I was 12 when I first proposed a girl. One of my friends, Kapil, already had a girlfriend by then. He always used to tell me how great it is to be in "love." As curious as I am, I asked him, "What is it that really makes you feel great when you are in love." After thinking for a while, his only response was, "I don’t know....hmm... I guess you get to touch her hand." I could not stop laughing for few minutes. He again took me by surprise by saying that it is not too often that he gets to touch his girlfriend’s hand--he would have to be lucky to get that chance. I felt sorry for my friend. I had never liked the idea of having a girlfriend, partly because I did not know what I would do if I were to be with her. That particular conversation with Kapil had striked me: does it really feel great to touch your girlfriend’s hand? No matter how hard I tried to find the answer, it only got more obscure. I really regretted for laughing so hysterically at Kapil for his remarks earlier. Challenged by this idea of touching girlfriend’s hand, I embarked on a mission to find a girlfriend. Next day, I told Kapil that I am definitely touching the hand. Sristi and I were not only classmates, but we were also neighbors. She was quite shy but was very pretty. Although I had always resisted that I would not have a girlfriend soon, I had often reconsidered my decision after seeing Sristi. One time, I had even secretly confided to my mom that I would not mind marrying Sristi. She burst into laughter. Later, when dad asked me if I would accompany him to Sristi's house, I locked up my room and did not even come down for the dinner. My brother brought the dinner for me. While my desire to meet the challenge became more desperate, the desire to find a girl became more intense. I had no idea where to start from, let alone touch the hand. Then I silently regretted for not watching those Hindi movies that Kapil was so obsessed with. I had to ask Kapil for help. Boy, it took me three full days and a sincere written apology, for laughing at him earlier, before Kapil was even ready to teach me the basics of "touching the hand." Relentlessly, I gave in to all his demands. Then began my intense preparation of writing love letters. As unprepared I was, I had to first look at the sample letters, before I could even think of what to write. I ransacked through all the letters of Kapil, especially paying attention to his early letters. I must tell you this though: Kapil definitely can write letters to win the heart of a girl. I couldn’t tell if he copied from some of the widely circulated cards back then, but he was persistent in telling me that it all came from his heart. I did not dare to doubt him this time. After copying sentences from here and there, I finally managed to put up few lines for my Sristi. I even made Kapil to go over it—but he just gave me a disappointed look. I almost cried. ----- to be contd.