Ms Anita Arora : A Perennial Blessing

My parents decided to send me to a boarding school at the every early age of my life, the age where I didn’t know how to clean my muddy pieces of poop. 

The reason was very simple, they had realized my phenomenal potential in failing in each and every exam even in Kindergartens.

In my boarding school, fortuitously, I was blessed with exceptional teachers who saw the hidden potential in me. The year when I was enrolled there, I didn’t even know the plain basics of English. My Mathematical skills were so shaky and fragile that I could collapse easily anytime while looking at any maths equation and whenever I was asked to communicate in English, I felt like a living corpse because I couldn’t say or speak anything but then I was blessed with a matchless and an exceptional English Teacher Ms Anita Arora.

Ms Arora shared the same surname as mine, was no doubt an extremely ruthless, merciless and even bloodthirsty teacher in the class whenever it came to English. She was a grammar Nazi. Since the very beginning, she never gave me any chance to defend myself against my weak English skills and arguing with her was calling for a self-invited “reprimand”.

She taught me English (as English teacher) till the last day of my stay in the school. In all those years, she always motivated us to learn English but at the same time she maintained a good balance by  never giving me good marks even when I answered things correctly.

The cost of defending own self was dealt with heavy castigation from her.

I always learnt new things from her. She was a remarkable teacher but I could never understand her unusual behavior for me since the very beginning.

In our 3rd Pre boards in 10th class (Yes, we did have many versions of pre boards) I scored exceptionally well.  My confidence grew since those days and I stood as the 2nd topper of my class in English for 12th Boards scoring 90 plus marks in that subject. 

Last year, I was fortunate enough to visit our school for an alumni meet where she said 

" You are a real gem for all of us " 

I want to tell her that I was just a piece of coal who was polished so hard by teachers like her in that school and because of her only, I could manage to write/speak/understand this much of English. 

That was the day when I realized why she never gave me good marks....! 

I hope you get to read this ma'am.

Sincerely 

Your Student Forever

Aashish

 P. S - This is the copy of my answer sheet where she has given me the highest marks in English ever in my school history. I have never returned this to her. :)

An Ugly Conversation

Prologue: An old lady died few years back. We all gathered for her funeral ceremony.

An year before her death, the old lady’s granddaughter (Let’s call her Kathrine) had tied the knot with the man of her dreams. 

Kathrine was informed about the natural demise of her grandmother on the same morning.

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Kathrine was supposed to attend the funeral due to moral as well as family's obligation. In that sweaty afternoon, everyone was waiting for Kathrine’s arrival.

Everything was put on stand-by mode. The funeral ceremony was lingered only for her, to have the last glimpse of her grandmother.

By putting extraordinary efforts in waiting and showcasing high amount of patience in the delay of her arrival, everyone started anticipating the reasons for her absentia.

Eventually,  Kathrine’s mother broke out from somewhere and announced
“ Kathrine will not be joining the funeral ceremony due to her pregnancy”.

Meanwhile, in that crowded hurdle of people, two boys joined the conversation too. One of those two, unaware of her mother’s presence and her announcement, spat the murderous words which left everyone speechless.

Boy 1 : “WTF, she should have had informed earlier if she wasn’t coming” !

Boy 2 : ” What happen?”

Boy 1 : “ She isn’t coming because she is pregnant”

Boy 2 : “ Oh kay ! ”

Boy 1 : “ Wait a minute, I have been listening about her pregnancy for more than an year now but she hasn’t delivered till yet ”.

Boy 2 : “ What ? is she delivering a baby or a Kangaroo?”

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Polygot Background Voices Echoed :

Kuteya sharam Kaarle ( Bloody Dog, Have some shame at least)

Lodh gaya moya ( Bloody Idiot)

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P. S -

Boy 1 was my friend

Boy 2 was the writer of this answer.

Predicaments of an Arranged Marriage

* It is remarkably phenomenal that how we have started considering Marriage and Wedding as synonymous to each other.

1.        Artificial Micro-Dating System: Parents/Relatives/Marriage negotiators, etc invest their extra ordinary event management skills for arranging a first artificial date for the boy and the girl. More than a date, It is the most important viva where high performance has to be delivered with extreme and acute caution and prudence. You get only 15 to 20 minutes to decide whether the other person is worthy enough to live with or not.

