The story began when Aashna, a spirited Biotech student from Kanyakumari, arrived in the royal city of Mysore for her internship. It was here she encountered Adrit—a man as sharp as he was silent, moving through the office like a mystery waiting to be solved. To the world, he was cold, but to Aashna, he was a puzzle. As they grew closer, she discovered the cracks in his armour. She learned that the grand Mysore Dasara, which she loved so much, was the source of his deepest trauma—it was the place where he had been separated from his parents as a child. Despite his paralysing fear of the crowds and the lights, Adrit faced his demons for her, joining her at a Dasara event to show her that his love was stronger than his past. They fell in love in the quiet spaces between lab experiments and rainy Mysore evenings. But as her internship ended and she boarded the bus back to Kanyakumari, the “happily ever after” was cut short. Aashna noticed the woman sitting next to her had a photo of Adrit as her phone’s lock screen. Adrit had always said he was an orphan with no one left in the world. So, who was this woman? And why was she carrying his face with her into the night?
The hum of the bus engine was the only thing keeping me awake as we crossed the outskirts of Mysore. Sleep hovered somewhere near my eyes but never quite entered; my thoughts were too crowded for rest. DNA sequences from work kept colliding with memories of Adrit’s smile, and neither was willing to leave my mind. The woman beside me was fast asleep, her head dipping gently with every pothole the bus encountered. Her phone rested loosely in her fingers. When the screen suddenly lit up, the darkness inside the bus shifted. I didn’t try to look. But in a dark bus, a bright screen demands a witness. My breath stopped. Adrit. It wasn’t the office version of him—not the neatly tucked blue shirt or the polite, guarded half-smile he wore around others. In this photo, he was laughing. He was completely unguarded. It was the kind of laugh that crinkled the corners of his eyes and filled them with light. Behind him stood a small village temple, washed in the warm glow of the evening sun. For a second, I forgot where I was. Who was he smiling like that for? The question didn’t just stay in my mind; it settled heavily in my chest. Hrithik’s words echoed from a distant memory: “Mysterious past.” My fingers tightened around the metal handle of the seat. I needed to ask her. I just didn’t know how a stranger begins a conversation about someone who had come to feel like home. I rehearsed silently in my head: “Excuse me… do you know Adrit?” Too sudden. “Nice wallpaper… is that Adrit from Biocon?” Too desperate. Before my courage could choose a sentence, the phone vibrated violently. The woman woke with a start, her eyes searching the dark, her breath uneven. The moment she saw the caller’s name, fear replaced sleep. “Hello?… Yes… I’m almost there. Is he okay?” Her voice was low, but urgency doesn’t need volume to be felt. The bus slowed at an unplanned stop near a dim junction. She didn’t wait for it to come to a full halt. She grabbed her bag—her bangles clinking sharply in the quiet—and hurried toward the exit. “Wait—” I stood halfway up. She never turned. Within seconds, the darkness outside swallowed her. The bus’s red taillights held her silhouette for just a moment before letting it disappear into the night. I sat back slowly. The empty seat beside me still carried a faint, lingering scent of sandalwood—and a question that refused to remain just a thought anymore. If Adrit was the orphan everyone believed him to be, then who was the woman who ran into the night the moment someone asked if he was okay?
“Some questions are left unanswered not because there is no truth, but because the timing of the truth hasn’t arrived yet; the shadow she left behind was only the beginning of a story written in disappearing ink.”
Chapter 2: The Hidden Gardener
Kanyakumari was beautiful, as always, but my mind remained tethered to that dusty bus stop where the sandalwood-scented lady had vanished. For weeks, I sat by the shore, the rhythmic crash of the waves echoing her frantic words: “Is he okay?” A hundred times, my thumb hovered over Adrit’s name in my contacts. I wanted to message him, to demand if he was the “he” she spoke of, but the words always felt too heavy, too intrusive. How do you ask someone if a stranger on a bus was crying over them? My internship was officially over, but my heart felt as though it had been left behind in a Biotech lab in Mysore. I pushed through my final exams, but the DNA structures on the paper kept blurring into memories of iced tea stains and deep brown eyes. When I finally landed a junior role at the same company, I didn’t hesitate for a second. I packed my bags, promised my mom I’d be careful, and took the train back. This time, I wasn’t just an intern; I was a girl on a mission to find the truth behind the man who smelled like iced tea and lived like a ghost. Walking back into the office felt like a fever dream. The same hum of the centrifuges, the same sharp smell of chemicals—but the air carried a different weight now. “Aashna? You’re actually back?” I turned to see Adrit. He was standing by the water cooler, sleeves rolled up, looking even more tired than I remembered. There was a flicker of something in his eyes when he saw me—was it relief? Or was it a worry? “I missed Mysore Pak,” I joked, though my voice trembled. “And… the experiments.” He didn’t push for a deeper answer. He just nodded and retreated to his cabin. But over the next few days, I made it a point to stay late. I began noticing things I had been too “jobless” to observe during my internship. One evening, I caught him leaving a small envelope on the security guard’s desk. I leaned against the lab door, my curiosity peaking. What was in that envelope? The next morning, the guard wore a smile so radiant it could have lit up all of Mysore. I also saw him speaking to a cleaning lady who was sobbing near the back exit. I wanted to go to her, to ask what was wrong, but before I could move, she was gone. She was on leave the next day. I wondered—had she been let go? Or had something happened? The silence in the office felt as though it were hiding a thousand stories, and Adrit was the silent author of them all.
“A garden doesn’t grow overnight, and neither does the truth; sometimes you have to watch the leaves change before you can see the roots.”
Chapter 3: The Fragrance of Sacrifice
The mystery of the envelope and the crying cleaning lady followed me like a shadow I couldn’t shake. My “detective” brain wouldn’t let it go. If I was going to understand Adrit, I couldn’t just wait for him to tell me—he was a man who spoke in riddles and silences. The next morning, I arrived early, even before the sun had fully burned through the Mysore mist. I found the security guard, Thammaiah, at his post. He looked different—his posture was straighter, his eyes brighter. “Morning, Thammaiah Anna,” I said, leaning against his desk. “You look like you won the lottery.” He laughed, a deep, belly laugh. “Better than the lottery, Amma. My daughter… she can go to the nursing college in the city. I never thought I’d see the day.” My heart thumped. “That’s amazing. Was that… was that what was in the envelope yesterday?” He nodded, his voice dropping to a whisper. “Adrit sir told me about a ‘government scholarship’ he found, and the fees were already paid in full. There was a note inside: ‘She has the brains, she just needs the chance.’ He told me not to tell anyone. He’s a god in a human’s shirt, that boy.” I left the desk feeling a strange mix of warmth and confusion. A “government scholarship”? Adrit was lying to protect their dignity. Determined, I spent my lunch break tracking down Sarala, the cleaning lady. From her colleagues, I found out she had admitted her son to a local government hospital. I found her sitting on a wooden bench, looking exhausted but relieved. When I asked her what had happened, she looked around nervously before showing me a life insurance card. “I told Adrit sir I couldn’t afford the treatment for my son,” she whispered, clutching the card. “He told me the company has a ‘Welfare Fund’ for such things. He gave me the card and said the hospital bill would be covered. He’s a good man, Aashna. This company cares for us so much.” I felt a chill. I had gone through the office documents on my onboarding day, and I knew for a fact there was no “Specialist Welfare Fund.” It was all Adrit. He was creating a world of white lies just to make his kindness feel like “protocol” rather than charity. That evening, the Mysore clouds finally broke. The rain lashed against the breakroom windows, exactly like the day I had given him my umbrella. I found him there, staring at the grey horizon, a half-empty cup of black coffee in his hand. “There is no Welfare Fund, Adrit,” I said, my voice steady despite the rain’s roar. “And Thammaiah’s ‘scholarship’ doesn’t exist either.” He froze. For a split second, the “Adrit mask” cracked. He didn’t turn around, but I saw his shoulders drop. He sighed, a sound so weary it felt like it carried the weight of the whole city. “Why?” I pressed, stepping closer. “Why lie about it? Why not let them thank you?” He finally turned. His eyes were dark, reflecting the storm outside. “Because people shouldn’t feel like they owe their lives to a person, Aashna. They should feel like the world is fair. If they think it’s a fund or a scholarship, they keep their pride. If they think it’s me, they will never tell me anything. They need to feel I am one of them; I should be the medium through which they can be themselves and not feel small.” He walked closer, stopping just a few feet away. The scent of sandalwood—the same scent from the lady on the bus—faintly clung to his jacket. “Most people think being an orphan means you have nothing,” he said softly. “I think it means you have everything to give, because you know exactly how it feels to have nothing. If you like a flower, you pluck it because you want to own its beauty. But if you love a flower, you water it. You care for it from a distance so it can keep blooming, even if it never knows you were the one holding the watering can.” He left me there, the rain echoing his words. He wasn’t just a mystery; he was a sacrifice. He was watering a world that had forgotten to water him.
“True kindness doesn’t seek a stage; it works in the shadows to ensure someone else can stand in the light, even if the gardener has to stay in the dark to do it; the best secrets aren’t the ones we hide to hurt, but the ones we keep to heal.”
Chapter 4: The Rain and the Roots
After that rainy evening in the breakroom, the air between Adrit and me changed. The mystery hadn’t vanished, but the wall had. I didn’t just see him as the mysterious “Adrit” anymore; I saw the gardener. And I realised that the garden was far too big for one person to water all alone. I didn’t ask for permission. I just started. When I saw an intern on my team skipping lunch because he was sending his stipend home, I “found” an extra meal coupon in my bag and told him it was a “Biokon Monthly Wellness Perk.” When I sat back down, I caught Adrit looking at me. He was sitting right next to me, and for the first time, his eyes didn’t have that guarded look; they carried a quiet shine of pride. I was finally learning his language—the language of silent help. “You’re getting good at lying, Aashna,” he whispered in my ear. We were both leaning over a dual-view microscope, adjusting the focus on a slide. Our shoulders were touching, and for a second, the rest of the lab seemed to disappear. I could feel the warmth of his presence, a steady anchor in my chaotic day. “I had a good teacher,” I replied without looking up, though my heart was hammering against my ribs. “The ‘Biokon Wellness Perk’ sounds quite official, don’t you think?” He chuckled, but the sound quickly turned into a dry, hacking cough. He covered his mouth with a handkerchief, tucking it away with a frantic haste that set off my internal alarms. I caught a fleeting glimpse of his face—it was strikingly pale, his breath sounding shallow and strained. “Adrit? Are you okay?” “Just the Mysore weather,” he said, waving me off dismissively. “Too much rain, not enough coffee.” But it wasn’t just the rain. A few days later, during a long extraction process, he sat down abruptly, sweat beading on his forehead despite the lab’s chill. I firmly pulled him away from the bench and led him for a walk toward the old Banyan tree. The heavy scent of petrichor—the smell of rain-soaked earth—was everywhere. “Why the sandalwood, Adrit?” I asked softly. “The lady on the bus… she smelled like it. Why is that scent always there with you?” He looked up at the dripping leaves. “Sandalwood is special. To get its fragrance, the tree has to be wounded. That lady… she isn’t my relative. She was the one who found me. My parents… they left me here in Mysore when I was just a child. I don’t know the full story—poverty? Desperation? I think they left me hoping someone more fortunate would find me and give me the life they couldn’t.” His voice was soft, entirely devoid of bitterness. “She took me in when she had absolutely nothing herself. She taught me that you don’t need a name or a blood bond to do a good deed. Now, her memory is fading. The only thing she remembers is my face on her phone screen. She still remembers me as the small kid who had a smile even when he had lost everything. I want to give back as much as I can, Aashna. I was the flower someone else chose to water. Now, it’s my turn.” He reached out and tucked a stray hair behind my ear. His fingers were cold, yet his touch felt incredibly warm. But as he pulled his hand away, he stumbled. I caught him quickly, his weight leaning heavily against me. “Adrit!” “I’m fine,” he breathed, though his face was now the color of ash. “I just… I just need to sit for a moment. The gardener just needs a little water too, I guess.” I looked at him, and for the first time, I was terrified. I realized that while he was busy making sure the whole world was blooming, he was letting his own roots wither away in the dark.
“A tree that gives too much shade often forgets to soak up the sun for itself; the strongest branches are the ones that hide the deepest cracks until the wind blows too hard.”
Chapter 5: The Fading Petals
The days following the Banyan tree incident were a blur of hidden worry. I became his shadow, making sure his coffee was always warm and finishing his reports when his hands shook too much to type. One afternoon, I found a small vial in his desk—not a lab sample, but a rare, aggressive medication. It wasn’t a common heart ailment; it was something deeper, a silent, relentless fading of the system. I realized then that Adrit was like the rarest flower in the forest—the kind that blooms brilliantly but briefly. They say the best flowers are the ones God picks first for His own garden. “Aashna,” he called from the balcony. The Mysore sun was setting, turning the sky into a bruised canvas of gold and deep purple. I joined him, and for a moment, the world felt perfectly still. “It’s like Kaadu-Beladingalu, isn’t it?” he whispered. “Moonlight in the forest. Beautiful, pure, but seen by so few. Most people want to be the sun, but I only ever wanted to be that quiet light in the dark corners where no one else looks.” “It’s beautiful because you’re the one reflecting it, Adrit,” I said, my voice thick with unshed tears. He shook his head slowly, his eyes fixed on the horizon. “The gardener is just a medium, Aashna. The flowers are what truly matter.” Suddenly, his hand gripped the metal railing until his knuckles turned white. A sharp, ragged gasp broke the silence. He collapsed, his strength vanishing in an instant. I caught him, lowering us both to the floor, his head resting against my shoulder. “Adrit! Stay with me! I’m calling for help!” I was frantic, my fingers fumbling as I tried to reach for my phone. He placed his cold, trembling hand over mine, stopping me. “No… stay. Just for a minute.” His voice was a ghost of a whisper, but it carried a finality that chilled me more than the evening breeze. His eyes slowly closed as the scent of sandalwood filled the air, stronger than ever before. The moonlight began to creep over the balcony, silver and silent, as if acknowledging its counterpart. The best flower had been picked.
“The most beautiful gardens are not the ones that last forever, but the ones that leave their fragrance behind long after the gardener has fallen asleep.”
Chapter 6: The Eternal Fragrance
The silence in the office after Adrit was gone was louder than any machine. For days, I walked the halls of Biokon like a ghost myself. I would stare at the water cooler, half-expecting to see him rolling up his sleeves, or look at the dual-view microscope and feel the phantom warmth of his shoulder against mine. The world went on. Lab reports were filed, coffee was brewed, and the Mysore rain continued to lash against the windows. But the “garden” was suffering. Thammaiah Anna stood at the gate with a heavy heart, and I saw Sarala, the cleaning lady, looking lost near the back exit. They weren’t just mourning a man; they were mourning the hope he represented. I went to visit the lady from the bus—the woman who had found a discarded boy and taught him how to bloom. She lived in a small, sandalwood-scented cottage on the outskirts of the city. When I walked in, she was staring at her phone screen, a soft smile on her face. “He’s watering the flowers,” she whispered, not looking up. “Look at him smile. He’s happy.” I looked at the screen. It was that same photo from the bus—the candid shot near the temple. I realised then that in her fading world, she didn’t need to know where he had gone. To her, he was eternal. He was the boy who had lost everything but decided the world deserved to have it all. I took a deep breath, the scent of the cottage filling my lungs. I knew exactly what I had to do. I returned to Mysore and went straight to the HR department. I didn’t go as an employee; I went as a witness. I used the savings I had and a small fund Adrit had left in my name—a final “water coupon” he had tucked away just for me. A week later, Thammaiah’s daughter received a letter regarding a “Second Year Excellence Grant.” Sarala found a note in her locker about a “Post-Surgery Wellness Check” that had already been paid for. The intern on my team found a meal coupon for the entire month resting on his desk. When they asked who was behind it, I just smiled and used Adrit’s words. “It’s the Biokon Wellness Perk. The system is just… working as it should.” One evening, I stood on the same balcony where Adrit had collapsed. The moon was high—a perfect Kaadu-Beladingalu—casting silver light over the city. I felt a faint breeze, and for a split second, the unmistakable scent of sandalwood and iced tea brushed past me. I looked down at a small potted plant I had brought to the balcony—a rare flower that had been struggling to survive. I poured a little water into the soil, watching it soak deep into the roots. I finally understood what he meant when he told me not to pluck it. To pluck a flower is to own its beauty for a fleeting moment until it withers in your hand. But to water it… to water it is to let it live forever, even if you never get to hold it. The hero wasn’t just the man who gave the money. The hero was the love that remained when the man was gone. People in the office started whispering that maybe Adrit hadn’t really left, that his spirit was still walking the halls. I didn’t correct them. Because every time a flower in this garden bloomed, he was there. I am Aashna, and I am no longer just a detective or a Biotech student or an employee. I am the gardener now.
“If you like a flower, you pluck it; but if you love a flower, you water it. He didn’t leave me a void; he left me a garden, and as long as I keep watering, the gardener never truly dies.”
Final Note: This story is dedicated to the silent givers—those who walk among us, healing the world in whispers. It is a reminder that our legacy isn’t what we take with us, but what we leave behind to grow.
Some memories only reveal their meaning in the dark
Chapter 1 : Who Doesn’t Like Exploration?
Who doesn’t like exploration? Not the kind with mountains and maps, but the kind that happens inside you, when you open an old box, a memory, or a wound you swore had healed. For me, it started with a camera. A rectangle of glass that could freeze a second and force it to confess the truth it tried to hide. Sometimes, when I look through the lens, the world stops pretending. It just… admits what it really is. People say I’m quiet. They mistake that for peace. The truth is, my head is always louder than the room. I build worlds in silence, entire stories no one asks for. When you’re treated like the background character for too long, you start looking for your own screen time, and that’s when our trip came in a pitcher. Eshaan called, all noise and confidence as usual, and said, “Bro, let’s go exploring, I saw this insane video on YouTube. Hidden forest, creepy old buildings, no one’s mapped it!” I said “Yes” before my common sense could intervene. We were four: Eshaan – the joker with a camera always pointed the wrong way. Nihit – the guy who brought chips instead of a torch. Antara – the calm one, whose eyes were sharp enough to cut through our stupidity. And me, Revan – the one who pretends to know better, but never does. The road twisted endlessly. Tall trees swallowed the sunlight. The forest looked like it hadn’t been touched by time. Eshaan played music too loud, I kept asking for the network, and Antara kept sketching something in a small notebook she wouldn’t show us. I looked out of the window. There was a moment where the reflection of my face and the trees outside merged, and I didn’t know where I belonged. Maybe that’s what exploration really is: stepping so far you forget the way back, in exploring the true you. When we finally stopped, Eshaan grinned. “This is it. The forest of forgotten coordinates.” I laughed, but something inside me whispered, ‘You’ve been here before.’ The air felt rehearsed. The trees stood like actors waiting for their cue. As we unpacked, Antara looked up at the darkening sky. “Looks like rain,” she said softly. “Good,” Eshaan replied. “Maybe thunder makes the footage go viral.” We laughed. But when the first drop touched my skin, it felt too familiar—like déjà vu. And as the rain grew heavier, I swear I heard a faint click, a camera shutter, somewhere behind the trees.
Sometimes, a single drop of rain is enough to start a flood of memories.
Chapter 2 : The Trip
The forest didn’t begin so much as to absorb us. One minute there was a road, and the next, there was only dirt and whispering leaves. The air smelled like wet bark and something older, like dust from forgotten rooms. “Yo! Check this out!” Eshaan had already climbed a fallen trunk, filming himself with that manic energy that could sell an apocalypse as entertainment. I followed, muttering, “If we die, I’m blaming you.” Antara walked last, quiet but alert, the kind of quiet that doesn’t miss anything. We reached the first building; it was a school. Half-collapsed, its corridors strangled by roots. Eshaan, still filming, said, “Imagine the stories these walls could tell,” looking at a carving on a desk which said ‘E+R’. Antara looked at the carving and whispered, “Maybe they still are.” The flashlight flickered. For a second, every broken desk looked occupied. I screamed, dropped my chips, and ran. We laughed until the laughter sounded wrong, like someone else was laughing with us. There was silence, and it was interrupted by the rain; it came suddenly and thick. We sprinted toward the corridor of the school. Lights flashed inside. Eshaan checked his phone. “Battery dead. We should have brought a power bank.” “Relax,” I said. “Once it stops raining, we’ll go back.” Antara’s voice was soft. “Go back where?” I pointed out a mansion that stood tall against the bruised sky,a place that pulled at my memory with a sickening sense of homecoming. The Mansion, or what was left of it. Broken windows blinked in the last light, vines clutching its face like desperate hands. Eshaan whistled. “Haunted content jackpot.” Inside, the air was colder. Not the kind of cold that makes you shiver, the kind that feels like a breath on your neck. We joked our way through rooms filled with broken furniture, peeling wallpaper, and the skeletal remains of chandeliers. I entered the basement; the floor creaked beneath me. When I turned the flashlight on, I saw photographs scattered across the ground, faces half-burnt, expressions blurred mid-smile. A flash. Someone had taken a picture, but the camera hung from my shoulder, untouched. “Eshaan, you took that?” I called. No answer. Only laughter echoing from upstairs, the same sentence, looping: “Bro, look at this!” “Bro, look at this!” “Bro, look at this!” Like playback stuck on repeat. I was about to climb up again, and the next thing I saw was the basement collapsing. I closed my eyes in fear.
Sometimes the past returns in the form of a falling ceiling.
Chapter 3 : The Awakening
Light. Too white to be real. For a second, I thought the mansion’s basement had finally collapsed and let the sky in. Then came the hum of machines. The soft, clinical kind of silence that only hospitals know. My eyes adjusted slowly. I was lying on a bed, wrapped in wires and bruises I didn’t remember earning. The air smelled like iron and rain. By the window sat Antara, her gaze lost somewhere beyond the glass. The daylight painted her face pale, almost unreal. When she noticed me stirring, she smiled. “You’re awake.” My throat ached when I tried to speak. “Where… are the others?” “Others?” She frowned. “Eshaan. Nihit. The forest. We… we were on a trip.” Antara’s eyebrows knit tighter. “Trip? In the woods? Revan… Eshaan is in Canada. He called yesterday; he’s flying here after hearing about your accident.” Something inside me tilted, like the room had shifted a few degrees off balance. “Accident?” I asked. “Two nights ago,” she said gently. “Your car veered off the highway. You were unconscious when they found you.” I blinked hard. The forest? The mansion? The laughter? All still vivid, too detailed to dismiss. The taste of rain. The echo of a camera shutter. If that was a dream, it felt borrowed from reality. Traumatic events can lead to dissociative amnesia, where the mind blocks out overwhelming experiences to protect itself. Antara reached for a cup of water. Her hand trembled slightly, like she’d been holding more fear than she’d shown. “You don’t remember anything else?” I opened my mouth, then stopped. Because I didn’t, or maybe I did, and my brain was protecting me from it. Fragments pulsed under the surface: wooden desks, carved initials, children’s laughter trapped between walls. The door clicked open. A man in plain clothes stepped in, tall, calm, a police badge hanging around his neck. He gave me a polite nod. “Revan, I’m Inspector Dev.” His eyes carried that investigative stillness, the kind that watches more than it speaks. “How are you feeling?” he asked. “I… don’t know,” I responded. He noted something down in his notebook. “When you’re better, we’ll need to talk. Nothing serious, just a few things about the incident.” “Things?” I asked. He hesitated. “You called someone that night. Said you needed to tell the police something. Then your call disconnected.” I tried to reach for that memory, but it wasn’t there, only static. “I don’t remember anything,” I said softly. He studied my face for a moment longer, then nodded and left without another word. Silence followed. But it wasn’t empty. Somewhere far away, or deep within, I heard the faint sound of children laughing. Happy. Unaware. The kind of laughter that lives only in memories or dreams. I closed my eyes, trying to trace where it came from. Instead, I saw a sunlit classroom, warm, and far too familiar. On one of the wooden desks, two initials carved together, fading with time: ‘E+R’.
Sometimes, the mind builds a wall not to keep you out, but to see who cares enough to break it down.
Chapter 4 : Fractures
They say recovery is a process. For me, it felt like walking through broken glass, each reflection cutting a little deeper, each fragment showing a version of me that almost made sense, but didn’t. The doctors said I was lucky. Lucky the car didn’t roll over. Lucky someone called for help in time. Lucky my head only took a “mild hit.” They didn’t know that luck had already run out years ago. My parents died when I was twelve, a building collapse that swallowed everything except the space I wasn’t in. I was at school that day, tracing doodles into my desk while the world fell apart without me. Since then, ceilings have never looked stable. Even now, lying in this hospital bed, I keep watching the one above me, waiting for it to fall. Sleep doesn’t come easily. When it does, it drags memories through mud—twisted, echoing. The forest. The mansion. The children laughing. But sometimes, a clearer memory cuts through the mud. Rain streaking the studio window. A girl with a nervous smile, hair dripping onto the floor, the air suddenly alive with the scent of rain and jasmine. Her name was Antara. She’d come for a passport photo, one ruined by the downpour. She came back the next day, and the day after that, and soon the scent of jasmine felt like home. Antara visits, holding her worry behind half-smiles. Sometimes she reads the news out loud and insists that I go through it too, she pretending not to notice when I flinch at sudden noises. I don’t tell her that sometimes, when I stare long enough, the ceiling ripples, as if the weight of the world above is thinking of coming down again. On the third day, a nurse handed me my bag. It had my cracked phone, a broken camera, and a half-dead charger. I turned on the camera. The memory card looked damaged. I wanted to recover the data as soon as I was out of this hospital. But there was one picture stored locally: a photo of the ‘E+R’ carving. I recalled the memory of my childhood when Eshaan had carved it, saying, “When we grow up, we’ll explore what the world hides from cowards.” Antara stepped in quietly. “Still staring at that thing?” I showed the picture to her. “Do you recognize this place?” She said, “A classroom?” “You don’t remember it?” I asked. “No… should I?” Her confusion felt real, too real. I nodded. “Chuck it.” She placed a hand on my arm. “You need rest, Revan. Your mind’s still catching up.” Then she left, leaving behind a silence thick enough to think in. The ceiling fan spun slowly. One of the panels had a crack, faint but spreading. It reminded me of the fracture lines I’d seen in the mansion walls of the dream. Except this time, it wasn’t a dream… or maybe it was? A sound broke through… faint tapping. I stared at the ceiling. The crack widened… just a little. Dust fell, slow as snow. And for a split second, I heard the children laughing. I sat up. The sound wasn’t coming from my head anymore. It came from the hallway. I stepped out. The corridor stretched too long, the lights humming in a rhythm that didn’t belong here. At the far end, one door was half-open—Room 6A. I took a step forward. The laughter stopped. Then I heard a whisper—low, kind, and terrifyingly familiar: “Welcome back, Revan.”
The most dangerous fractures are not in the bones, but in the mind.
Chapter 5 : Echoes
One week later, I was discharged. The world outside looked sharper than before, colors overcompensating for what my eyes had forgotten. The rain had cleaned the city, but not the memories. Antara helped me into the cab. Her hand brushed mine gently, grounding, almost apologetic. “Are you sure you’ll be okay alone?” she asked. “I’ve handled worse,” I replied. “That’s what worries me,” she said. I smiled, the kind that hides more than it shows. “Talking never saved anyone from a collapsing building.” She froze. The silence that followed said she still hated that sentence. My parents, the rubble, the miracle that left me behind—she knew that story better than anyone. Back home, my studio waited like a frozen time capsule. Dust on lenses, dried paint on tripods, the faint hum of old lights that refused to die. As I unpacked, a small notebook slipped out from the bag. Pages torn, water-stained. The handwriting was mine. ‘Forest trail – Western Ghats’ ‘Abandoned school near Kudremukh’ ‘Surprise Eshaan’ I stared at the words. The forest, the school. My dream hadn’t been conjured from nothing. That forest was supposed to be real. I had planned to surprise Eshaan when he came back from Canada. Revisit our childhood promises, rebuild what time had swallowed. But the accident wiped it all, leaving only the echo, distorted and stitched into my dreams. The door creaked. “You still collect junk, huh?” That voice. I turned. It was Eshaan, standing there, taller, sharper, with the same lazy grin that used to get us both into trouble. “You came fast,” I said. “Was already flying back. Guess the universe likes timing.” He looked around the studio, picking up one of the cracked photo frames. “You never threw this out?” I answered with a smile. “Guess I’m sentimental.” “Or stuck,” he replied sarcastically. We talked for hours about Canada, about work, about how time flies. But I kept staring at him, searching for something off. He looked exactly like I remembered… too exactly. “You still remember that stupid carving?” he asked suddenly. “In the classroom?” I replied. “Yeah. I found an old photo of it before I left India. You were right—our names really did last.” “You have that photo?” “Probably on some hard drive,” he said, looking away too fast. It seemed strange because I was the one recalling the carving, and he was asking about the same thing. A pause stretched thin between us. Then he changed the topic like he’d flipped a switch. “You know, you used to talk about going to that forest. Said it would be our next ‘exploration.’ What happened?” “I guess life,” I replied. “Or maybe death,” he said, and laughed lightly. I smiled, but something in me froze. Those notes were never sent to him. That night, Eshaan crashed on the couch. Sleep didn’t visit me. I sat near the balcony, watching the ceiling, half expecting it to crack. At 2 a.m., I checked my phone. There was a photo. The same forest trail from my dream. The timestamp was the day before the crash. I dropped the phone. Behind me, the floorboard creaked. Eshaan stood there, half-shadowed. “Can’t sleep?” “Jet lag,” I said. “Or memories,” he replied. He poured himself a glass of water, calm as ever. “You know, Revan,” he said quietly, “your brain’s a lousy witness. It mixes lies with truth until even guilt sounds innocent. Don’t trust everything you remember.” He set the glass down and walked away, leaving only that sentence and the faint clink of glass in the silence. I stayed still, and then I heard it: soft, distant, impossible—children laughing again. This time, not from the street, but inside my head. And beneath that laughter, another voice, smaller, trembling but clear: “He’s lying, Revan.” The sound came from the back of my mind, the part that still smelled of chalk dust and collapsing walls. The part of me that never grew up.
An echo is a sound that has lost its way, just like a memory.
