"So, Ragini, tell me! What brings you here? That too without Rohit? How can I help you?", he said, adjusting his black rimmed glasses properly on his nose.
"Saurabh, a few things are troubling me!", she said, hesitating. The blue denim jacket and jeans fit perfectly on her slender frame
"Of course, we can talk about it. Tell me! Whats the problem?"
"Its with Rohit!", she replied
"Rohit? Why didnt you bring him along? He could have talked more about whatever problem he is facing!"
"I am not too sure if he would have agreed to come to see you, because.."
"Because in India, people still think visiting a psychiatrist is a social setback. Come on, its like a disease! Not physical, but mental. And we can help! Plus, me and Rohit are friends since childhood! Why cant he discuss a problem with me?"
"Its not that Saurabh. He doesnt consider it a problem. But I think he needs help!"
"Hmm...Tell me more about it"
"Heard of the news of the major accident in Delhi two weeks ago? A car was almost crushed to pieces by a truck"
"I dont think I remember it, but what about it?"
"Rohit was in that unfortunate car!"
"Ohh! He never told me! "
"He was visiting Delhi for some summit and there were people from all over the country. There were no physical damages, in fact he escaped completely unhurt, maybe the reason he didnt tell it. But, there has been a change in him!"
"What change?"
Mostly he is normal like earlier, but at times he would get worked up, and would get angry, or would start talking fast. Even this would be normal, as I know it takes time to recover from an accident even if you arent hurt. Almost every night he would get up all of a sudden from a deep slumber, and would be all covered in sweat and would be breathing heavily. When I would ask, he either would get up from a dream of infinite fall, or being locked up in a heavy, dark box where he is not able to breathe properly. I am really scared, Saurabh. Thats the reason I wanted to talk to you."
"From the sound of it, the accident does seem to have damaged his mental peace. Lets see how we can work on it."
"Some medication?"
"No, first we need to get to the root of the problem, and you are the best person to help me in this. Has he ever faced this before in these last two years that the two of you are together?"
"No! Never! What can I do?"
"Let me explain! See, what is a dream? A dream has a connection to the unconscious or the sub-conscious mind.. The reason, what you see in the dream, may be surreal or bizarre, but its your subconscious mind's way of sending you a message. And, if its a nightmare, the subconscious mind is trying to send pretty strong signals. Rohit is going through some troubled phase, and if you ask him, even he wont be able to tell, because honestly speaking, even he doesnt know whats the actual cause. We need to help him find it out. Most probably, the accident has touched some part of his unconscious mind which was either slept or ignored by his conscious mind"
"What can I do?"
"You said he would get excited or agitated or worked up, right? Its when he sees or hears or says something which is connected to his sub-conscious mind. From tomorrow onwards, try to study his behaviour closely. Try to find out things which get him worked up a lot or make him excited, or angry. Then we can see what we can do."
"Need some tea?"
"Yes, please! I am very tired!", said Rohit as he sat down on the couch. he took the remote and started watching a news channel. His tall frame meant the legs always dragged on the floor when he was spread like this on the couch
"I have prepared your favourite Kadhi Chawal for you!"
"Thats great!. So sweet of you", he said smilingly and looked back at the television as Ragini served him the food. All of a sudden he switched the TV and stood up.
"I am not hungry! I am going to sleep", he said
"Why, what happened? You were tired?"
"Yes, and now I am going to sleep! Good night!", he said and he dashed off to his room. When Ragini entered the room, he was already asleep.
"Saurabh! I think I noticed something!"
"What is it? Tell me."
"It has got something to do with Gujarat!"
"Gujarat?"
"Yes, Bhuj in particular!"
"How can you be so sure?"
"I have noticed throughout the week, whenever there was some photo of Dandiya celebrations, or more particularly, the anniversary of Bhuj earthquakes, he would get agitated or not eat his dinner, or would talk rudely."
