UN-RAVEL 12....
LET'S LEARN GUITAR....
The night passes away with everyone chilling to their best, having fun, recreating old memories and having blast creating many moments. Sweet, simple, fun-loving, cliché yet pure are the words which can honestly be used to describe the night. As time flies by, before the morning sun takes over the sky, Manik enters Zamira's room and smiles looking at her tired sleeping figure. She is a beautiful angel incarnated by heaven. Manik creases her hair and plants a kiss on her forehead, standing up he pulls the curtains away from the window and looks at the still dark sky.
"Wake up, Zamira." Manik lightly pats Zamira's shoulder lovingly only for her to nod in disagreement and hide her face in the pillow, making Manik chuckle.
{MANIK'S OUTFIT}
"You won't change for good, na. My little baby kitten. You might not remember but we have together bothered Nanadani alot like this. When we were together we use to annoy her so much." He smiles to himself as he says the words to his little sleeping beauty.
" Wake up, Zu...." He shakes her frantically, annoying her to no extends. She finally gives up to Manik's pure astonishment. "Good morning." He greets.
"Good morning." Zamira replies lazily yawning and then she looks around only for her eyes to rest on the watch, "It's 5 in the morning, may I know why are you waking me up so early. I have school at 8:30 and I wake up at 7." She looks at him annoyingly.
"Yes, I will tell you everything but first get up and get ready. I am waiting in the living area so after taking bath come down." Manik says quickly leaving the room with a confused Zamira who nods her head and throws her body on the bed again, five minutes later she gets up and goes to freshen up.
Thirty minutes later, Zamira walks down to the living room only to come face to face with Manik who is sitting on the sofa working on laptop with such high concentration that he didn't notice Zamira's presence. She sits right besides him and places her head on his shoulder lazily.
{ZAMIRA'S OUTFIT}
"Hey!!!!" Manik exclaims coming out of his alertness, "Ready?" Zamira nods and Manik shuts his laptop down. "Come on. Let's go." Zamira looks at him being confused but obliges. "Where are we going?" She questions her curiosity.
Manik smilingly takes Zamira's hand in his and placing his hand on her palm replies to her, "Music room. You wanted to learn playing guitar. Right." Zamira's confused face twitches into a smile. A Duchenne Smile.
"Really...." Zamira excitedly looks with her shinning eyes at Manik, who nods in agreement just to make her grin even wider and hold on his hand even more tightly.
Both walk upto the music room, just at the entrance is placed idol of Saraswati maa (Goddess Saraswati), both joining their hands bend their heads in prayers.
"First rule for learning anything, I repeat for learning anything in the world is the will and dedication. You have to be dedicated towards it and once if you have said a yes and you want to learn it, no matter how difficult it is, never.... never back off because the day you lear it completely will be worth." Manik says holding Zamira's eyes with his in genuine and serious tone and Zamira nods understandingly. "And you can ask me whatever you want and whenever you want. Am I clear." Zamira nods again in agreement and mouths, "Yes, you are."
"Good."
"So starting with guitar. There are two types of guitars, Acoustic guitars and Electronic guitars. There isn't a lot of difference between the two but it's mostly about the pitch and amplifier." Manik says holding two guitars in his hand, "The one on my right is the Acoustic guitar and the one on my left is an Electronic guitar. We will start playing the acoustic one first. But there are a few things you need to know about guitar, before. So how many notes are there in music."
"Six." Zamira replies listening to Manik carefully.
"Right, like wise guitar has six strings too." Zamira nods looking carefully at the strings of guitar.
"A guitar has three basic divisions the head, the neck and the body. The head includes the head stock, tuning pegs and nuts. Nuts are the the starting attachments of the strings and tuning pegs are used to adjust the strings." Manik explains her the divisions by showing her each and every single segment of guitar and continues, "Next is the neck. Neck is separated from the head by a part called cutaway. The neck is nothing but a long fret board, through which the strings run and are known as the fret wires. Now you could see the divisions in the fret board (Zamira nods in agreement) these are the fret markers also known as the position markers. These markers are for two reasons the first and vital one is to keep the track and the second one is just for decoration purpose. Till the neck both electronic and acoustic guitars are similar they have the basic difference in the body region. Is that okay till now." Zamira nods in agreement as she understood everything that has been told to her.
"Good. So the body of an acoustic guitar is quite simple, you have a sound hole and a bridge, there is a saddle on which the strings rest, it is mostly connected to the pins or the guitars without the pins are known as pin less guitars. Coming to the electronic guitar it's body is completely different. One, it has no sound hole, instead it has pickups and controls. Pickups are like microphones which take the vibrations to the amplifier. Then we have these volume controls also known as tone knobs, volume bars, pick up selector switch that we can adjust on high, middle and lower segments of the guitar. That's all about the guitar."
