Starlit City

That’s the thing about this city… It can change itself into different worlds for different people.

It can line up pull carts with all kinds of greens, purples, oranges, reds, whites and the colours in between for the buzzing evening crowds dragging their feet after the day’s work. It can offer them the pleasure of pinching, squeezing, smelling and haggling before they carry some greens or reds and ask their wives to cook dinner. It can also line up dimly lit restaurants, brightly lit cafes, bustling bistros and neon-lit nightclubs into which men in fine clothes walk in with their girlfriends/wives in designer evening gowns after the day’s work. It can offer them the pleasure of listening to dulcet music, watching the glow of youthful skin in candlelight, showing off the sparkling baubles as the attentive waiter pours them bubbles and serves them a delicious dinner. It doesn’t discriminate. It is a bit deceitful though. It doesn’t show the secret pathways it opens up to connect these worlds. And the fact that it can open and close these pathways at its will.

Twisha belonged to none of these two worlds. She hovered beyond the borders. She was 17 and the lone child Dinesh and Veena adored. Dinesh carried home fresh greens, oranges or reds every evening on his way back from work. Veena cooked delicious dinners on most nights except when she was annoyed at something. Then she cooked the really spicy ones…

Coming back to Twisha… the one with dreamy eyes but a very shrewd head. She had decided early on that she belonged to the distant world of stars.

At 3, she had looked up at the starlit sky when lying down on the terrace with her grandma and wondered aloud ‘They all look the same, but are not same”

At 5, she had pleaded with her father “Can we all go to the moon on my birthday? Plea..se”

At 10, she had topped the Science Olympiad.

At 14, she was a regular at Jawaharlal Nehru Planetarium.

At 17, something happened. A secret pathway was about to open.

One Friday evening, Dinesh stepped down from his office bus. He was tired but the anticipation of the weekend had brought a happy song on his lips. He caressed the greens and picked some. As he was approaching the yellows, he slipped on a banana peel and his forehead banged against a pull cart. He felt dizzy for a moment. He got up embarrassedly on being helped by the others and went home. That was the last evening in a long time Veena cooked a delicious dinner.

Soon after the dinner, Dinesh became incoherent in his speech and started vomiting. Veena became immobile with fear. Twisha called the emergency number and soon the ambulance and concerned neighbours arrived. He was rushed to the hospital. C.T scan showed a haemorrhage in his brain and he needed to be operated on immediately if he were to survive. Veena didn’t know much about finances but she learnt quickly. Fortunately, the health insurance took care of the hospital bills.

After a month, Dinesh was discharged from the hospital. He couldn’t move without support, had lost his speech and needless to say, had already lost his job.

As days and months passed, the number of visitors to the family dwindled. The finances were fast drying up. The twinkle in Twisha’s eyes dimmed with each passing day. Even under such turmoil, she passed her 12^th-grade exams with flying colours.

***

As Twisha helped her mother prepare dinner, she could feel the heaviness in her mother’s steps.

“Ma, what is it?”

“Nothing Twy, I’m fine”

Twisha didn’t believe it.

After 7 p.m. Twisha’s uncle and aunt dropped in. After spending some time with her father, they sat down to have dinner.

“How are you spending your holidays Twisha?” the uncle asked.

“Learning cooking and doing household chores I hope” the aunt chimed in.

Twisha checked her irritation and said “Yes aunty and I am also preparing for college”

The uncle and aunt exchanged looks and Veena looked away uncomfortably.

“Veena, have you talked to Twisha?” uncle inquired.

“Not yet,” Ma said in a thin voice.

Twisha could feel something was not right.

Before she could ask Uncle started in the man of the house tone.

“Twisha, by now a smart girl like you should already know the financial condition of the family. Dinesh’s gratuity is barely covering his medical expenses and the family’s upkeep. You can’t be seriously thinking of going to college now!”

“What good has any college done to a girl, finally has to change diapers and cook dinners” aunt said with a snigger.

Twisha felt a wave of anger swelling up in her. Uncle gave a sharp look to his wife that reprimanded her for her tactlessness.

“Your mother knows I have been helping as much as I can. But I have to take care of my two daughters as well” Uncle continued “Best option would be to marry a suitable boy.”

A secret path started hissing at Twisha. It was slowly forming a wormhole under her feet and at any moment could suck her into it and move her into a world of young pretty brides, hoping for a situation rosier than the ones they were born into. But before long relive the same stories that their mothers did.

Twisha looked at her mother furiously. Veena mumbled,

“I will talk to her, Anna”.

The visitors left.

Twisha wanted to throw out the sweet limes and apples the visitors had brought into the dustbin. She took the warm milk to her father and her eyes welled up as she watched her father sip the milk slowly.

