screen singapore

A Sweet Dream

Singapore Airport? Karthik is waiting for someone. As the escalator is bringing down a few passengers, a young lady wearing a chador or pardah got down the stairs. She is totally covered from head to foot. Only her eyes were seen. She is accompanied by her friends, six of them, also in pardah.

Karthik shook his head in disappointment as he grinded his tooth. He is lying on a old mat on his bedroom in his house at Mylapore, Chennai. He is trying to picturize what would happen on 13th April. Now it’s clear. Karthik does not like Humairah being accompanied by her friends. He is from ‘Secular India’ and he knows something about a Muslim girl. He now takes a thin blanket and covers his head.

It’s the same Airport again. This time Humairah wearing a pardah/chador is alone. Karthik’s eyes are focused towards the eyes of Humairah. He unveils his blanket and shook his head again, with a smile. This is not a dream, it is his wish. This Karthik has met a lot of girls in his life. Some of them- his school friends, some in college and a few colleagues in office. He never had any trouble feeling free with them. He never dreamt about any of them. He has never met Humairah till now. What prompts him to think of that girl? That’s fate. Purely, the foul play of fate.

It’s evening in London. Fahim is performing his evening prayer, Mahrib.

Humairah in her room, opens her diary, she stares on the number 13 and started writing on it. One may wonder why she writes on April 13th page on 10th of April itself. She virtually wanted to skip the next 50hrs or so in her life. Every second till then, would count as a year. Her hands scribbled semi-consciously on April 13 diary page.

“Tomorrow is Tamil new year. I hope this should be a fabulous day in my life, for some reasons. I am expecting this day. Thank God.”

Life is a mystery- not only for Karthik or Humairah, for every living being. This mystery allows them to probe something in life. This search requires something called ‘faith’. Faith is to believe what you have never seen or you never know. Yes, Life is a ‘mystery’, as it goes on and is ‘history’ as it gets finished. Changing huge ‘mystery’ to great ‘history’ is fantastic. It does not happen for everyone.

By: Aaqarsh Aiyyar

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