15th February,2013:
Shilajit just woke up from a dreaded sleep. He has not been well for the last few days. Post break up effects after all. It's not so easy to get out of it.
Taking a deep yawn, he says to himself,"Life has been so much fucked up, right now. Last night, when the whole world was busy, drinking, roaming and burning cigarettes, with a hot chick sitting by side, I was fucking lagging in my room, with a bottle of Royal stag. Fuck that shit."
He gets up from his bed, and lits up a cigarette. After inhaling and exhaling the smoke, he takes out his cell phone. He begins taking a quick glance at the contacts, but comes to a halt at one. The name displays "Sarmili".
He dials the number, and instantly cuts it. He then gets up from his bed, and merges towards the bathroom.The flat he lives in, is located at the center of South Kolkata, just opposite to the South City Mall.Its a completely furnished 1 BHK flat, with a narrow balcony, from where one of the busiest roads of Kolkata , Prince Anwar Shah Road,can be seen with a huge, suffocating crowd, along with a heap of cars and buses, constantly running from the two ends.
Shilajit is taking a shower, when some memories suddenly come out as Flashbacks.
A girl kisses him on the forehead, and whispers into his ears,"Believe me, you will survive.Nobody is this world lives for anybody.Not a single person does care.We need to move on in our lives, and concentrate on our careers, Chiru. We will always remain friends, come whatever may. Good bye.Take good care of yourself."
Chiru !! Chiru !! Chiru ...... The name continues to linger through the bathroom walls.
26th February,2013:
Noise pollution has completely covered the city of joy. Every now and then, one can see taxis and private cars polluting the environment with smoke, dust and rushing away noising heavily, as if police is chasing them.
Shilajit is in a taxi, going from Ballygunge to Alipore. Kolkata traffic and the horrible road conditions has already made him 1 hour late for the meeting. Its 11 'o' clock in the morning, although the weather makes it to be predicted as 2 'o' clock,noon.
Shilajit takes out his phone, pauses at the same contact "Sarmili". He dials the number and instantly cuts the call. " Nooo.........no more ..... no more shall I care for her."-Shilajit says to himself, and puts the phone back into his pocket.
The taxi driver asks-" Sir, will it be ok if I drop you here?"
Shilajit looks out of the window pane. Alipore Main crossing has arrived."Yeah, ok"- he said to the driver, and gets out of the car, paying the money required.
"The Hub is still far away.Why did I leave the taxi so early?"- He says to himself after a little time, and realizes his mistake, committed out of loose focus.
He decides to take the first left turn, and walk the distance, with the fact in mind that he is already 1 hour late. But still, he decides to walk on.
Suddenly, his phone rings. The screen displays the name " Ritu". He smiles, and receives the call.
Shilajit - "Hey Pagli .Whats up? On a date at present?"
He continues the conversation, with a smile on his face, marching ahead towards the restaurant. The conversation continues for about 30 minutes, after which Shilajit observes, that "The Hub" has finally arrived.
"Phew...and so I finally arrive. Good bye baby.Call you later."- He cuts the call, and enters the restaurant. Inside the restaurant, a bearded man is waiting for him. Shilajit sees the man, sitting at the left corner table, drinking coffee, and goes towards him.
"Hello, Mr.Singh. Sorry to keep you waiting."-Shilajit said in a low but friendly voice.
"Oh, so u have realized that? Fine..That's enough for me, hopefully."- Mr.Singh replied.
Shilajit - "Sorry once again,sir. The busy roads of Kolkata, you know. They can never be found free of traffic jam. Although, I would like to take the entire blame on myself."
Mr.Singh - "Better for you. Now if your excuse is over, can you please sit down, so that we can talk about the matter?"
Shilajit - "Yes sir, surely. Sorry for the delay." His ears turn red out of shame.
Shilajit sits down and orders a cup of Chocolate Cappuccino. Mr.Singh initiates the conversation again -
"So, tell me, is the work done? The project which I gave you, is pretty easy. I am not being able to understand, why you are taking so much time?"
Shilajit - "Sir, 90% of the work is done. It is just that I am not being able to find the proper contacts list, which is to be uploaded, and hence is the delay. So, I called Rajeev sir this morning only, and he suggested me to directly contact with you, to clear the doubts."
Mr.Singh - "Look beta, I think the problem, you are stating, seems not to be the major problem, which you are facing right now, and which has turned your world, upside down. So, if you are hiding something, let me know of the problem and solve it, coz a dedicated employee of us is somehow out of focus right now, and we need to solve this issue."