2.        The Parliament/ Wise Disposition : Who will go with the boy/girl except for parents on the first meeting becomes a sensitive matter mostly, not because of any logical reasons but your precedence of importance in the family is determined through this. If you are taken, you are important and if you aren’t taken, you are not important. I have experienced many such incidents in my family where a person stopped talking to the other one as he/she wasn’t invited to the first meeting.

3.        Advance Procession: Sometimes people in the first meeting are so much in number that you feel like you are attending some advance parade or procession. Recently, once of uncles took 1 and a half dozen people (18) to see a perspective groom for his daughter. I became enraged when I came to know about this insane act. I telephoned him up next day and ended up saying “ Baarat lekar gae thein ya ladka dekhne? (Did you go to meet the groom or to marry him instantly with marriage procession?)

4.        Legitimacy: Most of the time your opinion is buried in the grave. Bhua,(Paternal Aunt) Chacha, (Paternal Uncle) Mami, (Maternal Aunt) or some far sighted relative becomes the supreme judge for you. The most senior or experienced (as per family standards) is administered with the charge of doing a cost-benefit analysis. He/she has to come up with such an arrangement/decision that intra-family ties and people are not agitated specially the Fufas,(Husband of Paternal Aunt) who are famous for their notorious behavior during any marriage. (North Indian Punjabi Context)

Life in a "Metro"

I evoked my combative environmental concerns recently to curtail my carbon as well as ecological footprint(s) and began traveling by metro more often.

My mundane travel time to office is not so protracted. My daily travel itinerary incorporates the two most congested and cramped Metro Stations: Kashmere Gate and Rajiv Chowk.

Each morning, the sight of Kashmere Gate Metro Station (specially Yellow Line) appears like Kumbh Mela, everyone waiting there to get at least one adventitious and divine chance to dive inside the spiritual Holy Metro.

One morning, I was also at the same Kumbh Mela, waiting in the queue for my chance to dive inside the Hole Metro. A pair of boys along with a girl were standing after me in the same queue.Three of them were traveling together. They were gossiping continuously in Haryanvi. 

Just when I started paying attention to their full-mouthed sermons, I comprehended that those two boys were vigorously pissed-off from that girl. The girl was enlightening those boys with moral lessons.

Before the arrival of Metro train, our Queue looked like this ( The girl was standing slightly outside the queue)

{Boy-1} {Boy-2} {ME} ———————- || ( Barricade) |=| (Railway Track)

{Girl}

Their argument turned murderous in fractions of seconds but in the middle of that brutal verbal riot among them, the Metro train arrived. The automated forward-pushing from the back started.

In an attempt to infiltrate the queue, the girl overtook Boy-1 and Boy-2. She entered the insufficient space between Boy-2 and Me

{Boy-1} {Boy-2}(Girl){ME}

I could hear Boy-2’s furiously angered voice. The girl started pushing me from her elbows. Suddenly, voice from the back came,

“ Maan ja tu ” (Mind it boy)

Suddenly, those bulky pushes became speedy and the girl started shouting

“ Re -Margi, Margi, Margi ” (OH LORD ! I am gonna die)

I pushed myself towards the corner of the coach. I tilted my head in that inadequate space and woke up to the realization that the same girl was standing behind me with her hands touching my haunches.

After entering the metro, the queue algorithm changed, it looked like

{Boy-1} {Boy-2} {Passenger} {Girl} {ME}

A passenger occupied the space that girl and Boy-2.

Metro started with a sudden jolt, the girl screamed loudly

“Re Kuch pakddan ka toh dedo” (Give me something to hold at least)

Suddenly a voice in the metro echoed

“ Le , yo pakad le tu toh mera ” ( Hey ! Grab and hold mine)

Another voice followed

“ Naa, Mera Laambaa se, Mera pakad le” ( No, Mine is lengthy, Hold mine)

I instantly deduced the meaning of those words.

---

P.S - The first voice came from Boy-2 and second one from Boy-1

Embarrassment !

When a kid puts you in an embarrassing situation !

It was the month of blissful February. We all had gathered for a marriage. 

