20th December 2024

I am picking up my pen after a major hiatus. The hiatus wasn't something I wanted, but as I was completing my post-publication promotion of Withered Roses, I was informed of an impending role change within my organization. This change brought with it responsibilities, and that had kept me tied down till the end of September.

With the requirements met, the rush of work subsided, the workload reduced, and the mind found hours of free time. Before I knew it, the trails of depressive thoughts came back, harder than ever. I thought I was past it, but maybe I had just buried it in a casket that wasn't sealed well.

I have been prescribed anti-depressants now, but I rarely take them. The last thing I want is for these painful memories to be lost to posterity. I don't want to forget them, I want to live with the reality that they happened, and I grew past them. Hence this book.

The best place to start would be 11 years in the past, long before I was broken and anything related to Evelyn had taken place. I was an optimistic 9th grader, a happy-go-lucky teen who was the center of attraction of his friends, and the star performer of his class. Sure, I had a rough childhood, with aggressive parents and competitive family members. But it wasn't something that could deter me. On the contrary, it fueled my zeal to perform and to show my capabilities to perform under the worst situations possible.

Then, in the early days of May 2013, I encountered the feeling that would go on to derail my life in more ways than imaginable - I had my first encounter with love.

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They warned my youthful heart, "Love is quite unkind."
But was love ever the regime of a man's calculative mind?
Love has made man conquer their fears, win uncharted lands,
Yet love remains unconquered, reining on poets' bleeding hands.

And on that quaint summer evening, my heart forever lost pristinity,
From being solely my property, it became someone else's for posterity;
Though it has moved geographies, being lost in the beauty of many,
It was Anya who stole it first, and her love was worth every penny.

The best decision ever taken was to join this Science tutor,
That's where I saw Anya, and there's never been anyone more cuter;
Her eyes exuded youthful fervor, a sparkle I seldom see,
My heart slipped from its bearing when she offered to sit next to me.

"Hi, I am Anya.", she said; "It's a pleasure meeting you."
"Shekhar here.", I responded; "It's a pleasure to meet you too!"
"Anya,", the tutor asked; "Can you help Shekhar to get up to speed?"
"Yes Sir", she responded; "I have everything that he will need"

Oh how correct you are Anya, you do have everything I need,
I am sure you have the notes, but there's a heart you can accede;
Even with my mind attempting to align itself to the books,
How could the heart forget how beautiful Anya looks?

As night befell for another day, I knew I wouldn't be the same again,
My kingdom was mine yesterday, it was now Anya's to reign;
"Isn't it too much for a day's interaction?" I couldn't help but ask,
"Maybe it is", my heart responded, "but not falling for her is a herculean task!"

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