They say there’s no stopping an idea whose time has come. Maybe that’s the reason for my restless soul these days. A lot of my time, these days, is spent in idle thought and that Safari Dicor ad which says, “Reclaim your Life!” There’s a burning desire to do something new, to grab that illusive Golden Fleece that sadly remains just out of reach.

Maybe Chennai will have the answer that’s been tormenting me for weeks now.

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I’m back in the city of Chennai – a place that holds a lot of significance in my life. This city has taught me a lot of things; some good while others that don’t exactly exude warmth in my heart. It’s also teaching me another thing today – that there’s a certain pain associated with memories. But this pain’s of a different kind. The one that makes your heart ache and miss someone. I know you’re reading this somewhere and yes, this one’s meant for you.

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I’ve been walking non-stop for over two hours. Without a sense of direction and knowing where to go next. But it’s not without purpose. I feel a bit like Forest Gump at this moment. Except that he ran! Eventually though, it seems both of us were looking for answers that had no questions.

As I take stock of my bearings, I realize that my feet have carried me to Adyar. Chennai has undergone a sea of transformation in these past 2 years and this area bears testimony to this fact. Gone is my favorite place in the city, the Coffee World outlet, near Adyar Signal. But there’s a new Mocha shop that’s opened a little ahead. And that’s the place I’m currently sitting in, penning my thoughts into words.

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It’s 7.45 in the evening and I’m just about ready to board my flight back to Delhi and leave this city once again. Time brings about a huge change in perspective. I used to hate Chennai earlier. That I still do! That feeling, though, has mellowed down quite a bit. For all the hate and pain associated with this place, there’s love to be found in the strangest of places. All you need to do is look for it!

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I take to the skies, a little wiser, a little surer about what I want from life. The entire picture is still quite hazy but at least there’s a ray of light shining through that to mark a new beginning. And for that, I’ll always be grateful to this unforgiving city.

"I hope I get a place to sit", he thought as he once again checked his watch. Fortunately for him, the previous train had just left Platform 3 which meant that he stood right at the front of the queue that had begun forming for the next train and this meant that in all probability he would be the first to enter. He glanced at the Train Time Indicator which signaled the time left for the next train to enter the station. It read 5:00 mins.

Briefing through his resume for the umpteenth time, Armaan once again went through the sequence he had been repeating in his mind since the last week. "Knock on the door politely, ask for permission to enter, wish the interviewer and wait for permission to be seated". And all this with a smile! He couldn't help but be nervous. The Time Display read 4:00 mins.

He tapped his feet a few times and instinctively looked up for a few seconds at the opposite end of the station to notice the queue forming on Platform 4. And it was at that moment that all his nervousness vanished. In fact for him everything ceased to exist at that moment of time except for the girl standing directly opposite him. She was breathtakingly beautiful and he had never seen anyone like her ever before. A lump formed in his throat as he struggled to take in her beauty. The time read 3:00 mins.

On the opposite side, Kashish was waiting for the train to drop her off at Barakhambha Road where she was meeting some friends for lunch. Suddenly she felt a pair of eyes on her and looked up to see a young guy dressed in formals staring at her. Realizing that she had noticed him staring, he quickly looked away. "Disgusting", she said to herself. "Typical Delhi guy! All they know is to stare at every girl". She began playing with her phone only to look up a few seconds later to find him staring at her again. This time he was a little late to look away but it was enough for her to notice that he was not staring at her with lust-filled eyes. Rather she was attracted by a special spark in them and suddenly she noticed how carelessly his hair fell over his handsome face. The time read 2:00 mins.

Armaan was a little embarrassed to find himself being caught so blatantly staring at the girl and quickly looked away only to find his gaze returning to her beautiful face after a few seconds. "Oh God, she was perfect in every sense", he thought. And it was this lingering thought that allowed her to catch him staring at her once again and this time he was a little slow to react. "Dammit! I'm the biggest fool in this world. She must think I'm such a pervert", he thought. However, he couldn't resist stealing a glance at her again and this time was surprised to see her staring at him and then quickly looking away. He couldn't believe himself. This time he maintained the gaze and when she looked at him again, he smiled the most idiotic smile he had ever given anyone in his life. The time read 1:00 min.

