07.12.2019

'Sir, why don't you understand? He wanted all the updates about his insurance policies to his new mobile number and I processed it promptly. Why is he complaining to you now?' Malarkadi bawled through the intercom.

Since I was standing inside Faneel's cabin, I could listen to his replies, 'Malar madam, he has also written in the request form to update his email ID. Why didn't you notice that?'

'I thought it was irrelevant. Who would want to get updates through their email ID when SMSes are enough?' Malarkodi continued angrily.

'Madam, you don't set the rules here. The customer wanted to change the mobile number linked to his policies as well as update his email ID. When there are two requests given to you, you should oblige to both of them,' Faneel was still calm, though his voice was two notches higher. Amidst all that chaos, I admired his serene behaviour.

'As if you and Chandni are obliging to all the requests correctly,' she snapped.

I noticed Faneel clench his fist.

'Madam, why are you speaking like this? I am still not losing my temper because I understand that you might have missed going through the request properly...'

'Please be quiet, Faneel sir. I know what to do. I processed his primary request. If he had wanted to update his email ID, he should have given me a separate request.'

I knew for sure that Faneel was taken aback by Malarkodi's irascibility.

'Malar madam, this is ridiculous. And you are not respecting me. Actually, I have never expected my juniors to treat me like I am their senior. I have always tried to be friendly with everyone, but you are taking advantage of it. You cannot behave like this. It is condemnable.'

Malarkodi banged the telephone down and marched towards Faneel's cabin in long strides.

'So what would you do, sir? Fire me? You cannot do that, you know?' She stood towering above him, ignoring me and the customer.

Even then, Faneel was undeterred.

'Malar madam, please calm down. Why are you making this personal? It's not about you or me. It's about the customer. We have to send him back with an amicable solution but you are blowing this up into a big issue.'

'Who? Me?' Malarkodi crossed her arms around her waist to show that she was never letting this go without a huge fight.

'Madam, I have to go home. Will you process my email ID request or not?' the customer intervened. He seemed to be in his late 30s.

'Sorry to bother you with our argument, sir...' Faneel began. But Malarkodi snorted under her breath which was enough for Faneel to lose his cool. He jerked to his feet, pushing his chair away from him.

'Malar madam, I am ordering you to get out of my cabin right now.'

But Malarkodi did not budge. She kept staring at him incredulously as if she wouldn't be bogged down by such mere orders. Faneel stamped his feet on the floor and almost yelled, 'Leave, right now!'

I had never seen him so worked up. Blood rushed to his fair cheeks and coloured them crimson. Malarkodi left the cabin muttering something inaudible.

'I am sorry, sir,' Faneel apologized to the customer.

'It's okay. That lady seems to have a problem. Please sort it out soon. And ask this kind madam here to process my second request.'

Saying so, he smiled at me and I flashed an uneasy smile at him. As soon as he left, I turned to Faneel and asked, 'Are you okay?'

I saw that his hands were shaking and I had this imminent urge to hold them and comfort him.

He slumped down on his chair again and replied, 'I am okay, ma. Look at how she is behaving. I have never come across such a difficult colleague in my life. She needs medical help I think. She is not well mentally.'

Even after that bloody argument, Faneel was only thinking about Malarkodi's well-being. If I had been in his place, I would have almost strangled her in anger. But there he was, calm and composed, like someone enlightened.

After an hour, Malarkodi went inside his cabin again and a heated argument ensued between them to which I wasn't a witness since I had to type an important letter. However, Faneel called me on the intercom and spoke, 'She is going on a one-week leave it seems. She told me that this is a toxic atmosphere and she wants a break from it.'

'Who is speaking about toxicity here?' I sniggered.

'Yeah, I know, right? At least we would be peaceful without her tantrums.'

'Yes, sir,' I said and hung up.

So, that means, one week of only Faneel and me. Wow! This is definitely divine intervention.

*

'Hey, come, let's have lunch together. It's just the two of us, why eat in solitude?'

Faneel's words had the power to melt a heart that was head-over-heels in love with him. How could I refuse his offer when his asking was making me giddy with excitement? Even though I wasn't hungry, I joined him.

We began to have our lunches, mine chapathi and kurma, and his rice with Sherpa Stew, something that he said his younger brother prepared.

'What? Your younger brother is staying with you?' I asked. I thought he was staying alone in his flat. I had even imagined visiting his flat and what steamy romp would ensue thereafter.

