It was now a part of my daily routine to go there to teach Anubhav. I taught him for nearly thirty days continuously to cover the syllabus. During these days I came very close to Rose’s family. Her mother always used to praise me a lot. I never knew what impressed her but I guess it should be my intelligence and simplicity. Her mother even trusted me a lot. Many a times it so happened that I and Rose sat for hours together in her drawing room gossiping but she never took it otherwise. I was now treated as a part of that family. Rose had never been to my house and even I was not courageous enough to invite her but never complained of that.

One day it so happened that when I reached Rose’s house she was not there. Her mother asked me to come inside and wait for her. I was surfing the pages of a magazine while her mother brought water for me. She insisted to have a cup of tea with her to which I agreed instantaneously. While going to the kitchen she gave me an envelope to have a look at some photographs inside it. I opened the envelope and found two photographs of a boy. They were proposal photographs as I could easily interpret by having a glance of them. “What’s your opinion about the boy?” Rose’s mother asked me while keeping the tray in her hands on the table. I said “He is really looking smart. But who is he?” The answer to my question stunned me. She told me that it was a proposal for Rose which had been forwarded by her maternal Aunt. .I just wanted the ground to open up and swallow me. She asked me my opinion about it. What could a person overburdened with faith have answered? I also did the same by approving that boy for Rose. My mind was wagering as I was worried what to do now. I took her leave and returned to my house.

In the late evening hours Rose called me up to know why I didn’t wait for her in the afternoon. I made an easily palatable excuse. She asked me come to the park next day where we usually sit secluded from the whole world.

“She was my love and was made for me

She has to be mine and she has to be.”

As per the order of my love I was there on time. She saw a fear on my face, the fear of losing my most loveable thing. Rose asked me why I was sad. I told her that there were some personal problems in my house. She insisted on knowing the cause behind my sadness but I averted her from that issue by asking a foolish question about her brother’s studies. I tried my level best to be normal but was unable to pull the wool over Rose's eyes. She could read what was going on in my mind. We sat for nearly two hours much of it unspoken.

The days went on and even our summer holidays passed very fast. We got our results and as known earlier to me Rose scored the highest in our group. I was happy to find her hard work repaying.

It was again time for fun with the friends at the coaching class. As usual I and Rose used to meet every day. One fine Sunday Rose and I decided to go to a temple nearly one hundred kilometers far from our place. It was planned as an outing cum picnic. I packed some eatables from my house and went to the public square near her place where we decided to meet. She was on time with her bag packed with a bed sheet and eatables. I always used to have a problem with her heavy brown coloured leather bag she always carries with her. She drove her Kinetic while I enjoyed her driving. It nearly took two hours to reach the temple but none of us felt the movement of time between our talks. The temple was on the bank of a river and surrounded with lush green lawns. We were pleased to see the picturesque scenes there.

“God created an arresting nature

With beauty spread across the ground

But for me beauty starts with her eyes

And beauty ends with her sound.”

We went to the temple to worship God. Rose was standing by my side praying to God with her eyes closed and her hands joined together. I was gazing her beauty rather than concentrating on my prayers. When she finished we came outside the temple and moved towards the bank of the river. Rose asked me what I asked from God in my prayers. I replied laughingly that I had asked for a beautiful girlfriend. She pinched my arm in jealousy and feigned anger. I said sorry to her and begged pardon for my words. We sat on the bank of river and opened our food packets. She had brought Poori and mango pickle, one of my favorite dishes and I took Laddoos for her which she likes the most. While enjoying the delicious eatables Rose asked me about my plans for future. I told her that I would go for a post graduation in management from some reputed institute and I had already planned to join a coaching institute for its preparation. She praised my decision but was not satisfied with my answer as she intended to ask something else and I replied totally different. She filtered her question and asked me about my plans for marriage. I again made the situation odd for myself by replying that I would marry the moment I get a nice girl. She got angry of my foolish humor but didn’t reflect that on her face. I became a bit serious then as in the backdrop of my mind there was a fear of losing Rose. I wanted to discuss the matter with Rose but couldn’t gather the strength to do so. I thought that Rose might be unaware of the issue otherwise she would have discussed it with me. I was engaged with myself suddenly Rose shook my arm and raised her eyebrows as a gesture to ask the reason for my mental absence. She said, “If you have something in your heart you should speak it so that you will feel light and relaxed.” I told her that there is nothing serious I was just thinking that where would we locate ourselves after marriage. Her face was blushing while she said that she would manage anywhere in this world with me. I was happy to have a love like Rose who was so cooperative. While sitting hand in hand we painted our future with lively colours for nearly three hours. Rose decided to help me by working in the initial years of our family life and I insisted that she should be at home taking care of our daughters.

