Unbreakable: The Art of Healing

“BREAKUP” is a heavy word.

I haven’t thought and mentioned this word just like that. Yesterday I was scrolling through my WhatsApp statuses and I stopped at Arushi’s status. She’s one of my old friends. We haven’t talked for a long time but there was a time when we used to stay together and used to share every little thing with each other.

She doesn’t put status very often. When I saw her name on the status list, I tapped on that to see. It was a picture of her, her husband and their two cute kids “a son and daughter”. It was portraying a Perfect Happy Family.

They all had a big cute smile on their faces. I could clearly feel that it was not a fake smile just to click the picture but it was full of joy and they were enjoying a moment of happiness with each other.

That picture brought a smile of proud on my face because I still remember that her life was not as happy, easy and sorted as she was looking today in the status. I must say she is a warrior and fought her way out to find the happiness and peace.

I met her in July 2014 when I was in Delhi to complete my masters. I was in final year and staying in a PG in South ex. PG had single, double sharing and triple sharing rooms, I was staying alone in a double sharing.

On a Sunday Arushi came to PG with her parents. Our PG’s caretaker took her and her mother to my room so that they can have a look and decide. My previous roommate vacant the room 2 days before when she left the PG. Arushi’s father was waiting outside in the waiting area as males weren’t allowed to enter girl’s room.

Our room had two single beds, two study tables which were kept on the opposite sides of the bed. Two almirah were embedded in the walls on each side of the room. There was LG split AC which was almost 2 years old and a separate electric meter was handing to that so that we can see the AC readings. Walls of the room were painted light blue and had an attached washroom.

When they came I was on my bed reading the Novel. I closed the book and looked at Arushi. I’ve a nasty habit of judging people by their looks and started doing the same with her.

I looked at her and understood she’s also here for pursuing her studies but she didn’t appear to me someone who’ll be interested in studies. She was tall, beautiful, fair and slim. I looked into her eyes and noticed a spark. She was a perfect girl.

They left the room after 10 minutes of inspection and I got back to my novel with a hope that she stays in the PG and choose my room because she was the third girl in 2 days who came to see the room. Half an hour later after completing the PG’s formalities Arushi came with her baggage to the room and started to getting settled in.

I welcomed her and introduced myself. We had a little introductory chit chat and told each other about our hometown. She told me she has completed her graduation from Punjab and moved to Delhi for SSC preparation.

Every year many students come to Delhi for further studies, competitive exam preparation, many of them set their aim and achieve it but there are many others who get carried away in Delhi’s limelight.

Having these thoughts in my mind, I asked her about her graduation percentage and she told me 89%.

“Are you joking, I didn’t ask your 12^th percentage” I again asked her to be sure that she told me her graduation percentage because I couldn’t believe my ears when I heard 89%

“Di that’s my graduation percentage. I scored 97% in twelfth” she clarified.

I was just looking at her with my eyes wide open and said “then why SSC, go for IAS or IPS man” she just smiled in reply.

She is so beautiful, her voice is so soothing to ears and studies…. You’ve already heard about her graduation and 12^th percentage, then why she’s not going for IAS or IPS, seriously.

After spending a couple of days with her, I came to know about her behavior too. She was very caring. Whenever we were at the room, she was like “di let me do this, let me do that”, “let me prepare the tea, let me oil your hairs”. Having so caring roommate on a Delhi PG was no less than a blessing and I was lucky to share room with her.

Our routine was quite simple. We used to go to our classes, come back in the evening, take rest, study and have some chit chat. As the days passed we opened more with each other talked about our families and friends. We discussed our day with each other like what new and interested happened in the class, friends we made. We became good friends in just a week.

One day Arushi came from the class and instead of putting her bag down, getting fresh she directly came to and asked for my phone. I saw at her and I could clearly see that she was tensed today.

I handed over my phone to her and asked “what happened, do you want to talk to your parents or someone else at home?”

“No, I’ve to save a number in your phone for WhatsApp. Please do not delete it” she said.

I said “Okay, but why are you so upset? Come sit, keep your bag down and get relaxed first and then tell me, anything happened in the class, is everything fine?”

She said nothing and kept typing the number on my phone.

I looked at her and said in a little firm but caring tone “Arushi what’s the matter? I’m talking to you, tell me”

“Samarth” that’s the only word or name she could say and she started crying, tears started rolling down her cheeks, her eyes turned red. She was wiping her tears from one hand and checking something on the WhatsApp from other.

I grabbed her from shoulders, took her near the bed, made her sit and offered a glass of water.

I said “Arushi calm down and stop crying, have a glass of water and tell me what happened?”

