The Riverside

A fine evening… After a couple of spells of sporadic rain, the clouds are clearing away finally. And with that, the bright sun is emerging slowly. And a cool breeze is blowing too. Couldn’t be better…

I take out my bicycle and head out to my favorite place- the Riverside or to be more precise, the Riverside Park in the colony.

If you have gone through my blog carefully, you would know by now that I loved going to the Riverside Park- like, a lot. The sight of the majestic Ganges, the beautiful sunset, the soft, green grass, the calm and gentle breeze and the captivating smell of ripe mangoes during the summer- anyone would love this place if they ever visited it. Perks of “living” in a defence colony.

I reach at the Riverside. It’s been some time since I came here due to the lockdown, but it’s okay. Once I’m here, I feel pretty happy and relieved. Just being here brings back a whole rush of nostalgia. Ever since I came to Ishapore 10 years ago, the Riverside has been my regular destination to stop by and contemplate.

I open the gate and park my bicycle in a corner. The place has changed a bit, with trees uprooted and still lying there, hanging on for dear life. A bed of mangoes lay strewn on the right side of the park. The grass has overgrown, but it kind of makes up for the loss of greenery. The swings, see-saws and the wooden benches are all covered with dust. The place seems like it hasn’t seen a soul for a while…

Back when there was no lockdown, the place was so crowded with people taking pictures and occupying the best spots in the park that I had to reach there in the afternoon itself, bearing the brunt of the harsh summer sun so that I could watch the sun sink across the Ganges peacefully.

When I came from Nagpur to here, I didn’t have any friends. That’s silly and obvious, I know. Right from then, this place fascinated me a lot. I remember sitting near the river bank and spending hours watching the Ganges and the beautiful sunset.

And even now, out of habit, I sit down near the bank and dip my legs in the cool water. It felt refreshing…

After I made friends here at Ishapore, all of us used to come to the Riverside Park and watch the sunset together, sitting over the pump house. It amazed us all, to think of the sky as a canvas and us as the painters. We used to imagine the clouds taking up various shapes and guess them, laughing and smiling. 

The sunset brought with itself so many colours and hues that changed ever so quickly. At times, when there was no noise, we could hear the sounds of the vehicles on the other side of the Ganges. We used to think how the other side on the Ganges looked like, and whether it was more beautiful. Back then, in our childhood days, the world was definitely more colorful.

But now- just thinking about the present scenario of the pandemic and the never ending lockdown was so depressing, I shake my head and try to get rid of it.

I lay down against the soft, green grass on the bank and watch the sky. Beautiful. The cool breeze, the smell of the ripe mangoes, the sound of the water lapping upto the bank, bees humming, butterflies dancing around, birds flying sky high and the dark clouds replaced by white ones. I close my eyes, soaking into the ambience and thinking about the good old days when I used to come here every day.

We used to play football and badminton over here, and on multiple occasions we had kicked the football straight into the middle of the river. What a trouble it took us to convince a passing boat to come over near the bank and return our football! From laughing and crying together and getting into heated arguments, we loved them all. 

After exams, we used to race down to the park to discuss the papers. Not to mention the fact that the day before exams, we used to spend a considerable amount right here. And I believe, every KVian at Ishapore must have gone to the Riverside after the last exam was over! The Riverside Park used to be packed with seniors, friends and little children that day…

This place had it in itself, the ability to bring relief, hope and solace. Whenever I didn’t feel happy or was in a dilemma, I always came here- sitting down near the riverside. By the time I got up, I usually got rid of my worries or got a way out. Gone are those days when I along with my friends used to come here right after school to play football, badminton, and instead all that remains is a collection of treasured memories not easily to be forgotten or lost. 

Many of my close friends got transferred to other places, just the way I left Nagpur and came here. And that hurt a lot. Perks of “leaving” a defence colony- I think, and sigh.

Perhaps, perhaps I would have to leave this beautiful place too. And maybe quite soon, coz I’ve been here for 10 years already.

