Salaamat rahe dostaana hamaara…

Happy Friendship Day!

As I looked aside, I found Aarthi standing in front of me. I couldn’t take off my eyes from her face and those bright eyes.

“Hey Ajay,” she said.

I was amazed to hear my name in her sweet voice. And I pleaded to God that she shouldn’t be there for any wrong reason. Immediately, it reminded me of my first crush, who threatened me to complain to the class teacher for staring at her in the class. Since it was in the tenth class and I was fairly good at studies then, I never dared to look at her again.

” Listen, we are arranging a talent session on Annual Day,” Aarthi said, “And we want you three also to participate in the session. Now don’t say that you don’t have any talent. We have heard you and Tarun singing after the sessions many times.”

“Oh!” I exclaimed with a smile.

“You both participate yaar, but please don’t drag me into it,” Veeru suggested.

“How come, you are exempted? If we have to sing, all three of us will sing together,” Tarun demanded.

“That’s what I am saying,” Aarthi pronounced, “In fact, Victoria is planning to do a fashion show also.”

“What fashion show, Victoria’s Secret?” I made a blunder. “Oops, I mean, sorry.”

“You are very naughty, Ajay. Anyways, reserve those secret talents for the Annual Day, bye!” She waved her hand at me and I was elated in seventh heaven.

“Can’t you control your tongue a bit?” Veeru yelled.

“Leave it, Veeru. It happens, but you see, she didn’t mind it,” I clarified.

“That means she is also your admirer,” Tarun revealed another secret.

“Uff! I just hope she is,” I expressed.

And the dream came true within the next few days. Aarthi was waving her hand at me, when Veeru, Tarun, and I were practicing— ‘Bane chahe dushman jamaana hamara’ song from the old movie— Dostana.

“Hi, I hope you were calling me,” I said hesitantly.

“No, I have a habit of waving hands at the wall,” she giggled, as others looked at me.

“Of course, I was calling you. See, we have another friendship song in Tamil, but we want it to be multilingual,” she said, “So, I need your help, I mean, I want you to sing with us.”

I couldn’t deny her request, especially when she spoke in her sweet voice, it made me content.

“But I can’t sing in Tamil,” I tried to be modest.

“I know that duffer. Sorry, I mean Ajay. But the song is in Hindi and Tamil. And you have to sing only the Hindi part.”

“Oh! Which song is that?”

“Come with me. You will come to know.”

And Aarthi took me to another classroom, where there were a couple of trainees practicing the song, ‘Mustafa Mustafa.’

“Guys, we have got our man. He knows the song in Hindi.”

“Yay!” shouted Gopala and Punitha in ecstasy.

“What yaar Aarthi, I don’t remember the full lyrics of this song,” I complained.

“I have got the Hindi lyrics for you dear,” she responded and pulled me towards her, holding the microphone in her other hand. That moment I felt like becoming the serial kisser, Emran Hashmi but I had to control my emotions.

Immediately, four of us from the group started practicing on the karaoke, while Tarun and Veeru watched me dancing to Aarthi’s tunes.

On the Annual Day, our song ‘Mustafa Mustafa’ became a great hit. The following Sunday was Friendship Day and the thought of tying a friendship band on Aarthi’s delicate wrist took me on cloud nine.

After the song, everyone including Devika and ASK Vijayan clapped for us. I could sense special affection for me in Aarthi’s eyes.

The last performance was the same gender friendship song from Dostana. The moment Veeru, Tarun and I got together on the dais, there was a huge applause, and the tempo of the song— Bane chahe dushman jamaana hamara lifted the audience’s spirits.

Aarthi was the first one to congratulate us. And I was the last amongst the three to shake hands with her. It was like, I- don’t- want- to- leave- this- hand- ever- feeling and it felt probably to her as well.

Suddenly ASKV patted on Tarun’s back and roared, “Good show, guys!”

“Thank you, sir for giving us a chance,” Tarun replied with a feeling of gratefulness.

“Ajay, I must appreciate your chemistry with Aarthi. Is she your girlfriend?” ASKV quipped.

“Sir?” I asked in a panic.

“No. I don’t have any issues. You and Aarthi share a really good rapport. Keep the same passion for work as well. All the best,” he congratulated and left me in a state of shock.

Before I could overcome this shock, Aarthi was in front of me.

“Ajay, I want to talk to you,” she said.

“Yeah, please,” I said.

“Not here.”

“Then?”

“Come outside.”

“Ok,” I followed her and we went to the cafeteria.

“Who told sir, that I am your girlfriend?” she asked.

“I didn’t do it. In fact, I am also wondering,” I said.

“See Ajay, if you think you have impressed me and now you can tell people that I am your GF, then you are mistaken. I am from a very conservative Tamil Brahmin family. And my family doesn’t like North Indian guys for the same reason for what you are doing right now,” she warned.

“But. I haven’t done anything.”

Before I could explain, she interrupted, “I don’t want to listen to any excuses. Please don’t spread any rumors.”

She almost screamed and I couldn’t find any words to react to.

“What the fuck!” Before I could say anything more, Aarthi had vanished.

“How come ASKV Sir came to know that she is NOT your girlfriend?” Veeru asked.

“Veeru, now please you don’t start off,” I rebuked.

“Leave it guys, forget Aarthi, forget that Victoria, let’s have drinks and celebrate the day,” Tarun suggested and I agreed to him in despair. In the evening, we occupied the couch at a bar near our office.

That was the first time, I had a drink in Chennai. The three large pegs of Teacher’s taught me to forget my pain of losing a potential girlfriend. And after getting drunk, we couldn’t stop humming the song ‘Bane chahe dushman jamaana hamara, salaamat rahe dostaana hamaara’ on our way back to our hotel.

-          Excerpt from the upcoming book by Atul R Thakare, Affairs @ Corporate