The Legends of Esha and Raka
Once upon a time, there was a strong man named Raka. Raka was the Sardar (Lord) of his tribe, settled somewhere in today’s Afghanistan or the northern regions of Pakistan. A soft-hearted man with a strong physique, he traveled far and wide with his soldiers, conquering many lands. On one of his quests, he crossed the river Chenab, where he saw a beautiful girl. Her skin was as fair as cream, her hair golden as the sun, and her smile enchanting. The moment Raka saw her, he fell in love. The girl’s name was Esha, and though she was young, she was also the Sardar of her own tribe — strong, adventurous, and optimistic.
When they met, they forgot the entire world. Leaving their tribes behind, Raka and Esha moved to faraway lands beyond the mountains, where they lived happily ever after.
Thousands of years later, Raka and Esha were reborn, this time as English teachers. Raka taught in northern Pakistan, in a region we now call Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, while Esha taught near the river Chenab in Punjab. Both applied for the TEA (Teaching Excellence and Achievement) program and were selected. The TEA program designates certain candidates as primary and others as alternates. Raka was a primary candidate, but Esha was an alternate. However, fate intervened, and when some primary candidates had their visas rejected, Esha got her chance. That’s how both Raka and Esha became members of our cohort.
Raka was one of the most handsome men in our group — a tall, fair-skinned Pakhtun with a small beard. He had the charm that could captivate many girls. Raka was also a comedian, constantly making people laugh with his jokes and his intentionally incorrect English. He often joked about his frustration with being single and made fun of himself. One day, at an Indian restaurant, he purposely used broken English while ordering, making everyone laugh. The waitress, unfazed, replied, “I thought my English was bad, but yours is even worse!” Everyone burst into laughter at her quick-witted response.
Despite his jovial nature, Raka sometimes seemed genuinely frustrated about marriage. He often tried to talk to girls on the UNO campus, but they were usually quite reserved. After a few weeks, he became unusually quiet — no jokes, no laughter. He behaved like Devdas, an Indian novel character heartbroken in love.
Esha’s selection was a huge achievement for her. She was always lively — talking, singing, and exuding confidence. Adventurous and driven, she had the spirit of a leader. One of our cohort members once told me that he had seen her downtown around 8 or 9 in the evening, exploring alone without fear. Her courage hinted at something supernatural as if she were the legendary Esha reincarnated.
Raka, however, had forgotten all memories of their past lives and his love for Esha. When he was feeling down (for reasons unknown), Esha came to his aid. She reminded him of their timeless love and that he was the same Raka who had once crossed the river Chenab to be with her. Raka realized then that Esha was his true love.
One day, during our presentations, Raka showed up in a beautiful black suit, looking like a Greek god. We thought he was just dressed up for his presentation. At the bus stop afterward, his roommate asked him to join us, but Raka said he’d come later.
I slept soundly that night. The next morning, at breakfast, one of our cohort members asked, “Did you hear any news about Raka?” I replied, “No, what happened?” He then told me the whole story. Apparently, Raka and Esha had been missing since the previous evening. Raka’s roommate waited for him until 11 p.m., and when he still didn’t return, he informed our mentors. The police were alerted, and as news spread, Esha’s roommate revealed that she, too, was missing.
The last we heard, Raka and Esha had flown to the distant shores of Hawaii. It seemed that Raka had remembered his past, his love for Esha, and his legendary identity. Esha had always believed she was the reincarnation of her ancient self, and together they chose to give their story the same ending. They left their “tribes” (our TEA cohort) behind and moved to “The Paradise of the Pacific, The Island of Rainbows, The Pineapple Kingdom, and the Land of Volcanoes.”
And so, they lived happily ever after. The stars smiled upon their union, and the celestial bodies aligned in celebration.
