The
Hometown
Ssandeep B Teraiya
First Published – 14th of January 2017.
This edition is self- published.
Copyright © Sandip B Teraiya. 14/01/2017
This book is a work of fiction and, except in the case of historical fact, any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
Copyrights
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electrical, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise) without the prior written permission of the publisher. Any person who does any unauthorized act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.
Price: Rs.399.00
DEDICATION
I am dedicating this book to my lovely parents and my whole family.
Thank you so much for your support.
Love you all.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Heartfelt Thanks to my wife Poonam, for keeping me motivated.
And
Thank you Dr. Sushma Gupta, for all your support.
सर्वतीर्थमयी माता सर्वदेवमयः पिता ..!!मातरं पितरं तस्मात् सर्वयत्नेन पूजयेत्..!!
To get the same virtues as one would, on visiting all holy places, all he has to do is, revere his mother.
Father is an embodiment of all the deities themselves.
They are the sole cause of us being here in this world today. It is hard to imagine one's life without them, their nurture and care. Parents constantly strive to provide the best that they could possibly give, for their children at all times.
There is no well wisher better than parents!
Chapter 1: “OHM”
Porbandar, August 2005
It had been a downpour in Porbandar, the road had been filled with water and everyone was upset from the excessive water in the houses and the shops. Many of the people were out enjoying the rain. A few of them were going by foot, a few by cars, but all of them were heading towards the seashore. It’s now 6:00 in the evening, most of the people are happy with the good rains. The people are making a long queue with umbrellas for their favorite snack items on carts, like snacks are banned from tomorrow. Kids from the slum area near Chowpaty are swimming in rain water near the sea. It seemed like all the clouds combined with each other and decided to rain only in Porbandar today. All of this made Porbandar a beautiful place today. And in this rain an NRI couple from the UK, Sagar and Manali are out roaming in their car.
“Sagar, at least tell me now, please, where are we going in this heavy rain?” Manali asked. “And please drive slow, even your full speed wipers are helpless in this mad rain.”
“Why don’t you enjoy the fusion of wipers and rain? Simply enjoy the sound, the view, and look at the sea this near to the main road we are driving on. Look at these long dancing trees. This is like a Heaven,” Sagar said.
“Really, it is beautiful. It seems like we are in some other country, not in India. Hmmm, so in the monsoon, my “town in law” becomes heaven..!! But still, tell me where are we going?” Manali asked again.
“We are going to OHM,” Sagar replied.
“OHM? What’s that?” Manali asked.
“Yes, that’s the name of the place we are going towards,” Sagar said.
“What kind of name is that? A Sanskrit word I guess?” Manali kept asking.
“Correct. It is. It means ’Nothingness‘,” Sagar said.
“So we are going to a place, where we will have nothing,” Manali said and laughed.
“Very funny, Manali. You just cracked an awesome joke! I can’t hold in my laughter,” Sagar laughed.
“Ok, don’t pull my leg now. I know it was PJ,” Manali said.
“Ok, so this is the place you always talk about, right?” Manali asked. “But you said it was some boat on the seashore.”
"Yes, it is a boat on the seashore. I am sure you will love it!” Sagar said in excitement.
” I am dying to visit that spot which always gives excitement to my hubby! Even right now, I can see happiness on your face to visit this post called OHM,” Manali said.
“Yes. I am happier as I visit OHM after so long a time. After college, I came to Leicester, married you and life changed. We made a really busy life together. But all the time, I was missing this place a lot. Now that you are here with me, I am dying to show you this place. I wish I could call both my friends, Karan and Neeta, here too. But anyway, this time you are with me, so it will be a good time for us,” Sagar said.
“True. Old friends are like gems, only those old friends can bring back those golden days,” Manali said. “Hey, why don’t you call your old friends and ask them to meet here again. We are here in Porbandar for a month; we have plenty of time on this trip to India.”
“I don't know where they are? Karan and I could never meet after he left for Ahmadabad, and I’m not even interested in seeing him anymore. And I don't know about Neeta, but I would like to meet her sometime, if I can,” Sagar said with disappointment.
“Why?” Manali asked. “I thought Karan was your childhood friend.”
