Chapter 7
He selected his clothes keeping in mind the cool evening atmosphere and the informality of banjaara dressing, finally emerging dressed in a pair of dark drown trousers, a maroon roll-necked sweater and a thigh length coat in the same dark brown as his trousers and teamed them with a pair of knee length boots in supple dark brown leather.
Rather than taking the jeep, it would be easier to ride over and taking Sultan, he left with a groom accompanying him and carrying the gifts his mother had sent with him.
Arnav arrived at the campsite and dismounted. A young banjaara boy hurried to get their horses reins and Arnav and his groom walked towards the campfire. The Sardar saw the young Maharaja approaching and came over to greet him.
With much ceremony, Arnav was greeted and welcomed by the Sardar and other influential men in the tribe. He handed the gifts over and they were accepted before he was invited to sit on the rugs and cushions spread in a semi-circle around the campfire. Apart from Arnav and his groom, all others were banjaara's and Arnav noted that his rug and cushion were close to the fire and the Sardar's own rugs while all others were slightly away from them.
The bride and groom were led out and the marriage solemnized. As soon as the ceremony concluded, a banjaara man took up his musical instruments and very soon the opening strains of a heavy beat filled the air.
"Maharaja Saheb, a tribal girl will dance first as formal entertainment before other people will join in," the Sardar told him and Arnav nodded politely as he wondered if Khushi belonged to this particular tribe.
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In a makeshift tent nearby, Khushi finished slipping the last of her bangles on her wrists. She was ready for the dance and hearing the opening strains of the music, she made her way outside and in a whirl of skirts, entered the circle of people seated around the fire. Dropping to her knees she bowed her head just as the music halted for a few moments.
The musician started again with a dramatic beat and she rose to her feet before she started swaying to the heavy beats, dancing in a circle around the fire.
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The dancer had just entered, Arnav noted. She was on the other side of the fire when she started dancing around. Arnav saw that she was dressed in a bright red flared skirt. Her skirt was decorated in bells and small mirrors. She had on a white blouse with it. The blouse was wide and low necked, leaving her fair shoulders bare and was decorated like the skirt. Her slim hands had a multitude of bangles on. She had just rounded the fire towards the place where he was seated and he saw that she had a gauzy red fabric covering the lower half of her face in a mask. She had long black hair falling down her back in wild ringlets. It was the ringlets that caused a tiny frission of awareness to run through him; the first sign of recognition!!!
Just then she reached his rug and turned her face towards him and he knew!!! It was Khushi. He didn't need to see her face fully. The curve of her eyebrows and her milky skin were enough. There was no other banjaara girl with that skin around, he knew.
She had not seen him he realized when she continued dancing around. And was she dancing!!! Her movements had gained momentum and she danced on the exact heavy beats, her moves passionate and wild, just like her hair and yet there was a powerful symmetry to her movements. Her skirts flowed wildly around her ankles and with each turn she took, her skirts flared, showing glimpses of her fair legs and he saw the silver anklets gracing the delicate ankles.
His eyes followed her movements around and it was then that the faces of some young men seated on the other side caught his attention. Their faces carried a slaving expression, their eyes fixed on her movements. They all looked as if they wanted to possess her. It mirrored his feelings exactly. It also gave rise to the slow burn of his anger, he realized. To see that lustful look on other men's faces as they gazed upon her slim body as she danced made him angry. He swung his angry gaze back to Khushi.
He watched with new eyes as she danced passionately. An image flashed of her lack of response to his kiss that morning and his anger rose. After her coldness that morning, to watch her wild and passionate side, he was furious. How did she dare to show this wild side of hers to all these men???
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From the moment she had entered the fireside, Khushi was filled with a strange awareness. This awareness coupled with the sudden pulsing to life of the new feelings that the Maharaja's kisses had woken in her, she was out of her emotions. The heavy music beats matched the clamouring in her blood and she responded to it. She danced with complete abandon. She had never done that before. She was a wonderful dancer but this wildness was new to her and yet, she didn't shy away from this. She absorbed every single beat in herself and responded with complete passion. The music was slowing down Khushi realized dimly. It was slowing but not finishing, she knew. She danced closer to the musician and as she slowed and fell to her knees again, she raised one slim hand to her face mask. She caught one end in her hand and waited for a breath.
The music started again and she pulled; the knot holding it up fell and her mask fell down just as she grabbed the tambourine with her other hand and rose again. Her mask was still tied on one side to her face and the red fabric fell in a long layer with her hair, creating a dramatic foil against the black curls.
Her movements mimicked the movements of the tambourine as she held it in one hand and beat it against her other hand as she raised both her hands in the air. Once again her movements picked pace and she started her wild dance. The music was faster and she more than matched it. One would wonder if it was the musician who was leading or was it the dancer!!!
She lowered the tambourine to beat it against her hips. She danced around the campfire in fast circles until she was just a flashing form of red skirts and wild curls with the dramatic fall of face mask against it interspersed with the jangle of the bells on her clothes and her bangles mixing with the sound of the tambourine jangling against her hips and the musicians instruments.
All other people, Arnav included stared at her. But none stared at her with that dangerous mix of keen wanting and black anger as Arnav did!!!
The music rose to a crescendo before dropping to completely die out and as did Khushi's movements with the last notes of music, she rounded the fire to fall to her knees in front of her Sardar and his guest of honor's rug, her head bowed. There was complete silence before everyone started clapping. With the sound of applause, Khushi, breathing heavily became aware of the intensity of a pair of eyes on her. The heat in that gaze caught her attention more effectively than the slow clapping from that same side.
Slowly she raised her eyes and met the furiously angry ones of the Maharaja of Devgarh!!!
Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2
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