Kshamaya Dharithri Naari

Prads also has a favorite pass time,taking part in theater plays, a local form called yakshagana where most of the tales are based on mythology. To one such practice session, he had invited his good friend, Swats.

She was thrilled on getting the invitation and was there on time. There were just five persons who were sitting just below the stage and seemed to be musicians. One had a harmonium and another had a drum like instrument. Third one, a old man was without any instrument and so she sat next to him. But as the actors including Prads came on the stage, the old man started singing in a very high pitch that scared the shit out of her. He was explaining the story. The play was based on Sri Rama's adventures in the chitrakoot jungle just before Devi Sita is kidnapped. Swats said, "You can name the play as 'Welcome to the Jungle'"

The story begins with the Old man singing a song explaining how cold it was at Chitrakoot, "It was so cold that Lord Shiva took the Ganges out of his hair locks and threw it to the earth and asked the moon to step out of his hairs and then flung it to the skies above. Then he opened his third eye and took the fire out of it and placed it in front of him and warmed himself." And that's when Lakshman decides to build a small cottage for his Brother and Bhabhi. Swats was unhappy because Prads had no much dialogue to deliver till now.

She was more surprised to find that even Lakshman's dialogue was handled by the old man in a song form, "Brother. Take this small cottage from me. It has a Yajna shala for you and Devi Sita to perform your nitya karmas(Daily homages to Gods). Here is the bhojana shala for you and Devi Sita to serve the ascetics who visit our cottage. Here is the antha pura (bed room) for you and Devi Sita... " The song was long as there seemed to separate rooms for separate purposes. As the old man turned to look at Swats as he finished his song, she asked, "Do you call this cottage. It looks like a penthouse to me... It reminded of the one I had saved as my wallpaper...."

The story moved and Lucky took his brother and Sita Devi and explored the backside of the cottage and the singer again picked up the notes, "And the scene took away Lord Ram's breath... There was a small waterfall and a small pond and the smell of the flowers filled the air everywhere.. And to please the eyes, the pond was filled with ducks and some migrating birds..."
That brought a smile on Swats small face and she said, "Wow! A swimming pool. This way, it seems she is not on vana-vas but on a honeymoon. With a husband all for herself and a brother in law to do all the household chores, what she can ask for more?

At last Prads got some lines as Ram and Swats attention was now on the stage as Lord Ram got very emotional, "Brother! When I see you, I feel I am looking at my Dad!..." Swats was disappointed by these words of Prads, "Gosh! He looks more like Ranbir Kapoor to me and you say he reminds you of old man Dasharath... !" Prads laughed a bit and continued, "You have done whatever a father would have done for me if he was alive and if I was in Ayodhya... But... " There was some pause and it was clear Lord Ram didn't want to take this penthouse

The Old man turned to Swats, "I had written all the dialogues and songs. This is the good part in the play. Lord Ram can't take the cottage as he had promised his step mom that he would lead a ascetics life and he also knows How his brother Bharath had taken a vow to lead a ascetics life until Ram returns to Ayodhya..."
There was a surprise waiting for the old man. As Prads got lost in some thoughts and he was transformed to the moment he had hurt his good friend, the girl from the big bad city. It was nearly two weeks since he had last talked to her and he was missing her badly. Everything came rushing to his mind and he forgot the original dialogues, "But I don't want all these luxury...." and then he completely went off the track, "All I want is her back in my life...."
The person playing Lakshman's character got confused and slowly hissed, "Abhe! Your Priye is still not kidnapped....!" Prads immediately corrected him, "No! I don't want her back as a lover! I want her back as my friend." The Lakshman character looked at the singer and master mind of the play. He was clueless. Swats knew what was happening and to divert Prads attention put on a song immediately. The song she selected was Colonial Cousins' Krishna Nee Begane Baro. It failed to bring back Prads to his senses. He just changed the lyrics and started singing, "Come back as my Soul mate and save my life. Come back as my friend and fight with me...Come back as anything you want to be...."

The old man seriously didn't knew what was happening and looked at Swats for answer. She answered him back in a song manner and that too in a high pitched voice
"Does he really have to say sorry.... I heard Kshamaya dharithri Naari**..."


