Death Sentence

This is yet another attempt in writing a story by me. As usual I would like to make it clear that this is completely my imagination and not inspired from any individual's life..This is just a story,which should be forgotten after reading.One more thing, don't expect any message through this story... :-).. This is a lengthy story..

It was a monday morning.Roads were busy.School kids  and college students are waiting for their buses..People who went to their native for the weekend are returning back..But without any tension,Krishnamoorthy started his bike..With a heavy bag,he was driving his splendor at a moderate speed and after passing through small-narrow streets,he parked the bike in parking stand.The bag looked heavy. But not many things were inside.A lunch box,The Hindu,some weekly magazines and his office files. Sharply at 8.30, Krishnamoorthy reached the Chromepet railway station.

Generally Krishna prefers to travel in the second class compartment,though he holds a first class pass.Because there people will be discussing so many things.Krishna has the habit of observing the public opinion on certain issues.But when feels its very crowded, he will get into first-class compartment.

As it is a monday, the train came fully crowded and Krishna as expected, got into the first class compartment. With a round tummy and a pale face,people would only think he is in his mid 30s.But he is just 28.He works as a PO in a bank in Maraimalai Nagar.Luckily he got a seat to sit and as usual he started reading The Hindu.Train stopped for a few minutes in Tambaram."Yathrigan krupaya dhyaan dhen,Chengalpat jaanevaali agali gaadi aat(8) number platform se ravaanaa hogee"..A huge mob got into train..They don't even have time to let others get down.

When the train started moving, Nandhini got into the same compartment.Fully covered in a brown color salwar kameez and with a thin gold chain around her neck and with a charming smile,she appeared like a typical Tamil girl.More important - right from the moment she got in,she is busy on call with someone..And as the seat next to Krishna became empty,she went and sat there.As she was constantly talking with someone,Krishna felt a bit disturbed and thought "what non-sense..these girls keep on talking something on phone..I feel like throwing her phone away..but if I do so,she will ask me to get a new phone..".Then he kept a head-set on his ears and started listening Yesudas hits..Listening toYesudas hits during a morning train travel is a heavenly feeling. 

Our hero Krishna has the habit of talking 'within' himself ,means,he will ask questions for which he himself will answer,but everything within his mind.

Suddenly,Krishna slightly pushed Nandhini and within a fraction of second a heavy book fell near her.Had he not pushed her,it would straight away hit her head.For a moment she was in for a shock,but quickly she came to her senses and,

"Thanks.."

"That's ok..but try to observe what's happening around you..don't lose your life paying too much attention to gadgets.."

"Sir actually she is my school friend..she called after quite a long time..anyway I am Nandhini." 

"Krishnamoorthy..You can call me Krishna" - both of them shook hands with each other.

"am working as a Nurse in a private hospital in Chengalpattu.."

They introduced each other.Nandhini is trying for a government job and she is seriously preparing for it..As a stop gap arrangement,she is working in this private hospital..Krishna knows lot of things about current affairs and economy..And Nandhini is more like a chatterbox..She will not hesitate to move with people..Her outspoken nature will attract anyone..

Krishna,on the other hand is a kind of person who never thinks too much about himself.He has 2 elder sisters,first sister has 2 kids and the second one got married recently few months back.He was brought up in an orthodox manner.Everyday he will get up at 5 o clock and will go out only after finishing 'Sandhyavandhanam'.. He will not talk with anyone unnecessarily,especially with girls,but has the habit of observing others..After a period of time he started enjoying his bachelor life..His mom used to scold him for being lazy..."You are looking like an old man Kicha..Go to gym and reduce your tummy...do some physical work..if you don't work on your physique now,none will marry you.." and Krishna never bothered about it..

But after this first day's incidents,Krishna wrote in his diary..

"met a beautiful girl..she was chatting so well with me..Only today I wished my office to be in Chengalpattu.. I have come across so many girls,but what's so special about this girl?Why am I writing about her in my diary..?Anyways looking forward to tomorrow's journey..But..will she again come in the same compartment?"