Chapter 6 : The Sound of Rain
Rain has a sound memory. It doesn’t just fall; it repeats. Like an echo trying to remind you of something you’d rather forget. That night, it began again, slow drops against the tin awning outside my studio. Eshaan was asleep on the couch, motionless, breathing steady. For a moment, it almost looked peaceful, like we were back in our school dorms, whispering about dreams that never made it out of notebooks. I opened my laptop, half to distract myself, half to see if my brain would stop spinning. News sites, random tabs, nothing that mattered. Until a headline caught my eye: “Young Woman Found Dead Near Abandoned Property.” My mind registered the words, but slid over them, refusing to connect. The article said police suspected it was a murder. Behind me, the floor creaked—not the sharp noise of footsteps, but that slow weight shift of someone pretending to sleep. I turned. Eshaan hadn’t moved, or maybe he had and just settled back. Morning came with coffee and confusion. Eshaan was in the kitchen, humming some old school tune. It was the same melody we used to sing before morning assemblies. “You still remember that?” I asked. “How could I forget?” he said, smiling. “Feels like we were just kids last week.” He poured the coffee into two mugs. “Hey, thought of going somewhere today,” he said casually. “Kudremukh side. There’s that old school we studied in. Remember?” I froze mid-sip. “The one that shut down?” “Yeah, still standing though. We could go see it. Nostalgia trip.” The same school from my dream. The same one from my camera photo. The Kudremukh area is known for its abandoned mining town, including deserted schools and hospitals. “Why now?” I asked. “Because sometimes revisiting the past helps you fix the present,” he said. “Or blur it?” I murmured. He didn’t react, just smiled like it was a normal morning. But something in his timing felt off. It was like he was trying to rebuild the last few days of my memory, replaying them with small adjustments. Same forest talk, same school mention, same tone. As if I’d already lived this moment once before. On the drive to Kudremukh, the rain followed us, not heavy, but persistent, whispering against the windshield. The ghost town was quiet. The school stood alone on a hill, vines crawling over cracked windows, its nameplate half-rusted: ‘St. Mary’s Elementary’. I hadn’t seen it in years. But the moment I stepped inside, the air hit me—thick, nostalgic. Desks broken. Blackboard blank. And there, near the window, the same wooden bench from my dream. The carvings were still there: ‘E+R’. Eshaan brushed his fingers over it, smiling faintly. “Feels smaller now, doesn’t it?” “Everything does when you stop believing in it,” I said. He looked at me, something unreadable in his expression. “You’ve changed, Revan.” “You haven’t,” I replied. For a second, silence pressed between us, the kind that carries too much history. We were heading to our next spot, I checked my phone again. The news article had been updated: “Police confirm the woman may have been in contact with a local photographer before her death. Investigation ongoing.” I stared at that sentence until the words started to blur. My reflection on the screen looked hollow, unfamiliar. And faintly, under the sound of rain outside, I heard the child’s voice again: “He’s doing it again.” I turned, heart pounding, but there was no one. Only the echo of water dripping on the ceiling—slow, steady, repeating.
Rain, remembering something I still couldn’t.
Chapter 7 : The Mansion That Breathes
Some buildings don’t just age; they remember. The way walls inhale dust. The way silence carries a scent. Like a body that still remembers the perfume of someone long gone. Eshaan said it was “just a quick detour.” But the road to the mansion didn’t feel like a detour; it felt like a loop. As if I had already been here once before, in another version of myself. The forest had thinned out, leaving behind a line of half-burnt trees that looked like ribs. At the end of it stood the mansion, tall, leaning slightly to one side, the paint blistered and peeled. The kind of place that doesn’t fall because it wants to keep suffering. “Used to be someone’s summer house,” Eshaan said. “Whose?” I asked. “Don’t know. Maybe ours,” he said, smiling in that half-joke way that doesn’t sound like one. Inside, the air hung heavy, the kind that has stopped moving long ago. My shoes crunched against shattered glass. Every step forward came with that déjà vu hum in my skull—not just memory, but resonance. A rhythm I had heard before. Somewhere, a woman’s laughter, faint, gentle, in the cracked walls. “Did you hear that?” I asked. “Hear what?” Eshaan said, staring straight ahead. He didn’t flinch. Didn’t even look at me. The staircase curved upward, elegant once, now twisted. I took a photo, instinctively. Old habits—when reality feels unstable, take pictures; they remember what you forget. The flash fired. For a second, the light caught something of a reflection at the top of the stairs. A woman’s outline, blurred, long hair falling over one shoulder. ‘Antara?’ Just standing there, like she’d been waiting for me. But the second flash showed only the banister and dust. Eshaan called from behind, “You okay?” “Yeah,” I lied. In one of the rooms, I found a half-burnt curtain and the faint smell of rain and jasmine. That scent made my throat tighten, not because it was strange, but because it was familiar, so familiar. “What happened here, Eshaan?” I asked. “Nothing worth remembering,” he said. His tone cracked slightly on ‘remembering’. We found the old ballroom at the back, a wide space where the roof had partially collapsed. Moonlight spilled through, painting everything in pale silver. On one side, a broken mirror hung crookedly, spiderwebbed with cracks. I walked up to it. Eshaan stayed behind. In the mirror’s reflection, for a blink, there were four people. Me, Eshaan, a small boy, and a girl. When I turned, there was only air. My head throbbed, flashes of the dream colliding: ‘The forest,’ ‘The laughter,’ ‘The collapse.’ The whisper came again, not the child’s voice now, but a woman’s. It was soft. Warm. “He brought me here.” I stumbled backward. Eshaan was there instantly, catching me. “Careful,” he said. “The floor’s weak.” I wanted to say something, to ask him what the hell was happening. The floor is weak? An indication he had been here before. We left soon after, or maybe he led me out before I could see more. I can’t remember the walk back. Just the sound of the gates closing behind us, metal screaming like something being locked in, not out.
A house is not a home until it has a memory to keep.
Chapter 8 : The Photograph That Lied
The night after the mansion visit, the rain stopped like it had run out of reasons. The city outside the studio was quiet, too quiet for Bangalore on a Friday. Eshaan had gone out for food again. He always disappeared right when the silence started to talk. I opened my laptop. The recovery software had finally pulled something from the damaged memory card. Folder name: Mansion_Trip_Archive. Most files were static, frames chewed by corruption, but one image had survived. IMG_0437.JPG. I clicked. The picture flickered, glitched, then stabilized. It was Antara, standing near a cracked stone wall, a faint smile on her face, her hair slightly windblown. I’d taken this photo myself. I remembered framing it, her turning mid-laugh, the flash catching the dust in the air like glitter. But something was off. Eshaan walked in, carrying two boxes of biryani, humming something off-key. He dropped the keys on the table; the sound made me flinch. “Find anything good in your haunted hard drive?” he joked. “Yeah,” I said, watching him too closely. “A few shots from that night.” “From the mansion?” “Mm-hm.” He froze for half a breath, not enough for anyone else to notice, but I did. “Most were corrupted,” I added. “But a few are still recovering.” Data recovery software can often retrieve files from damaged or corrupted memory cards. “Delete it. That place creeps me out,” he said with a smile, but his eyes didn’t match it.
A photograph is a lie that tells the truth.
Chapter 9 — The Crash That Didn’t Add Up
The night felt like static. Every sound, every flicker from the monitor, it all buzzed like a half-remembered truth trying to reconnect. The recovery software pinged again. One more file had appeared. IMG_0438.JPG, a blurred photo, mostly dark, like the camera had fired by accident while falling. Nothing visible except cracked cement, scattered leaves, and a silver bracelet lying in the corner of the frame. Eshaan’s bracelet. I stared at it until the pixels bled into my vision. That bracelet wasn’t an accessory; it was part of him. He’d worn it every day since school, engraved inside: ESHN. He used to say it reminded him where he came from. If it was on the ground in that picture, then he was there. Not later. Not after. That night. I went online, typing ‘mansion accident news’. ” This time, I didn’t let my eyes slide away. I forced them to focus on the blurred text, past the image of a mangled car by an old estate gate. A familiar car… My car. The line said, ‘The survivor, a local photographer, remains unconscious.’ My stomach turned cold. That survivor was me. And the girl who died… The photo in the article was blurred, but the name, once a ghost my mind refused to see, solidified into three syllables that broke me: Antara. The article said she “died in an accident,” but there was no major damage to the car. Police were investigating the possibility that the car was rushing the victim to a hospital. I started connecting dots, Eshaan hadn’t been in Canada during the incident. He’d been here, in the mansion, that night, cleaning up what couldn’t be left behind. He erased his presence like he’d never existed—credit card records, phone logs, check-ins, all blank for those two weeks. He erased everything but not his identity, that one trace. A single mistake. ‘That bracelet.’ Dropped on the ground, caught in a photo taken by accident. The only proof that he had ever been there. And in that moment of dreadful clarity, another piece clicked into place. Nihit. The boy on the trip who brought chips instead of a torch. The one who seemed out of place, scared and unprepared. He wasn’t another person in the car. He was a memory. He was the voice I kept hearing, the frightened child inside me that never grew up, the part of me that survived the building collapse and had been whispering warnings through the fog of my own trauma ever since. The doorbell rang, slicing through the stillness. Two uniformed officers stood outside when I opened it, with Inspector Dev between them. “Mr. Revan?” “Yes,” I answered, my voice hollow. Eshaan emerged from the kitchen, a coffee mug in his hand, feigning curiosity. “Everything okay, bro?” Inspector Dev’s eyes flickered to Eshaan, then back to me. “We have the final autopsy report for Antara,” he said, his voice cutting through the pretense. “She didn’t die in the crash. She was pushed from the second floor of the mansion.” I watched Eshaan. For the first time since he’d arrived, his mask slipped. Just a fraction—a tightening around his eyes, a barely perceptible flinch. “We also found this at the scene,” Dev continued, holding up a sealed evidence bag. Inside was the silver bracelet. My hands were shaking, but I turned my laptop toward them. “And I found this,” I said, my voice cracking. I clicked open the recovered photo, IMG_0438.JPG. The bracelet, lying on the cracked cement floor. Proof he was inside. The color drained from Eshaan’s face. The casual act, the concerned friend—it all evaporated, leaving behind something cold and hard. “Eshaan,” the Inspector said, his voice leaving no room for argument. “You’re under arrest for the murder of Antara.” The officers moved forward. Eshaan didn’t resist. He took a sip of his coffee and placed the mug on the table, the clink of ceramic echoing in the dead silence. As they cuffed him and started to lead him away, I stumbled forward, the world blurring through tears. My voice was a raw, broken thing. “Eshaan… why?” He stopped at the door and turned to look at me. His expression wasn’t one of regret, but of a strange, chilling honesty. He let out a short, bitter laugh. “Why? That mansion… that life. Parents that actually cared. You were born into everything. Even after they died… the insurance money, the property, the sympathy—people never stopped giving you more.” He paused, letting the words hang in… “You know who paid for my first plane ticket to Canada? Your dead father. The money your family left behind, the one my parents used to ‘raise you right’? That same money funded my ‘success.’ Every time I built something for myself, someone whispered, ‘Well, thank God for Revan’s support.’ Like I was just an extension of your charity.” His eyes locked onto mine, cold and clear. “You lost your family, yeah. But you still had everything. I had everything… and nothing felt like it was ever mine. So I took your future. I wanted you to know what it feels like. To have the one thing that was finally yours, the one person you were building a life with, ripped away without explanation. I wanted you to live in your past, just like I had to. To look at your own reflection and not trust a damn thing it remembers.” He took a final breath, the confession complete. “Envy… it’s not pretty. But it’s honest”. They led him out, and the door clicked shut, leaving me alone in the wreckage of the truth.
The truth is a photograph that develops in the dark.
Chapter 10 — Echoes Don’t Lie
After the silence returned and the echo of boots faded down the lane, I went back to the mansion. Our mansion. The police had walked the rooms and taken their notes, but they hadn’t taken its memory; walls keep things that cameras miss. By a broken window, I found an old photograph pinned at the corner, weathered nearly to white. My younger self sat on my father’s lap, my mother beside them. All smiling. All alive. The image looked like a relic from a life someone else had lived for me, a life my own mind had locked away to protect me from the pain of its loss. Behind the photograph, the mirror hung cracked and crooked, reflecting a room founded on neglect. For a heartbeat, I saw the four-figure image again: me, Eshaan, Antara, and—in the corner of the glass—a smaller, barefoot boy holding a camera too big for his hands. The child’s face was mine, Nihit. He was the ghost of a memory, a witness trapped behind the glass of time, powerless to stop what was coming, just as he had been powerless then. He was the one who kept whispering warnings while I kept calling it madness.
I stepped closer to the mirror, and behind my reflection, for a split second, Antara appeared, drenched in rain, trembling, eyes raw. The same look she gave me that night before everything shattered “Revan, you think the truth heals, but all it does is rot the ones who touch it.” she said. I hadn’t answered then. I was too obsessed with being right, with proving something. Now her voice was only static in the air, breaking apart like glass. The guilt hit late but deep, she’d been trying to protect me from the same spiral that killed her. The floor creaked under my weight. For a second, it sounded like the house was breathing. I closed my eyes… and I heard her voice. Soft. Gentle. Familiar. “Revan… you need to wake up. You’ve been talking about things in dreams that aren’t real again. Do you remember what the doctor said? Sometimes your mind creates worlds that don’t exist.” Silence. What? Is my mom alive? What did I even witness? Am I dreaming? Or am I living in my dream?
Sometimes, the only home left is the one your mind builds for you.
Hello Stranger, welcome to my world. So let me introduce myself. I am Anaisha and meet my only Friend, My Diary. Have you ever felt a room full of people and still experience loneliness? I felt it too so thus the name of my dairy ‘ Lonely ‘. But before that how did we end up in this situation? Let’s begin…
Chapter One: The Question
It was one of those days, the kind where every moment felt like a struggle. The weight of my backpack, heavier than ever, dragged on the floor as I trudged home. All I could think about was how badly I wanted to eat one of my mom’s meals — the only thing that could make me feel better after such a draining day.
I reached the door, practically dragging myself inside, calling out for her. “Mom?!” But the house was silent. There was no response. It wasn’t like her to not be home when I arrived. A bit confused, I dropped my bag and wandered into the living room, scanning every corner, hoping she’d pop out from somewhere. But there was nothing. No sign of her.
Just as I started to feel that familiar sense of loneliness creep in, my dad came in. He was just as exhausted as I was, but he still managed a smile. “How was your day, Anaisha?” he asked, his voice soft, almost tired.
I wanted to tell him everything—the teasing, the mocking looks, how I didn’t fit in anywhere. But I couldn’t. Not when his eyes looked so tired, like he needed me to be strong for him. I didn’t have the energy to burden him with my problems. So I just mumbled, “It was fine.” And then, almost instinctively, I asked, “Where’s Mom?”
He sighed, running a hand through his hair. “She’s gone to pick Hriday up.”
Of course. Hriday. My irritating little brother. I just couldn’t help but feel a twinge of bitterness. It wasn’t that I didn’t love him. It wasn’t that I was jealous. But Hriday was everything I wasn’t. He was confident, funny, smart—everything people seemed to care about. And when Mom left to pick him up, I was left alone. Again.
I went to my room, hoping to escape from the sinking feeling in my chest. But then, I heard it. Laughter. I knew exactly what it was. It was Hriday, talking to Mom in the living room. They were laughing, sharing stories, like they always did. And I stood at the door, feeling like an outsider in my own home.
I wasn’t jealous. Not really. I wasn’t angry because he was getting all the attention. I was angry because I wasn’t getting the bare minimum. I wasn’t the one being asked how my day was. I wasn’t the one whose laughter filled the house. I was the one who always seemed to be on the outside looking in.
I stood there, waiting for their conversation to finish, hoping that maybe, just maybe, someone would notice me. But no one did. Mom finally looked up and smiled when she saw me standing by the door. “Go freshen up, and come on, let’s have dinner.”
That was it. That was all she said.
I wanted to shout, to cry, to spill all of the frustrations I had been carrying for so long. But I didn’t. I couldn’t. I wasn’t ready for anyone to listen. So, I just turned and walked back to my room, my heart heavy.
Sometimes, I wonder if anyone even notices me. It’s like I’m invisible. No matter how much I try to be seen, it never seems enough. I’m the second priority, even though I’m supposed to be the firstborn. Hriday got the attention so easily, and all I wanted was a fraction of that. Just a little bit.
But that night, something in me shifted. Maybe it was the silence. Maybe it was the way I felt like I didn’t matter. So, I started writing. In my diary, ‘Lonely,’ I began to pour my heart out, letting the words become my voice. It was the only way I could tell my story—the only way I could be heard.
I wasn’t looking for sympathy. I wasn’t trying to make anyone understand. I just needed a place where I could be honest with myself. Because, in the end, when everyone else is gone, and when I’m left alone, I am in the company of the only one I need: myself.
“When I am left alone, I am in the company of the only one I need.”
Chapter Two: Shadows of Comparison
The years that passed seemed like a blur. The more time passed, the more I felt like a shadow in my own life. My lifestyle, my circle of friends, everything was shifting, but one thing stayed constant: Hriday. He was always there, always excelling in everything he did, and somehow, his success and popularity seemed to grow without any effort. And then there was me, watching from the sidelines, feeling myself slip further into the shadows. No matter how hard I tried, it was always Hriday who shone the brightest.
It wasn’t just in academics or sports, but even in the way he bonded with our parents. Every family gathering, every relative’s visit, it was always about Hriday. They would talk about how brilliant he was, how he was the perfect child. And all I could do was stand there, listening to their endless praise for him. The comparisons were constant and crushing.
One day, at a family gathering, one of the relatives turned to me and asked, “So, Anaisha, what do you want to become when you grow up?” Before I could even think of an answer, Hriday spoke up, declaring he wanted to be a doctor. Everyone was so impressed, nodding their heads and praising him. Then they turned to me. I didn’t know how to answer. I was still figuring it out. But before I could speak, they all looked at Hriday and said, “You’re such a brilliant boy, Hriday! Anaisha, why can’t you have big ambitions like your brother?”
I felt a deep pang in my chest. Why did I even have to answer? Why was I being compared to him again? The questions burned inside me, but there was no one to share them with. When I wanted to speak, I was ignored, but when I did speak, people always had something to say. I was caught in this endless cycle of proving myself, trying to show that I was just as capable, just as worthy. But it was never enough. Every achievement of mine seemed so small compared to Hriday’s effortless success.
And so, I became the backdrop. The one nobody noticed. While Hriday was the center of attention, I was the silent, forgotten one in the corner. The frustration built inside me. I didn’t know how to be like him. Was I just the second place finisher? The one who was never good enough, the one who was constantly trying to prove herself but never quite succeeding? I asked myself these questions day in and day out, but the answers never came.
I was supposed to be the protector. The older sibling who took care of my little brother. But now, he was the one who was my deepest frustration. I couldn’t even look at him without questioning myself ‘Why can’t I be like him? Why does nobody notice me? Is it so wrong to just be average?’
I still remember the day Hriday came home. It was as though the entire atmosphere shifted as he stepped through the door. All the attention immediately focused on him. If something was brought into the house, it was always handed to Hriday first, because he was the youngest. I was left to stand there, invisible, wondering why nobody ever thought to consider me first. Sure, I was the older child, But who would tell them that, even though I was a kid too.
Hriday’s life was always filled with laughter, enjoyment, and an endless circle of friends. He was always out there, living life, while I was stuck within the four walls of my room, my only companion being my diary. My parents, seeing my loneliness, tried to encourage me to go out and play. But the truth was, I was so fed up with people’s opinions. I just didn’t care anymore. And that’s when my dad decided to do something unexpected.
One day, he brought home a golden retriever—my first ever dog. His name was Rocky. It was the first time in a long while that I felt alive again, like I mattered. Rocky became my best friend, my confidant. For the first time in ages, I had something to be truly happy about. I would pour all my feelings into the pages of my diary, words spilling out in a way that felt more like an explosion than a release. That day, my heart felt full for the first time in years.
But things didn’t change overnight. In fact, the more I bonded with Rocky, the more I withdrew from the world. My parents thought having a dog would get me to go outside, to engage more with people. But they were wrong. Rocky didn’t push me to be more social. Instead, he became my anchor, my reason for being. He helped me discover something I hadn’t realized before: Being alone didn’t mean being lonely. I didn’t need the world’s approval or Hriday’s attention to feel complete.
I learned that being an introvert wasn’t a curse, it was a gift. And for the first time in years, I felt like I was finally living.
“The day I began to live is the day I discovered being an introvert was awesome.”
Chapter Three: Echoes of a New Dawn
The excitement of my first day at college was buzzing in my veins like electricity. This was my fresh start, a place where nobody knew me, and I could be whoever I wanted to be. It was supposed to be the beginning of something new—no more being compared to Hriday, no more feeling invisible. But deep down, I was still that shy, introverted girl, unsure of myself. I wanted so badly to fit in, to stand out even for a second, but pretending to be someone I wasn’t felt suffocating. The urge to be noticed, to matter in some way, was louder than ever. I was walking into the unknown, but the weight of being invisible still felt like a shadow following me.
As part of the tradition, our seniors were in charge of showing us around and helping us get to know the campus. We were divided into groups of ten, and each group had a senior volunteer. My group’s volunteer was Sanketh. A friendly guy, yet I felt so nervous just being in his presence, let alone talking to anyone. This was a new chapter, and I was determined to try, but as usual, the old feeling of being unseen was creeping back in.
Our first task was a group introduction. Each one of us had to stand up and introduce ourselves to the group. My heart started to race. With every introduction before mine, my nerves built up, and by the time my turn was almost here, I felt like I might faint. I kept trying to convince myself that it was just a simple introduction, nothing to worry about. But the fear that people would judge me, that I’d mess it up in front of everyone, was paralyzing.
As I was waiting for my turn, the girl sitting next to me, who seemed so confident, tapped my lap gently and smiled. “Hey, I’m Ria. What’s your name?” she asked, her voice warm and friendly. “Anaisha, from St. Xavier College,” I stammered, caught off guard by how easily she made conversation. And before I could even process what happened, Ria had gently nudged me toward the front to introduce myself to the group. There was something about her calm and natural demeanor that made me feel a little less scared, but still, I was nervous. The worst part was over, though. I was done, and it felt like I had survived a small battle.
But the day didn’t end there. After the group introductions, we were led into a fun campus treasure hunt, which was supposed to help us get to know the place while having some laughs. Little did I know, this task would be the one moment that would change everything for me.
This treasure hunt task was divided into 5 hints: 1. Should head towards the library. Pick two random books and the librarian will ask you a few questions You should read out the first line of the book and they hand over the clue 2. Go to the sports area and find a group consisting of 3 members they will teach few dancing moves and they will handover the second clue. 3. Go to the cafeteria and order special treasure hunt juice and have it at one go and you will get the third clue 4. Go to the basketball court shoot the balls thrice and get the fourth hint 5. Introduce yourself to a stranger but not by your name but instead of your college name and pose in a funny manner and they will post in the college page. The post which gets highest likes in 30 minutes gets the final hint
We started with the first clue, which led us to the library
The librarian asked, “What’s the secret to a happy relationship?”
Loki opened a random book and read, “Don’t bring your dog to every argument”
The librarian asked, “How do I know if he’s the one?”
Adi read “He was wearing a red shirt, which meant trouble.”
The librarian again asked, “How do I keep my partner interested?”
At this point of time I had lost interest in this game so I stopped listening to further replies.
The second clue led us to the sports area, where we had to learn a dance routine. I didn’t know how to dance, but luckily, Avni and Naz picked it up quickly. We got the second clue, and I couldn’t help but feel left behind, watching everyone else being so confident and at ease.
The next task was in the cafeteria, where we had to drink a special treasure hunt juice. I couldn’t bring myself to drink it—just the sight of the others struggling with the bitterness made me feel uneasy. So, I quietly backed out of the task while the others went ahead. It was moments like these that made me feel out of place, like I was always one step behind.
But the final clue was where things took an unexpected turn. We were supposed to approach a stranger, introduce ourselves using our college name instead of our own, and take a funny pose for a photo. Of course, we had no idea who to approach. And then, standing alone by the fountain, there was a guy who caught my eye. He was tall with dark hair and intense brown eyes. My heart skipped a beat just looking at him.
Ria, always so fearless, stepped up first. She introduced herself with a big smile, “Hey, my name is Govinda Institution.” The guy, who was obviously puzzled, responded, “I’m Bhoumik.” I watched as Ria nudged me and, without thinking, I introduced myself, “St. Xavier.” He blinked at me, clearly confused, but I couldn’t help but smile to myself. He seemed so genuinely confused, and somehow, it was endearing. He smiled and asked us what the whole thing was about, and when we explained, he grinned and suggested a “three monkeys” pose for the photo. It was random, but it felt right, and we snapped the photo.
We uploaded it to the college’s page, and before we knew it, we were getting likes—so many likes. It wasn’t just a few; it was overwhelming. Everyone was talking about our funny, quirky pose. The competition ended, and our team had won, not because we had solved the clues first, but because our post got the most likes.
I was stunned. For once, something I did had brought attention, and it felt good—better than I expected. For someone like me, who spent years feeling overlooked, it was a strange but exhilarating feeling. I couldn’t quite wrap my head around it. We were all celebrating, but then Sanketh came up to us and explained something that made the moment even more surreal.
“It was because of Bhoumik,” he said, with a knowing smile.
Who was this Bhoumik? A random guy who had no idea what was happening, yet somehow had played a role in making me feel noticed for the first time in forever. I didn’t know what to think about it all, but I couldn’t help but smile. It was in that unexpected encounter with a stranger that I realized something: maybe, just maybe, the world was about to start seeing me in a different light.
“Sometimes, the greatest impact comes from the unlikeliest sources. A stranger in a frame, yet the one who turns a simple moment into a story worth sharing.”
Chapter Four: The Flicker and the Fade
College was supposed to be the place where everything changed. At least that’s what I had hoped for. For the first two or three days, it felt exciting. New faces, new experiences, and the prospect of breaking away from the same old routine. But soon enough, reality kicked in, and things started to feel like they always had: the same classes, the same gossip, and the same loneliness. I thought Degree would be my escape, but the only thing that changed was that I didn’t have to wear a uniform anymore. Two months had passed, and nothing about college felt like it was supposed to. The only person who made me feel like I mattered at all was Ria.
Ria… she was unlike anyone I’d ever met. A whirlwind of energy, she could brighten up any room. She didn’t need to say much to understand me, and she prioritised my feelings in a way I never thought anyone would. With her, I didn’t have to compete. There were no comparisons, no overshadowing, and for the first time, I felt real. My presence was felt. It was like the world could finally see me for who I was. I guess sometimes you have to meet the right person to understand the value of being valued. If I had met Ria before, I wouldn’t have known what it was like to be seen for who I really was.
But the funny thing is, things were never as simple as they seemed.
It was a Wednesday afternoon, and I was sitting in a Physics class that none of us were mentally present for. The dull hum of the fan and the clacking of keyboards was the only thing filling the air. But then, the door burst open, and a group of seniors entered, all buzzing with excitement. They were organizing a cultural event and wanted us to participate. Most of the class was indifferent, but then, there he was: Bhoumik. Tall, calm, and composed, he made an announcement about the event, his voice steady and firm. No one seemed interested at first, but then, almost out of nowhere, Ria was raising her hand and pulling me up with her.
“Anaisha, you’re joining, right?” she asked, nudging me. I wanted to refuse, to stay hidden in the corner, but she wouldn’t hear of it. And then, of course, Bhoumik spotted me, his gaze a little too sharp for comfort.
“Xavier, you don’t seem interested,” he said, his voice a mix of curiosity and challenge.
I smiled through clenched teeth. “No, I’m not,” I said, trying to brush it off, but Ria had already put my name down. And just like that, I was involved, whether I liked it or not.
As practice for the event went on, I could feel myself slipping back into that familiar role of being overlooked. The skit we were preparing was about Maya (Illusion) and Truth. I didn’t quite understand it at first, but as the days went on, it started to make sense. The characters, the words, and the underlying meaning all began to sink in. It was as if the script was speaking to me, mirroring my own fears and frustrations. But even as the skit came together, I couldn’t ignore the fact that something else was happening behind the scenes.
Ria, who had been my anchor all this time, was slowly becoming more and more engrossed in Sanketh. I wasn’t blind to it. She was spending less time with me and more with him, talking, laughing, sharing moments that I once thought were ours. I tried not to show it, but I felt myself fading into the background again. It wasn’t just the skit practice—it was everything. Ria and Sanketh seemed to be in their own world, and I was the third wheel. I had seen this before, with Hriday, and the fear crept back in: the fear of being replaced.
But this time, it wasn’t just Hriday—it was Ria too. It was as if the universe was testing me, pushing me to the edge. I didn’t want to confront Ria about it; I didn’t want to seem selfish. But I couldn’t shake the feeling that once again, I was losing something important. And I didn’t know how to stop it.
One evening after practice, I sat by myself, watching as Ria and Sanketh joked and laughed. I felt that familiar knot in my stomach, the same one I’d felt all my life, the one that told me I wasn’t good enough. I wasn’t the one they needed anymore.
When I came home that evening, I tried to shake off the feeling. I sat with Rocky, my loyal golden retriever, who always seemed to understand without words. But that night, my thoughts were heavier than ever.
I had a lot to say, a lot to share, but no one seemed to notice. I felt like I was once again invisible, a shadow, lost in the noise. That’s when I wrote in my diary, “Am I meant to be forgotten? Is that my fate—to always be the one who fades into the background?” My mom called me to dinner, and I took Rocky with me, hoping that, at least for a moment, the world would quiet down.
The next day, I got some unexpected news. The main lead of the skit, Srish, had met with an accident and would no longer be able to perform. There was panic. The skit was the highlight of the event, and without Srish, everything seemed doomed. But then, in the midst of the chaos, Bhoumik stepped in.
“I’ll take care of the skit,” he said calmly, his confidence unshaken. At that moment, I couldn’t help but feel a mix of awe and irritation. This was the guy who had barely been part of the practice, and now he was stepping in to take the lead. I thought to myself, Not even for one day did he come to practice, and now he’s going to be the one to save us?
Still, I pushed my doubts aside and focused on the task at hand. As we went through the final rehearsals, I realized something. I wasn’t just acting in a skit—I was living it.
(The stage is dark, save for a solitary spotlight that rests on Anaisha, who stands alone, caught in the center of the stage. She seems overwhelmed, surrounded by a constant buzz of voices, the glare of flashing lights. The weight of attention is unbearable, yet no one truly sees her.)
