Broken Kite

This story happens in 2025

RAJ is happy today, his friend Sunaina is bringing her parents to meet him and he promised to bring his mother for the evening programme. He is a son of a single parent; his father deserted his mother when he was 3 months old in UK. So for him his mother is the icon, idol and godmother etc.......

He is given full freedom to move around in a big circle with family values, Anila feels what she thought was freedom, had put her in hot soup of managing her son alone in an unknown island not to forget the culture and values. She has explained everything to Raj when he was ten years old and did not hide anything away from him.

She gave a good care by using the carrot and the stick. He was praised in public and reprimanded in private.

With such care he is the real odd man out among his generation with lot of humility, and kindness! But this very nature made him the hero in his college; he developed friendship with Sunaina in one of the college programmes. Sunaina is a year junior to him. The nice friendship blossomed and both do not know the meaning of their friendship.

Anila is an ophthalmologist in a leading super speciality hospital in Delhi. Earlier she was in Hyderabad due to Raj’s college admission, she shifted to Delhi.

Sunaina is excited and for the first time she is going to be spending time with her parents, the current trend is to throw the kids to wolves and it all depends on their smartness how they keep the wolf away from the door! She came out as a smart kid with lot of freedom at her hand and meeting her parents once a week.

For her more than her mother, her father is a friend and a companion; she was all the time talking about Raj only, his nature, achievements, his jolly nature. He asked her the details regarding him all she knows about him is that he is known as RAJ, an all rounder in college with a big followers and he lives with his mother. Her father also is quite interested to see who this boy is. Any how he is looking forward to the meeting.

The fateful evening came, Anila was dressed in her regular Chanderi cotton sari with a single strand pearl set and matching earring. Both Anila and Raj set out to the function. As promised, Sunaina came with her parents and made them seated and left to work behind the stage.

The function got over and when the time to meet each other came, Anila was not to be seen. Sunaina introduced her parents and they all were having a nice time and trying to know each other, they were so busy in the conversation that they forgot about Raj's mother. Sunaina's mother interrupted the conversation turning to Raj, '‘Raj, where is your mother, are you not going to introduce her to us?'

'Sorry aunty, I am too much excited to see a full family that I forgot to introduce her”, 'excuse me', he tried calling out to his mom over the cell to know her whereabouts.

[Here I need to mention about the recent invention in cell phones, in 2025. By default all cell phone companies have come out with the Cell Cam , where by calling a person, one can view the other who picks up the phone and also the location , so one cannot cheat or give excuses that ‘'I am out of station, in the market or in office meeting'' ]

Anila sees the number and not in a mood to pick up tried cutting the call. Feeling strange ,Raj tries again and she picks up.

‘Hi mom, where are you, here Sunaina's parents are waiting to see you, could you come to the lounge next to the reception?'

Sorry Chotu, I am slightly feeling dizzy, perhaps not used to this noise and lights. I am in the car, waiting for you, do not worry, take your time, and I will wait for you. I have Zubin Mehta for my company. I am listening to him and feel I am going back to my old days in UK.

'Take care mom', 'I 'm bringing them to the car park', 'is it OK'?

‘No, dear, better next time, Pl apologize on my behalf, let's call them may be next week'.

OK, that's a good idea!'

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In the car, Anila does not speak much and Raj also understands her, it is nothing unusual for her to maintain silence.

But Anila was undergoing a big agitation in her mind, and not able to come to terms with her destiny, does not want Raj to lose his heart, at the same time she cannot hide what she has seen there.

Her mind goes back to flashback..........

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Anila, an Andhraite, started her life with Jogi Thakur in London, and that was the beginning of live-in relationship time in early two tens. [2010] both were happy with this kind of arrangement, and she accidentally conceived and gave birth to a son who is our hero RAJ.

One fine day Jogi received the information that his parents were admitted in the hospital due to the fire accident in Kolkata. He went to claim the body of his father in India, his mother with 80 percent burns, struggling to live. There he was forced to marry to fulfil his mother’s last wish and he just ignored Anila and he never responded to her mail or phone call.

She tried her best and though they were friends for nearly four years she never bothered to know about his family or his Indian address. It was a taboo in live- in -relationship to get into details; it shows discourtesy and intrusion.

One fine day Jogi came to see her and explained his plight and asked to forget his part in her life and told her casually that she should lead her life on her own.

She pleaded and cried and did all sort to convince him but his only words of comfort were, 'forgive me and forget me’.

She gathered courage and shamelessly told her parents about Jogi in her life and how she was left to fend for herself, though it was a shock to them, they accepted her for what she was , she is their only child and a rebel in the family.

Soon she gave up and joined them in Hyderabad.

Till today her life was going in full swing, she cursed herself, why she agreed to go to meet Sunaina’s parents, if she had not gone she wouldn’t have to disappoint Raj.

When she saw a family of three, with Raj, she thought it was good that in this era, people have family values and meet to please others, in her case she has to meet alone.

With this thought in mind, she walked two rows behind them and she was shocked to hear the husky voice from the front row, it just whipped her memory back,…..How can she forget this husky, sexy voice, one of the reasons to fall in love was this one. She tried to get closer to have a look at the owner of the voice, and lo it was none other than her ditcher!

Oh god what‘s happening? How am I tell Raj about this, how would he take this?

If she does not say the truth, if at all he is in love, he cannot marry his sister, if not it is well and good. He can just give the name as sisterly love!

She has to tell him the meaning of his name that is RAJ R for Rahul, his first name, A for Anila, her name being a mother, and J for Jogi, his father’s name. No one noticed the three names in his initials, and actually out of convenience, called him RAJ! One of the requirements in L-I-R to name the child.

Anila is in state of shock and not able to decide whether to reveal the truth to Rahul, if so how and when, with this question in mind she goes to sleep.

Pl, readers decide and give a solution to her, help her get sleep.

PS. With this story, I would like to express what is in store for this live-in-relationships., firstly claiming/ disowning the parenthood is going to be messy, many breakups, re union, and chances of sis, bros involving in relationships are not ruled out and avoiding them is a remote chance.

Family values and culture will be put behind lifestyle, when I was reading the news paper an idea struck, this is the out come.

Same way I will not be surprised to see the invention I mentioned regarding the cell phones coming true !