'Yes, he is studying for his Master's Degree at Dr Sathyamoorthy Arts & Science College in Janathantrapuram. Though I had come to Jwalamukh Hills alone, he joined me when he acquired a seat in one of the most prestigious colleges of Tamilnadu.'

'Oh, that's amazing! Why don't you ask your brother to come to our office someday?'

'I have already asked him, but he is one lazy goose. He just wants to enjoy college and then come back home and watch football till night.'

'Haha, that's okay. What is his name?' I asked him, though I knew it already through Faneel's Instagram posts.

'Shalva Basnet.'

'Good. And I have been meaning to ask you. What are the meanings of your names? They sound different.'

Faneel chomped on his food and swallowed it before replying, 'Faneel means sea waves.'

Oh! That's why you bring me serenity and that's why I had that dream by that seaside, I thought.

'Earth to Chandni,' he waved his palm in front of my eyes.

'Oops! Sorry, I got carried away. Your name is beautiful. What's the meaning of Shalva?'

'That means an honest and peaceful man, though I have caught my brother lying many times,' he guffawed.

I laughed too and asked, 'You have an elder sister too, right?'

'Yes, her name is Etisha, which means beginning after the end.'

'Good, good, so who is your favourite?'

'My sister, of course,' he beamed and continued, 'She is married with one kid, a boy named Sejun.'

I just nodded since I was chewing on a piece of chapathi with the delicious kurma melting inside my mouth.

'What about you? You have a younger sister, right?'

'Yes, her name is Madhu Shree. She is doing her final year in Mass Communications at Riverbrook Arts and Science College.'

'Hmmm.'

I couldn't fathom what made me think that I should share it with him, but I did anyway.

'Actually, she had an accidental pregnancy in October,' I said, while my cheeks burned.

'Hey, what's there to be ashamed about it? Cool, it happens with careless youngsters.'

'So, who do you think should be blamed for this?'

'I need to know the full story before I can judge.'

I inhaled a deep breath and said, 'Madhu went to a party and got drunk. Then she hooked up with this collegemate from another department. Since it was taking place in a farmhouse, they had a few rooms on the first floor. These two got into one and started making out. One thing led to another and they began having sex,' I cringed while telling him that since he was my boss, but I continued nevertheless, 'She told me that he was about to wear a condom but she stopped him saying that she wanted it to be natural. Then the next day morning, she regretted all of it because she presumably couldn't go out and buy a morning-after pill. If she had just told me, I would have helped her in some way, but that was not the case. Then she just prayed that nothing should happen. And there she was, six weeks pregnant. She wouldn't have told me if I hadn't asked about her changed behaviour. Stupid woman!'

'Hey, madam, cool. I told you, right? Wayward college students who think they know everything.'

'Now tell me, who is to be blamed?'

'Both are to be blamed.'

'How come? It was my sister who stopped him from wearing a condom.'

'No. However drunk a guy must be, he will have the sense to wear a condom. Even if the girl stops him due to her drunkenness, he should realise that he should wear it to avoid consequences later.'

'You speak as if you have been there and done that, hahaha,'

'I meant that as a joke, okay?' I immediately regretted making such an insensitive joke. He was my boss at the office and I shouldn't be crossing boundaries.

'Hey, I took it in good spirits. No issues,' he smiled and I heaved a sigh of relief.

'But, truthfully, a guy should have that sense. That man with Madhu might have thought only about his pleasure,' he continued.

'Why would men care about the consequences? They get their pleasure, so they need not worry about impregnating the woman, right?' I asked, sarcasm dripping from my voice.

'A man sleeping with a random woman should think about the consequences. As you said, it's just a moment of pleasure for him, for both of them. But if the woman gets pregnant, then it's only she who has to go through the ordeal of abortion and all. The man will take no responsibility for his actions. This is what happens everywhere in the world. And I have known men wear torn condoms to seek that pleasure. According to me, all these bastards should be hanged for their selfishness. And these are the same men who go around telling people that abortion is a sin. So, if that's a sin, then not using a condom is also a sin. There should be a bill passed which would punish all men who haven't worn a condom during sex.'

Faneel's rigmarole rendered me speechless. My respect and love for him multiplied manifold. I wished I could throw my arms around him and hold him close to me. He looked so invaluable at that moment. But all I could do was give him a piece of chapathi coated thick with kurma.

