If you have ever been blessed enough to have been in love, you know how wonderful a feeling it can be.
This incident happened many a decade ago when mobiles were non-existant and Chandrakanta was still the most popular show on television. It was a time when Titanic had just waltzed in and out of theatres and hand written love letters on scented stationary was still fashionable. It was also a time of political unrest in my dear old God's own country with the usual tirade of attacks on party workers often resulting in days-on-end lost to hartals.
And somewhere in between all this was a young teenager in love with his classmate. I could use a lot of words to describe her and how she made me a better person and had a pivotal role in transforming me into who I am today but I will simply suffice with a single statement: two decades since I first fell in love with her, I still remember her as the nicest, kindest, sweetest human being I ever had the privilege to know. ( Well, she did have her flaws, of course! For one thing, she was not particularly bright, surely... I mean, she liked me, of all people! But hey, everyone is allowed a mistake or two! )
I remember this moment from the past because it was a particularly trying time for us. We were a young couple in love during a time when mobiles and instant communication was science-fiction and sadly, carrier pigeons were also not considered cool enough to be used. Yet, we made it work like any other set of teenagers from the 90's with our secret code words, love letters and landline calls.
But this time things were different. She had been hurt badly and was hospitalized in the same city I was in and there was nothing I could do about it. Unlike the norm today, there was no status update on Facebook or even phone number I could dial to talk to her while she was in the hospital.
After the second day with no news, I really needed to see her just to hear her voice and know she was okay. I knew her family would be there and frankly, had no clue in the whole wide world, how I would deal with them when they asked me who I was. I just knew that the person I loved was hurt and I needed to see her.
Would you believe it... at the same moment that night that I was working up the resolve to see her the next day after school, somewhere in a distant corner of Kerala, a bunch of political party workers decided to play dandiya with their opponents using sharp instruments! The next morning, I woke up to the news that there was no school... no buses, autos or shops either. The city was on lock-down as a hartal had been imposed owing to the actions of the warring factions. I would like to believe that they had some genuine motives for their fight. I imagine they did. But then what did I know? I was a guy in love who had just been told there was no way to see the person he cared about who was hurting too somewhere in a hospital bed.
That day, with police jeeps in the street actively looking to arrest people defying the hartal, a young teenager - famous for being a total pansy, mind you - did something nobody expected of him. He walked out of his house and defied a state lockdown. He walked for over five kilometers, avoiding the suspicious stares of officers and political party workers itching to start a fight until he reached his destination - the hospital. Having braved all that though, as he stood outside the door to her room, he did find that newly discovered courage fading fast. Had he made a monumental blunder coming here like this? Would he get thrown out of the hospital by her parents? Would she pretend she did not know who he was to escape being embarrassed in front of her folks?
And then a more sobering thought arose: you are two steps away from finding out how she is. Are you going to turn back now? A nervous yet assured smile appeared upon his face as he knocked on the door, a smile that would magnify a few moments later when her parents warmly bade him to enter and he saw a genuine smile appear on her face when she realized who it was.
I think the best memories from our past are of moments when we do ridiculous things for love. Time may pass and people may go away from our lives but we always remember that moment when we took a chance.
On that day, my city hurled stones and attacked each other with sickles for reasons I am sure no one remembers today. But in a single room in a hospital away from the violence, there was one young gorgeous girl who realized that the nut job she was dating really was in love with her and was even crazy enough to go the extra mile and then some (no pun intended) for her. And for that guy, seeing her safe and sound on that day was worth the risk of getting lynched.
Love will find a way, the old song goes. And I totally agree. I have always believed that when you are in true love, you become a better person. Perhaps it is because you finally value someone else's heart as much as your own. You genuinely want them to be happy always and look forward to making them smile and feel loved, even if there is the risk of you getting hurt.
Author's note:
“I am participating in the #SoundOfLove activity atBlogAdda in association with Bluestone”.
This incident happened many a decade ago when mobiles were non-existant and Chandrakanta was still the most popular show on television. It was a time when Titanic had just waltzed in and out of theatres and hand written love letters on scented stationary was still fashionable. It was also a time of political unrest in my dear old God's own country with the usual tirade of attacks on party workers often resulting in days-on-end lost to hartals.
And somewhere in between all this was a young teenager in love with his classmate. I could use a lot of words to describe her and how she made me a better person and had a pivotal role in transforming me into who I am today but I will simply suffice with a single statement: two decades since I first fell in love with her, I still remember her as the nicest, kindest, sweetest human being I ever had the privilege to know. ( Well, she did have her flaws, of course! For one thing, she was not particularly bright, surely... I mean, she liked me, of all people! But hey, everyone is allowed a mistake or two! )
I remember this moment from the past because it was a particularly trying time for us. We were a young couple in love during a time when mobiles and instant communication was science-fiction and sadly, carrier pigeons were also not considered cool enough to be used. Yet, we made it work like any other set of teenagers from the 90's with our secret code words, love letters and landline calls.
But this time things were different. She had been hurt badly and was hospitalized in the same city I was in and there was nothing I could do about it. Unlike the norm today, there was no status update on Facebook or even phone number I could dial to talk to her while she was in the hospital.
After the second day with no news, I really needed to see her just to hear her voice and know she was okay. I knew her family would be there and frankly, had no clue in the whole wide world, how I would deal with them when they asked me who I was. I just knew that the person I loved was hurt and I needed to see her.
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| Image source: here |
That day, with police jeeps in the street actively looking to arrest people defying the hartal, a young teenager - famous for being a total pansy, mind you - did something nobody expected of him. He walked out of his house and defied a state lockdown. He walked for over five kilometers, avoiding the suspicious stares of officers and political party workers itching to start a fight until he reached his destination - the hospital. Having braved all that though, as he stood outside the door to her room, he did find that newly discovered courage fading fast. Had he made a monumental blunder coming here like this? Would he get thrown out of the hospital by her parents? Would she pretend she did not know who he was to escape being embarrassed in front of her folks?
And then a more sobering thought arose: you are two steps away from finding out how she is. Are you going to turn back now? A nervous yet assured smile appeared upon his face as he knocked on the door, a smile that would magnify a few moments later when her parents warmly bade him to enter and he saw a genuine smile appear on her face when she realized who it was.
I think the best memories from our past are of moments when we do ridiculous things for love. Time may pass and people may go away from our lives but we always remember that moment when we took a chance.
Love will find a way, the old song goes. And I totally agree. I have always believed that when you are in true love, you become a better person. Perhaps it is because you finally value someone else's heart as much as your own. You genuinely want them to be happy always and look forward to making them smile and feel loved, even if there is the risk of you getting hurt.
Author's note:
“I am participating in the #SoundOfLove activity atBlogAdda in association with Bluestone”.
Let me know what you think.