I came across an awfully impish and rowdy kind of a Kid. He was doctorate in annoying and disturbing others through his playful and mischievous behavior.

On the other hand, his mother was a bloodcurdling lady, an epitome of hypersensitivity who was giving a cold shoulder to her child’s disobedient behavior and buried her head under the sand every time someone complained to her about her child’s rough activities.

Just a day before the marriage, I was doing something important inside a room’s corner. The same kid came to me and started his deviant behavior again.

He had already tested my patience my times but I lost my patience that time. I, crashingly roared with wide eyes

“O Ch**ia, chal bhag yaha se, kaam karne de” (Hey Idiot ! Get lost from here and let me work )

He: “Mai apni mummy se keh dunga bhaiya mujhe bhaga rahein hai” (I will complain it to my mother)

Me: “Ja keh de apni Churail ma ko”. (Go and tell your scary ghost looking like mother)

The kid left the room instantly. After a while, I saw everyone had gathered in the courtyard in a huddle formation. I went outside the room thinking that some pre-marriage ceremony must be going on but out of my surprise, I saw the same kid weeping like hell.

The moment I appeared to him, he pointed his right hand’s index finger towards me. Suddenly, everyone had their hawk eyes on me. After a second, with a weeping voice, he uttered

“Yahi bhaiya mujhe Chutia and mummy ko chudail bol rahein thein” (He is the same guy who was calling me an Idiot and my mother a scary ghost)

Men will be Men

The departure time for my train was 4.25 P.M from New Delhi Railway Station but as an over canny and calculating person, I reached the station 45 minutes before the departure.

I plunged directly into my coach, glided smoothly through that narrow corridor and reached my seat number 32. (It was 2 tier Coach)

I saw two girls, (aged between 25–30) along with a lady (aged around 60) had already occupied seats. I exclaimed

“Excuse me, seat number 32?”

Lady : “Yes please, we have 3 seats here”

Me : “Okay” !

I quickly settled down and started my virtual maneuvers of getting involved in an interesting conversation with those two girls. Inquisitiveness overtook me in fractions of second and I found myself thanking God for such a wonderful surprise.

A moment later, an old man from nowhere appeared on our seats. The girls were addressing that man as Dad. I quickly understood the matter. Before I could curse my luck, the old lady beamed her gracious smile towards me and said

“Excuse-me dear, we have three seats here and one seat in some other coach, can you please shift there so that your uncle can shift here?”

Me : “Okay, what’s the coach number and seat number?”

Lady : “Coach number ** and seat number xyz”.

Me : “Okay Give me two minutes”.

I got off the train, went to the particular coach where that old person had his seat. I looked at the passengers’ reservation chart outside the coach to get the details (name and age) of my co passengers, found a girl named N*****, age - 28 on the adjacent seat.

I came back to my original seat and bid the farewell to that family

"MEN WILL BE MEN"

and later that night, the conversation says all 

Men will be Men, isn't it ?

Golden Days of Life - School Days

Recalling Golden Days of Life 

I was sent to the boarding school at the very early age of my life. Probably, the age when I couldn't wear my socks properly, couldn’t tie my shoe laces and couldn’t read, write and memorize. These were few of those things which I couldn’t manage to do at that age.

I always had some soreness and inflammation while wearing my undergarments, specially brief-underwear. My parents tried hard to implant this habit in me but I always brought them and my brief-underwear down to their knees and my knees respectively. :P :)

When I was sent to the boarding, my Hostel Warden was well versed about this weirdly horrific habit of not wearing undergarments and was given hard-boiled instructions to check this and make me learn to wear them regularly.

---

I was very weak in Maths since the beginning of my formal education and my Maths teachers held the record of never showing any mercy to my faces and haunches. In those extra chilly winters in that lush green boarding, every stick on buttocks and a slap on my “googly-googly mooksh” types cheeks were felt as heavy assaults.

One fine day, my Maths teacher lost his temper in the class due to my inability to solve a simple question related to basic Algebra and asked me to stand like the Statue of Liberty but with both hands up.

I promptly realized about his retaliation on my buttocks when he asked a student to bring the stick from the other teacher who was teaching in the other class.

