geet005
adi2512
OS- Seasons of Togetherness
The air of Jeitsar is stifled by the shimmering haze of heat.
Shiv and I walk a short distance behind the rest of my family.
Shiv tugs my hand gently to get my attention, and I glance over at him. He's smirking at me.
I don't protest as he leads me away from the rest.
We weave through the narrow streets, backtracking until we come upon one of our favourite places in Jeitsar, the village fair.
Taking our Ice Golas, we bypass the crowd completely and settle under an old tree, ready to slurp the icy delicious mess.
I giggle, reaching up to cup his chin and swipe my thumb over a droplet of sweet liquor there.
He chuckles at me as his sticky fingers come up to touch my cheek gently.
Golden Summer with Singhs.
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Its that time just before twilight when the sky is still a light blue , infused with grey.
As Shiv and I stroll through the street, a subtle mist hazes around us in a pleasant way.
Our hands are clasped in his jacket pocket, and neither of us is talking much, just enjoying the person beside us.
All of a sudden, the street lamps flare to life, casting their steady, unwavering glow of light on the sidewalks.
Its during that lag between late afternoon and the late evening crowd, when the town seems to pause and catch it's breath.
The mist is beginning to replace to a light drizzle.
The streets are deserted, so we're perfectly free to stop in the middle of the street as we do now, the droplets of rain thickening into a heavy shower.
So its fine with me as he brings our clasped hands up, over our heads, and twirls me around in a whirl of laughter and rainwater.
Its fine with me as he tugs me towards him and presses his soft, warm lips to my forehead.
Blue Monsoon in Mussorie.
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Alone, ...on an evening out.
Udaipur's market streets are decorated with red, orange, and gold, the colors vivid and warm to balance the cool weather. The dry leaves crunch under Shiv and my feet... as we stroll through the street.,
The weather is uncommonly cool, though the change is not at all unwelcome.
Our fingers twist together on instinct, and I revel in the feel of his large, rough, warm hand encasing my own small, soft, cold one.
Shiv leans down to whisper in my ear, "Come on, mein aapko kuch dikhana chahta hoon."
He picks up the pace, and soon we're running, my ringing laughter mingling with Shiv's deep chuckles and sending shivers down my spine.
He leads us deep into market streets, and finally, we slip round a bend and in front of us, there's a small clearing entirely of Mango and Pipal trees. He tugs me forward again, and we start down a small, unassuming trail through the trees.
It's truly beautiful, and I tell him so.
He looks at me, with utmost sincerity in those deep brown eyes and says, "So, are you...Anandi.."
I giggle and scoop up a handful of the leaves, tossing them at him.
Clearly taken aback, he brushes at the ones that now adorn his neatly jelled black hair.
Gathering a fistful, he dumps it on me, and we soon have a growing pile of vibrantly-colored leaves in front of us.
I step forward, dropping my my arsenal', and something in my expression must have caught him off-guard, because the leaves he'd been threatening me with flutter to the ground, settling around our feet.
I take another step towards him, and his eyes darken in color.
My arms encircle him, and his wrap around me tightly.
His lips touch mine in a frenzy of excitement and love.
We tumble back into the pile of leaves, and, giggling, I stretch out next to him, reaching over to intertwine our fingers, and he sighs contentedly.
Staring up at the flitting shadows the leaves are making in the light breeze, I smile.
Orange Autumn in Udaipur.
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Swirling around us, flurries of snow adorn and , sparkle on our heavy winter wear.,
It is slowly darkening, and with the impending nighttime comes even colder air.
His arm is around me, and our breath mists in the frosty air.
Shiv's fingers slide under the collar of my coat, rubbing my neck in a gentle massage.
I shiver at his touch, and he steers me wordlessly towards a more private destination.
The layers of snow crunch with our footsteps, and his head dips to touch his lips to my cheek a couple of times, a hurried form of affection as we take the winding street and lose ourselves in the crowd, to a quieter part of the town with a few scattered shops around us.
We settle on a bench, and I let him gather me in his arms, holding me so close I can hardly move. I nestle into his shoulder, breathing in deeply.
I try to memorize his scent, and the feel of his arms around me.
He drops kisses on my forehead, and I press my hands to his back, touching my lips to his temple.
He murmurs..."I love you."
I blush...it still feels like it's the first time.
White Winter in Kashmir.
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Anandi smiled lazily on that dawn of their wedding anniversary, gazing at the handsome face of her husband, peaceful and childlike in his slumber, recalling their beautiful moments of togetherness, in every season of their married life.
The sun is beginning to turn the sky orange. It slowly peaked over the horizon, and into the window. The whole room had a warm glow about it. She slowly stretched out her back, taking in the wonderfully warm ambience of her room.
She heard him sigh , felt his breath as it blew through her hair, as She nestled her head more comfortably into his chest. His heart was beating just as fast as hers was, and she listened, eyes open as it hummed into her ear. It is her favorite sound in the world. She listened to it often, finding that no sound in the world brought her more peace.
She ran her hands through his hair gently as she reminisced about the eventful life that they both had together, in both good times and in bad.
She lifted her head slightly, resting her chin on his chest as she looked up at his face.
