A Scandal In College
A Story By Deepak Jeswal
Episode Seven
I was a bit perplexed to hear the nurse announce Vineeta’s name. I was not mentally prepared to meet her, mainly because I had suspected her to be the enemy whereas she had proven to be an ally. Yet, there was a curiosity to know how she had managed it. And where had I gone wrong in my judgment?
She entered the room with a strong whiff of perfume. Perhaps, Chanel, I thought as she would have informed, had we been in college. But today, I found her very different from the air-headed fool that I believed her to be. For one, she wore a salvar suit. Having seen her mostly in low-waist jeans, this was a marked change but for the better. The suit made her look even more attractive, and it fit wonderfully on her tall and lissome frame.
She walked across the room, hesitant and unsure, and I pointed towards the chair next to the bed, for her to sit. She sat gingerly, groping to begin the conversation. In that moment, I looked at her closely, and felt horrified at my own self for hating her so much.
“I am sorry,” she began.
“I should be sorry,” I interrupted. “And honestly, I am sorry.”
She smiled. “It’s nothing. Anyone would have thought what you did about me and Ashish,” she said, with a tinge of contempt at the name. “And that exactly was my plan!”
“But when did all this start? And why?”
“It started when Vasu spread the news about Smita’s pregnancy with obvious glee and malice,” she started.
But I stopped her mid-way. “Vasu?” I asked, shocked. So Vasu was the traitor in the class; that unknown friend of Ashish.
“Yes, Vasu,” she reiterated. “From then on, I don’t know why but I really felt bad for Smita and angry at Ashish. It wasn’t fair. So, I thought of getting back on Ashish… no clear plan to send him to jail, but at least to humiliate him enough so that he doesn’t play around again with a girl’s emotions. I knew he had flipped for me long time back. He had also sent some feelers through a common friend even as he was going around with Smita. He had been two-timing her for a long time. Anyways, I had ignored him then and had tried to drill some sense into Smita, but she took it otherwise and thought I was jealous of her. Also, just before this thing spread, and probably even before you came to know of it, one day I overheard Vasu and Ashish talking in the auditorium. They thought they were alone, but I heard them full and clear. Ashish was jittery about Smita’s pregnancy, and was asking a solution from Vasu. So, Vasu advised him to flatly deny his involvement, refuse to acknowledge Smita and devised this huge plan of spreading the rumor in the class, to humiliate Smita and drop enough hints to implicate you.”
“But why would Vasu want to humiliate Smita?”
“Remember the huge misunderstanding they had some months back. Apparently, Vasu hadn’t forgotten that and wanted to get back at her. It sounds silly alright, but that’s what he told Ashish. I think he is not the kind who can easily forgive or forget. Since, Vasu was never really pally with me, so I guess it was easy for him to pass the blame of ‘rumour-monger’ on to me.”
I was aghast and speechless.
“It was easy to make Ashish fall for me. He was already interested, plus he has an overactive libido, which I used to my full advantage. When things started getting a bit serious, I panicked. At that point, I took my mamaji, who is in police, in confidence. The day you beat Ashish up was an ideal day to execute the small plan we had made. I took him to our Mehrauli farm-house, and ensured that mamaji was fully informed. By the time we reached the place, I could see two familiar policemen, in plain-clothes near the farm. Ashish was terribly wounded you really beat him to a pulp, so he couldn’t have seen anything or anyone. There, I nursed him, and when, in the evening, he tried to be overtly romantic, I raised an alarm. The police rushed in, and nabbed him.”
There was a certain amount of maturity and intelligence on her face, which had otherwise always been quite expressionless. The softness had given way to determination, which lent an elderly hue to her face. Or perhaps, my eyes had always been curtained by silly enmity, which had blinded me to her obvious positives. I was dumbfounded at what she had done, the enormity of the act and the courage in going through with it.
“You are a genius, Vineeta!” I gushed, “you really bit him like a scorpion.”
“Don’t forget, I am a Scorpio by Zodiac,” she laughed. And I found the soft stream like naughtiness in the laughter very assuring and endearing.
“Vasu, Vasu! I can’t believe he was such a bastard! But what should he have against me?”
She shrugged. “Really can’t say. I guess he dislikes you because you are so close to Smita.”
“And the other day, I was at his place, asking for his help to sort out this mess.” I remembered what he had said that day, ‘Accept the child’ and when I had asked about Ashish, he had replied, ‘Leave him’. Of course, he wanted me not to mess with Ashish, and accept the child so that his friend could be free from blame. Damn sweet of him , indeed, I thought sarcastically! Only, I was thinking of accepting the child with another motive. He had wonderfully played on my emotion.
