It was the evening time but still there was lot of time for the darkness to spread. The atmosphere was very pleasant. Those who wanted to go for an evening stroll were slowly coming out of their houses. Even Priya was riding on her bicycle through the road. While riding the bicycle her hairs, styled as bob-cut, were flying on her forehead, and her manner of removing them back from there using one hand while riding the bicycle was appearing very attractive. Moreover, after every brief spell she was also resetting her skirt blowing up on the air and even that action was quite pleasant. After covering some distance she moved on one edge of the road and stopped it near the compound with a wooden gate on it. After putting the bicycle on its side-stand she locked it first and then approached the gate of that home. All her actions, such as stopping the bicycle and resting it on the side-stand were following some beautiful captivating rhythm. The gate she had approached was of Vijay’s home. While peeping over the gate and opening it, she glanced over the open space in front of the main door to see whether anybody was sitting there. Since it being an evening time she hoped to see somebody from Vijay’s family sitting there in the open space or at least Vijay could be there. Contrary to her expectation of the evening time, the main door too was closed.
Have all the people gone out, Priya thought.
She first opened the gate and stepped inside the open space. Then she glanced here and there since she was coming at Vijay’s home for the first time. Similarly, not a single window of Vijay’s home seem to be open. All the windows were closed from inside. She approached the main door of that house. Fortunately, there was no lock hanging on the door which, Priya was assured, there must be somebody inside the home.
Perhaps, Vijay’s mother must be alone at home or it could also be that Vijay must be alone at home and he must be engrossed in his studies inside his room.
She gave a thought to all this, came near the main door of the house and raised her hand to ring the doorbell. Her arm, raised above to ring the doorbell, came down automatically after realizing there was no switch to ring the bell. Then she was forced to knock on the door and wait for someone to open it. But she could not sense any movement inside the house and therefore she knocked on the door once again. Even then there was absolutely no movement being felt inside the house.
Now she genuinely wondered whether all the family members had gone out. She also felt tempted to go at the backyard of the house to check whether the backdoor was locked since she had, by now, come to know that in order to prevent thefts taking place the people of this town had a regular practice of locking the backdoor from outside while going out.
For a couple of moments, Priya even felt tempted to visit the backyard of the house but she avoided going there because firstly she was coming to that home for the first time and secondly she was not even knowing the exact layout of the backyard of that home.
Finally, she turned back and started going toward the wooden gate of that house but suddenly she heard the noise of the door being opened. Therefore she turned back only to see Vijay standing in the door.
Then Priya said, ‘I thought there is nobody at home?’.
Hoping that he might her call inside his home, she stood near him. But Vijay came out himself and pulled one of the chairs kept in the open space and invited her to sit on the other.
‘Come! Let us sit outside only!’, he said, ‘Sit on that chair!’.
‘I had come to you to borrow your notes of P-1’, Priya said to Vijay, ‘unless you don’t need them now!’.
‘No! I don’t need them immediately for next two-three days!’, Vijay replied, ‘because currently I am studying the M-1 and M-2 whose test is expected tomorrow and the day after. But after three days I will need them back since Prof. Patil’s test is coming immediately thereafter’.
‘I will definitely return it to you within two days’, Priya assured while removing the hairs blowing over her forehead with the wind.
Vijay was secretly watchful of her hairs appearing on her forehead with the flow of the wind and her typical pleasant style of removing them back. Suddenly, one middle-aged woman came there out of the house. She was combing her hairs.
‘Meet my mother’, Vijay introduced Priya to his mother, ‘Mother! This is Priya! My classmate!’.
‘Good evening aunty’, Priya welcomed Vijay’s mother and she in turn gave a smile of acceptance.
‘Whose daughter are you?’, Vijay’s mother affectionately enquired.
Experiencing the warmth in her voice, Priya invariably remembered her mother.
‘My father’s name is Mr. Ulhas Kulkarni’, Priya promptly replied, ‘probably you may not be knowing him because he was located earlier in Mumbai and we have recently shifted here after he was transferred’.
