Love, Unrequited [Thread 2 : Pg 140] - Page 35

Originally posted by: p4peppa

He he he, my shaiyri is all water under the bridge now. I don't mind the loss as it was all a competition for me. But I agree with you that urdu words are so beautiful. My daughter is a fan of Pakistani and Turkish dramas, even she has started liking urdu now. I am thinking of buying an urdu-english dictionary for her 😀.

After watching a few Paki dramas and knowing that most of them were based on Urdu novels, I wanted to read these novels.

The Pakistanis still have this system of Urdu periodicals and magazines where I think they publish stories in installments.

Umera Ahmed and all, they are prolific writers. Since, they choose such beautiful concepts, I wanted to read them. I even found a site that has all these Pakistani novels available but all in Urdu. No translations available.

I thought let me first learn to read Urdu. Easier said than done!

Being a desi at heart, one is always on a lookout for stories that you can relate to and connect at a deeper level. Serials and all, are way to live the desi romance vicariously, however, you need good actors. Actors that can emote well.

Like , I have seen many male actors getting to play the brooding men roles, but if you speak less, then your eyes will have to talk more. That talent, most of the recent actors don't have.

Turkish dramas are good but the only problem is they are too long. Some 1 to 2 hours of a single episode and the total episodes stretching over, 100-200.

My mother has fallen into this rabbit hole of Turkish dramas. She had started with Urdu dramas and then on same Urdu channels they have dubbed Turkish dramas as well. The good thing about dubbed ones is that they have been broken into smaller episodes so as daily source of entertainment it's good. At least much better than the nothing to offer ITV.

Since we are talking about Turkish dramas and men who can emote with their eyes, let me stick a video here 😆

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_eooRBViR4k&t=47s

Originally posted by: p4peppa

I never had karanjis. I am going to try making them this week with the help of google baba. Health scares and horrors aside, the lockdowns have made chefs out of most.

They are also called pedakiya or guijiyas! Really tasty especially if they are filled with khoya ❤️

Originally posted by: p4peppa

For some reason, I can't quote the chapter 🤔. It helps for reference 😀. This chapter reminded me of one of very few family trips we had. Main reason for not going: who will look after dada dadi ( nevermind 2 buajis who lived in the same city). It was a trip to Kullu Manali via Mandi or vice versa. Beautiful! We sisters decided that we are going to build a cabin somewhere on the mountains ( when we grow up) and fill it with books.

Our host uncle put a damper by telling that outsiders are not allowed to buy land there.

But we enjoyed a lot. One of the best memories of childhood.

This is a real problem. Unable to go out because in a family when you are travelling there so many things to think about, first everyone getting a leave, you need to see there are no exams of children, then if there are elders - are they travelling, if no then who'll take care of them. And that buaji thing, Indian thing again! Beti ke ghar mein kaise reh sakte hai bhaiii!

So I have a bus journey story too. My father and I were traveling. Small distance. Some two three hours. We sit in the front seats waiting for the bus to start. There's some argument going on between conductors and drivers as to which bus will leave first. Their own little politics going on. Finally, our bus driver comes and climbs in ready to start the bus.

I am at the window side. Through the window, I see one of the other bus people staring at me. Continuously. I don't make much of it. Because I was sixteen. And by that time, it had sunk in that men have nothing better to do than stare.

The bus is starting, we'll be leaving soon, I think. Finally. It's too hot.

The man is staring and then in a blink of a second he runs to my window and...bump fists the window, the glass smashing with the force! I was surprised, scared, just point blank. Kya hua...kyun hua...

By God's grace, I was safe barring a very tiny scratch on my cheeks, that I was given detto to apply on. But I was shaken and so traumatised. My father was livid. The other passengers were also angry. I should have climbed off that bus, field a complaint or something. But, I had an exam the other day. We had to check in a hotel in few hours. My father was equally shaken. What an incident to happen! The bus staff kept apologizing the entire way but would their apologies meant anything had I been seriously hurt?

The man must have been hurt too. The glass was strong and he hit it with his hand. But he wasn't thinking of the consequences. All that had mattered for him in that moment was how dare this bus start first. And the best way to punish was to punish the customer?

Then you realise how human beings, very sane ones too, are able to hurt or be violent with their own kind.

We all attribute it to the miracle of God. The glass had broken and shattered over all of me but none of the shards pierced any skin.

Originally posted by: canapoem

Very interesting chapter GN.

Tejas's back story is sad. His father, fine he remarried, but should have cared for his son too. It must have been very tough on a young Tejas to move away from his home and seek love in his aunt's house. What happened to him was wrong.

But what he has been doing to Kirti is also wrong.

Unfortunately 2 wrongs do not make a right.

I feel like Kirti feels pity more than love towards Tejas.