How powerful the dreams are

They take you to your future

We were not even engaged

But planned for our future.

We returned to our place at nearly 7:45 p.m. Rose was a bit afraid as she took a permission from her parents only till 5:00 p.m. I suggested Rose to accompany her to her house. I knew that her mother would not scold her for being late if I told her that Rose was with me. Rose didn’t like the idea, as she never wanted me to get a bad name in her family. She went alone to face the music. I returned to my house with a dream woven by Rose and me.

The things went on smoothly for weeks together. Rose and I started behaving like couples. We used to quarrel and used to enjoy each others company for hours together. I was preparing for CAT exam to get admission into IIMs. I started taking tuitions to earn money to meet my personal expenses but Rose was unaware of that. Rose used to motivate me for studying hard as our future was dependent on my career. She asked me not to see her till my exam was over. I was sad to accept her suggestion as it was only 20th October and CAT was scheduled on 7th December. In the fitness of things I decided to concentrate more on preparation of CAT. After that day we didn’t meet each other as I took leave from my coaching class. I put best of my efforts to crack CAT. One day while combing my hair I saw the calendar hanging near the mirror of my room. It was 23rd November, Rose’s birthday. I planned not to study that day, as I would spend the whole day with Rose. I went to the market and bought a beautiful Barbie doll for Rose, as she liked playing with dolls at this age also. She was still a cute naughty teenage girl from her heart. I thought of rushing straight away to her house to wish her but something in mind restricted me to do so. I called up Rose to wish her Happy Birthday. She invited me to her house but I requested her to come to our favorite place, the garden where we usually met. She was on time there with a big packet in her hand. I wished her and handed over the gift. I asked her to guess what was inside that parcel to which she laughingly said, “I know it’s a doll.” I was unhappy to hear the right answer, as the suspense was brutally killed. I took out the cake and lit candles on it. Rose blew all the candles while I sang the birthday carols for her substantiated with my clapping. She cut the cake and put a piece in my mouth and I also did the same. Rose gave me a peck on my right cheek to which I was happily surprised. She expected the same from me by forwarding her face towards me but I was not courageous to respond in the desired manner. I slowly patted her cheek with my cold hand and she laughed at my shyness. We sat there for half an hour talking about my preparations for the exam. Rose motivated me to put more efforts and wished me good luck. We left the place and returned to our homes.

“My target was Rose, not CAT

The aim was quite apparent

As it seems to be perceptible

this was reasonably evident”

I started working sincerely for CAT. Though Rose and I never met till my exam but we used to talk on telephone. I was ready to shoot for my target with all my efforts. On 6th December I received a call late in the evening from Rose. She wished me good luck for my exams. I was leaving for Jaipur which was my examination center. I went to Jaipur and appeared for my exam which was justified to my preparations. I was but a bit apprehensive of the results as I had already heard that CAT is the most unpredictable exam. While on the journey by a bus I was planning to meet Rose and see her. My heart beat was ringing in my ears due to excitement, as it was a long time I had seen Rose. I reached my house at 9:00 p.m. My mother asked about my exam and prepared a cup of tea for me. I called up Rose and told her about my exam in detail and asked her to meet me in the garden at 10:00 a.m. as I would not go to the coaching class the next day. I went to the garden early and was waiting desperately for Rose to come though it was only 9:30 by my watch.

