3.

Not one minute had passed in silence since we drove past the lake and I was realizing, when it came to interaction,Deep was far from boring. He almost gave me a mini tour of the city during the drive and imitated a typical tour guide as he pointed out landmarks and heritage buildings that fell on route keeping me completely entertained and engrossed.Almost half hour later, he stopped the car in front of the beauty salon where Shreya was busy getting ready, it would take another 10 minutes she informed us on phone, so Deep and I kept talking while we waited. This time I casually inquired about his studies and work.
"I'm an engineer and have just started my career, my life's all about the daily grind. let's talk about Keya instead. So, you go to college, in Delhi? " inquired Deep.
"Yeah Delhi university, my final year of studying economics,can't believe its almost time to leave.I wish we didn't have to leave college ever" I sighed
"Hey! senti-mental! I believe in making the most of our present, so while you're in the final year, make sure you never leave a single opportunity to have a blast with friends and even the teachers if you wish" he laughingly added.
"Ya right right! actually apart from studies I'm into lots of co-curricular activities,actively involved in college theatre and university fests.So, I am definitely having the best time of my life or as you put it ,having a blast! didn't you too in your days?"
"Oh without doubt! I wish I could go back there, not that I don't enjoy my job, but being a student is out of this world, no responsibilities, no tension, one should live that phase to the max with all those friends whom you may or may not see once you pass out,professional life can be pretty unnerving.",for a moment he seemed lost in a memory and then returning from the thought he continued, "Aah nevermind! You made me nostalgic, damn! I should be angry at you"
"I can see that, sorry! I seemed to have pulled the wrong strings."
"C'mon, you didn't pull wrong strings, I have no wrong strings, they are just strings,all strings attached ready to be pulled" he chuckled, "but if you're still feeling sorry , I can tell you a way to make it up to me",his eyes twinkled while he said that.
"Ahaan, how? may I know?" my curiosity was growing and I looked away from him
From the corner of my eyes I saw him turn towards me on the driver's seat, then he gave me a long stare and said "A Kiss".
My eyes widened, my throat dried up, I clenched my fist, a chill ran down my spine, in three seconds I was scared, confused, surprised and a lot many things, he wouldn't be able to harm me in the middle of a market place was my first thought and Shreya would be out of the parlour any moment now, "Relax Keya!" I calmed myself,  I felt his gaze on me, so gathering myself ,I turned to confront him  in order to clarify whatever nonsense he had in mind and made eye contact. Then I watched as Deep coolly slid his hands in his jacket's inner pocket, taking out a small chocolate and placed it on my lap saying "I meant a Hershey's Kiss,eat it" breaking into a fit of laughter. This time I was the senior ragged by a fresher. My face flushed as I picked up the chocolate from my lap, this was the most embarrassing moment of my life and also the funniest I realized. I gave out a nervous chuckle and sighed.Five minutes later unwrapping the chocolate,I looked at Deep, his laughter had subsided,so I jokingly remarked "God! you almost freaked me out with that sense of humor of yours". He nodded like a true prankster and replied "there's a lot more to me than you see baby" chuckling he added, "by the way I must tell,you look gorgeous in green" and then giving me a genuinely warm smile he stepped out of the car to check if Shreya was ready to go.
