That's The Way We Met Page 8

  We then decided to go to Jama Masjid but Mohit wanted to eat more. This time we decided to try Kareem’s Restaurant. Once seated, we called for chicken biryani. The service was good but I didn’t like the food at all. I felt we should have ordered for a curry item or something else with plain rice instead. Biryani was a bad choice. It was not as spicy as I had expected it to be and did not look well prepared.

  To overcome the bad taste of the biryani, we made our way to ‘The Ghantewala Halwai’.

  ‘The trip to Chandni Chowk wouldn’t have been complete if we had missed this one,’ I said to Riya.

  ‘So true. I love this Halwa. It’s delicious,’ she said eating a spoonful of the sohan halwa we ordered at the halwai shop.

  All of us stood gazing at the shop’s interiors. It looked ancient. I asked Sonam if she knew how old it was.

  ‘It is one of the oldest sweet shops, not just in Chandni Chowk but in the whole country, having served Mughal emperors and present-day politicians alike. I don’t know precisely how old, but I can tell you that the present owner is a seventh generation guy,’ she said. We were shocked at the good condition it was in.

  Sonam then told us how the shop got its unusual name. In the Mughal days, the shop had a school located next to it where the bell would go off at regular intervals. And the great Mughal emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar, who was residing in Red Fort at that time, would call for sweets from the ‘ghante ke neeche’ shop.

  ‘Incredible!’ exclaimed Mohit.

  I had heard many people call Chandni Chowk a down market and tacky place. However, I loved the experience of trying different dishes and felt that it was definitely an experience worth remembering.

  It was late evening and the sun was about to set when we decided to head towards India Gate and Rajpath.

  Before this, I had seen Rajpath only on news channels covering the Republic Day parade there every year. It was one hell of an experience driving an open jeep on that road. Not even for a second did I feel that I was in India. It was well maintained and well constructed.

  As we drove near India Gate, we all stood up in the jeep and gave a warm salute to the Indian soldiers who sacrificed their lives for the country—taking the movie Rang De Basanti as our inspiration. We felt so proud of being an Indian at that moment.

  The entire boulevard was lined with cars and other vehicles. The whole of Delhi seemed to have converged in the emerald lawns of India gate. Vendors were the centre of attraction, selling a gamut of things from chuskis to chaat. We walked near the lawns where monkeys performed in front of an eager crowd and children blew up soap bubbles.

  ‘Should I get you an ice cream?’ I asked Riya.

  She agreed and held my hand tightly as the cold breeze enveloped us. Mohit and Sonam had chaat while we ate ice cream. We sat on the cool lawns licking ice cream and playing a bit of football. The fountains nearby were lit up with coloured lights, making the place seem magical.

  We next went to the Amar Jawan Jyoti, which is a burning shrine under the arch of India Gate built to remind the citizens of the soldiers who bravely gave their own lives to uphold the country’s honour. We clicked photographs around it. As a new bride looks resplendent when adorned with jewellery, so did India Gate look adorned with yellow lights. I thought about how India Gate was fast becoming the most popular destination to start a campaign, raise awareness against an issue, or protest against government atrocities. It had witnessed quite a few candlelight marches in the past decade alone.

  ‘It’s so beautiful here. Such a feeling of serenity and calmness,’ I said to Riya while we were sitting in the lawns.

  ‘You make me complete,’ said Riya pulling my cheeks and making a complete mess of my hair. I smiled at her.

  Mohit and Sonam were roaming around the lawns, hand in hand, while we sat reclined in each other’s arms.

  We had to reach our guest house and pack our bags for our next destination, so we decided to leave for the guest house shortly.

  Mesmerizing Manali

  Day 1: Here and there.

  We packed our luggage and headed towards ISBT in an autorickshaw. Leaving Delhi seemed difficult, but we were consoled by the fact that on our return journey from Manali, we would eventually have to make a brief stopover at Delhi. Riya and I were in a different autorickshaw which was right behind Sonam and Mohit’s. The cold breeze forced Riya to come closer to me. She hugged me and kept her head on my shoulders as we drove towards ISBT. I looked at her eyes and planted a kiss on her lips. It was a gentle kiss, but it still had the burning flame of love. All the way till ISBT, she held on to my hand tightly.

