Life turns upside down, by not what you do, but by what you take from things you do. And life turns the table more quickly for people who are emotional and more sensitive to the unexpected journey they go through. Jargarita went through a similar philosophy in life and her life changed for better.
He was staring into her eyes and she knew not what to do. It had never happened with her..her face turned more pink. She feared looking into his eyes because she was getting aware of the connection building up. I could sense an aura around Jargarita,..they were in sink and the view of Pichola lake was taking over their romantic beauty. She was in harmony with nature, with him and maybe for the first time with herself. The rippling of the water was dancing in her ears & winds gusting through branches of a tree swept her off her feet. Udaipur & for moreover Bunkyard, the backpacker hostel, was witnessing a connection of two strangers & the spark which was created to never fade. Not just the city of lakes, but there were people around who could perceive it too.
Suddenly came the voice “Jargarita we need to pack our bags and hit the station fast. Hurry up”. I know she hated me the most at that moment, but the day had to come to an end & this was no exception.
We hurried to the railway station to move to the city of lights from city of lakes & that journey seemed to be very long for her. As the chugging sound of train deepened, we all got cosy on our berths. The train whistled as her life whistled too, and I could see the glow on her face as she was fast asleep. She might be dreaming about how fast the day went and how it gave her the memories to cherish & look upon.
The day started with discovering the placid lakes in the midst of exquisite natural scenery, the historical association of Mewars in City Palace Museum to Bagore ki Haveli which was meant to come to her. We all were excited for the puppet show & folk dance of the Haveli which was recommended to us by a foreigner. As the folklore begin, we started checking out foreigners and people around. My eye garnered more interest in the audience rather than in the puppet show & it was bound to be stuck on two “harioms”, a word coined by Jargarita for handsome boys. As the show ended, we all headed towards the exit, making our way behind those guys.
I always had this sense of adventure & did things to escape from the normal routine so I decided to talk to these stranger guys. It started with a casual talk to exchanging numbers to their visiting our Bunkyard. Raj & his friend were as comfortable with us as they had known us for years.
The brakes hissed and screeched as the train slowed down to halt. We reached Jaipur, the pink city and made our way to another hostel, Le pension. Jaipur was as boring for her as beautiful & picturesque Udaipur was. We constantly nagged her by the word “Bhabhi” & “Permanent Hariom” which made her constantly blush. We all were happy for her and this happiness completed our trip.
We all returned back to the usual humdrum of life except her. For her, the trip meant returning back to her connection. As days passed the connection grew stronger and stronger, started with skypes to meeting each other. Jargarita sensed a sense of commitment and her heart had decided to settle with Raj despite the family hurdles she will face. She was ready to take up whatever comes her way & decided to propose him after he is done with his post-graduation exams. She knew it was just a formal yes, as they had already bonded over with all heart and soul.
He turned the key, the car chortled with her & she just tuned in to her favourite song. Suddenly she started to tear up and said “ I love you so much, I want to relive my last two months for all the coming seasons in future & support you in every walk of life” Her heart beat skipped and eagerly waited for him to respond. The response came as a shock. She didn’t see this coming and heard a faint voice say “Even I like you Jargarita, but I never decided about marriage or any future plans. I had several girlfriends in the past, but marriage will only be decided by my father” She tried her best to make him understand that his father would like her and everything would be in place if they stand together but all in vain.
It was difficult for her, but she realised one thing that day that she would have stood against her parents for a guy who did not want to stand by her & never even plans to do so. She had feelings for a coward but as feelings can mesmerize anyone, so was she. She learned through this journey of her life and has never dared to see any hariom again..
