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Chapter 22
New Beginnings
(February, 1982...)
(Khalsa College, Amritsar...)
Love?!
"Hey Geet," Ruby came and plopped down next to an absent-minded Geet, "where are you lost sweetheart?"
"Umm...nothing."
"Come one Geet," Ruby urged, "you know you can tell me anything."
Geet smiled at her. Though she wouldn't call Ruby her close friend, she had become a good friend nonetheless in the past one year. Specially, now that Geet was almost alone in the college. Sameera had, as Mohinder had believed, cleared the govt. teacher exams in one go. Not only was she now appointed as a teacher in a school, she was also pursuing M.A. from a private college just as she had promised Mohinder. And with Meera and Pari busy in their new MA First Year classes, Ruby had become her sole company in the college.
Should I ask Ruby? I won't be able to speak to anyone at home about it.
After a moment of hesitation she turned towards Ruby, "Does love happen in real life?"
"Love?"
"Yes," Geet prompted.
"Ofcourse! It does happen." Happened to me many times, Ruby smirked within. "But why do you ask? Wait! Is it about you?" Crap! She glanced at the back of the class nervously. Rahul bhai will kill me.
"No!! It's not about me. I was just curious."
"Oh nice! Err...I mean...if not yet, you will find your love soon," she winked.
"Hmpff! I doubt. All this happens only in movies," Geet scoffed.But something filmy had happened with me. Her mind drifted to that one moment when time had stood still. All she had registered was that his eyes were like an enigma. The eyes which were so hard that nothing could be let out were unguarded and beckoning in that one particular moment.
"Geet...Geet..."
"Huh!"
"Lost again?! Still thinking about 'love'? You never know, your love may be standing right around the next corner," she stole a glance towards the last window of the class. The spot where Rahul stood every single day, unaware to Geet.
"No," Geet denied, "just something about home."
"Trouble at home? Hey, how about we go out for coffee? It will change your mood."
"Ruby," Geet sighed, "we have been through this often. I can't go out like this. My parents won't allow. We meet in college every day. I don't know why you keep bringing this up."
"Forget it," Ruby made a face, "it was just a suggestion. No harm in trying, right? There might come a moment when you say yes."
Moment.
It was completely filmy for sure. But somehow it had felt very real. The man for whom she had spared no thought for a year suddenly left an impact in mere few seconds after his return.
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(Rising Sun Industries...)
(Ahmedabad...)
"So tell me again," Sartaaj looked at Vardaan, "why haven't you named it Oberoi Industries?"
"Oberoi and Sons is the name of your company," Vardaan grinned, "I wish to be different. Plus it is quite poetic, right? Finally the sun has risen for me."
"Hmm." Sartaaj took in the signboard of the newly inaugurated factory, the small but prominent looking building, the crowd of freshly appointed workers and Vardaan's partner Manish Shah, a rather queer looking fellow in Sartaaj's opinion.
"You have done quite well for yourself in one year."
Vardaan couldn't help but look at his factory with a smug satisfaction.
One year of hard work and determination finally paid off. He was sure that his mother would have been proud of him today. He sure was proud of her. And her acumen.
Her good sense of providing him with a monthly expense had helped him come this far. From the moment he had completed his engineering, he had found himself a job with Shah Traders who made industrial fans for large scale industries.
He had slogged day and night, learnt his trade and even gone one up over his colleagues. An idea had formed in his head to employ the method of industrial cooling to regular house-hold coolers. And the good hearted Mr. Shah had rewarded him with a chance to live his dream.
Two years worth of training till he turned 25 was aimed in the direction to help him set up his own business. Independent of his brothers.
That is why he had threatened Sartaaj with all he had. That money was important to him. Not for sustaining his daily needs. But for sustaining his dream.
"You think Manish will prove good as a partner?"
Vardaan eyed the funnily attired Manish who was for some reason trying to cozy up to Harman, much to the charging of Meha.
The idea belonged to him. The land on the outskirts of the city was bought by his money. That he was to use for his living, he had saved like a miser and for that lived like a pauper. All Mr. Shah wanted was his good-for-nothing son, Manish to be made a minor partner so that his future could be secured.
The arrangement was ideal for Vardaan.
"Yes," he chuckled looking at an exasperated Harman stomping away with a disgusted Meha in tow. He wasn't about to give away the details of the arrangement to Sartaaj or any member of his family though. Let them believe that he was under the control of the Shahs. If they found this early in his path that the factory belonged more to him than his partner it would attract their attention and in its tow their jealous attempts to thwart him.
"Vardaan!"
He looked over towards his Maasi, the only elder living in their family. A quiet but nice lady. The only link he had to his mother and her memories. It is auspicious to have an elder bless you in your new beginnings.
"Vardaan beta," Maasi came to where he and Sartaaj stood, giving an open contemptuous look to Sartaaj, "chalo muharat ho gaya hai."
Everyone clapped as she cut the ribbon. Few with scorn, fewer still with genuine well-wishes and the newly employed workforce with hope of a better living.