It was next day morning as usual Krishna came to Chromepet station..He again got into first class compartment..It seems hereafter he will travel only in first class..The train stopped at Tambaram and out of curiosity Krishna came near door expecting her..His efforts didn't go in vain,Nandhini saw him and recognized him..Again they traveled together.

Then it became regular for them to travel together..They became friends..In fact close friends..If either of them miss the train,immediately they will call and confirm the reason..Sometimes Nandhini used to message Krishna that she can't catch the train and will ask Krishna to wait for him in Tambaram station..Then depending upon the situation they will go in the next train or bus..One day Krishna brought sweets to Nandhini for buying a land..Nandhini brought lunch to Krishna as a token of 'friendship'..They started discussing so many things in the half an hour travel..They spoke so many things in phone..Surprisingly Nandhini too is interested in current affairs..She respected Krishna a lot..She felt such discussions with Krishna very interesting..

Krishna too found great pleasure in talking with Nandhini..He has never spoken with a girl like this..Or to be honest,none had the patience to listen to what Krishna speaks..Not even his own parents and sisters..But when a young girl like Nandhini shows interest in what he thinks and what he speaks,Krishna had an inexplicable pleasure..One day, as usual,their conversation went on..Suddenly the discussion went to history..

"Mr.Krishna.."

"See I have told you not to use Mr. or sir while calling me"

"oh..sorry sir..sorry sorry..Sorry Krishna..you have current affairs and economy in your finger tips..are you interested in history..?"

"why not?History is an interesting subject..I love it"

"but for me its really boring and confusing..am not able to remember the years and incidents..ok let me test you.."

"go ahead"

"Can you tell me in which year the Jallianwala Bagh massacre happened?"

"Simple..in 1919"

"hmm..ok I will ask you something little difficult..now tell me.. Who was the British Prime Minister when India got independence..let me see if you can answer this"

"10th standard question..its very simple.."

"Tell me the answer boss"

"It was Clement Attlee of Labour Party" 

Krishna suddenly got involved into the topic and started explaining so many things.Nandhini was listening to him with real interest..Krishna's involvement increased on seeing Nandhinee's beautiful eyes and curiosity..Krishna is about to get down in a few minutes..Nandhini with a cute smile on her face said,

"Krishna,you are amazing..amaaazzing..I have been preparing this for quite a while..but am not able to remember so many things..without any preparation,you are rocking..I wish you could write the exam for me :P"

"That's a good idea :P..But one thing,don't read history for clearing your exams..Read it with interest.. Travel back to the years mentioned..Read with love..Think that you are learning about our own history..you will never forget anything"

Accepting his words,she nodded her head..But Krishna has no mood to get down...He wants to travel with her further..He is even ready to give her a lecture on history starting from the First Battle of Tarain in 1191,Delhi Sultanate,the Mughal empire,Indian freedom struggle against the British to till date..But he should be present in the audit meeting today,though he is not needed.His manager will bark at him if takes a leave today..He will always bark..He thinks,'is there a manager who will not bark?' and he finds an answer to himself,'no' and waving his hands to Nandhini, he got down at Maraimalai Nagar.

The next day morning at 5.30,Krishna was getting ready to go somewhere..

His mom,'dai Kicha,indha paniyila enga da kilambitta'(hey Kicha where are you going in this snow)

"Mom am going to gym..You said right,I should concentrate on my fitness,that's why"

He wrote in his diary..

"I am feeling like a new man..In fact,I feel like a college boy now..How should I impress her?Should I buy new jean and cargo pants?Yes I am going to buy fasttrack glasses..How about changing the hairstyle... should I keep spikes?Or should I do something like what Chitti did in Enthiran?na na..First of all I will shave my beard..Even before proposing my love,I don't want to become a devadas"

With a new set of clothes,in full shave and with a new hair style,Krishna is waiting for Nandhini..

Nandhini,"Krishnaaaa..What's this.."

Krishna felt shy and he couldn't control himself smiling..

"You look so gooood like this..What's so special Krishna...any good news :P"

"Well no nothing.." - Krishna stammered..

