The delegates at the Conference of the Bramhand or University of the Universe were preparing for the final session.  All the delegates were getting ready to attend the address by the Chancellor. For the past three days, the delegates from Mercury, Venus, Mars, Pluto and many stars and planets from other smaller galaxies were deliberating on the theme of the Conference which was, “Uniting To Have a Single Universe.” Various scientists from far and wide presented their papers & theses in line with the theme.

The Chancellor greeted the delegates. He explained that the maximum diversity and difficulty in trying to unite the Universe is on planet Earth. The panel of scientists had decided to work more on the thesis submitted by the delegate from Mars entitled “My Intriguing Neighbor.” The Chancellor informed Viki, the delegate from Mars, that he would be transported to the Earth to further his study, carry out relevant experiments and come out with best solutions. He was told that he would land in India and be a guest of a family in a small seashore town. Viki was wondering why India, and as if reading his thoughts the Chancellor said, India is a perfect sample, it is your test laboratory. If your experiment succeeds here then we can replicate it on other parts of the Earth. Dr. Benjamin, our delegate from the Earth, would be your guide and mentor. He will teach you the traditions, languages and other necessary details required by you to make your stay on Earth easy. Also he will provide you with a device which translates every language into your Martian language. This device will be placed like a bracelet on your hand and it will transmit all the data directly to our computer for further study and research. In addition, this device will provide you with necessary references and guides whenever you require them.

Viki was very excited about his trip to the neighboring planet that he always saw with wonder. He was also happy that he would not have to travel much, and he could easily come back to Mars whenever he felt homesick. Dr. Benjamin tutored Viki very diligently. He was a brilliant teacher and mentor. He gave Viki all the details about the Indians. He said, “Indians are very clannish, they make rules to break them and they are very judgmental and can judge people even without knowing them at all. But at the same time they are very intelligent, one of the best in grey matter and very loving. So my dear lad you have your share of positives and negatives to deal with. Remember, never forget that you are a guest there and behave like one.”

Viki or Vikram Sinha as he was christened for the trip, knocked the door of Professor Sharma, his host. The house had a garden with some vegetables and flowers, a small metallic table, a few chairs and a wooden swing. Next to the porch was a small garage where Prof. Sharma’s old FIAT car stood, which was taken out only a few times in a year. The door was opened by someone who looked like a domestic help. Viki handed him the letter he was carrying. An old man, in his mid sixties came out. “Please come in Mr. Vikram, I am A.M. Sharma. Please make yourself comfortable and Ramu will show you your room.” Vikram was slightly confused. The old man did not check his credentials in any form and just trusted the letter given by Viki with blind faith. In Mars this would never ever be possible. There would be checks and re-checks till all tests proved that he really was Vikram Sinha. Bad! he thought, lack of safety checks, he noted through his device.   Vikram was led to his room. He looked around. It had a small balcony which overlooked the backyard of the house. The room was small and Vikram felt rather uncomfortable, but then realized that he was only a guest and it would be only for a few days.

After freshening up, Vikram went down where he was treated to a cup of coffee.  He had never had coffee in a metallic container. But then he remembered Dr. Benjamin’s words, “While in Rome do as the Romans do!” Prof. Sharma called out to his daughter Namrata. She came out of the kitchen and for a moment locked eyes with Viki.  He felt a strange sensation in his chest. He had never seen a female in flesh and bones.  The only time he had seen a female was on his computer screen while logging into websites of the earth. They looked so different he thought. She gave him a smile revealing her sparkling white teeth.”  “Hi, I am Viki, I mean Vikram.” He said hesitantly. “Hi, Namrata, where are you from?” “Mars” he blurted out,…. “I mean Marls, a small town in Africa.” “Oh, but you look so Indian.” She said. Judgmental Indian he remembered, they judge you even without knowing you.

Pramila Devi, the wife of Prof. Sharma came in with a plate full of Indian snacks. Viki was not used to eating at odd hours. But then he remembered Dr. Benjamin and quietly ate everything in his plate. “Which place are you from? What is your caste?” Aha, difficult questions thought Viki. He pressed the small button on this bracelet to get the reply from Dr. Benjamin. Dr. Benjamin was totally confused as Vikram had goofed up by saying he is from Africa. “Hindu, Kayastha…..Many generations ago my ancestors moved to Africa.” Viki was not used to telling anything but the truth and was finding it difficult to answer. “Oh my, we are also Kayastha,” Pramila Devi shouted as if she had just discovered something special. Pramila Devi gave Viki an entire lecture on how Kayastha’s are better than the Vaishnavites or the Dravidians etc., the clan mentality!  Viki remembered.

Viki’s first day on earth was very exhausting. The next day, while working on his computer, suddenly he was interrupted by a voice. “Hi, Good Morning, did you sleep well?” What kind of a question is that thought Viki. There is only one way to sleep. He did not know of anything ‘well’ or ‘unwell’ about it. He avoided the question and just smiled. Viki was feeling something odd in the presence of Namrata but could not understand it. “Incompatibility” he thought. She appeared to be very knowledgeable as he realized when they spoke on various topics. Viki got a lot of data from Namrata for analysis for his thesis. Namrata told him about the customs followed in various parts of India and that various religions like Hinduism, Islam, Buddhism and Christianity all co-existed peacefully in her country. Amazing he thought!

