Chapter 2
**June 9,2018**
Siddhant felt a deep sense of gratitude towards this young lady who had saved his sister's life.
Anushka ji, zindagi ne kabhi mauka diya toh hum aapse zarur milna chahenge. Aapka shukriya, bohot bohot shukriya.
Little did Siddhant know that his inner voice would come true very soon. Fate and its weird games had just begun!
**June 11,2018**
It had been two days to Purva's accident but consciousness had still deserted her. Siddhant had been a lifeless soul over the course of those two days. Days had passed but time was still.
Those two days spent at the hospital had offered the young man a very melancholic view of life. Patients wailing in pain, frantic family members, and their helpnessness had become a common sight for him. These travails had left a deep lasting impression on Siddhant.
It is with these thoughts in mind that Siddhant was sitting outside Purva's ward on a warm and humid afternoon. The clock had just ticked past 2:30. The artist in Siddhant was deeply impressioned by the sadistic aura that the hospital exuded. He wondered to himself-
Ae zindagi, kyun apne bashindon se khafa hai tu
Bilakhte insaan ke gam se kyun ruswa hai tu
Ab toh shikwein bhulaakar maan jaa o jaaneman
Dikhla de ki kadakti dhup mein rahat ki panah hai tu
The fragility of life was one truth which no mortal being could run away from. Why was life being so harsh with his sister and all those people who had been suffering in the hospital ? Be it the physical suffering of the patients or the mental agony of their family and relatives. The young man was lost in these deep philosophical thoughts when his trance was broken by a sudden voice.
"Are you Mr.Siddhant Sinha ?" I'm Dr.Kapoor. said a burly middle-aged man.
Dr.Kapoor was the senior-most doctor at Galaxy Hospital and he had been called in to supervise Purva. Siddhant had been informed about Dr.Kapoor's arrival.
"Yes Dr.Kapoor, I'm Siddhant..Purva's brother." responded Siddhant in a jiffy, eager to know more about Purva's condition.
"Mr.Siddhant, I'll be very honest with you. Purva's condition isn't stable yet and we need to go for an emergency surgery. You'll have to deposit Rs 3,00,000 at the 'Accounts Office' by tomorrow morning." said the doctor, rather dispassionately.
Siddhant was taken aback by this sudden development.
"3 lakh...humein thoda waqt chahiye Doctor sahab. Hum aapko yakeen dilate hain ki hum paison ka intazaam karenge, zarur karenge par please humein thoda waqt dijiye." Siddhant responded in a voice that screamed of helpnessness.
Siddhant's earnest request was accepted by the Doctor.
"Thik hai Mr.Siddhant. Aap agle teen dinon ke andar paise bhar sakte hain."
"We'll be going for the surgery in the morning tomorrow." were the concluding remarks of the Doctor as he moved ahead to examine other patients.
4 hours later
Siddhant sat on a bench in the Park. It was thirty minutes past six on a fairly pleasant evening and dusk had fallen heavily over the scene.
The setting pleased Siddhant and was in sync with his present mood. Siddhant had always thought of Dusk as the hour of the defeated. It was the phase which harmonized with the moods of those whose fortunes had fallen and whose hopes were dead.
Siddhant's gloomy thoughts were suddenly interrupted when he felt cold water running over his feet. He got up with a jerk.
"Ye kya kiya aapne!! Dekh kar nahi chal sakte kya! Aankhein di hain na aapko bhagwan ne ?" responded Siddhant in a fit of extreme anger.
"Mujhe maaf kar dijiye beta, galti se ho gaya."
The old man had tripped and ended up dropping a bottle of cold-water on Siddhant.
"Galti, kaisi galti ? Bas kijiye Uncle ji. Mujhe koi maafi-waafi nahi chahiye. Aapko jo karna tha, woh aap kar chuke hain."
Siddhant's temper and frustration had totally taken over his rationality.
After being hurt and insulted by this tempestuous young bloke, the old man proceeded to walk away.
But the sad look on the old man's face didn't escape Siddhant. He soon realized his folly.
Ye humne kya kar diya. Ek buzurg se itni buri tarah baat ki humne, woh bhi tab jab unki koi galti hi nahi thi.
The old man had hardly walked a few steps when Siddhant went upto him and apologised profusely for his rude and dismissive behaviour.
"Mujhe maaf kar dijiye Uncle ji. Gusse mein maine aapko bohot bura-bhala keh diya. Please mujhe maaf kar dijiye."
The old fellow was a wise man and Siddhant's earnest apology moved him.
"Arey koi baat nahi bete, aaj kal ke bacchon ka khoon toh humesha garm hi rehta hai. Main samajh sakta hoon, gusse mein aksar insaan apna aapa kho baithta hai, par koi baat nahi. Maine tumhein maaf kiya."
Thank God that Uncle forgave me or else I wouldn't have forgiven myself for my rude behavior.
"Tum kaho toh hum baith kar baat karein ?" asked the old man.
