Short Story- The truth behind the veil
“What! You are also an Architect. Wow! An Architect meeting an Architect. That is so cool.” A man around his 70’s looked very excited to meet Tisha. “Let us shake hands dear. Now two intelligent people are going to have an intellectual talk. And let the small people stay aside.” He pointed toward the person who introduced Tisha to Mr. Kohli. Mr. Kohli grinned and winked simultaneously looking at Mr. Desai who was having a profound smile on his face as if he did a remarkable job by introducing him to Tisha.
“So Tisha, what do you do.” Mr. Kohli asked Tisha in a very casual way. But seeing such a great person, such a great Architect and Designer whose works have been printed in so many renowned magazines, in front of her eyes, Tisha got nervous and overwhelmed. “I am studying Architecture. It’s my final year.” She replied smilingly hiding her excitement and fear at the same time.
“Oh wow! That’s wonderful. It feels so good to see students around. I used to have a lot of fun when I was in college. But I worked really hard as well. Architecture is fun but it can be tiring sometimes. But you know what…” Mr. Kohli continued “This is the phase where you are going to save some special memories for your entire life” he reminiscence. “So enjoy the moment. Gain experiences and learn as much as you can.”
Tisha couldn’t believe that Mr. Kohli was sharing his college experience with her. She always admired him as an Architect and as a person. The way he talked always brought enthusiasm among the students. And today she was having a direct conversation with him. She felt so grateful that Mr.Desai who was her father’s friend took out some time from his precious time and do her this favor.
Mr. Kohli was a renowned Architect. He specialized in Hospice Architecture. His work gained admiration not only in India but outside the country as well. So when Mr.Desai said he could introduce her to Mr. Kohli she was on cloud nine. She prepared special tea for him on that day when he visited her home.
“So Tisha, it’s your final semester right,” Mr. Kohli asked, “What is your thesis topic.” I am doing 500 bedded hospital project.” Tisha looked excited. “Wow, girl! Mr. Kohli looked delighted. You are one smart and intelligent girl. It’s not easy you know. You impressed me. I also did hospitals as my thesis topic. So we are on the same page.” He winked and gave her a slight punch in a very childish way.
“Sir I really admire you. I have read all your books. Studied all your projects. You are my inspiration. I cannot believe that I am talking to you.” Tisha looked thrilled and mesmerized. “I want to become like you. I would really appreciate it if you will tell me some of the interesting experiences of your working life. What challenges did you face? How did you get over them? What advice do you want to give me.” Tisha looked unstoppable. She wanted to know everything.
Nobody even bothered about Mr. Desai. He looked very bored and irritated. He didn’t know that Mr. Kohli will forget his presence while having a conversation with the girl. He was busy itching his chest which looked really gross to Tisha when she had a glance at him. But she didn’t say anything. Mr. Desai noticed that Tisha saw him doing that, felt a little embarrassed, and took their leave for some time taking out his cell phone.
“Take a break, you pretty lady. Breathe!” He patted her cheek in a gentle way. “You are one beautiful girl. You will make a good Architect. Just keep doing the good work. Never take no for an answer. Work hard and you will find your way. And I can see that in your eyes. I can see that spark. You will be a very successful Architect.” Mr. Kohli winked and looked deeply into her eyes.
She blushed listening to him. “Thank you so much, sir. Your words are really inspiring. You really have got a charming personality. You should visit colleges and share your wisdom. Students like us need your words of inspiration as medicine.” She just couldn’t believe that Mr. Kohli admired her. She was very pleased.
“Yes, pretty lady. As you say. I have many offers from colleges. Now I am thinking to join your college only. What do you say.” He winked and gently hit her with his elbow. That made Tisha laugh. “Wow, sir! That will be great. Then you can guide me with my thesis.” Tisha looked flattered. “Sure my girl.” He patted her cheeks. “In fact, you can visit my home office whenever you have any queries.
I will guide you from there in case you need any help.” Mr. Kohli offered. “Thank you so much, sir. It will be a great help.” Her face was glowing with joy. “That calls for a hug I guess.” Mr. Kohli said happily.” Now we are friends.” And they laughed and hugged each other. “Mr. Kohli gently touches her head to give her blessings and then Mr.Desai entered in the place.
Manoj! “You really did a great job.” Mr. Kohli looked at Mr.Desai. “She is one smart and intelligent lady. I am glad you brought her to me. Now I will guide her to reach the peak.” Mr. Desai smiled after such a long time. “Ok Pretty lady, I take your leave. I have a meeting to attend. And call me before you are visiting my home office.” They shared each other’s number. And Mr. Kohli left the place.
“He is such an amazing person. I cannot believe I just had a conversation with him! He is so grounded!” Tisha looked really excited. She couldn’t wait to boast in front of her friends that she met ‘Mr. Ravish Kohli.’ And he is now her friend. She thanked Mr. Desai for giving her such a memorable evening and left for home. She had a lot of things to discuss today.