'Hmmm, what is this?' he looked up.

'Just a token of appreciation for what you spoke. It made a lot of sense.'

'Thank you,' he put the piece inside his mouth, chewed it, and sang, 'Hmmmmm...That's so yummy. Wish I could have ditched my rice and stew and shared your chapathis. By the way, who takes care of the cooking at your home?'

'My mother and I take turns cooking.'

'That's awesome! Who made this gravy?'

'I made it.'

'It's delicious. Thank you, madam.'

'No need to thank me. Come to my home during the weekend and I'll cook an elaborate lunch for you.'

For a moment, I regretted that I had overspoken. But then there was no rule in any book that said that one shouldn't invite their boss for lunch at their home.

'Oh, I'd love to come! I'll plan something,' his lips creased into a quick smile. We kept quiet for the rest of the lunch. It was as if we had spoken enough and that Faneel had revealed some more about his core values.

*

Since Malarkodi was on leave, I was in charge of the cash box as well as the premium payments and renewals. So, every morning, I'd go with Faneel to the safe to retrieve the cash box, check the balance with the vault register, lock the safe, and come back to my seat. One morning, I was walking towards the safe door along with Faneel. Just as I pushed the door open I realised I had left the key in my place. So, I left the door and turned in a hurry. In that hassle, the back of my right palm hit Faneel's chest.

'Oh, I am sorry, sir. Sorry, really sorry,' I turned all edgy as I perceived I had hurt him.

'Hey, nothing, ma,' he replied, caressing the place where my hand had hit.

'Is it paining? Are you okay?'

'Your hand is made of skin and bones, not of iron, Chandni. I am good,' he mocked while making faces at me. I joined in his laughter, thereby walking to my seat and retrieving the key. By then, we had established a camaraderie that only we could understand. If Malarkodi had been there to witness it, she would have suspected that something was going on between us. But only I knew that it was one-sided. I loved him, he did not love me back.

For a long time, the touch of him lingered on the back of my hand. I was extra cautious about not letting the feeling go. I crazily protected my hand from accidentally rubbing against anything else. How silly that we all become teenagers when we fall in love? At that moment, I was just a young adult, experiencing the little things that happened along with the realisation of falling headlong in love. I cherished all such cutesy moments, though they seemed to be mushy, always bordering on the line of being treacly.

Then another day, Faneel and I decided to have our lunch at Honeydaze because I hadn't cooked that day. We took Ravi Anna also since we both felt that it wouldn't be good only for us both to go. Faneel told me that he wouldn't be eating Nepalese food, but would go with my choice.

'Don't put me in this position, sir. What if you don't like my choice?' I asked him.

'Even if I don't like your choice, I'd eat it. I'd keep in mind not to order it the next time,' he replied cheekily.

If he had been my friend, I would have hit him playfully on his hand, but he was my boss. A boss who was my friend too. But I had to stay within limits. Also, I didn't want to make it obvious to him that I was in love with him.

Since it was the Christmas season, Honeydaze's entrance was adorned with stars and a medium-sized Christmas tree was erected on the porch. We settled on one of the corner tables.

'Ravi Anna, what would you like to eat?' I questioned him as he was looking around the posh ambience of the hotel, his eyes gleaming like a child who had just got a new toy.

'Meals, ma. What about you both?' he asked in his guttural voice.

'I'll order meals too. Faneel sir, what about you?'

'The same. Tamilnadu Meals. The last I tasted South Indian cuisine was six months ago when I was in Erode. Since I came here, I have eaten only Nepalese or Chinese or North Indian cuisine.'

'To me, nothing can beat a plate of South Indian thali.'

'I agree with that,' Ravi Anna piped in.

Our plates arrived in five minutes and we gorged on the delicacies, starting with mixing the delicious sambar with the rice. For the side dish, we had potato-and-peas fry and beans-carrot poriyal. Next, we had rice with rasam, vathakuzhambu, and buttermilk, all the while taking bites of the crunchy appalam. Finally, we finished off with the yummy payasam. It was an amazing ride to the food heaven as we ate the meal from our plates. We also washed it all off by ordering filter coffees. Faneel paid for the lunch telling us that it was his treat, though Ravi Anna and I offered to share the bill amongst us.