Anaisha (as the character, Maya):“Is this it? Is this what they wanted—this noise, this endless chase for attention? All these eyes are on me, but no one really sees me. I’m drowning in it, surrounded by everything and nothing at once.”
Bhoumik ( as the character, Truth):“While you bask in the lights, I’m left alone, forgotten in the corner. People can’t see the quiet ones, but they don’t see the toll it takes to always be seen either.”
Anaisha: “You’ve been here all along… but I didn’t see you. Why are you in the shadows? Why are you hiding?”
Bhoumik: “You never looked for me. You were too busy looking at everyone else, at their approval. And now that you’re suffocating in it, you realize I was always here. I was always here.”
Anaisha: “Do they even want me? Or do they just want the image I give them—the version of me they created?”
(The crowd’s noise swells, almost deafening. MAYA turns back toward the blinding lights, but she’s torn. Her gaze flickers back to TRUTH, who remains quiet in the shadows.)
Bhoumik: “Fame isn’t a gift. It’s a prison. Everyone wants something from you, but no one really knows you. And when you’re left alone, behind the applause… you realize what it costs.”
Anaisha: “Who am I really when no one’s looking? When the lights go out, when they forget… will I still be enough?”
(The lights dim completely, leaving the stage in silence.)
The light got dim but the applause got louder. Everyone was shouting my name and It was so overwhelming.
As I stood there, after the final scene, the weight of the words hit me harder than ever. The stage lights were blinding, and the crowd’s noise was deafening. But in that moment, I found clarity.
It was at this moment that I felt the truth of it all. The skit wasn’t just about Maya and Truth—it was about me. The applause, the spotlight, the people in my life—all of it felt suffocating. I was desperately trying to find my place in a world that didn’t seem to care.
“Is this it? Is this what they wanted—this noise, this endless chase for attention? All these eyes are on me, but no one really sees me. I’m drowning in it, surrounded by everything and nothing at once.”
Bhoumik’s words echoed through my mind. “Fame isn’t a gift. It’s a prison. Everyone wants something from you, but no one really knows you. And when you’re left alone, behind the applause… you realize what it costs.”
Maybe being noticed wasn’t what I needed after all. Maybe the truth—being real with myself—was the key to everything.
I wanted to thank the person who wrote the skit. It was powerful. It spoke to me. And when I went to Sanketh to ask who had written it, he smiled and said, “It was Bhoumik.”
I was stunned. The guy who had barely been around for practice had written this? I couldn’t wrap my head around it. He was smiling, as if nothing had changed. But I could see the subtle shift in his expression, the way he looked at me as if he understood something deeper than what was spoken.
“You were great,” I said in a shaky voice. “Thank you for helping me see things differently.”
He smiled, a small, knowing smile. “Sometimes, the greatest impact comes from the unlikeliest sources.”
Later that evening, I walked home, my heart lighter than it had been in days. But as I reached her doorstep, I was met with the news I had been dreading. Rocky, my beloved dog, had passed away. The grief hit me like a wave, and I was crying harder than ever cried before.
In the silence of loneliness, I found the one who cared—only to lose them when I needed them most. I wanted to share this with someone and I went to college only to find out that Bhoumik had taken a TC (Transfer Certificate).
“In the silence of loneliness, I found the one who cared—only to lose them when I needed them most.”
Chapter Five: Threads of Fate
I always had this nagging feeling that I was stuck in time while the world raced forward. People around me were so busy with their lives—some were getting into relationships, others securing jobs, and a few were even planning to study abroad. And there I was, just Anaisha, stuck in the same place, always playing second fiddle to everything around me. As much as I tried to convince myself that I was okay with it, that I was used to being alone, there was this empty space in my heart that never quite went away. Now, as I approached the final year of my degree, the loneliness felt heavier. The thought of staying in Mangalore, where everything was familiar, scared me. I feared that I would get caught in the monotony and feel left behind. So, I made a decision. It was time to leave. I told myself I would start fresh in Bangalore. An internship there would be my opportunity to break free and create my own path.
When Caprikon accepted my application, I was thrilled. This was it—a new chapter, a new environment. But life, as always, had its own way of throwing curveballs.
It wasn’t the transition to a new city that was difficult—it was the overwhelming sense of isolation that crept in as soon as I entered the office. I had always been an introvert, but there was a difference between being alone in the comfort of your own home and being isolated in a city where no one knew you.
The first day at Caprikon, I was assigned a desk and left to figure things out on my own. There were no welcoming smiles, no one who seemed to notice my presence. People were absorbed in their work, heads down, focused on tasks. For the first time, I felt invisible in a way that went deeper than I had ever experienced before. College may have lacked excitement at times, but at least there I had my friends, even if I was mostly in the background. Here, I was completely alone, lost in a sea of people who didn’t even know I existed.
Loneliness had always been a constant companion for me, but this was different. This was complete aloneness. It was quiet and suffocating. I tried to push through, telling myself that I was just adjusting to this new life. But the longer I sat there, the more I realized that this wasn’t just about being alone—it was about being unnoticed, being a nobody in a world full of people.
It had been fifteen days since I started the internship, and I was still barely involved in any project. Every day I sat at my desk, watching people around me collaborate, create, and share ideas while I remained an outsider. It felt like I was invisible, like no one cared enough to include me. I had no one to talk to, no one to ask for advice or share my struggles with. The emptiness in me grew deeper.
Then, I decided I couldn’t just sit back and let the time pass. I took the courage to approach my manager and asked about the possibility of getting involved in the projects. Surprisingly, he seemed to have completely forgotten that I even existed as an intern. After a brief conversation, he placed me in a food product team. The assignment was to help create an advertising campaign for a nutrition-based product.
At first, I was excited—finally, an opportunity to contribute! But when I saw the campaign ideas from the different ad agencies, my heart sank. They were all the same: “It’s not just about exercise, it’s about food,” over and over again. Everything felt so predictable. Nothing stood out.
But then something strange happened. My mom called me during one of the brainstorming sessions. She did this often, asking if I had eaten, if I was okay. It used to annoy me, but this time, I suddenly had an idea. My mom’s constant reminders to eat healthy, to take care of myself, hit me in a way it never had before. Other than my mother, who else would genuinely care about food in the way that she did? I realized that no one had brought that warmth, that personal touch to the concept.
I pitched my idea to the team—about how food wasn’t just nourishment, but something filled with love, care, and attention. It wasn’t just about the product—it was about the essence behind it. The team lead was impressed. He told me, “It’s a great line. Let’s see what Prerana Creatives can do with it.” I felt a small spark of pride as I finally felt like I was contributing, even if it was just one idea.
When the team from Prerana Creatives presented their ad concept, it felt like a turning point. It was everything I had imagined—simple, heartfelt, and genuine. The ad concept was:
“The Essence of Nourishment”
Scene 1: Soft background music begins. A cozy, sunlit kitchen. A mother gently prepares food, her hands moving with care and grace. The aroma of freshly cooked food fills the air.
Narrator: “A mother’s love isn’t just in the food she prepares… It’s in the warmth she serves, the devotion she pours, and the essence she gives with every bite.”
Scene 2: The camera focuses on a small child, looking up at their mother with trusting eyes. The mother smiles lovingly, spooning food into the child’s bowl, her hands tenderly brushing the child’s hair.
Narrator: “It’s not just nourishment… It’s life itself. The love…”
I couldn’t believe it. The ad concept had actually captured the very essence of what I had been thinking. For the first time, I felt like I had contributed something real. My idea was actually being brought to life, and it felt like a small victory in a world that had often made me feel invisible.
I was curious who’s the person who brought so much life to my small ideology. When the Narrator explained I felt like I knew this person for a long time. In the end credit of the AD concept said Prerana Creatives….. From Bhoumik
“Sometimes, the smallest spark of an idea can ignite a flame that changes everything. But little did I know, the spark I had ignited would lead me back to someone I never thought I’d see again.”
Chapter Six: The Unfolding of Heartstrings
I never expected that my path would ever cross again with Bhoumik. Bhoumik—the guy who vanished from my college without a trace—is now standing in front of me. He looked so different now, but his brown sharp eyes still held that same intensity and curiosity. My heart skipped a beat as he extended his hand for a formal handshake. Was I imagining things, or was this the same guy who had once walked away without saying goodbye?
I wasn’t sure if he remembered me, but there was a warm smile on his face. “Xavier,” he called, and I swear, my whole body froze. The moments I spent with him, however brief, rushed back, almost like a forgotten song suddenly playing in my head. My face flushed, and I could feel my pulse racing. He remembered me? It was hard to process, but there it was—he did.
The AD shoot commenced soon after. As my team’s concept had been chosen, I was deeply involved in the entire process. It was fascinating to see how actors transformed themselves with a single command of “Action!” and, just like that, they were back to their personal lives as soon as “Cut!” was shouted. The energy was surreal.
During a break, Bhoumik came over and asked, “I’m going for a coffee. Want to join?”
Feeling somewhat lonely, I agreed, and off we went to the nearest café. As we sat down with our coffees, he asked, “How’s life? How’s Bangalore treating you?”
“Life’s boring,” I said, “and I feel lost in the city. I’m overwhelmed by the hustle here.”
He didn’t respond right away. He just smiled, as though he understood exactly what I meant. “By any chance, are you free tomorrow? I have another AD shoot. You could join me and see another side of Bangalore,” he offered.
I was free, and it sounded like a welcome distraction, so I agreed.
The next morning, at 3:30 AM, my phone rang. It was Bhoumik. “I’ll be there in 10 minutes,” he said. Half-asleep, I groggily got ready, but he didn’t arrive until 4:10 AM. When I saw him, I teased, “You have no sense of time.”
He just smiled and shrugged, “I said I’ll be there in 10 minutes, and I was. But after 4 AM, that’s it.”
I didn’t laugh, but there was something comforting about the way he joked. I asked, “Where are we going?”
“Mandaragiri Lake,” he replied with a grin.
We reached the lake at 5:30 AM. The early morning mist had just begun to lift, and the world felt peaceful in a way that only mornings at the lake could provide. He parked the car by the water, and we got two hot coffees from a small roadside shop. As the golden rays of the rising sun bathed the mountains in warm light, I sipped my coffee, feeling the tension in my chest slowly loosen.
“How do you come up with such relatable concepts?” I asked, breaking the silence. “In college, it was that skit, and now… the mother’s love. It’s so real.”
Bhoumik took a deep breath, and for the first time, I saw a flicker of sadness in his eyes. “When I was 10, I lost my mom. My dad did his best to fill the void, but no matter how much he tried, he couldn’t replace her. The person who inspired me to follow my passion is Prerana. That’s my mom. And that’s how Prerana Creatives was born. Like the sunrise… some things are irreplaceable. Just like a mother’s love.”
I was quiet, letting his words sink in. He’d never talked about his mom before. I felt a deep empathy for him—he didn’t have anyone to share his grief with, and yet, he poured his heart into his work. I wasn’t the only one with stories.
“But… what happened in college?” I asked cautiously. “What was the reason for your disappearance? I’ve wondered about it for so long.”
His face changed instantly. The walls came up. “I’ll tell you someday. But let’s leave it for now,” he said, his voice tight with emotion.
I could sense there was more he wasn’t telling me, but I didn’t press him further. Instead, I changed the topic, trying to lighten the mood. “What’s a lake’s favorite type of music?”
He looked confused, so I answered him. “Wave rock!”
Silence. I laughed awkwardly at my own joke. “Why did the math book look sad?”
Again, he was quiet. I answered again, “Because it had too many problems.”
I didn’t expect him to laugh, but he did. The way he smiled at me, even though my jokes were terrible, made me feel like I was finally breaking through his tough exterior.
After some time, he stood up and stretched. “Let’s go?”
I looked at him, confused. “You said there was an AD shoot… did it get canceled?”
He smiled, his eyes full of quiet wisdom. “Anaisha, a few moments are irreplaceable—like this sunrise. Do you know why the world feels like it slows down sometimes? To remind us… just to remind us that even in the hustle of life, there’s beauty waiting to be discovered. Places like this exist in a city full of traffic. Don’t get lost in the noise. Find your own happiness by embracing the beauty around you. That’s what keeps us alive—the simple moments. Like the taste of this coffee, or watching the sunrise.”
His words stayed with me long after the moment passed. He was right. It was the little things that made life worth living, and I was slowly beginning to appreciate those moments, especially with him.
The AD shoot wrapped up soon, and my internship was also coming to an end. To my surprise, Caprikon offered me a job. A job! Considering how invisible I had felt when I first started, this offer meant a lot to me. But I wasn’t sure if I wanted to take it. I wasn’t ready to decide yet.
The day to leave Bangalore came too quickly. Time had passed faster than I could have ever imagined. I had grown fond of the city, but more than that, I had grown fond of the person who made me see it in a different light. I had Bhoumik to thank for that. As I stood at the bus stand, preparing to leave, I turned to him and said, “You should come to my graduation. It would mean a lot to me.”
He hesitated for a moment before sighing. “The thing is… when you asked me about my disappearance, I didn’t tell you everything. My father passed away in my final year of college. I wasn’t strong enough to deal with it, and I still haven’t been able to. I can’t bring myself to go back to Mangalore.”
I was speechless for a moment. I walked up to him and hugged him tightly. “I get it,” I whispered.
The bus arrived, and as I got on, I looked out the window and watched him wave goodbye. I didn’t know how long I would be away, but I knew one thing: no matter the distance, Bhoumik would always be a part of my life.
The time flew by, and before I knew it, it was my graduation day. My parents were skipping my graduation day as Hriday was off to start his MBBS journey, and my parents were going with him to drop him off. It’s not that I didn’t feel bad that they were not attending but now I was a changed person and now I have Bhoumik to care about.
We were clicking our group photo when I saw him—a familiar face in the crowd. He was hard to miss, standing tall among the group. I blinked in surprise. There, in the middle of everything, was Bhoumik.
My heart leapt in my chest. I ran towards him and hugged him, overcome with joy. He had come to Mangalore just for me. Without any hesitation, he dropped to one knee, and before the entire crowd, he proposed.
In that moment, my life felt complete. The person who had once vanished from my world had returned—and he was here to stay. At the same time my parents came to graduation, and they were confused, angry, but mostly… surprised. In that moment, all I could think about was the love that had brought us together.
“Sometimes, we wander through life feeling invisible, lost in the shadows of others. But when we find someone who truly sees us, we realize that the light we’ve been searching for was always within reach.”
Chapter Seven: Revaluation of the Heart
The silence in the house was deafening after the graduation ceremony. My parents were still reeling from the shock of seeing me and Bhoumik together. My mom’s face was filled with confusion and concern as she paced back and forth in the hall. Dad sat in a dining chair, lost in his own thoughts. I was sitting on the couch, heart racing, unsure of how to process what had just unfolded.
My mom decided to break the silence. “Anaisha, what is this? Who is that guy? Why did you do this?” She asked, her voice trembling with a mix of frustration and disbelief. I could feel the anger in her tone, a sharp sting that pierced deeper than I expected.
I knew I had to say something, anything to make her understand. I looked at her, with all the calm I could muster, and said, “His name is Bhoumik. I’ve known him since the first year of college.” Then I began to explain the story. From the first meeting at college, to the internship, the advertisement pitch, our conversations, the quiet moments—everything.
Her face contorted with anger as she processed my words. “Do you think he is the right person? He has grown in his dad’s shadow, and never experienced a mother’s love. Do you think he will truly care about you?” My mom’s words were sharp, like daggers thrown with precision, each one hitting a vulnerable part of me. I felt like I had been slapped in the face.
I nodded and tried to calm my racing thoughts. “Did you ever care about me, Mom? All you ever cared about was Hriday. You’d always be focused on him, and now you’re questioning Bhoumik’s caring?” The words left my mouth before I could stop them. They hung in the air like a bitter truth.
My mom stood frozen in shock. “Anaisha, caring doesn’t mean giving things or doing things for someone… It’s about showing love, it’s about being there in hard times.” She stared at me, as if waiting for me to understand what she meant.
I bit my lip, the words rising within me. “You’re saying being there at the right time, in the right place is love? If that was true, then why weren’t you there for my graduation? You missed it, but Bhoumik came to Mangalore just for me. That was enough to show that he cares. He loves me. Can’t you see that?”
Mom’s face turned crimson, and she stood there, silent. But before she could respond, I blurted out the words I never thought I’d say, “Sometimes I wish Hriday was never born.” As soon as they left my lips, I regretted it, but in that moment, it felt like a weight had been lifted from my chest. I rushed to my room, slamming the door behind me.
I sat on my bed, shaking. I couldn’t believe the words I had just spoken. The tension in the house felt suffocating. After what seemed like an eternity, I heard a knock at my door. It was my dad.
He entered quietly and sat beside me. I leaned my head against his shoulder, and for a moment, the world felt still. He comforted me with his presence, the warmth of his embrace providing solace when I needed it most.
“Putta,” he began, using the nickname he’d given me as a child, “I want to apologize. I didn’t mean to let you feel that way. But you need to understand something. You were our first child. The first time we experienced the joy of parenthood. We remember the day you were born, the first time you spoke, your first steps. Those memories are irreplaceable. But we were learning, too. We made mistakes, and with Hriday we didn’t repeat the same mistakes. I understand now how it must have felt, but please know we love you both equally. You were our first kid and always will be our first teacher.”
His words were gentle but filled with truth, and they slowly unraveled the bitterness I’d been holding onto. “I’m sorry,” I whispered, my voice barely audible.
Before he left, Dad said one more thing. “Hriday was the one who insisted that we attend your graduation. He wanted us there, even on his first day of college. We could see how nervous he was, but still, all he wanted was for us to be there for you. His love, too, has always been there, even if it didn’t always show in the way you expected.” And with that, he left.
I sat in silence, contemplating everything. My emotions were a tangle of confusion, regret, and a strange kind of clarity. I wanted to sleep, but the weight on my chest wouldn’t let me.
And then there was another knock. It was Hriday. He stood at the doorway, looking unsure of himself, something I rarely saw in him. He was always so quiet, always so composed. But today, he spoke with rawness I hadn’t expected.
“Akka, all fine?” he asked softly, his voice tentative, like he was afraid of what I might say.
I didn’t know how to respond. Hriday continued, speaking in a way I had never heard before. “I know we’ve never really spoken about our personal lives. Since childhood, we’ve always been in competition, always trying to outdo each other. But when you left for your internship, I was all alone. I realized, I did all this for what? To be the best? I asked myself why I was always so angry. I understood your value only when you were gone. I know now I made you feel lonely, but the truth is, when you left, I was the one who was lonely.”
His words hit me like a thunderclap, shattering everything I thought I knew about him. He wasn’t just my competitor, my brother—I realized now he had been my friend all along. “I understood You’re not my competition anymore. You’re my inspiration. I just want you to be happy. If you want to be with Bhoumik, I’ll support you. I just want my sister to be happy.”
Tears pricked at the corners of my eyes. I hadn’t realized how much I needed to hear those words. I hadn’t realized how much I’d longed for his acceptance. The anger, the jealousy, the resentment—all of it melted away in that moment. We hugged for the first time, truly hugged, not just as siblings, but as equals. As people who cared. It was the kind of hug that felt like a promise, one that would last a lifetime.
“I never knew you cared about me so much,” I whispered.
“I do, Akka. I do,” he responded with a smile.
After his promise and comfort, I finally felt at peace. That night, sleep came easily, and for the first time in a long while, I wasn’t restless.
The next morning, the atmosphere in the house had shifted. The tension had dissipated, replaced with understanding. Even my mom seemed to have softened. She’d said it herself—Caring doesn’t mean giving things or doing things for someone… It’s about showing love, being there at the right time.
It was the truth, one I hadn’t seen before. Maybe God had put us all through these tests to show us who really cared about us. We all had suffered in silence, in our own ways. But now, we were learning to be there for each other. We were learning what it truly meant to love.
As time passed, the wedding plans began to take shape. My heart swelled with love, not just for Bhoumik, but for my family too. This whole journey had opened my eyes to the beauty of the people who cared for me. If Bhoumik hadn’t come into my life, it might have taken me much longer to understand that.
On the day of the wedding, I stood before the mirror in a pastel pink gown. I gazed at the reflection of the woman I had become—a woman who had fought for her happiness, who had come to understand the depths of her family’s love. From asking, ‘Do people care about me?’ to finally asking, ‘How much do I care about people?’—this was the shift that had taken place in my life.
I took a deep breath and walked toward the Mantap. Bhoumik, standing there in his ivory sherwani, was the man I had always dreamed of. Ria, Sanketh, and all my college friends had attended the ceremony. The moment felt surreal, and my heart was so full.
Bhoumik tied three knots—what those three knots meant, I wasn’t entirely sure, but in that moment, I knew that the union was not just about the body, mind, and soul. It was also about love, commitment, and faith. Forever.
The ceremony was beautiful, but the most moving moment came when I turned to face my parents. My mom, caught between joy and sadness, her eyes filled with both pride and something deeper. My dad, standing tall and proud, couldn’t hide the joy in his eyes. And Hriday—he was hiding his tears from me, but I saw his face flush with emotion as he tried to hold it together.
I hugged them all, tears streaming down my face. It was time to go, to begin my new journey with Bhoumik.
I looked at him, smiled, and knew this was just the beginning of a new chapter—a chapter filled with love, understanding, and belonging.
And with that, I took Bhoumik’s hand, walking into my new life, finally at peace with myself, my family, and the love we had found.
But, was Bhoumik really the man he seemed, or was there more of him left to discover?
“Sometimes, it takes losing ourselves to truly find where we belong. In the quietest corners of our hearts, love isn’t just about being seen, but about being understood, forgiven, and embraced for all that we are.”
Chapter Eight: The Beginning of Forever
I stepped through the front door of our new home, and the warmth that wrapped around me was unlike anything I had felt in a long while. The soft glow of the sun illuminated the hall, and for the first time in forever, it felt like everything was finally in place. I could hardly believe we were here—together, with a future that felt so tangible, so real. But something else caught my attention as soon as I walked inside. At my feet was a little bundle of joy—a small, brown puppy with big, curious eyes, wagging its tail as though it had been waiting for me.
Hriday’s voice broke through my thoughts, light and playful, “It’s Brownie. Congratulations. This is my little gift to you.” His words were gentle, but they hit me in a way I couldn’t explain. Hriday knew I was still mourning Rocky’s loss, and he was doing his best to fill that void. It wasn’t that Brownie could replace Rocky, but somehow, he was exactly what I needed right then.
Tears filled my eyes—not from sadness, but from sheer happiness. Hriday had been so observant about how I’d tried to bury my emotions. Yet, here he was, offering me a piece of comfort when I had hardly acknowledged it myself. Kneeling down, I scooped Brownie into my arms and whispered, “Brownie, welcome to the family.”
Life had changed so much, and yet, with Bhoumik by my side, it felt like we were only just beginning. Bhoumik wasn’t just my life partner, he was my work partner. The two of us, brainstorming for Prerana Creatives, felt like our minds worked in perfect harmony. His ideas, his approach to each ad concept, were always so aligned with my thoughts. It felt like he was able to bring my childhood memories to life through those concepts, and for the first time, I saw myself as the main lead in stories I never even realized I was a part of.
Our days, filled with work, often melted into late-night conversations. Sometimes, it wasn’t even the words we shared, but the quiet moments. The way Bhoumik would look at me with those searching eyes, asking, “You make me wonder if I truly deserve you.” It made me smile every time because, in truth, he was everything to me—my home, my peace, my life. And all I could ever do was smile back at his silly questions, knowing he was so much more than I ever thought I deserved.
Despite how busy we were, we made sure weekends were for us. Long walks in the park with Brownie, who had become such an important part of our little family, were sacred. His playful nature brought a lightness to everything we did. And then there was Hriday, who started spending more time with us. At first, I thought he would feel left out, but he and Bhoumik bonded over the most unexpected things. They’d tease me relentlessly, but it always made me proud to know that they had found their own connection, their own friendship. It was like they had become partners in crime, working together to take me down.
With Prerana Creatives growing exponentially, Bhoumik and I felt unstoppable. Our company wasn’t just about pitching ideas for big corporations anymore. We were working on government campaigns that could make a real difference. Together, we faced every challenge head-on, and each day, I felt myself falling even more in love with him.
Then came the day of our biggest client meeting. The client had a concept they wanted our direction on—an ad about online betting, with an amount that would make anyone’s eyes widen. But I couldn’t bring myself to support something that had the potential to ruin families. As much as it would’ve been a lucrative deal for the company, I couldn’t justify it. I wanted to tell Bhoumik to reject the offer, but I wasn’t sure if I could make that call alone. And then, without saying a word, he turned to me, placed his hand gently on my lap, and said, “Sorry, we can’t do this ad.”
In that moment, I realized he wasn’t just respecting my opinion. He was valuing my ethics, my beliefs, and the very core of who I was. That was a gift I could never repay.
When we got home, the weight of the day seemed to settle in. Rejection of such a huge offer made me question if we’d made a foolish decision. But then, Bhoumik called me to dinner, and when I walked into the kitchen, I saw nothing on the table. I couldn’t help but wonder if he was disappointed, thinking I was the reason we would be facing hard times ahead. But then, he told me to close my eyes, and he led me outside to the terrace.
When I opened my eyes, the sight took my breath away. A quiet, intimate dinner had been set up under the stars, with the twinkling city lights casting a soft glow around us. He kissed me, his words gentle, “This is a starter for our starter.” I couldn’t help but blush. Where did he come up with these lines?
As we ate, I asked him how he had known I didn’t like the campaign. He smiled and said, “Do you realize? When you don’t like something, you start shaking your leg.” The tremor, he said, was enough for him to know what I was thinking.
I looked up at the stars, feeling my heart swell. “I never thought I’d feel this happy. But with you… and everything else, I think I’ve found my place.”
Bhoumik’s eyes softened as he looked at me. “You’ve always had a place, Anaisha. You just needed to see it yourself.”
And so, we continued, not just as lovers, but as best friends, partners in every sense. Our connection only grew stronger with each passing day. But then, life threw a curveball.
I found out I was pregnant.
The test result came back positive, and I couldn’t contain my tears. This was something I had dreamed of for so long—our little family. When I shared the news with Bhoumik, he stood there, speechless at first, and then pulled me into a tight embrace. I could hear him whisper, his voice soft with excitement, “I’m going to be a dad.”
It was the most beautiful feeling—one that I had longed for. And then, Inaaya was born. Our precious little girl, with soft, curly hair and big eyes, captured our hearts completely. She was perfect. And as I looked at her, I realized that there was nothing I had wanted more than this—a family of my own.
But then something strange started to happen. I began to feel unusually tired. At first, I thought it was just the exhaustion from being a new mom, but as the days passed, the fatigue only deepened. There were moments when I couldn’t shake the dizziness or the constant pain, no matter how much I rested.
On our wedding anniversary, I tried to push it aside, wanting to enjoy the evening with Bhoumik. But as the night went on, my body began to fail me. By the time Bhoumik arrived home late, I could barely move. He rang the bell multiple times, but I couldn’t muster the strength to open the door. He used the spare key and walked in, finding me lying on the bed.
“Are you angry because I came late?” he asked, concern lacing his voice.
But before I could respond, my vision blurred, and I collapsed into his arms.
They rushed me to the hospital, and after several tests, the doctors gave us devastating news. I had a rare, incurable disease called Myasthenia Gravis. It was an autoimmune condition where my body was attacking its own nerve-muscle connections, causing extreme muscle weakness. The doctors said there was no cure and that I should be kept happy for as long as I was alive.
In that moment, my world felt like it was shattering all over again. Just when I thought everything was finally falling into place, this cruel twist of fate hit me. I looked at Inaaya, at the life Bhoumik and I had built, and tears fell freely. My only question, the one that haunted me every waking moment, was, How much time do I really have?
Bhoumik held me close, whispering words of love, but the uncertainty loomed over us like a shadow. Still, I clung to what we had, knowing that I might not have much time left, but I would make every second count.
That night, Bhoumik kissed my forehead and whispered the words that had always been a part of us, “Forever.”
But now, forever had a different meaning. And as I lay there, in his arms, one question echoed in my mind:
Will I see tomorrow?
“Even in the face of uncertainty, love remains the one thing we can hold onto—fragile, fleeting, yet powerful enough to last forever.”
Chapter Nine: The Question
Today is Inaaya’s 5th birthday. She’s grown into this beautiful, clever little soul with a heart full of care, always eager to share her love. Bhoumik and I had always made sure she felt whole, loved, and secure—just the way I would have wanted her to. And Brownie, our ever-faithful companion, remained by our side, tail wagging at every moment. I couldn’t be more grateful for all of it. But still, there’s that question—one I asked myself years ago—“Why is it so hard to feel complete?” Maybe it was just the uncertainty of life, the feeling that no matter how perfect things seemed, there was always something missing.
As the sun dipped below the horizon, casting a golden hue across the sky, Inaaya skipped over to Bhoumik, her little face glowing with innocence. “Dad, where is mom?” Her voice was soft, sweet, and full of pure curiosity. But the simplicity of her question struck Bhoumik like a sudden, sharp pain. His chest tightened, and for a moment, he could almost feel the weight of all those years—the love, the loss, the longing. Bhoumik didn’t answer right away. He took a deep breath, wiped away a silent tear, and then, with his usual calm demeanor, extended his hand toward her.
“Kanda, come here. I’ll take you,” he said gently.
Inaaya reached out and grasped his hand. Together, they walked toward the room that had once been full of so much life. It was the room Anaisha had loved, where Anaisha had dreamed, created, and shared so much. It still held her essence, presence. Bhoumik opened the door slowly, and the space stood unchanged, as if frozen in time—a shrine to everything that had been and could have been.
Inaaya looked around, her wide eyes taking in every detail. She had never been in that room before. The books Anaisha used to read, the perfume she had worn, the sketches she had created, they were all still there, waiting. Her voice was small and innocent when she spoke.
“Dad, whose room is this?”
Bhoumik’s voice caught for a moment. “From now on, it’s yours,” he said, a tinge of emotion in his tone. “Every item in this room was your mom’s, and now all these things are yours.”
Inaaya’s gaze drifted over to a shelf where a small, worn diary rested—its pages yellowed with time. She stretched out her hand, but it was just out of reach. She looked up at her father, wordlessly asking for help. Without a second thought, Bhoumik lifted her up, and Inaaya’s tiny fingers brushed the cover of the book.