“Love made me obsessive

Love made me edgy

Love made me passionate

Love made me nervy”

She came at sharp 10 o’clock. She was looking more beautiful and amorous. It was first time Rose came without locking her long shining black hair. She was wearing Salwaar Kurta and a black leather jacket, as it was too cold that day. I was staring at her while she was walking towards me with a striking smile. Rose looked more a Punjabi girl in that attire. She sat by my side on the bench and put her soft warm hand over mine. She was looking like an angel with her beautiful eyes sliding on the grass of the garden. Rose looked extremely gorgeous and attractive when she used to control her smile with her lips tightly pressed between her teeth. There was a glow in her eyes which looked like on hunting spree always. She asked me about my exam to which I gave her the total details starting from the point I landed in Jaipur. She crossed her fingers for everything to be all right. She prayed for me there itself with her hand joined and eyes closed. I was staring at her while she was chanting prayers for my success. Rose, my love was so chaste, holy, honorable and amiable. She was so concerned and caring that she touched my soul with her behavior. To make a confession I liked Rose for her eyes, smile and voice. I wanted to record her voice and hear for years but was unable to do so as I didn’t have a voice recorder. I wanted to catch her beautiful eyes and smile but couldn’t do so as I didn’t have a camera. She pushed me with her ankle as I was lost in her beauty. We laughed loudly for the unspoken reasons. Rose and I stayed there for nearly three hours discussing our future. We parted and returned to our homes.

It was the coldest January I had ever experienced. I never used to wear woolen clothes while Rose used to come packed with gloves and scarf as she was very sensitive to cold. At our tuition class the syllabus was rushing like anything as the exams were scheduled in March. We started preparing ourselves to appear for the final exams. There was a sense of nervousness as all of us were worried about our careers. It was really a big question troubling our minds. Though I was clear about my goal but still used to get worried with the discussions we had. Rose never thought to be a professional woman. I wanted her to pursue management like me but didn’t impose my decisions on her. She was completely baffled about her future goals. Rose asked me to accompany her to Anubhav’s school for getting his results. We went to her house to pick Anubhav. It was really difficult to manage three on her Kinetic but somehow we managed. We went to the office of the school and took his result. I was tensed as if it was my result. To our surprise he scored 83% marks in mathematics. All of us were overwhelmed. Anubhav was so excited that he jumped in the air and was unable to control his feelings. There was a sense of satisfaction in me for the efforts I had put to teach him. We decided to have a small celebration but suddenly I remembered that it was Saturday and as usual I was on fast. Rose invited me to lunch on the next day at her house. They dropped me at the tuition center from where I picked my bicycle to reach home.

I put a new dress and bought a pen set for Anubhav. When I reached her place she welcomed me with the same moving smile. While I was sitting there Anubhav came with a glass of water. I patted his back and congratulated him once again with the gift. Firstly he hesitated but when Rose insisted he accepted my gift. Rose’s mother was busy in the preparations for the lunch and her father was out of station. Anubhav said sorry to me as he was to go for a movie with his friends. Rose and I were more reticent as the place required being. Her mother called us for the lunch which was arranged on the dining table near the kitchen. I was well fed with the love and affection of her mother. I thanked Aunty for the delicious lunch. Rose smiled and waved her hand from the backside of Aunty to which I didn’t respond because of fear.

