SRISHTI PUBLISHERS & DISTRIBUTORS
N-16, C. R. Park
New Delhi 110 019
[email protected]
First published by
Srishti Publishers & Distributors in 2014
Copyright © Priyanka Baranwal, 2014
All characters in this book are fictitious, and any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental.
The author asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the Publishers.
Typeset by Eshu Graphic
Dedicated to
my late Grandmother
my parents…Mummy and Pitaji
my family…Sumit and Ashmit
“Unleash the power within; raise your inner voice, It is unlikely you get the same choice twice;
YOU can change your falling-apart devastating fate, Just think of it once –
It’s never too late, it’s never too late.”
–Priyanka Baranwal
Contents
Acknowledgements
From the author’s heart
Anniversary Special
Welcome Aboard- Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur
A Helping Hand
Sweet Memories
A Night without You
An Elusive Bond
A Dream Job
The Beginning of a New Path
Happy Birthday, Sweetheart!
Honeymoon in Paris
A Night of Terror
It’s Never too Late
Love Conquers All
Winning the Battle against Fear
Moving On
First Loose Thread
Epilogue
Facts
Acknowledgements
No step can be taken alone, especially the first one. Therefore, I’d love to send a warm thank you note and a reservoir of gratitude to those who have helped me evolve into the person that I am today.
First comes my family, that is, my beloved husband, Sumit and our son, Ashmit. Without Sumit, I would not be an author today. Thank you Sumit! For prodding, guiding and supporting me throughout the journey towards this book. Whenever I lost faith in me, you were always there to uplift me and inspire me with hope. Your unparalleled faith has brought me where I am today. Your IIT memories and meaningful feedback have given my book the best shape and I fondly present it to you as a New Year’s gift with loads of love.
I am equally grateful to my parents whom I dearly call Mummy and Pitaji. What I am today is entirely because of my mother Mrs. Beena Baranwal and father Mr. Naresh Chandra Baranwal. I love you both and can’t express its precision in definite words, though they call me an author and a writer. Without your blessings, love and incredulous support, I might have lost myself somewhere. So thank you for being there as parents, motivators, guides, family but moreover, as friends.
Another multitude of gratefulness I would like to send to my respected Tau ji with whom I have shared so many years of joy, happiness and learning. Thank you Tau ji, for being a roof to all of us.
Life would never be this easy if there wasn’t any positive learning from another set of my parents, my mother-in-law, Mrs. Malti Baranwal and father-in-law, Mr. Kashinath Baranwal, whom I dearly call Ma and Papa. I would like to express my respect by giving them my love, care and dedication. Thank you ma-papa, for being such wonderful mentors in our lives.
My deepest gratitude goes to team Srishti for making my dream come true in the form of this novel. I also thank Wasim Helal for the fantastic cover design. His eagerness to come out with the most suitable cover has made this book look so enticing and striking.
A warm hug to my sister, Shivani; brother Piyush, his lovely wife Naincy and their naughty little son, Tanay; my elder sister, Shalu di and my best friend, Anita Agrahari. You people are an inseparable part of my life and will always remain the same. Thank you for being there whenever I needed you all.
To my lost friend Shikha Lal. I don’t know about her whereabouts, yet I’d like to send across a message through this book. Shikha! Wherever you are, please contact me if you read this. I’d love to meet you.
Many thanks to our good friends, Vineet and Pratik for sharing their IIT memories.
Thanks to the bunch of our other special friends: Priyanka, Manik, Ankur, Vikas and Mahendra for being equally excited for this novel. It means a lot to me.
A heartfelt dedication goes to my all respectable teachers and mentors who have always guided me, especially to Harjeet ma’am, Sunil sir, and Late Mittal sir. I will never be able to express enough gratitude towards them.
My acknowledgements will be half accomplished if I don’t mention my beautiful, cheerful readers. Thank you! As you all are undoubtedly the biggest part of my achievement. Send in your precious feedback on the links mentioned on the back of the book. It will help me enormously to grow into a better writer.
And, I hope you will love this novel as much as I do.
From the author’s heart
They say, a spark is enough to ignite a fire.
And I agree!
It was a usual signature night of August in Bangalore, the 26th day in 2012 to be precise. I had finished reading a novel and was deeply touched. After closing the book, I casually said to my husband, Sumit, “How good these people must be feeling on seeing their names on a book; a book completely made up of their words and thoughts. They must be feeling very proud of themselves.”
Sumit replied with a smile, “Yeah, that’s true. But you can also do that. Why don’t you try writing a book too? I have read your articles online and the way you write poems, it’s wonderful. You can also be an author. You write really well.”
I was bemused to hear this. I had never thought of becoming an author. But after a little persuasion from my husband’s side, I decided to put my faith in his. That’s how the journey towards my first book started off. It is literally correct to say: a dream has come true that I had never even dreamt off.