“And you know what, he finds me smart and intelligent. He said he will guide me in my thesis. We are friends now.” She was on phone talking with Ishan in a very delightful way. “See, now Mr. Kohli also finds me smart and intelligent. It’s only you who calls me dumb. Open your small eyes and see how brilliant a girlfriend you have. Mr. Kohli says I have a bright future.” She boasted.
“That’s really great Tisha and I am really glad for you. But my dear you don’t understand things. I feel something is wrong. Why he was so interested in you? And you said he ignored Mr. Desai completely. That’s not a good person’s habit.” Ishan said in a very thoughtful way. “Be an alert dear. You see a good thing in every person, but you always ignore the bad thing by doing that. It can be harmful to you.”
“Ishan! He is an old man. How you can think like that? I am like his granddaughter. He got very excited seeing a student. Probably he remembered his own college life. And that is why he ignored Manoj uncle.” Tisha said in a casual way. “I can understand things easily. I didn’t find anything wrong while having a conversation with him. He was a gentleman. He must have seen something in me and probably that’s the reason he has been kind to me.” She tried to convince Ishan.
“I am not saying he is wrong. He can be right. I didn’t meet him. But I know you if somebody is having 80% good side and 20% bad side you will always look at the good side. That’s really nice habit of yours. But my dear, you have to be alert for 20% bad side as well. Please don’t visit his home office. Ask him to meet outside. And if says he is busy and can’t meet you outside take me with you. Can you do me this favor? ” Ishan looked anxious.
“You are overthinking it. You can tell me directly that you also want to meet Mr. Kohli.” Tisha said laughingly. “Listen Mom is calling me for dinner. I will see you tomorrow at the college. Bye,” Tisha disconnected the phone.
Also Read- INDIAN SHORT STORIES- THANK GOD! IT DIDN’T HAPPEN.
The weather was wonderful. It was drizzling. Tisha was standing on her balcony enjoying the weather. Weather like this in Delhi was very rare to find. So she kept all her work aside and took a break to enjoy the rain. Taking a sip of coffee she was singing a song from the movie Fanaa ‘Haan ye sajish hai boondo ki….’
She heard her phone ringing and saw Mr. Kohli’s name flashing on the screen. She got really excited… “Hi sir, What a pleasant surprise!” Tisha grinned. “Hello, beautiful lady. How are you? Haven’t heard from you. It’s going to be a week now. All good?” Mr. Kohli asked. “Yes, sir everything is fine. I was busy making presentations. It’s my jury on coming Monday.” Tisha sounded worried.
“Don’t worry girl. Everything will go fine. You are a very smart girl. You will make it.” Mr. Kohli encouraged her. Tisha laughed listening to that and thanked him for his generosity. “Tisha I am leaving for London tomorrow. I have a meeting there. I will be there for more than a week. You can visit my home office if you have any queries regarding your thesis. I will guide you.” Mr. Kohli said in a casual way. “That will be cool sir. I have so many things to ask. Can we visit outside, somewhere we can enjoy the work and enjoy the rain as well?” Tisha remembered Ishan’s words.
“No my dear. I have to do my packing also. A lot of time will get wasted if I will go outside. Visit my office. It has a huge window, you can enjoy the rain from there.” Mr. Kohli sniggered. Tisha got a little worried because Ishan was outside the city for his case study. But she didn’t want to miss this great opportunity so she accepted the offer. “Ok sir, I will reach your place around 5 pm,” Tisha said thoughtfully. “That’s great my sweet girl! That is why I say you are very smart and intelligent. You know how to grab the opportunity” Mr. Kohli said laughingly. “Ok, I will see you then. Bye-bye.”
She disconnected the phone and called Ishan but his phone was not reachable. She left him a message and started winding up all her things because she had a lot to discuss with her role model.
Tisha looked at her cell phone again to confirm the address. D-545! How many times are you going to look at your cell phone? Everything will be fine. Relax! You are one smart and intelligent girl. You won’t screw anything. Tisha mumbled. She was really nervous. Why wouldn’t she be? She was about to show her thesis work to her role model. The work in which she put her day and night. She couldn’t remember the last time she saw a movie or hung out with her friend.
Tisha was a very hard-working girl. But when she told people that she was planning to take the hospital as her thesis topic many of her friends suggested to re-think the topic. “Hospital is one complicated building. It’s completely service oriented. You will face a lot of trouble while designing because none of our faculty is that capable of guiding you well.” Ishan suggested. She was skeptical though because she didn’t like to read a lot. But it was her dream to work with Mr. Kohli in the future so she jumped in the quag.
