The Journey (2016)

The Book

Kyun hai koi aag dabi,
Shola jo bhadke bhadakne do,
Kab tak giney, hum dhadkane,
Dil jaise dhadke dhadakne do...
- Dil Dhadakne Do, Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara

[Trans: "Why are there any suppressed burning (desires)? If the fire is blazing, let it blaze. How long will we count our heart beats? Let the heart beat the way it wants to beat."]

The Book

"Is that a bookstore?" Radhika was already crossing the street. At the corner of the street, a sign invited her and Radhika giddily walked up to it. Nikhil followed her and she was surprised he wasn't complaining. The scent of old ink and new pages greeted her and her usual smile dazzled anyone who met her eye. People were walking through the shelves, caressing the titles as they went looking for their next favorite text. The warm air brought her whiff of coffee and she turned her head to find a café on the right. It was overjoyed to find a girl sitting there with a cup in her hand; she had never been to a café where they still served in cups.

"You like reading?" Nikhil was standing next to her, taking in the surrounding as well.

"Are you kidding me?" Her voice overcame with euphoria as she brought her hand up to her chest dramatically. "I love reading!"

Nikhil laughed at her antics and she ignored him by walking up to the first shelf. It had the latest bestsellers and Radhika's hands were itching to pick one up and read the back cover already. Nikhil beat her to it.

"Joanne Mills lived her whole life believing her family had abandoned her at door of a church. On her sixteenth birthday she found out her destiny was beyond her imagination. A messenger comes knocking to her foster house and reveals a world she never knew existed. Joanne's life turn upside down as she enters a battle between..." Nikhil read in a mocking tone and then shelved it with a, "Pft!"

"What? You don't like books?" She wouldn't be surprised if he didn't. She didn't know many people who appreciated books a much as she did back home.

"Of course I love books!" He said as if she had insulted his pride. "I just don't like pretentious novels that make it to bestseller."

"How are they pretentious?" Radhika frowned at him.

"All that these books are capable of is telling teenagers that their lives aren't good enough. That they should be living an adventure." He explained but Radhika took a personal offense to this.

"But this stories motivate them to go out and make something more out of themselves! To fight their battles and find where they belong!"

"That just makes their personal battles seem bland because it's hard to see little battles won everyday when compared to these huge, violent ones! They should be happy with a simple and ordinary life! Not everything in life has to be...grand!"

Radhika thought about this as her eyes took in rows and rows of books. She was here because her life felt too ordinary. When she thinks about the clocked circuit she was in, her heart trembles in fear. It wasn't the worst thing in the world, but she wasn't happy. "What if ordinary doesn't make you happy?"

"To be happy, you don't need something extraordinary either. What makes us happy is comfortable, not fighting battles."

She looked at Nikhil and his determined face. He was looking at the books with agitation. She didn't know why she asked but she did. "You have read them, haven't you?" He looked at her in surprise, alarmed by her question.

"Yes." He looked away. "I used to."

"What happened?" She asked him. She didn't expect him to answer her though and as expected, he diverted the conversation.