“Appearances can be deceptive,” remarked Vineeta.
“I wish people would show their enmity right at your face, rather than attacking from behind. It hurts.”
“I know. You were pretty open in showing your enmity towards me.”
“I am sorry,” I said, sheepishly.
“It’s ok, I know where you were coming from, and you are right it is the clarity in emotions while dealing with people that is important,” she said. She turned her attention to the flowers on the side table. “These are so awesome and wonderful!”
She raised her arm to touch them. “Yep. Smita got them,” I informed. For a sliver of a second, I thought I saw her arm hesitate, before touching them tenderly. I felt warmth exuding from her, something that I hadn’t expected to feel, at least not from her.
****************************************
I was to stay under observation for a few more days in the hospital, Dr. Chatterjee informed. I groaned. I was sick of being there, and wanted to move out. There was nothing to do, except read magazines, which dad had brought, and sleep. The routine was awfully boring. It was terrible to be fooling around in the hospital bed when the whole world was on the move. All that while, what I could really do is think, think and think more, till the time my mind was sore. I wanted to move out and do something - something that the world would be proud of, something that my parents could be proud of. Honestly, I had no idea what it would be. But I thought, let me first get out of this goddamn room!
Vishal, Sugandha, Saina and Shilpa came to meet. But the most surprising visit was of Prof. Arora. It was an awkward meeting, but this time the tables had turned. He was the one who was nervous and kept on repeating his apology. I believed him when he said that ‘family ties had blinded my eyes’. It was expected, and I held no grudge against him. “And yes, you are on for my tutorial class,” he offered, as a parting gift. I was pleased.
I had realized the hard way that all of us make mistakes, misunderstanding each other due to various circumstances and guises. Smita couldn’t see through Ashish. Hell, I couldn’t understand the people I met daily - Vasu and Vineeta!
Smita and Vineeta made a second round of visits a couple of days later together. It was odd seeing them enter like old friends. All this while, an invisible wall of rivalry had kept the two apart. Perhaps, some good had come from all the scandal in college: it broke the ice between them.
Smita looked relaxed and much better than she had been. She sat on the chair, while Vineeta moved towards the window.
“Wow, the lawn is so wonderful and awesome!” remarked Vineeta. It was. But since I had seen it enough, I was pretty bored with it.
“Tomorrow I will be free from this,” Smita said, her eyes pointing towards her abdomen.
Vineeta looked at her and then at me, and with a reassuring smile said, “Don’t worry. It will be fine. I will go with her.”
Smita smiled back. “Thanks a bunch.”
“But have you thought of what to do after that,” Vineeta asked her, and her eyes indicated me. I was very uncomfortable, and wished she hadn’t brought it up. But in a way, I was happy. Maybe Smita would have reached a positive decision.
Smita didn’t reply immediately. “Yes. I have thought a lot but couldn’t reach any decision,” she replied eventually. I saw my hopes crumble. Turning to me, she said, “Dinesh, you are a great friend. But anything more would just be a compromise.”
“At least it will be with a person who loves you,” whispered Vineeta, her eyes lowered, and she turned away to look out of the window.
Smita nodded, but didn’t say anything. Vineeta had to meet her Mamaji regarding some affidavits about the case, and she left soon. Smita stayed on.
“You know she has feelings for you,” she said. My eyes bulged out, my jaw landed on the bed and I nearly toppled from the bed.
“What?”
“Yes. She just told me while coming here.”
My mind was whirring and in a turmoil. “But… but I haven’t thought about her like that!”
“Neither have I thought about you like that,” said Smita, quietly.
I started to speak, but became conscious that I had nothing to say. In any case, I think it was best to keep quiet, for a change!
“It’s ok, Dinesh. I think Vineeta was sort of correct. I might accept the compromise. But allow me some more time, please. Maybe it will work out.”
When she had left, I was again left with my thoughts a new set of them, pouncing and prancing on my innards. This was impossible. Had Smita been mistaken? But no, she said that Vineeta had herself expressed her feelings. In all this, I finally realized how Smita must have felt when I proposed to her.
Suddenly, I was unsure. And more than Smita, I realized I had to make one firm and final decision.
