This story is about a girl who experiences navarasas or nine different moods on single day. The moods have been highlighted in bold. Enjoy Reading!

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"Students, today we are going to learn about navarasa. It is one of the essential part of Bharatanatyam. Before we delve into what navarasa are, we need to know what a rasa means. A rasa is human state of mind. It also means being tasted or enjoyed. In simple terms it is about what mind feels," I explained to my students.

Giving a theory sermon in Bharatanatyam class is difficult. Also, the bunch of students sitting in front of me are the ones in their teens who are tired of hearing boring lectures throughout the day. I admit we, as teachers, cannot make these things interesting.

I sighed and continued, "These expressions can be broadly classified into nine rasas- Sringara, Adbhuta, Hasya, Raudra,Bhayanaka, Karunya, Bibhatsa, Vira and Shanta."

I looked at their confused faces. Sanskrit, though a beautiful language, can sometimes be a bit difficult to understand. I smiled. "They mean love, amazing, humorous, anger, horrifying, sympathy, disgusting, heroic and peace respectively," I said, clearing their confusion. "These emotions are said to be inspired from real life."

One of my students asked, "Ma'am, what does Sringara has to do with this?"

"Sringara is like you're dressing up for someone else. Dressing up for someone you like or love."

She was definitely not convinced with my answer. "Why is it that a woman has to dress up for someone? Why can't she dress up for herself?"

"Of course she can dress up for herself. No where it is mentioned in Natya Shastra that a woman cannot dress up for herself. But this has to do with the days when men were in army and would go to wage wars. The women had to take care of the house but somewhere in her heart, she would wait for her husband. When the time for his arrival would approach, she would eagerly look forward to dress up for him."

The content look on her face assured that she agreed to my explanation. Another student of mine asked, "Ma'am, is this real? In today's age, except for men in armed forces, nobody goes to take part in war. Did you dress up for someone else?"

Her question was very simple. The answer to her question was yes. Life is an exam where the syllabus is unknown and question papers are not set. When Heisenberg gave uncertainty principle for atoms, we are humans, composed of very same atoms; our lives are a complete mess. But it was out of one such mess where I got a clear picture about particular incident.

But this is not a thing which she can understand at this immature age. I decided to tactfully deviate from the topic. "I am as clueless as you. Whether this is real or not, this is a part of navarasa. Remember that these were formulated in olden days."

They have their application till present day. I gave them a demonstration on how they are supposed to emote these rasas and dismissed the class. One of the teachers and my best friend, Sakshi, was grinning like an idiot. "Why did you tell lie that this is not real?"

"If I would have told that this is real, the students would have asked me to prove it with an example."

"You could have told your story?"

I narrowed my eyes. She threw her hands in air. "Okay Isha, I am not going to ask you again."

"I am not angry, Sakshi. It's that they're still immature to understand my story."

Her question bought the memories of one of those days that clearly etched in my mind.

That day I was going to meet Raj, after three months, over the dinner. I know the name sounds like a typical Bollywood hero name. We were engaged six months ago. Our marriage was scheduled for next month.

There was strange excitement that surrounded me. I was going to meet him after such a long time. I couldn't explain the reason but I felt I should look good. I felt I should look good for him. After spending an hour, I looked at myself in the mirror.

My black saree with red and golden border was draped perfectly. My French braid looked neat. I had applied minimal makeup and few accessories. I had used some hundred small safety pins to keep my chiffon saree intact. There was one question that I had in my mind. Will this appeal to him?

After an hour driving in Bengaluru traffic, I reached the hotel where he was supposed to meet me. It looked like a five star one. I couldn't find him which means he was late. Again. I decided to wait for sometime before informing him that I have arrived.

As the time passed, my patience started to vanish. Just when I had made up my mind to order something for myself, I saw him. He was wearing a crisp charcoal black shirt and grey slacks. I was amazed at his drastic transformation. I was seeing him in formals for the second time. I got to know that he was forced to wear formals during our engagement. I must admit he was looking good.

