Kabhi to nazar milao

Loneliness

Sameer had a hard time trying to convince Munna and Pandit. They were not ready to let him to go... the thought of their brother dealing with all the pain was too much for them. Of course, Sameer never told them about the conversation between Vishakha and dadi that he had overheard. The reason he gave them was that he could not live in the big house alone, without nanu. Both Munna and Pandit offered him to come and stay with them, in their house... "why I have to leave such precious people" Sameer's throat choked. Well, he was doing it for their own good... as dadi said... he was unlucky for everyone whom he loved. "Nanu, main kisika pyaar nahin banunga... kisiko apni zindagi mein nahi aane dunga... koi mera saathi nahi banega... mujhe haq nahi hai kisiki jaan se khelne ka... mujhe maaf kar dijiye nanu... par main saari zindagi akele rahunga" Sameer had made a promise to himself.

Getting admission in the prestigious Mumbai college was not that difficult... his being the captain of school cricket team secured him a seat through sports quota.

He applied for the hostel and shifted to Mumbai a week before college session started. He did not show any warmth towards other boys staying in the hostel, slowly letting people believe that he had some attitude problem. In college also, he kept himself aloof.

And on the second day, he saw Naina.

She had taken admission in the same college.

Sameer could not believe his eyes. "Saari duniya chor ke aapko ek Naina hi mili thi mere sath yahan college mein padne ke liye, bhagwanji", he had complained to the highest power. He kept himself away from her, not even being visible to her. And then, in the second week of college, she had fainted. Right in front of his eyes. He had just stepped in the corridor, walking hurriedly to the room where his lecture was to be held when he saw her walking out of the classroom. Before he could look for a place to hide, she swayed... and slumped to the floor... as if in slow motion. He stood frozen... as everyone else rushed to her. All efforts to bring her back to consciousness were turning out to be futile when he became aware of his surroundings. Without a word, he stepped forward and picked her frail form in his arms, walking swiftly to the medical room. Once there, making sure that the doctor had checked her and there was no major harm done, he silently slipped out of the room... going to his solitary corner.

And then he could not stop his tears. Naina... the girl he wanted to protect... by running away from her... was nearest to him than any known person... and his proximity had started causing problems for her. How true were dadi's words. He could not let this happen... he could not let Naina suffer. He shut his eyes tight.

Next day, seeing her in canteen, he had tried to avoid her by walking past her but she had called out to him. Just to make the conversation minimal, he had not given her a chance to speak... but could not stop himself from showing his concern... to some extent.

He remembered when he had joined PVKM in Ahmedabad. He was sad to be in a different section than his friends Munna and Pandit. Whenever he had a few minutes in between the periods, at break time or at games time, he would rush to their classroom. They were his first true friends. While being in the hostel before coming here, he had no one who actually cared about him... as a person. His hostel friends were with him for money.

Munna Pandit were different. They didn't care about anything but him... his comfort, his happiness, his company. He genuinely smiled with them, rather laughed... with his eyes... through his heart. Something he had not done in a long, long, long time.

Walking into their classroom daily made him aware of a pair of eyes that remained glued to him as long as he was there. He could feel her gaze whenever he was in her vicinity. Sameer did not pay much attention initially. His handsome looks and weighty surname had always ensured plenty of female attention... always. But he hated women. They were selfish. His mother had abandoned him without any qualms when he was just four years old. Even after that, she hardly ever paid any heed to his emotions or needs. He had no place for any woman in his life. His nanu was his world. And then God had sent Munna Pandit. He thought the time for his tears to dry up had come.