Anandi in her sasuraal
23a)
After driving for the whole night Anandi and Shiv reach Kesarbuag. The other family members reach before them. The entire haveli is decorated like a dulhan. It was a beautiful building by itself but the decorations made it more beautiful. There was a beautiful garden on the left. It showed Daddu's love for gardening. There was a beautiful water fountain in the middle of the garden. On the right there was a swimming pool and a small out house. The out house looked like a miniature version of the haveli. There was a red carpet spread from the main gates of the haveli to the entrance of the main building. Anandi sees all of her in-laws. She was wedded into a family with a huge extended family. She was a bahu to all of them. A fear comes to her heart. Shiv sees it and squeezes her hand gently to comfort her. Mahi, Ashi and Saachi get out early and go to get changed.
Anandi and Shiv get out of the car and they are received by Ira and Meenu. They cover Anandi's face with her veil. As per shagun eunuchs are payed and they bless the newly wedded couple. They are then taken to the entrance of the haveli. The huge crowd of guests follow them. The preperations for her 'griha pravesh' were done here too. Saachi and Shiv's cousins come and block their way. "Arre Saachi tujhe Jaitsar main diye the na paise ab phir se kyun? Ye toh saraasar extortion hai. Sab kuch meri shaadi mein hi karegi. Mahi ki shaadi ke waqt usse bhi kuch wasool karegi ya nahi?" "Bahiyya de dijiye wahan toh sirf Saachi thi yahan to poori ki poori beheno ki gang hai. Bahut bhaari padegi aappar. Bhaiyya meri shaadi mein toh main saamne se jo chahegi wo de doonga. Samajhiye bhaiyya jitna time yehaan waste karenge baad mein utna hi time kam milega. Bhabhi Jaitsar mein jaise bhaiyya se kaha tha paise dene ke liye waise kahiye na." Mahi teased Anandi because of what she had innocently done at her home. She nervously fidgets with her fingers. "Arre bahuraani toh yahan par hi sharmane lagi. Bhauraani abhi raat hone ko waqt hai tab aise ghabraana aur sharmaana." Shiv's female relatives tease her. Shiv pays his sisters seeing Anandi teased and nervous. They step aside to let Shiv bhaiyya and Anandi bhabhi to cross the threshold.
Ira does the aarti and teeka of Anandi and Shiv. Anandi and Shiv make their palm prints in kum kum together on the wall of the haveli near the entrance. Daddu gets emotional on seeing this because his and his wife's dream of welcoming their bahu in the ancestral haveli had finally come true. Anandi and Shiv are told by him that the dried palm prints they see on the wall above them is his and his wifes. Anandi and Shiv feel truly privileged to share the connection with Daddu and Daadi. Anandi tips the kalash scattering almost all of rice indicating that she will bring prosperity to her saasra. She then makes her kum kum pagla on a white spread of cloth. She takes her first step in her saasraa. It was an altogether different feeling from that of entering her home.
After taking a few steps Shiv picks her up in his arms. Everyone stare at his move. Anandi is taken aback at his sudden move. She nervously and very softly spoke so only he could hear her. It was not right for husband and wife to speak openly in front of elders. They are not to speak with eachother till the rasams are done. She nervously asked him, "C S kya kar rahe hain? Mujhe neeche utaariye." "Rasam kar raha hoon. Ghar par bhi toh ki thi." "Aisi koi rasam nahi hoti. Devarjeene masti ki thi. Please neeche utaariye mujhe sab dekh rahe hain." Shiv puts her down. "Irawati tera Shiv toh bada tez hai. Pehli se seedhe aakhri rasam par kood pada. Shiv beta abhi Dillii door hai. Pehle baaki ki rasam kar le ye rasam bhi karwaayenge tujhse." An elderly woman commented on Shiv's move. Everyone laugh and Anandi and Shiv blush. They come to the temple and offer their prayers to God. Here Anandi makes her palm prints on the mandir side wall in Haldi kum kum. She makes perfect prints which indicate yet again that she will bring happiness and prosperity to her saasra.
Anandi and Shiv do a few more rasams which show their compatibility as husband and wife and Anandi's capability as a bahu. Anandi is now sat on a patla surrounded by all the women. Saachi and her cousins do a few rasams that the nanand does. A few naughty rasams are also done. Shiv had to come close to and touch Anandi a few times which made him very nervous. The closeness they had experienced was accidental and in privacy. To experience the same in full view with a large expectant audience made them a tad uncomfortable. Anandi and Shiv feel quite nervous at the very mention of their Suhaag raat. Shiv notices a change in Anandi after coming to Kesarbuag. She was feeling very nervous in the presence of the other relatives. She was having a typical bahu jitters. He gave her confident looks now and then. She was continuously looking at him assurance from behind her veil.
The next rasam to be done showed who would be in control in their relationship. It was a playful game which gave the couple to experience some moments of closeness in front of all without any hesitation. A big deep brass paraat with milk and rose petals is brought in front of them. Ira drops a ring in it along with a few other things and tells Anandi and Shiv to find it. They do as they are told and inside the paraat under the milk their hands touch and every time their hands touch there was an 'OOO' sound made by the youngsters. They felt something but quickly forgot it for the sake of the other. Anandi and Shiv did not miss a chance to have an endearing supportive eye lock.
