yeahh that!’ She mimicked him.


He did not clarify any further.


β€˜So what system do you have? Odd even rationing? Something like that? I acknowledge her today, don’t the other day.

’

β€˜I see, my acknowledgement or the lack of it has quite an effect on you. Should I be flattered?’


β€˜Oh. Don’t take it personally. In my leisure time I prefer researching human behaviours to swatting flies.’


β€˜And I am your muse? A trial subject? Should I,at least, now allow myself to feel flattered that I am given preference over flies?’


β€˜Why are you so insistent on getting flattered? Don’t you have enough gir... people around you fattening up your ego?’


β€˜There are,’ he made a show of thinking/counting all of them in head, β€˜But no harm in adding one more to the list.’


The waiter brought the desserts for them.


β€˜Kirti, do you read Literature?’ Prasanna asked.


β€˜I don’t. Apart from school texts, I know nothing. The texts also I have forgotten.’


β€˜Nishit Bhai also has no interest in reading. Novels work as soporific agents for him. He would prefer a volleyball game any day over books.’


Kirti smiled, humoring Prasanna, when in reality she had no interest in the girl's β€˜Bhai’.


Her head bent, she began eating her ice cream. Prasanna and Biplab were now discussing something about the greatest judgments of all time.


'62******09 is your number?' He asked out of blue, showing him his phone screen where her contact lay open. She raised her head to look at the screen.


'It is. Why do you ask?'


'Personal number? Exclusively yours? Not sharing with anyone else?'


'What kind of question is that?' She asked.


'Very legitimate, I would say. Last time you were sharing your number with your brother.' 


'That was a long time ago.' Her brother was still in school and she was in college. There was only one phone and they shared it between the two.


He nodded, then his eyes glued to the phone, his fingers swiping the screen.


β€˜Sooo,’ he dragged, β€˜These texts were sent by you?’ he whispered, keeping the phone between them.


The texts jumped out at her.


Her face coloring, she not meeting his eyes, nodded. Her ice cream cup was sweating.


β€˜It was real, then.’ He said.


β€˜Hmm?’ She looked up.


β€˜No, it is legit to doubt no? The circumstances in which it started, the timeline, the pace at which it died off...I thought it happened all in my head. Or maybe someone else had been posing as you and texting the entire time. Your Dadi isn’t into texting, is she?’ 


A mortified Kirti could find no humour in his statement. 


β€˜The other day you came...I did…’ He had no doubts that day. Hadn’t she given him the umbrella? Hint of sorts.


β€˜The other day, right! When you hardly spoke anything, is that the day we are talking about?’


She should have ordered her usual kulfi. Chocolate fudge was tasteless but she had paid for it. She would have to finish it.


β€˜So no, it’s not even odd rationing. It's the same as yours. Ekadashi days I recognize you, on non ekadashis, I don’t.’

 

Edited by Ginnosuke_Nohar - 3 years ago


DO NOT COPY THIS POST AS THIS IS EXCLUSIVE TO INDIA FORUMS


Posted: 3 years ago

Tit for tat. πŸ˜ƒ. These two are such kids. Only thing left is to say 'katti'. 

But at least, they are talking  without the shadow of the jerk hanging over them. 


Biplab can hold his own infront of others ( Tejas, Nishith and Prassana) . Whereas Kirti hides behind excuses. 

Biplab chose a literary hobby because of Prasanna. I remember my sister and I used to borrow books from our uncle and aunt ( social circle, not blood relation . Why do we have this rule to call every elder one uncle or aunt. My kids find it really odd and funny when I I insist them to follow the same πŸ˜€) They lent us books on the condition that we will discuss the book with them when we return it. 

I liked when Kirti chose to go with Biplab instead of Tejas. For a moment, I had this doubt that Tejas will again emotionally blackmail her. But it is good to see that she is coming out of the long drawn haze. 

Posted: 3 years ago

Biplab & Kirti's views on "North & South" are similar, but the way they express and deal with it are completely different. While Kirti is angsty about the unfairness of it all, Biplab is more pragmatic. I like this guy. He is straightforward and puts his point across without making a big deal about it.


Nishit ignored her at Food Plaza, but didn't Kirti ignore him first? Kettle...pot.


P.S. - I would never choose chocolate fudge over sewai kulfi, no matter how mad I am with anyone. Priorities, Kirti!

Posted: 3 years ago

The convo between Estella and Pi was entertaining.  Biplab interest in literature or reading has a lot to do with his past association with Prassana ?seems so. He just does not read for sake of reading but as ability to discern,dissect the work he reads.

Nishit is still smarting. Thought he had lot gf would understand the unsaid when she gave him the ugly umbrella πŸ˜‹

Ps. Sevai kulfi is her favorite..he remembers. Hmmm 😁

Posted: 3 years ago

This was beautiful writing GN, enjoyed reading it.


Biplab is aware of the class difference in the society, yet he is not bitter in any way and he knows to hold himself among the "elite" and have a good conversation. 

I wonder if the  different schools  they went and their experiences there shaped the sister-brother duo to how they are today.


Did Prasanna really encourage Bip to read more? I think the best friendship would be when one person encourages the other to better themselves.


Kirti and Nishit's conversations are always fun to read. 

His reply about him recognising her on Ekadashi days and not on the other days made me laugh. 


Even her ice cream cup was sweating - πŸ˜†

Nishit knew her choice would be Sevai Kulfi and to spite him she ordered ice cream. I think Nishit should irritate her like this every time to make her think and do outside the box. πŸ˜ƒ

Edited by canapoem - 3 years ago
Posted: 3 years ago

Biplab does easily what Kirti struggles with all the time. He is upfront about his financial situation with no feeling of shame. Kirti needs to learn that.

Posted: 3 years ago

Biplab's cuteness gets a hmm with a question mark and Kirti's a hmm with acceptance from Nishit. So he does find her cute.

Both sets of siblings have their own sweet equation going. Love the banter between Biplab and Kirti.

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