Kashish, on the other hand, was taken aback when the young guy offered her the cutest smile she had ever seen. Composing herself, she smiled back at him only to find herself blushing and quickly looked away. When she looked back at him, the smile had been replaced with an even bigger one that forced her to chuckle aloud. "Oops", she thought, grinning to herself,"What's wrong with me!" And it was at this very moment that both the trains entered from opposite directions to mask the flow of emotions taking place.

Frantically, Armaan tried to catch a glimpse of her form through the cloud of rushing trains to no avail. He stood rooted to the spot as his train came to a grinding halt and was soon engulfed in a swarm of people alighting and boarding. People pushed past him, cursing his moribund form while some even stamped his feet to continue their maddening journey of life but for Armaan, none of that mattered. What mattered to him was lost beyond his reach separated by a pair of closing doors. As the two trains pulled away from the station, Armaan kept his gaze fixed at a point directly in front of him. And when it was all quiet again, Kashish stared directly into his eyes and they both smiled in togetherness.

P.S: You might wonder how I know this story. I was told this at Kashish and Armaan's 1st wedding anniversary last Friday

For all those who missed the earlier parts:

The Girl in the Mall - Part 1
The Girl in the Mall - Part 2

Truth, they say, is sometimes stranger than fiction. Well it’s certainly true in my case. It was almost six months to the day that I last saw the girl in the mall and yet somehow, it was as if I had just seen her. After that incident, I returned back to my college and business went on as usual. The next time I went back to Delhi was to attend my sister's marriage in January. Busy with preparations and stuff, there was hardly any time left for other pursuits (read partying with friends). Now the basic schedule for the wedding was something like this-

Day 1- Cocktail party for friends (means no oldies allowed)
Day 2-The Wedding
Day 3- Reception

So finally Day 1 arrived and that was something that me and my friends had been looking forward to most of all. I mean ya my sister's wedding was important but then so was this man. This took place at a farmhouse on M.G Road so basically we had a free reign from 9 at night to about 4 in the morning. The party started and slowly everyone got into the groove. The drinks and snacks had started and the dance floor too was beginning to come alive. After having supplied my friends with all the necessary stuff, I went around meeting all my sister's friends whom I’ve known since childhood and partying with them.

Suddenly, Abhinav came running to me and pulled (read dragged)me to one of the corners where some guests were sitting. And that was when the world around me stopped. I had seen Her again and no, this was no imagination. She was really there and this time I knew I wasn't letting go of her so easily. But she was sitting with one of my sister's friends (Neetu Didi). I call her Didi cause many of my sister's friends tied me Rakhi when I was small (C'mon guys, you can't protest to all this when you are in Class 2!! I was innocent back then).

So I went and found my sister and literally dragged her from the dance floor and demanded to know whether she knew the girl sitting with Neetu Didi. And I absolutely hated that smirk on my sister's face when she asked, “Why?". Some bullshit later and she finally told me that that girl is Neetu Didi's younger sibling Shikha. Now I was in a moral dilemma. I mean I treat Neetu Didi as my sister but does her sister also qualify as one. No way, my brain told me. Even Neetu Didi's my sister by sheer ill-luck and not by choice so definitely her sister doesn’t qualify in that category. And my assumptions received further impetus from Abhinav and Saurav who told me that" Real Sister ki friend who's your muh bola sister ki sister is definitely not sister". Seriously man, thats like saying Osama and Bush are brothers or like Mallika Sherawat doing puja!!! It’s as far stretched from reality as possible.

So after convincing myself that I wasn't committing any cardinal sin, I spent the next ten minutes wondering how to go and talk to her. Believe me, it doesn't help one bit if you have friends like mine who give you advice ranging from writing a love letter (I mean C'mon guys, get a life!!Who writes love letters now) to going straight to her and snogging her in front of everyone (apparently according to them, she'll think that I am very direct in my approach and hence THE MAN). So once again, I dragged my sister off the dance floor (with my future bro-in-law giving me murderous looks) and asked her to do something!!

Finally my sister agreed and we pretended to chat to the guests and slowly made our way to where she was sitting. My heartbeat seemed to grow proportionally as we moved closer and closer to them and at one point of time, I even decided to back off. Well, what are sisters for after all!! Oodles of gyaan later and we finally reached their table where I started chatting with Neetu didi while glancing at her every 5 secs. And finally, we were formally introduced!!! I extended my hand to her and said in the most macho tone I could muster at that time (not easy when your heart's accelerating like an F1 car)," Hi, I am Aman!”. And she said, "Hi ".That’s it!! Just Hi, nothing more nothing less!! I mean, she must be having some name right? "That’s the end of my love life", I told myself.