He stood with her during her tough times, I guess somewhere losing her father made her more sympathetic towards Tejas as he too was longing for his father's love. This sympathy, common longing, friendship and attention he wants from her - did she assume it was love?

Tejas surely needs counselling. I feel sorry for him but this obsession he has towards Kirti is bad. He is not able to handle his life pressures and he tries to pull Kirti into his emotional mess and wants her to find solutions to his problems. He really needs to grow up.

Does Sana knows Tejas and his need to be given importance?

GN, did you watch Crown series?

Tejas reminds me of Prince Charles who always wanted to be the only one in the limelight and who wants someone to feed his ego all the time.

I haven't watched the Crown series. But I have done enough reading to know what you're talking about. But yes, this Megan and Harry's struggle I have definitely watched memes of that. 😆

Kirti and Biplab's conversation and his Dadi adding her humorous inputs into their talks was so heart warming and made me smile.

Sinner being fried in hot oil and elite are fried in Olive Oil was so funny to read. Do we still get Dalda? I remember it used to widely used in lower middle class families a lot few decades back. But now everyone talks about its ill effects.

Honestly, I rememver Dalda being used at home when I was 5-6 years old. My mother would make parathas in Dalda only. I remember because I loved squeezing out the Dalda from it's packet. 😆 It's been long since I have seen it being used in our kitchen.

I remember the village shadis we used to attend, the halwai would sit with big cauldrons and there will be vessels of dalda being poured into those cauldrons to fry nimkis or gajas. Me and my cousins would find his job very interesting and we aspired to be his assistant. Mostly we were relegated to being messengers carrying missives between him and the head of the house.

'Tel khatam ho gaya, bol aao'

'Sev tal dein, jao keh do'

The quintessential shaadi snacks and sweets. They had this distinct greasiness to them. The laddoos would leave the upper palate of your mouth greasy. I used to grimace when anyone would offer me those laddoos. I always preferred the small boondi ones that had this smooth and glossier finish. Very racist and classist on my part! 😆

Good old memories!

So Dadi also recognised how Tejas takes advantage of Kirti.

I am glad that Biplab kind of indicated Tejas where her priorities lies.

But Tejas is going to have huge withdrawal symptoms and it is not going to be easy for Kirti once Biplab goes back to his university.

So Kirti and her brother meet Nishit and his sister at the mall.

This is going to be interesting.

Waise bandha was watching Kirti trying on ear rings. Awww!!!!

Nice update GN

Originally posted by: canapoem

GN, this was another stellar chapter.

I love this Lalan aka Lily.

We have women in every walk of life who want to break the stereotypes and it is awesome to meet one such girl like this.

The way she spoke about who defines how a cable operator should look etc was just too good. Poor Biplab had to bring his sister to talk to her.

I don't know why these South movies dubbed into Hindi and telecast on Set max etc are so much liked. I have seen few of my friends enjoy it too and I keep wondering why and how. 😆

Kirti told Nishit that her low class adversities will strike him too if he comes into her home. Today after she got a call from the coaching institute, if Nishit was around, he would have said, did the high class fortune strike Kirti due to his influence. 😃

But happy to know that something good is coming Kirti's way.

Dadi being dadi could only think that this job will pave way for a good alliance for Kirti.

Bingo! I was thinking exactly that when I finished typing the update. Good luck seems to have rubbed.😆

I love how you notice and mention these in between the line points.

Originally posted by: kizh72

For curiosity's sake, did you club Adam Smith and Paul Krugman together?😆

I love the way you have etched Kirti. One really gets her; her aspirations, disappointments, envy...

I don't understand the scene with Nishit. Does he want a friendship with her or something deeper? The girlfriend is still on the scene. Maybe there was always a connection between them, without putting a label on it.

P.S: Loved the musings on privatization. I feel the biggest thing we achieved was to take along a vastly diverse mass of people unified for the most part, hoping for a better future. We did get many out of poverty, created an aspirational few generations, but for things to go south once again. I used to think the biggest thing we can teach the world would be how to survive, live together. Oh well😆

Ab kya hi kahein! Desh jis durgati par nikla hai...there's new low to be seen everyday. There was a comedian sent to jail for a joke he never performed. A friend of his who also had been put in jail for the same reason, his story was published yesterday. I felt so sad reading it. An orphan and a guardian figure for a younger brother...how his life has changed since he has returned from prison! Working as a labourer, fine he will bear that but the ostracism that he faces from his own people, friends, how's that trauma going to be healed. All this for a joke that was never told.

The other read a quote, There's freedom of speech alright but nobody guarantees the freedom after the speech.

Originally posted by: Arshi67

"Nice" update

Ye kya keh diya aapne! 😆

Kirti's flights of fancy are something else! Now all she needs to do is allow a little of that unfettered thought to seep into her life. I like the underlying antagonism that exists between her and Nishit's conversations. It pulls her out of her comfort zone. As you pointed out, it's easy to get lazy intellectually when information is provided is convenient bite sizes, and no one around you challenges your views.

