Today, they were touring Thiruvananthapuram. Keerti and Naksh slowly ran away from the group.
Keerti: Are you ready for the surprise?
Naksh: Yes. But what is it?
Keerti called an auto and spoke something in Malayalam which Naksh could barely hear. She asked him to sit in the auto. They arrived at the railway station. Naksh was wholly confused. She took out two train tickets.
Naksh: Keerti, you are freaking me out. Where are we going?
Keerti: Kanyakumari!
Naksh: What?
Naksh's mind was blank.
Naksh: But we'll miss the cruise.
Keerti: Chill! The ship leaves the day after tomorrow. It's only a journey of 2 hours and 45 minutes.
Naksh was still in awe.
The train was starting to move. Naksh went and jumped onto the train and gave his hand to Keerti and pulled her in.
Keerti: This is such a DDLJ scene.
Naksh: You are showing me an Abbas-Mustan movie. I didn't expect these many shocks.
Keerti: Come on. I'm your wife. If you can give me surprises, so can I.
Naksh: But how will we travel there? Have you hired a tour guide?
Keerti chuckled.
Keerti: I know Kanyakumari inside out. We'll have a gala time.
Naksh nodded unsurely.
They went and sat on their seats.
Naksh: I am a little unsure though.
Keerti: It's necessary for everyone to come out of their comfort zone. Coming on an adventure trip such as this will help you find out your unknown capabilities.
Naksh nodded.
Keerti: Let's make this trip more interesting. We'll play 20 questions.
Naksh: Okay. I'll start. Your favorite color.
Keerti: Blue. Aquamarine to be more particular. Favourite festival.
Naksh: Diwali. Comfort food.
Keerti: Dal Bhati. Favorite sweet.
Naksh: Shrikhand. Dream holiday destination.
Keerti: Istanbul. What irritates you the most?
Naksh: People who crack their knuckles at inappropriate times. What irritates you the most?
Keerti: People who laugh at inappropriate times.
Keerti gave him a victory look while Naksh laughed sarcastically.
Soon they reached Kanyakumari.
Naksh and Keerti got an auto and went to a nearby hotel.
Naksh went into their room and collapsed onto the mattress.
Naksh: So what is the plan?
Keerti: We will have our lunch and go to the Vivekananda rock memorial. As far as I remember, we can go and see the Thiruvallavur statue as well. Then we will go to the wax museum. Then we will come back, have a cup of tea and take a bath. Then we will go to Arulmigu Bhagavathy Amman Temple and watch the sunset.
Naksh was looking at her with awe as she rambled along with her plan.
Naksh: When did you plan all of this?
Keerti: A few days ago. But I've come here before. It's a magical place.
Naksh and Keerti went out and had a traditional South Indian platter. Naksh was intimidated with the number of items on the plate. Keerti chuckled at that sight.
Keerti: Don't worry about eating all of this. With the amount of walking, we have to do today it will be digested very easily.
They then took off to the boating area. There was a huge line.
Naksh: I didn't realize this was such a famous destination. We've been in this line for 10 whole minutes.
Keerti: Patience, Naksh. Do you realize how lucky we are to be here?
Naksh: I guess.
They got onto the boat and sat down.
Keerti: Naksh, do you realize the symbolics of this place?
Naksh nodded.
Naksh: This is where the Bay of Bengal, the Arabian Sea, and the Indian ocean meet. But there is an interior meaning to this place. This place is symbolic as this is where our mind, heart, and soul meet before God. That is why Swami Vivekananda realized what he should do here.
Keerti smiled.
Keerti: It's quite amazing that our thoughts meet. We are so ...
Naksh: in sync.
Keerti was beaming.
They visited the rock memorial and the statue.
Naksh spent most of his time in the wax museum taking weird selfies with the statues.
They came back home and took a bath.
Keerti came out wearing a South Indian saree.
Naksh was blown away by Keerti's beauty in that sari.
Naksh: Wow, Keerti! You look so ethereal.
Keerti chuckled.
Keerti: Heavy word, Mr. Singhania.
Naksh smiled.
They went to the Kanyakumari Amman temple. There was a big line. When they came to the entrance, Naksh saw a board.
"Please take off your shirt and place your mobile devices outside before you enter the temple premises."
Naksh: Seriously, Keerthi? Do I have to take off my shirt?
Keerti: This is the rule of the goddess here. Taking off your shirt won't kill you.
He reluctantly took off his shirt and they put their mobile devices in the box.
Keerti was looking at Naksh squirming uncomfortably.
Naksh: Checking out your husband in the temple? My, my, Keerti you are very shameless.
Keerti hit him playfully.
They went inside and made their prayers to the goddess. Naksh noticed Keerti praying to the goddess fervently.
Keerti's POV
Ma, you have given me a great family and a very good husband. I only want their happiness. Regardless of what happened, they accepted me. I also wish that somehow I will fall in love with this amazing human being.
Naksh came up to her and they went and got some kumkum.
He took a pinch of it and put it in the partition of her forehead. Their eyes met for a minute.
Naksh: You were looking incomplete without this.
Keerti smiled and thanked him.
They took an auto to the Sunset point.
Naksh and Keerti stood there and were admiring the beautiful view.
Naksh took out a coin from his wallet and tossed a coin into the water wishing "Keerti should get all the happiness in her life. Grant me the strength to give her that happiness."
Soon the sun was starting to set when Naksh held Keerti's hand. Keerti noticed their intertwined hands and smiled.
Keerti: Naksh, I wish we remain this way forever.
Naksh: So do I.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Glossary:
auto: A shorter term for the word auto-rikshaw. It's a very popular form of transport.
Malayalam: The state language of Kerala.
Kanyakumari: The southernmost part of India located in Tamilnadu. This is where the Bay of Bengal, the Arabian Sea, and the Indian ocean. It's a very famous tourist destination.
DDLJ: It stands for Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, a landmark Hindi film starring Shahrukh Khan and Kajol.
Abbas-Mustan: Abbas and Mustan Burmawalla are brothers known for directing stylish suspense, action and romantic thrillers in with dark-lighted themes. Their films mostly have all the characters with shades of grey.
Dal Bhati: Dal baati is an Indian dish comprising dal and baati. It is popular in Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh.
Shrikhand: Shrikhand is an Indian sweet dish made of strained yogurt.
Vivekananda rock memorial: Vivekananda Rock Memorial is a popular tourist monument in Vavathurai, Kanyakumari, India. It was built in 1970 in honor of Swami Vivekananda who is said to have attained enlightenment on the rock. According to local legends, it was on this rock that Goddess Kumari performed austerity.
Thiruvallavur statue: The Thiruvalluvar Statue, or the Valluvar Statue, is a 133-feet tall stone sculpture of the Tamil poet and philosopher Tiruvalluvar, author of the Tirukkural, an ancient Tamil work on secular ethics and morality.
Arulmigu Bhagavathy Amman Temple: Ornate temple & pilgrimage site, dating back thousands of years, dedicated to Hindu goddess Kumari.
Bay of Bengal: The Bay of Bengal is the northeastern part of the Indian Ocean, bounded on the west and northwest by India on the north by Bangladesh, and on the east by Myanmar and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands of. Its southern limit is a line between Sri Lanka and the northwesternmost point of Sumatra.
Arabian Sea: The Arabian Sea, also known as Sea of Oman, is a region of the northern Indian Ocean bounded on the north by Pakistan and Iran, on the west by the Gulf of Aden, Guardafui Channel and the Arabian Peninsula, and on the east by India.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This detail of Kanyakumari is personal as I've been there before.
Have you guys been there before?
The next update is on 12/8/18.