Part 1
Bhooma Sriram, my friend, this is yours.
Bhooma Sriram, my friend, this is yours.
Arnav
turned his head to look at Di. She was lying back in the passenger seat of the
car, her face at peace, her hand held lovingly across the tiny bulge of her
stomach.
Behind them
sat Nani, Mama, Mami & Akash, their faces pensive.
It was done. Finally.
They had
laid the ghosts to rest. Sheesh Mahal belonged to him once more. He had kicked
his Chacha out and handed over the mansion to interior decorators and
architects. It would soon be a heritage hotel with the best conference &
event venues in the city.
Now it was
time to leave Lucknow for Delhi.
“Di, you
are alright?” he asked. He hadn’t wanted her to travel during pregnancy,
especially when Jiju was abroad. But Di had insisted on visiting Sheesh Mahal.
And his family had refused to let him face his nightmares alone. So all the
Raizadas had come down to Lucknow to take possession of the scene of the crime.
“Hum bilkul
theek he, Chotey,” Anjali smiled at him, her eyes filled with love. “You have
made everything alright for your Di. As you have always done.”
Nani, Mami,
Mama and Akash smiled.
“Theek kahe
rahe Anjai bitiyya. It took years, but you won back your inheritance,” Nani
murmured. “I am proud of you, Chotey. Ratna too must be very happy with you
today.”
Arnav
swallowed, staring silently at the narrow alley of the cursed city they were
travelling through. It had been a long struggle and his Mama had been gone
fourteen years....
“Now
eberything is settled, Arnav bitwaa. Ghar in hand. Anjali bitiyya married and
pregnantwaa. Business good, better, best. Ab shaadi kar lio with Miss India,
Hello Hi Bye Bye!” Mami teased.
Arnav looked
out through the glass of the window for a moment and then focussed on the road
ahead. They reached the end of the narrow road and entered the main road.
“No, Miss
India naahi. Miss Uniberse. Tum Miss Uniberse se shaadi kar lio and marry off
hamre Akass to Miss India,” Mami suggested.
“Are you
building our family or organising the next beauty contest, Manno?” Mamaji
teased.
All
laughed. Arnav alone remained stone-faced, his eyes on the road. He was fated
to be alone all his life. His past had seen to that. Loneliness was a curse,
but it was better than betrayal. Anyway, Di was happy. As long as she was
secure, he had no issues with life, no expectations, nothing to look forward to, nothing to lament...
“Chotey,”
Anjali murmured. “Bahut dil kar raha he...”
“What do
you want?” Arnav asked immediately.
“To have
some hot jalebi,” Anjali looked at Arnav with a plea in her eyes. “Lucknavi
jalebi. Can we stop at a halwai’s and buy some?”
“Let me see
where I can park,” Arnav muttered.
He looked around. There was a huge temple on
the left. Devotees were moving towards it in large numbers. To the right was a
big sweet shop. Satwik Mishtan Bhandar was written in bold letters across its
entrance. He navigated to park by the sweet shop.
“Bhai, I
will get the jalebi,” Akash left the vehicle.
“And peda.
And gujjia. And..” Mami gave an endless list.
Akash stood
gobsmacked for a moment. Then he said, “I will get a little of everything.”
The
Raizadas waited a long time.
Arnav
looked impatiently at the time on his phone. He had to drive all the way to
Delhi and had no time to waste in the gallis of Lucknow, a damned city he
wanted to leave behind him at the earliest.
The temple
bells rang. He turned to look at the white edifice with the huge banyan trees
and pigeons and worshippers. Suddenly the image of his Mama holding him by hand
and leading him up those steps flashed through his mind.
He frowned.
“Nani, did
Mama ever come here?” he asked, disturbed.
“Kahan,
Chotey?” Nani asked.
“To this
temple?” he asked.
Nani
smiled. “Yes. And then she had to run after you as you ran behind the pigeons,”
she replied. “You were very naughty as a child.”
Mama, Mami
and Anjali smiled at their memories.
Arnav drew
in a deep breath. So Lucknow held pleasant memories too. They had just been
buried under the heap of bad ones.
He turned
to look at Nani. Her eyes resting on the temple held sorrow and acceptance.
He turned to look out, unable to bear to see
that look in her eyes.
“I will
find Akash,” he said, quickly exiting the vehicle.
He quickly
walked towards the shop, sparing a glance at the name board. He stepped on the
even cobblestones with his expensive, branded shoes and approached the shop.
His brow
lifted in surprise. The shop could give the sweet shops in Delhi a run for their
money. It was huge, with a long glass counter. Trays of sweets of various hues and
shapes rested safe within glass cabinets. Boys in white kurta dhotis served the
huge crowd of customers cheerfully. The shop was spotlessly clean, the scent of
incense wafting on the air from the agarbathi and lamp lit at the feet of Devi
Maiyya’s idol placed on a pedestal above the cashier’s seat. Floral garlands
around the idol’s neck added their fragrance to the air. The smell of pure ghee
and cashews added to the intoxicating effect.