We reached back to the house right on time to Boori aunty's respite and the ashirbaad ceremony commenced shortly after Anurag's arrival.The couple was surrounded by onlooking relatives while the elders blessed the couple one by one with rice, darbha and sandalwood paste and the ceremony was completed with Anurag and Shreya exchanging rings as rose petals were showered on them. Even though not a Bengali custom,the current generation cannot celebrate without a DJ, so the ring ceremony was immediately followed by uninhibited dancing by the old and the young alike, it was an entertaining sight to watch the most unlikely people grooving to party music. later,at the dinner buffet Ma and I saw that it was a gathering of a hundred odd guests and personally attending to each guest can quite a task, but everybody was extremely happy with the arrangements, all credit going to Deep. His event management skills were a talking point this evening as I was told by baba later. I was strolling around with my dinner plate looking for a place to sit , I ran into Deep who was busy playing host and asked him to get his plate of food and join me , to which he replied tongue- in cheek, "As long as you're eating, my stomach's full". Once again taken aback by his bold words I scurried for an appropriate response and said, "You're flirting with me mister! do you realize that?"
"Obviously I am, didn't you realize that? ha ha"
"Huh very funny! so won't you stop?"
"Naah! especially since I know you're single"
" Ahaan!Who told you I was?"
"Ain't you? Oh my God should I be worrying about getting bashed up by your boyfriend" replied Deep with a fake 'scared' expression that I found immensely cute.
"Ughh! Please spare me I don't have one. What about you huh?" my curiosity was flying
"I am trying to make a girlfriend, she's standing right in front of me."
I couldn't stop myself from gushing hearing that and coolly said " My god ! you're out of control man, ha ha ,fine! keep trying" I winked at him
"Without doubt I will but before that I need to go check on a few guests, I'll be back darling"
"Okay darling! I'm waiting" was my impromtu response,he gave me a friendly nudge and left.I had never flirted like this before and neither had I ever been so charmed by a man like I was by this one.
The rest of the evening went through well,with good music, food, dancing and endless conversations. I was introduced to friends and family every 20 minutes by my parents and I politely obliged, exchanged greetings and made small talk, but my mind seemed to wander everytime and I couldn't figure why.
The function came to an end quite late in the night and all the guests started to leave and the ones staying in the house prepared to retire in their rooms, I separated from the crowd and sat down on one of the benches in the lawn watching the cleaners prepare to clear the post-party mess, the caterers packing up the left over food and Shreya di's uncles shouting out instructions to them for the next day's lunch menu. In the midst of  the commotion I happened to catch a glance of Deep talking intensely with one of his uncles, wishing him to look towards where I sat, but he didn't to my slight disappointment . For the first time I closely observed his looks, he was a medium built man with a blend of cute and handsome facial features and long wavy hair to give him a rugged appearance, as a finishing touch a pair of dimples and that infectious smile created the boyish charm he effortlessly carries around.His looks and behaviour were both complementary as well as opposing in an interesting fashion making me more and more curious to know him. It was at that moment when I realized how, in a span of  just 5 hours two complete strangers had unexpectedly transited from complete indifference to friendly teasing without a pinch of effort,the boldness and the strikingly frank verbal exchange was a new experience for me and refreshing too. My early prejudices against the man had gone for a toss since the moment he offered me the Hershey's kiss. I felt unusually happy and strange by my uncanny liking for Deep,knowing that we've only just met .
It had been a long and eventful day. While going inside the house baba noticed me sitting on the bench and walked up to me. He mentioned the lateness of the hour and asked me to go to bed so I would wake up fresh next morning.I assured him that I would and that I needed to sit alone in the lawn for just a little more time. He approved and let me stay.So,once again left alone with my thoughts I flung my sandals away and placed my bare feet on the cool dewy grass, breathed in the breezy night air and gazed at the clear, starry sky.