‘Where does your father work?’, Vijay’s mother asked.
‘He is in State Bank!’, Priya replied.
‘Is it? Your father must be knowing him?’, Vijay’s mother said to him.
‘No mother!, Father works far off in the forest department! Her father is in the bank!’, Vijay replied.
‘But he must be going into the bank sometimes!’, Vijay’s mother said.
‘But how can her father be knowing every visitor to the bank?’, Vijay questioned.
‘Yes! Even you are right to say that!’, Vijay’s mother replied.
‘But now probably he may come to know!’, Priya said.
Suddenly, some noise was heard from the kitchen of that house and Vijay’s mother turned back and yelled, ‘Coming! Coming! Baby!’ and she went inside again.
After Vijay’s mother went inside again, for a couple of moments both, Vijay and Priya spent in silence. Perhaps they were thinking what to talk next.
‘Can you give me those notes?’, Priya reminded Vijay.
‘Just a minute!’, Vijay said and he went inside home to get them.
Novel Illusion (Complete) - Based on a true story
Re: Novel Illusion (Complete) - Based on a true story
‘What for has he gone, to fetch the notes of P-1, or for something else?’, Priya was thinking about Vijay, sitting in the open space outside his home, since a lot of time had passed away after he went.
Suddenly, Priya sensed somebody standing behind her. She turned back and was startled instantly, so much so that, feeling afraid she was about to scream for seeing a 21-22 years old insane girl with hairs freely flowing from her head, was holding Priya’s chair looking straight at her and was mysteriously smiling at Priya. Right at the same moment, Vijay came out of his home holding the notes in his hand, and finding Priya completely afraid, he laughed at her and said, ‘This is my elder sister Shalini’.
Feeling relieved, Priya offered her greetings to Shalini by saying, ‘Namaskar’ to Shalini but she did not respond and went away inside the home.
Priya slowly sat down on the chair and Vijay too occupied a chair in front of her and explained, ‘ She is suffering from, you know, some psychiatric ailment’.
‘I can understand it!. I am sorry!’, Priya replied.
‘You need not feel sorry about it! We are very much habituated of it by now’, Vijay replied while giving the notes to her.
Priya flipped through the pages of those notes and spontaneously said, ‘Your handwriting is really very beautiful’.
‘Even you have been endowed with one beautiful gift’, Vijay responded.
‘What is that?’, Priya curiously asked.
‘Your teeth are marvelous’, Vijay explained.
‘Is it?’, Priya blushed with all pink colour being spread on her face with eyes looking down.
‘Thanks that you came to my home, at least under the pretext of notes. I am delighted’, Vijay said.
Priya felt confused what to say on this.
‘No! Usually no one comes to us!’, Vijay said further probably because of his insane sister.
Priya sat there in silence for few moments and then got up to leave. She then assured, ‘I will definitely return your notes within two days. Precisely within two days!’.
‘I know you will!. Not an issue at all!’, Vijay too got up and came as a courtesy to drop her up to the gate.
Right at the same moment one man, in his late fifties, entered the wooden gate holding his old bicycle. His face was full of sweat, unshaven as he was, and his clothes too were crumpled. Besides all of these discourteous looks, when he came and stood near Priya, she was bitterly irritated since his mouth smelled disgustingly foul with liquor.
‘Who is this drunkard man? And where is he going here in decent family’s house?’, she thought, ‘probably he must have entered by mistake’.
Priya thought like this and glanced at Vijay but he was standing calmly.
That man gave an unrecognizing glance to Priya and pulled out a pack of cigarettes of some utterly cheap brand. After opening it when he realized that it was empty, he annoyingly threw it in some corner of that open space outside Vijay’s house and pulled out a Rs. 50/- currency note from his pocket and order to Vijay, ‘Go and get one pack of cigarettes!’.
Priya thought that Vijay might react against that discourteous behaviour but on the contrary he calmly inserted that money in his pocket. That drunken man, in turn, moved ahead and disappeared toward the backyard of Vijay’s house to keep the bicycle he was holding. Vijay glanced at Priya’s confused face and explained, ‘He is my father!’.
