Small Story 180.

Small Story 180 : Silent Decisions Dodanna and Chinnappa, both from the same village near Hassan, had settled in Mysore. They were good friends and known for their helpful nature. Dodanna had one daughter, Ramya, who worked as a research assistant at CFTRI and lived with her husband and their only son, Ajay, who was in the 8th standard at a nearby school. Chinnappa had one son, who worked at the paper mills and was still unmarried. Chinnappa’s wife, Annapoorana, and Dodanna’s wife Padma were also good friends. Annapoorana had been worried about her son, Rajesh, as he kept saying he wasn’t interested in marriage. However, Annapoorana sensed that he might have a crush on someone. Her intuition was right. Rajesh was secretly in love with his college mate, Ragini, but her parents didn’t approve of him because he was an ordinary storekeeper, even though he earned a respectable salary of 50,000 rupees and had a good reputation. After hearing Ragini’s parents’ decision, Rajesh dropped his plan to marry her and did not reveal it to his parents. A year passed, and he got promoted and transferred to another division in Bengaluru. One day, Rajesh visited the famous Rameswaram Cafe, near his new apartment, and unexpectedly saw Ragini having tiffin. She smiled and greeted him. “Hey, Rajesh! How are you?” she asked. Rajesh nodded. “I’m fine. It’s been a while.” He had last met her two years ago, and he had assumed she had gotten married, perhaps to an engineer. “I’m staying in Jayanagar, 4th Block, with my parents,” Ragini said. Rajesh asked, “What about your marriage?” Ragini responded, “My parents had another alliance for me, a Dubai boy who offered a higher salary, but that was dropped too. The Dubai boy said he wanted a postgraduate, but I am just a graduate, so that was dropped as well. I’ve always followed my parents’ advice, and I can’t break away from that. They’re not being selfish, but as parents, they only want the best for me.” Rajesh, feeling somewhat bitter yet understanding, replied, “I see...” Ragini continued, “I appreciate your understanding, Rajesh, but honestly, I never had feelings for you beyond friendship.” After spending a few more minutes talking, both parted ways. Later, back in his room, Rajesh reflected on the meeting. It was clear now that his feelings for Ragini were unreciprocated. He felt a sense of closure, though tinged with sadness. His silent decision to not pursue his feelings earlier in life had cost him the chance to be with someone he cared about. Sometimes, life’s silent decisions can silently spoil our chances. Rajesh’s story was a testament to that. K.Ragavan 10-3-25