343: Early to bed...and early to rise...

Today marks a new beginning...in the sense, we've decided to take care of ourselves. I need to lose weight. She needs to lose the dark circles under her eyes! Her problem is easy to solve...she just needs sufficient sleep! While I have a himalayan task before me...! Exercise, diet...and what else? Mebbe a lil' sleep would also do wonders for me!

So, the idea is that we come online just 2 times a week, probably friday and saturday! This would ensure that she gets her beauty sleep, while I get up early enough to exercise..and probably go on that nice lil' walk the doctor has advised!

I'm back to the grind at office...as usual. Lot of things happening. A number of tours ahead. And...all I can do is just daydream of her! (well, atleast, it makes the office work seem less tense!) ;-)

Made my study into a mini-gym. Now, hope this doesn't turn out to be a typical case of the new bride sweeping even the roof!

344: Monday blues…

This was one weekend I really wished would never end. Yet…as with all beautiful things…this too came to pass…and I was back at office, fighting a thousand fires. Meetings, meetings and more meetings. But at least, things are moving…and on track!

Talked to her…and sms’d her almost on an hourly basis…. Just missing her awfully. After a lovely conversation…(the elusive R was online with us today)…, we graduated to the phone…and slowly melted away into deep slumber…to dream…and be together….again.

345: Lunch at K’s place

Had a traditional spread of Indian bread…with accompaniments, yummy and delicious…cooked by K’s mom. I even had it in the traditional way…sitting down…something I had always wanted, but never could. It’s another matter that my legs went to sleep midway through the meal…but it was worth the experience!!

The best part was watching K demurely serve rotis…with so much innocence, that I could easily be misled into believing that it was another girl who was with me y’day! She’d win an Oscar one of these days…! The moment I left her home….at about 2 pm, we were back to normal – on the phone – heating up the electromagnetic waves that connect Idea to BSNL!

After a nostalgic journey home…found C and her husband waiting for me with tickets for Don. Bundled everyone into the Innova…and watched the movie. Great plot…great story…great twists, within twists. Loved it…though half the time, I was away in vid…thinking of K. Got online later in the night…and had my tryst with the girl I love.

346: The Stupendous Stupas of Sanchi!

This day will never come again…just as any other day wouldn’t. But this day will never go away…coz the memories will stay a lifetime. It’s such a day…that I experienced today. Never in my life until now…but ever in my dreams…this day finally arrived…! Awesome…to say the least, words fail…to describe it. The mind’s frozen… the heart’s beating away madly. And…every minute thereafter, I feel as if a magnet is pulling me towards her….tearing at me….gnawing at my very soul… Is this what is called K’s side effects?

She came here today…and we drove back to Vid…a long and lazy drive…peppered with lots of laughter, conversation and a few delicious moments together. Then, Sanchi happened. Zap!

We had dinner with friends…then, dropping them at their homes... again drove around until it was 11.30. Magical moments may pass…but the side-effects, they stay on….

(Pix: At the Sanchi stupas)

347: A busy day at work

Friday was one of the busiest days in recent times, was swamped by work overruns due to the spate of recent holidays. Was in a marathon meeting from 10 to 4 pm..... Phew! Can it get tougher?!Talked to K intermittently.... She's coming to Bhopal tomorrow. Guess there's a lot to catch up!

348: Getting too possessive

K was concerned that I was upset last night…and yes, I was quite upset until her missed calls started piling up. Made up with her…in less than a couple of minutes. I was missing her too badly, anyway…and just needed a fig-leaf to cover the embarrassment. And K, with her lovely voice, melted away all the misgivings of y’day night. Was in the office all day…attending to a pile of accumulated files…and talking to K whenever possible.

My Bangalore friend wants money again. Seems the credit card company has sent her a legal notice to pay up. She wants me to loan it…a “long term” loan, she says. She could also pay in kind, she says…with a wink! For the first time, I told a person to just F*** O** and that I am not in the business of money-lending. Felt bad for her, but I can’t be an eternal lender. She has to manage her own finances…or live within her means. If I bail her out now, she’ll again spend recklessly…and come back for money in no time. Hope she manages somehow.

