Forever Love 1: The Fountain of Love

Seema was pondering over what the sales girl had told her. When the sales girl declared lifetime warranty for the washing machine she was selling, Seema put a question with intention of teasing the sales girl, "Mine or the machines's. "
The sales girl's answer was still ringing in her ears, "You can't have lifetime warranty for anything.. not even your dear husband's love for you nor even your love for him'

Sitting alone in the garden, she was lost in these thoughts, when she heard the voices of children. It was Riya her young neighbor of twelve years old and Deepak, a thirteen year old boy. They were playing sum treasure hunt game. Seema caught the words like treasure, search and map and some fountain and that excited her. The kids revealed that they were searching for a fountain from where if one drinks, he would know the secret of forever love.
She decided to make herself a party in the search and the kids didn't refuse it when she saw her take out her Maruthi Alto. She spread the long sheet over the steering wheel only to find that it was not a map but clues for whereabouts of the fountain.
The map had some clues that need to be solved to reach the destination.

First clue was simple which Seema read out, "A place where you can see Pooja, Tulasi and Deepa'...". Even before she could completely read it out, Deepak cried out in excitement,"Turn left at the next corner.. We are going to our colony... All these pretty gals stay there..." Riya wanted to smash his head for not getting such a simple clue, "It is referring to the temple... And there is a temple straight ahead on that hillock. We need to move straight" They reached the destination, it was not just a temple. It was a temple complex with many deities being worshiped...

Seema opened the map and read out the next clue, "Go to the area where it is very dark and the water flows continously." Deepak couldn't remain silent and had to open his stupid mouth, "Must be that toilet at the south of this temple... I heard people say Electricity doesn't work there and the flush is always broken." Riya wanted to kick his butt, but when she saw the sanctum sanctorum, she remained silent. Seema closed her eyes for prayers, but Riya had her eyes open and saw the second answer.
In the dark sanctum sanctorum there stood a huge Ganesha Statue and the architecture was such that the Statue stood just beneath a small water fall with water falling on Ganesha's head continuously. They had their second answer

Seema opened the map and read the third clue, "Picture the scene before you with your real eyes and you will have the answers." Deepak read the clues again and removed his sunglasses trying to see if he could find the answer.Riya looked at Deepak wanting to know whether he had the answer. Deepak spoke like he was enlightened, "I feel like sitting under that fall and singing 'Thande Thande Paani se nahana chahiye... Gaana aaye ya na aaya gaana chahiye'" Riya got furious but she remained silent as she saw Seema focusing on the answer. Thats when they heard a guide explain the tourists, "The water has never stopped or reduced its force. It has flowed continuously since years and will do so for years"
And then the priest came out and explained the significance to them all, "Like that water stream, we all should be... we should pour all our love unconditionally.... a mother to her children, a brother to his sister and a wife to her husband... never looking for anything in return... that is forever love"
And Seema says to the kids "And this itself is the fountain of love" and so saying they took the theertham from the priest and drank it.

Some Serious Discussion on Love

Lots of noise made Preetham's mother come out of the pooja room. As she looked towards the bed room, she found Preetham and Seema trying to console their weeping baby girl Prerana. And then she turned her eyes towards the living room to find Riya, her thirteen year old neighbor enjoying a harry potter movie on the idiot box with Deepak, fourteen year old nephew of Preetham. The old lady switched off the telly much to the disappointment of the kids and shooed them off to the garden. She also joined them and advised, "Don't waste your evening in the front of the idiot box. Do some thing creative or talk something productive"

Deepak looked around and saw a young man standing near a gate and watch a girl come down that lane and exclaimed, "Isn't that surprising. There are more than billion people in this world and only one is meant special for you. What is that about this thing called love and what's going through that young man's mind?"
Riya gave a smile and remembered something which she had heard or read, "Every boy wishes his love to be like a volleyball. When he says MINE, he wants everyone to back off, and the girl like the ball in the game should be... his.. That's the feeling that boy over there is going through" Granny was very angry at Deepak for corrupting the young girl with such questions, "You could have observed those kittens playing with their mummy or that young kid trying to learn the bicycle. But you choose to study that cupid struck guy?m You worth-for-nothing!"

Deepak was not listening as he had more questions, "But is this love? Waiting for someone get down from the bus and watch them keep those gentle steps towards their home?" Riya was enjoying sharing her knowledge, "It may not be. It may be just lust. Lust and love are not the one and the same. Lust may be the beginning of the love. But it may last for Eternity. May be that's the reason Love begins with L and ends with E." The old lady was surprised on hearing such great thoughts from such small brain, "The convent school you go to has a head master who is a priest and most of the teachers are sisters. Where did you learn all these, young girl?"