  ‘Jaan, we have reached the bus station. Get up,’ I said patting her back as she slept with her head on my shoulders. We got down and headed for the ISBT station. Once there, we kept our luggage on a nearby bench. The person in charge informed us that the last bus to Manali had already left and that we were late. We had no option but to go by another bus which would drop us at Mandi. From Mandi we would have to take another bus to Manali, which is less than hundred kilometres away.

  We bought tickets and took our seats. It got increasingly cold as we passed through NH 21. Our bus crossed Kurukshetra and halted briefly at Chandigarh where we had supper.

  We were cold to the bone by the time we reached Mandi the next morning. We could hardly stand on our feet and were shivering like hell. Riya and Sonam had wisely worn woollen overcoats and head caps, so they were able to stand the morning chill. Seeing us shiver in the cold, they made fun of us for not having worn woollens. We boarded a bus going to Manali and were off in sometime.

  Driving through the winding roads of Himachal Pradesh, we could see snow-capped hilltops from our bus window. It was then that I realized why places like Kashmir and Manali were called heaven on earth. The view was delightful. We drove along the banks river Beas, while I hummed the the song, ‘Behti hawa sa tha woh’ from the movie 3 Idiots.

  As we got down from the bus, we experienced the first snowfall of our lives. Riya pulled her overcoat closer for warmth and dusted off the snowflakes on her nose. Mohit and I picked up our luggage and went to look for a nice, moderately-priced hotel. We ultimately singled out one for honeymoon couples and booked two rooms. The receptionist handed us the keys while the hotel service boy escorted us to our rooms.

  Once in, we walked straight towards the window. The view of the city from our room was breathtaking. The resort was ideally located in the heart of the small town with a breathtaking view of the snow-capped Himalayas. The room felt quaint and personal, with wooden flooring and a fireplace to keep us warm. But the balcony facing the valley was definitely its best feature. We stood in the balcony looking at the town.

  Riya brought out a shawl to brave the cold winds. She came and stood close to me, draping the shawl around us. I could feel the warmth of her body as we snuggled together me for warmth. We kissed passionately, exploring each other in pure ecstasy. It was the wildest kiss of my life—on a balcony in freezing cold. We then settled in our room and Riya called for two cups of tea from the hotel restaurant.

  Shortly, Mohit and Sonam too joined us. Both seemed to have settled in and had come to our room looking refreshed.

  ‘It’s so romantic and the rooms are so cosy,’ Sonam smiled and moved closer to Mohit.

  I looked at Riya and she abruptly gave me a peck on my cheek. Her sudden outburst of affection every now and then never failed to catch me off guard.

  ‘You will never change, right?’ I asked pulling her cheeks.

  ‘You want me to? Don’t blame me then if I don’t arouse you!’ she laughed.

  We decided to go to the market to buy some woollen clothes and enquire about tourist cars. It was slightly warm in the noon as compared to the freezing chill of early morning.

  We reached The Mall road which had a few restaurants and garment shops lined on either side. Various tourist guides stood there with maps in their hands. We bought woollen jackets, socks, and gloves. I also bought a bandana fo
r myself. Riya purchased t-shirts for herself and a shawl for her Mom.

  ‘Why don’t you purchase something really hot and revealing?’ I whispered into her ear.

  ‘Don’t worry; I am already carrying them with me,’ she giggled.

  The temperature dropped down as the daylight dissolved into night. We were shivering even after putting on two sweaters and inners to keep us warm and protected. We went to a restaurant Chopsticks to have dinner. Mohit ordered white rum for everyone.

  ‘Don’t’ drink so much that we have to carry you to our room,’ we told the girls. They were rubbing both their hands to keep warm.

  Each one of us had four pegs of rum with dinner. The momos in particular were delicious. When we came out of the restaurant, it became impossible for us to bear the cold. Riya and I walked back to the resort which was a mere ten minute walk from the restaurant. Sonam and Mohit followed suit.

