Of Black Tuxedo And Maroon Sari

The fresher’s induction program was an anticipated annual event in the Management Institute of the University of Allahabad. With the existing anti-ragging rules in place, the fresher’s induction was the only event that provided an excuse to the seniors and juniors to break the ice.

Following the yesteryears norms, all the first semester students had been informed about the dress code for the anticipated event. The boys were expected to wear kurta-pyjama and girls had to wear a sari. Sumaira also saw the circulating notice about the dress code and started contemplating how she would convince her old-fashioned parents into allowing her to go out wearing a sari. To date, she had never worn one.

The function date came closer and hectic preparations were underway. Both the seniors and juniors were preparing various cultural items to be presented. The bonhomie belied the traditional cultural inhibitions of most of the students, the run-up to the event sometimes provides more enjoyment than the actual function. Sumaira found the new atmosphere highly pleasurable. She had never interacted with boys in such closed groups. She realized there was so much excitement in life beyond the confines of her traditional upbringing.

After days of cajoling and requests, Sumaira’s parents finally relented to allow her to attend the function wearing a sari. Sumaira took the help of an elder cousin to drape the sari and was ready much before she had to go to the function. A subtle application of lipstick and mascara was more than enough to make her face glow on that afternoon. With nineteen birthdays behind her, she looked stunning in that maroon sari with a bronze border.

The seniors had made all the preparation for the function. Javed was a live wire, he was good at studies and also took part in extracurricular activities. That evening in a black tuxedo, he looked straight out of Hollywood. The evening started with formal speeches and extended into a full-blown cultural extravaganza. Javed mesmerized the audience with his solo song and drumming. The finale of the program saw all seniors and juniors walking the makeshift ramp with montage music in the background. Sumaira also had an opportunity to get an eye full of Javed. She had seen him before but this afternoon she realized how talented Javed was. The overdose of adrenaline in her blood made her even prettier.

It was late evening that the function got over. Sumaira’s silent mobile phone displayed several missed calls from her parents. At the first opportunity, she called back to inform me that she was on her way back home. Walking out of the Institute, Sumaira re-arranged her sari and went to the main gate to find a rickshaw. She realized that the weather had taken a turn with a cool breeze and dark clouds in the sky. Sumiara was still in her thoughts when the first drops of rain came. Within no time it started raining. The small shade at the gate provided scant protection to Sumaira from the downpour.

It was already dark and Sumaira had not yet been able to find a conveyance. Her thoughts were now focused more on the possible hostile reception at home than on the function where she had enjoyed the open atmosphere and the company of friends. Abstract in thought, she didn’t notice the motorcycle which had stopped a few yards where she was standing. She heard a male voice call her name. Half drenched, Javed stood in front of her. With water dripping from his helmet, Javed’s countenance beckoned Sumaira to sit on the motorcycle. Sumaira’s upbringing had been strict, she had never been in such a situation. While Javed stood cleaning his helmet shield, a thousand thoughts crossed Sumaira’s perplexed mind. She hesitated but an unknown instinct took over. Even before she could understand the repercussions, she found herself sitting on the pillion seat of the motorcycle.

While Javed navigated the motorcycle, Sumaira sat dumbstruck on the backseat. She realized Javed had not asked her the address. Perhaps Javed knew her house. She was finding it difficult to balance herself on the backseat but the thought of catching hold of Javed for support was too preposterous for her. She closed her eyes and started praying. Suddenly the motorcycle stopped. The deacceleration caused her to move forward, in a reflex to keep balance she had to grip Javed by the shoulder. She opened her eyes and found that Javed had stopped a good fifty yards from her house. Sumaira got down and started walking towards her home, after a few steps she looked back. Javed was looking at her, she gingerly waved at Javed and hurried towards her home.

Her mother was livid, in the drenched sari, Sumaira felt extremely vulnerable. She didn’t utter a word and went to her room. A silent prayer escaped her lips when no one pestered her to enquire how she had come back home despite the rains. From inside her room, Sumaira could overhear her father calming her mother and prodding her to ignore the episode. Sumaira felt relieved. That night her thoughts catapulted her to the events of the evening. Somehow every such thought ended with the memory of Javed and the journey back home.