The teacher knew English but started speaking in Haryanvi due to his anger

T: Noo kona maanne yo chhorra ( Ye ladka aise nahi manega , He wont learn things easily)

Me : Already flooding with Tears “Sir, Ab sahi karlunga (Sir, Now I will do it correctly)

T: eeb toh too karegaa hee, 4 dandey khaan ke baad (Now you will of-course do after bearing those heavy sticks at your back)

I already started dreaming about those dark red and blue signs on my back which were always a proof of my inability to learn Maths. The stick arrived and he slammed me few. I brought my hands down and started pleading him to show some mercy. I said

Me: Sir kal maar lena (Sir, Please beat me tomorrow)

T : Aaaj ke sai (What’s so special tomorrow)

Me: Sir, aaj baahaut sardi hain (Sir, It’s very cold today)

He gave me two more sticks and I brought my both the hands in the front, closer to my trouser’s zip. He started dragging my trousers down. I realized that he was trying to remove it so that his assaults can be of greater intensity on my Buttocks. Instantly he uttered

T: Uttar Paent ney ( Bring your Trouser down)

Me: While weeping and remembering my mom “ Mummaaaaaaa”

T : Utarey hai ke nahi ( are you bringing it down or not?)

M: Sarrrrr, Kal utarwalena aur fer maar-lena (Sir, please take it down tomorrow and then slam your sticks)

T : Kal ke sai? (What’s so special tomorrow?)

Me : Saarrr , Underwear nahi Pehna. ! (Sir, I am not wearing my underwear today)

The whole class including the teacher and me (with heavy tears in my eyes) erupted with a heavy Laughter.

Purest Form of Love

Year 1975

It was the darkest era of Indian democracy when the country was wrecked and swamped by the waves of emergency. All of our fundamentals rights were suspended and country’s future became pensile. The Right to Life also became threatened but in these all odds, the Right to Love was still existing in the letter and spirit.

She was born into a small town of Haryana and grew up in a fairly rich and liberal family. Her estrogen started sprinkling early and defeated the chronology of her age. It was all because of him. She was madly infatuated by him. His testosterones weren’t less mischievous and naughty. They also responded with an equal torque in those days.

They brew the initial bonds of their relationship in the neighborhood of their locality. Due to paucity of space and proximity of their houses, they baked their relationship further through those rapid and swift looks of each other which were stolen out from the time when ever they got any chance.

In the year 1975, she had already sailed through her teen-age. She had already entered the domain of “appropriate marraige age standards” according to the society.

With every passing day, their love cruised through the ups and downs of the daily life of that small town. The love between both of them had already been barbecued in the blazing day-light with neatly penned down letters and mouth to mouth messages through CIA and KGB like friends.

Her parents had begun the hunt like the Scotland Yards to find that “one in million”. On the other side, his family had been contemplating to move out of the town due to their fading business.

An almost accomplishing love story between both of them had begun to drag over the coals by the events which were unfolding in their lives. Their lives started sinking into the floods of tears and depression. Those letters became a rare event and those mouth to mouth messages had already been extinct.

He moved out the town with his family and she was tied with some other “one in a million” - The son a………Landlord

---

24th June, 2016

Today,  They both will be rejuvenating again after 35 years.

They haven’t seen each other even for a single time in last 35 years. They both have their grandchildren now. 

The Biggest Co incidence

Originally written as an answer on Quora 
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Background : My parents created my profile on one of the matrimonial websites to find a suitable match for me. They keep searching over it. They send or receive proposals/requests over there.

Scene 1 : One evening, I came from office and saw my mom going through the profiles of girls who had sent the request to start a conversation further. My mom showed me the picture of a girl. She accepted the request from a girl and hence my phone number became visible to that particular girl as she had a premier membership on that website.

Scene 2 : Same day, at night, I received a call from an unknown number. (My mom had added my number unconsciously while creating the profile) I picked up the phone. The lady on the other side explained that she had sent a request/proposal for her daughter as she liked my profile and the request was accepted from my side in the evening. I told her that my mom had created my profile and it would be better if she talks with my mom directly for this matter. She asked me basic details about my job and told about her daughter. She said, she would talk to my mother and took her phone number.

Scene 3 : Next morning, I boarded the metro train from Kashmere gate metro station (Delhi) on yellow line towards Central Secretariat (My office). The moment I entered the metro, I saw a girl who was standing opposite to me. She started staring at me (I was also doing the same else how would I know that she was staring at me ? :D ).