“Pa, which is this book?” she asked, her voice full of wonder.
Bhoumik smiled softly, his lips curving in a mixture of pride and sadness. “It’s a story about Anaisha and me. ‘The WORLD (Bhoumik) that made me SPECIAL (Anaisha)’.”
Inaaya’s eyes sparkled with curiosity. “Can I read it?”
Her question was so innocent, yet full of longing, and Bhoumik knew the answer without hesitation.
“Yes, you can. It’s a journey from the very beginning to an endless path.”
Inaaya flipped open the pages of the diary. As she began to read, Bhoumik’s thoughts drifted back to the words Anaisha had written. ‘From a self-doubtful person to the most valuable person in my life, my journey is complete…’ Those words had stayed with him, shaping his world, and his heart. Even now, years later, they still resonated, reminding him of how they had both changed, how their love had transformed them. He could still feel her presence in every corner of their home, in every laugh, every quiet moment shared with Inaaya.
But there was one thing that Bhoumik hadn’t figured out, something he couldn’t answer. No matter how much love and affection he gave to Inaaya, no matter how much he tried to fill the emptiness, there was still one thing missing—the answer to Inaaya’s question, “Where is Mom?”
Bhoumik closed his eyes for a moment, the ache in his heart palpable. When he opened them again, he pulled Inaaya into a tight embrace. He kissed the top of her head, feeling the weight of his love for her, and whispered softly, “Kanda, Anaisha is with us. She’s in our hearts, forever.”
Bhoumik spoke to himself in that moment, his voice barely a whisper, “Anaisha, you complete our life, but the answer for Inaaya’s question will always be incomplete. I needed you more than you ever knew.”
The room was filled with a peaceful silence as Bhoumik held Inaaya close, the two of them surrounded by memories. He had tried to create a life for her, to fill every corner with love and joy, but no matter how much he had done, some things couldn’t be filled. There was no way to bring Anaisha back, no way to fill the space she had left behind.
“Some questions are timeless, but their answers can only be felt, not spoken. Love, like memories, never truly fades—it lingers in the quiet spaces of the heart.”
A man who firmly believes that, no matter how many people come and go, the only companion that never leaves is one’s own shadow, proved him wrong. It was not only the shadows that remained, but memories too. And even when the shadows were missing, memories were always there.
And a woman who was lost in the depths of self-doubt and an existential crisis, struggling to find meaning in her solitude, showed that she was the one who made their life complete.
Hello Stranger, welcome to my world. So let me introduce myself. I am Anaisha and meet my only Friend, My Diary. Have you ever felt a room full of people and still experience loneliness? I felt it too so thus the name of my dairy ‘ Lonely ‘. But before that how did we end up in this situation? Let’s begin…
Chapter One: The Question
It was a long day of school, yest susth agithu andre bag kuda floor mele yelko bandide. I was so exhausted—physically, mentally, emotionally. All I wanted at that moment was Amma, and her handmade food. To listen to ranting about the school. Manege bandu the first thing I do is Ammana hudkod. Idi mane hudukde Amma mathra kanustha illa.
“Amma?” Antha karde but nange nan voice ah echo aythu.
Modle hasiv agtha ide and there is nobody to hear me. Yak ast hasvu andre I was always being bullied for my looks aduke avathu thumba sittali madhyana uta na skip madide. Ide time ge Appa bandru. He looked like he lost the energy as me.
“Hi Appa” ande with a little quieter voice than usual.
Appa smiled and nodded at the same time. “Hegitu School?” antha kelidru, I wanted to tell everything – hege she gets treated in school – hege people don’t prioritize her – but appana tired eyes paused me. Avr susth ada kannu was clearly telling he was not fully present.
Instead I asked “Appa, Amma yelli?”
Mobile scroll madtha appa helidru “Hriday na pick madake hogavre. Barthare swalpa hoth ali”. I nodded and went to my room.
Hriday is my irritating and self centric younger brother.
Nan room ali I was sitting alone and was calming myself. Hall inda Hriday kirchadthavne nange ina jasthi irritation aythu. Room ache bande Amma and Hriday sofa mele kuthkond chit chat madthavre. They are laughing, talking and here I am who is not having anyone to listen to me. Nange gothu Hriday is far better than me in studies, looks, fitness and everything. I am not jealous because he is getting all attention nange sittu yen andre i don’t get bare minimum antha.
I was waiting there, ivr conversation mugsake. Mugitha ne illa. All I wanted to tell Amma nan life ali yen neditha ide antha but avr conversation na interrupt madaku ista aglilla. I was waiting near the door patiently. Amma nana observe madidru. Smile madtha “Ani, bega band idya! Hog fresh up agu, amele mathadana” andru.
Bejar adru nan yen helilla, I went back to my room. I always wondered if I am even visible to people. Yake Andre nan yen madidru I felt unnoticed and was second priority even when I was the first kid. All I wanted was a fraction of the attention and Hriday ge idu easy agi sigtha ithu. That’s when I questioned my existence and started writing down all my feelings. Ili I was a listener to my own story.
“When I am left alone, I am in the company of the only one I need”
Chapter Two: Shadows of Comparison
Hinge keluv varsha agtha banthu. Nan life ali thumba change madkond ide my lifestyle, friends circle andre no friends antha but still my only villain who had changed was Hriday. Ist varsha adru i was still feeling i was further slipping into the shadows. Hriday was unstoppable and excelled in academics, sports and even in relationship with my parents. There was a constant comparison with me and Hriday in every family gathering and all the relatives would sing Hriday’s praises.
“Yenrappa makla dodavr admele yen agbek antha idira?” For that respectfully Hriday “Doctor” anda and I responded “I am still figuring out” ande. Aduke avru “You are a brilliant boy. Anaisha nodu why can’t you have big ambition like your brother?” Antha heludru. When nobody asked for their opinion. When I want to speak I don’t have anyone to listen to and when I speak they have opinions to give.
I was in constant competition with my existence and my brother. Each time I was in urge to prove myself even I am better. But nan yen effort hakidru I felt it was never enough. Nan efforts would be overshadowed by this stupid Hriday’s effortless charm. I had a feeling that I am the dark background where Hriday shined out each time.
I am supposed to be the one who supports and protects my brother. But he is my deepest frustration now. ” Nang yake avn thara irake agalla? Nan yake yaru notice madalla? Is being an average kid a problem? ” I still remember the day when he came home. How all the attention got shifted towards him as soon as he arrived. If something is brought they will be like avn chikavn alva avnge kodu. Who will tell them even though I am a kid, too?
Hriday’s life was always filled with fun, enjoyment and friends. All I had was my dairy and four walls. My parents used to ask me to go out and play I was so done with people’s opinions. Iduna observe madid Appa brought me a golden retriever ‘Rocky’ my first ever dog. After a long time I felt I was living again. Nan kushi express madake avath nan diary page sakagilla. They thought this would make me go out and play but that’s how I completely changed into an introvert. Thankyou Appa.
“The day I began to live is the day I discovered being an introvert was awesome”
Chapter Three: Echoes of a New Dawn
It was my first day at college. I was excited for my fresh start. Where nobody knows me and I know nobody. Hosadagi start madana antha thumba asse ide but at the end of the day I am still that shy, introvert and unsure of herself girl. I wanted to try talking to all but being something which I was not was suffocating me. But still the urge to be noticed was still top of my head.
As it was our first day seniors were in charge of showing us in and around the college. So we were divided in a group of 10 and each batch had ond volunteer senior. Nam batch Volunteer was Sanketh. First group activity nam senior madsid was a group introduction. Each one had to come front introduction madko bek. One by one yalardu agtha banthu. Nane last line ali irod ega. Prathi sali obru introduction adange the fear nan next introduction heg madkoli? Was making my heart run faster and I started to shiver. Aga the girl who sat next to me observed this tapped on my lap and smiled. “Hey, Nan Ria, what’s your name?” I smiled at her and said “Nan Anaisha, from St.Xavier college”. I didn’t know she made me introduce myself to the group even without my knowledge. Initially I was pissed about her but the way she handled my situation showed that she was so smart.
Ega next task. This was a treasure hunt game. Idrali we had to coordinate with the team and clues na huduk bek. This treasure hunt task 5 hints agi divide agithu. 1. Should head towards the library. Pick two random books and the librarian will ask you a few questions You should read out the first line of the book and they hand over the clue 2. Go to the sports area and find a group consisting of 3 members they will teach few dancing moves and they will handover the second clue. 3. Go to the cafeteria and order special treasure hunt juice and have it at one go and you will get the third clue 4. Go to the basketball court shoot the balls thrice and get the fourth hint 5. Introduce yourself to a stranger but not by your name but instead of your college name and pose in a funny manner and they will post in the college page. The post which gets highest likes in 30 minutes gets the final hint
Their main intention was to explore the campus in a fun manner.
We ran towards the library
The librarian asked, “What’s the secret to a happy relationship?”
Loki opened a random book and read, “Don’t bring your dog to every argument”
The librarian asked, “How do I know if he’s the one?”
Adi read “He was wearing a red shirt, which meant trouble.”
The librarian again asked, “How do I keep my partner interested?”
At this point of time I had lost interest in this game aduke I stopped listening to further replies.
Finally first clue kotru.
Amele sports area ge hodvi all are sitting either individually illa more than 3. Yarna huduk bek antha ne goth agilla. Finally we found them, dance moves helkotru and Avni and Naz madidru. We got the second clue too.
Third hint goskara cafetaria ge hodvi and ah drinks bere avr kudyod nodi nange uneasy aythu. I left from there and I don’t know how they managed to get the third and fourth clue.
Final clue bek ithu now it was all on me and Ria. Yav stranger hathra hogod modle introvert. So, hodvi there was one guy standing there… He was tall, straight dark hair. Karudvi “Excuse me?” antha. He turned back he had brown eyes and he said “Yes?”. Uff his base voice. Avn helide ond word. Heg explain madbek gothilla but ah moment ali I felt something I never felt before. Goth ilde I lowered my head in shy. Ria introduced “Hey, my name is Govinda institution”. Avn mukka full confusion state ali ide nange ollage ollage full nagu. Ria pulled my hand and asked me to introduce “My name is St.Xavier” ande. Avn confusion ale “I am Bhoumik” anda. Ria asked him to click our picture. Yen funny pose kodod? Antha think madtha idvi. He asked “Yen aythu?” Aduke we explained the whole scenario and he was smiling about it and initiated to take 3 monkeys iconic pose.
We posted it and we got the highest likes among all. Namge shock anthad yen madudvi antha. Nam idi team ge full Kushi. Yalargu first 4 hints bega sikithu and we won just because we had the highest likes. Nange yest kushi andre for the first time istond appreciation for the girl who was always unnoticed ge it was over whelming. But ina think madtha idvi hege istond likes banthu antha aga Sanketh said “It was because of Bhoumik”.
Who is this Bhoumik?
“Sometimes, the greatest impact comes from the unlikeliest sources. A stranger in a frame, yet the one who turns a simple moment into a story worth sharing”
Chapter Four: The Flicker and the Fade
The college will be all exciting for the first 2-3 days amele ade class, ade gossip and ade loneliness. Degree ali yala change aguthe anthare but the only thing that changes is that there will be no uniform anod aste.Nodtha nodtha 2 months agide goth agilla nothing exciting was happening in college except the fact that nange jasthi friends yaru irlilla all I had was Ria. Ria was something else yeno onthara whirlwind of energy anbahudu. She understood all my feelings even without expressing the way she prioritised my thought process and for the very first time I felt I was real and my presence was felt. Modulne sala nobody was there to compare me with Hriday or felt overshadowed. Yesto sali ankothivi alva is the wait worth it? Sometimes totally it is, modle Ria sikidre I would never know the value of being valued ansuthe.
It was a Wednesday afternoon physics class but nobody was mentally present in the class anbahudu. All of the sudden seniors entered the class. Avr bandid main reason they were organising a cultural event and they were asking us to participate in that. Guess what everyone was least bothered and avaga enter agid Bhoumik mathe Sanketh. All Bhoumik did was repeated the same thing. Interest ilde iror yala participate madthini antha hand raise madidru. Adrali eh Ria nu oblu avl participate madod alde she was forcing me too Iduna observe madid Bhoumik “Xavier, are you not interested?” antha kelda. Mans ali *Ning yak bek ivella?* antha ansidru bai ali “No, I am not” ande. Interested idor hesru na list madi kodake heli hodru. Nan yest beda andru Ria kept on forcing and added my name to the list (not that I was not interested I just wanted that extra attention from someone to be stubborn for me).
After 3 PM we had practice but thumba cultural event ithu and nam college ali inond yen andre seniors will decide what performance we are giving and will add our name accordingly. We were going to every single list but our names weren’t there. Sanketh was passing by. Ria kardu nan hesru yelli? antha keldaga he is giggling and pointed out our names in the Skit list and they had written our names as ‘Govinda’ and ‘Xavier’ all we could do was give death stare to Sanketh but nan adunu madilla. But Ria was like the Guardian of my galaxy her stare was enough to send Sanketh from there.
Practice start aythu actually very well thought skit about Maya (Illusion) and Truth. You will get to know as you read. Practice madtha all I could see was not only the skit was getting improvised but also the bonding between Ria and Sanketh. Hinge practice madhya madhya Bhoumik bartha ida but yavag nodudru he would be surrounded by people avna nodi nange social anxiety agod ast jana iroru. Eh skit ge involve madidavle Ria but swalpa dina agtha avle practice ali kantha irlilla. She would be hanging out with Sanketh, nanu jasthi yenu kelake hogtha irlilla as this is the only time they get to meet and talk antha sumne nan padige nan ide. But avr close adnage I felt I was silently fading into the background again. It was an old, familiar feeling, yavaglu nange idide fear of replacement, I was thinking how Hriday replaced me and now Sanketh. No matter how much I tried to fit in, I would always be the one left behind.
Manege bandu Iduna share madkolake idide nange nan diary. Avath i didn’t write my diary not just with ink but also with my tears. At this point I felt nane problem irbek, nan yargu ast important alla antha that’s when Rocky hopped over me. Ah moment ge I forgot my sadness avn jothe atta adtha ide avaga Amma utake karudru Rocky na karkond horte.
Avathu final day practice madtha idivi we got news that the Srish (main lead) of the skit met with an accident and he will not be able to participate. Yalargu tension yen madod ega antha avaga Bhoumik stepped in and told he will take care of the main skit. Nan thale ali the first thought I got *Ond dina skit nodilla madaku bandilla nam skit kathe Govinda!*
Bhoumik bandu nan hathra “You go through with your lines, Srish ge yen agide antha nodkond barthini ” antha heli hoda. Nan nan padige I was rehearsing my lines 7 PM adru Bhoumik didn’t come back and I lost my patience and it was already time antha horte.
So finally the skit day. I was ready with my lines and Bhoumik banda. Nan kelde “How is Srish?” antha. He replied “Swalpa blood loss agide”. I felt bad for him nan mukka nodi “Hey saviour I mean Xavier let’s focus on the skit, All the best” anda. And we started the skit and we reached the final scene of the skit
(The stage is dark, save for a solitary spotlight that rests on Anaisha, who stands alone, caught in the center of the stage. She seems overwhelmed, surrounded by a constant buzz of voices, the glare of flashing lights. The weight of attention is unbearable, yet no one truly sees her.)
Anaisha (as the character, Maya):“Is this it? Is this what they wanted—this noise, this endless chase for attention? All these eyes are on me, but no one really sees me. I’m drowning in it, surrounded by everything and nothing at once.”
Bhoumik ( as the character, Truth):“While you bask in the lights, I’m left alone, forgotten in the corner. People can’t see the quiet ones, but they don’t see the toll it takes to always be seen either.”
Anaisha: “You’ve been here all along… but I didn’t see you. Why are you in the shadows? Why are you hiding?”
Bhoumik: “You never looked for me. You were too busy looking at everyone else, at their approval. And now that you’re suffocating in it, you realize I was always here. I was always here.”
Anaisha: “Do they even want me? Or do they just want the image I give them—the version of me they created?”
(The crowd’s noise swells, almost deafening. MAYA turns back toward the blinding lights, but she’s torn. Her gaze flickers back to TRUTH, who remains quiet in the shadows.)
Bhoumik: “Fame isn’t a gift. It’s a prison. Everyone wants something from you, but no one really knows you. And when you’re left alone, behind the applause… you realize what it costs.”
Anaisha: “Who am I really when no one’s looking? When the lights go out, when they forget… will I still be enough?”
(The lights dim completely, leaving the stage in silence.)
Light dim aythu but the applause got louder. Everyone was shouting my name and It was so overwhelming.
Nange avath thumba kushi aythu because it showed me sometimes attention is not all you need it was the truth that we needed the most and I wanted to thank the skit writer hogi Sanketh na kelde who wrote the skit. He was smiling and said “Performance yala madumele keltha idyala, it was Bhoumik”. I was actually in shock now I was connecting the dots that without even practicing how he performed so well antha.
Bhoumik hathra hode and told him thumba olle skit actually lot to learn antha. He smiled at me nange munde hege conversation madbek antha goth aglilla “Hordthini” ande and he was like “I will drop you”. I didn’t know what to tell and without realising I nodded. Hortvi and he asked me “Can we walk?” antha. It was hardly 1 km to my home “Okay” ande. He asked me “How was the skit?” I responded it was good how can I tell him all I wanted to experience this fame antha. Aga helda it is actually a story of him like how he feels when surrounded by all and needed by none. Popularity is more like a trap and not the freedom antha. Now I saw the skit in his perspective and it was so true. I had so much to speak to him but nav already mane reach agidvi. I said “We will catch up tomorrow” and I left.
It was such a good day I just wanted to write all this down in my diary and was waiting to tell my story to my Rocky. I entered my home only to witness that Rocky was no more.
Why God? Why it should be me? Aren’t we allowed to be happy?
It was 3 days since Rocky left us and I was still not ready to accept the situation. With a heavy heart I went to college and for the very first time I wanted to share this with a person and I felt Bhoumik is the right one. I went to his class only to discover he had taken TC.
“In the silence of loneliness, I found the one who cared—only to lose them when I needed them most”
Chapter Five: Threads of Fate
I always have this feeling that I am stagnant in this fast moving world. People of my age are getting committed , few are getting placed, few are having plans to do Masters in foreign. But nanu still that lonely person but this time in the final year degree. Ille idre FOMO feel aguthe antha I decided Bangalore ali internship madthini antha and nan adrustake Caprikon company ali internship request na kuda accept madidru. I was so happy to start this journey but life had some other plans.
Being lonely was not a new thing to me but being alone was. Nan yavthu nam family ge centre of attention agirlilla it was all about Hriday, so I thought I had learnt to navigate the world in solitude and I was so wrong. It was the first day at my office they assigned me a desk and said nothing related to work. Modle introvert agid nange heg conversation start madbek antha nu gothilla. I sat there watching people absorbed in their work. Ist dina college days has no life ankontha idid nang IT employees proved me wrong.
It was not even a week and already I started feeling I am lost in this big city. Maneli idire at least uta madu ba antha karyoke appa amma idru and ili ‘Uta madidya?’ antha kelaku jana illa. We often don’t realize what matters until we’re far away from it. Eh nan emptiness na fill madbek andre only one way I should put my heart and soul for this internship. But nan yest idrinda escape agoke try madidru, the realisation of being lonely and alone was a quiet ache in my chest.
Fifteen days have passed since I joined the internship but I was not involved in the project. Mans dhairya madkond nam manager hathra hogi I spoke about my interest. Funny fact yen andre they had completely forgotten about my presence as an intern, hing adre who will not get existence crisis? After carefully considering my request nam manager put me in a Food product team. Our team wanted to start an advertising campaign for a nutrition-based food product. Multiple AD agency inda pitch banthu but yala concept fell in the similar lines ‘ It’s not only about right exercise it’s also about Nutritious food ‘. I felt there was no unique selling point but helake dhairya nu illa and pitch madake hosa concept kuda illa.
The project had stalled for weeks. AD agency na finalise madbek and the ideas had been tired and predictable. Avaga nam team lead was asking everyone’s suggestion and this was the only time to shine. But hege? Ide time ge nam amma ond 2-3 sali call madtha avre. Each time I ignored mathe mathe call madtha idru. I was fed up and asked “Yenamma?” And all she asked was “Uta madidya?” Aga banthu nodu ond idea. Nam ammandirna bittu who else can think about Nutritious food for kids? I utilised the opportunity and pitched the idea. Nam Team lead ge full kushi and he was like “It’s a nice line, we have one last pitch and that’s from Prerana Creatives. Let’s ask them to build a concept from this line”.
Prerana Creatives was here and they started their pitch. And the AD concept went like
“The Essence of Nourishment”
Scene 1: Soft background music begins. A cozy, sunlit kitchen. A mother gently prepares food, her hands moving with care and grace. The aroma of freshly cooked food fills the air.
Narrator: “A mother’s love isn’t just in the food she prepares… It’s in the warmth she serves, the devotion she pours, and the essence she gives with every bite.”
Scene 2: The camera focuses on a small child, looking up at their mother with trusting eyes. The mother smiles lovingly, spooning food into the child’s bowl, her hands tenderly brushing the child’s hair.
Narrator: “It’s not just nourishment… It’s life itself. The love that fills the space between each meal, between each moment.”*
Scene 3: The camera pulls back to reveal an empty chair at the dinner table, the food untouched. A quiet moment of stillness.
Narrator: “But sometimes… there’s an empty seat. An unspoken absence. A loss that can never be replaced.”
Scene 4: The mother sits down beside the child (imagination), both sharing a quiet, comforting moment, silently connecting. The camera lingers on their hands holding each other.*
Narrator: “In the absence, we find the space to remember, to cherish… and to love, even more deeply.”
Scene 5: The logo of the product appears, a soft glow around it. The tagline fades in:
Narrator: “More than nourishment. More than love. It’s life, in every bite.”
It was such a beautiful concept The idea was of a mother feeding her child not just food, but love, devotion, and life itself.The concept wasn’t just about a mother’s love; it was about the space left behind by someone irreplaceable. Nan ideology and this pitch maybe match made in heaven anusthu.
I was curious who’s the person who brought so much life to my small ideology. Narrator explain madbek adre I felt like I knew this person for a long time. In the end credit of the AD concept said Prerana Creatives….. From Bhoumik
“Sometimes, the smallest spark of an idea can ignite a flame that changes everything. But little did I know, the spark I had ignited would lead me back to someone I never thought I’d see again.”
Chapter Six: The Unfolding of Heartstrings
Nan yavath expect madirlilla that my path would ever cross again with Bhoumik. Bhoumik nan college mate who vanished without any trace is now standing in front of me. He looked so different now but avn brown sharp eyes had the same intensity and curiosity.Whole team was happy about the concept yala wish madake hodvi and my heart skipped a beat as he extended his hand for a formal handshake. I was not sure if he remembers me and there was a smile on his face. “Xavier” antha karda with his warm voice, the moments I spent with him were small but yala memory ge ondsali revisit kotange ithu. My face turned red and the fact that he remembers me made my pulse race.
AD shoot commence aythu. Concept line nand agidrinda nam Team lead made me deeply involved in the process. The concept of shooting ah hosad nange. It was fascinating how Actors action adaga they were involved in the character ade cut andid thakshana they were back to their life. Bhoumik break antha helida I was sitting in a corner lonely avaga Bhoumik bandu “Coffee ge hogtha idini barthira?” antha kelda. Nangu bore agtha ithu horte avn jothe. We went to the Cafe and he started speaking “Hegide life? How’s Banglore treating you?” antha. Nan helde ” Life thumba boring agide and talking about the city I am feeling lost in the city, overwhelmed by the hustle”. Avn yen helilla for that he just smiled and said ” Nale if you are free I have one more AD shoot. Free idre bani nimgu untold side of Banglore nodange aguthe” anda. As it was Saturday nanu “Okay ” ande.
It was early morning at 3:30 AM. Bhoumik phone madida ina 10 minutes ali I will be near your Pg anta. Nange heavy nidde but still yeddu ready ade bega bega and he came at 4:10 AM. “Thumba time sense ide” antha mock madide. Smile madtha he responded “10 minutes ali irthini ande, 4 AM admele 10 minutes ali ide” anda. Avn joke ge avnge nagu barlilla ina nange ina yeli. “Yelige hogtha idivi?” antha kelde. ” Mandaragiri lake ” anda. Reach ago astrali it was 5:30 AM.
Car na lake pakka park madida and hathra idid coffee shop inda bisi bisi coffee thago band kotta. The Sun was slowly rising. Strong coffee jothe warm and golden reddish suryana kirna bettad madya inda was enough to cool me down. Hinge coffee kuditha I asked “How do you come up with such relatable concepts? Like college days ali with that skit and ega about the mom’s love…it was so real”
Bhoumik paused, avn mukkdali there was sadness “Actually nange 10 years idaga Amman kalkonde and my dad did his best to fill the void. But appa yene kotru amman preethi kodake aglilla.The person who inspired me to follow my passion is Prerana and that’s my mom and because of that today we have Prerana Creatives. Eh beautiful sunrise hege irreplaceable hange mom’s love towards kids is also irreplaceable”.
I sat in silence, processing his words. I had always felt that everyone around me was too busy to listen to my story, Bhoumik had no one, and his words seemed to echo with an ache. It was deep silence and avagle my curiosity piqued, “But… College ali yen aythu? Yav reason goskara sudden disappearance? I’ve wondered about that for so long.”
Avn expression complete agi change aythu and I could see hesitation in him “Ega sadyake beda. I will tell you someday but ivath beda” anda. I could sense he was hurt but yen reason gothilla. He went and sat near the shore and i followed him and asked him ” What’s a lake’s favorite type of music? ” He was confused and I answered as ” Wave rock! “. Eh joke work out agilla antha inond joke helde ” Why did the math book look sad? ” Again silence aduke nane “Because it had too many problems”. Nan joke ge nagu barde idru he smiled looking at me breaking my head to make lame jokes.
Swalpa time admele “Hordana?” antha kelda. Nange confusion ega aduke kelde “AD shoot antha heli karko bande, Yenadru cancel aytha?” Aduke smile madtha helda “Anaisha, keluv moments are irreplaceable—like this sunrise, Ning gotha why we feel the world slows down? just to remind us eh galate alu there’s beauty waiting to be discovered. Just like how places like this exist in a city full of traffic. Don’t get lost in the noise of the city; find your own happiness by embracing what’s around you and ning gotha what keeps us alive is simple moments. Just like the taste of today’s coffee witnessing with the sunrise”. I felt each word he said. And this became our routine finding new places to create my simple happy moments.
AD shoots complete aythu and so is the internship and even Caprikon offered me a job if I wish I could come back and work after my graduation. I felt so happy initially they were not even aware of my existence as an intern but ega they are offering. I kept the offer on hold. The day to leave Bangalore came too quickly maybe Bhoumik sikilla andre time would not pass this fast ansuthe. I could sense the change in me, bandaga I hated the city and ega vapas hogbek adre I am already missing this beautiful city and Thanks Bhoumik for making me realise this. We were standing in the bus stand and I told him “You should come to my graduation, It would mean a lot to me” antha.
He hesitated for a moment, then sighed. “Avath kelde alva yake disappear ade antha. My father passed away in my final year degree. I am not brave enough and the feeling of losing him still haunts me. I can’t bring myself to go back to Mangalore” anda. Nange yen helbek artha agilla I gave him a tight hug and whispered “I get it”. Keluv sala yala idu yaru ilde iror thara badukthivi and keluvr yaru illa andru nenapugala jothe badukthare. Usually when buses get delayed I get so irritated but ivathu I was hoping it would get delayed and I can stay with Bhoumik a little longer anustha ithu. Bus bande bidthu, bus hathkonde and I was watching him from the window as he waved goodbye.
Mangalore reach ade. Nanu Bhoumik ast doora idru we made sure we gave time to each other daily and stayed connected. Nodtha nodtha graduation day had arrived. It was a bittersweet day nange yak andre ivathe Hriday’s first day of his MBBS college. Appa amma avna bidake hogidru bejar agilla analla but now I was a changed person ega I had a person to listen to my story antha samadana ali ide. Group photo thegitha idru suddenly bright flash. Kannu open madide there was a 6 foot man standing among the crowd. Ah crowd madya nu he took my attention it was none other than Bhoumik.
Nange avath agid kushi ast ist alla the moment our eyes met odi hogi avna thapkonde. The person who was not ready to face the fear came to Mangalore just for me. Without missing a beat, he dropped to one knee, and in front of the gathered crowd, he proposed. I felt my life was so complete ah moment ali. Ide time ge appa, amma bandru, they were shocked and angry at the sight in front of them.
“Sometimes, we wander through life feeling invisible, lost in the shadows of others. But when we find someone who truly sees us, we realize that the light we’ve been searching for was always within reach.”
Chapter Seven: Revaluation of the Heart
The silence in the house was deafening after the graduation ceremony. Nam appa amma were still reeling from the shock of seeing me and Bhoumik together. Nam amman mukka was filled with confusion and concern as she walked back and forth in the hall. Appa dinning chair ali kuthkond avr alochane ali kaldogidru. I was sitting on the couch, heart racing, unsure of how to process what had just unfolded.
Amma decided to break the silence. “Anaisha, Yen idu? Yar ah hudga? Yak hinge madide?” antha kelidru. I could sense the anger and frustration in her tone. Avath dina ina maryake agalla mansali ast baya idru I looked at amma and tried answering calmly “Avn hesru Bhou… Bhoumik, first year college time inda ne parichaya” and then I explained the whole story.
Nam amman kannali sittu kanustha ithu, “Avn ninge nijvaglu right person ansutha? Amman Preethi goth ilde appan neralali beldiron avnu. Avn nijvaglu ninna care madthane ansutha?” antha kelidru. I was shocked by this question and felt like a sharp slap. I nodded my head and asked “Niv nan bagge care madidira? All you cared for Hriday aste. Ega Bhoumik na caringness bagge question rise madtha idira”. Nam amma stood in shock “Anaisha, Caring anod bari giving things or doing things for someone alla… It’s about showing love, bekad time ali bekagiro jagdali irodu”. Aduke I responded ” Correct time ge correct place ali irode love andrala if that was case Hriday’s first day of class goskara nan graduation day na bittu hogtha irlilla and Bhoumik came to Mangalore just for me. Adu sak avn nana love madtha idane antha thorsake”.
