The sun was bright and I was ecstatic to have landed in a place where I had once dreamt to be !India ! But as soon as I reached the place, my dream turned into a nightmare within no time. My wallet was stolen in an unknown land and I knew nothing in this distant land. I could keep quiet but not my hunger pangs . It was a solo trip and I had to look out for some help.

Not that there were no people around. It was quite crowded. Infact it felt like a little mela . I did not know whom to approach, whom to trust! But somehow my eyes got fixed at a point and it seemed like hope .

He wore a light pink T shirt as he sat on the pavement of the Ganga Ghat. He had a grey pouch bag hung across his torso. His radiant smile and his eyes that blinked with a spark made him stand out in the crowd. He somehow stood out ! Something within me as if made me walk towards him.

“Excuse me, I am Maria. I came to India to learn Yoga . But my wallet got stolen and I don’t know where to seek help. Can you please help me? I am all alone.”

He was probably with one of his friend who looked more like his assistant. At my sudden intrusion, he looked perplexed and looked into my eyes blankly.

“I don’t want your money. I just need few days to get my currency exchanged as all my cash and cards are gone now. I don’t use UPIs . See take my rings and my gold chain but atleast help me put up in a nice ashram and gradually I will arrange all help. I am a solo traveler. This trip is like an adventure. I haven’t made any prior bookings . I did not anticipate all this to happen. Currently I am hungry and tired.I can seek all help from the local government but I don’t know where to start! “

“Hi, my name is Rishi.Welcome to India. I don’t want your personal things. I will certainly help you. ” He said with a smile.

He had beautiful eyes , a chiseled jawline with little stubble . His hair was thick and voluminous . With his warm smile , somehow all my inhibitions melted away. As if all sighs of intimidation of talking to a stranger did not matter anymore.

“Tu pagal he kya ! Firang log Aaj kal aise hi fasalete hein. Mat kar. Apni flight he shyam ko yaad he na tujhe.”

“Tu Dimag mat kharab kar mera. Atithi devo bhava. Ab to Maine Han bhi bol di na ! Ab tere ko pata hai me kisiko aise musibat mein to akela kabhi nahi chor ke jaunga!”

He had as if a small argument with his friend and after few minutes he asked ,” Want to stay in hotel or ashram? “

“Ashram, please. Simplicity and away from chaos for some days. “

I said and smiled back at him while thinking how I was being a nuisance to someone I had no clue about.

He took me to an ashram nearby and went into the office room. His friend gave me an unpleasant look from time to time. The ashram looked quite old but very well maintained. It was just beside the river , was two storied built in a rectangular shape. There was a big varandah in the middle and lots of trees surrounding the entire property. The ambience was soothing and very calm. Just as I was about to look further , I heard him call my name from behind.

“Maria, they have only a double occupancy room vacant . If you want to search somewhere else we can go but at this time of the year it will be equally crowded. “

“Please take the room . I promise I will repay everything to you. I can’t wait to freshen up.”

“Okay, I thought so. I have already booked it.Here are the keys . Let’s go check the room.”He said and gave me a mischievous smile.

The room was a decent one with a double bed and an almirah. There was no Television or wifi set up. A table and a chair lay beside the window overlooking the gigantic river Ganga and it instantly felt welcoming. I smiled thinking that I will be spending a whole month in these serene environs.

“Do you like it? Freshen up . We have to go for lunch and then lodge an FIR”

My thoughts were interrupted by his voice. I nodded and stood there still.

“Yeah , ok. Sorry I will be waiting downstairs. He said and left”

*******

” I will be waiting downstairs!! Kar kya raha tu yaar ! Firang he . Chali jayegi apne desh. Kyun fas raha he Rishi ?”

“Arey, Harshal tu na kuch jyada hi soch leta hai. Ladki he akeli he anjaan desh he. Help to karna chahiye na!”

“Tu aaj flight kaise lega bata pehle?”

