Jab We Met: 'She made me a better human being'

We invited you, our readers to share your love stories this Valentine's Day. Here, reader Raj Uprade tells us why he prefers to remember his story as the 'first and last true love'. Illustration by Uttam Ghosh

You must be thinking what a unique name for the story, that's because this is a unique real life story of a 54 per cent physically handicapped person suffering from Arthrogryposis with multiple deformities who fell in love with a normal girl.

That physically handicapped person in love is me and the girl is Rachna.

Our story started way back in 1992 when we were classmates at Vidya Niketan School in Amgaon.

Ours was a love-hate relationship -- love from my side and hate from her end.

I was very friendly and chatty with all the girls in my class except Rachna.

During the entire school years from classes 1 to 10 we never spoke to each other. But deep within my heart I knew that I loved her without even knowing what true love actually meant.

Whenever I played cricket in the classroom, she'd always warn me that if the ball came near her, she'd complain to our headmistress.

By luck or by chance the ball always hit near her, but she never complained to the headmistress.

But I loved every warning she made. I made my first attempt to talk to her after our class 10 board exams got over.

Somehow I managed to get her land phone number, and called her. My heart was beating at the rate of may be 7200 pulse per second when she first answered "Hello".

I told her that I needed her notes for my younger brother as her writing was good. She agreed and asked me to come to her home and collect it. Going to her home was a Herculean task for me as her house was about five kilometres away from where I stayed.

But I managed to convince my friend Mudasaar to ferry me on his bicycle.

Once I reached her home I forgot all the pain I suffered during the ride. For the first time in the long span of 10 years we talked in a friendly manner. I came back home with her notes. In fact, I still go through her notes as if sensing the fragrance of her hand.

Kuch purani kitab copiyan hai jahan
Unhone apne haatho se kuch likha tha..
Aaj bhi siyahi kuch gili hai....
Jab bhi yaad kar ke unpe apni ungliya ghumata hoon
Haatho mein lag jati hai woh gili siyahi....
Der talak us siyahi ka rang haatho se chuta nahi hai
Barso pehle kisi zamane mein pyar hua tha un se....
Ab to ibadat lagti hai mohabbat....

After our class 10 results were announced, both of us took admission in the science stream at the Vidya Niketan Junior College in Amgaon.

During class 11, we started talking to each other formally.

During one of our conversations, I asked her to be my best friend. She agreed instantly. From that day onwards we used to talk a lot and also exchanged our class notes.

She cared for me in all possible ways. Some things she did for me are very close to my heart. Once, she'd collected chemistry notes for me from our chemistry lecturer when I was absent.

Earlier, I did not take academics seriously but because of her care and attention, I became very good at studies.

She made a better human being. If she had some work she would only share it with me and I would eagerly do it for her.

Time flew when I was with her.

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Dear readers, do you have an interesting love story that you want to share? Tell us where you first met your partner and how the two of you fell in love. Write in to us at getahead@rediff.co.in (subject line: 'Jab We Met'). You can also include a photograph of you and your partner and we'll publish the best entries right here on rediff.com

We passed our class 11 exams and moved to class 12.

As days passed, our friendship also grew stronger. Since I was weak in drawing, she'd draw figures for me in biology class while I helped her in mathematics and physics. She also gifted me a poster of Sachin Tendulkar which I still have with me.

During our class trip to Chikhaldara, a hill station near Amravati, Rachna and I sat together in the bus and enjoyed a lot.

In Chikhaldara, I asked her to click a picture with me; that photograph is one of my priceless possessions till date.

An unforgettable experience of the Chikaladara trip was that when I forgot my sweater near the river, Rachna picked it up and handed it over to me in the bus.

Nadi ke kinare apni sweater bhul ke aa gaya tha..
Wo lekar aayi thi teh kar ke..
Aaj bhi us ke mehndi lage haatho ki mehek
Ko mehfuz rakha hai
Humne aapni almari mein
Unki ungliyan jahan jahan lagi thi
Us jagah ka uunn aaj bhi kuch mulayam hai ab tak,
Kuch alag hi sukan deta hai jab bhi pehenta hoon

For the class 12 board exam, Rachna challenged me to score very good marks. I eventually topped my class scoring 86 per cent.