Shiv found the ring twice even without trying to look for it. "Wow bhaiyya jeet gaye ab bhabhi ko umar bhar bhai ki baat maanni padegi. Ab bhaiyya ka raaj chalega. Finally humaare ghar main pehli baar kisi pati ki chalegi and the tradition will follow. Meri shaadi ke baad mein bhi ye game jeetoonga aur meri biwi meri baat manegi." Mahi was very happy as he was cheering for his bhai. He also stole a gance at Ashi who gave him 'Ya lets see when the time comes look'. "Mahi beta ye toh sirf khel hai yahaan bhale pati jeete par jeevan bhar toh patni ki hi chalti hai aur hum unki maane usi mein sukhi shaadi shuda zindagi ka raaz hai." Daddu's younger cousin commented. Shiv gives Anandi an already submissive pati look and she smiles under her veil. Anandi was happy that Shiv won the game. "Mahi hum hamesha har competition mein best of five karte hain na? Toh chal aur do baar ring daal." Anandi knew that Shiv was doing it so that she would win. The ring is put again but Shiv isn't searching for it seriously. She does not see where she is. She even forgot that there were other relatives present and she was'nt permitted to speak with Shiv. She just can't bear the fact that Shiv keeps on making sacrifices for her. In the presence of all the relatives Anandi behaves in Shiv's Anandi's way.
"Mujhe nahi khelna yeh khel." Anandi announces. "Kya hua Anandiji?" "Aap mujhse kyun pooch rahe hain? Khud se poochiye." "Anandiji kheliye na dekhiye sab dekh rahe hain." "Haan main bhi toh dekh rahi hoon na ki aap theek se ring nahi dhoondh rahe. Best of five bhi aapne isiliye kaha kyunki aap chahte hain ki main jeetoon. Mujhe bina mehnat ke kuch bhi pana pasand nahi hai ye aap jaante hain phir bhi mujhe asie jitwana chahte hain. Aap seriously kheliye tohi main kheloongi phir chahe ring kisi ko bhi mile." "Alright toh ab main aapko kada competition doonga baad mein no complaints." Anandi fervently nods her head in a yes. He could see her huge smile and her sparkling eyes. She was very happy and she loved to be challenged especially by him.
Mahi puts the ring in the paraat and again cheers for his brother because his future depended on Shiv's win. Saachi and Ashi cheer for Anandi and female power. They search for the ring again. This time Anandi wins and she is very happy because Shiv did really go after it. "Two all score hai. Ab main phir se ring daloonga. Ab jo jeeta wahi sikandar aur jo hara wo well sabko pata hai. No offense bhaiyya bhabhi woh toh kya hai na ki kahawat hai toh munh se nikal gaya." Mahi joked. Mahi was about to drop the ring for the fifth and the last time but Anandi stopped him. "Ab kya hua bhabhi?" "Devarjee ring mat daliye. Yahan ab score barabar hai toh barabar hi rehne dijiye. Jaisa hai waisa hi accha hai. Humaare rishte mein haar jeet ke liye koi jagah nahi hai. Jeet hai toh dono ki aur haar hai toh dono ki. Ek ko harake doosra jeet nahi sakta. Zindagi ki gaadi mein balance hona chahiye jo yahan par hai." Anandi looks at Shiv from behind her veil and he smiles at his samajhdaar sarpanchji.
The elders were amazed at the wisdom Anandi just imparted. They were happy to see Shiv and Anandi's mutual understanding. The ring was washed and brought back as Shiv had to put it on Anandi's finger. "Anandi beta yeh tumhaari dadi saas yaani ki meri patni ki angoothi hai. Uski har bahu ko usne apni angoothi isi rasam ke waqt di thi. Woh toh yahan hai nahi is liye uski taraf se ye rasam main kar raha hoon." Shiv put the ring on her left index finger. They took blessings from Daddu and all the other older relatives. Shiv is blessed 'Khush raho and jeete raho' Anandi is given the blessings 'Sada suhagan raho doodho nahaao phoolo phalo.' "Bhaiyya ye sab toh bhabhi ko dozen ke hisaab se 'doodho nahao phoolo phalo' ka aashirwaad de rahe hain. Aashirwaad chahe jitney mile par bhaiyya 'Aap do Aapke do' remember." Shiv and Anandi are both shocked to hear Mahi's analysis of the aashirwaad. On seeing Anandi's reaction of OMG Shiv with force nudged Mahi.
Now it was time to do another rasam. Anandi and Shiv have to untie each other's mauli tied on their right wrists on the day of the haldi ka rasam. The mauli has a coin, a kaudi(shell), a piece of haldi, a supaari and a nail tied to it to keep away evil eyes. "Shiv Anandi tum dono ko ye mauli sirf ek haath se hi kholni hai. Iske baad hi aage ki rasam hogi." Anandi and Shiv open the mauli with ease with one hand and in one go. They had no idea their doing so will make them land in teaseland. "Arre in dono ko toh dekho apne kamre mein jaane ki kitni jaldi hai ek hi baar mein jhat se mauli khol li. Ye aaj kal ke bacche toh bhai wah hawaaijahaaz ki speed se chalte hain." Everyone laugh at the comment made by Shiv's kakidadi. Anandi and Shiv were getting really nervous about the night to come. They were also mentally scolding themselves to stop behaving like that because what SR nothing was going to happen.
Bindi
Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2
Jodha Akbar
