The Lost Lovers of Malgudi

She lived in a village named Malgudi. Malgudi got the name for its beautiful lake found in the centre of the village. Tourists came to visit Malgudi Lake and thus the village was prominent in the country.

Mumtaz was a young student and was the timid type of girl who walked with her eyes always looking at the earth. When communicating with someone she seldom looked at the person but talked shyly still looking down. She had a very beautiful smile, lovely eyes, and fair complexion with very good manners and well cultured. Grown up in a Hindu family she was a true believer in God.

She was everyday traveling by bus to go to college. The bus left the town of Chindipur which was about 10 kilometres from Malgudi, and passed in her village to go to another town in the east of the country. Everyday at 8.15 sharp she was on the bus stop near her house to catch the bus. In the bus almost every day she gets standing place to travel as it comes full from Chindipur. Now a young man gave her, his seat about four times in the week. And this young man started looking for her when the bus reaches the Malgudi bus stop. From Malgudi to Mumtaz’s college the distance was only 12 kilometres, and it was covered within 20 minutes by the bus. Now that young man, named Rameez, started looking outside as soon as the bus nears that bus stop where she gets in the bus, and on seeing her stepping in he stands up so that she could come to sit. This started a week when she was standing and the bus braked abruptly to avoid hitting a dog and Mumtaz fell on Rameez who was sitting. Then she excused herself and Rameez stood up and asked her to sit on his seat. She was refusing but Rameez insisted and she sat down thanking him. Rameez stood close to her and was admiring her hands and hair….


This day when she got in the bus, Rameez as usual stood up and she came to sit with a coy smile. She did not even look at him properly since that day. As she always had her head bent down, she did not dare to look in his face. He was still a stranger for her. Rameez wished to talk to her, but he was not getting the appropriate opportunity. Soon the bus reached her college and she alighted the bus and Rameez sat back on the seat she vacated. And once Mumtaz was out she looked inside the bus to see if she could notice him, but the bus moved and she was not able to see. But Rameez saw her so well; it was the first time that he found her looking back inside the bus. He smiled to himself and was lost in thinking about her hand and hair he admired a while ago. He had to alight just 3 stops after her college. Many times in his lunch time he wished to come to make a round near her college, but he held himself.

On the other hand, Mumtaz was wondering where that young man could be going? Where could he be working as he is usually dressed in tie and suit? Mumtaz despite her found herself thinking of that young man who was only a stranger traveler of the same bus. She did not know why the whole day the young passenger who gave her his seat remained in her mind.
She was back from school and she even expected to find the young man while returning but that never happened. That day at home she kept on thinking of him. She talked to herself “Oh why is he not leaving my memory? Where could he be working? At what time will he be returning back? Is he also thinking of me like I am?” and she got an idea. It was by then 4.20 PM. She went to the shop which was just at the bus stop, to buy something. She knew the time the buses returns from the east town in the afternoons, rather all the village people of Malgudi knew the time of every bus. There Rameez was returning home from work and was sitting on the side of that bus stop where she gets in the bus. Everyday he expects to see her in the evening, and he was looking out and there, when Mumtaz found the bus returning she went on the bus stop which was on the opposite side as the bus was this time returning to Chindipur. And just when the bus reached there, there was a big truck in front of the bus and it got to stop. And Mumtaz blushed when she saw him looking at her with a pleasant smile. Rameez was very happy as that was the first time his prayer was answered and he saw her even when returning home. The truck in the front of the bus was not moving still and the driver was getting nervous and started horning, Rameez kept his eyes on her, she was now not in her college uniform but in a dress and she started walking, again looking downwards. But she lifted her head thrice to look at him and he was pleased and he waved at her and she gave a little smile. Thousands of thoughts started tormenting Mumtaz and she quickened her steps to home. Rameez, in the bus felt very happy and relaxed and smiled to himself. Deep inside him he felt so light at that time.

At night he slept with her in his mind and there Mumtaz was undergoing the same situation. They were in love. From both side it was the same feelings and attention towards each other. But how will they proceed? Was there an issue?

The next day, Mumtaz got ready earlier than usual and was waiting for the bus fifteen minutes earlier.

There in the bus, Rameez got in and took the seat and impatiently waited to reach Malgudi. And at last when the bus reached Malgudi, Rameez, was impatient to see her, and she too was eager to see him standing to give her his seat. And it happened like everyday, she got in looked in his face shyly and he smiling stood up to give her the seat.

But this day something unexpected happened. The passenger sitting near her alighted on the next bus stop and immediately Rameez sat near her!

Hmm, there they were! For the first time, together. But they had only twenty minutes to talk. Will they able to say all they had to? New lovers are impatient and quite shy as far as it’s said.

Anyhow, Rameez started the conversation.

-Hi I am Rameez, I live at Chindipur and work at the State Bank, in the town your college is. I know you go to the State College there and I presume you are a student of class 12.

