As the taxi approached Guwahati railway station, he could almost hear the sound of his own heart beat. He could not help wondering - "How would she look? How would her voice be? Would she be as pretty in appearance as her writings make her out to be? How old would she be?"
He was going to meet someone who had already conquered his heart through her mind. But he never had a glimpse of her sight. He had not even heard her voice.
It all started about two years back when he was taking a train from New Delhi to Jammu. After a short training in New Delhi, he was heading for Jammu to join his army unit. As he climbed on to his upper bunk for a good nights' rest, he found a small hand written note book. Obviously some earlier passenger had left behind - he figured. As he casually flipped through the pages - he was fascinated by the soft, artistic calligraphy like hand writing and some beautiful sketches. As he started exploring further, he realized that it was the scrap book of a poet and an artist with an extremely insightful and creative mind. Each work - poetry or sketch - painted a picture that touched the core of his heart and mind. He was almost mesmerized by the works of the owner of this note book. The first page revealed the name of the owner -- Malabika Bora, Guwahati.
In these days of the internet, it is not really very difficult to track down a person once you do know the name and the city. A search on the internet revealed couple of Malabika Boras from Guwahati with email addresses. He contacted each of them through emails to inquire if she had left behind note book in a train. One of them replied back with a confirmation that it was her who indeed had left behind a note book and would be grateful if he could arrange to send it over to her address in Guwahati by post.
He sent the note book over to her along with a letter of introduction and a request to maintain correspondence with him through the old fashioned surface mail. In emails and text messages after all you would not be seeing her beautiful handwriting. She did comply with his request. For past 2 years they communicated through countless surface mails -- in the very old fashioned way. They decided not to exchange their phone numbers or photographs.
"Let our looks and our voice remain a mystery to us. After all mystery is what makes your imagination run wild."
Through the mails -- with each word and sketches -- they opened up to each other. And they realized how much they have in common - their views on life, on the world, the nature, the music , the poetry, you could go on and on. With each letter their romance blossomed. Finally they decided that it was the time to meet each other in person.
The rendezvous was scheduled on the first Friday of October 2011. They agreed to meet at 7:00 PM in Guwahati railway station waiting room and then they will head out to a cozy restaurant of her choice for a nice dinner. He carried a ring in his pocket with the full conviction that he will love her looks as much as he had loved her mind. He will be wearing his army uniform and she will be carrying a red rose in her hand.
As he reached the waiting room of the railway station, his adjusted his military cap and studied the crowd for a girl who could possibly resemble Malabika - a girl with a red rose in her hand. Then he saw a girl in mid twenties with an extremely pleasant demeanor wearing a light blue saree which perfectly complemented the lissome figure she was endowed with. Her eyes were bright and intelligent, her fingers were long and artistic - the ones that seemed perfectly capable of creating those beautiful sketches and calligraphy which had captivated him for last 2 years. Like him, her eyes seemed to be searching for some one in the crowd. Her appearance seemed to be the Malabika he had visualized all these months.
He was so certain than this is the woman he had come to meet, he did not even bother to look out for the red rose in her hand. He started walking towards her.
Their eyes met and she started to walk towards him. As he landed each step towards her, his excitement grew and he started rehearsing the act he had planned - an act that befits an army captain.
Then she walked right past him without any greeting or a second glance.
Right then he spotted Malabika. There, at the other end of the waiting room, she stood with a red rose in her hand. She would be at least ten years elder to him with with an appearance which was not what he had expected in Malabika. She was dressed rather casually with an old fashioned saree and wore an expression which he was not expecting from a lady who was about to meet her love for the first time.
His heart sank. How he expected the girl who walked past him was Malabika instead of this woman.
But then there she was standing with a red rose in her hand waiting for someone whom she had already won over through her insightful mind.
"Well may be she does not have the looks what I was expecting. But nevertheless she is still the owner of the mind that I love." -- he thought.
As rehearsed in his mind - he offered the best army salute he could manage and said - "Hello. This is Captain Utpal Brahma of the 5th Gorkha Regiment. You must be Malabika Bora. May I have the honor of asking you out for a dinner?"
The lady responded with a pleasant smile and said - "Well Officer. I do not what you youngsters are up to. It was the girl with the light blue saree who persuaded me to stand here with the red rose she handed me. Also she told me that if an army officer does ask me out for a dinner, then I should tell him that Malabika is the girl in blue saree and she is waiting for you right outside the entrance and she would love to go out with you for a dinner."
