Flight of the Shikra

Two months after the mishap with my ankle, as promised, Narasimha took me to 'Tracks' and we got ourselves our bikes. I chose a white one for him and a deep red one for myself. Narasimha joked that he is the only idiot who would engage the services of an automobile engineer to buy a bicycle, but he was really proud of me when I went through the specifications and selected the bikes. We added all the accessories, headlamps, tail lamps with laser line demarcators for low light conditions, helmets, knee guards, locks and security devices. We really splurged money on this. But we were happy.

We would ride down to the lake, secure our bikes, and walk. We started slow, and then as another month went by, my ligaments healed and we started jogging. Near the lake, was an abandoned road with a steep incline, about a kilometre long. Narasimha loved to take one of the bikes, and we would walk up the incline. Then we would turn around, I would sit side saddle on the crossbar, and we would roll downhill at breakneck speed.

We did a lot of bird watching at the lake, and Narasimha shared his books on birds and bird watching with me. I took up the hobby very seriously. One day, at the lake, I sighted an Asian Paradise Flycatcher which is normally not endemic to this area. It is a beautiful bird with a very long tail that curls up into a 'U' as it flies. I had never seen this bird before, yet I correctly remembered the name from the photographs in his field guide, and I pointed it out to him. When we came home, Narasimha took out his binoculars, and said to me.

"I was working as a trainee and I was not in a great financial position. I was saving bits and pieces here and there when I found this used pair of binoculars in a flea market in Kolkata. It is a great pair, a Carl Zeiss, which I got for a song and I never bought another pair again. This has accompanied me to a great many bird watching locales. It has provided me with much joy during depressing times." Then he asked, "Will you now make it yours and use it to sight many new birds?"

I looked at it, it had a leather covering that was pretty worn out. I looked through it, it had a remarkable field of view, and there were no visible scratches on its lens. It was not as powerful as his telescope, but it was light and easy to handle.

For the first time since I had met him, I thought I detected some moistness in his eyes. I said,

"I will love this, but only a wee bit less than the man who has gifted it to me."

We also watched a lot of stars and galaxies and nebulae. He taught me about the Messier objects, and how they came from a comet hunter who cataloged these so that he would not confuse them with real comets.The catalog turned out to be more famous than the comets he discovered. Slowly I learnt how to handle the telescopes, how to locate objects in the sky using star maps, and online applications. We studied Venus using various filters, and Mars. The telescope showed me the great planet Jupiter, with a great amount of surface detail, especially the Great Red Spot. But the most beautiful sight about Jupiter was its Galilean moons, so called because Galileo using a far more primitive telescope had discovered them. On some days it was possible to see Jupiter eclipsing the moon, as it disappeared behind the planet over time as it orbited. Due to the their rising and setting times, Saturn and Mercury kept eluding us since they were mostly in the sky during the day.

We found that there were certain places on my terrace that offered better views of the night sky. He would laboriously shift his telescope from his balcony to my terrace, carry out the various alignments necessary. But he would also need to shift it back to his room, as the terrace offered no shelter from the elements in the day time.

His birthday was approaching, it would be on the 1st of September. I decided to gift him a dome for his telescope. I knew how to use the telescope well and I sent the specifications to the dome manufacturer. I settled on a dome size larger than the size the manufacturer recommended and they shipped it across on time. I got the delivery guys to place it in the garage, for we were still towards the end of the monsoon season and unexpected rains were a possibility. I made a huge red heart out of a red ribbon and stuck it to the package. Then I put on some lipstick and left an impression of my lips in the centre of the heart. We would normally leave our cars in the driveway and lock the gates, so Narasimha never suspected there was something in the garage.

It was the first time he would celebrate a birthday with me, and both of us were quite overcome with emotion. I made torrid love to him, and lay with him as he kept stroking my hair and face, and at the stroke of midnight, as the cuckoo clock went cuck-koo, I kissed him and wished him a happy birthday. We made love again, held each other tight and slept blissfully. In the morning, I said,

"I have your birthday gift in the garage."

"You got me a new car? Are you crazy?" he looked at my face searchingly.

"I, and my gift are crazier than you think," I said, "come with me."

