Chapter 13

7.

Siya flipped her hair and turned to properly face the two dry men who had entered just then. Had she seen them before? She felt as if the two faces were familiar, although, one being more familiar than the other. She couldn't deny that they were good looking, although, one more than the other in her view. But this was not the time to keenly observe, she had to remind herself. The situation was intense. Her anger was still alive. 

"Kya yeh Rajshri Nivaas hai?" The man who had asked the two coloured men to calm down (and the one Siya thought to be more handsome than the other) asked. "Haan." Manvi replied a little too sharply for her own liking. But it wasn't new. When it came to anger and being rational, anger always overpowered in Manvi's case. Gathering some bit of her remaining senses, Siya asked, "Kya aap log, by any chance, Raghuveer family ka hissa hai?" The other dry man who hadn't spoken a word until then replied, "Ji haan." 

"Just great! Shrutika Kaushal Rajshri aur Urmila Janak Rajshri, dekh liya apne pranks ka natija? Kitni baar maine tum dono ko pyaar se samjhaane ki koshish ki hai, but the two of you never listen. Now do I have to give imposition to you too? Kya tum dono itni chhoti school jaati bachiyaan ho? Karwadi na bezzati apni aur Rajshri parivar ki! Now are you happy? Manvi aur mere tak theek tha. Par despite knowing ki guests aa rahe the, tum dono ne itna bada risk liya. What is wrong with the two of you?" Siya stopped in the middle to take a breath. Shruti and Urmila looked at each other with expressions of panic. At this rate, the elders were sure to be told of the kaand. And the kinds of shoutings and punishments they would get..... it would definitely be worser than imposition.

Meanwhile, the four men just looked at each other in mild confusion and a little surprise at the lady's ability to give such a long lecture in one breath. One of them in particular, felt as if he had seen that woman somewhere. But where? She was very pretty. Such a beauty would definitely be unforgettable. But he wasn't able to associate where exactly had he seen her. The coloured and wet men felt the urge to cheer that woman on. They were, truth to be told, very annoyed to be wrongly pranked upon entry. But in all honesty, if this was what happened on their entry, then they were pleased to know that their week would definitely be very very entertaining.

"We're very sorry. Khaas karke main. Shruti was a little unsure. Maine hi use mera saath dene mein convince kiya. Siya di, humein laga ki aap dono jald hi aa jayenge aur phir yeh sab kaand khatam hote hi, mummy, papa, chacha, chachi, aur yeh guests aayenge. Humein nahi pata tha ki aap dono chalaki se back door use karke entry maroge aur yeh sab early aa jayenge. We're really really sorry." Urmila apologized guiltily. Shruti also nodded her head along. "And even to the two of you. Aap dono ko main aapka room dikha deti hu. There's a bathroom in the room. Fresh ho jaiye." Shruti addressed the two coloured and wet men. Urmila also tagged along and helped them with their suitcases. They very awkwardly and quietly went to the room and the two sisters came back.

"Aap dono please andar aiye. Those two idiots will clean this mess up. Once again, meri stupid si beheno ki taraf se, sorry." Manvi addressed the two dry men, while evil-eyeing Shruti and Urmila, and took them inside to the hall while Siya helped with the suitcases. Shruti and Urmila cleaned the mess up as instructed indirectly by Manvi. 

In around ten to fifteen minutes, the two previously coloured and wet men, came to the hall all freshened up and clean. To clear the awkward silence and ease the tension in the air, one of the four men, whom Manvi was sure to have seen once at an art exhibition, said, "Mujhe lagta hai ki introductions are now in order." Manvi gave him a warm smile for that attempt and said, "Correct. Sabse buddhe log pehle." Siya scowled at her, he mood still a little sour from the previous incident. But Siya was never one to lose her warm personality and calm composure even in the sourest situations. "Aur, apne naam aur kaam ke saath saath, ek hobby ya passion bhi bolna hoga. And yes, ladies first." The man who had suggested the idea stated. That man looked at Manvi's charming smile for a moment more and then turned his gaze away.

"Fine. I think, humein ek fresh start ki zarurat hai. Hi, I'm Siya Rajshri. Mai ek teacher hoon aur Rajshri khaandaan ke Janak Rajshri aur Sunaina Rajshri ki badi beti bhi. I teach maths in Vidya Kendra, which is a reputed school in Panvel. Aur mujhe dance, kathak in particular, karne ka shauq hai." Siya introduced herself with a smile. Then the man who had seen her before remembered where exactly did he see her and spoke next. "Hello, I'm Ram Raghuveer. Mai Dashrath Raghuveer aur swargvaasi Kaushalya Raghuveer ka beta hoon. Jab mai chaar saal ka tha, maa died in the Kedarnath floods. Magar, papa ne jab dusri shaadi Kailashi Sooraj se ki, tab Kailashi maa ne mujhe apna hi beta samajh ke raise kiya. I am a part of SuryaTech Corporation, STC, and no matter how weird this sounds, mujhe apne free time mein mere bhaiyyon ke saath conspiracy theories map out karna bohot accha lagta hai." Just then, one of the men, who had previously been coloured, spoke teasingly with a smirk, "Bhaiyya, I thought you found it exasperating!" and hi-fived the other man who had previously been coloured while laughing. Ram rolled his eyes and muttered, "Whatever." The sisters just smiled in amusement. Shruti could have sworn she'd seen the man who just spoke in her visit to Mata Gargi's ashram in Gwalior.

