Entry #4: Wohi Din, That Day Again!

This is Entry #4 in the IPKKND 10th Holi Contest

It is written by dramebaaz.af

Arnav’s eyes followed Khushi’s movements as she skipped from one person to another with the tray full of a thandai glasses in her hand. His head leaned against the pillar he was standing next to, doing his best to avoid the colors being carelessly thrown by everyone on each other. 

The Raizada Holi party was known for its grandeur. It was also one of the few annual parties that were thrown on their farmhouse outside the city skirts. As it turned out, the sprawling gardens of Shantivan weren’t large enough to accommodate 3000+ guests invited year after year, and almost all the people invited, much to Arnav’s displeasure, opted to come rather than find something more intimate to do with their own families, something he very much preferred over the choice of his family. 

She was wearing one of her old suits from before their wedding. It wasn’t yellow like the one she had worn on their first Holi, but stitched similarly with orange panels on the side and top half instead of the yellow. There were doris on the side that hung with matching pompoms on them. Her hair was pinned from the front,`with strands slipping out to frame her face but left loose at the back for her hair to sway alongside her hips as she rushed from person to person. Despite years in between, she didn’t look a day over twenty-five to him.

This was the first year of her, and Payal being handed the reigns by Manorama to organize the Holi Party. Ecstatic at the prospect, Khushi had decided to hire her own caterers to serve the party. He soon realized that this meant he was literally paying his wife to throw a party that Mami had been organizing for free. 

He observed her cheeks appearing flushed from behind the streaks of red and yellow smeared over her face. The remnants of the pigments were still lingering on his fingertips. He shook his head at the absurdity of the events. She clearly wanted to play Holi yet here she was, trying to still make sure that the party would run smoothly. He shook his head at the absurdity of events and walked over to pull her away from the arrangements. Arnav Singh Raizada’s aversion to Holi and colors hadn’t completely vanished but years of nagging and whining by his life, including the antics of his children had dimmed that aversion down by considerable notches.

“Khushi!” 

She turned around to see him walking over to her. Om Prakash was quick to spot the encounter and rushed to take the tray from her hands before the familiar yelling by Khushi Bhabhi’s husband would ensue.

“Arnav ji! Aap kahan the itni dair se?” She questioned as he came to stand next to her. “Esha aur Priya dono gain hain! Hum ne Amma ke paas chora tha dono ko!” 

“Yahin hoonge saare bache! Khel rahin hoon ge!” He reasoned and took her hand into his, “Tum itni dair se busy ho! Chalo hum apni Holi manatein hain!”

Khushi didn’t miss the twinkle in his eyes. She grinned back and was about to follow him inside the house when Aryan showed up crying. The comical widening of her eyes had Arnav break into a grin. He looked over his shoulder to see Aryan slowly walking towards them with the ugliest crying face whilst being covered head to toe in an array of colors.

“Kya hua beta?” The parents kneeled to meet his height.

“Didi aur didi ne!” The three-year-old had the misfortune of having an older sister whose antics and mischievousness rivaled the practical pranks pulled of by her parents throughout their youth. Khushi used the corner of her dupatta to remove some of the color off his face as tears continued streaming down his face. Aryan pulled his formerly white kurta and burst into more tears.

Laad Governor’s son was just as picky about his clothes being perfect as he was, and the colors drowning the whiteness of his kurta was simply unacceptable. “Koi baat nahi, hum change kar lete hain? Theek hai?” Khushi tried to placate. 

Arnav helped dust off some of the color off his clothes before shouting for Hari Prakash to find the Esha. 

“Bhaiya, hum usse hi dhoodh rahein hain!” The man replied back. His tone probed Khushi to look away from her son, which left her mouth fall open. Poor Hari Prakash appeared to be doused in water and colors from head to toe which meant only one thing. He too was a victim of Esha Singh Raizada’s holi shenanigans.

“Mil gayii!!” Aarav shouted from the buffet tables seat up about two feet away from the three of them. 

Arnav got up to see what Aarav was pointing towards. Esha Singh Raizada, and her newly recruited partner in crime, Priya Singh Raizada were hiding underneath one of the buffet tables with large packets of colors tightly clutched in their tiny palms. Arnav suppressed his smile at seeing Priya’s scared face and the indignation spread across Esha’s face. Despite being dragged along in Esha’s antics every no and then, Priya’s demeanor reflected the temperament of her mother’s who shied away instantly at the confrontation that had her facing off against her dearest Chachu.

He forwarded his hand towards her. The young girl glared back at her father for about two minutes before finally letting go of the packets of color she had been holding onto. 

“Baki bhi.” 

She lifted her shirt, and handed the packets of color that she had stuck around her waistband as arsenals. 

Arnav nodded and then stood up to hold the fabric hanging off the table for the girls to step out. Aarav couldn’t help but snicker and was readily hit by Esha on his legs. Before Arnav could  say anything, Madhumati had spotted the family and rushed over with a handful of color to smear all over them.

The horrors of Madhumati smearing neon colors all over his face flashed before Arnav’s eyes and he turned to look for Khushi instantly.

“Dad, I’ll take care of it!” Aarav assured him.

He narrowly escaped Madhumati smearing colors all over Esha’s face, unintentionally avenging every other victim of the poor child throughout the morning, to find Khushi walking towards the remaining family members. 

“Kitne packets nikle iss baar?” Khushi asked her husband just as he caught up with her and Aryan.

“Saath. Teen apne waistband mein phasai hue the!” He remarked.

Khushi shook her head in disapproval. “Apne daanta?” She asked.

“No! Holi hai toh I thought let it be!”

Khushi’s eyes wandered to spot the remaining family members. Deviyani was seated next to Nikhit, both laughing at Riya, Anjali and Nikhit’s daughter dancing with her Aditya bhaiya by constantly twirling one another and being upset at their hands falling apart for twirling at the same time.