  As we walked together, Riya was so close to me that I could almost feel her breath.

  ‘Let’s get naughty tonight. I want to be in your arms, hold you and feel you all over me,’ said Riya softly so that Mohit and Sonam could not overhear us.

  I gave her a wicked wink.

  ‘Do you know that Manali is famous for weed?’ Mohit asked me.

  ‘Yes, I have heard about it, but I am afraid I am not very keen on trying it,’ I replied. But Mohit kept insisting we give it a shot.

  As we entered the hotel, Mohit said something to the receptionist of the resort. Then he came towards me and told that everything had been arranged for, pointing towards his shirt pocket. I knew it contained weed and asked him how did he manage to get it. He told me not to worry about that and both of us decided to go to my room for our first shot at ‘nirvana’. While the girls freshened up, we had fun smoking weed. It gave me an instant high and I was soon feeling drowsy. Riya told us to wrap everything up and Sonam took Mohit with him to their room.

  Riya came close to me and moved her finger on my back and then on my thighs. This made me drowsier. She tried to arouse me, but I was too high to respond to her yearnings.

  Fucking hell! I will never try weed, I kept thinking to myself, feeling like I was about to fall off a cliff.

  Riya was looking amazing in her nightwear, or so I could tell from my faint vision. I don’t remember what happened next.

  I woke up late in the morning with a slight headache. By the time I came back to my senses, Riya was by my side, giving me a capsule for my throbbing headache and pouring a hot cup of tea for me.

  ‘You missed last night’s fun,’ she winked.

  ‘I know. It’s okay. I have already planned something special for the coming nights,’ I smiled.

  ‘I am having so much fun that even thinking about returning to Mumbai makes me sad. These have been the best days of my life. Let’s come here again for our honeymoon,’ she suggested. I nodded my head in agreement.

  ‘Do you know how beautiful you look straight out of bed?’ I held her close and played with her long earrings.

  Mohit came to our room shortly afterwards and told us that Sonam had gone to take a shower and would join us in a bit. Soon we got dressed and left the resort. Taking the Mall road we went to the place where tourist guides generally abound in plenty. We enquired about getting a car on hire and they gave us a two-day plan. We bargained to bring down the cost a little and accepted the offer.

  Day 2: Manikaran and Rohtang Pass.

  The second day was devoted to Manikaran which was around eighty kilometres away from Manali. We drove along the Parvati valley, driving carefully around the dangerous turns and hairpin bends. We passed through rice fields, shanty tea stalls, herds of goats, and snow-clad mountains.

  After a two-hour long journey, we reached Manikaran. A small outlying strip of shopping stalls, street merchants, and eateries told me that we had reached a prime tourist location. We quickly came out of the car and walked across the short span bridge over Parvati River. Along with others, I too was able to breeze down the zigzag lanes after my brief visit to Ram Temple. The sadhus were cooking rice and dal at the edge of the hot springs called ‘Vishnu Kund’—the water of which is known to have curative powers. It was surprising for us to see that even in a stretch of cold water, there was a patch which had boiling water.

  ‘This place has something to it. I can feel positive energy all around,’ said Riya.

  I obviously didn’t believe in that, but I knew Riya wouldn’t lie. The temple was extremely beautiful and allowed me time to self-introspect and feel the divine power.

  ‘I’ve heard that if someone takes a bath in the Kund, he would attain salvation,’ I told Mohit and Riya while Sonam was still in the temple premises.

  We spent some time clicking photographs and seeing the surrounding places. At eleven in the morning, we started our journey to Manali. We halted at a local dhaba where we gorged on some delicious North Indian food.

  ‘I need a smoke,’ I announced to the others and excused myself from the group. It was a trick so that I could visit the local gift shop without anybody taking notice. I had to purchase something for Riya as I wanted our night to be a special one.

  Riya told me to get back at the earliest as we were getting late and wanted to reach our next destination on time.