Back when I was in Nagpur and in class 4, I thought moving to Ishapore due to my father’s transfer was a kind of short vacation. But as the days had passed, and the days had turned into months, which further turned into years- I realized it was not. And by then, I had lost contact with most of my classmates, barring some of my close friends.

The mere thought of leaving this place, to not be able to simply sit by the Riverside and watch the magnificent sunset, brings sadness that feels as old and terrible as life itself. I undoubtedly spent a wonderful time here at this place. But I’m not bored of this place. No way, not at all.

I open my eyes and look at the sky. Before I know it, under the reds and yellows of the sunset, the sight of the fading sun across the infinite sky takes room in me. And it clears away all thoughts and brings with itself a new hope, a new beginning when the sun rises again tomorrow. The promise that everything can go on and be good again, no matter how bad our losses might be.

The phone rings. Must be a call from Mom to return home… I get up to pick it and answer. No it’s my next-door friend Anuraag, and one of those few friends still staying in the colony.

“Hey, I am sick of this lockdown, bro. Let’s meet someday ASAP…”-he says.

I look up at the sky. The sunlight was getting dimmer. The sun would set soon.

“Umm, can you meet up at the Riverside Park now? If you hurry, we can see the sunset here.”- I ask.

“Okay cool!!”- He says and hangs up.

Anuraag manages to arrive quite fast, in about 3 minutes. And actually there’s still some time for the sun to sink in. We talk about how we were passing time during the lockdown in our own ways. And then, as if without any second thoughts, the memories of our friend circle resurfaces. But they weren’t here to discuss the football matches we played, the pranks we played, cycling together… Only if they were here…

That’s when the same idea strikes both of us. We yell-“Video Call” at the same time.

We quickly scroll through our contact list and start inviting our old friends. At times, we doubt whether they would even remember, let alone pick up the call. It’s hard to believe they would when we have been out of contact for quite some time. We wait patiently, looking at the fading evening sun.

The sun seemed to hang on for us for a little longer, so that we could relive our precious childhood and school days. Turns out that was exactly the case. Coz all of our friends- Sumit, Ishaan, Srijan, Avik, Sudeep, Sayan… (the list is a bit long, so I apologize if I missed out on you. But I hope you remember, at least..)  eventually pick up the call.

And each of them, in turn, invites another long, lost friend of ours. 

The response is overwhelming. The sun finally starts dipping. The sky looks elegant and enigmatic- filled with hues of red, orange and yellow amidst the vast sky. All of us admire the picture- perfect sunset with awe. And it’s better when all of us are together. 

Yes, for a moment, we think all of us are at the Riverside Park and not on a screen. And talking about our good old days brings so much hope that someday, after the lockdown, we could actually have a reunion here, at the riverside. And that makes life interesting- having a firm belief and conviction of a dream come true.

The darkness starts setting in. The street lights blink, and then they get illuminated. 

But our talks have no end. And so is the sound of the river water lapping up to the banks. 

Laughing and reliving old memories that were so special to us, the time doesn’t matter at all. Life is the moment we’re living right now. There’s only that moment- us laughing, crying, reliving and recollecting our best days spent here and the incredible certainty that we would meet up very soon.

Trek to Triund

It is hard to believe that the lockdown hasn’t played a spoilsport in your plans, whatever they might be.  Just thinking about it makes one frown, feel sad and frustrated all at once. Well, same is the case with me- I had a plan to go for trekking this summer. It would only have been my second trek though…

I am a novice, of course. Perhaps even novice is too much. But that doesn’t matter much to me. I love the hills, the snow-clad mountains and the simple lifestyles of the people there. There’s peace, serenity and tranquility that is unmatched in every aspect. There’s this mystic and alluring vibe about the hills that attracts everyone.

I don’t know if you would call this a coincidence, but my name “Tuhin” means snow which might be why I love going to the hilly areas.

Anyways, let me share the experience of my first and only trek to Triund so far. Although it’s two years back, I thought of penning it down as it is well said that –

“We write to taste life twice, in the moment and in retrospect.”

