Before we set out on the journey, I wanted to tell you that the story is INSPIRED by my husband, Sapan’s real life events.
And it gives away the fact that I have written the book with lot of love.
I hope you like it :)
Welcome to No Regrets
No regrets is for the grown ups who remember being children. It is an ode to the magic of innocence. It is a fascinating and humor filled story of curious and carefree Arjun raised in 80s and 90s, an era when – music meant cassettes, joy was picnic with family and friends, break dance was a rage, romance was Kumar Sanu’s music and pride was owning a bicycle.
The book is also a REMINDER that there is always a right time to do everything.
Everything has a time in life. Don’t overdo one and postpone what you love for a later time.
A few percentage here and there does not define our career but postponing all others things for a later time, do leave us regretting.
A few percentage here and there does not define our career but postponing all others things for a later time, do leave us regretting.
When we have health to play and do our favorite things, we study a bit too much thinking we will do things when we become successful and have earned money. When we have money then to sustain that we do not have time. When finally we have time and money, we have grown old then we do not have health. In end, we only regret.
The book maybe strewn with comedy, hilarious events and most comical characters but will leave you with many messages for lifetime.
Note : This isnt the real cover of the book. Will share that soon. But the book is certainly fun filled and hilarious.
Preface
“I Like You. I Love You. And I Want to Marry You.” Sitting on a bench in front of Opera House in Sydney, Arjun proposed Akira in one breath.
Akira snapped her head to look at Arjun in surprise.
Is he a mind reader! The thought crossed her mind and her heart skipped a beat. Akira thought so because she had lost her heart to Arjun the first time she saw him.
But the next moment she was surprised for another reason.
“What!” A voice in her head resonated, her eyes still fixed on Arjun.
Not even in her wildest dreams she anticipated this to be coming from Arjun. Arjun had hardly spoken to her since they met.
And it was only two months back they had met as colleagues in office. Arjun was part of the team that had arrived from India to deliver an IT project in Sydney on the afternoon of 3rd Oct 2006, Tuesday.
Akira had arrived just fifteen days before. She was the business consultant for the project but since the HR of their organization was based in Melbourne, she was entrusted the responsibilities of an HR too.
Akira became friends with everyone. Just like Akira, most of them were freshers. They explored the city together on weekends. Rest of the days, mesmerised by the joy of their first onsite, their endless discussions comprised of cheapest calling card to India, which camera to buy, from where to buy blankets and best suburb to buy Indian groceries.
But being friends with Arjun was not even a far fetched hope that Akira had on her mind because the only instances when Arjun spoke with her was when Akira collected HR related details from the team.
And that’s the reason that today when Arjun proposed Akira, she couldn’t say neither said ‘Yes’ nor ‘No’. She was not prepared.
They walked back from Opera House in silence.
But there was no silence in Akira’s heart. A feeling of love gushed through her. She wanted to scream yes to the magnificent man walking with him.
He looked handsome and intense as ever. She was already highly impressed with his chivalrous manners. If it wasn’t less, his fresh heady musk that wafted from his coat in the breeze enticed her.
But she needed to know Arjun. And it was all just too fast. Arjun had proposed her for marriage.
******
Few days later, Akira was to return to India. Her project got over. She had come to Sydney for only three months.
“Give me a chance, stay back, I love you.” Arjun said the same thing to Akira, which he had said the other day in front of the Opera House.
There was a determined conviction, warmth and gentleness in Arjun’s deep brown eyes. Swept away with the most placatory eyes that Akira had seen in her life, she could no longer refrain from discussing her apprehensions about the relationship with Arjun.
“You don’t know me. I don’t know you. And forget love, we are talking about marriage! How can we get married without knowing each other? Moreover, getting married is not even an agenda at this point of time in my life.” Akira explained pragmatically.
“I don’t want to know anything about you. And I will tell you what makes me.” Arjun said holding Akira’s gaze.
Akira wasn’t thinking of translating the liking into a relationship at this stage of her career. She was too practical but Arjun’s deep conviction, love for her in his eyes was worth to be impractical for once. Akira decides to behold Arjun’s dream.
She stays back. Takes up another assignment.
In next two years, Arjun narrates his life’s story to Akira in his animated style – his eyes rolled, eye brows cocked and he chuckled like a child.
Akira walked with him in every emotion from his childhood of 80s and adolescence spent in the era of 90s.
As they say… Growing old is inevitable but growing up is optional, Arjun too forgot to grow up – Akira concludes this after hearing Arjun’s story.
It is this story based on which she decided to spend her entire life with Arjun. Arjun’s story taught Akira how life should be truly lived.
It is NOT a love story. But certainly, a prelude to a love story. It is only Arjun’s story. A story of his childhood through college until job where he met Akira.
******
Arjun’s story starts from the beauty of mountains when he was six years old.
His dream in life was to become a truck driver, his fantasy was to meet the stone boy (80s television series hero) and his deepest love was the love for food. He romanticised with food by closing his eyes to the extent that even others who were eating the same thing were tempted to taste from his plate.
On his way back from tuitions he also disappeared often to have chicken with truck drivers in road side dhabas. All this happened when dangers of wild animals loomed large and tribals had started to organize themselves to fight against the injustice done to them in Southern Orissa.
Alarmed by Arjun’s dreams and fantasies, his parents sent him to a boarding school at a tender age of 8. He joined DPS (Delhi Public School) Damanjodi, one of the oldest DPS that was setup in the country in the Nalco campus. The wild flight of his dreams was now controlled by a checklist that school had issued. If the checklist wasn’t enough they had a warden who everyone dreaded for his punishments.
Childhood moments define us, so does Arjun’s. The events of school life, agony of staying away from parents, initial adjustments in hostel, school gosspis, priorities of childhood, the changing dreams as he grew, failures he endured, influence of Bollywood, being punctual and alert all the time, doing everything on his own, the dangerous school warden, his innovative punishments and so on make up Arjun’s life story.
Presenting to you Arjun. A son, brother, life partner and husband that we all wish for. Arjun’s story in his own words. The one that won him his love of life.
