Tu Hi Yaar Mera

2. Alive in our Hearts

“Love rests on no foundation. It is an endless ocean, with no beginning or end.”

~ Rumi

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“Look, how have you grown, Sulochna Kaki,” her words immediately had Sujata’s attention. But Sujata wasn’t sure herself, why was she so much attracted towards the girl! Was it due to the questions that kept knocking on the doors of her brain? Or was it due to something else? She couldn’t come to a coherent decision, though, and that was all because of the whirlwind of questions inside of her head.

Who talks to a tulsi plant?

Even more than that, who names a tulsi plant? That too ‘Kaki’?

Was this girl alright? She seemed pretty young to go insane? Alas, no human had ever been powerful enough to go against God’s wish!

With her brain running in all possible directions, Sujata failed to comprehend her feelings at that very moment. But something about that girl was making her smile in a way she hadn’t smile in a while. Seeing her smile gave an indescribable tranquility to Sujata’s heart. This girl was definitely unique in her own way.

Noticing her smile, Bhavana failed to keep her words to herself, “I have never seen you smile that way, not at least in the last two years. You know you have one beautiful smile.”

That hit her hard and Sujata’s smile slowly faded away but still she couldn’t take her eyes off of the girl. Getting curious with her acts and talks, she finally asked Bhavana, “Who is she and what is she doing?”

Bhavana chuckled, “Oh, her! She is Swara.”

“Swara?”

“I’ve mentioned about her once or twice before but never told you anything much in detail,” Bhavana said and the next moment she noticed Sujata concentrating hard to remember when she was told about Swara.

Failing to recall even after a couple of minutes, Sujata burst out, “Why don’t I remember then?”

“Maybe because I just mentioned her name,” Bhavana said rolling her eyes and Sujata huffed still not being able to recall. “But what is she doing anyway?” She asked.

“She’s wishing her Sulochna Kaki on her birthday,” they hear a voice from behind and Bhavana smiled looking at an elderly woman, almost a decade older than her. As the lady smiled seeing Sujata and Bhavana, Sujata realized that she was not just what she looked like. Underneath the facet of wrinkles and frail appearance, was a woman who looked gentle yet headstrong at the same time. She stood somewhere near five feet and three inches, clad in a cotton saree, she had her grey hair neatly tied up in a loose bun that rested on the nape of her neck.

“Ganga Maa,” Bhavana chimed as she hugged her. “How are you? I haven’t seen you in a while.” Sujata could feel the excitement oozing out of Bhavana as she greeted Ganga Maa. The respect she had for her was quite evident.

Giving Bhavana a smile that mirrored her own, Ganga Maa replied, “Look who do we have here. So, finally you have gotten time to show us your face after two long months. Where have you been all this while?”

“Just here and there,” replied Bhavana with a shrug of her shoulders, “and as soon as we came here, we found Swara talking to her tulsi plant again.”

“Ah, I see! We have a guest here,” said Ganga Maa as she smiled looking at Sujata, to which Sujata joined her hands and bowed her head whispering ‘namaste’.