Ajay and Shobha were watching the sunset at Dadar Chow patty. Bhel (Indian street food snack) hawker was roaming around with his high aluminium bucket on his head. His eyes catch this couple. In his crisp voice, he expresses his existence, 'Sir, madam bhel bhel .. dry bhel five rupees for two, five rupees for two'...
Shobha pointed out the hawker. Street children were playing on the front sand. Some children were busy riding on the camel. It was the era of the nineties seashore was very quiet. There were a few ice cream hawkers ... and some couples involved in courtship.
At the horizon, the anglers' boats and their shimmering light were reflecting in the water. Slowly darkening the sky after crimson red ... Shobha took two Bhels from the hawker and asked Ajay to share one. Ajay accepted it quietly. It was his daily practice. Ajay had only a few bucks to get a bus ticket.
Ajay was the peon at one import-export firm whereas Shobha was the stenotypist in the same office. Shobha's father was a municipal teacher.
Somehow, the family was able to make both ends meet. To match the expenses in the city of Mumbai, Shobha's mother was running a private mess. Ajay was one of the members of the mess.
A little acquaintance turned into a friendship. The friendship did not turn into deep love.
Shobha's family was staying on the third floor in Dadar's one of the old 'Chali' (Old type of apartments in India). Ajay was sleeping in an 8-hour shift in the dormitory on the ground floor.
The dormitory was a ten by ten very old room. In which six men sleep on the ground under the bed and six, on the bed. Twelve people sleep in a day and twelve people sleep in the night.
That was the cheapest place for working youth an inexpensive city called Mumbai. It has a fifty rupees charge per month to sleep under the bed and a hundred rupees on the bed. Since Ajay was earning four hundred and fifty rupees per month, sleeping on the bed was a lavish luxury for him.
This was unaffordable for him. He was not even in a position to spend five rupees on street food like 'bhel'.
Today there was a big issue discussed. Ajay began to eat bhel silently and did not even look at Shobha. Shobha clings closer to him. The sun had set. Humidity and cold in the air had increased.
He felt a warm breath on his neck. Ajay noticed the heat of Shobha's body, it was a little more today.
Shobha grabbed his right arm and shook him. "Tell me ..." Ajay breathed deeply and said, "Shobha, you are right! Marrying me will ruin your life.
The love I feel. What was that? What was that all"? Shobha touches Ajay's shoulder with her soft cheeks," Look Ajay love is different and marriage is different.
Without responsibilities, meeting in a garden for courtship, romance along the seashore, and talking only about good and romantic things is one aspect of life, and running a house is another aspect. There doesn't need to be love between husband and wife.
This is happening for thousands of years. If a woman allows her husband to have sex, then in return, has to give her property, money, and comfort.
She gives birth to her husband's children again she needs money for the upbringing of those children.
Even in the Stone Age, a woman living in a cave used to handle the cave, against which her husband would have to share part of the hunt, and food. In return, she gave sex and happiness to her husband. "
After a pin-drop silence, she found a newspaper from her purse raised in front of Ajay and she continued, "Look, nothing has changed even today. Read the ads for 'Matrimony' ...
Girls are looking for a man who has his own house, a good salary, a four-wheeler, a good bank balance.
No girl has mentioned that she is looking for a good beautiful boy, even if he is earning nothing. And see what men want.. Beautiful, perfect figure girl, attractive skin complexion
... No one wants a highly intellectual girl, even if she has a black skin tone, with ninety-kilo weight, with front teeth...
Please answer my question, if I were with blackface, knife-like teeth, and a small nose would you have selected me as a lover? Never!
Even today, the physical beauty of a woman is her ability to carry a child, to maintain a home. The man…the income! This shows that nothing has changed and nothing will change.
Try to understand some basic things. For a moment think, we both got married, so where will we stay? On a footpath or in a rented house... Then dragging the house will erase my beauty. Your passion will decrease.