“Yes, we will go to the moon on your birthday” Appa had said all those years ago.

 On her 5^th birthday when she had woken up, there was a rocket next to her bed with a spacesuit in her wardrobe!

She had run to the living room where Appa was sitting and hugged him.

He had said “Happy birthday, my little astronaut! Get ready, the countdown has started!”

That day was filled with many games, good food and of course, a launch in the bucket turned rocket and landing on a big jumpy castle in the living room that was the moon!

“But papa, the moon is white”

“But on little children’s birthdays, he becomes colourful!”

“Really?”

“You don’t believe me? Come, see the sky. There is no moon there because he is here!”

She had been so impressed. It was the best birthday ever! Of course, she knew by her next birthday about the no moon days, but it was still the best birthday!

Is it how her life going to be? Full of no moon days?

***

“Ma, how could you allow them to talk about my marriage? Does Appa know about it?” Twisha burst out later.

“I know you are hurt. But that is how the world is”

“Ma, Am I a burden to you? Why did you not tell them off? If we need money so much, I can find some work, why should I get married?”

“What work can you find at your age Twy? You saw Mr. Pondi when he had come to visit your father at the hospital. The world is full of such people”

Twisha cringed at the thought of the leering middle-aged Mr. Pondi, her father’s ex-boss.

She felt helpless. She went to her room and shut the door.

She picked up her mobile and started to text her friends. Then stopped it. What was the use?

In the past year, as it is many of her friends had distanced themselves from her. She didn’t want to lose the few ones she was left with.

She kept scrolling down the contact list aimlessly. Stopping to look at the DP of a constellation. Prof. Kalburgi, faculty of Indian Institute of Science and a guest lecturer in the Planetarium was so impressed by Twisha’s project, he had shared his phone number and had asked her to keep up the good work and keep him posted about her work.

“Maybe the only stars I’m destined for are on the keyboard” she sobbed uncontrollably.

The secret pathway that had opened up since she was a toddler and was preparing to take her to the distant galaxies raged in desperation. It had been waiting for a long time to transport her and now it looked as if it just had to melt and close down. But the city whispered to it, “persevere…we don’t give up on dreamers…not so easily”.

Days passed. Dinesh now spoke in broken sentences. He could understand most of what others spoke too. He came to know about his brother’s plan for Twisha and said just 3 words.

“Twisha…go…college”

***

Twisha’s college applications had come through. She had been accepted by a premier college to a course in Engineering Physics.

Her Principal, teachers and friends congratulated her. She thanked them but cried inside. It was Christina, her close friend through the years who could sense something was wrong.

“ Twy, you worked so hard all these years to get here. Now, you are not all that thrilled, what is wrong?”

“Nothing! Even if there is what can you do?” Twisha hit out at her friend before heading back home.

She did not take any calls from her friends.

The last day for the payment of the fees was drawing closer. Twisha had made up her mind.

“Ma, I know we can’t afford my college fees. So, I won’t go. But you have to promise me something. You will not talk about my marriage. I am going to be here for a long time, to take care of you and Appa”

Veena protested, “It is not a daughter’s duty to take care of her parents. You must build your own home and life.”

Twisha replied, “I will build my home and life. Not by marrying but by being independent”

Veena knew better than to argue. Her heart ached at the sacrifice her little girl was willing to make.

***

The city never asks you questions. It just envelops you in whatever choices you make. It may nudge you or poke you at times in the form of strangers or friends that cross paths with you as if randomly, but it never judges you. It takes you as you are.

It had been six months since Twisha had started taking orders in a Fast-food restaurant. The wages were not great and the schedule was tight but then she was young. She had also enrolled herself for a distance learning course in physics and spent her off-duty hours studying.

In two years, Twisha had become a valued employee. Ms. Mistry, the old woman who owned the restaurant had noted that. One day on her routine visit to the restaurant she called Twisha to her office.

“Twisha, what do you think of the job that you are doing?” she asked.

“It’s a job ma’am, and I have willingly taken it up”

“Do you like it?”

“I try to be good at it”

The old woman gave out a loud laugh.

“That’s the thing I like about you Twisha. Honesty. You don’t find many with that quality and at my age, I can tell when I see one. I have a feeling you are capable of doing much more. When are you completing your course?”

“It will take another six months, ma’am”

“Well, here is the thing. We are going to open another restaurant in a nearby place. I want you to be involved with the core team that is planning the customer experience. I cannot promise you anything at the moment, but there may be a position for you better suited to your abilities”

It took a moment for Twisha to grasp what she had heard. Was it an offer of a promotion? It sounded like it. Was it what she wanted? She was not sure.

Ms. Mistry sensed the hesitation.