2.

Shreya Bannerjee in her late 20's was a beautiful woman, the kind of person one looks upto for beauty, elegance, smartness, academic acheivements and most importantly for a good nature. The Bannerji family was proud of their daughter, and rightfully so. During lunch Boori aunty  introduced me to Shreya Di and asked us to talk and get to know each other, apart from an initial hesitation and shyness, within a couple of hours I began to interact with all the youngsters present there with ease. Shreya and her cousins made me feel like I was already a part of the gang as they interrogated me about college, studies and my life in general with genuine interest,taking away any kind of awkwardness that comes naturally when we meet people for the first time.
One of the cousins informed me that this evening we would be having the ashirbaad ceremony, the bengali version of an engagement ceremony that preferably takes place a couple of days before the wedding. Shreya di was living one of the most beautiful phases of her life, and like any normal girl she had dreams of being the most beautiful bride in the world, so she had made sure that she chose the best attire for each ceremony, perfectly combined with jewellery, make-up , shoes and the works. She showed me the anarkali suit she would be wearing for the ashirbaad ceremony,the fabric was a soft pista shade and was heavily embroidered but certainly elegant, and I felt she had the taste,to be slightly cliche yet remarkably different. I verbally appreciated her choice which made her blush with nervous excitement. We chattered casually all afternoon about things such has the wedding preparations, other relatives,the romantic love story of Shreya and her now fiance Anurag , interrupted by funny little gossip sessions of the cousins about their own respective love lives and so on ,meanwhile I kept thinking of my own attire for the evening, I hadn't really planned so much, now I was wishing I had.
It was almost 4 in the evening when Shreya di left for the Beauty parlour to get dressed. I continued hanging around the house with the rest of the family and friends, getting to know them while gorging on tea and snacks that almost magically appeared in all rooms every hour throughout the day. I had just finished my latest cup of tea and was searching for the kitchen to return the cup when I ran into Deep, this time in the foyer, only the second time after I had seen him from the balcony. He was fiddling with his iPhone and headsets and carrying a set of dry-cleaned blazers while walking towards a room, maybe his. He had his back towards me, so I cleared my throat which made him turn. He seemed to recognize me as the girl on the balcony as his acknowledging eyes met mine.I politely queried about the kitchen, he showed me the way and before I could thank him and  introduce myself, the man continued walking away, fiddling with this gadget. Not that he was rude, but there was something about his attitude which annoyed me, how much additional time would it have taken to make the conversation last a bit longer and ask a girl her name, especially when the girl is a guest at your sister's wedding. Then a moment later I asked myself why was I getting so flustered,I do not know him at all, hence how he behaves with his guests should be the least of my concerns.So I quickly found the kitchen as directed and went back to the cheerful living room to join the rest of the party,volunteering to help the elders with a few last minute chores.
The guests had started pouring in from 6 in the evening, Ma and I took almost 2 hours to decide our clothes and earrings and to get ready. My mother loves to dress me up,and insists on applying make-up whenever the occasion, Personally I would prefer to keep my face bare most times but just to keep her from getting grumpy about my lack of interest in self decoration, I agreed to apply kajal and a hint of lip color of her choice, and wore a green cotton silk churidar for the ceremony, simple and comfortable, the way I like it. All of us were asked to gather in one of the halls in the ground floor which was assigned for the ashirbaad ceremony, Once we were ready, Ma and I went down to the hall together and joined baba who was already present there helping Alok uncle with some arrangements before Anurag arrived. I scanned the hall once to see the number of guests arriving and to check out the pool of fashion one expects at an event like this. In one corner, next to the pandit stood Boori aunty, all dressed up, talking anxiously on the phone. I started walking to her casually when she noticed me and suddenly asked me to quicken my stride, I hurried towards her asking what was the matter. Shreya di was running late at the parlour and if someone didn't go pick her up immediately the ceremony would get unnecessarily delayed, Boori aunty feared that Anurag's parents might not like to see the bride-to-be missing when they arrived.
"Keya beta, go find Deep for me please, will you?" requested a hyper tensed boori aunty
"Of course aunty, just wait here. and please drink some water, there is nothing to worry about." I calmly replied before starting to look for her son.
I found him near the front gate, chatting with a guy his age,most probably a friend.
I went up to him and said in a business like tone , "Excuse me Deep! Boori aunty is looking for you, it's urgent." He heard me, nodded and went towards the hall, I followed him inside.
What followed in the next 5 minutes was a rapid conversation and split second decisions between mother and son. It was decided that Deep would immediately go and pick up Shreya from the parlour and bring her back to the house before 8 o'clock sharp. He would have to take a girl along who would be able to assist shreya in case she needs any help . Boori aunty started looking around the hall in urgency for a girl to send with Deep and by chance I fell within her view, so It was decided that I would be the assistant.
I was only too keen to be of any help to Shreya di , whom I had taken a liking to and agreed to accompany Deep without any question, so I followed him to the car and sat on the passenger's side quietly as he put on the seat belts, started the engine and we quickly pulled out of the driveway once again at a speed only batman would risk. I was slightly apprehensive about the car ride with this man, There was something about the attitude that was bothersome, nothing negative, but almost like a wall which seemed to be challenging my otherwise clear sense of judgement. Surely it would be an awkward car ride and not to mention boring but only till we reach Shreya Di of course. I sighed and looked straight out of the windshield and chose to entertain myself on my own by marveling at the beautifully lit roads, the pretty houses, people walking down the streets in no hurry, very unlike the non-stop bustling of New Delhi. The almost poetic charm of the Bhopali evening was seeping in as we drove by.
We were only 5 minutes into our drive and as we exited from the resident locality and touched the main road along the lake, I heard a question coming from the driver's seat, "So, you're Keya, like Keya Paata... you're a leaf?
Surprised that he was aware of my name and that this arrogant wall had a sense of humour, I giggled and replied , "Ha Ha ,yes!! I am a leaf, I get that a lot and I know you're Deep and I think you're lost too deep into your own world?"
My poor joke seemed to have an effect on the guy as I watched his stiff facial muscles relax, he looked at me with the expression of a college senior being ragged by a fresher, he realized how I had quite smoothly made a sarcastic remark on him and unintentionally hit bull's eye, he opened his mouth, maybe to defend himself with a comeback but chose not to and gave me a grin instead followed by a friendly wink and finally breaking into an innocent throaty laughter which was so infectious,I couldn't help but join in.

