Mann Ki Lagan - The Journey
Sometime in the end of January 2014, Aarti called me. We had been in touch through email and other forms of communication by then but discussion of a storyline was tough that way. And she shared her thoughts. Thoughts that I found very interesting. The story I felt, had a great potential. My only doubt was.. This was her first attempt at writing an FF. Would she be able to handle something so complicated. For readers who are familiar with my stories do know that either one of my protagonists have issues. And the story revolves around how they overcome the said issues and find a happy ending.
But Aarti's story is where BOTH of them had issues of their own. Ashutosh was a divorcee and Nidhi had a painful childhood courtesy of her father and his suspicions. So I gently suggested to her that she should probably take up one of the two and write the story around that. She said OK..I'll think about it. (Which as time passed by I realized meant - I have decided and I'm not going to change my mind.) Then she started writing and asked me if I could be her editor. That had me thinking again. I have never been known for my diplomacy. And I seriously didn't want to do or say something where I would end up losing a very great friend.
Oh the temptation of that story..that pulled me and I couldn't resist. Our journey began and I had begun to look forward to where and how she would take the story forward. But by the end of chapter two, I faced another hurdle. My inability to connect with this Nidhi. Gentleness and a tender forgiving heart not being a part of my own psyche I guess. So I called my editor Divya and explained my problem without giving out much of Aarti's story. I'm quoting what she said here..
"Don't try to be the writer of that story. When you narrated THT, I found that Nidhi beyond my comprehension too. A teenager with an obsession towards a guy 15 years her senior, drugging him and taking snaps of him. But then I realized that is how YOU want her to be. And I went with that. So go with Aarti. Trust her to know what is right for her story. Just make sure the characters and the storyline are on track. That's all you have to do."
So that's what I tried to do. And that's all I did. Aarti thanked me in her thread for putting up with her eccentricities. LOL that makes me wonder how Divya has been putting up with my eccentricities for the last one and half years. Oh Divya loved this story BTW. I sent her the story so far link.
Anyway, back to our journey. Aarti needs a standing ovation for what she did the last almost five months. The sleepless nights and the emotional energy she invested on some of the chapters. Being a writer full time, my stories take a toll on me and I really don't know how this lady handled all that. I used to feel so very guilty whenever I had to make her rewrite something. But she never complained. She took every suggestion / advice / order to heart and did her best to understand what I was trying to say. Please believe me when I say that kind of trust is not a small thing. A story is a writer's baby. Entrusting its welfare to another person indicates an untold amount of belief in that person. So Aarti, thank you so very much. I have enjoyed each and every moment of this journey with you. I laughed at Sam's antics and cried along with Ashutosh when Nidhi left him. I grinned at Armaan and Anji's sangeet and giggled at Nidhi crying in her bidai. I dreamt AshNi driving along the beach on the two wheeler with Nidhi driving and wanted to punch the living daylights out of CV. I wanted to hug Ashutosh for what he went through with Priya and wanted to kick him you know where for what he put Nidhi through. I watched them meet, fall in love, part, come together again, become friends, then a couple and then fall in love some more, part again and come together again this time as lovers. A turbulent journey which has finally reached its destination today.
Aarti, I am not going to say start thinking of another story soon. But I will definitely hope that you don't stop writing completely. Something. Anything. Like your Nidhi pursues her painting and your Ashutosh, the music. Good luck!
Loads of love,
Suvika.
P.S: Thank you all for reading this post of mine. I thought of posting it in Aarti's thread itself but didn't want it to get lost among the reviews and replies. Hence a separate thread.
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