Kuch toh hai zaroor...

Pyaase hain naina
Tarse saare raina
Jinme tu hai rehta
Hal kyun tu jaane na
Saiyyan pehchane na
Hal unka kyun tu jaane na

Saiyyan nainon ki bhasha samjhe na
Nainon ki bhasha samjhe nah
Samjhe na...

Kuch toh hai zaroor
Dil mera kitna majboor
Kuch toh Hai zaroor
Dil mera kitna majboor
Jaan ke bhi tu Jaane na
Saiyyan...
Nainon ki bhasha samjhe na
Samjhe na


~~ Kritika Kamra
~ Kuch Toh Log Kahenge


Siddharth walked from the balcony to his room and collected his clothes to go bathe. He went to the kitchen, saw his Mom making dinner and went and hugged her from behind. He had a habit of playing with her Saree pallo. She was chopping onions, she stopped, put down her knife and turned to hug her son back. Asked him about the day. And so began the daily ritual of entering the kitchen and talking to his Mom before he went for a shower. He went and sat down on a wooden bench, the kinds of which you find in roadside chai shops. Was it these benches that made one want to sit on them forever, talking for hours together about, nothing in particular. Or maybe, it was just sitting in this old kitchen, which had seen, not only his childhood but also his father's. There was everything one dreamt of, a high end cooking range and all the other jazz. But in the South west corner, there lay a earthen fire place to cook food. It was made of mud and bricks and covered with a iron hot plate. It was a horizontal fire place and covered on all four sides. There was one opening, where one put the firewood into. There were three holes in the above hotplate to place three vessels to cook food. It was as old as his father and in fact older.


It was Siddharth's favorite place in the house, that bench, right next to the fire place. After chatting up with his mom about the estate. He mentioned that he had to go drop Aarohi tomorrow to Tanya's place in Mercara. So Aarohi and he would leave right after breakfast. Since Tanya would not let him go until after lunch, he said he would return around 4pm. His mother agreed and said in the rainy season, it's always best to start early and finish work before the evening falls. Siddharth rose to leave for the bathroom. When he reached the kicthen door he had to bend to not hit the frame above. His mom called out to him and said, "pretty girl no" and he put his head back into the kitchen and just said "hmm" and straightened himself before his mother could detect any hint of the blush that had started covering his face.

He took a shower and stepped out in a white Kurta- Pyjamma and went to his room. He then entered the pooja room and lit the diyas and prayed to God for another beautiful day and for blessing him with good health for his parents and himself. When he was walking out, he happened to brush past the curtains of Aarohi's room, and he saw her sitting by the window looking out at the moon and the darkness that engulfed the coffee plants that surrounded the house. All he wanted to do that minute was keep staring at her, but he heard his father call him and Aarohi turned at that instant. Their eyes met and he fumbled and managed to say : "Would you like to go for a swim?" she stared at him, as he had just spoken an alien language, and then burst out laughing. He heard that laughter, it was like that of a school girl, and it rang in the room. There was such pure joy in that sound and watching her laugh thus, he couldn't help but smile. "You mean 'a shower' Im sure, not a swim." He realised his folly and put his head down and said "sorry!". She wanted a hot shower after that cold rain and he showed her the bathroom. He searched the wadrobe for a fresh towel and handed one to her.

Siddharth sat with his father while his dad had the customary evening drink. Siddharth for a change felt like a peg today and poured himself one. His father looked up and said "it's the girl eh?" All Siddharth could say is :"Daddy!"

Aarohi walked his mom carrying dishes. She set them at the table and sat down opposite Siddharth.
His mom had made Pepper mutton fry, a speciality in Coorg homes, there was steamed rice and a coconut based beans gravy with salad. Aarohi, ate well and appreciated his mom's cooking. They started talking about politics, India, coffee plantations, Shahrukh Khan and his new movie. Aarohi takled with his parents and he just listened, contributing to the conversation in between. Aarohi and Siddharth helped mom clean up the table and clear the kitchen for the night. They bade each other a goodnight and went into their respective rooms.

Aarohi always read before she went to sleep at night. She was reading and the clock struck 12 and she realised she didn't have water with her. She got up to go to the dining table to get water and she saw Siddharth drinking water too. He handed her a bottle and waited for her to finish the glass she was drinking before asking her why she was up so late. She told him she was reading and they to talking about books.

Siddharth asked her if she wanted a cup of coffee and she said she would love one. They walked into the kitchen and Aarohi told him she had no clue about cooking. He laughed and told her to chill and that he would make them coffee. She smiled and went and sat on the bench and said "I feel like I could sit here for hours together, there is such peace in the kitchen and this bench" He looked up and smiled. It was going to be a long night.


Pyase hain Naina
Tarse saare raina
Jinme tu hai Rehta
Hal kyun tu jaane na
Saiyyyan Pehchane na
Hal unka kyun tu jaane na

Saiyyan
Nainon ki bhasha samjhe na
Nainon ki bhasha samjhe na
Samjhe na