Siddhant duly obliged.
Now that Siddhant's temper had cooled down, he had a careful look at the old man who was to be his companion for the next 30 minutes.
The old man was dressed in a long velvet overcoat. He had a thick beard and his eyes were hidden by pitch black spectacles. He had a husky voice and his facial features suggested that he was perhaps in his early sixties.
The two men positioned themselves comfortably on the bench. The old man kick-started the conversation.
"Tum pareshaan lag rahe ho beta. Kya baat hai ? Ho sakta hai ki main tumhari kuch madat.."
"Aap meri koi madat nahi kar sakte." interjected Siddhant.
There was a discomforting silence that followed. A couple of minutes had elapsed but Siddhant didn't respond furthur. Siddhant's face had toughened and his eyes harboured a deep sense of pain.
"Koi baat nahi beta, agar tum nahi batane chahte..." barely had the old man finished his statement when Siddhant interjected him.
"Aap sach mein jaanna chahte hain ki main pareshan kyun hun, toh suniye..."
Dard ho dil mein toh dawa kijiye
Dil hi jab dard ho toh kya kijiye
The old man smiled at Siddhant admiringly, as though he was amazed by the depth of emotions that this young man in front of him had harboured within his heart.
"Shayari toh badi acchi suna lete ho beta."
"Kya karun Uncle ji, chhota hi sahi par hun toh kalaakar hi." responded Siddhant with a special emphasis on the word chhota' as though he was mocking himself.
"Toh boliye Uncle ji. Kya aapke paas hai meri pareshaani ka koi solution ?"
Silence ensued again. Seeing the old man all quiet, a sarcastic grin took its shape on Siddhant's face.
"Nahi hai na aapke paas jawab. Main toh pehle hi jaanta tha. Par aapka shukriya Uncle ji, aapne meri pareshaani jaanne ki koshish toh ki, so thank you."
Siddhant stood up and turned around to leave the park. He had only taken a couple of steps when his feet stopped hearing the familiar husky voice.
Mushkilen dilon ke iraade azmayengi
Khwaabon ke parde nigaahon se hatayengi
Girkar tujhe hai sambhalna
Yeh thokaren hi tujhe chalna sikhayengi
Siddhant turned back, completely surprised. He hadn't anticipated what had just ensued. The old man's face bore a steely look. The shayari' was followed by an eloquent pause where neither man spoke a word. Finally, the old man proceeded to speak again-
Uthati lehron ko saahil ki darkaar nahin hoti
Hauslon ke aage koi deewar nahin hoti
Jalte hue ik chiraag ne aandhiyon se kaha
Himmat hai toh bujha ke dikha
Jalne ke liye mujhe kinaron ki darkaar nahin hoti
After having finished, the old man looked upto Siddhant with a great deal of warmth and love. He could see that the young man's eyes had turned moist. Getting up from the bench, he went upto Siddhant and with a gentle pat on his shoulder, brought him to the bench.
After having positioned themselves comfortably on the bench, Siddhant kick-started the conversation. Irony would have been grinning ear-to-ear seeing these two men. Fifteen minutes back, Siddhant had spoken rudely to the old man. And now, 15 minutes later, he was about to share his life's intimate details with the same old man. All the inhibition had vanished. Truly, irony at its vintage best!
Siddhant's disillusioned and confused mind had been soothed by the two beautiful verses recited by the old gentleman. After 4 hours of gloominess, he was finally in a positive frame of mind.
"Hum pareshaan hain Uncle ji, kuch samajh nahi aa raha ki kya karen." said Siddhant in a low voice.
"Humari behen hospital mein hai, uske ilaaj ke liye kuch paison ka intazaam karna hai. Hum ek struggling artist' hain, humare liye teen dinon mein 3,00,000 rupayon ka intazaam karna bohot mushkil hai."
The old man listened patiently and with great empathy as Siddhant continued-
"Humare liye humari behen hi sab kuch hai. Uske alawa humari zindagi mein aur koi nahin hai. Kaise nikamme bhai hain hum, apni behen ko surakshit bhi nahi rakh sake."
The old man chipped in as soon as Siddhant had finished.
"Tumhare ma-baap kahan hain ?"
Hardly had he said this when he saw Siddhant's face toughening and his otherwise gentle eyes turning red with an emotion that was inexplicable. Was it pain, was it hurt, or was it anger ? Only time would tell! However, the change in expression only lasted for a split second. Siddhant quickly put up a normal expression.
"Maaf kijiye Uncle ji, par hum unke baare mein koi baat nahin karna chahte." Siddhant responded rather casually.
Siddhant's sudden change in demeanor hadn't escaped the old man though. He quickly digressed.
"Koi baat nahi bete, its alright."
"Rahi baat tumhari behen ki, toh tum chinta mat karo aur meri baat dhyan se suno."