I was sitting right next to her on the bed. She had a couple of sips from the glass and kept the glass on the table. She looked at me and cried out loud again without saying anything. I wasn’t sure why she was crying, I thought maybe something has happened at her home.

I’ve always seen her happy. Her nature was jolly, but this shattered Arushi I’m seeing for the first time in two weeks.

“We all are alone in PG away from home and in these week moments if we’re accompanied by with a good roommate then that person fills that emptiness and acts as our family.”

I could not see her crying like this, this was pinching me too now. I hugged her tight to calm her down and stayed like that for some time.

After a few minutes of my hug, she gathered herself and stopped crying. I asked her if she would like to have something to eat or tea or a coffee but she denied.

She looked at me with her crying eyes and said “I don’t need anything, please just sit with me for some time, I’m feeling very lonely.”

I hold her hand in mine and said “don’t worry I’m not going anywhere, now tell me who’s this Samarth and why were you crying?”

“Di, Samarth was my boyfriend” she said

I was constantly looking into her eyes and asked “WAS, mean you guys are not together now?”

” No Di, we broke up 5 years ago” she answered

I was shocked and said “5 years Arushi, what the hell? Then why did you save his number in the phone now?”

“So that I can see her last seen” she said

“Oh God! It’s been three years since they broke up and she is saving his number in my phone to stalk him on WhatsApp. I imagined her as a perfect girl and never expected this stupidity from her. Is she mentally unstable or what?” I was thinking all this while consoling her.

After a few minutes she was a little stable and stopped crying, but her tears were still rolling over her cheeks drop by drop. She wiped her tears and told me everything about Samarth.

Samarth and she was in 10^th standard when she met him for the first time.

She said “I joined tuition classes for science in a colony near my house, that’s where I saw him for the first time. He was average looking, dull, tall guy with curly hairs”

She continued “On the first day of the tuition there were around 12 students and 8-9 out of those were boys. They all were staring at me because every time ma’am asks something I was the one who was answering all the questions. Boys were looking at me with surprise but I felt other girls were looking at me out of jealousy”

“After the tuition Samarth came to me and asked for my notes as he missed noting his. I gave him my notes. We used to meet daily in tuition and started talking about subject, notes, about other students in the class.”

She told me that one day Samarth said to her ‘You’re not like other girls, there’s something different about you. You’re not only beautiful but you’re intelligent as well and you’re so sorted and calm. You don’t have any boyfriend, am I right?’ “I knew this conversation was an excuse for him to ask me if I’m single or not”

I was listening to her with concentration as I wanted to know what was so special about their relationship that even after 3 years of breakup she’s crying so badly for him.

I asked her what happened next. She continued “I told Samarth that yes you’re right, I’m single”

“But he wanted to be sure and asked” ‘There’s no one means no one at all in your life’

“She smiled at Samarth and replied” ‘No one means no one, I don’t get time from books. Yes there was a guy in my last school whom I liked, he was topper of the school but we were just friends. Now we’re not in touch since I changed my school’

She continued telling me “we started to talk more, at first we used to talk over the phone only in the evening but I didn’t even realize when that time extended to complete nights. He used to park his bike at tuition and walk with me to my colony and used to stand on the other side of the road watching me until I cross the road and take turn for my street”

“We also started to bunk tuitions. We used to go to restaurants, movies, malls or on a long drive after bunking the tuitions and spent a lot of time with each other and we both were also loving this”

“After two months one day Samarth called me and said” ‘Arushi let’s bunk the tuition today, I want to take you to a special place’

“I said okay and he took me to one of the expensive restaurants of Chandigarh in sector 17. That day he was wearing new clothes and looked excited. We occupied a table near the window and after 10 minutes he held my hand proposed to me by saying”

‘Arushi, I Love You. I love spending time with you and enjoy your company, even when I go home I see all around me. Will you be my girlfriend?’

“I also liked him and without any second thoughts I said YES to him” Arushi told me.

She continued “That year time flied, I didn’t even realize when did the year pass and it was board exams time”

“We both were from different schools and our exam center was also different. He used to go to his exam center by bike and I used to catch the school bus from my society’s gate”

“But every day before going for his exam he used to ride to my society and wait for me at the gate with a chocolate to wish me Good Luck for my exam”

I could clearly feel that shine and spark in her eyes when she was telling me her love story with Samarth, especially when she told me about his proposal, she again had tears in her eyes but these tears were different, they were of happy memories and I also started to seeing why she was missing him so badly but I wanted to know everything and how did this beautiful love story came to the point of breakup.

