SHADOWS OF PLEASURE
(By Subbaram Danda)
Pratima was a brilliant student doing her final semester M.B.A. at a reputed institution in Jamshedpur. She had just been selected at the campus interview by a renowned multinational corporation for a plum job. She was sorry that after her examinations she would have to leave all that she loved there -- the sylvan surroundings, broad avenues and classic-style buildings. Her great consolation was that her job was in her native city of Chennai.
She heard that her office was in a posh new complex with all modern facilities on the outskirts of the city. She would have a well-furnished cabin exclusively for herself. A car would pick her up in the morning and drop her back in the evening. Her perks, increments and all-paid vacations were the best in the industry.
Back in Chennai, Pratima joined duty immediately. Her boss was a decent man and talented too. An interesting feature was that more than half of the employees were women. Quickly she made friends with several of them, though she was not against men. In the first week itself, she completed a task given to her exceedingly well and received a “well-done” note from her boss. She felt she was in the right place and wanted to enjoy the carefree life of a single as long as possible.
Marriage proposal
She was taken aback one evening when her parents raised the subject of her marriage. “We are becoming old and it is our responsibility to place you in the hands of a gentleman as early as possible. Our broker has brought some horoscopes and we have sent them to our family astrologer for matching with yours,” they said.
Pratima had her own ideas about marriage. It was fraught with problems from the beginning. She could not totally go by what her horoscope would suggest. But her parents always swore by it. How could she join hands with a totally strange man, even if her horoscope talked of compatibility with him? At the same time, she shuddered at the idea of dates.
In one shot she replied, “No, let us wait for some years. I am young and not in a hurry to have on my shoulders the burden of a family.” For her parents her terse reply came as a bolt from the blue. She had never retorted like that. Was there any background to this curt response? “No, there cannot be any. We have brought her up in a disciplined way. She is naïve and she wants to enjoy for a while the freedom of being a single,” they consoled themselves.
The next day she was off-colour. In the office too, she confined herself to her cabin. “What is the matter? You can confide with me,” her close colleague Madhu enquired. She narrated the whole development to her.
Thrills and frills
“Oh, that’s all! Remain firm but polite. Remember this is the best time of your life to enjoy what the world is going to offer – all the thrills and their frills. If you miss them now, you will never ever get another splendid opportunity like this. You have the best of age, looks, money and time. In the past, we were brainwashed into accepting whatever the elders said. But things have changed. You can now decide what you want for yourself,” Madhu made a mini presentation.
Pratima was somewhat confused. Madhu was only a year older than her and she also belonged to her own conservative community. Yet, she was very daring, unlike her. After all, there appeared to be some truth in what she said.
A couple of years passed. One day during lunch time, Madhu entered Pratima’s cabin and sought to know whether she would be willing to attend a party on the upcoming Friday evening. It would be fantastic.
“I am not a party-goer. Basically, I don’t like such events. Moreover, my parents would tear me to pieces. Leave me alone,” she replied.
Credible excuse
“Look, my dear. I will be with you. I have participated in such programmes in the past. You will have exotic thrills. It will be fun. You should shake off your reservations. What is life without some kicks? We can manage your parents with a credible excuse,” Madhu prodded her.
“What happens there?”
Madhu took a deep breath and said, “My contacts organize four types of parties—cocktail, rave, pheromone and bachelorette. Each one has its own flavour. I don’t like cocktails for the simple reason I hate the taste of liquor. In such events, men and women gather in the evening, smoke and drink, talking rubbish openly. Sometimes things turn violent.”
“Similarly,” she continued, “I am not for rave parties. Here in addition to drinks, delirious drugs go round freely. Under their influence, men and women get hallucinations and their ‘dreams’ get multiplied manifold. They will have no control over what they do. Once out of the ‘high,’ their castles in the air collapse. Sooner than later they become addicts.”
Madhu went on, “The pheromone party is new to our area. It is a pre-dating ‘smelly’ event. Eligible girls select their likely partners by sniffing at the garments of boys made available to them. If a girl likes the scent of a particular boy she will invite him for a date.”
Bachelorette party
“What I like and enjoy most is the bachelorette party – the local version. All the guests are young women, selected carefully on the basis of information furnished by regulars. Offering sheer entertainment, it is held once in three months on the eve of a week-end. The organizers add a new feature every time. You will have to pay a fee to participate.”
Pratima kept quiet. Madhu wanted to leave her to herself for a day. Pratima’s mind worked feverishly on her way back home. Her life had already become monotonous. By attending a party nothing would happen if she was careful. Let her take some risk and savour the flavours of life.
