The Waves Whisper ✓

12 | the waves whisper

8
𓂃𓊝𓂃

October 10, 1970

"This is the biggest effigy I've ever seen." I said, looking at the Ravana effigy in front of me. Me and Khushi were attending the Dusherra¹ fair on the ground which was surrounded by sand dunes and forts. The evening sun was bright and it painted the forts a shade of golden hue.

"That's Jaisalmer for you." Khushi said, biting the kulfi, hoping to finish it before it melted.

"Don't ruin your clothes." I said, seeing the popsicle melt on Khushi's hand.

"Will you stay to watch Ramlila²?" Khushi asked as we both walked towards the stalls selling gol gappa. She was playing Urmila in Ramlila. She was already dressed as Urmila in a peach-coloured blouse and red skirt. She wore a nose ring that was too big for her face.

"Bhayo³, two plates of gol gappa." Khushi said to the shopkeeper.

"I can't." I said, with a gloomy look on my face. "She will murder us if I and Ratan stay here late."

"Where is Ratan, by the way?" She asked.

"He might be around here, guiding the tourists." I said. The shopkeeper gave us two plates of gol gappa. We both devoured the snack while watching the ground heave with people. There were little children throwing tantrums because their parents refused to buy them toys from the stalls; newlywed couples walked around, holding hands; old married couples walked with either their children or grandchildren with little to no interest to attend the fair; and there were boys and girls like me and Khushi, jovial and curious. They went from booth to booth, buying bangles, cheap sunglasses and eating food with the little money they had. The sun had already set, and the electric lights on the stalls, ferris wheel, and other rides started to light up one by one.

"Isn't that Apoorva?" Khushi said. In the crowd, I saw Apoorva in a white kurta with a vibrant embroidered jacket over it.

"Yes." I said. "It's him." I spotted a girl with him, wearing the fanciest clothes I have ever seen. She had long, black hair and pale skin, which resembled the china in the Rathore house kitchen. She looked a year or two younger than us. She was around him like a puppy around its owner, playful and giggly. She was showing him a Hanuman⁴ mask that she had bought from the stall, which sold different masks and dolls. She forcefully placed it on his face and tied the thread around his head. She made a joke, and he laughed at it, throwing his head back and placing his hand on his chest.

"Who is she?" I asked out of curiosity.

"Oh, that's, Priya. Sort of like his fiancée." Khushi said, with no consideration, while gulping down a gol gappa. "Her family is super rich. Their families set them up, or something like that. I don't know much."
My heart sank, like a ship sinking to the bottom of the ocean, letting the hopes of seeing the land die with its passengers.

"If you're not eating your gol gappa, can I have them?" Khushi asked with a mouthful of gol gappa.

"Yeah, take it. I'm not hungry anyway." I said, placing the plate of gol gappa in her hand.

"Good." She said, smiling and bobbing her head.

"Oh, shoot! I forgot." Khushi cried. "I need to be at the final practise." Khushi exclaimed. She pulled me away with her to the tent where the final practise was going on.

...

The air became more chilly after nightfall. The full moon above showered the city in a shimmer of moonlight. I mounted on top of the fort's wall to watch the fair become more alive as the night passed. I could only hear the faint cacophony of the crowd up there. I munched on the jalebi I bought from one of the stalls while watching the fireworks before the ritual of lighting up the Ravan effigy.

"Hey." I was startled when someone called me from behind.

I clutched my chest. "Oh my god! You scared me." I said to Apoorva, standing behind me with the same Hanuman mask in his hand.

"What are you doing up here?" I asked.

"The fireworks look better from here." He said as he sat down next to me. "And what are you doing here?"

"What does it look like." I said, taking a bite from the Jalebi.

"It looks like you're planning to unleash your wrath upon the city like those villains in the movies." He said, frivolously.

"The laugh to this joke is yet to arrive via postal mail. Might take a few days." I rolled my eyes. A firecracker exploded in the sky, making both of us look that way.

"Did you leave that kid in the midst of the
crowd?" I asked. He raised an eyebrow in response.

"The girl you were with." I clarified.

"Oh, you saw her." He said, as if he were saying it to himself.

"My family wants me to marry her in the future. But I don't like her that way. I mean, she's a kid. She's like a sister to me." He said.

"Oh." I didn't know what else to say. It felt like someone took the rock off my chest.
Those things about him shouldn't have bothered me, but they did. Another firecracker went up in the sky and exploded, like a flower blooming instantly. Its vibrant hues fell on our faces. I could see the desert briefly during the flares of the fireworks, spread like an endless sea.

"Isn't it tiring to look at the desert for a very long time?" He asked, seeing the admiration in my eyes while looking at the desert.

"No." I said, with an affirmation in my voice.

"It's hot and dry... And dull. How could someone like it."

"Okay, okay. I get it. You hate it here. You like the sea, waves, sea breeze, sea sickness, and everything."

"Have you ever been to a beach before?" He asked.

"No." I replied. "Apparently, there are not many beaches here." I said, sarcastically.

He took a deep sigh. "My mother took me to Gujarat once, when I was little. We went to a beach there. It was the best thing that has ever happened to me. It was astonishing to see how the waves come for you even if you run away from them and how they wash away anything that you write on the shore. I still remember my mother saying, 'If you listen to the sea carefully, you can hear them whispering.' Since that day, I have always wanted to go back to the sea again, build a house there, and listen to the waves whispering every day." I saw his eyes glistening with tears. I had never thought that seeing him cry would make my heart tremble. I knew how hard it was to have memories that always connected to the deceased parents.

"I hope one day you will build a house near the most beautiful beach on earth." I smiled, looking into his eyes. I could see the fireworks in his pretty eyes. "And when you do, invite me over. I want to see the beach."

He smiled softly, running his hand through his curly and slightly dishevelled hair. I felt our cold fingers brushing against each other. "Will you come?" He asked. From the corner of my eye, I saw the Ravan effigy go up in flames. The people cheered 'Jai Shri Ram.' And in the crowd, I saw Jagadish watching us. I instantly pulled my hand away from him.
I knew how it could go wrong in so many ways.

"It's late. I have to go." I got up quickly and walked away, leaving him there alone. I could hear my heartbeats in my ears even after five minutes. In the crowd, I searched for Ratan.

"Ratan." I called once I spotted him talking to someone near one of the stalls. He turned his head to look at me. Sapna was the one to whom he was talking. I sensed that they were talking about something serious, seeing their worried faces. I thought they were talking about any issues that happened with the tourists since Sapna was taking care of the travel bureau. I greeted Sapna with a smile as I walked towards them. She smiled back.

"We need to go. It's getting late." I said to Ratan.

"Yeah, we can leave now." He said. "I'll make the arrangements for the travel tomorrow." He said, looking at Sapna. She nodded in response.

...

Ravan effigy - People celebrate Dusherra by burning effigies of Ravana. A picture of the effigy is given above the chapter.

1. Dusherra - The tenth and final day of the Hindu festival of Navaratri, usually in October. It especially commemorates the victory of the god Rama over the demon king Ravana.

2. Ramlila - Ramlila is any dramatic folk re-enactment of the life of Rama according to the ancient Hindu epic Ramayana or secondary literature based on it such as the Ramcharitmanas.

3. Bhayo - brother

4. Hanuman - Hanuman is one of the central characters of the Hindu epic Ramayana. He is an ardent devotee of Rama and one of the chiranjivis.