Hello friends. This chapter, it is filled with IshOm scenes. Brace yourself for a long chapter. I have edited this thrice. Hope it is up to your expectations and you enjoy reading it.
Chapter-10
We met again
In a small South-Indian restaurant, there was a hustle bustle. The restaurant is filled with people and there weren’t any tables empty even then customers are waiting in line infront of the counter for their order.
Rudra was also there. He took his order and was trying to find a table to sit he spotted Ishanya in a corner of the restaurant. He smiled and went to her. He wished her smiling broadly. She too wished him and signed to sit in the chair which is vacant beside her.
“Seems that you know I will be here and you even kept the chair vacant for me!” he said jokingly and laughed a little at it.
“Jokes apart, how come you are here?” he asked Ishanya surprised to see her at this kind of place.
“My work shop is near only, I usually come here for lunch whenever I visit the workshop. Love the taste of ‘idli-sambar’ it tastes just like in my home-town.” She replied to him.
“I too love the ‘idli-sambar’ here. Whenever my mood gets dull I craves for different food and I come here to have it.” He said to her and continued, “Waise, I didn’t know that you are a South-Indian, you doesn’t look like one. Though, I should have guessed it by your name, ‘Ishanya Srinivas’, right!!”
“Ah!! I am a fashion designer don’t go on my appearance, it can con you!” She said with a sly smile playing on her lips and continued asking, “And for going by name, what should I guess by your name ‘rudy’? That you are rude?” She asked raising one eye-brow.
“Oh! No, Rudy is my nick-name. My name is Rudra.” He said smiling at her and asked, “Suits my body, right?! I know!!” He said posing to her.
“Shut up!! Anything, ha!!” She said trying to stop his antics.
“Anyway, why are you upset today that you came here?!” She asked Rudra.
“Actually, my brothers are pressuring me to say sorry to a girl. Even though I didn’t feel like I apologized to her twice but she is angry with me and not forgiving me at all. My brothers are asking me to apologize again.” Rudra told to Ishanya explaining his state to her.
“Oh! It is a big problem. When you don’t feel like apologizing you shouldn’t no matter who tells you to. One should need to decide it himself.” She replied earning a hi-fi from him
“Because apology is accepted only when it comes from heart.” She said explaining to him.
“But who will make my stub-born brothers understand?!” He whined.
“Well, why do your brothers think that you should apologize?” Asked Ishanya.
“They think that my words hurt soumya.” He replied.
“And you didn’t think so?” She asked him.
“No!! But my brothers feel like she did got hurt by my words.” He said frowning.
“There is only one way to know who is correct.” She said surprising him.
“Really? What is it?” He asked excitedly.
“Just imagine yourself in place of her.” She said confusing him.
“Means?” He asked.
“Repeat the whole situation in mind replacing the other person by yourself and see how you feel about it. If you feel hurt then the person too must got hurt.” She replied explaining him.
“Ok, I will try now.” He said and closed his eyes to imagine everything. He shockingly opened his eyes after replaying everything in his mind. Soumya ignoring and insulting him infront of her friends felt like a horror scene for him.
He looked at Ishanya who was staring at him with a knowing smile.
“Now what should I do?” He asked Ishanya.
“Apologize if you feel so.” She said shrugging
“I want to apologize, but will she forgive me?” He asked Ishanya in a low voice.
“That is not your problem, when you feel you should apologize you should do it without any seconds thoughts. If your apology is heart-felt she’ll definitely forgive you.” She said to him.
He smiled her and said thanks for making him learn how to know about your mistakes. After finishing their lunch, they both went in their own directions.
At night, in Oberoi’s kitchen O’bros’ are preparing dinner and also chatting about how Rudra apologized to soumya.
“I still can’t believe that it was you who apologized in that way. So, touching.” Said Omkara.
“Yeah! Even soumya forgave him and became friends with him. I am shocked too!!” Said Shivaay
“This is all because of my slapping fairy’s magic. She was the one who made me understand that apology should be heart-felt and to know your mistake you should keep yourself in place of the other person and then think about it.” He said proudly.