Talked to K in the evening a coupe of times. She was in such a nice mood today. Everything was hunky-dory until we met online again at 11 pm. This time, a different reason. I could have handled the situation in a better manner, but the idiot I am, spoilt things again by acting the quintessential possessed lover! She was very upset…and wished she were not in love… at least so that I won’t be so possessive of her. Thankfully, we patched up again… before we hit the sack!

349: Back home to tears, tantrums & sadness

Went around to homes of relatives, their friends and others who wanted to meet me…especially, the ones who’d say that I have got my head swollen if I didn’t go to their homes! After lunch, went by road to Chittorgarh and from there…flew to Indore..and then to Bhopal, reaching home in the evening.

A disaster awaited us at home, since mom had forgotten to turn off the taps. Incidentally, the day we left, the taps had run dry due to some motor trouble, which was rectified only after we left. The apartment’s maintenance staff was at the end of their tethers, having to pump up water every couple of hours….since the taps were running in my flat!! The entire bathroom was flooded..and the kitchen half under water. Luckily no major damage, except looks of annoyance from the other flat owners!

Went online in a very bad mood…and picked up a fight with K. The topic? Well, V’s always handy to act as a fulcrum for any argument! She said something silly, which I should have overlooked…but I was already far too irritated to be a saint today. It was tears, tantrums and sadness until I hit the bed late in the night.

350: Lake City: Taking in the sights!

Went to Chittorgarh in the morning and had a chopper ride to Ahmedabad. While R was busy with some repairs and overhauling, I ventured out into the city….shopped about and came back. Totally bored. We were back in Udaipur by lunch time.

Went sightseeing in the evening…with a quick dekho at the Fatehsagar & Pichola lakes, the city palace, the hillock magri, the puppet museum….and then went shopping for handicrafts…buying half a dozen good paintings – the ones with gold & semi-precious stones on marble, and a few other stuff that I liked.

Later in the night, had another uproarious party…where most guests either danced, or sang or jumped or dropped down! D’didi was after me….saying that I’ve put on too much weight…and that I should slim down if I were to marry her sis-in-law!! A long-running joke in the family! Went to bed at 3 am.

Talked to K on the phone, but she was kinda busy. Later tried to get online while the party was goin on…but the line was getting disconnected..

351: In bed, in Udaipur

Was in bed most of the morning…at home in Udaipur. Had breakfast…no, brunch…at about noon…and then went over to C’s house…where they had a party goin on in full spirits. Spent the entire afternoon gossiping, exchanging stories with uncles, cousins, aunts and assorted relatives… Uncle’s an IPS officer…and he had the usual stories of cops-and-robbers which put us easily to our mid-afternoon slumber. Not feeling too good, with a bad bout of sneezing. It is probably due to yesterday’s chopper ride…completely exposed to the elements!

Called K in the evening. Missing her like crazy. Wish she were here in Udaipur. She’d have been the life of the party…. I missed her even more acutely when everyone I saw was paired…and I was the lone stud!

352: A flying visit to Rajasthan

Cousin C’s husband R is a helicopter pilot and had to fly to Jaipur for a maintenance schedule. Wishing to get away from the boring life I’d have to live the next few days of holidays…tagged along with him, on the condition that we stop over at Udaipur. Flew as far beyond Jodhpur…right onto the sand-dunes that swirled in circles when we descended closer to the waves of sand. Scared a herd of grazing camels, which fled from the monstrous machine that chopped right over their heads!! I’m sure the herdsmen must have showered the choicest abuses on us…but the fun was worth it!

(Tarzan?)

Did the weirdest things in my life…like doing a tarzan act, swinging on the trailing roots of a Banyan tree, which we spotted on the road from Chittorgarh (where we left the chopper) and Udaipur.

Couldn’t contact K at all…since the mobile was not getting signals most of the day.

Drained out completely, hit the sack at uncle’s place…of course, after an impromptu party with booze comprising the main menu!

