April 7, 2017
As usual on this warm Friday afternoon Manas should be getting excited about the weekly night out with his fun-loving roommates. But he looks acutely sorrowful. He is in a bus, heading towards his village. In half an hour he will be in his ancestral house which he has left nine months ago to pursue his bachelor's degree at Hansraj College in Delhi. He was not in a mood to inform the rest of the gang about this sudden change in the plan. He left the college campus during the lunch break. Never before had Manas bunked any class. At 1 p.m. there was a Physics period wherein Prof. Dr. Anwesh Bose talked about Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle. For many weeks Manas had been eagerly waiting for this lecture. This is one of his most favourite topics. He feels this scientific principle has got some sort of mystical perspective on reality. But today an excruciating confusion in his young life has overshadowed his curiosity about the discoveries of the quantum world.
Manas has skipped his lunch. Sitting in the last window seat on the left he is apparently staring at the rapidly moving landscape. A while ago the gentleman sitting beside him had introduced himself as a journalist and tried to strike up an insightful conversation about India's bid for a permanent seat in the UN Security Council. He did not even bother to look at the journalist and when the word 'permanent' fell on his ears Manas scoffed curtly. The bewildered gentleman had no idea what was going on in this young chap's mind.
The very first thing Manas does every time he visits his village is meeting his childhood friend Chinmay. But not this time! At about 4 o'clock he gets down at the bus stop in his village and goes straight to his house though Chinu's house is just two hundred metre away. He finds only his mother at home, hugs her tightly and a little longer this time. Taking his favourite cup of coffee from her he goes to the terrace. Aroma of hot coffee and the serene evening sky soothe his bruised feelings, but not completely. Suddenly he takes his bike and rides to the nearby lake.
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| Source: pixabay.com |
In the evening the slightly tapering eastern end of this huge lake becomes lonely. Manas reaches there and after a short walk sits under the mammoth banyan tree. His grandmother says it is almost two hundred years old. By now he is mentally exhausted; all day he has been thinking deeply about Kalpana and nothing else. He first met her on the first day at the college nine months ago and it was love at first sight. She is in the first year of her B.A. degree.
On some days Kalpana talks to Manas for a very long time, but on few other days she remains aloof! Since the last evening she hasn't picked his calls; he has called her seven times. During the lunch break Sarita told him that a while ago Kalpana drove off in a Mercedes-Benz with a handsome guy. Sarita is Kalpana's classmate and a common friend.
"Does Kalpana love me?", one more time this inevitable and disturbing question pops up in his mind. He spontaneously closes his eyes, tears roll down his cheeks and he heaves. At that very moment something magical happens - he feels as if the soul of the banyan tree was speaking to him. And it says -
Dear Manas,
You know what, the answer lies hidden in your question! It's simple, yet it has a profound meaning. With a calm and clear focus you need to listen to your heart. Remember, without attention you would definitely miss this wonderful conversation.
The question has appeared in your thoughts - this itself is a significant sign that Love hasn't yet ushered in its magic in your life. You need to wait for its blessings with patience. It could be Kalpana or somebody else.
As of now it is not there, otherwise you would not have asked this question. When one receives love they feel, beyond any doubt, that it is happening in their whole existence - thoughts, feelings, actions, reactions, social interactions, everything! The same life with the same circumstances feels like heaven. Her eyes start speaking much more than the words. Love has the immense capacity to bring in a better world, without any extra resource.
"Love is like the wind. You can't see it, but you can feel it."
But my friend, you should not get disappointed. Your question has one more important sign. And that is - your heart is now open to embrace this wonderful experience, otherwise you would not have asked this question. So have patience! You should never try to push it.