“Hriday bagge mathad beda… ” antha helidru amma asthothige I stopped her and said “Sometimes I wish Hriday was never born”. Ivathigu I regret for telling that but ah moment ge I felt relaxed and I went to my room and closed the doors. After sometime Appa bandu door knocks madidru. Open madide he sat next to me I put my head on his shoulder. Comforting me he asked “Putta , I want to ask sorry for letting this type of thought be generated in your head. But yav appa amma nu ond magu na jasthi preethi madi inond magu ge kammi preethi kodalla. Nam putta family ali you were the first celebration. Nin hutid dina nam mukkdali agid santhosha… Module mathu kalthaga agid anandha… Modulne hejje itaga agid uthsaha… Yavthu maryake agalla. But putta ond artha madko namge nenu modulne magu hange namgu it was the first time being a parents alva? Thap navu madidvi because we were learning with you. Ide thapna we didn’t do with Hridya because we learnt it with you. Idu nodake avn mele jasthi preethi ansir bahudu but ad nijja alla. Nin nam modulne maglu mathra allamma nin nam modulne guru kuda”. Avr helid mathu ond ond kuda was so true. Ist heli appa horutru, hogo munche inond helidru “Inond yen andre namna force madi nin graduation ge baro hange madid Hriday. Avn mukdali nervousness kanustha ithu as it was his first day but still all he wanted was us to attend your graduation” antha heli hodru.
Nange tension ge nidde bartha irlilla I was sitting on my bed and heard a knocking sound again, It was Hriday. He stood at the doorway, looking unsure. He was always so quiet, always so measured in his words. But avathu, he spoke with a rawness I had never seen in him before. “Akka, all fine?” antha kelda. Nange yen response kodbek antha goth agilla. “Akka, nang gothu we never spoke about our personal life. Nam chik vaysinda we are more like competitors than siblings. Yaladralu competition ithu… I always wanted to be better than you. But when you went for an internship I was all alone. I did all this for what? antha nange prashne baroke start aythu. Nin value i understood only when you went away from me. Nang gothu I made you feel lonely many times but in reality when you left I was the one who was lonely in my life. Avath inda you are not my competition nin nan inspiration agidya. Nan first day ivathu and I was nervous and all I wished was you were next to me antha. Goth ilde we both care about each other If you want to be happy with Bhoumik, I will support you. I just want my sister to be happy. You deserve it.” antha helda.
Tears pricked at the corners of my eyes. Yavthu Hriday eh reethi mathad irod na nodilla. Avath avn mele idid kopa and confusion got washed away with my tears. We both hugged for the first time, It felt like I was hugging not just a brother, but a protector, and a friend.
“Nan bagge ist care madthiya antha nijvaglu gothirlilla,” antha I whispered. “I do care about my Competitor Anaisha” antha smile madtha helda. After his promise and comfort I slept peacefully. It was the next day the atmosphere in the house was completely shifted. The arguments about Bhoumik faded away, and were replaced with understanding. I don’t know Hriday yen madida overnight. Amma helid nijja ‘ Caring anod bari giving things or doing things for someone alla… It’s about showing love, bekad time ali bekagiro jagdali irod’ and it was so true. Devr aduke irbek correct time ge correct situation ali namna parikshe madod to show who really cares about us antha thorsake. We all came under the realisation that I was not the only one who had suffered in silence. They all had, in their own way antha.
As time passed, the wedding plans were set in motion. My heart was full of love but this time not just for Bhoumik, but for my family, too. Eh complete scenario made me look into the world in a whole different perspective. People are not that bad as we think about them antha artha aythu. Nodtha nodtha Bhoumik became part of our family already. Thank you Bhoumik, mostly nin bandilla andidre it would take a bit more time to understand my own family ansuthe.
The day of the wedding arrived. I was dressed in my pastel pink gown, stood before the mirror, taking in the reflection of a woman who had fought for happiness, who had come to understand her family’s love. ‘Do people care about me?’ inda ‘How much do I care about people?’ ano hosa transition nan jeevndali. I took a big breath and walked to Mantapa. Bhoumik was standing there in ivory sherwani, I was so happy to see the man of my dreams standing there for me. Idru jothe surprising agi Ria, Sanketh and all our college mate madvege band idru. Bhoumik tied three knots, nijavad three knots meaning gothilla but nange yen ansod andre it is the union of body, mind, and soul but it was not just these three it was also about love, commitment, and faith forever.
The ceremony was beautiful, but the most moving moment came when, just before I took Bhoumik’s hand, I turned to face my parents. Nam amma altha idru mixture of joy and bittersweet sadness, the kind that comes with watching your child leave the nest. Nam appan kannali could see his joy and pride. Ina Hriday he was hiding his tears from me but I could see his face turned red and wrist held tight controlling his tears. I hugged them all and cried my heart out and it was time for me to go.
I looked at Bhoumik, I smiled at him and I know this is just the beginning of a new chapter, one that would be filled with love and understanding, not just from him, but from the family once I thought I would never truly belong to.
I took Bhoumik’s hand and walked into my new life, knowing that my heart was finally at peace.
But, Is Bhoumik really the man he showed, or is there a side of him yet to discover?
“Sometimes, it takes losing ourselves to truly find where we belong. In the quietest corners of our hearts, love isn’t just about being seen, but about being understood, forgiven, and embraced for all that we are.”
Chapter Eight: The Beginning of Forever
I stepped through the front door of our new home, a sense of warmth and love wrapping around me like a blanket. The sun’s soft glow illuminated the room, and for the first time in a long while, it felt like everything was in place. Nan enter agid thakshana my attention was drawn to a little bundle of joy at my feet — a small, brown puppy with big, curious eyes, wagging its tail excitedly.
“It’s Brownie,” Hriday’s voice echoed from behind, as he smiled playfully. “Congratulations and this is my small gift. Nang gothu Brownie can’t be a replacement for Rocky but Ivnu nimge olle companion agirthane”. My eyes were filled with tears, but eh sali bejar ge alla it was out of happiness Hriday was so observant about my emotions when I completely ignored him. I knelt down and scooped the puppy up in my arms “Brownie,” I whispered, “Welcome to the family.”
Bhoumik ge nan bari life partner agirlilla but work partner kuda agidhe. We would sit together, planning the next big campaign for Prerana Creatives, our minds worked in sync. I felt I was never this happy… The way Bhoumik thought about the AD concepts was unbelievable. Yest relatability tharon andre I would be lost in his concept and his eyes. Bhoumik na most of the concepts ge nan childhood ah inspiration. Eh inspiration inda concept madaga i would imagine myself as the main lead ade best part. Idi dina jothe ali idru we ended up in late-night conversations most of the time, it was not just talking about our dreams, pasts, or sometimes, avn jothe kuthkond silence kuda enjoy madtha ide. Bhoumik would look at me with those soft, searching eyes and say ” You make me wonder if I truly deserved you”. But for me he was everything—my home, my peace,my life aadre all I would do is smile at his stupid questions.
Work ali ibru yeste busy adru we reserved weekends for ourselves, we would take long walks in the park with Brownie, who had quickly become part of our world, his playful nature bringing joy to every moment. Hriday started missing me more ansuthe aduke he would join us, but Hriday and Bhoumik had better bond than I could even imagine. They would team up and tease me but still I am proud that at least they realised they need two of them to take down one Anaisha.
Prerana Creatives had reached new heights. Agency yav range ge beldid andre we were no more just a AD agency pitching ideas with private corporations but we were involved with Government campaigns that were revolutionary. Bhoumik by my side, it felt like nothing was impossible. Avn nan strength, avn nan guiding force agida and each day I would fall more for him. Ond dina it was our biggest ever client meeting, already avr hathra concept ithu all they wanted was our direction and inputs about the concept. It was an ad about online betting and the offered amount was something we never heard of. Nange eh online betting application andre agalla because yest janad jeevna haal agide. Avr kodthiro dudd na bekadre lekka hakbahudu but avr haal madiro samsara na alla. All I wanted was Bhoumik to deny the offer but yen aguthe antha nijja gothirlilla. All he did was he looked at me and kept his hand on my lap and said “Sorry, we can’t do this ad” antha helda. Nijja idunella heg words ali helbek antha goth agtha illa. Avn nange mathra value madtha irlilla he also did for my opinions and my ethics.
Nav manege baro astrali sanje agithu, it was indeed an exhausting day of work. Rejecting such a big offer seemed like we made a fool of ourselves anusbahudu for others. Nan oble kuthkond yochne madtha ide ‘Did we make a mistake by not accepting?’ antha ah moment ge correct ansithu but company growth wise nodudre it was not a great thing antha ansoke start aythu. That’s when Bhoumik called me for dinner and nothing was there on the dining table. Nan madid decision inda namge oota ildage aguthe antha indication kodtha idana gothilla but he asked me to close my eyes and he held my hand and took me somewhere. Kannu bidake helde and he surprised me with a quiet dinner on the terrace. The table was set beautifully, and the city lights twinkled in the background. We sat together and kissed me and said “This is a starter for our starter” antha, nang gothilla where he gets all these cute lines.
Oota madtha kelde “Ning heng goth aythu nange eh campaign nange ista agalla antha?” Aduke Bhoumik smiled and said “Ning gotha when you don’t like something and you hesitate to tell about you start shaking your leg (tremor). Ast sign saku to know your decision”. Nan nakshatra nodtha “I never thought I’d feel this happy. But with you… and everything else, I think I’ve found my place.” ande. Bhoumik looked at me “You’ve always had a place, Anaisha. You just needed to see it yourself.” From such a hectic day to romantic night Bhoumik brought his magic.
As the time flew nanu Bhoumik were no longer just lovers, but best friends, partners in every sense. We shared every little joy, every challenge, every dream. Eh kushi madya the most wonderful thing happened. I was pregnant. When the test result came back positive, I couldn’t hold back my tears. I had dreamed of a family of my own for so long, and adu ega nijja agtha ide. Eh kushi bere yar hathra hanchkoli it should be Bhoumik “We’re having a baby!” ande. Bhoumik looked at me, speechless for a moment, and then pulled me into a tight embrace. Avn yeno heltha ida but I couldn’t hear clearly but when I concentrated it was “Nan appa agtha idini” excitement ge avnge voice ah ache bartha illa. This is the best thing that’s ever happened to us.
As the months passed, My belly grew, and so did our love. We spent endless hours picking out baby clothes, imagining the future, and dreaming about the life we would share with our child. Not long after, the unthinkable happened. I found myself holding a little bundle of joy in my arms, a tiny girl with soft, curly hair, big eyes, and a smile that could melt even the coldest heart. Hriday said “She’s perfect”. Idru madya already Bhoumik had already decided the baby’s name too and he said “We’ll name her Inaaya,” his voice filled with emotion. “It
means ‘a gift from God.’”
Inaaya, became the center of our universe. Nam jeevndali she brought so much joy that no one had ever imagined—complete and pure. The house was filled with laughter, love, and the pitter-patter of little feet. Hriday est busy idru avn studies he would come over frequently to dote on his niece, and I could see Hriday nam anna agidre est care madtha ida antha. Loving husband caring family protecting brother ina yen bek life ali? I felt my life was complete.
But in the midst of this newfound happiness, something strange happened. Yako all of the sudden I felt unusually tired, yen antha artha aglilla. Initially iduna ignore madide thinking work pressure and felt it was attributing to the pressures of being a new mom idru jothe weakness irbek antha. But day by day the symptoms persisted—frequent dizziness, pain that wouldn’t go away, and an overwhelming exhaustion that no amount of sleep could fix.
It was our wedding anniversary aduke Bhoumik mathe nanu ache hogana antha plan madidvi aduke amma Inaaya na manege karkond hogidru and nobody was at home. Sudden agi avath nange thumba susth agoke start aythu I was expecting Bhoumik to be early but avathu late agi manege banda. Bhoumik rang the bell 5 times but nange yedeloku agde iro ast susthu and Bhoumik felt I was upset about his late arrival. Spare keys use madkond mane olgade banda. He saw me sleeping on the bed and asked “Yak muddu late bande antha kopa na?” There was a silence “Mathadsalva? Hogli bidu nane cook madthini. Yen thinthiya?” That was the last sentence I heard before my vision blurred, and collapsed into Bhoumik’s arms.
They rushed me to the hospital, where after several tests, the doctors delivered the devastating news. Anaisha was suffering from a rare, incurable disease ‘Myasthenia Gravis’. The doctors said “Myasthenia Gravis is an autoimmune condition where the body attacks its own nerve-muscle connections, causing muscle weakness. Sadyake we don’t have any cure for this. Avr iro ast dina kushi agi itkoli”.
My world seemed to shatter, just nan jeevandali yala settle agtha ide antha idaga all this. I was not ready to let go of the love I had found. I looked at Inaaya, the life we had created together… I couldn’t control my tears. Idru madya there was only one question in my mind which had no answer “How much time do I really have?”
The life I had always dreamed of, the family I had longed for, was slipping away. And for the first time after a long time I felt truly powerless. Doctors asked us to go back home and spend most of the time where I love. As we left the hospital, the weight of the news settled in our chest, heavy and suffocating. But the only motive which was keeping me alive was My time may be running out, but I should make every moment count. Bhoumik kissed my forehead that night, he whispered the words that had been with us since the beginning “Forever.”
But now, forever has a different meaning. The question was no longer about the love they shared.
Will I see Tomorrow?
“Even in the face of uncertainty, love remains the one thing we can hold onto—fragile, fleeting, yet powerful enough to last forever.”
Chapter Nine: The Question
Ivathu Inaaya na 5th birthday. Inaaya grew up to be a beautiful, caring and clever daughter, with love and devotion. She was the light of our life, and Brownie was by our side, an ever-present companion. Bhoumik thumba effort haktha ida to make sure nam magu ge yavdralu kammi agbardu antha. Just the way I would have wanted. But the question lingered, the one I had asked years ago “Why is it so hard to feel complete?”
Avath sanje, as the sun dipped below the horizon, Inaaya walked up to Bhoumik, her curious eyes wide and full of innocence. “Appa, amma yelli?” in her soft sweet voice. But this question struck Bhoumik’s heart like a sharp, sudden pain. His chest tightened, and for a moment, he felt the weight of all those years come rushing back. He took a deep breath, wiped away a silent tear, and held out his hand and said “Baa Kanda, karkond hogthini”
With her small hand in his, they made their way to the room that had once been filled with laughter, dreams, and a life that seemed to have no end. Bhoumik opened the door slowly, revealing the space that still held every trace of ANAISHA—her favorite books, the perfume she wore, the sketches she made, and the memories they had shared. The room was untouched, a sacred shrine to a life that had been abruptly interrupted.Inaaya kannu dodoud madkond idu room nodtha a “Appa, yardu eh room?”. “Inmele ninde kanda” antha Bhoumik helda with his voice breaking slightly. “Eh room ali iro prathi vasthu nu nim ammandu and ega idella ninde”.
Inaaya’s gaze drifted to a shelf where a small, worn diary rested, its pages yellowed with time. Inaaya ge shelf ali itoro dairy yetuslilla. Inaaya looked at her dad and called her dad with just her head nod. Bhoumik just revisited Anaisha’s memory. Bhoumik pulled Inaaya up and she was able to reach out, gently running her fingers over the cover. “Appa, idu yav book?” antha kelidlu. Bhoumik with a soft smile tugging at his lips. “It’s a story about Anaisha and me ‘The WORLD (Bhoumik) that made me SPECIAL (Anaisha)”. Inaaya again asked “Can I read it?” avl question ali curiousity ithu. Bhoumik replied “Yes, you can it’s a journey from the very beginning to an endless path”
As Inaaya opened the diary, Bhoumik’s thoughts wandered back to the words Anaisha had written. ‘ From a self-doubtful person to the most valuable person in my life, my journey is complete…’ He could still feel the weight of those words, how they mirrored his own transformation.But there was one thing he hadn’t figured out. Bhoumik life Anaisha na nenp inda thumbithu, Inaaya ge varnisoke agade iro ast preethi and support kotida, Inaaya ge yavdu missout agbardu anode avn life goal agithu but avn yeste try madidru there was still one thing missing—the answer to Inaaya’s question ‘Where is Mom?’
Bhoumik pulled Inaaya into a tight embrace “Kanda, Amma nam jothe ne idare, She is occupied in our hearts forever”. As he answered Inaaya’s question he looked up and spoke to himself ‘Anaisha nin nam jeevna na poorna madidya but Inaaya prashne ge uthara yendigu apoorna. I needed you more than you ever knew ‘.
“Some questions are timeless, but their answers can only be felt, not spoken. Love, like memories, never truly fades—it lingers in the quiet spaces of the heart”
A man who firmly believes that, no matter how many people come and go, the only companion that never leaves is one’s own shadow, proves him wrong. It was not only the shadows that remained, but memories too. And even when the shadows were missing, memories were always there.
And a woman who was lost in the depths of self-doubt and an existential crisis, struggling to find meaning in her solitude, showed that she was the one who made others’ life complete
No sun can fill your heart when you have decided to love someone’s darkness
Keluv sali namge ista iror mele yar yen andru nam opinion change agalla alva? Anthade ond kathe idu
Namskara, Vanakkam to my world. Nan hesru Aashna, simple agi nan life bagge intro kodthini… Nam ooru Mysore but born and brought up in Kanyakumari. Why Kanyakumari? Nam appa army ali kelsa madtha idid karna this is where we settled. Appan hesru Shivavenkata Srinivasna Trichipalli Yekeparampir Perambdur Chinnaswami Muttuswami Venugopal Iyer…jk avr nijvad hesru Prakash (Strict to the World but softest to me) amma Sowmya (hesru thara ne thumba soft). Studies bagge helod adre final year Biotech student from St Xavier’s catholic college of Engineering in Nagercoil.
Hesrige mathra Mysore avl agide, but more than half of my life I have lived in Kanyakumari. So nam ooru nam jana andre onthara santhosha. Ide karna koskara I wanted to do my internship in Mysore. Oble maglu agid nanuna nam appa oblune yeligu kalustha irlilla. Nange Mysore ale internship madbek antha ansoke inond karna my childhood bff Aryanshi. Aryanshi bagge helod adre hutti beldid yala Mysore, nam ajji manege ge vacation ge hodaga sikid hudgi yarig gotithu she will be my long distance best friend antha. So KM lekka dali doora idru she was always close to my life story. More about her later.
St Xavier’s catholic college sounds interesting alva? No in reality it wasn’t. Christian institution ali ond yen problem andre yalargu Raja idaga we will have class, yalargu class idaga namge Raja. Sounds like a lot of fun Alva? So most of the time I used to end up missing Mysore Dasara. But eh sali there was a ray of hope Internship time and Dasara time almost onde time ali Bartha irod rinda henagdru madi maneli convince madudre eh kade internship as well as Dasara yeradu ottige aguthe anod nan plan agithu.
College life na adastu extract madu anthare but Biotech was all about extraction only. So hinge ond dina when I was carrying out this extraction a pleasant smell from nowhere tickled my nose and I was sure it was not from the chemicals I was using. So window inda ache nodid nange yaro obba nedkond hogtha ida he was wearing a light blue shirt tucked perfectly in his white pants, rolled sleeves. Sadly I couldn’t see his face, but got a strong opinion that ivn pakka nam college avn anthu alla. Idi college life ali yav hudgan mukka nu nodbek ansirlilla but I felt he was different. Maybe his perfume had a major role but anyway I had to carry out an experiment. Lab classes agtha irbek adre there was an announcement ‘We kindly request all the students to gather in the auditorium’ antha. Nam lecturer kintha nam lab attender thumba strict ida, Principal alla Lab attender appa announce madidru he would not let us out of the class until we wash our lab instruments. Yala clean madi hogo astrali we were late for the auditorium.
Nav late hogid reason inda all back seats were filled namge option idide front row seats. Actually ina yochne madtha ide yar ah hudga wish I saw his face antha aga nan yochne na haal madid nam princi “Good afternoon Students, I know it was a tiring day but to make it interesting we have our alumnite meeting”. Class skip adre saku ano mentality idorge yav meeting adre yenu? Time pass adre sak. So one by one alumni bandu experience share madtha idre nange lali hadu heldange ithu. Aga again the same perfume fragrance nana consciousness ge thanthu. Avn mukka ina nodak agilla that made him more mysterious. Anthu stage ge banda and started speaking I was more interested in him rather than his speech aduke all I heard is his name ‘Adrit’. Brief agi helbek avn bagge andre he was tall, brown eyes, fair, base voice, well maintained beard, looked fit and definitely had great fragrance.
Program aythu and it turns out I was not the only one who noticed Adrit. So with limited time, he made quite a progress in my college. Avath yel hodru all talks were about him, good for him. So next inen when all were speaking it was time for me to speak about him alva? Aryanshi was my go to person. Crush agli athva inod anokintha all we wanted was a topic to speak and avathu Adrit was our main focus. So idru madya my internship period was getting close maneli ina internship bagge mathe adilla. Amma ne nana yala kade karkond hogoru and Appa made sure he spent quality time even in his busy schedule. He had missed most of my childhood so he wanted to spend most of his time with me. Ide reason ge I was scared to ask about internship avr yavathu nan kelidake illa andilla but what if I get rejected now? So I was suffering from Anthropophobia. And I was preparing for it.
Mane ali mathado munche first Mysore ali iro Biotech company ge select agbek alva. So I was waiting for that confirmation. Aryanshi kuda Biotech student that was one more reason for us to be friends so we could cry together about our academics. Ibru thumba company ge apply madidvi but we always wanted to be intern in Biokon company and we are looking forward Konegu confirmation banthu and I always wanted to use this dialogue from Apthamithra ‘Nan samya band aythu, hog barthini’, this was the exact line which came in my mind when I got confirmation. Anthu dhairya madi eh vishya na Appa na hathra heloke horte.
Appa TV nodtha kuth idru, What else can we expect it was all about politics. Politics bagge zero knowledge iro nanu Appan Kushi goskara politics bagge mathadkondu juice madi kotte. Maglu istella dove madtha idale andre appange doubt barade irutha? So he asked “Thumba seve madtha idya appange, Yen bek putta?” Ide perfect mood and time anusthu nan internship bagge appana kannalli kannittu appa hatra helde. Avru ond 5 minutes silent aadru, naanu cute puppy face madkond avr munde kuthkond ide. So one sip juice kuditha Amman kade nodudru. So it’s Universal ‘No matter who is the head of the family, Amma is the one who takes the final verdict’. Amma yen reaction kodlilla. Appa ge yen anusthu gothilla avr opkondru. I got so excited, yest excitement aythu antha words ali explain madbek andre RCB vs CSK match alli RCB geddu playoff ge select aadaga aaguttalla… ashtu excitement . Completely off the topic, but which IPL team do you support?
Opkondid thakshana Aryanshi ge call madi vishya helde, avlu tumba excite agi kirchadtha idid nodi avr ammangu vishya goth aythu. Ajji gu phone madi vishya helde. Yelaru tumba khushi patru. Never expected nan alige hogodrinda isht janara Khushi koduthe antha. That showed me yest jana nana preethi madoru idare and that made me feel very safe and warm. Eh Kushi naduve there was one thing which could bring a full stop to all this excitement and that was my mom.
Namge bandidda Internship offer letter alli joining date was just 2 days away. Time Kami irod rinda there were so many things I had to pack. Eekade Amma ge ina oble hogthini ano fact na digest madkoloke kasta agithu. Idella observe madida Appa said only one thing “Ega yen aythu antha bejar ali idya? It’s time for her to spread out wings and fly by herself”. This changed my complete perspective ist dina I always thought my dad always wanted to protect me but with those protection he wanted me to be independent too. Amma was finally convinced and Appa booked the bus ticket for me. Appa amma ibru nana drop madake bus stand ge band idru. Amma bursting out in tears and Appa holding back his, idk how to express those feelings.
First time I was traveling alone so bhaya, ide bhaya ali rathre nidde bandirlilla. But cycle gap ali nidde banide gothe agilla. Break apply madid thakshana yechra aythu, yel idini antha goth illa window full fog agide wipe madi ache nodthini yavdo bus stand, yel idini antha check madana antha mobile thegde ade time ge nam uncle na phone “Yelidya magale? Bus bandu 5 mins aythala” andru. Kellage ilde uncle kaitha idru, amele Ajji manege karkond hogo dari ali uncle brought me Mysore Pak, Mysore ali Mysore Pak thindilla andre niv yenu thindilla. Ajji manege hodre kelbeka 3 kg increase agod anthu guarantee and that was evident looking at the items prepared for me.
Fast forward to next morning… I woke up late as I was tired. Madhyana yeddu fresh up aagi snana madkondu ready aagi Aryanshi na meet madakke avr manege hode. She gave me a very tight hug…the hug which almost squeezed me and I couldn’t breathe but I loved that. Girls never run out of topics and we had so much to speak about College, Studies, Friends inda hididu earrings, lipstick shades and boys..you name it. Eh mathige break hakid aunty madid adge, aunty nam ibru gu kaituttu kotti hotte tumba oota madsidru. Most of the time hotte mathra santhrupthi aguthe but if you want manasanthrupthi kaituttu is the way to go. Idella admele tomorrow was our first day of internship so we brushed up on a few topics.
Bellage aythu and it was my First day of internship onthara excitement onthara nervousness yenu marthog bardu antha yala nenp madkond devr hathra dina yala chenag hogli kanappa antha kelkotha ide. Ade time ge thathastu ano thara nan friend door ring madudlu.Aryanshi picked me up in her scooter, on the way bari heg irbahudu nam first day? anodru bagge discussion that showed how we both were equally excited to work for that company at least as an intern.Internship process yala mugsi visitor ID card iskolo astrali almost lunch time agithu, and idru kintha worst andre Aryanshi na mathe nana bere bere department ge allot madidru.Definitely not the type of start we were looking for. Thumba bejar aythu and the only time we were allowed to catch up was during lunch break. Hortvi lunch ge and exactly then everything starts changing.
Canteen ge hogthivi janasagara, ootake ninth avra athva Bigg Boss show audition ge ninthavra ansbidthu ast dod queue and it was moving at a pace of… Oh wait it was not moving at all. This morning I was hoping that yenu marthogbardu antha and then I remembered thindi madode marth hogidini antha. Hotte bere thumba hasiduhogittu. Nan munde line alli obba ninthidda… Mostly avr Amma helid thale thaguskond hog thale thaguskond ba anod strict agi follow madtha ida ansuthe aduke the whole time he was putting his head down and he was scrolling through his mails and he looked like he was being irritated by the crowd mostly nan thara avngu hasv agirbeku. Ist jana crowd ali why was I observing him? Maybe I was jobless and had nothing else to do other than moving behind him in the line and he smelled similar to the alumni from our college whose name I forgot. Whom am I kidding I know his name is ‘Adrit’, So my curiosity raised just like my hunger. He ordered steam chicken and they asked him to wait. Naanu large salad matte iced tea order madide, ide gap ali I thought I will take a glance at him antha kudlu seri madkoli nepadali side thirugde nodudre bend agi lace tie madkotha ida. Avn nodak anthu aglilla but at least nan order banthu, Victoria’s secret bare vanilla perfume 20% offer ali sikdast kushi aythu aagi and I turned too quickly and guess what happened?
I collided with this guy who was waiting for his order and I dropped my plate, salad yala avn mele and to make it worse iced tea kooda avn white plain shirt mele biddu stain aaytu. So finally suspense was out he was Adrit.Hogi hogi eethara avrna meet madbek aguthe antha khanditha ankondirlilla, on the positive side now he started smelling like iced tea.
I was surprised looking at Adrit yake illi idare? antha innondu kade guilty because I messed up big time antha. Canteen alli iro yellru attention nam mele ittu. Naan thakshana sorry keli avrige help madana antha hode, but avn full irritation ali “You should be” antha heli nan kai na dodge madidru. It’s not that avn behaviour inda bejar agilla antha alla but it was a mistake from my end and I was too curious about him and that entire situation we were in. Once again “I’m really really sorry. Please let me help you” antha kelkonde, but he didn’t seem like convinced mukka na tomato thara red madkondu hort hodru. His steamed chicken was ready and I ran behind him to give it and then he gave me a death stare and that made me sure he was on steam than his order. Aduna iskond he gave it to the helper aunty.
I ordered my meal once again and I was waiting, Aryanshi avaga bandlu nedid yala helde. Order mado vaga ida hasvu thinbekadre irlilla, ond kade guilt nan inda obru lunch, shirt and day haal madide antha. Aryanshi was not cool the way he reacted. So already hate madake start madkond idlu. Oota mugsi we went back to the lab, I messed up while isolating the DNA from bacterial cells. Experiment kuda seri aglilla I called Aryanshi decided to go back home.
Hoping for a good start next day mathe office ge hode, experiment also came out well. Adrit na meet madi inond sali sorry kelbek ankond ide, aduke canteen ge same time ge hogi wait madthaidde. I ordered steam chicken too hoping it will give me a heads up in starting the conversation. Aryanshi tumba restless agtha idlu because her first impression of him was very bad. But Adrit didn’t even show up. Ivath kuda steam chicken helper ge kodake hode but avrdu oota already aythu andru. So I wasted food for the second consecutive day, I felt terrible. Kelsa mugsi sanje vapas manege hogbekadre traffic signal alli ninth idvi. What caught my attention is that yaro chik hudga bikshe bedtha ida, school ge hogbek ada hudga bikshe bedtha idanala antha bejar aythu, yalaru duddu kodtha idru but yaro obru gave protein bars instead, yarappa idu? Antha nodthini it’s Adrit again. I liked his intention and his thought process. Amele on the way I was telling Aryanshi about this and avlanthu least interested agiro thara idlu. I know it sounds odd but I wanted to be his friend.
Bellage aythu again same routine nan driver Aryanshi band idlu pick madke, Adrit na ivath adru meet madbek antha heldaga Aryanshi silent agolu, id ondsali antha alla she kept quiet when I spoke about him. Aduke kelde what is the matter? antha. Avaga she opened up about Adrit.
