THE SPLENDID LOVE

Note: This is my first story under science fiction-romance, in which I have included the concept of Time-loop. It’s loosely based on my relative brother’s childhood love story and inspired from concepts of Albert Einstein’s Principle of Time Relativity, Physics concepts such as Second Law of Thermodynamics. Additionally, novels such as The Girl who leapt through time served as a source of additional inspirations to write this story.

CHENNAI INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY:

4:30 PM:

OCTOBER 28, 2021

Since, the time is around 4:30 PM, Shyam Keshavan, a final-year post-graduate M. Tech student in the Physics laboratory packs up the things such as the apparatus, Albert Einstein’s Time Relativity concept book in his bag. When packing, he accidentally slips the lavender-like scent, which he have prepared as an injection. Smelling the lavender, he faints in the laboratory.

THREE DAYS LATER:

OCTOBER 31, 2021:

“Today’s important news. Weather Reporter K. Balachandran have said that, Varda cyclone is going to hit Chennai on November 1, 2021. As a precautionary measures, people staying in the banks of Cooum river and Adayar rivers are been vacated from the houses, due to the heavy rainfall in Thiruvallur, Adayar, Anna Nagar and Chennai Central on October 30, 2021’s mid-night 12:30 AM.”

Hearing the measures and speech of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, Shyam’s father Krishnaraj calls him and he attends the call.

“Yes dad.”

“Where are you da?”

“Dad. I am in my college hostel only. Any important issues? How is my mother? Is she fine? No problems right?”

“Everything is fine here da. News reporter says that, floods are about to arise in Chennai. Did you hear it?” Krishnaraj asked him to which, Shyam said: “I too heard it dad. Don’t worry. Once information is revealed by the college, I will let you be informed.”

Krishna tells: “Shyam. Time flies over us, but leaves its shadow behind. So, be cautious and careful. Bye.” He hangs off his call and Shyam comes to know that, the college is to close the next day. So, he books a train ticket in Sabari Express to go for his native place Meenakshipuram, 45 kilometers from Coimbatore junction.

The next morning, Shyam packs up his things in a bag and takes his things ready. Around 4:30 PM, he books a call taxi and when going towards Chennai Central, he witnesses his childhood friend and college mate Kaviya Gowda, who had studied with him during the undergraduate course days in Yash Academy of Medical and Engineering college.

While going towards the Central, Shyam asked his driver to stop and gives him money. Meanwhile, the gorgeous girl Kaviya wears her spectacles and is coming towards the central. But, a fast bus hits her. She is thrown to the right side, with her spectacles falling besides Shyam, who is perplexed.

He rushes along with the other people to find out, Kaviya bleeding. Tears flow from his eyes and he shouted: “Someone please help her.”

Unable to breath initially, Kaviya tells him: “Shyam. I came here to meet you and reconcile. But, I didn’t expect this sudden tragedy. They always say time changes things, but you actually have to change them yourself.”

“No. No. Kaviya. Nothing have happened to you.” Shyam now, shouted in the Physics Laboratory. Seeing this, his professor Ram Mohan asked: “Who is she? What were you doing in the Physics Laboratory Shyam? I found a lavender-like scent being spilled. The security somehow managed to clean it.”

Realizing that, he is now in the hostel room, Shyam asked him: “Sir. How did I came here?”

Ram said: “I brought you here, as you have fainted. Somehow managed to give you first aid. What happened in the laboratory?”

Shyam manages the situation saying, “Nothing have happened sir. I just fainted as the lavender-like scent have made me feel awry.” Shyam now realized that, he have been transported 24 hours into the past.

He relieves the day and meets his close friends: Siddha Shasank Swaroop and Pulkit Surana in a hotel at Adayar, the next day. Siddha is a final-year post-graduate student, studying Film direction and screenplay at Mindscreen Film Institute of Chennai. While, Pulkit Surana is a North-Indian student from New Delhi, studying post-graduation on Nuclear Physics in Indian Institute of Technology.

Siddha asked Shyam: “Hey. Why did you ask us to come here suddenly da?”

“Any important issues?” asked Pulkit Surana. Shyam looked them for a while, sipping juice. Frustrated, Siddha asked him: “Without speaking for one and a half hours, you are sipping the juice itself. What far we are here da? Tell da.”

Shyam now folds his hands in a table and looks at Siddha through his eyes. He tells him, “Siddha. Have you ever experienced a strange events in your life?”

