A beautiful feeling called... LOVE...

From where it all began....

The train stopped at the station, he took his luggage and steeped out of the railway compartment. He stood there at the platform with his eyes in a look-out for something. He was looking for a coolie or was he searching for something more. Deep inside, he was looking for his family to pick him up.

This was the town he had grown up in and he had come back to the same town where he had spent his childhood and his teens, maybe some years of his youth as well. It had been around 10yrs since he had stepped foot here and all these years he had been making himself worthy of it. He was following his dreams and all he had desired to accomplish to see his family and neighbours look up to him and praise him for his achievements. He had achieved a lot in these years and somewhere he was proud of it and he wanted to share it with his family. This was a surprise visit and his family didn't know he was coming back.

Actually, no one did. He had been so busy chasing his dreams that he had forgotten to stay in contact with his family and friends back here. He too hadn't expected to be here. He just made a random plan and arrived. He was too busy or maybe he had that guilt of not achieving something in life for which he had taken this huge step of leaving his family and friends behind. He just left everyone to prove himself that he too has what it takes to be successful.

Yes, he was a run away from home. A run away who had spent his precious 10yrs working hard just to see that pride in the eyes of his family, his father and mother. And now he had made them proud. He had made a name and position for himself in life which people just dream of. He had been in contact with some of his friends and had spoken to his mom and dad in between, but not that often. He called them on occasions and festivals but always made an excuse when his mom asked him to come over. In the past two-years he hadn't been in contact with anyone, not even his mom and dad. He was just busy getting what he had always desired and was so much busy in working hard that he had forgotten everything. He at times used to miss meals and even didn't go home if work required so. All his hard work had paid off and it was time he celebrated his achievements.

There he stood at the platform, called over a coolie and still his eyes looked around. Everything seemed to be so different but still it rung a special tune in his heart, he just saw that how his mom and he used to be here at the station during the holidays, eager to get on the train and go to his gramdma's house. He just had a smile on his face thinking of it. He came out of the station and realised that there was so much change. When he had left, this place did not have a proper station as such, but now there was a proper road and sign board. He was surprised and happy to know that the town had progressed. He hopped into an auto, the auto driver too seemed a bit similar, he was old but to Raghu, he seemed a bit familiar. He was trying to remember and asked the name of the driver. The auto-driver answered – Ramnath. Raghu didn't remember him so he looked out to grasp in the changes from the time he had left. Nothing seemed to be similar, everything had changed so much, all the roads and lanes were just different. He couldn't recognise the town till he reached an old half-broken statue of a man on the horse, which reminded him of a memory of his childhood. He with his friends used to come to the statue after school and sit on the horse and just act as if he was a horse-rider. He just gave a faint smile.

Moving ahead, he just asked the auto-driver to stop. He was in front of a school, the school where his childhood turned to teenage and where he had made such wonderful memories. The school had changed for the better. There was a proper gate and a huge board at the gate. The name had changed a little, from Tirupati to Tripathi School and also it seemed so advanced right now [considering the time he studies there]. There were even stalls outside the school whereas when he studies there were some vendors used to being in their handcarts and sell candies and stuff. All those memories flashed in front of his eyes and he was smiling. The auto-driver all of sudden said, "Kyu babu ji, aap kya yaha ken aye teacher hai?" (Are you the new teacher of the school?) Raghu answered in No and just asked him to get going to his destination. The auto-driver said that this school has just changed and even has a school bus now, he said that before the bus service was started, he used to take kids to school and the kids used to call him Pandit ji. This was the reason why Raghu felt that he looked similar, he was Pandit ji, his auto-uncle who used to drop and pick him from school every day. He wanted to tell him but didn't thinking that he won't recognise him.

Obviously, he was a changed man now, from a young lad 10yrs ago, he had changed so much, he was a grown-up and like all grown-ups, he too had inhibitions. He too had ego and pride, he too had the shame of calling an auto-driver, uncle. He was well-dressed with his tie in place and even his pride and ego in place. He was a changed man and not a teenage boy and for sure not the humble child he once was. When he shifted to the new place, he became new himself. And as he grew in money, position and power; along with that, he grew in pride.

He asked the auto-driver to just drop him off at the place where the lane started. He wanted to walk till his house. Maybe he didn't want the auto-driver to know who he was or maybe he actually wanted to re-live and cherish the memories, he had lived and spent here. So many years of memories and times he had played here with his friends. So many glasses broken, the times he had spent here and the ball used to go into the drain and he used to pick it up. He could never agree his heart to do that again. So many times he used to ring the bell of a neighbour's house with his friends and run away; that too in the afternoons when most of them would be sleeping. It was such a joy.

As he walked along the lane, he could see so many familiar faces, some too old to even recognise and no one did recognise him for sure. As I said, he had grown up and had a different look too. He was not the lad who used to roam about the lane half-naked with his mother chasing him with a broom. He was not the same guy who used to wear a lose shirt, mostly out of his pants and his half pant seemed invisible under the shirt. He was not the same guy who used to walk down in his dirty school uniform and still not willing to enter his house. He was not THE SAME GUY, HE WAS EARLIER and no one seemed to recognise him. He was somewhere glad about it as well.

His house hadn't changed much, the same verandah and the same house. Nothing much had changed except the paint. He just took a look around and went down his memory lane with all the memories of how he used to sleep there and dream. Dreams that were now fulfilled. He remembered how he used to play here and how his friends used to tease him for his big dreams, and always his mother used to come for the rescue and say that he will fulfil his dreams. He rang the doorbell and waited for his mom to open the door. There she was, his mom opened the door and he saw this slightly old lady. His mother didn't even take a second to recognise him and just smiled and hugged him. He was so relieved to be in the arms of his mom again. He felt so secured and so calm. He just realised what he was missing out. He stood there for 5mins and just savoured the moment. His mother and Raghu both had tears in their eyes, but these tears were of happiness. His mom just asked him to enter and then went to bring in some water, realising that his son had come after a long journey. He just went into the kitchen with her and still looking around the house and reliving the memories. He asked about dad and then realised that he must be at the office and will be returning later, he said that he wanted to surprise dad too, as he had challenged dad and then had gone away. His mother was about to stop him and say something while he got up. He reached to the door and was still looking around when his eyes...

His eyes fell on a photograph of his dad with a garland over it... ...