I met Pranshi in the early morning light. I had arrived with a heart full of rehearsed arguments, but my anger evaporated the moment I saw the regret in her eyes. I didn’t want to waste time. I got straight to the point and asked her if she truly wanted to be in this relationship.

“Yes, I want to be with you,” she whispered.

“Then why did you go to Rony?” I asked. “Did you think my love for you was a joke?”

“I’m so sorry,” she said, her voice trembling. “It was a grave mistake—one I never should have made. I was confused, and I let Ritu influence me into talking to Rony.”

“Ritu,” I spat. The name alone felt bitter, “What kind of friend is that? I’m surprised she’s even in your life, let alone your ‘best’ friend. What kind of person advises someone to play with another person’s emotions?”

She kept her head down as I continued. “Whether you stay or leave is up to you, but I’m telling you now: stay away from her. She isn’t respected by anyone, yet you value her advice above everything else.”

She nodded silently, seemingly taking the warning to heart. Then she looked up, her gaze searching mine. “Do you actually want to be with me,” she asked, “or do you just want to rebuke me?”

“Things have gone too far,” I admitted. “I’m in a precarious situation now. I don’t know how to leave you, but I don’t know how to trust you, either.”

“You can do whatever you need to do,” she replied, her eyes welling up with tears. “But I promise you—I will never cheat on you again.”

she wanted to be with me only

Her words struck a chord deep within me. Despite everything, I was relieved and happy that she chose to be loyal. From that day on, our bond seemed stronger than ever. She even gave me her Facebook login details, and in my over-possessiveness, I made it a ritual to check her account every night before I went to sleep.

With exams over and a two-month wait for our results, we had nothing but time. We met every morning under the guise of a walk and spent the rest of the day talking on the phone. Gradually, my grudges vanished, replaced by a genuine sense of happiness.

Sometimes her elder sister would join us, and the three of us would chat for hours about school teachers, sports, movies, and everything in between. In the evenings, we’d head out to enjoy street food together.

During this time, Rony tried to resurface. He called Pranshi, pleading with her to start a secret relationship with him. But after everything we had been through, Pranshi remained committed and ignored his advances. Eventually, Rony gave up and moved on.

Having spent so much energy rebuilding the relationship, I felt it was finally time to chill out. I decided it was the perfect moment to head to Bhubaneswar to visit my maternal uncle.

a meet with sumay Uncle…

My aunt and uncle were very happy to see me when I arrived. My uncle, Swastik, is a practitioner of Vaishnavism and a devotee of Lord Krishna. Whenever I visit, he shares stories of Krishna’s pastimes; they are always adventurous and engaging, and I’ve had a genuine interest in them since I was a child. I had planned to stay with them for a week.

Two days into the trip, he took me to meet his cousin, Sumay. I had heard from other relatives that Sumay-uncle was a sincere devotee, though I rarely saw him at family gatherings.

When we entered his home, I noticed a very peaceful atmosphere. Soft music was playing in the background, and the walls were decorated with beautiful pictures of Lord Krishna.

The sound of mantras seemed to reach every corner of the house. As I was looking around, my grandmother—Sumay-uncle’s mother—came out of the kitchen.

She gave me a warm, affectionate hug and asked how I and my parents were doing. After chatting with her for a few minutes, I asked where I could find Sumay-uncle.

“He’s upstairs in his room,” she said.

I went up and knocked. He was on the phone but gestured for me to come in. When he finished his call, he greeted me with a warm smile and a hug. We chatted for a bit until my aunt-his wife-called us down for lunch.

After we ate, Sumay-uncle and I went back to his room to relax. Out of nowhere, he asked, “What is the goal of your life?”

I was caught off guard. Since I was a kid, I had always pictured myself being wealthy and living comfortably, but I hadn’t actually thought about a specific life goal. “I want to be rich and live a luxurious life,” I replied.

“That’s fine,” he said. “But how do you plan on becoming rich?”

“By working hard and doing well in my studies,” I said.

He laughed softly. “And you think that’s enough to make you rich?”

“I think so. Once I finish my education, I’ll start a business,” I explained.

“I see,” he said. “Just make sure you choose your goal wisely.”

“What do you mean by that?” I asked.