Every year, I along with my family used to visit a tourist place during the holidays. In the year 2018, I had a long deliberation with my parents just before the commencement of the summer vacations. Since it was summertime, the obvious choice was to go to a hill station rather than the sea-side.

But tourist spots are pretty crowded places, and it might spoil your vacation plans if not planned well. So, we thought of staying somewhere away from the tourist hotspots. I also expressed my wish to go for a short trek while planning.

So, considering all these views, we decided to go to Naddi village, a quiet village in the upper regions of Dharamshala and not very far off from the McLeodganj square.

A day was kept separate for the trek, which we later decided to be Triund, among the many other trekking destinations.

We travelled from Kolkata to Dharamshala by flight via Delhi. On reaching the Kangra airport at Dharamshala, we booked a cab and headed off for Naddi. The mountains could be seen at a distance far off.

The weather was hot and humid, and dust was blowing all around at lower Dharamshala. It definitely did NOT feel like a hill station and it was no different than Kolkata.

I doubted if we even came to the right place at all…

After covering a pretty long distance in the plains, we started moving up. We could feel the temperature dropping, and the humidity replaced by a soothing cool wind. Rows of oak trees covered both the sides of the road that bended in sweeping meanders so frequently. It seemed straight out of a movie scene.

Or as many say-‘Love is in the air’.

The snow-clad mountains that enchanted us all, came closer and closer as the car sped up in the almost empty road. I opened the window and looked out of the moving car. The hundreds of cars that were there near the airport had taken some other route. Baring a couple of vehicles, the road was pretty clear.

I sneezed, and I understood that it was getting chilly. I closed the window, put on my jacket and thought-“Yeah, this is definitely a hill station. Now we are talking!!”

We crossed the Mcleodganj square, and then the car started climbing steep up… We had already reached the upper portions of McLeodganj. The car slowed down suddenly, and I looked ahead. A narrow road went sharp downwards and up a bit to a beautiful looking villa. The signboard said- Nishaad Resorts.

The car went down slowly and parked in the hallway. The resort looked perfect, and I realized that it was due to the meticulous plans made by my parents.

As we got out to take the luggage, a chilly wind greeted us. We quickly went inside the reception room and were welcomed by the owner- Mr. Nishaad.

Meanwhile, I went outside the lawn to have a look at the surroundings.  I watched the majestic snow-clad mountains of the Dhauladhar range get engulfed by the darkness, and then headed inside.

Of the two rooms that were reserved for us, Mom had chosen the one with a big window that gave a neat view of the mountains.

It was so chilly, that we immediately started the room heater. Just 24 hours, and we had switched from air conditioner to heater! We were thrilled with the location of the resort and the panoramic view of the room. I could never imagine that such a place even existed.

The warm room, the faint sound of the rain outside and soon eating a local delicacy- the evening went great…

Next day when we woke up, we were still a bit tired because of the long journey. It took us some time to get adjusted to the climate there.

The view from the lawn was spectacular- it offered a 180° view of the mountains. And they started glistening with a golden colour as the sun started rising. Our resort was the last one in the area, so we had the best view of the surroundings.

I looked at the lush greenery- with bees humming and butterflies all over them. The ground was a bit wet due to the rains. A little puppy came from nowhere, and I enjoyed playing with it until my little sister joined me too.

Soon, we had breakfast in the open air extension of the dining hall of the resort. Even from there, the mountains were so close. The scenic beauty was of another dimension totally.

And then, we headed out for seeing the local places in and around Dharamshala. 

Over the next two to three days, we visited a lot of places- the crowded McLeodganj square, the Dharamshala stadium with the mountains in the background, the tea-gradens, the Tsuglagkhang Complex, the Namgyal Monastery where His Holiness The 14^th Dalai Lama resided, the Gyuto Monastery, the Bhagsunag Temple, Jwala Devi Temple, the Tibetan Art Museum and the Norbulingka Institute to name a few…

Then the day before the trek came… I and Dad planned to go for Triund as it was a moderate trek and it was a good idea, as I had no experience in trekking. I was waiting eagerly for this, even though Mom and my sister Trisha decided to stay back at the resort.