353: A lonely Diwali

One more Diwali without lights, crackers or fun! Wonder when I’ll have a family with whom I can enjoy the day with. It’s on holidays and special festive days like this…that I become most nostalgic ‘bout my childhood….and the days spent frolicking in gay abandon. She invited me to her home to spend Diwali with her family, but I was a bit hesitant. Don’t remember what excuse I offered, but I spent the day at home…with the dull booms of crackers permeating through the closed windows. Sat for a while on my balcony…watching the skies light up with multi-colored hues and pyrotechnic displays.

Spoke to K several times on the phone…and felt even more miserable that I wasn’t there sharing the fun with her. This is one of the few times I felt so alone, so much wanting to be part of a complete family…

354: Can friends become 'too' protective?

It was just a debate. Could friends become possessive enough to exclude any other...including a mate from infringing on their domain? It was cute to see how friends turned aggressive and a bit overprotective...goin to the extent of making sure that K's not alone with me...but is suitably chaperoned...! Or, when one churlishly refuses a drink claiming that he drinks ONLY in the company of his friends...:)

Seen this plight happen with a friend of mine who got married to his love. The papa was so possessive and protective that he used to plonk himself right in between the couple at every occasion he was around...to the extent of sitting between them even at a movie the whole family had gone out to watch!! Took a while for the papa to reconcile himself to just a papa's role, thanks to the discreet nudgings of the mama. :))

Guess that acceptance takes time...and that the current attitude is just a reflection of their deep-seated friendship with K. Probably, it's that they are still unaware of the intensity of the relationship that K and I share...:) And that she's certainly past the "checking-him-out" phase! Guys, we are in love!

P.S. The picture posted above is dedicated to "H" for his affection and real concern for his cute lil' friend, K

355: Party time!!!

Had a fantastic evening...with the dance floor coming alive with my mates who hit the floor in celebration of the festival of lights! Crackers weren't needed...coz the music was booming enough.Lights, we had in plenty...in different colours and strobes that streaked the party. Booze flowed....perhaps in excess (with one charley literally slipping on the floor and splitting his eyebrow!). Was on the phone with K most of the evening...with me at the party and she jiving to the music - on the phone! If this ain't a connect at the basic level, what is it?!


(In other events of the day....I was informed that she looked dazzling in her green dress...as I expected she'd be. Just that I could not see her in it. Seems she looked straight out of a Goan beach! Well, she had at least the good sense to take a pix...though it'll take some time for her to scan and send! What I'd give to see her today?!!!! Had a smooth sailing all day thru...with an outing in the afternoon. K's friend had come down from vid....in continuation of y'day's shopping expedition....and I took B along. On hindsight, a bad decision...coz...K's dad saw us together....! Would have been a PR disaster with FiL...but then, everyone doesn't have a K to save one's ass! hehe)

356: A fun-filled day in Bhopal...!!

The day started early...at 9 am precisely when I was at the Habibganj railway station waiting for her. At 9.30, she tells me that the train's arriving at Bhopal's other station!! I did a record-breaking intra-city drive...and finally met her!

Went to Noor-us-Sabah, via my office, for breakfast...but it turned out that she doesn't have breakfast. Went to Jahanuma Palace for coffee...but it was too early for the coffeeshop to open! Nothing is seeming to work...until we finally hit Cafe Coffee Day at the other end of town.....! Again, we ordered hot coffee..and got served cold coffee. The number of friends with us started growing steadily....from 1 to 2 to 4. It was the case of more the merrier...and we ended up driving around town....with loud blaring music interspaced with loads of laughter :)

Had lunch at Jehanuma...and then the shopping expedition began! I took K and her sweet lil' friend on a detour....and later, dropped 'em off at the place where the others in the group were trying out every outfit in town! Rounded it off with a round of drinks (and mocktails for the ladies!) and dinner...at Noor-us-Sabah Palace...overlooking the wide expanse of the lake. A perfect evening... I just hope it comes back again soon!

357: A normal day....at last!