He frantically waved at me. I smiled at him. He took a pink rose from the adjacent table and presented it to me. I laughed at his idiotic behaviour. Occupying the seat next to me, he said, "You're looking beautiful today."

Raj had caught me off guard. I replied, "Thank you! So tell me, how was your business trip? How was London?"

"Yeah, it was good. Well, about London, wait a minute, if you have to visit any foreign country, you will have to come with me. Your Bharatnatyam is not going to take you anywhere."

If it hadn't been for the waiter, Raj would have got an earful from me. His comment made me feel very angry.

I turned my attention towards a woman. She was wearing a blue party gown which revealed considerable amount of cleavage. Though she had an attractive face, her chest region did disturb me. There was a dark patch on the upper portion of her chest. What could be the reason?

"Maybe acid attack," Raj replied. I looked astonished for he had read my mind. But what horrified me the most was how can any person think of pouring acid on one's face?

I decided to visit the washroom. I didn't want to take any chances of my stomach feeling full before eating. I was washing my hands when I noticed that girl standing next to me, washing her hands. No sooner did I start considering the possible cases of what would happened to her then, than her eyes met mine.

Sensing the questioning look, she smiled and looked at her scar. "This scar is a result of jealousy."

"Huh? Jealousy? I am sorry I didn't understand."

"They say two's company, three's crowd. It is true. That third person was jealousy. It created a wall between two best friends. My friend felt that I snatched her scholarship. She decided to take revenge."

Instantly, I had developed a soft corner or rather sympathy for her.

I stood still like a mannequin. She went away. Neither did she wait for my reply nor my reaction. I took a deep breath. People say that a woman is not safe when she's amongst the men. It's completely wrong. A human has no safety when another human is jealous of them.

Taking baby steps, I reached our table. The starter had arrived and Raj was attacking it furiously with his fork and knife. Back at my home, my parents would wait for each other before eating dinner. This is what I had expected him to do. Shaking my head, I sat on the chair.

"What took you so long? Anyways I was famished so I started eating it without waiting for you. I hope you don't mind."

"Not at all," I replied with a smile. I started eating the food, chewing slowly and tasting each and every grain. I was trying to analyze what that woman had said earlier when we heard a loud laugh. I see that woman laughing.

Raj commented, "Why does she have to laugh so loudly? I bet she's an attention seeker. First wearing a revealing dress to gain pity and then attention."

Isn't it her choice to wear whatever she wants to wear? What difference are those acid scars going to make? At that moment, I felt disgusted to call him as my fiancee. But I needed clarity.

"I think we need to talk," I said, pondering for a while. He looked at me and smiled. "We have been talking since we came here."

"Look, I am serious. I need a few answers before I take a decision," I demanded. "Okay, calm down."

"If I had some huge scar on my body or my face would have been distorted due to acid, would you still marry me?"

He was shocked. He was astonished. But his silence pierced my heart. He loved my physical beauty, not the person who I am. I was furious about my hasty decision to marry him.

"About your previous comment on whether I will go all around the world with my Bharatanatyam certificates then yes, I will. There are many people in world who will appreciate these cultural art forms. Actually why am I explaining this to an idiot like you?"

I left the place without waiting for him to give a reply or an explanation. I will definitely cancel our wedding. The moment I stepped into my car, I felt like I did some brave deed. That moment, I felt I was the hero of my story.

As I drove through the traffic, I realised probably I never tried to get to know who Raj was. I just met him and my parents liked him. I always trusted the decision of my parents. But this time they were wrong. Not often you self realise some situations in your life. But when you realise them, it always leaves a strange peace in the heart.

"Isha! Where were you lost?" Sakshi asked, shaking me. I shook my head and shrugged my shoulders. "We have to go to your home. Remember, some groom is coming to see you."

I nodded and stood up. One bad experience doesn't mean your life ends there, isn't it?

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