He saw the name and picture of the dome on the carton, squealed and went berserk with delight. And he kissed the lipstick mark I had left on the package.

"The real Mccoy is here buddy," I said, and we laughed.

"Only you could think up of this Neela," he said, "but this is expensive stuff, why did you do this?"

I kissed his cheek, letting my moist lips linger for a while. "You will need some time to set this up, it is a DIY and in a dismantled form. I will assist you as best as I can. Let's go cycling."

After our morning 'kaapi,' we set out for the lake. This time, he dismounted and wheeled his bike on to the grass, I followed him. He parked the bike next to a tree, and sat down under it and patted the ground beside him. I parked mine likewise and snuggled up to him.

"You okay buddy?" I asked.

"I am just overwhelmed with happiness, you are just too good to me. Let us just sit together for a while and then we will return."

Neela

An astronomy dome was the ultimate birthday gift I could expect. And that ribbon heart and the lipstick kiss felt so romantic. I was so happy, once we cycled down to the lake, I just sat down and cuddled up to Neela. My mind went through a kaleidoscope of images, from the moment I saw her in that yellow saree, through every stage of affection, love and intimacy we travelled through.

I was glad that the this birthday that I could share with her for the very first time fell on a Sunday so I had the full day with her. On a weekday, my office team would have organised a small party and I would have been forced to attend. As we got up to leave, she said,

"I have asked Suman and Vivek to come over for lunch. I have booked a table for two at 'Kona' at 7 in the evening, we are going to eat our dinner in candlelight and you are going to dance with me, and oh, before I forget, it is your treat so ensure you have your credit cards with you."

"Not a good dancer but for you, I can jump through a hundred flaming hoops."

"Not needed sweetheart, but by the time I finish with you, you will learn to waltz."

"Hey, where did you learn to waltz?"

Laughing, she said, "My dad sent me to finishing school, a long time ago, I want make sure his money was well spent."

I was helping Neela with the cooking when Suman and Vivek arrived. Suman handed me a packet, " Happy Birthday Brother, Neela said you loved, tees with round necks," she said.

I opened the pack, they had definitely gone overboard, there were six of them. I hugged them. "Thank you buddies," I said, then excused myself and was back in a couple of minutes wearing one of them.

"I like them, I really do," I said.

Suman then shooed me out of the kitchen saying there is going to be some girl talk happening there and we guys are not allowed.

Vivek and I started having a conversation, we hadn't got very close yet, but he is a fun guy, and very devoted to Suman and he appeared nervous about their soon to arrive baby. I really couldn't contribute, I had no experience or expertise in this matter, I just told him to follow his instincts and the doctor's advice. They had three months more to go, with the baby expected around the 6th of January.

We had a great lunch and a great time at lunch, and after they left, Neela took me through the basics of Waltz, and she taught me how to follow her lead.

Then we had a small nap, and the we dressed for dinner, I wore a formal white shirt and she wore a beautiful maroon saree, with a matching pair of stiletto heels.

"You will be able to waltz in a saree?" I asked.

"We Indian women, my friend, can fight battles in sarees," she responded, which was true, that dress is versatile, beautiful and lends a lot of dignity and grace to the wearer.

She ordered a glass of some beautiful red wine for us both, and then I lead her to the floor. There were about three other couples on the rather large dance floor, so I gallantly took her hand and lead her to one corner, so that even if I were to start off on the wrong foot, people wouldn't notice.

As the evening progressed, more people came on the floor, and at one point we just moved to the corner and kept swaying to the music. We sneaked a kiss, and she said, "You did well my partner, though you did fumble a few times."

"My partner is too distracting, her eyes just captivate me."

"She is the same partner you danced with in the afternoon, you got it right then."

"I know, but her eyes seem so much more dreamy now"

She pushed her body against me for a moment and said, "Let's get back to our table, I want to eat."

We were in a multi-cuisine restaurant, and we settled for a Chinese spread. We had another glass of wine, and as the crowd increased, I paid the bill and we left the restaurant hand in hand.

The valet brought us our car, and she firmly directed me to the front passenger seat. "I am driving, I think the wine has gone to your head."

