Love in Bangalore
Traveling is usually painful. You have to depart from someone. This was a
pain too, because I knew I would never meet him again. I had to wait for two
hours in the transit Delhi for my next flight to Kathmandu.
**
I could not reject when my roommate came up with accepting the proposal of
entire class going to Pondicherry, which was something like 180 kms away from
Bangalore. I had been to Goa, few years back, but they regarded Pondicherry as
‘Goa of South India’. I knew classes were about to be boring, so I had no
reasons to reject this proposal.
There were four girls from Africa, three from Bangladesh, and two from Sri
Lanka, and two of us were from Nepal, that is me and Soniya. We got to see
faces of boys when we met at Majestic, from where we would get the bus. There
were around 10 boys too, and I had no idea where they were from. I could figure
out that three of them were from Africa from the color of the skin, and I had
no idea about the others.
Auro Beach! This beach was
comparatively cheaper one, and for those who were seeking for economic stay it
was the place. We took a single two storey hut. Girls were said to sleep up and
boys decided on sleeping down. We reached in the evening there. One reason why
people come to Goa and Pondicherry is they get to drink at cheaper price.
It was not that I had not tasted it. I remember drinking it back when I was
doing my high school in Kathmandu, but my parents would certainly kill if they
would figure this out. However, I used to drink without letting them even know
about it. I was free like a bird here, and why should I not drink? I drank a
small bottle of Kingfisher in no time.
It was when I was staying in the sand, drinking the other this guy came to
me. His name was Kifayat. We introduced each other. He was good looking, he had
bottle in his hand, and asked if he could sit beside me. I did not have any
reason to reject, so we started our talk there.
‘People in Afghanistan don’t drink generally. I know this is bad, but…
still Cheers!’ He toasted.
‘Hi! I am Prapti, from Nepal’ I told.
‘Prapti – to gain’? He asked.
He told me he would understand Hindi to some extent and could any way relate
the meaning too. I had no idea where Soniya was, because I was concerned what
she would think of me if she saw us together. But till the whole time we talked
of sports between Afghans and Nepalese, Western music, football clubs,
interests, she did not showed up. I had completed my fourth small bottle. I
could see other guys from Yemen, as Kifayat told but Soniya did not show up.
This was Ema, guy from Uganda who told us to return back and get some sleep.
By the time I went back, I could see Soniya already sleeping. Next day, I
figured out that she was hanging with some guy from Yemen too. We had to be
good friends to others as well. We visited French Beach, Paradise Beach, and
returned back. On return, Soniya herself sat with this new guy, and seeing me
alone, Kifayat came and joined me. Our talk further continued, we shared
earphone listening to each other’s music. I played him Nabin K Bhattarai’s
song, which he told he liked despite not understanding the lyrics. Kamal Man
Singh was singing, ‘Naya Sapana, Naya Sahar..’. He probably would never
had guessed that his song would be played inside the bus of South India. We
would both sing along with the song when it was English numbers.
**
Kifayat and me, we started getting close. Soniya used to be with me in the
hostel; else I was with Kifayat every time. He had his car; we used to go
together for nearby places for ride too. Nandi Hills was where he proposed me.
I could not accept him, I had my restrictions, I had my family. But how could I
reject him? I was serious, it was no drama, I was serious.
Soniya suggested me to accept. But I talked to him, and told the reality
that we are living in. I could be his girl friend, but I could never be his
wife and live with him. He started texting messages like ‘I love you’, but
still I was not his girlfriend, I never said him ‘I love you too’. He first
seemed to be angry, but later he accepted. He never stopped saying me ‘I love
you’, I never protested, nor did I replied him ‘I love you too’ any day. Entire
college would assume us being in relationship, they would assume us even stupid
and worse. I realized this when Soniya said one day that she heard Nepalese
senior boys talking ‘Kifayat and Prapti were kissing in Kifayat’s car’, which
was completely untrue.
I used to be with him in his car, we used to be together, we used to go to
bars, and we used to go to pubs. Mc Donald’s staff had already recognized us,
as we used to go there for snacks almost regularly, but I had nothing physical
with him. Yes, we were more than best friends, but only we knew how things were
moving ahead. Soniya used to suspect me sometimes, when I could not justify her
with satisfactory reasons how could I do with others?
I then started ignoring them. Kifayat was being really good to me, he was
protective to me. He used to do stupid things like bringing me bottle of wine
when I just said I wanted to drink. He used to come out of my hostel just to
study few Accounting numerical. He used to send me surprise gift time and
again, let that be from online portal of India or through Soniya. He used to bring
me lot of cloths when he went back to his country.
**
Three years of my course ended so quick that I could not believe it on my
own. I just feel like my dad bringing me to Bangalore yesterday. I do have
memories with friends from Kerela, Karnataka, Yemen, Uganda, Namabia, Mongolia,
but I had with Soniya and Kifayat the most.
Kifayat had his Bachelors completed as well. He would be leaving the
next day to Afghanistan. It was just because he wanted to wave me goodbye
first. Soniya planned of returning back month later. She wanted to apply for
job there. I had to return back.
I was a free bird, but there were talks going on about my marriage already
in the home. I knew I loved Kifayat. But there were barriers- geographical,
religious, social and everything. Now they – my dad and my mom were about to
shape my future. I am happy that at least I got to live three years of my life
as per my wish.
**
‘Baini, hamro plane yahi haina ra?’ A man talked to me in Nepali voice, that made me realize that I was lost
in my thoughts of past. I went inside the plane. Before switching off the
mobile phone, I texted to Kifayat,
I love you too.
