Anandi, Shiv and Marriage(SS)Prt 26-Pg 31(May 13) - Page 9

That Night

The Shekhars are having fun talking about the whole day. No one was sparing Shiv. He was in tight spot for so long that he couldn't take it anymore and literally ran to his room saying goodnight to everyone. Once alone he was rewinding the whole day step by step. Even though Anandi yelled at him in the morning he was ok about it now. Not just because she apologized to him but also because of that he was able to talk to her alone, get her attention for few minutes. This reminded him of her eyes searching for him. An innocent smile emerged on his face. Even though he knew she was searching for her own reasons (To apologize) he was very happy about it. "Anandi ab tum meri ho" Shiv said to himself. He remembers their conversation and how he talked her into becoming his friend. "Aaj se Tum par mai koi apathy nahi aane dhunga Anandi" he said to himself. He suddenly felt an urge to talk to her but controlled himself.

Anandi was lying down in her room trying to sleep but was not able to. She was not very delighted about the engagement. She went to her mother's picture and said "ma dekho tumhari lado ki sagai ho gai. Tum khush ho na?". She remembered Shiv telling her that her mom would want her smiling and not sad. She looked at her mom and tried to smile. She remembered how meanly she spoke to Shiv. Even though she still felt bad about being the cause of someone suffering, she was feeling better that Shiv forgave her. She thought to not lose her cool in front of anyone again and be the reason for their pain. There was a knock on the door and Bhairo walks in with phone. "Sumitra tum se baat karna chahti hai beta" saying it he gives her phone and leaves. "Anandi tum theek toh hona" asks sumitra concerned. Anandi replies "Ji ma". She then asks "Tu khush ho na laado?". Anandi stays silent not knowing what to say and replies "theek hu ma". Sumitra takes a deep breath and says "Laado mai janti hoon tu khush nahi hai. Subha jab tumse baat ki tabhi lagata. Ab jab tumhari bapusa se pucha toh pata chala kitne gumsum thi tum". Anandi starts crying, "Maa mujhe nahi pata ki mai kya karu". "Laado tum apni aane wala kal ki soch aur bichda hua kal ko bhool jao. Mai janti hoon ki aa aasan nahi hai lekin, tum ko Jagya ko bhool kar Shiv ki bare mai soch na hoga. Koshish kar laado. Tum sab ko kehti ho ki haar nahi maan na chahiye aur koshish karna chahiye. Ab tumhari bari hai Anandi". Anandi just keeps crying silently as she listens to Sumitra. Sumitra understands she was crying, says "Ab nahi rothe laado. Mai waha hoti toh tumhara khayal rakh paati, aur achi se samjha pati". Anandi realizing Sumitra was feeling bad says "nahi ma, mai samajh rahi hu"controlling her tears. Sumitra asks her to stay strong, think about what she said and to look after herself. Anandi keeps the phone after telling Sumitra she misses her a lot. Sumitra on the other side talks to herself "tumko bahut kuch batana chahti hoon laado. Tujhe samjhana chahti hoon ki Shiv tumse kitna pyar karta hai aur tujhe kitna khush rakhe ga. Leking phone mai baat nahi keh paye. "Devi Maa meri laado ki raksha karna. Jagya ki galti ki vajah se Anandi ko aur dukh mat dena. Shiv ki mann mai Anandi ke liye pyar hum sab ko dikh raha hai. Jaldi se Anandi ko bhi dikha do". Bhairo who was waiting outside Anandi's room comes in to take the phone and tells Anandi not to cry for someone who doesn't know her value. She is just wasting her tears. He pats her head as Anandi controls her emotions. Bhairo says good night and leaves.

