Sharada hummed as she walked down the street. A note jarred. She paused mid-stride and tried to get the right note, unsuccessfully. She shut her eyes to recollect how her music teacher had reached that note when someone crashed into her. Her eyes flew open and took in the young man who apologised profusely. Clearly, he had been looking at his phone when walking.
"Please watch where you are going," she snapped and walked on. Her thought flow was cut as she silently cursed the stupid people who could not take their eyes off their phones even when walking down busy streets.
Two days later, she was embarrassed as she caught herself committing the same crime. She could have sworn that the footpath ahead had been clear of all human occupation when she impatiently checked her phone to see if her friend had messaged about meeting her now. The next second, she had walked into someone. She looked up in shock and started apologising when she realised it was the guy from two days ago. He looked equally shocked, and then he chuckled. "Please watch where you are going," he said, using her words, adding to her mortification.
She moved away quickly, feeling stupid about dashing into the same guy she had been so high-handed about. To her horror, he walked into the same restaurant she had ducked into to avoid him. Mercifully, he was busy checking his phone and she pretended to do the same, covertly watching him. At one point their eyes met, and she realised that he had been doing the same!
Furious with her friend for being late, she waved the lingering waiter away and left the restaurant. Thankfully, the guy did not follow her out. But ironically, she ended up sharing the table with him that evening!
Her friend finally arrived 15 minutes later with her boyfriend. And the boyfriend brought them to this very restaurant to meet his friend, who happened to be the guy Sharada kept dashing into. "Meet Harish," he introduced the man. "My school buddy, now working in the same IT company I work for," he added.
Harish and Sharada pretended they had never met before - which was not entirely wrong either.
"Hi, I am Sharada..." she introduced herself. "My school buddy," her friend intervened with a grin.
"Apart from dashing into people, what else do you do?" Harish couldn't resist asking.
"Make people dash into me," she replied sweetly, and the two chuckled. Seeing the perplexed expression on their friends' faces, Harish and Sharada started explaining how they were not complete strangers. "We keep 'running' into each other," Sharada finished with air quotes to stress the word 'running'.
"So, what do you do?" Harish asked her.
"I am an aspiring singer..." she said and dimpled.
"Oh really! How wonderful..." he said and paused as they placed their order. Conversation turned to other matters and the evening flew without their realising the passage of time.
"So do you have a favourite raga?" he asked when the conversation flagged.
"Yes, Bhairavi..." she said.
"That's such a heavy raga! I myself like Mohanam," he countered and they were discussing ragas intensely. Their love for Carnatic music saw them attending concerts together, sometimes immersed in the divine music, sometimes debating the merits of the artist.
"When am I going to hear you sing?"
She chuckled but didn't respond.
Next week, she invited him to a nearby five star hotel. "I have reserved a table for us there in the restrobar..."
"Bar?" he asked, surprised. He had an occasional beer, but somehow he had never expected Sharada to drink. He couldn't decide how he felt about it. Some of his women colleagues drank, of course, but he had never thought his... What? What was Sharada to him? A friend... Someone who shared his interest in music. And yet...
"Be there by 7 sharp, okay?" she made him promise that he will be there on time.
He arrived at the restaurant on the dot. It was dark, but three lit candles adorned each of the dining tables. A waiter took his name and guided him to a table. Sharada was nowhere to be seen. So he took his phone out to call her when the waiter requested him to put it back. "Please keep it in silent mode for half an hour, sir..."
Harish was irritated. But before he could respond, a guitar string sprang to life and one corner of the room slowly brightened as colour lights came on. A divine voice hummed a note in a pleasing pitch and slowly music began to fill the room.
His eyes wanted to close and be transported to another world. But they remained wide open, shocked to see Sharada sitting on a bar stool in front of the mike, singing songs he had never heard, or thought she would know. The voice beckoned him to lands unknown, but her transformed appearance kept him transfixed.
At the end of the half hour, the roaring applause roused him. The lights came on. She stood up and bowed. A man walked forward and introduced her, "This is Sharada's debut performance. Please give her another round of applause for her confidence and self-assurance." Beaming, he turned to her and said, "You have made me proud." The two embraced. She bowed again and started walking towards Harish's table.
He was standing too, unable to reconcile the image of Sharada he had in his mind with this woman who walked towards him, pausing graciously to accept the wishes other diners showered on her.
When she reached him, her eyes sought his eagerly, but he felt unable to meet her eyes. "I didn't know this side of you," he said, avoiding looking at her.
She frowned. "This side of me? What do you mean by that?"
"That you sing in bars!" he muttered angrily under his breath.
She glanced around quickly, and seeing the man who introduce her walk up to them, she put on a smile. "Wonderful singing, Sharada..."
"Thank you, sir..." She looked at Harish and said, "Harish, this is my teacher, Mr Shankar. Sir, this is my friend..."