We got back to our office and noticed two customers waiting outside. Beckoning them in, I logged in to our portal and attended to their service requests. An hour later, I became drowsy because there were no customers and I had finished my pending work too. I thought I could go to Faneel's cabin and have a chit-chat with him, but I felt that I might be crossing the line, so I stayed back in my seat. As if summoned by an unknown energy, Faneel himself came out of his cabin and stood near my seat, wanting to talk to me. I secretly wished he'd start the topic about my engagement. But I also had this feeling that that conversation would always remain unfinished.

'Pretty boring day, uh?' he asked.

'No, it wasn't a boring day, what with our lunch in Honeydaze. Just these hours without work are boring.'

'Hmmm, wish you could have brought your violin. At least, we could have listened to some good music.'

'But you always listen to music on your mobile phone, right? Whenever I come inside your cabin, some English song will be playing from your phone.'

'I love English songs, ma. I have never really warmed up to Hindi songs as I told you the other day.'

'Yes, but you love A.R.Rahman's Hindi songs, though.'

'Yeah, that I love. Hey, why don't we put on an ARR song while we talk?'

'Sure, that sounds great.'

'The song should be your choice.'

'Please play Rehna Tu. It's kind of my lifeline song.'

'Wow! One of my utmost favourites.'

'Really?'

'Yes, the song is a straight gateway to heaven. My soul would rise every time I listen to Rahman's mellowed voice in that song.'

'Okay, play it then.'

As the breezy song began with its R&B kinda rhythm, we tapped our fingers on the desk. When Rahman sang, 'Tujhe badalna na chahoon...Ratti bhar bhi sanam...Bina sajawat milawat na zyaada na hi kham...Tujhe chahoon jaisa hai tu...', I just melted like snow. The lines meant – I don't want to change you...Not even a bit...You are undecorated, unadulterated, neither more nor less...I like you the way you are...

I stole furtive glances at Faneel, looking at him as if my world revolved around him at that moment. Though he didn't look back at me, sometimes I felt his eyes boring into me when I was looking away. Or it might just be my imagination, no one knew. Just when the song moved on to this line, 'Haath tham chalna ho...Toh dono ke daayen haath sang kaise...', Faneel looked at me and asked, 'What is the story behind this Jwalamukh Hills? How did it get his name?'

'It's an interesting story, sir. But kinda long. Do you want to listen to it?'

'Not like we have anything else to do right now. I'm all ears.'

We waited for the song to end as the two-minute-long shehnai outro began playing, bringing in a meditative aura.

Then I started, 'In the 18th century, this place was just a forest. There were no hill towns. Tribal people thrived in huts deep inside the woods. Janathantrapuram was then a kingdom. Rajavai Korar II was the king then. He had a son, Mukhundhan, who was the crown prince. Unlike his father, he had no intentions of ruling the kingdom after his father. He was interested in the finer things that life offered. He was also into painting. Even now, some of his paintings are displayed in the Urivaloor Museum. Also, he loved the woods very much. The tribal people treated him like one of their own.'

'One day, Mukhundhan came across a beautiful tribal woman. She was shepherding some deer when he laid his eyes upon her. He didn't want to let her out of his sight but she ran off along with the deer herd deeper into the forest. People say that Mukhundhan came out of the forest looking enchanted. He enquired about the woman to some of the tribals. With his descriptions, they concluded that the woman he had seen was the tribal chieftain's daughter, Jwalini. They told him that she was an adventurous woman. She even knew how to tame wild animals. Due to her tomboyish nature, her dad didn't want to marry her to any man as he thought she might dominate her husband and bring disgrace to their family.'

'As Mukhundhan heard fantastic stories about Jwalini, he fell in love with her. One day, when Jwalini was picking vegetables to cook for lunch, Mukhundhan approached her. She knew that he was the crown prince of Janathantrapuram but that didn't deter her from keeping a distance from him. She distrusted men as she categorised them to be monsters. She asked him why he was there when no one ventured inside the wild forest. He replied that he was enchanted by a beautiful peacock and he wanted to take it as a pet to his palace. Enraged by his ridiculous request, Jwalini told him that animals and birds should live freely and not be caged. Shocked by her audacious reply to a crown prince, Mukhundhan just left the place, wondering whether he should have told her the truth about his love.'