Anandi keeps thinking of what Sumitra said. She says to herself "when my past keeps coming in front of my eyes everytime i think of the present then how can i move on. Mujhe nahi pata mai kya karu ma". Anandi was so deep in her thoughts when the phone rang. She almost jumped on her bed and looked at the phone. It was Shiv. She picked it up "Ji collector sab". Shiv lost himself when he listened to her voice. Anandi said "Hello". Shiv coming back to reality said "Anandi ji, disturb toh nahi kiya na?". He was telling himself "Shiv get a grip don't act like a teenager". Anandi answered "no". Shiv thinking of what to talk asked her "Aap jo bhi ho raha hai vusse theek hai na. I mean jab bhi aap ko galat lage mujhe bata de jia. Mai sambhal loonga". Anandi answers "Ji mai theek ho". Shiv trying to be professional asks her "Ji vo kal subah engineers se meeting hey office mai. Aap aa rahe hai na". "Ji aaungi" replies Anandi. "Aap ki dono vaadhe aap ko yaad hai na" he asks her hesitantly. Anandi "dono?". "woh pehla ye ki aapke chehre ki muskurahat lane ka koi baat meri layak ho toh mujhe batayengi. Aur dosra ki aap muskurane ki koshish karenge". Anandi "Ji, yaad rakhungi". Shiv with innocent voice asks "Ek aur baat poochne thi aap se". Anandi "Ji kahiye". "Hamari dosti ke bare mai aap ka rai nahi badla na". Anandi stays mum for a minute. She remembers Dadisa telling her to at least be Shiv's friend and Shiv asking her this morning to be his friend. She replies "Ji nahi badli". Shiv was very happy listening to her reply. He tells her "tho ab jab hum dost ban gaye toh aap mujhse koi bhi, kaise bhi baat hesitation ki bina bol sakte hai. ok". Anandi replies "ji". He thanks her for agreeing to be his friend, bids her good night and says keep smiling before cutting the line. Anandi keeps the phone down, closes her eyes thinking about everything happening in her life, her conversation with Shiv. She falls asleep within no time. Shiv on the other hand is very happy as he closes his eyes. He says to himself before going to sleep "Jaldi Anandi bahut jaldi vuss hasti, kalthi Anandi ko wapas le avunga jise tum ne apne andar bandh kar diya".

Gauri was sitting in her room and crying. Her mom and dad try to console her but in vain. Once in awhile she keeps looking at the door as if waiting for Jagya to come back but she knew deep down that he was not going to come. She remembers all the things she said to his family, how they treated her, how she treated Anandi, Sumitra's challenge and today's fight. In the bus stop it was cold, raining and his clothes were wet. But nothing was bothering him. His physical pain was nothing compared to his inner agony. Jagat just sat in bus stop buried in his thoughts and waiting for the bus.

Smile

Next morning everyone was leaving in Circuit house. Shiv asks his mom to stay few more days as it will feel empty without them. Alok says they have to leave as its important and promises to meet soon. "Badi Ma bhaya sab jhoot bol rahe hai. Hume kuch miss viss nahi karenge. Ab to khush honge ki hum sab nahi honge vunki dream land ko disturb karne ke liye" teases Mahi and Dadu joins him. Iravati asks them to stop teasing Shiv and start. They all bid bye to Shiv and ask him to take care. Shiv feels all alone by sudden absence of family. He look at the watch and runs to get ready. He has lot of work to catch up on before meeting the engineers.

Anandi wakes up with the same dream she started having since Shiv came into her life (Her running after Jagya and falling down. Shiv coming and picking her up). She gets confused on why she keeps getting that dream. She brushes it away and decides to not think about it. She takes leave from Dadisa and reaches collectors office. Shiv was in meeting talking to them when she arrived. He looked at her and gave a pleasant smile. She gave a faint smile as she remembered her promise. This made Shiv happy. Shiv was his normal self with Anandi as if nothing changed between them which made her comfortable. Him being professional at work helped her to open up and speak out her opinion on things. After the meeting Shiv insisted to drop Anandi home. She replies she will walk home and she is used to it. Shiv said "Mujhe agar aap sachi mai aapke dost manthe hai toh zid nahi karenge". Anandi hesitates a little but then goes and sits in the jeep. As they got in the jeep Shiv thanked Anandi. Anandi asks "Why?". Shiv tells her "for keeping her promise and trying to smile". Anandi gives a faint smile and stares at the road. They drive towards haveli.

Shiv drops Anandi in haveli. Shiv reminds her about their next day meeting regarding the school inspection details. Anandi replies she remembers and will meet him tomorrow. She thanks him for dropping, and goes inside. Shiv looks at her as she disappears into the haveli. He starts towards his office. He suddenly puts a break and looks with a shock. Anandi was standing in front of the car. She comes to Shiv and asks him if he had his lunch. Shiv nods no still in shock. She shows a big carriage she is holding and scolds Shiv for not taking care of himself. She gets into the jeep opens a box and starts feeding him. Shiv just looks at her and smiles. Suddenly he hears someone saying "Namaste". As he looks around and finds few villagers wishing him. He wishes them back, as he turns back Anandi was not there. He realized it was all his dream. He smiles to himself and starts the jeep.