“Bhai, it
is very crowded,” Akash muttered apologetically. He was the third in a line of
customers.
Arnav
nodded and joined him, the businessman in him enjoying the air of prosperity
and efficiency that he could feel in that place.
“Bhaiyya,
how many kilos of gulab jamun do you need?” the cheerful and sweet voice jolted
him out of his thoughts. He turned to see that the boy in the cashier’s seat
had been replaced by a goddess.
He stared
at her.
Perfect
bone structure and fine features. She could beat any model any given day.
Luxurious silky hair was bound back with a black band. Simple hanging earrings
moved as she turned her head. Her nose pin glittered in the light. Golden,
satin-soft skin begged his fingers to caress it. She was dressed in a red and
pink anarkali and was taking down an order.
As he
watched mesmerised, she put her head back and laughed.
“I promise
you, Raju Chacha, your guests will be left licking their fingers after they have
had a taste of our cooking. Aap bilkul chinta na karein. Hum he na?”
Her
laughter lit up the room, bringing smiles to many faces.
“Trust her,
Raju,” an elderly man waiting to buy sweets said. “After all, she is our own
Sasi Gupta’s daughter and your daughter’s classmate. Won’t she do her best for
your daughter’s wedding?”
“Haan, and
has our Khussi ever supplied low-quality food?” another customer asked.
Khushi...His
eyes devoured the girl who dealt with cash with practised ease, giving back
change in seconds even while handling a phone call.
“No, we
don’t work on Sundays. I am sorry, bhaiyya, but we need rest on one day of the
week. Hum bhi baal bache waale hein...Oh...you are determined to have us do the
catering? To suniye, change the wedding date to any day of the week except
Sunday. Hum kar denge. And as you care so much for us, hum aapko special
discount bhi denge...yes, talk to the boy’s parents and let me know,” she
smiled as she put down the receiver.
Akash
reached the head of the line.
“What do
you want, Bhaiyya?” a boy in white asked Akash.
“Err...ummm..a
little of everything,” Akash muttered.
The boy
stared at him for a moment and asked, “You are not from Lucknow, are you?”
“No,”
mumbled Akash.
“Woh kya he,
we stock 200 types of freshly-made sweets and namkeen daily. Do you really want
samples of all 200?” he asked.
Akash
looked at Arnav, panic on his face.
“What is
wrong, Munna?” the girl got up and joined the boy. Another boy slipped into the
cashier’s seat.
“Didi, this
sajjan is not from Lucknow. He needs helps choosing sweets,” Munna explained.
“I will do
it,” Khushi declared. “You take over the next counter,” she freed him to do his
job. “Kahiye Bhaiyya, how can I help you?” Her smile was cheerful.
“Woh...our
Di wants hot jalebi,” Akash began.
“How many
kilos?” Khushi asked.
‘Err..one
maybe,” Akash answered, looking at Arnav for help.
Arnav did
not see him. His eyes were locked on this smiling angel, flitting about
weighing and packing one kilo of jalebi.
“Would you
like peda?” the girl asked with an encouraging look at a patently nervous
Akash.
“Yes,
please,” Akash said.
“How many
kilos?” she asked.
Akash
looked like a drowning swimmer with not even a tinka in sight.
“Acha,
chodiye. Tell me how many members you have in your family,” the girl helped him
out.
Akash
looked at Arnav. “My Bhai,” he said.
Khushi
smiled at the serious-looking, stern-faced handsome man standing by the man
with the specs.
Arnav
nodded. A few strands of her hair fell on one creamy cheek. His fingers itched
to smooth it back behind her ear. His gaze devoured every bit of her he could
see, lingering on the lines of her full figure in the anarkali and the smile on
her perfect lips.
‘Is his
face made of stone?’ Khushi wondered. ‘Is that why he can’t smile?’ Khushi
thought.
“My Dadi,
my mother and father, our Di,” Akash finished the count.
“And all of
them like sweets?” Khushi asked.
“Yes,”
Akash said. “But Bhai can’t have them. He is diabetic.”
Khushi's head turned to look at Arnav as though it were attached to her shoulders with a spring. She looked at Arnav from top to bottom with sorrow-laden eyes and sighed heavily. ‘Poor
man. No wonder he can’t smile. How can anyone smile if he can’t have my sweets?’
she thought. ‘I will pray for him tonight before I go to bed. Devi Maiyya will
make him alright.’
Arnav looked at her, lapping up the concern he could see in her eyes.
“You are
not from Lucknow?” Khushi asked in a motherly voice. She had not heard of any
handsome diabetic in Lucknow city. She should know! After all, she ran the best
and the biggest halwai shop in the city.
The diabetic man did not respond. He stared at her silently.
“Delhi,”
the man with specs replied.
“Tabhi to!”
Khushi exclaimed. ‘No wonder he is diabetic! The hawa-pani in that big,
polluted city must be enough to turn anyone sick,’ she thought. ‘Hey Devi
Maiyya, please take care of him. Please make him healthy and happy. Please fill
his arms with all the happiness that they can hold,’ she prayed fervently for
the stranger.