“WOW! Rudra, you are talking deep now. I must say your slapping fairy is so talented that’s why she could make you understand the thing which I tried and failed.” Said Omkara, praising the girl.
“I think Shivaay bhaiyya should also learn this and say sorry to Annika didi” Said Rudra.
“Me, never!!” Said Shivaay.
“You should, Shivaay!!” Said Omkara.
“Arey, let’s just try the imagination method na, then you yourself will know you should apologize or not,” Said Rudra.
“I agree.” Said Omkara.
After a lot of coaxing from them Shivaay agreed and closed his eyes to imagine himself in the annika’s place. He opened his eyes in shock after seeing himself insulted and man-handling by annika. He said to himself that he should apologize to annika, but didn’t said anything to his brothers and diverted their attention in cooking food.
Next day morning in an art exhibition, Omkara was seeing the paintings of his friend’s. When he was looking around, he spotted Ishanya staring at a painting. He smiled and went to her.
“Hi” He said calling Ishanya.
“Hi.” She replied with the smile.
“Want to buy the painting?” He asked her pointing to the painting.
“Ah! No….. You are the painter?” Ishanya asked him.
“No, no, my friend is the painter of these paintings.” He replied
She nodded her head and tried to go from there as she doesn’t want to be in his presence as he had seen her vulnerable side not once but twice. So, she is trying to avoid him. But he sensed her nervousness as he observed her playing with her chain.
“Shall we sit and have a coffee?” He asked her when she was going to reply he continued to say, “Don’t worry. I won’t ask you anything that would make you feel uncomfortable.”
She said ok hesitantly. They sat on the table and a waiter came with a tray of coffees and teas. Ishanya took green tea while Omkara took coffee
“Do all the art exhibitions of Mumbai happen like this only” She said starting the conversation.
“Like what?!” Asked Omkara with confusion.
“Like this, serving coffee and placing tables?” She elaborated.
“Oh! This we started ourselves, because when exhibition happens we get to meet new people and they want to chat with us and want to know more about art and it’s opportunities.
So, we started this trend.” He replied explaining her.
Ishanya just nodded and sipped her green tea.
“So…!” They both started at the same time to say something and laughed realizing it.
“First you.” Said Omkara.
“So, you are also an artist?” Asked Ishanya smiling
“Yeah!” He replied. “So, you are new in Mumbai? Where are you from?” Omkara asked.
“Bangalore.” She replied.
“You are here for your job?” Asked Omkara
“Ah! Yes, sort of. Our company had launched the label here, recently.” She replied.
“Label?!” He asked. “I am a Fashion designer.” She replied.
“OH! So, you too are related to art!” Exclaimed Omkara.
“Yes, sort of. That’s why I attend these art exhibitions for inspiration.” She replied.
“It’s good to know this.” Replied Omkara.
“So, when is your art exhibition going to be?!” Asked Ishanya.
“Next month, I make statues too, I am going to conduct it’s auction next month in Mumbai only.” He replied.
“You conduct auctions out of Mumbai too?” Asked Ishanya.
“Sometimes” Replied Omkara.
“So, how are art exhibitions held in Bangalore?” Asked Omkara
“Art exhibitions are not so common there. They happen once in a while.” She replied.
Omkara sipped the last of his coffee and called the waiter for one more coffee. They smiled at each other, the initial awkwardness had gone now.
“Too much coffee is not good for health.” She said jokingly.
“Is that why you are having green tea?!” He asked her in the same mood.
“Yeah!” She said laughingly.
“By the way, I wanted to discuss about truth with you.” He said seriously
“What’s there in discussing?” She asked with confusion
“I am being confused about what you said, I couldn’t decide if it is ok to lie or to hide truth or not.” He said openly expressing his doubts.
“Before answering this I want to ask you, why are you discussing this with me, a stranger for advice??” She asked
“ Haven’t you heard the saying that it is better to trust the strangers than known ones as it is easy to trust strangers as they don’t have any motive to harm us.” He said jokingly
Ishanya just smiled audibly at this and Omkara continued to say, “jokes apart!! From few years I was sticking to the truth, and seeing it in one direction. But your words made me see the other perspective of the truth which no one else had. That’s why I am asking you.” He said explaining her
She smiled and asked, “why are confused about lieing or hiding the truth when you feel like doing it?”