“Yaar , sun tu chala ja, mein ek do chaar din mein milta hun na tujhse. ” Rishi said after scratching his head a little.

“You have lost it man! Dekh , kuch idhar udhar mat karna. Mein fir se bol Raha hun. Soch le. Baki , it’s your choice. Zaroorat padi to give me a call. Mujhe nikalna hai yaar. Can’t miss the flight in the evening.I have to join back at work. Tera to fir bhi work from home hai.Aur sun , take care , ok ?”

“Harshal yaar , thank you dost. Bas milta hun ek kuch dino mein. I promise. “

Harshal left alone for the airport after his brief conversation with Rishi .

******

I took a proper bath and wore my cargos and a loose cotton T shirt as I rushed down the stairs. My heart raced for some unknown reason. Then I saw him, seated on a stool,gossiping, laughing with the hotel staff very casually, he seemed as if he knew all of them since many years. Striking a conversation seemed so easy to him.

” You look beautiful!” He said nonchalantly as he spotted me.

And I couldn’t help but blush, reasons were unknown to me. I was in a foreign country, had lost my wallet, met this stranger, knew nothing about him and yet, I was blushing like a fool !

“Ahh , please. Save it , Rishi. Let’s go, eat something. I am hungry. “

“Let’s go, then. ” He winked and I blushed some more .

“By the way, where is your friend?”

“Ahhh, Harshal left. He had something urgent at work. “

We both went to a restaurant and the aroma of the Indian spices made me all the more hungry . I had never tasted such a wide variety of Indian delicacy especially when everything was vegetarian. I knew , I would not have to worry about food for the next month and felt relieved.

“So , Maria , tell me about you. ” Rishi asked as he gulped his morsel of food with ease.

” Well, there is nothing much to know. I am from Netherlands. It’s a small country but very beautiful. Everything was fine, I had a stable job, good income, I was about to get engaged but then I suddenly felt alienated from everything. I mean I didn’t know the guy and I was about to spend my whole life with him. In middle of all this ,all of a sudden , my mother fell ill and I lost her , just like that. I couldn’t believe that the anchor of my life was gone .I went into depression and had an existential crisis. I quit everything, packed my bags and voila, here I am ! ” I said and then reached out for the glass of water. My throat somehow seemed dry . The grief had as if found a way back . I tried to shrug it off.

” I am so sorry to hear all this . I didn’t mean to hurt you!” Rishi said, with an expression of shock. He, in his pink T shirt looked adorable. Men in pink somehow radiate a different kind of charm as if exhibiting their ability to be soft, even with their toned muscles , which in itself is such a great quality to own.

“O’ common , it’s ok. Let’s finish our food .We have to be at the police station to lodge an FIR.Remember.”

We quickly finished our lunch and then registered our FIR at the local police station. It was a hassle but thanks to Rishi , he did handle everything with so much ease. I don’t know what I would have done without him. In the mean time, I had called back home, told my dad about everything and given him the address of the ashram and asked him not to worry.

By then it was already evening. I and Rishi went for a little stroll along the banks of the river. There were children playing with each other, couples busy taking photographs, families hustling to stay together. But we both were just walking beside each other, silently. There was a calmness between us and I liked that a lot. He did not ask anything, neither did I say a word. We were in the moment, soaking in all the vibes of the golden sunset that looked ethereal.

We had reached my ashram by then and I took his leave. His hotel was around 3 kms away from my ashram and we promised to meet the next day.

Next day, I woke up early in the morning as per the schedule given to us and tried doing meditation which was very hard. I just couldn’t concentrate. But like others , I tried . We were taught some very basic postures of Yoga. It seemed very difficult. But it was fun , as there were many amateurs like me .

I was done with all the assignments by 8 in the morning. I went into my room and changed into a pair of jeans and a green top . While changing, a thought tapped my shoulder when I missed Rishi for some strange reason. I had not shared my Indian number with him. Neither had I seen his hotel. Now how am I going to meet him again ? How am I going to repay him for all the help he did to me? What if I don’t meet him again? I felt suffocated for some reason.