"Iss duniya mein aisi koi takleef nahi, aisa koi gam nahi jiska ilaaj insaan naa kar sake. Tum kehte ho ki tum ek nikamme bhai ho jo apni behen ke ilaaj ke liye paise nahi juta paa rahe. Kya khud ko nikamma kehne se tumhari behen thik ho jayegi ? Kya khud ko dosh dene se tumhari behen ka ilaaj ho jayega? Bolo beta, hai koi jawab tumhare paas ?"
But Siddhant had no answer to the old man's question. However, the old man's words had definitely forced him to think. Meanwhile, the old man continued.
"Iss shlok ko dhyan se sunna-"
uddharedaatmanaatmaanam naatmaanamavasaadayeth |
aatmaiva hyaatmano bandhuraatmaiva ripuraatmanah ||
"The very essence of this shlok is that one shouldn't dishonor himself/herself. A person who respects himself can channelize his energy to yield productive results in life. A wailing man who curses himself and indulges in self-pity can neither do good for himself nor others. Have confidence in yourself and face challenges head-on with a positive mindset instead of cursing yourself and your fortune."
Siddhant listened to the old man's wise words with great sincerity. The old man continued..
"Apne aap ko dosh dene se kuch nahi hoga beta, apne haalat par laachar mehsus karne se tumhein sirf nirasha milegi."
"Agar tum kuch karna hi chahte ho, toh utho aur koshish karo. Teen din bohot lamba waqt hai beta, koshish karoge toh koi naa koi raasta zarur niklega."
"Ek baat yaad rakhna : andhera chahe kitna bhi ghana kyun naa ho, roshni ki ek kiran uss andhere ko cheer deti hai. Har raat ka savera hota hai."
Siddhant was admiring this old man who had freed him from the clutches of destitution and instilled the vigour of hope in him.
Seeing Sid smile, the old man quipped-"Meri baatein tumhein samajh mein aa rahi hain ya phir...woh tum aajkal ke bacche kya kehte ho..."
Before the old man could complete, Sid chipped in-"Bouncer jaa rahi hain."
Hearing this, the old man laughed instantly and seeing his spontaneous laughter, Siddhant too had a beautiful smile on his face.
This small round of laughter had comforted Siddhant like a burst of rain soothes a parched desert.
After a couple of minutes, the old man gestured to speak.
"Can you do me a small favour ?" asked the old man.
"Ofcourse Uncle ji!" Sid replied with a child-like innocence.
"Siddhant, can you please bring me a bottle of packaged drinking water ? There is a shop just beside the entrance to this Park." said the old man, handing Siddhant a Rs 20 note.
"I'm feeling very thirsty. I had purchased a bottle of water earlier but I ended up spilling it on you." said the old man with a chuckle.
"Ofcourse Uncle ji, I'll get it for you, par aapko yeh paise dene ki zarurat nahi hai."
Siddhant tried to return the money but to no avail. The old man didn't take back his money.
Siddhant finally gave up his persuasion.
"Aap toh bacchon se bhi zyada ziddi hain Uncle ji." said Siddhant with a childish giggle.
The two men had a small laugh, at the end of which, Siddhant left for the shop in order to fetch the bottle of water.
The shop was just beside the entrance to the Park. Siddhant purchased the bottle of water and turned around in order to return to the Park. However, out of the blue, something struck his mind which left him totally confused and surprised.
He ran as fast as he could and returned to the bench where he had been sitting with the old man.
However, much to his surprise, the old man was nowhere to be seen. After a frantic search of 10 minutes, Sid finally gave up his search. The old man had vanished out of sight.
It was time for Siddhant to return home. As faint moonlight made its presence felt and the shadows lengthened, Siddhant walked away as a man whose dead hopes had been revived. But there was something which had left him confused...
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This was Chapter 2 folks. Chapter 1 had primarily focused on Anushka's character. Likewise, the main aim of Chapter 2 was to offer a deep insight into Siddhant's character and personality. This chapter is a bit philosophical but Siddhant's personality in this story demands that. I know that the first 2 chapters have been a bit heavy on emotions. The story will lighten up a bit once Sid and Anu have interacted with each other a few times. I'll just drop a small fact. Sid and Anushka will meet in Chapter 3 😛
I hope you guys will like it. Please drop in your reviews :) It would be great if you'll could tell me about the parts which you'll liked and also the parts which you'll felt were not upto the mark. I'm still learning and your constructive feedback will only help me improve. The parts in italics indicate what's running through the mind of the characters at that point of time. It reflects their inner voice. Also,just in case someone wishes to read the shayaris and understand their meaning in English, then please refer Page 4. I've given the translation and the meaning of those verses in English.
I also have a small quiz for you'll. Can you'll tell me why Siddhant was so surprised and perplexed at the end of the chapter ? What had suddenly happened which left him worried ? I haven't revealed that in this update. Read carefully and I'm sure you'll will get the answer 😉
P.S-For those who haven't read Chapter 1, please refer Page 1 :)
Happy reading !
With Love
-Lavanya
Cricket
Anupamaa
