"Where there is will – there is a way" - A look up Story

Dec 6 2007 …

Raj typed his name in the Google search box and pressed enter.

There were more than 10 lacs of Raj.

He made it more specific.

Raj from Patna …..

“Still over a lac”, it’s tough. He thought.

Finally he took a deep sigh and typed “Tabassum”

Long list.

Then Tabassum from Srinagar, Tabassum Khan etc…. etc..

He tried all permutation combination possible to make the search result more comprehensive.

Some photographs even. But he couldn’t make out. No photographs matched the Tabassum he knew when he was 18.

“It had been 18 yrs now, since I have kept this letter with me. I didn’t know where to post as she had not replied after her marriage.” He sighed. I had just wanted to ask – “Does the friendship ends with a marriage?”

She had asked my views on the Marriage. I didn’t understand. We had known each other in and out through our letters.

“I can still remember I knew there would be a letter waiting today the moment I alighted from bus returning from school. Our friendship had started through letters and matured through it. We knew each other more than we knew ourselves. Our heart used to pound for each other.” He continued recalling.

“And then in each of her letter she would ask when I was coming to Srinagar to meet her. And the meeting got delayed. It got delayed each time. And then her important question – about marriage preference. With my reply – As a bolt from the blue - there was the marriage invitation from her.”

“I did write even after that. On her birthday, right! But there was no reply. And I had stopped writing to let my friend settle in her new family.”

He sighed. He knew he hasn’t forgotten her till now. He too has a well settled family. But whenever there is a discussion of friends – he knows he had only one – and doesn’t know where she is?

Today too, the new joiners were talking about Orkut and they could find their school friends there.

Hopefully I would also find?

I need to – He thought.  

With new zeal and hope he renewed his search.

Every day whenever he would get time, he would continue his search. He was determined to search for her. Perhaps just to ask her once – Why didn’t she reply or say why she didn’t want to writ further? Does marriage ends a friendship?

He would restart his search each day with some new angle. Sometimes look for her father’s name and address, her sisters. He would search in the letters from the past for all other clue. The name of the teachers, her school, college alumni, sister’s friend’s, brothers, whatever he could come along. Despite all odds he would never loose heart.

Till one day he came across one piece

Dr. Qadir Khan from 6, Jawahar Park, Srinagar.

The name looked familiar to her brothers. And the address is same as hers. His heart started beating faster. He clicked the link. It had details of his studies and awards. And there is an email address at the end.

He mustered courage.

Typed a mail …

Dear Dr. Qadir,

I don’t know if you are the same person. This is in reference to your sister Tabassum my childhood penfriend. We have lost contact since long. I crossed through your name on google today. So, if my guess is correct and you are her brother, pls. pass this mail to her or if you can tell me about her where-abouts. I would be highly obliged.

Raj.

He pushed the mail and waited for the wonders to happen.

After 3 days as he opens the mail in his office -

The Inbox read in bright … Tabassum Khan

He put his hand on the heart…lest it would come out.

His eyes got wet. Just said … I knew my friend I can-not lose you 

"At last I have found you." He murmured. 

It was proved ..  “ Where there is will – there is a way”

This post is written in response to Indiblogger Happy Hours Topic - "Look up Stories" https://housing.com/lookup.

Aditya Sinha

Learnings from my Grandfather

Man is a social animal. So though we can boast whatever we are today is because of me and my ideology, it actually develops throughout our lives starting from our childhood to the last breathe. What we are today is the amalgamation of traits that we descend genetically from our parents and the learnings that we incorporate consciously or subconsciously from the society, environment, and family.  

So today when HDFC Life http://www.hdfclife.com/. has prompted the topic to reflect on a family member who has guided and encouraged us to grow into a better, more self-reliant person, I have only one face that comes in front of my eyes.

-       The old man, leaving his countless stories of life which he narrated to me during my studies, basking in sun, or while sleeping alongside during the night at the age of 83.  My grandfather – Ramanand Prasad. I was 15 at that time but the stories has built the character in me.

I admire him – for he is the person who cultivated the character in me without teaching anything. It all just came by example that he set himself and today we realize that it’s imbibed in our character as an integral part now. Be it respect for woman, devotion for work, belief in self, or making one grow into a self-reliant person.

They had come to Patna in 1942. My Grandfather used to narrate proudly whenever I asked him about circumstances leading to settle here.

