The classmate – part 1

“Hello Susan” Jyothika said entering the house and hugged her.

“It is always a pleasure to see you” Susan replied and both of them sat on the sofa and started speaking to one another.

Pramod came in after few minutes and sat on the chair opposite to the sofa set and said “Though we live in the same city it has been more than 10 months since we met Jyothika”.

“Very true” Susan nodded and walking towards the kitchen said “you keep talking and I shall get some coffee”.

Little Bharathi came running out of her room and sat on the lap of Jyothika. She said “Aunty you do not come to our house often”. Jyothika smiled.

Bharathi continued “In which standard were you classmate of my father?”Jyothika replied “We were classmates in our post graduation course”. Bharathi looked confused.

Jyothika laughed and continued “To make it clear for you, we were classmates in 17^th and 18^th standards”.

“Mangalorean coffee is as good as always” Jyothika said sipping the coffee served by Susan.

She continued “Pramod do you remember Apoorva?”

“Of course yes. How can I forget her? She was one of the brightest students in the class but was very shy though. It is close to two decades since we completed our course and I have vivid memories of her” he replied.

“I have good news for you. I could trace her. She lives in our city. I got her address yesterday and met her. I thought I should inform you about this” Jyothika said.

Pramod looked delighted and he looked at his wife Susan and said “Apoorva was the only engineering background student who had fancy for finance subjects in our management class. In fact she stood first in Financial Management”.

“Her father was a Chartered Accountant and she got it from him” Jyothika added.

Susan commented “Pramod keeps telling me about many of his MBA classmates, seniors and juniors but has never spoken about her”.

Jyothika was silent for a while. She said “She was like that. An enigma sort, very beautiful and would dress up in simple Indian dresses without any makeup. We were roommates for two semesters. I used to talk to her about subjects and she would teach me many topics. Whenever I spoke of films, boys or other topics she would become silent and did not encourage me to talk further.

She was reluctant to participate in group discussions as she felt the other participants were arguing more and discussing less. She would shy away from Mock plays also”.

Susan asked “Group discussions and mock plays are very important for any Management course. How could she manage then?”

Pramod replied “I think it was in second semester. Jyothika spoke to me about her and told me that Apoorva was comfortable talking to me and wanted me to help her overcome inhibition during such discussions.

She started sitting next to me in group discussions and I would consciously provide a cover to her whenever the other participants started arguing with her. Within no time she could overcome her reluctance to participate actively and started performing very well.

I remember the evenings when we both used to walk on the beach. The crimson rays of the setting sun and the cool breeze were catalytic for a romantic time to be spent but she was not of that sort. All through the walks she would discuss about the subjects and nothing else.

Couple of times she held my hand while walking but her mind was on the subjects and not on the person walking with her”.

Jyothika interrupted “Tomorrow is Sunday. Shall we go to her house?”

Pramod was ecstatic “Of course yes. In fact am ready to go there right now”.

Susan said “You both go to her house tomorrow morning as we have some shopping to finish today”.

Jyothika got up from the sofa and walking towards the door said “Pramod please come to my house by 10 AM in the morning tomorrow and we shall proceed to her house from there”.

Pramod, Susan and Bharathi waved to her and walked into the living room.

“You liked Apoorva during your management study days?” Susan asked.

Pramod gave a naughty smile and said “Jealously thy name is Susan. I liked only one woman and it was during my engineering study days. I fell in love with her and ultimately married her. Her name is Susan”.

She laughed and said “I did not mean it that way. The way you were telling me about Apoorva and the long walks on the beach you both used to take, made me doubt a bit”.

Pramod replied “There was nothing of that sort between us. She is the only one who is not in our batch Whats App group. A good new addition will be there soon. Let me meet her tomorrow and I will update you in the afternoon”.

To be continued in part 2…

The lonely lady – Part 2

Narrated till now…

Pramod and Sujan meet a beautiful lady Sukanya Ponappa in a coffee estate and are perplexed by the special interest she shows in Pramod. The boys are invited for lunch the next day by the Ponappas…

Narration continues…

“We are in Coffee business since generations” Rajneet told Sujan and passed on the plate with biscuits to him. “I was born here and so was my father”.

Sujan replied “I am amazed by your life style. I had read about it but today am seeing it. The way you people furnish the bungalows reminds me of the colonial era”.

Pramod added “We met planters in Chikmagalur and Hassan Districts. They are different from you people from Coorg”.

“What is the difference you could make out?”Sukanya said entering the drawing room and taking her seat.

“You people have lot of English habits in your life style”

“You are right” Ranjeet continued “Maybe the British liked us more during their stay in India” and he laughed.