And then she started laughing and I was like," My name's not that funny also". "No stupid", she said," I am laughing cause you still don't recognize me. I am Shikha, dumbo!. Remember we used to play when my sister used to come to your place back when they were in school. I think we were in lower KG then. U still don't remember kya??".
Now believe me, I have absolutely no recollections of my childhood. Not one bit!! The last thing I remember from my childhood was when i was caned by my principal for bunking to a girl's school in class 9(that’s another story). So there's no way I know whether I even studied in lower KG or not!! But of course I couldn’t tell her that so I put on the best thinking expression I could come up with and said "Oh ya, of course I do..ya u still look the same". "Shut up liar, I know you don't remember me. I do cause I slapped you when you hid my Barbie doll". Ok that was quite embarrassing but at least it broke the ice.

After that we got along like a house on fire. Chatted stuff ranging from anything to everything (nope, I am not telling you guys anything). And yes, we even discussed my antics in the mall six months ago. Well 2 hours later and I remembered I had other friends too. So I introduced her to my friends and she introduced Anushka to my friends (yup, she too had come along with her). And then we danced and danced and danced. Holding her close to me, taking in her fragrance and just being with her was like a dream come true. It was the happiest night of my life. Obviously the drinks too helped but I cannot remember having so much fun ever in my life!!

The next three days passed in a blur and I was on my way back to college before I even knew it. She came to see me off at the station and a lot went unspoken there. They say everything's written in the eyes and that you can read a person like a book by just looking into their eyes. Well, I did just that and so did she. And even though there were a lot of things we didn't understand, most of it we did and we were grateful for that. We were in touch constantly after that and we still are to this day.

Now to answer the question foremost in everyone's mind. Are we or are we not? Well, as of now we're just friends although very close ones. I dunno about the future and frankly speaking I don't care. Cause I believe that if you're meant to meet someone, then the entire universe will conspire to bring you together. And after reading all this, you might just tend to agree with me. And that, my friends, was my story.

Now many people have asked me why I included Anushka's name in all this when she didn't have any part to play. The answer to that is Abhinav! Because Shikha wasn't the only girl in the mall that day and I wasn't the only guy there. This story did have two different endings. And a little bird told me that Abhinav and Anushka had a very umm private sort of dinner two nights ago and the bugger hasn't answered my calls since then (obviously!!). So here's wishing them all the best from everyone who's reading this.

P.S-: I re-wrote this 3 part story 'cause of a phone call that I got from the U.S a few weeks ago which brought back a lot of memories of an old friend :)

Read Part - 1 here -> The Girl in the Mall - Part 1

Hmmm so where were we? Oh ya the movie had just ended and we followed her out back into the mall. Well she kept glancing back at our group so that gave us even further reason to pursue our goal. I guess they were hungry because we soon found ourselves sitting in Pizza Hut trying to figure out what to order(Ahem,actually we were a little low on cash so umm we had to Google the entire menu to find the cheapest stuff). Eventually we ended up with 4 slices of garlic bread for the three of us(you should have seen the look on the attendant's face when we said " One garlic bread pls, that'll be all". He actually asked us thrice if we wanted anything more.The nerve of some ppl!

Ok back to the story now. So here I was sitting diagonally opposite her in order to have a clear view of her(her face I mean...filthy minds). She obviously knew I was staring so she had to show some 'bhaav' after all(these girls I tell you). After 10 mins or so, she too got into the game and we started a game of 'Who Blinks 1st!' And so we stared and stared and stared. Ah, those beautiful eyes still haunt me day and night. Well,I never even got to taste even a bit of that garlic bread(some friends I have)but who cared anyways at that point of time.

After Pizza Hut, she and her friend walked into a huge garment store(I think it was Westside but like I said I could have cared less even if it was Hell) and we dutifully followed them like lambs to the slaughter. From one section to another, from 4th floor till the 1st, always keeping her within my sights. Until she disappeared that is! We searched the entire 1st floor better than the FBI but still no sign of her. One minute she was there and the next she went Kapoosh!!