Vardaan stepped in the factory and turned around to look at the world outside. A world he was all prepared to struggle in.
He titled his head slightly in silent salutation. To new beginnings!
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(Handa Haveli...)
"Hmm! Kitne aadmi the?"
"Ek sardar."
"Hmm! Aadmi ek aur jhooth teen? Kya samaz kar aaye the? Sardar bahot khus hoga? Sabasi dega? Dhikkar hai."
"That was just one harmless lie. Why are you calling it three?"
Geet pouted in defiance at her sisters. Sameera had tied both of Geet's plats to the chair she was sitting on, her usual mode of punishment when she reprimanded the girls for lying. "Chaddo na Sammy Di."
"You lied to Maan, Kakku!"
"Not completely," she pleaded, "I do sometimes go to sleep with it."
"Haan," Meera giggled, "that is only because reading stories put you to sleep."
This was the sad truth. Though Geet was a dedicated student and would not hesitate to bury herself in her course books; reading a novel always hit her snooze button. She had no clue why, but she would first start yawning wide and within minutes and not beyond the third page she would fall off to sleep. So the only stories she had managed to acquaint with, were the one that Nandini or Sameera would read to them or the ones that were part of her English curriculum in school and college.
"I did try reading it," Geet insisted sincerely, "but I fell asleep every time I tried. Plus, it is not just one book! It has three books in it. Binding is lovely though! I wasn't expecting such delicate taste from him. Oxidized metal cover with delicate carvings on it," she continued with a glint in her eyes, "but I couldn't tell him that. Haven't you seen his face? Sometimes I feel that he is constantly on a watch to just scold someone. Who gives a book for birthday? But its been over a year and I haven't read it. It would have hurt him had I told him the truth that. Gussa nahi ho jaande? After all he doesn't know that I have this weird anti-novel disorder."
"Looks like our baby sister is growing up Meera," Sameera smiled at Meera while going over to open Geet's plats, "in one single breath Kakku, you went on from scolding him to defending him."
"You know Di," Geet put her hand on her waist, "I should be scolding you! And you should be the one whose plat should tied to the chair."
"What did I do? I haven't lied about anything," Sameera frowned.
"You had promised us that you will give us a treat when you will get a job!!"
"I haven't been paid my first salary yet," Sameera protested, "2nd of March I will get my first pay and then I will take you girls out. And you can pick the place too. Promise!"
"Bhai Kulwant ji ke kulche!" Both Meera and Geet screamed.
"Sure," Sameera grinned at her sisters.
She was very happy with the way her life had shaped up. From being a girl who was pitied for her dark looks, today she was at a position where she earned of only handful of money but also respect. She now had a purpose in life rather than be a puppet in hands of the biased society.
Not that she didn't wish to be married. She did wish to have a partner to share her life with. And now that she had a position of independence in her life she had renewed a dormant hope of meeting a man who would value her for her worth. If she could be a woman who placed values above social norms, she was sure that there would be a like-minded man who was destined for her.
But would she stay at home and pine away for him. No ways!
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(Khurana Kothi...)
(Chandigarh...)
You can't base a relationship on mere attraction.
And he was being driven by attraction.
He needed to stop. But was that an option?
"Maan," Savitri came barging in his room, "you visited Amritsar before coming home? What kind of behavior is this?"
"The practical kinds."
"What?!"
"I did not have a direct train to Chandigarh. The trains were either till Ambala or Amritsar. I found it much pleasant to go to Amritsar and meet Bauji rather than go around bus-hopping in Ambala."
"Would you explain how it is a practical decision to take a train till Amritsar which is five hours away from Chandigarh than taking one to Ambala which is only one hour away?"
I wish I could tell you. That for the first time I was driven by my emotions rather than mind alone.
It was true that he did choose Amritsar out of both practical and emotional reasons. And he was driven by an urge to meet Bauji and Ma too. They were to be his parents too. And he felt a sense of duty towards them too. But that one moment that he stood in front of those pair of deep honey eyes, he credited the whole purpose to her. Almost credited the whole purpose to her.
"I am not saying you shouldn't go there," Savitri fussed, "but had you spoken to me first I would have sent some gifts, etc."
"You know I am not very concerned over such things," Maan replied, "a warm conversation with ones you love is much more memorable than an expensive gift."
"Haan, par..."
"Chaiyyiji," Maan sighed and held her hand, "let us not argue about what was gone. The past never comes back. Only the consequences do. And nothing bad happened while I was there. So we shouldn't worry about it anymore."
"But..."
"Chaiyyiji, for once let it be. And have faith in me. I have come after a whole year and only for few days and..."
"Acha, acha," Savitri grimaced, "chup kar hunn. Once you start you just don't stop. Apni ma da peyo na baneya kar. [Don't try to be a father to your mother.] Tell me what would like to eat for dinner?"
"Anything!" An image from of the Handas flashed in his mind. "As long as we have it together."
Seeing that Savitri was about to question his request, he smiled, "Let us begin anew Chaiyyiji."
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Ghum Hai Kisikey Pyaar Meiin
12