She continued with her story “Everything was going so well, I was the luckiest girl, I had a boyfriend whose day starts with and ends at me, he used to give me all his attention and he was so caring”

“We both were Punjabi and belong to a middle class family. His parents were doctors and her elder sister was pursing her MBBS. In my family I had mom, dad and my elder brother. I was thinking about all this because I built my future with him. I was thinking of getting married and fulfill all our dreams together”

“I knew we were too young to think about marriage but I was serious about us and I was sure about spending rest of my life with him”

I was constantly looking at her face and saw her smile vanishing from her lips as she told me further “but Di, maybe God had some other plans for us, everything was awesome only for 1 year but after boards as the time passed things between us started to change. Samarth’s behavior towards me was not the same now. He used to call me 10 times a day but now I just keep waiting for his calls, earlier he used to make plans for long drive or movies but now even if I make any plan he make some or other excuse and denies”

“I started feeling very sad. Whenever I tried to discuss this with him, he used to get irritated and yells at me and always tried to avoid the topic. I could not understand what’s wrong with him but I wasn’t willing to let him go and kept trying to fix things between us”

“On 27^th March I was expecting his call sharp at 12 midnight as it was my birthday but he didn’t call me and I didn’t know when I felt asleep. He called in the morning at 7 AM. That call put a smile on my face. I quickly answered the phone. He wished me, I was thrilled and hoping that finally today after 2 months of board exams we’ll meet and go for a long drive or we’ll celebrate in some restaurant”

“But Samarth gave me a surprise gift”

He said‘Arushi it’s not working between us anymore, lets breakup’

“I froze for few moments and wasn’t able to speak a word over the phone, I wasn’t able to believe what just he said, I was thinking” ‘what wrong did I do, why is he doing this to me, was I not able to keep him happy and I was just crying’

“I gathered some courage and I asked him for the reason but he didn’t have any answer he just asked me to never call him again and hung up the phone”

She again had tears in her eyes but this time she continued “Di that was the worst birthday of my life. How can someone suddenly one day throw us out of their life just like that and that too with no explanation?”

“My session for 11^th class started but my mind was still in Samarth. I used to keep thinking about him every time and kept on crying. He also left the tuition, maybe he joined somewhere else. I didn’t have any friends to share these feelings as I always focused on studies and until Samarth came into my life, books were my only friend”

“It was only Samarth whom I ever gave importance over books, he was my friend and everything but now he never used to even call me. I could not understand what was my fault, why he did this to me?”

By now I knew how deep she was in the relationship with Samarth and that’s the reason she wasn’t able to move on yet. When you accept someone as your inseparable part and build your future around a person, it’s not at all easy to move on. That’s what happened to Arushi as well.

Unfortunately this was not the end of miseries for Arushi, she continued to tell me “I talked to one of girl from tuition with an excuse of exchanging the notes, she was from the same school as Samarth, I asked her if she talks to him but she told me that Samarth keeps extremely busy these days and doesn’t talk much to anyone except Naina”

“That name pinched me in heart like a needle. I asked who Naina?”

“She told me that Naina took admission this year in 10^th class in our school and she comes her for tuitions after our batch. Samarth comes daily to see her”

“I got curious to see this Naina and wanted to know if Samarth left me for her, if yes then what he saw in her which I’m lacking. I never used to go out apart from school and tuitions but now I used spend hours outside the tuition after my batch to see who’s Naina, when will Samarth come to meet her”

“I used to cover my face with scarf and follow them on scooty, I saw them talking, laughing, they seemed happy with each other, I was so jealous of seeing them together but I was helpless and can’t do anything but watch them from a distance”

“I used to call Samarth daily but sometimes he abuses me and hung and sometimes didn’t even answer my calls. I also called him with my classmate’s numbers but he didn’t listen and kept ignoring me”

 I could clearly see the mixed emotions of anger and sadness on Arushi’s face whenever she talks about Naina and the way she was telling me the events. It was like I was living in the moment and everything was happening right in front of me.

Arushi continued “another year passed away like this and I kept on trying unsuccessful attempts to bring him back. I used to stalk Naina on social media for hours. I wanted to know why did Samarth choose her over me, but I couldn’t see a single reason”

“I even went to Naina at her home directly and asked her to stay away from Samarth but nothing worked out however, there was one positive side of this, whenever I met Naina she told this to Samarth and every time he used to call me in the evening to yell at me and ask to stay away from their lives. Though he called in anger but at least I saw his name flashing on my phone’s screen and that one moment always have me happiness and put a smile on my face”

“Oh God, this girl is really mad!” I thought.