****************************************
Today, fifteen years have passed since that scandal in college. In these fifteen years, I didn’t get time to think much about it. You know, how it is - college was over soon, and then MBA, then the jobs. Time became a casualty, friends drifted apart, and over the years, even that incident looked so trivial and blown out of proportion. It seemed we had nothing better to do than think about romantic liaisons and got serious about the slightest things.
However, last night I saw a new Bollywood release - very maudlin one, but there was one thought in it, which stuck on and pried open the entire can of memories. In the film, the heroine states “Mai rishton mein milawat nahi karrti” ; loosely translated it means that ’she didn’t adulterate her relationships’- a friend and a lover are two different entities . So much like Smita, no?
Hence, all the past skeletons came crashing out. I came home from the multiplex, and immediately started to pen this story.
Like what happened to the film’s characters, sometimes circumstances and destiny force you to mix emotions. And often, the result can be extremely satisfying. That’s my personal experience. I wish I could meet Vishal again and tell him that my bookish philosophy has also worked very well.
As for me, let me sign off now - life has been great, or as my wife would say, it has been ‘wonderful and awesome’!
The End
Edited By Priyangini Mehta
Disclaimer - The story is a work of fiction; all characters and events are imaginary; any resemblance to any person living or dead is purely coincidental.
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March 5th, 2007 at 3:47 pm
me first!!
March 5th, 2007 at 3:49 pm
Vidya - Of all people, I hadn’t imagine you to be first here
A huge ‘G-O-L-D’ for you , and a very very warm welcome back to this blog!
March 5th, 2007 at 3:49 pm
yeh galat baat hai…5 ke bol ke 4 baje post karte ho…infact it shows 3:30 pm…grrrr…neways..final part…let me read it now
March 5th, 2007 at 3:57 pm
Mehak - Arrre nahin, just wanted to enjoy getting the comments, so preponed it by an hour … had left a message on ur blog
March 5th, 2007 at 3:57 pm
Vasu?…I must read the full story properly before commenting.
March 5th, 2007 at 3:58 pm
Vidya - Yep do so , will await ur comments
Err, I cudnt get the connextion with the name ‘Vasu’…
March 5th, 2007 at 4:04 pm
Ohh so Vasu was the kulpreet here for spreading the rumour ….& bechare Vineeta ko log gaaliyaan dete rahe
So, Dinesh & Vineeta ke shaadi ho gaye…Smita got the cells aborted ..phir kya hua …wondering…
Neways..loved all the episodes..& more so since this story was without any publicity… liked the surprise.
March 5th, 2007 at 4:05 pm
Must thank you for ur msg on my blog…vohi padh kar main…bhaagi bhaagi aaye.
March 5th, 2007 at 5:00 pm
Some problem …had to close and reopen to see the last part.Damn…I could have been there ‘first’! Anyway..doesnt matter! Nice ending..didnt expect it..but I wasn’t following all the characters very closely,got confused with the names-Vasu,Vishal .Guess I got carried away with the way u wrote!!
Well,am surprised that Vasu/Ashish didnt get back at Dinesh and Vineeta in all these years and they are leading a happy married life!!;)
Very well written,DJ….bahut mazaa aayaa..after a long time.Thanks!
March 5th, 2007 at 5:04 pm
A nice & very well written story… especially the way the end is written …suspense till the last line …
On a more serious note - the theory which the author talks about in the end - “my bookish philosophy has also worked very well.” - it refers to ““She will also realize that it is best to marry a person who loves you than the one whom you love.” ….I think it has to be both ways, only if both love each other then only it can work…
I think this is the best story written by you so far.
March 5th, 2007 at 5:10 pm
Mehak - Thanks a bunch
About Smita, its an open end, the readers can decide for her 
I am happy my strategy for not publicizing it worked well.
Ragz - It came on exact at 4. LOL, yeah the names were a bit confusing … as the narrator said the class seemed to be picked up from the directory’s S and V listing!
I suppose even Ashish/Vasu grew up, finally
Well, its after a long long time that I hv actually put up a story in episodes. I am mighty pleased it has been well received.
Navjot - Thanks a ton
Well, all theories are bookish, and some amount of practicality has to be there. I am sure Dinesh must hv fallen in love with Vineeta as well…
I love the last line of ur comment - its a treasure! Thanks
March 5th, 2007 at 5:55 pm
great response sirji and be sure its not just out of politeness
March 5th, 2007 at 6:17 pm
… the end was totally different from what i had thought… as by end of 5th part, 6th was something on the sides of expected… infact part of 7th too… but one thing is sure … you write better stories than those stupid bollywood script writers …
@priya… at least mine won’t be out of politeness as i hv been known as critic in my group
… i hv read other stories too… he writes good …
March 5th, 2007 at 6:54 pm
Hey… finally it has ended…. let me begin by saying that i’ve quite enjoyed reading it - for it was a typical dj style masala story!
the best part about the story was the characterisation - loved the attention to detail that was given to all characters - evn the insignificant ones like arun! the conversations were good… but there have been better dialogues in your earlier stories DJ!