Mumtaz, timid as she was, did not move her head a little bit and was red. Her cheeks, nose and ears as though would spit blood out. She deep inside her was happy that he was speaking to her but she was too shy to reply. Her heart pounded hard and she could hear her own heartbeats. Rameez had to bend down completely to look in her face to request a reply. When she found him in that position she smiled and lifted her head a little bit a smiled at him. She put her finger to her teeth and said very shyly and softly said, “I am Mumtaz, and live here.”
Rameez teased her saying, “You live here, in the bus?” she laughed and answered, “No I mean I live at Malgudi” and she continued laughing hiding her face in her hands. And Rameez continued talking, “You know Mumtaz, I will be very honest to you, I am very eager to see you everyday and I impatiently wait for the bus to reach Malgudi so that I could see you and feel your presence around me. I feel restless till I don’t see you and while returning, I always expect to see you around at Malgudi but only once did I see you. Please do me a favour, be there every afternoon when I would be going back home from work so that I could see you and spend my evening and night by visualising the way I saw you while returning. Will you?”

Mumtaz listened to him attentively and nodded. It is said that girls take all their time to say the words of their heart or never say it at all. The first step should be done by men so Rameez did it and Mumtaz kept all her words within herself. But all was understood from both parties. Rameez tried to touch her hands, but she pulled them back fast. He smiled and teased, “They won’t get dirty by my touch” she felt regrets and herself put her hands in his! It was cute and romantic movements from her side. At least she did an effort. And Rameez was there to seize the opportunity and held her hands firmly in his till she reached her college. Before leaving the seat she whispered in his ears, “I will not be at the bus stop when you return, look for me near the lake, I will be waiting to see you in the bus, do sit by the left side so that I can see you.”

‘Great!!’thought Rameez. He was very happy and felt flying in the air. He felt like shouting. It was the happiest moment of his life he felt. But thousands more moments like that will come through his love affair he thought to himself.

Well after that day they both started seeing each other very often. At her lunch time he went to see her for fifteen minutes, in the morning they met for twenty minutes and in the evening they saw each other for about three minutes. And gradually they started seeing on weekends. And then on Sundays she went to see him when she went to the church for Sunday mass. They were by then attached to each other and were inseparable. Their love went on growing and they were feeding it.

The promises to live for each other, the dreams of building their home, having kids and all that were their talks lost in love. He said he wanted to have a daughter and she argued to have a son. But she accepted to his desires as she loved him too much she told him. So she will prefer what he prefers. He hugged her tightly when she said those words.

But fate had decided things other ways for them. Her father learnt about her love affair by other persons. Love can’t be hidden it is said and by mouth to mouth words of their love spread all around Malgudi. Her father had grown her up after her mother’s death 5 years ago and was very possessive. He questioned her and when she told him, his name was Rameez she got a heavy slap followed by a second and third one. She was crying on the bed, and her father called her aunt who lived at Shundi which was 50 kilometres away in the south.
Within the next hour a car stopped in front on their house and a woman and two men came out and got inside Mumtaz’s house. Her father talked to them in another room for some time and the woman came in her room looking at her with weird eyes. Mumtaz was crying and pleaded not to take her anywhere. Her aunt started packing her clothes and personal belongings. She was restless and did not know what to do. She wanted to run away shouting, she cried loudly and yelled to her dad “I love him and will love him till I die, nobody can separate me from him, I want to go to him, please let me go, I am born free so I need freedom papa, its my life let me decide what to do with it why are you deciding for me?”

Soon she was in her aunt’s house. They had closed her in a room which was locked from outside. She felt like suffocating. She felt her heart missed beats. She cried and cried and named Rameez’s name as though she was reciting a prayer. The more she cried the more the pestered her. Her aunt talked to her telling her that she is Christian and he is Muslim that’s why the problem arose and her dad will never accept it. She advised her by telling her to forget and she will find a handsome Christian boy for her.

Five days passed by. She was only thinking of her love Rameez. What will Rameez think when he will not see me, he will be sad, he will worry, he will look for me everyday in the bus, he will go to college at lunch time and search for me. He will get no replies, he will not understand, he will suffer. “Oh my God help me out. How will I contact my love.” She pleaded.

The five days on seeing her quiet and not rebel her aunt opened the door of the room and asked her in the lounge to watch a Video. She pretended to be quiet so that they will allow her freedom. And a golden opportunity appeared to her when somebody came to talk to her aunt outside. She dialled Rameez’s Number. A female voice replied “Who are you?” she did not know what to say but her time was limited so she pleaded to make her talk to Rameez as it was very urgent. The voice on the other side said “I am Rameez’s sister, don’t you know about Rameez? Who are you? Are you his friend?” Mumtaz did not know what to say and enquired what she meant by her words. Her reply shocked her and was like a heavy current voltage in her brain.

Rameez’s sister said “Rameez died three days ago, killed by a man from Malgudi who is in jail.”

It was her father who did that. She lost her senses, was seen in an asylum after some days.

Today it’s being 12 years since that happened but still if you pass by Malgudi and see a girl by Malgudi lake talking to trees, flowers, butterflies and the lake, do know she is Mumtaz. She still looks for Rameez in the buses passing by.