“How can we just do things as we wish? We do have to follow the morals, right?” He asked in confusion.
“In my view, morals are nothing but feeling of doing right. And about knowing what is right you yourself will know it no one can guide you in this because what is wrong for me can be right for you, it’s just about perspective.” She said explaining him.
He was silent for a minute soaking in what she said. Seeing him still confused Ishanya asked, “Still have doubt?”
He nodded in yes, to which Ishanya smiled shaking her head and took her phone and searched for something.
“See this article, it is about the college boys being addicted to drugs.” She said showing her phone and Omkara looked at it keenly.
“In this article the names and the information of the guys who got arrested for dealing with drugs are not mentioned.”
“According to your logic, they should mention their names as everyone have the right to know the truth.”
“But if you see morally, and see the situation through the victim’s perspective you may feel that not mentioning the name is correct as it would leave a mark on their lives and people be judge-mental about them which is not correct as they too deserve second chance in life. So, if you see what had technically be wrong became morally correct.” She said explaining him with the example with out knowing, the example is his real reason about all this truth and lie confusion in his life.
Omkara was in a deep thought after hearing her, now he is sure that the change he recently brought in himself is correct as he is doing what is his heart saying, morally correct.
Ishanya waved her hand at him to bring him back to reality.
“So, you feel that in some matters hiding truth is acceptable! But wouldn’t that make people away from reality?” He asked in confusion.
“Getting away from reality? Why would that happen? It happens when you are not ready to see and accept the truth it is different from hiding the truth for something good.” Said Ishanya
“I am totally confused!” Said Omkara finally not being able to differentiate.
“Let me make this simple. There are 5 ultimate rules of truth
1. It is very precious, so see who deserves or who doesn’t before telling.
2. One should never run away from it, always see and accept it
3. Your truth can be lie to others when the perspective changes
4. There is nothing called ultimate truth. Either its my truth or your truth
5. Truth may not always be about actions done but it is about thoughts too.” She said concluding
Omkara looked at her in awe, he is seeing a new side of her. He had always seen her vulnerable, for the first time he is seeing her confidence and her talent with words. He is impressed by her ideologies of truth. He has to admit she has very logically valid points. Now he can see the grey between white and black world. He smiled and stared at her taking her words in.
“You are really very different from others, Do you know it??” He asked smiling at her
“Yeah!” She replied shrugging her shoulders and put the hair back of her ear, while doing it the bangles on her left hand tingled. There are so many bangles that even if they move her hand is not visible.
Omkara smiled broadly hearing the tingling sound. She saw his smile and signed what raising her eyebrows. He nodded his head in no and continued to smile pointing to her bangles. She looked at them and then at him in confusion.
“Seems like you love bangles a lot, you always wear them, right? He asked her smiling
Ishanya’s smile turned a sad smile and she just nodded yes and said, “I need to go now. I have a meeting to attend.” She said standing up.
“Ok, I’ll send you the invitation” Said Omkara he too standing up.
“dhath!! See us we have chatted for this long but haven’t known each other’s names!” Said Ishanya nodding her head in unbelievable. Omkara just smiled and looked down. He knew her name, but he was not going to say it.
“I am Ishanya.” She said offering her hand to hand shake.
“Omkara” He said shaking his hand with her.
“Can you give me your e-mail id, I’ll mail you whenever we conduct art exhibitions.” He asked her with a hope to keep in touch with her.
“Yeah, sure 1 sec.” She said opening her purse. She took out a pen and wrote her e-mail id on the tissue paper and gave it to him smiling.
She left from there but this time she turned around before leaving and looked at Omkara and waved bye to him. He too waved her bye with a broad smile on his face, which was still there even after she left.
So, how is it?? How is IshOm meeting? I am waiting to know ur opnions. Please comment long.