"Okay.... It's interesting." Manik nods in agreement. "Now the most important thing is, how to hold a guitar." Manik says picking up two guitars giving one to Zamira and taking the other for himself.
"There are three ways to hold a guitar. First one is casual way, second is classical and the third is standing up with the strap. It's really important to hold a guitar properly or you won't be able to practice for too long, or maybe end up with a soar hand or postural problems. So first sit with your back straight." Zamira follows the instructions. "Now put the strap of the guitar around your neck." As Zamira keeps following the instructions, Manik continues, "Good, now you have to place the body of guitar on your thigh and hold the guitar tightly with your fret hand under the neck of guitar."
Zamira being confused questions him, "Fret hand. What's a fret hand?"
"Oh.... Ya!!!! Okay.... As you are a right handed person you will use your right hand to strum the strings on the body of guitar and the left hand will be used for strumming the strings on the neck of the guitar. The neck is also the fret board, so the hand that strums the fret wires is also called the fret hand which in your case is the left hand." Zamira nods understandingly and holds the guitar and Manik nods in disagreement. He gets up from his place and goes behind her and taking the guitar positions it in the right way pulling the guitar in tightly and helping Zamira to get hold of her guitar properly.
"This is the right way." Zamira nods and looks uncomfortably at Manik, who raises his eyebrow questioningly, "What happened?"
"My foot is not comfortable." Manik looks at her leg that's resting quite uncomfortably due to the position, "Right. Wait a sec." He pulls out a foot rest and places it right beneath her foot so that she can relax. "Comfortable." Zamira nods.
"Okay, so the position you are holding the guitar right now is called the classic position. Well as you are learning this position is quite comfortable and I believe right now it's the best position but when you have to perform, you possibly wouldn't be sitting so you will have to practice a lot by standing then. Okay."
"Ya, I get it. So that standing position is called standing up with the strap." Zamira says understandingly.
"Exactly." Manik replies seeing her acknowledged the information.
"And the classical position." Zamira continues asking out of curiosity.
"Right, this is the classical position" Manik says placing the guitar on his left thigh and raising the neck in the air, "This is how you do in classical way. It raises the neck and you get a better look at your notes. You can choose your comfortable position." Zamira nods.
"Guitar has some technical words too. Like a words that looks like a "b" is called flat which means that note needs to come up a bit and in an electric tuner if the indicator indicates towards the left then it means the same. The other is a hashtag "#" which means the note is high and it has to be lowered down and in an electric tuner the indicator moves towards right. Clear."
"Yes, sir." Zamira says energetically.
Manik smiles at her energy, "Okay, then lets have a look at these strings. We have to number them and name them so that when you read the cord charts in future you should know what it means."
"What's a cord chart?" Zamira questions.
"Umm.... Have you seen those notes on pianos and all." Zamira nods in agreement, so Manik continues, "Just like that we have chord charts in guitar too." "Oh.... Okay."
"Coming back to the string. You see the one farthest away from you. (Zamira nods, placing her finger on that string) Exactly, that one, it's the thinnest one and is numbered as number 1. The one above it is 2, then 3, 4, 5 and the closest to you, the thickest one is sixth. Come on show me once." Zamira nods and pointing at the strings shows him all of them while repeating the numbers.
"Very good. Well done. The first string is "e", second "B", third is "G", fourth one is "D", fifth is "A" and the last one is again "E"." Zamira looks at him with wide open eyes, "How am I even supposed to remember it." Manik chuckles seeing her make horrified face.
"Well that's simple. "Eat all day go to bed early." " Manik replies.
"And what is that supposed to mean."
"Maybe, a mnemonic." Zamira looks at him with pierced eyes first and then interprets the meaning and pointing at the strings repeats, "Eat all day go to bed early. Right.... That's so simple. You are amazing, man." Manik smiles seeing her enthusiasm and chirpiness.
"WOW!!!! What's next." Zamira asks being unable to contain her elation.
"Let's lear how to tune the guitar properly." Manik says and helps Zamira in learning about tuning of the guitar properly.
The next one hour Zamira spends learning the basics of guitar, like using the tuning keys, how to tune the guitar and learns playing a few chords and even before they could realise the time to get ready for school comes.
"Come on, lets go. It's time for school." Manik says realising that they had practiced for long enough time and it's time for school now.
"No.... Can we please continue. This is far more interesting." Manik smiles and nods his head in disbelief at the cribbing Zamira throws his way.