'No one in the forest knew that she had always harboured a secret love for the prince except her best friend, Manimeghalai. Jwalini would often go to Janathantrapuram to trade the fruits that she plucked from the woods along with her best friend. One day, she and Manimeghalai noticed Mukhundhan mingling with common people like a commoner. That's when Jwalini fell in love with him. Since he was of royal blood, she never even tried to talk to him, but she wished that he'd surely gravitate towards her if they were meant to be together. But she regretted their first meeting as she had refuted his wish to have a deer as a pet. She wished he'd come back to see her forgetting what she had said to him.'

'Soon enough, Mukhundhan visited the forest again as he couldn't stay without seeing the woman who stole his heart. When he approached the tribal area, he saw that the people were arranging a mandapam for conducting someone's marriage. He questioned a man who told him that Jwalini was getting married to her mother's brother that evening. Heartbroken, Mukhundhan just watched the proceedings till he could meet Jwalini and ask her to meet him discreetly. Jwalini's father was surprised to see the crown prince at the venue. So, he took him to his hut and gave him some snacks prepared by his wife. Then, he introduced Jwalini to him and both their eyes gleamed with joy when they saw each other. As luck could have it, Jwalini's parents left the hut so that the prince and Jwalini could speak for some time as they were of the same age.'

'As soon as they were out, Mukhundhan held Jwalini's hands and confessed his love for her. She then revealed to him that she had been in love with him for a long time but had acted like she was rough and tough when they met for the first time. They hugged each other when suddenly Jwalini's parents barged in to retrieve something from the hut. Seeing the duo in the embrace, Jwalini's father feels ashamed that his daughter has let him down. Instead of feeling happy that a prince wants to marry his daughter, he banishes both of them from the tribal area. Mukhundhan takes Jwalini to the palace and introduces her to the king as the girl whom he wishes to marry. Rajavai Korar mixed poison in Jwalini's food that night but it is noticed by the queen. She informs Mukhundhan about it. So, he stops Jwalini from eating the food and both of them elope to the nearby town that night.'

'Rajavai Korar ordered a wide search for the couple covering many towns but they were not found. Actually, Mukhundhan and Jwalini left that nearby town too and took refuge in an abandoned barn at the topmost part of the hill which has now become Urivaloor. They somehow managed to thrive by eating fruits and vegetables and killing animals for meat. Months later, they began to starve as the natural resources had depleted and they couldn't go to any other place for fear of being murdered by their people. One day, as they were loitering through the forest, a mad elephant came running towards them. Though Jwalini was skilled in taming any wild animal, she couldn't gather the energy due to starvation. The elephant trampled Mukhundhan first. Though Jwalini could have saved herself by employing many escape tactics, she realised she had nothing to live for. The love of her life was lying dead there. What will she do by living without him? So, she let the elephant trample her too.'

'Two days later, a tramp found their partly decomposed bodies and informed Rajavai Korar. Looking at their corpses, the queen was overcome with grief. She blamed the king for the duo's unfortunate death. She left the king soon after and went along to live with the tribal people as a way of paying homage to the star-crossed lovers, Jwalini and Mukhundhan. She named the hills Jwalamukh Hills, helped the tribal people live better lives, and brought many homeless people from Janathantrapuram to establish their colonies in the hills. There's even a temple built for Jwalini and Mukhundhan which is known as the Love Temple in Urivaloor. It is built at the same spot where their bodies were found.'

I ended my narration and quickly took a sip from my water bottle as my throat had almost parched.

'Oh, my God! I never knew that these hills had such a poignant love story. I would like to visit this Love Temple.'

'Yeah, you can visit it any time. It's a popular tourist spot in Urivaloor. I thought you might have known by now.'

'I did hear about it but no one told me the history behind it. So, I wasn't interested in visiting it. Now I want to go there.'

'Hmmm...'

'By the way, how can you confirm that this story is true?'

'As I said earlier, some paintings that Mukhundhan painted with natural fibres were preserved through the years and then framed during the early 20th century. They are now displayed in the museum. So, it's proven that Mukhundhan existed. Also, there's a rough painting of Jwalini, painted by him, of course. So, the love story is obviously true.'

'Hmmm, great. Tragic, but I love listening to folklore, be it tragedy or not.'

'Me too. I love stories in any form. Of course, we both should be loving stories, since we read books.'

'True that.'

Soon, our conversation weaned away and we got ready to leave for our respective homes. That evening, I composed one violin piece based on Jwalini's secret love for Mukhundhan before he could fall in love with her. It oddly reflected my feelings for Faneel.