"It is not the wine alone my love," I said, "some dreamy eyes intoxicate too."

When we got back and changed, she said to me, "The climax of this day will be the sweetest dessert you have ever tasted."

I chuckled at her pun.

Narasimha

Over the next weekend, Narasimha and I worked to set up the astronomy dome. By the afternoon of Sunday, we had it fixed, then we had a shower to clean up all the sweat and grime. Narasimha went through his maps and charts and hoped that we will have clear skies. It turned dark and the sky was mostly clear.

We got into the dome, the darkness was ethereal. We waited for our eyes to adapt and Narasimha opened the shutters. The dome effectively blocked all extraneous light, be they from the stars or from terrestrial sources. I realised that when only a small patch of the sky is opened to you, you lose your bearings, for the other familiar constellations are blocked from your view. And I started to appreciate his skills. He seemed to remember the whole sky in his head and he knew exactly which part of the sky we needed to look at with minimal visual cues.

And then, singing a romantic Hindi number comparing the stars in the sky to the shiny sequins on the saree of a lover, he plugged us into the universe.

I was expecting that 'Shikra' moment, when I had gazed through his telescope for the first time, and my breathing turned heavy.

"Behold my love, the second most beautiful object in our solar system," he said and lead me to the eyepiece. Holding on to his palm which I always do when I know something exciting is going to happen, I looked... I blinked... I looked carefully again and my hands dug into his palm.

"Is this for real Narasimha?" I whispered.

"Yes," he said, as I beheld Saturn in my field of view. "Look at the rings, can you see three?"

"Yes."

"Look for the dark bands between them, they are called Cassini divisions, named after the Italian astronomer, who is also credited with observing the red spot on Jupiter. The rings are actually multiple rings of pure ice with less than one percent of other impurities. They reflect light back on to Saturn making it look brighter... look for some moons, just as you did with Jupiter......"

I looked for a long long time. As the earth turned, Saturn moved away from my field. I adjusted the knobs to keep it in view.

I slumped to my knees on the rug we had placed inside the dome. I looked at him. "You touch my heart in too many ways," I said....

We knelt together, arms linked. I cannot remember who started this, I suspect it must have been me, but suddenly we were making love in the dome. I opened my eyes, to see Narasimha above me, his eyes closed, rapt in his love making. I looked to the shutters and Saturn was still visible, a pale yellow dot in a black sky. I felt the stirrings of an orgasm and I remembered the Kama Sutra which we had read together, 'When one lover nears climax and the other is still far away, it is wise to divert ones thoughts to some other pleasant things for a while......'

So I looked again at Saturn and tried to identify a star near it. Then I brought my attention back to Narasimha, and I willed him to come, tugging his hair with one hand keeping my other arm around him and pulling him close, meeting his rhythmic downward thrusts with my upward ones and as I felt him stiffen, I let myself go. Saturn, known as the maleficent one in many cultures, was our god of love, and a witness to our frenzied coupling.

"You said Saturn is the second most beautiful object in the solar system, which is the most beautiful?" I asked as we lay together. I thought I knew the answer but I wanted to hear it from him.

"Someday, I will show you that too," he whispered, looking dreamily at the sky as he pulled me closer to him. I had expected him to name Venus or some other heavenly body. Then I knew the gears in his mind were clicking and he was preparing yet another surprise for me.

I would look at Saturn many times again, with various filters that enhanced its various features, but the magic of the first time I would never feel again.

The monsoons had passed, the lakes were full when one weekend Narasimha took me to the wetlands, but not before equipping me with shin high rubber boots.

"It is possible we may venture into snake territory, we may encounter leeches and slugs, but I will keep you safe."

It was a long drive, we started while it was still dark and reached when dawn was breaking. I had his binoculars, he his camera and we could hear the incessant chirping of birds. We tread carefully, the land was moist and grassy, I kept my eyes in front, looking at every shrub, every tree, at rose-ringed parakeets that cried mynahs that shrieked, treepies that screamed, drongos that chattered and kingfishers that whistled. He held my arm tightly, he was obviously familiar with this trail and as we turned a bend, the path ahead cleared and opened itself to the shores of the lake that was pink. The waters were full of wading flamingos.