"Not now Zu, it's time for school come on." Manik tries to make her agree but to no vail she is as adamant as he is.
"No please.... I want to learn this." Zamira pleads back.
"I understand but don't overload yourself and you have to go to school too. Once, you come back I promise we will continue." Manik tries negotiating but Zamira gives him her cute pleading face leaving Manik with no option but to dart a stern and strict look her way to which she makes a sad puppy face.
"Go get your things and reach dinning table, I will prepare breakfast till then." Manik says in polite yet stern tone.
"Please....." Zamira makes puppy face just for make Manik to nod in disagreement.
"Not happening, Zu. Please you need to get ready for school, now." He holds her shoulder and pulls her with himself out of the room and Zamira reluctantly wears her shoes as they had left their shoes out.
"Oh, come on don't use that puppy faces at me right now. It's not like that's not working but please go to school right now and then once you come back I promise we will do as you say. Don't make me feel bad now, please." Zamira looks at his upset face and nods, "Don't feel bad, please. But you are taking me out for ice cream and we are practicing as long as I want." She makes her deal.
"Done." Manik gives in and Zamira hugs him, "Thankuuuuuu, you are the best." Manik hugs her back with a pleasant happy smile. "And THANK YOU, for making me learn guitar."
The beginning of day is far more better then Manik could have ever imagined. Music has always been his passion and today for the first time teaching his own daughter is surreal for him. Passing on the legacy of music has always been in there blood line. As a child he had learned a lot about music from his parents and grandparents. He had always wanted to pass the same legacy on to his own children but when Nandani and Zamira left his life all his dreams were shattered but todays morning is a dream come true for him.
"Have a great day and I will catch you after the school. Bye...." Manik says waving bye to Zamira. "Bye. And say my hello and good morning, to everyone once they wake up." Manik nods and sees her off as she leaves with the driver.
@RED FILL HIGH SCHOOL....
The school starts with Ivery giving the world's biggest and most bone crushing hug to Alishka on her return, which is returned with no less favour and goes on just like usual being boring and interesting, accordingly. Zamira is glad to have a free period before the lunch break as she has to be with the band during lunch break to catch up with all that which was left unsaid due to Ivaan's anger the previous day. She walks upto the restroom to freshen up. But to her luck she meets the girls who had made her fall the previous day. She was least interested in another fall already the injury from yesterday's tripping hadn't recovered fully and most of the time she limping and walking and she doesn't wants to trouble Manik more. So as soon as she sees them she decides to walk out but to her luck those girls see her and call out for her.
"Wait nerd." The girl in black dress calls out for her. She is haughty, tall, arrogant and probably the queen bee.
"Look I am in no mood to mess and you guys can have the restroom all to yourself but spare me." Zamira tries leaving but she is pulled in the washroom by one of the girls.
"Malina Collis.... Hye!!!" The girls says introducing herself and forwarding her hand.
"Zamira...." Zamira forwards her hand to shake with the forwarded one but Malina holds her hand and twisting it places it right on Zamira's neck trying to choke her.
"You are too stubborn. Don't you understand at once." Malina speaks through pierced teeth. "Fix this in your head and stay away from Ivaan, Yuvaan and Chris, they are our guys." She leaves Zamira with a jerk making her cough her guts out.
"And you better not use Brian, as a shield. Jerk." Another girl from the group speaks spitting venom, she is in white crop top with bache skirt.
"Let it be Alexis. She is already so weak and docile. Just look at her." Malina speaks with a smirk and pierced eyes.
"But I think she is equally clever. A man whore." Zamira's eyes snap up at the word to the girl who is wearing a red one piece with blonde hair.
"Mind your language." Zamira speaks in stern tone.
"Seems like nerdy has got a wild side too." The last girl who was dressed in white crop top and black shorts speaks with arrogance dripping down.
"Relax, Phoebe and Erica. She has got tongue and I am more surprised by that." All the girls smirk at Alexis's words.
Door of one of the restroom stall opens and a girl in black crop top and black jeans comes out and walks towards the basin to wash her hands.
"Oh!!! Chick.... Look whose here now. The queen of losers." Alexis scoffs with a croaky laughter.
The girl who had just come out shakes her hand resulting in few water drops falling on Alexis, meanwhile, Zamira tries to get out of the place but Erica catches hold of her, "Wait nerdy we aren't over with you." Zamira sighs in displeasure.
"Wooh!!! Wooh!!! Got new toy, girls." The girl who came at the end speaks in perfectly normal tone with a use to feeling in it.