Tears start rolling down from Shilajit's eyes. He tries a lot to hide it, but fails. He turns his face to the other direction. Mr.Singh quietly rises up from his chair, comes to his side, gently places a hand on his shoulder, and then asks "So, break up right?"
Shilajit, still in tears, replies,"Umm...ahhh...umm...No sir, nothing like that. It's just that I am a little bit stressed out, right now."
Mr.Singh - "You won't be able to lie to me, Mr.Chowdhury. I have been knowing you for the last 8 years, and as a supervisor, I have never been taking control of the duties, of any other person, other than you. So, tell me, who is she? How did it all end?"
And then the story moves back, 6 months ago:
13th August,2012:
Shilajit is in his room, accessing his Facebook profile. It is really impeccable to see how internet has changed a million lives. It has spread itself across all cultures , countries and boundaries, and has made it possible for long distant people to get connected to each other.
Shilajit starts visiting profiles of some unknown girls, whom he finds, in some of his friend's friend list. "They just go on with any girl,they find. How ridiculous!!"- He says.
Suddenly, he pauses at a profile. The name shows "Sarmili Bose". The profile picture is of a girl, very much fair in complexion, like an angel on earth, wearing a black saree .
"Woo Hoo..This girl looks nice. Looks like someone fresh from the womb, endorsing all the beauty of the green earth, seas and the beautiful nature. Besides, she is in Mayukh's friend list. How about sending a friend request??" - Shilajit tells himself.
He pauses initially, and then sends the request. The girl accepts the request , finally , after a long query about his identity. Then slowly but steadily , they become friends.
As days pass by, they start discussing serious matters about their lives , with each other and from friends, they slowly turn into close friends. Then one day, Shilajit asks her out for a date and she immediately accepts.
Then what follows is a cycle of love, anger, quarrels, romance , kisses, love making and love again. Shilajit becomes very happy with his life, and prays to god that life always remains as sweeter, as it is now.
But what we expect is not always the same as what life offers. The same thing happens with Shilajit.
11th February,2013:
Time is not going well for Shilajit. His love life is on exit mode. His professional life too, seems to be deeply affected. For the past few weeks, he has been constantly fighting with his girlfriend for no reason.
"There is something we need to talk about. These are not mere differences of opinion. Something is wrong between us." - He says this to himself always, but still the fight goes on.
It's 10:00 in the morning. Shilajit is lying on his bed, lost completely in thoughts. He is thinking deeply about the current state of his love life and the torment he is suffering , for the same.
Suddenly, his phone rings. The screen displays - "Sarmili" calling....
He smiles. For the past few weeks, it has been only him calling the other person, and not vice versa .
Shilajit picks up the call , and says "Hello Puchu ."
Sarmili - "Chiru, this is just not working. I mean, what the fudge are we doing? Just fighting and fighting? Whenever, we try to resolve our issues, we end up in more fights. This won't work this way. We need to meet. Today, Cafe Plaza, 5:30."
Shilajit - " Yeah , ok. But, what...."
His words remain incomplete, as she cuts the call.
Time is about 5:15 in the evening. Shilajit has reached the venue early , and is roaming about the place here and there, feeling tensed. Sarmili is yet to arrive. He decides to sit in a table and order a cup of coffee.
After a short interval of time , coffee arrives.He takes a quick glance at his watch.The time is "5:25"...
"She should have come by now. Must be on her way..."- He says to himself, and sips the coffee.
More cups follow. Shilajit slowly starts loosing his self, and continuously glances at his watch , at repeated intervals of time.
Finally, Sarmili arrives at 5:45. She says "Hi!" and sits down on the opposite chair.
Few minutes of silence follows..
Finally Shilajit speaks,"So, Wassup? Why did you call me? Any serious problem?"
After a long silence , Sarmili finally speaks," It isn't working between us Chiru. How much I try to reconnect myself , I just cannot. Where is that love, where is that care, where are that feelings , we used to share even months ago? I think we need to take a break."
Imaginative glasses exploded all over the place. Shilajit felt his heart go numb.
"But why?"- That's all he could say, although he had intended for more.
His eyes start releasing tears. He tries to say something , but fails to. Sarmili rises up, comes near him, kisses him on forehead and says ,"Believe me, you will survive.Nobody is this world lives for anybody.Not a single person does care.We need to move on in our lives, and concentrate on our careers, Chiru. We will always remain friends, come whatever may. Good bye.Take good care of yourself."