I just quickly finished my breakfast in the ashram and planned to head to the ghat. May be the waters of the river could help make me feel better.As I was approaching the ghat, I saw him. It was certainly him. He wore a white T shirt and deep blue track pants. His black smartwatch added an oomph to his sporty look. He faced his back to the river and was casually coming up the stairs while adjusting his watch with his right hand while looking at the dial of his watch. Suddenly I felt at ease, seeing him . And for sure he was handsome, very handsome.

“Hey! I thought , I lost you ! But Thank God!” I said with a big smile on my face

” No… noone loses track here, finds it back near the river only. And I am too precious to be lost just like that! Isn’t it?”

I couldn’t stop laughing hearing his cheesy lines and we both laughed it out. His ability to make me laugh and put me at ease is what made me feel very comfortable with him.

“What plans for today? ”

“Well, I have no plans as such. I have to return to the ashram for the evening prayers and rest of the day is for us to explore, I guess as per the time table. And yes, I have made all the necessary calls back home . I will be able to repay you tomorrow for sure!”

” Did I ask you for that ? Now I want you visit beautiful places all around. And I want you to skip today’s evening prayers for the first and last time. Will you be my guest? “

” Sure. But why do I have to miss my prayers? ”

” That you will get to know later. Now if you don’t mind can I have your Indian number? In case you get lost …you know !”

“Of course. This is my Indian number. ” I said as I wrote down my number on his palm with a pen that I usually carry with me all the time. “

“Really? On the palms .. with a pen ? Who are you?” He said and burst out laughing.

I hit him on his shoulders and he acted as if his hand had just got broken. He was a living melodrama for sure.

That day we went river rafting, took pictures on a hanging bridge, ate our heart out and laughed till our tummies hurt ! But the best part was witnessing the evening Arti at the Ganga Ghat.The grandeur of the scene was par excellence. The spiritual atmosphere, the collective chanting of the hymns , the light of the diyas in the air made a deep impact on me. I don’t know why, but for some reason I had tears flowing from my eyes as I folded my hands in namaste, looking up. I felt as if my mother was closer to me. Rishi looked at me silently but did not stop me from crying. He then gave me a side hug and I did not resist it. I needed that support, probably. I needed the presence of another being to soak in all the pain and grief. It was one of the best days of my life where I lived in the present after a long, long time.

We had a silent dinner together and he left me near the gates of the ashram.

” It’s not easy what you are going through currently. Process all your pain. Cry as much as you want but I can only request you to remember that tomorrow is a new day. A new beginning of not being just happy but an opportunity to process all the pent up emotions. Yoga will certainly help. But please do not lose hope and do not lose yourself. ”

He said everything so calmly as I just looked on. How could he read me so easily ? I have seen men lecture women all the time, dismiss their emotions and have this ‘ know it all attitude!’ But here, I find a man who was all unknown to me and now it seems he knows me from my past life. Lost in my thoughts, I couldn’t say anything. I just nodded my head.

“And by the way,I have some work tomorrow. So I will meet you in the evening,may be after your prayers. Will that be ok?” Rishi asked.

“Ohh sure! Please. I have only been a nuisance to you since the time we met “

” Keep those formalities aside. You must be tired and I too need to crash on my bed . So see you tomorrow. I shall give you a call in the evening then. Good night.” Rishi waved back at me as he walked backwards on the empty road towards his hotel.

I slept like a log that night.

Next morning as my alarm clock screamed in my ears, I struggled to wake up but I still managed to reach the meditation hall in time. Yoga postures seemed tough but the guides assigned to us were very sweet and compassionate. The day went by slowly and from time to time, I did miss Rishi. His laughter, his non sense jokes, his calm presence beside me and most importantly his ability to handle me at my worst with ease, all made me feel lonely.