The routine of classes started from the next Monday and Sumaira was hard-pressed to find time for any gossip pertaining to the fresher’s function. Intermittently she caught a glimpse of Javed or passed him in the corridor, but no words were spoken. A couple of times she sensed that Javed had fleetingly smiled at her acknowledging her gaze.

It was two weeks later while Sumaira was downloading something in the library that she realized she had company. Javed was on the adjoining computer. With a sheapish grin, Sumaira said ‘Hi’. To her surprise, Javed was more forthcoming in his response. Javed engaged her in conversation which drifted from pleasantries to family background. After half an hour when Javed took leave to attend a lecture, Sumaira felt her cheeks getting hotter. She realized Javed had an infectious overbearing. Her hands felt cold and she breathed faster. Sumaira also had a class but she decided to skip it. Her mind was too intoxicated with Javed.

The next six months passed with Sumaira finding excuses to talk to Javed or stealing a few moments of his company. Twice she had found Javed at the gate of the Institute while she was waiting for a conveyance and had shown no reluctance to sit on the motorcycle.

A year had passed since Sumaira had enrolled in the MBA course and now, she had many friends. Recently news had percolated that one of her friends was getting married. Hurriedly all the batchmates had pooled money for the gift and most of the students had made preparations to attend the marriage. Sumaira found it extremely hard to convince her parents for permission to attend the marriage. She wept and showed her dissent. Despite her mother’s stiff resistance, it was again her father who came forward to Sumaira’s rescue. Sumaira got permission to go to the marriage function.

That evening, in dark green sequin dress, Suamira looked an unblemished beauty. A year in the Management course had removed her inherent shyness. She was indeed pretty. The marriage function again gave Sumaira a chance to be in the informal settings with Javed within communicating distance. The photographer in attendance had taken many photos with Javed and Sumaira in one frame. Sumaira enjoyed the limelight.

It was already late when Sumaira took leave from the hosts. To her surprise Javed too announced that he was preparing to go home. Both of them walked towards the exit together. Without any obvious intent, Javed stopped his motorcycle in front of Sumaira with a look which was both inviting and benign. Sumaira hesitated but a surge of adrenaline made her choice easy. With a hand perched on Javed’s shoulder for support, she settled on the pillion seat.

The sky was cloudy with few lights on the road as Javed rode his motorcycle at a speed that was a bit on the faster side. Sumaira was engulfed in thoughts that were alien. Twice she fought within herself a compelling impulse to put her hand across Javed. Deep in her thoughts, suddenly she realized that Javed had taken a detour which was not going to her house. After a minute into the new route, Javed stopped. With a curious expression, Sumaira looked at Javed. The look on Javed’s face belied any emotions, he informed that he wanted to get a jacket and therefore had come to his room. It was dark and the lane was lonely. Sumaira followed Javed to his room.

The brief visit to the room ostensibly to fetch a jacket took approximately forty minutes. She emerged from the room with a look which portrayed an expression of guilt. Sumaira’s hair was disheveled and her appearance pale. Silently she took her seat on the motorcycle before Javed let go the accelerator on way to her home.

In the weeks that followed, Sumaira became a recluse. She avoided eye contact with Javed when they passed each other. At home, her mother was perturbed at the change in behavior of Sumaira. She missed her meals and seemed forlorn. Sumaira experienced constant headaches. She wanted to go back in time and erase the moment when in an emotional frenzy she had consented to go to Javed’s room.

A few days later, just as she had finished breakfast, Sumaira experienced a sudden bout of nausea. She also felt a strange kind of weakness that she had never experienced. The next day the spell of nausea came at lunch and her mother decided to check with a doctor. The doctor examined Sumaira carefully taking her vital parameters. After fifteen minutes, he asked Sumaira to go out of the room and taking her mother into confidence explained that Sumaira was pregnant.

Sumaira’s mother was distraught. In her wildest dreams, she could not imagine that Sumaira would do such a thing. The mood in the house was nothing less than an untimely demise. After a few days, discreetly, a veiled Sumaira was accompanied by her mother to a gynaecologist. The doctor wanted a high fee for medical termination of pregnancy. The procedure was over in a few days.