"Alright Krishna..It seems you are suffering from love fever"

"aahh.." - when he was about to say something,Nandhini interrupted suddenly,

"Hey Krishna,this is Arun..My collegemate..And Arun,I told you right,Mr.Krishna..sorry sorry sorry.. Krishna,the living encyclopedia.."

Arun,"hello sir"

Krishna,"hello" - his face suddenly turned pale..Well,when a girl,whom a guy likes a lot,introduces another guy,it really hurts the former guy..He feels insecure..He is scared of the other guy that he will spoil his chances..Krishna is no exception here..But still Nandhini's engaging speech made him forget all these things..

The journey was bit different today..Nandhini was making fun of him all the way..But Krishna enjoyed it..Still he didn't forget Arun.. He wrote:

"How long am I going to delay this..?I think it's time to propose..It's time to express my desire to her..Will she not accept it?Why not?am damn sure she will not reject me..or should I say she will accept my proposal.. Who is this Arun?She said her friend right?Friend?A boy who is her friend?Means boyfriend? WTF,who coined the term boyfriend..?Whoever it be..Doesn't matter..Arun is her friend..Why will she not accept my proposal?She knows me well..She likes me a lot..She will love me too..But..that..no no..if" - Krishna started scribbling whatever came to his mind like a madman..

Suddenly he saw a bright light in front of him and to his surprise,another Krishna appeared from the light.. Our hero Krishna is confused..What's this?who is this?The other Krishna started talking,

"hey dumbo..stop asking the same set of questions again and again..you want to know who am I?"

"Yes" 

 "I am your inner conscience..Have you not seen old Gemini Ganesan films? ada adhaan paa manasaatchi"

"Is this true?but..how come suddenly?"

"aah..again don't start asking questions man..I am here to give a solution..Or I should say a judgement here.."

"what judgement?"

"All these while you have been asking questions to yourselves..I thought you are a practical guy.."

"Am I not?if not why?"

"Definitely you are not dude..Because you are considering only your heart..And not the brain..So let us keep it like this...I am the brain..Brain Krishna..and you are the heart..Heart Krishna..Sounds funny right?"

"Hmmm"

"Life becomes funny when you fall into love..All these while you were saying why will she not accept your love?Why will she reject your love?Now am asking you,why will she accept your proposal?" - Brain

"Why will she not?"- Heart

Brain,"Idiot,answer my question..Don't reply me with a question"

"Well well..she likes me a lot.."

"so if someone likes you,according to you it's love?isn't it?"

"no not like that..see she respects me a lot..she shares everything with me..everything like going to shopping mall,buying a new dress,buying a new jewel,incidents in her hospital etc"

"Oh..are you damn sure that she is sharing this only with you?come on Krishna,what's so special about all these stuff?"

"See you are discouraging me.."

"God!!I am here to help you out.."

"Fair enough going to shopping malls is not a big deal..See you know my sisters right..Has they ever bothered to listen my speeches"

"no..hmm..never"  - this time brain replied softly..

"but this girl listened me patiently..She respects my knowledge..She is the first person on this earth to recognize my talent..without having any feelings towards me,do you really think that she will ask me to explain the causes and effects of first world war?without any feelings,do u think she will call me @ 9 o clock in the night and ask me to talk something interesting?when I went in my new dress with a full shave today, she said am looking great..what you are gonna say for this?"

"My God My God!!!"

"What?"

"You are proving that you are a dumbo..Your case proves that heart without brain will never make right decisions..You are talking like a kid Krishna..Do you really think explaining about first world war and Russian revolution will create a special feeling for you?Answer me honestly.."

"Well..that..not exactly" - Heart finally started stammering and brain started going..

"Theriyudhulla(you are able to understand right?)..have you ever seen yourself in mirror?.. how do you look like? with a pot-belly,grey hairs,stout body,don't you look like a man in his late 30s?On the other hand how does she look like?"

"She..she..she looks like an angel.."

"Don't you think you are a misfit for her?"

"You mean to say physical appearance matters more than anything else?"