A vehicle was arranged to take us to Dharamkot and then to Gallu Devi Temple, from where we would start our trek to Triund. I and Dad discussed with Mr. Nishaad regarding the details of the trek and he suggested to start early as it could take 6-7 hours, provided the weather was good.

So the next day, on 06.04.2018, I and Dad left early from the resort by car before sunrise. We carried with us a small backpack containing two water bottles, dry fruits, breakfast from the resort, two water resistant jackets and two walking sticks for support, in case we needed them.

We reached Gallu via Dharamkot at 07:45 A.M. The journey was definitely not good, filled with rocks and potholes everywhere. But the best part, the weather was pretty fine and we were on time as per our plan.

I took the backpack and we started trekking immediately… Initially it was not a tough task at all, and we covered a couple of kilometres up in no time. In fact, the 6 km long trek up to Magic View Cafe was pretty easy and we reached there around 09:15 A.M.

We drank some water, ate some dry fruits and I gave the backpack to Dad. We clicked some pictures as the view was already getting better. The place offered jaw-dropping views of the mountains up ahead and the gorgeous Kangra valley on the right. I thought of calling Mom, but there was no network.

Quiet and still, this place was disconnected from the rest of the world. There was a rare sense of freedom and joy just by being here.

But we decided not to waste any more time as weather in the hills could change dramatically, without any premonition.

So, off we headed for the latter part of the journey. The path had now narrowed down, and we were crossing through lush forests of rhododendron, oak and deodar trees.

The path was slippery at places owing to the moss formation, and we took steps carefully. I took a peek on the right and looked down. A lump formed on my throat, and I gulped. Not that I was scared of heights, but a nasty fall would surely be the end of anyone’s life.

We kept on going. My energy started sapping fast, as the climb was getting steeper and we had to climb over broken branches, boulders, etc.… Many a times, we slipped a bit but the sticks helped in giving grip.

But our enthusiasm never died, and we didn’t stop or look back for a moment. We took turns taking the backpack. Every time we turned around a sharp corner or bend and saw some tourists descending, I kept asking-“How long to the top?”

But ‘a little more’ was the only answer I got. The last 2 kms were so steep I thought I had been trekking for ages.

But slowly and eventually, we reached the flat portion of the hill covered with green grass at about 10:45 A.M.

Swinging between hope and despair, it took me some time to digest the fact the fact that we had reached the destination.

Beaming with exhilaration, I went from one corner to the other and looked at the mountains of the Dhauladhar Range. They were so close, so very close I thought I could take a leap and be there. And they were beautiful.Stunning.Magnificent.Snow-cladded.

I was spellbound for a moment, and took some time to sink this feeling in.

This was it. Under the blue sky and the green grass underneath, this was the best place I had ever been. Perhaps this was it… I felt as if I belonged here. Miles away from the busy city life filled with uncountable worries.

We were greeted by some tourists who had reached before us. A couple of tents were still up, probably for those who would trek even further up the hills. A small stall stood on one side, supplying food stuffs and water.

We sat down near a cliff and had our breakfast. 

It was just aloo parathas with butter, but in that moment it was just perfect. We finished our food in no time and sat back in the grass. Head resting on a rock and looking at the surroundings, I contemplated about the struggles to the top. This was just so rewarding, and turned out to be the best experiences of my life so far.

At about 12:30 P.M. we started packing up as dense clouds started circulating. We started our way back to the descent. I looked up for once at the dense clouds and then at the mountains. I wanted to stay there longer but we didn’t have a tent and it was a long way down. We tried our best to go cautiously and fast at the same time, but by then it was already too late. Snow had started falling.

It wasn’t such a nuisance and the snowflakes were, in fact, a sight to behold. But it made the narrow and steep path even more treacherous and visibility was badly reduced as the snowfall increased heavily.

We held on to our jackets and descended faster once the steepness decreased. We somehow hurried inside a tea-stall and took refuge there for some time. That was when I remembered that we had left back the walking sticks. But it didn’t matter now. The snowfall was replaced by a heavy downpour of rain, and we got stranded there. Lots of tourists started pouring into the cramped, small stall.

