Chapter 8

Chapter 8 – The festivities begin

Kukki?

“Main maasi se baat kar lunga waise bhi hum raat ko laut aayenge”

Prerna sat in the car and was thoughtful when she realised, they had reached a very old part of Kolkotta where Durga Puja preparations where going on. Rishab parked way out left his coat his phone rolled up his sleeves and got down from the car. Prerna also got down looking confused.

“Yaha se chalna padega gaadi nahin jayegi.”

As Prerna and Rishab were walking she saw that many people greeted him. Children wished him until they reached a house big but in battered state. Just then someone shouted-

“Yeh waqt hain aane ka. Pura pandal lagana baki hain kaun lagayega.”

Prerna was surprised to see someone shouting so badly with Rishab. It was on old lady.

Rishab just made a face.

“yeh maharani kaun hain” in a taunting tone.

“Prerna. Ek aur worker laya ho aapke liye. Khana bahut acha banati hain.”

Prerna did namaste.

“Acha chal theek hain. Ab jaake pandal lagwa.”

Prerna was surprised and gave a questioning look to Rishab but before he could say anything that lady took her and she started giving instructions.

It was almost afternoon when she got some free time and went to eat. She didn’t know what was going on but all the hard work was making her relaxed took her mind of her things. It was an amazing group of women and it almost felt like a festival at home.

While she was eating the same old lady came and sat down to eat with her. She could see Mr.bajaj working with people to install the pandal. He still had the same authority as before but was more relaxed.

“Kya dekh rahi hain. Puch le jo puchna chahti hain. 12 saal ka tha Rishab jab main use is ghar main lekar aayi. Uski maa ki death ko 1-week hua tha. Hamare pandal ke bahar betha tha akela. Roz maa ke liye jo prasad milta uske hi kha leta. Maine ek din khana diya to mana kar diya. Mujhe laga 2din main akad chali jayegi. Par nahin 4 din tak aise hi raha. panchwe din maine use pandal ka kuch kaam karne ko kaha tab usne kuch khana khaya.”

 She nodded continuing– yeh ghar he uska. 7 saal tak yehi raha tha woh aur phir chala gaya. Kya? bina kisi Rishte ke maine use yahan kaise rehne diya, is ghar main rehnewale har insaan se mera khoon ka Rishta nahin hain but they have seen bad times so I bring  them here taki who phir uth sake and then they move on. Par yeh pagal hain ki jaata hi nahin har Durga Puja pe aa jaata hain pandal lagane. Waise I won’t lie but iski Maa ko main jaanti thi to mere jyada kareeb hain. Mamooni bulata hain mujhe tu bhi bula sakti hain.”

As she left Rishab came was eating with the same plate as everybody else.

“Agar aap thak gayi hoon ti main aapko ghar chod deta hoon.Mujhe nahin laga tha mamooni aapse itna kaam karwa lengi.”

“Maharani nahin hoon. Apne Maa papa ki beti hoon. Aur Ab aapne worker bana diya hain itni tareef ki so I have to live upto my name. Pandal bahut sundar lagega.”

“Even I have to live upto my name.”

“Ghar ki halat kharab hain. Itne sare log itne chote se ghar main. Why don’t you help them?”

“Aapke baba Mr basu ke itne ache friend the phir bhi unke upar itna loan itna chota ghar unhone MrBasu se madad kyun nahin mangi”

Prerna nodded and understood.

“Are chalo chalo bhog baki hain. Kya kar rahin hoon.”

“Main aati hoon” Prerna left.

Mamooni – “waise achi hain. Dekhne main sundar hain theek thak ghar ki hain. Kaise majboor kiya shaadi ke liye”

Rishab stopped eating.