After class 12, Rachna went to pursue a BHMS degree in Nagpur while I was travelling to Nagpur for the various rounds of my BE admission.

During one such trips, I called for her in her hostel and she asked me to come to meet her. But I had my train back to Amgaon so I refused.

I was sitting alone on the Nagpur railway platform, when all of a sudden I saw Rachna and Priti standing in front of me. I was taken by surprise, but from inside I was on cloud nine.

While leaving I asked Priti whose idea it had been to come and see me.

She said it was Rachna's idea.

I felt like dancing in the rain. I had developed a feeling in my heart that Rachna also loves me. After so many rounds to Nagpur, I finally got admission for BE (Information Technology ) at M.I.E.T Gondia.

While pursuing my engineering degree I used to write letters to Rachna. During that course of letters exchange she mistook one of my letters as a love letter further leading to misunderstandings that grew day by day.

Finally we stopped talking to each other. After two years of silence, I called her once and said "I love you" and disconnected the call.

Few days later, when I went home, I called her once again. But after hearing my voice, she disconnected the call.

I must have tried reaching her some three to four times but each time she disconnected the call.

Finally, several calls later, I managed to say "please let me convey my feelings to you, then you may do whatever you want to."

When she let me speak my heart out , I said "Main janta hoon tu mujhe pasand nahi karti, lekin main tumhe bahot saalon se pyar karta hoon. Main janta hoon ki tum mujh se kabhi shadi nahi karogi aur aisi koi khwaish bhi nahi hai meri. Main bas apne dil ki baat tumhe batana chahata tha, koi regret nahi rakhna chahata tha."

After hearing this, she said "Don't call me again", I said OK.'

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Dear readers, do you have an interesting love story that you want to share? Tell us where you first met your partner and how the two of you fell in love. Write in to us at getahead@rediff.co.in (subject line: 'Jab We Met'). You can also include a photograph of you and your partner and we'll publish the best entries right here on rediff.com

Three years passed by and I never tried to contact her.

In 2007, I got selected as engineer-B in TIFR.

I called her on March 11, her birthday to wish her and tell her about my selection. She talked very sweetly and after some time gave me the shock of my life.

She said she is going to get married on July 11 that year.

I couldn't utter a single word after hearing those sentences. I felt shattered and wasn't able to collect myself for the next 10 to 15 days.

Those days, I shared my pain with my dear friend Sachin, who told me to channelise my love for her into some positive work.

When I went to my home for Diwali, I heard that Rachna got divorced. I got the second shock of my life. I had always wanted her to be happy.

I went to her home along with my friend Sunil but she had gone somewhere else. Her mother told me everything how her husband tortured her.

I felt a deep sorrow in my heart.

I remembered the day I had called her as a friend but after hearing my voice she'd said "Don't call me again."

I had felt a big lump in my heart but I said "it's ok, I will never call you again."

Deep in my heart I have a feeling that Rachna never understood my true love for her.

Six years has passed since and, I don't have any information about her or her whereabouts.

Every day, I start my day by typing her name in Google search hoping to get some leads.

I have moved on in my life, I have achieved so much success which I attribute to Rachna -- because of her I fought my disability to prove myself.

I got attracted to so many girls but I never truly loved a girl like I loved Rachna.

That's why name of my story is 'The first and last true love'.

I feel it's not necessary to have marriage as the end of true love. In exceptional cases, true love gives you the courage to stand on your own and do something big in your life.

Janta nahi ki mohabat hai ya ibadat,
Bas itna keh sakta hoon
Din tere naam se shuru hota hai
Aur raat tera naam le kar soti hai

Dear readers, do you have an interesting love story that you want to share? Tell us where you first met your partner and how the two of you fell in love. Write in to us at getahead@rediff.co.in (subject line: 'Jab We Met'). You can also include a photograph of you and your partner and we'll publish the best entries right here on rediff.com