Namrata worked at the National Science Laboratory as a junior scientist. Namrata had a day off from her work and offered to take Viki around to show him her town. She took out the old FIAT car. “This old thing actually works?” he asked. “You have no idea how sturdy these engines are. You foreigners like to waste a lot of energy and pollute the mother earth with new cars all the time.” Viki could not understand what she was saying but then did not want to appear foolish so kept quiet.

The place was filled with people. Some kind of a fun-fair he thought. Namrata took Viki on a roller-coaster ride and he almost felt this was his end. He had never experienced so much madness so closely.  He surely was happy to leave the fun fair.

The next stop was the museum. The guard at the gate told Namrata that visiting hours were over. “I have this guest all the way from Africa, you sure can do with some chai pani and let us in.” She sweetly bribed the guard. “Oh it’s routine here. Don’t bother much about it. People do much bigger things.” Viki was uncomfortable but decided to take it as data for his experiments. The museum was filled with artifacts supposedly from the Stone Age to the beginning of the current century.  Viki was not able to understand why these people on earth like to stock so much old stuff and keep treasuring it.

Namrata then took him to a temple. It had statues of all the various Hindu Gods. Namrata was explaining to him the details of each deity (male and female) and their relations to each other. Viki tried as much as he could but found it really difficult to understand. He was used to only one supreme power. How do these people worship so many?  It was beyond his understanding.  He again decided to take it as data for analysis.

Viki was tired by the time they returned home. He had enjoyed the company of Namrata and had felt an awkward feeling when she was near him. Her scent made him feel good. Her smile made him happy. But his mind was confused. He was not able to analyze the data and report the status to Dr. Benjamin. “Incomplete assignment”, was the remark Dr. Benjamin put on his daily analysis report. Viki tried to speak to Dr. Benjamin and explain to him his status. Dr. Benjamin reminded him that he was only a guest and should behave like one. “Detach yourself from these humans. They are only your subjects of study.” He said curtly.

Viki decided to work hard. He started to miss home. In Mars there were no routines to be followed. No rules to be obeyed or broken. It was two days since he had not got out of his room other than for meals. He tried not to meet Namrata’s eyes as he did not want another “Incomplete assignment” remark on his daily report. The room was becoming too stuffy so he decided to work on the terrace in the night. He was looking at his homeland when suddenly someone said, “Hi, why are you avoiding me?” Viki did not expect Namrata at that late hour. “No, not at all,” he mumbled. “Then let’s go out for dinner tomorrow.”  “Sure, where?” he tried to show confidence. “At the seaside café called Coral Islands. See you at 8 tomorrow there”.  She kissed him on his cheek and went away. Viki was dazed. He connected to Dr. Benjamin to ask him what he should do. Dr. Benjamin was disappointed. “You don’t follow instructions; you are becoming more like the humans. Now that you have messed up; sort it out yourself.” Dr. Benjamin said indignantly.

Viki sat up late into the night trying to figure out what Namrata had said. He worried almost the whole day. Worry was an alien emotion to him on Mars. In the evening Namrata met him at the seaside café. She was dressed in a dark blue chiffon saree and silver jewels to match it. She looked stunningly beautiful. Viki said, “You look beautiful today. I mean more beautiful today.” Namrata smiled. The ambience of the café was very exotic. There was live music playing in the background. Viki was finding it  very alien but tried to keep a straight face. Namrata ordered some very delicious wine and dinner. She was hoping that Viki would ask her for a dance. She gave him broad hints like “I love the music and feel like dancing.” But the Martian could not understand. Finally she led him to the dance floor and they danced. Initially Viki could not get the steps but after pressing the button on the bracelet in a few minutes he seemed to be dancing as if he had been doing it all his life. The closeness of Namrata made him feel good. On the way back, they took a walk on the seashore. The sea breeze on their faces and the waves lashing the seashore made the surroundings very romantic. There was very little being said between them. Viki suddenly hugged Namrata and passionately kissed her for what seemed like a very long time. “I love you”, she whispered. Viki did not know how to respond and just said “Me too.” Now Viki understood what Dr. Benjamin meant by saying they are very intelligent and love selflessly.

He decided that he had to tell Namrata the truth about himself. He was scared (again an emotion he had never felt before) as to what her reaction would be when she would hear that he is not from Earth. Even if she was shocked she did not show it.  

Viki did not meet Namrata for a few days. She had gone on an official assignment out of town. He started to miss her and felt sad.  An emotion he had never experienced before. Viki behaved erratically in terms of working on his assignment. He was distracted and often kept dreaming about Namrata. Love is so strange he thought, it makes you feel both ecstatic and very sad.

Namrata was crying profusely. “Please don’t go, please don’t leave me alone!” Viki hugged her and said, “I will love you always. I will come back for you. I promise.”

The next days’s headlines in the newspaper said, “All pointers towards life on other parts of the Universe.” It had a photograph of a spaceship. Viki smiled to himself and thought it should have read “Life on Earth from other parts of the Universe.”

Days seemed difficult to pass.  Namrata was not able to get Viki out of her mind. She was trying hard to concentrate on her work and forget about him but with little success. She was very sad and it showed on her face. Her colleagues at work were unaware of what was happening but knew something was wrong.

“The new saab is calling for you,” said the peon. Namrata looked up and nodded to him.   She entered the office of her new manager. She was not in a frame of mind to meet anyone but then since he had called for her she had to go.  “Miss Namrata Sharma, to get to know you better, I propose dinner with your new boss this evening at café Coral Islands?” Namrata stood in disbelief. Viki locked his office door before  kissing her. I must be in Paradise, thought Namrata.