Modle heldange Aryanshi nanu bere bere department ali kelsa assign madidru andidnala, So Aryanshi department ali oblu Shriyanka work madtha idlu. Shriyanka had a crush and she wanted to approach him. So there was a party held in the company and she thought this was the right time no games straight forward approach. “Yaro obru ista illa andre yen madthiya helu?” antha kelidlu.”Ista illa andre I would tell in a nice way, that I’m already committed or give some lame reason” antha helde. “Ade thane but eh asami yen madavne andre, hogi ivl reporting manager ge complained kotavne. She was about to lose her job”. So Aryanshi was warned by Shriyanka and my story about Adrit made her even more pissed at Adrit. “Obba person ista padod padade irod bere vishya at least ond basic sense irbek alva how to treat girls” antha helidlu, still I couldn’t digest it. I always felt there might be some reason for Adrit’s behaviour but ina argue mado badlu I kept quiet for the rest of our journey.
Shriyanka bagge ne mathad kond bandidvi nodudre ivath avle leave hakidlu. So they asked me to shift to Aryanshi’s department, nijja words ali explain madake agalla how happy I was antha so I would go with example Tamil Nadu ge Kaveri neer bitaga Kushi agutha ast aythu. We were conducting an experiment values estimate madtha idvi but there was a glitch in the software we were using. Aryanshi matte naanu fix madakke try madudvi but yen use aglilla. So naavu nam mentor ge inform madakke hodvi, ivn nodake same nam lab attender thara ne ida, nodak mathra alla avn attitude kuda, namge baidu system hathra karkond hogi hege fix madod nodi kalthkoli andru, fix madod bittu baro value nu haal madudru amele nodi smile kodtha avre “Software glitch ide Tech team avrna kalus kodthini” antha heli hodru. Nangu Aryanshi gu heavy nagu. In the meanwhile nanu Adrit na henge meet madod? Heng friend madkolod? antha yochne madtha ide. Aryanshi reels nodkond kuthidlu. Swalpa hoth admele nam mentor bandu “Be careful of this Technician he is a bit mean” antha heli hodru, nav yarappa eh mean tech guy antha kaitha idvi after half an hour aythu and the tech guy was here. Yeah you guessed it right again it was Adrit. Rogi bayasiddu haalu anna doctor helidu haalu anna thara aythu.
Adrit yen mathado thara kanuslilla. So I started to speak “Hello, Good morning… Naanu Aashna, Biotech intern”. He checked out the wall clock, nanu nodide and it was already 12:30 PM. “Haan sorry, Good afternoon” antha heltha handshake madakke Kai extend madide. Adukke avru nam kade tirgu nodade system alli code na nodtha “okay” andru ashte. Aryanshi looked disappointed in me already. So convo continue madakke I said “Niv Adrit alwa? St. Xavier’s catholic college Engineering alumni thane if I’m not wrong?” antha kelde. He was surprised and avagle first time avru screen na bittu nan kade nodi “Excuse me?” antha keludru. Ide sikkiddu chance antha mansale ankond “Haan thumba long story ide. Lunch alli meet aagana. Helthini” antha helde. Adrit didn’t nod or say anything. He continued to work and when he was done he left.
Canteen ge hodvi and guess who didn’t show up ADRIT. Oota order madi kaitha idivi but Aryanshi was loosing patience ade time ge she got a call from home, urgent urgent ali she didn’t tell anything, “Hog barthini swalpa maneli urgent kelsa ide” andlu. I panicked ” Yen aythu?” antha kelde aduke “Nothing serious, ninge vapas hogake goth aguthe alva?” Antha kelidlu. “Hu, hog ba I can manage” ande. She left, still I was wondering what might have happened? Aryanshi left without telling anything and Adrit also didn’t show up. Again Aryanshi’s food was getting wasted, so I took it to the helper aunty. Aunty helidru “Yakamma nange daily oota thagothiya? Adrit sir yavaglu nange oota kodusthare” andru. Nangu late aythu antha nanu horte lab ge. Lab ge hogo dari ali think madtha ide nam experiment value hege change agtha ithu ade reethi Adrit character description was varying so much. So he was like that one DNA strand that nobody knew about.
After sometime I called Aryanshi and asked what’s the matter? avr Anna athge was blessed with a girl baby. I was so happy for them that was the reason Aryanshi had to leave early to Thumkur. Idella ago astrali time 6 agithu. I packed up and left the office. It was the month of October and it was raining, strange Alva? Girls have a solution for all, bislige antha thandid umbrella came in hand now. Horte ache but Shardhamma (helper aunty) was waiting for rain to stop. I asked her if she wanted to join, She said “Parvagilla nam mane Ile irodu, Adrit sir na karkond hogi swalpa avr car hathra bidamma” antha. Awkward silent, and as always I was the ice breaker “Bani Adrit” ande. Aunty force athva male inda na otnali bandru. I dropped him near his car. Car hathra bitmele papa oble hudgi heng hogthale antha drop madla anod saili thanks kuda helilla. Yavan guru ivnu antha mansale ankond male ali hogtha ide. Sudden agi honk madida “Bani drop madthini manege, thumba male bartha ide” andru Adrit. I could hear Aryanshi’s voice in my mind ‘Innen aythala?’ I sat in his car.
I was thinking how to start the conversation now antha, for the very first time Adrit spoke on his own “Nim friend idrala avr yeli? “antha kelidru. “Arya na avlge swalpa kelsa ide antha bega hodlu” ande. “Okay” andu sumn adavr mathe mathe illa. Again we stopped in the same signal ade hudga banda car hathra he was completely drenched by rain. “Ninge bejar illa andre nim umbrella ivnig kodbahuda? I promise I’ll get you a new one” Antha heli respond mado muche nan umbrella kotidru. Nang avr act inda smile banthu, signal bidthu “Sorry, nim respond mado modle kotte” andru. “You don’t have to be” antha negadkond helde. “So you still remember that canteen incident, hmm nice” andru. Ond anthu confirm aythu no matter how ignorant Adrit acts he remembers all the details. Male ali Adrit jothe ali nam mane bandide gothe aglilla.
Bellage aythu I was waiting for Aryanshi to pick me up, avlu oorige hogidale antha thale ali illa. When I realised it I was late. Uncle drop madidru nana. Modle helidnala nam reporting manager was strict, “So what’s the time now? Being an intern if this is your attitude in coming to the office, I don’t think you can survive being an employee” antha baidru, full bejar aythu. Yar hathra helkolana andre Aryanshi was also not there, Appa Amma ge helidre they ll call me back immediately and I will fail to be the independent girl they always wished to see. Yen madbek antha goth agde I went to the canteen.
Ond table mele kath kelage hakond oble altha kuth ide. “Hey” andru, kath yetho muche I wiped my tears and lifted my head nodudre Adrit. He noticed I was crying. He said he will be back and left, what else can we expect from a person like Adrit antha ankond sumn ade. Nodudre he brought me iced tea and joked “Please idunu nan mele mathe chalbedi” andru. That definitely made me giggle. “Yen aythu antha kelalla nivu helbedi. Cheer up, it’s still 11 AM and you still have a whole day to make things right” andu alinda hodru. Once I felt fine I went back to the lab and continued my experiments. Again it was raining I searched for my umbrella and remebered it was with that small kid. Male ninth mele hogana bere yen madod antha ankotha ide. “Aashna, thagoli nim umbrella as I promised” antha Adrit andru. “Bani car vargu drop kodthini” ande. So again cycle repeat nana manege bitru.
The next day I went early to the lab and finished all my experiments even before the reporting manager was there. Avr band thakshana “Sir this are the experiment results, I don’t know if I can be a good intern or not but definitely I will try to be the best employee day by day” ande. The manager didn’t respond to anything he just smiled. I was so happy. Canteen ge hode Adrit was sitting I bought him iced tea and said “I didn’t promise about it, but still you can have it” ande. “Thank you and What about St Xavier’s catholic college? You mentioned last time” antha kelidru. So I explained everything to him. Lunch and story both were completed and we headed back to our work space. Yaro unknown person followed me and spoke to me “Hey, nan Hrithik antha Tech team avnu, I saw you hanging out with Adrit. If I was you I wouldn’t do it” anda. “Hi, nan Aashna. But yake eh suggestion for a stranger kelbahuda?” antha kelde. “I don’t know how well you know him but definitely you don’t know how much I know about him, just to reach greater position avn yav level ge bekadru ilithane. Just be safe and away from him” anda. Again I was put in dilama.
After all those warnings also I kept hanging out with Adrit, yako gothilla i felt he is a good guy deep inside. Mysore ge band ist dina agidru I was unable to visit Chamundi betta. Dasara bere hathra bartha ithu I wanted to go and see palace yala. Adrit na kelde eh weekend avr free idre karkond hogi antha. He agreed and asked me to get ready by 4 AM. “Ast bega yake?” antha kelde. Aduke “I’ll show you the best sunrise” andru. I got up early and was so sleepy and kept thinking Kanyakumari ali beldid nange I have already seen the beach Sunset,what else can be more beautiful than that? antha ankotha ide. Adrit showed me what I was missing. I was shocked to see what was in front of my eyes… Full kathlu… whole sky was dark and ond mountain edge inda I could see the Sun was rising and turning the whole sky red… It felt like someone had placed the pearls on the leaves due to the droplets and suryana kirna, sun rays kissing your face… How can I even explain? Eh sali I can’t even give an example like I always did. You should experience it. Istella agbek adre I thought this is the right time to ask those questions to Adrit which was stuck in me for a long time.
Mans gatti madkond kelde “There are so many perspectives about you? What are you? Are you a good person or a bad person? “. He didn’t answer he smiled and kept moving. Inond sali kelake dhairya salilla so I let it go. Chamundeshwari betta inda start madi Mysore palace light show ge end madudvi nam trip na. Adrit helda ina nan sigod “5 days admele” andru. “Yake ina 2 days ali Jambu Savari thane? Iralva or nange sigalva?” antha kelde. “Illa baralla, you asked me alva what am I? antha, nan yaru antha ne goth ilde ironge good person ah bad bad person ah antha heng goth aguthe. The reason behind this so many perspectives is Jambu Savari. Nang nenp iro hange Jambu Savari na nodake antha nanu nam appa amma Mysore ge bandidvi. Thumba rush ithu, Savari yala chenage neditha ithu… All of a sudden I saw a red balloon, appa na Kai biduskond i chased that balloon. Balloon sikthu but nam appa amma inda nan kane agide. Yala kade hudukde adare yechra adaga I was in an orphanage. Ning ansirbahudu nan yake yavaglu strangers ge help madthini but goth iror inda doora irthini. Because avath nana anathashrama sersid kuda obru stranger ah. Goth irorge namelle yavaglu ond expectations itkond barthare and if we fail they blame us, but stranger they are not even sure if you can help so with zero expectations they ask for help and if you are able to fulfill ond smile baruthe alva? That makes your day” ist heli smile kotru. I was speechless yen helbek antha goth ilde ollage ollage shivering nange, I was silent till we reached home “Adrit, nang yen helbek gothilla. One more thing ina nan irode 3 days after Jambu Savari vapas hogtha idini manege, I hope I can see you before leaving” antha heli ildode.
Finally Aryanshi was back a day before Jambu Savari. Mysore andre onthara sadagara ina Dasara time ali kelbeka? Full oorige oorige festival vibe. So life ali first time Jambu Savari kannare nodtha irodu, devru moorthi nodudre nan kann dristi bilutheno ast chenag idave. Navagraha movie ali bitre ivagle ambari na ist hathra ali nodtha irodu. Yel nodudru Jana sagara… Procession start aythu the whole time I was with Aryanshi but procession move agtha idange yel miss adlu antha goth agtha illa. Yel hogbek antha nu goth agtha illa, phone madidre network jam agide I was under panic attack. Kannali full neeru thumbkothu, gatti kann muchkond ale ninth konde. Yaro nan hinde ina Kai hidkondru, I was happy Aryanshi sikidlu antha avlna gatti thapkonde. Kannu bittu nodthini it was Adrit. Nan full shock ali idini “Neva?” antha kelde. “Haan nane” andru. Further words were not required to express we both were in love. So ah dina 2 ghatane nedithu Jambu Savari nu nodide nan preethi nu nodide. Yav Jambu Savari ali preethi kalkond idro ade Savari ali avr Preeti mathe sikthu. Trust the process…
I always wanted to keep this story name as Kaadu-Beladingalu
Ond huva dense forest ali beluthe, nobody is there to appreciate it as it is not visible to anyone… But all of the sudden… Beladingalu ah flower mele bidaga… It shows its true Beauty Everyone starts appreciating it later.
Adrit is that flower grown with a dark past, I should be that Beladingalu… Who shows his true personality to the world.
My internship was over and I was heading back to Kanyakumari. There was a lady sitting next to me and her screen lock had Adrit’s photo in it.
If Adrit is an orphan… Who is this lady? Does Adrit even have a bad past? Back to square one, who’s Adrit?
I was a chapter in her book called ‘LOVE…’ While she was the title of my Book…
Nan hesru Shanmukh, keluvr preethi inda Shanu antha karudre ina keluvr ina thumba preethi inda Shani antha karithare. Nam swantha ooru Thirthahalli but huttid beldid yala Bengaluru. Helkolo antha interesting character yen alla but nan life ali twist and turns ge yen kammi irlilla. Ista pattu Engineering serkond kasta patti mugsde. Ista idru kasta adru relative bayi muchake kelsake anthu serkole bek alva… hange avr bayi muchso hange kelsa kuda sikthu Techzara ano company ali. Chik vaysinda introvert ada nange jasthi friends irlilla… Idid 2 jana friends… Ivr katta college life ali saldu antha devru nam 3 jana nu onde company kelsake bere hakida.
Nam gang bagge chikdagi helbek andre nim class ali heavy tharle madtha, yalar jothe close agi iruthala ond gang ah gang madya yavdo gang avrde lokdali kaldogiruthe ala ade… ade nam gang. Niv ond observe madidira jana usually helod yen andre like minded people become closer friends antha but actually nim friends ne nodi nim character ge opposite agirthare… Ega nan introvert adare nan friends ibru extroverts, avr hesru Swasthik, Manjunath. Nav mathra avrna thumba preethi inda Swasthika mathe Kullmanja antha ne karitha idid. Nam lokdali nav kaldogidru nam lokdali fun genu korthe irlilla… When there is a gang of 3 usually one will be getting roasted by other two alva… And that bakra was as the name says… correct avne Manja. Nam gang ge Manja onthara financial officer and comedian idange, avn bagge ond incident helbek andre ondsali lecture avnge “nim appa yen madod?” antha keludru, aduke nam Kullmanja “Kelsa” anda classroom ali idavr yala heavy negadidivi, hange yavthu comedy madbek antha comedy madalla papa avn mathadode comedy agi iruthe. Swasthik nam group na Shree Krishna, adare onde ond change yen andre bhagwan Shree Krishna ge 16000 hudgir avr hidne idru but Swasthik 16000 hudgir hinde ivne bidida. Finally graduation day banthu, 4 years ivr madya heng hoythu antha ne goth aglilla. Nan engineering life ali nenp itkolo memory andre nan friends jothe kaldid happy moments mathra antha ankond ide… Nam classmates yala bandu Swasthik, Manju hathra photo theguskothavre but no one took a single picture with me. So that showed me how insignificant my character was in that class… Nan friends na introduce madsake i have stories but avrge nan bage introduce madbek andre there is no story. Avathu Engineering life inda mathra graduate aglilla but also graduated how not to be in college. That’s when I decided to end introvert life.
Work life start aythu… And it was time to change. But at the end of the training period nange realisation agid yen andre nav engineering odidu nan extrovert agbek antha think madid yerdu waste because nan training period ali nan Swasthik, Manju na bittu bere yar hathra nu close agle illa. Life always gives a second chance, and it’s called as tomorrow, ah tomorrow nan life alu turning point. Swasthik and Manju System engineer department ge hakidru, nana application developer department ge hakidru. Mathe ade first year engineering feels yaru ast parichaya illa just stare at strangers and smile. Hinge idre agalla antha nane dhairya madi nan cubicle hathra hode, ali yaro oblu nan system munde kuthavre. Ide olle opportunity mathadake antha ankondu “Excuse me, idu nan system ansuthe” antha helde. Aduke smile kodtha thirugthale… antha ankondre, hinde thirgi melinda kelug nodi “ha, so?” anoda. Thegd ond thalege ond kodana antha anusthu but ivella bari ankoloke mathra chanda ago kelsa alla, so mathe smile kodtha “Myself Shanmukh, New joining nim system ge shift agi swalpa login agbek” ande. Aduke ” It’s not myself, adu I’m agbek, I’m Moksha, you’re in my team. Welcome to Techzara” andlu. Ollage full uritha idru ache mathra smile kodtha “Thankyou Moksha” ande. “Don’t call me Moksha call me Moksha ma’am, nim assignment yala system ali ide, complete it soon. Stop smiling and start working” antha heli hodlu. Sathmele moksha sigutha ilva gothilla but ivl jothe kelsa madudre pakka moksha sigalla antha confirm aythu. Ist agi nan system munde kuthkonde, nan team avr yala negadkond ache bandru, nange yenaythappa? Antha ankotha ide aga “nav usually new joiners na hinge welcome madod, nam company first work day should always be a memorable one” antha helidru. “Nin Shanmukh nan Subrahmanyam, nim team leader. Moksha kuda new employee. She will be working with you” andru nam team leader. Yavthu eh reethi first working day iruthe antha expect madirlilla avr heldange idu long time memory agiruthe until I switch my company antha ankond nange nane negadtha ide. Aga Moksha bandu ” I’m sorry, it was just a prank. Ega official agi introduce madkolana I’m Moksha” antha heludlu. ” “It’s Okay Moksha ma’am” ande. ” No ma’am just Moksha ani” andlu. ” Illa hengadru nan grammar correct madake irthira alva aduke nive nam ma’am just Moksha avre, nice to meet you” ande. Nod madtha smile kotlu. That’s how my first work day started.
Work start agi almost 20 days agtha banthu. Slowly I was getting adjusted to new life. Nanu, Swasthik, Manju college inda nu onde mane ali idvi. Yav topic bandru we could all relate, but Swasthik, Manju mathado office topic nange relate agtha irlilla, I was feeling left out. Nan friends nange avr jokes na convey madake try madtha idru but obbara joke na direct nodi enjoy madaku indirect agi kelaku thumba difference ide… Avr story helbek adre ne negadavru but nange nagu bartha irlilla, nan work life related agi avrge heldaga they couldn’t relate. Eh time ali nange close agid andre adu nan work mathe Moksha, nange gothilde I started spending more time with her. There is always a bad side in a good side too, anthare Moksha na nam group ge introduce madide, Swasthik, Manju bagge already helide obba Shree Krishna inobba olle comedian aduke Moksha avrge close adlu, mathe introvert feel barake start aythu. No matter how much I try to be extrovert deep inside I will only be introvert antha artha aythu.
Work start agi almost 6 months agogide adare everyday was like same day, time Loop ali idange ithu. Nan life bari Mane, office, work, mane iste agogithu. Kullmanja ge inond hesru Kalmanja antha, yak andre yavaglu yargu gothilde ironge yala madironu, eh sathi kuda namge helde avn committed agine 4 months aythu anda… nang bidi Swasthik avn teammate aginu idea irlilla. Ina nam Swasthik Moksha ge line haktha idane antha mathe helbek antha illa ansuthe. 3 idiots ali helid mathra 100 ge 100% nijja ‘Dost Fail Ho Jaye Toh Dukh Hota Hai.. Lekin Dost First Aa Jaye Toh Zyada Dukh Hota Hai’ ikade avr life Mr & Mrs Ramachari film thara idre nan life olle black and white Lucia film idange ithu. Yenadru life ali change beku antha ankotha irovaga Subrahmanyam sir bandu night shift madake ready na antha kelidru. Nangu madak yen kelsa irlilla atleast it’s a change antha ankond accept madide. Ilindane nan life nijwada change nodid, I don’t know if this decision was my best decision or worst one.
Night shift na first day. Avath heavy rain ithu. Office reach agbek adre late agithu, login adaga system ge ond mail already bandithu. Yardu antha check madaga it was from Alisha from Addison group. Yenu antha check madidaga already scheduled meeting time agogide. Nan modulne foreign client I was late for the first meeting itself, Subrahmanyam sir cabin ali idru hogi agid helde avaga avru smile kodtha”Ayyo, yak tension meeting reschedule agide, office server down ide aduke mathe mail bandilla. Chill” andru. Nange Subrahmanyam bagge yenu gothirlilla avath first time we spoke for that long, actually avru Chennai avru but avr Kannada mathadod nodudre yargu kand hidyoke agalla, avr Preethi madid hudgi Kannadati anthe avlna impress madake Sir Kannada kalthid anthe, love yen yen yala madsuthe antha nagu banthu. Hinge share madtha idaga nanu nan life bagge helkonde introvert life… idid friends kuda committed agavre full life ah boaring antha aga sir helid onde mathu “You will get what you deserve” andru, avaga yen artha aglilla ade time ge server seri hoythu. Scheduled meeting na attend madudvi, Alisha antha ankondaga yaro bili jirale ankond ide nodudre India davlu, inu kushi vichara yen andre Karnataka davlu. Avlna nodid thakshana impress agode. Ond angle ali Shilpa Shetty thara kantha idlu. Avath idi meeting yen ithu antha ne gothilla avl mathadtha idre olle song heldange ithu. Meeting aythu antha Subrahmanyam sir “Shanmukh do you have any doubts?” antha keldagle goth agid. Subrahmanyam sir last ge ” Nodu olle project sikide. Ninge full responsibility kodtha idini. This is you’re first individual project” andru. ” Thanks for trusting me sir. It’s my first individual project and I’m excited to do it. Nan nana 100% kodthini sir”ande, idella sumne ast olle client na daily nodake siguthe andre yar bidthare heli. So nam life alu deepavali baro time banthu.
Nan yavduna lonely antha feel madtha ide ega adune enjoy madake start madide. Nan daily ega bari Alisha na meet madake hogtha ide. Nan Alisha na yavthu direct agi nodilla but yake gothilla I started getting close to her… nan life ali agid yalanu share madake start madide, maybe ah point ali I had no one to share ansuthe, the one person who I felt close was her. Nam project develop adange nam friendship kuda develop agoke start aythu. Alisha na ega work mathra alla ega WhatsApp, Instagram ali kuda follow up madtha ide. Nange avl mele idid yenu antha ne artha agilla, avl yaradru hudgan bagge heldaga insecure agod even though we were just friends. Ah hudga nan agirbarda antha anustha ithu. Nan day start agid kuda avl message inda end agtha idid kuda zoom meeting inda. It was already 6 months. Eh six month heng hoythu antha ne gothirlilla. Ide time ge Subrahmanyam sir bandu “Shanmukh today we have a client meeting, they want to know the progress” andru. ” No issue sir, project almost end stage ali ide. Testing kuda agide already” ande. Aduke avru “Good good, I’m busy with other meetings, I hope you will take care”antha heli address kotti hodru. Ili vargu nan project bagge Alisha hathra mathra mathadid I was a little nervous. Anthu hode meet madake. There was a surprise… Alisha India ge band idlu, I was so surprised. Yavaglu online ali nodid nange first time reality ali nodtha ide, yala movie ali hogi hug madana ano feel but adella agutha illa just formal handshake. Avlge heng feel ithu gothilla but online kintha offline ali thumba Chenag kantha idlu… Actually she is far better than Shilpa Shetty ansuthu. Formal agi mathadbeka informal agi mathadbeka yen idea nu illa. Konegu mathadusthe “Online kintha offline ali thumba chenag kanthiya” antha. Aduke smile kodtha ” Hawda, thanks” andlu. “Yen India ge sudden visit? Helle illa. Heludre prepare agirtha ide” antha kelde. Avlu” Sudden plan yen alla ninna nodbek antha ne bandid, prepare agake yenuke yen propose ah madtha ide?”antha negadudlu. ” Nin ready idre Nan propose madake ready” ande. Aduke shock ali look kotlu. ” Chill, nan helid project proposal” antha helide. ” Online ali mathra alla offline alu humour chenag ide” andlu. Project bagge mathadudvi. Hogbek adre “Nan yavdrali better antha helalva?” Antha kelde. Aduke ” Think madi helthini” andu alinda hodlu. The only person I’m excited to share is her but this time the topic is about her… Yarig helanna?
Sanje avl call banthu, meet admele call receive mado kushi ne bere. We spoke about all the details we did in our meeting. But yavdo ond point ali we both understood we came to meet as friends but while leaving we went back as couples. One thing which I enjoyed the most was working and now I was working to see my loved one happy. Avl India ali idid ast Dina nu daily meet madidini. Each day was special and each day felt new… Yav life loop ali ide antha anustha itho… Now I wanted that loop to never end. I wished to see her daily and felt special each day I saw her. Nam project kuda complete aythu. Documentation yala aythu it was her last day in India. One of the hardest feeling, eh project sigbek adre yest kushi agitho eh project agbek adre adru kintha jasthi bejar agtha ithu. Even though I did the entire application… I was hoping to see lots of bugs in my app. Konegu avl German ge vapas hogo time bande bidthu. Avlna Ulsoor Lake hathra karkond hode, boat Ali avlna yest hathra agutho ast hathra sunset hathra karkond hode, it started raining “Ili vargu yesto Sunset, Sunrise nodidini… But today I want to miss today’s sunset and watch you. Yak andre ivath inda I want to watch all the sunset and all the sunrise only with you. I love you” antha helde. She nodded and accepted… We kissed.
Project mugithu I tried contacting Alisha. All I Heard was a busy tone. Ond dina kalde 2 Dina kalde amele 3 ne dina avle call madi let’s be friends andlu. Heng agbeda onde sali mans nuchi noor aythu. I couldn’t even respond, I disconnected the call and texted her ‘I can’t be a friend again… I can never see you like that again. Yavathu nange call madbeda, bye.’ yav situation ali ide andre yak hange andlu antha kelaku mans barlilla. Nang committed agide break up agide antha nu yargu gothilla. Nan life ali deepavli banthu but deepavali olle weekend hange yavaga banthu yavag hoythu antha yochne madoastrali band hogithu. Alisha tried calling and texting me again… adare ahankara, ego yel hoguthe heli… I ignored her. Avl nana bittu 3 months aythu but still move on agthini agthini antha anodrale idini. Nange nan life felt like falling apart… Friends idare dud ide Yala ide adru yenu ilde iro feel. Yargu helang illa bidang ilde iro feel. Istella agbek adre nam Manju Anna na madve antha goth aythu. Manju avr Anna na madve ide antha kuda 2 Dina hinde helida ast kalnanmaga nam Manja. Nangu environment change bek ithu. 3 jana nu rathro rathri oor bitvi. Nam Manjana ooru Virajpet… Nan rain gu heavy connection ansuthe avthu male (rain) bartha ithu. Madve mantapa ge direct entry kotvi. Wish madana antha stage mele hathude… “Congra…” Antha heluvagle nan mathu ninth hoythu… Nodudre adu Alisha. Ond nimsha nu ali nilak aglilla hall ache bandu… I read the board ‘Madhavan Weds Alisha’. Rain gu nangu heavy connection… Avlna meet madaglu rain ithu… propose madaglu rain ithu…ega nan kanner Kan bardu antha nu avath male (rain) aythu ansuthe.
Yar helid in rain R stands for romantic antha? Actually R should be replaced with P in rain…
I was a chapter in her book called ‘LOVE…’ she turned the pages
While she was the title of my Book… I burnt the book
Yarig Kushi beda heli? Yalaru kushi agi iroke ista padthare… Yestond sali nam kushi yallo ide antha hudkund hogthivi… adare kelve keluv sali ah door of happiness opens on its own for us… Ade reethi nan kushi hudkond hoda kathe idu…
Nan Rahul… nan name yest common idyo aste common person nanu… MBA complete madide… modle heldange common person ge + average student antha add madkoli… interview kotte… Surprisingly Info Tech company (Delhi) ali kelsa sikthu… nimig yest shock agtha idyo nangu aste shock aythu job offer nodi… Nam ooru Sakharayapatna antha Chikmagalur ali… Chikmagalur andre greenery… ah prakruthi soundarya madya beli bekada nanu beldid mathra Bengaluru ano heavy traffic city ali. Prathi sali school ali raja kotid thakshana oorige hogak ready ninthkotha ide… So Sakharayapatna onthara nan heart ge full close… prathi sali ah oor nenpuskondaga nenp agod nam ajji, nan childhood, nang goskara ne iro prapancha ansuthe. Adare ond viparyasa (Ironic) yen andre chik vaysali yav oorna bitbarak ista padalvo… dodavr agtha agtha ah oorinda inda thumba doora agbidthivi.
Info Tech ali kelsa sikidmele nange Delhi ge hogbek ithu… Chikvaysali nam oor bitbarbek adre yest feel aytho… dodavn admele nam Appa Amma na bitbarake ina jasthi feel aythu… Bittu hogtha idini ano bejar ond kade idre nande own life start madtha idini ano feeling… Every moment is a fresh beginning ankond nan life journey start madide. Nan Delhi ge shift adange nam Appa-Amma Sakharayapatna vapas shift adru. Delhi ge shift agid nange parcahaya idid obne avne Advay. Advay nang PU ali parchaya agid… Karnataka davne adru avn beldid yalla Delhi alle… Avn hesr yest unique idyo aste Unique avnu. Prathi story alu obba Hero ge sidekick irthane alva ah sidekick nane ivn story ali. Avnu Hindi thumba chenag mathadthane… adare nang bartha idid Hindi iste ‘Bhai ek plate Pani puri’ . Starting ali Delhi days thumba kasta ithu. Yakadru bandnappa eh oorige anustha ithu… yalig hogbek idru Advay jothe ne hogbek ithu. Advay na karkond yel bitru thumba bega adjust agbidthane… ilu kuda avnige adjust agoke jasthi time yen bekirlilla. Advay ge oblu girlfriend idale avle Sanika. Avlig Kannada baralla nang Hindi baralla… Starting nav heng conversation madtha idvi antha nenpuskondre iglu nagu baruthe Ondsali “Aap ham dono ke saath chal sakte ho” andlu…. nanu “Acha… acha” antha reply kotte adare avl yen heludlo devr anneglu artha agirlilla. Adare days hodange nanu Hindi swalpa swalpa mathadoke kalthkonde yalla Sanika ashirwada… Job, Friends, Independent life yalla idid nange… life ali inu yeno kammi ide ano feelings… nan life ali miss hoditha iro amsha yavd antha yochne madtha idid nange ond shock kadid ah shock nang mathra alla idi prapanchake agithu ah vishya ne Covid-19. Lockdown agbahudu antha goth agid thakshana thumba jana vapas avr manege hodru… hodavr ali nanu obba. Nam yalarigu work from home kotru… Nam oorige hogtha idide 2 bus… bellage ondsali sanje ondsali… adu driver ge ista bandaga… bus miss madkondre hogoke circus ah madbek.