Atlast...a normal day. We talked normal...we chatted normal. We had normal thoughts to discuss...we had normal topics to hit upon! Phew...been a while since we had this normalcy in our relationship!

Or...is this the lull before the storm? ;)

(She's coming to Bhopal tomorrow with her friends....so, lets see how it turns out to be!)

358: In tears... for a different reason...

Trust! The bulwark on which solid relationships are built. And when she thought (a misunderstanding, though...later cleared) that i was low on trust, she burst into tears...! It took half the night on the phone to make her understand that it was not about trust, but about prioritizing time.

It didn't help that V was kinda acerbic and unreceptive initially...but that's coz she didn't know K. My fault that I didn't brief V about how special a place K has in my life today. And K went off on a tangent thinking that I'm again on the tried and tested path of failing in love. I really want them both to be friends...coz both of them - one a dear friend, and another...my love, are the two most important people in my life. Wonder how I'll make that happen.....

Yet I admire how stoically she's taken it. Cry she did...but not even once, she blamed me. I really am lucky to have her in my life!

359: A warm Sunday…

Woke up still suffused in the glowing warmth of the previous night. An early morning call…and it was just like pillow-talk. Continued through the day…with little bits of conversation whenever the heart and mind demanded…!

360: Saturday Night Fever

Hot…hotter and hottest. Sizzling hot…with temperatures soaring. The airconditioner couldn’t do much to lessen it. We sweated it out…until the warmth put us to deep slumber…



(The cold winds that were blowing yesterday were shut off. The frigid depths to which the conversations descended yesterday seems like a bad dream…that thankfully went away.)

361: M is green with J

Everything’s green. Or in various shades of green. A green spark was lit when she mentioned she had spent the evening with her latest crush! Didn’t help matters that she was in the company of a few other friends too. And…when she mentioned that he was “too good for her”, the green volcano of jealousy erupted in thick waves of sarcasm and illogical thoughts. M is Jealous. He knows it isn’t a “crush” that should make him feel “crushed”…but the term crush itself is devastating for him. He just couldn’t take it that K could be interested in another guy. She assured M that the crush is just an eye-candy. That made matters worse!! Then she reminded him that he was behaving like a typical green Indian boyfriend. And for good measure, told him that she ain’t his property! He festered and fumed…virtual green smoke seeping out of the chat window. In his view, a crush is something serious…coz he himself was K’s crush until just a while ago. In her view, this ain’t that crush, but just a 3-in-a-week crush that she usually has! Spent the entire evening in the blues… And, she was in tears. How could M be so insensitive?

Today, am in New Delhi for a meeting, though all my thoughts are back there. She ain’t reachable on the mobile. It says…congestion in network. Drat! She can get thru…but I can’t. What to do? She said if I really want to talk to her, then I’ll somehow get thru. And, me the juvenile, tries exactly that…dialing her number from midnight to 4 am. Gave up, showered, dressed and rushed to the airport to catch the early morning flight back to Bhopal.

362: There are two types of NASHA…which type is K ?

A compliment for K (from a just-a-friend) : Nasha (intoxication) is of two types. First one jo bohot jaldi chadta hai (intoxicates fast, like cheap Indian whiskey, but let’s go quickly too). And the other one jo bohot dhirey chadta hai (like fine scotch whisky, slowly envelopes the senses) aur utarta nahi (wouldn’t let go easily!). And K, certainly, is the latter one…said the “just-a-friend” of hers who was intoxicated by her “sexy” voice. Guess the poor bloke hadn’t woken up to her charms previously…but like good scotch whiskey…realization is dawning on him!! My, my, the competition’s getting hotter!




A long busy day…getting things under control in the office. Most of the day…was scanning and signing documents, cheques and various other papers that needed immediate attention. Was on the phone on and off with K…but was mostly a “hi” and “bye”. Called her whenever I felt I needed an emotional recharge!! No breakfast, no lunch….life’s becoming hectic…and with just a few minutes to spare, reached the airport…and caught the long hopping flight to New Delhi. There’s a direct IC flight to Delhi which takes about an hour, but the guys in my office wants me to fly longer…! Reached at 10 pm…and finally checked into the hotel at 11.