“The peda,”
Akash looked at the sweets with a lost expression.
“Take one
kilo, Bhaiyya,” Khushi advised. “If you want to buy more, buy it online from
our website. I will give you our card when you pay the bill.”
“Yes,”
Akash smiled in relief.
Arnav stood
there, his eyes on Khushi. He stood like a pillar in the middle of the halwai shop,
surrounded by sweets he couldn’t eat. Time meant nothing to him. He forgot that
this was Lucknow; he forgot that his family was waiting in the car for him. He stood,
caught in a dream in which Khushi melted into his Mama’s form and led him by
hand up the temple steps to pray.
His head
spun.
He dropped
in a faint right in the middle of the crowd.
Part 2
Hai re nandakishore!!!! ASR faintiya gaye. Will Khushi come to his rescue. How come she did not suggest sugar free sweets for this diabetic balma:-)
ReplyDeleteDekhte he..ha..ha..
DeleteHi SMR, I m Swati Kothiyal and a regular reader of your blog. I myself cant say tht how many times I have read your stories but I m commenting fot FIRST TIME. Plz keep on updating on a regular basis even if a short ones. It becomes a torture for me specially if i dont read ur updates once a day. I know that u also hv personal and prof life which keeps u busy nd my wish is smthing may b very difficult for u to fulfil but plz jus try if u can do it.
DeleteAlso u r a FABULOUS writer. The way describe scenes I actually feel I m watching the episodes.
thanks a TON for giving us such wonderful and heartful stories.
Luv u n take care😊
this never happened before
ReplyDeletefirst time he fainted after seeing her
okay not really
stress of what he did
but good he fainted where he did
he sure was checking her out
200 meethais
that might be bit too much
khushi to rescue for arnav for a change i wonder
oh dear did our Arnav Bitwa faintwa from daibetic ya ...apni Kushi bitya made him swoon....
ReplyDeleteoh i so look forward to part 2....
Hurrahhh! I have 15 minutes until the next class :-) will be back to leave a comment once I am home. Love you Smita!
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThat was soooooo good and I love it Smita. You are amazing as always.
ReplyDeleteI love Khush's DUAA when she asks her Devi Maya to fill his arms with all the happiness (khushi) they can hold :-) Devi Maya is going to do the same very soon :-)
I read it once more. It is too good not to be read twice :-) I love this confident Khushi :-). I am so happy as well that this is Akaash who is purchasing the sweets not Arnav. It would be weird that Khushi calls him "Bhaiyya". I will be around just in case there is an early update on the way. Who knows? There is always hope ;-)
DeleteWhat a wonderful start. I was determined to check for an update only when I had some time to read. All this speed reading was not doing me any good. What a fantastic description of our Sanka Devi. The outfit was too good. So our ASR had a sugar rush even without tasting the delicacies or perhaps an overactive imagination. Talking about overactive imagination, thanks for the lovely banner of Arnav. AAA is alive and kicking. What's going to happen now? Will he have to stay in the Gupta household for sometime to recover? Please don't leave us hanging.
ReplyDeleteRead it once more. I have to say - my heart gave an unpleasant jolt when Khushi addressed someone as "Bhaiyya". Thankfully it was not Arnav. Your verbal descriptions always fuel my imagination. It's like watching the show. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteThat was one awesome start to a new journey. Am looking forward to the twist of this tale.
ReplyDeletePlease update soon dear Smita
What the fish. Is what I replied to the last sentence.
ReplyDeleteArnav fainting, that's a Khushi special. Lol
Very interesting. Wonder. Wonder. Waiting for the next part
Absolutely fantastic start. Poor ASR lagta hai Love at First Sight ho gaya hai. The Halwai will have to take care of the Diabetic :)))
ReplyDeletePlease update next part ASAP Smita dear.
Oh Choti, dont post such sexy pictures of him! Even while unconscious he looks so good. Paap hai. *glares*
ReplyDeleteYou know how much acidity and dhak dhak it gives me. My fragile-than-anjali heart cannot take it, okays?
Amazing story as always. Can't wait to read moreeeee. Update fasterrrrrr!
Fragile-than-anjali! LOL!
DeleteLoved the starting!!! Smita I miss your VM's on ArShi so much!!! I've been meaning to read this since December last year but I just didn't find the time, I'm glad I've got onto it now though!!! Arnav fainting was hilarious!!! I always been a silent reader of your stories, this is the first time I'm ever commenting on your work!! BTW you have always been one of my fave ArShi writers!!!
ReplyDeleteThank u, my dear! Yes, I decided to let Arnav faint. Khushi always gets the honour!
DeleteMy VMs are on my VM blog. The link is given above. Enjoy.
DeleteWow Smita...you never fail to impress me. Great work. I really like the way you portray Khushi as a determined and strong person in all your ffs.
ReplyDeleteoh no why is mere bhai fainting
ReplyDeleteYou are awesome
ReplyDelete