Pramod looked at Sukanya. She was looking very pretty and surprisingly was dressed in western attire which was contrast to the Coorg style sari she wore the previous day. She was now in a dark colored jean and a white full sleeve pullover.

Ranjeet got up and moved towards the mini bar and looking at Sujan said “Scotch?” Sujan nodded. Sukanya interrupted “You have your pegs and I shall take Pramod around the estate. Yesterday it was raining so heavily that they could not see much”.

Ranjeet nodded and replied “Two pegs on the rocks” and handed over one glass of scotch to Sujan. Sujan asked “How seriously does the frost in Brazil affect your prices here?”

Ranjeet replied “This year there has been frost resulting in drop of Coffee output from Brazil. The international prices have shot up and so have our profits”

“This is the pulping machine” Sukanya stopped in front of a machine near the boundary wall. Pramod looked at it eagerly and said “this looks like a labor intensive job”.

“Of course” she replied and continued “During the pulping season we hire many people to do the job for us”. She continued showing the estate to Pramod who was still thinking why she liked him so much.

They started moving back to the bungalow and he saw Sujan and Ranjeet discussing some issue seriously with whiskey glasses in their hands.

“Lunch time” Sukanya said walking towards the kitchen. One lady guest had arrived and was sitting on the chair. Sukanya invited all the people to the dining table and announced “She is Sunanda Deshpande my friend who works in a bank in the town. She has come with some special dishes for us”.

When all the lids of the food items were opened Pramod was surprised to find only vegetarian food being served. He looked at Sukanya and she was smiling at him and she said “I requested Sunanda to prepare good vegetarian food and get to my house as Pramod is a vegetarian”.

Ranjeet laughed out loudly and said “This Sunday afternoon I think ours is the only Coorg house where vegetarian food is being served”. After lunch they spoke for some more time and Ranjeet asked the driver to drop the two to their hotel in the jeep. Sukanya gave a small gift to Sujan and a bag to Pramod in which two gift wrapped boxes were there.

“Pack your things fast. The bus to Kalpetta is in an hour’s time” Sujan said and looked at Pramod. He was looking at the gift bag and smiling. Pramod said “Am still unable to figure out why she was attracted to me?”

 Sujan got up from his chair and angrily pushing it said “I know why she was doing so. She is a nice lady. You are a nut having such perverted thoughts”.

Pramod was taken aback. He got up from the chair and saw anger in the eyes of Sujan and asked “What happened?”

“You want to know why she liked you so much. Listen to me now. Sukanya had a younger brother who looked like you. He was a good hockey player and had got selected to the Indian army and few months ago he was coming from Bangalore to her house when he met with an accident and died. She was waiting for him and  he did not turn up. She slipped into depression. Ranjeet was telling me that he had not seen her smiling and laughing since many months.  The dress she wore today was gifted to her by her late brother. She was seeing her younger brother in you and tried to give all the love and affection”.

Pramod was dumbstruck. He became pale. His mind became blank for few minutes. He recovered and started sobbing. Sujan continued “She showed unconditional sisterly love towards you and your dirty mind was thinking of something else”.

The bus started from the stand and rain started again. Sujan looked at Pramod sitting next to him. He could see a sense of guilt and disappointment on his face. Pramod opened the bag given to him by Sukanya. There were two boxes. On one of the boxes it was written ‘To my brother Pramod with lots of love’ and on the other it was written ‘To Susan my would be sister-in-law with lots of love’. Pramod broke down again and started weeping. He opened the boxes and found two wrist watches in them.

Sujan shook him and said “Hey look out .We are crossing Shakti estates”. Pramod peeped out of the window but could not see the bungalow due to thick blanket of rain and fog. He looked at Sujan and then turned towards the bungalow and said “Thank you Akka (elder sister)”.

The lonely lady – Part 1

On a rainy day in July 1994…

“Look we are at the right place. This is Shakti Estate and we have an appointment with Mr. Ranjeet Ponappa” Sujan said looking at Pramod who was very tired after a busy day meeting Coffee planters in Coorg.

Pramod replied “we have to walk for at least half a kilometer now to reach his bungalow. We are lucky that rain has stopped now”.

Pramod Kulkarni and Sujan Chandy were doing a project titled “Effect of international markets on Coffee prices in India” and it was a part of their post graduation Management course.

“This is paradise on earth. Walking on a wet muddy track with nothing else but green plants, shrubs and trees around is like going to some other world altogether” Sujan commented.

They walked for few more minutes and could see a huge bungalow hidden in thin blanket of mist.  Pramod stopped and whispered to Sujan “Look at the lady near the door. She is very beautiful”.