The next day when I went for my tuition class I found Rose standing with a red rose in her hand. I was a bit confused and thought, “Is it Valentine’s Day today?” She came rushing towards me and wished Happy Birthday handing over the lovely rose to me. “Oh! God, its 6th January.” Rose laughed at my words and expressions. We decided to bunk the lecture that day for a celebration and left the place before our other friends could join us. We went to the nearby confectionery to buy some eatables. Rose insisted to buy a cake for me but I convinced her for pastries and some snacks. We went for a long drive to reach the farm house of my friend. She took out a bed sheet from her bag and arranged everything on it. I was judging the pre-planning of Rose while helping her to unpack the packets of snacks. Rose and I started enjoying the yummy pastries and other eatables. She asked me when I would take her to my house to introduce her to my family members. I never thought of this situation during our relationship. I started breathing fast just with the imagination of the situation when I would tell my parents about Rose and me. To handle the situation I asked Rose whether she had revealed about our relation to her parents. She moved her head to assert “no” as her answer. This was the first time I thought that Rose and I did not belong to the same community. We were living in a society embedded with the boundaries of caste, creed and religion. What would happen if my parents did not accept Rose? What would I do if her parents did not accept our marriage? While I was occupied with these thoughts, Rose was also in a state of void. I asked Rose to leave the matter for the day and celebrate my Birthday. Though we started discussing other issues but still the matter was alive there in the backdrop of our minds. It was very dark when we looked around. I saw the time in my wrist watch. Oh! God it was 7:30 p.m. I asked Rose to get up fast and pack everything. She didn’t respond even by listening to the time. I again asked Rose to move quickly as we were already too late. She pulled me down and requested to sit for a while. I was unable to read her mind for the first time since I knew her. She put her head on my shoulder and closed her eyes. I wanted to say something but she put her finger on my lips to make me quiet. Within few minutes she slept with her head resting on me. There was a different kind of feeling in me which I was unable to express. It was really difficult to control the thoughts and emotions rushing in my mind. I didn’t want to disturb Rose so was sitting without any movements. Nearly after an hour she awoke and we packed our baggage and left for our place.

“The atmosphere raised unusual feelings

I experienced different sensations

God granted me strength and serenity

So I managed to control my emotions”

I spent a sleepless night with the images of the day hovering around me. I thanked the almighty for the tranquility, astuteness and control he had blessed me with.

The days passed very fast and the syllabus at the tuition got over. I received some group discussion and personal interview calls from some of the reputed CAT allied institutes. I was now busy in preparing for that. Rose and I used to meet at least once a day in spite of my busy schedule. I saved nearly twenty nine thousand rupees within six months by taking tuitions at home. I appeared for CET Maharashtra for getting a good management college in Pune to keep an option for me. I got selected for a management college in Pune in the month of March. I was on the top of the world when I got the news. I went straight away to Rose’s house to share my happiness with her. Her parents congratulated me and blessed me for success in the near future.

Rose was so happy that she was unable to put words to her happiness. She asked me to concentrate on the final year exams now as it was hardly a week for the exams to start. Rose helped me a lot to get good marks. She used to teach me for hours together as I had missed a number of my sessions at the tuition class. I put the best of my efforts to score good in the final year. Our exams went on fine and all of our friends at the coaching did well.

I felt relaxed after months as the burden of exams was over and I was to join my college in Pune in the first week of July. I was worried about Rose as I could not leave her alone. I suggested Rose to take admission in one of the management colleges in our city. I convinced her mother and Rose got admission in the college. I was now a happy man because I knew that now Rose’s parents would not think about her marriage for two years and even I wanted Rose to go for a management course.

I did not have the courage to say goodbye to Rose on the day when I was leaving for Pune. I talked to her on phone and asked her to concentrate on studies. She was about to cry on the phone but somehow managed. I assured her that the two years would pass very fast and then we would get married. She instructed me to take care of myself and to write her regularly.

In a gloomy environment at my house I left for Pune by Golden Temple Mail. My parents came along to the railway station and were depressed as I was leaving my home for the first time for such a long time. My mother was very worried and so were my brothers and sister. With tears in my eyes I left for Pune.

I had a passport size photograph of Rose in my purse. I took out my wallet and continuously stared at her photograph with the happy moments rushing in my mind, which we had together. I didn’t know when I felt asleep with her photograph in my hands.

It took nearly a week for me to settle down in the new environment with new people around. As decided earlier I used to call Rose twice a week. I