Riya just gave another of her sweet smile instead of answering the question. There was another surprise waiting for the old lady. Suddenly, out of the blue, Deepak announced, "I think I am falling in Love with you, Riya?" But Riya took it lightly as she gently questioned, "And may i know as to what is that in me that you love?" Deepak answered confidently, "You are so cute..." Riya thrashed it, "That's just attraction, not love..." Deepak continued "and you are intelligent..." Riya negated that one too, "That's just admiration and will not last long..." But Deepak didn't stop, "When you walk alone on the street, I want to give you a lift on my bicycle.." Riya was ready with the answer, "That's just compassion and nothing else.." Deepak laughed, "And why don't I have that compassion for this old lady here?"

That angered Preetham's mother and she ran inside the house probably to get something to smack the young boy. While she was gone, Riya explained in simple words, "Love has no reasons whatsoever...It just happens" As Deepak was pondering on the lines, Granny came with a big cane and seeing that Deepak started running away. The Old Lady was successful in driving the young boy. But she saw Riya looking furiously at her which prompted her to ask, "What's wrong with You? Why are you looking at me like that?" Riya answered a bit harshly, "You drove away my prospective husband!!!!

Gyan Darshan

Deepak was a young boy of thirteen years of age. He had come to the town to join a boarding school. His mother wanted the boy to get his uncle Preetham's blessing before joining the school. The mother wanted her cousin brother Preetham to guide her son in the proper path. But unfortunately, when the boy landed at Preetham's place, the house was locked. And a young girl in the neighborhood Riya informed him that his uncle wouldn't be back for the day. The boy was crestfallen. Seeing the disappointed face, Riya couldn't resist questioning him the purpose of his visit. Deepak told Riya of his mother's objective in sending him there. Riya remembered the Dharma that was preached by Preetham's mother in this respect, 'A visitor who has come to the home shouldn't be allowed to go disappointed'

So she asked Deepak to join him for a small stroll in the colony. Along the way, she decided to pass on whatever knowledge she had gained, "You are at the tender age of thirteen, the very beginning of teen-age. I believe that there is lot of confusion and excitement at this age...Elders say this is the start of young age and they have spread this young age over three stages. "
Riya definitely had good observation skills as she pointed to a balcony and a matriculation student with a book in his hand on the balcony, "Guess! Can you tell me what the boy is doing?" With a book in hand, the answer seemed plain simple to Deepak, "Studying! What else?"
Riya smiled, "Don't only look at that boy... Look around! His book is ordering him to look at it. But his eyes is feasting upon something else. He is definitely studying.... studying the girl"
And she pointed to another balcony across the road where a girl was drying her hair sitting on the balcony. Even she was giving some stealthy glances to the boy. Riya then explained her observation, "In this first stage the boys fall for the strawberry eyes and girls for the cadbury looks. Remember the first lesson, that this is nothing but attraction and never to fall for the attraction."
But Deepak was already getting attracted to young Riya.

Riya took her to a temple nearby. But instead of having a darshan of the diety present there, she asked Deepak to observe one of the lady devotees.
Unlike the earlier boy, the eyes of this devotee was not roaming. It was closed and seemed all attention was focused on the Almighty. Deepak got confused as to how to read this devotee. He didn't knew mind reading.
But Riya came up with her hypothesis, "That Kanya is around twenty or twenty one years. At this age, most of the girls have common prayers. They pray for boys who may not be so good looking. But should be good in all departments. The list is very exhaustive. They pray for understanding, caring, fun loving, adventurous and so on and on and on. To describe it mathematically, the set of such good qualities is an infinite set...."
Deepak nodded his head, "Yupps.... I get the idea... I have read such lines on matrimonial sites. Do those girls really get such guys?"
Riya dispensed his doubts, "This is what happens in the second stage.... Your brain stops functioning and your heart starts working overtime and you still crave for that all-perfect partner. But some do get lucky at this stage....."
Deepak thought this girl was very sweet and so like the lady devotee closed his eyes and prayed for something with the lord.

As they returned, they heard some swearing words coming from a house nearby. As they neared, Deepak saw a young couple. Negative emotions was written all over the girl's face. Riya started her sermon, "See that Girl! She had gone through the two stages. At fifteen, she wished for someone like Hrithik who could dance. At twenty she prayed for a maryada purushottam like Ram. Now at Twenty Six, she has ended up with that cartoon character who is slimmer than Popeye and she is definitely not his first love!"
And she concluded, "Thats life! We start wishing for the attractive, then praying for the best, but end up compromising."

But the twinkle in the boy Deepak's eyes gave the feeling that he liked something more than the wisdom that has been passed on, "Wow! Riya! You know too much! I would definitely come down next week for some more Gyan. Make me your disciple."
Riya was a smart girl who read the boys intentions, but with a blushing smile accepted him as her disciple.