Failing to comprehend what to say on this, Priya brought her bicycle out of the gate and said to Vijay, ‘Bye for now!’. While she was ready to move ahead Vijay stood there to bid a farewell to her and responded equally.
For a long time Vijay continued standing there in the gate looking at Priya till the time she moved away from his sight.
Suddenly, Priya sensed somebody standing behind her. She turned back and was startled instantly, so much so that, feeling afraid she was about to scream for seeing a 21-22 years old insane girl with hairs freely flowing from her head, was holding Priya’s chair looking straight at her and was mysteriously smiling at Priya. Right at the same moment, Vijay came out of his home holding the notes in his hand, and finding Priya completely afraid, he laughed at her and said, ‘This is my elder sister Shalini’.
Feeling relieved, Priya offered her greetings to Shalini by saying, ‘Namaskar’ to Shalini but she did not respond and went away inside the home.
Priya slowly sat down on the chair and Vijay too occupied a chair in front of her and explained, ‘ She is suffering from, you know, some psychiatric ailment’.
‘I can understand it!. I am sorry!’, Priya replied.
‘You need not feel sorry about it! We are very much habituated of it by now’, Vijay replied while giving the notes to her.
Priya flipped through the pages of those notes and spontaneously said, ‘Your handwriting is really very beautiful’.
‘Even you have been endowed with one beautiful gift’, Vijay responded.
‘What is that?’, Priya curiously asked.
‘Your teeth are marvelous’, Vijay explained.
‘Is it?’, Priya blushed with all pink colour being spread on her face with eyes looking down.
‘Thanks that you came to my home, at least under the pretext of notes. I am delighted’, Vijay said.
Priya felt confused what to say on this.
‘No! Usually no one comes to us!’, Vijay said further probably because of his insane sister.
Priya sat there in silence for few moments and then got up to leave. She then assured, ‘I will definitely return your notes within two days. Precisely within two days!’.
‘I know you will!. Not an issue at all!’, Vijay too got up and came as a courtesy to drop her up to the gate.
Right at the same moment one man, in his late fifties, entered the wooden gate holding his old bicycle. His face was full of sweat, unshaven as he was, and his clothes too were crumpled. Besides all of these discourteous looks, when he came and stood near Priya, she was bitterly irritated since his mouth smelled disgustingly foul with liquor.
‘Who is this drunkard man? And where is he going here in decent family’s house?’, she thought, ‘probably he must have entered by mistake’.
Priya thought like this and glanced at Vijay but he was standing calmly.
That man gave an unrecognizing glance to Priya and pulled out a pack of cigarettes of some utterly cheap brand. After opening it when he realized that it was empty, he annoyingly threw it in some corner of that open space outside Vijay’s house and pulled out a Rs. 50/- currency note from his pocket and order to Vijay, ‘Go and get one pack of cigarettes!’.
Priya thought that Vijay might react against that discourteous behaviour but on the contrary he calmly inserted that money in his pocket. That drunken man, in turn, moved ahead and disappeared toward the backyard of Vijay’s house to keep the bicycle he was holding. Vijay glanced at Priya’s confused face and explained, ‘He is my father!’.
Failing to comprehend what to say on this, Priya brought her bicycle out of the gate and said to Vijay, ‘Bye for now!’. While she was ready to move ahead Vijay stood there to bid a farewell to her and responded equally.
For a long time Vijay continued standing there in the gate looking at Priya till the time she moved away from his sight.
Re: Novel Illusion (Complete) - Based on a true story
Slowly the friendship between Priya, Vijay and Rajesh started growing. Discussing on many subjects together, sharing jokes, and chatting together became routine activities. Rajesh too was accompanying them since he would be usually with Vijay constantly. They used to chat together so frequently but Priya never spoke again about Vijay’s troublesome family background like his sister or the way she had confronted for the first time with his father. Frankly speaking she never dared to raise those topics and nor Vijay volunteered to describe anything further about it. But after witnessing all of those troubles constantly present in his life, Priya had started respecting Vijay for his determination to move ahead in life.
