THE APPLE OF MY EYE.....

   

       It was one of the most pleasant evening parties I had ever enjoyed, The Bollywood Retro Night, a theme where we were asked to dress up to mimic a film star of the eighties and nineties. I adorned the Rani Mukherjee look, not that I resemble her, but for straight hair and round flat facies, thinking it was the simplest and so it was. Just a sari, sleeveless blouse, straightened hair, minimal makeup and my conventional kumkum. Believe me, all this did nothing to make me look like one of the most liked actresses, Rani Mukherjee, the Khandala girl. So be it. Well, in the party we had about four Neetu Singhs, one Hema Malini, one Mumtaz, one Reena Roy, one Rekha, including one Rani Mukherjee and others who decided to wear retro but be themselves. Hey wait a minute. Did I just missed the boys? So, these once handsome now bald with dancing bellies (mine too) came as Amitabh Bachchan, Shakti Kapoor,  Sanjay Dutt, Mithun Chakraborty, Captain Rustom (better known as Akshay Kumar) and some others in French beard, heavy side locks and of course wigs in retro style. There was music, disco lights, games, starters and stuff, all styled in retro. Everything about the mood was young and yesteryearly.

I was sitting and talking with Rupesh and heard my name being called out by the MC. I turned and saw a few others standing there, two from each team. A fun game was supposed to be played. Frankly, I don’t remember who else was there except for that smart girl, my teammate, Sucheta. There she was, the slimmest of all, dressed in mustard pants and polka dots black and white top tied at her size zero waist and broad hair band, all too retro. 

Sucheta had chosen me as her partner in a sport which demanded some kind of physical chemistry! The couples were given one apple each to be held in between their bodies at the level of the abdomen and move it up until it come at the level of both their mouths. This, without touching it with hands! I was prepared for the challenge and gave a few tips to Sucheta. Needless to say the boy teams performed it quite funnily, with Ashish holding the apple below his partner’s belt with his mouth. The video shows he could barely hold it there for long. Days after the get together, Nipa sent a whatsapp forward mentioning the three apples which changed the world, Adams, Newton’s and Steve Jobs'. Pat came Shilpa’s reply, ‘I ‘ll never eat an apple after seeing what Aashish was doing!” Back in the game, Sucheta and me, we manoeuvred, negotiated, twisted, wriggled and slid it to the top. Just when it was about to drop, I asked her to bite it and she obediently fixed her incisors into the apple while I held it into mine. From the corner of my left I could see my teammate Sandeep (Captain Rustom),more brother to me than a friend, cheering us, indicating that our team had won. The euphoria was infectious. We won, we took away the prizes. 

Someone asked me how did we manage to do it? Instantly, I knew in the heart of my heart’s it was Sucheta who got us winning. After college I had met her only twice in person in twenty years and countless times through the mutual 'likes' on Facebook. She just refuses to age! She hasn’t changed a bit. She is that sweet, loving, caring, sensitive, girl with a dash of innocence. I doubt if she even knows crookedness, selfishness, jealousy. She is far from the sins of this world. A family girl who takes care of her in laws, children, husband, profession and herself. Last time when I visited her home she looked so genuinely delighted to have me over and catch up. And no we didn’t gossip. Her mom in law appreciated and praised her a lot. And why not. Sucheta is a giver, a selfless one. She wants the best for her children but operates her life on least expectations. She would never put anything at stake if it involves taking risks or making wrong moves. She followed my tips in letter and spirit. Sometimes simply staying put and holding your ground helps you win. 

The first apple brought sin into this world, the second brought gravitational force and the third disrupted human relations. Whether the fourth apple (Aashish's) changed Shilpa’s life is a matter of speculation. But, to me, the fourth apple was Sucheta's. It surely changed my perspective. Watch out my friends you might find your fourth apple just around the corner. Touche to you, Sucheta, a beautiful soul. It is because of you we won the apple game.

SWATI