When Sumit gave me the idea of writing a novel, it was also like a challenge to me. I have been a freelancer and I have written poetry too, but writing a piece as vast as a novel was a tough cookie. But when I started writing the story, I knew I have won the challenge even before I could finish writing it. I knew nothing could stop me now and when we think this way in the initial stage of a challenge, we sure become the winner even before we touch the goal.
I have worked really hard and that should not be a wonder. Reaching the goal is always expected to be challenging and tiresome. The journey always remains full of mistakes, sleepless nights, fully occupied days, moments of giving up and losing faith, criticism, falling and standing, falling again and then standing up against all odds. But one thing keeps you going despite all that: the unmatched vivid imagination of the moment when you’ll fulfil your dream. I kept writing day in and day for the moment when I will hold my first creation, my book – It’s Never Too Late.
I saw a dream, and now, that is on the verge of completion. Though this novel is a complete story in itself, yet there will be a sequel, because stories never really end. Just like dreams. So, I urge you to dream too. Dreaming makes you believe in your capabilities. Dreaming gives you a motivation that keeps you going despite all hurdles and rejections. But let me be honest here – the journey for achieving a dream hardly comes easy.
I have faced many people in life who made fun of me, laughed at me during tough phases, preferred to throw me back in the crowd and never to acknowledge that I am al
so a human being. I can also get hurt and I was; so much so that I don’t want to remember those times.
I chose to move on. And today, when I see myself being recognised as an author, I feel proud. I find those tough times my best, invaluable assets. They have certainly and irrevocably taught me the biggest lessons of my life. Three most important of them being,
•How it feels to be weak,
•Reality of people, and
•How others generously enjoy your misery.
Not that I have a complaint against those people who have enjoyed my miseries. I surely don’t have any. They were just doing what they were capable of; I did my duty as they did theirs.
I have felt weakness and it somewhere gives birth to the strength hidden within you. All you need is, to find it and let it grow monstrously until it overpowers the weakness. Weakness and strength are just two facets of one’s own capabilities. One is so incomplete without the other; like light is of no value until compared to dark.
Never be scared when you feel low in any sense. Assure yourself that one day you will savour the taste of success and strength by all means. Good luck for that!
Something about my novel –
Though this novel is entirely a work of fiction, yet it sends out a strong message by the very name. When you are in trouble and if it seems nothing can be done now to stop the inevitable, never ever let your brain shut down.
Gaining control over one’s own mind plays the trick. If you can control what you think or what you see, you can easily decline the effect of any situation, whether positive or negative.
Your situation may be tricky to deal with, but always remember – it’s never too late to find an escape or, a solution. When every door is closed, there must be a window of opportunity and if that one is closed too, try to change the lock and get out. Some problems may look overwhelming, consuming you bit by bit, but there always is a solution, a way out.
Don’t give up until you have done your best for survival.
Thank you!
Anniversary Special
It was our tenth marriage anniversary. We had thrown a party at our community’s club house and it was going on in full swing. Rajat’s good friends with their families, his project manager and some of his colleagues were invited while a few good friends of mine and a few of my ex-colleagues were present. Rajat and I both were busy attending to them. I was an employee in a software company years ago but even after resigning, I stayed in touch with my colleagues. When I landed my dream job in Bangalore, I had carefully designed my friend circle; friends whom I could be in touch with and those whom I could share personal things with. Thankfully, they had reciprocated the same warmth too.
Rajat and I were missing our parents immensely. Our respective families couldn’t make it to this occasion because of the concurrent issues of reservations and some health issues. They had sent their love and blessings though.
The party was going smoothly, much like the gentle cool breeze of Bangalore weather outside the club house. There were thirty odd guests in total. Our five year old daughter Sejal was playing with her friends while the guests were nibbling on the starters. It was time for the cake cutting ceremony. I had especially asked my maid Gayatri to stay on till the end of the party. She usually came only in the morning. In big cities, it is hard to find maids who are ready to come to work twice a day. Finally in exchange of some extra cash and since it was the matter of just one day, she agreed
Now she was helping me by serving the dishes to our guests. Soon the cake was set on the table and everybody gathered around it. There was still some time left for it to be cut. Ten candles proudly stood on the cake waiting to be lit; ten candles signifying the ten years of our marriage. They also depicted if not much, then at least the next remaining ninety years of our journey together. The kids were thrilled to see the big round cake with the enticing coffee icing on it. It was called Irish Fantasy. Their interest piqued as they circled around it. We had ordered it from our neighbourhood bakery, The French Loaf, and this particular cake was their specialty.
When everyone gathered around the cake, Rajat and I cut the cake together and fed each other small slices. We lifted Sejal into our arms and put a piece of cake in her mouth too. Our friends took our photos. Then the time came for other photographs, first just our family, then with all our guests. Soon the cake was served to the guests. They exclaimed how delicious it was. I was glad that the cake was received well by everyone.
