Whispers and Words of M R Maiti

*** Continued from The Silver Lining (Rupin Pass Trek - Part 1) When I woke up in Jakha, I was happier than the day before. Maybe because RCB had won the IPL final previous night. Maybe because my prayers were finally answered. It was still cloudy but rain seemed unlikely. Still, we wore our ponchos and rain jackets, just to be safe. And even though my knee didn't hurt anymore, I put on my knee brace anyway. Something positive inside me had woken up and it wasn't going to let me ruin the rest of the trek. "Mayank," I called out once we were back on the trail. Today, we were staying in tents, and Mayank seemed like a genuine, sincere, polite and humble person to have as a tent mate. He followed every instruction to the letter and was always punctual. In short, he was the opposite of me. "Are you sure?" he asked politely, after I made him the offer. "Don't you want someone in your age group?" "Age is just a number, my friend. The mountains ...

It has been two months since I came back from Rupin Pass Trek. The memories and feelings are in abundance. They catch up with me sometimes during a long meeting or during a random hangout with friends. And for a moment, I zone out and a smile spreads across my face. When somebody around me notices it and asks the reason, I just shake my head like an idiot. All that is fine, but during the past two months, I have been haunted by a question, something a fellow trekker, Rajib, said to me during the return journey. "Manish, you are a gem at heart. You are a silver lining for many. Keep smiling, brother...One last question, you don't need to answer it though: तुम इतना जो मुस्कुरा रहे हो | क्या ग़म है जिस को छुपा रहे हो ?" Normally, I would automatically respond with a witty or funny comeback. But I was speechless. Rajib had caught me off guard. It was as if a CCTV recording of a bank robbery showed my face in Ultra HD. There was no evidence to prove otherwise. All that remain...