The rains kept their pace. And it was ever increasing…We took a sip of tea and decided to descend down in spite of the rain. We reached Gallu at about 2:30 P.M.

But owing to the bad weather, there were no vehicles at Gallu. I and Dad were already half drenched and having trekked all the way to and fro Triund, walking on the road seemed a pretty easy task.

So we set off…to where the solitary road took us. The rains started slowing down… And after about some time, they almost stopped, and the sky started clearing up. 

The earthen smell of the ground, accompanied by the beautiful sounds of the songbirds and the rain dripping from the leaves of the oak trees made a beautiful symphony.

Soon enough, we reached Dharamkot. From there, we took a cab and went straight to our resort. I was dead tired all of a sudden, and yeah, I felt as if I hadn’t eaten anything for days! After getting freshened up and having a light snacks, I felt better. But the fatigue didn’t go…

And my mind was still preoccupied with the trek. Perhaps, perhaps I left it there, back in the hills. I was pretty excited to share my experience with Mom and my sister, but they were asleep then.

That evening, I along with my family sat outside to see the sun set across the village. It was a sight to behold… 

Sipping on a cup of warm coffee, I kept talking about my first trek. Somewhere near the resort, I heard the faint tune of a local song being sung. It was beautiful. The mountains started getting enveloped in a cloud, making them look ever so mysterious.

There were still so many places and routes unexplored. And Triund was just the beginning. The trek turned out to be the best experience of my life so far. 

Just before the mountains completely disappeared, I shouted and said-

“Next time, I will trek even higher and steeper!!”

A Lost Friend...

I looked at the novel on my study table…I picked it up and looked closely at it…The symbol of a bird on it, yes that brought back memories…

It was the June of 2016- if I correctly remember. Yes, I am pretty sure…

Sometimes, some drawings are drawn by the heart and no matter how hard you try to erase them, the imprint it has made never, ever fades away…

Anyways, so it was the June of 2016. Those carefree school days when we didn’t have to worry much about studies…

Summer was about to end, and every street was filled with kids playing cricket or badminton, while many others went in groups for cycling. After all, it was just a couple of days since the summer holidays would end. So everyone was enjoying to their heart’s content.

Watching everyone playing and having fun, I wanted to join them too…But I looked at my watch and sighed… I had to go to Belgharia for a mathematics class, and all by myself. And after the reopening of school, I would just have enough time to take lunch and rush for the only train at that hour.

After about an hour, I got down from the crowded compartment of the train at Belgharia, and looked at my watch. It was already 6! I made a dash for the bus that went there. Phew! I somehow made it on time!

When I entered the class for the first time, I was relieved to see that the teacher hadn’t arrived by then but at the same time, I was surprised to see so many new faces staring at me. It took me some time to register the fact that I was a newcomer and I had joined the classes much later than the others.

I found an isolated bench on the third row and took my seat there. The chattering among the others resumed and everything was normal. The only problem was that I didn’t know anyone there. Multiple times, I looked here and there, hoping to find a familiar face, but there wasn’t any. But at the last bench, I found a girl reading a familiar book - having a familiar symbol of a bird with an arrow on it’s beak.

It was a Mockingjay - a bird and a symbol of revolution in The Hunger Games trilogy- one of my most favorite novels. I had read all but the first book of the trilogy and obviously, I didn’t know about many characters and plots of the first book that were mentioned in the latter two. Even then it was so well written that it had been one of my favorites the moment I had finished reading the second and third book. Ever since, I had wanted to buy the first book of the trilogy but I never got the chance.

And here, on the last bench someone was reading the first book! I was an introvert and it was pretty rare that I started a conversation with someone new, but out of sheer excitement, I did.

I went over to the last bench, and saw a girl reading the book, lost into it… It suddenly occurred to me that I should say something but I didn’t know what to say, so in the end I just managed a feeble “Excuse me…”

“Yes”-the girl looked up at me and answered.

