Hi guys. ...hope you like this chapter. ...my midsem starts on Tuesday. ...so not replying to comments right now. ...thanks for your wonderful comments. ...will update soon.
CHAPTER 11
The brothers returned home tired yet happy. They had lunched together and watched a movie. The rest of the evening they had visited the places they had frequented as teenagers. Then they had returned home. It was a much needed change from their busy lives.
"Jai, accha hua aap log aa gaye. Papa ko tumse koi kaam tha ." Jaya told her husband as they entered the house
Jai immediately left to see his father and Abhay was telling Jaya about their day out while Adarsh went off to his own room . A little later he was looking at the pictures they had clicked that day when a servant informed him that his father wanted to see him. Adarsh sighed. Meetings with his father never went well. Not that they weren't fond of each other but there were things they differed on.
"Come in Adarsh. " his father said as he knocked the door and indicated to a seat near him.
Jai was sitting near him.
" Adarsh, tumhe Mr Khanna yaad hai? Mera purana classmate? "Manohar asked.
Adarsh nodded. He knew what his father was going to ask.
" Aaj main unse mila tha aur pata chala unki nayi project approval ke liye tumhare paas aaya hai aur tumhe uss se koi problem hai. Sach hai yeh? " Manohar asked.
" Haan papa. Unki nayi hospital ki papers mere paas aayi thi . Aur maine mana kiya kyunki it was not fair to the people living there
" Adarsh replied.
" Wahaan rehnewale logon ko doosri land dene ka intezaam kiya hai unhone. Toh kya problem hai. " Manohar asked raising his voice.
" Haan. Lekin woh land itna accha nahin hai. Par problem kuch aur hai. Iss land ke paas ek slum hai. Hospital ki waste agar wahaan dump kiya gaya toh biomedical waste se wahaan ke logon ko bimaari hogi. Main bas yeh chahta hoon woh apne waste disposal ki problem arrangements karein. " Adarsh reasoned.
Jai who saw that the situation was getting out of hand interfered saying " Adarsh, wahaan ek hospital banne wala hai. Acchi kaam ke liye hain. Papers pass kardo. Woh waste disposal ki alternatives check kar rahe hain. Don't worry. "
"Sorry bhai. Main uske baad hi paper pass karoonga. " Adarsh said rising to leave.
" Jai, use jaane do. The great Adarsh Sinha apne principles ke khilaf kabhi nahin jaayenge. Logon ki seva karne se kabhi peechhe nnahin hatenge. After all Robin Hood hai woh. Apne Papa ki baat ki koi keemat nahin hai unki life mein. " Manohar said sarcasm strong in his voice.
" Aap samajh nahin rehe ho Papa. " Adarsh tried to explain.
But Manohar interrupted "Tum samajh nahin rahe ho Adarsh. Aise apne principles ko pakad ke rakoge toh you will be a loser. Tumhe pata hai agar main nahin hota toh tum abhi kisi gaav mein posted hote. "
Adarsh left the room. He was hurt . He knew what his father thought of him but today Manohar had said it out aloud. He was a loser.
Adarsh knew this was what most of his colleagues thought of him. And as his father had told him he was still in Delhi only because he was the son of an extremely influential senior bureaucrat and the best lawyer in the country . He was grateful to them but he couldn't go against his principles. He didn't care what othrs thought. He just steered clear of them. But this was his father. The man who had been his rode model.
Though the brothers had been exposed to politics and law as children, thanks to their parents' professions, they had in a way lived a sheltered life. They had only seen the glory and power and not the evil associated with it. Growing up Adarsh had looked up to his father as the perfect man. Sincere, powerful, ambitious , reputed and yet the perfect family man, loving husband and caring father. Who wouldn't want to be like him. Not that his father was bad but just not flawless. And that realization had eventually caused some rifts between him and his father. But they still loved each other .
Right now, he needed to talk. Usually it was always his mom he would go to at such times. She knew the right things to say
but she hadn't returned yet and telling her all this over the phone sounded childish. He could talk to Abhay. But Abhay already had a lot going on and somewhere he wondered if Abhay too would consider him a loser. He wouldn't be able to bear it right now .
He had to talk to someone. But who? And then he knew. He pulled out his phone from his pocket and dialed her number
The call connected but she didn't pick up. He went to his room and locked the door. He called her again. She didn't pick up. It was 10:30 pm. She must be sleeping, he thought. But just as he was about to disconnect she picked up.
" Hi Adarsh. Sab theek hai na? " Swadheenta asked sounding concerned.
" Haan. Mujhe tumse kuch poochna tha. Tum ne phone nahin uthaaya toh mujhe laga tum so rahi ho. " He said smiling.
" Sorry. Main Maamu ke saath thi. Bataao kya baat hai? " She asked curiously.
" Swadheenta tum hamesha sach ki saath deti ho. jhoot se tumhe nafrat hai right? "He asked.
" Haan. " She replied confused.
" Toh phir tum Mr Ahuja ki family ki itni care kyun karti ho? I mean tum jaanti ho woh illegal kaam karte hain. Phir bhi tum unhe apna maanti ho? Unke galat kaam rokne ki koshish nahin karti ho? Kyun? " He asked.