The immediate fallout of this unfortunate episode was that Sumaira’s dream of completing an MBA was halted. Her father had also taken her mobile phone. Sumaira felt lonely and bewildered. The elders in the family had reached a consensus that Sumaira must be married as soon as possible. Despite the best efforts of the family, the information had leaked within the extended family. Prying relatives were already debating the repercussions.

While Sumaira’s life was taking an unexpected turn, another story was unfolding approximately 1300 kilometres away. Jabir had started sending feelers to relatives for seeking a second marriage proposal. It’s been six months since his wife had died due to dengue. They had been married for four years and life was progressing smoothly until the untimely death of his wife. Jabir’s only regret was that the couple had no children. Jabir had consulted the best doctors in Mumbai but nothing had succeeded. After his wife’s death, Jabir had resolved that he would not marry again but six months later he had realized that life was a long journey and he needed a partner. He loved children and wanted to have a family.

Jabir’s fortune was massive. The Al Jazain construction group had business ventures in the Middle East and Turkey. Despite his opulence, Jabir who was already on the other side of forty, knew, that it would be difficult to find a consenting family which would agree to marry their daughter to him. The yearning for a child was too strong for Jabir and he was ready to make any compromise for his second marriage.

When Sumaira’s parents got a call from a distant relative proposing the marriage of their daughter to Jabir, they took very little time to give their consent. Sumaira was not consulted and a date was fixed. As a precaution to prevent rumour mills, the marriage was a low-key affair. Even Jabir, with faint guilt of marrying within a year of his wife’s death, wanted a modest celebration. A small emotional aberration, on that fateful Saturday, had resulted in Sumaira getting on the flight for Mumbai with a middle-aged Jabir as her husband.

Sumaira found it difficult to adjust to her new surroundings. Other than Jabir, she had no company in the lavish house. Despite all the luxuries, Sumaira found herself too lonely. Frequently in her thoughts she would find herself among friends at the Management Institute. At times, her thoughts wandered to the memories of time spent with Javed. Perplexing as it is, she seldom blamed Javed for the happenings of that Saturday night. Sumaira had long taken the blame on herself.

Time is a big healer. After a few months, Sumaira forgot her past travails and started to adjust to her new role as Jabir’s wife. Jabir became fond of Sumaira and doted her, however, he was always in the mental tension of his growing age. Jabir longed for a child. Two years had passed and Sumaira had not conceived. On a lazy afternoon, discreetly, Jabir opened up to Sumaira and proposed that both of them visit a doctor.

The doctor examined the couple and prescribed a series of tests before he reached a diagnosis. The process took several weeks. In one of the sessions, the doctor asked Jabir to visit the clinic alone in person. After a counselling session, the doctor in the veiled language indicated to Jabir that there was no problem with his wife. In fact, it was Jabir who had a deficiency which was the cause of infertility. The information hit Jabir hard. Returning to his home he felt old and disinterested in life. He realized he would die without an heir. This thought was very depressing.

The Al – Jazain company was recruiting marketing and management professionals for their overseas operations. The recruitment team was visiting all major Universities for campus placement. Four MBA graduates were selected from Allahabad University, one of them was Javed.

Javed joined his new job in Mumbai. He had no idea of the owner of the Al-Jazain company. Some days later Jabir called a meeting of his newly recruited employees and interacted with them seeking details about their qualifications and past experience. Javed introduced himself as an MBA from Allahabad University. Jabir thought he had heard this name before. Without showing any outward emotion, his sharp mind went into overdrive. It was after the meeting that Jabir could make out the hiccup of his memory. He remembered that prior to his second marriage with Sumaira, he had heard something about Javed. A strange emotion engulfed his thoughts. On an impulse, he was about to call the Head of the HR division to remove Javed but on second thought decided otherwise. He smiled.

