…she kept watching outside from her window seat until the train left the platform. The last coach rolled away along with the fading sound of the engine whistle. He came out from behind a pillar of the platform shed. “Finally!” he thought to himself and sighed with relief. At the same instant, he felt a sharp pang deep within. He glanced at his platform ticket, smiled wearily, and got himself blended with the crowd of just arrived travellers hurrying towards the station exit.
Many hours elapsed before she could realise that she was lost in thoughts for so long. The light outside the train windows went on dimming slowly till it almost became dark. “Priya, it’s not over yet – it’s just a tiny break (just like she used to request a ‘time-please’ while playing as a kid). But… is it so simple, though?” this dialogue in her head wasn’t helpful but it kept on playing in a loop. Exhausted by the distance – treaded more mentally than physically, she dozed off.
Raghav was rolling on his bed from one side to other side. Sleep had somehow bade him goodbye. He was thinking of Priya. He regretted his decision not to even see her off. He had feared that that would have made her weaker. He wanted Priya to take a call without any influence but her independent will. “What if she never returns to him?”, he shivered at the thought. Not that he didn’t believe in the strength of their love for each other; however because of the respect for her sense of judgement, he would never cajole her to like his point of view. Nevertheless he wished that she should come back.
When she woke up the next morning, sun had risen already. She prayed as always and looked outside. The train was passing by a small hillock. Few leafless trees ran away backward. She decided to turn away from the window, when she saw it… The gulmohar tree – with its flamboyant display of its flame-red, orange flowers and lush green foliage. She knew well that the tree gets these ornaments in spring and summer only. Raghav liked to watch this colourful celebration of nature while Priya liked to listen melodious voices of songbirds in every summer. A thought crossed her mind. She was thinking about him. She missed him every moment. She took out her professional camera and clicked a few pictures of the blooming gulmohar.
An exhibition of all snaps taken by the competition participants was organised on the day of Priya’s arrival at the venue. The prestigious awards for the best photography were going to be presented on the next day evening. On the awards night, sitting in the third row, Priya was lost in thoughts. She wasn’t sure but she had noticed something during the exhibition. Meanwhile, runners-up awards got announced. She had lost interest in the competition outcome somehow. The event anchor called her name again the third time when she realised that it was she who had won the competition. She moved towards the stage as if in a haze.
The jury awarded the trophy to Priya and shook her hand. There was a thunderous applause when her entry to the competition was displayed on the large LED screen that covered the entire stage width. The gulmohar filled up the entire screen with its glory of vibrant colours. All the guests were stunned by the beauty of the nature and the skill of the photographer. But, her eyes were searching for someone. The another pair of eyes met with hers in a flash. There he was – Raghav. Standing in the corner of the last row of guests, with a beaming smile. She waved inviting him to join on the stage but he gestured that it was her moment and that he would share the joy just by being one of the fans of her art.
She knew that he was as proud of her as he was when they had first met in a similar exhibition many years earlier. And also that although there were rough patches in the journey of all those years, their relationship will always blossom back with the spring of love after an autumn of challenges. During their long walk post the ceremony, Priya whispered in Raghav’s ear, “You’ve submitted the snap of the songbird, right?” Raghav leaned over without replying and planted a gentle kiss on her cheek. She blushed – like the blossom of the Gulmohar.
iluvorchid 