** Rough translation- while forgiving, woman is like mother earth.

Please Forgive Me

Pradyumn or Prads was on to his way to the temple town to see his uncle. Though he said it was a personal visit, Swats or Swasthee, his young friend insisted on accompanying him. Prads face said that something was not right. Swats was good at making people talk and in few minutes, she had Prads talking

Prads was out with the truth which send her to a shock, "A message intended to be sent to you was sent to my good friend in the big bad city. It was about her and her would be in a very very derogatory manner. And in reply she had just two words GET LOST"
Swats said, "Every week you are giving me a shock. Hope I don't end with a heart attack before I complete my teenage"

After a hour, they were at his uncles place and poured his heart out and confessed his mistake. His uncle, an aged man in his early seventies had a simple question on hearing the story, which put Prads' mind into turmoil, "Do you realize it is a mistake because she came to know about it or are you fully aware of the mistake.That you should never have spoken ill well or bad about someone behind his or her back"
Prads explained to his uncle of what he did after he realized his folly, "Well... I feel I have... I couldn't sleep till 3.30 till the next morning..."
His uncle was a bit harsh, "Then you haven't. You shouldn't have got a wink of sleep even..."

Swats didn't knew any comforting words to say to Prads nor did she want to interfere. She decided to remain silent
Seeing tears flow down his cheeks, Prads uncle consoled him, "Now that you have committed a mistake, you shud bow before it with reverence. Its like a God that has taught you a lesson... Lucky you... Most humans do what you have done... But Mother nature has shown to you that it is very bad and how a person could be hurt by it... So be thankful for the mistake."

Prads only wanted forgiveness from the girl, "But will the girl forgive me...?"
Prads uncle was taking a w holistic view, ""Its not important whether she forgives you. Its whether you are really sorry for it. If you are, Mother Nature will forgive you. She is benevolent. Don't restrict it to one person. Expand your soul... If you are really sorry, whatever is good for you will happen."

Prads felt like a heavy burden has been removed from his back.

Let the time freeze

Prads, the 32 year old boy has returned from the big bad city and abiding to the agreement he had signed with the 18 year old woman Swats, he is at the beach with her watching the sun slowly set. But he was not in a talking mood and had his music player on. Swats wanted to know more about his visit to the big bad city and his online friend whom he had gone to see for the first time. Prad's gloomy face was telling some story and Swats expected a sad song on his ipod like, "Tune saathi paaya apna... jag mein is jag mein... Aisi hi sada raho milke... sang mein har rang mein.." But she was surprised as she heard the ramayana tale being told in a prose and poetry fashion (Harikathe).

Swats takes one look at Prads and comments, "Don't tell me she gifted you this?" Prads replies with a smile, "No re.. She has given me a memorable 45 minutes.. I am just thanking God for that one by listening to his tale.. " Swats found this quite strange and was not able to digest it , "Err... There is a better way to celebrate.. Throw me a party... It will earn you more Punya... I don't eat much... I am a simple girl who will be satisfied with Samosa and Veg burger"

Prads was not completely listening. He gets up and slowly walks towards the setting sun, "Don't you feel to catch the sun before it disappears... Don't you want this sun setting scene to remain like that for some more time...?"
Swats found it a little philosophical, "Yeah...I would really love... It will give me more time with you... And I would really love him to come late in the morning also... so that I can complete the assignments"
Prads got more emotional, "That's how i felt when I had those 45 minutes with her.. I asked the God to freeze the time.. I wanted the day to be like that movie Groundhog Day...Repeating itself over and over and over..."

Looking at his face, Swats felt that something was not quite right. There was a mixed emotion on Prad's face. Prads looked at Swats and said, "But all I can be... is her friend... a good friend..."
Swats was shocked on hearing this and didn't knew how to react. Prads had to shake her up, "If you stay glued like that, the waves will come and take you... Yeah! I will be saved the trouble of showing a new place every week as per our contract... But I just don't want to lose a good friend now.. Say something... "
Still swats was speechless. Prads explained further, "The girl seems to be in a relationship and me going there had just attracted troubles for her and some nice warnings from her mother. She had asked her boy to be there. Even he didn't make it. Have I unnecessarily created troubles for her?"