Jabir told Sumaira that he would be inviting a very important guest tonight and that she should make appropriate preparations. The bell rang and Jabir asked Sumaira to attend to it. Jabir observed from a distance while Sumaira opened the door. For a moment Sumaira stared in disbelief, she stood paralyzed not knowing how to react. Javed too looked aghast. A few seconds passed before Sumaira mustered the courage to make way for the visitor to step inside. Jabir observed the moment and his mind reaffirmed the rumours he had heard prior to his second marriage.

Jabir made his guest comfortable by diverting the conversation to matters concerning the affairs of the company. Sumaira had gone inside the house with a thousand thoughts, her mind was busy conjuring options if Jabir had any probing questions for her. Javed too was engrossed into introspection. He had never expected to come face to face with Sumaira in such a setting. Beyond this brief interlude, nothing of any consequence happened in the next thirty minutes. Without waiting for Sumaira to reappear, Javed took leave and left.

Javed and Sumaira both had a tough job at hand. Both, albeit in different settings, were deep in thought trying to explain the events of this evening. Without an iota of doubt of any human involvement, both Javed and Sumaira blamed destiny for this strange coincidence. Jabir felt happy that his plan was taking shape.

Time passed. Javed became an integral part of the Al Jazain company enjoying the confidence of the company’s owner. It was a couple of weeks later that Jabir called Javed to his office and asked him to go to his residence and fetch some important papers. Javed found this errand a difficult one but showed no awkwardness in front of Jabir. He reached Jabir’s residence and rang the bell. Sumaira had no idea about the person on the other side of the door as she opened it. Her heart skipped a beat. She lost her voice, she wanted to say that Jabir wasn’t at home but no words came out, she moved away and allowed Javed to come inside. Javed explained that he had been sent by Jabir to fetch some papers. While Javed was about to leave with the papers that Sumaira regained composure to offer Javed a glass of water.

In the next few weeks, Jabir found trivial reasons to send Javed to his residence. Sumaira became used to such visits of Javed. At times she would smile when Javed would meet her sight. Her hesitation in striking a conversation also vanished after a few visits of Javed. She realized that Javed had not lost his sense of humour. Javed also realized that he looked forward to such errands which gave him an opportunity to interact with Sumaira.

Jabir perceived the unfolding events very closely by observing the behaviour of Sumaira. He realized that in the last few weeks Sumaira had become happier. Jabir was convinced his plan was working.

Jabir informed Sumaira that due to a business meeting he had to go to Delhi for a few days. He also informed his office of his impending absence from Mumbai. It was on the second day of Jabir’s absence that Javed received a call from his boss at 10 pm. Jabir instructed Javed that he needed a few papers from his house and that he should go to his house and take those papers from his wife and then fax them at the given number.

Sumaira was startled by the ringing of the bell at such an odd time. She had already changed into night clothes. Sleepy eyed she opened the door. Finding Javed on the other side made her both happy and apprehensive. Javed, sensing her apprehension, told her about his boss’s phone call. Sumaira let Javed inside the house. In that night dress, Javed found Sumaira amorously beautiful. Javed realized that in the last three years she had become more curvaceous. Sumaira met Javed’s gaze. Her mind catapulted her to her first impression of Javed. He looked handsome. After serving Javed a cup of tea, Sumaira went to her bedroom seeking to bring the papers.

Javed and Sumaira didn’t realize they had spent forty minutes in each other’s company.

After four days, Jabir checked out from his Mumbai hotel room and took a cab to his residence. At home, he found Sumaira in a jovial mood. Life resumed without any change. Sumaira’s mood profile changed to affable, Jabir was happy to observe her.

Sumaira felt giddy. This Monday morning she felt tired without any reason. A strange sensation gripped her. She felt confused. Later in the day she visited a doctor. The doctor took no time to break the good news to her. She returned home extremely happy. In the evening she tiptoed to meet Jabir at the gate and hugged him from behind. Such a show of affection was a rare sight in Jabir’s life. In a soft husky voice, she whispered in Jabir’s ears that she was expecting.

Jabir also showed happiness. Although he realized the reality, he became animated and hugged his wife. His face emanated a sly smile. Sometimes even losing self-respect can be joyful.

Time flew fast. Regular check-ups showed that the prospective mother and her child were doing fine. Jabir realized it was time to proceed to the next part of this unfolding story.