“Hello! What’s happening? He is a stranger and you will be gone in a month from this place. Yoga is what you will take with you as per your resolve. Remember? Come back to your senses. ” I heard myself say this in my mind.

By evening, I had received a call from back home that my finances have been arranged. I sighed in relief. I offered my evening prayers, went for a stroll across the Ganges and then decided to withdraw cash from the ATM so that I could repay it back to Rishi for all his help. I was still waiting for his call.

By the time I reached the ATM after asking the locals for it , it was little late in the evening. It was situated in a narrow lane behind the ashram. It was dark as the street lights did not function. There were a couple of men in the queue and I joined them and waited for my turn. Slowly I saw all of them look towards me and the gaze started to frighten me a little. My heart sunk as they started to walk towards me. Then suddenly the man standing in front of me, turned around and grabbed my hand . I was terrified and all I could think of was Rishi ! I took out my phone and dialled his number and then yelled as soon as he picked up.

” SAVE ME , PLEASE. NEAR THE ATM BEHIND THE ASHRAM. COME FAST! “

By the time I could complete my sentence, a man had taken away the phone and threw it across the road. The man holding my hand,twisted my hand a little and then started unzipping his pant while others laughed looking at us .Then, in no time, my sleeves were torn.

” NO… NO… PLEASE LET ME GO !! FOR GOD’S SAKE, PLEASE!! SOME ONE SAVE ME, PLEASE”, I screamed as loud as I could.

Within a fraction of second, I felt someone hug me from behind and pulled me back like a bean bag. I opened my eyes and I saw him , Rishi !

He wore a black T shirt and black track pant with a white sidelines across the whole length. He wore black sports shoes and in no time I saw him kick those monsters in their crotch. He pounced like a tiger on them while I threw stones on them.

As soon as we got a little escape time, we both ran towards the ashram.

I was too ashamed of myself and I just couldn’t look Rishi in his eyes.

“Come with me to my hotel. I will not recommend you to go to the ashram in this condition. You can trust me. My mother has raised a gentleman. You will be safe with me. I will drop you at the ashram in the morning. “

I did not say anything.

As we reached his room. He gave his T shirt and shorts for me to change and went out giving me the much required privacy that I needed at that time.

I changed into the oversized clothes.It felt comfortable. After a while, Rishi returned with dinner parcels. I noticed he was extremely silent since the event and for once he had not looked at my face. I had never seen him so quiet.

We finished dinner and he then silently applied medicine on the scratches on my arm. Men, who genuinely care, are rare. Sometimes they can spend a whole lifetime with their partners and never bother to care and here I was with a person whom I had met just two days ago , nursing my wounds both external and may be internal too. He looked attractive as he applied ointment on my wounds.

” Why are you so quiet? I was waiting for your call and then I thought I could utilise the time to withdraw cash so that I could repay you. I mean I can’t, atleast in this lifetime for what you have done for me. But I had thought of setling the finances.”

“DID I ASK FOR IT ? WHY THE HELL DID YOU GO ALONE ? WHAT WOULD HAVE HAPPENED TODAY IF I WOULD HAVE NOT REACHED ON TIME? WHY CAN YOU WOMEN NOT UNDERSTAND HOW HUMILIATING IT IS FOR A MAN WHEN HE CAN’T SAVE THE WOMAN HE IS WITH!! ” He shouted at the top of his voice.

” Excuse me ! No one shouts at me like this! I apologise. It was my mistake. And you have been an angel to me today, saving my pride . But that does not give you the right to yell at me at this tone. Don’t you dare talk to me like that ! And especially someone who is a stranger. You have not told anything about you till now !! Do you even realise? “

He did not say a word. He went and sat on the chair beside the window as he put one of his legs on another and looked out of the window. His intense look towards the horizon made him look mature and childish at the same time. A combination that made me feel a connection with him.

