an unforgetable experience ...

It was like just some other day when I was surfing Internet, actually I was looking up for new cell phones over the internet and I came across a site which takes order online and delivers your booked good for free within 4-5 days, there was a add flashing the name of some novels on the right side of page. I thought to give a try to this kind of service with some cheaper goods and novel was a good option for it, so I shifted from mobile section to books section where there were some really low price novels, I chose one which I came to know was having stories some successful Entrepreneurs, I am always fascinated to know about those kind of people so I booked that one which cost 90rs. The line at the bottom of the page reads ‘no shipping charges for order over 100rs’ which made me thought of some other books as well.

I always like to read love stories, still remember LOVE STORY by Eric Segal which was I think the first one I read and which planted a seed of occasional reading inside me then I started looking for some love stories and suddenly came across a name ‘I too had a love story’. The name took my immediate attention on it and the reason being the past tense in the name ‘had’. I looked its price and it was some 70 bucks which was fulfilling my necessity of additional order. I was happy to get a mail after online payment stating my order number and the confirmation.

Two more days passed and I was in office that time as always and my cell start flashing a unknown number which I got to know was someone from the courier asking me to take my order from office mail room, I was happy enough to get my first online order of my life which I just booked to see the service of that website so that in future I can use it for other things as well. It was Tuesday I guess when I got the parcel which remained in the same state till weekend.

Then comes the best day of a week the weekend that too Saturday, means you are still left with a Sunday. I woke up at 11 that day since on Friday night I had to drop one of my good friend to the station and her train was at 4AM, they were two going together and I also took one of my friend with me. It made a perfect gang to kill time and to wait for the train in a coffee shop at station premise. Finally coffees also gave up and we were eagerly waiting for our watches to show it 4AM. Then finally we two bade those two good byes and came back, it was almost 5am when we reached home and slept.

After knowing that there was no milk left he also left for his home without tea in the morning but cursing me I guess. It was 1 in the clock now and I was thinking what to do next which made me to remind the parcel with two books inside it. I saw both books and decided to start with love story one which contained a comment of N.R. Narayan Murthy which was sufficient enough for me to opt it.

I flipped over few pages without reading anything just to get a feel of its content, then at the back page I read few feedbacks which sounded too sad like ‘ love stories seldom die’ then I read words from author of the book who was 26 and working with Infy. He has written something like..’ in the memory of a girl whom I love but could not marry’ My first thought was that it might be containing a story of some break up or may be involving orthodox families which has made Ravin(author) to write those lines, and someone to state ‘Love stories seldom die’.

I started reading it with full curiosity to know what has caused this line to come out from Ravin’s heart. I finished first chapter which revolved around Ravin and his college friends with whom he lived his hostel life, it was quite good start of a novel to me as I have been to almost kind of similar hostel life, got life time friends with everlasting memories to cherish. Till now there was no love story in the book rather it introduced me with Ravin and I felt acquainted with him as he also belong to same industry where I work just a matter of Infosys and Amdocs. Moreover while reading I always knew that this was based on his own true story which had already triggered anxiety within me to know about whole thing.

It started with him making his profile at shadi.com, may be just for time pas or something but he did that. After which I also got this great idea of him to look into girls profile on such matrimonial sites during office hours, which I may not try now after finishing the book.

As expected Ravin started getting suggestions from the website claiming best matches for him, but to contact them it require some charges,  as its a human tendency to take a step back to rethink whenever anything require money. He did same and dint register himself as a paid member for few weeks. I think my last sentence was sufficient to say that finally he paid money, but wat made him do so. To me it was love which has started somewhere in him for someone whom he never met never seen but just heard that too for the first time, but there was something in that conversation which lasted for few more mins than normal for two strangers.

As I moved to next pages it was all going very good and a story which you want for yourself, getting a girl in your life whom you wanted to be there forever, you get a feeling of being special for someone and making them feel same, you share your whole day activities with them on late night calls which last for hours. Attachment grows when you sense her happiness just because you were happy and sadness with your sorrows, all qualities of your dream girl with you trying your best to be her prince charming.

Best of all, your parent don’t know about it and her whole family knows you, Of course they should know as you two met because of a matrimonial site whose purpose justified this acquaintance. Now its your turn to make your parent aware of this and you can’t even imagine about their reaction. For some time I tried to put myself into Ravin’s shoes just to imagine how my parent would have reacted had I told them about my girlfriend (non existing matter) . It’s like me going home after few months having in mind that I have to tell them about her, what would I say, would I say it in direct words like hey mom hey dad there is a girl in my life, I came here to tell you about this, What would be their reaction. A tight slap..? or a hug saying wow beta we are very happy to hear this, or maybe they would have called mental hospital or police.. Oh God!. All these imaginations kept revolving in my mind and I decided to give Ravin his shoes back, why would I think of my non existing girlfriend and its side effects. So I better kept reading further and found out that he had finally managed to tell everything to his parents and got their consent. What else do u need, girls family already knows you and you have got your parent on your side too.

