Between You And Me

“True Faith is built in time through true effort, true Faith is true love...”

There is nothing that lasts forever, not friendship, or love...some say that friendship is love and some say that love is the only feeling worth its while on this planet, many don’t care enough to have an opinion. Kamli had been silent for a very long time about many things but what surprised Rehan was what followed on a Sunday morning;

“Rehan, have you given my number to anyone I don’t know?”

“No, Kamli...I haven’t!”

“Well, I received a call last night and it was about us, about you and me Rehan...”

“What about us?”

“The voice on the phone was strange, it was a voice with an accent, though I cannot quite place the accent, probably the South.”

“Well go on, what did he say?”

“He asked me how long I have known you and whether I trusted you.”

“What did you tell him?”

“I got angry but told him that I’ve known you since childhood.”

“Well, college!”

“That’s childhood!”

“What did he say then?”

“He said that you were not to be trusted because you were not a true Hindu; that I was Jain, that you have a Guru who was not everything that you say he was.”

“Did you tell him to buzz off then?”

“I did, but I also told him that I revere your Guru as much as you do, Arihant. I knew he meant our Sankardev...ummm Xonkor Guru.”

“Why you surprise me! Thank you, Kamli...”

“No, Rehan I have seen the work and words of your Guru and however much I am told against him, I have faith in him, his humane side, and his teachings. Why they are exactly like many things we are taught.”

“Yes, and then...what did he say?”

“He said that I am a Jain and that I shouldn’t believe in other religions.”

“What was your answer?”

“My answer was that a man is true to his beliefs and that I had every reason to like, Nah I said to love your Guru.”

“Do you really?”

“Yes, from what I have heard you tell me, he has given a way of life to the village folk in our corner of the world. He has even taught fine art, poetry, drama...infact all of the arts, including the visual arts...”

“Kamli, you surprise me! I have nothing to say except that you are a wonderful person and I am glad to be your friend...”

“As am I”

By the way, how’s Madhuri?”

“That’s troubling me too, Rehan...I need your advice, do you think I should?”

“Should what?”

“Should go to her place, she has called me today.”

“Yes, you should! I think you should take it to the next level and it is time, Kamli...you should!”

“Thank you! Now, I will...’

“Just be careful, what time are you leaving?”

“At 12:00, will you accompany me?”

“No, I think this is your call Kamli, I think you should go alone...”

Little did Rehan realize that Kamli was apprehensive about going, that he was close to being scared, but Rehan knew in his heart that he had to let Kamli go on his own. He couldn’t be there for him always, someday Kamli would have to go and take decisions on his own; this was one time that he would have to let Kamli decide on his own. So that left Rehan alone with his thoughts for the evening, he wondered if should call Kanya and tell her that he was alone. He left that for later, thinking that Kanya would call when she could or when she was free. She did have a lot of work after all; she was a trainer and not just his trainer but hundreds of other students of hers...

Rehan thought about what Kamli had said about his Gurujona, he was pleased that Kamli saw Xonkorguru with the same eyes that Rehan did, that Kamli understood that a people without a way of life were a people that didn’t have a goal, didn’t have culture and from what Rehan had realized in his life, Xonkorguru was the epitome of a Guru who gave not just a way of life but everything that the people lacked...no wonder he had been called the ‘Sarvagunasamprata’ or the one with all the ‘gunas’, the ‘qualities’ of a man...he had all of them from strength to wisdom, from literature to art. He suddenly remembers the call Kamli had received...was it one of Rajen and his gang? He also remembered that Rajen had asked Ravi for their number, this would be the right time to call, he was alone and had time to kill. The phone was picked up at the fifth ring...

“Hello?”

“Rajen?”

“Yes”

“Rajen, it’s Arihant...”

“Arihant, from that night in D Club...remember?”

“Ahhh yes, I do! Good, you called up, I was going to call you, and good you did. You and your friend are brave and what he said that night is true, it is necessary to understand people, before judging them. How have the two of you been?”

“We are alright...how have you been?”

“We are good too...I wanted to call you for some news. There was a person who was asking about the two of you. Where you lived, where you came from, why you are here. I don’t know that person, but he speaks chaste Kannada. He seemed really interested in you.”

“Well, that’s surprising, what did you tell him?”

“Nothing! I said I hardly knew you...”

‘Thank you, Rajen...we shouldn’t let strangers get too curious.”

“Yes, I think the same...there is one thing though...he had a mark on his forehead, a tilak of Chandan.”

“So he was a religious man...”

“I don’t know, but Arihant, be careful and tell Kamlesh to be careful too...”

“Thank you, Rajen...I never thought that you’d take us as friends after that night. Well, I was wrong.”

“Actually, when I hear you speak, I realized that like us, you were the same. Just from different places, but the same. Also, the two of you are brave. We were eight boys and you were just two, but you were not scared that night. That earned our respect!”

“Thank you! Let’s meet one of these days...”

“Yes, soon...whenever you are free”

“Good day to you, Rajen.”

“Good day to you too...”

