The Beginning of an End. RT-MC FF/Ud on PG 16 - Page 11

Originally posted by: anumeha_rajat

oh my gudness.....wat a story....hi dear im ur new reader..sooo awesome n marvellous really amazing......very nice....like the story alot.....plzzzzz do continue it....

Over breakfast, when Prithvi sought the permission for sightseeing, it was given readily. His father Mr. Suryapratap Singh was ready for the day work. When he heard about the proposed trip, he agreed. "Ye aapne bahut achi baat kahi bte... hum bhi soch rahe the ki Nandini aayi hui hai, to kahin to ghumna chahiye. Aur fir Udaipur me dekhne layak kitni hi cheezen hai. Waise Pandit ji, aap log abhi ruk rahen na kuch din...?" The last question was addressed to Pandit Mukharjee.

"Ye kya kahenge... hum keh rahe hain, ye abhi kam se kam 7 din to rahenge hi." Surendra Singh replied in his booming voice.

"Arey par... Nandini ki padhai bhi toh hai..." Pandit Mukharjee protested.

"Itna to humari poti aaram se padh legi. Waise bhi abhi class lekar kaun sa jhak maar lenge ye college waale. Kyun hai na Nandini?" he asked her affectionately and Nandini nodded with a shy smile.

For some unknown reason, Prithvi felt gladdened at the prospect of having her company for 7 days. Then he immediately chided himself. "Ye mujhe kya ho raha hai...mai itna khush kyun ho raha hun...Nandini rahe ya jaye." But perhaps it did matter to him.

"Thik hai... Prithvi ek kaam kariye... hum aap logon ke liye gadi taiyar karne ko keh jayenge. Aaj aap log City Palace aur uske aas paas ke ilake dekh lijiye... ek din me sab kuch dekhna to mumkin nahi hai na."

"Ji...!!!" Prithvi replied.

"To thik hai... ab hum chalet hain. Sukanya... aap inn logon ke jaane ki taiyarian dekh lijiye." Bending down, he touched the feet of his father and Pandit Mukharjee and then set out for the day.

Within half an hour, Prithvi, Nandini and Vaidehi along with their friends set out for sightseeing. It was already 9:00 a.m. It was not therefore very cold in the morning but there was a nip in the air.

CITY PALACE:

The city palace was located near the east bank of Lake Pichola. They are a series of palaces built at different times from 1559. Its construction was initiated by Maharana Uday Singh. The later Maharanas added several other structures and palaces. The entry to the palace is from the Hathi pole ' the Elephant Gate.

However, the main entrance to the palace is through the Tripolia or the triple arched gate which was built in which was built in 1725.

Balconies. Cupolas and towers surround the palace to give a wonderful view of the lake and a panaromic view of the Lake Palace.

Prithvi pointed in the direction of the Lake palace from one of the balconies. Her face glowing with excitement, Nandini started recording the scene in her camcorder. After she finished the recording, she looked around and saw that Prithvi was leaning on one of the walls, his hands folded across his chest waiting for her to finish her task. "Arey, tum gaye nahi... mujhe laga tum bhi bakiyon ke saath aage chale gaye hoge." She came and stood in front of him. He straightened and stood up. "Agar mai chod ke chala jata, to kya tum apna raasta dhund paati yahan?"

She had no answer. With a smile he again began to show her the way, pointing out the various portions of the palace and resumed his monologue. Little did he know that Nandini was recording the entire conversation in her camcorder. He showed her the courtyards, overlapping parathion, terraces and gardens, suraj Gokhda or the balcony of the sun and the Mor ' chowk or the peacock courtyard. The former was where the Maharanas granted audiences to the public to boost their morale while the latter derived its name from the vivid blue mosaic in glass of a peacock on the walls of the square.

He paused a bit to regain his breath while Nandini kept on shooting the scenes. The main part of the palace has been converted into a museum. Now they went towards it. After that, he took her to the armoury museum.

When Nandini casually checked her watch after that, she almost exclaimed in horror. "My God...!!! Prithvi 3 baj gaye hain."

"Ab itna bada mahal hai to dekhne me wakt to lagega hi." He came back reasonably.