Swats had nothing to say. She was more like Abhimanyu who knew how to enter the chakravyuh but not the exit route. Swats would have found it easy to guide on how to fall in love. But when it came to pulling her dear friend out of the love thing, She found herself not helping him. She just shrugged her shoulders "I just don't know what to say? The problem with love is that you can love whoever you want, but so can they?" But for Prads, it was not easy to forget and he remembered tum bin movie's dialogue, "Yeah... I should have stopped loving her when she first told me about it.. Par Yeh Dil bhi kitna stupid hai na... Logic hi nahian Samjtha"

Swasthee took a deep breath and tried to comfort her friend, "It's not about loving. it's just about knowing..that you never loved her to have her..you just loved her without reasons"
Leaving Swats alone at the beach, Prads walked away hoping to become what his girl wanted him to be... a good friend... Can he be one?
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If you see the post count, It will say this is the 200th Post.

Wake Up, Prads!

A living story is born when living wisdom incarnates in the subtle matter of a human consciousness - Robert Svoboda
One such living story is of Hanuman and Jambavan. When one expedition of Vanar Sena who were searching for Sita came across the wide sea, they got filled with despair and lost hope as to how to cross this sea. Only one man... err... monkey was capable of this task. That was Hanuman. But the great Hanuman though having the capacity lacked the confidence of doing this task. And that confidence was filled by the senior member of the expedition team, a bear... Mr Jambavan..

This was the story that was being narrated by a Grandpa to his Grandson in a Public Transportation System moving from the coastal town to the nearby temple city. The story was also heard by the teen Swasthee or Swats who was seated in the adjacent seat. But her dear friend Pradyumn or Prads who was keeping his promise of showing a new place each week in and around his coastal town to Swats, was lost in some song that was being played on his Ipod. Swats just took the Ipod and listened to the song played of The Smiths, "There's a place for anyone who has the will to chase one...I think I found mine... Yes I do think I have found mine..."

Swats remembered of how her old friend's heart beats for some girl living in a far off big bad city, "Thinking is not enough. You should take the leap to that big bad city where the girl resides and show your heart, like Hanumantha took the leap to Lanka and showed the ring to Sita. Then she will get confidence in you..."
The kid who was listening to his grandpa's story had his head swayed towards Swats. The old man got his attention back, "Jambavan, the wise bear encouraged Hanuman, 'When young, you had swallowed the sun from a distance of 16000 miles considering it to be a sweet fruit'"

Swats took the cue from the old man's words and started her own sermon, "Remember Prads! You may be reaching middle age, but remember the confidence you had as a teenager when it came to opening your heart to a girl. Bring those years back!" A smile landed on Prads face as he recollected his High School days, "In the exam hall that day, I saw this junior of me terrified by the Mathematics question paper. Don't remember what took over me. RAW, the Indian Intelligence Agency would have recruited me had they seen me at work then. Forgetting my Kannada paper, I helped the cute girl pass her maths paper. Though I got just pass marks in my Kannada Paper, its the only exam day I remember till now... "

The young kid whose concentration was on Swats laughed a little and the old man felt that the young man was laughing at his story, "You shouldn't laugh like that. A man should laugh in such a way that he himself shouldn't be able to hear his voice. Learn some nice manners." Boy got confused and advised his grandpa, "I am not a man. I am a small kid. Stick to the story, Grandpa. "
The old man continued with further encouraging words of Jambavanth, "'O Valiant One! You were unhurt even after being hit with the thunderbolt by Lord Indra. All it was capable was damaging your left cheek bone earning you a great name HANUMAN."
Swats got some more material for motivating Prads, "See even in the path of love, there would be some inevitable blows. But it shouldn't break him down from expressing his love. I don't know what's pulling you back from expressing yourself"