"Hmmm! Then maybe Bhuj is the reason for all your troubles! But, to cure his problem completely, we need to get to the root of the matter. I would suggest you two to visit Bhuj."
"And what do we do there?"
"Just spend some time there. If Bhuj is really the root cause of his problems, lets hope that he will come across it there and once he faces the exact reason of his problem, he will be in a better position to deal with it."
"OK! Let me try and talk to him."
"Remember, once you will talk to him about this idea, he may get worked up again, may show extreme reactions, be very happy or angry, but you know whats good for him. You know its important to take him to Bhuj."
"Ok Saurabh, I will keep you informed. Thanks a lot!"
"Anything for you, dear", he said and smiled as she smiled back at him.
"Rohit, come lets go to that shop.", said Ragini pointing Rohit to a small shabby shop selling local made goods.
"No, Ragini! I am not in mood. You buy something for yourself."
"Come on! Please!", she said and pulled his arm as they reached the shop.
"How does it look?", she asked putting some scarf on her head
"Looks really nice.", he said genuinely.
"I will buy one!, do you have male scarfs as well?", Ragini asked the shopkeeper
"We have these pagdis, madam. The male folks wear it in the villages.
"OK! Show me that red one!", she said as the shopkeeper gave her the pagdi.
"Sir looks like a hero from a movie", said the shopkeeper as both Ragini and Rohit smiled. Ragini paid for the items and as both of them prepared to leave, the entry was blocked by the figure of a women. As Rohit tried to leave from the side, his eyes met the woman in front of her, and he was stuck for a moment.
The lady in front of them was wearing a crimson colored top and black leather boots. As Ragini tried to sneak past Rohit, she felt the lady also stuck at her place, staring at Rohit. Ragini saw her wearing a similar red color scarf on her long black hairs.
"Amish!", all of a sudden the lady blurted out, looking at Rohit!
"Amish? You must be mistaken! He is Rohit!", replied Ragini. The lady didnt seem to hear Ragini as she continued staring at Rohit!
"Amish! You are Amish! I have been searching for you like crazy for so many days, here. Left my house, left my job, just because I know I will find you one day. Ohh Amish!! Where were you all this time?", she started sobbing as she hugged Rohit all of a sudden.
"No! I am not Amish. I am Rohit.", he said, breaking away from the lady. He looked at Ragini, confused and then back at the lady.
"No, you dont remember!", she was still crying. "You are my Amish! I have searched for you at every nook and corner of Bhuj in the last few days. I have been wandering here like crazy and now that I have found you, you dont believe me?".
"I am sorry but you seem to be mistaken, Maam", said Rohit assertively. "I am Rohit, not Amish"
"Ohhh!", she blurted out, as if coming out of some daze. "I am sorry! I dont know what happened! I am really sorry!", she said, visibly embarrassed.
Rohit caught Ragini by her arm who seemed to be confused."Let's move now", he said as they started moving out.
"I think I have seen her somewhere!", said Rohit as Ragini looked back at him. "But I may be wrong!", he said.
As Ragini stepped out of the shop and walked for some distance, she looked back to see the lady still staring back at them.
Rohit seemed to be more quite than ever, as they strolled aimlessly around the market. They stopped at a small tea shop as Ragini ordered some snacks.
Rohit seemed disturbed and wasnt speaking much. Ragini held his hand, and touched his cheek."What happened?"
"I dont know. I think I had seen that lady somewhere, but I am not sure. And why did she call me Amish?"
"Must have mistaken you for someone."
Rohit nodded as he sipped his tea.
"Anyways, lets go back to our room after this. You seem to be tired. Where exactly are we?", she said fetching out her mobile to check the location.
"This is the very place where earthquakes happened in 1985, Madam", said the tea-vendor. "Things have changed a lot since then."
All of a sudden, Rohit stood up and looked at Ragini. He paid for the money and asked Ragini to come with him.