"Also, Siya, kya aapne Lonvala mein ek edtech related seminar attend kiya tha? I'm sure maine tumhe wahaan dekha tha, just confirming." Siya thought for a moment and got her eureka moment. So that's why she felt she had seen him somewhere. "Haan! Mujhe aapka chehra jaana pehchana sa lag raha tha, just wasn't able to place ki maine exactly aapko dekha kahaan tha." They both looked at each other with a smile. Then Manvi cleared her throat and spoke.

"Ok so, next is me. Manvi Rajshri. Mai Kaushal Rajshri aur Chandra Rajshri ki badi beti, ghar ki second eldest aur smartest hoon. Actually, second smartest, Siya didi ke baad. Mai Mithila Interiors ke advisory board ki member hoon. Mai art ki shaukeen hoon, khaas karke painting. As a concerned member of this household, mai aapko ek advice deti hoon, ye dono idiots ko kaabhi seriously mat lena." The men chuckled slightly at the last line where Manvi pointed towards the sulking Urmi and Shruti. "Hey!" whined Urmila, at those words. The man who came up with the idea spoke next. "I'm Bharat Raghuveer. Mai Dashrath Raghuveer aur Kailashi Raghuveer ka beta aur ghar mein hone waale pranks ka targetted bakra. Even I work in STC, magar mai business se zyada tech waala part sambhalta hoon. Coincidentally, mujhe bhi art bohot pasand hai. I love painting as well." The only man who hadn't spoken till now and had previously been coloured, now made an expression of mock surprise and said, "Finally! Aapne apne aapko humaare pranks ka bakra bula hi liya! Thanks to you ladies, aaj ye universal truth accept ho gaya!" Everybody laughed except Bharat. For this man, Urmila was sure she had seen him once in the court office in the corporate department.

"Bharat kya tum abhi abhi conduct hue IndiaNFT ke NFT art exhibition mein the kya? I'm hundred percent sure ki maine tumhaare jaise kisiko toh dekha hi tha udhar." Bharat recalled spotting someone like Manvi in that futuristic exhibition and said, "Yes. Main udhar humaari company ka representative tha, Ram bhaiyya abroad the isiliye." Ram just looked at his younger brother with an 'I give up' expression. That man really needed to stop underestimating himself.

Urmila went next. "Urmila. Urmila Rajshri. Janak Rajshri aur Sunaina Rajshri ki laadli dusri beti. Iss ghar mein apne gusse ke aur pranks ke kaafi charche hai. Also, criminal lawyer hoon main. So think twice before getting into an argument with me. Siya di ki parchhaayi hoon toh shauq bhi humaare milte hain. I love dancing, kathak in particular as well." Manvi smirked and said, "Lawyers and their dramaticness!" Urmi smirked back and said, "Artists and their prankable-ness." Manvi and Bharat, both whined together, "Hey!" Siya just shook her head in amusement and said, "Manvi, Urmi se aise hi pange mat le." The brothers also chuckled at the exchange. Then the man who was teasing Bharat went next. "Lakshman Raghuveer. Mai Dashrath aur Kailashi Raghuveer ka suputra aur Ram bhaiyya ki parchhaayi. I assist Ram Bhaiyya in business in STC. Mera guitar bajane ka shauq hai." Bharat smirked and added, "Saath saath mein gusse karne ka bhi." Lakshman rolled his eyes and everyone else laughed. Then Shruti smiled and went next.

"Mai Shrutika Rajshri. Par pyaar se log mujhe Shruti bulaate hain. Mai Kaushal Rajshri aur Chandra Rajshri ki chhoti beti aur ghar ki sabse chhoti. Mai college ke final year mein hoon, psychology major kar rahi hoon. Saath saath mein I'm interning in Dharovar hospital as the protégé of a clinical psychologist. Mai baad mein mental health aur therapy related course bhi karne waali hoon. And then I'll be professionally established as either a clinical psychology or therapist. Mujhe dance ka shauq nahi hai, lekin gaane ka shauq zaroor hai." Siya added as a humourous warning, "Dhyaan rakhna aap log. Agar Urmi baatein ghumaane mein maahir hai, toh Shruti baaton ko sugarcoat karne mein maahir hai. Yeh dono deadly combination hai. Demo toh aapne dekh hi liya hoga." The last unintroduced man then said, "Toh mai aur Lakshman bhaiyya, hum Raghuveers mein kuchh kam nahi, Siya ji. By the way, I'm Shatrughan Raghuveer. Mai Dashrath aur Kailashi Raghuveer ka sabse chhota suputra. Mai abhi trainee hoon STC mein. Mai aur Lakshman bhaiyya Raghuveers ke prank-master duo ke naam se jaane jaate hain. Sabse bada mastermind toh mai hi hoon lekin. In balance with my extremely sweet, nice, mischievous, charming nature, mujhe piano bajana acchha lagta hai." Bharat rolled his eyes and said, correcting him, "More like stupid, idiotic, annoying and chaotic nature." Everyone except for Shatrughan chuckled at that. "Ab kya hi karein! Kuchh log humaari acchaayi se kitna jaltein hain!"

That marked the end of the introductions. But surprisingly, the older people of both families hadn't arrived. This was a matter of concern which was soon beginning to sink in.

~~~

I hope you liked this update. I'm so sorry for not updating sooner. I was really busy and didn't even get time to open indiaforums. To all the people who have replied, thank you so much! Your words mean a lot! I wouldn't be able to reply personally but nevertheless, thank you for the encouragement. Stay tuned for the next update!

Love, 

MusicOfGrace