"Where did these come form Narasimha?" I asked, awed by that sea of pinks and whites.

"A good birder does not look only straight and around, one also needs to keep an eye on the sky," he said and pointed up. The sky too was full Flamingos, more of them and with them the painted storks and the pelicans, and the geese and the ducks.

"Walk slowly down to the water's edge, don't startle the birds and when you get close, the Flamingos will stop feeding and start to look at you. Stop then and go no further, turn around and look at me," he said.

I did what I was told and when I turned, he had his camera focussed on me. I spread my arms like wings and jumped, and his camera caught me with my hair in the breeze, flying amongst the flamingos.

We spent our time eating our picnic lunch and watching the birds, making notes, identifying breeding couples, looking for nests and of course kissing periodically. Kissing was a very important part of our togetherness, and I wondered how I had gone without it for so many years till this man walked into my life.

There were nests aplenty on the Acacia trees, they were safe because the thorns on their branches prevented the snakes from getting to the eggs and fledglings. I looked at the stork couple standing guard on the edges of their nest as their young fledgelings cried.

"They are safe from the snakes," I said,

"Nature is not so kind and springs it's surprises," he said, pointing to other nearby trees. Poised on top, looking greedily at the nests were the hawks and the eagles.

Narasimha taught me about bird migration, why it takes place, which species come from where, how they put on weight so that they can fly back using their stored energy. He taught me about the many dangers that lie in their path, from predators to storms, from transit halts that change as man invades nature, to power lines and glass skyscrapers, wars en-route, as well as scarcity of food....

"Only the best will survive, Neela, those with strength, initiative and pluck peppered with luck. Many will come back next year to these same nests that they have built, to breed a brood again. Some nests will remain empty or be commandeered by another."

As the lights faded, we picked up our stuff, checked carefully to see we were not leaving any plastic or garbage behind and walked back to our car. We drove in absolute silence as darkness fell, and then suddenly the harsh city lights were upon us.

Narasimha made a blow-up of my picture with the flamingos and hung it up in our portico. "It is my favourite chick pic," he said. I agreed.

Neela

Neela's schedule turned busy with her expansion plans. She had to visit the factory every day to supervise the installation of new machines and the building of a new storage hold in line with the expanded capacity.

We made breakfast together, and she carried a light packed lunch. We hired a part time cook from the same agency, her job was to come in at six in the evening and prepare dinner for us. It worked perfectly well and by the middle of December, she inaugurated her new facilities.

We were the usual crowd at the function, with Suman, though being in an advanced state of pregnancy, sat through the events pretty well and Neela threw a party for her staff. The staff were mostly from the underprivileged strata of society and they loved the food that Neela had organised.

I normally keep out of new year celebrations. While most hotels and restaurants organise great new year parties, with exotic food festivals and theme parties, the drunken revelry at these parties and then on the streets put me off. Neela agreed with me as she never favoured such boisterous celebrations either.

Suman's pregnancy had been progressing well, and while her due date was still away, as per the doctors advice, Neela had prepared a suitcase with her essentials, just in case she had to be rushed to the hospital at short notice.

We decided to have a small celebration at her place, just a simple meal, no liquor of any kind, and some great camaraderie. We met up at eight and had our dinner by nine and we were generally talking and being there for each other.

Some hospitals encourage husbands to be with their partners during the birthing process and some don't. We had been pushing Vivek to be in the delivery room, since Dr Shailaja had said that barring any emergency, Suman should have a normal delivery. She was happy with Suman's health and though Suman was approaching 40, things looked very good. Vivek of course was very nervous and we were happily pulling his leg. A few minutes later, Suman looked up at Vivek and said,

"Vivek, I think the baby wants to come out."

Vivek immediately called up the hospital, they asked us to bring her in and that her doctor will be called in too. With Suman and Vivek in the rear seats, Neela and I drove them carefully to the hospital. It took us some time, as there were much crowd and traffic on the streets. One street was full of revellers, and we stopped a beat constable who was patrolling on his bike. He called in his companion, then both of them turned on the sirens on their bikes and escorted us through the crowd, smiling and giving us a thumbs up as soon as we reached the hospital gates.