“Shad”ruchi – The Six Tastes of Life
The word “Shad” has a deep rooted meaning in Sanskrit. It signifies that number 6. I have just come back from a trip to Andhra and trust me, I was fascinated with their culture and the way they celebrate their new year, Ugadi. They serve a traditional sweet known as the Pachadi and it is made up of six different flavors. So I thought, “Why not experiment with the six different flavors of life?” Life is as unpredictable as the weather sometimes..
For example, at times, people think life is too bitter to go on living and at the very next moment something pleasant makes life sweet all over again. Here’s a mix of all the six tastes of life for you to relish.
Sweet
People say the sweetest feeling in life is to fall in love, and for me she was the one. She made me realize that life is a beautiful journey to be traveled with joy. She was Madhu, and like a cliché, I called her “honey”.
We were friends from school and I still remember the first time we met. Our school bus had dropped us at the stand. I usually came home alone from the bus stop, but Madhu was always accompanied by her mom. However, that day she was alone and we were walking back together. I noticed her once, but then ignored her presence, as to me girls used to be very annoying creatures back then.
“Hey why you are walking towards my home?” Madhu asked with astonishment.
“That is where I live as well.” I replied in a tone trying to justify my action.
“Where?” She questioned back promptly.
“Towards the lake”, I remarked while carefully playing with the pebbles that I had in my hand.
“Which class are you in?” she interrogated again.
“4 B and you?”, I questioned back curtly.
“4 A”, she replied with a sense of pride, as if belonging to the section A made her exclusive.
We both kept walking silently towards our respective homes. I saw Madhu waving to her mother who was standing at the balcony of their two storied house.
“Bye, see you tomorrow”, saying this she left, and since then we started walking together for home every day.
Being with Madhu had become a habit for me. I still remember that very special day in my life. It was the first time my heart skipped a beat when I saw her, and I realized what being in love was. It was my friend Mohit’s birthday and we were both invited to the party. It was supposed to be a late night party as only few days ago we had completed the last lap of schooling and we had made the transition to adulthood since we were in college now.
“Don’t be late”, I told Madhu over the phone before hanging up.
“Okay, but you still didn’t tell me whether I should wear the red top or the black dress. I like both.” ,Madhu egged on.
“I don’t know. Stop boring me and I am telling you once more that I will not wait for you if you get late in choosing a dress. So, keep that in mind.” I told her rudely and hung up.
As expected, I found myself sitting on the comfortable sofa at Madhu’s house and waiting for her while aunty (her mother), made tea in the kitchen. “Hurry up Madhu. Gaurav is waiting for so long.”, she called out.
“Just one minute Gaurav”, Madhu screamed from behind the locked doors of her room.
My patience was being tested immensely as it was already 45 minutes since I had come to her house. Aunty could sense the expression of anger and disgust on my face, and banged on her pampered daughter’s door again. “One minute Ma”, Madhu screamed yet again, and we both exchanged the same helpless look. I took a magazine from the adjacent table and started flipping through the pages.
“I am ready. Let’s go.” Madhu came closer.
I turned back with irritation and was about to scream at her due to her ridiculous sense of time, but I could barely speak when I saw her. I couldn’t realize why that happened, but she was looking beautiful. The same girl who wore round spectacles, and tied her hair in a tight bun had transformed into a gorgeous young lady within a few hours. She was wearing a dark green salwaar paired with a white churidar and dupatta. Her caramel complexion was complemented the dress perfectly, and her bun was now a shoulder length hairdo. Those lovely eyes that were always hidden behind the glasses were now carefully lined with kajal and eyeliner, and that million dollar smile was ornamented with brown lip gloss. She was dressed in such a simple manner, and yet she was looking so elegant.
“WOW”, I exclaimed after a few minutes.
“Thanks, I took special care to show you that I am a college girl now”, Madhu blushed, and a faint smile played across her lips while she uttered those words.
I don’t know why my heart skipped a beat again when I considered the fact that she had taken all that effort to look so good just for me.
“Let’s go.” I said politely, like a gentleman, and Madhu rushed inside the kitchen to bid her mom goodbye.
I felt her coming close in the darkness of the cab
We took a cab as it was late. Inside the cab, I could feel that Madhu was getting closer to me. Her proximity made my heart beat faster, while her aroma made me feel kind of intoxicated. The cab started moving, and took the deserted short-cut route. I felt Madhu coming even closer, and the feeling of her body touching mine made me conscious and a tad uncomfortable. I looked at her, and realized that she was resting her head on my chest. I put my arm on her shoulder, and realized that it was more than just friendship that I feel for her now. However, I was worried thinking whether she felt the same way for me or not…
“Madhu” I somehow managed to utter her name as it was difficult for me to control my emotions.
She looked at me. Her sparkling eyes and glossy lips made me lose control as I held her face in my palms and kissed her. She didn’t retaliate, or protest. I knew it was love. She loved me too. We kissed a few times after that, and finally the cab stopped.
Madhu got down from the cab and stood on the side of the road while I paid the fare. I was still in a trance. I held her hand and wanted to kiss her again, but this time she protested. “Gaurav we are on the road.” Suddenly I came back to my senses. We went to Mohit’s party, but my eyes were set on her. The party was crowded with friends from tuitions, school, and coaching centers. I observed Madhu talking to some of her friends. She was looking like an angel, so innocent and beautiful that I kept staring at her.
- The party was fun and filled with friends from all over
“Hey Gaurav, can you please introduce me to Madhu?” a voice echoed from behind and my concentration lost focus. I turned and saw that it was Kunal, the self-proclaimed school stud. “She is my girl friend”, I said in a strong voice. “Okay, since when have you guys been dating?” Kunal seemed surprised. “Since we were in class 4. Now do you have any problem? I love Madhu from the first day I met her, which was eight years ago on my way back to school. Since then, I have loved her every single day and now the love’s just grown stronger.” I replied back to Kunal, but most probably my tone was loud enough for everyone to hear my dialogue. My eyes turned towards Madhu as she stood embarrassed at one corner of the room and her friends kept nudging her.
I came near her, and saw tears in her eyes. “I love you too.” She replied. “I love you since the first time you followed me to my home, the time you taught me economics, the time you hit on other girls, the time you came up to me depressed when they refused your proposal. I loved you during the times you held my hand, the times you patted my head, and the times you hid my glasses. I loved you every single day since I have known you, and I want to be with you forever.” Saying this she hugged me hard, and a loud roar of whistles and applause filled the party. Thanks to Mohit’s birthday party I realized that I loved this girl from the time that I had set eyes on her. Today, as we complete 3 years of our marriage, I wish to stay with her forever and continue to love her like never before. Seriously friends, there is no other feeling sweeter than love.
Keep a close watch to find out about the next flavor of life in store for you!
Tags: being in love, emotions love, fall in love, flavors of life, friendship love, Love, love forever, ugadi, ugadi pachadi
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