Kaliren (Maaneet ff) updated on pg69/ 3may - Page 24

As the onlookers looked at Geet waiting for her to accept the gift, Pinky nudged her a little, to bring her back from her thoughts. Geet looked from Meera to Pinky to Meera's mom and then to her dadi. "Aunty ji… main yeh… I wasn't even being a part of this ritual… it was… it was accidental… I think Meera should repeat it over other girls" Geet tried to get away from the situation. "Puttar, yeh accident nahi tha… Baba ji ki marzi thi" She heard Dadi Ma say. "Humme apni shaadi main bulana na bhulna di" Meera chimed in to which everyone laughed. Geet turned her attention back to Meera's mom, "Aunty ji… main…" she tried to explain again but Meera's mom cut her off. "Geet Bete, don't be too formal now… come on, take it" she gestured for her to take the gift. She was about to say something when she heard Pinky's low and pleading voice, "Di, le lijiye na… they might feel bad otherwise" Geet turned to look at Pinky who held a pleading gaze causing her to momentarily shut her eyes and nodded her head in resignation. Girls cheered as Meera threw her arms around Geet, "Oh, I love you Di!" she said. Geet smiled just a little as she accepted the gifts while Meera's grandparents and her mother blessed her with all their heart. No sooner than the elders left, Geet turned to quickly make her way towards her room in the house. And it was then that she felt herself bump into someone.

Maan didn't know why, but there was this pull he felt that he couldn't explain. He didn't know who she was… he didn't know what her name was… he had just met her in the morning and if the truth be told, the meeting came no where close to being social and affable. She was irritating, dumb and barmy. She was a plain Jane as compared to the glamour dolls who swarmed around him. She had a big-mouth. She dared to look into his eyes while she countered him back and held her ground. Her eyes held a spark that didn't go unnoticed by him. But then, there was something else too that he couldn't fathom… not that he wished to delve into the ambiguity. She was a stranger after all… but then could he deny that this was the same stranger who had made him feel conscious of his dressing… could he deny that the challenge in her eyes as she refused to bend to him had not only irked him but intrigued him too. Could he deny that she was beautiful and looked absolutely ravishing when she came to stand behind the bride, moments before the wedding took place... and could he deny that she was the one who had captured his thoughts all through the evening while he physically remained by the Yash. Deep in his thoughts, he was going over to the bar that was set in one corner of the lawn when he felt someone crash into him with an impact that caused him to stumble back.

"Can't you look where you walk?" he asked through gritted teeth as he placed his hand on her waist to steady her and himself. At once, Geet stepped behind but her head was still bowed low. "Or may be you knew very well where you were of to… or more precisely whom were you running into?" he added haughtily too bugged by the unwelcomed female attention he had been garnering through the evening. He knew the effect he had on the opposite sex and so the cheap tactics, the flaunting, the not-so-subtle invitations were not new to him. He knew them all. But that was not something he really appreciated. Most of the times he would chose to give them a royal ignore but today his restlessness made him less patient towards such enticements. He was looking around for that one female who was refusing to evade his thoughts when he had no clue who she was or where had she disappeared amidst the crowd. He had no clue why he was disappointed at not being able to find her. The lack of any rationale explanation annoyed him and it was then that he felt someone walking into him and he had uttered those rude words without even once looking at the face of the girl who had collided against him.

He looked at her retreating back as she disappeared into the house. Her words made no sense to him but for the first time in his life he regretted the words he had uttered and wished he could take those back. But then, the damage was done, and he didn't realize how long did he stand there before someone grabbed on his arm and pulled him back to the party. That night, he saw her once more during Meera's Bidai. He saw her embracing a crying Meera as she whispered soothing words to her. She wasn't crying herself but somehow Maan knew that the strong exterior was no more than a sham that would fade away in her solitude. He got on to the front seat as the driver turned the key in the ignition. He adjusted the rearview mirror of his car and saw her arm wrapped around the shoulders of the same girl who was standing beside her during the wedding. And that was the last image he remembered of hers.

-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-

Two months later

Delhi

A stark white colossal structure set amidst the picturesque landscape and well trimmed gardens was home to the most influential family in Delhi, the Khurana Mansion. The mansion, in all its glory was a symbol of era gone-by. It exemplified the brilliance of architecture as it spoke of the familial wealth and the grandeur of the people who occupied the beautiful space. The mansion, that had witnessed the royal heritage of a regime had been inhabited by the Khuranas for generations now. Khuranas, better known as the emperors of the construction world nationally and who was slowly spreading its arms in the global markets. As beautiful the mansion looked from outside, its interiors were no less than a visual splendor of grace and magnificence. Without loosing the charm of the old times, modern amenities were blended together seamlessly to build a perfect infusion of new and old without a glitch.