1.

The train had just started entering Bhopal Junction, Baba was already at the exit door of the coach with all our luggage. He was popping his head out of the open door to look in the forward direction trying to see as far as he could while being safe and consequently letting know something seemingly important to a fellow passenger standing right behind him. My baba and this man represent the typical Indian railway passenger,as if hanging out from the coach makes the train go faster or slower or as if the train driver uses it as some sort of a signal to decide which platform the train should enter based on the passenger's expressions. Everyone around me seemed to be waiting to get hold of the first coolie who comes running towards the halting train shouting out his service charges to the tired, sleepy passengers,worn out by journey in need of some help with their extra luggage. I watched with amusement, as the patient travelers who seemed to have the time for a long tiresome overnight journey from New Delhi to Bhopal, suddenly transformed into a chaotic restless cattle trying to jump out of the train as soon as possible,negotiating aggressively with the coolies while frantically searching for a dear one expected to receive them with a big smile. I was a part of the cattle of course. Me and Ma noticed as we deboarded that baba had arranged a coolie already with his quick negotiating skills, something he was a natural at, being in the marketing industry for the last 23 years as he would often proudly announce. We handed over our baggage and the three of us followed the coolie out of the station building towards the taxi stand. We hired a taxi , loaded the luggage and as the driver asked the address, baba looked at ma with an obvious expression, she stared back at him in question. I was the daughter to this couple for 20 years now and knew what might me going on here, so I clarified to ma , "You do have the address fed into your cell ma don't you?"

"Paagol naaki! Your baba noted it down,I didn't" she replied.

"what me??! I asked you to note it down abha, didn't I ??your mother is unbelievable I tell you.." baba defended himself

and started a typical 10 minute long argument on carelessness, irresponsibilty, taking each other for granted and every other unrelated issue that could be recalled in that short span of time. In the end none of them won and nothing productive seemed to come out of it, we still didn't have a solution or the address. In addition My father's phone battery was dead which made it impossible to contact anyone for directions. The taxi driver couldn't care less, his meter was running anyway. Finally after both my parents got tired of their silly fight, I coolly mentioned how I had foreseen something like this happening and had taken a picture of the wedding card on my cell phone before leaving home, so we did have the address,suddenly everyone including the driver seemed to thank me for my presence of mind and the taxi started to roll finally. All the way during the taxi ride I couldn't stop laughing along and making fun of my oldies, embarrassed and refreshed by their daily dose of arguments, something they couldn't exist without just the way they couldn't exist without each other. 

After about 20 mins the taxi pulled in front of a big old, white house. Getting out of the taxi we looked towards the entrance. Long strings of marigold covered the iron gates which were wide open and a man was perched on the boundary wall arranging decorative lights.This was definitely a wedding venue, we had reached the right place. As baba payed the driver, Ma excitedly rushed inside,into the front lawns, calling out for a 'Boori Di' with a loud, clear sing song tone of voice as if it was her right to be doing so.There were a dozen people present in the front lawns, everyone busy with some task, they all turned as we entered, all happy faces with a bit of curiosity trying to figure out our identity, I blushed as Ma kept calling out, I had preferred to stay back at home, I had never met this family I had tried to explain, how would I enjoy a wedding if I know not a single soul there, but my parents hadn't approved of my unsocial attitude towards the trip, instead they convinced me that I would have nothing but a gala time, I could never win when Ma went rigid , hence,here I was standing with my super excited mom waiting for 'boori di' to appear. She did only after the third call, she came running down the stairs and out of the house towards the entrance with a grin so big and arms so wide open that I couldn't help but wonder how close my parents have been to her. I was told that Shobha aunty (better known as boori) and her husband  Alok uncle had been our next door neighbours for 15 years before they shifted away. Alok uncle and my father had been good  friends since college days and as neighbours they had had an amazing time together, even after each of them got married and had kids.

I was just 4 when they had left our locality , even though they could never meet us they had stayed in touch through letters and phone calls, never forgetting my family in good and bad times. So now when their elder daughter Shreya was about to get married, we were invited and this time baba promised Alok uncle that we would surely be present at the wedding and reunite after almost 16 years, a long long time. 

