Infatuation in Dreamland …. (Part -2)

(Recap – In the first episode, I narrated about basic primary school’s chum ‘ Rajoo’ and our journey that lasted up to degree college. How he fostered a dream to marry some beautiful girl, whenever he was to enter his married life.)

After attending the engagement ceremony of Rajoo, I retreated to my city abode. My intermittent fortnightly visit to my parents, back in village continued as per schedule. In between, whenever I chanced to meet Rajoo occasionally, I found him ever brimmed with a surge of felicity. A major change, I found in his demeanor. In chat, after some pauses, he now got inclined to engrossed in some thought, it made him cut from the rest of the world. I happened to tease him, why he became distracted in between our chat.

He candidly admitted, “Brother, since the first day, I made visit to the house of my prospective bride and I saw her, I have been fallen in her love. God has been so generous to me, so that I been engaged with her ceremoniously. Now every moment, I float in thought ever thinking of her only. God knows only, whether it’s happening with me or it happens with every one, engaged as such! Truly say, I am mad after her, I am infatuated in her love. ”

I queried, ”  Whether you chanced to see her again.”  He nodded in negative and answered, ”  No!  Not at all friend, You know well, our social norms of  country side are so rigid; had she been from city side, probably I could have obtained some opportunity! Any how, now she is going to become my wife in near future, I can but wait.” I consoled him , ” It’s natural brother! Once in a life time a man gets opportunity to marry some one. It’s not bad to fall in love of one’s “would be,” He conceded to my suggestion.t’s like enjoying the moments of life.”

                                      My visits to village stopped

It happened with me in another way. My mother developed some serious ailment. She could properly be cured in city hospital only, hence I took her to my city abode. To assist her and look after, my father too came along with. Doctor prescribed a long medical treatment and about one long year, she was forced to stay with me in the city. In between, my father kept on visiting back to manage landed property intermittently. Rajoo being my friend, so I could not forget my plan to attend his prospective marriage. Some how, for his marriage function, I could afford to spare one night halt, back in village for the purpose. Six months elapsed, but no information in shape of invitation I received. It surprised me.

Since, I already had mentioned my wish in advance to attend the marriage of Rajoo, to my father. Further, I was certain, when father kept on visiting back the village, he might have received the invitation properly and intimate me about that.  Truly say, a harassing idea developed in to my mind, ” probably, Rajoo too had ignored the feelings of our old long friendship and avoided inviting me.” On one day, hesitatingly I queried to my father, ” Father, what’s about Rajoo’s marriage? It seems he forgot to send invitation to me?  The reply, father made was so shocking to me. He said, ” I was thinking to inform you about that, since you were already bothered regard the illness of mother, I found it not proper to relate the mishap occurred with your friend.

                                                                              Mishap

” Mishap! What kind of mishap occurred with him father?”  Father told in detail, ” The girl with whom he got betrothed, was already entangled with some other boy. But her parents did not agree to get her wed lock with that boy. The boy belonged to other cast.  Son, you know very well, our society is a cast-ridden community and does not permit such kind of inter cast marriage. This forced the girl, under the whim of parents to give consent to marry with Rajoo.

Though inside her heart, she was not prepared for this marriage at all. You know, your friend’s mental set-up about his “would be,” he ever remained engrossed in imagination to get wedlock with the girl . But  when last ritual of Shaha- patta ( the auspicious ritual in Hindus’ marriage when parents from both the sides finally fix  the series of ceremonies and for that a later of rituals is exchanged) was to be performed, One day before that, the girl eloped with her paramour.”

The news was so shocking. I had witnessed the mental set-up of Rajoo,  how he was infatuated in love for his prospective bride. Looking at my face, my father said, “By looking at your face, I can say, I was right on my part not to inform you about all that. After all, he was your best chum.”  When father said, ” He WAS your best chum,” the horrific idea of his doing harmful with himself, at once flashed in my mind. I interrupted him, “Father you said, he WAS, what does that mean, has he harmed himself mortally?”

“Oh No ! Sorry for that, Son. It was slip of tongue. He is alive physically, but mentally he is not OK. He is not the same Rajoo, once happened to be. He has gone mad, though not a violent mad man. But it seems, at once he under went the intensified depression and became mute. Now he doesn’t talk with any one, just all is destiny Son!” Father concluded. ( End of the part 2 of the story…Ont’d). Penned by — Vinay Pharaasi …..