The day started of mechanically in the Khurana mansion as the servants rushed to get the things in order before the bearers of the house descended from their rooms. One of the servants made their way upstairs with a cup of piping hot black coffee. Pausing in front of one of the rooms, he knocked at the door gently and then entered to look at the unorganized state of the room. This was not unusual for him. The laptop and a couple of files were lying on the bed, a towel on the arm of the chair of the study table, socks strewn on the floor. Shaking his head, he started collecting the laundry when Maan appeared in his formals from his closet. "Maan Sir, aapki coffee" he gestured towards the coffee table that Maan acknowledged with a nod. The servant then tidied his bed when Maan asked, "Nakul kaka, Dadi Ma ki tabiyat theek hai?" The servant replied in positive and left the room quietly.

No sooner than the eighth and the final stroke of the clock struck, Maan walked down the steps checking his mails on his Blackberry and made his way towards the dining table. As he reached the table, he tucked his phone into his pockets and bend down to take the blessing of the eldest female on the table – his Dadi Ma, occupying the centre most position on the table, an indication of power and respect that Savitri Devi Khurana, the matriarch of the family claimed. He then mouthed morning to his father, Viren Singh Khurana who right across his mother, Savitri Devi. Beside Viren sat his second wife and Maan's step-mother, Pammi, who was so busy with her conversation on phone that she failed to acknowledge Maan's presence in the room. The two other members of the house, Vicky, his step brother and Anu, his step sister were as usual missing from the table. "Naashta kar lijiye" Dadi ma said curtly as she shot him a sharp glance. Maan shook his head knowing well the reason behind her frosty behavior before he smiled at her and as usual assured her that he will have something in the office. He then quickly made his way out of the house.

At the tender age of 5 when he lost his mother in an accident, he had realized even then that life was never going to be the same again. His father, the Chairman of the Khurana Constructions never had time for him before and sadly it didn't change even after the death of his mother. At that age, when the insecure child in him waited for his father to come to assure him that all would fell in place and everything would be set right, Viren failed in his responsibilities of a father. While he had his mother beside him, this distance never bothered him much but with the loss of that warmth, this coldness gnawed at him turning him as cold in the process. Gradually, he started withdrawing and drew in his shell. He grieved the loss of his mother but refused to share his pain with anyone as he presented a brave front hiding the pain that bit him. But if there was one person who could see through his pretences, it was his grandmother, Savitri Devi. Savitri Devi immediately tried to take the reigns of the house and family in her hand as she realized what was going on. Her daughter-in-law was her comrade and a daughter that she never had and thus the loss was excruciating for her. But she hid her own pain and loss, as she tried to support Maan and fill in the void in his life. The two grieving souls found their anchor and purpose of living in each other while Viren continued to stay non-existent in their lives, too busy with his business to think about his own son or mother. Maan and Savitri Devi were just adjusting to their lives when one day Viren walked into the mansion with Pammi at his side.

A suave and gorgeous looking model and socialite, Pammi was a snub and a money-minded woman who found a path to her ambitions through Viren who was clearly smitten by her looks. Dadi hesitated, disapproved and even objected to the sudden wedding but it didn't affect Viren to say the least. The incident laid foundations of an invisible wall between the father and the son. Pammi was not the female that possessed maternal instincts; the result was she ignored Maan and his existence inside the house. As time went by, Pammi bore two children of her own, Vikrant Khurana or Vicky and Anahita Khurana or Anu but the responsibility of the kids was entrusted upon the nannies while the parents cared less about anything but themselves. Slowly, Viren and Pammi's bedroom fights were a sight in the family room and at the dinner table… making the kids all the more apprehensive of their parents. The air in the household was always thick with the discord and Savitri Devi did her best to protect the kids from the familial tensions. It took a little time, but Maan not only accepted his siblings but grew protective about them, filling in the place that his father never could. Together with the help of Savitri Devi, Maan helped the kids instilling them with the values that his mother had taught him and his father and choti-ma were simply incapable of.

Once he had his architectural degree, he soon joined office and ever since, Khurana Constructions touched peaks of success under his reign and only continued to escalate under his vigilance. Years passed, Maan toughened to become Maan Singh Khurana, yet a few things never changed. And that was the authoritative hold of his Dadi Ma over him. No one… no one could make him bend over their wishes like Dadi Ma could. And the last thing Maan ever wished to face was his angry Dadi Ma… which however, he was beginning to see too often these days.