Watching Biplab and Prasanna's pehla nasha pehla khumaar unfold was cute to read.

PS - Lays ho toh Magic Masala ho, warna na ho 😎

Mere toh Kurkure Masala Munch dusro na koi!😆

Originally posted by: bakwas_serial

From a picnic, trek, climbing trees for guavas, drawing tattoos to discussions on current topics of privatizing public banks to comparing Indian and Chinese growth/economy....fun, light hearted to some light discussion on current topic😘

I liked how you have etched Kirti..a product of circumstances...there is insecurity, a bitterness and a lethargy in trying to fight today change her circumstances. Hopefully she will ponder on her conversation with Nishit..specially his comment about Jharkhand (herself) and need to be proactive in doing somethinh rather than blaming the past or circumstances.

Also her conversation with him about banks/economy was more a dialogue where his probing was more so she would clarify her point and did not hesitate to compliment when he agreed. Never did he take over the conversation or derail the conversation by his own knowledge of the subject 😘

I am assuming you on purpose made Prasanna mix Paul Krugman name with Adam Smith 😊

Also Kirti's mom is not dead like I had assumed just left her family.

I am confused with the junior engineer conversation..so Kirti is not a engineer but has a undergrad degree in Economics ? Also she did not attend college with Nishit then but I thought Shruti remembered him from their college days ?

.

Kirti has a polytechnic degree in Computer Science which is a three year Diploma Course in Engineering. She is a Junior Engineer and not a B.Tech engineer.

Now, since she didn't get a campus placement in her college, she was left jobless. Outside job hunting also didn't help much. She would have to look for job in other places now. To be eligible to sit in government job recruiting examinations, the minimum degree one requires is a graduation degree. In most of the cases. So she did a BA to be eligible for these exams.

She had enrolled in a correspondence course of IGNOU. It is an open university that provides you a college as your centre where you can attend counselling classes, go and do practicals, assignments submissions, exams all will happen there. Basically it becomes your college even if you aren't actually a student of that college in a true sense. So, naturally if it is Nishit's college, and she attends the sessions from time to time, she's bound to meet him.

Originally posted by: cheers2all

I will (patiently) wait for that day when we get to know what was going through Nishit's mind on this day - right from the bus stop till the time he found those forgotten frangipanis in his pocket. That man is as much a mystery to us as he is to us - banda sochta kuch hain, bolta kuch hain aur karta kuch hain!

This chapter had so many moods, and I enjoyed every one of them. Highs of Ekadashi & lows of Amavasya - this update had it all. Loved the arguments between Nishit & Kirti and also loved the growing closeness between Biplab & Prasanna. Laughed out loud when the brother was smuggling all things dear to his sister, to his lady love and how the sister could foresee a very tragic end of being homeless & penniless. But fikr not Kirti...Bhabhi ne clip liya, toh uske Bhai ne pen bhi toh diya 😉 I don't think the pen will be returned any time soon. It is as close to this person as the umbrella is to the other.

Also loved the conversation about dreams and the tattoo drawings. Looks like Nishit did not want the moment to end, and that man gives eclairs as fees!! Sold 😍

Nishit's long list of accomplishments made Kirti feel worse about her current situation. I could really understand her frustration & disappointments. She has been struggling for quite a while now. While peers and friends have achieved what they had set out to, she is still stuck in a rut. A lot of that can be attributed to the fact that she had to make certain decisions & choices to fulfill her responsibilities, but one cannot deny that after a while she did stop trying. She is afraid of failure, she is afraid of letting down her Dadi and she is afraid of taking risks. For instance, she has given up on the coaching class job even before giving the interview. Nishit's words seems to have given her the much needed confidence and drive to try harder. She has the potential, she just needs to believe in herself and Nishit's praise seems to have helped her do just that. Well, atleast it was helping up until that goddamn phone call, after which everything went south at the speed of light. I have a feeling Nishit & Mithila's relation is not what meet's our eyes. Kirti's eyes, to be precise. They may have been dating, but my guess is they aren't at the moment. Mithila's call acted as a wake up call for Kirti...din toh gazab ka tha, but momentarily she had forgotten that the song ends with - phir bhi jaan-e-jaan, main kahan aur tum kahan.

The chapter was deliciously long and I feel like I am missing many things that I wanted to say when I was reading. Will be back if I think of something else.

I loved reading this deliciously long and detailed comment as well. ❤️

That song connection of main kahan tum kahan you made was a witty stroke. I had forgotten how it ends.

I hope Bhai bas pen par na ruk jaye and aur bhi bahot kuch de...woh alag baat hai Kirti le na lein

Till then both of them can listen to mera kuch samaan tumhare paas hai... 😆