"But, where are we going?", she asked
"I dont know. I know this place somehow. But, I dont know where are we going.", he said as they entered a small lane from the main lane. Some 3-4 small lanes across, Rohit suddenly stopped in front of a medium-sized home. The main door was open, and there were sounds of arguing from inside. Rohit stepped to enter the door.
"Rohit, what are you doing? We dont even know them", said Ragini, but Rohit seemed not to listen to her.
As they entered, they saw the same lady standing in front of them arguing with a middle-aged man. Both of them froze as Rohit came forward.
"Amish!", exclaimed the man, as Rohit looked at Ragini and back at the man.
"I am not Amish. I am Rohit", said Rohit. All of a sudden he remembered the lady next to him calling by the same name earlier as he looked at her
"Ohh! I am sorry ! How could you be Amish! What was I thinking! Amish has been dead for years now."
"Who was Amish", asked Ragini, "And how does this lady know Amish if he is dead?"
"Amish, was my younger brother who lost his life in the 1985 Bhuj earthquakes. He looked very much similar to your husband. I am sorry! This lady also came here asking for Amish, we dont even know her. We dont know who is she?"
Ragini turned to face the lady with question in his eyes,"Who are you? And how do you know Amish who is dead for so many years?", he asked
"I am Rati, from Bangalore. I work at an MNC there. Since the last few weeks, I was getting these nightmares where I was running scared from something, and there were several others who would run along with me. Out of all of them, the one name which I remembered even after waking up was Amish. Almost two weeks ago, I felt a strong urge to travel to Bhuj and search for my answers. I have been wandering here since last 12 days, and finally I came across your husband Rohit, who looked exactly like the Amish of my dreams. And see the twist of fate, we both ended up in the home of Amish."
"This is bizzare. This is insane.", Rohit was muttering."Do you have Amish's photo with you?", he asked the man.
"Yes, I surely have it", the man said and went into an inner room. After some five minutes, he brought out an old photo. Ragini's eyes grew big in surprise as she saw the man looking eerily similar to Rohit
Rohit seemed to be shocked too.
"I dont believe this. I just dont believe this.", he turned to Rati. "I was also facing nightmares since a few days, where I was falling, I was scared. But, I dont remember names. And certainly nothing about Amish."
"Can I suggest a thing, Sir?", said the man all of a sudden.
"Yes?", asked Ragini
"This seems to be some weird connection which brought the two of you here. Why dont you ask Iqbal Baba who lives three houses down the lane?"
"See, Mister! I dont believe these Baba type people. I dont think we need to go anywhere.", Rohit shrugged him off.
"But you still somehow found my address and reached exactly where Amish lived? You believe this?"
"Rohit, lets meet this Iqbal baba and see if he can help", pleaded Ragini
"Do you believe in destiny, my child? ", said Iqbal Baba after taking a long pause once he was done with their story.
Ragini looked at Rohit, confused.
"Destiny has brought both of you together to the place you belong my children. And no matter what, you can never challenge your own destiny."
"What do you mean, Baba?"
"I knew Amish as he was very fond of me. What even his brother doesnt know, he was in love with a girl! And before they could break the news to their family, the fateful earthquake occured. Destiny has its own ways, my children, and what you are seeing today is a clever play of destiny. Tara is the same girl Radhika whom Amish could never had and they died without being one. And you, my child, are Amish."
Rohit and Tara looked at each other, confused.
"That is the reason you came here looking for each other. You both have come here to complete your unfinished story."
"But, Rohit is married Baba", said Amish's brother.
"Love knows no boundaries my child. Destiny separated them, and now destiny has brought them together because of their love, Think of it, this is what you came here searching for."
Ragini looked at Tara as she started sobbing. Rohit was looking down, without saying anything, Tara turned to Rohit."Tell me Amish. You dont remember anything? You dont remember me ? Your Radhika? You dont remember anything at all?"