He slowly opened his eyes and gazed down at her. Without speaking, he lifted his hand and pushed a lock of hair from her face. He studied her for a second, and then smiled.
"Good morning, Itni subah...subah...utna kya soch rahe hai..?"
She shook her head. "Kuch nahi..."
"Kuch nahi...?," he repeated doubtfully. His fingers continued their brush through her hair, taming the tousled locks..
She closed her eyes and sighed, loving the gentle massage of his fingertips . When he dropped his hand, she opened her eyes and looked up into those eyes she loved so much.
Sirf...GoodMorning...?...aap kuch bhool toh nahi rahe...?...- she asked slyly., raising an eyebrow.
Main kuch bhool raha hoon...?...toh yaad karvayiye naa... - He winked at her with a naughty smile...now all awake.
Aapko naa...bas ek bahana chahiye...!
Waise bhi...Kuch baatein aise hothe hain...jinhe yaad nahi karvaathe...chaliye., chod dijiye...main chali...She tried to get free from his embrace in mock anger.
"Wait...Anandi...main itna bhi dumb nahi hoon...!"...pulling her more towards him., he strengthened his hold on her.
"Toh boliye...hamare is khaas din par...kya tohfa chahiye aapko...?" - He asked her with such tenderness, that it became impossible for Anandi to ignore him anymore even for zest.
She watched him, feeling vulnerable, powerless under the strength of his gaze. He is so perfect at everything, so good at just being... it scared her how perfectly they fit together, how nothing ever seemed forced between them.
She questioned him back with equal tenderness in her voice - "Shiv...aap jab dekho, mujhe hi kuch na kuch gift dethe rehte hain...kabhi yeh nahi laga...ki mein bhi aapko kuch dena chahiye...?"
"Anandi...mujhe toh mere Zindagi ka sabse bada tohfa mila...ab iske aage, mujhe kisi aur cheez se matlab hi nahi..." - His reply could not have sounded more sincere to Anandi...
"Acha...woh kya...?" - She asked him curiously.
"Aapka Saath..." - Shiv replied, tightening their embrace.
"and with that Everything," he whispered,..."You have no idea what that means to me."
"I just want to be like this...Anandi...Together...in all Seasons of our Life...Forever...!!!"
She snuggled into him, feeling content. His fingers brushed against her arm, back and forth . . . back and forth.
Kya soch rahe hain...Shiv..? - its now her turn to ask.
He didn't answer for a second, and then tightening his hold on her even more, slowly said... "Yeh soch raha hoon...how much I love holding you...like this...close to me."
She smiled into his chest , and the only thing that existed is the two of them. And the only thing that mattered is this moment.
This moment is Everything.
This moment is Now.
BeyondTheSky
Saptapadi - the seven steps
In Hindu Marriage, Saptapadi (seven steps) is the most important rite, after tying the Mangalsutra the newlywed couple take seven steps around the holy fire invoking the Gods to shower their blessings on them and promise to each other ...
"With God as our guide, let us take the first step to live with honor and respect. Let us walk together so we get food.
Let us be happy and enjoy life. Let us walk together so we grow together in strength.
Let us share joys and pains together. Let us walk together so we get wealth.
Let us not forget parents and elders. Let us walk together so we get happiness by sharing our joys and sorrows.
Let us observe all acts of charity. Let us walk together so we have family.
Let us live a long and peaceful life. Let us walk together so we have joy.
Let us be friends with love and sacrifice. Let us walk together so we have friendship.
With seven steps we have become friends. Let me reach your friendship. Let me not be severed from your friendship. Let your friendship not be severed from me." With completion of the Saptapadi, the two are pronounced husband and wife.
Anandi was scared, very scared that day, scared of entering her new life.
Tears rolled from her eyes nonstop. She knew it was time to leave and go to a new place, amongst new people. She would have to leave her home where she was born and spent happy childhood and adolescent years of her life, her parents who meant everything to her, her friends who had been there for her whenever she needed, close family members who she was so close to.
Her mother held her close and they both cried. Her father struggled to keep calm tried best not break to down in front of her. When she reached the main door, the last step, she turned back and broke down. She cried heavily in her mother's arms, she didn't want to leave them. She was scared to leave the security of her parents.
Then she felt a hand extended to her. She looked at the hand and lifted her wet eyes and just stared at him, in her sadness just could not avoid the warmth of love pouring out at her. She was looking at the man she would be with for the rest of her life. She did not know what to do. She looked up again at those sparking eyes full of love and life.
And for the rest of her life, she never forgot what he said - "Cry all you want today, sweetheart. Because from this moment all your tears are mine, all your sadness is mine, my smile, my happiness is yours, my whole world is yours , only you will be mine. I'll never allow you to shed these tears again as long as we live. So cry all you want today, because once we go to our home, you'll never cry again".
Holding her gaze, Shivraj Shekhar, took hold of her hand in his and gently pulled her towards him, his eyes pleading lovingly to her with a promise of a wonderful journey ahead. Only she would have to take this final step with him.
At that moment, Anandi forgot everything else, mesmerized by his eyes, his words, setting her mind at rest she followed her heart and matched her steps with him as his Ardhangini - his better half.
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Edited by anshbalikavadhu - 11 years ago