"Stay out of it Naumi." Malina scoffs at Naumi's comment.
Naumi raising her hands defensively, "I wasn't in it even, B."
Phoebe holds Malina back signalling her to which she nods and walks a bit back as she was about have a hit on Naumi, she shouts, "Get out of here."
Naumi raises her eyebrow and smirks stabilising her hands on the sink and crossing her legs while standing, "What if I don't? You'll have a shot one me. Come on. Let's see what you have got, love." She ends sardonically.
Malina punches Naumi right across her face having little affect on Naumi, as all the girls shift their concentration towards Naumi, Zamira takes the time to get out of the place. Leaving the washroom as soon as she meets a higher authority she tells them about some shouting and mess happening in the washroom, so that the fight doesn't becomes injurious.
The entire INEXORABLES team catches up in the music room during lunch break but like the previous day today there wasn't much drama and Zamira too had cornered her thoughts over the washroom fiasco, though the constant nagging by the girls is troubling her now. She sits in the room at a place tuning the guitar and trying to play it from the lessons she learnt earlier in the morning. Music actually calms her to all the extends.
"WOW!!!! Somebody seem to be juggling with guitar." Zamira looks up to see the least seen goofy side of Ivaan and nods, "Yup!!! Trying to learn."
{IVAAN'S OUTFIT}
"We have ten minutes before anybody turns up. Want to try together." Zamira nods in agreement and Ivaan taking a guitar strums a few simple notes and Zamira follows him. After a while everyone else comes in with lunch in their hands and slouch on the desks.
"So why the hell did you call us here, Ivaan." Ivery asks him feeling super tired and while munching on her food.
{IVERY'S OUTFIT}
"Alright then. We are going to compete for inter-cultural competition that will take place three months from now." Ivaan tells everyone and everyone looks at him with their undivided attention.
"Inter-cultural competition and it is between?" Alishka questions him.
{ALISHKA'S OUTFIT}
"Well, it's between the countries and at international level." Ivaan informs them taking them all by shock and he continues understanding their state of mind, "Generally, only college students participate for this but this year all the bands from country can perform but for that we will first have to compete from our school and then at state followed by national level. It can be a very big chance for us. So I want all of us to put our two hundred percent into it. Because for the inter-cultural competition we have to choose two cultures and mix them together and perform it musically. Even if we could make it till national level. It will be a huge thing."
"Wait.... WHAT???" Zamira exclaims being totally shocked.
Ivaan obediently nods, "I think so we can do it."
All look at him with their wide eyes as if they have seen some ghost or what.
"Okay, at least we can give it a shot. So I am in." Ivery is the first one to give a nod.
"I hope we can make till end. I am in too." Yuvaan confirms from his side.
{YUVAAN'S OUTFIT}
"Well, maybe we never get such an opportunity again. So why not." Chris says in agreement.
{CHRIS'S OUTFIT}
"Let's go for this madness, INEXORABLES." Alishka cheers.
All turn to looks at nervous Zamira waiting for her agreement, "Guys, I don't think so I can do this. You guys are amazing and I have never performed before so I don't want to be your set-back. I think I shouldn't be a part of it."
"EITHER IT'S ALL OF US OR NONE." All of them shout in unison.
"You guys have lost it or what." Zamira says trying to negotiate over their stupidity.
"Come on, do you think Inexorables could have sustained with a certain level of madness." Ivery says looking at her as it is kinda obvious.
"We will work hard together and make this possible." Yuvaan tries making Zamira agree on seeing her stern tone.
"We all are going to jam on Sunday at our place. That's final now." Ivaan says giving his poker stern look to everyone.
"What's your problem, Ivaan? Why don't you get it? I have never played before and I will be a disaster and you guys shouldn't loose it because of me." Zamira says standing up at her place while being angry and impatient.
Ivaan stands right in front of Zamira and looking straight into her eyes says the words that shake her completely, "You can never be the reason of us failing. So now it's in your hands that we are participating or not." Saying that he walks back and leave the room and one thing was clear that this guy is adamant as hell and so are others.
"I don't know will I be living to perform or not." Zamira speaks to herself once everyone leaves the room and covering her face she sits with a thud allowing few of her tears to run down her face. "I am sorry, guys. I shouldn't have listened to my heart and said a yes at the first place. I am so scared. Forgive me." She breaths out to steady her panicked self, in no way she could convince herself to make another promise and not keep it. Her reality is to hard for her own self to let it sink down.
*##*
"That's the twist of fate Zara. When we think everything is going great, situations always turn us upside down." Nandani says smiling at her little daughter, who looks upto her and questions, "Then what should I do now, mumma."