He joked saying: “Ha. Experienced during the undergraduate course days da. Some of our friends used to stress and torture us by loading us with lots of works la.” Hearing this, Pulkit laughed and Shyam now tells him, “I don’t know you would believe this or not. I got a strange experience yesterday, when working for a project work in my Physics laboratory. While studying the Relativity Time concept of Albert Einstein, a lavender-like scent, that I had prepared put me into sleep. During this, I got to know that a cyclone is going to hit us and in addition, Kaviya’s death came into my mind. I think, some mistake have happened, due to my carelessness in the laboratory.”

Siddha didn’t believe him and tells, “We too have watched films like Tenet and Inception da. Don’t try to confuse us even more with your imitation from those heroes.” Though he tries to explain his situation, both the guys becomes furious and leaves unconvinced.



0CTOBER 31, 2021:

As predicted by Shyam, Siddha watches the news of Vardha cyclone in the news channel at Mindscreen Film Institute. Even Pulkit Surana learns about the same news. Shyam’s college reports off the holiday, due to the heavy downpour of rains. As predicted by Shyam, his father called him and asks him to return Meenakshipuram. He books ticket in Sabari express and around 4:30 PM in Siddha’s bike, he rushes to the Chennai Central spot, where he spots Kaviya, standing near the bus stop with her suitcase.

She is wearing a black-spectacles and looks gorgeous, with her cute looks and facial expressions. Surrounded by the dark clouds and winds, she stands at the center of the stop wearing a red sari. Spotting her, Shyam meets her. She feels excited on seeing him.

Feeling emotional and happier, Kaviya embraces Shyam and asked him, “How are you Shyam?”

“I am fine Kaviya. Time moves slowly, but passes quickly. Come fast. If rain comes, we can’t go from here.” He takes her in his bike to Siddha’s rented house. Pulkit now even more believes Shyam and reveals Kaviya about his strange experience, which prompted him to go at the spot and save her from the accident.

Now, Shyam meets his professor Ram Mohan to whom he tells: “Sir. I initially didn’t tell what exactly happened in the laboratory. But, now I tell what happened there sir.” He reveals about the lavender, which he have prepared to the project that he named as “Magnificent” to experience Time Transformations.

Ram sees the formulas and drafts prepared by Shyam using General units law, and transformations for the project. Though appreciating him for the attempt, Ram Mohan tells him, “Shyam. It’s due to god’s decision, you have been experience this strange result. This is actually Principle of Time Relativity.”

“Principle of Time Relativity sir? asked Shyam Keshavan.

“Yes. As per his principle, every reference body(co-ordinate system) has it’s own particular time; unless we are told the reference body to which the statement of time refers, there is no meaning in a statement of time of an event.” Professor Ram Mohan said and now, Shyam asked him, “So, this is called as Time-Transformation right sir?”

Laughing, Professor Ram Mohan said, “Transformation is different. The problem that you experience now is called as, ‘Time-leap.’”

Since Ram Mohan’s wife called him, he leaves Shyam mid-way and he sits perplexed, wandering to find out the solution for his situation. Meanwhile, Shyam realizes that, the time is already around 6:30 PM and he decides to go back for his hometown Meenakshipuram, accompanied by Kaviya.

During the stay in Siddha’s house, Kaviya told the duo: “I had actually came here to meet you, Shyam and Pulkit only guys. Now, I am also going back to Coimbatore, along with Shyam in Sabari Express.”

Around 8:30 PM, they reaches Chennai Central and sits in the Train. Shyam informs his father Krisharaj that, he is coming back to Meenakshipuram, who happily makes things ready in the house, as his son is arriving. When sitting in the train, Kaviya asked Shyam, “What about your father Shyam? Is he still working in National Institute of Technology, Trichy?”

“Yeah, yes Kaviya. He is working as a professor, teaching Industrial psychology. Inspiring him only, I took M.Tech course in Chennai Institute of Technology” said Shyam and he laughed off.

“Ok. What about you? What are you doing now?” asked Shyam to which Kaviya replied: “I am doing a post-graduation course in Cardiology course in Coimbatore Medical college of Coimbatore. As I was unable to meet you, I booked a ticket and came to meet you, Pulkit and Siddha.” After speaking for a while, they sleeps in the seat.

Reaching his house, Shyam meets his family members, consisting of his father, mother and relatives, warmly welcoming him. His mother Saritha is an extrovert, yet submissive and loving women in the house, taking care of everyone. Personally meeting his father, Shyam tells about the strange events in the college, when he was preparing the experimental project as a test, during the study of Time Relativity concept of Albert Einstein.

Pausing a while, Shyam asked his father: “Dad. What’s the solution to riddle of my power?”

Thinking a while, Krishnaraj said: “Son. You have to follow Second law of thermodynamics.”

As he is confused, Krishnaraj tells him: “It means for a given physical process, the combined entropy of the system and the environment remains a constant if the process can be reversed.”