“We had come to Patna. I had left Janaki in a dharma-shala near the station to finish some work. On return I found her waiting on the footpath with the luggage, taking lunch from the tiffin-box along with my sons and a gutter flowing just behind. It felt me so bad that I finalized this piece of land the same day.”

He would say recounting his memories. He was an inspector during the British rule and was transferred to Patna in 1942. The freedom bug had taken its control. His attitude towards fellow Indians had aroused the wrath of the Britishers and left him with no choice but to take compulsory retirement. Janaki Devi, my Grand ma from there took the charge and brought up her eight – sons (seven own and one step) and one daughter.  Herself a daughter of land lord and an Inspector in the British Soldier, she had never known hardship. Leave aside working; she had travelled only in Palki’s from her village escorted by barahils.  But situation made her strong and she turned into an Iron Lady. From here the role got reversed. My grand-father took charge of the kids and she managed a social worker assignment in the railways.

I had seen him standing by her side in all odds for all office related issues.

The most aspiring part was his zeal and support to his daughter-in-law, my mother in her studies, & even helping to look after the kids when she used to go to the college. Imagine a father in law doing these in the era of 60’s. My mother got married at the age of 15 just after her board. Seeing her zeal in studies, unlike other families where the bride gets crushed in family rituals, he took personal interest and helped her all out to complete studies till the level of PG & BEd. He even encouraged and helped her to go for Govt. job as he did for his wife. Having an extraordinary command in English, hindi, urdu and homeopath, he would himself help her with all studies. Even I got all my training till he breathed his last esp. in English from him.   

Today the circumstances are more favourable and there are numerous forums and opportunities to help becoming self-reliant. But he has set examples through such daily course of life which made my mother self-reliant and thus imbibed the same in me which appears a very natural trait of mine. I am indebted to him.  

Aditya Sinha

Get a Better Car with QuikrNXT

"So finally we are transferred to Delhi. Lot of work needs to be done. Shifting is a big job and time is less." I told her sitting in the lobby taking a sip of the tea.

"Yes, I think we can leave all these furniture here at Patna and buy new one over there as per the size of the flat. You would not find such big houses over there."

"Very true! So we can just move with few briefcases and lock the things here. After all, this house is owned and there you would go in rented. " 

"Right, and we should change the car too. There we should buy a new car. We need a better car."

"Ok. So where to sell? Here or at Delhi?"

"Wherever we get the better price!"

"Then let’s take help of Quikr  http://www.quikr.com/. Let’s put an ad over there and see the response."

"Ad… There are too many calls. It disturbs."

"We can go with the Quikr NXT App. Then there would be no calls."

"Yes, the interested buyer can just send the chat message and we can satisfy all queries through chat while continuing with all our other works."

So that’s decided.

GM SAIL SEDAN – 2013 make available for sale. Excellent condition. Just 25000km driven. Can be delivered at Patna or Delhi. Contact…  . The ad is flashed.

By evening there are overwhelming responses. Evaluation is on for the best offer price. Different quotes from different people.

Mr. Manchanda from Noida asked for more photographs. We exchanged the same immediately.

Dr. Kapoor from East Delhi asked for the papers and we shared the same in no time.

Miss Kalpana from Ghaziabad wanted to know about the accessories that are fitted and the interiors. She got the details instantly.

Chats continued about insurance, service till now, accidents if any, and anything below the sky. Fortunately I just had to send message on chat. I could just smile on the queries and type some text without straining the other senses. Thanks to Quikr Nxt. It made the handling of queries easy and helped manage the crucial time.

People at Delhi are offering better price but would finalise after having a look. So we can fix up the time and show them after reaching there. We finally discussed. Mr. Manchanda had offered the best and was given time for Sunday. We would be reaching by the car on Saturday. And the transaction can be done on Sunday.

After one week next Friday

We are ready to move all loaded in the car and the chat continues.

Me : "Yes Mr. Manchanda, we are leaving. We would be meeting tomorrow at 3:00 p.m. You can have a cup of tea with us and have a look at the car."

Mr. Manchanda : "Sure."

Next day:

Mr. Manchanda comes at 3:00 pm.

Deal finalised.

"And now you would come have the dinner tomorrow with us tonight."

So we not only have the car sold but also a good friend made.

Thanks to Quikr NXT.

Aditya Sinha

This post is written for Happy Hours Contest on Indiblogger by QuikrNXT http://www.quikr.com/.