The Love Game: Episode 6

 

Woh chand tha kabhi

Kabhi raaton ka jagta hua taara tha aankhon woh

Bhey gaya kashti ke jaisa

Neutral energy ban gaya tha woh

Name: Jay

Age: 32

City: Indore

About him: I am good at blowing dad’s money. In Mumbai for a day.

Jahnvi laughed and swiped right. “It’s a match,” Tinder notified. This guy was from Indore so no chance running into him again.

“Hi babay” Jay messaged

“Babay?” Jahnvi couldn’t stop laughing at this guy. She pinged, “Yo, hi Jay. Where in Mumbai are you right now? Drinks tonight?”

“Ladki jo saamne se drinks puche, kaise mana karey ye awaara dil? Jay pinged back

This guy is hilarious. I have to meet him. She pinged, “Okay meet you at Gokul at 7pm tonight. See you.”

Jay, “Sure babay. I will, hazir ho jaunga main at 7pm.”

Ever since that call from Sim the other night, Jahnvi was on a trip. She downloaded Tinder, the next morning, after the call and swiped right mindlessly. She had decided, if to stop loving Prantik meant she had to lose herself in the noise, she would do it. But she wouldn’t look back anymore. Besides, this Tinder was fun. Total distraction from her bleak reality and she never made the mistake of dating anyone from Mumbai.

Jahnvi was spread on her bed. Face downward, legs dangling in the air, she was busy swiping right on Tinder. She was determined and was going to live her best life from now. She got up and got ready for a hot shower.

Stuffing her face with cheese sandwiches, her mother worried about her ever growing weight, she just smiled at her, grabbed a tissue from across the dinner table and cleaned the smear of ketchup from her mouth. Her parents just stared at her. Drifting away from them slowly was their daughter.

After a hearty breakfast, Jahnvi sat at her writing desk. Closed her eyes and focused on that one issue she really wanted to talk about. This came to her:

Me too for men too

One in 71 men are sexually abused everyday on average, across the world. Almost 42% males go without complaining about it. In a patriarchal society, men are not used to be seen as victims which makes it even more difficult for them to come forward and report a criminal offence against them.

The litany of the court drama and a bias jury against male victims is not an encouraging factor for men to report abuse. Then the shame and pointed fingers, just like the society treats a woman victim, come flashing in their minds and they go about their daily lives drenched in shame and trauma.

The #MeToo movement savaged nations and broke the chain of patriarchy in most nations, but something like ours, India still is deprived of powerful voices coming out and openly tearing apart the subjugation of victim’s lives at the hands of accidental or planned living murders of woman victims.

So male rapes are a far cry from the current scenario in India.  In an emotionally backward nation that hears a woman’s plea in court but dare not say a male’s abuse because the fragile justice system in our nation is not prepared to take up courses of criminal offences like rape for men.

Would you support a male for crying abuse? #MeTooForMenToo

With that, Jahnvi mailed her article on male abuse to her editor. She was busy rolling a joint, satisfied with her piece in two years, she was enjoying some good deep house in her room when her editor called.

“Jahnvi what have you sent me?!” Her editor exclaimed.

“Can you run it in the city edition for tomorrow morning?” Jahnvi said confident about the  article that was sure to turn heads up in attention to a prevalent but hushed situation in our country.

“Yes, okay. But you changed your beat and didn’t even tell me? You’re a lifestyle writer Jahnvi. You’re sure you want to talk about constitutional rights? Her editor asked a little nervous.

“Sure as hell. Okay gotta go. I have a date in sometime.” Jahnvi said blowing a ring in the air.

“You’ve changed Jahn.” Her editor said sadly.

“You mean hardened and facing the world raw?” Jahnvi snapped

“Whatever, I’ll run it in the city edition. Will call you tomorrow with a city reporting assignment. “ Her editor flagged off and hung up.

She turned the music loud to her current favorite track and yes, she binged on some chips and milkmaid first then got into her Xl track pants from Nike and chose a bomber jacket with slip-ons and got ready to drink to numbness in the night.

“Mom, I’ll be late. Don’t wait up for me. I’ve got the house keys.” Jahnvi yelled from the door.

She hailed a cab and told the driver to drive around town before reaching her Colaba. She lit a cigarette. She put on her earphones and blasted the music from her ten year old Ipod that made even the driver turn around and notice her. Jahnvi smiled and looked out of the window to an endless summer.

“Hi Babay!” Jay signaled her towards where he was waiting for her at the entrance of the bar. Jahnvi laughed and waved to him.

“Kya baat hai, photo main to tu pari lagti hai aur real main bouncer babay.” Jay said joking.

Jahnvi laughed harder. She didn’t mind his remark because she didn’t care about public opinions anymore. She said, “So Jay, are we drinking till we pass out tonight?” Jay stared at her for a long moment and then smiled and said, “The bar’s open to explore.”

They drank, half the time Jahnvi was busy laughing at Jay’s Haryanvi type of hindi and she was thoroughly enjoying the fact that she could just forget her past and be present in this moment, drinking to solvency with this complete stranger!

“So Jay let’s light one.” Jahnvi said removing a joint from her sling.

“Ladki peeti hai ladko ki tarah, joint maarti hai minister ki tarah. Haahahaa!” Jay laughed this time and they left the bar.

They took a cab and Jay told the driver to take them to Vivanta. They reached the hotel and drank and smoked some more in the room. Dancing to Chikni Chameli, Jay held Jahnvi and asked her, “Kisse bhaag rahi hai chori?” Jahnvi stopped smiling. She settled on the bed and said, “You don’t need to know anything Jay. It’s just tonight and in the morning after dark you and I are strangers.” Jahnvi slurred her words. Jay took another long look at her and then settled in bed next to her.

“You have, read kiya hai Secret book, main, I read a lot.” Jay said politely.

“Oh my god okay stop talking and just dive into bed.” Jahnvi said drunk out of her mind.

“Emotional bondage hai chori ko.” Jay said.

“So you’re smart too tier 2!” Jahnvi joked and they both laughed and savoured the momentary bliss of ecstasy that melted not just her pain of being away from Prantik but also dissolved her old self a little more into mud in her living coffin of being alive in her physical alter ego.

The next morning at 4 am Jahnvi left the hotel and walked home. She felt like she was losing her roots. Slowly but surely she didn’t recognize herself anymore. She thought that was what she wanted. To lose herself in the crowd of uncaring people and indifferent opinions. Nothing mattered to her anymore. She thought she was happy.

“You’ve lost her dumbfuck! We’ve all lost her Prantik you fuck!” Sim yelled over the phone to Prantik.

Prantik worried, nervously asked what had happened and Sim told her about Jahnvi thoughtlessly dating randomly on Tinder and writing for the city beat and binge eating in extreme in depression.

“I am coming.” Prantik hung up and booked the first flight to Mumbai.