Shyam and his father now prepares a drug, using the formula Sf=Si(reversible process) without anyone of his relative’s knowledge. Now, he makes Shyam to lie down in a bed and tells him, “Slowly close your eyes” and injects a drug in his left hand.

Shyam leaps back four days back at Chennai Central, where he and Kaviya were walking towards the train. She suddenly stops and tells: “Shyam. I have to talk with you personally.”

He reluctantly agrees and goes along with her to a nearby shop, where Kaviya tells: “Shyam. You remember our college days ah?”

Shyam recalls the memorable moments of his college days, where he rejoiced, enjoyed and captured each and every beautiful moments in his life, with his friends, who were supportive and helpful. The way he have respected his friends, the way he have handled the tough situations all comes into his light. Now, Kaviya asked him: “That solve ah Shyam? Doesn’t you realized any other memorable moments? Don’t you remember the enjoying moments during my birthday?”

Shyam recalls how he and Kaviya rejoiced in happiness for her birthday and how her brother felt furious with this. He was chased out along with Siddha and Pulkit. Now, he tells: “How could I forget that Kaviya? That’s an unforgettable event right?”

Kaviya now gives her diary and flower, going away angrily. Shyam reads her diary, where she have depicted how much she loved Shyam. She further depicted the way, she have followed him along with her friends seeing his responsibility and care towards the people.

“I wish I could turn back the clock and find you sooner so I can love you longer Shyam. You are such a great person.” Kaviya have written in the diary, which makes Shyam to cry and he tells himself looking at his phone camera saying: “Personally, I have a great love story. I didn’t realize this despite being close to Kaviya, since childhood. What a great fool am I!”

When looking at the camera, Shyam hears the train sound and runs faster to get inside the train and stands besides the door. Kaviya sees him and asked: “Read the events in my diary.”

Shyam with some emotional looks and tears asked her: “What made you to love me Kaviya? I had different goals. You too have different goals to achieve. Yet, fell in love with idiot like me. Why?”

She replies, “The supreme happiness of life consists in the conviction that one is loved Shyam. You are a nice guy, though. Helping tendency, Determination to achieve something and your dedication made me to fall with you. I love you.” He embraces her and Kaviya tells him: “Shyam. A man who dares to waste an hour of time has not discovered the value of life. So, don’t try to waste your time, hereafter.”

Shyam laughed and said: “Right uh. I am scheduling my work everyday since childhood days. Because, an inch of time is an inch of gold, but you can’t buy that inch of time with an inch of gold.”

Shyam and Kaviya reaches Coimbatore. He meets his relatives and the days later, their relationship grows stronger. Shyam’s project on Tech 12 is approved for an MNC company and is offered a job by Infosys. Kaviya’s family learns about their love and her brother strongly disapproves her relationship citing caste difference.

Meeting Shyam privately, he said: “Nobody cares much at heart about Titian, only there is a strange undercurrent of everlasting murmur about his name, which means the deep consent of all great men that he is greater than they, Shyam. So, better try to avoid my sister and that’s good for you.”

However, Shyam refuses and an ensuing fight between them leads to a huge fight between their family. Shyam now wakes up from his father’s house and he realizes that, “He again stuck in the time-loop to find out the girl, who have loved him so much.”

He contacts Kaviya and asked her: “Kaviya. Where are you now?”

“I am in Singanallur only, Shyam. Near to a park garden.” Kaviya said and Shyam prepares to go there in his KTM Duke bike, despite been stopped by his father, who insists him to take rest.

He meets her in the garden face to face. Kaviya looks at him staring and he takes the transcend headphones to present her as a gift. She asked him, “Why this gift Shyam?”

“Because, I love you. To fall in love with someone’s thoughts- the most intimate, splendid romance, Kaviya. My love has eyes blue as the sky. All things remarkable are surprisingly simple, albeit difficult to find. I love you.” As Shyam said, she hugged him emotionally in tears and said, “I had been waiting to hear this word from you for, so many years da. Now only, you realize this ah da?

Shyam said: “Kaviya. Nothing splendid has ever been achieved except by those who dared to believe that something inside them was superior to circumstance.”

After pausing a while, Kaviya asked Shyam: “If my brother opposes to the marriage means, what would you do da?”

“Kaviya. Love is that splendid triggering of human vitality the supreme activity which nature affords anyone for going out of himself toward someone else. So, I would stand strong, even if my family oppose our relationship.” They both embrace each other, by sharing a lip kiss. The flowers nearby their place rejoice. Few hours later, Kaviya and Shyam holds their hands and walks from the park. He takes her for a ride in his KTM bike.

EPILOGUE:

“There is never a time or place for true love. It happens accidentally, in a heartbeat, in a single flashing, throbbing moment.”

-Sarah Dessen.