Another thing I like about most of your stories is that they are set in real places… DU, Pusa Road, Mehrauli, Patel chest and escorts hospital are places that i’ve heard of, and to have the characters go to these places make them so much more real than a fictional ramgadh and madhopur ever can!
It seemed like a slice of life - the ppl, not the plot! Yes, the touch of reality is very much there in this story…
March 5th, 2007 at 7:02 pm
having said that, let me also add that this was a fairly average story… i think i’ve told you beore that after giving us treats like naman geeta, meear, the independance day and where the heaven meets the earth you have spoilt us… every time we read a story from you, we only expect it to be bigger than the last… and so an average ne does get a little disappointing… the twist in the end was nothing shocking… and i was wondering if it was really required? why cudn’t the three of hm have been just friends and be left at that….? also i couldn’t fathom vineeta’s motives for doing what she did… somehow, that quite didn’t connect… and as for vasu’s misunderstanding with smita, wel, i felt it deserved more than a passing mention in the story (at least i don’t remember any major reference to it in the story) somehow, these little things didn’t add up…
but all in all, it was enjoyable… liked the story and hoping for more to come by!
March 5th, 2007 at 7:07 pm
the story was the right lngth editor sahiba…. but did you feel the narrative a wee bit sluggish…. not that its a reason to complain, but do you think that the pace cud’ve been increased slightly????
March 5th, 2007 at 7:08 pm
pardon the typos in the last three comments guys- this keyboard is bad!!!!
@#%^$
March 5th, 2007 at 7:17 pm
Fantastic! Today read 6th and 7th parts together. Very well written Deepak.
Hmm… so my guess about Vineeta was right. Though not exactly arrest but I knew that she will teach him a lesson.
Like ur all other stories i have read so far, even this gave me a feeling that I am watching a movie and this feeling flowed throught the story. Thats what I like in Ur stories, ‘the filminess’. I mean there are many reasons for liking them but filminess is one of the reasons.
Really ‘awesome and wonderful’!
March 5th, 2007 at 7:33 pm
Yess, I Totally agree with Abhishek .
March 5th, 2007 at 7:37 pm
Oops! Quote didnt appear in the comment.
Yess, I Totally agree with Abhishek . ‘you write better stories than those stupid bollywood script writers …’
March 5th, 2007 at 8:27 pm
Dear All - Thanks for the lovely response
Really appreciate it!
Priyangini - LOL , i hope its not out of politeness. At least i dont think so, seeing the involved responses
Abhishek - Thanks so much. Love the compliment
Wasnt aware you had read other stories too.
Anks - Aaah, finally comments from you! (In any case I had no more nails to chew
)
I hv always tried to place characters in real places (at least where ever possible), and that’s sth i enjoy doing. It does lend an air of reality to it.
Regarding the dialogues, I am a bit surprised. I personally thought that they were more ‘real’ (colloquial/conversational) than ‘filmi’ in this one.
The rest, of course, I accept them as they are
And do I see Priyangini’s smug smile regarding Vasu-Smita face off which doesnt find a detailed mention? She had warned me on this, but somehow I cudnt place it anywhere proper. Giving it away in the earlier episode wud hv given off the story. And placing a flashback in the last ep. wud hv destroyed it fully!
I really hope i can write more stuff - but it was admittedly much easier while i was in Nepal. To think of a whole new story and pen it down is quite a daunting task now…
March 5th, 2007 at 8:30 pm
Madhu - Thanks a ton - I am delighted u enjoyed the first long (English) story on this blog, since you started being a regular here ( IIRC, it was during Tapish that you came here permanently).
And yep, your guess on Vineeta was bang on target.
As regards ‘filminess’, dont worry, i cant do without it, so that will probably stay on
If anything, i think the narrative style in this one was one of my least filmi ones!
March 5th, 2007 at 10:21 pm
I agree with Anks…Meera,Where Heaven meets the earth were a class apart!Cant beat them that easily!
