Change! That is the word

Most good, difficult and challenging stuff comes into life with the definite want and need for a change. A change is always desired and it is accompanied by the hope that the situation will get better, though in reality there is always the chance that the reverse might happen. Still, for those willing to take a chance do have a chance, and if things go right, the change that comes to them might be the change they had hoped for or had dreamed of.

In Soulmates Never Part, Sheila at a certain stage in her life needs a change and she looks for it. She takes a decision and goes on with the tide that it leads her to. It drops her at a point that is an immensely challenging issue for her as she has never done it before. Should she or shouldn’t she? A glimpse of the situation through pages five to eight follows.

“You are the best Personnel Manager I have ever had, Sheila,” he told her, being overly lavish with his words. “I would go on to say that you manage people better than I do!”

The warmth of the compliment unexpectedly spread through her, and Sheila was glad that his cell phone chose to ring at that precise moment. 

“I’ll deal with this file before I wind up today, Mr. Paul, and I will also put down instructions on my desk,” she said after he had answered the call and got up, holding a file. Once she had unfolded herself, she stood taller than his wife at around five feet four inches plus two-inches of her high heeled sandals, looking cool and elegant, and Nathan Paul suddenly had a weird feeling that he was going to lose her sooner than later.

“See you after you get back, Sheila,” he said anyway, as she moved towards the door, “Do make sure that you have a good time and get back refreshed.” 

An hour later, Sheila cleared her table, put down the instructions for the coming week as she had promised her boss she would do, so that her substitute would be able to manage well in her absence, and then she checked her computer.  When she was ready to leave, she picked up her purse and left her cabin, shutting the glass door softly behind her.

It was a Saturday, and normally a half-day in Nathan Paul’s comfortable office. But Sheila was used to working late, usually till seven in the evening even on Saturdays, if the circumstances so demanded. Today, however, she was lucky that the work load was lighter and it would be splendid to reach home early for a change.

Change!  That was the word, Sheila told herself, her heart suddenly beating fast, as she waited for a bus to show up at the bus stand.  As she was leaving early today, she had to use public transport in place of the company van that she normally commuted on every day. Well, this was a change too in a way, wasn’t it! Was change really on the cards? Was she finally going to be happy?

Everything had changed since that call from Abel Freeman came in last evening. Sheila felt an unfamiliar thrill run through her as she recalled his clear, masculine voice on her cell phone.  She suppressed a smile that threatened to appear madly on her lips. Soon she got inside the bus that luckily, was taking her route.  It was great that she did not have a long wait at the bus stand.

Taking a seat beside a plump middle-aged woman, she looked out of the window.  Inwardly, Sheila had been unusually happy throughout the day but she had carefully maintained her regular cool, distant attitude in the office.  Essentially, Abel was a name that she couldn’t share with anyone, and though she hadn’t even physically met him as yet, he had hinted that they were soulmates.

The richness she had felt ever since their relationship had surfaced in her life was a miraculous shot in the arm for her at this stage of her life.  Abel had emerged out of the blue and had dispelled her worries, anxieties and loneliness, all in one go, and had given her the confidence to face the world with poise, the urge to move on. It was a push she desperately needed.

“Abel, oh Abel, that deep voice of yours, the words you used and the thoughts you have expressed, all of them haunt me so,” she whispered to herself as the bus speeded on to take her closer to her home. “I am so glad that at long last, we will be meeting each other tomorrow!”

Her gaze traveled across the western sky that was dotted with clouds and was held by the wintry looking sun, so pure, so lovely, and so impossible to touch.  Sheila felt that that was how her love was - Out of reach, unquestionably warm, and as certain as the celestial ball.

“It is time we met, Sheila,” Abel Freeman had said when he had rung her up from Mumbai yesterday, “I am dying to see this woman who has had me enchanted, held my interest for five continuous years now.  I have wondered a million times who exactly you are, what are you like and countless other such things, and every time, I ended up holding an enigma. I want to see you Sheila, more than anything else in the world.”  His voice had been earnest and compelling.

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Love is not a mediocre thing

One of my favorites quotes for a long time has been, ‘The world is full of mediocre things, don’t make love one of them’. I have found that there are others too who have quoted something on similar lines and so here it doesn’t really matter who actually said it initially or who the quote should be attributed to. The bottom-line is it has a universal appeal and is an inspiration in itself.

The quote, its words convey a thought, a sentiment and a meaning with depth that holds love as one of the most special emotions of the world. This is, of course, true whether it is acknowledged or not, mentioned or not, said out aloud or not.

Moving away, for the moment, from romantic love which is maybe the most acknowledged and spoken about kind of love, I would like to ponder on the various other possibilities of love. It is as vast as the sky itself and I believe, if, as the quote says, we don’t, due to our hectic schedules or whatever other reasons, make love a mediocre feeling, it can make the world a better place to live in. On one hand it can bring about a worldly closeness and understanding and on the other, it can enhance a personal satisfaction of loving and being loved in return.

Love is a feeling that is not underrated but is surely less acknowledged and less appreciated. It is taken for granted in most cases. There are too many kinds of love than can be counted. Actually, love can be felt for all. Both animate and inanimate. People, places, plants, animals and nature.  Humans and animals have the tendency to love and value love.

