Karan and I

Falling for a guy isn't the smartest thing to do. Especially when he is in a relationship with someone else. And even more specially when you yourself is already in a relationship with your own boyfriend.



That being the established flow of thought, Karan and I, quite conversely thought we were smart enough to swim against the current. The circumstances in which we were brought together were completely ingenuous and master-minded by the two of us.

Karan and I were arch enemies on the stage. The Slater's,The Chak Deb. The Muk-Mem.....we had vied for centre stage since School days (we Schooled in different States), and once we were at a lectern we were ruthless. The Muk-Mem adjudications made us sworn enemies for most of our College days. The good thing about us two debaters was that since we were trying to outwit each other all the time, other more mundane and mortal things which engage two 20 year olds left us cold. The relationship remained on an even keel.

But one December, Karan had been asked to script a play for the local frat College. Karan asked me to direct it, which I did.....with pleasure. Our individual roles extracted the best from each others talent.

As things turned out, the play was a raving success. And the entire cast and crew drank the night away. Karan and I did not rejoice in such inebriated spirit. In fact, I doubt if we rejoiced at all. I was terribly strung up after the hectic practise sessions, and Karan and I shared a glass of tea on the pavement on a white midnight. In the freezing cold. On a December night. Nothing else happened that night except we just toasted each others talents and returned back to the way things were before the play.

However, Karan and I were born strategists. We loved to mastermind. Manipulative techniques were second nature to us. All in fun. All in jest. Never to harm.

The play was not over. There had to be another act.

Both the people Karan and I were involved with had to go out of town. G went on a dance performance. She was an acclaimed Bharatnattyam dancer. My boyfriend S, had to leave town for a Seminar Lecture. His Univ sent him. It brought him credit points. Left to ourselves, once again the stage belonged to Karan and me. So, we decided to act like we were dating each other.

This was damn tricky, to say the least. Karan and G were the darling of the campus. I had unblemished love for S, my childhood sweetheart. But the show must go on and our crafty minds scripted the act.

Walking hand-in-hand on campus (in the late '70's) raised eyebrows heavenwards !!! This made the two of us laugh the happiest laugh, the loudest laugh, the most liberated laugh that we had laughed in a long time.

To celebrate what was turning out to be our second successful play, we went out for dinner. Just the small cast of the two of us. The walk back after dinner was a turning point. Karan and I, without exchanging a word between us, realised that things were turning. We started with no emotional attachment in mind. No physical attraction either. We were only masterminding a play to bring some relief to two very bored people . Yet, we had engineered something we could not handle. We did not wish to handle.

Karan and I conceded that the two of us had a lot more fun swimming with each other in the flirtatious undercurrents rather than the open sea.

So we decided to script and direct our final play. We were to behave like we were NOT interested in each other. Which was the truth anyway. The rest was all acting, remember?
This time too, we managed to enthrall the audience (read the College). We really did not have to act. But at each step, we kept the entertainment (for the audience) factor alive.

Another very successful play.

Karans girlfriend came back, so did my boyfriend. The interlude was over and there was no mention of us in the credits.

What brought about this piece of writing is that Karan's father passed away last week.
RIP, Uncle.
To Karan and G, condolences from S and me.