” I work as a Business analyst in a consulting firm based in Bangalore .Currently I have the option of work from home but soon we will have the hybrid model implemented.I was born in Himachal Pradesh.I am the only child of my parents who love me to the moon and back. And I like reading, writing, swimming and yes, I do not like to watch cricket. I would rather play basketball or have a gaming session. “

“Interesting, quite interesting ! No girlfriends?”I asked with a tone of mischief.

“Well, I have had my experiences but nothing special as such. Am I still a stranger to you, now ? Anyway , I am leaving tomorrow morning.”

He questioned as he looked away from me. His side profile across the back drop of white curtains made my heart flutter a bit.

“What ? You are…what ?”

“I couldn’t stop myself from going near him. Why did you do everything that you did for me ? Why Rishi? You could have just denied and it would have been easier! “

He stood up. We were facing each other. There was hardly any space between us. Somehow it didn’t make me uncomfortable.

“Because sometimes you just can’t explain things. The moment I heard your voice, I couldn’t resist myself from being with you. I don’t know what to say. I felt helpless and full of anger when I saw you amongst those monsters. As if they were trying to hamper something that belonged to me.”

He looked into my eyes and then slowly he lowered his head, his lips touched mine and my arms hug him tightly. His hands travelled all the way my back and rested on my buttocks as he slightly squeezed them. We kissed, it was a slow and a passionate affair. I felt like I was almost unconscious, feeling complete within. But then I slowly tried to pull myself away. It was the hardest thing to do.

“I am sorry. Rishi, I too want what you want. But see tomorrow morning, we will just part ways. This is how it will end with tiny burns in our hearts. You know what I am not looking forward to any fire crackers right now in my life. All I need is a fire-place. Cosy, warm, safe and stable. “

“What do you mean ? Why are women so hard to understand? “

I couldn’t stop laughing seeing him irritated like a child. He looked delicious and I wanted to wrap him in my arms and make him mine…but !

” Because, we are different. Because we think beyond layers. Anyway I am not here to advocate women issues. See all I am saying is all this fire between us is temporary. I am here in India to heal my wounds. I never anticipated all this but I have a suggestion. Next year this day, if you still feel this way about me , then we will see how to take it forward. And if not , that’s fine but I give you my word that I will wait for you. ” I said all this trying hard to hide the pain in my voice.”

“You know what ? You are ruthless and I already do not like you. I don’t like you so much that I can’t deny your conditions! “

We both laughed our heart out. He hugged me like a child as we both retired for the night. My whole body that was trembling within since the accident at the ATM had somehow pacified with him beside me.

“Next morning as he dropped me at the ashram, I handed him a hand written letter and said, ” Let’s pledge to connect only after 365 days without being in touch the whole year. I have written you a letter, with my home address and my permanent Netherlands contact details. I want you to send me a picture of yours exactly a year later . And all this if you truly feel it and want something beyond temporary. Do you agree?”

He looked at me without any expression on his face. He took the letter from my hand. And hugged me tightly within his solid biceps. I rested my head on his shoulders as a drop of tear escaped my eyes. He kissed my forehead and then we locked lips for what seemed like an eternity.

He wore a turtle neck white T Shirt and his eyes seemed to have the depth of the ocean. I bid him goodbye while my heart captured every essence of his being .

********

A year has passed by now . Only I know how tough every day has been for me. It was only yoga and meditation that had helped me sustain myself. It was a gift that India had given for a lifetime.

However since the morning, I had not taken my eyes off my mobile screen. All msgs, all work calls seemed like a nuisance . Nah! Yoga did not do it’s magic today. I couldn’t concentrate and my meditation session went for a toss.

And then in the night, I received a message from an international number. I clicked it and the picture popped open . It was him. Rishi. He looked different. He had spectacles on and his beard had grown longer. His crisp white Kurta and Pyjama made him look hot. I wanted not only to download the picture but wished I could download him to Netherlands. I couldn’t stop smiling as I looked up and thanked God! His gaze through the picture touched me with warmth and I think , after a longtime, finally I have found my fireplace, cosy,warm, safe and stable !

Love,

Chinmayee