She hugs him tight, and then removing tears from her's as well as his eyes, she slowly departs. Shilajit intends to stop her , but something from inside stops him from doing so.
The story then comes back to the current scene:
Shilajit is still under depression with tears spread all over his face. Mr.Singh consoles him , provides him with a tissue napkin and says,"Beta, life does not always run on a smooth track. Sometimes small pebbles on a railway track, can even lead to derailment. You will first have to understand that there is a very small line of difference between infatuation and love, but that small line is very much crucial. You must love only those, who really love you, care for you and understand you."
Shilajit's phone rings up. The screen displays "Ritu" calling...
He says "One minute , sir" and then picks up the call , with a smile on his face. After the conversation is over, it is clearly visible that he is no longer sad , but has suddenly become happy , which is an out of the box situation , that has come to arise , right now.
Mr.Singh was quietly noticing his actions for a long time. After Shilajit , finally comes to normal , he says -
" So, are you presently running on a new track?"
Shilajit , somewhat surprisingly replies-"No sir , she is just a friend of mine or else you may say , she is my best friend. In fact , I feel we are inseparable from each other , and incomplete without each other."
Mr.Singh gives a soft smile, and says-" Son , remember what I said you , a little while ago? You can never depict in the first chance itself , who is perfect for you. It takes years to predict so. Even then , you realize that you have been mistaking the whole time. Just , think about it once. You have your whole life time left. So, just think about it. Don't be to conclusive in the beginning , or else you will have to repent your mistake through out your life."
Shilajit smiles , and says-" Yes sir , of course , I will think about it."
After the final discussion , the meeting gets over in another 1 hour. Mr.Singh bids good bye and leaves in his car.
Shilajit hires a taxi from the nearest street corner.
The taxi driver asks-"Where to , sir?"
Shilajit replies-"South City mall." , and lit a cigarette. Smoke flows through the air , covering his face , making it partly invisible to look at.
He is lost in deep thoughts. Thousands of thoughts come and go away in fractions.In one second , he remembers Sarmili parting with him , in another Mr.Singh's say , and finally he remembers Ritu , who seems to have a solution for his every problem , who was always there besides him in every decision he has ever made.
He calls Ritu instantly.
Ritu is lying on her bed , browsing the Facebook profile of Shilajit , and smiling to herself. Suddenly , her phone rings. The screen displays "Paglu Calling...."
She smiles , receives the call and says-"Hey Paglu!!So, finally u came to think about me, huh? By the way , where are you right now? Busy in meeting still? Listen , forget about Sarmili , for a little while , right now....."
Shilajit -"I love you!!"
Two minutes of silence follows. Ritu then speaks -" Idiot , Stupid , Scoundrel , Asshole, I love you too yaar." She starts crying.
Shilajit smiles with tears in his eyes, and cuts the call. He has to go to meet Ritu now. Finally , he has been able to understand the true essence of love.
26th February,2013:
Noise pollution has completely covered the city of joy. Every now and then, one can see taxis and private cars polluting the environment with smoke, dust and rushing away noising heavily, as if police is chasing them.
Shilajit is in a taxi, going from Ballygunge to Alipore. Kolkata traffic and the horrible road conditions has already made him 1 hour late for the meeting. Its 11 'o' clock in the morning, although the weather makes it to be predicted as 2 'o' clock,noon.
Shilajit takes out his phone, pauses at the same contact "Sarmili". He dials the number and instantly cuts the call. " Nooo.........no more ..... no more shall I care for her."-Shilajit says to himself, and puts the phone back into his pocket.
The taxi driver asks-" Sir, will it be ok if I drop you here?"
Shilajit looks out of the window pane. Alipore Main crossing has arrived."Yeah, ok"- he said to the driver, and gets out of the car, paying the money required.
"The Hub is still far away.Why did I leave the taxi so early?"- He says to himself after a little time, and realizes his mistake, committed out of loose focus.
He decides to take the first left turn, and walk the distance, with the fact in mind that he is already 1 hour late. But still, he decides to walk on.
Suddenly, his phone rings. The screen displays the name " Ritu". He smiles, and receives the call.
Shilajit - "Hey Pagli .Whats up? On a date at present?"
He continues the conversation, with a smile on his face, marching ahead towards the restaurant. The conversation continues for about 30 minutes, after which Shilajit observes, that "The Hub" has finally arrived.