"I don't mean that..If you people have known each other for, say some 2-3 years,its ok..Emotions,care,trust and affection matters more than anything else..You need not necessarily be handsome or she need not be beautiful..I would say 'understanding' each other is the important aspect of love.. But you know her for how many months?not more than 7 months right?..Tell me honestly,why do you love her?Is it because of her good nature or her interests?Nothing..She looks great..I say you fell only for her looks.."

"May be true..but.."

"When you have the right to expect a girl like Katrina Kaif,will she not expect a Sidhdharth?"

"So what you mean?You said you will be giving some judgement..???"

"Death Sentence"

"?"

"Death Sentence to your so called love..That's my judgement..Are you ready to accept? Or any last wish?"

"Fair enough my dear brain..I give up..But so many nights we had lengthy chats on call..Whenever I commented on her beauty,she never stopped me..I feel her smiles and cute expressions has some deep feelings for me..Why should I not make a try?Now please answer my question instead of ignoring it?"

"Brain is always right..Heart knows this too..But heart never gets convinced..Till the last moment,it hopes for a miracle to happen..I am not going to stop you my sweet 'heart'..As I said,proposing her be the last wish in this matter..As you said give a try..But be prepared to face the worst..Good luck!!!"

Krishna wrote this lengthy conversation in his diary..He wrote it as such..As a conversation between his heart and brain..

When Krishna was all set to propose her,she again came with Arun..In utter disappointment,Krishna left without talking anything about this..Unfortunately,he missed his bag too..He realized it only when after reaching the office.Almost 2 hours gone.Definitely Nandhini will be in office now..He thought of calling Nandhini,but then he decided to go in person..Fine,in her hospital,Arun will not be there..I can take my last chance there..So he again reached the station.. But to his surprise,Nandhini was standing with Arun in the station..But they didn't notice Krishna and Krishna didn't interrupt their conversation..Instead,he started observing it as it involved his name..

"Nandhini,before giving this diary back I want to discuss something with you"

"About?"

"About the matter written in this diary.."

"What kind of person you are?How can you read others' diary without their permission and how shamelessly you want to discuss it with me?"

"But the matter is about you Nandhini"..Nandhini was surprised..Or should say she was shocked..Arun continued..

"Nandhini he is in love with you..After reading this diary I am able to understand,how much you mean to him"..Arun explained everything written in it..

"Arun,don't you think its stupid?"

"But you have spoken a lot about him to me right..Even I thought you like him.."

"Liking,respecting is different from love..He is a good man..Has a sound knowledge.Even now I would love to listen him explaining Babur Mosque demolition or Kamarajar and Kakkan sir's honesty..But for that reason I can't love him"

"Why?Can't really understand"

"See Arun...He is..he is an outdated chapter..He cannot think beyond planning commission and Pranab Mukherjee.. "

"?"

"Arun discussing about Cholas and Pandiyas is a good time pass..He gave an explanation about the reason for the US economical slow down..Amazing..It was an informative speech..If you ask him to explain Mughal history,he will explain every minute details from Babur to Aurangazeb..He will not even miss the Ser Shah Suri period and the revenue system introduced then..I would love his explanations..It's a good entertainment.. But,for that I can't accept him as my hero.."

"That's what am asking,why?"

"Fine..I will tell you frankly,he will never approach things romantically..Girls like me will like people with so much of knowledge,but our expectation from our 'boyfriend' is something different and this guy is not worth it..and I don't know about other girls.."

Arun thought - "No girl will love him..will love a guy like him..In this aspect,most of the girls have the same mentality..I only feel sorry for him.."

Arun,"so what's your final opinion Nandhini?"

"Death Sentence..Death Sentence to his love, as written by him"

"Arun I am going back to office..In this mood,I can't face Krishna..So please return his bag to him.."

After Nandhini left,Krishna came and collected the bag from Arun..

"Sir... am.. sorry for.."

"thanks Mr.Arun..you have helped me to avoid the embarrassment atleast.."..Krishna started walking.. "Heart without brain will never make right decisions.. How true it is"

The next day morning Krishna went and sat in the second class compartment,with a Junior Vikatan in his hand..

P.S. : The death sentence is awarded only for the love and not for the person..