Naina & Faizan

Naina lived in the quaint bylanes of Srirampura. She was always by herself and looked at her toes as she walked. She carried a toy in her hands that she regularly fiddled with. It was her companion. The toy was an origami. She had the knack of transforming it into articles of various shapes at the drop of a hat. She had spent so much time with it that it was second nature to her, and the creases had formed so deep that they would almost fold themselves in a way. As she walked one morning to buy a few groceries, her eyes were transfixed on a group of boys playing gully cricket nearby. The gaze was so strong that it managed to break Faizan's focus and he was clean bowled. His was the last wicket, and the team lost because of that lapse in concentration. Only the two of them knew the real reason for the loss, no one else was privy to it.

A few days later, Faizan happened to cross paths with Naina, and there was awkward silence. Both of them knew what the other was thinking, and they couldn't decide on who the initiator would be. A few tense moments of eye contact and a couple of grins later, Faizan looked her dead in the eye and said, "I'm sorry." Naina was puzzled and asked, "Why?" Faizan retorted, "You were on your way to buy groceries the other day. You stopped when you saw that I was batting, and wanted to watch the game. Our team was in a winning position until I noticed you. I had a rush of blood and thought that I would hit a six to impress you, also win the game. There was absolutely no need to do that, because we had sufficient deliveries and you would have been happy if we won, either way. My poor decision-making cost us the match, and I made you feel guilty, as a result. It was completely my fault."

Naina heard Faizan out, and began to sulk. The colour drained from her face, and she began to regret her actions. Faizan waited patiently, he wanted to know what she had to say. Naina had been an introvert all her life, and it was extremely hard for her to come out of her shell and express herself, especially in sticky situations. So, she just stared at Faizan, hopelessly. Faizan knew that he had to lighten the mood and asked Naina, "Pepsi or Coke?" There was no response. So Faizan ordered one of each and both of them sat down on the steps of an adjacent store that had been vacated, not too long ago. Faizan picked up the Coke and just as he was about to take a sip, Naina pointed at the glass bottle in his hand. They exchanged drinks and each one took a sip. Then they placed it to the side and waited.

Out of the blue, Naina said, "Thank you", to Faizan. The positions had swapped. It was Faizan who was flummoxed, this time around. He wanted a proper explanation. But he was also mindful of her personality, and didn't want to coerce her into a zone where she felt vulnerable. Although he would have loved to know where she was coming from, he pretended to understand, and said, "Nevermind, that's ok." It was time for homework, so both of them quickly packed up and rushed home.

Naina's dad was the branch manager of an insurance company in the public sector. This meant that they would constantly have to relocate at short notice. The two couldn't meet again until much later in life.

Naina's adolescent years were spent hopping cities, and that combined with her observant nature helped her gain a diverse range of experiences. She completed her basic education, and took up arts. She found that she was inclined towards law, and wanted to pursue that as a career. She studied hard, got into one of the top National Law Schools in the country. That happened to be in Bengaluru. But so much had changed that she was entirely preoccupied with her professional career, and the curriculum required a lot of dedication and discipline to get the required grades. As she was nearing the end of her education, Pushpa (Naina's mother) asked her, "Have you thought about settling down?" The thought had never struck her, and she dismissed her saying, "I'll see later, maa." But the proposition sounded exciting, and started playing on Naina's mind. That was when she began to brainstorm and decided to list down the names of the boys that would fit the bill. She was stunned to find that there were none. Not a single boy that could, even remotely be considered to become her husband. This idea troubled her the whole night, and just as she woke up the following morning, she heard the faint sound of little boys shouting, "OUT!!!"

Her mind connected the dots, and she began to laugh to herself hysterically, for reasons only she knew. Aunty Pushpa and uncle Ram enquired if everything was alright, from downstairs. Naina didn't bother to reply, and rushed out of the house, saying she's going for breakfast. They were staying at Nagarabhavi, and she was intending to go all the way to Srirampura. Her excitement was such that she had forgotten to even wear a helmet. By hook or crook, she got to the area, but a lot had changed since she had last seen it. There were broad, well-marked roads, with modern office buildings, all around. The crowd was mostly IT professionals and northies. One thing that remained, was the potholes. Using GPS coordinates, she got to the desired location finally, and parked her scooter. This was a challenge because no one seemed to be domiciled in the locality for a reasonable span of time. She just looked around frantically, and walked from one end to the other trying to find cues of Srirampura, as she knew it. She went around for about half an hour, and realised that she would be late for college if she carried on, so she went back to her Activa, and saw that there was someone sitting on it. She asked him to get off, he apologized, and just as she was about to leave, she asked him if he was Shiva. He replied in the affirmative and she immediately asked, "Where's Faizan?" Shiva said, "He's right here." A few seconds later, the childhood sweethearts were reunited, and all those memories came rushing back at breakneck speed. Naina just said, "Hi!" And left.