I thought I have seen the girl somewhere. By her continuous staring, I thought, she must be thinking the same. I started thinking about her with full concentration . After 2 mins, I realized she is the same girl whose profile my mom showed me last evening on the matrimonial website and her mother called me later in the night.

I had doubts about it. Instantly, I messaged my mom to whatsapp me the picture of that particular girl whose proposal she accepted last evening on that matrimonial website. She sent me the screenshots of her profile. I kept staring her and looked at my phone several times to confirm.

By this time, the girl had also realized what I was doing or trying to do. She was also clear about her doubts (I thought so) and recognized me (I thought this too).

Eventually, I took the courage and turned my phone’s screen towards her and asked “ Is this You ?”

Scene 4 - While I was looking at my phone to confirm that she is the same girl, I didn’t realize that my destination station was about to come.

When, I turned my phone towards her to ask whether she is the same girl or not {“यह स्टेशन केंद्रीय सचिवालय है, यहाँ वायलेट लाइन के लिए बदले, This station is Central Secretariat, Change here for the Violet Line} <—this musical line had already been announced and the train had already stopped on the platform (It was my destination and I had to get down from the train).

The moment she nodded her head and said “Yes, I recognized you”, I heard “TIN-TIN” (The warning tone for closure of metro gates).

We exchanged a charming smile for few micro-seconds. The train started moving towards Huda City Center and I kept standing at the platform till the time it became invisible to me.

Suddenly, I realized that I was late for a meeting and walked down quickly to my office. I kept thinking about this incident till the time I reached the conference hall. I thought, It was just a mere coincidence and I am never gonna meet that girl again .

I diverted myself to the official agenda and got busy with my work. My meeting got over around 1 pm and I went out of the building with my colleagues to eat something.

The adjacent building to my office serves south Indian food and we decided to treat our taste buds with Dosa and Sambhar that day.

We entered the canteen. My colleagues (2) went on to order and they asked me to look for a table for three of us.

I saw a table with 4 chairs, out of which only 1 chair was occupied. I went to that table and exclaimed from the back side “ Excuse me !, Can I sit here ?” The person turned towards me and I went into a sudden shock for a second.

She was the same girl whom I met in the metro.

Scene 5 -The moment she turned her face towards me, one of my colleagues shouted from the cash counter, “Babu (my nick name, yes they know it) - Kuch Piney ka bhi lega kya” (Do you want anything to drink?), I took the fastest about-turn of my life and went towards them at the cash counter.

One of my colleagues already had two plates of Dosa in his hands. He started walking towards the same table where she was sitting (with 3 empty chairs). I was looking at him from the cash counter. He grabbed a seat on the same table, sat opposite to her and shouted “ Oye, Idhar hee aajao” (Hey guys ! come here).

My other colleague, who was standing with me gave me the bill and asked me to collect the Lassi (butter milk) for him. He straightaway walked to the same table and sat with the other colleague.

Now out of those 3 vacant chairs, only 1 was vacant which was adjacent to that girl. I just wanted to run away from that place. I kept standing there to collect the Lassi and prayed to God for a minor earthquake so that we all run from that place suddenly. 

I wanted to spend more time there (at Lassi counter) to avoid her. When I got it, I returned the Lassi back to the guy by giving an excuse that there was a mosquito in it. (More time in Prep = More time consumed in extra curricular activities to avoid “ the probable/may be “Jeevansathi”)

Time had stopped for me. I was thinking of a solid excuse to avoid lunch and go back to my office then suddenly, one of my colleagues yelled - O Beha*****, Lassi, Punjab se la raha hai kya ( Mother-fcuk****, are you bringing the Lassi from Punjab ?)

Eventually, I took those steps towards the eternity with that Lassi in my hand. I sat on that empty chair adjacent to that girl with a lost face, shivering hands and almost“ready to get embarrassed haunches”.