March 6th, 2007 at 2:25 am
Read the last 3 post in a go! Wow…didnt expect the ending to be like this! Hehe..I was thinking Smita to be the culprit
However, this ending is so much better…and nice touch that Smita didnt fall for Dinesh! And to think Vineeta was the heroine! 
Enjoyed the story thoroughly!
March 6th, 2007 at 5:29 am
aaaaahhh finally done.
I was a bit confused as to who this Vasu was and where he played in. did go back and re-read it..realized I was confusing him with Vishal.
Overall, I liked the story quite a bit. I am glad that Smita did not end up with Dinesh because that would just notbe right for the way this story was shaping up. but I was surprised at Vineeta being married to dinesh at the end because I didnt expect that to be the big twist…. it would have been nice to see what smita ended up doing….or even better all three of them just being friends with some other crazy DJ twist at the end. glad that douche bag ashish got arrested
Great going. Its always a pleasure to read new stories by my favorite writer!
P.S Meera is still my favorite
March 6th, 2007 at 5:34 am
now for the casting..i kept thinking of Madhavan for Dinesh and needed somebody who would say “wonderful and awesome” allthe time andofcourse couldnt help but think of Kareena “Pooh” Kapoor…i dont like her much but dont know who else would fit the character. also Madhavan and Kareena would be an odd pairing but thats okay..
Smita …..i cannot think of anybody but thought Rani would fit with the kind of roles she is doing lately..she looks also irritated.
whatd you think?
March 6th, 2007 at 5:38 am
priyangini- why arent you blogging?!?!?!
granted we like you editing and all but dont you think your blog is due for a good write-up as well?
March 6th, 2007 at 5:45 am
I must say this far & large ought to be my favorite story out of the ones that you have written so far. I wished it was a bit longer though…for my own greedy reasons:) Really good. The way you explain the scenes…it is amazing. Total filmi style!
Hope to see another story up soon.
March 6th, 2007 at 9:26 am
Ragz - You know what? I agree with you
Meera and WTMTE and Independence Day (I spent so much time on it, esp. in the research) will always be up there - and personally, on my own (if i m allowed a bit of vanity) I think the flow in WTMTE was unsurpassable!
Still, A Scandal is special too, and cliched it may sound, but then they are all my babies
Colors - Thanks a million - it is so nice and inspiring to see readers associated with my stories to be still here - IIRC, you also joined the blog during Meera
A huge thank you 
March 6th, 2007 at 9:32 am
Kaushi - Thank u thank u ji
Ha ha , Meera , I know, will always be the special one - and if I am allowed some more vanity, prob. due to a sort of ‘cult’ status attached to it 
LOL
Yep, it was logical for Dinesh not marrying Smita - it wudnt hv made any sense at all.
Leaving an open end was an option (and that’s what it was originally) but for the blog i thought it best to round it off.
I second you - Priyangini Get back to your blog right now! It needs an update.
Waise, Kaushie, the same applies to you as well - changing templates doesnt help, we need posts there!
Ek kii shaadi, ek kii rishta pucca, and both Gujju girls disappear! Sigh!
Coming to the casting - it wud be tough given the age bracket that the characters are - both Madhavan and Rani wud look a bit overgrown as college students, no?
But if the age can be a bit upped - yeah, both suit the parts well. Somehow, I also feel Shahid Kapoor wud do (with Kareena, the film would be much cheaper as well - you know, ek ke saath ek muft
)
March 6th, 2007 at 9:34 am
Mannat - Thank u thank u
I am happy change in narrative style helped the story a lot … About the length, i actually thought it was a bit long than required, but your comment vindicates my stand of not shortening it up.
Thanks a bunch
March 6th, 2007 at 10:24 am
hi anki, our modest
author may not say this but he wrote this story when he was in college, comparing it with Meera or WHMTE or ID wouldn’t really be fair na. I know you might think this slow because your narratives as far as i recall are racy and happening but we have to keep in mind the entire junta who might find racy narratives confusing, especially in this one where the names were all similar. Also some of the stand alone scenes for e.g. the doctor wala scene or the scene with Shilpa and Sugandha or the one where Vineeta is introduced cud have been shortened but then unka bhi maza alag hai.
Kaush - look who is talking. when did you last update may I know?
actually there is a post ready to be put up only I didn’t want it to clash with the story so will post it up today or tomorrow.
March 6th, 2007 at 11:54 am
Well narrative wasn’t at all slack -IMO. Dialogues were better than before - amazing. Story was good, but then I never read your story for story. I read them for Samvad and Patkatha
The way you dumped Vasu halfway in the story, I guessed he is the rumour monger, and then Priyangini in reply to Sugzter kind of gave away the twist part. I am very happy that Dinesh didn’t marry Smita. She didn’t deserve him.