“He was a friend, but not anymore. He did great wrong to his parents. He changed completely in Ahmadabad. He was a good guy, but I found out that he was the cause behind his mother’s demise. And his father has been missing for a long time. Leave it anyway, we have made it. See, we have to park here and then run towards the seashore. Can you see that boat? There under the long coconut trees? Near the seashore?” Sagar asked and pointed towards the boat.
“Yes, I can see that small boat. It looks like there is some sort of hut on it,” Manali confirmed.
“Yes, that kind of a boat with a hut is OHM. We will sit there in that boat hut, safe from rain. The scene of waves from there is beautiful! You will feel like you are in some kind of an Iceland,” Sagar said.
“Let's race, then! What are we waiting for? Let's see who will reach it first?” Manali ran.
(Both raced towards the boat called OHM and sat under the hut.)
“Ha ha!” Manali laughed loudly. “See, I am the winner! I reached it far before you, you loser! I’m still telling you to quit smoking. Look at you, so heavy! You are out of breath,” Manali complained about Sagar’s smoking habits.
“Oh come on that’s because of this wet sand; it's hard to run on such sand, you know. Anyway, leave it! Just sit, relax and enjoy the view. And then please give your review about this OHM,” Sagar said.
“Dude, what a place this is! Just awesome, and the scene is simply mind blowing! I mean this is just perfect for a pair like us; a small shack along the boat, very faithful to the seashore, trees all around, white sand, and the sound of these great waves in this rain. I can sit here the whole day and night with you,” Manali kissed Sagar on the face and gave him a tight hug. “Thank you so much for getting me here. I just love it here, and you know what, Sagar? We should have come here for our honeymoon! This small hut is more romantic than those five star hotel suites. This is so close to nature.”
Sagar kept his hands on Manali’s shoulders, pulled her close, held her face with one hand, and looked into her eyes.
“I love you” Sagar said and kissed her lips.
“Stop... stop... dear. I was just saying that you started our second honeymoon here. You’re crazy… Love you too baby!!” Manali said.“I am so glad you like OHM,” Sagar said.
“Anyone would love it,” Manali said.Sagar got his a new pack of smokes, pulled one out of the box, and held it between his lips. He brought his lighter up to the tip of the cigarette and sucked in as if he was sucking a milkshake through a straw.
“Here we go, smoking again, huh?” Manali made faces.
“Oh, come on Manali! Don’t start it here, please. This is the spot where I began smoking, so it’s obvious that I would naturally find the desire to smoke here,” Sagar said and smoked.
“Just shut up and do whatever you want to do. I am busy with this beautiful view!” Manali turned herself towards the seashore.
Sagar smiled and sucked in a long puff. He let it out towards the sea and got lost in some old memories and thoughts.
Manali also lost herself in the tranquil ambience of the environment. The place was like no man's land. It was getting darker, only the sounds of waves and lightning in the sky.
Sagar just had a couple of puffs when all of a sudden; someone came from behind him and pulled the cigarette from his mouth. Sagar and Manali both got scared with this sudden attack from some six foot tall assailants with a long, dark black beard on his face, a bald head, and deep dark circle eyes, wearing smelly, dirty, and torn clothes. The man looked like he was in his mid-thirties. Standing in front of both of them, with a liquor bottle in one hand, the man puffed again on the cigarette and said, “How many times have I told you not to smoke? Quit smoking! It is not good for your health.”
Sagar stood up quickly in anger and pushed that beggar from the boat. The beggar fell on his backbone just near the edge of the boat.
Manali tried to stop Sagar, but Sagar jumped from the boat directly on top of the guy, and started slapping him badly. He gripped the beggar’s shirt collar tightly and slapped him once more with the heavy hand slaps that only Sagar, high on alcohol could deliver. The beggar fell back along the sand.
Manali somehow controlled Sagar by holding him back from their attacker. She tore Sagar from there towards the car and they left that beggar still lying on the sand in that heavy rain, laughing and screaming.
“Come back again bro! I will be here. We will smoke together, and we will drink too! And we will play ‘Garba’ again.” The beggar hollered after them.
Sagar kept looking at him in a temper. Manali pulled his hand towards the car again. Soon, they sat in the car, fully wet from the rain, and then left from there together.
