Seshu....

"Hariharan...have you ever fallen in love with anyone during your student days?" That was Seshu with on of his usual, ever embarrassing questions.


I was shifting uncomfortably in the sofa. 


We are a conservative family. Twenty five years into marriage, I have never told my wife that I loved her. Even when she reads some of my posts which contain some romantic moments/instances, I do not sit near her; I used to feel uneasy.


The above being so, you can imagine my plight when Seshu questioned me about my love life during student days. 


Seshu (name changed) was one of our neighbors- he was staying in a flat upstairs and we were in the ground floor. Seshu was 65 years+. He was a banker in Dubai. After retirement, he returned to Chennai in 1995 and settled down in his R A Puram flat. His elder daughter was married to a Corporate Executive in Dubai. Seshu lived with his wife Rama and son Murali in Chennai. Murali, who was a commerce student was interested in motor car racing. All I learnt about motor car racing during my six months association with Seshu's family was that it was a very, very costly sport. 


Krishna, my elder son who was sitting next to me got up and walked to his room. Parvathy, my wife came to my rescue. "Mama...shall I get you some onion Pakoda?" She went to the kitchen and brought a plate of Pakodas.


Munching one of the  Pakodas, Seshu asked "Ha...I was asking you whether you fell in love with anyone when you were young....Or did any girl fall in lover with you?"


Seshu, being Seshu, Pakoda was too small an incentive for diverting his attention, we realized.


"Do you know Hariharan....Kamalini in the 2nd floor....the journalist... drinks beer. I counted six cans in the dustbin..." said he another day.


"Joseph in the F Block was caught red handed with the servant maid...his wife caught him...there was so much....."


Seshu became a regular visitor to our flat at 6.30 in the evening. We were in the ground floor. Residents of flats in the upstairs who walked past our flat for catching the lift could easily hear the conversation. We were worried as to what they would think about us. 


I came out with a devious plan to squelch the gossip session of Seshu. Parvathy and I started watching Saath Nibhana Saathia, a TV serial when he would be pouring his gossips. Occasionally we would turn towards him so that he does not feel that we were ignoring him.


6.30 pm next day.


There was no sign of Seshu. I smiled triumphantly at Parvathy- my plan has worked. We watched the serial at 7 o' clock and were getting ready for dinner at 7.45.


Calling bell rang.


Seshu was at the door step. "Since you were watching a TV serial....I thought I should not disturb you...Now that you are free....we can talk freely....!"


!!!!!!! I avoided Parvathy's mischievous smile.


"One day Murali will win a Formula 1 race....a rich, beautiful girl...perhaps daughter of an industrialist would fall in love with him...." That was Seshu's pet fantasy. 


While there was perhaps nothing wrong in fantasizing, I felt awkward when he shared the same with me.


"Let's go out at 7.30." That was Parvathy's plan for avoiding Seshu.


The next day Seshu caught us in the corridor. "I saw you going out for a walk yesterday night. I thought it would be a good idea to join you. We can talk while walking...." 


!!!!!!! It was Parvthy's turn to avoid my smile.


We tried various tricks-switching off the lights in the hall, pretending to sleep, etc. Seshu effortlessly thwarted each of our plans. We accepted our defeat and patiently listened to the Manjula-Hussein love story, Ramalingam's fraud in his bank.....

After a few days I returned to Dar Es Salaam and forgot about Seshu in my busy schedule. My wife did not talk about him when we skyped nor did she write anything about him in her mails.


I visited Chennai again after 5 weeks.


Around 6.30 in the evening it struck me that it was time for Seshu's visit.  Though I was watching TV, my attention was on the entrance- when would he come?


6.45....7.00....perhaps he wants us finish viewing Saath Nibhana Saathiya....


7.30....7.45....8.00....


Parvathy noticed my frequent glances towards the entrance. "Are you expecting someone?"


"Ha.....Seshu...."


The expression on her face changed. "He will not come."


"What happened?"


"He has been admitted to the hospital...."


"............................"


"He is mentally not stable......"


Seshu gave me a blank stare. Obviously he did not recognize me. We were in the hospital to see him.


"When we came to India, we had more than Rs. 1 cr as savings. Over the years the savings have dwindled....Meanwhile one of our FDs matured. Rajesh (who took care of the administration of the building) told us to invest the same in a plot in Kelambakkam. We invested ......... lacs. But the property is still not registered in our name. Perhaps we have been cheated.......


"Also Murali wants us to send him to London. He wants to be trained in car racing....when Seshu refused, Marali demanded his share of the property.....


"Seshu has been having one problem after another over the past couple of years....First our daughter married a guy who was not from our caste. Then Seshu's brother and his wife started treating us badly....


"Seshu vents his feelings out by gossiping with others.....gossiping helped him forget his worries....helped him divert his attention....but people gradually started avoiding him...he was left to himself....he could not bear the loneliness...." Rama wept.


Parvathy and I returned home with a heavy heart.


The chair next to the keyboard where Seshu used to sit stared at us.


I could not control my tears. 


"Seshu....please come...let us talk about my love life...about Kamalini...about Manjula who eloped with the newspaper vendor....but....come...please....."