Jagat, Jagya, Jagadish

Meanwhile Jagat gets down the bus in jaitsar. He keeps remembering how Gauri lied to him, how he left his family, neglected Anandi. He says to himself "I will win you all back. I will beg for forgiveness. I will do anything to get my previous life back". He starts towards haveli.

In Haveli everyone was sitting in the hall when Jagya enters. They were shocked and confused looking at him. Dadisa was praying "Devi maa ab yeh ya ha kyun aaya. Ab mari bachi ko aur parikshani mat doo". Jagya looks at everyone and try's to say something when bhairo shouts "Ab yaha kyu aya. Tumhara iss ghar se koi samband nahi". Jagya with tears rolling down his face rushes to Dadisa and holds her legs. "Mujhe maaf kar dijiye Dadisa. Mujhe se bahot badi galti ho gaya". All were looking at Jagya as he goes on "I have been cheated. I trusted Gauri and she was manipulating me against all of you. I did what I did only because of her. I am at fault too as I was so blind that I was not able to see her true face. I know everything now. I am repenting for my mistakes. Please forgive me and give me another chance". Bhairo shouts "After everything you did, you want us to forgive you. Just get out and don't come back into our lives". Jagya confused what to say looks at Anandi. Anandi who is still in a shock after seeing Jagya, was just standing there. He runs to Anandi and tells her "Anandi, I know I hurted you a lot. I realize my mistakes now. I did very bad things but now I will change. Please give me a chance. I will prove to you all that I can be a good husband and better son". Bhairo just walks to Jagya and pulls him away from Anandi. He pushes him towards the door asking him to leave. Jagya goes crashing on the floor and doesn't getup. After a minute Dadisa looks at Jagya who was laying still on the floor and asks Basant to check if he was ok. Basant refuses saying "Masa hum ko kya lena dena agar woh theek hai ki nahi. Woh hi uth ke chala jayega". Dadisa insists on him to go and check. Basant goes to Jagya and yells to everyone "Ye toh behosh ho gaya".

Basant and Bhairo lift Jagya and lay him on the sofa. Dadisa asks Bhario to call Lal Singh. She asks Anandi to go to her room and they will take care of Jagya. Anandi who is still recollecting what just happened leaves the room tangled in her own thoughts. Bhairo tells Dadisa "Why is he back. Anandi is just starting to move on from her past. Masa I will not let him ruin Anandi's life again". Dadisa agrees with Bhairo and assures him that Anandi's life will be happy from now. Everyone in the haveli are worried looking at Jagya and remembering his words. Lal Singh enters the haveli and Bhairo calls him near the sofa where Jagya was lying. Lal Singh checks Jagya and tells everyone that he is suffering from severe fever and he needs to do few more tests to know the cause. Lal Singh also says that Jagya looks very weak and its better if he rests for few days. As Lal Singh leaves Bhairo tells Dadisa that Jagya can't stay in this house and he will send Jagya back to Mumbai. Dadisa thinks for a few seconds and says they can't ask him to leave in such a situation. He will stay here till his health is back to normal and then Bhairo can do whatever he wants.

Anandi is in her room buried in her thoughts. She looks at the engagement ring on her hand and remembers Jagya asking for forgiveness. She goes to her mom's picture, looks at it and stands there crying. Dadisa and family enter Anandi's room. Dadisa explains the situation to Anandi. "Mai jano Jagadish ka yaha rehna theek nahi hai lekin usse iss haal mai chod nahi sakat hai". Anandi just stays mum and stares at the floor. Dadisa explains that she knows its hard for Anandi but to ignore him for a day or two till Jagadish gains energy to leave. Bhairo adds "Beta agar tumko kuch appati ho toh batao mai usko abhi ke abhi bahar le jaunga". Anandi just replies "Mai theek hu". Dadisa pats her head and says I know we are asking a lot from you and thanks for understanding. She says that Gehna will be with Anandi till Jagadish is out of the house. She also adds that she will tell Shiv about Jagadish staying here herself before he finds out from someone. She prays to Devi Maa that Shiv must not misunderstand them.

Gauri is in a bad state and very depressed. Her mom tries to pacify her and make her to eat but in vain. Her father is searching for Jagat since the rain stopped but still no sign of him. Gauri's subconscious mind tells her that Jagat is not in mumbai but left to Jaitsar. She is not ready to accept it or anything that happened with her yet.