‘What an inspiring will!’, she always felt curious and surprise toward Vijay for this.
Vijay was already going at Rajesh’s residence for studies since it was not possible to do it at his home given the kind of limitations he constantly faced. But ever since Rajesh’s elder brother got married, even their righteous occupation of that room was annulled and now they both faced the same problem. This problem was easily solved by Priya because at her home only she and her father were living, particularly because, her mother had expired during pregnancy while she was studying in the fourth standard and her father had avoided going for a second marriage after her death. Now he was playing the duel role of Priya’s mother and that of being her father. Priya’s residence was a nice State Bank of India quarters of three room’s house. Therefore, she decided to invite Vijay and Rajesh at her home for studies sitting there in the dining hall of her home.
Once Rajesh, Vijay and Priya were studying at home in the dining room and Priya’s father came out there. He glanced at all of them but they were so deeply engrossed in their studies that they did not notice him at all. Priya’s father, was holding one carry-bag in his hand and it appeared that he was going out for some work. He went up to the door and wore sandals and again glanced at three of them. Even then they did not notice him at all.
So he called at his daughter, ‘Priya’.
Startled by his voice, Priya looked at him and got up to say, ‘Papa, where are you going?’.
Both, Vijay and Rajesh got aware of his presence and they too started getting up. But he generously said to both of them, ‘No need to get up! You carry on with your studies! I am just going for purchasing some commodities from market! Please look after the home!’.
‘Don’t you worry uncle! We are there to take care!’, Rajesh assured.
‘Yes! I could see that how attentive you are’, Priya’s father said mischievously.
‘I was going out and yet you did not notice me. A thief won’t have to strive hard to steal anything after entering from outside’, he replied.
‘Papa, you are worrying unnecessarily! What is there precious in our house to steal from?’, Priya retorted at her father.
‘Anyway, I am getting late’, Priya’s father said while stepping out.
Suddenly Priya remembered something and she loudly yelled at him, ‘Papa!’.
‘What is that?’, he answered from outside.
‘Please get few more essential commodities while returning home’, Priya answered.
‘What are that?’, father replied.
‘Get some tea powder, milk and a toothpaste’, Priya replied in turn.
‘Anything more?’, Priya’s father replied sarcastically.
Realizing his sarcasm, both Vijay and Rajesh smiled at Priya.
But Priya replied, ‘No! That’s all! But don’t forget to get it!’.
‘Sure my child!’, father replied and immediately thereafter was heard the sound of his two-wheeler being started.
‘Bye Papa’, Priya yelled again.
‘Bye for now!’, came the reply and then came the sound of that two-wheeler moving out of the premises.
‘But Priya, your papa is really great!’, Rajesh said.
‘Yes indeed! My papa is really great!’, Priya replied with pride.
‘But won’t you like to know why was he calling your father great?’, Vijay asked.
‘Yes! Quite right! Why did you call my father great?’, Priya asked to Rajesh.
‘Just casually! I felt like that and hence I called him great!’, Vijay replied.
‘Here in our town any naïve man is called as ‘Great’, Vijay clipped.
‘Rajesh?’, Priya asked with eyes filled with surprise and anger, ‘did you mean my father is naïve?’.
‘Oh No!, Vijay is only inflaming the fire by pouring oil in it!’, Rajesh replied.
‘Then why don’t you disclose why you feel he is great?’, Priya was not going to let him go without an explanation.
‘Frankly speaking, your mother died when you were studying in the fourth standard and yet your father did not marry again is the reason why I feel your father is truly great!’, Rajesh replied.
‘My father loved my mother intensely, even today his passions for my mother are the same’, Priya whispered as though her memories were awakened.
‘Do you know, it was my father’s love-marriage!’, Priya said.
‘Love-marriage, and that too in those orthodox days?’, both, Rajesh and Vijay exclaimed with surprise.
