Love Will Find A Way

I loved Shahrukh Khan and I loved this song. So much so that it was my wake-up alarm from the ipod. So every morning, at 8 AM, it buzzed and buzzed till I woke up. “What a perfect start to my day!”, I always used to think.

जानियें, हीरिये…मेरे मन ये बता दे तू, किस ओर चला है तू, क्या पाया नहीं तूने…

Just then I snoozed it and got up. “क्या पाया नहीं तूने, क्या ढूँढ राहा है तू !” I said these lines again to myself and critically thought of my situation. I was 24, finished education and working full-time, yet I hadnt found my true love and was searching for it all the time. Everywhere. This song that I had been crazy about for a couple of years, had true relevance to me! Those lines, pff.

I got ready and wore a new outfit, hoping to somehow find my true love today. I was so desperate about it, after having dated many guys yet being eluded from that feeling. I was still dating 1, but wasnt sure if he was ‘it’. Today I had to find that out as we were to meet at Costa Coffee in Cannaught Place at 3pm.

“Rohit, do you love me?” I asked him leaning on the table and putting my mug of capuchino aside.

“Ofcourse baby” he said and started playing with my ears.

“No not that way. Like do you really love me? Would do anything for me types?”

“Do you need proof. And what is it about real-love anyways. I like you, you like me, that’s all that counts, right?”

“No love is different. I don’t know exactly how, but its different. It makes you go crazy and..and you can feel it in the air around you.”I smirked at him.

“But baby, that’s how they project it in bollywood. It doesnt mean it has to happen that ways in real life too.” he was irritated.

“No it happens. It means we don’t have that feeling for each other.” and i got up and started moving out. He tried to catch my hand but i walked away. Because of walking in a haste, my leg bumped in another table and i fell down. He came running to me and rubbed my knees where it hurt. But i got up and walked away.

i went home and cried. Just how do i find my ‘Mr. Right’. I sat on the dinner table with a sulky face to which my mom asked, “kya hua princess?”

“Mom. how did you meet dad?” i asked her.

“through our parents. My father really liked their family and his work etc. so he agreed.”

“No but when did you meet him? Also how did you know that he is the right guy for you?”

“Beta it didnt work like this in our times. I met your father when they visited our house with his family. we talked to each other for 10 minutes in private. basically everything seemed right about him. So i agreed.”

“Thats it? Everything seemed right? How can you decide in 10-minutes mom that he is your ‘Mr. Right’?”

She started laughing. “you filmi generation! Dont worry, we will find yours too. Then 5 years later, you only will say that he is right for me.”

However i wasnt amused. I left dinner and went back to my room and sulked harder.

few days later, i was sitting at home lazing around. There was a knock at the door. I got up to get it, “who is it?” i asked.

“Kiara, open up. Its Rohit.”

I opened the door. Rohit was standing with a box of ferrero-rocher. He handed it to me, went down on his knees and said, “I love you Kiara. i am sorry for having let go at cafe that day.” and then added, “please, accept these.”

I got him up and asked him to come inside. He wished to my mom and they exchanged pleasantries. Soon she left for some work. We started our ‘topical’ chit-chatting again as there was no-one around now at home.

“Rohit thats very sweet of you. If you really love me, can you write my name on your hand like Saif did for Kareena?”

“Yes”

“Can you get my family to like you the way Sharukh did to Amrish Puri and the rest of Kajol’s family?”

“Is your dad like Amrish Puri??” he squeaked and started laughing.

“No he isnt! But can you charm everyone like he did?”

“Yes”

“Can you run from your home and your parents like Aamir did for Juhi in QSQT?”

“Now what is this Kiara! Why do I have to express my liking for you the way these heroes did in movies? What is the damn connection?”

“No Rohit. if you dont get that feeling in your heart to do things the way they did, then probably its not true love. Its just an infatuation. It will die over time. Believe me.” I said with a low face and was back to my offbeat mood again.

He got up. Before leaving, he said, “Look I cant say that i really understand you. But i love you and will always do.” and he walked away.

My quest for true love, therefore continued. The more i watched Shahrukh and his movies, the more my heart cried for finding its true love. My wake up alarm continued to be the same song, over and over again. I couldnt focus on any other thing these days as i started feeling emptiness in my heart.

Time passed by. My parents started looking for suitable grooms to get me married. Even though i definitely wanted a love marriage, it didnt look like it was on the cards and so i had agreed to meet some of them. But those meetings didnt go exactly well either. The first guy i met said he did not watch hindi movies and infact did not believe in popcorn romance! Another guy was a bigger dud and said, “For honeymoon we will go to some city as i dont like islands. they are too secluded.”

Has romance faded out from our times??