“Take time to think about it. You can let me know by Friday.”

That night as Twisha helped her mother with the dishes she wondered about the choices she had. An engineering degree might have had a better prospect of landing that dream position in a space research facility but where was this distance learning course going to take her? Did she have the luxury of saying no to Ms. Mistry and walking out with that degree and exploring her options?

Father had suffered another bout of seizures that had set him back on his recovery, once again. She kissed her father goodnight and looked out of the window. It was a clear sky. She stepped over to the balcony and looked up. The stars seemed to be moving farther than ever.

***

The city may never judge. But it is partial to the people who never give up. It offers them a glimpse of its secret pathways in a dazzling manner so they are never able to forget it. It makes them agonise over the ways and means to reach the door of their choice whether in their dreams or when they are walking on the streets.

“May I repeat your order, Sir? One Royal Jumbo Chicken Burger with extra cheese, one Veg Supreme Wrap and two Cokes. Any dessert sir?” Twisha asked.

The customer, a man in his early 60’s with a little boy of about 8, probably his grandson was staring at her name tag. His face looked familiar. But by now, she was used to seeing familiar faces that frequented the restaurant.

“Excuse me, are you the same Twisha who won the Innovation Project organised in the Planetarium in 2015 or 16? Your face looks familiar but of course, then you were a school kid.”

Then she remembered.

“Prof Kalburgi?” she asked with a wide smile.

“Aha Twisha, the girl with a twinkle in her eyes…” he stopped abruptly as he saw her face turn pale.

“Your order will soon come up, please take your seat sir,” she said as she quickly regained her composure and handed the receipt.

“May I talk to you for a minute? “asked the Professor, perplexed.

“My break is not due for another 2 hours sir” she replied promptly.

“I will return after two hours,” he said determinedly.

When he returned after two hours, he was informed Twisha had left an hour ago.

***

That Friday, happened to be Twisha’s birthday as well.

“Hey Twy , Ms. Mistry wants you in her office” Rishabh called out to her. He was a member of the crew.

She entered Ms. Mistry’s office.

“Good morning, Ms. Mistry”

“Good morning” said Ms. Mistry “So, did you think about what I told you?”

“Yes ma’am. It was a very generous offer. But I cannot take it, sorry”

Ms. Mistry was not surprised.

“May I know why?”

Twisha hesitated. But only for a moment.

“As much as I am grateful for the job I have and the support it has given me I don’t think I belong in this industry Ms. Mistry,” she said in a calm voice.

“Is it because you believe you are destined for the moon and the stars?” Ms. Mistry smiled.

Twisha looked at her as if she had been kicked in her stomach.

“Prof. Kalburgi met me the day you went home early, Twisha. We talked at length about you”

“Those were different times ma’am.”

“I see. How so?”

“I seriously do not wish to talk about it, Ms. Mistry”

“But I want to. I have a new proposition for you. You can work part-time for the next three months and take the study leave for another 3 months. But once you get admission to a master’s degree, you should also be the brand ambassador of our restaurant. Happy Birthday!” Ms. Mistry handed her an envelope.

Twisha’s eyes popped open when she opened it. Before she could say anything, Ms. Mistry raised her eyebrows and said “Well, my brand ambassador will enter the college with head held high”

“One day I will return this Ms. Mistry,” said Twisha.

“Sure dear, I fully expect you to. At my age, I know whom to trust my money with” Ms. Mistry said in a deliberately business-like tone.

Twisha would have hugged Ms. Mistry had she not been so shy.

“By the way, the new restaurant I talked to you about earlier is going to be serving traditional cuisine. Let me know if you know anyone who can be useful for that.” Ms. Mistry said before Twisha left the office.

***

In the year 2024, Mangalyaan -2 was launched successfully by the Indian Space Research Organisation from Sri Hari Kota. Jubilations swept the control room and congratulatory messages flooded it. The senior scientists and project managers caught the imagination of the nation recovering after the blow of the pandemic. In a quieter corner of the facility, Twisha packed her backpack and called a cab to take her home. She was going home after almost a week. She was among the junior-most members of the tech support team.

As she entered home with the spare key, she found a set of casseroles waiting for her on the table. Veena knew her daughter was coming home for dinner. Twisha knew that her mother was at ‘Aroma’. Veena worked as a chef there and Friday night services can be gruelling. But more comforting than the haunting memories of her husband’s last days at home.

After a leisurely bath and a hearty dinner, Twisha stepped out to the balcony. A hazy sky but the moon was visible. “Papa, I wish you were here with me today. But I know you are always with me as long as the moon and stars are there in the sky.”

That’s the thing about this city… It can change itself into different worlds for different people. At times, it can extend itself to the sky too.