“No matter what I’m doing, how busy I’m, but he was always in my mind. I couldn’t stop thinking about how they were laughing, getting close to each other, these pictures get flashed anytime in front of my eyes”

“One day when I couldn’t bear this pain anymore I went to Naina’s home and told her mother everything about Samarth and her. I also told my mom about Samarth and me. She was okay with it because I was doing good in studies and he was also from a decent family however, I didn’t tell her anything about Naina. I thought if I would tell Naina’s mom she could come to my home but that didn’t happen”

“When my mom came to know about us she said it’ll be a good idea to talk to his parents and discuss about your future before people start spreading rumors about you guys and this was one of best moment since last year and I was thrilled”

Arushi kept on telling “Sometimes Samarth used to call me from her mom’s number when he didn’t have balance in his phone. Next morning I gave his mom’s number to my mom. She call her and told that we want meet her and in afternoon we went to their home which was 10 Kms away from ours. Mom told her about Samarth and I that we were together and want to get married after our studies are over, his mom was very good and understanding, she looked at me and agreed that they both love each other and want to spend their lives together I’m fine with that”

“When I heard those words from Samarth’s mom I was on the seventh heaven and very excited, I thought now everything is going to be fine and finally we’ll be together”

“His mom call him and put the phone on speaker” she said ‘Why did you lie to about Arushi that she’s just your friend? She’s such a sweet and intelligent girl. I really liked her. Come home fast, she’s here with her mom’

“Samarth yelled from other side of the phone” ‘Stop it mom! She’s complete phsyco, ask her to leave now, I don’t want to be with her and I don’t even care. We’re no longer even friends’

I was like “what the hell, who humiliates someone like this and that too the person with whom you were in love sometime back, what kind of guy he is?”

“Di, I was sitting like a statue there and I started to crying, his mom quickly turned off the speaker and said come home then we’ll talk and disconnected the call”

“My mom was looking at me crying and she was also sad. We left from there without even saying a word”

“We reached home. I was crying and kept saying sorry to mom in the complete 10 Kms of drive. His words were still echoing in my ears. If it was only about me, I would’ve tolerated but that day it also insulted my mom because of me and that was consuming me more”

“I went to my room, put mom’s saree over the fan and tried to commit suicide but mom saw me from the window and she rushed in the room from second door and pulled me down. She scolded me a lot and even slapped me”

“I was living this traumatic life for more than a year but I wasn’t able to move on and I was so weak that couldn’t stop myself calling or text him again and again and every time he either yelled me or refused to talk”

“Finally after 4 months he called and asked to meet. That call brought happiness to me. I went to meet him in a restaurant, he said that we can be friends but we can’t be in a relation. I was happy with his friendship as well because something is better than nothing”

She was still holding my hand and kept on telling “We used to meet sometimes and he was very normal but I was still expecting him to be mine. After every meeting I felt happy but also every time I there was something more missing from me and I hated Naina even more”

“After completing his 12^th, he moved to Bangalore for his graduation and got a placement in a MNC there. We only used to meet sometimes when he comes to visit his parents in Chandigarh”

“By now I understood one thing that he used to call or meet me only when he needs me and I started to find my happiness in those small moments too”

“Even now every night I check his Facebook profile and his last seen on WhatsApp before going to bed and there’s not a single night when I don’t curse Naina for taking him away from me”

“I feel happy when I see his last seen, I imagine how long before he picked up his phone and tapped on WhatsApp but I also feel bad at the same time because I know he would’ve opened his WhatsApp to read that Naina’s messages and reply to them”

“Even now when I can’t control, I call him or send him messages but he keeps ignoring me all the time and sometimes he even blocks me. He blocked me today, that’s why I saved his number in your phone so that I can see his last seen from your WhatsApp”

“Oh! That was one of the intense love story I’ve heard so far and hats off to this mad girl’s love that even after 3 years she hasn’t been able to move on”

After listening to her complete story I tried to make her understand and said “Arushi I can understand that he’s only love of your life but you should never put anyone above your self-respect, you’ve lost yourself in the attempt of getting him in your life”

“You’ve attempted to commit suicide for him but he didn’t care even once, you’re too good for him, he doesn’t deserve you. You should let him go and move one”

I tried to convince her a lot, but I could see that she was just listening to me, as if she already knew everything I was telling her.

When I looked at the wall clock hanging in the room, it was already past midnight.

I said “It’s already 12, go get your clothes change and wash your face, I’ll get something to eat for both of us”

While having dinner she told me “I always wanted to be an IAS but I gave upon my aim as my life is meaningless without Samarth, I’m here to prepare for SSC because my parents wanted me to and they’ve hopes from me”

I wasn’t able to believe that this bright girl who scored 97% in 12^th and 89% in graduation has given up on his dreams, future, parents everything just for a guy. I realized that this breakup has destroyed her life completely.