The two shook hands. Shankar again turned to Sharada and said, "Will see you tomorrow. I am sure you will rock in your next show too. The manager already requested you to perform here next week."
Harish waited grudgingly for Shankar to leave. He sat down, but became restless. "I am sorry, Sharada, I have to leave," he said and abruptly left the table, without any further explanations.
Click here for the concluding Part II
"Please watch where you are going," she snapped and walked on. Her thought flow was cut as she silently cursed the stupid people who could not take their eyes off their phones even when walking down busy streets.
Two days later, she was embarrassed as she caught herself committing the same crime. She could have sworn that the footpath ahead had been clear of all human occupation when she impatiently checked her phone to see if her friend had messaged about meeting her now. The next second, she had walked into someone. She looked up in shock and started apologising when she realised it was the guy from two days ago. He looked equally shocked, and then he chuckled. "Please watch where you are going," he said, using her words, adding to her mortification.
She moved away quickly, feeling stupid about dashing into the same guy she had been so high-handed about. To her horror, he walked into the same restaurant she had ducked into to avoid him. Mercifully, he was busy checking his phone and she pretended to do the same, covertly watching him. At one point their eyes met, and she realised that he had been doing the same!
Furious with her friend for being late, she waved the lingering waiter away and left the restaurant. Thankfully, the guy did not follow her out. But ironically, she ended up sharing the table with him that evening!
Her friend finally arrived 15 minutes later with her boyfriend. And the boyfriend brought them to this very restaurant to meet his friend, who happened to be the guy Sharada kept dashing into. "Meet Harish," he introduced the man. "My school buddy, now working in the same IT company I work for," he added.
Harish and Sharada pretended they had never met before - which was not entirely wrong either.
"Hi, I am Sharada..." she introduced herself. "My school buddy," her friend intervened with a grin.
"Apart from dashing into people, what else do you do?" Harish couldn't resist asking.
"Make people dash into me," she replied sweetly, and the two chuckled. Seeing the perplexed expression on their friends' faces, Harish and Sharada started explaining how they were not complete strangers. "We keep 'running' into each other," Sharada finished with air quotes to stress the word 'running'.
"So, what do you do?" Harish asked her.
"I am an aspiring singer..." she said and dimpled.
"Oh really! How wonderful..." he said and paused as they placed their order. Conversation turned to other matters and the evening flew without their realising the passage of time.
"So do you have a favourite raga?" he asked when the conversation flagged.
"Yes, Bhairavi..." she said.
"That's such a heavy raga! I myself like Mohanam," he countered and they were discussing ragas intensely. Their love for Carnatic music saw them attending concerts together, sometimes immersed in the divine music, sometimes debating the merits of the artist.
"When am I going to hear you sing?"
She chuckled but didn't respond.
Next week, she invited him to a nearby five star hotel. "I have reserved a table for us there in the restrobar..."
"Bar?" he asked, surprised. He had an occasional beer, but somehow he had never expected Sharada to drink. He couldn't decide how he felt about it. Some of his women colleagues drank, of course, but he had never thought his... What? What was Sharada to him? A friend... Someone who shared his interest in music. And yet...
"Be there by 7 sharp, okay?" she made him promise that he will be there on time.
Harish was irritated. But before he could respond, a guitar string sprang to life and one corner of the room slowly brightened as colour lights came on. A divine voice hummed a note in a pleasing pitch and slowly music began to fill the room.
His eyes wanted to close and be transported to another world. But they remained wide open, shocked to see Sharada sitting on a bar stool in front of the mike, singing songs he had never heard, or thought she would know. The voice beckoned him to lands unknown, but her transformed appearance kept him transfixed.
At the end of the half hour, the roaring applause roused him. The lights came on. She stood up and bowed. A man walked forward and introduced her, "This is Sharada's debut performance. Please give her another round of applause for her confidence and self-assurance." Beaming, he turned to her and said, "You have made me proud." The two embraced. She bowed again and started walking towards Harish's table.
He was standing too, unable to reconcile the image of Sharada he had in his mind with this woman who walked towards him, pausing graciously to accept the wishes other diners showered on her.
When she reached him, her eyes sought his eagerly, but he felt unable to meet her eyes. "I didn't know this side of you," he said, avoiding looking at her.
She frowned. "This side of me? What do you mean by that?"
"That you sing in bars!" he muttered angrily under his breath.
She glanced around quickly, and seeing the man who introduce her walk up to them, she put on a smile. "Wonderful singing, Sharada..."
"Thank you, sir..." She looked at Harish and said, "Harish, this is my teacher, Mr Shankar. Sir, this is my friend..."
The two shook hands. Shankar again turned to Sharada and said, "Will see you tomorrow. I am sure you will rock in your next show too. The manager already requested you to perform here next week."
Harish waited grudgingly for Shankar to leave. He sat down, but became restless. "I am sorry, Sharada, I have to leave," he said and abruptly left the table, without any further explanations.
Click here for the concluding Part II
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