As soon as my beauty form is reduced, your interest in me will end up. You will do the overtime to make both ends meet. Where will be the time for romance? "
The sun was now shattered into ashes; a few blood-red rays' strokes were lingering behind, which were in a hurry to return their home, to shut down themselves in darkness.
The sea birds were returning to their nests with chirping panic, However, a loud voice
They were flying in a tweet. Everyone had a home where everyone wanted to return. The sea waves were striking their heads on the stone to die.
Sea waves were making melancholy chubuk, chubuk noise adding the horror to make this evening uglier.
Away from the crowd of Mumbai .. The light of the beach hotels of Bandra was reflecting in the water. Unstable light was eating Ajay's heart. He looked at Shobha's face; cold air was blowing through her hair.
Her face was no longer visible properly in the dark.
Ajay asked slowly with a throbbing heart, "Did you promise someone to marry?"
While asking this question, Ajay could hear his heartbeat.
In response, Shobha held his arm tightly and started rubbing her cheeks on his shoulders, she just sounded hum. Ajay caressed her head with his left palm and asked, "Who is he?"
In response, he replied, "Firm Owner, Motilal!"
Ajay was shocked, and asked, "However, I have heard that Motilal has lost his wife in a car accident, left a fourteen-year son behind "
Shobha carelessly replied, "Yes, I know. The day before yesterday I stayed for overtime, after seven o'clock in the evening. Suddenly, Motilal hugged me tightly and kissed me.
I protested a bit, however, at that time, I was feeling good. He asked me to follow into the cabin. I followed.
I was also enjoying whatever was happening. I demanded a certainty of marriage, Property, Car, Gold, lavish lifestyle everything.
He promised that I get whatever I wanted. In return, I have to take care of his house and a teenage child. "
She stopped to breathe. Then sit back a little away from Ajay. She wrapped pallu (a long free part of Indian wear 'saree' ) over both shoulders and said, "I talked to Papa. He was very happy ".
After a little bit of peace, she said, "However, Ajay, our friendship will be there. If you ever need money, ask for it. "
Very cold wind-wave blown. Ajay experienced it within his flesh from top to toe. For the first time in his life, he felt that he is deadly poor.
He is disturbed by Shobha has thought procedure. Some people make big life decisions very casually... It was astonishing.
Last month, the head clerk, Johnny called Ajay to his table and handed over fifty rupees notes. Whispered, "I will come late after lunch. If the boss asks, tell him I will return within ten minutes".
Ajay asked, "However, where are you going for an hour?" "I am getting married!" Ajay thought Johnny must have been joking. However, after two hours when Johnny came, all the signs of the bride were on his face and dress.
Ajay was looking at this aspect of life for the first time.
When he remembered this smile spread on his face in the dark. Which probably could not be noticed by Shobha. While standing up he said, "Shobha, it is getting dark. Let's go... " She stood up with the help of Ajay. She twitches her clothes.
Ajay was feeling hungrier than feeling bad.
They went together to Shobha's house. In the light of a flicking forty volt bulb, four-five people were eating food inside. The slow-moving ceiling fan was over the head making some chock-up noise. The smell of food and smoke spread in the room.
Ajay should wait to eat. He pulled out the from the pocket and started chewing grains by relaxing to the wooden guardrail in the gallery. The soft grains and tongue have lost the taste either.
The appetite of the stomach was dominating over the taste. A song was playing in the adjacent room on Vividh Bharti radio... Vo tere pyar kaa gham ek bahana tha sanam
(You betray with me and given lame excuses ... a classic Hindi sad song)
Ajay was watching from the gallery, some children wanted to help the wounded puppy. However, the puppy understood that human children would give him more pain.
The puppy was barking at them and trying to bite them either.
The light was flicking in every single room. Somewhere, there was a fight between husband and wife.
Somewhere two women were quarreling. A drunkard was screaming and crying in his sorrow.
In the dark, some young boys and girls were whispering in the corner. Whispering laughter followed in between.
Everyone's life was flowing in its way. Nobody cared about anyone. Ajay started thinking by standing and putting weight on a single leg…
(...What happened next?...)