" Adarsh, main jaanti hoon Ahuja uncle kya karte hain par uske liye main unse nafrat kyun karoon? Haan, mujhe unki soch se nafrat hai par basically woh acche insaan hain. Bachpan se unhone mujhe apna maana hai. Kuch log galat kaam karte hain kyunki unhe woh galat nahin lagta hai . Unke hisaab se woh sab karte hain toh unke karne mein kya problem hai. Thats the problem with uncle too. Maine unhe samjhaane ki koshish ki thi ek baar par koi faayda nahin hua. Aur Simmi ke khaatir maine phir kabhi unse iss baare mein baat nahin ki. Par agar kabhi zaroorat pade toh main unke khilaf jaakar sach ka hi saath doongi. " Swadheenta explained.
Adarsh smiled. She had cleared his confusion .
" Yeh poochhne ke liye tumne mujhe iss waqt call kiya? " She asked inquisitive.
Adarsh thought about it. He wanted to share it with her. He told her everything .
" Swadheenta, I love dad. Unke liye bahot respect hai mere mann mein. Par main galat kaam bardaash nahin kar sakta. At the same time I can't hate him. Papa acche hain. Only he doesn't see it as a wrong thing. " Adarsh told her.
" Haan Adarsh. Hamari society main corruption itna badh chuka hai ki logon ko woh galat hi nahin lagta. " Swadheenta replied.
Adarsh agreed with her and told her how he had always been truthful even as a child. She told him about her own principles. They went on talking unaware of the passing time. There was so much to tell. So much to listen. On and on they talked till Swadheenta dozed off. Adarsh who was still talking realised that she wasn't responding. He realised that she must have dozed off. He himself felt sleepy. He checked the clock.
1 am!!!!!!
They had been talking for hours. So much for being a silent shy man. This was the longest phone call of his life
if Abhay found out he would tease him his whole life.
Then he realised something. He wouldn't mind the teasing.
He remembered his conversation with Abhay . Abhay was right. She affected him. Her presence was changing him. When she was around he felt happy. Her smile tugged at his heart. When she was close his heart fluttered. He liked listening to her. What could this mean?
Even now he had chosen to call her. He knew that she understood him. He could share anything with her.
He had never felt an iota of this for any other woman. Not even Vanshika.
What was happening to him?
" Adarsh there is no running away from it. You are head over heels in love with Swadheenta Ramakrishnan. " a voice answered from within him.
" You are right ." He muttered collapsing on the bed.
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Swadheenta opened her eyes listening to the commotion created by Asad. He was trying to wake her up shouting at the top of his voice. She sat up and rubbed her eyes yawning.
" Freedom, tu theek hai na? " Asad asked.
" Kyun? Mujhe kya hoga? " She asked.
Asad picked up the alarm clock lying by her bedside and held it front of her. 9 am . She never woke up this late. Today was Sunday and every Sunday she prepared South Indian food for the family.
"Yeh kya? " Asad asked looking at her phone " Tu toh raat ko phone apni pillow ke paas rakhti hi nahin hai. Aaj radiation se marne ka iraada hai kya? "
"Shut up Bandar. I was on a call. Aise hi so gayi. " She replied.
Asad took the phone and started checking.
" Tu poori raat Adarsh Sinha se baat kar rahi thi? wow. Ab main unhe jiju kehne ki aadat daal loon? " Asad asked grinning from ear to ear.
" Tu bhi na. Aisa kuch nahin hai. " She protested blushing.
" Accha. Mujhe abhi bhi yaad hai Shraddha di ki shaadi mein woh kaise tere peechhe pade the aur tu unki attention enjoy kar rahi thi. Ab kahaani continue hogi. " Asad said .
" Woh tab ki baat hai. Use main acchi lagti thi par ab aisa kuch nahin hai. We are just friends
" She stammered.
" Thats a lie freedom. Adarsh Sinha tumhe pasand karte hain. Isliye toh tere aage peechhe ghoom rahe hain
" Asad said confidently.
" Asad, that's stupid. Hum donon bas Abhay ki help kar rahe hain. " She said blushing.
" No . Socho freedom. Pehli din uss raat ko woh tere saath aaye. Maan liya as a friend woh tujhe akele raat ko jaane nahin de sakte the. Par doosri baar, woh bhi jab Simmi di ke driver aapko chhod dete, woh khud aaye
theek hai. Woh bhi sirf ek friend hone ke naate kiya. Par kal tujhse gift pasand karvaana aur poori raat phone par baat karna. Is that just friendship. No freedom. He loves you. Uss din tujhe itne pyaar se dekh rahe the janaab. " Asad countered.
Swadheenta glared at him.
"Aise kyun dekh rahi ho? Tere baare mein toh main kahoonga hi nahin. Iss duniya main ek Adarsh Sinha hi hai jise aaj tak tu ne pasand kiya hai. You love him. " Asad said running away from the room.
Swadheenta got down from the bed. She would first tell Maami she was awake and would soon prepare breakfast. As she walked she thought about what Asad had said. Was he right? She thought about her moments with Adarsh. Could it be true?
Before she could think any further she felt something. She had stepped on something slippery on the stairs.
Next thing she knew she was at the bottom of the stairs. And it hurt.
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Shiv Shakti
Madhubala - Ek Ishq Ek Junoon
Cricket