"Follow your heart." Nandani says reminiscing Manik and for split seconds her lips part in his thoughtfully spoken words and she can never be less thankful of him for his constant support even though he isn't with her anymore, still his words strengthen her. Still he is there for her whenever she is in trouble.
How tangled up their fates are....
#**#
Zamira rubs her tears off remembering her mother's words and decides to follow her heart once again. It took her a lot of while but yes, she knows what her heart want. So what if her lifeline isn't too long, she can at least live her dream and for the second time she decides to be selfish..... Selfish for her own self.
She walks down the corridors to the main gate of the school and scrutinizes the area to find Ivaan. Little away from the crowd she could see him standing with the walls support all by himself. She rushes upto him and even before he could realise she is there, she hugs him.
"Sunshine....." Ivaan says wrapping his arms around her in worry. "Are you okay."
"Shhh......" Zamira shushes him and he nods, "I don't know what's between us but it's so familiar. So damn familiar." Ivaan smiles hearing her words and she breaking the hug looks at him with determination yet, softness in her eyes, "I will do it but you have to promise, to never leave my side."
"I promised, that years back." Saying that Ivaan leaves making Zamira confused and sceptical of his words, though they didn't bother her but felt so true.
IVAAN'S P.O.V.:
"I don't know what's between us but it's so familiar. So damn familiar." These words trailed down her tongue, finally. How even in an aeon am I supposed to tell you sunshine, who you are to me. My first, my first childhood best friend, my first support, my first secret keeper, my first gift of god, my first chocolate thief, my first protector, my first partner in crime.
How shall I tell you that you and I aren't just friends we have been each other's lifeline and support system. And yet again how am I supposed to tell you how badly I have missed you. Everyone says that you are the best selection for out band but how am I supposed to tell, this was our dream, our first ever dream. You aren't my selection and I am nobody to choose you because this band is ours, we made it together. Not today, not even six years back like everyone thinks. We together made this band 13 years back. When you were two and I was three. Just to have one perfect name, you made me ramble through dictionary like for hundered days, that too kids dictionary and I remember how I read it like for at least five time during those days and no word would convince us because if you like something and I didn't we discarded it or vice-versa and then finally to our rescue came Seraph, our Arzoo bhua and obviously, she hated being addressed bhua so we called her SERAPH. How funnily you told her in your childish way that you wanted a name which means unstoppable and the moment she said "INEXORABLES" we both jumped like fools in the house. Alright, I know I was three and can't remember so many details vividly but what to buddy always narrates all these stories.
He loves you so much, sunshine. Even more then moon would have loved it's moonlight, even more then roses love their scent and even more then any father can love his daughter. He lives for you Nannu maa. I wish Nannu maa wouldn't have ever left taking you. I want three of you back and I want it so badly.
END OF IVAAN'S P.O.V.
He lays down on his bed savouring some bitter sour moments of their life. Missing his best friend. She was, she is and she always will be the first person to conquer his heart.
PRE RECAP:
O'Connor's & Bradshaw's.....
Well, just an intro but she is here....
NANDANI MURTHY MALHOTRA.....
I REALLY APOLOGIZE IF ANYTHING RELATED TO GUITAR LESSONS IS WRONG. I AM NOT A GUITARIST THOUGH I REALLY WANT TO LEARN. SO ANY TIPS..... DO SEND IT MY WAY.
THANK YOU 😊 SO MUCH FOR YOUR INCREDIBLE SUPPORT AND I AM EXTREMELY GRATEFUL FOR ALL THE LOVE YOU PEEPS HAVE BEEN SENDING MY WAY.
THIS BEING THE LAST CHAPTER OF THE YEAR I WANT TO WISH YOU ALL A VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR 😊 MAY YOU GUYS HAVE AN AWESOME NEW YEAR AND WITH ANOTHER YEAR COMING TO END LEAVE ALL THE BAD THOUGHTS, TROUBLES AND HURT BEHIND, END THOSE CHAPTERS OF LIFE THAT GIVE YOU SORROW AND NOTHING ELSE AND BEGIN THE NEW YEAR WITH HIGH MOTIVATION, INSPIRATION AND ACHIEVE ALL YOUR ENDEAVOURS. MAY GOD BLESS YOU WITH ENOUGH STRENGTH TO CONQUER WHAT'S RIGHT FOR YOU....
Btw I am not going to post for a full moth as new year brings exams as a gift for me 😂😂..... Anyways wish me luck....
Stay blessed
With loads of love
&
Well wishes,
For now signing off
SHIVIKA 😊....