Until Saurav's brilliant idea,"She must have gone to the basement, I saw a sign saying that's the girls section." So down we went and as soon as we went there, 3 pairs of salesgirl eyes stared at us as if we had committed Harakiri. Why you may ask? Well, 'cause we had just entered the Lingerie section!! Imagine, 3 guys and 3 salesgirls and the lingerie section. Now I don't know who was more embarrassed,They or Us. And to top off his brilliant suggestion, Saurav comes up with THE most(no words to describe this) excuse,"Lets go to the toilet guys!".That too aloud! Now remember, there are 3 girls, 3 guys and the lingerie all around us. Don't you think it wasn't the best time to excuse ourselves to go the loo. U get my drift right?? Well in a sense he was right. It was the girls section after all!!!

Anyways after escaping(read running for our lives) from the men-not-allowed-and-should-not-be-seen-here department, we went and searched the only other likely place they could have gone. Outside the mall,that is (Brilliant na,I still congratulate myself for figuring that one out). And yes she was there, standing right next to her car (A red Santro, see I still remember..Isiko kehte hain saccha pyar). "Oh my god, she's leaving",I thought. "This can't be happening to me!". But there we were, standing about 10 meters apart waiting for the other one to make the 1st move. I know I should have done something but as to exactly what I should have done I still don't know (C'mon girls, you know how tongue-tied we guys are in moments like these).

And then she Smiled. And I mean that smile which can light a thousand bulbs. That mischievous, naughty, lovable smile that you don't normally hand out to every other person that you meet. And with that she got into her car and drove off into the sunset leaving me expressionless in her wake.

I stood there rooted to that spot for the next two minutes until I felt blood flow in me again. Did that just happen or was I still dreaming? Only when Abhinav and Saurav dragged me off from there did I get back to reality. She was really gone, just like that!!

And now I am serious. I mean was that it? After all that happened since the morning, was it really meant to end this way? Because believe me, there was something between us. It was there when I first saw her, it was there in the hall, more so after that and that connection reached its zenith when she gave me that smile. I know many of you must be thinking " Haha,kat gaya iska or that both of us were just flirting". Ya I do agree, it was timepass but there's no way I can explain to anyone of you why this time it was so different.

So what happened to that girl, you may ask or what's the use in writing all this if she went away!! But like I said, there was something between us and that's why "The Girl in the Mall" might have left but the "Girl from the Mall" certainly didn't. Yes, I met her again!! As to how I met her again and what happened after that, well you'll just have to wait a little more.

Next Week : The Girl From The Mall - The Grand Finale

The alarm went off exactly at 7 am. And just like every other day, she stirred from her sleep and groped around in the dark to feel the empty space next to her. And even before she could feel anything,she knew he was not asleep beside her. It had been the same for the past one year and she missed every little touch of his. The way he held her, the way he stroked her hair and the way he kissed her with a passion unmatched in all the world. Oh how much she missed him! But today was going to be different. She was going to meet him today and she looked forward to sitting next to him, talking to him, pouring her heart out to him. Even though she spoke to him everyday, being near him made her feel so much better.

Kashish got up from her bed and checked her phone. No missed calls again. "The fool forgot to wake me up again today",she chuckled to herself.
That was another thing she liked about him so much. He would remember the tiniest of details and yet forget the most important ones. She quickly got ready for office and left the house, remembering to take the keys with her. She smiled as she remembered the numerous fights they had over her always leaving the keys locked inside. She just couldn't wait for evening to arrive sooner.

She hummed their favourite song as she stepped into the Underground. Even at 8 in the morning, the Tube was packed with early morning Londoners on their way to office.This was another reason for them settling here. They both had loved the hustle-bustle of London and were third-generation migrants to this modern yet rustically romantic city. She waved to a few familiar faces and it was a matter of minutes before she got off at the Chelsea End Station and by 8.30 she was already in office preparing for her day ahead.

The day seemed to pass in a jiffy and even though Kashish tried to concentrate on work, her mind always seemed to drift in his direction and the impending meeting. She looked at her watch and was dissapointed to see that she still had a couple of hours before she could leave and be on her way to meeting him. The next two hours went by in meeting clients and chatting to co-workers. With every passing minute, she looked at her watch in anticipation and quickly left office just as the clock struck five. It would take her another hour by bus to reach Westminister for it was there where Aryan would be waiting for her.

