Bablee (Part 12th ) —

(Recap – In the last episode I mentioned about my planning to get my office white washed and my obvious choice was Ganak for the purpose. On my call, on one day he arrived and on the same his saw Bablee for the first time, from the veranda of my office. The outcome was as usual, he got arrested in her Love. Mean while I mentioned about three worth noticeable incidences in the market. Now I am giving details of them one by one.)

In the last episode, I mentioned in brief about all those incidences. Now I am taking them in reversal mode. I meant, the third incidence being expatiated on first and then other in the same reversal order. The number of Ganak comes in first preference in this list. This incidence related to Ganak’s daring misdemeanor. Though, in sooth, it was not a misdemeanor on his part, it was merely an action taken in a “spurt of emotional moment.” On one day, when I opened my office at the morning time, after an hour Bablee gave me a secret gesture to visit her shop. She was in habit to send this kind of inviting signals, when she used to remain all alone in her shop. Brimming with pleasure, I reached to her shop.

There, she pointed to one corner of the shop, where a multi folded paper was kept and said, ” your that painter follower had slipped this love letter at late night from under the slit of the downed shutter of the shop. Just look into his this misdemeanor and go through the contents of the letter. It seems, he trying to take your place.” When she said, “he is trying to take your place,” I didn’t understand the meaning it carried, But when I went through the entire contents of love letter, it at once flashed into my mind. ” this bird was now “fixed” with me.”

What a chosen dialogue, she had delivered to befool me, I realized it only after a long lapse of time. Cunning girls often fool in this way to married men like me. But  what so ever it was of my becoming fool, was my foolishness only, I come back to the love-letter. As I told previously, had Ganak been provided with a family support to complete his education, he could have gone much ahead in his life. It was obvious by the contents of love letter. It also revealed to me that he had a beautiful hand in writing and astounding talent in drawing a love-letter.

Really say, to me it seemed whether this love letter was drafted by some well established writer in the field of romantic writing. Not only this, after that, a realization too occurred into my mind about my pre-marital love affairs. In that bachelor life, I too had sent so many love letters to my different girl friends, but the acme of expression I found in this love letter was superior. Somewhere, it candidly revealed in my mind, the love letter I drafted for different girls were not inspired by my “love saturated feelings” but with a “lust drive” only. The letters I wrote to them were to impress them momentarily only. Some contents of letters written by Ganak, I still remember by heart. He wrote –

“Dear heartiest Bablee, whenever I look at you, it occurs to me, as if, I am a dark valley in the mass of night, where myriads of scintillating fire-flies by their lighting presence made me recall your existence. It seems to me that scintillating light is of you, only to enlighten my life . The arresting beauty of your and your Ora has dazzled me so greatly; I find no girl in this world who can stand at par you. Your bright, glowing face with a divine ora always floats before my eyes. In the night, on my bed when I look at the empty walls of my room, I find your different colorful images reeling on there, as if, some beauteous, panoramic portrait been drawn by some great painter. I too have begun to coin poetry in your love and planning to portray your picture on the wall of my room. In this portrait, I imagine you with some kids as an outcome of our long lasting deep love ….”

In next stanza, he jotted down the lines, that touched my heart, ” come on sweetest, my heartiest love Bablee, now we should board on a long, distant journey; far away from this cruel world which never permits two love-saturated heart to merge into one another. We should move to that new world,  ‘dappled with the golden patches’; the world, that shall be confined to you and me and to our coming children. Every where, there will be the rays of felicity of new life.”

I admit with an open heart that I too was greatly convinced by this love-letter. But as I told, just Bablee had told. ” Your follower is trying to take your place.” No sooner, this dialogue sparked in mind as a reminder, all soft sentiments for Ganak at once eroded from my mind. Somewhere,  truculent feelings I felt germinated inside me. It was nothing but the rivalry for the same and one girl. To soothe the anger of Bablee, I said, ” I just go to his place and give him a hard chide. I am too badly offended by his this misdemeanor for you.” But in response to my suggestion, what Bablee said, it was evident by that, she too somewhere were moved by the high-flown writing of Ganak, but kept firmly her feet on realistic ground. She said, ” Every one falls in love with me by watching me. May whatsoever you give it the name, but the poor man has poured out his genuine feelings. Even after, he stands not at par with you in my heart!”

Dear reader, just suggest me. Whether her this expression about me (though it was a fooling remarks,) was not enough to make me mad! The another probability was, Had I chided Ganak, he might have surmised my somewhat affection for Bablee as well. It was like showing my weakness for Bablee before him. One thing I did. I took the love letter into my possession and began to wait for Ganak to appear in my office. But, it turned out, after that, for many days to come Ganak didn’t show up. The one ides that I could construct into my mind was, he had jotted down the letter in the evening time only, when he was “high” under the impression of liquor and under the same impression he mustered the courage to slip the letter inside the shop from under the slit of the shutter.

When he remained absent continuously for one week, then on one evening I appeared at his place. Ganak as usual respectfully received me. Generally at evening time, when he was sufficed with money, he used to have drinks. This time, he too was under process of consuming alcohol. He too asked me for some drinks, that I refuted politely. After some formal talks, I came to the point. Bearing  a staid look and acquiring taciturn demeanor, I discovered the same love-letter out of my pocket and placed that before him. By having a glance of the letter his face turned pale and he began to avert the glance.

His position was akin to a child, who was caught red-handed stealing some valuable item. The expression of enduring ‘thousand defeats’ at once occurred on his face. With an assuming serious and consoling voice, I said to him, ” Look Ganak! Because of your this misdeed, she was so angry with me. The fact is, she was threatening to approach the police station for your this misdemeanor. But some how, I managed to calm down her and settled the matter.” Hearing the entry of police, his face, that was already pale, turned up into cadaverous one. I knew, he was not afraid of police, but the way in which he got defeated was so agonizing for him.

I continued, ” It’s nothing to worry now. The matter is bygone. I know, we all are given to the emotional whim of the heart. It happens with every one. No need to feel ashamed before me.” He was in a transfix situation, unable even to give a slight jerk to his body. I also knew, he was not ashamed of me as such. In sooth, he was thinking of his defeat in prospectus to Bablee. On the other hand, I also could not put him in more shameful situation. I had no such intention. The concluding impact to remove him from the scene was accomplished on my part. After all he was emerging as a ‘rival’ to me.

When I was coming back from his house, I was so happy inwardly. The dialogue of Bablee, ” your follower is trying to take your place,” was resounding into my ears as a ringing bell. Whilst, the reality was, the entire market was packed with fools like me, whom Bablee was trying to make  a dance on strings of her fingers as a puppet. (End of the Part- 12th. Cont’d ) Penned by — Vinay Pharasi —–