Everything was so perfect but more like a fairy tale, both of you have seen each other in only in pics and you have decide to marry. Now this is what I believe anyone will call love when you have left outer beauty apart and you know how beautiful the other person is from inside. You make a permanent place in their heart and they are now only yours.

Did I mention girls name yet?  She was Khushi, and as name implies she soon became his happiness. It feels like a dream when someone tells you how much she is missing you in the first rain of the season, how badly she wants to dance with you to celebrate this joy and you get drenched, not with the rain but with her thoughts, her emotions, you too wanted to be there, its not raining here at your place but you can see drops of water with her eyes, you start sensing unsung music in your ears, you can feel her happiness in her words, in every breeze of air you can smell her fragrance. You talked till the rain stops and your mobile battery played games, you wanted to continue the conversation but technology has limits.

All these happy moments described in the book made me feel that this is perfect couple that we call ‘made for each other’ kind of, I felt myself more like Ravin’s friend with whom he was sharing his happiest moments of life. He was telling me all about how his love story started, till here I have finished quite a chunk of pages and it was 5pm in the clock which reminded me that I have a stomach also to take care of, so I decided to take a break and had lunch in place of evening snacks. But I could not concentrate on anything and just finished my food in a hurry to hear more from him.

5:30pm I started again, now I came across a page which I was waiting for, a talk about their first meet in person. How would they react when they will see each other for the first time other than pics. A situation was created where Ravin was going to meet her would be better half for the first time, he was going to see her family also. I was so exited of knowing whether some romantic encounter will take place or the time will play games with them demanding some more of itself. Now that’s what I call interesting part of any love story, their first encounter. Finally they met and there was a situation created by fate that these two creatures almost kissed each other but couldn’t. I felt pity since Ravin was there only for a short visit and the similar time might not come again.

Things continued, he got acquainted with her family they know each other more than earlier. Love was prevailing everywhere, in their sms, their thoughts, their talks, in the rain. Love was in the air. I was also able to smell it very well. They were enjoying their happiest moments of life. They were perfect, they were lovers, they were made for each others, this is something like justifying that marriages are made in heaven.
But then I went back few hours, where I was about to start this book. I remembered the title contained past tense in it ’I too had a love story’ which aired some unimaginable feeling inside me, I thought story is about to end with their marriage since there was no chance of breakup left now as they were completely in love, no chances of something fishy in anyone’s family as by now their parents have also met with each other with full consent on marriage, the couple were planning of putting a success story on shadi.com, they were planning their engagement like anything. Date opted was one made only for love birds the Valentine’s Day, then what is going to happen which involved ‘had ’ in place of ‘has’ in the title.To find it I passed through some more pages, which only described their love for each other, her beauty, their romance, their phone calls, and all that contained love.

Had it been some other fiction novel I would have never cared about its end, but it was like someone is telling his experience to me on a weekend and I was hearing this friend of mine with full concentration. I was getting restless to know what would happened finally, so I thought of delaying my dinner for some more hours as it was already 10in the clock. Then comes a chapter named ‘The unexpected’, name itself took my breath away as I thought this will contain something which no one wants at this moment. And as I moved over few other pages I suddenly felt a kind of load on my heart, My first reaction to the mentioned situation was …’HOLY SHIT’ , God please don’t do this there are only 2 days left in their engagement let them enjoy their life pleasantly. Not knowing what is going to happen next I just turned over the book on my pillow and kept saying… everything will be allrite don’t worry. I thought that just by reading this I have lost my mind, what about Ravin who has faced this in reallity. How he had felt that time when he came to know about her fiancée.

She was in hospital, with everyone and now me too praying for her to be well soon. Both were miles apart from each other and I could sense the shock that Ravin had got upon hearing this news. He just wanted to be with his darling there.

I don’t know when tears came into my eyes and my heart starting beating faster, we all (me and them) were wishing for her wellness and their happy married life. After few pages there was one containing information about her situation getting good. I took a breath of relief and thought that finally this love story would soon get a happy ending and all these moments were created by the God just to impart more love in each other’s heart.
Most of the book was over and I was turning final pages of it, and was able to sense some impending events, with fingers crossed I kept on reading and then on the next moment Khushi was sitting beside him. She has prepared his favorite rajma rice for him and was feeding him with her beautiful hands. I could not resist and prayed.

Next thing I know I was speechless; I was numb, only word coming out was ‘no’ unknowingly my eyes filled with tears which kept on growing thick as I continued, and as I went to the last chapter I can’t resist myself from crying, knowing it was the real story I just could not stop thinking about it.

I could not sleep well that night with my mind filled with lots of unanswered questions. I could feel what he was feeling while writing the last chapters of the book, I could imagine his trauma when he has written about how he felt like crying louder in shower where sobbing is disguised with splashing sound.

I started thinking about yesterday when at 4am I was waving a bye to my friends and the 4am narrated here which completely changed a life. Soon after finishing it I called up my friends and was glad to had words with them.

For me it started with a search of some mobile phone, but then making order of two books which I received in time. Just to make my order of 100 bucks I ordered this one without knowing its content but just to read some romantic story, which turned out to be a real one and left me with tears in my eyes and a sleepless night.

Finally a must read for all …. ‘I too had a love story’