After having dinner, she again asked me for my phone. I knew she wanted to see his last seen and wanted to say no because I wanted her to get over this situation, but couldn’t deny. She saw his last seen handed over the phone to me and we went to bed.

Everything went on as per our usual routine for 2 days. 3^rd day when I was leaving for my class at 8 O’clock I saw Arushi was still sleeping. She usually wakes up by now as she has to leave for her class at 10.

I woke her up and asked don’t you have class today, she told me she’s not feeling well and won’t attend the class. I said “Okay take rest, if there’s anything serious call me immediately” and I left.

When I came back in the evening, I saw Arushi was sitting on the floor and crying with heavy tears. I was shocked and asked “Arushi what happened, is everything fine, are you having pain or something?”

She hugged me tight and said in a heavy crying voice “Di yesterday Samarth called me and asked me to meet as he was in Delhi. I thought now finally he’s coming back to me and has understood my love. We met in a restaurant where he told me that Naina has brokeup with him”

“I was very happy to know about their breakup but he nipped my hopes in seconds and said that he still doesn’t love me and asked me to forget him and move on but we can still be friends and stay in touch.”

“But now when I’m trying to call him to talk as a friend, he’s not answering my calls and when I dropped the message, he replied and asked not to contact him ever again”

“If he doesn’t love me, then why does he meet me whenever he wants and then leave me hanging in between and behave as if he doesn’t know me at all?”

She continued speaking with tears in her eye “I know Di, I should forget him and move on but I can’t, it’s not easy. I feel like my life doesn’t have any meaning without him. I can’t accept that the one person who meant everything to me, I dedicated my like to him, how could he leave me just like that for a random girl”

“I want to overcome him, but it’s not happening. I can’t sleep properly because I get flashbacks about my past that how happy we were but one day he just left me for that Naina. I can’t imagine my future without him. All my dreams have been shattered and I’m scared to see anymore dreams because I feel like I can’t achieve anything without him”

I was sitting on the floor with her thinking all about she is going through and “I could see how devastated she was just because of a boy. I can understand that she didn’t tell me about her meeting with Samarth and lied because she knew I would try to stop and convince her for not to go”

She said “I can’t love anyone anymore whenever I try to move on his memories strike and pull me back. I feel like this life is nothing without him and I should end it”

Her these sentences ran throughout my body and they shocked me. She has already attempted suicide once and even now she talking about ending her life. I was worried about her but I didn’t understand what should I say to her. She already knew everything about what should she do and Samarth will never be with her, but she was not ready to accept the reality and let it go.

I said “I don’t think he is right for you Arushi, you should let him go, and God has definitely made someone for you. You’ve made Samarth your priority and that needs to be changed. Value yourself and think of people who love you and look up to you with hope, don’t let them down. Just cutoff all the contacts with him and move on”

I hugged her and wiped her tears. I was thinking “how a guy can be so cruel and behave so badly with someone who loves him. No one has a right to play with someone’s feelings and life like this. If he didn’t love her he should’ve told her clearly that don’t get serious and there’s no future for us, may be then she wouldn’t have shattered like this”

We discussed for almost an hour and went to bed around 2.

Everything went normal for a couple of day, she resumed her classes and followed the normal routine. She was trying to behave as normal as she can with everyone, but I could clearly sense the sadness behind her fake smile and in her eyes.

Third day I came back from my classes around 3 PM, I can what I saw when I entered the room because that day shook me badly.

Arushi was lying on the floor, unconscious. There was a lot of blood near her left wrist and I noticed a blade lying near her right hand. I’ve phobia of blood.

I froze there and felt dizzy. For a moment I thought she was dead. I screamed out loud when I came out of shock. Other girls from the PG rushed to my room, and one of them immediately called the landlord.

Our landlord used to live in a nearby apartment and luckily he was at home. He immediately came and called the ambulance.

I was totally blank at that moment and standing in a corner just looking at Arushi without blinking. I wasn’t able to believe that all this is happening right in front of me. I knew Samarth was the reason behind this.

Almost after 5 minutes I hear the siren of the ambulance, I sat on the bed but didn’t have courage to go near Arushi. One of the girl wrapped her wrist with cloth, other was trying to wake her up by calling out her name and shaking the face but there was no movement in Arushi’s body. I could see the expressions on other girl’s face, like me they were also thinking that Arushi is no more.

Landlord asked me to call her parents, I picked up her phone which was lying there on the bed. I unlocked her phone and saw that call logs were already open. The last dialed number in the logs was Samarth’s. I was sure that she has again tried to end her life because of him.

