Strange are the ways of men and women. Oftentimes, they work in the same office, commute together daily and are shouted at in tandem by the same boss. They have mutual respect and sympathy and a good working relationship. There things rest.
On the other hand, there are folks who meet briefly, and in the most unusual settings such as sky-diving clubs. He pops the question and she bats her eyelids coyly to say yes; all this while spiralling downwards on a parachute. It is as if one of Cupid’s arrows struck them in mid-air.
The most scintillating show of affection, although not a standard proposal, was the one in Raj Kapoor’s Mera Naam Joker . A starry eyed Rishi Kapoor sprints down the banks, collects irises and wild lilies, makes a bouquet out of them, and presents it to his teacher. Simi Garewal played the part to perfection of the embarrassed, blushing teacher.
Amol Palekar in Choti si Baath is all jittery and cannot muster enough courage to put it across to his lady love, and goes through coaching classes to ultimately pop the question.
I cannot vouch for this story, but a couple of tennis enthusiasts met each other for days, weeks on end but kept their relationship purely professional, at least for all appearances. Till one fine day, the member of the fairer sex received a parcel from her tennis partner-cum-admirer. She peeled off layer after layer of the packet and saw only a tennis ball inside. But the gift had this etched on it: “The ball is now in your court.”
One of my senior colleagues had a breezy manner and wit, matched only by his artistry with the scalpel. When he was a trainee in surgery, he was bored with the humdrum life of ward rounds, surgeries, dressings and removing drains.
One day he passed by the dental department and saw a dentist, sprightly and engaging. He decided at once that he must have a check-up. Halfway through, the lady remarked, “Why, you’ve the most perfect set of teeth.” “But you’ve the sweetest smile I have seen,” the surgeon replied.
Now, four decades down the line, this couple remains as charming and vivacious as ever.
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