She had a large pair of spectacles and the way she looked through her sparkling eyes, I thought she was probably the topper around there, in that batch.

“Do you want to say something?”- She snapped.

“Is that the first book of The Hunger Games?”-I asked.

The sullen look got replaced by a warm smile and she said-“You know about it?”

Back in those days, I knew very few people who read novels and as far as this trilogy was concerned, there was probably no other soul in the world who had even heard of the name, let alone read it. Perhaps she had the same belief.

“Yes, it’s my favorite actually…”- I replied.

“Mine too!! I have, like, read it a dozen times!! Wanna discuss about it?”- She asked.

“Yeah sure”- I exclaimed.

“May the odds…”- she said softly, leaving out the rest of the line in the air.

“Be ever in your favour!”- I completed it. It was a sarcastic line in the novel that seemingly offered optimism, but didn’t…

She chimed happily, and asked me to sit at the last bench.

“And your name...?”- I asked.

“Priyanka…” was her reply.

“And yours?”-she asked.

“It’s Tuhin…”-I told.

“Friends?”-She asked, looking at me.

“Yeah, cool!!”-I said.

I took my bag and sat next to her. We talked for a while on general topics, the places we hailed from and random stuff…Soon enough, when we started talking about the novel, I told her that I hadn’t read the first book of the trilogy at all.

She laughed, and said -“Who on earth reads a trilogy in the wrong order?”

Perhaps it was foolish of me to not read the first book first. Of course I was.

“I guess…” – I said, and before I could finish saying, she laughed it off by saying-

“Cazz…I will lend you the novel for a week, until next Tuesday when we meet again for our next class.”

“Cool!! That gives me a lot of time to read it. Thanks a lot!”- I replied, appreciating the sweet gesture.

The teacher arrived half an hour late, and the class became quiet again. Except for the two for us… The topics covered in the class were pretty simple and we finished the questions in no time, and then we discussed about the plots, protagonists and the many other characters of the trilogy.

It was great to have a friend who loved the trilogy by heart, and we had infinite discussions, heated arguments on so many plots that day itself. We even developed an alternate ending to the story!!

The two-hour class finished, and then she gave me the novel, saying-“Have a look at the first page…”

On the first page, in neat handwriting were written the words -

“Take care of the Mockingjay”,

followed by her signature. The Mockingjay referred to the book.

“Yeah of course”- I said and after bidding goodbyes, we went our ways. The first day didn’t go bad at all…In fact, it was totally awesome! And then, I got the first novel of the trilogy from my new friend.

I was so excited about reading it, that by the time I reached home, I had read about half of the book on the train itself.

I scribbled down notes and connected missing plot links after I finished reading the book. I had stayed up that night to finish it.

The next week came soon enough, and we discussed a lot- like a lot, about The Hunger Games trilogy. Turned out we were both great fans of the three novels, and there was no end to the discussions. And after having read the first novel, it was easier enough to understand about the reasons behind the twists and turns at crucial stages of the story.

We had exchanged our numbers that day when the class had ended.

The weeks came and went, and we continued our discussions. I thought even the author of the trilogy would have gone crazy on listening to our insanely and never ending conversations over the trilogy!

At times, we switched our discussions to other novels- those of Khaled Hosseini, Dan Brown, John Green and Paulo Coelho to name a few. And sometimes about new songs, and general stuff.

Keeping a novel besides the notebook was a regular habit, and we read them whenever the teacher went out for a break.

One day, we figured out that our teacher was scared of insects, and even a harmless moth would send him panicking like anything. After a couple of weeks, we were pretty sure that the teacher was actually really very scared of insects and we took turns trying to make the insects fly whenever one of them landed on a wall near our teacher.

We laughed like maniacs in the last bench, enjoying how well the prank went.

From long discussions on the novel, heated arguments based on differences of opinion, laughing and scaring away the teacher- we loved them all.

