The Hitchhiking Game
Milan Kundera
Story
We will read this terrifying story by this great Writer, titled The Hitchhiking Game.]
Themes
- Young Love
- Games and Teasing
- Rules in the Game
- Ego and Pain
- Consent
Notes and References
Additional Material
Song for the Story
Song: Chalo Ek Baar Phir Se
Album: Gumrah
Year: 1963
Artist: Mahendra Kapoor
Director: B.R.Chopra
Star Cast: Sunil Dutt, Mala Sinha, Ashok Kumar, Shashikala, Nirupa Roy, Nana Palsekar
Music Director: Ravi
Lyricist: Sahir Ludhianvi
| Hindi (and quite some Urdu!) Lyrics | English Translation |
|---|---|
| chalo ek baar phir se, ajnabii ban jaayein ham donon(2) | Come, let us become strangers once again |
| —– | —– |
| na main tumse koi ummiid rakhuun dil-navaazii kii | I shall no longer maintain hopes of compassion from you |
| na tum merii taraf dekho ghalat andaaz nazaron se | Nor shall you gaze at me with your deceptive glances. |
| na mere dil ki dhaDkan laDkhaDaaye merii baaton mein | My heart shall no longer tremble when I speak, |
| na zaahir ho tumhaari kashm-kash ka raaz nazaron se. | Nor shall your glances reveal the secret of your torment. |
| —- | —- |
| tumhein bhii koii uljhan roktii hai pesh-qadmii se | Complications prevent you from advancing further, |
| mujhe bhii log kahte hain ki yeh jalve paraaye hain | I too am told that I wear disguises. |
| mere hamraah bhi rusvaayiaan hain mere maazii kii | The disgraces of my past are now my companions, |
| tumhaare saath bhii guzrii huii raaton ke saaye hain | while the shadows of bygone nights are with you too. |
| —– | —– |
| taarruf rog ho jaaye to usko bhuulnaa bahtar | Should knowing one another become a disease, then it is best to forget it. |
| taalluq bojh ban jaaye to usko toDnaa achhaa | Should a relationship become a burden, then it is best to end it. |
| voh afsaana jise anjaam tak laanaa na ho mumkin | For that tale which cannot culminate in a conclusion, |
| use ek khuubsuurat moD de kar chhoDna achhaa | it is best to give it a beautiful turn and leave it be. |
| —– | —– |
| chalo ek baar phir se, ajnabii ban jaayein ham donon | Come, let us become strangers once again. |
Writing Prompts
- Being a conservatively brought up young person at a bar
- On a deep desire to commit an act of violence and how you would resist it, or not
- On finding hidden depths of personality on your best friend ( and how you found out)