"Radhika! We are getting late for the puja, Chellom!"
Radhika applied her kohl with haste, as her mother kept calling her. It was in her family's ritual to go to the temple every Chaturthi. She never found much meaning in idol-worshipping, but her parents insist. A domestic feud used to break out whenever she tried to explain how humanity is the religion above all. Soon enough, she learned to keep mum.
Radhika hurried out to see her parents waiting for her. "The Iyers never get late, Radhika!", her father scolded. "Sorry, Appa." Radhika cooed.
On their way out the temple, Radhika's phone started ringing. "Irfan Calling", it flashed. She took a quick glance at her parents, and saw her parents busy discussing how good the Prasadam was today. "Hello?", she said pressing the green button. "Meet me within 30 minutes. Our spot. There's something I need to tell you. Something important. Don't be late.", the call disconnected.
Radhika was a bit worried with the way Irfan sounded as she boarded the auto. Not to forget how her mother looked suspicious when she said she has to go to meet a friend. She was sure that her mother suspects something. All hell will break loose if her parents got to know that she's dating. That too someone from the Muslim community. But what made her brows furrow further, as she got down from the auto, was Irfan's phone call. Never has she heard him so.. so tense. She wondered what might have went wrong.
Her train of queries came to a halt when Irfan’s black Bentley Flying Spur came into view. Yes, Irfan made her learn it by heart. His Bentley was what he would give his life for, after Radhika.
Irfan waved at her, with a grave look plastered on his face. “What is it, Irfan? They got to know about us, didn’t they?” Even after 3 years and 5 months, Radhika couldn’t stop being scared of what would happen if their parents got to know the inevitable. “No, it’s about me Radhika. I should have told you this a long time ago. I couldn’t out of the fear of losing you. I’m not what I seem to you. I’ve been leading a double life all along.” Radhika’s heartbeat skipped a beat. “Wh-what?” “I’m Batman.” Irfan replied with a serious look, then burst out in fits of laughter. Radhika couldn’t stop herself from hitting the idiot. His childishness was what she fell for, though.
“Okay enough. Listen to me now. There is something I have to say.” Irfan cried while saving himself from her slaps. “Oh, like I’ll believe you again Drama-Queen!” Radhika retorted, her palms still busy hitting him.
“Marry me.” Radhika’s arms stopped midway in the air, “What?!” “Marry me, my dearest feminist.” Irfan repeated with an earnest voice this time. Radhika’s eyes welled up as she remained motionless. “Say something, Your Highness!” “Yes!” Irfan crushed her in his bear hug as soon as the word left her mouth. The kiss that followed made it pretty clear how crazy he was about her. “What about our families?” Radhika asked breaking the kiss abruptly. “I’ll make them accept us, Your Highness. You just keep loving me this way.”
“Amma, Appa, please listen to me once! Irfan loves me very much. I can’t marry anyone else but him. Please, please! Can’t you do this for my happiness?” Radhika pleaded with her parents. They haven’t talked with her ever since she told them about Irfan yesterday. “I wish I had no daughter to defame me in this way.” Her father said, walking out of the room. Radhika collapsed in her mother’s lap, crying. “Amma, I have always done as you and Appa asked me to. Always! Can’t I choose my happiness for once?” she sobbed. “That is the thing , Chellom! You are our perfect daughter, you can’t do such mistakes!” "Irfan isn’t a mistake, Amma. He is the only right thing for me.” Her mother fell quiet.
Two months later, Radhika hurried to their meeting spot to see Irfan waiting for her. They held each other in a long embrace. The last two months had been hard for them. After two months of tears, abuses, convincing and hoping against all the odds, their families had to budge in front of their love.
“Our love won the Jihaad, Your Highness.” Irfan smiled, kissing her forehead. “You never even told me how you convinced your parents.” Radhika remarked thoughtfully. “Didn’t I tell you not to worry?All you need to do is love me a lot. Just that, there is one condition.” Irfan said, easing out Radhika’s furrowed eyebrows. “Please don’t ever make me hear Karnāṭaka saṅgītam!” and the empty streets echoed with their laughter.
How the days flew after that, Radhika never realized. She got so caught up in the preparations of the wedding that she couldn’t even tell the difference between day and night. She couldn’t wait to start her perfect life with Irfan. Sometimes, she would see her mother crying, “They are very different from us, Chellom! How will my little daughter survive over there? What if they make you wear a burkha all the time?” Radhika would laugh. “Amma, Irfan’s family is very modern in these aspects. Haven’t I told you this already? Your Chellom will be very happy with her new family.” She would say smiling. Mothers would always be the most critical worriers.
Soon the day before the wedding came. Radhika’s home bustled with relatives. The next day morning Radhika and Irfan would get married according to the rituals of Radhika’s family and later that day, according to the rituals of Irfan’s family. As the night neared, Radhika started panicking. She and Irfan had stricken up a deal that they wouldn’t meet or talk an entire week before the wedding, so that their getting together would be even more special. But she couldn’t hold up her end of the deal anymore. She picked up her mobile to call Irfan, when it started ringing.
