This was probably one story which is very close to my heart because it is completely based on a real-life incident. Tej Babu's story was waiting to be told out to the outside world, and I had to do it, as I felt it wasn't the kind of story which needed to lie in the cans. It was a story honest to my heart, and caused a ripple in me, and so I thought it should come up here. I hope you liked it, I know it's kinda slow but I couldn't quite help it, as I wanted the product to be unadulterated. Thanks Shre for Tej Babu's storyline! :)
Will write soon again,
Chappli
Sunday, 30 January 2011
Chapter 9
Tej Babu opened his eyes. He was in a hospital bed, and had a terrible head-ache. He couldn't get himself to get up. Also his body ached in parts, and in turns. He turned at the digital clock which was hung up in the hospital. He realized now that it had been two months. He hadn't got any idea of where or what he was for two months.
Two months of coma, and following that his health conditions were terribly bad, and so Tej Babu could not continue with his education. He went home with his parents, where he lived on bed rest and occasional tuitions for the kids in the neighbourhood. He was a very popular guy in the area earlier, and now that he was back home, the kids used to spend a lot of time with him. His parents shed a lot of tears over the fact that they couldn't let him get on with life and get going great at his education and the umpteen extra curricular activities in which he was once a star, thanks to the screwed up health conditions he now possessed, but there was nothing in his life, nothing except the regular sleep-eat-sleep run of the mill routine!
Tej Babu didn't know where Pragati was. She had left him for good. She had quit IIT Madras even before he did, and none of her friends also had any idea of where she was going or what she was going to do. Tej Babu lived on with the guilt of almost having spoilt her life and with the great grief of having lost the love of his life to circumstances.
I didn't meet Tej Babu after that. The life of Tej Babu might have gone haywire, but I feel I had a great deal of responsibility in all this. If I had not kindled in the fire in that twelve year old, that innocent twelve year old, he wouldn't have transformed into someone who wanted to always get cooler than he presently was, and in some sense, it wouldn't have destroyed the innocence that lived within him. I feel responsible for his life, and all I can do today is look at him, and feel sad for him, for he was once a noob, and I made him lose it all!
Two months of coma, and following that his health conditions were terribly bad, and so Tej Babu could not continue with his education. He went home with his parents, where he lived on bed rest and occasional tuitions for the kids in the neighbourhood. He was a very popular guy in the area earlier, and now that he was back home, the kids used to spend a lot of time with him. His parents shed a lot of tears over the fact that they couldn't let him get on with life and get going great at his education and the umpteen extra curricular activities in which he was once a star, thanks to the screwed up health conditions he now possessed, but there was nothing in his life, nothing except the regular sleep-eat-sleep run of the mill routine!
Tej Babu didn't know where Pragati was. She had left him for good. She had quit IIT Madras even before he did, and none of her friends also had any idea of where she was going or what she was going to do. Tej Babu lived on with the guilt of almost having spoilt her life and with the great grief of having lost the love of his life to circumstances.
I didn't meet Tej Babu after that. The life of Tej Babu might have gone haywire, but I feel I had a great deal of responsibility in all this. If I had not kindled in the fire in that twelve year old, that innocent twelve year old, he wouldn't have transformed into someone who wanted to always get cooler than he presently was, and in some sense, it wouldn't have destroyed the innocence that lived within him. I feel responsible for his life, and all I can do today is look at him, and feel sad for him, for he was once a noob, and I made him lose it all!
Saturday, 29 January 2011
Chapter 8
He kept the phone down and walked to the parapet wall. The face had an expression of shock and bewilderment. He couldn't believe all that had just happened. He was in a state of shock. He asked his roommate to fetch him a glass of water. As soon as he had gone to fetch the glass of water, he fainted and fell down to the ground!
All of us in the hostel, rushed him to the hospital. The procedure took quite a while to admit him in, but he was still in the fainted condition. We were getting worried with every passing moment. Sprinkling water hadn't worked, neither had feeding anything into his mouth worked.
When we finally got him in, they started feeding him drips through the hand. But the bloody guy's eyes did not seem to open at all!
After another fifteen minutes, we decided to enquire the doctor about his state. The doctor, a man with a well-built frame and an extremely serious look, made a gesture which said god help us! We pushed him more to give us information about what exactly was wrong with him.
It was then, he threw the bomb! Tej Babu was in a coma! A god-damned coma! I wonder how one could be pushed into coma for such a small shock! But I guess Tej Babu was always that, trying to be something far more huge than what his feeble self could sustain.
The doctor had news to add to our shock, Tej Babu had suffered his first anxiety attack when he fainted, and following that the night had seen Tej Babu suffering three more anxiety attacks amidst his coma, and the last of the attacks had brought with it a heart attack. The guy was in an extremely serious state, and we were all left hoping he survived. Ironically, Pragati didn't respond to any of our calls. Though we couldn't speculate as to why she wasn't responding, one thing was for sure, she was never respond hence!
All of us in the hostel, rushed him to the hospital. The procedure took quite a while to admit him in, but he was still in the fainted condition. We were getting worried with every passing moment. Sprinkling water hadn't worked, neither had feeding anything into his mouth worked.