Prads put forth his apprehensions, "But I don't know whether she feels in the same way as I feel for her.... How can I..."
Swats had a great line for him, "If that's the case, then with a guitar in your hand, croon to her like elvis presley did 'If You love me, let me know. If not, please gently let me go'"
Seeing that it didn't made much impact, Swats continued with some quote she remembered, "Time goes by so fast, people go in and out of your life.You must never miss the opportunity to tell these people how much they mean to you. What are you waiting for. Wake Up and Arise and Tell her how you feel." That really filled with enthusiasm and he immediately got up from his seat. Swats warned him, "Wow! Now don't try to get down from the moving bus. Wait for the bus to Stop." But nothing can stop him as he took his Cell phone and got a ticket to the big bad city booked.
Swats was really filled with happiness, "Hmm... If that girl sees you now, she would say 'You have the confidence like that of Hanuman' and that would be a victory."

At the same time, the old man had finished his story and looked at his grandson for his feedback. But his grandson concentration was elsewhere and he was hissing into Swats ears, "I hope she doesn't add, 'and also you look like Hanuman' that would be a tragedy...."

Don't give me a choice.

It was Friendship Day and Goddess Laxmi was enjoying watching a new and a beautiful friendship develop between a 32 year old boy Pradyumn or Prads as Goddess addressed him and the 18 year old woman Swasthee or Swats as she liked to call her. Goddess Laxmi was unhappy with her husband, the creator of all our destinies, Lord Vishnu for not providing the much required life partner for Pradyumn. Pradyumn was strictly following a ek-naari vrath that too for some unseen girl in some distance place.

Goddess Laxmi wanted to do something about it and seeing her husband sleeping comfortably on the shesh-nag, decided to appear before Prads and give him a wish. Gods are never late in putting the decision to action. Next minute Goddess was in front of Prads and Swats and expressed her decision to make Prads life one filled with love. But she had a choice for Prads and that too a tough one, "You will have the love of your life. But you can either have her as a nagging and quarelling wife who will be there with you till the last of your breath. Or you can have her as a loving and caring wife who after a period of two years would breathe her last..."

Swats knew that Prads wouldn't give it much thought and would go for the second option, "You silly boys! Always want girls to be ever smiling and going ga-ga over you. Give the wish some thought! Whatever looks so simple is always complicated! If your girl is nagging and quarelling, yet she is with you till the last of the breath, it means that she has lots of love in her heart though not expressed through words. " Prads opposed the idea, "Come on! I want a life not only filled with love, but also with peace and calmness... Mann ki shanthi! that's what I also want... even if I get it for a small time... I am going for the..."

Swats again interrupted him, "See! For two years you would have love and calmness. But you would also have a child or children. And after two years, to look after them, you would definitely go for another girl!!! Then life can go anyway."
Prats didn't agree with her, "Two years spent in heaven is much better than a lifetime in hell. What would I gain by having a nagging and quarreling wife?"
Swats was remembered of her history classes, "Remember what Aristotle said, 'By all means, marry. If you get a good wife, you'll become happy; if you get a bad one, you'll become a philosopher'"

Swats gave a final blow, "The way you are selecting the wish shows you are very selfish. You want the love of your life to live only another two years so that you can have a love filled and calm life. " That completely put Prads to silence as Swats completed, "Lord Shiva drank that dangerous poison and kept it in his throat for the entire life so that the rest of the world can live peacefully. And you can't do that for even one person and that too for the person you say you love dearly." Prads understood what Swats was implying, "Love means not being selfish and living the life for the other."

Goddess Laxmi was enjoying this little conversation and was smiling the way Swats put forth her arguments. Swats asked Prads to focus on Goddess, "You should read the offer document properly. Whenever a boon or curse is given by the God, it is not for our benefit, it is just to take the life forward as they have planned for us." Goddess Laxmi was really impressed by Swats thoughts, "Wow! Such a wisdom in the young age! Good! With a friend like you, Prads is really blessed! But unfortunately I have to proceed to Vaikunta (Her Husband's abode). So the boon stands cancelled."

Prads looked very confusingly at Swats and Swats explained to him beautifully, "We should never get the love of our life through a wish. We should earn them,"
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Happy Friendship Day to all my readers...