  Rohtang pass was our next stop. The driver told us that it’s the same place where the famous song from Jab We Met was shot. Mohit asked us if we could allow him to smoke in the car. Riya and Sonam gave us a tough look and refused, saying boundaries had to be set somewhere. We consented to their request, or shall I say, order. The freezing winds made us grip each other tightly and we didn’t even bother what the driver would think. The road was getting bumpier by the minute.

  I could not speak due to the freezing weather. The view was gorgeous. At some places, the snow was almost 6 to 8 feet high on both sides of the road. We stopped at a stall which served Maggi.

  ‘Hot Maggi tastes best in cold weather. Even though I am not too much of a Maggi fan, this is just fabulous,’ said Mohit.

  We agreed in unison. After devouring the plate of Maggi and a simmering hot cup of tea, our vehicle inched its way up the hill. Suddenly, the driver pulled the brakes and stopped abruptly. We saw that in front of us heavy snowfall had covered the road, leading to a dead end. The driver turned to us.

  ‘Look, it is very dangerous to drive ahead from this point onwards. You have to get out and walk. If I drive any further, it can lead to a complete breakdown of the vehicle which can further add to our problems,’ he cautioned us.

  With no choice left, we got down and clicked a few pictures. We went near the valley and embraced the breathtaking views while having chocolate and biscuits that we were carrying with us. It was very cold and the breeze was biting! We had worn layers of clothing, insulated jackets, even woollen gloves and caps. A pure white sheet of snow had engulfed the entire region. Looking at snowfall while your love is in your arms can’t be expressed in words. I was speechless.

  Mohit and Sonam went walking a bit further while we chose to stay back and wait.

  ‘What are you thinking?’ Riya asked me.

  ‘I was thinking of returning to this place after our marriage. We’ll take the Honeymoon Package. I want to spend time at this place with you by my side,’ I said holding her hands.

  ‘I am waiting for that day too,’ she said. I had planned something elaborate for the night and hoped that Mohit had kept my little secret to himself.

  I was just getting my thoughts together when I heard Sonam’s voice call out to me.

  ‘What are your plans for tonight?’ said Sonam winking at me. Both had returned from their short walk.

  I looked towards Mohit with an accusatory glance and he signalled swearing he hadn’t told her a thing. I wanted to make my night really special for Riya.

  It was getting darker, so we decided to head back home and asked the driver to take us back. That marked the end of day two’s sightseeing.

  We returned to the Mall
road. The driver gave us a lowdown on the next day’s plan and left saying that he would be waiting for us outside our hotel on time. Sonam and Riya went back to the hotel while Mohit and I went on a small shopping trip to procure gifts for the girls to make our night more memorable.

  I saw a shop which carved names on wooden designs. I asked the staff member to carve Riya’s name along with mine on a decorative wooden key ring. Since the girls weren’t around, we smoked a couple of cigarettes, after which we returned to our resort.

  It was around 7 pm in the evening when we got back to the hotel. The temperature seemed like it had fallen to a chilling minus 2 degrees Celsius. I went to the reception and requested them to send an extra heater in both our rooms.

  Riya and Sonam were busy nibbling popcorn and watching TV in Mohit’s room. I asked him to keep them engrossed while I managed to arrange everything in our room for a perfect evening with Riya.

  ‘Aadi, where were you? I am so hungry,’ exclaimed Riya.

  ‘We will soon have dinner. First, I want you to take a look at this.’ I held out my palm and placed a big gift box on it. She looked at Mohit and Sonam to enquire if they were aware of what the gift was. Both reacted as if they didn’t know a thing.

  She opened the box to find a perfect outfit for the night. I had bought a short black dress for her. Mohit gave me a wicked look that said, so now I know why you told the receptionist to send one more heater. Riya was surprised to see the gift as she had least expected it. She jumped off the bed and hugged me. I told her to wear it. Mohit and Sonam realized that we wanted to be left alone, so they made up a silly excuse of going down to the hotel restaurant for a quick bite even though I knew their stomach was full.

  ‘It’s a bit chilly outside, so why don’t you take this bottle of rum with you for company?’ I told Mohit as he was leaving.

  Mohit winked at me, as if to wish me good luck, and departed with Sonam.