It was Irfan calling. Radhika’s face broke into a grin. They indeed were soulmates. She picked up the call to get no response from the other side. Apparently, Irfan’s phone had dialed her number on its own by mistake. Radhika couldn’t help but laugh at Irfan’s stupidity. She strained her ears to hear laughter on the other side. Then she heard Irfan’s voice. “Please bro, I know she is dull. But you have to agree, at least she is hot!” Roars of laughter in baritone followed. “These Hindus I tell you, they need to be shown their position. They think we are minors. Tomorrow night, I’ll show that Radhika who has the upper hand. Those Tamilians won’t dare to disrespect us after what I’ll do to her. ” “But Irfan, Radhika loves you and I thought you did the same!” Another voice came floating in. Irfan laughed mockingly, “I surely loved those secret fooling around sessions!” Followed by some more laughter. “That girl has so much attitude, she thought she has me under her charm! Little did that Tamil know that I’m the one pulling the strings here! Just one night is all I need, after that I’ll disown her. She’ll beg me, crumble at my feet, and that will bring me some solace finally.” The phone fell from Radhika’s hand with a dull thud. Hot tears stung her eyes, blurring her vision. She took out her wedding suit from the cupboard quietly.
She stared quietly as she set fire to her bright red saree, the fire burning even brighter in her eyes.
Ten years later.
“Mumma, look! So many colorful boats Mumma!” A little 6-year old boy tugged at Radhika’s sweater.
She smiled at her son, tousling his hair. “These are Shikaras, Chellom.” The little boy puffed up his cheeks in deep thought, saying, “Call Papa. I want to sit in Shikara!”
Radhika speed-dialed his phone number on her mobile. “Hello! Yes! Did you get lost or did Kashmir engulf you? Please Arjun, your son is eating my head off! Come soon!” Radhika disconnected the call and marveled at the picturesque Dal Lake, holding her little son’s hand.
She turned back to see her husband walking towards them. He picked their son up and soon cracked him up, tickling him all along. Radhika smiled at the two of them quietly. They meant the world to her. She loved how good Arjun was with their son. His maturity and patience never failed to amaze her in all these years. “Come, let’s get into a Shikara”, he said taking Radhika’s hand in his own.
As soon as they sat on a Shikara, Radhika laughed at how her son became a pet of the drivers. One of them asked his name to which the little boy replied, “Irfan!” “I didn’t realize you people are Muslim, Sir” One of the drivers said to Radhika’s husband. “We are Hindus, brother. There was once a guy named Irfan, for whom I got lucky enough to get this beautiful lady as my wife. So we thought, why not name our little symbol of love with the same name?” Arjun smiled.
Radhika stared at him. She has never met any other guy like Arjun. He was the one who was there when she suffered from clinical depression though the agonizing years. He was the one who taught her how to smile again. He was the one who gave her the little Irfan. She loved her little Irfan more than her life. More than she even loved her old Irfan. Radhika laughed at herself for still thinking “her” old Irfan in her mind. She indeed was foolish.
Her thoughts stopped abruptly as the Shikara ride came to an end.
“Papa! Papa!” Little Irfan called out as they got down from the Shikara. “Yes, little devil! What is it now?” Arjun answered. “I’m hungry Papa!” pat came the reply.
Irfan ran to the counter as they entered the little restaurant. Radhika and Arjun found a cozy table to sit at. “You look even more beautiful in Kashmir, Radhika.” Arjun said all of a sudden, making Radhika smile.
She was scrolling her eyes through the menu card, when she heard a voice saying, “We absolutely loved your idea. The Editor just wants to know what inspired you to write this story.” Another man replied, “It’s not a story. It is the truth of my life.” Radhika looked up to see the source of the voice, only to find out that the source was sitting with his back at her. The voice continued, “I once loved a girl and we were supposed to get married. A day before the marriage I came to know that my father was involved with the local mafia gang of our city and using his power, was planning to blow up her family’s cars on their way to the wedding spot. He didn’t say no to my face in fear of losing me and thus he planned out devices to end my love forever. Taking lives was nobler to my father than letting his son marry out of religion. I had to lie to the only girl I’ve ever loved to keep her safe from my family. I left my family after that and to be honest, my love for her turned me into an author. I owe it all to her.”
Radhika sighed sadly. She wasn’t the only one hurt in love. So many other people were there with broken hearts, living on the edge, surviving barely. She felt weirdly connected to the owner of the voice by their sorrow. She had a strong urge to go to his table and let him know her story, how tired she was of being heartbroken constantly, how the blinding pain still comes back as nightmares, tearing away at her soul, making her gasp for her breath.
But she was somewhat happy now. Arjun had healed it somehow, bit by bit.
Arjun smiled at her as he caught her staring at him. “I am a little bit handsome after all, I suppose!” Radhika chuckled at his reply. “Call the kid now. What is taking so long?”, Arjun asked.
Radhika looked over at the counter to see her little boy staring at desserts wide-eyed.
“Irfan!”, she called out loudly.
Radhika was rendered speechless when the author from the adjacent table turned around and said, “Yes?”, and then the author was rendered speechless too.
It was Radhika’s old Irfan.