At home after dinner Pratima’s mother came to her bed room and said: “My dear, listen to me carefully. We are your well-wishers. Wedding should not be postponed. We have been keeping an alliance pending for a while. This is the one selected by our astrologer. The lad Ram Kumar is a computer engineer working in Hyderabad. We have made enquiries and he has a decent track record. His office colleagues and relatives are all praise for him. Here is his photograph and as you can see he looks handsome too. Don’t reject it.”
Pratima became furious. “No, let us not discuss my marriage. I have told you many times.” Her mother left the room with tears in her eyes.
On Friday evening, Madhu came to Pratima’s house in her car and told her parents, “We are attending a birthday party of our General Manager’s wife. We would be back by around 11:00 p.m. Don’t worry about your daughter. I will take care of her.”
Majestic mansion
It was a very big mansion, standing majestically at the far end of a large garden. Parking the car as directed by a security guy, they walked on the beautifully-paved tree-lined way to the main door of the building. They showed a card to an usher and moved inside.
Pratima was awe-struck. A large hall with a romantic ambience beckoned them. Pink niches in purple walls displayed white statues of lovers from historic times. The lighting with a dash of pale orange was enchanting. A pleasing aroma emanating from the air-conditioned vents lent a dreamy touch to the place. A circular platform at the centre had around it golden brown tables with red upholstered chairs for about 100 people.
The two youngsters found their seats near the central stage. Soft drinks and packets of spicy chips were there on the table. The hall filled fast. At exactly 7:00 p.m. the lights dimmed and psychedelic strobes started flashing all over. A husky feminine voice on the public address system announced, “Welcome ladies. The fun begins now.”
Extravaganza
Steamy songs by a group of young women kicked off the evening agenda. The musical score was followed by mystifying magic, crazy comic skits, quirky mimicry and hi-octane debates. Then raunchy dances set the stage afire. About two hours passed.
“It is now time for the high-point of our programme,” the voice came back on the loud speaker. The next second all the lights went off plunging the hall in total darkness. In a moment blue spotlights focused on the stage. A six foot handsome man with well-tended glistening muscles appeared with his hands held high in a gesture of greeting the audience.
The spotlights dipped. The strobes took over drenching the audience in fast-moving kaleidoscopic patterns. Recorded high-pitched metallic music reverberated in the hall. The man in bare necessities started grinding and gyrating. The guests too joined thumping and clapping. The hero moved from one number to another non-stop, cheered by the audience. An hour rolled by fast.
It was a strange experience for Pratima. She had never seen anything like this before. She felt her system was getting tensed up. Her heart was beating fast. A peculiar fear gripped her.
“Now is the time for the climax,” the husky voice thundered.
Ultimate thrill
Pratima clutched the hand of Madhu next to her and asked her in a hush, “What is going to happen now?” “Watch and enjoy it,” was her derisive reply. This scared Pratima.
The music gained tempo. The beats grew faster and louder. The strobe lights flashed with lightning speed. A whiff of new intoxicating fragrance threw the guests into a near trance. They stood up shouting “come on, come on.” Synchronized clapping followed. Pratima sensed that the man was going to perform something terrible. Instantly she turned her head away from the stage and closed her eyes. She tightened the clasp over her colleague’s hand. Thunderous applause ensued. Then whispers and murmurs filled the air. Gradually the excitement subsided.
The speaker was on again. “Now is the time for our new parting punch. We invite dashing damsels from the audience to come and shake hands with our special performer tonight. Each one will get a gift of Rs.5,000.”
Uneasy silence prevailed. None got up for a while. Madhu was the first to raise her hand, followed by five others. They went to the stage and shook hands with the man standing like Michelangelo’s celebrated “Statue of David.” Pratima watched this in disbelief through the corner of her half-opened left eye.
After the event, the two returned to their homes without talking much. Pratima did not sleep that night. “I am not made for such thrills. I don’t want them, I don’t want them,” she kept on brooding within herself.
Turning point
Saturday was eventless. On Sunday morning when Pratima’s mother approached her with a cup of coffee the youngster moved close to her and whispered, “Mom, you were talking about a young computer guy, you remember. If you and father have taken a decision about the alliance, I won’t stand in the way.” Her mother was stunned.
Her father immediately called the broker to convey their willingness to go ahead with the alliance. But, he nearly collapsed when he heard that Ram Kumar had just a day earlier finalized his alliance with somebody else. Pratima felt she had lost a fortune.
On Monday at her office she took a decision to keep Madhu at an arm’s length. Quite unexpectedly, she barged into her cabin with a beaming face. What she said froze Pratima. “My marriage has been finalized,” she crooned. “The groom is a computer professional called Ram Kumar based in Hyderabad.”
(1,965 words)
July 21, 2012
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