Prologue ~ Bezubaan by Sumit Agarwal

           

Aryan was walking along the road that led to the main college building. He was one of those poor boys whose families stretch themselves to the limit to provide their only child, a good higher education. God had deprived him of a lot of things…he lived a life of scarcity.  But only as far as material things were concerned! God had given him his two best friends, Neeraj and Akash, who walked alongside him. 

“Oops!” said Neeraj as an empty coke can whizzed past Aryan’s temple, like a bullet that had missed it’s target. It was Tauseef and his gang, the rich whiz kids. They drove past in their convertible BMW , making vulgar gestures and passing lewd comments at them. Neeraj and Akash clenched their fists till their anger subsided. Tauseef was not only rich… but the son of the city’s Mayor.  Tauseef and his gang were not as infamous for their bullying, as they were popular for their hip-hop. The drove the crowd mad with their synchronized dance, whenever they hit the dance-floor.

Aryan used to dance too, but only in his dreams… or his bathroom. Dance was the last thing his father would appreciate his son doing. But everytime he saw Tauseef dance, Aryan would feel  a dormant part of him, shake inside. The muscles inside his athletic body would resonate, as he remained static.

“I have to study harder now, the mid terms are just round the corner,” he told himself, as he headed from the college lawns towards the academic area. As he passed a clump of trees to his left, he heard a rustling sound. There she was! The most beautiful and innocent face he had ever seen. She was laughing her heart out. It was like divine symphony filling up the surroundings with positive vibes. An involuntary smile surfaced on his face. The girl noticed it and smiled back. Only then did he notice she was with someone, holding his hand.  Her boy friend !

Aryan could not get Divya out of his mind. She would smile at him as they crossed paths and he used to reciprocate. He would often see her with Vikram, and could see that they were in a serious relationship. He was content being her silent smile-friend, or maybe it was something he had contrived to please himself.

One day as he passed the same tree clump, hoping to receive his “make my day” smile, he could hear a heated argument in place of the laughter.

“How dare you ?” he heard her saying.

He could not help stepping closer to the thicket.

“Didn’t I tell you to unfriend that bastard?” he heard Vikram say.

“Don’t shout at me.  I am not used to it.”

“Then answer me. Are you some kind of a slut? Making friends with uknown boys ?”

“What did you just say ?”

She could see Aryan standing there and it made her feel even more insulted. Vikram had his back towards Aryan and could not see him.

“ Yes, you heard it right. God knows how many guys you’ve got hooked up.”

She looked at Aryan. Vikram turned back too and his eyes met Aryan’s bloodshot eyes.

“Oh! So here’s another “Aashiq” of yours…,” he bowed down sarcastically, “Welcome Sir. She’s all yours.”

There was an awkward silence.

“ Losers!  My fault. ..” she turned back and scuttled away, with teary eyes.

After this incident, she used to avoid even looking at Aryan. It was as if he was invisible to her. He was broken inside. Neeraj and Akash were upset to see their friend in this condition. They asked Hemangi, a mutual friend with Divya to arrange a word with her.  Reluctantly, she agreed to give just two minutes.

“Why are you mad at him?”, asked Neeraj.

“ You better ask your friend. He didn’t have the courage to speak when I was being insulted and he doesn’t have the courage to speak for himself now,” she said with perceivable disgust in her voice.

“Because he can’t… he really can’t. It’s not his fault. He can’t speak…”

Tears trickled down her eyes as she stepped forward and hugged Aryan. Her hair caressed his face, her sweet smell lingered around him and her velvet touch sent sparks flying. He had never imagined he would touch her, let alone hugging.  It was soul salvation for him.

They spent a lot of time together. She came to know about his passion for dance and encouraged him to bring it out.  He would show her spontaneous moves on some latest Bollywood number, on her insistence. He could be himself with her.  Akash and Neeraj too would join him. They had seen numerous performances of Tauseef and his gang together, and like most other boys in the college, aspired to dance like them.

Aryan once got to see the place where Tauseef and his gang used to practice. They had converted a shed in a closed factory to their hangout. He was impressed by the colorful graffiti on the walls and even sent Divya it’s pictures on Whattsapp. She was happy that Aryan had found his passion, a form of expression to make up for silence.

Watch the video to know more….

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_DvdJcKw_pM