Chapter 5: The Girl in the Metro - Sorry, You're Not My Type

Auditorium, Rajhans College

16th August, 2012

‘Vikrant, the beats are off. Let’s do it again,’ Yuvi suggested.

‘Yuvi, let’s change the tempo of the song. It will get our brain juices bubbling. What say?’ Vikrant counter suggested to which Anamika agreed instantly.

The trio was rehearsing for their upcoming intercollege performance. They wanted to sound unique—different from all the other bands out there. The show was hardly a few days away and they wanted to give their performance all that they had.

‘So the song goes like, Naseeba… Naseeba… ye meri life hai… naseeba naseeba ….’ sang Anamika.

‘Let me try singing it once,’ Vikrant said.

‘Naseeeeebaaa, ye meri life hai … Na, this tune is not right. Let’s go back to the first version,’ Yuvi added.

They had loaded up on snacks, beers, soda, marijuana, and cigarettes. Though they were kept hidden in a bag, Miss Malini got a whiff of it but she didn’t scold them because she wanted the show to go on perfectly well. After trying out various versions of the song, Yuvi suggested to stick to the basics and not to try to be too innovative with their title song ‘Naseeba’.

‘Let’s sing Dhaani once again. Yuvi, you start first. I will join in the chorus. Let’s practice as if a live show is going on,’ Vikrant said.

‘Dhaani.… re Dhaaniiiii..chunariya … Dhaani… re dhaani… chunariya… Udte baadal ke saaye me lehraayegi, mujhe tadpaayegi, chali jaayegi, jaise bijuriaa… mastaanii…’

Once satisfied with their demo performance, all of them hugged each other and sat on the stage wiping off the sweat from their brows.

‘The song was worth recording, dude. If we keep putting in the same amount of effort into each performance, we will surely make waves with our music. It’s so much fun,’ said Yuvi relaxing on the floor. He shut his eyes dreaming of their live performance where a big crowd had gathered and people were shouting his name over and over again, screaming their heart out.

Vikrant opened beer bottles for them while Yuvi rolled a paper. This time they wanted to rehearse like real rock stars. Vikrant drank a Bacardi breezer. Yuvi teased him saying only sissy girls drank breezers. Vikrant didn’t take Yuvi’s words to heart because he knew Yuvi was merely joking.

‘Give me a drag. Let me show you how it’s actually done. I am not a first timer. I have tried everything once but I don’t get addicted to stuff like you,’ Vikrant bluffed.

‘Oh, is it so? Then show it to me, baby. This is not a candy, darling,’ Yuvi laughed and Anamika joined in.

‘I find a girl who smokes really sexy. Such girls are not afraid of midnight parties. They are not afraid of hitting the dance floor and rapping with you. These chicks don’t always sit in class and talk shit,’ Yuvi said provoking Anamika.

Vikrant snatched the roll from Yuvi’s hand and took a drag. Then another, another…till he could barely get up from his seat. He could not even speak. He probably could not understand what was happening around him. Yuvi had told him ‘Beta, slowly… one at a time.’ But Vikrant wanted to prove he was man enough to do it. They were enjoying this new phase of life. All three of them had become really good friends with each other and their bonding was inseparable. Still Yuvi held some grudges against Anamika but she always won his faith back. They kept rehearsing day in and day out with on the same energy and enthusiasm. Yuvi was now more confident about the show because all the band members were performing at their optimal best. They all laughed, did masti, and practiced! Soon, they were all set for the D-day.

* * *

18th August, 2012

‘Ladies and gentleman, it gives me immense pleasure to host this show today. To my utter delight, I got to meet a particular band backstage. Any guesses whom I am talking about?’ said the host building up the excitement.

VAYU… VAYU… VAYU!!!

‘There you are. Absolutely right. I am talking about VAYU. The band that has reached the peak of popularity in only a couple of months’ time. I can see many of you wearing T-shirts with VAYU written on it. So let me present to you the students who make up your very favourite band— VAYUUUUUUU. First up is the lead guitarist and vocalist Yuvi. The Y of VAYU.’

Yuvi was busy kissing Kashish and did not hear his name being announced. Ultimately Kashish pushed him on stage. Yuvi waved at the audience as the lights fell on him to mark his entry. As he took to the centre of the stage, the host continued, ‘Now it’s time to call out the V of VAYU. Let me hear you scream for the lead drummer and lyricist Vikrant.’