Sujan added “she is not only beautiful but looks lonely amidst this huge green carpet covered by fog”.

“Hello gentlemen” she said as they both approached the door “What brings you here?”

Sujan explained about their project and the appointment they had taken over phone with Ranjeet Ponappa. “I am Sukanya and my husband has gone to Mysore on some urgent work. Tomorrow being a Sunday he will definitely be at home. You can discuss with him if you come again tomorrow”.

They spoke for about five minutes and during that period she was looking and smiling at Pramod. Sujan observed this and Pramod became a bit conscious and smiled back at her.

It started raining heavily again and she asked them to get into the drawing room. She said “Please feel comfortable. I shall speak to Ranjeet over telephone and tell him that you have come”. She walked into the big hall leading to the kitchen. Pramod looked at Sujan and both of them were awestruck by the grandeur of the bungalow. Very well arranged sofa set, center table, wall hangings, souvenirs behind the glass windows, mini bar in the corner and other things reflected the British colonial style which they had inherited from generations.

“Coffee for you” she said walking into the drawing room with a silver tray. She served coffee to both of them and sat down.

“I spoke to Ranjeet. He is in our relative’s house in Mysore. He has confirmed that he will be returning tomorrow morning. He has asked you both to join us for lunch”.

 She walked to the window and commented “It is raining heavily and you cannot walk to the main road in this condition. Our jeep is in the town and will be reaching the estate in about an hour’s time”.

Sujan got up and walked to the window and said “Sorry we are uninvited guests for you”.

She was quick to reply “Do not think so. Please have dinner here and go to your hotel. You can taste our Coorgi food”. Pramod and Sujan nodded and soon started talking to her.

“That is my mother” she pointed to the photo of a beautiful lady. Pramod was standing in front of the photo frame hung to the wall. She continued “Come with me and I shall show you interesting things in our bungalow and estate”. Sukanya escorted Pramod to a guided tour of her bungalow. Sujan was standing in the portico observing the Arabica coffee plants in the vicinity. After about half an hour Pramod and Sukanya walked into the drawing room laughing heartily.

The dining table was very decorative and made of teak wood. The maid kept many food items on the table. Pramod, Sujan and Sukanya sat across the table. She opened the lid of one of the pan and looking at Pramod said “Special Coorgi pork dish for you”. Pramod gave a surprised look and said “I do not eat any non vegetarian dish. I am a pure vegetarian. My friend Sujan Chandy eats Pork”.

Sujan looked at her. There was a huge disappointment on her face. She said “Am very sorry. What is your full name Pramod?”

“Pramod Kulkarni” he replied.

“I should have found it out before hand. I prepared special pork dish for you without finding out if you eat it or not. Please eat the vegetarian curry and curd with rice and have some fruits”.

“Do you think she likes me?” Pramod asked Sujan. They were lying on their cots in the hotel room.

“Am not sure of it but she way paying more attention to you and couple of times I felt my presence was not needed”.

Pramod blushed and said “Let us see tomorrow. We are anyway going there again. I will find out what the intent is”.

Sujan laughed and said “My dear friend do not forget that there is one beautiful lady named Susan Dsouza waiting for you in Bangalore. With great difficulty you both have convinced your families and soon are getting married”.

Pramod was quick to respond “Susan is my lady always. I was only telling you that this lady at the coffee estate was showing more interest in me for reasons I could not figure out”.

“She should be in her early thirties and a good six to eight years elder to you. Stop dreaming and let us concentrate on our survey and our onward journey to kalpetta in Kerala” Sujan replied.

To be continued …

Mid life - part 2, Pursuit of inner peace

Narrated till now

Pramod meets Ipsita in a flight and is awestruck by her beauty. He loses her business card and feels disappointed about it . His wife Susan asks him to attend yoga classes to cut his waist size and to maintain fitness.

Narration continues

“Gently close your eyes and relax” the yoga instructor said and continued “ Your yoga session for the day is over and let us now practice guided meditation. Stretch your lips and smile . Do not think of anything and keep listening to the voice you will hear in few minutes time”.

Pramod had joined yoga classes and was determined to reduce his tummy and become more fitter. The guided meditation went on for about ten minutes.

Towards the close the instructor said “Keep breathing and be aware of it. Take deep breaths and relax. Do not open you eyes until told to do so. You will realize at the end of this session that something different will happen and you will experience a new feeling”.

Couple of minutes later the participants were asked to open the eyes slowly.

Pramod initially rubbed his palms , carefully pressed the closed eyes with them and opened the eyes.