Boori aunty hugged Ma tightly almost half jumping and exclaimed as she saw baba behind us, "Oma Debashish! You've got greying hair,has it been that long??? I cannot believe I'm seeing you all finally, what a delight!" , Hearing the high pitched chatter that followed between the women,Alok uncle came smiling from somewhere behind the house and acknowledged us by hugging baba just like the friend he had been several years ago, like no time had gone by. Then his eyes fell on me and he asked with wide eyed surprise "keya?" ,I shyly smiled and  nodded and before I knew Boori aunty squeezed me in her arms with warmth that seemed strangely comforting.

"Keya!! You're a lady already, and you've grown so pretty babah! welcome my dear..I'm sure you will love it here once you get introduced to everyone" With that we were ushered inside the house and taken to a room allotted for us in the first floor and asked to rest for as long as we wished before the pre-wedding ceremonies started in the evening.. I figured the guests had just started to arrive one by one, friends, relatives all of whom would be living under the same roof. For the next 5 days we would  all stay in this house, the wedding venue, the party venue, everyone and every event would be right here, in this big, old white bungalow.

After freshening up I stepped out of the room into the attached balcony that faced the front portion of the house.A soft breeze was blowing, it was still early in the day so the weather felt rather cool and crisp. I looked around to see the skyline, it was not much,this house was located in a quite posh locality about 2 kilometres from the famous bhopal lake,clean roads lined by gulmohar trees and the presence of not more than 50 similar bungalows. This house where I stood was one of the oldest and the prettiest in the area, with magnificent iron gates at the entrance opening to huge front lawns holding beds of in-numerous flowers, perfect green grass and a spacious driveway leading into the house building. As I would later explore to find that Boori aunty even had a small kitchen garden at the backyard where they grew some staple vegetables to be cooked fresh and there is also a  lovely terrace tastefully maintained for anyone who would want to sit there at leisure. Somehow I had got used to concrete apartments, a technology based life and a certain lack of garden space in the ultra modern city home where I spent most of  my childhood, maybe that is the reason so much open space, greenery and old -world aesthetics fascinated me.
After the unexpected warm welcome and a  relaxing bath I already felt home standing at the balcony of the house,a part of me felt happy my parents brought me along. Something was very positive about the air, I liked it here. Baba joined me in the balcony, giving me a smile that he wears when he knows I'm enjoying myself, I affirmatively smiled back at him, and we looked down towards the front lawns. A stage was being built, poles were being fixed in the ground for a canopy tent, hundreds of baskets of flowers were being brought in for decorations, preparation for celebration was in full swing. Moments later as I was in the middle of conversation with baba about the decor, we were distracted by a distant rumbling noise on the road ,it seemed to be the roar of an automobile engine. I heard the noise approach in our direction when suddenly a bike flew inside the gate along the driveway at a speed that I feel only batman would risk and braked to stop inches away from the inside door, dodging a few people on its way. A startled baba looked intently from the balcony trying to recognize the rider and based on my father's sudden interest in the person, I looked in that direction too with curiosity. The biker was a young man seemingly in his 20's I noticed, and as he got down I saw Boori aunty rushing towards him and talking to him with expressions as if he was someone very known to her, maybe someone from the host family. Just as I was playing detective, baba put to rest my over analytical brain by simply recalling who this young man was and informing me thus. " Keya, I don't believe how much the boy has grown, beyond recognition. I don't think you will have much memory of him, it's Deep! Alok uncle's younger son, Shreya didi's bhai .He was just 9 or 10 when I had last seen him, aah!Let me go find your Ma and catch up with the rest of the family members, we would be meeting so many people of this family after so many years, this is going to be great, you come too darling when you feel like, we will introduce you to everyone,there will be many girls and guys your age here,get ready and come down, till then me and your mom are downstairs with all the relatives." with that baba left the balcony searching for my mother. I continued looking down towards the lawn. A man arranging the tables worriedly called out from the lawns, " Aree Deep!! where had you gone?We need more tables, didn't you inform the tent wala?", I observed an unusually jumpy deep leave his bike on stand,walk on the grass towards the worried man and calm him down with a pat and a hand gesture which seemed like a promise to set everything in order before time only if they trusted him. His body language was that of a man at ease and who is confident about his surroundings, a happy-go-lucky sorts, interesting person. Suddenly I realized that my over analytical brain had observed ,analysed and judged an unfamiliar person, a stranger in mere 3 mins from a short but significant distance which made me seem so silly that I started laughing at myself. My laughter must have been really loud because suddenly a pair of eyes looked up from the grass towards the balcony where I stood. For a moment Deep wondered who I was and the next moment looked away,indifferent.