28

We were at the crossroads in our relationship. Karishma and I liked each other a lot and for sure we wanted to spend our lives together. But there was something stopping us from going ahead, and it was the attitude of Karishma’s parents towards our relationship. We didn’t know what the next step was. Karishma told me often that many people go through this phase in life. You meet people, you like them and then you need to take a decision. At such times, one has two choices, either walk away or walk the path. Walking away may bring short term peace but your heart will always grieve that the path created by love was not walked upon. And walking the path may have short term problems but at least the heart would be happy that love was given a chance to prosper.

It wasn’t an easy decision to make, we were scared, we both fighting the temptations of falling further in love.

Karishma wanted to get married, eventually. We met against the commandments at our favourite joint, the India Tea House at Churchgate. Reshma arranged the meeting smartly with a promise that it would be only one meeting and that too for half an hour. It was a day when it seems she had made up her mind. I smiled and told her ‘Karishma, you look beautiful as always.

She said, “Thanks. Arjun, where do we go from here? What’s the future of our relationship? Don’t you think we are making a mistake getting involved further?’’

I replied, “There is only one way ahead. It’s difficult to find true love in this world and when we find it, we should not let it go, we should cherish it.”

“What would people think; what would society think about this relationship? Our parents would never approve this relationship.” Karishma’s concerns were valid.

I tried to reason with her, “Karishma, the society makes rules for people and people make the society. Otherwise there would be chaos in the world with unhappiness and betrayal. The society judges but who judges the society.”

Karishma replied, “That’s true, but who judges whether the rules made by the society are just. Who are a few people to decide how the billions should live.”

“Exactly, and therefore you find that in every generation some people rise in revolution defying the rules. If you look back at history, it are these people who are remembered, Romeo and Juliet, Laila and Majnu, Nelson Mandela, Mahatma Gandhi, Galileo, Leonardo da Vinci, the list goes on. These people defied rules and were immortalised in history. No one remembers the people who made the rules which these great people had defied.”

“Good philosophy Mr Philosopher, get practical now. Whats you point?”

“May be our love is being justified by this argument. May be we are justified in breaking the rules. May be we are justified in loving each other. Let’s break the rules and be with each other.”

“You think it will work out na honey?” Karishma was still at crossroads.

“Listen to some more philosophy. Everyone gets just one life which is very short. For two like people, of two opposite sex, to meet, at the same place, same time and with the same mindset is a miracle. It is very easy for bodies to meet, but it is very rare for souls to meet. When fate creates magic, magic will happen. And in this case magic is love. Once love happens, is it right to stall the path? When fate conspires to bring lovers together, who is anyone to stop them?”

“You make sense,” Karishma pondered.

“I always do,” I quipped.

“So is it right to hurt parents to for our selfish love? What’s right and what’s wrong?”

“If you were to take a poll of hundred people whether we are right and wrong, I am sure ninety-five would come back with a positive answer.”

We were at life’s crossroads. And the question of right and wrong was hanging on our heads. This question had to be answered, as we were going crazy with the constant debate in mind. We had to settle the issue. But for now, Karishma seemed to agree with my justification.

We knew we were not committing a sin, and even if we were, we decided to commit it and live with each other.