Teju's Musings

– + Vibrant Hues “You can count on me like one, two, three, I'll be there  And I know when I need it I can count on you like four, three, two and you'll be there  'Cause that's what friends are supposed to do, oh, yeah” (credits - Count on me by Bruno Mars) Humming along to Bruno Mars’s voice leaking through her earplugs, Ari leaned back against the metro seat, on her way to the KR Puram flower market. Three days had flown by, and it was Sunday again — the day she had agreed to meet Mira at the market the previous weekend. Ari found herself scanning the compartment, half-hoping to spot Amy among the commuters — the familiar, bubbly girl in pink who had, quite unintentionally, shaken her quiet little world. Unfortunately, the metro announcement rang through the speakers first. Ari sighed, a hint of disappointment in her furrowed brows, and got off at the station. Soon enough, there she was — the ever-enthusiastic Mira, waving her hand with ...

– + The Collaboration “Sure thing! Thanks, guys!” Ari said, her voice filled with gratitude. She was genuinely moved by their support. “Anyways…” Ravi leaned in, grinning wide. “Is your first song done yet? I’m already dying of curiosity.” “Yo, dude! Ever learnt the word ' space' ?” Tina cut in dryly as she joined the group after hitching an Uber. Ravi straightened immediately, grumbling under his breath. He never quite got along with Tina — she was too quiet, too detached. You’d only ever find her cooking or scrolling through her phone. To everyone’s surprise, Tina turned to Ari and said, “Congrats, Ari!... I heard the convo and subscribed.” She held up her phone. “This is your channel, right?” The screen read: ‘Putti Songs – 42 subscribers.’ (most of the subscribers are friends of Mira , forced into subscription by her) Ari’s eyes widened, then softened. “Yes… that’s the one. Thank you, Tina.” Tina shrugged. “Don’t mention it. It’s the least...

– + The Reveal “Gossiping behind your employer’s back?” Maya teased. Ravi smiled nervously, his face paling to a shade lighter than his usual complexion. Ari and Tina suppressed their smiles, their heads bowed. They knew it wasn’t serious enough to cost anyone their job. Rams was a great boss—stern, yes—but he usually overlooked the chatter among his employees as long as it didn’t go too far. His version of PDA was to turn a blind eye whenever the gossip was about how his amazing wife had him wrapped around her finger. Catching uneasy glimpses of Rams and trying to gauge his mood, Ravi replied in a higher pitch, “No, no! It’s not gossip, but propagandising your love to the world. I was just narrating your college love story to Ari—how the boss joined the Music Club for you, confessed at the campfire while playing your favourite song… how you two were voted Best Campus Couple… and—” Their love story was well known to Ravi, who had been their junior in colleg...

– + Spark Scritch~ Scritch~ As soon as she had entered her room, Ari sat cross-legged on the bed, pulling her songs notebook and a pen from her bag, which now lay haphazardly on the floor. Excited by her new inspiration for the tune— with a strong instinct that it might actually work this time—she retrieved her phone and opened a free online piano website. The notebook and pen rested on her lap, awaiting her attention. Having known how to play the basics of piano notes—Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Da Ni Sa—since college, she began working out the tune, making small tweaks to fit her lyrics while humming and tapping on the phone screen.  After a while, she figured something out. Thrilled, she quickly jotted down the music notes above her lyrics in the notebook. Feeling a sense of accomplishment, she glanced at her watch: 4:00 p.m .  Her eyes widened. Stuffing her notebook into her bag, she rushed to freshen up— oh no! only a few minutes left before she had to catch th...

– + Lullaby Tap. Tap. Tap. The sound of fingers hitting the laptop keys echoed through the otherwise quiet hostel room. With her roommate gone for a family event, Ari had the space all to herself. “And… done!” she announced dramatically, stretching her arms above her head and groaning. After an hour of working on her remote data-entry job, she padded over to the water tin in the corridor to refill her bottle. It had been four days since her visit to the flower market—and equally four days since the two best friends had impulsively created a YouTube channel at the tea stall. While Mira had volunteered to handle editing and channel maintenance, Ari knew the main responsibility of creating content rested on her shoulders. After all, what’s a YouTube channel without anything to post? Mira had told her it was okay to take things slow, and Ari had agreed—wanting the first song to be special. But the thrill of doing something new made her pulse quicken. Unlike her u...

– + Best Friend "Next station, KR Puram. Doors will open on the left. Please stand clear of the doors." Ari stood, adjusted her bag, and stepped onto the platform; the air thick with the scent of flowers, dust, and city life. She scanned the crowd and spotted Mira waving energetically. "Mira," Ari called, walking over. "Finally! Hey...why do you look so out of it?" Mira asked. " Oh welI! thanks to a certain someone I gave up my long-earned beauty rest I could have enjoyed today," Ari said, bowing a little with a hand on the back and the other on her heart , her tone dramatic with mock sarcasm. Mira rolled her eyes. "There's more to life than sleep, my dear. Come on now, let's go before you start sleeping while standing." Ari glanced at her best friend, wondering once again how this woman seemed to carry more energy than her body could hold. They set off toward the stalls with Mira clin...

– + The Girl in Pink Hum~ Ari plugged her earphones back in and turned to the window, hoping to avoid any further stretch of conversation. "Hey, what's your Insta ID?" the girl in pink asked, tilting her head and waving her phone playfully. Silence . "You really don't talk much, do you?" "And you can't take a hint, can you?" Pause . She felt bad for snapping at the cheerful girl – especially after she had gone out of her way to return the lost page. "Apology accepted!" The girl in pink beamed and plopped down beside Ari. Ari sighed. So much for her "stay away from me" act. She pulled out her earphones and stuffed them into her bag, silently wishing the journey would end quickly. "I'm Amy, by the way," the girl said brightly. Ari glanced at her. "Hi, Amy?" "Yes!" Amy grinned. "So, what do you do? Besides writing awesome songs,...

– + Routine Swoosh! Thud! "Please mind the closing doors" Ari, having barely managed to push herself into the metro, gasped for breath. Carrying a bag slung over her shoulder, she plopped down on the available seat. "Thank God! The boss would have been livid if I missed today's shift, considering Tina is also on leave.", mumbled Ari leaning her back against the metro seat. Her boss, Rams, is a young man in his early 30s running a music café he started with his wife. The café has a great ambiance with quite a few loyal customers. Though understaffed, the existing colleagues are all friendly and the boss quite generous. Ari's favourite aspect of the café is that any customer or local band can hold café-concerts on the stage dedicated at the right corner of the café with permission from Rams. While Ari herself hasn't sung previously because of her low confidence, she likes to hum along to the songs. Try...