That evening, Naina had made up her mind that Faizan was the one for her. They started meeting regularly, and enjoyed each other's company. It all changed in one brief moment. Naina asked, "Have you thought about marriage?" Faizan's always been the street-smart kind, and he had a premonition of where this was headed. However, he couldn't make up his mind on how he should tackle the question. He would have to present a strong argument, both ways. He chose to go the all-in route. Faizan began, "Yes, of course, I have thought about marriage. I've been thinking about it since the first time I saw you, and the look in your eyes. I never professed it, because I wanted to let you focus on your career, and cut out all possible distractions. But I've always lived with the pressure; of being worthy of deserving a girl like you. That put a massive load on my shoulders, and caught on like a monkey on my back for most of my life. I set humongous targets, and fell short each time. I did things that were glamorous, and sounded fancy, to please society and make me a respectable person. I never considered my calling, my desires, the driver that would motivate me and give me a sense of direction in life. I put my own interests behind me, and fell into the vicious trap of a rat race, that killed me from the inside out. I was sad, depressed and even contemplated suicide, multiple times. The only reason I'm here today is you, Naina. I couldn't imagine what you would go through if you found out that I had killed myself. Here I am before you today, without a job, not professionally qualified, no stable income; a failure in the eyes of society. But I live each day as it comes, and have no expectations or goals. I'm just going with the flow, and there couldn't be anything more liberating. I have nothing to give you, but I will promise you one thing, I will love you unconditionally, as I always have."

Tears rolled down Naina's cheeks and she wept bitterly. Faizan put his hands in hers, and held on tightly. He waited for her to get a grip, and arrive at a state of equanimity. Naina said, "You're the man for me, Faizan. I will marry you, and you alone, come what may." She stood up and embraced him, but he didn't respond with similar enthusiasm. There was a sullen look on his face. Faizan said, "We have a long way to go...".

Both of them informed their respective parents, and were chastised in return. Naina was forbidden from meeting Faizan, and Faizan was thrown out of his house. They had to get creative, and decipher new ways of making it happen. So Faizan wore a wig and make-up, to conjure up a new identity. He wore a suit, and pretended to be an advocate. They started meeting after Naina's hearings were completed, outside the lower courts. Both of them tried all they could, to step into the shoes of their parents, and understand the thought processes that they had. They concluded that there were dissimilitudes on multiple levels: religion, education, income level, social status, family background, to name a few. They figured that most of these parameters are things that they've inherited, and can't be manipulated or altered.

The next time they met, they discussed about things at a macro-level. What is the hypothesis of marriage as per the fabric of Indian society and how did it get there? Does compatibility and emotion have any place in the scenario of an Indian marriage? Is marriage the coming together of two souls who are passionate about spending their lives together, or an amalgamation of two families that is supposed to create an elixir of synergy of some kind? Is everything meant to be decided by parents, or does God have a chance to manifest His plans in our lives? And finally, is it a blessing or a curse to be born in India?

They tried with all their might to answer these existential questions, but each time they tried it proved to be futile. And both of them found themselves falling deeper into quicksand. They were in a dark space, and things were starting to look bleak. They figured that it was ultimately a choice between two roads: forget about each other, and marry someone that their parents are happy with; or leave both their families, elope to an alien land with nothing and start again from scratch, without support, anyone or anything to fall back upon. The second one gave them a glimmer of hope, but they wondered if all the effort would be worth it in the end. They were knackered, with no trace of energy, to say or do anymore. They went to the usual joint, got a Pepsi and a Coke, clung the bottles together, and walked their separate ways. Faizan thought for a moment if he should ask Naina, why she wanted Coke and not Pepsi, but another voice in his head went, "It's all the same."