I dialed her mom’s number from the log and told her that Arushi fell on the floor and hurt herself. We’re taking her to the hospital please come as soon as possible. I didn’t tell them about her suicide attempt as it would take 4-5 hours for them to travel from Chandigarh to Delhi and I didn’t want them to panic on their way.

Landlord went to hospital with her and said that if police comes for enquiry, I should let them know that they’re in the hospital.

There was still blood on the floor my floor and I couldn’t stay there, I was sitting the room next to mine. I was still trying to process what just happened and cursing that Samarth in every way I can. My phone rang, it was the landlord. He asked me to come to hospital as he had to leave for some urgent work.

I went to hospital, Arushi was in ICU. From the glass window of ICU I could see that doctors already attended and dressed her wound. But since she lost a lot of blood, they were still keeping her in ICU.

I spent 4 hours in the hospital lobby and feeling helpless. I was thinking “that guy doesn’t care about her even a little and this stupid girl has attempted second suicide. How many more attempts will take her to realize that he doesn’t worth her life and she should let him go?”

She was still unconscious when her parents and elder brother came. Her mother was already in tears and when she looked at her from the window, she sat right there on the chair and cried out loud. I couldn’t understand what should I do. I kept my hand on her shoulder and tried to calm her down “Aunty, don’t worry she’s fine, doctors are saying she’ll wake up any moment and there’s nothing to worry about now”

She looked at me, thanked and said “she’ll be fine for now but until when, tomorrow she may try this again, what has happened to our jolly daughter, where has she lost”

I was looking at her with surprise and asking a question with my eyes “did you already know that she tried to commit suicide”

Her mother understood my question and said “Yes beta you told me she fell on the floor but we know she would’ve tried something stupid like this”

Her brother directly asked “is it because of that bastard Samarth?”

I was speechless and just looking at their faces but then I gathered myself and say “I’m not sure but may be yes because last dialed number in her phone was Samarth’s”

He burst out of anger, pulled out his phone and went out, dialing a number on his phone.

Her parents sent me back to PG saying “you take rest, we’re here now”

When I reached PG, the landlord had already got my room cleaned, but I wasn’t able to enter the room. That night I stayed in other room. I couldn’t sleep that I night, as I tried to close my eyes I saw Arushi and blood lying all over the floor.

Next day her parents came to PG and started packing her things and told me they are taking Arushi back with them to Chandigarh.

I asked “Aunty it’s only been 3 weeks, what will happen to her preparation and classes?”

Her answer seemed very logical to me. She said “she can’t study or do anything if she’s dead, she can continue her preparations from home, and at least we can keep a watch on her there. We sent her thinking that change of city and new friends will help her move on but she’s in deep love with that careless boy”

I said “You’re right aunty, please let me know if you need any help”

She looked at me cried out loud as if Arushi is no more, and said “she praises you a lot and thank you for all your help”

She hugged me, took her things and they left for Chandigarh from hospital only.

Arushi and I talked frequently for a week but as the time passed we got busy in our lives.

After completing my masters, I went back to my hometown. I got placed in a MNC after a month and moved to Gurgaon.

One day after 2 years, I got a call from Arushi “Di I’m in Delhi where are you these days? If you’re still in Delhi, let’s meet tomorrow”

“I’m working in Gurgaon, sure let’s catch up tomorrow” I said.

Next day we met in Ambiance mall. She was looking hot and had a distinct glow on her face.

She hugged me the moment we met and said “I’ve to tell you a Good News”

I asked with excitement “What is it?”

“I’ve cracked the SSC-CGL exam and got selected in customs, and guess what? My first posting is in Mumbai” she told me with a huge real happiness smile on her face.

I was really happy for her and said “Wow! That’s really a good news Arushi, you owe me treat for this news”

We went to the food court and ordered something to eat. I was thinking “this girl went in Ambulance from here and now she has become a customs office. That’s really a progress and a tremendous change”

I wanted to ask her all about these two years and her journey from a suicidal silly girl to become an officer, but I didn’t. I thought that this may flash past and hurt her.

We did a lot of shopping and enjoyed a lot. In the evening we were sitting in the lawn, having ice-cream and talking about our lives.

I felt she was still not really happy and asked “are you alright, I mean are you happy with everything now?”

