Skip to main content

LIFE AND LIES #57 | Neil Nitin Mukesh (#2)

"Krishna is a married man but he's always revered along with Radha, his lover. What if... say Rukmani, said to Krishna one day, that she'd rather be Radha?" 

Nitin uttered his thought out loud then looked around the room. While the others had stopped long back, Neil was pouring himself another drink. Only he could drink so much on a Sunday night, because unlike the others, his Monday had been declared a Bank holiday. It was Mukesh who was sober enough to reply to his question.

"Radha spent her years in sadness longing for Krishna. Rukmani would not want to be in her place."

"What if...'' smiled Nitin. He always placed the actual question he wanted to ask as the second question. "One day, after reading my work, my wife says to me that she'd rather be one of the women I write about so passionately."

"The women you choose to write about are also inherently sad," Mukesh was quick with a reply. "Ask your wife then, would she rather be a happy wife or a subject of your writing."

"How can you be sure that those women are inherently sad?"

"That is what makes them beautiful to you."

"Wow, never thought of it that way before," exclaimed Nitin, wondering if what Mukesh said was actually true. Though, It didn't take him long to jump upon another chain of thought.

"When I was a kid," he began. "There used to be these tum-tums (horse-driven carts) plying in my hometown. These horses had blinders on both of their eyes. On enquiring, I found out that the purpose of these blinders was to keep the horses from getting distracted by the passing traffic. I guess, after a certain age, men need these blinders too. This is achieved by getting married. When you have somebody waiting for you at home, you are eager to get home rather than getting distracted by the oncoming traffic."

"I think you are disillusioned on this," replied Mukesh. "But since you are not married, I'll take it into consideration. You are confusing responsibility stemming from a relationship as blinders and being carefree as having freedom. I feel, having someone to share your life with, and depending on each other makes life more worthwhile. When you have a good companion for travelling, the passing traffic is merely not amusing anymore."

"Sometimes...a certain kind of slavery can give you comfort and security." Neil landed his glass on the table with a thud and said in a finishing tone. "And that slavery is marriage."

"Oh, come on," laughed Nitin. Mukesh joined in. "That can't possibly be as poignant as it sounded."

***
Liked what you read? Leave a comment.


***
Original Art - 'Ripped from their mundane life, they suddenly appear in the world of geometric patterns.' by Duane Kirby Jensen 

Labels:
Location: Mumbai, Maharashtra, India

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Whispers and Words #1

*** Finding solace In an air-conditioned space, The city slept While I wandered the streets, Restless, Perfecting the ending Of a sentence. The cool breeze made me forget That it was a summer night. Then, out of nowhere, A cold whisper Sent a shiver down my spine. "You have to choose, my friend. Be a writer or be content." "Why can't I be both?" I asked the emptiness. And the whisper scoffed at me, "You and your consistent pursuit To get the best of both worlds. Buckle up then! You are about to be tested." I stumbled over a rock And found the ending I was looking for. "If a river wants to meet the sea, Twisting and turning, It will somehow find its way Even through the mountains." If a whisper could smile, It did, and said, "We will see." *** I don't have a million readers - not by choice, obviously - just a handful. But they mean to me as much as the millions would do. And one of those readers reminded me that I had taken a lon...
1 comment
Read more

LIFE AND LIES #67 | The Shortest Story

Dedicated to a friend of mine who is no longer in this world. ********************************* A friend had died. Still, the world  Hadn't come to a stop. Perhaps, it should have. Because I gave my presentation Smiling from ear to ear. And later at night, I drank to my fill To honour him. Because life is too fricking short, But at times, Feels too bloody long. If you google 'Shortest Short Story' You'll get the following result: "For sale: Baby shoes, never worn." Popularly attributed to Ernest Hemingway. Ernest, I'm sorry  But I ended up writing  Something similar myself. "Hang in there, my friend. He did." I'm not proud of what I wrote.  It is what it is. "Who is this about," my friend asked after reading my poem. "He was my batchmate in school," I replied. "He committed suicide yesterday by hanging." "Why? What happened?" "Nobody knows. He had cut himself off from everyone." "Was he i...
1 comment
Read more

LIFE AND LIES #61 | The Summit Within

Dehradun to Sankri On an early morning, towards the end of March, I was sipping a cup of tea in Dehradun, surrounded by a bunch of strangers loading their backpacks on a traveller which was going to take us to Sankri, the starting point of Kedarkantha Trek. A thought struck me. Somewhere around this place, not so long ago, Ruskin Bond was racking his brains to come up with the name of a fictitious town. Subsequently, he came up with the name: Dehra, having spent his early adolescent days in Dehradun, the place which inspired many of his characters and stories. Ingenious, huh? I am struggling with a similar challenge. Let’s see what I come up with. I finished my tea. And soon we headed on our way. The first view of the mountains came when we were about to reach Mussourie. A smile spread across my face automatically in its unique way, like it happens when you meet an old friend after a long time. I was hoping to spot Cambridge Book Depot on the way, or even Ruskin Bond if I w...
Post a Comment
Read more