He looked around and a surprise was in store for him.

He say Ipsita sitting in the row ahead of him. He could not believe his stars. It was like a new hope rekindled and he realised that it was indeed a new and welcome feeling.

For a moment he lost sense of the place and caller her loudly “ Ipsita”. Everyone looked at him. It was not expected of any participant to speak out loudly in the session.

Ipsita turned back and with a big smile on her face said in a feeble voice “Hi”.

Pramod felt embarrassed, looked at the instructor and said sorry.

“So you also started yoga” Ispita said to Pramod. They were walking back to the car parking area after completion of the session.

“My wife felt that I needed the classes as my waist size was not reducing” he replied. Ipsita laughed and said “ Your wife is very wise lady”.

“Let us have coffee” he said and she nodded. They walked to the coffee shop and ordered for coffee.

“I thought you would call me” Pramod said. She was silent. He wondered if he had said anything wrong. She replied “ Was I expected to call?”

Pramod smiled . She continued “ You could have called me”.

He continued smiling and thought “ Well the game is on”.

He replied “ I wanted to call you but I misplaced your business card”.

“Save my number in you mobile memory” she said and showed her contacts wherein she had saved his name as ‘Pramod plane’.

The next few days were the most memorable ones for Pramod as he met her daily and after the classes they would spend some time either in coffee shop or walk together in the nearby park.

The course got over in a weeks time and the instructor told them to keep practicing and requested all the participants to attend weekend followup sessions every Sunday morning. Pramod and Ipsita were chosen as volunteers having the responsibility of calling people reminding them of the Sunday sessions. They both would meet in the coffee shop every Saturday evening and call all the participants on their mobiles.

“Pramod the phone is ringing” Susan shouted from the living room. She got up and went to the bedroom and realised that Pramod was in the wash room. She took the phone and answered the call saying “Hello”.

“Hi this is Ipsita” the reply came. Susan was surprised as she heard her name for the first time. She said “ Pramod is not here right now .Will you please call after five minutes”.

“Is it Susan?” Ipsita asked. Susan was surprised again and said “ Yes it is Susan here”.

“Hi Susan” she continued “ I am Ipsita , Pramod’s friend. I had gone out this evening and therefore could not meet Pramod in the coffee shop as usual to call all the yoga followup participants. Wanted to check if he had done it. By the way how is Bharati, your daughter? She looks very cute like you”.

Susan went silent. Every sentence she heard was news to her. She started wondering how come her husband has been meeting another lady so regularly and she was not aware of it.

Susan went back to the living room and closing her eyes started joining the dots to get some story out of it.

Pramod was not particular about his hairstyle and had poor dressing sense. But of late things were different. He would dress perfectly, sport well trimmed hair and shave regularly . Earlier the things he hated were flowers and flower bouquets. But of late he would get roses to her on every alternate day and appeared more romantic than before.

“hello Subha” Susan said answering the phone call. Subha Despande was family friend of the Kulkarnis and she knew Pramod for more than three decades as she was his neighbor in Hubli.

“Hi Susie how are you? You sound a bit upset. What happened?”Subha replied.

Susan told Subha about the phone call from Ipsita. Subha did not miss the chance to feed negative thoughts in Susan’s mind. She said “I know Pramod since three decades Susie. He is like that only.Before falling in love with you he was flirting around with Vandana Joshi in the college. He had a crush on me too” and she went on and on and hit the final nail  by saying “ Many men flirt. The rest want to”.

Pramod walked into the living room and next few minutes was at the receiving end as Susan fired him nonstop. She continued “ Pramod I am not so mean to question when you meet other women. You always share with me about the people you meet and interact. Only in this case you have kept me in dark. Should I believe that something is going on unnoticed?”.

He tried his best to defend himself but in vain. Things calmed down after couple of hours once he assured Susan that he would stop interacting with Ipsita stealthily.

“Get some bread from the supermarket” Susan said to Pramod.

Susan saw him walking slowly towards the supermarket which was about half a kilometer away. She had tears in her eyes. She was never so rude to him earlier. She felt that she had misjudged him in haste and he had no time or intent to think of any other woman.

Pramod stopped near a tree and called Ipsita “Hi Ipsita I called all the participants for the followup yoga. I will be at the place by 5.30 AM sharp in the morning”.

“Nice of you” she replied and continued “ I spoke to Susan today”.

“I know” he replied “ She was very happy to speak to you. Earlier she had heard about you from me. One more thing. She is going out early in the morning tomorrow. I should have breakfast outside. Shall we have it together?”

Men will be men. Always ready to flirt.