“Agar paise ke piche hoti to tu shaadi nahin karta aur menaka ke saath jo hua uske baad to aise hi kisise shaadi karega nahin. Kukki ke liya na. To apne dimaag ko yad dila baar baar ki yeh kukki ke liye hain kyunki mujhe teri aakhon mein phir se who 12 saal ka bacha dekh raha hain jo pandal ke bahar akela betha tha jo intezar kar raha tha apni maa ka aur aaj uska. uski aakhon main intezaar hain par tu nahin hain.”

“Ho sakta hoon? Ho Sakta hoon na?”

“Pyaar kharida nahin jaata, china nahin jaata, zabarzasti nahin hota. Kamaya jaata hain”

“main koi zabarzasti nahin karunga nahin ki hain par main main unhe chahta hoon apni life main “

“Who kya chahti hain””

“Us waqt tujhe Basu se badla lena tha aur tab bhi maine tujhe samjhaya tha ki kai baar badla lete lete hum waise ban jaate hain jinse hum badla lena chahte hain. “

Rishab moved his eyes away.

“Nazarein mat chura. Dekh tune yeh sab kukki ke liye kiya theek hain infact mujhe Khushi hain ki tune basu se apna badla nahin balki apni bachi ko chuna bas Rishi bache” but before she could complete, he got up kept the plate, washed his hands and left.

Mamooni gave Prerna a new saree and asked her to change as her clothes were all dirty prerna wanted to say no but she insisted.

Everybody finished the preparations and then the Puja started. Prerna saw Rishab playing the sankh and was pleasantly surprised to see him smiling now and then. Rishab in turn loved seeing her smiling and happy and just couldn’t take his eyes away from her.

Rishab and Prerna did the Aarti together. Once everybody had gone home the pandal was empty and it looked beautiful with the lighting.

Mr bajaj came and said lets go.

“Kuch der bethe.”

Rishab asked her to stand up and come with him. He took her to the roof of an old building from where you could see all the lighting and it almost felt like fairy lights. Prerna was about to ask something when Rishab put a finger on his lips and pointed at the lights to just watch.

And they both sat and just watched it together.

Rishab saw new bangles in Prerna’s hand and asked –

“Mamooni ne diye hain”

“Mamooni?”

“Unhone bola bulane ko”

She nodded.

“Ek Baat puchu?”

Rishab smiled surprised that she has actually refrained herself from saying something for so long.

“hmm”

“Aap yahan kyun Maasi ne aapki help nahin ki.”

“Maasi ki apni problems thi us waqt. Unke husband aur family ko leke and mujhe waha nahin jana tha. Unhone mujhe dhundha tha but main jaan much ke nahin gaya mujhe boj nahin banana tha kisi pe. In the worse of condition meri mom ne kabhi kisi ke samne haath nahin pehlaye and I also couldn’t. Maine apni pehli company take over kiya tab maasi ke husband ki death ho gayi thi aur phir woh mere saath rehne lagi.”

“Thank you mujhe bahut acha laga yaha aake.”

“Aap actually bahut acha khana banati hain.”

“thank you”

“Ek aur sawal puchu. “

“Puchiye”

“Aap Kukki ko nahin lekar aaye yahan pe kabhi?”

“nahin”

“to phir Mujhe?”

“Nahin malum. pata chalega to bata dunga.”

And somehow, they kept looking at each other not knowing what to do when Rishab said

“Äb Main ek sawal puchu”

“hmm”

He was about to ask something when there were firecrackers everywhere and the moment broke and prerna started watching the sky.

“Aap kya puchnewale the?”

“Do you know how to drive because I just don’t have the condition to drive I am so tired”

They went downstairs said bye to everybody and left. Prerna was driving the car and Mr bajaj was fast asleep and suddenly in the middles of somewhere Prerna stopped and looked at him. He slept exactly like Kukki did and looked don’t know why but even smaller than Kukki.

 Prerna kept on repeating the scene in the terrace, she knew Mr bajaj had changed the question and was about to ask something else still she didn’t say anything.

“Kya puchnewale the aap Rishab?”

And she kept on driving.

Chapter 9 - https://www.indiaforums.com/forum/topic/5160456?pn=8