“You can be a great architect. You all have that. Just follow your heart, work very hard and never take no for an answer. Nothing will stop you to reach where you want to be” Words of Mr.Kohli echoed in her ears. She saw Mr. Kohli first time in her college. It was her college fest. He was the chief guest there and won everybody’s hearts through his remarkable speech.
From that time Mr. Kohli became her role model. She read his every article. Read all his books and followed everything that he has suggested to the upcoming generation. “Don’t take a lot of pressure. Good or Bad, life is full of experiences. So never get overwhelmed and never get disappointed. Nothing is above your joy. Live your life fullest and keep moving.” These were the words of Mr. Kohli that inspired her the most.
The amazing weather, the drizzling sky, the beautiful smell everywhere, everything was telling their joy story. She was also very happy. She recollected all things that she wanted to discuss with Mr. Kohli, checked her butter sheets, went through the presentation, and was all set to set the fire.
D-545, she checked her cell phone again. Yeah! Finally, I have reached. She paid the cab driver the amount and looked at the giant mansion. It was certainly an architect’s house. Very beautifully designed white and gray colored mansion with boldly use of sandstone and granite, stood in front of her with massive walls. It looked like it was a mini fortress.
Short Story- The Truth Behind the Veil
She wondered if the Mughals built this structure and later they realized only their hammams will fit in there so they gift the place to Mr. Kohli. Tisha laughed at her own imagination. The house was unique in its own design. Very different from the surrounding. It must be a landmark of this area, Tisha wondered. Well, she got one more point to discuss with Mr. Kohli. It was about his giant villa.
“Hello, Madam! Are you Tisha”? She heard a male voice that interrupted her thoughts. He was dressed in a white shirt and blue jeans and had a blank face like darbars in old movies. “Yes, I am Tisha,” Tisha replied meekly. She was confused about how did this person know about her. “Who are you”? She questioned. “I am Ravish sir’s caretaker.” He replied flatly. “He told me that you will be visiting him today. He is waiting for you inside.” His face was still blank.
“Bloody Zombie!” Tisha murmured. She had a gentle heart. She didn’t like the way that the caretaker talked to her. But she followed her way. As soon as she entered the gate got mesmerized by the greenery. Ohh my god! This is so amazing. The fountain, the landscaping everything, she forgot the rude behavior of the caretaker instantly and engrossed herself with the beauty of the surroundings. “This is so lovely. I want to live here,” she mumbled.
Read- WHEN AN INTRUDER ENTERED IN MY HOUSE
“There you are, my sweetheart.” She heard Mr. Kohli’s voice who was casually dressed, walking slowly having a big smile on his face. “Hello sir”, Tisha got nervous again.”Come here dear and give me a hug. I have been waiting for you.”Tisha laughed and they both hugged each other.”And I am really impressed to see that you are 5 mins before time. Sign of a very successful person.”Mr. Kohli kissed her cheeks.
“I would rather prefer to reach a little early than to be late. I don’t like to be late.” Tisha looked flattered but she got confused when Mr. Kohli kissed her cheek. She didn’t like it but remained quiet thinking he must be seeing her as his granddaughter. And he might get offended if she interrupts him. She didn’t want to disappoint Mr. Kohli.
“Come, my dear! Let me show you my office.” He put his arm on her shoulder and followed the passage leading toward the office. Both sides of the water body crowned the passage and gave it a floating look.”Your house is really beautiful. It’s a palace.” Tisha was enchanted by the beauty and couldn’t stop herself to praise.
“Thank you, lovely lady. You can visit whenever you want.” He patted her cheeks. “Thank you so much, sir. Your words are enough for me.”Tisha looked flattered.”You are very beautiful dear. Did anyone tell you this thing? Your hair, your eyes, your skin, your body… every inch of you is a masterpiece. God is the biggest Architect. “Something in his voice alarmed Tisha. She was baffled and looked at Mr. Kohli. He was giving a mysterious smile.
“And you are an Architect and it’s your responsibility to create something which fulfills its functions but it’s every inch reflects its beauty like God has created you.” Are you getting my point? He said in a serious tone.”You are going to do that?? You are one smart intelligent beautiful girl. I will help you to reach your goal. You have to work very very hard and you have to cooperate with whatever I am teaching you. If you will do that nothing can stop to reach where you want.” Mr. Kohli said in a very encouraging tone.
“I want to be like you, sir. Great Architects like you. I will work very hard. And I will follow everything that you say. I will definitely shine under your guidance, sir.” Tisha started dreaming about the upcoming bright future. She was really happy. Ok, my dear, he hugged her tightly and kissed her cheeks. Your this attitude makes you different from the rest of the world. Now you will see how far you will go under my guidance…
There was something in Mr. Kohli’s behavior that Tisha felt was wrong. She pushed Mr. Kohli and mumbled “What are you doing?…..
To be continued
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