After a few minutes, I was engaged in a conversation with my friend Kartik when we were interrupted by an announcement. I looked in the direction.
“Hello everyone! May I have your attention please? I have something to say. I, along with my lovely wife Maya, thank you all for joining us on our tenth wedding anniversary. It is a very special day for me because she has, and I don’t know how, managed to bear me all these years.”
Rajat paused and I looked at him in surprise. Everybody around grinned at his humour. I nudged him softly and smiled at him.
“I want to show her my love in a special way today. I want to share with you all some precious moments of our lives on the screen. These are not just screen shots; these are the beautiful threads of our lives that keep us connected. They symbolise our wonderful journey of ten complete years infused with love and warmth. With all due respect and love….” he turned towards me, holding my hands in his and looked straight into my eyes,
“I want to say thank you, Maya, for being there always. You are my beautiful world and without you, I am totally lost. I simply cannot live. You fill my heart with absolute happiness and I feel content. I love you from the very core of my heart.”
Everybody applauded at his romantic public display of affection. I was absolutely stunned. It was so unlikely of him to declare his feelings in public. Usually he preferred to save it for our private moments. Rajat had always been a warm person since we met in college; I was surprised at his display of emotions, coming through untailored. I was flattered though. It had always been wonderful listening to his words; and today, when I least expected it, he completely bowled me over with his pleasant and thoughtful gesture. By this time, I had started relishing the surprise, bit by bit.
People chuckled and let out a cheer as I gave him a quick hug. The ambience was dripping with the beads of warmth. Then he parted from me, excused himself and sauntered towards the room adjacent to the party hall. He signalled to few of his friends for something along the way.
“What he is up to?” I creased my forehead walking slowly towards the room. Before I could get in there, he emerged with something on the table. After staring hard at the object for a few moments, I realised it was a projector. He quickly set it up. Then he stood next to me and held my hands.
“Now, everyone, this projector is the surprise I talked about. I hope you all will enjoy it.”
I was about to ask something when he gently pressed my hands and gave me a smile. All of a sudden the lights went off and the projector threw a snapshot on the wall screen. Rajat was controlling the pictures with a remote.
Since we both were IIT Kanpur alumni, the first snap was from our college days. With little effort, I recollected that the photograph was taken during the much-talked-about event Antaragni. There were several stalls arranged in a random manner and were circled by a throng. I smiled and squeezed Rajat’s hands. I realized what he had been up to since last few weeks. He had given me such a big surprise by sharing our special moments with our guests. I was absolutely floored. He did not just put up a show but had chosen describe each photograph in detail. Everyone listened in rapt attention to his narration,
“This is a snap from our college days almost fourteen years ago. It was taken at an event called Antaragni. It is the major cultural programme of IIT Kanpur which constitutes of several themes and stalls. And as you can see to the left, Maya is dealing with a huge crowd at her stall. Her pottery concept was a big hit as it gave everybody a chance to learn pottery, an inseparable part of our
Indian legacy.”
I gently nudged him. He knew the truth behind the crowd in my stall but he was being modest. He smilingly patted my hands and continued with the narration.
Suddenly a guest raised his hands and teased him. “Where are you Rajat? We can’t see you in this. Weren’t you supposed to help Maya?”
Rajat smiled and explained. “I was at my stall, not visible in this photograph. At that time, we were just classmates; sort of strangers.”
“Then when did the magic happen between the two of you?” Another guest chimed in by winking at us. She was stirring her soft drink.
“It happened much later, but Antaragni played a big role. It was during the fest that the first spark lit up a friendship between us. Proceeding though, in this snap she was preparing for her campus interviews. See how worried she was and look at the way she is biting her nails. Were you really serious or just pretending, Maya?” He chuckled, winking at me. Everybody was enjoying his witty narration. I laughed too and explained that I was really nervous about my interviews as it was the matter of my career.
The projector went on throwing a procession of snaps one after the other; snaps from our college days to our work life; from our work life to married life; from married life to family life. He had included numerous photos of Sejal’s too and Sejal clapped happily when she saw herself on the big screen.
The guests were making remarks while I fell into a trance as each photograph flashed past. An automated movie started to float in my head featuring all the old memories. I was chewing on them slowly, one by one to retrieve their full taste. I wondered how time had flown by so fast and yet everything still felt like they had happened just yesterday.
Everybody was admiring the way the photographs were shot and Rajat revealed the secret behind their beauty. He told our guests that most of them had been taken by me. I had picked up photography as a hobby after coming to Bangalore. I smiled shyly and excused myself. Then I hurriedly went towards the food table pretending to check on the arrangements. But I could hear people praising me.
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