When Love Came Calling by Preeti Shenoy

Author:Preeti Shenoy
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Publisher: Srishti Publishers and Distributors
Published: 2020-08-17T00:00:00+00:00

Arush

Puja’s hand in mine, tiny and soft, makes me fiercely protective of her. We walk back to the art school in silence, her head resting on my shoulder.

‘Holding hands okay in public in India?’ I ask her softly.

‘I don’t care. Let people look,’ she says, as she moves closer to

me.

‘Come in! Come in! No charges for looking,’ a vendor calls out, as we walk towards the art school. He stands at the narrow entrance to his shop. A small window at the side displays earrings, semiprecious stones and silver menorahs.

‘You look every bit the foreigner you are. That’s why they are calling out to you,’ smiles Puja.

‘No way. I am 100 percent Indian. I look Indian,’ I say.

‘You only have black hair and dark eyes, but you are very British. Show me your passport. Hands up,’ she says, making a gun with her fingers and sticking it at me. I throw my hands in the air and mock surrender. We giggle like children.

‘You know, this art school doesn’t even have a signboard. It is above a cafe. It also has a library. It is beautiful,’ I tell her. I also tell her about Sashi and his interesting story. She says she is eager to see my new home.

‘For a few weeks only,’ I say ruefully.

‘Let’s not talk about it. For now, we are with each other and that’s all that matters,’ Puja replies.

As we get closer to the school, we are greeted by a man with closely-cropped, jet-black hair and a large black handlebar moustache. Dressed in a white shirt and white mundu with arms folded across his chest, he looks intimidating. Puja lets go of my hand.

‘Arush?’ he asks.

‘Yes?’ I reply, slightly wary. The man exudes a no-nonsense vibe.

His face breaks into a large smile, instantly transforming his persona into a friendlier one.

‘I am Mukundan,’ he says.

‘Oh, hello Mr Mukundan. This is Puja, my friend.’

‘Are you from the UK too?’ he asks Puja.

‘Oh no! No, I am a local,’ Puja replies.

‘Oh, nice that you already have made local friends,’ Mukundan laughs. ‘Have you settled down? Has Sashi shown you around? I couldn’t meet you earlier as I had classes at some colleges where I teach.’

‘Yes, he has. I am ready to start anytime. I absolutely love this place.’

‘Well, what about her? Is she going to join you too?’ Mukundan points to Puja.

‘No, I don’t intend attending classes with him. I just came to meet him,’ Puja is quick to clarify.

‘That’s alright then,’ Mukundan says. ‘The classroom is open twenty-four hours. You decide your timings and self-govern. I will assist you till 9 am, after which I leave for my classes. Therefore, the earlier you wake up, the better it is. I will be in the main hall from 6.30 am onwards.’

‘I’ll start at 6.30 am too,’ I reply, determined to make full use of the time that Mukundan is available. ‘I wanted to show Puja the art school and my room. I hope that’s fine?’

I don’t want Puja getting into trouble for ‘being in a boy’s room’, like it happened at Ashwaty Bhawan.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.