I then turned back to take a look
at the Tulsi plant when something
else caught my eyes.
I saw the neighbors in the
opposite house placing the Diyas on their porch and the walkway to their door
and among them was one of the prettiest girls I had ever seen in my life! She
was as beautiful as a freshly bloomed rose and had caught my eyes just like a rose does in a garden. In her red saree with a golden
border and designs of small golden Diyas spread all over her saree she was
looking gorgeous. Each of the golden Diya neatly designed on her red saree was
sparkling as brightly as the Diyas she was holding in her hands and walking,
slowly and carefully, towards their gate. She placed a Diya on the farther end of
the gate and then turned towards our end and it was then that she smiled widely
looking at the Diya she was about to place on the gate pole.
I felt an electric shock run
through my body when I realized that it was her smile that mesmerized me and
not hundreds of Diyas lit! I guess my heart had even skipped a heartbeat as it too
stood still shocked by that magical smile.
“What happened?” Mom said, while
I was still lost in her smile.
“Nothing Mom” I blurted.
“Then come, let’s keep the other
Diyas. We have to go the temple” Mom said.
“Ah yes Mom. Yes,” I said and
turned to look at Mom. When I saw she had got a hint of what I was up to, I
added, “I was just checking if we also need to place more Diyas and decorate
the gate and pathway just like they have done”
“If you want clean up more Diyas
and do all the work. But first lets go to the temple,” Mom said as she walked
into the house.
I could not control myself and
quickly turned back and I saw her hair neatly flow out freely in the air as she
walked back towards the house while the golden Diyas designed on her red saree
shined with the same beauty.
“Wow! Was it truly her smile or
had God lighted hundreds of Diyas together?” I said to myself.
“What has happened to you?
Quickly help me or at least move out of the way,” Mom said again as she walked
out of the door holding two Diyas.
“Nothing Mom,” I said and stepped
into the house. When I came back out I saw Mom taking a look at the opposite
house making me realize that she had smelled the smoke and I was under scrutiny
now!
I have always felt that Moms are
better than our ACP Pradyuman when it comes to such cases of their sons and
daughters! They can smell what’s cooking with the faintest clue and can follow
the clue without any hurdles to unearth the secret. And I bet they won’t sleep
until they dig out the secret, once they smell it.
I remained cautious and
controlled my heart as I helped place the remaining Diyas and even kept telling
my heart not to allow me to turn around at the opposite house. It was difficult
but at the end I achieved it. Then I got freshened up and walked into my room
drying up my face with a napkin. As I stood in front of my closet, taking a
look at the neatly piled shirts, I thought again about the girl who had just
stolen my heart.
“Are there any prisons for
the beautiful thieves who steal our heart?” I asked myself.
I then selected the best shirt I
had in my closet because it was Deepavali. And yes I accept, to be true, deep
in the corner of my heart I thought of going in front of her and wanted to look my best. Getting into my
clothes and spraying an extra shot of deo, I was ready just when she flashed
again across my mind.
“Dear God, is it the best smile that you have
carved until now? Was that even a smile or hundreds of Diyas lit together?” I
asked, turning towards the God’s photo placed on my table.
“Don’t be late to the temple,” I
heard a voice suddenly that shook me off my dreams.
“What?” I asked, looking at the
photo, surprised if God had spoken himself.
“Why are you taking so much time?
We are starting now. Don’t be late to the temple,” I heard Dad saying.
“Oh how silly of me. It was Dad’s
voice” I said to myself and shouted back, “Coming Dad”
It was after an hour when we
returned back from the temple that I had to slow down as the kids from the opposite
house were playing with sparklers in front of their gate. As I slowed down,
happily, looking at them enjoy the sparkles coming out from the sparklers they
were holding with a buzzing sound of “sur surrr sur” while they moved their
hand randomly drawing an imaginary shape in the dark. Both, Pranav and Pooja
were jumping with delight as they held the sparklers.
When the sparklers finished, they ran into the gate and I rode ahead and entered our gate,
crossing them. Parking my bike, as I walked back towards our door I quickly
stole a moment to look at their house again to see if I could get a glimpse of
her again and yes, I was blessed. She stood right beside the porch where the
kids were getting ready to light up another set of sparklers. She stood beside
them, helping them with lighting those sparklers. Once the sparklers were lit,
she carefully handed it over to Pooja with her magical smile. As Pooja ran
towards the gate holding the sparklers in her hands, Pranav waited for his
turn. She then lit two more sparklers, all the while smiling, and handed them
carefully to him. Thrilled with the sparkles, Pranav punched into air and took
those sparklers from her hand and turned back to run towards the gate.
As Pranav ran towards the gate,
she too turned towards the gate to look at them and folded her hands, smiling
at them. For a second I was confused if I need to look at those beguiled kids
enjoying the Deepavali sparklers or to look at her splendid beauty.
Two Diyas on their gate, ten on the pathway, twenty on the porch, fifty on her magnificent saree, and wait… hundreds of Diyas in her smile! Those
sparklers were no match to her and her smile!
Another step and I would be in
front of our door and then I had to walk inside and miss that mesmerizing
scene. And again how embarrassing it would be to keep staring at a neighboring
girl while standing right at your door to be caught, again, by Mom, anytime.
I was in deep confusion just when
I heard a loud yell…
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once you enjoy reading… Comments Welcome…
To be Contd…
Vishal…
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