"Phew...and so I finally arrive. Good bye baby.Call you later."- He cuts the call, and enters the restaurant. Inside the restaurant, a bearded man is waiting for him. Shilajit sees the man, sitting at the left corner table, drinking coffee, and goes towards him.
"Hello, Mr.Singh. Sorry to keep you waiting."-Shilajit said in a low but friendly voice.
"Oh, so u have realized that? Fine..That's enough for me, hopefully."- Mr.Singh replied.
Shilajit - "Sorry once again,sir. The busy roads of Kolkata, you know. They can never be found free of traffic jam. Although, I would like to take the entire blame on myself."
Mr.Singh - "Better for you. Now if your excuse is over, can you please sit down, so that we can talk about the matter?"
Shilajit - "Yes sir, surely. Sorry for the delay." His ears turn red out of shame.
Shilajit sits down and orders a cup of Chocolate Cappuccino. Mr.Singh initiates the conversation again -
"So, tell me, is the work done? The project which I gave you, is pretty easy. I am not being able to understand, why you are taking so much time?"
Shilajit - "Sir, 90% of the work is done. It is just that I am not being able to find the proper contacts list, which is to be uploaded, and hence is the delay. So, I called Rajeev sir this morning only, and he suggested me to directly contact with you, to clear the doubts."
Mr.Singh - "Look beta, I think the problem, you are stating, seems not to be the major problem, which you are facing right now, and which has turned your world, upside down. So, if you are hiding something, let me know of the problem and solve it, coz a dedicated employee of us is somehow out of focus right now, and we need to solve this issue."
Tears start rolling down from Shilajit's eyes. He tries a lot to hide it, but fails. He turns his face to the other direction. Mr.Singh quietly rises up from his chair, comes to his side, gently places a hand on his shoulder, and then asks "So, break up right?"
Shilajit, still in tears, replies,"Umm...ahhh...umm...No sir, nothing like that. It's just that I am a little bit stressed out, right now."
Mr.Singh - "You won't be able to lie to me, Mr.Chowdhury. I have been knowing you for the last 8 years, and as a supervisor, I have never been taking control of the duties, of any other person, other than you. So, tell me, who is she? How did it all end?"
And then the story moves back, 6 months ago:
13th August,2012:
Shilajit is in his room, accessing his Facebook profile. It is really impeccable to see how internet has changed a million lives. It has spread itself across all cultures , countries and boundaries, and has made it possible for long distant people to get connected to each other.
Shilajit starts visiting profiles of some unknown girls, whom he finds, in some of his friend's friend list. "They just go on with any girl,they find. How ridiculous!!"- He says.
Suddenly, he pauses at a profile. The name shows "Sarmili Bose". The profile picture is of a girl, very much fair in complexion, like an angel on earth, wearing a black saree .
"Woo Hoo..This girl looks nice. Looks like someone fresh from the womb, endorsing all the beauty of the green earth, seas and the beautiful nature. Besides, she is in Mayukh's friend list. How about sending a friend request??" - Shilajit tells himself.
He pauses initially, and then sends the request. The girl accepts the request , finally , after a long query about his identity. Then slowly but steadily , they become friends.
As days pass by, they start discussing serious matters about their lives , with each other and from friends, they slowly turn into close friends. Then one day, Shilajit asks her out for a date and she immediately accepts.
Then what follows is a cycle of love, anger, quarrels, romance , kisses, love making and love again. Shilajit becomes very happy with his life, and prays to god that life always remains as sweeter, as it is now.
But what we expect is not always the same as what life offers. The same thing happens with Shilajit.
11th February,2013:
Time is not going well for Shilajit. His love life is on exit mode. His professional life too, seems to be deeply affected. For the past few weeks, he has been constantly fighting with his girlfriend for no reason.
"There is something we need to talk about. These are not mere differences of opinion. Something is wrong between us." - He says this to himself always, but still the fight goes on.
It's 10:00 in the morning. Shilajit is lying on his bed, lost completely in thoughts. He is thinking deeply about the current state of his love life and the torment he is suffering , for the same.
Suddenly, his phone rings. The screen displays - "Sarmili" calling....
He smiles. For the past few weeks, it has been only him calling the other person, and not vice versa .
Shilajit picks up the call , and says "Hello Puchu ."
Sarmili - "Chiru, this is just not working. I mean, what the fudge are we doing? Just fighting and fighting? Whenever, we try to resolve our issues, we end up in more fights. This won't work this way. We need to meet. Today, Cafe Plaza, 5:30."