Vikrant touched the stage with his right hand and then touched his forehead. By doing this, he was asking for the blessings of the almighty before performing on a platform he had dreamt of all his life. He took his position and played the drums a little to get the audience in the groove.

‘And now let me call upon the last member of the group— the beautiful lady of VAYU. The girl who has become every guy’s dream. She is the A of VAYU. Let’s give a shout out to Anamika, the dancer of the band.’

As Anamika came on stage, the crowd went crazy shouting her name. She looked ravishing in pink shorts and a black top. The lights made her look even sexier. The audience whistled loudly and called out her name. Yuvi seemed upset because of the attention Anamika was getting. Being the lead vocalist, he wanted to be the centre of attention but that wasn’t happening. He put his grudges behind him and addressed the audience after the host had left the stage.

‘Are you ready to have the time of your life?’ Yuvi screamed. The crowd responded with double the enthusiasm. ‘Okay then, this one is for all the people in love. This is our version of a song you all love. Put your hands in the air. Here it goes. To all the aashiqs and their aashiqui…’ Yuvi announced.

Yuvi closed his eyes for a split second and started crooning…

Kal raat ek beshakal ki… awaaz ne mujhe chauka diya,

Maine kaha tu kaun hai… usne kaha,

Aawaargi!!

Ye dil ye paagal dil mera… kyu bhuj gaya,

Aawaargi!!

Ek ajnabee jhoke ne jab… pucha mere gam ka sabab,

sehra ki bheegi ret par… maine likha

Aawaargi!!

Is dasht mein ek shehar tha… woh kya hua?

Aawargi!!

The performance created complete havoc! The crowd screamed like crazy. It was the best performance of their lives. They performed on various songs like Aawargi. Vikrant played the drums to perfection while Yuvi’s voice left everybody mesmerized. To add to it, Anamika’s moves set the stage on fire. It was one hell of a show for the audience and they were going to remember it for ages. All the boys in the crowd were imaging themselves with Anamika while all the girls were fantasizing about either Yuvi or Vikrant. After the performance got over, they bowed in front of everyone and left the stage. The crowd kept chanting ONCE MORE, ONCE MORE, but since other colleges had to perform as well, their wish wasn’t granted. One by one the other college bands performed, but their performances were lacklustre as compared to VAYU. It was VAYU all the way. The trio partied all night to celebrate their success. But every time Anamika talked about how good she danced that night, Yuvi’s temper would flare up. He was the lead performer of the band and wanted to get the maximum attention. He had expected the audience to applaud for him the most. He had somewhere started to hate her. He knew Anamika was a pretty looking girl and in a way deserved the popularity she got. This was the only reason he kept mum about it. He also didn’t want to spoil the party.

They were not just popular, they were loved by all the students of Delhi University. They got countless Facebook friend requests and their YouTube videos had gone completely viral. The entire University was talking about VAYU and the three were visible everywhere. Their songs were being played in buses, autos, and the metro.

With more shows under their belt, their popularity kept growing. But on the downside, Yuvi’s differences with Anamika increased as well. Anamika had no clue why Yuvi would behave strangely around her. She felt like he was unhappy with her about something but didn’t dare ask him what. Her popularity was killing Yuvi from inside. Vikrant calmed him down whenever he was about to lose control. But his grievances against Anamika didn’t affect Yuvi’s performances. Instead, it got better with every passing show.

As the days passed, they managed to get many sponsors for their stage shows. They were living their dream. Their immense hard work had eventually paid off. Even their college was extremely proud of them and let them sit for exams despite having low attendance. Even the sponsors made good profits from the shows. With every show, their popularity kept increasing. They had become one of the most known music groups in Delhi.

* * *

Auditorium, Rajhans College

22nd August, 2012

VAYU was preparing for their next show which was going to happen in their college itself for an event organized by the seniors. The seniors had requested them to sing some special songs for their performance. The enthusiasm was at its peak. The band members were backstage getting ready for the show. Vikrant wanted to beat his previous acts and had requested Yuvi to give him a drug to consume as he felt he gave his best performance when he was high. He recalled an earlier time he had consumed drugs after which he had given his best performance. Yuvi took it very casually and gave him a small packet containing marijuana from his pocket. Vikrant took out a small paper from his pocket and emptied the contents on the paper. He then rolled it up.

‘This helps you, right?’ Vikrant asked before lighting the roll.

‘Yes. You very well know that I smoke before every show. Don’t you? Come on now, don’t be a kid. Take a puff,’ Yuvi added.

Vikrant was feeling awkward doing it around Yuvi, so he went to the dressing room instead. By the time he came out, he was feeling very high.

