Book Affair !!!

A few days before, when I was about to pack my bag before stepping out of my workplace (or work corner!) in my office, my colleagues asked me, a funny question,...“why ?....so early today..?

I told them that “it is 7 ‘o’ clock now and someone is waiting for me in my residence.” Then came their curious and quick “whoisit?!!!.” Just to add some more fun into the evening-chat I told them that “my beloved is waiting at my residence and I am so eager to meet her.” But by hearing this my friends had become more curious! They decided to accompany me to my house, to see by “beloved.”

While driving me to my “beloved” one of my colleagues asked “Is she a south Indian?” The other colleague wanted to know whether she is working some where or studying.

We cannot impose “south Indian tag to any; she is now living here as a Delhite,” I answered, adding more flavour to the car-chat.

At my door step, seeing that the door is closed, my colleagues said, “Jay, the door is locked from outside” I told them the lock can be closed or opened from both sides. She might me in a nap. So “Let us not disturb her, I will open it” I told my friends.

“Is it Fair to go without even a knock at the door?” another query from my colleague. I asked them to ignore knocking as we can give surprise (or get surprised).

After stepping into the house, my friends started enthusiastically searching here and there, for my “beloved”!!

Not much time they took for the combing operation in the entire small flat. “Now, what? Where is your beloved, they asked me?”

I led them towards my bed; I pulled a book which had kept beneath the pillow. It was a complied volume of popular Urdu poetry and ghazals. I showed it to them. “OK, nice book, but where is your beloved?”, my friends where loosing patience by then.

I took a deep breath and said, "this is my present beloved…"

"What?” – my anxious colleague…..."this book.., your beloved?”

I replied, “I have many more beloveds, fiancées, which lures me back to my residence…"

Come, I told them. I showed my small collection of books to them.

Then I spoke them about the journeys that I did along with my beloveds….........
....to the fragile mind of emperor-poet, Bahadur Shah Zafar…
....to the sadism and sarcasm of Dostoevsky-the gambler…
....to the pain of Sahir-the lover…
....Gandhi-the truth seeker…
....Fritjof Capra-the meta-physicist and many more…

At last, I could convince my friends that….there are beloveds waiting for me in my residence...and I am deeply in love with them!!!

Yesterday, when was leaving little early than the usual time from office, my colleagues asked, “Which beloved is given appointment today?”

My reply was “Dostoevsky” ..I am on my second reading of his master piece ‘Crime and Punishment.’

For your info: another beloved is in waiting, ‘Five Point Someone’ (by Chetan Bagawat) !!!!

I hope to meet her soon!!!!!!!!!!