That left Arihant with his thoughts again...

He thought of how he had met Kamli, it was those street dogs. Strange, that two people would be so connected by an incident where if you were friendly with a dog, you earned a lifelong friend. Then he remembered another thing he’d read in the Gita, that God is present in every soul, whether man or animal, that when we treat the soul in front of us, whether it is a friend or an enemy, as the realization of that supreme, of God, we actually communicate. Ah! Difficult to do that but there was a lot of truth in that. He felt that at that moment and he wondered whether he could see God in everyone. It was difficult but it was possible, so said the book and he realized that there was truth in everything that the book promised. He remembered the times when Kamli and he had come with hope in their hearts and dreams in their eyes to Bangalore, to search for a utopia, well things had happened after that at a pace he couldn’t quite believe. Getting jobs in the same company, their training, meeting Kanya and Madhuri, wait...Kanya usually called at least once a day, today she hadn’t... As the phone rang, Arihant wondered if she would pick up. She did.

“Hi!”

“Hi! Rehan...I was wondering if you would call...I was waiting but I just didn’t know whether you would...”

“Hey...you could give me a call!”

“I could but I thought you would be busy...”

“Kanya, I missed you...”

“I missed you too...”

“That makes two of us. I am alone now; Kamli’s gone to meet Madhuri.”

“Ah! They are sure going fast, the two of them...”

“Yes, lucky them...”

“Why? Do you mean to say we are unlucky? Remember the auto...?” There was a taunt in Kanya’s voice and when Rehan heard that voice which sounded throaty and thick, lustful was the word. Rehan remembered their auto ride, he was at once feeling romance, in himself and in the air.

“Well...so you are alone at home...”

“Yes”

“Well...”

“What?”

“You are dumber than you look...”

“Am I, I thought you liked how I look. I definitely remember you telling me that you liked the way I looked.”

“You are one thick one, aren’t you?”

“If you say so...”

“Rehan, describe your room...”

“Ok...I am sleeping on the bed which is in the central room. There are three rooms, a large one which is the central room, a bedroom in the side adjacent to the entrance, a kitchen, and a bathroom. Our place is called the M. Narayana mansion. In my room, there are two bean bags in which we let off steam. In other words, we relax. We have a black and white TV in this room...well, that’s about all...

“Hmm, sounds interesting, this place of yours...in fact, I would love to pay you a visit and actually see it myself.”

“Yes, I would like to have you around someday...”

“Well?”

“Yes, and Kanya what have you been doing?”

“Strange that you mention it Rehan, but today a very strange thing happened...”

“What?”

“I received a call from someone...have you given my number to anyone?”

“No!”

“Yes, I give it to everyone who is a student, so anyone could have procured it.”

“Hah!”

“This is no laughing matter, Rehan.”

“No...I...I liked the way you said, procure...that word.”

“Yes, I was telling you about this call I received...it was a man, he wanted to know about you. Well, I told him I know you and then he asked me a very strange question.”

“What did he ask you?”

“He asked me if I know of a Guru whom you speak about and whether I have heard of Sankardev.”

“That is strange! Interestingly, Kamli and Rajen were asked the same question by a man who called them and he spoke in pristine Kannada with Rajen.”

“Who is Rajen?”

“Remember that night in D Club, those boys who’d threatened us...their leader was Rajen.”

“Ah! Yes, I remember...”

“Yes, he was asked about my Guru too...what else did he say?”

“He told me that I was a Brahma Kumari and that I shouldn’t listen to talk about other Gurus and that I should be careful. Rehan, you don’t know people here, there are dangerous people around, you should be careful. Well, I told him that from what I have heard, Sankardev was a wonderful Guru and slammed down the phone.”

“Yes, we should be careful.”

“By the way, has Kamli reached Madhuri’s place? I wonder what the two of the love birds are upto? Hehehe...”

“Yes...haha...they must be cooing away. I wonder though if he has reached because Kamli has not called me to say that he has reached. I wonder if I should call him...Kanya, I’ll call you back...I am gonna call Kamli!”

“Yes, you should!”

When Arihant called Kamli, he wondered if he should disturb the two lovebirds, but prudence told him he should, so he did. The phone rang but what happened next put a chill through Rehan’s spine...No one picked up. It kept ringing and Kamli would know that Arihant was worried, so he would have picked up if he could. Then he remembered that Kamli was with Madhuri, so he couldn’t pick up probably because...Rehan smiled at his thoughts. Just then he remembered the horrendous mistake he had made...He was THICK in his head like Kanya had said. She’d told him that she wanted to see his place on a day when he was alone. It was her telling him that she wanted to...he was stupid! He took his phone and called Kanya’s number...he hoped she had not changed her mind. He also hoped that she would stick to her offer of coming over...

The phone rang but she had changed her caller tune...it was a song he loved;

“Everything I do...I do it for you...”—Bryan Adams...

(c) Arunav Barua (arunav_barua@yahoo.com)

North Guwahati, Assam

Also Read: Influence of the Bhagavad Gita on Prominent Revolutionary Leaders