Meanwhile cousins all around were getting married. It was almost humiliating for my mother as her sister’s daughter, 2 years younger to me was getting married too in a couple of weeks time! Though i tried to show to her that i was unfazed, inside i felt jealous and incomplete. I couldn’t lower my standards however, and settle for anything less than true love, but i decided to make my search and meetings more aggressive after the wedding ceremonies.

It was my cousin’s engagement ceremony. I wore a golden-colored lehenga and spent a couple of hours on make-up, looking perfect for the occasion. We were all having good time at the party, poking fun at our new-jiju and teasing his brothers etc when suddenly the lights blanked out. There was huge murmur and our side of families started getting worried. Just then there was a spotlight thrown in centre of the lawn, on a round stage where a couple of musicians and a guy with a tall, standing mic appeared. This guy looked like a rockstar with his long hair, bearded and was wearing a hat tilted to an extent that it covered his forehead.

The melody began as he sung, “तुम हो तो गाता है दिल, तुम नहीं तो गीत काहा…तुम हो तो है सब हासिल, तुम नहीं तो क्या है याहा…तुम हो तो है, सपनो के जैसा हंसी एक समा… ”

We all started tapping our feet and dancing slowly. He had really set-up the tone for a beautiful evening. I too listened to him, mesmerized. Then suddenly, he ended the song and announced, “This one was for you, Kiara.” I was surprised. Before i could react he was off the stage.

Soon i got hold of him as he was standing next to a pillar near food counter. i tapped on his shoulder, “helloooo” to which he turned around and said, “मैं तुमसे और सिर्फ तुमसे प्यार करता हूँ Kiara मेरी हर सांस, मेरी हर धड़कन, मेरे हर पल में बस तुम ही तुम हो Kiara, मुझे यकीन है की मैं सिर्फ इसलिए जन्मा हूँ कि तुमसे प्यार कर सकूं और तुम सिर्फ इसलिए कि एक दिन मेरी बन जाओ. तुम मेरी हो Kiara, और तुम अगर अपने दिल से पूछोगी तो जान….”

I cut him short, “who are you?” and then looked around, everybody was staring at us. This was getting embarrassing. i nervously smiled looking at my parents who were also staring with questionable eyes. But as i looked back to this singer-guy, he had disappeared again!

I felt awkward. I was sure everyone around felt that too but nobody said a thing. I somehow composed myself and walked upto the buffet and started putting food to my plate. Suddenly he was there again at the other side of counter and started serving dal makhani and said, “मैं जब भी आपको देखता हूँ मुझे रब दिखता है. रब के सामने माथा टेकता हूँ तो दिल को सुकून मिलता है. आप को हस्ते हुए देख लेता हूँ, तो दिल को सुकून मिलता है. तो मैं तो आपको रब से भी ज्यादा प्यार करता हूँ ”

“Who are you? Dont disappear now and answer me!”

“Well you wanted to be loved bollywood style, so i am dishing it out for you.” he said.

i finally recognized his voice. “Rohit! Is that you? I dont believe it! O my god, its really you! How romantic!” i left the plate in excitement as i couldnt stop beaming.

He removed his fake beard and his hat too. Yes, Rohit it was. I felt so special even though was feeling uncomfortable from everything just few minutes back. I proudly held his hand and brought him where my family was standing. “Mom, Dad. Its Rohit! Remember my friend from office? He used to come home also.” i said.

“Hello beta”, my mom winced at him. All relatives started talking to him and started praising his showman-tactics. My father even hugged him as he realised he had finally found a son-in-law, to one which his daughter approved. I felt like i was on 7th cloud and had finally found my Mr. Right. If things allowed, i could get married to him right then and there.

Then Rohit spoke up, “Thanks for all this and finally accepting my love Kiara. But the real hero is your mom. She only called me up yesterday and set this up. Infact she only arranged for the lights to go and got me to memorize these lines and planned this out. I was just saying it like a trained actor!” All eyes went to my mother though she couldnt react to this unwanted attention.

And then he continued, “thank you aunty. because of all this, your beautiful daughter could recognize my love even though my love was same before i started rehearsing my dialogues. it is the same even after saying them out like this. Why does love need this language? Why do romantic movies, novels set these notions?”

I fell silent. He looked at me and said, “Kiara i am willing to memorize these and many other cheesy lines and speak them out for you every single day of my life. But while searching for these on the net, i came across another romantic dialogue from a super-romantic film starring your favorite Shahrukh Khan and it said, “कोई प्यार करे तो तुमसे करे, तुम जैसे हो वैसे करे, कोई तुम्हे बदल के प्यार करे तो वो प्यार नहीं, सौदा करे… ”

I hugged him crying and finished it, “और प्यार में सौदा नहीं”

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