Shilajit - " Yeah , ok. But, what...."
His words remain incomplete, as she cuts the call.
Time is about 5:15 in the evening. Shilajit has reached the venue early , and is roaming about the place here and there, feeling tensed. Sarmili is yet to arrive. He decides to sit in a table and order a cup of coffee.
After a short interval of time , coffee arrives.He takes a quick glance at his watch.The time is "5:25"...
"She should have come by now. Must be on her way..."- He says to himself, and sips the coffee.
More cups follow. Shilajit slowly starts loosing his self, and continuously glances at his watch , at repeated intervals of time.
Finally, Sarmili arrives at 5:45. She says "Hi!" and sits down on the opposite chair.
Few minutes of silence follows..
Finally Shilajit speaks,"So, Wassup? Why did you call me? Any serious problem?"
After a long silence , Sarmili finally speaks," It isn't working between us Chiru. How much I try to reconnect myself , I just cannot. Where is that love, where is that care, where are that feelings , we used to share even months ago? I think we need to take a break."
Imaginative glasses exploded all over the place. Shilajit felt his heart go numb.
"But why?"- That's all he could say, although he had intended for more.
His eyes start releasing tears. He tries to say something , but fails to. Sarmili rises up, comes near him, kisses him on forehead and says ,"Believe me, you will survive.Nobody is this world lives for anybody.Not a single person does care.We need to move on in our lives, and concentrate on our careers, Chiru. We will always remain friends, come whatever may. Good bye.Take good care of yourself."
She hugs him tight, and then removing tears from her's as well as his eyes, she slowly departs. Shilajit intends to stop her , but something from inside stops him from doing so.
The story then comes back to the current scene:
Shilajit is still under depression with tears spread all over his face. Mr.Singh consoles him , provides him with a tissue napkin and says,"Beta, life does not always run on a smooth track. Sometimes small pebbles on a railway track, can even lead to derailment. You will first have to understand that there is a very small line of difference between infatuation and love, but that small line is very much crucial. You must love only those, who really love you, care for you and understand you."
Shilajit's phone rings up. The screen displays "Ritu" calling...
He says "One minute , sir" and then picks up the call , with a smile on his face. After the conversation is over, it is clearly visible that he is no longer sad , but has suddenly become happy , which is an out of the box situation , that has come to arise , right now.
Mr.Singh was quietly noticing his actions for a long time. After Shilajit , finally comes to normal , he says -
" So, are you presently running on a new track?"
Shilajit , somewhat surprisingly replies-"No sir , she is just a friend of mine or else you may say , she is my best friend. In fact , I feel we are inseparable from each other , and incomplete without each other."
Mr.Singh gives a soft smile, and says-" Son , remember what I said you , a little while ago? You can never depict in the first chance itself , who is perfect for you. It takes years to predict so. Even then , you realize that you have been mistaking the whole time. Just , think about it once. You have your whole life time left. So, just think about it. Don't be to conclusive in the beginning , or else you will have to repent your mistake through out your life."
Shilajit smiles , and says-" Yes sir , of course , I will think about it."
After the final discussion , the meeting gets over in another 1 hour. Mr.Singh bids good bye and leaves in his car.
Shilajit hires a taxi from the nearest street corner.
The taxi driver asks-"Where to , sir?"
Shilajit replies-"South City mall." , and lit a cigarette. Smoke flows through the air , covering his face , making it partly invisible to look at.
He is lost in deep thoughts. Thousands of thoughts come and go away in fractions.In one second , he remembers Sarmili parting with him , in another Mr.Singh's say , and finally he remembers Ritu , who seems to have a solution for his every problem , who was always there besides him in every decision he has ever made.
He calls Ritu instantly.
Ritu is lying on her bed , browsing the Facebook profile of Shilajit , and smiling to herself. Suddenly , her phone rings. The screen displays "Paglu Calling...."
She smiles , receives the call and says-"Hey Paglu!!So, finally u came to think about me, huh? By the way , where are you right now? Busy in meeting still? Listen , forget about Sarmili , for a little while , right now....."
Shilajit -"I love you!!"
Two minutes of silence follows. Ritu then speaks -" Idiot , Stupid , Scoundrel , Asshole, I love you too yaar." She starts crying.
Shilajit smiles with tears in his eyes, and cuts the call. He has to go to meet Ritu now. Finally , he has been able to understand the true essence of love.
