Knowing me, Knowing you...

A little over a year back my life gave way to an alteration of gargantuan proportions which left me a little out of breath. As I spun headlong into the complex yet intriguing world of the ‘married people’, I worried about my ability to identify and be a part of this tight knit clique. In addition, I was petrified at the mere thought of leaving the oddly comforting humdrum of life as I knew it. However, as much as I would have loved to sit around and mope about my soon-to-be-extinct, unattached, unrestrained existence, I had to forego that luxury and pull up my socks to brave an exceptionally chaotic year (what with a crazy project at work, the engagement, six glorious months in Europe and finally the colossal wedding). And before I knew it, just like that, doomsday was upon me. Needless to say, I was swept away like a single boat bouncing off un-tethered on the soaring waves of a flooded river.

When one is married to someone like Arjun Sharma, life instantly transmutes into an exhilarating Ferris wheel ride – all fears melt away as you step into a brightly coloured capsule, soaring and plummeting through time. On the outside he resembles one of those serious, bespectacled, gibberish speaking scientists, we often read about in sci-fi stories but scratch the surface and you will unearth an absolutely delightful and hilarious person - a fantastic mind, a closeted funny-man and a total madcap. Having said that, I can assure you that his infinite love for physics is no façade either. Let me elucidate. For one, there is no one else I can think of who would carry a book called ‘Introduction to Automobile Engines’ on a vacation to the gorgeous beaches of Goa. Imagine us stretched out on the soft sands of a beach in Mandrem, listening to the hypnotic music of crashing waves – Me, sipping the customary pretty cocktail (with a lemon wedge and a twirly straw) and Arjun, reading a menacingly thick book, from the deceptive bright green jacket of which stares an evil looking metallic contraption. Most people would find this image rather unnerving but strangely it amuses me each time I think about it.

We are no peas in a pod but there are some attributes we do share. To begin with, both of us sport a set of rather large ears, which jut out like levers waiting to be grabbed and twisted. Another trait that glues us firmly together is our supreme devotion to food. It is with him that I gallivant around town sampling every restaurant, bistro and bakery that we chance upon. Singing in loud, tone-deaf, unbridled notes gives us a bizarre kick and much to the consternation of our neighbors we indulge in it with the gusto of seasoned musicians. Arjun’s forte is an uncanny ability to make me laugh so hard that my stomach, lungs, kidneys and pretty much all other internal organs feel slightly askew for a few moments after the bout. This typically happens when he is either impersonating someone we know or imitating ludicrous dance steps from old music videos. Neither of us is a morning person. It takes numerous wake-up buzzers for us to accept the harsh reality of a weekday morning. The multiple alarms that we diligently set on our phones each night, blare shrilly at the crack of dawn and a ritualistic tug of war ensues resulting mostly in me being kicked out of bed. A never subsiding craving for jalebis and similar deep fried delicacies, a fascination with the delicious idea of idling in bed - watching the morning sun filter in through the window while sipping coffee and listening to old Hindi, ‘Chitrahaar’-type songs, a chronic addiction to movies from around the world as long as there are sub-titles to compensate, a wanderlust beyond belief and an urge to read and remember every tiny detail of world history are some of the common threads that weave us together in a vibrant fabric of camaraderie.

And then there are the dissimilarities. My constant chatter is usually met with an inscrutable far away gaze. On more than one occasion I have to repeat myself several times in varying decibels to yank Arjun out of his mysterious silent world only to realize that he has still not understood what I was saying. The organized world that I covet does not figure even at number 200 on his list of priorities. Not too long back, I remember walking into our tiny studio apartment in Palo Alto for the very first time to be greeted by a food processor perched on the coffee table and a heap of clothes, right out of the dryer, sitting pretty on the couch. Sheaves of paper, groaning under the weight of Arjun’s characteristic scrawl, littered the place. They were omnipresent – snuggled under the bed, lazing around on the floor, loafing on the kitchen counters as if waiting for a quick snack… It was an ‘Obsessed Organizer’s’ worst nightmare. What was even more perplexing was the fact that lines and lines of neat digits and symbols which marked these sheets made them look like letters from outer space – ‘Does he communicate with aliens’, I mused. While it took me some time to get used to the technical mumbo-jumbo that he spouts ever so often, I have now learnt to live with it. Shopping is another concept which we are divided on. I can spend hours in any retail outlet – a grocery store, a fancy mall or even a pet store but Arjun is one of those make-a-list-before-you-go-shopping-and-buy-only-what you-have-got-on-your-list kind of person. ‘How would you ever get to know what all is available if you keep buying the same things over and over again’, I argue, but then this is one of the times he pulls off his glassy eyed gaze which makes me throw my hands in the air and give up.

We laugh, bicker, talk, share silences, travel, stand still, grieve, rejoice and share many moments that crystallize into splendid memories. This is a tribute of sorts to all the fun times that we have had so far and a build-up to all the awesome times yet to come….