The girl tilted her charming face towards me and pulled the trigger of her adorable smile. I was looking at her from cross/side eyes (chori-chori chhupke chhupke types). After the execution of her smile, I looked at one of my colleagues who was sitting opposite to me, he gave me a tricky expression ( Expression Decoded : “Kya baat hain ladke”)

Now more than my meal, I also had the curiosity to know what she was eating. I looked at her meal and found she was also eating Dosa. A second later, one of my colleagues did a deliberate blunder and delivered the master-stroke to shower me with massive embarrassment, he said “Abey Apna kha ! dusro ki thaliyo mein mat jhak” ( Dude, eat your own food, don’t poke into someone else’ meal).

I wanted to kill him at that moment but my attention was all diverted to run away as soon as possible. With a massive focus on Dosa, they got busy with their meals. The girl and me exchanged micro-smiles for almost 5 to 7 times.

She finished her meal, got up and left the table. A big sigh of relief for me but a big session of entertainment for my colleagues. They hovered me with :

• hmmm hmmm, kya baat hai babu? Bada chhup chhup ke dekh raha tha ! (What’s the matter man, looking at her again and again with slant looks)
• Baat Chalein kya (ab unko kya pata baat already chal rahi thi) {Shall we talk to her parents)

I kept ignoring them. I wasn’t able to digest whatever was happening. I remained completely lost through out the lunch. We finished and left for the office.

Scene 6 - With a fear of an another metro encounter, I decided to Uber home this time. I ate lunch and slept. Around 8 P.M, the same day, my phone rang and woke me up from my profound and deep -sleep. I picked up the phone:

Me : Yes !

X : “Hello bete, I called you last night (and this was enough). I tried contacting your mother but her phone isn’t reachable. Can you please hand over the phone to her”.

Me : Sure ! Just a second (got up, went outside and told my mom that there is some lady on the phone)

My mind suddenly froze. I was thinking the lady would describe everything (my daughter and your son had an encounter today) to my mom and my mom would pinch the last note to get all the details. (I was in no mood to explain her things that day).

After 3–4 minutes, my mom came to me to hand over the phone.

I asked her furiously “what did the lady say?”

My mother : she took your details from the website (Date and time) and consulted the priest but unfortunately the horoscope didn’t match”.

I : Okay No issues

My mother : she said “ We can’t proceed because this is a necessary condition for us”.

I : “Oh kay. did she describe anything about me or any other thing or incident?”

My mother : “what incident?”

I : “Nothing”

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………..and then, there after, we lived, happily but separately !

---

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Note 1 : The girl was neither stalking nor spying. It wasn’t any plot or pre-planned thing. My mom, in her last conversation with that lady had asked about the work and office of her daughter. When my mother told me about that conversation in detail later that night, I realized, the adjacent building where I went to eat that Dosa housed the same organisation where she was working.

Note 2: Why didn’t she get down from the metro at Central Secretariat if her office was there ? I still have no answer for it. May be, she was lost? May be, she wanted to avoid me? May be, she had some work further ? I don’t know.

Note 3 : Every single place, person, dialogue, etc described in all the scenes is pure truth and It has full bearing with only those persons who are mentioned in this story.

Note 4 : Those two of my colleagues are almost 7–8 years senior to me. They are neither creep nor cheap. They are actually two gems.

Nationalism !

I wrote this while i was in 3rd semester of my Post Graduation. 

The whole idea of the nationalism is the product of the European history. The colonized communities made nationalism as a protagonist idea around which their movements were organized to evolve into freedom. The idea of nationalism in Europe was different. The idea of nationalism in the Europe had the elements of modernity and progress which were driven by the forces of industrial revolution which expanded the scope of economic and political activities in the continent.

Jumping to the other places on the planets, this has not been the case everywhere. Looking the Asia and Africa, the nationalist sentiments and movements had revolved around the traditionalism, religious fundamentalism, apartheid, or anti-modern ideologies where Europe had the complete different scenario. The liberal theorists have created a dichotomy in explaining the differences between these two scenarios. They call a normal type of nationalism which the classical and orthodox and shares the same material and intellectual premises with the European enlightenment and on the other hand the special type emerges under different historical circumstances. This kind of nationalism is more complex.