The Wait

That night in circuit house Shiv thinks about how he was imagining Anandi everywhere today. He tells to himself "Shiv control yourself or soon you will be a laughing stock". He suddenly felt the urge to talk to Anandi. He felt as if it had been so long since he talked to her. He wondered how will he manage to wait for next 4 months if few hours away from her felt like eternity . He picked the phone and called Anandi. Anandi was lost in her thoughts. Her entire life was moving in front of her eyes. She feels her world crumbling again as Jagya's words repeat in her mind. She was not aware of the phone ringing next to her. Shiv thought she must be busy or must have slept. He wanted to call again but thought of disturbing Anandi when if she was asleep stopped him. He wished her good night with a smile on his face and waiting for next day to come soon.

Hi everyone,

Sorry for the delay in the updates. My right shoulder is swollen and is not letting me type.

Here is Part - 13. Hope you all have fun reading

Shiv enters haveli to talk to Anandi. Jagya comes out of the room as Anandi starts talking to Shiv. Shiv was shocked to see Jagya. Anandi was surprised and thought how to explain Shiv. Jagya starts pleading Anandi to give him one more chance and Shiv looks at him in anger. As Jagya keeps going on, Shiv comes in middle and asks Jagya to stay away from his to be wife. Jagya shouts at Anandi she can't do this to him and has to give him another chance. Shiv shouts back that Anandi is his now and Jagya can't talk to her or meet her. As the argument starts to heat up Anandi starts feeling very suffocated. They both look at Anandi as if asking her to take their side. She keeps walking back and closes her ears. She lets out a cry and wakes up from her sleep. She realizes that it was all just a dream. She remembers the whole dream and gets confused. She was happy it was all just a dream and nothing else.

Everyone in haveli are tensed with Jagya staying there. Dadisa asks Makhan who was taking care of Jagya how he is feeling. He replies that he is still unconscious. Dadisa asks Bhairav to call Lal Singh and ask about the reports. They all go silent as Anandi enters the hall. She can notice their discomfort. She bids bye to everyone and goes to school. Shiv calls Anandi to talk about the meeting. Anandi didn't know what to tell him and how to face him. She tells him something came up, she can't make it to the meeting today and if he can postpone it for couple of days. Shiv was surprised by her response and replies that its ok and there is still time for the inspector to come visit the school. They can discuss about it later. He asks her "Sab theek hai na?" Anandi doesn't know what to say. She wants to tell him the truth as she felt bad for hiding the truth. But she remembers Dadisa saying she will talk to Shiv and stays mum. They have a small conversation before Anandi excuses saying she has lot of work in the school. Shiv keeps the phone down and thinks "Mujhe kyu lag raha hai ki Anandi pareshan hai. Aur woh mujhse kuch chupa rahi hai". He decides to call her in evening and talk to her.

In haveli few villagers come to meet Dadisa. They congratulate her again for Anandi's marriage and express their happiness. They talk about how great the sagai function was and praise collector sab and his family. Dadisa joins them praising Shiv and says he will be a good life partner for Anandi. Jagya who just woke up and walked out of the guest room was shocked at what he just heard. Those words were ringing in his mind. "Anandi ki Sagai ho gai. Kab aur kiske sath?" he questions himself. He remembers villagers saying collector sab and is bewildered. He recollects Anandi's interview on tv, Shiv sending him to jail. He says "Uski aur Anandi ki sagai?". He collapses on the floor as everything that happened in his life is flashing in front of him. The very thought of Anandi becoming someone elses was eating him from inside. Tears were rolling down his eyes uncontrollably. He speaks to himself "Yeh kya kiya maine. Apne haathon se hi mera acha sa life karab kiya. Anandi ne kya nahi kiya mere liye aur mai Gauri jaisi ladki ke liye usko choda. Ab jab mai galatiyo ko theek karna chaha toh uske sagai ho gai. Mai ne phir se Anandi ko koliya". He chokes as he completes the last sentence. As all the villagers leave Bhairav says "Maasa, humko jitni jaldi ho sake Jagya ko ghar se bahar karna hoga. Anandi ne kitni mushkil se yeh kadam vothaya. Woh toh uski maa ki antim ischa poori karne ke liye maani iss shaadi karne ke liye. Aab toh usko Shiv ko samajhna hai aur uske sath jeevan mai aage badhane ka sochna hai. Jagya yahan rahega toh usko kitni mushkil hogi". Dadisa agrees with him and tells Jagya ki medical reports aane ke baad hum usko bechdengi. Jagya who was still on the floor from the shock, listens

to the conversation and starts thinking.

