This is the story of my friend "Raj" who was really a lively person. He has left this world, few years back, but still you can feel his existence in this story. According to him, life is something to sacrifice for those whom we love.
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Today, It has been passing few years since Raj’s death but I still remember each and every moment those I spent with him. He was such a lively person and he had the merit to make anyone laugh even in a tragic situation. Still I remember… It was a silent evening…
It was
Raj had been looking worried since four or five days, although I asked the cause but he avoided by making excuses. I thought it might because of this reason he wants to meet me.
After reaching Raj’s house I switched the call-bell. The door was opened by his mother. I wished her ‘Good Evening’ and asked, “Where’s Raj?” She replied, “He is in his room and a little bit upset today”
When I entered in his room I found that he was sitting on the Sofa in a serious mood, so I also went and sat before him.
No sooner I thought to ask something to Raj, in a fraction of second I got speechless because when I looked at his face I became very much surprised by reaching on the top of wonder. Raj, who makes one laugh while one’s crying and who always used to say, “One who cries, can’t be Raj”, is crying now.
I was forced to think that can tears come beneath Raj’s eyelid? Perhaps, I was right because I have seen a number of lively people but less lively than Raj, absolute lively Raj is.
Every times his eyes shine like stars and the glow of happiness on his face and smile on his lips can be noticed easily but everything is disappeared now.
I was smiling at Raj. I smiled and told, “Dear Raj, you always used to tell me, “Lively heart means life, how would a dead heart live.” “Now, where is your liveliness?”
Instead of answer, tears came out from his eyes. He looked once at me as though he wanted to request me, don’t tease me, please, I am enough worried already. He was really worried beyond the worry. I know him since my childhood, tears in Raj’s eyes means the 11th wonder of the world.
Raj and me are such friends those who share every moment of happiness as well as sadness with each other, therefore I thought that it’s required to support him. I left my seat, went and sat beside him and asked, “Raj! What’s the matter, wouldn’t you tell me?”
He wiped the droplets of tears and indicated me to a card, which was on the table. I looked at that card, laughed and told, “What a silly person you are! You are crying by seeing an invitation card of one’s marriage party. Why?”
After hearing this, the expression of sadness was turned into anger, which I could notice in his eyes. He left his seat, went and brought a Diary and threw on the table in front of me.
From the Diary, some photographs came out and spread over there. I picked the photographs up and observed. I found few photographs of his childhood, few of both of us. Among those, I got a photograph of a girl, who was Tina, whom I knew since many years. I turned off that photograph, few sentences were written over there…
At that time I lost the right frame of my mind, felt that Earth was moving beneath my feet.
I picked the invitation card up quickly, detected and found it was of Tina’s marriage, which is going to arrange the same day. At that time I could understand the entire matter. I was looking at him in anger and wanted to ask that why didn’t you tell me earlier.
Raj and me are very close friends and we know everything about each other. He used to share everything with me always, then why he didn’t tell me about his love?
If he told me earlier then Tina would be married today but with Raj. I could do everything for him whatever was possible, because Raj is my only one friend for whom I can give up my life and even I can remove up one’s life. But at that time I was not in the position of to do anything besides supporting him by my words and sentences. I was thinking to do something by which I could be able to divert his mind, suddenly we heard his mother’s voice, who was saying… “Raj, I’m going to attend Tina’s marriage and you have to come also, there. Don’t waste time, get ready for that.” After saying this, she left the room and moved outside.
We were sitting and looking at the walls silently for more than five minutes. All of a sudden, Raj’s mobile started ringing. He pushed up the mobile towards me. It was Tina’s call. I received by saying “Hello”.
I heard her voice, “Where are you Raj? I am waiting for you since morning. When will you come?”
I replied, “Sorry, Raj is not here, due to some work he has gone somewhere, and will return soon.”
She said, “Oh! Tarun! Why didn’t you come?”
I replied, “I am also waiting for Raj, as soon as he will come we will come there together.”
“Ok, come soon”, She told and disconnected.
I gave the mobile to Raj; took a deep breath and started thinking about him. After a couple of minute, Raj asked, “Tarun! Would you love to take a cup of coffee?”
I was a little bit shocked to hear this sentence. Despite that I smiled and replied, “Provided that you will have to prepare.”
Instead of answer he smiled back and left, and I started thinking about him once again…
In this world of relations, where a number of relations are constructed by the relatives and parents even before the birth that who is Uncle and Aunty, who is Grand pa and Grand ma, similarly without any effort, in unknown moment of life such relation exists silently, which appears after many years.
Sometimes, the strong walls of the Blood-relation are broken and even after a lot of efforts the cracks of the walls are appeared, but those relation, which has no relation to family and which is far from the society becomes extremely stronger by tying by the strings of the heart, which can’t be broken by the sharp sight of society and all that. Such relations are spiritual, made in the Heaven and are related to Birth and Re-Birth, out of the reach of Death.
The relation between Tina and Raj was such a spiritual relation. When it happened, how it happened and why it happened, neither Raj nor Tina know even none knows.
I still remember the time when Raj and me did study in the school, together, since that time we know her. I knew that Tina and Raj are good friends, but today, after several years, I come to know that both of them love each other. I am quite sure that the love was not one-sided, because once I asked Tina, “Why you are so interested in Raj, and always ask me about him? Don’t you have a topic besides Raj?”
She smiled but didn’t answer. At that time, I came to guess that what she thinks about Raj, but I was not sure that she loves him. Similarly, whenever she met Raj, she used to discuss about her college, her friends and studies, she did want to tell everything to Raj, whatever happened at that day. Many times, both of them met on the way while going to their college and talked to each other, but both of them never discussed about their feelings. The term between their families was also very good but nobody could fathom to take this relationship towards the touchstone of societal values. Neither Raj nor Tina said anything about their love, and when the precious moment of this short life passed and flew, both of them couldn’t understand. Really it’s very difficult to understand the flow of moments of the precious short life then how they poor fellows could? Finally, those golden moments passed. Still passing… Tina is going to marry someone else, today. Unlucky Raj…
When I came out from the seas of my thought, I saw Raj was taking sip of coffee, sitting in front of me. He asked me with his well-known smile, “Where were you, dear?”
I smiled and picked up the cup of coffee and started taking sip.
After finishing his cup Raj said, “Let’s go for a spin.” I never use ‘Not’ for Raj so I replied, “Sure.” Raj took the key of bike and gave me the keys of door and told, “Shut it and come down stairs.”
Raj had started the bike before I reached. I went and sat on the bike and asked, “By the way, where are we going?”
He smiled and replied in only one word, “The Hell.”
I replied, “I have heard somewhere, nice place it is.”
Raj smiled once again and told, “We are going to attend the marriage, of course, Tina’s.”
I was very much surprised, similarly shocked a little, by his answer. I didn’t expect that he will reply like this. While sitting, I was thinking that should I laugh or cry. I was feeling proud on his liveliness and sorrow because of his hard luck.
I started thinking that Raj is really great because in this situation a person even with a stone’s heart would definitely be broken out in several pieces. If it’s happened with me, what would I do, I can’t imagine.
Raj stopped the bike in front of Tina’s house and told, “Lively heart means life.” I smiled and completed his sentence, “How would a dead heart live…”
The gentle breeze had dried many droplets of tears from Raj’s eyes…
Take care of you Raj..
Tarun.
