Chapter 18

17. Kacchi Dor

It was a December afternoon, second last period, the time allotted to IX’thers to prepare for the farewell of X’thers when Kirti and others sat in the last benches gossiping about the upcoming event.

They were all assembled in the back room of the stage, practicing for the song that they were going to perform on the farewell night. It was a mix of old and new songs and one original English song that Nishit and another guy from the other section had composed.

Kirti was listening to the other girl in the group list out the names of the senior girls from class ten, who could win Miss.Riverside, the names all evading her for she didn’t know any of the seniors except, Rewati Kelkar, who was the school pupil leader and for whom Kirti had voted because Sana and others were voting for her. They had said Rewati was the only girl in the entire tenth standard who possessed the grace and elegance as well brains to represent the school. 

‘Teach me, then’

‘

Kirti looked ahead to see the boys gathered around the teacher’s table, Nishit, their only guitarist, sitting on it, Riya, a girl , from another section, leaning beside him. She had been pressing him to teach him guitar from the first day of their practice.

He had very indulgently taught her some strumming but she wanted to learn more. Kirti marvelled at the girl’s ability to pester him and act all territorial around him. 

Kirti had been sitting with the guy for the last six months and they had barely conversed. A fly on the desk, that’s what she was. Must be to do something with the same social class.

‘Nishit, please.’

‘I can’t. This is an electric guitar. If you want to learn, start with the basics and preferably an acoustic guitar.’

‘If I buy a guitar, can you teach me?’

‘I’m not qualified enough’

‘Please,’ the girl batted her eyelids.

Kirti had turned to the girls, her ears though were on them.

‘We’ll see.’

‘At least play some song for me’

Kirti had thought it would be one of those Enrique songs he was always listening to on his Walkman. But he had strummed his guitar and before she could guess the song, he was singing, 

‘’Dil ki khata bhi hai kyaaa...

Mujhko gila bhi hai kya

Is dillagi ke sivaaa…

 dil ne

Kiya bhi hai kya

Kirti had sat there riveted, her eyes not looking at him instead glued on the indented SR on the wood of the table.

Koi Kacchi Dor Nahi Hai

Main Kya Karun

Dil par mera zor nahi hai 

Main Kya Karun

Koi Kacchi Dor nahin hai...

‘You’re singing it all wrong,’ Tejas, who had been sitting on the teacher’s chair came and stood before Nishit and Riya. Kirti felt an annoyance rise up her throat. ‘Let him continue,’ she wanted to shout from where she sat but swallowed the urge.

‘This comes later. In the first half it’s, Aashiq hai ye chor nahi... Dil par mera zor nahi,’ and Tejas slipped in picking up from where Nishit had been interrupted with the latter once again receding into the background.

Kirti felt an inexplicable loss.

Later, in the class, when he came to sit next to her, she searched for words that would express admiration for his talent but could not muster up the courage. They weren’t that frank with each other. In hesitation the moment passed.

But for months from then she had been obsessed with the song, patiently waiting for the music channel or radio to play it, even more patiently waiting for the ‘Dil Ki Khata’ part. And then many months later Tejas had gifted her the cassette.They sang it together too, sometimes.

She knew the song by heart by then yet, she would always mix the lyrics. Always.

Dil Ki Khata Bhi Hai Kya

Mujhko Gila Bhi Hai Kya

Iss Dillagi Ke Siwa

Dil Ne Kiya Bhi Hai Kya

Koi Kacchi Dor Nahi Hai

Main Kya Karun

Dil Pe Koi Zor Nahi Hai

Main Kya Karun...

[NOCOPY]

[MEMBERSONLY]