She said “Moving on is not easy Di, it’s been 7 years since Samarth broke up with me but sometimes I still miss him, past still haunts me now and then but I’m trying my best to leave that everything behind and move on with my life”

“I’ll get busy with the job now. Mom, dad and brother are happy with my placement and I find my happiness in their happiness now. Still sometimes I feel that something is missing from my life and I’m not happy deep inside but I’ve accepted that it is what it is now”

I said “don’t worry your tries will not go in vain, keep it up. I’m proud of you. After all that sufferings and setbacks you cracked one of the toughest exam and that too without any coaching”

She had to go back to Chandigarh same night. We both booked our cabs. She went to the railway station and after seeing her off I also headed to my room.

She shifted to Mumbai for her job and we both got busy with our jobs. Once we start working we get so involve in the race for money and growth that we leave behind some old friends. Same happened with us, our talks also gradually shifted from on and off Hi-Hellos to forwards messages and birthday wishes.

After one and half year she sent me a message and said “Di I want to share good news with you”

“Tell me quickly” I replied

“I’m getting married” this was her message followed by heart emoji and laughing face with hearts in the eyes

I was surprised to see this message, but I was happy too. I could feel her happiness while sharing this with me, as if Samarth is finally back in her life and she’s getting married to him. I wanted to ask, but I wasn’t sure how should I ask this.

My phone pinged with another message from her “I’m coming to Delhi for the shipping after 3 days. I’ve only 24 days Di, wedding is on 11^th Nov”

“I’ll come there and stay with you for a day. Please make yourself available on Saturday. I really like your choices and you’ve to choose clothes for me. I also have to give invitation cards to some friends”

I replied “anything for you, come I’ll be waiting”

I wanted to ask so much about her journey of moving on from such a devastating breakdown to clearing SSC to getting married and especially who was the groom, but I asked nothing in the messages and though I’ll ask her once she’ll come.

On Saturday morning someone knocked at my door. When I opened it was Arushi with a suitcase.

She was wearing blue jeans and a sea green kurta with a cherry colored hand bag, she was looking very gorgeous and happy.

I prepared tea for both of us and sat on the bed. She said “I know you must be dying to know whom I’m getting married to but I can understand why you didn’t ask. Let me show you my charming prince”

She smiled and put her phone right in front of my eyes with a handsome guy’s photo. I had already seen Samarth’s photo, but this was not him, this guys was much better than him.

He was wearing a round neck black t-shirt and blue jeans with decent looks and attractive features. I said “he looks handsome, you both will make a great couple. Anyway, love marriage or arranged?”

“Arranged” she looked at his picture, smiled and told me.

I again asked her the same question which I asked her in our last meeting “Arushi are you happy?”

She locked her phone, looked at me and said “Yes, now I can see that I’m really happy. Akash is good, caring, loving and very understanding. I told her about Samarth but he didn’t react instead he understood and handled the situation with maturity”

“He didn’t judge me and got angry. Like an understanding and caring partner he hugged and said, thank God he left you else how would I’ve met you” and she laughed.

She told me that Akash works in a government insurance company and his posting is also in Mumbai.

Arushi was looking really happy for the first time since the day she saved Samarth’s number in my phone.

I said “See Arushi how everything changed and now it’s perfect”

She kept her cup of tea aside on the table and said “Yes Di everything is perfect now but it wasn’t easy at all. I wasted my life’s 8.5 years for him. In all these years I’ve tried chasing him, stalked him, tried to the levels once can’t even think of but he never cared about me or anything, I even tried to end my life many times”

 “Then I looked at my parents, focused on my studies again and got this job for their happiness, that’s when I realized what I was doing with my life for the person for whom I almost didn’t even exist”

She continued to speak and I was listening carefully as I wanted to know she moved on “I began to realize, when he wasn’t with me even then I had a life, in fact I was happier before he came.”

“Things fell apart with his entry in my life, everything was disturbed, hurt my family because of him, never valued any other person, never had friends”

“I even lost my self-respect and loved him blindly. May be Samarth was right about me, I became a phsyco in the madness of getting him. I could not accept that one person whom I devoted my everything has left me”

“Di, I’ve broken again and again in these years, but now this break up has made me unbreakable. I’ve become so strong now that I don’t give up on anything now”

Her phone rang. It was her mom. She answered the call, told her she’s with me and asked her to call back.

She was so intensely telling me her experience that she didn’t even talk to her mom and continued

“I must say that this 8.5 years of struggle has taught me a lot Di, now I look at life with a different and positive perspective and nothing can break me now”

“It’s good that even after so many tries I’m not with Samarth. He never understood me, my love and he never valued me. In fact I should thank him that he didn’t come back else I would’ve never met Akash”

“Akash has made me realized that not all the boys are same. In just 6 months he has made me understood the real meaning of love. It’s all about understanding, respecting and valuing each other. He has loved me so much that today I feel lucky to have him in my life and accepting him as my life partner”

“I’ve understood one thing that it’s not life which is bad but we make wrong choices. When I was chasing Samarth, I felt like my life was cursed and I couldn’t stay happy even for a single day but when I’m with Akash, my life is blessed and my every dream has started to come true and with Samarth I was about to end my life”

“Oh God! I’m really proud of this girl” I thought, so far I’ve seen this intensity, inspirations and twists in movies only. Arushi’s story was no less than a movie script and I was stunned.