"Haan... par tumhe bolna to chahiye than a. Tumne to lunch bhi nahi kiya."

"Ab lunch to tumne bhi nahi kiya na. Aur mai kya bataun... tumhe bukh lagti toh tum khud hi kehti. Tab chalkar kha lete."

"Fir to tum sham tak intezaar karte reh jaate. Mujhe aadat hai lunch nahi karne ki. Ab chalo." She closed her camcorder and looked at him so that he could lead the way. However, she was surprised when instead of walking out, he began to lead her deeper into the palace. She couldn't help asking. "Kahan ja rahe ho Prithvi? Tumhe khana nahi khana kya?"

"Khana hai." He replied.

"Fir andar kahan ja rahe ho. Food joints to bahar hain na."

Dopahar ko fast food khaogi???" he asked her skeptically.

"Nahi... mera matlab..." she couldn't complete because just at that time Prithvi chose to hail a young man who appeared to be the same age as him. The new comer was taller than Prithvi by about an inch, thin and lanky and had a quietness and charm about him. Even without being introduced, Nandini knew he was someone from the royal family, the erstwhile ruling family who still owned a part of the palace. So this boy was Prithvi's friend. "Hi Prithvi... welcome. Bade dino baad yaad aayi humari." When he spoke, his face broke into a wide smile which made him look quite attractive.

"Arey nahi Adi... wo samay nahi mila... Khair aaj to aa gaya na." Prithvi pleaded with him.

"Haan... aur wo bhi isliye kyunki tumhe apni nayi dost ko mahal dikhana tha. Warna hum to kal hi milte, college me." He complained and then looked at Nandini clearly waiting to be introduced. Prithvi suddenly remembered about Nandini. He turned and both of them walked upto her. "Adi... ye Nandini hai... Nandini Mukharjee... dadaji ke dost ki poti. Aur Nandini... ye kunwar Aditya Singh hai... inke dadaji kabbhi yahan ke raja hua karte the."

Nandini smiled at Aditya but still looked confused. She had thought Prithvi's grandfather belonged to the ruling family... so what was this... but she chose to keep quiet. Aditya, quiet though he was understood her confusion. "Prithvi ke dadaji humare dadaji ke chote bhai hain..."

"Oh...!!!" She understood. The elder brother was the king.

"Waise aap bengali hain na." he asked.

"Ji haan!!!"

Her voice seemed familiar to him. "Kahin aap Pandit Mukharjee ki poti to nahi hain." He asked after a bit of hesitation.

"Aapko kaise pata?" Nandini asked with surprise.

"Aapnar gala shone. Aapnar gaan aami shunechi. Aapnar duto album aache ' ekta bangle aar ekta rajasthani folk, right...?"

(TRANSLATION: Aapki awaz sunkar. Aapka gaana maine suna hai. Aapke do album hai... ek bengali aur ek rajasthani folk music... right?)

Nandini stared at him for some time in pure, unadulterated surprise. "Aapni to dekhchi bhalo bangle bolte paaren... ki kore shikhlen?"

(Aap to bahut achi bengali bol lete hain... kahan se sikha aapne?)

"Aami aamar prathomik padha shuno Kolkata e korechi."

(Maine apni primary padhai wahin shuru ki hai.)

"Hello..." Prithvi, who had been looking from one to the other now chose to break their conversation. It was true he could understand a few Bengali songs, but a conversation carried out in normal tongue always went above his head. "Kahin aap dono bhul to nahin gaye ki mai bhi yahan hun...?" he now demanded with some asperity.

Aditya started laughing. "Nahin yaad hain hume, lekin aap sunkar kya karenge? Waise hum to sirf tumhe..." and he winked at him leaving Nandini thoroughly nonplussed. Prithvi however went noticeably red, but satisfied himself by throwing an angry glance at Aditya. Then he started walking towards the residential area.

"Aaiye Nandini." Aditya now had donned the role of her guide.

"Ye Prithvi ko kya hua...?" she wanted to know.

"Arey kuch nahin... don't let this bother you. These mood swings of his are very common." Adi replied mischeviously which earned him another glance from Prithvi and a sweet laughter from Nandini.