When we finally got him in, they started feeding him drips through the hand. But the bloody guy's eyes did not seem to open at all!
After another fifteen minutes, we decided to enquire the doctor about his state. The doctor, a man with a well-built frame and an extremely serious look, made a gesture which said god help us! We pushed him more to give us information about what exactly was wrong with him.
It was then, he threw the bomb! Tej Babu was in a coma! A god-damned coma! I wonder how one could be pushed into coma for such a small shock! But I guess Tej Babu was always that, trying to be something far more huge than what his feeble self could sustain.
The doctor had news to add to our shock, Tej Babu had suffered his first anxiety attack when he fainted, and following that the night had seen Tej Babu suffering three more anxiety attacks amidst his coma, and the last of the attacks had brought with it a heart attack. The guy was in an extremely serious state, and we were all left hoping he survived. Ironically, Pragati didn't respond to any of our calls. Though we couldn't speculate as to why she wasn't responding, one thing was for sure, she was never respond hence!
Chapter 7
She frantically searched for her mobile phone, and was not able to find it. She then realized that she had left it at home. She rushed home. All the way through, she found herself being trounced upon by Aarathi for her carelessness. She was really really scared, and didn't know how she was going to handle this thing. Abortion would be the most realistic approach from here on, but how will she do it without everyone getting to know! They very thought unsettled her, and she wanted to speak to Tej Babu immediately.
She reached home and looked up her cellphone. There were three missed calls, all from Tej Babu. She dialled back his number, and as the call was being set up, her mobile screen went blank. Damn the charger she thought, and rushed to dial his number from the landline phone.
"Hello"
"Hey Teju!"
"Hello Prag, how are you? Is everything alright? Why haven't you picked your phone from the morning? I got very worried!"
"There is a problem out here Teju, I'm extremely worried and am not sure if I'll be able to handle this. I need you Teju, I need you now, please come somewhere near my place I need to meet you!"
"Don worry dear, I'll come right away. What's wrong? Is it very serious?"
"Yes Teju, extremely serious, so please be here! I'm too worried right now!"
"Ok, but atleast tell me what the matter is!"
"Ok, I don't know how it got this serious, but I'm pregnant!"
There was silence on the phone line for the next couple of minutes. Then, he broke the silence
"Come Prag, let's settle this out!"
But the voice which he heard on response was not hers.
"No Mr.Tej, we need to talk to our daughter now, get lost before we find you!"
She reached home and looked up her cellphone. There were three missed calls, all from Tej Babu. She dialled back his number, and as the call was being set up, her mobile screen went blank. Damn the charger she thought, and rushed to dial his number from the landline phone.
"Hello"
"Hey Teju!"
"Hello Prag, how are you? Is everything alright? Why haven't you picked your phone from the morning? I got very worried!"
"There is a problem out here Teju, I'm extremely worried and am not sure if I'll be able to handle this. I need you Teju, I need you now, please come somewhere near my place I need to meet you!"
"Don worry dear, I'll come right away. What's wrong? Is it very serious?"
"Yes Teju, extremely serious, so please be here! I'm too worried right now!"
"Ok, but atleast tell me what the matter is!"
"Ok, I don't know how it got this serious, but I'm pregnant!"
There was silence on the phone line for the next couple of minutes. Then, he broke the silence
"Come Prag, let's settle this out!"
But the voice which he heard on response was not hers.
"No Mr.Tej, we need to talk to our daughter now, get lost before we find you!"
Chapter 6
A few weeks after the incident, they weren't quite the same anymore. Tej Babu was not quite the guy who found having sex cool. Neither was Pragati. They were the people with the cleanest of habits, both of them knew that much, but this was something they considered forbidden all the while. Considering both of them had decent upbringings, in spite of all their misgivings, sex was definitely one step above the ladder. Pragati was extremely disgusted with what she had done. Tej Babu was guilty. He felt completely amoral, he felt he had given his family, friends, and above all, his own character a kick to eternity! What they had done was an act of passion, desire sprouting in a time when they couldn't quite gather their senses, they were probably too drunk, but in any state of mind, they couldn't accept their act.
Days and nights were spent lonelier than usual. They didn't try to talk much as they wanted some time to regroup their thoughts. But they couldn't live this way for too long, as though the actions pulled them apart, their thoughts pulled them together. They were soon back to spending time together more than usual, freaking out, and the campus could see the lovebirds chirping about again. Though the intensity and carefree attitude of Tej Babu's face was lost, they were still together, and that's all that mattered!
When everything seemed to be going well, Pragati one day, felt extremely nauseated and also felt her head spinning. Immediately worried, she called along her friend Aarathi, and went to the nearest lab for a complete check up. While looking at the results of the urine test, the doctor confirmed to her, that she had conceived, and suddenly it seemed like everything was wrong again! She rushed out to the nearest phone to call Tej Babu.