I hugged her and said “I’m very happy for you Arushi but I want to know how did you overcome that dark time and moved on?”

She smiled at me and said “Di this is art THE ART OF HEALING”

“Healing is a process and we need to give ourselves time to heal. It’s not something which could be done in a day, it may take months or even years”

“When I was devastated, I started to meditate and put myself on priority of my life. I did what I liked and focused on my hobbies let it be dancing or singing”

“I spent time with family, made new friends, set goals for myself and followed them. I started to believe in myself and my will power. These are some things which help us rebuild and one day everything falls into right place. Once you come out of situation and move one then your past hardly matters or bothers you”

“Today I’m happy in life and Di I must say that all because of me only. People around me tried to make me realize that I’m on the path of destruction but until I didn’t take a stand for myself, I didn’t understand any of those. I began to heal the day I took a stand for myself and ultimately it was me pulled me out of that dark phase”

“This break up has taught me many lessons and one of them is that we should not underestimate ourselves and our recovery starts the day when we understand that we’re the one who needs our love more than wasting is on anyone else”

“We think that starting a new relationship just after the break will help us heal and override the old one, but that’s not true. If we go into a new relationship with the baggage of our past, that’s not doing any good for us, rather it spoils our new relationship. I would say that we should give time to ourselves, find our values, respect ourselves and then we should think of any new relationship”

I was listening to her without blinking my eyes as I was finding it very inspirational and true. She was sharing her real life experience for which she almost gave up her life.

I was thinking “I may be elder than her but today she has taught me the lesion of life. A break has made her a different girl”

“After listening to her I saw breakup from a different perspective, it has both the sides positive and negative”

“Positive was today’s Arushi who had raised as strong girl and made her life perfect and inspirational”

“Negative was that day’s Arushi when she was lying on the floor of PG’s room with her slit wrist and blood all over”

“Arushi’s story had taught me a lot about breakup’s different aspects, how to raise even if you hit the rock bottom of your life”

I would say Arushi was right, Healing is really an art. Have some patience because healing doesn’t work in a day. It will take some time, which may be weeks, months or even years, depending on how deep your relationship was. Don’t feel frustrated or anxious that nothing is working out, have a strong will power and believe in yourself, you’re good enough in every way.

I’ve read somewhere “Your upside down life could be even more beautiful”. We’ve to let go of the relationship which is pulling us down and accept the fact that we’re on our own and it’s only us who can heal our broken heart, get up and come out of this situation.

I believe that we always have choices, if someone leaves us at any point it’s up to us whether we stay stuck in that situation and stop chasing our dreams or stand up for ourselves but trust me this grief will not get us anywhere rather it will affect us negatively and we’ll waste our precious time.

On the other hand we’ve a choice to accept that the person who left us is gone and we should move on to fulfill our dreams, focus on our growth, we should value the people who are with us from the beginning, who get happy when they see us growing strong and making progress. When someone leaves you, it brings differences and even if you get that person back, it’ll never be the same.

At some point or other in life almost everyone faces a breakup, but it’s on us whether we take it as a failure and spend the rest of our life grieving about it or we can take it positively and become so strong that no one else can ever take away our life’s meaning and dreams away from us.

Now the question is how we can overcome and move on gracefully. Here are some tips to help:

• Don’t hide your feelings, talk about them with people you trust, it’ll take off some burden from your heart and make you feel light
• Spend some time with your family and friends
• Create fresh memories with your loved ones
• Get involved in your hobbies, do what you like whether it’s dance, singing, cricket, painting, football
• Focus and invest in yourself
• Take care of your body, eat healthy, pamper yourself
• Reset your priorities and put yourself on top
• Love yourself because in this phase you need your love more than anyone else
• Cut out all the contacts with your ex for some time and don’t chase them
• Don’t jump into a new relationship immediately

Every failure in life gives us some experience and a breakup is nothing more than a failed relationship. We should take the learnings and implement those to build a strong and beautiful life ahead. A break up should not be the reason for us to break rather it should make us “UNBREAKABLE”. I must say a breakup may break our heart, but it can surely make us as strong as we were never before and make our way forward easier. As they say “We don’t get everything we want but most of the time it’s for greater good”.