As he thanked the lady and turned around to meet Malabika by the entrance, the lady remarked from behind - "All the best officer. Enjoy your dinner. I am her mom."
He was going to meet someone who had already conquered his heart through her mind. But he never had a glimpse of her sight. He had not even heard her voice.
It all started about two years back when he was taking a train from New Delhi to Jammu. After a short training in New Delhi, he was heading for Jammu to join his army unit. As he climbed on to his upper bunk for a good nights' rest, he found a small hand written note book. Obviously some earlier passenger had left behind - he figured. As he casually flipped through the pages - he was fascinated by the soft, artistic calligraphy like hand writing and some beautiful sketches. As he started exploring further, he realized that it was the scrap book of a poet and an artist with an extremely insightful and creative mind. Each work - poetry or sketch - painted a picture that touched the core of his heart and mind. He was almost mesmerized by the works of the owner of this note book. The first page revealed the name of the owner -- Malabika Bora, Guwahati.
In these days of the internet, it is not really very difficult to track down a person once you do know the name and the city. A search on the internet revealed couple of Malabika Boras from Guwahati with email addresses. He contacted each of them through emails to inquire if she had left behind note book in a train. One of them replied back with a confirmation that it was her who indeed had left behind a note book and would be grateful if he could arrange to send it over to her address in Guwahati by post.
He sent the note book over to her along with a letter of introduction and a request to maintain correspondence with him through the old fashioned surface mail. In emails and text messages after all you would not be seeing her beautiful handwriting. She did comply with his request. For past 2 years they communicated through countless surface mails -- in the very old fashioned way. They decided not to exchange their phone numbers or photographs.
"Let our looks and our voice remain a mystery to us. After all mystery is what makes your imagination run wild."
Through the mails -- with each word and sketches -- they opened up to each other. And they realized how much they have in common - their views on life, on the world, the nature, the music , the poetry, you could go on and on. With each letter their romance blossomed. Finally they decided that it was the time to meet each other in person.
The rendezvous was scheduled on the first Friday of October 2011. They agreed to meet at 7:00 PM in Guwahati railway station waiting room and then they will head out to a cozy restaurant of her choice for a nice dinner. He carried a ring in his pocket with the full conviction that he will love her looks as much as he had loved her mind. He will be wearing his army uniform and she will be carrying a red rose in her hand.
As he reached the waiting room of the railway station, his adjusted his military cap and studied the crowd for a girl who could possibly resemble Malabika - a girl with a red rose in her hand. Then he saw a girl in mid twenties with an extremely pleasant demeanor wearing a light blue saree which perfectly complemented the lissome figure she was endowed with. Her eyes were bright and intelligent, her fingers were long and artistic - the ones that seemed perfectly capable of creating those beautiful sketches and calligraphy which had captivated him for last 2 years. Like him, her eyes seemed to be searching for some one in the crowd. Her appearance seemed to be the Malabika he had visualized all these months.
He was so certain than this is the woman he had come to meet, he did not even bother to look out for the red rose in her hand. He started walking towards her.
Their eyes met and she started to walk towards him. As he landed each step towards her, his excitement grew and he started rehearsing the act he had planned - an act that befits an army captain.
Then she walked right past him without any greeting or a second glance.
Right then he spotted Malabika. There, at the other end of the waiting room, she stood with a red rose in her hand. She would be at least ten years elder to him with with an appearance which was not what he had expected in Malabika. She was dressed rather casually with an old fashioned saree and wore an expression which he was not expecting from a lady who was about to meet her love for the first time.
His heart sank. How he expected the girl who walked past him was Malabika instead of this woman.
But then there she was standing with a red rose in her hand waiting for someone whom she had already won over through her insightful mind.
"Well may be she does not have the looks what I was expecting. But nevertheless she is still the owner of the mind that I love." -- he thought.
As rehearsed in his mind - he offered the best army salute he could manage and said - "Hello. This is Captain Utpal Brahma of the 5th Gorkha Regiment. You must be Malabika Bora. May I have the honor of asking you out for a dinner?"
The lady responded with a pleasant smile and said - "Well Officer. I do not what you youngsters are up to. It was the girl with the light blue saree who persuaded me to stand here with the red rose she handed me. Also she told me that if an army officer does ask me out for a dinner, then I should tell him that Malabika is the girl in blue saree and she is waiting for you right outside the entrance and she would love to go out with you for a dinner."
As he thanked the lady and turned around to meet Malabika by the entrance, the lady remarked from behind - "All the best officer. Enjoy your dinner. I am her mom."