Over all, well done.
March 6th, 2007 at 12:09 pm
aah Finally I read the whole story and read the last 3 episodes in a row, but in installments (15 mins kind of break in between my work schedule, I opened the blog window in morning at 9 a.m. and now it is 3 p.m. when I finally finished the story and that too surviving 3 aftershock effects of SUMATRA earthquake at rector scale of 6.6
)
, lots of twist and turn and thinking Smita as wrong but comes out Vasu, yes I was confused who Vasu is and have to go through old episodes to see his mention, Visualizing Vineeta in different role, Dinesh becoming mature , all in all good story but what I did not like is to end story by leaving reader’s to think of their own, what might have happd at last, what decision Dinesh might have taken, Did Smita finally got rid of those unwanted cells, etc etc etc etc etc etc…. :p lot of etc’s like I don’t like endings of Star best seller’s they are always good and in end would end with a question in mind what happd next, same as in movie Traffic Signal am still trying to figure out what happd to Silsila, did he survived or got murdered in jail itself by those influential bhai logs 
Coming to story, was a great experience reading first story by you, although have heard oops read a lot from other ppl’s comment about your other great works like Meera, Independence Day etc, and even have started reading Meera, hopefully will finish some day
March 6th, 2007 at 12:10 pm
My boss is in toooooooooooooown…………….. He returned on 3rd and will be there till 8th
. That’s why could not be active in blog as I used to be … 
Some how I managed to take the print out yesterday and read it.
I will comment later on.
So I was correct to catch Veenita’s character
I knew I was correct when you didn’t reply in my comment in the previous post 
.
How have I been able to catch it, I will write later when I get time.
See ya.
March 6th, 2007 at 12:21 pm
kya manishbhai, you will get me into trouble with sirji. Did I really give away the twist? waise I am happy you like the dialogue coz we had to change some of it to make it seem more conversational.
March 6th, 2007 at 12:31 pm
Priyangini - “Modest” LOL ( I m trying to say the word as non chalantly as possible
)
But yes, I had avoided mentioning that it is an old story, coz then sometimes it influences readers perceptions.
True, the story is very old. But the changes are all new, in fact the entire narrative is fresh (or as fresh as it can be, since i had actually begun writing the story in July last year!)
I agree - there are lot of stand alone scenes which cud hv been shortened. In fact, in the original, there is no Shilpa at all, and Vishal/Dinesh dialogue is one scene only.
Manish - I am glad you liked the dialogues. They were much more conversational than ever.
LOL, did Pri really give it away? Now, i know whom to catch…just kidding… but the fact is that in a story, logically, there can only be so much of a twist - if not Vasu, it cud hv been Vishal. But i guess i just didnt hv the heart to turn him into a villain…
Thank u sirji for all the lovely comments
March 6th, 2007 at 12:40 pm
Preeti - Earthquake? Hope all is well… on a lighter note, meri story ne bhoochaal kar diya kya
Thanks a ton - and I am very glad that ur first experience of online story reading on this blog has been good and enjoyable. And I hope you find Meera interesting as well. That was from where all this story writing really took off!
Juneli - Ha ha , happy meetings with the boss! I m honored you still managed to sneak in and take a printout of the story…
Well, i wudnt hv replied on story content even if you were wrong in judging the end
In fact, Madhu had guessed it much earlier!
Will await your other comments.
Priyangini - Arre nahin, no trouble … waise bhi , the story was not a thriller, that a known ending wud hamper the overall enjoyment
March 6th, 2007 at 12:49 pm
:) yeah all well here, having announcements in bank that every part of bulding and other equipments are working fine so no need to panick,
waisay aapki story ne bhuchaal la diya , liked it 
, yup have saved Meera, but I think better idea would be to take print out and read in MRT while back home
March 6th, 2007 at 1:30 pm
Preeti - Well, that’s a relief
Thanks again for the lovely words. Hope you enjoy Meera too, and yeah that would be an easier option - Meera is quite dense that way
March 6th, 2007 at 2:17 pm
deepak, Kaush - i obey, new post up.
