Sati

When eyes meet

It was mid-afternoon when Manav's flight touches India coming from London. Manav a young, 27 year old lad coming back to his motherland where his beloved mother once lived in search of his mother's poetries. Manav was 8 years old when he was sent to London to a boarding school to discipline him by his father, General Rajesh Bakshi. Mr. Bakshi was a very strict man with his own principles; when Manav was 8 years old he thought that he was being spoiled by his mother's extreme love and care. Hence decides to send him to London to a boarding school.

Manav had great affinity and bonding with his mother. Going to London made him feel like his world taken away from him. His mother tried to keep the bond between them intact by writing him letters often. When Manav was 22 year old, Mrs. Bakshi fell ill. She was bed ridden; Manav decides to come back to look-after his mother, but Mrs. Bakshi didn't wanted to risk Manav's future as Manav had his finals coming sooner at that time. She convince Manav that she was doing well and he didn't have to worry about her. But just few weeks after her last letter she died. Now Manav couldn't come to India to look at his mother's face one last time because of the bombing that had happened just last night at the airport.

The bombing was because of the War. It was 1940; the whole world was engaged in a brutal war; World War 2. A war fought between powerful nations of the world. Millions of victims; billions of casualties. Men were lost at both sides; someone lost his/her husband, brother, father, uncle or their dearest ones. One war was fought at the battle field another in each of those soldier's homes; the war their dearest ones fight with themselves of keeping the hope alive that their loved ones will come home soon.

Manav decides to return to India 5 years after his mother's death, when he gets a letter saying that even his father is ill. Now Manav didn't like even the shadow of his father because of his childhood memories of his father being strict and always rude to him and never loving him. While his mother used to write him letters, she used to write him poems. Manav once had asked whether she considered writing a collection of these poems to which Mrs. Bakshi had said that she already had published a collection of her poems but wasn't successful enough to make her an established poetess. Manav decides to search the book and publish it again in honor of his late mother.
To search the roots of that published book he comes back to India, where fate has much more planned for him.

Manav comes to Delhi and meets his bedridden father. His father wants him to take up him job as General in command in Bengal province. Manav hearing the name Bengal at once agrees to take it as his mother was originally from Bengal and thought that it would be great help for him to start his quest to find his mother's book. But the posting wasn't exactly in Calcutta; it was in a nearby village where there was the British-India contingent and warehouse was.

Manav is allotted the army house. He arrives though car from Delhi. While his things are shifted, he goes to take a nap as his journey tired him; All his things still unpacked and all over the place un-organized. He wakes up to a loud thud. Comes out of his room to see a young girl with long hair braided till her navel in a light green saree. He could only see her back as she was busy picking up glass pieces of the vase. The girl turns to look at the man standing behind her; Brown complexioned, strong man in a white shirt and brown trousers rolling up his sleeves. Manav looks at the the glass pieces in the girl's hand and looks at the floor. The girl with guilty eyes, with feeble voice trying to speak in English says "sorry sir, it slipped while I was opening the boxes". Manav stands there looking at her in a plane face noticing her bindi; red and big yet small enough to compliment her round face. Manav thinking who the girl might be and adoring her guilt filled beady eyes. The girl "sir, sorry; sir???". Manav steps out of his thoughts and says "its ok. Kuch nahi. Tum koun ho??".
Now he realizes that he was in Bengal and people might not know hindi here. He tries to do action and ask her in english. The girl "sir, hindi aati hai...english bhi; thoda thoda. Issliye, Sujoy babu ne mujhe yaha kaam ke liye bola. yaha apko khana banana, gahr ka kaam karne ke liye".
Manav "Accha theek hai; uss boxes mein books hai usko kamre ke shelves mein rakdo; aage se kuch mat girana. yeh glass ke pieces saaf kardoge please".
Girl "yes sir, aap idhar side se aaye aap ko lag sagata hai mein saaf kar loongi".
Manav walks from side where glass pieces are fallen; he walks till door and turns to ask her name, "Name...?what's your name???". Girl "sir, Aashima... sab Aashi bulate hai".
Manav smiles and says "aashi chai bana sakti hoon?". Aashi "yes sir, 2 minutes, I will give". Manav nods and smiles and goes outside to smoke a cigar.