Payal and Akash were sitting on one of the swings few feet away, appeared just as inebriated  as Mama and Mami who were showing off their dance moves to one another in middle of the dance floor filled with guests just as drunk as them. Arnav spotted Garima and Shashi in the crowd as well and looked away instantly at the cartoonish dance moves he just saw the two pull. 

“Chalo, aap Adi aur Riya ke saat khelo!” Khushi pushed Aryan towards his siblings who pulled their brother in between them instantly. 

“Chalo, lets go!” Arnav whispered in Khushi’s ear, who nodded when out of nowhere Anjali and Madumati came by.

“Chottteee!!!” Anjali threw herself into a hug! “Happy Holi!!!”

“Kya Chotte, sirf Khushi ji ke rang?” She complained and then took a handful of gulaal to smear his face with except unlike his sister, Arnav hadn’t had any bhaang and was quick to duck behind his wife which led to Anjali’s hands landing against Khushi’s cheeks. 

“Oops!” She giggled

“Bhaiiiii!!” Akash had joined in with Payal still holding his hand. “I love you Bhai!”

“Unbelievable!” Arnav muttered before adding in a “Thank you” in affirmation.

“Kya hai Arnav ji!” Khushi winced at being pushed forwarded by her husband as a sheild as Bua ji approached both of them.

“Arre babua kahe chuup rahe ho! Thoda tou raang lagwa lo!” Madhumati insisted but just then their tornado of a daughter ran through with Aarav running behind her. Madhumati moved back while Anjali sighed with contentment at the sight of the children running around.

“Bua ji! Dekhain Mami ji kitna acha naach rahin hain! Aap bui jaain na!” Khushi piped in which in turned roused the unsaid rivalry between Mami ji and Bua ji!

Arnav and Khushi were about to slowly step away when they halted at hearing Payal and Akash gush over their daughter. Priya stood confused between her parents while “Meri beti, meri beti!” was repeated between the two. Arnav looked at Khushi and she looked at him. Holi brought out the most cringe parts of their family members to the forefront. 

“Kahan jaa rahein hain aap dono!” Deviyani called from the back. She had seen Khushi run around since morning, and intended to have her sit for a while to catch her breath without knowing that like every Holi since the first one, the couple always had plans to disappear although the choices were conscious compared to the first time they had run off to the little haven they had built outside their room in Shantivan.

“Kuch nahi, bas arrangements check karne Nani!” Arnav replied back to which Deviyani nodded, fully understanding what was going on. She nodded as the two tried out slipping out of sight again but perhaps Devi Mayyian had other plans, because Mahinder stood between the two with a tray full of two glasses of bhaang. 

“Come on Phatti Sari!” Manorama cheered from the back in midst of a dance off with Bua ji. Khushi’s eyes widened at the sight before her eyes. 

“Nahi Mama ji, humain nahi chaye!” 

“Kyun?” Mahinder was genuinely upset. “Hum tumre khaatir laying hain betiya!”

“Acha,” Khushi added uncomfortable before slowly picking up the glass. She elbowed Arnav the moment the glass touched her lips for him to accept the glass as well. 

“Thank you Mama ji. Hum chaltein hain!” Third time's the charm and slowly the two slipped away towards the back of the grounds. 

With half a glass of bhaang down, Khushi’s steps faltered a bit but Arnav’s hand dutifully wrapped around her the instance she tripped over her feet. They stood next to the gazebo behind the house, looked at one another and finally let out the laughter bubbling inside them.

“Just unbelievable.” He let out, “Sab ke sab pagal hain!”

“Acha, aur apne bare mein kya khayaal hai?” Khushi flung her arms over his shoulders, while her back leaned against one of the pillars of the gazebo. Her eyes flittered for a second as a bird flew in and sat on the de of the bird bath filled with rose water around the edges of the gazebos, before looking back at her husband whose smile had disappeared to be replaced with a frown resting in between his brows.

“Kitni mehnaat karni padti hai har saal tumhe apni pas bulane mein!” He remarked, his fingers traced the profile of her face which made her lips part involuntarily. 

“Aur haar saal aap jo holi khelne se bhaag rahe hotein hain.” She complained.

“Yeh baat hai?” His brows cocked up, “Kahin tum bhool toh nahi ke mein kaise Holi khelta hoon?”

“Hmm.” Her fingers interlocked with each other behind his neck while she pretended to appear thoughtful knowing full well that he was addressing something completely different from what she was talking about, “Nahi humein toh yaad nahi” She said, before adding in to humor him, “aap yaad kyun nahi dilatein?”

“Really!” He slowly leaned towards her face, with his cheeks slowly rubbing against hers for the colors on them to imprint on his face. He repeated with both the cheeks before slowly pulling away to see a coy smile dance on her lips. 

“Chalein?” He asked.

“Chalein!” She whispered back as he picked her up and the two disappeared from the party altogether in a few more minutes.

*

Arnav and Khushi joined the party about two hours later to find everyone in the same state as they were before they had left. 

“Oh good!” Nikhit remarked as they slowly made their way towards everyone. “Hum family photo lene wale the aur aap dono mil nahi rahe the!” 

Before either one could react, Esha ran up towards Arnav with her arms stretched out wanting to be picked up. She had tried gluing Madhumati and Manorama’s pallus to each other before resorting to simply tying them together which led both of them to fall while still in midst of their dance off. Knowing full well that her actions would land her into trouble, the almost six-year-old ran up to her father in hopes of avoiding the consequences. 

Slowly everyone in their tipsy state were pushed into the frame of the camera by the Prakash brothers, documenting the chronicles of another Holi with its own taste of chaos, laughter, and colors.

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