Friday, February 16, 2007

Fifth Goodbye

2 degree temperature outside, winter rains, designs on the inside of the cars window pane against the fog, water droplets on the outside slipping down to the rim, a reunion with friends, a very long hug, tears in the eyes to say how much we missed each other , laughing and catching up with friends in TGIF, fighting over who pays the bill, hogging like there is no weighing machine, prayer inside the heart to stop the rains, morning fog, cold winds, a hot cup of coffee in Costa Coffee with a friend, looking at the capital city from the roof top of the India’s best institute IIT and watching the sun go down, looking down at students who would tomorrow list in the most powerful people in world laughing together, never ending conversations, crisp fresh cold air filling the lungs, shopping in the narrow lanes of Lajpat Nagar like mad then searching for an ATM to fill our pockets again, preparing for dance till late in the night and then getting up early with half sleepy eyes, never ending celebrations, never ending energy to get ready, never ending smiles on the faces of all who were there to celebrate, a broken sandal and a big favor from a friend who took me to shoppers stop on a short notice to get a brand new one, a big family huddled in a room in the night popping champagne and enjoying the last days with the bride and a goodbye to Aarti with prayer in heart to keep her happy in her new life.

These are some of the moments that I have captured in my heart like black and white snaps capture the silent moments of life. Each of these moments I wished I could hold on to a little longer. I was with her and her family for 4 days and I fell in love with her family as if it was my own. I feel in love with Delhi even though it was wet and cold. I feel in love with life again because no matter how cold n hard it becomes, it’s still beautiful.

Arti weds Anuj. Marriages make us realize how important family is in our lives, marriages makes us realize how important it is to move on in life. The smile on Aarti’s face told me how much she loves Anuj. A single look of Anuj towards Aarti said how eager he was to own her. The sound of laughter said how happy the family was. When I hugged Aarti to say goodbye, I didn’t want to let her go. I just wanted to hold on little longer. Well, Anuj on the other side didn’t look like he could wait any longer. That makes it fifth wedding of our group. A fifth goodbye and I still haven’t learned to control my tears while saying the last goodbye.