My original take that Lashy refuses I delete 😆
Writer-e-khaas, you have outdone yourself ... Amazing! I had tears sitting in the middle of the car
And my updated take ... and this chapter gets a take 10 (and you know I rarely get inspired to do that) so you know how much I love this chapter 😳The chapter begins ... the shot gun fires (Chitti, thank you for this phrase ... it got me going too 😳) ...the race begins ...
1. Before the race ... Jalal surveys the surroundings ... the path ahead of him seems daunting, but the first step seems the most difficult to take for the time being, if only he knew what the path would be like
The awkward first conversations with the Singhs after that horrendous day, the processing of the air of despair among the Singh family, Mrs. Singh's ominous warning, and the stress to get the Doctor to agree to the path he wanted to go forward on to see his Jodha
2. The door opens ... the race begins ... and immediately a steep hill faces him before ... the daunting sight of seeing his girl ... but wait was this the race he had signed up for ... was this his girl?
Indeed it was ... though the steepness and pain was beyond what he had imagined ... she was beyond recognition ... a moment of doubt, could he go forwar?
3. Immediately it seems easier to turn back to the starting line ... the comfort zone ... the comfort of the past ... the spunky woman, the dainty sashay, the supermodel with the flirtatious wink, the girl who was "on top of the world"
For a while he could stare blankly ... but then he knew he had to move on ... he had crossed many a hurdle before ... while he had passed those hurdles, he had felt those had been difficult ... but now he faced the biggest hurdle of them all ... and hopefully the last.
4. And what a beautiful poem and lesson here for Jalal , with this verse 👏
"The final step was the toughest of hurdles to cross,
The final spell of patience the toughest of virtues to master."
That indeed guides the path of the race to come ...
5. The initial steps: Jalal learns and adapts as he goes along
All the training and research comes to mind ... the importance of having a low voice, having control over your emotions ...
... he grasps on every bit of oxygen he has ... every drop of optimism is too precious, "At least God has given something to work on"
And he marches away ... chapter after chapter ... the chapters seem to dry out and then the SMSes of memories takes him forward ... the SMSes do not suffice, then music comes to boost the path along
But alas, the spirit within him continues to tire ... he needs one boost
6. A small victory to keep him going ... a finger moves
But is this enough oxygen? The medical experts say no ... but he does not want to stop breathing ... there has to be some lifeline ...
And then in this desperation comes the lifeline... the idea to bring their happiest moment back to life ... the 23rd birthday and their even more beautiful dreams of celebrating their 63rd birthday together 😳...
But is it enough? No response ... the positive charge within him begins to die, like the battery of his cell phone (What a beautiful parallel here, writer-e-khaas ⭐️) ...
7. But at some point, he just cannot go on ... the sun is at its speak, the sweat of anguish pours out as tears ...
There is no way to move on and he falls down on his knees exhausted by his early sprint ... like a little child not knowing how to go forward
8. And that is when the quenching of thirst (in the form of garam chai) and sound advice keeps him going ...
A new ray of hope comes from unexpected quarters ... another "strong man" shows a sense of solidarity ... and puts his journey in new perspective ... after all they were trying hard for his "choti" but they had to take this as a marathon and not a sprint ... as he had just learned
9. And just as he nears the finish line ... he finally has a steady pace... one day after the next, one physiotherapy session after another, one tie after another, one rose bunch after the other ... what seems like the end looks to be a new beginning
10. And then suddenly he reaches the finish line ... marked by a disbelief, a forehead that finally reaches for rest on the steering wheel like a runner falling on the ground upon crossing the finish line... disbelief, celebrations, screams, and shouts come together all at once. Victory was finally arrived.
And all the moments before are of no consequence when he has reached victory ... as he go towards the trophy, the nerves still playing games with him ... but then the door handle opens ... and then the prized moment arrives ...
A smiling face. Two eyes that can see him, not only feel him. And a voice expressing her wish to celebrate her 63rd birthday with him only ... and that is the only reason she came back. The destination has arrived.
Oh wait, this is not destination ... and that is the most beautiful part. There will be more marathons, sprints, strolls, and walks as Jodha-Jalal journey towards celebrating their 63rd birthdays together ... I am guessing with pineapple hawla 😳
Do I have to say anymore writer-e-khaas? To me, this was not only about the race called NJAPA, not only a race that Jalal had to go through, but also about the race called life ...
A race where as we reach a finish line ... it is often the most daunting
A race that you think should be a straight line , but has its ups and downs
A race which we often treat as a sprint, when it actuality is a marathon
A race where we think we have reached destination, but this is only one destination of many
So much you have so beautifully conveyed in this chapter. I will be very honest- this week between my accident, work stress, home stress - my legs were physically and figuratively very tired ... I did not know how to boost myself - the show, the forum, a take 5, music-- nothing was really doing the trick ... but your chapter did ... it was that powerful in showing the beautiful journey which is life and energizing me to move forward. Hence, I was in tears in the middle of the car.
Love you writer-e-khaas 🤗
Hope you liked my take too ... I tried something different this time. 😳
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