He then began telling me about his own college days and how he eventually figured out his purpose in life. He also shared stories from his time in Australia during his post-graduation. We talked for about an hour before I eventually drifted off for a nap.

In the evening his friends gathered at his house. They played different musical instruments and chanted mantras loudly in front of the temple room which had deity of Lord Krishna and other personalities.

That evening, his friends gathered at the house. They brought out musical instruments and began chanting mantras loudly in front of the temple room, which housed beautiful deities of Lord Krishna. They were singing and jumping with their hands raised in the air. Their enthusiasm was infectious, and before I knew it, I was up on my feet, chanting and dancing right along with them. I didn’t really understand why they were so happy, but in that moment, I didn’t care.

After thirty minutes of dancing, the kirtan ended. Everyone was sweating, but they looked completely satisfied. My aunt brought out glasses of sweet lassi and plates of chips. Sumay-uncle sat down next to me, still smiling. “That was our evening rock-out kirtan,” he said. “Did you enjoy it?”

I nodded, smiling back. “Yes, I loved it.”

A little while later, his friends invited me into a room where carpets had been spread across the floor. There was a special seat set up for my uncle. One of the men offered me a seat and some snacks.

“What’s happening now?” I whispered.

“It’s a spiritual class,” he replied with a wink. “We’re going to have some fun.”

Uncle entered and took his seat. He played a recorded chant on a speaker, and everyone sang along in unison. Once the music faded, he looked around the room. “Does anyone have questions about spiritual life or any personal problems?”

His friends started asking some questions and he answered them. I was just sitting there and listening to him.

His friends began asking various questions, and I sat back, listening to him explain things. Then, someone in the group spoke up: “Who is God, exactly? We see so many different gods being worshipped in different temples.”

“Lord Krishna is the origin of everything,” Sumay-uncle answered. “He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Others are his manifestations—the demigods—and we must offer our respect to all of them.”

Hearing those words, I was immediately taken back to a moment from my childhood. I remembered my mother feeding me by hand, narrating stories from the Mahabharata and Ramayana. I had asked her that very same question back then, and her answer had been identical to his.

I really enjoyed the class. As it ended, my granny turned to Swastik-uncle and me. “Why don’t you both stay the night? You can head back tomorrow.”

Swastik-uncle looked at me. “Do you want to stay?”

I just smiled and nodded; I wasn’t ready to leave yet. That night, we all had dinner together, sharing stories and laughs. The next morning, the house was quiet and peaceful as Sumay-uncle performed the morning worship of the deities in the temple room.

By my second day at Sumay-uncle’s house, I realized something surprising: I had hardly thought about Pranshi since I arrived. The atmosphere here had completely occupied my mind. Suddenly, my phone buzzed—it was her. She was upset that I hadn’t been in touch, but after a few minutes of talking and some gentle words to pacify her, things calmed down.

Finally, the time came to say my goodbyes to Sumay-uncle.

As I was leaving, Sumay-uncle said, “You are about to re-enter the territory of Maya—the world of illusion. Once you’re back there, you might feel like something is missing. But I would love for you to come back soon and stay for a week or two.”

I didn’t really understand what he meant at the time. It was only later, when I faced the cold realities of life, that his words began to make sense. I left his home with a heart full of good memories and returned to Swastik-uncle’s house. A couple of days later, I traveled back to my hometown.

With a month left of the holidays, Pranshi and I spent a lot of time together. We visited nearby places and simply enjoyed each other’s company.

I found myself letting go of her past mistakes, and our relationship grew much closer. Eventually, our friends found out we were together, and they all seemed happy for us.

Finally, the day arrived for our results to be released.

We both passed with good grades, and our families were proud of our performance.

Because of my interest in science and math, I enrolled in an intermediate science school. Pranshi chose to pursue a diploma in engineering at a different institution.

Our career paths were diverging, but we were relieved that both of our schools were still in the same city.

One day, a friend of mine shared a warning: “She isn’t very mature yet. She’s going to a new school where she’ll meet many different people, and that might cause friction between you two. Just be careful.” I didn’t take him seriously; I was convinced that nothing could come between Pranshi and me.

But things didn’t go the way I had planned.

Slowly, the affection we had for each other began to twist into anger, and eventually, into hatred.

Stay tuned to know how things went sour…