8 varshada mele nam oorige hogtha ide… Nan badlag ide horthu nam Sakharayapatna mathra ond churu badlag irlilla… Ivath kuda bus driver avr istad time ge bandru… Avath Delhi inda bandid nange full strain agithu band malkondre sak agithu… Bellage aythu… nana yechra madid mathra nam amma madid Coffee smell… Delhi ali yal bekadru coffee try madi adare yalu kuda nim amma madid thara coffee sigalla… Olle nidde admele coffee sikbitre mathra swarga… thumba divsa admele nam oorige bandid nange yalla nostalgia feelings… Nam appa ammana jothe ist divsa admele sikid onthara kushi… Jathre ali kaldogiro magu ge avr Appa-Amma sikro hange feeling. Aga inu nam oorali Covid cases irlilla… Delhi ge compare madudre nang safe place ali iro feelings… Nan thara ne oorige bandavr thumba idru. Anthu India na 24th March lockdown madudru… Ond vara antha lockdown start agid munde yen aythu antha nimge gothu… Work from home ali yest chenag kelsa madthivi antha hosdag yen helbek illa ankothini… Ond vara vargu lockdown thadkonde kandri amele thale kett hogbidthu…. ache yavag hogthini ano feeling. Oorige bandu 7 divsa agidru ache yaligu hogirlilla… anthu decide madide ivath nane hogi grocery tharana antha… Nam oor ali yav dod market irlilla Chikmagalur town ge hogbek ithu… Nam Appana Splendor bike thagond horte… akka pakka 2 side full mara… madya kaali road… ah manjina (fog) madya gaadi odsode onthara feeling… thumba divsa admele ache bandu ah nature madya gaadi odusbekadre ond smile baruthe kandri aduna nive experience madbek.
Market reach ade… yen yen bek vasthu na purchase madtha ide… yaru mask hakde iro ali… yaro obru mask hakond idare… yarappa eh punyathmaru? antha avrna nodide… nodid thakshana magnet thara first attract agid avr kannu… Full dark eyes… ah kanina sutha right mark hakiro thara Kajal… avl prathi sala Tarkari kelbek adru avl ulta Nike symbol hubbu (eyebrow) dance madid hang kanustha ithu… Avl kudlu prathi sali avl mukudmele mele bidaglu avl saruskotha chowkasi (bargain) madtha idid reethi… Abba kaldog bitte kandri… avl alinda hogirode gothagilla… realise agid thakshana yal hodrappa ivru antha huduktha ide… mathe kanuskondlu white dress hakond idlu… aduke matching jumki… ardha second saku anthare love ali bilake… ina avlna astot nodudmele avl mele crush agalva? Avlna hange follow madide… avl activa kuda avl dress ge matching. Bere yenu istot vargu nan follow madtha ide… iga nan splendor avl activa na follow madtha ithu… Nam oor kade gaadi turn thagondlu… Surprisingly avlu nam ooravle. Inen nam ooru enter agbek nang realise agid grocery purchase madid bag market ale bitbandide…. Vapas market ge u-turn hodide. Miss adavlna Mrs madkolo vargu imagination madkotha vapas gaadi oduskond bande.
Mane reach ad nange avl nam ooravlu anod bitre bere yav information gothirlilla… heng avl bagge thilkolod adu gothilla. Ivlna yalo nodiro thara feeling bartha ithu… amele thumba yochne madudmele goth aythu nan first crush kannu kuda same ade thara dark eyes… Nan first crush agid ide oorali avl hesru Prakriti. Prakriti nan life na incomplete story thara… Avl bagge nimge next time helthini. Market ali sikdavlna heng huduklappa antha laptop munde yochne madtha kuthid nange manager inda mangalarathi aythu… mane ali yako network seri sigtha illa atleast ache hog nodana antha laptop hidkond nam tota (ತೋಟ) hathra bande… nodudre ade white activa. So ond anthu guarantee aythu avl ille yalo idale antha… network gu ast hudkilla ansuthe… ivlna ast hudukde… hogli scooter hathra wait madana aga sigbahudu antha wait madtha ide… nodudre ah scooter Ramesh uncle du. Ramesh uncle nam pakkad tota davru… adru kintha jasthi nam appana chaddi dosth. Uncle na nodi thumba divsa agithu… “Chenag idira uncle?” antha kelde… “Nan chenag idini nin yenappa apruppa agode oorkade” antha keludru… “Swalpa busy ide” antha helde… “Delhi inda Corona-Girona karkond bandilla thane?” antha comedy madtha idru… astothige nam appa bandu “Yavag bando?” antha uncle na keludru… “Nan band ond 58 varsha aythu” antha ah uncle comedy bere… vidhi ilde nanu ah joke ge negadle bek ithu. Eh nagu ge break kodo hange nam appa “Eh Corona thandid kushi vishya yen andre maklu manege bandvu anond onde, nim maglu bandla Mysore inda?” antha nam appa keludru… Uncle aduke “Lockdown antha goth agid thakshana Samiksha na bega karuskond bitvi, sumne yak risk antha” andru. Otnali nam kannin hugdi hesru Samiksha ne irbahudu antha ansuthu. Samiksha na nan chik vaysali nodid nenpe illa… nan nam ajji manege bandaga avl avr ajji mane ge hogirolu… so nodid nenp illa. Samiksha ne ah kannin hudgi antha heng confirm madkolod antha yochne madtha irbek adre Ramesh uncle “Barappa nam manege… thumba divsa aythalla” andru… nan smile kodtha “Corona time sumne yak uncle?” ande… avr “Nam maneli yargu corona illa kanappa… bandru Samiksha medical student… bhaya yak helu?” andru… nangu ade bek ithu. Konegu avr dabba joke ge negadid upyoga ke banthu.
Avr manege hode, Ramesh uncle avr hendthi hathra “Node yar bandidare… Loki avr maga… yeaa nam tota ali seebe hannu (Guava) kaddu thintha ida alva avne ivnu” andru. Mansali ‘Loki avr maga andre sakagithu’ antha ankondru… ache mathra smile madide. “Chenag idyenappa?” antha aunty keludru… nan reply mado munche ah uncle “Nam totada seebe hannu thind beludmele chenag ilde irthana?” andru. Ayyo eh uncle maglu nodok bandre olle torcher kodthavralla guru ankotha ide. Astothige Samiksha Coffee madkond bandlu… ah kannu nodid thakshana goth aythu ah kanin hudgi ivle antha…nan puna imagination hode… nan imagination halmadbek antha ne ah uncle “Thagolappa nam totade seebe hannu nin favourite” antha heltha nang kotru. Nimge yeste dham idru hudgina na avr Appa-ammana munde mathadsod mission impossible thara. Anthu avlna mathadsak aglilla… vapas manege bande. Heng mathadsadappa ivlna antha yochne… sebbe hannu kadyok hogi sikbilo vayas nand alla… so ah option eliminated bere yen options ide antha yochne madtha ond week agide gothaglilla.
Nam oorali ond week ali ondsali mathra grocery purchase ge avkasha kodtha idid. So eh sali kuda nane horte… yako male (ಮಳೆ) baro thara idid karna appa gypsy thagond hogoke heludru. Nan eh sali Samiksha sikbahudu mathadsake try madana antha hope ali gaadi thagkond horte. Yavaglu hange alva yavaga nav yarunadru nodbek ano expectation itkond hodthivi avr sigade illa… yaruna nodbard ankothivi avre yedru barthare… Konegu Samiksha nang market ali sigle illa… bejar madkond patho song hakond hogtha ide… situation ge correct agi male nu baroku start aythu… Ah jor male ali yaro scooter oduskond hogtha idru… ist male ali yar idu antha nodudre Samiksha !! full kush ankoli. Gaadi side haki… Avlige “Ayyo ist jor male ali scooter odustha idiralri… banri drop madthini” ande. Avlu “Illa it’s okay… male niluthe ansuthe” andlu. “Nillo hang kanalla… istond nend hogidira… scooter ille nilsi amele nane thago band nim maneli bidthini” ande. Amele avlu gypsy hathkondlu… avl grocery bag yethkoloke hogi nanu nend hode. Iga song change… patho inda full Josh songs… gaadi hathuskolod hathuskond idini yen mathadli? heng mathadli? antha yochne madtha irbek adre avle keludlu “Nim hesr yenu?” antha. Eh hudgir bek antha ne hesru marthange adthara illa nenp iralva ah devrige gothu. “Sorry, Nan hesru Rahul (naam to suna hi hoga… antha mind ali odtha ithu) chik vaysali nim tota inda seebe hannu kadid thidnalla ad nane” ande. Smile madtha “Ha avella gothu… hesru goth irlilla” antha heltha “Niv yalla strangers gu hinge drop kodthira?” antha keludlu. “A stranger is just a friend who i have not met” antha smile kodkond helde… eh dialogue yesto varsha inda use madbek ankotha ide konegu use ge banthu… Avl iduke negadtha “Thumba chenag mathadthira kandri” antha avl kudlu na seruskondlu… ah nature madya male ali pakkadali hudgi kuruskond odsod yesto hudgur asse… avath nan asse purthi aythu. Avl jothe travel madtha mane bandide goth aglilla… Ond kade istot time spend madide ano kushi idre… Inond kade ist bega mugd hoythu ano bejar. Ivlna contact madok iro option avl number iskolodu… adare henge? dhairya madi kelle bitte “Nim scooter alinda tharoke charge aguthe” ande. Avlu “Yen charge madthira ?” antha keludlu. “Jasthi yen alla…nim number na” antha bhaya ali ond kannu muchkond kelde. Avlu kuda smile kodtha thagoli antha kotlu. Ist easy agi hudgir number kodthara antha nimig shock adange nangu aythu. Avlu “Bye” antha heli… hogtha… hogtha… hinde thirgi avl kudlu seri madkotha ond smile kotru kandri… iglu ah smile nan kannu munde ne baruthe.
Manege bande… text madbek anno asse adare igle madudre yen ankothare antha feeling ond kade… konegu control aglilla text madebitte. ‘Hey, This is Rahul naam to suna hi hoga’ antha adare avl nodle illa. Mathe text madide ‘Yenri grocery na car alle marth hogidiralla’ aduku reply illa. Male (ಮಳೆ) ninthid thakshana nan chaddi dost Raki na karkond scooter tharak hode. Nan childhood crush Prakriti ge nange sethve agi ninth avne eh Raki. Jasthi helkolo antha character alla… adare ivn ilde nan childhood complete agalla… nimgu intha obba friend ide irthane. Scooter thagond bandvi… amele grocery kodoke hode nodudre Ramesh uncle idru “Yanappa job bittu tarkari deliver madak bandidya… eh Raki jothe serkondre in yen aguthe?” antha negadkond heludru. Nan chik vaysinda ili vargu ah uncle joke ge avrna bittu bere avrna negadodu node illa… ah uncle samdanake smile kottu alinda bandvi. Scooter mathe grocery delivery madidu waste Samiksha na nodake agilla antha ankotha ide. Ivl message adru barbahudu antha sanje vargu kaitha ide… adu aglilla, konege nane message madide ‘Scooter nim maneli drop madidini’ antha… aduku reply illa. Ivlige yest attitude antha ankondu mobile off madi malkonde.
Belagge aythu… coffee kuditha mobile nodtha ide… nodudre Samiksha na message ‘Sorry nene male ali nendu phone dead agithu… idu secondary phone’ antha ithu. Nang full kushi ali ‘Papa hudgi avl Mobile dead agide avlige attitude ankonde thu…’ antha mansali nanuna nane baikonde. Hudgi number sikki avle message uh madudmele inen aguthe heli… full day texting. Avlig istada colour inda hididu avl class ali gossips mador vargu share madkolo astu close advi bari ond week ali. Anthu inthu mathe nan favourite day banthu… ade grocery day. Avlige ‘Ottige hoganna market ge?’ antha message hakide. Avlu ‘Okay, nane nim manege barthini’ antha reply madidlu. Eh sali hengadru parchaya ide so ina jasthi mathad bahudu antha ankond chenag ready agi ache bande… nodudre Samiksha mathe Ramesh uncle… ivl yar guru avr appana karkond bandavle antha ankonde. Astothige nam amma bandu “Market ge hogta idyalla Samiksha nu karkond hogo” antha andru. Nan reply mado astrali ah Ramesh uncle “Hushar kanappa oduskond hogbeda” antha joke madudru. Adare eh joke ge mathra yaru negadlilla. “Joke uh” Andru uncle… inu yar negadlilla amele avre negadkond “Barthini kanamma husharu” antha heli hortru. Nanu Samiksha nu hortvi.
Mane inda hordbekadre hang mathadana hing mathadana antha ankond points thale ali itkond hortavnu iga avl pakkane kuthidru nange yen mathad antha ne gothagtha illa… Avlu nodoast nodudlu amele avle mathadoke start madudlu “Yenri whatsapp ali ast chenag text madthira ade pakka kuthkond idini onde ond word mathadtha ilvalri?” andlu. “Nijja helbek andre nim jothe yeneno mathadana ansuthe ri adare yenu mathe bartha illa kandri” antha helde. “Yak ast karab agi idina? mathe barde iro thara?” andlu. “Illa ri thumba chenag idira aduke mathe bartha illa” ande. Avlu blush agtha “Nan mukka node hing helthiralla sanje ready iri nimna ond jagake karkond hogthini ali nijvaglu math ninth hoguthe” andlu. “Hawda… yavdappa ah jaga?”ande. “Nive nodthira sanje” andlu. Nan anthad yav jaga idyappa antha ankotha ide… Helri yav jaga antha yeste peedsudru avl mathra yen heldalle bari smile kodtha idlu. Mane reach advi “Sanje ready iri nane barthini pick madoke” ast andu sida manege hodlu.
Sanje yavaga aguthappa antha ready agi kaitha ide… Honking sound kelthu mane ache… hog nodudre Samiksha. Scooter key kottu “Odsi hinde kurthini” andlu. Nan key iskonde… hinde kuthkondlu abba heng helod ah feeling. Avlna mathe “Yalige hogtha idivi? igladru helri” antha kelde. Avl smile kodtha gali (ಗಾಳಿ) ge avl kudluna saruskolod na side mirror ali nodode ananda. Avl bari ‘ili left… munde right’ iste heltha idid… nang doubt ivl avr appa heldange nana oduskond hogtha illa thane? oduskond hodru ivl jothe yalige hogoku ready. Ah place ge reach advi… nan kannu muchoke helidlu… nanu avl heldange kannu muchkonde… avl nan kai hidkond yaligo karkond hodlu… Nange water stream na sound kelusthu “Yenri yavdo neer hathra karkond bandidira nan doodala thane? Modle nang swimming baralla” ande. “Hangen illa sumne nana follow madi” andlu. Ond kade ninthu “Iga kannu open madi” andlu. Kannu bittaga nav ond bridge mele ninth idvi… Nam munde full betta ah bettad madya Surya mulugtha idane… Red mathe orange mishritha akasha… Yaro akashake banna hachiro hange… Ah bettada madya Surya mulgo scenario nodoke 2 Kannu saldu… Kelvond sali Prakruti yest sundarvag iruthe andre we forget to take pictures… instead we just stand ahead of it and enjoy that moment… nan jeevanadali experience madid moment adu. Nav Hogid place hesru Ayyana kere… Sunset agtha ithu… ‘I think Nature’s imagination is so much greater than man’s, she’s never gonna let us relax’ iduna Richard Phillip Feynman avr bardirod… I felt every word of it. Samiksha heldange nang onde ondu math ache barlilla… andre compared to nature we are nothing… there is no greater medicine than Nature itself ansuthe. Sunset ago vargu ale idvi…time hogide gothilla… Nan ist varsha ide oorali idru antha jaga dali ah reethi sunset experience maade illa. “Samiksha niv helid nijja ri… nijavaglu mathe barlilla… intha jagake karkond bandid ke nimge yest thanks heludru kammi ne kandri” antha helde. “Thanks yalla beda… nan mane ge vapas bidi saku” andlu. Manege vapas baro daari ali Samiksha nan bujada mele magu thara malgidlu… avath gaadi na yest slow odsidino nange gothu. Konegu reach advi… Samiksha ille beldid rinda avlige Chikmagalur pin to pin goth ithu aduke avlna ide reethi bere bere place thorsi antha request madkonde. “Aduken ri nale inond place ge karkond hogthini ready iri” andlu. “Niv karyod hecha nav barad hecha?” ande… Next 3 weeks Samiksha nan guide agbitidlu… Ond falls kuda bitilla yalla visit agidvi… yavath adru trip ge yal hogbek antha goth agilla andre… pick Chikmagalur any day.
Nan jeevnada missing element love ah irbahudu? antha yochne banthu… Happiness yallo ide antha Delhi na hudkond hogid nange… nam oorali namavr jothe ne ide antha yavathu ankond irlilla… aduna thorsid Samiksha… Nan kaldogiro childhood na nenp madidu ivle… so nan incomplete Prakriti story ge full stop kottu… Samiksha na jothe hosa Adhyaya (Chapter) start madana antha decide madide adare 22 july ge Lockdown na lift madtahre antha gothaythu… nang jasthi time irlilla nan feeling na helkobek ithu…. Samiksha na Ayyana kere hathra karkond hogi propose madana antha decide madide. Raki nanu seri modle yalla decorate madidvi… eh sali nanu Samiksha na kannu muchkond nana follow madak helide… iga avlu “Yalige karkond hogtha idya? helu” antha keltha idru yenu response madade avlna karkond hogthane ne ide… Konegu ah jaga reach advi… avlige kannu bidok helide “Hey idu nane torsisd place ah” andlu… avaga avl kai hidkond “Kushi yallo ide antha huduktha idid nange… kushi namale ide antha thorus kotte… Prathi moment ali smile madok helkote… ivath nan istond kushi agi idini andre adu nin inda… so will you be my Happiness throughout my life?” antha propose madide… “Hu” antha nod madtha nana thapkondlu… I was happy because I made her speechless this time. Konegu hosa adhyaya start aythu nan life ali… ista ilde idru vapas Delhi ge hogle bek ithu… one week ge antha bandavnu 4 months admele vapaa hogtha ide… starting ali yavagappa eh lockdown mugyuthe? antha ansutha ithu… iga thu yakappa eh lockdown mugitha ide antha anusthu…
Konegu Delhi reach ade… yalarnu miss madkotha ide… starting ali nan relationship kuda chenag ithu… adare bartha bartha Mysore inda Delhi ge yest doora idyo aste doora agtha bandvi… I was blank… nan jeevanada kushi agirthini antha promise madidavlu nan badkidina antha keloku irlilla… aga Realise agid ondu Happiness family, friends, job, love, nature ali ide ankolodu sullu… ivella idre happiness irodu… prathi ond serudre mathra happiness… yavdadru ond element miss adru happiness iralla…
Yalla seri aythu antha nav ankolo astrali India was put under lockdown 2.0… eh sali puna horte nam oorige… Flight hatho daari ali Samiksha nu oorige bandirthala? bandidre heng face madod? antha confusion ali thale kett hogtha ithu… Konegu flight ali kuthkond window seat kade mukka madide… nodidre Prakriti (First childhood crush)…
Happiness is not a Destination… It’s our Journey which we experience…
Life goes on whether you choose to move on and take the chances in the unknown or stay behind, locked in the past, thinking of what could’ve been…
There are certain situations which we neglected but it’ll be the chapter of our life which is unwritten Let me introduce you into my life… I’m Arya, I’ve completed my computer science engineering but had no interest in IT jobs as such, my dream was to become a game developer. It was not just a dream but my passion and I had to pursue it. I got job in Bangalore at a game developing start-up company. I live with my Best friend Aarnav , we work in same place. I met Aarnav in college we are friends for 6 years, well time doesn’t matter in friendship though what does matter is in every path of our life stay by you and said “I’m here for you”. Aarnav is a person who’ll be sarcastic to my thousand words but will understands me when I don’t speak a word. Charulatha the love of my life, we’ve been in relationship for 1 year we both work at same place. Charu is short tempered and gets pissed off way easily and is even a bit possessive, apparently she gets irritated when I’m speaking to other girls. Once i was speaking to Kriti Aarnav’s girlfriend Charu got so annoyed she cut-off speaking to me. Charu was such a charm no matter what she was my angel though. We usually fight every single day on silly things and it’ll be only for one day next day it’s a new start. Life was going good and to make it more delightful me and my friend Aarnav received a proposal from a abroad company as it was in a way for tie-up with our company. I was so happy thinking I could explore the gaming world and moreover that proposal was like a stairs to hike my passion. Life was just like how I expected it. I am kind of a introvert and I had no much people to share my happiness the only people I would say is may friend Aarnav and Charu. But unexpected surprise was on its way Charu was not interested in sending me to abroad, we fought and she wasn’t speaking to me I somehow had to convince her, mean while Aarnav gave me a plan….. It was Feb 14th and our first anniversary i thought of taking her out for dinner and had plans to convince her about my project in abroad. We decided to meet at 7’o clock in Blue Terrain restaurant. I was really panicked about how to convince her. Anyways I got fully dressed and went to office so I could directly go to restaurant from office… every 10 mins I used watch time and I was getting stressed about how I’m gonna convince her. Finally it was 5’o clock when I was about leave the office my boss called and said there was some error in my coding…. I literally had no mood nor patience to go through that problem and sort it out. I was tensed about convincing her and I couldn’t concentrate on the else. My friend saw my pain and said he’s going to sort my problem and borrowed my laptop. I left office around 6:20PM. Chocolates are Charu’s favorite….. I bought chocolates, flower and greeting card it was almost 6:40…My office is in J. P Nagar and Blue terrain restaurant is at Bellandur which is 14 to 15 km distance far. Moving through Banglore traffic is not a piece of cake and on that traffic was more worse than expected. I reached at 7:25 , walking would have made me reach early. Charu wasn’t there in restaurant I searched for her, Rang her 4-5 times she didn’t receive my call , I texted her there was no response for that I was shattered, had no Idea what to do. I knew she was upset and rushed to her PG kept texting her and kept ringing her. Feb 14th is a special day with beautiful memories but for me it was a worst memory. I waited near PG over night next day morning she saw me and was so pissed off she just started walking away from there. I was broken my eyes were shedding tears I called her “Hey, Charu you’re just ignoring me. I had been waiting to speak to you” she was annoyed and started yelling at me “I’ve been waiting for you at restaurant for 20 mins, where the hell where you? What do you think about yourself? Don’t you have basic common sense that you should be in time, am I your puppet?”… I literally had no idea what to say I just gave her Greeting card, chocolates and tried to convince her but she was not in state to listen to my single word… Charu threw chocolates and gift on my face and said “Go to hell with your gifts, I don’t even need your explanation never ever show me your betrayal face. Lets Breakup !!” and she left…That was the moment i had to beg myself to be strong… I tried to hold it in but i cried my eyes out those tears were words of my broken heart which my lips couldn’t explain. I was walking down the streets and I could just hear is my mind trying to console my heart yet there was a silver lining… Charu whenever she gets pissed off she used to say lets break-up and things were getting normal with wings of time so I thought maybe this situation might be the same she just need some time….. My friend came searching for me he didn’t say a word looking at me his eyes was in pain.. just gave me a tight hug and took me back home it was sunday so we didn’t have office I texted her again and even ranged her many times it wasn’t connecting maybe she had blocked me. So I thought I’ll just go to her PG and meet her directly, she was chatting and laughing with other guy… whereas I was crying for her. It would have been more easier for me if she had slapped me but she had slapped my feelings, though I had nothing to do with her life all I wanted is to she her happy, she was happy so I just walked off from there. Somehow I could push 15 days with her memory but I still wasn’t in state of mind to move on, I couldn’t forget her I felt like whole world was fallen apart. I was depressed it was hard for me to even spend a second the pain was like someone was stabbing me my mind. I was blank Charu literally had no interest in me going abroad so I even thought I’ll just drop my abroad project. There was only 20 days gap for our abroad meet so our Boss asked us to work from home. I had no mood to work, I was frustrated depressed and had no interest about this project. Aarnav was done looking me struggle mentally and he asked me to head towards his town they had some festival…. Aarnav used to call me everytime when he went to his native I never went and even this time I was not in mood to go anywhere… but Aarnav was obsessed about my situation so he dragged me to his place, he some how convinced me saying “Let’s go to my native it’s heaven on Earth when you dive into the beauty of nature you’ll let yourself free from all your pain and definitely your gonna experience the smile on your face which is prisoned by your emotion”. I had no option left I accepted to go with him. Aarnav is from Nagenahalli Chikmagalur district. We left Banglore at afternoon and it’s almost 5hrs journey to his place. We reached around 7’o clock. The way my friend expressed about nature I couldn’t find anything… I met Aarnav’s family they were sweet but his grandfather, he was a nice person though but he’s an ex army man…. stories about war the way he used hunt was killing me I couldn’t listen anymore to his words so I said directly that I’m sleepy and exhausted from traveling I gotta sleep and went to my room. Next day it was 4:30 in the morning my friend Aarnav rammed into my room and started shouting “Wake up dude we have to leave”. I was annoyed “Bro its 4:30 what the heck is wrong with you?”, he said “Dude there’s a surprise for you move your ass from bed and let’s go”. It was 4:30 in the morning and malnad is not an easy place, I was freezing like hell, I could barley move my fingers and my friend Aarnav drove me in an open jeep. It was fog out side we could barley see road Aarnav stopped the jeep near a mountain. I asked “Did we reach?” my Friend saw my face and gave a smile… Holly Molly that smile on his face made my heart beat go to the peak I asked him “We are not going to hike up this hill right” and we ended up climbing that hill. It took us 20 to 25 mins to go up the hill anyways we were on top… I took a deep breath and closed my eyes there was breeze drifting by me smell of the wet grass i could hear the bird chirping these were the ears which was forced to hear the traffic and yelling noise of crowded people, but a single moment with nature vaporized every stress in me. Fog is a Nature’s beautiful painting I was surrounded by it, I felt I’m floating on clouds….. suddenly my friend started shouting my name I turned back and what I saw just mesmerized me I could feel the goosebumps the only word I said was ‘wow…..’ it was the best sunrise I ever saw in my life… my friend saw my face and asked “Just as the sunrise, a fresh start begins. We all have choices. Will you make best out of it ?… Aarnav even said “Bro we reached this place yesterday at 7 could you see anything? could you feel anything? I bet you were wondering where is the nature’s beauty? which Aarnav explained…you know what life is all about how you ease your pain there will be dark day’s in your life but it isn’t the end there will be sunrise after every sunset you have be patient, dusk till dawn. I brought you to this place because nature can be your life’s best teacher, which we humans cannot express in words. I would have tried to console you but I just wanted your mind to completely let its wings free and fly”. What I realized, Aarnav was helping me to start a new life. We left from there, and I was totally new me. I started enjoying every moment on our way back. Fog got almost clear road was surrounded by coffee garden fragrance of coffee all this wonderful nature was so loving I got drifted into the beautiful nature around me and suddenly I noticed was a girl with red jacket and a neon colour bagpack was walking. My friend stopped jeep near her and started speaking to her. She was Aarnav’s native childhood friend who was settled in Banglore… she was beautiful though. My friend introduced her “This is Shanvi, she’s a girl from their neighboring estate” I got back into jeep she was staring at me.. I asked her “What’s the matter?” and she was like “Who’s gonna pick my luggage?and drop into jeep get off and do it” I was literally shocked my parents never ordered the way she did. Anyways I was pissed off, but she was Aarnav’s friend so I didn’t go to react much….she got into jeep she was so chatty with no fullstop we reached house but her talk was not done. Aarnav’s family was happy to see Shanvi after so long, she was like one in their family but the way she behaves I was not a fan of. I was tired so thought I’ll get fresh up . I felt someone opened the door, guess who it was? it was Shanvi… she saw me and passed a comment with a smile “Lock the door” I was annoyed but i couldn’t yell at her so i just calmed down … Breakfast was ready we were having our breakfast even shanvi was there. Whenever i saw her she was smiling at me it was really frustrating for me and hard thing was I couldn’t even say this to anyone. I had to bare through this awkwardness. My Friend was going to drop Shanvi and asked me to join so that he could take me around their estate, we got into jeep Shanvi asked me a question…. “Why Don’t you say anything? Always you be silent what’s the matter? and often smile a little. Smile on you’re face suits you….” I thought what’s wrong with this girl she’s a gabby never ever shuts her mouth and was even smiling every now and then looking at me. Finally she was dropped by her house and it was such a relief after so much of her voice, I could literally start hearing voice in my head. We went around my friends estate it was quite fun and headed back to house and day was completed and I had a sound sleep that night after so long trip. Next day morning my friend wasn’t there in house I searched for him, while having breakfast I asked his mom she said he actually left early morning to pick Kriti from Bangalore I was bit upset my Friend didn’t even say a word that he’s leaving Banglore so my mood got a little off. So, I thought I’ll hangout, got jeep and left to their estate I was walking by their estate someone was threw stone at me, I turned around with a shock and here we go… its Shanvi again.. “Such small pebbles your afraid of that?” she started making fun of me and was laughing like anything. My Friend always used to call her monkey then I realized exactly why does he call her monkey…I just gave a look at her and started walking from there. Shanvi was coming behind me and surprisingly she slipped and fell looking at her I couldn’t stop laughing…..she saw me and said “Stop laughing come and help me” yet I didn’t stop laughing, I helped her she came with me and sat inside jeep. Well she is in jeep now, but chatterbox started asking me silly questions like “Why do you always have that pissed off face? You got a wonderful smile and as I told smile suits you a lot. Can’t you just let that smile be on your face evertime?”, but I literally had no answers for her question the only thing I was replying ‘haa…hmm’ that’s it all the way till her house she kept on speaking at last I dropped her to her house and while leaving i just gave a sarcastic comment “God your parents are really lucky to have you chatterbox” she looked at me didn’t say a word just smiled and left. When I reached back home Aarnav and Kriti was back, I was excited to see both of them. While speaking to Aarnav I said “You’re right bro Shanvi is a monkey, I dont know how her parents tolerate her chit chat?”. Aarnav replied “Bro her parents have passed away when she was small”. I then realized I’ve done a big mistake I then rushed to her and asked sorry…Shanvi said with a smile “Sorry for that it’s okay, I leave with my grandparents and the way they show love I never felt my parents aren’t with me, life moves on and we gotta adjust for that. Instead of thinking about the things we lost and getting depressed about that, It’s better we leave our life fully with the people we love us the most. So we should never worry or regret about our past we should always live the present and mould a beautiful future”. Her words were so true they just made me speechless I had nothing to say so I just said “Thank you Shanvi” she asked me “Why are you thanking?”, I replied “Ahh, not this time I’ll say you some other time ” and then left from there. Next day morning me Aarnav and Kriti got ready to go for the festival. That was the day of puja which happens once in a year…..I wanted to take shanvi with us but I didn’t know how to say this to Aarnav…. Having this thought and when I came out Shanvi came by I was really happy seeing her….even on this journey Shanvi was speaking a lot but this time I wasn’t irritated by that it was fun listening her speak so much. We reached the place it was glorious to watch so much crowd and the delightful festival environment…..Me and shanvi thought, Aarnav and Kriti need some privacy so we moved away from there suddenly Shanvi called me to catch a ride on Giant wheel I said “No, I’m really afraid of heights”, she didn’t listen to me she started forcing me “Please Arya, we gotta go it’s fun and when I’m here. Why do you fear? trust me”, I agreed and we got into giant wheel….At a point when it reached some height Shanvi held my hand so tight that I literally started laughing the whole ride. I couldn’t get through it once it was completed I told “Shanvi you were pretty brave, you were the one who made me pass through my phobia of heights”, she was blushed and replied “I love going on giant wheel but little scared to go alone so I lied to you”, when shanvi was around time just flew with happiness. I felt nostalgic about times when I was a kid and during this festival time how we wonder around enjoying every single second having cotton candy and fear of getting into haunted house…..now being an adult we have certain responsibility and stress about life but Shanvi brought that happiness which I was missing. Then we directly went inside temple. This act of worshipping god was a new experience for me . Puja was held from night till next day morning and happens once a year so whole people around the village were gathered . Shanvi was explaining about how their culture, after some time she fell asleep over my shoulder, I didn’t go to wake her up. She woke up next morning Puja was done and we returned back home. I was really exhausted having no sleep through out the night so I thought I’ll sleep for a while. When I woke up it was almost evening. When I saw my phone Charu had called me but as I was asleep I couldn’t pick her call, so she dropped a message “I’m sorry, I miss you”, I didn’t see that coming I was on shock and had nothing to say so I decided not reply anything. I had to say this to Aarnav but he was happy in his personal space with Kriti. So, I thought not to disturb them, then I thought if Shanvi was here I would have shared with her, I went to their estate searching for her, I couldn’t find her, felt a bit upset. When I was about to return, she came in front of me. She smiled at me and asked “Looks like your eyes is searching someone very eagerly” and then I told her about Charu, my abroad plans, and how we broke up listening to everything Shanvi said “Arya you always have to lead your life for yourself not for somebody else, your passion and your dream is what makes your life complete, I won’t say you to take anyone’s opinion or advice but never be anybody’s decision. If someone Love’s you truly they’ll stand by you and support you not oppose you”, I went speechless listening to her words I just replied saying “I’ll leave Bangalore tomorrow to catch my dreams thank you so much”….and I spent rest of the day thinking that… Next day morning Aarnav and Kriti left to city on an urget job and he dropped me at Shanvi’s place. Shanvi said there is a surprise for me, she took me to a mountain region and aske me to close my eyes…she wrapped my eyes with her dupatta and guided me way while we walked for about 15-20 mins. When we reached she asked me to slowly open my eyes…..For 2 second it was all fog and then what I saw is natures beautiful painting waterfalls…Its Manikyadhare waterfalls , I got no words to explain how beautiful that scenario is…and it was not only the surprise which I had, Shanvi started saying “The first time I saw you, I really had an impression thinking what kind of a attitude this guy has but eventually I started liking the way you smile the way you speak to me and take care and even your attitude, I just fell in love you, it was love at second sight !!…..I love you Arya….”, I went numb, I didn’t know what to say because I had just moved on from a relationship and had no thought of being in a relationship again so I just replied “I’m sorry, I never felt that way” and then just walked off from there. When I reached home, just went to my room packed my bag and left to Bangalore with Aarnav. I didn’t get Shanvi’s phone number nor was i courageous to show my face and say Bye….. We reached Bangalore. Next day I went to office, surprisingly Charu was waiting for me she came to me and said she wanted to speak, I was fine with that….we went out and she started apologizing.. “I’m really sorry, Arya I’ve been mean to you… I realized your value once you went away from me” saying this she caught my hands… I replied “It’s fine Shanvi”, she was like “Shanv?!…. I’m Charulatha”, I felt awkward and said “Oh! sorry…” Charu said “It’s fine, so abroad trip is cancel right?”…Yet she was still sticking to her words rather than letting me live my dream….She actually came back to me seeing pictures of me and Shavi on social media, just because of her possessiveness I felt it’s not worth it to let my dream behind, Whereas on other hand there is a person who really loves me for being me and is really supportive about what I wanna persue… When Charulatha caught my hand, I felt it was Shanvi. Shanvi was filled in my head and heart… I then realized my big mistake and got to know true value of Shanvi. I met Shanvi it was a fate, I became friends it was a choice but I fell in love which I had no control over so I rushed to Chikmagalur… When I reached Shavi’s place her grandparents said she left to Banglore morning itself I then directly rammed towards bus stop she wasn’t there either…. To contact her I didn’t even have her number, I was feeling anxiety inside me but the only thing which I could do is hold back my tears and have my fingers crossed, just breath and have a faith that things are gonna be fine.. Before leaving Bangalore I thought I’ll just go to the place where Shanvi proposed me, I went to Manikyadhare waterfalls, somebody was standing facing towards waterfalls and it was Shanvi It was a silver lining moment for me I started saying “For the first time when I saw you, I thought this girl is so chatty and every words irritates a lot !! But your childish behavior and the way you irritation made me fall in love with you, but for me it was love at first sight. I love you Shanvi” … Shanvi didn’t react anything , I said “If your not gonna say anything I’ll jump of the falls”…She just ran towards me and gave a hug…
It’s better to go for someone who loves you, rather than someone who you love….