March 6th, 2007 at 2:33 pm
yup relief to us but atleast 70 ppl died in Sumatra’s quake
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/6421823.stm
I read episode 1 of Meera, and it’s interesting, some what different
March 6th, 2007 at 2:39 pm
Yes Deepak, I became more regular here during Tapish. Tapish ki baat hi kuch aur thi. Rajasthan’s background,Thakurs… I still remember Tapish’s Promos. ‘Thano kajaliyo bana lu’ fitted so perfectly there. And I had told U even that time that U scripted it so well that I could literally enter in Lajwanti’s character and feel her. I can never forget Lajwanti.
This story too I enjoyed with the same passion. Ur writings do possess this strength to make us ‘Passionate’ whether its a story or a music related post. Noo, I am not talking high , its a fact! That is the reason so many readers get hooked here.
So U had written this when U were in school. If I am not mistaken ‘Shanti’ also is Ur school times baby, Ur first story and was published in school magazine. Right?
Now waiting eagerly for the next announcement. Theme itself is really appealing…..
All the best.
March 6th, 2007 at 2:42 pm
Sorry, ‘college times baby’. Not school.
March 6th, 2007 at 2:51 pm
Priyangini - Read it and commented
Preeti - Oh, that’s bad. Sad, that area seems to be forever stricken by some calamity.
Yep, Meera is in the ‘epic’ mould
Madhu - Yeah, Shanti was written in school (amazed, you recall that one!) but Scandal was written in college - prob. second year only… In fact, the original of Tapish, was also written during that time.
In fact, I was audacious enough to even give it to the professor on whom the character Prof. Krishan Arora is based. Needless to say, he wasnt too amused
About the next, LOL, it will take some time…
March 6th, 2007 at 4:15 pm
Hi Deepak,
Read a story here after a long time. It was written in ur style, good characterisation and dialogues. But somehow the ‘kahani mein twist’ was missing. The ‘Vasu-culprit’ did not quite gel with the story.
On the whole I guess u demonstrated good writing skills, but not upto ur par story. Guess, U have written after along time. Let this be a run-up for more
March 6th, 2007 at 4:33 pm
Vidya - I wish this could be a run up to another one, but now here i hardly get the time to devote to a story - not the way i cud do so when i was in Nepal. BTW, there was one short story in January as well (you can check it out by clicking ‘Fiction’ under categories on the right hand side).
Thanks for being here - and hope you will now on be regular as always
March 7th, 2007 at 5:13 am
deej only three left for 50…i cant leave it at this right?
March 7th, 2007 at 5:14 am
bcoz well..bcozitsme and I cannot leave this at 49 now..
March 7th, 2007 at 5:14 am
k then, heres the 50!!!!!!! congrats on 50 for th is story
March 7th, 2007 at 5:15 am
shagun bhi daaala…
your ever faithful reader..no matter how busy I am..I sure will catch up on your stories
March 7th, 2007 at 9:33 am
@Kaush….purane din yaad aa gaya…when we used to SPAM comment boxes….good ol days !!
March 7th, 2007 at 9:42 am
Deepak, had a good time reading ….please keep writing more of them
March 7th, 2007 at 10:10 am
Hi DJ,
7 episodes already !!
i will read them chronologically.
Sirji i m really glad to see you back into storytelling.
(i am still unsure of a comeback).
March 7th, 2007 at 10:15 am
oh so u wrote this in college????
reminded me of the line from phir bhi dil hai hindustani ka title track
“kabhi naye packet mein benchen tumko cheez purani,
phir bhi dil hai hindustani….”
:p
when i was talking about the dialogues, i din’t mean about the filminess… i meant about the wit in them…. there have been some very witty and enjoyable ones in your recent tales!
you know i complained once that you have made your story too graphic… its so detailed that nothing was left to the imaginaion? i think that was or WTHMTE… that was not the case here… that i think was another big plus point of this story!
i think i agree with pri if you add the vasu-smita face off here… slipped somewhere in between… maybe when he and dinesh are having the beer…. would anyways like to read what the issue was there!
March 7th, 2007 at 7:14 pm
Kaushi - Thank u thank u ji
Fifty for the story, and esp in this set up where long comments are allowed by WP, its quite an achievement. Thanks a million 
Mehak - True, bilkul wahi din yaad aa gaye…even the fact that whenever there is a party on the blog, i hv to go for a trip
Prakash - Thanks a ton
March 7th, 2007 at 7:19 pm
Invincible - Hey, its great to see you here. Seven episodes, and its over (short that way:P) . Sure do read it and lemme know how u found it.
And hope to cya blogging fulltime again
Anks - Yep, that remark was for WTHMTE. I was a bit conscious of it when i wrote both Ambadeep and this one.