‘Are you alright?’ Anamika asked Vikrant. She was concerned about his health and could sense something fishy going on.

‘Baby boy is on drugs,’ Yuvi teased him.

Yuvi was so used to taking drugs on a regular basis that it was a routine matter for him. He thus could understand it was the first time for Vikrant and he was having a hard time dealing with it.

‘I am alright,’ Vikrant said trying hard not to close his eyes.

He peeped into the auditorium to see how many people had gathered so far. It was a packed house. His eyes were getting heavier with each passing second as a result of the drug and as he tried to take the support of a pillar nearby, his eyes fell on the girl. The same girl he had spotted in the metro! She was standing right next to the stage and applauding the band. Dressed in a red one-piece dress, she looked extremely sexy. She was screaming, smiling, and enjoying herself at the same time. Suddenly, their eyes met. Just when he raised his hand to wave at her, she turned the other way. He tried to regain composure as his performance was due to start in a few minutes. He was already feeling unhinged from the marijuana. Just then an idea struck him! He thought of proposing to her right there. Though it needed guts, he had never been more sure of anything before this. And he anyway had nothing to lose. He didn’t even know if he could see her again or not. He wondered if they were from the same college. If yes, then why hadn’t he seen her in college ever? No, she must be an outsider. How could she get entry into the college? The show was just for seniors. Was she his senior? Before he could get his answers, he saw his girl walking away from the stage talking to someone on the phone. Vikrant became restless. He couldn’t take the fact that the girl was walking away. The drug was showing its effect. The more stress he took, the more unhinged he felt. Those few seconds felt like an hour for him. Without even giving it a second thought, he got down from the stage. Yuvi and Anamika were surprised to see him leave even before their performance had begun. They were clueless and didn’t know how to react. They had no option but to continue with the show without Vikrant, even if it meant facing the seniors’ anger. Vikrant left abruptly without informing anyone.

Without caring about anything, he ran after the metro girl who had left the college premises in a hurry. He saw her get into an auto. He hurriedly waved out to another approaching auto.

After getting in, he told the auto driver, ‘Bhaiya, us auto ke peeche chalo.’

The auto stopped outside Vishwavidyala metro station. Seeing her get out, Vikrant got out too. He was careful to stand at a few meters distance from her lest she sees him following her. His phone kept ringing but he didn’t care to pick it up. He thanked his stars that his phone was on silent mode else his cover would have been blown off. Anamika and Yuvi were both calling him continuously. They sent him numerous text messages. But he ignored all of them. Both of them got into the same metro without the girl knowing about it. She had no clue someone was following her. He kept some distance from her and watched her like a love-struck boy. She was busy listening to songs on her iPod. He saw a few guys purposely trying to touch her or brush their body against hers, which annoyed her a great deal. More than her, Vikrant was annoyed but he didn’t let his anger show because he did not want to create a scene in the metro. She got down at Saket and he continued with his chase. Then he saw her get into an apartment. That was it. She disappeared in a second and he was left staring at the empty road.

What do I have to do to get noticed by you? Change my hair, change my clothes, change the way I walk, or change the way I talk? It’s been a while since we have known to each other—at least I know you—yet I am invisible to you. Your one look makes me go weak in the knees. It takes me to a place that I can’t even describe. Is it wrong if I want more of you? I knew the day I saw you that we were meant to be together. It’s our destiny… then why is it taking so much time for us to come together? What should I do to make you realize how much I love you? How desperately I wish you come to your apartment’s terrace right now and give me a flying kiss. I left my show for you but still you are not aware of my feelings. Why? What do I have to do to get noticed by you?

A tear came rolling down his cheek as he looked at his reflection in the mobile screen. Why wasn’t he able to gather the courage to talk to her? What was holding him back? He left his show abruptly and ran from there to approach her, to talk with her, to share his feelings with her but he did nothing. As he walked back towards the college, he realized what a blunder he had made. He immediately took out his mobile phone and checked his messages. There were many. He opened one of them sent by Yuvi.

Dude, what happened to you? I didn’t expect this from you. Do you realize how important this show was for us? Anyway, we have left the college premises. The show has been cancelled.

The last line kept reverberating in his mind. The show has been cancelled. He didn’t know how to react. He felt guilty and called Yuvi to apologize to him but Yuvi’s cell was unavailable. He decided to tell Yuvi and Anamika the truth. He walked back alone helplessly. All he could do was to wish that things would fall in place once again.