Theme art By ✍️, Anjana Vijay ( anjana_vijay )
Story By ✍️, Srujan Gowda ( user__not._.available )
Life goes on whether you choose to move on and take the chances in the unknown or stay behind locked in the past thinking of what could’ve been… Nav thumba sali Beda antha bittu Hogiro vishya, namge gothilde iro thara namuna hutkondu vapas baruthe… Ide reethi nan life Ali nadeda ond situation helthini…
Nan Arya, Computer Science Engineering mugsid nange IT jobs ali interest irlilla, nange game developer agbek anodu nan passion agithu. Nan passion prakara ne nange Bengaluru ali game developing startup company ali Kelsa kuda sikthu. Nan life ali yene olled agli kettad agli nan jothe Irtha idid nan friend Aarnav,Aarnav Nanu college friends, avn kuda nan jothe same company ge serkonda. Nange yene problems bandru nan jothe face madtha ididu avne. Nam office ale work madtha idid hudgi Charulatha, Charu nanu almost 1 varsha dinda relationship ali idivi, Charu short temper hudgi, chik-chik vishyaku sittu madkotha idlu, Avlna bittu bere hudgi hathra mathadudru sittu madkotha idlu, astond possessive avlu, ondsali Aarnav girlfriend Kriti hathra mathadidke full sittu madkond idlu, avl sittu madkondaga anthu thumba cute agi kanustha idlu. Avlna irritate madode onthara maja. Nav ibru jagla (fight) adade iro dina ne Illa ansuthe… Yest sittu madkondru next day yalla sari agtha ithu. Nan introvert nange Aarnav mathe Charu na bittre yar jothe nu ast close agtha irlilla. Ide time ge nan company Abroad ali iro company jothe tie-up agtha ithu, so nange mathe Aarnav ge Abroad hogoke proposal banthu. Nange abroad ge hogi gaming world na explore mado kansu nand agithu,ankond hange nan dream yalla fulfill agtha ithu. Nan Life na heng lead madbek ankotha ide ade reethi ali nan life na lead madtha ide. Yalla olled agtha ide ankond nange… surprise kadidthu, Charu ge nan Abroad ge hogodu churu ista irlilla. Avl eh vishyake nan jothe jagla kuda madidlu. Avlna hengadru madi convince madbek antha ide. Ah time ge idea kotidu nan friend Aarnav.
Avathu Feb 14th nan relationship na 1st anniversary Avlna Dinner ge kardide, hange avlige nan Abroad ge hogo plans na convince madana antha, Avlna sanje 7 o’clock ge Blue Terrain restaurant ge baroke helide. Avlna restaurant ge yeno kardide adare avlna heng convince madodu antha mathra gothirlilla. Full ready agi office ge hogide hange direct agi restaurant ge hoganna antha… Avlna heng convince madodu ano tension ale work madtha, prathi 10 nimshake ondsali time nodtha ide, anthu 5 o’clock aythu. Office inda hortte adare ade time ge nam Boss bandu nan madiro coding ali errors ide andru. Nang ah errors sort out madoke patience agli piece of mind agli yerdu irlilla. Nan yest try madtha idru error solve akthane irlilla. Aarnav nan kasta nodi “Nan errors na solve madthini, nin hordu” antha heltha nan laptop iskonda, nan office bido astothige 6:20 PM agithu. Charu ge chocolates andre thumba ista, aduke avlig ista iro chocolate, flowers mathe greeting card thagondu hordo astothige 6:40 agithu, Nam Office J. P Nagar ali irodu, Blue terrain restaurant ididu Bellandur. Nam office inda almost 14 to 15 km, adare Bengaluru traffic Ali reach agoke minimum half an hour beku, adare Avathu traffic full jam agithu, nan restaurant reach agbekadre 7:25 agithu, nan nedkond hogidre bega reach aktha ide ansuthe.
Restaurant ollage enter ade, restaurant full hudkudru Charu irlilla, avlig 4-5 times call madide avlu recive madlilla, avlig message madide adare avlu respond ah madlilla, avl bejar madkond idale antha gothaythu, Alinda Avl PG hathra hogi yest sali call, messages madidini lekka (count) eh illa. Avathu idi rathre avl PG ache kadidni. Feb 14th yalla lovers ge memorable and best day agiruthe, adare nan life Ali memorable yeno agithu adare worst memorable day ansuthe. Anthu belagge aythu, avl pg inda bandlu, avlu calm agirbahudu antha mathadsoke hode, adare nanuna nodudru nodada hage hogbitlu, avl hinde nan kuda hode… Avlna karde “Hey, Charu ninthko. Nodudru mathadusde hogtha idyalla” antha, avl hinde thirgi “Nan restaurant Ali ning goskara 20 minutes wait madidini, Nin yelli hallag hogide? Ning time sense illva? Nanuna astond granted agi thagond idiya? Abroad ge hogtha idiya antha attitude ah?” antha baiyoke (scold) start adlu. Nan avlig chocolates, flowers mathe greeting kotte nan situation explain mado astrali, nan gifts na nan mukhad mele esedu (threw) “Nang nin explanations agli nin dabba gifts agli yenu beda, nin mukka nang inyavathu thorusbeda. Lets Breakup!”antha heli hort hogbitlu. Avlu let’s break up antha thumba sali helidale amele automatic agi seri aktha idlu, Avlig nan Abroad ge hogodu ista irlilla adru jothe nan late agi hogidu avlig inu sittu bandide antha sumne ade… Avl wait madiro 20 mins bagge mathadtha idale, avlig goskara idi rathri avl PG munde wait madidrodna avlu consider kuda madtha illa. Avath rathre nan manege vapas bandilde irod nodi nan friend nanuna hutkondu banda. Avn jothe vapas nam manege hodvi. Avath Sunday agidrinda nang office irlilla, Avlig mathe message, call madide connect agtha irlilla mostly nan number block madidlu ansuthe. Ondsali avlna meet madi samadana madana antha puna avl PG hathra hode, adare avl already inobba hudgan jothe idlu. Avl ondsali band nan kepalake hodidru ast nov agtha irlilla ansuthe… Adare avlu hodidu nan feelings ge. Avl kushi agirli antha avlna meet madade hange vapas bandbitte.
Avlna meet madade, mathadusde 15 days agogithu, Avlna maryoke nang agthane irlilla. Nang yeno kalkond iro thara feel aktha ithu… Nan mado kelsa dal agli yavdrali kuda interest irlilla, full depression ge hogbitide. Ond-ond sala eh Abroad hogo plan indane avl nanuna bittuhogidu antha Abroad trip kuda drop madona antha anustha ithu. Nan Abroad ge hogoke ina 20 days gap mathra ithu, nam Boss nange project ge ready agoke namge work from home kotidru, nange kelsa madoke mood eh irlilla. Frustration mathe depression ali project ge prepare agoku agtha irlilla. Aarnav usual agi March time ali avn oorige hogtha ida prathi sali nanuna karithane ida adare nan ondsali nu avn oorige hoge irlilla, Eh Sali kuda nanuna avn oorige karda, adare nang yellig hogoku ista irlilla. Avnu “Nam Oorali prathi varsha Jathre (fare) aguthe, nenu kuda baa… Ningu mind fresh aguthe nam oorina nature nodoke 2 kannu saldu” antha helda. Amele nanuna force madi avn oorige karkond hoda.
Aarnav ooru Chikmagaluru ali Nagenahalli. Nav Bengaluru inda madyana bitvi, Bengaluru inda Nagenahalli ge almost 5 hrs beku reach agoke. Nav reach agbekadre already 7’o clock agithu, Avn helid thara nang yav nature kuda kanustha irlilla. Kushi agid ond vishya andre Bengaluru thara ili traffic irlilla. Anthu avn mane reach advi, Malnad side mane galu onthara different, mane sutha jagga iruthe, adru madya mane. Avr manege hod thakshana ond strong coffee kotru, ah tired journey inda onde sali refresh ade. Nav oorige bandidu Aarnav mane avrig kushi kodthu, amele yallaru oota madudvi, joint family jothe oota madode onthara maja. Swalpa relax agtha idid nange Aarnav ajja avr halle kathe (story) heloke start adru, keloke ista illa andru nang berre option ah irlilla. Nang avr helodu keluskoloke agtha irlilla, direct agi “Ajja, nang thumba nidde bartha Ide. Nan malkothini” antha heli alinda bandbitte.
Belagge 4:45 ansuthe nan friend nanuna ast bega yebusda. “Yenaythappa? Ist bega yebusthidya?” antha kelde, Avnu “Ning yeno surprise kadide, bega ready agi baa” antha helida, ah challi ali karkond hogi jeep al kurusda. Ah challi ali nang yav surprise kuda bedvagithu. Drive madkond hogtha ida, full manju (fog) road kuda clean agi kanustha irlilla. Karkond hogi ond gudde hathra nilusda. “Reach adva?” antha kelde. Avnu smile kodtha “Almost… Eh gudde hathudre reach agthivi” antha helda. Nan kannige adole Mt. Everest thara kanustha ithu. Hengo hathoke start advi, almost 20 to 25 mins bekithu ah gudde hathoke, hathid nange yenu kanustha irlilla, full susthagithu alle kanmuchkond malkond bitte. Sudden agi nan friend koogoke shuru madida… ‘Yenaythappa ivnige?’ antha mansale ankotha kannu bittu nodide… Ah manju tumbiro (filled) akasha… parvata madya dinda Sunrise agtha ithu, ah beautiful moment nodid nange, yeno onthara kushi agoke start aythu, nang ah beautiful moment enjoy madodu bittu berre yenu nan thale ge barthane irlilla. Nan friend nan mukka nodkondu “Just as the sun rises, a fresh start begins. We all have a choice. Will you make the best of it?” antha kelda, Avaga nang gothaythu nan friend nan life na hosdagi start madsoke try madtha idane antha. Nangu mood full refresh aythu, avn helodralu point ithu. Hange nan yochne madtha nav alinda hortvi.
Manju swalpa clear agithu, Nav baro dhari ali full coffee plants ithu, eh belagge hothu ah coffee plants na smell mathe ah ele (leaf) mele iro hani na nodudre mansige ond samdhana koduthe. Nang nenne kanusude iro prakruthi ivaga kanustha ithu, Prakruthi yavaglu soundarya vage iruthe… adare aduna nodoke Kannu – Olle Mansu irbeku. Nan thoughts ale kaleduhogiro nange ah manjali highlight ago thara yaro red colour jacket, neon colour backpack hakondu yaro nadkond hogtha idru. Nan friend avr hathra hogi avr munde sudden agi break hakida. Ah red jacket hakondu nadkond hogtha ididu ond hudgi, nodoke thumba Chenag idlu, nan friend avlna mathadsoke start madida “Oy! Kothi nin yen Illi?” anta kelda. Avlu “Hey Chimpanzee, hengo idya? Bengaluru inda hortidu late aythu so aduk ivaga reach ade” andlu. Nan ivr ibru mukka nodod bittu bere yen madbek anthane gothagtha irlilla. Nan friend amele avlna introduce madida “Macha, ivl nan childhood friend. Ivl hesru Kothi, nam pakkad estate avlu” antha helda. Nan shock ali “Kothi na?” antha kelde. Avlu nan friend na guraysi (stare) “Hi, nan hesru Shanvi” andlu. Nanuna nan introduce madkonde. Jeep hathkondlu, nanuna nodtha “Yen nodtha idya? Luggage na jeep ali idu” andlu. Nan appa kuda athara order madirlilla. Sittu bandru Aarnav friend antha sumne luggage jeep ge hakide. Avl mathige fullstop eh irlilla ast mathadtha idlu. Nav Aarnav mane reach adru eh hudgi inu mathadthane idlu. Shanvi bandidu Aarnav mane avrig thumba kushi kotithu. Avlna ah mane maglu thara treat madtha idru. Adare avl ado reethi nang onchuru istane agtha irlilla. Nan fresh agi barona antha nan washroom ge hogide. Sudden agi yaro door open madidang aythu, Yar antha nodudre adu Shanvi ne. “Door lock madkolri” antha negadkond hodlu. Avl mele yest sittu banthu andre aduna heloku agalla. Anthu fresh agi bande… Thindi ge kuthkondvi, Shanvi ale idlu, avlu nanuna nodkondu onthara smile madtha idlu. Nang full awkward feelings yargu helongu Illa, nan kasta nange. Amele nan friend “Shanvi na drop madi, hange nam estate na thorusthini baa” antha karda. Jeep hathudvi, “Yakri yavaglu sappuge irthira? Swalpa negadkond iri” antha heludl, nan aduke thale alladusde (nodding). Eh hudgi onthara pataki thara, mathadodna nilusthane irlilla, idru madya-madya nanuna nodkondu smile bere kodtha idlu. Konegu avl mane banthu avlna drop madudvi, nang onthara relief sikthu. Avn estate yalla thorusda. Full suthadi susth agithu, avathu manege hogi rest madudvi.
Belagge aythu, fresh agi thindi ge bande, nan friend mane ali Irlilla. Avn bagge avr ammange kelde. “Avnu Kriti na karkond baroke Bengaluru ge belagge bega hogidane” antha Aarnav amma heludru. Nan friend nang ond mathu helde hogidane antha bejar aythu, hange bejar kalyoke suthadkond barona antha jeep thagondu horte. Avn nene karkond hogiro estate hathra hogi, Avn estate suthadtha ide. Yaro nange yeno yesth hang aythu, midukbidange (shock) aythu, hinde thirug nodudru… Adu puna Shanvi ne. Nan hedrukond ididna nodi “Ast chikku kalige Istond hedrukothiralla” antha helkondu joragi negadoke start madidlu. Ivlna Yak Kothi antha karithare antha avaga gothaythu. Nan avlig look kodtha yenu reply madade alinda horte. Avl nan hinde bartha idlu, sudden agi kal jari bidlu. Avl bidid nodi nangu nagu banthu. Avl nanuna nodtha “Negadidu saku band help madi” andlu. Nan smile kotkonde avlig help madide. Avlig help madi admele avlu mathe nan hinde ne bandu jeep ali kuthkondlu.
Jeep ge bandu kuthavlu, Sumne kurthala? Illa nan thale thinoke start madudlu, “Niv Yak yavaglu sittale irthira? Nim smile thumba chenagide. Hange yavaglu smile madtha iri” antha heloke start madudlu. Nan avl yalla mathigu ‘Ha’ ‘Hmm’ ‘aythu’ ist bitre bere answers gale irlilla. Avl kelo questions nange thumba irritate madtha ithu. Konegu avl mane banthu…. Avl hogbekadre “Yen antha belsidare nim Appa-Amma? Ad yest mathadthira?” antha kelde. Aduk avlu yenu helilla bari smile madkond hodlu.
Nan vapas manege reach ago astrali Aarnav mathe Kriti manege bandidru. Amele Aarnav hathra “Nin helid nijja macha, ah Shanvi Kothi ne. Avr Appa-Amma yen antha bhudi kalsidaro?” antha helde. Aduke Aarnav “Macha, avlig appa-amma illa” antha helda. Avaga nang realise agidu nan yest doda thap madidini antha. Shanvi manege avagle horte. Shanvi hathra hogi “Sorry” antha kelde. Aduke avlu “Sorry yake?” antha keludlu. Avlig yalla helde. Aduk avlu “Nam appa-amma na nan ajji-ajjan ali kantha idini, nang yavathu nan appa-amma illa antha anse Illa. Life moves on nav aduke adjust agbeku. Nam jothe ilde iror bagge yochne madtha… nam jothe irorige preethi kodalla. Aduke ilde iro vishyada bagge yochne mado badlu, yen irothe adru jothe kushi agi irbeku” andlu. Avl helid nang thumba true anusthu, Nav ilde iror bagge yochne madtha namavrna kalkothivi, Charu nanuna bittuhogidu… nan avl bagge yochne madtha nan life na happiness na kalkotha idini antha gothaythu. Avlig “Thanks kanri Shanvi” antha helde. Avlu “Thanks yake?” antha keludlu. “Iga beda next time sikidaga helthini” antha heli hortbandbitte.
Belagge aythu, actually ivath indane ah oorina Jathre (fare) shuru agithu. Aarnav, Kriti nanu Jathre ge hogoke ready advi. Nange Shanvi nu karkond hogbeku antha asse adare heng Aarnav ge helodu? Antha yochne madtha Ide astothige Shanvi ne manege bandlu. Avlnu karkond Jathre ge hortvi. Eh hogo journey ali Shanvi mathu nang irritation antha anusthane irlilla… Jathre ge reach ago astrali nav ibru Olle friends agidvi. Aarnav – Kriti ge privacy kodbek antha nanu Shanvi berre (different) kade bandvi. Shanvi “Baa giant wheel ali kuthkolona” antha karudlu. “Nang hights andre bhaya nan baralla” antha helde. Avlu “Nan irbek adre yen agalla baa” antha force madi karkond hodlu. Giant wheel start aythu, Nav full height ge hodvi… Sudden agi Shanvi ne nan kai hidkondlu, avlgu height andre bhaya antha hidkond iro reethi ale gothaythu. Ride mugithu, nan joragi negadtha “Niv bidri nimge thumba dhairya… Niv idid ke nang height andre bhaya ne aglilla ” antha helde. Avlu “Nang gaint wheel andre thumba ista adare oble hogoke bhaya aduke hing sullu helde” antha smile madudlu. Nan childhood memories yalla flash agoke start aythu, Nav chik vaysali thinda cotton candy, haunted house ge hogbekadre namig agtha idid bhaya yalla nenap agoke start aythu. Nav yest bega dodavr agthivi (grow up) alva? Ah happy moments na ivathu inond sali experience madide. Avl jothe time spend agide gothaglilla.
Nav direct agi alinda devasthanake hodvi, ah devsthana dali varsha ke ondsali pooje agodu. Ah divsa rathre inda Belagge vargu pooje aguthe. Eh pooje nodoke Oorina jana yalla serkothare. Eh pooje oorige ond habbad thara. Nav pooje ge kuthkondvi, nang idu hosa thara experience. Shanvi ah pooje, avr culture bagge heltha idlu. Keloke thumba interesting agi ithu. Pooje agtha agtha Shanvi nan shoulder mele nidde madbitlu. Avlna yebso astu dhairya nang irlilla avlig malkoloke bitbitte. Avlig yechra agidu belagge ne. Pooje yalla mugdithu. Vapas manege hodvi.
Rathre full nidde ilde irod rinda hog madkond bitte, yechra agidu sanje agithu. Nange Charu call madidlu nan nidde madidake avl call receive madoke aglilla, avl nange ‘Sorry, I miss you’ antha message madidlu, nang yen reply madbek antha gothagade reply eh madlilla. Nan eh vishya Aarnav hathra helko beku ankonde, adare Aarnav mathe Kriti ge disturb madoke ista irlilla. Aga nang nenap agidu Shanvi, avlna meet madoke avl estate hathra hode, avlna hudukde adare avlu ali irlilla, bejar madkondu turn ade. Nodudre Shanvi ale ninthkond idale. Smile kodtha hubbuna mel madtha “Yarna huduktha idira?” antha keludlu. “Yarnu Illa, hange sumne suthadtha ide” antha helde. “Nim kanne heluthe yarno huduktha idira” antha heludlu. Avlig nan yalla vishya helde… Charu bagge, Abroad plans bagge. Avlu helid Iste “Ond vishya nenap itko Nin life na ningoskara lead madu, bere avr life goskara… nin life na dreams galna badlusko beda, avr ninuna nijvaglu ista padtha idare andre nin dreams na build madoke support madthare oppose madalla” andlu. Yen response madbek antha gothagade, Avlig nan helid iste “Nale Bengaluru ge vapas hogtha idini nan dreams na catch madoke” antha heli vapas bande. Amele yochne madtha ah dina hogide gothaglilla.
Next day aythu, Aarnav ge yeno urgent work Ide antha Kriti na karkondu city ge belagge bega horta, nange maneli bore aguthe antha nanuna Shanvi manege drop madi hoda. Shanvi nange yeno surprise kodoke kaitha idlu… Nan avl mane reach aktha idange nanuna yello karkond hodlu. Ivl puna inond gudde hathra karkond hodlu, “Kannu muchko” andlu. Nan kannu muchkonde, avl whale inda nan kannige patti katudlu amele nan kai hidkondlu nanuna ah gudde mele karkond hodlu, 15 to 20 mins walk madsud mele ond kade ninthkondvi. Nan kannige katid patti thegudl. Kannu swalpa manj-manj (blur) aythu. Nan clean agi Kannu bittaga nan Kannu munde ididu beautiful agiro Waterfalls, adu Manikyadhare Waterfalls nijja helthini words inda ah waterfalls na describe madoke chance ah illa, ast chenag ide. Eh surprise jothe nang inond surprise kadithu. “Nimuna nan first time nodidaga abba ivnig yest attitude? Antha ankonde, adare niv kodo looku, ah smile nodi nim mele love at second sight aythu. Niv care mado reethi nodudre yarig love agalla? I love you” antha Shanvi heludlu. Nang nijjvaglu yen helbek anthane gothaglilla… Nan akthane love anodrinda move on agide, love mele nambke ne hogithu. Nan helid Iste “Sorry, nan yavathu nimuna ah reethili nodilla” antha heli thirgu nodade vapas bandbitte.
Manege bandid thakshana Aarnav jothe vapas Bengaluru ge hortbitvi. Shanvi number iskoloke agli, avlig last time nan mukka thorsi avlig bye helo astu dhairya nang irlilla. Bengaluru reach advi. Next day office ge hode, ali nang inond surprise kadidthu, Charu nangoskara kaitha idlu… Avlu “Ondsali nang nin hathra mathadoke chance kodu” andlu. Nan opkonde. Avlu nanuna ache karkond hodlu. “I’m really sorry Arya, nange nin value gothagidu nin nanuna bittu hodmelene. Inyavathu nanuna bittu hogbeda” antha heltha nan kai hidkondlu. “It’s okay Shanvi” antha helde. “Shanvi na? Nan hesru Charulatha” antha heludlu. “Oh! Sorry” antha helde. Avlu “Ha… It’s okay, Iga Abroad ge hogo plan cancel alva?” antha keludlu. Avlige Iga kuda nankintha, nan dreams kintha avl hatta ne jasthi ithu. Avl vapas bandiro karna nan social media dali Shanvi jothe hakiro photos antha gothaythu. Ag nang realise agidu oblu avl possessiveness goskara nan dream na thyaaga madsoke try madtha idale, inoblu avl preethi na nan dreams goskara thyaaga madtha idale antha. Charulatha helid nijja ‘Obru nam life ali Idaga avr value gothagalla, avr hodmele ne gothagodu’ nangu Shanvi value avlna bittu bandmele gothagidu, Charulatha nan kai hidkondaga nange gothildange Shanvi antha karde, nan mansali mathe thale ali Shanvi ne thumbkond idale antha gothaythu, inu thada madodu beda antha vapas Chikmagaluru ge horte.
Shanvi mane hathra hode, adare avr ajja heludru “Shanvi belagge ne vapas Bengaluru ge hodlu” antha. Nan direct bus stop ge hode avlna yest hudkudru sigle illa. Avlna contact madana andre avl number kuda nan hathra irlilla. Nang yen madbek anthane gothagtha irlilla, full bejar aythu… Bengaluru ge vapas hogoku munche atleast ondsali avl propose madid jagake hogana antha anusthu. Manikyadhare Waterfalls hathra hode… Ali yaro obru waterfalls kade face madtha ninthkond idru, adu Shanvi ne. Nan santhoshake kone ne irlilla, avl hinde hogi “Ninuna nan first time nodidaga abba ivl yest mathadthale? Antha ankonde, adare nin childish nature, nin kodo irritation nodudre yarig love agalla? Nang mathra nin mele love at first sight aythu. I love you Kane Kothi” antha helde. Adare Shanvi yenu reaction ah kodlilla. “Iga niv thirugthiro athava nanu waterfalls ge bilabekah?” antha helde. Avl odi bandu nan thapkondlu. Nav thumba sali Beda antha bittu Hogiro vishya, namge gothilde iro thara namuna hutkondu vapas baruthe… Vapas bandaga puna bittu hogo thapu madbedi….
It is better to go for someone who loves you, rather than someone who you love…
Theme art By ✍️, Anjana Vijay ( anjana_vijay )
Story By ✍️, Srujan Gowda ( user__not._.available )
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