The Men in My Life

Raju Gopal Shetty: My Father

He was a complete foodie. Even in places of worship, he’d invariably be busy searching for good non-veg hotels. My love for non-veg food, short-temper & impatience comes from him. He pampered & spoilt me silly.

I was beaten the least. As a child, I used to do ‘susu’ at the very sight of the cane. The red lines on the legs & hands, on the rare occasions that I was beaten, used to last for days. The physical pain seemed to increase with all our combined howling. Lateron, the sisak sisak ke rona. I wanted to grow up as fast as I could to escape the corporal punishment.

He passed away on 11th Jan ’97. I didn’t cry or mourn or miss him that much, at least not as much as I was expected to! But I missed him a lot when I got married. Later, when my mother-in-law hurt me, I missed him some more. I wanted him to beat her black & blue! Had he been alive, he would’ve scared the day lights out of her.

I live in hope Pappa. Hope you’ll “deal” with her in hell.

Santosh: My Virgo Brother

My one & only brother. Younger than me by 3 years & older than Sathya by 2 months!! Very reserved & polite. He can do no harm to anyone. Minds his own business. Has few friends; all of them life-long friends. Extremely sensitive. Especially to what others say. Many times, I’d say something completely harmless & he’d be hurt & stop speaking to me for weeks & months! And I wouldn’t even know what hurt him in the 1st place! My mother always mediated.

Now that she is no more, & he has stopped talking again, I’m waiting for a miracle to break the ice between us.

Binu: My Taurean First Love

I met him in ‘95. I was 18. He was exactly 2 years, 2 months, 2 days older than me! We were class-mates in college, degree. We fell in love & stayed committed to one another for almost 8 years. Till 2005!! The year I married Sathya. I don’t regret it.

I only feel very sad, even now, when I think of the immense hurt I caused his parents. Chachan & ammachi loved me like their daughter, not (future) daughter-in-law. I hurt them a lot by my decision. They gave me lots of love. I gave them pain. I am very sorry.

I’ve already suffered for that – thanks to my mother-in-law. Maine apne karmo ke phal isi janam mein bhugat liye. Ab naye janam mein nayi kahani – happy wali kahani :) . Hopefully!

Kishore: My Virgo Friend

We met in Mangalore University. He was my senior from the Journalism department. He had feelings for me & wanted to marry me but I just couldn’t reciprocate. He was extremely hard-working, persevering & honest. To this day, I respect him a lot & hold dear the sincerity of his affections for me.

After passing out, he mostly corresponded through letters. I used to read & reread his letters because they were all written in impeccable Kannada. Each letter was a masterpiece. I used to also gape at his handwriting. It was so amazing you’ll marvel at its beauty. Sadly, I was forced to cut off all contacts with him. Last I heard, he had reported for his first posting as a Sub-Inspector of Police.

Shivaraj: My Aries Friend

He was my friend’s boyfriend’s friend. We met in Bangalore in April. I was in 2nd year degree. He was in sales with Johnson & Johnson. I met his wife & daughter years later in their home in Shimoga.

There are relationships that don’t lend themselves to any labels or names. I consider him my soul mate. He could decode my slightest gesture, a twitch, a movement of the eye. We’d instinctively understand one another. I am happy to have known him. We lost contact over the years.

Sathya: My Scorpio Husband

A separate blog post for him.

Shaadi ke 5 saal baad bhi thoda chaplusi karna padtha hai. Kya Karen? :))