THE FIRST LOVE (STORY)

The black masked hooligans were chanting their God’s name at the zenith. He didn’t want to know what their slogans were, he didn’t want to know who were they but simply he was running for his life from them. The previous day someone had seen two rotten eggs with some puja materials in a plastic cover and today fanatics had started burning the city because of the two eggs. Two eggs had incinerated the city. There one could see a city with everywhere balls of hatred glowing and the hoi-polloi running for their lives.
There was no one, non other than Niharika, a five years old cherub for Amar. They had come to the market top get some vegetables. Niharika was playing with the daughter of the vendor. The eggs had started to blaze the city. The fans of flame had started moving to the market. Open-mouthed Amar lifted up his daughter and joined the stream of masses running for their lives. He didn’t want to know what their chants were, who were they and why they wanted his life but he simply knew that he wanted to live and save his daughter’s life that his dear Vasanta had left for him.
Eggs had to make a lot many changes in many one’s lives, even Amar’s life. Amar might have never cogitated that the eggs can seize his Niharika from him. Instead of Niharika, he had lifted Chitti, the vendor’s daughter. While galloping from the fanatics craving Amar had held his daughter tight to him and Chitti, who didn’t even dare to open her eyes was holding tightly her baba.
The burning streets had left nothing but bones and goblets of hatred. The eggs had eaten the full town. Police-‘ The law and order keepers’ had nothing to do but add five year old Niharika’s photo to the list of missing persons. The eggs had started blowing harsh wind with a rotten smell. The rotten smell had kept nothing with the bourgeois. The wind eddies changed many rich one’s destiny-made them more and more powerful and the common little more and more powerless.
The dust devil took Niharika from Amar’s life but left a Chitti for him. The rotten wind slowly and slowly started to degrade. Fragrance of love started filling the winds. Chitti became Amar’s Niharika and Amar Chitti’s baba. Aroma of love started transforming their lives. They had a sharp twinge in their hearts for losing their deared ones but the sweet scented winds made them to forget every odd stuff and start up a new life.
Nineteen years had gone after the attack of eggs. Now life had started to show new signs of hope. Baba had only one aim in his life- Niharika (which the God had given him in the form of chitti). Baba couldn’t effort to miss anything for Niharika’s betterment. She too never let her baba down and today Niharika had topped the graduation in psychology. Baba was so happy………
Chitti’s (Baba’s Niharika) had also taken many turns. She had found her first love. She had fell in love with Karan- her karate Sir’s son. They were planning a new life together. The precious moment of unison was coming closer and closer. Tomorrow Niharika will leave her baba and elope with Karan for starting a new life. Chitti was also very happy……...
Their Karan and his confederate Pintya were also very happy. After six months of work, the D-day has come. Pintya had brought the ladoos, the ladoos with sedatives, which will be govern to Chitti for celebrating the start of new life and then………… and then the plan will get executed- first Karan and then Pintya.
The harsh eddies had again entered Amar’s life. The ray of hope had again faded away. Today again after nineteen years, Amar was running through ever nook and corner of the city to trace his Niharika. Today again he has come to the police for his Niharika. This time the putrid winds are making baba more and more tense.
Here Chitti had started her new life with her first love! Lewd Pintya had made some changes in the plan. He had added sedatives in Karan’s ladoo too. Psychology graduate Niharika smelled something wrong in Karan’s drowsy eyes. She could fell the whiff of Pintya’s lust from those eyes. This reek reminded her the karate lesson’s she had learnt from her first love’s dad. Her each blows were targeted towards Pintya’s loins. The simple but in-depth lessons of love taught by her baba were flashing back to her aching heart. Yesterday Niharika was very proud that in this voracious world she could find a real love in Karan but today those lessons were making her realize that nothing but lust had driven Karan to this elopement. The karate steps had not left any part of Karan and Pintya. They were trying to get away from those merciless blows; Karan had run away from the place with unconcealed bleeding loins.
Tears of guilt had started to shed from her remorseful eyes…………..
As I know I myself a jilt,
How your love could try my guilt;
Where again the candles of love be lit,
As in my world nothing remains but mist;
No foul love the pure water could mop,
In which stream should my tears plop………

Oh! Baba how could you grant me grace,
When in my world, I don’t have any space !!!

These days Niharika is working with baba, who greeted Niharika with a wink, for N.G.O. which works for victims of molestation.

Glossary :-
Hooligans - a violent young troublemaker
Incinerated - burnt
Hoi-polloi – common people
Cogitate – think deeply
Twinge – a brief, sharp pang of emotion
Cherub - a beautiful or innocent-looking child
Confederate – partner in crime
Lewd - crude and offensive in a sexual way
Elope – run away secretly in order to get married
Jilt - abruptly break off a relationship with
Plop – fall or drop with such a sound.
Mop - clean or soak up by wiping