"I'll be in office in half an hour. Presentation copies ready rakhna… we'll review it then" Maan dictated over the phone as he made his way out of the mansion. "No… make sure the quotations are ready" he said with finality before disconnecting the call. His car was already waiting for him in the driveway and he noticed Anu and Vicky sitting in his car waiting for him as well. He raised his eyebrows at them but when they smiled at him, he knew there was no escape. "tum dono ko aaj college nahi jana?" he asked as he settled into the car. "Wahin toh ja rahe hain Veerji" Vicky chirped in. "Woh Veerji, we didn't have classes in the morning, humne socha hum aapke saath hi chale" Anu said somberly and then quickly added, "aapko koi problem toh nahi hai na Veerji?"

Maan smiled at his innocent sister. She was indeed his angel… the apple of his eyes and the most adorable girl in his life. How could he ever have a problem with her being around? But then this was Anu… silent, somber, courteous and demure. He gently patted her head and said, "Not at all bachchi" he smiled back when a faint smile lit Anu's face.

"Maan Veerji, Dadi Ma aapse Natasha ko leke gussa hai?" Anu asked after a while. "Achcha? Really? Kyun Anu? Kya kiya Veerji ne…" Vicky pretended ignorance while Maan muttered under his breath, "devil!" Yes if Anu was an angel… Vicky was a pure Devil… always ready to irk him! Vicky suppressed a giggle at that but she continued innocently, "Mujhe kya pata (turning to Maan) Maine sirf Dadi Ma ko aapse kehte suna tha?" Maan was about to reply when Vicky piped in, "Veerji, kahin aapne Natasha ko bhi dara ke toh nahi bahaga diya" said that both Vicky burst out laughing and Anu chuckled just a little. "Natasha nahi Vicky Veerji, Nuts… Nuts!" she mimicked the girl and they doubled over remembering the stupid girl that Dadi Ma had arranged Maan to meet with. Maan looked at the laughing Anu lovingly but when Anu caught his eyes, she immediately straightened up and apologized. Maan loved it when Anu would let her guards down and the liberty she took only in front of him and Vicky. But at the same time, she was always conscious lest she said something that he would not approve of. Maan shook his head at her and smiled, assuring her that he didn't take offence of her little joke.

From quite a few days, Dadi Ma was behind Maan's life to settle down in his life. Concerned from him, she wished him to be tied down to someone who could understand him and fill his life with the love and happiness. But Maan being Maan was rejecting or better put scaring away all the girls she was arranging for him to meet. His firm and stern appearance, his cold words and the nonchalant attitude crashed the dreams of many girls that he met.

"So this was 29^th" Vicky said while Anu argued her to be 30^th. "Stop it you two" Maan finally spoke to silence the mindless teasing and eyed them sternly, "Choti Ma ne tum dono ko kal kisi party main jaane ko kaha tha. Where were you two?" he asked. Anu immediately looked in her lap while Vicky shrugged it off, "this is not acceptable" he tried to reprimand them but Vicky spoke seriously now, "Veerji, aapko pata hai ki humme interest nahi hai… besides, mom just needed us around for that charity event so that she could flaunt us… so that she could be sighted as an idealistic mom" He scoffed in bitterness. Maan sighed; "Vicky, it's not like that" he tried to reason. "Aisa hi hai Veerji, warna woh mere cultural event pe zaroor aati" Anu said with a hint of remorse. Maan tried to explain but the two refused to talk anything about Viren and Pammi. Dropping them to college, Maan shook his head as he drove away to his office. He knew Vicky and Anu were right, but somewhere he didn't wish them to hold any hard feelings against their parents like he did. The indifference had hurt him and he wished to save them from those thorns.

Maan entered his cabin and was quickly followed by the Adi, Maan's trusted associate and his assistant who informed Maan about his schedule for the day. Maan browsed through his mails as he continued to listen to Adi making a mental note of the things he had to do for the day. "Aur sir woh Child-care project ke liye site dekhne jaana hai" Adi finished the long list of his meetings. Maan turned to look at Adi, "You mean the NGO project jiske liye Dadi Ma ne recommend kiya tha" he asked. "Ji sir" Adi affirmed. Maan nodded his head and picked up the NGO project file from his desk. It wasn't a big project but since Savitri Devi had given her word on it, for Maan it was the priority.

Child care NGO, an institution for orphan kids was run by the reputable Handas. Apparently, the Handa's and Khurana's shared some ancestral history which was lost in the due time especially after the death of Maan's grandfather. It was not until recently, that in a chanced meeting with Mr. Gursharan Handa, the patriarch of the Handa family and a long lost friend of Maan's grandfather did Savitri Devi got to know about his plans of reconstructing the Orphanage building. Owing to the cordial history, Savitri Devi was only too eager and happy to suggest that Khuranas would be glad to do that in accordance with the Handas thus reviving the ties between the family. The same night, she discussed the project with Maan who had readily obliged to his Dadi Ma's wishes. Things were finally seem to be rolling there now. "Adi, schedule the site visit for tomorrow" he finally said before dismissing Adi from his cabin and getting back to his work.