‘What a foolish question! Does love-marriage is subject to any times? It only takes love between a woman and a man and there is no guarantee when that bond may flourish between the two. But once formed, it happens irrespective of any hindrances like caste, creed, community or even religion!’, Priya asserted.
‘You are quite right!’, Rajesh agreed.
‘Of course, anything told about ‘Love’ will appear true to you’, Vijay remarked mischievously to Rajesh.
‘And do you know how the love story between them blossomed?’, Priya asked by ignoring Vijay’s remark.
‘How did it happen?’, both, Vijay and Rajesh curiously asked.
‘You know how it happened……’, Priya started narrating the story, ‘My mother must be hardly in her early twenties that time, perhaps 22-23 years old. She suddenly developed apathy for this material life and sought to retire at Mount Abu by renouncing all the material pleasures’.
‘What for did she go there?’, Rajesh asked.
‘What do you mean what for? Of course for leading a saintly life!’, Priya replied.
‘The could she achieve her goal?’, Rajesh asked curiously.
‘Are you a fool?. If she was to have really become a saint could we have get to see Priya sitting before us today?’, Vijay annoyingly remarked for such an ignorant and naïve question by Rajesh.
‘No! What I mean to ask is that then how did the love between the two occur?’, Rajesh was appropriate to ask.
‘Actually what happened! My father was distantly related to her and he took the initiative’, Priya started explaining, ‘to persuade and bring her back from there’.
‘Then what happened next?’, Rajesh asked.
‘Then what? He went and succeeded in his mission. In the meantime, the love blossomed between the two’, Priya plainly answered.
‘What a fascinating love story it is’, Rajesh exclaimed.
‘It is a new concept altogether! Worth making a film on it!’, Vijay opined.
‘What happened thereafter?’, Rajesh’s curiosity was not quenched.
‘What next?, you idiot!’, Vijay shouted again, ‘Next they both got married and Priya was born! What else do you want to happen?’.
‘But their love between the two was indeed an ideal love’, Priya was still lost in her memoires, ‘anybody would feel envious of it’.
‘What an inspiring will!’, she always felt curious and surprise toward Vijay for this.
Vijay was already going at Rajesh’s residence for studies since it was not possible to do it at his home given the kind of limitations he constantly faced. But ever since Rajesh’s elder brother got married, even their righteous occupation of that room was annulled and now they both faced the same problem. This problem was easily solved by Priya because at her home only she and her father were living, particularly because, her mother had expired during pregnancy while she was studying in the fourth standard and her father had avoided going for a second marriage after her death. Now he was playing the duel role of Priya’s mother and that of being her father. Priya’s residence was a nice State Bank of India quarters of three room’s house. Therefore, she decided to invite Vijay and Rajesh at her home for studies sitting there in the dining hall of her home.
Once Rajesh, Vijay and Priya were studying at home in the dining room and Priya’s father came out there. He glanced at all of them but they were so deeply engrossed in their studies that they did not notice him at all. Priya’s father, was holding one carry-bag in his hand and it appeared that he was going out for some work. He went up to the door and wore sandals and again glanced at three of them. Even then they did not notice him at all.
So he called at his daughter, ‘Priya’.
Startled by his voice, Priya looked at him and got up to say, ‘Papa, where are you going?’.
Both, Vijay and Rajesh got aware of his presence and they too started getting up. But he generously said to both of them, ‘No need to get up! You carry on with your studies! I am just going for purchasing some commodities from market! Please look after the home!’.
‘Don’t you worry uncle! We are there to take care!’, Rajesh assured.
‘Yes! I could see that how attentive you are’, Priya’s father said mischievously.
‘I was going out and yet you did not notice me. A thief won’t have to strive hard to steal anything after entering from outside’, he replied.
‘Papa, you are worrying unnecessarily! What is there precious in our house to steal from?’, Priya retorted at her father.
‘Anyway, I am getting late’, Priya’s father said while stepping out.
