© Atul Kaushal
-Chapter Forty
Two-
Marriage Bells
-Chapter Forty
Two-
Marriage Bells
Days passed
and soon it was 7th of November, 2017 and three years and four months
passed since the Germany flight
incident and Akshant’s
bullet wound had healed almost
fully but still he limped,
his parents had tried for the third time to help him walk well and as it was 2017, the year they had planned
for Akshant to get married
one month later and all three of them were really trying
to get the limping in his walking
style corrected from the last four months.
Though he had corrected his walking style from a much worse position after his life threatening accident,
this was different.
Anamika’s family
was excited too and there was a collection of relatives that both the families had invited for ’nishchitaartha’ (something like engagement in south India,
called ’baat pakki’
in north India)
that day from
their relatives’ home places in
Chennai, Mysore, Kurukshetra,
Faridabad and Agra. Anamika and Akshant’s relatives
who had settled
as far away as Zurich
and Chicago were also going to be there in the marriage
but they would reach only a week earlier than the marriage.
Anamika was nervous about getting married
in a matter
of days. She started avoiding
Akshant as most brides do when the day of marriage comes closer. She
also became over-conscious about
her weight and
looks so she
stopped taking junk
food. Akshant used
to wonder that
why his Anamika
was getting weaker
than the previous
time every time
they met. Anamika
answered shyly on being
asked by her
going-to-be husband or
any other of
her friends.
”Shaadi hone
waali hai meri
aur main moti
dikhun – impossible!”
(My marriage is
going to happen
and I look
fat – impossible!) Then they were going
to get married
happily to on the 7th of December, 2017.
He just smiled more to himself
probably thinking about how his luck had turned out for him and he was of the opinion,
’All’s well that ends well’, more
joyous by the
new premium Epiphone
electric guitar gifted to him along
a note that
said, ’I really
hope that I
get to see
you play this
guitar as a
lullaby to our
babies and then
I wish to
be put to the perpetual
sleep after a
minimum of 75
more years with
your guitar crooning
a lullaby for
me, darling… J’ by Anamika
in return for
the 42-carat diamond
necklace that Akshant
had gifted to her.
During all this waiting
period he thought
he needed to share this happiness with someone close.
So he chose me, Satyaa
Gupta, who was there with him after his deadly
accident in 2010. He mailed
this happy final installment of his life’s
not-so-happy story as
he looked at it to me a week prior to his death because
he wanted to share with the world the lessons
he had learned
in his short but much-experienced lifetime.
Then when
we video chatted
a couple of
days prior to
his honeymoon, I
could see that
same old self-satisfied smile
on his face
and a rather
beautiful smile on
his Anamika’s face
on the night
prior to their
departure to Canada
for their honeymoon
as he tried
to depict their
happiness on his
union with his
dream girl.
They had gotten married with
not too much
of pomp and show. Akshant
& Anamika were a romantic
couple which had chosen Canada
as its honeymoon
location and spent
the time roaming
& sight-seeing along
with the romance
lighting their surroundings.
They enjoyed very
much as they
celebrated Akshant’s birthday
in advanced on
the 7th day
of their honeymoon
and he received
the special snowy-kiss
from Anamika as
a birthday gift.
It was not that we were not in contact any time before
the day he
got married. We used to
correspond via emails,
we mailed very much
– almost daily, he
used to narrate
his biography textually
in emails and vocally on
voice chats. One
day in the
middle of December,
he told me
that he feared
that he might
be assassinated anytime
soon by the
terrorists belonging to the residue
of Shuddha Rakht
as he had
received a threat
mail by some
unknown email ID,
which he tried
to trace to
no avail and
wanted me to
write a text
about his life taking the
story from his
mails while focusing
on what not
to do in
one’s teenage.
Even though
we never talked
directly on phone,
on my marriage
on 23rd January
2017 he had come for
the sake of honoring the
invitation that I
mailed him. I
guess he still
considered me someone
who was not
exactly a friend
but somebody more
than a friend.
He was
unconsciously displaying his
typical signature style
here as well;
he came alone
looking his all-time
smartest in that
formal Indian Kurta-Pajama
which was clinging
to his toned
body, wished the
best to me
for my married
life, gave me a hand-written
card and went away with only six words to me in a different,
matured voice, ’I
wish you all the best’.
and said to
my husband, ”Take
good care of
her, she’s such
an angel. But
lest I listen
any complaints – ” branding his
fist at him jokingly as
he flashed a
brilliant smile at me.
Akshant composed
one last song for Anamika
during their honeymoon,
only months before
he died and after a long-long – loooong time the song was a happy song. It’s named ’Tujhe Dekh Ke’ and its lyrics
are:
Tujhe Dekh Ke…
Tujhe Dekh Ke Gaane Lagta Hai,
Mera Mann, Mera Mann.
Bas Ye Chaahoon Ke, Tujhko Paaun Main,
Mere Sang, Har Janam...
Mera Mann, Mera Mann.
Bas Ye Chaahoon Ke, Tujhko Paaun Main,
Mere Sang, Har Janam...
Tu Hai Mere Sapnon Mein,
Tu Aaja Mere Apnon Mein.
Ho! Tujhe Dekh Ke…
Tu Aaja Mere Apnon Mein.
Ho! Tujhe Dekh Ke…
Ho Main Hoon Teri Yaadon Mein,
Main Hoon Tere Vaadon Mein.
Yaad Kar Wo Lamhe, Yaad Kar Wo Sapne,
Bitaaye Humne Jo Milke, Sajaaye Humne Jo Milke!
Main Hoon Tere Vaadon Mein.
Yaad Kar Wo Lamhe, Yaad Kar Wo Sapne,
Bitaaye Humne Jo Milke, Sajaaye Humne Jo Milke!
Tujhe Dekh Ke Gaane Lagta Hai,
Mera Mann, Mera Mann...
Mera Mann, Mera Mann...
But as destiny had it,
this song turned out
to be the last song
by Akshant.
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