The early nationalist thoughts or the constitution of nationalist discourse itself has its history. The chronological linage of the successive displacement of different ideologies inside the idea of imagination is difficult to explain here. Specifically, taking the recourse of the history and taking the response of the traditional intelligentsia into consideration to the modern and new principles that were introduced by the British authority in the county, the responses were critical in nature. These new principles do not carry meaning in them because of the difference in the language, race and complete lack of direct communication between the people and the officials. The very principles of modern state were alien to the Indian administration.

The nationalism in the country emerged with the emergence and rise of an entirely new educated intelligentsia which was a product of colonial rule, the new system of western education, thoughts and ideologies. To them the new and modern principles of statecraft were no longer incomprehensible as we see in the earlier Persian writing at the noble court of Nawab of Bengal that how they regarded the English as natural unsociableness and inaccessibleness in particular. This entirely new group of people didn’t simply over-threw the traditional principles rather this was done through a whole course of history which is far more complex to understand.

 The country was never weaved in a single thread of culture rather it was a nest of more than five hundred princely states, thousands of societies, languages and culture. Comparing India with Europe, it is found that the political-economy and sociology was greatly influenced by the philosophies of positivism and utilitarianism. In the context of India- there lies the two arguments; Indians don’t have a natural desire for power and liberty and some Indians believe that independence is better than subjection and the second is India lacks solidarity and there is no single minded devotion to the interests of the nation.

The present form of nationalism in India is the product of the encounter between the patriotic consciousness and the framework of the knowledge imposed by the colonial powers. This form of nationalism certainly creates to a kind of elite intelligentsia which identifies its roots in the regeneration of the national culture. In the earlier time, the pinnacle of the colonial rule could not find any viable political means to accomplish itself and instead it became a dream: a fanciful political community in which the nation was regarded as mother which was once glorified as wealth and now in full frocks and tatters of nationalistic uniform.  

Review of "Khali Gharonde"

  “KHALI GHARONDE”

The finest of the lexicographers cannot even explain the meaning of “home” and “relationships” like the way author of “Khali Gharonde” has explained in his first Novel. The first Novel of Ajay Singh Rana is a delightful story of love, relationships and sacrifices for the family.

The story revolves around two protagonists; Aakash and Kajal. The story takes its readers to a roller-coaster ride of brilliant moments of his past. He recalls the first encounter with Kajal, who later becomes his wife and partner in every sorrow and happiness and how their relationship is built

from animosity to love. He recalls the motherly love and how he fulfills each and every promise which he did to his mother before her death.

But as the time passes, their family is also decimated with the gusty winds of changing relationships and Aakash becomes the brutal victim of the blunt and surly behavior of his family members. His family members forget all the sacrifices which he and his wife does for them for whole of their life and in the end they are left deserted alone with an ocean of tears in their eyes to support them. The imprudent approach of his brothers and the silence of his father sow the seeds for massacre of harmony in the relationships. He expects his brother and father to consider him in the all the important decisions but in the mist of greed, they forget him and shatter the family into pieces. 

Completely unprepared for such moments in life, Aakash is left with no other option but to walk alone with his wife and son Aniket and desolates his family. Once again, he along with his wife Kajal sets out to retrieve the relationships, traveling across time and forgetting those astringent moments of past but their every endeavor becomes futile in front of intrusive, boorish and barbaric behavior of his family members who are camouflaged under the cataract of greed and money.

Kajal remains with him, serving as a soul mate, teacher and most importantly, life partner. But as they draw advance in life, annihilation of that relationship and bond between Aakash and his family shakes them both to the core. But the loss of their hopes and dreams is not all that awaits them at the end. the life of Aakash rejuvenates once again with joy after the arrival of a new member in their family; their daughter, Vasundhara.

The complex changing dynamism of family relationships has been put in such an elementary fashion that it is extremely difficult to put it down before completing it in one go. The author is clearly an excellent storyteller, having crafted a fascinating and emotionally nuanced story featuring Aakash and Kajal with an unusual background which is full of flashbacks and a romance in which both protagonists are deep-seated

Ajay Singh Rana has made a very strong debut with his first novel and I am definitely looking forward to reading more of his work. The characters are strongly drawn and the romance is well-developed, with advances and set-backs along the way that add depth to the relationship and strengthen the feeling of a growing emotional connection between the both the protagonists. It’s highly accomplished for a first novel, and has convinced me that Mr Ajay Singh Rana is an author to watch in the coming future.