Suddenly Priya remembered something and she loudly yelled at him, ‘Papa!’.
‘What is that?’, he answered from outside.
‘Please get few more essential commodities while returning home’, Priya answered.
‘What are that?’, father replied.
‘Get some tea powder, milk and a toothpaste’, Priya replied in turn.
‘Anything more?’, Priya’s father replied sarcastically.
Realizing his sarcasm, both Vijay and Rajesh smiled at Priya.
But Priya replied, ‘No! That’s all! But don’t forget to get it!’.
‘Sure my child!’, father replied and immediately thereafter was heard the sound of his two-wheeler being started.
‘Bye Papa’, Priya yelled again.
‘Bye for now!’, came the reply and then came the sound of that two-wheeler moving out of the premises.
‘But Priya, your papa is really great!’, Rajesh said.
‘Yes indeed! My papa is really great!’, Priya replied with pride.
‘But won’t you like to know why was he calling your father great?’, Vijay asked.
‘Yes! Quite right! Why did you call my father great?’, Priya asked to Rajesh.
‘Just casually! I felt like that and hence I called him great!’, Vijay replied.
‘Here in our town any naïve man is called as ‘Great’, Vijay clipped.
‘Rajesh?’, Priya asked with eyes filled with surprise and anger, ‘did you mean my father is naïve?’.
‘Oh No!, Vijay is only inflaming the fire by pouring oil in it!’, Rajesh replied.
‘Then why don’t you disclose why you feel he is great?’, Priya was not going to let him go without an explanation.
‘Frankly speaking, your mother died when you were studying in the fourth standard and yet your father did not marry again is the reason why I feel your father is truly great!’, Rajesh replied.
‘My father loved my mother intensely, even today his passions for my mother are the same’, Priya whispered as though her memories were awakened.
‘Do you know, it was my father’s love-marriage!’, Priya said.
‘Love-marriage, and that too in those orthodox days?’, both, Rajesh and Vijay exclaimed with surprise.
‘What a foolish question! Does love-marriage is subject to any times? It only takes love between a woman and a man and there is no guarantee when that bond may flourish between the two. But once formed, it happens irrespective of any hindrances like caste, creed, community or even religion!’, Priya asserted.
‘You are quite right!’, Rajesh agreed.
‘Of course, anything told about ‘Love’ will appear true to you’, Vijay remarked mischievously to Rajesh.
‘And do you know how the love story between them blossomed?’, Priya asked by ignoring Vijay’s remark.
‘How did it happen?’, both, Vijay and Rajesh curiously asked.
‘You know how it happened……’, Priya started narrating the story, ‘My mother must be hardly in her early twenties that time, perhaps 22-23 years old. She suddenly developed apathy for this material life and sought to retire at Mount Abu by renouncing all the material pleasures’.
‘What for did she go there?’, Rajesh asked.
‘What do you mean what for? Of course for leading a saintly life!’, Priya replied.
‘The could she achieve her goal?’, Rajesh asked curiously.
‘Are you a fool?. If she was to have really become a saint could we have get to see Priya sitting before us today?’, Vijay annoyingly remarked for such an ignorant and naïve question by Rajesh.
‘No! What I mean to ask is that then how did the love between the two occur?’, Rajesh was appropriate to ask.
‘Actually what happened! My father was distantly related to her and he took the initiative’, Priya started explaining, ‘to persuade and bring her back from there’.
‘Then what happened next?’, Rajesh asked.
‘Then what? He went and succeeded in his mission. In the meantime, the love blossomed between the two’, Priya plainly answered.
‘What a fascinating love story it is’, Rajesh exclaimed.
‘It is a new concept altogether! Worth making a film on it!’, Vijay opined.
‘What happened thereafter?’, Rajesh’s curiosity was not quenched.
‘What next?, you idiot!’, Vijay shouted again, ‘Next they both got married and Priya was born! What else do you want to happen?’.
‘But their love between the two was indeed an ideal love’, Priya was still lost in her memoires, ‘anybody would feel envious of it’.