Can’t get thru to K. The mobile network’s all congested. Sent her an SMS. Though she hadn’t planned to come online earlier…my SMS persuaded her to get on her msgr for a short session. 10 mins is what she said….but stayed for a good 45 minutes! Intoxicated with the chat, both of us went to bed earlier than usual!!

362: A couplet for M

tere dil mein meri saanson ko jagah mil jaaye
tere ishq mein meri jaan fanaa ho jaaye !

- Posted by K for M

363: "If I'm angry, handle me with love" says K

Whenever K shows a "red angry" emoticon, I usually don't say anything. This bugs her like anything. She wonders...why I don't handle her with love when she's angry or upset!

Well, the reason is...I know that she can't be angry with me!! And any number of red angry emoticons are going to change that!! That's the simple answer, K darling!

Today was a beautiful day...and we had looooong conversations at regular intervals. An eventful day too...coz, one of my friends in bangalore got pregnant...and doesn't have a clue as to who the dad is! Well, she's not losing any sleep coz of that... and is planning to bring up the baby by herself. Takes courage and grit, doesn't it? Well, the only hitch was...she asked if she can stay with me...when she's big and heavily preggy... (and K was quite enthusiastic about the idea!!!) but I begged off. Ok...I've cold feet...and can't face the neighbors' stares!

Went out for dinner at La Kuchina with colleagues and a friend "A" who had come down from Delhi. The Italian food was excellent, though I'm not sure if I should have had all that cheese and vodka. Didn't linger on for long, since I had an appointment online with you-know-who!

Had fun time for sometime...with a friend who insisted that I was a police officer! Told her that I couldn't afford to live my lifestyle on a cop's salary! My doc friend also was online...but K was pretty cut up...coz she appeared at a very inconvenient moment!! After seeing/chatting/talking/hearing about all my online friends, K decided to ask me for a HIV -ve report. How discriminatory, ain' t it?! lol

Post midnight....got offline and was on the phone with her...until both of us drifted off into sleep :)

364: The saga continues...

We were on the phone...from the morning as usual, with intermittent gaps for those small things in life like breakfast, bath, lunch, office meetings for me & college for her. She's notoriously lazy in attending her classes...and it took her lecturer to take the initiative, to call...requesting her to attend. I was very busy with two upcoming communication campaigns, and spent a good part of the day in meetings and brain-storming sessions. I went out for a drive late evening...and wandered into a handicrafts fair that's on at Bhopal haat...and came back home with a mountain of purchases.

Tomorrow, I have an executive health check-up at Chirayu. Terrible lifestyle that I have, I thought I should at least ensure that I last these 364 days!!

We met online at 10.30 at night to a flourish of virtual hugs and kisses! Our friend "N" was online...and both K and I took on the role of counselors....to help her deal with her heartbreak. As usual, K was more knowledgeable in these matters...and offered sage advice. N acknowledged that K has definitely greater skills and brains than me, and claimed that I had been misleading her!! lol The fact is, N has a typically egoistic boyfriend...and I advised her not to bend and bow and scrape before the dude! K advised that she shouldn't mind bending a bit, because afterall, N "loves" the guy!! Quite complicated, huh?

Since time was at a premium (we planned to chat only upto 12 midnight), we went off on our own... and for about 30 precious minutes, had a heart-to-heart connect. I was reluctant to call after logging off....(due to reasons I don't think is prudent writing here!!), but went ahead anyway and talked for a while. She loves to talk to me before going to bed. I guess it's 'coz my voice sounds like a lullaby that would put her off to sleep! :) But for me, her voice is such a great turn-on, that I'd not be able to sleep anymore! Is there an alternate solution?

Posted by M

365th day: A love letter...marks the occasion!