ROYAL HOUSEHOLD: By the time the three reached there, Prithvi's friends and Vaidehi had already polished off another round of breakfast and were busy stuffing themselves with new year sweets. There were also two other ladies in the room. One of them was clad in a pure white silk saree and a white pearl necklace. Her clothes proclaimed her widowhood. She stood up with an affable of smile on her face when she saw them coming and pulled Prithvi into a bear hug even before he could touch her feet. "Humari yaad bilkul nahi aati na tumhe...?" she complained lovingly and pulled his ears. Then she turned towards Nandini. Immediately Nandini bent down to touch her feet but was stopped midway by the lady. "Betiyaan pair nahi chute... wo to gale lagti hain...Aao." And she hugged Nandini with equal warmth.

After was then introduced to the other lady who in the meanwhile was chiding Prithvi for not coming there often. She was clad in a peach coloured silk saree and was decked in gold ornaments. A pair of gold earrings hung from her ears while a gold chain and some bangles completed the ensemble. She now came forward to welcome Nandini. "Sukanya ne jaisa bataya tha... tum to usse bhi pyaari ho. Hain na Maa sa?"

"Aap sahin keh rahin hai bahu rani. Ye jitni sundar dikhne me hain, utne hi sundar inke sanskar hai. Aapke mata pita aap jaisi beti pakar jarur apne bhagya ka shukriya ada kar rahe honge."

A sad smile played on her lips, and though Nandini tried to control her feelings, but still her eyes clouded with tears. The old woman understood her situation and with a shock the realization dawned on her that the young girl standing in front of her was an orphan. As if to avoid further embarrassment to the girl, she again hugged her and this time Nandini hid her face in her bosom trying hard to stop her grief from flowing out in the form of tears. While the others took it to be the affection of the Rajmata, Prithvi was a bit intrigued because he had seen what everyone else had missed ' her unshed tears.

The lunch was a thoroughly enjoyable affair with a variety of dishes and equally beautiful service. All throughout the lunch and even after that Nandini remained the centre of attraction with both the ladies asking her a lot of questions. Aditya kept throwing in a few questions here and there. Nandini was enjoying their company a lot, for she had never imagined that a royal family could be so open hearted and simple. She had an impression that they would have been snobbish and too haughty to look beyond their nose, but whatever she saw gave her an entirely different impression.

However a part of her was getting restless to explore the rest of the palace and Prithvi, being her guide understood her situation. So after an hour and a half, he took leave of their hosts and again started taking her around the palace.

Finally when they covered the Moti Mahal or Pearl Palace, Chini Mahal, Surya Chopar, Bari Mahal and the Zenana Mahal it was already 5 p.m. "Now what...? Mahal to dekh chuki mai."

"Hmmm... thoda chal sakti ho?" he asked her.

"Haan... par kahan?"

"Nature pasand hai?"

"Bahut jyada." He knew she meant it because he didn't miss the excitement in her face when she said that. With a mysterious smile, he again began to lead her out of the palace. They walked on for some time until Prithvi stopped at a place.

"Ye kaun si jagah hai Prithvi...?" she wanted to know.

"Sunset point." He smiled and moved back letting her enjoy the scenery. The sun was already on the point of setting. She had only half an hour to enjoy and Prithvi knew by instinct that she would enjoy that.

They stood side by side as they watched the sun dip in the horizon. Prithvi was relishing the scene and though a part of him still wanted to clear the misunderstandings of the previous evening, he didn't know how to begin the topic. It was Nandini herself who saved him from the discomfort. However when she first addressed him, it was so unexpected that he was stunned for a few moments. "Jab se aayi hun, tab se dekh rahi hun kit um kuch pareshan ho, baat kya hai Prithvi?"

He kept staring at her for a few minutes,, then turned away with an uncomfortable shrug. "Nothing like that. What made you think so?"

"Your reaction on seeing me yesterday. Kuch to baat hai. Kahin aisa to nahin ki mera yahan aana tumhe acha nahi laga." She wanted to know.

As soon as the words were out of her mouth, he snapped irritably. "Don't be ridiculous Nandini. Aisa kuch bhi nahi hai."