The weeks came and went…2017 arrived… A new year…Winter was at its peak…

And our board exams were knocking on the door… The last day of January… We discussed about the trilogy one last time…But I didn’t know then that it would be our LAST discussion…

I had asked her last week if she could lend me the first book of the trilogy once again, so that I could read the whole trilogy once my exams got over. After thinking for a while, she had agreed to give it to me in the next class.

She gave me the novel, but she seemed sad somehow… I understood- when you are attached to your favorite novel it’s hard to give it up easily. I assured her that I would return the book the very next week after the exams. That brought the smile back on her face.

“You better do…”- she said seriously, and noticing my confused face, she laughed and said-

“Why do you take everything so seriously? Cazz…I wouldn’t possibly die if I didn’t see the novel for a few weeks. And by the way, you would be doing me a favor by keeping the novel away from me, else I wouldn’t be able to focus for my exams. So don’t worry, just keep it safe and bring it right away when the board exams get over!”

Saying this, she had handed me the novel- which is still there with me for 4 years…

I came for the next two weeks, but the last bench always remained empty. In fact, most of the benches were empty by then. Everyone were at their homes during this chilly cold, while I and a few more students were attending the class…

The final day I went there before my exams, I looked at the last bench where we had scribbled all the many characters of the trilogy we had managed to recollect. I sincerely believed that we would do well in the exams and then we would discuss about the novel again.

The exams came, and I didn’t have much time to read the novel she had given me, so I kept it on one side of my study table. After the exams finally got over, I wiped the dust off the novel and read it again. The same feeling, the same effect- when I had read it for the first time…

Then I remembered… I had to return it the coming Tuesday. I wondered if she would come. But I believed she would, coz it’s hard to stay away from your beloved novel.

But that Tuesday, she didn’t come… I felt a bit disappointed…

But I was hopeful the next Tuesday…And she didn’t came even then…I started feeling hopeless. The thought of losing a friend who loved the trilogy as much as me was dreadful…

Even then, I thought of waiting for the next week and so I didn’t call on her number…

I still hoped she would turn up the next Tuesday in the class…But she didn’t…And the last bench was empty, except for me…

It’s strange- when someone is important to you and you haven’t seen them or heard from them in a long time- it makes you feel worried…A lot…

I couldn’t wait anymore. So I went over to the office and asked for her address, saying that I needed to return a book for hers.

Just after class, I took the bus to Jessore Road and went to her address. I rang the doorbell…Silence for a moment… And then a lady opened the door.

“Is Priyanka here?”-I asked.

“Oh, they got transferred to Kanpur last week only. We shifted to this place a few days ago…”-she said.

“Oh, it’s all right…”- I replied, trying to remain calm… But it was difficult to stay calm- the news was shocking to me…

I started walking to the closest bus stop, but the road didn’t seem to end. I kept going for a long time, frantically dialing her number and calling. But the same monotonic voice saying the number was not reachable filled the silence that now surrounded me.

I couldn’t accept the fact that she had left Kolkata- leaving behind the novel and our discussions on it abruptly.

“It’s not fair, it’s just so unfair!”- I kept saying to myself as I was nearly by the bus stop. The world indeed, was not a “wish-granting factory.”

And I didn’t even get the chance to say goodbye…

I got up on the bus, and found a seat at the back. I wore my headphones, put a sad song on repeat and thought back…

We didn’t get much time…We still had so many plots to discuss upon…But now the conversations and discussions would come to an end, and die- just like the normal talks and chit-chats we have regularly with every other person.

Everything comes to an end eventually…The only difference is whether it comes sooner or later and when you sense that the end is near, you still don’t have the good sense to give up.

Yes, I didn’t have the good sense to give up. Through the open window of the bus, I looked out at the star-lit sky. Somewhere, someplace not very far off, perhaps she would be looking at the sky too...

I opened my backpack and took out the novel she had given me…I ran my hands over her handwriting on the first page that said-“Take care of the Mockingjay…”

“Yes, I will…”-I said to myself.

Maybe the odds were not in my favour, but it was all right. I kept the novel safely inside, hoping someday we would meet when our paths crossed again…

And I managed to whisper to the sky-

 “Good Bye…”