Paromita Chattopadhyay

Drama Romance Classics

4.4  

Paromita Chattopadhyay

Drama Romance Classics

Rise In Love

Rise In Love

6 mins
362


'Thank you all for being a part of a very special occasion of my life. My heart is filled with profound gratitude and this experience has redefined for me the most powerful emotion in the world ‘Love’. I have to thank the Almighty for this new lease of life but before him, I have to express my heartfelt gratitude to my beautiful soulmate, who like always is standing away from the limelight to back me if I fumble and hold me if I stumble…Thank you, Dhara. I am because of You’, said Akash. He requested Dhara to join him on the stage. Dhara was a picture of beauty, elegance and grace in a peach and cream ensemble that she had chosen for her engagement. Her smile was so radiant that it could light up the banquet hall and brown eyes so deep enough to drown all the pain and sorrow. She walked up tall to the stage but in a rather unexpected move removed her dainty silver heels to kneel next to the wheelchair that had been Akash’s companion the last year. Akash's eyes moistened at this touching gesture as he took her hands into his and looked at her with love and deep respect.


The 30 odd guests in the banquet hall looked in amazement at Dhara who was unfazed by the attention she had garnered. She had eyes only for the ‘love’ of her life Akash and she fastened the grip on his hand. There were hushed whispers amongst the guests on Dhara’s decision to go ahead with the engagement despite Akash being wheelchair-bound for life. These were the same people who did not stop short of calling Dhara a gold digger when she had joined Akash’s advertising agency ‘ Crayon Advertising’ as a creative assistant. Dhara was a talented professional with excellent academic credentials but hailed from a lower-middle-class background. She did not wear couture and travelled to work by public transport, which gave some of the upwardly mobile colleagues enough reasons to take digs at her. Dhara true to her name displayed remarkable composure and resilience and ensured that the loose talks and negativity do not shift her focus away from her goal.  


Despite her detractor’s best efforts, her brilliance continued to shine through and her out of the box thinking has captured Akash’s attention. She was creative, sharp and witty and soon became indispensable for ‘Crayon’. Since she spent a lot of time with Akash working on myriad projects, they soon became friends and Akash fell in love with her. He would gift her flowers, chocolates, candlelight dinner and invite her for long drives to serenade her but Dhara stood her ground as she found this manifestation of love superficial and hollow. She would often say that ‘love’ was being there for the one you love no matter what. For Dhara love was both the anchor to stay rooted and wings to fly. Akash could never really comprehend this philosophy but was so smitten by her that despite the clear disapproval of his parents he proposed to her a day before he was leaving for a road trip with his biker friends to Leh. Akash gave Dhara two weeks’ time to deliberate on his proposal and give him an answer when he is back. Dhara was to preside over all client meetings and take the decisions in his absence. With Akash gone, her detractors left no stone unturned to create roadblocks for her to tarnish her image. Despite the negativity, Dhara surged ahead with the belief that compassion and empathy would finally triumph and it did. When Antara her nemesis was doing the launch presentation for a reputed builder, the builder appeared not impressed but Dhara stepped in and added an impressive tagline to save the day for Antara.


Just when Dhara felt things were moving in the positive direction, one phone call plunged everything into darkness. Akash had met with a fatal accident while on his bike journey to the Umlingla Pass in Ladakh. He had been rushed to AIMS, Delhi for surgery but was critical. This news shattered Dhara and she insisted on going to Delhi to be by his side. Akash’s parents did not approve of her presence and also humiliated her initially but on seeing her genuine concern they gave in. She prayed through the 6 hours of surgery and when the doctors announced that Akash was out of danger, she heaved a sigh of relief. But the trauma had just begun, the doctors said that because of the impact on his spine and head, Akash was paralysed waist down and would be wheelchair-bound, maybe for the rest of his life. This broke his parents, but Dhara stood like a rock by their side. Akash did not utter a word but his pale eyes looked lifeless and hopeless. Dhara realised she had an uphill task ahead of her and assured Akash that she was there for him. She devoted herself to nursing Akash and restoring his self-confidence while also managing ‘Crayon’, but this time with the strong support of the team.


Dhara kept Akash updated on the developments at work and always insisted on involving him to bring him out of depression and despair. Akash felt helpless and Dhara was often at the receiving end of his temper tantrums. She displayed remarkable patience in dealing with the situation and always stayed positive. She pushed and motivated Akash, to begin with, physiotherapy to gain some mobility back. It took Dhara over 10 months to restore normalcy for Akash despite being wheelchair and show him light at the end of the tunnel. Akash would often ask Dhara why she was wasting her life here, she would just look at him and say ‘Love is about being there. Akash had begun to comprehend the depth of the four-letter word which was often abused and superficially referred to. Dhara truly embodied the essence of ‘love’ and despite never professing it she had encompassed his life with this beautiful feeling. Akash had never brought up the ‘proposal’ again but one morning Dhara had walked into his room with a note on the breakfast tray ‘Yes! I will’. Akash was ecstatic and hugged her but he asked her to deliberate on the decision as life would not be easy with a partner who cannot walk by her side.


Dhara with her usual effervescent smile and candour replied that she had deliberated on his proposal for the last 10 months and now she was sure of her decision. She said.’ Akash you be my anchor, I will be your wings’. It seemed like a paradox as Akash meant ‘sky’ and Dhara ‘earth’ but they seamlessly had exchanged roles. Today as they solemnised their engagement, true to her words Dhara kneeled next to Akash to exchange the rings as equals. Dhara had not fallen but truly risen in love.


True love is rare and transcends the mere manifestations, it gives life real meaning.


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