Dadisa calls Shiv to inform him about Jagya staying in Haveli but Shiv doesn't pick up as he was in a meeting. That evening Shiv's mom calls him and asks him to take Anandi and visit a specific temple nearby. Shiv answers he is busy and will try. But Iravati insists they go soon as she wants them to get god's blessings after the sagai. Shiv says he will look at his schedule and plan. He calls Anandi immediately after talking to Iravati. Even though he was saying he can't go to Iravati he was very excited go out with Anandi. He was trying not to sound desperate in front of his mother. Anandi picks up the phone after a lot of hesitation. Shiv says "Anandiji mai ne aap ko disturb tho nahi kiya na?". Anandi says "Nahi collector sab". Shiv asks her "Subah aap ne meeting cancel kiya. Sab theek toh hai na". Anandi doesn't know what to say and stays mum. Shiv says "Aap theek toh hai na. I mean agar mai kuch kar sakta hu toh bata dijiye". Anandi cuts him and says "Ji shukria, mai theek hu". Shiv then tells Anandi about what Iravati told him. He says "Dadiji se poochney se pehle mai aap ko puchna chahta tha". Anandi thinks about the situation in the house and says "Maaf kijiye ga par mujhe agle kuch dino tak bahut kaam hai". Shiv was taken aback by her direct no but was consoling himself its ok since Anandi needs time. He says "It's ok, don't worry about it. I will make some excuse for mom". Anandi feels bad for the way she replied but doesn't know what to say. She asks him if there is anything else and Shiv says no. They say bye.

Shiv keeps thinking about his conversation with Anandi and senses something was not right. She was not her usual self. Something was bothering her in the morning and even now. He wished he could do something about it. He thinks what it might be that she doesn't want to talk to him. He realizes he didn't meet her today and that makes him sad. "If only I had talked to her in person I would have convinced her to share her problem with me" he thought. He remembers how he eagerly waited last night for today, to meet her. He feels very restless as he keeps thinking about her and hopes she is fine. Suddenly his phone rings. He picks up the phone and exchanges pleasantries with Dadisa. Dadisa asks about his work and other stuff wondering how to tell Shiv. Shiv asks her if there is anything she wants to talk about. She takes a deep breath and explains briefly everything that happened but skips part that Jagaya wants Anandi back. Shiv listens in disbelief. Dadisa says "I wanted to talk to you about this in person but didn't know how to face you". Shiv asks her not to feel like that and he is happy she told him what was happening. He adds that he understands their situation and not to worry everything will be fine. Dadisa was happy with Shiv's response and blesses him before keeping the phone down. Shiv thinks about what Dadisa told him just now and remembers Anandi's conversation. "This was the reason she was not herself today" he says to himself. He takes his phone to call her but drops the idea as he doesn't know what to tell her.

That night in haveli Jagya who was lying in his bed thinking about everything he heard that day. He suddenly sits up and tells to himself "Mai tum ko phir se nahi kounga Anandi. I know you still love me thats why you must have said no to this marriage. Even now you agreed only because of your mom's wish which means you are not happy with this relationship. I will win you back and show that collector his place". With a determined look Jagya gains strength and slowly walks out of the room. He silently searches for Anandi. Anandi is on the roof looking at the sky. She was lost in her thoughts when Jagya finds her. "Anandi" calls Jagya. Anandi surprised by the voice turns back and was shocked to find Jagya there. He says he wants to talk to her and Anandi replies she has nothing to talk to him. Jagya pleads her to give him 5 mins. Anandi avoids him and was about to leave when Jagya falls on his knees blocking her way and begs her to stop. Anandi says "Jagya yeh kya kar rahe ho vutoh". Jagya again asks her to give him 5 minutes. Anandi just stands there as if waiting for him to talk. Jagya gets up and starts with an apology. "Mujhe maaf kar do Anandi mai ne tum se bada dhoka kiya. Mujhe ek mauka do mere galati sudhar ne ka." Anandi says "Ab hamare beech koi rishta nahi rahi Jagya. Please chale jao". Jagya was searching for words to convince her. Anandi was about to leave when he said "Anandi please ek mauka do. Tum agar maan jao gi toh ghar mai sab man jayenge. Please Anandi mujhe parivar se phir se alag mat karna. Mai phir se akela nahi hona chahta. Tum chaho toh sab ko mana sakti ho. Mujhe meri galti sudharne ki liye ek mauka doh. Tum janti ho sab tumhare liye mujhe apna nahi rahe hai" he was crying as he spoke. Anandi who was standing listening to him just walks away without uttering a single word. Jagya looks on as Anandi leaves. He tells himself "I will not give up Anandi".