Manali, while driving, asked.
“Who the hell was he? He came suddenly and spoiled our mood! And you Sagar, why did you get so angry and crazy like that? What if he had possessed a weapon? You should not have taken a risk at such a place where we could hardly have found any help! What was wrong with you today? You tried to kill him like only someone who felt hate would do,” Manali was angry.
“He deserves the hate! I would kill him, the bastard!” Sagar yelled in anger.
“Sagar, relax. Please. Calm down.” Manali held his hand while she continued driving. “Sorry dear, but he made me angry,” Sagar opened the side window of the car.
“Forget it, relax. But you know what I loved? That place, we will have to come back tomorrow,” Manali tried to change the topic.
“No! Never! We will never go back there again! That guy who discovered this place, the guy who gave the name to this place, is back here, so we will never visit this place again!” Sagar said in anger.
“Who?” Manali asked. “What you are talking about?”“That was none other than Karan,” Sagar said.
“What? Was he Karan? That beggar, tippler, that madman? He was your friend?” Manali was shocked.
“Yes, I am shocked too. I heard he became rich; he was too busy with his city life. But I am really shocked with his avatar. I am still angry at him, but after seeing him like this, I feel pity for him,” Sagar said.
“Are you out of your mind, Sagar?” Manali asked. “You knew that that was Karan, and you beat him like an enemy?” Manali parked the car on the side.
“Initially, I did not recognize him, because he never kept a long beard. I never saw him with a bald head; he always used to carry himself so smart. When I saw him, all of a sudden, in such a condition, after almost 5 years, it was not easy for me to recognize him in my anger. Even in that mood, while slapping him on his face, I noticed he was smiling. It was because of his smile I could recognize him and before I could think anything else, you pulled me in the car. Damn it! Yaar I should not have beat him like that,” Sagar sorrowed.
Manali started the car again and said “Let’s see him now. He must still be in that same place.
“No, I do not want to see him again,” Sagar denied.
“But he is your childhood friend; don’t you feel bad for his situation? Don’t you think you should ask him how everything happened?” Manali got worried for Karan.
“Manali, please, I am mixed up. I knew a Karan, who was totally opposite of what I found out today. And when I remember that he was the cause of his mother's demise, I feel like I should slap him more! When I remember that his father is still missing from Porbandar, I wonder how he could have done that to his parents. While his parents were the best parents anyone could ever have? Especially his mother! She was such a kind lady. I don’t understand anything; what’s gone wrong with his family, with his nature, with his dreams. He was my only real friend here, but I do not know,” Sagar said. “I require rest. I’m not feeling alright.”
“Hey, are you alright mate?” Manali asked. “Oh dear! Ok, leave everything. You just come here and let’s have tea and some “Pakoras”, your favorite. We’ll have dinner and then go to sleep. Everything will be alright soon.”
.
After dinner Sagar and Manali were sitting along the balcony of his home. The rains took a breather for a while; the frogs were out with their meditating sounds. The town was asleep and Sagar and Manali were enjoying all of this on the Balcony.
“How do you feel now, Sagar?” Manali cared.
“I am feeling better now.” He lit his cigarette and thanked her for the tasty “Pakoras”. “I love this, especially in monsoon.” “Yeah, I am happy that it helped to change your mood,” Manali kissed his hand and hugged him from her chair.
“Darling, my mood is good, don’t worry,” Sagar let out the smoke and said, “It is okay. Sometimes, we face weird situations in life.”
“Yes. True, but still I do not understand. I am sorry, Sagar, I am talking about this again,” Manali said.
“Oh, please go ahead. I am ok at present,” Sagar agreed to talk about Karan.
“I just don’t understand one thing; you both were best friends since childhood, and now you were treating him like a hardcore enemy. I mean what has he done? On one side you are saying he was a good guy, and then at the same time, you are saying he is the reason behind his mother’s death. I am sorry! This is all so confusing,” Manali said.
“Manali, it is because you don’t know everything,” Sagar said.
“That’s what I want. I want to understand. Everything means each and every thing. I want to know what happened with him. Why did he change so much? What is so bad? I am feeling very sorry for your friend,” Manali wanted answers.
.