Precisely at 6.10, the bus dropped her into the busy little square of Westminister from where she walked at a brisk pace to reach the appointed place. On her way she picked up some flowers for him. She knew it should be the other way around but knew he'd like them nonetheless. The wind turned a bit chilly as she turned a corner and neared the meeting point and her steps began to falter as she spotted him waiting for her. The next few meters seemed to take ages to cover and she tried bravely to hold back the tears to no avail. All those memories and pent up feelings came rushing to the fore and Kashish wept uncontrollably as she sat down and laid the flowers on Aryan's grave.

P.S - The inspiration for this story came while listening to my favourite song - Atif Aslam's "Kuch Is Tarah"

I actually wrote this one about a year back and since I have nothing exciting to look forward to this Valentine's Day, I thought let me post this as a tribute to my future(hopefully) Valentine. It's a bit mushy but nonetheless, here goes:

He was already getting bored and wondered why he’d ever agreed to do this. Then he felt guilty for feeling this way. It was his parents’ anniversary after all. And he himself had decided that he’d take this Thursday off to take them shopping and then later for dinner. It was the least he could do to make them happy on their special day.

Aryan smiled to himself as he saw his mother selecting the salwaar suits for herself. Her happiness was reflected on her face. Like a girl picking up clothes for her college wear, his mother was all smiles and arguing like all females do with the salesman. His dad, on the other hand, was like all typical males. Nodding when required without really paying attention to what his wife was saying, Aryan knew his father was definitely not enjoying this. As if sensing his gaze, his father turned around and gave his only son a why-did-you-have-to-include-shopping-in-this look. He could only shrug and smile at his father.

Standing outside the shop and turning around, he ran a quick look around the mall in order to divert his mind. “Damn”, he thought,” No good looking girl also around”. At least if he was in office he could have slyly stared at that new girl whom the whole office was eying. “Ah well you have to sacrifice certain things for your loved ones sometimes”, he said chuckling to himself. And that’s when he saw her.

Kashish was your normal 23 old girl. Plus she was smart and beautiful and she knew that. That’s what made her even more appealing to men and she had had her share of them as well. Speaking of men, she noticed that tall, lanky guy on the 1^st floor as soon as she entered the mall. And why wouldn’t she? He was staring at her as if he had never seen a girl before. "Typical male behavior", she said to herself and quietly followed her mother without giving him a second glance.

Aryan simply could not take his eyes off her. She was mesmerizing in every way possible. Fair, good height, and well dressed in a simple tee and jeans, he could only stare at her beauty. She had noticed him as well, he was sure about that. He knew he was handsome in a careless sort of way and she had indeed glanced up at him. But there was nothing he could do. She was with her mother and his parents were inside the shop. He couldn’t be so shameless also. But then the prospect of letting go of her so easily did not appeal to him. He decided to take his chance. Stepping inside the shop and making an excuse that he had spotted a friend and that he would be back in sometime, Aryan made his way down to the ground floor. He spotted her inside Pantaloons and quickly followed both mother and daughter inside the quite empty store.

She noticed him entering the store. "What a Romeo", she said to herself half smiling. Although she had to admit that he looked handsome with his hair falling oh-so-carelessly over his face. On the whole he did look smart and kind of cute. She kept glancing at him every now and then while pretending to pick clothes from various shelves but had to be careful with her mother close by. As for his part, Aryan knew that both of them were on the right track. All he needed now was luck and some timing.

Kashish picked up a few tops and told her mother that she’d try them on and come while her mother moved over to the men's section to look for some shirts for her husband. This was the opportunity that Aryan had been looking for. He quickly made his way towards the trial rooms and was relieved to find them all empty except for one. "That’s good", he thought. Now all that was required was timing and his patience would finally be rewarded. He heard the trial room bolt open and moved quickly so that he found himself staring face to face with the girl of his dreams. A second’s hesitation before Kashish’s hand reached out grabbing him and pulled him inside the trial room.

Grinning, she turned towards him and said," Next time Mr. Aryan, make sure you take your girlfriend out to a more romantic place. Happy Valentine’s Day Sweetheart! “With his arms round her waist and hers around his neck, the two lovers locked lips as the world melted before their love filled eyes.