Days and nights were spent lonelier than usual. They didn't try to talk much as they wanted some time to regroup their thoughts. But they couldn't live this way for too long, as though the actions pulled them apart, their thoughts pulled them together. They were soon back to spending time together more than usual, freaking out, and the campus could see the lovebirds chirping about again. Though the intensity and carefree attitude of Tej Babu's face was lost, they were still together, and that's all that mattered!
When everything seemed to be going well, Pragati one day, felt extremely nauseated and also felt her head spinning. Immediately worried, she called along her friend Aarathi, and went to the nearest lab for a complete check up. While looking at the results of the urine test, the doctor confirmed to her, that she had conceived, and suddenly it seemed like everything was wrong again! She rushed out to the nearest phone to call Tej Babu.
Chapter 5
They were talking over a bottle of wine.
"The first time we met, you had me stuck at idiot!"
She laughed, "Well, it was this idiot who lead you to all the future successes, didn't she?", as she sipped a bit more of the drink.
"Yes baby, else I'd not have got this idiot all for myself!" He poured out more onto his glass again.
"Lets make an extremely romantic play next!"
"For what?? To get on stage and give the audience a pulse of how we talk in private?"
"Well, we do that now anyways!" she laughed.
"Oh come on, we don't do it all onstage do we?" he quipped
"No we don't", she said as she leaned onto him and they kissed hard.
She pulled back and said, "Your drunk, you idiot!"
He quipped back, "Like your not!"
The conversation was pointless and went on, till they both got to where they wanted to!
The bottles were done away with, and it was just a congregation of bodies now! A little bit of teasing, and some pain later, they were left contemplating if what they'd done was the right thing! But they both knew one thing for sure, that each one had to be made for the other, and they would not let it go anyway else! But fate had different plans.
"The first time we met, you had me stuck at idiot!"
She laughed, "Well, it was this idiot who lead you to all the future successes, didn't she?", as she sipped a bit more of the drink.
"Yes baby, else I'd not have got this idiot all for myself!" He poured out more onto his glass again.
"Lets make an extremely romantic play next!"
"For what?? To get on stage and give the audience a pulse of how we talk in private?"
"Well, we do that now anyways!" she laughed.
"Oh come on, we don't do it all onstage do we?" he quipped
"No we don't", she said as she leaned onto him and they kissed hard.
She pulled back and said, "Your drunk, you idiot!"
He quipped back, "Like your not!"
The conversation was pointless and went on, till they both got to where they wanted to!
The bottles were done away with, and it was just a congregation of bodies now! A little bit of teasing, and some pain later, they were left contemplating if what they'd done was the right thing! But they both knew one thing for sure, that each one had to be made for the other, and they would not let it go anyway else! But fate had different plans.
Chapter 4
"You had me at hello"
"That's unfair, it's from Jerry Maguire."
"But that's the truth! I'm spellbound, and I will be forever too!"
*She cries*
*He consoles her*
"I love you!"
"I know, me too!"
*He smiles, and vanishes*
A couple of hours later, the auditorium was shaking with the thunderous applause of the audience. Tej Babu's tragic romance drama about the time-travelling lovers had drawn huge audiences, never seen of before in IITM's history!
Though his gut feeling had been to drop Pragati, he had decided to go on with taking her in, and how well it had worked! Four months, four dramas, all of them running to jam packed auditoriums, and he had become a sensation. The entirity of the outside world know that behind the success of this Tej Babu, lay the acting genius of Pragati! Well, she was clearly the best actor on stage, to the extent that Tej Babu had begun giving himself lesser soliloquies and passed them all on to Pragati. Their team had begun working, and as much as Tej Babu worked backstage for the success, it was replicated in the form of his acting soulmate, Pragati. Especially the chemistry between the two was hailed as the main driving force behind the roaring successes, and they didn't seem to deny it either! They were happy together, extremely, and had within a period of 3 months of meeting, become a couple! Each of them was extremely irresistible to the other, and as the rest of the institute speculated, it was hardly a matter of time before the two of them came together!
"That's unfair, it's from Jerry Maguire."
"But that's the truth! I'm spellbound, and I will be forever too!"
*She cries*
*He consoles her*
"I love you!"
"I know, me too!"
*He smiles, and vanishes*
A couple of hours later, the auditorium was shaking with the thunderous applause of the audience. Tej Babu's tragic romance drama about the time-travelling lovers had drawn huge audiences, never seen of before in IITM's history!
Though his gut feeling had been to drop Pragati, he had decided to go on with taking her in, and how well it had worked! Four months, four dramas, all of them running to jam packed auditoriums, and he had become a sensation. The entirity of the outside world know that behind the success of this Tej Babu, lay the acting genius of Pragati! Well, she was clearly the best actor on stage, to the extent that Tej Babu had begun giving himself lesser soliloquies and passed them all on to Pragati. Their team had begun working, and as much as Tej Babu worked backstage for the success, it was replicated in the form of his acting soulmate, Pragati. Especially the chemistry between the two was hailed as the main driving force behind the roaring successes, and they didn't seem to deny it either! They were happy together, extremely, and had within a period of 3 months of meeting, become a couple! Each of them was extremely irresistible to the other, and as the rest of the institute speculated, it was hardly a matter of time before the two of them came together!
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