She surveyed him thoughtfully for a few minutes, then put her camcorder back in its bag. Nandini was sitting on a stone; she went and sat down next to him on another stone. "Toh fir kya baat hai?"

He didn't know what to say. He had only met her just a day back. How could he share something with her so soon when it had taken him such a long time to share the secret, she was a newcomer after all. But somehow he felt that she would understand far better than his friends. So almost out of his own violation, he started telling her all about his nightmares.

She was a very good listener, she heard him out with attention not interfering him even once, and neither did she laugh it off. When she spoke, her voice was dead serious. "There may be nothing in it and there may be something in it."

He kept quiet waiting for her to continue. She was deep in thoughts, probably trying to figure out the meaning of all this. He felt a bit foolish after unburdening himself. "Chodo bhi Nandini... shayad mere mann ka waham inn sapno me bahar aa raha hai."

"Pehli baat ye waham nahi hai... aise sapne agar worthless bhi hain to bhi waham iski wajah nahi hai. Shayad tumne kuch aisa padha ya dekha hoga kahin par jo tumhare sapne ka rup le raha hai. Par..."

"Par kya...?"

"Inn sab me mai kahan fit hoti hun?"

He was dreading this question feeling like a fool having to answer it... still he said. "Because your... ummm.... voice matched with that girl..."

She looked at him in surprise for a few minutes. He could feel her eyes on him and tried to avoid her gaze. But when she spoke, there was no trace of complain in her voice. "Relax Prithvi... shayad oi baat na ho. Tumne shayad kai saari cheezon ko ek saath mila rahe ho... isliye ye sapne aa rahe hain. Relax karo Prithvi... sab thik ho jayega."

He nodded at her friendly behavior marveling in his mind at her understanding nature. They sat there for some time until it became almost time to go back. With mutual though unsaid consent they walked back towards the palace where Aditya and others were waiting for them.

***************************************************

The next morning, when Nandini was sitting in her room uploading the videos in her laptop she heard a muffled voice singing a song. The wordings were not clear but the tone denoted that it was a folk song. Curious as to who could be singing, she tip toed outside and looked around. The voice was coming from the far end of the passage. She walked towards the source stealthily.

The sound was coming from the last room. She peeped inside and saw Prithvi cleaning the musical instruments. He was singing a song, not at the top of his voice but it was loud enough to be heard in the silent passage.

'Sun rey Megha Rahen gagan ke...

Ja tu mera prem dut bann ke

Gori se kahiyo dukh mere mann ke

Chim chim chamke chandni...taraa chai raat...

Mahal me fir bhi andhera re...

Ki daalayahan birha ne dera re...."

His voice was grave and the tone soulful. It touched her to the core.He finished cleaning the last set of instruments and turned to leave the room...

For some unknown reason, Nandini followed her instinct and quickly hid behind the door. He walked away oblivious to her presence there.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

PRECAP: "Sun re Megha" full version...😆 😆 😆

mindblowing update.kya description dia,places ka, laga raha tha prithvi and nandini ke sath hum bhi uha hi hain ghum rehethe,

Originally posted by: guglu088

Hi Anu... (Hope I can call u that)

Welcome to my fic and thanks a lot for liking it... And I'm deeply gratified for your praises though I dont think I deserve them. Thanks a lot for the appreciation... And yes... m continuing right away...

soooo sweet of u.....n ya sure y not...........u can call me anu......

welcome back di (hope i can call u bcoz u r elder then me...).....how was ur interview.........

well amazing ud......love the way u described each n every scene......n the trip of the palace is amazing....it make me feel like im in udaipur n visiting it.....it was damn good.....loved it alot...........n adi is amazing...he was teasing prithvi that was sooo cute....n those ladies showered there love on nandini....n adi n nandini were talking in bengali n like prithvi i was also trying to get ke kya bol rahe hain.......n that sunset point....amazing..................n he told her everything abt his night mares.....thats good.....but i think now nandini dont see all such night mares...........n prithvi was singing a song....sooooooo sweet.............n precap......full version....wooowww.........r they going to sing together..........amazing ud di.......plzzzz do continue soon.....n next tym plzzz boht wait mat kawaiye ga.........................luv u loads...........................