Rohit sat on the floor holding his head as his face showed expressions of pain
They were sitting on the stairs of the temple since hours. Ragini tugged along the arm of Rohit and was looking at him. Rohit kept his head down, and had tears in his eyes. On the other end of the stairs, Tara was sobbing occasionally.
Rohit kept his hand on Ragini's hands and smiled at her assuringly. He stood up and went to Tara as she looked at him with sad eyes.
"Ms Tara!", he called her out as she stood and came face to face with him. "Whatever happened was a cruel play of destiny. Iqbal Baba says destiny has brought us together here, but if you ask me, destiny never meant Amish and Radhika to be together. Whats the point of it all now that I am married and was living a peaceful life. For me, destiny played a game more cruel this time, disturbed our peaceful and happy lives we were living and shook us to our soul. No matter what happened then, no matter what happened now, the fact is that I have a wife and she loves me more than herself, and I love her equally. Thats the only truth , there is no other. I am sorry for whatever happened, and had I known, I would have avoided this trip. Now, lets us try to erase this uneventful day from our minds, and try to live the way we planned to."
Tara again broke into sobbing as Ragini tried to confront her. She looked at Ragini with sad eyes and then at Rohit.
"Amish! I think some love stories are never meant to be complete. We couldnt complete it then, and look at the evil play of fate, here we meet at the same place where our story ended, and we couldnt be together again. Our love story was never destined to be complete, I think destiny had only planned pain and tears in our story.", she stopped for a second and tried to control her sobbing. "I will go back to Bangalore, Amish. I will go back to the life I was living in and try to settle back, but I am sorry, I would never ever be able to forget this day. The day, when I met my love again in this life, way beyond births and deaths. And I am sure, if not this time, we will again meet and finally be together in another life. I just want you to ask one thing before we part our ways in this life. Don't you remember anything."
Rohit looked down at the stairs and back at Tara,"Yes, I do, Radhika", he said and left along with Ragini
"I think I have been living with a stranger, Saurabh"
"Ragini! When I asked you to visit Bhuj, I promised he would find the reasons for his nightmares, and he actually did! But, I never promised the reasons would make him happier or sadder."
"No, he is not sad. He is just not his normal self now. He pretends to be happy, brings me flowers occasionally, he tries to be normal. but I know I lost a part of Rohit in Bhuj that day. No matter what I do, I can never have my Rohit back, now."
"Ragini, I dont know if I can help."
"Its fine, Saurabh! I understand. I have decided to divorce him"
"What? Have you discussed it with him?"
"No, but I have made up my mind. There is no point dragging a life which is not meant to be. I have talked to my lawyer and signed the papers. Just wanted to talk to you. You were very supportive."
"I am so sorry, Ragini, if I was the cause of your divorce, in some way or the other."
"No, Saurabh, you actually helped Rohit get a life he deserved."
"You are a brave girl, Ragini"
"Have you lost it? I am not gonna divorce you."
"Please Rohit! I have thought it over and over again, and this is the best way possible for us. I know I can never have the same Rohit back. Some part of Amish will always be with Radhika, and that part I lost in Bhuj when I took you there. I know you will never be complete without the part which you left there."
"Ragini, it doesnt make any sense. The reality is that we are married."
"And we can correct it now. Rohit, you and Tara are destined to be together, and thats the truth."
"Ragini....", Rohit couldnt speak much and hugged her tightly. Ragini also started crying. After a few minutes, she broke the embrace, kissed his forehead and kept a paper on the table.
"This is the number of Tara. Call her.", she said and left without looking back. She opened the gate, looked one last time at the house, closed the gate back and went away.
Four hours later, as Rohit, Saurabh and Tara raised a toast, and sipped from their glasses, Rohit turned to Tara and said, "Remember what I said when we were stuck for hours in that jam, because of that car accident? My wife is a sucker for such stories"
Loosely inspired from an episode of Saturday Suspense from ZEE TV which I watched years ago