BTW, i m itching to write a true blue filmi story , with the same detailed description, and lots of flowing dupattas, heaving bosoms, rains and what nots LOL … but but…time is a constraint…
LOL@phil bhi dil hai hindustani… yep its old wine in a sparkling new bottle
Ha ha, i myself dont know what the issue betn Vasu/Smita was - since i hadnt planned to bring it to the fore, i didnt even cook up anything
March 8th, 2007 at 9:54 am
I have put up the second part.
March 8th, 2007 at 10:03 am
Pri - I just read it and commented ( Was out of Agra y’day)
March 10th, 2007 at 2:13 am
Wah wah…i was right there had to be a twist….infact I know you wouldnt believe it…but i guessed Vineeta and Dinesh would come together. But again DJ another great story. Enjoyed reading a story from you after quite sometime now. Good na, your bollywood knowledge is finally paying off.
As for the names…..was going through 1comment from Kaushie I think about the way you get down to deciding the names. How do u go about it?
To comment on the story overall: “It is Wonderful and Awesome!”
March 10th, 2007 at 9:54 am
Anz - Hey, thanks a million for reading this through. Read through all your comments on each episode
I am happy you enjoyed reading it.
LOL - yeah my Bollywood knowledge will always pay off in stories
As regards the names - Ashish just happened inadvertantly ( plus when i wrote the story first i hadnt met the Misc. Masala man
) Actually till the time you mentioned it , it didnt even strike my mind. As for the rest, as i told Kaushie too, i dont spend too much time on names, it’s largely off the cuff.
Thanks once again
March 11th, 2007 at 2:57 pm
I’m again late to comment….
and you know what the song is in my mind for this situation -
hazoor aate aate bahut der kar di……. “tshi”
As you know boss was around and lots of work in office forth and there were two cousins wedding ceremonies at personal forth. So could not comment in time here in your story and I could not give reply of my own blogs too.
Anyway, today I’m here but still could not give the details comment as I used to.
You know that what I would tell about your style and all…. so better not to mentioned that again and again
.
I like the open end of the story and more than that I liked the ending of the story with the last line “As for me, let me sign off now - life has been great, or as my wife would say, it has been ‘wonderful and awesome’!” You have used Veenita’s “Takiya Kalam” very beautifully and even it was expected and known, mentioning it here you told whom did he marry. That’s the best part of the story I liked
.
But but but…. don’t get too much excited reading this line “wonderful and awesome” here
as I’m not going to say the same for this story as you know I have lots of expectations from you after reading your story, and you know that, here I’m not referring Meera or ID or WTHMT but you know which one. That was the first story I read and I got such an impression I want to read more stories from better than that.
Don’t get gurrrrrrrrrr kitkittttttttttttttt. It’s me and you know that I say what I feel
March 12th, 2007 at 9:39 am
Juneli - You really know how to reach late all the time! Maybe u can paraphrase Henna’s song and sing ‘Mai der karti nahi, der ho jaati hai’
Anyways, all eyes on Pri’s blog today…
March 12th, 2007 at 12:49 pm
Am fairly new to blogs..infact it was just the curiosity to read your stuff that actually brought me here.And as expected(and told),you write exceptionally well.Read all the seven parts last night…in one go and I must admit it was only after i finished with the last part,that i realised the time and also,i realised i could read too..unlike my belief that reading wasnt my cup ‘o’ tea.That was such a brilliant piece that inspires me not just to read more and more stuff..but also to start a blog of my own.Pl wish me luck…I hope I dont sound over enthusiastic..but if i do,perhaps that is what i am.All credit to you deepak..oops dj(got some clue?)
Now,I have to read Meera,ID and where heaven…Asap.
p.s. Also read priyangini’s ‘pensive peek’ n am lookin’ fwd to her story coming up today evng.
March 12th, 2007 at 4:37 pm
“You really know how to reach late all the time! ” Is this satire or ….. gurrr kitkitt…
I think if you still remember, I have commented in your very first story very very late….. Shayed yahi wazah ho hamesh der ho jaati hoon…. shuruwaat hi galat huwa tha
.
Yes, that song was more apt for me
.
Yes, today the party is going to be on her blog
.
March 13th, 2007 at 9:32 am
Taarika - I am overwhelmed by your comment. And thank you sounds so pathetically small in reply to your beautiful and encouraging comment. But still, pls. accept my heartfelt thanks. I also hope you enjoy reading the other stories
And yes, now I got the clue!
Juneli - LOL , nahi nahi, no taunt