To someone whose memories keep me awake all night
“Beautifully drawn…appreciated :)”
I read your message and recalled the first meeting of
ours.
You were standing near my desk, looking at the painting I
had put up there a day before. Indian
epic warrior Arjuna stretches his bow string, pointing an arrow against his
great grandfather and invincible warrior Bheeshma who lets his bow to slip from
his hand. Bheeshma adorns a content smile, while Arjuna’s eyes curtained with
tears.
I said hi, in probably the most awkward way possible. You
turned to me.
“Is that yours? Where did you get it?” you asked.
“Ah, actually, I painted it.”
Oh, I’m very sorry!” you said biting your tongue, “It’s
very beautiful. I’m sorry.”
I took a picture of the painting and sent it to you
through Facebook Messenger. I waited all the day for your reply, which didn’t
come until two days. You never revealed the reason for a delay of two days.
After the excitement and intimidation consumed me, I
replied ‘Thank You.’, that must have been a very simple message for you, but
for me it took 12 times of typing and deleting. I know you don’t believe it
even now and would raise your brows like you did when I first told you – I
kissed you, then.
A week passed with both of us stealing glances at each
other, and neither of us gathering courage to come up and speak.
I sent you the next painting of the series: Bheeshma lying on the bed of arrows and
Arjuna, stooped to his knees and head hung. His famed bow, Gandiva, beside him,
abandoned.
“Again beautifully drawn” you replied.
“Really?”
“Yes, it is. So, are you painting the whole Mahabharata
series?”
“No, just the scenes between Arjuna and Bheeshma; theirs' is the most uncelebrated
relation.”
“Exactly!” you said and began our conversation which went
on until 12:10, when you said you were going to ‘doze off’! I stayed up all
night reading our conversation. I was in love!
From someone who’s awake waiting for your text
*Picture Courtesy of HinduHumanRights
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