In the last few months Javed got only a few opportunities to meet Sumaira but every time it was in the presence of Jabir. He missed Sumaira and felt uneasy when rumors became rife that boss’s wife was pregnant. All was going well when suddenly Javed got an office order that he was getting a promotion and was being posted in the Istanbul office of Al Jazain company. He was expected to join within a week.

Jabir met his two guests discretely in his camp office. He had already neatly wrapped the two packets of US dollars which changed hands silently. The two guests left within a few minutes.

Javed was booked on Turkish airlines flight 717 leaving New Delhi at 6.15 am. While his colleagues felt jealous and thought Javed was being rewarded by the boss, Javed was feeling the pain of leaving India. He knew he would now not be able to meet Sumaira.

Javed had no idea that the two persons who were standing in front and back while he was passing through the security and customs were actually watching him closely. They were trailing him since he had entered the departure lounge of the IGI airport.

It was around 9 am local time in Istanbul when the flight TK 717 landed at the Istanbul airport. Passing through the duty-free shops, Javed observed the fine display of Turkish delights. Sleepy eyed, having not slept the whole night, Javed moved forward towards the security scanning. His baggage moved through the X-ray. The sensor bleeped. The man at the desk flagged his bag and asked Javed to come out of the line. Javed was taken to another room for questioning. Police officers took turns to interrogate. Javed was booked for carrying drugs in his handbag.

The Paşakapısı Prison is a small prison located in Üsküdar district of Istanbul. This was going to be the address of Javed for the next five years after being found guilty of trying to smuggle drugs into Turkey.

Sumaira had no idea why Javed had not shown up for the last several months. She did not want to ask Jabir. In fact, it was Jabir himself who, as a passing comment, mentioned that Javed had gone to Turkey and had been arrested for carrying drugs. He expressed his empathy for Javed. Sumaira had no option but to believe what Jabir told her.

Sumaira was in the final trimester of her pregnancy. She felt depressed but Jabir made all the effort to make her happy. About two weeks premature, she delivered her baby. Finally, Jabir had a son whom he named Kamraan.

Taking care of Kamran was a full-time job for Sumaira. She was always busy. Time flew fast. Kamraan’s first birthday was celebrated with gaiety. Kamraan started to say a few words and take a few strides. It seemed a short time when the time came to celebrate Kamraan’s second birthday. Kamraan’s looks were a sight to behold, he belied the dark complexion and shallow eyebrows of his father. Jabir found him cute.

Javed found the going tough in an alien prison. He started teaching English to his Turkish prison inmates. His affable nature and obedience were noticed by the prison authorities and they recommended that his prison sentence be condoned. It was to Javed’s delight that one a Friday morning when he had just finished his prayers, the jail in charge informed him that Javed would be freed on National Day of Turkey which was just a week later on October 29.

Kamraan’s fourth birthday was just a week away. Sumaira was already indulging with all her gusto to celebrate this event. This year the guest list was larger. Despite his constant medical niggles, Jabir was also excited at the thought of Kamraan’s birthday. In the last four years, he had all but forgotten the Javed connection.

The birthday celebration had just started. The guests had assembled around the table which had the three-tier cake. The family was in attendance and Kamraan cut the cake. As everyone clapped, Jabir sensed his phone was vibrating. He did not want to pick the phone but when the vibration continued for an extended time, Jabir moved to a corner and picked the phone. The voice on the other side sounded somewhat known but he could not pinpoint the person. The man on the other side said only one sentence, ‘Kamraan is my son and I am coming to take him’.

Jabir felt his hand go numb and pain in his jaw. The heaviness in his chest was so obvious that it was difficult to ignore. Javed understood his medical condition. He fished out the monosorbitrate drug which he kept in his pocket but his hands could not put that tablet where he wanted under his tongue. He choked and his knees gave way. People rushed to him but he became still before medical help could be provided.

Within six months of Jabir’s death, Sumaira left Mumbai and moved to her ancestral town. In a small ceremony, a nikah was conducted with just a few relatives in attendance. Javed looked a perfect groom.