The walk has begun. 365 days more! I have a feeling that it will be a yo-yo between pain and pleasure! We are spending too much time together...that.. in fact, we had taken a decision not to chat everyday...coz a good night's sleep has become a casualty. Yesterday night, we were not supposed to be online. I went to bed at 10 pm (usually we meet online at 10.30 and chat until 2 am), but got up suddenly at 11...with an inordinate urge to get online. I switched on the computer...to find K waiting for me there! She was willing me to come... If this isn't intuition, what is it? We talked for an hour...and went to bed. We decided not to have such stupid bans on chatting or talking...and decided to meet as usual, but for a shorter period of time.

She has written me her first love letter! The first love letter that she had ever written. I wish I could post it here....it's so sweeeeeeet... but she's already so red with embarassment having written that....that she'll kill me if I show it here!

- Posted by M.

The story until now…

They lived just 60 km apart. They read the same newspapers, were affected by the same local weather conditions that held sway in the central part of India and probably passed each other many a time. Yet, it took a server thousands of miles away, on the other side of the globe, to connect them. If Yahoo’s played the cupid to millions of lonely hearts, the portal has once again partnered in a budding romance, allowing this couple to meet in one of its regional chat-rooms.

This happened just a few months ago. They chatted intermittently, never having the vaguest idea that romantic sparks would ever fly between them. At 22, she doesn’t believe in the concept of a boyfriend (she still doesn’t!) and never progressed beyond a childhood crush and he, at 32 has seen it all and done it all. An unlikely couple, a decade apart, suddenly realized that they mean a lot to each other. Is it love? Is it just a crush, which would get crushed as the wheels of time move? They weren’t sure.

They met. Not at an obscure location, or at a restaurant or coffee shop as many others do, but at her home. It was not just meeting her, but meeting her father, mother, sister, grandma and assorted neighbors and friends who put him through careful scrutiny, until he was pronounced OK. Then, with permission granted, they went straight for a date…on a hill-top nearby to look at archeological wonders that the place is so renowned for. She was dressed to kill, and predictably chaperoned by her younger sister who kept an eye on her unpredictable sibling and the guy who professed to be her friend!

The day passed. The next day, they met again…for dinner. She brought along two friends. He brought along eight of his colleagues. They laughed at the company. They laughed at the food that took ages to be served. They laughed at the waiters and they laughed at the beer. They laughed at the jokes and they laughed at the incidents recalled from each other’s lives. They laughed at virtually everything they could think or talk of. And, with the laughter still ringing in their ears, they bade goodbye at her doorstep and promised to meet again….soon.

After a hundred failed attempts to get together again, they finally met and went on a long drive. Romantic music inside the car, supported by the lush greenery that stretched mile after mile as far as the eye could see were partly responsible for that first kiss. It was delightful, mind-blowing and intense with passion, but any onlooker would liken it more to an adolescent’s attempts at his first osculation. The car swerved from left to right…and right to left, but thanks to the thin traffic on that stretch, the couple didn’t end up going home on stretchers. They bade each other farewell, with not little embarrassment and promised to meet again….soon.

A month has passed. Every day they log in online and chat to their heart’s content. They discuss anything and everything…and blow a million virtual kisses, punctuated by emoticons that hug and smooch and blush. An emotional saga unfolds every day, peppered with smiles, grins, laughter, tears, mostly with yearning looks at the screen. If the computers had feelings, the machines would probably have turned green with envy or red with embarrassment. Love’s in the air, with a passionate nip in the wind. They think of each other all the time. They dream of each other. They long for each other. When they are not chatting, they are on the phone with each other. But is it love? Is this what happens when two people fall in love? How about giving this some time to make sense? A year from hence, would it be the same? If so, they would wed…come rain or sunshine. Else..?

What more could qualify for a drama…than 365 days of passion and tears that would inevitably be part of this waiting? To compound the situation further, he would be leaving the city, in a month or so, to take up employment a 1,000 miles away. Would distance make the heart fonder? Would 8,760 hours bring them together for ever? Would they last the 525,600 minutes that’s ahead of them…during which they could meet just a few times? Or would they abandon the ‘waiting’ and tie the knot before that? The countdown begins…now!