Aaksham was a romantic at heart and he liked travelling and photography was his passion....Although he had stayed out of the country getting his education from UK he still came back to his roots as he once sayed "that what this country of our's has to offer to a traveller, no other country in the world can match it and a single lifetime is not enough to explore it".I could say nothing but agree with Aaksham.He recently joined an ad agency as the creative head and his skills as an photographer was an added advantage to him at his work.Although he was staying in Delhi now, but he found enough reasons to escape to explore places that many of us would think twice before embarking on a journey .The basic things that people check out like the kind of hotels available or the quality of food did not bother him much and probbaly thats the reason that he could carry a ruksack and a camera and move out.
I came to know Aaksham when we met while I too was spending my vacation in Darjeeling. I had just started photography as an hobby and brought a Cannon EOS1000D in the hope of someday mastering the art.But its not that easy and Aaksham guessed I was an ammature when he saw me struggling to get the right angles while capturing the sunrise from Tiger Hill...Thats how we got talking and are still in touch.
He's not the same person anymore and there's a strong reason for it...The currents of emotions that he has supressed in his heart has changed the once happy go luck traveller into a loner oblivious of his sorroundings and happenings.I will quickly try to describe what made this change happen without getting too much into the details as I strongly feel it a personal domain that I may be trespassing.
Aaksham came to Darjeeling three dyas before me but I checked in the same hotel as his "Mount View".The hotel carried this name as almost every window of its gave a brethtaking view of the snow capped peaks of the Kunchenjunga and with the first rays of sun kissing them the view is something that could even inspire the most unromantic person to admire nature at its best.
From the very first day when I went down to the hotel restaurant for dinner I saw Aaksham sharing the table with a girl.I thought just another newly wed couple on their honemoon maybe but soon came to know that they just met on the way while taking the jeep ride from Siliguri.Later Aaksham told me that they started talking and luckily for both of them the girls parents checkd in the same hotel as his-now ours.The girl was called Chhaya and was beauty personified.It was obvious that sparks were flying from both sides as the excitement in thier eyes was visible whenevr both of them met either in the hotel or walking down the Mall road..
Aaksham later told me that he was teaching Chhaya some tips on photography and they both planned to vist the nearby hills to capture some shots of the excellent scenic beauty that Drajeeling offered.It was almost three days that I arrived in Darjeeling but I could not have enough of it having stayed in Delhi getting myself roasted in 44 degrees. For Aaksham it was close to a week now but he had no intention of leaving any soon as he told me over dinner that he plans to go to Gangtok from there.He persued me to accompany him but I had a job to save back in Delhi.I told him to get in touch and after exchanging our e-mail id and phone numbers I retired for the night to be able to catch my flight from Bagdogra the next morning.
I later came to know what he went through when we met in Delhi once at an photography exhibition at the Ashoka.I charged him straight away for not keeping in touch and not even bothering to reply to my mails which finally made him come out with this shcoking revelation.
The day I had my flight to Delhi Aaksham and Chhaya had planned to spend the day together and later capture the sunset from Tiger Hill.He waited all day to hear from her and soon came to know from the hotel that Chhaya along with her family had gone in early morning to a temple 30kms away and should be back by 12pm as they had availed the transportation from the hotel.He was disapponted as it meant half of the day was a waste but still cheered himself up with the thought that he still has the other half to spend.He had a qucik bite as since morning he had not had anything waiting for her.After spending some time in the hotel he moved out again with the camera swinging on his shoulders.He started towards Tiger Hill to capture the view and wait for Chaaya.Soon evening feel and the sun started slowly dissappering in the distant horizon.Chhaya had not yet come and his wish to capture the sunset slowly started sinking.It was quiet dark now and finally he diecide to go to the hotel not knowing what made Chhaya ditch him this way.
Aaksham saw small group of people discussing something in a huddle almost in every corner that he passed on his way to the hotel.It made him curious to know what has happend.He went staright to the reception and asked if anything was wrong.What he heard changed him and his persona completely from that moment.It seemed as if he froze and everything happening around him was unreal and fake.
Finally the recptionist offered him a glass of water and said that "the jeep Mr. gupta and his family were travelling collided with an army truck the driver having lost control while returning back to Drajeeling....Not a soul survived"...
From that day he never saw another sunset or wished to capture it as for him the sun had set forever taking along it his Chhaya...
:( :( makes me wanna cry...very touching...
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