One of the simplest examples is a dog’s faithfulness for his master. Does that faithfulness come without love? In return, the master’s acute affection for his pet! Is that possible without love? I remember our pet dog’s anguish when dad passed away. The Labrador just wouldn’t let anyone take dad away and he had to be chained to a grill at the verandah to move the body. Later on, he wouldn’t move away from the bed for months and nothing could coax him out of his grief.

Similarly, I remember a family friend who was broken down with sadness and had spent thousands or Rupees in the treatment of his Alsatian which had cancer and looked after it with ultimate devotion until its last breath. That is the emotion called love and it can only be felt. Love in the heart does make one richer.

We know of love in various forms. We have the patriotic kind of love, the examples of which roll in one after another in our history books. The love between siblings, parents, friends, colleagues and so on only enable us to have a better understanding of ourselves and of others, allow for a tolerance to be bred that is very much necessary to make this world a better place to live in.

After all, what does one really want at the end of the day? Something to be smiling about? Does riches and success really have the capacity to bring in a true smile unless love is in the vicinity, in whatever form?

In Soulmates Never Part, there is a portion of the story where Sheila has attained success as per her standards but is she able to really enjoy what she has. Is she able to go to bed with a smile and wake up looking forward eagerly to the next day?

I do think we need to give a thought to love in its many forms. It would make us better human beings and help make this world a lovelier place to live in.

Writing an introduction

Introducing a story, a plot or a book to its potential readers is not very easy and has to be given sufficient thought. The introductory write up has to be interesting enough to hold the attention of the persons reading it. It should provide a beginning of sorts and yet leave the continuation wide open to the imagination of the readers. They should be able to explore possibilities if they like. The main aim of the introduction is to make the potential readers get interested enough to find out what is going on in the story. The briefest introduction to Soulmates Never Part is in the next paragraph.

Twenty six year old Sheila Kumar meets Abel Freeman, a fellow countryman across the oceans, in a chat room, and against all the odds finds a soulmate in him. Five years of intermittent internet chats churn up emotions and expectations that result in the need for a meeting. After an inevitable, passionate encounter, Abel mentions his darkest secret to her from the very bottom of his heart. Is Sheila sophisticated enough to handle it like a soulmate, or is she only human enough to err?

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Mentation on a Sunday morning

A cup of morning tea in the comfort of my garden, a cool breeze touching my face and a newspaper to read has been my favorite start of a Sunday morning for several years now.

Only, over a few months I am just not able to like most the news headlines that I come across. There is too much that is going on that I am not able to find that makes me feel good. What with rapes and murders, terrorisms, ambushes, accidents, illnesses and natural calamities dominating the scenario it seems that goodness and progress has taken a backseat.

There is so much talent around and scores of people who would like to contribute to the development process according to their capacities and yet where and how to do it is still a question. I am thankful to all the good people out there doing all the good work in trying to make the world a better place to live in. There is the law, the police, the doctors and teachers and so many others who work relentlessly in making our society better every single day. The soldiers guard our country with their life.

But where do entertainers, film makers, artists, singers, actors and authors come in. What is their contribution to society? Why are people always looking forward to the next film or the next book that is going to hit the stands? How come before or after we have read a newspaper we categorically look for the daily cartoon? Amongst the seriousness or news, things going on around our immediate vicinity, we look for some kind of source that allows us to relax, even if for a few cool moments. Maybe that is why people go to watch films. It is to appreciate an art, a thinking, a talent along with the opportunity of taking one’s mind off oneself for a while and relaxation.

People have different frames of mind and different backgrounds and make different choices in their preferences and hence we have genres in films and books. While the intellectuals may go for science fiction, adventure and mystery, there are others who like to go in for lighter stuff. That’s actually where the genres of humor and romance come in.

My book belongs to the general category. It is fiction, romance and fantasy to an extent. It is the story of two people who have a long distance connection and the plot hits hard when Abel blurts out to Sheila a secret that he cannot share with anyone else in the world. Where does it take them from there? A good story should be able to hold the reader. It should be able to make the reader ask questions and read on to find the answers.

I hope my readers will enjoy reading Soulmates Never Part.

Love is important

Soulmates Never Part is a romance, a love and a relationship that explores emotions between two people who have never met. And when they meet, they discover more than that they had bargained for. Where do they head from here on? What would they a come across from this point onward and how do they handle it? I am sure my readers would look for clashes and challenges, understandings and misunderstandings, ups and downs, passion and protest. But above all, wouldn’t they like to believe in the magic of romance and the spell that love can cast.

Everyday life is hectic. Sometimes it’s pleasurable to get hold of a good book.  And what better than a good story which can take you away for a good while. Life is lovely when romance is in the air. It is actually sheer escapism. For most readers, the ‘lived happily ever after’ endings is relaxing to the mind. When happiness pours in after all the time it has taken to reach it, it gives hope to many a reader. Hope in achieving what the heart was bent on after the hurdles have been crossed.

What is life and what is a romance that doesn’t have challenges to offer. What is the fun if you haven’t been to the edge of the cliff and have only stared at it from a distance? Sheila and Abel, in Soulmates Never Part do have challenges to face both from within and outside. They are separate and yet very much together. A story of intrigue and admiration, of expectations and disappointments, Soulmates Never Part offers the patient simplicity of love in a complex world.