PART 7:
RIDDHIMA & MUSKAAN, 17 years, RAHUL, 19 years, ARMAAN, 21 years:
It was the month of January of her senior year; Riddhima loved winters and especially the month of January as her favorite festival- LOHRI was fast approaching.
Since their last little fight in the kitchen, Armaan and Riddhima had stayed away from each other for a few weeks, but before long Armaan was back at the Gupta house, polishing off anything and everything Riddhima and Padma cooked for him.
So, this is how the ice thawed between the two reticent lovers- FLASHBACK:
A few weeks after their fight, Armaan walked into the Gupta house just like old days. He picked an apple from the kitchen table and walked in the kitchen, 'kaaki'..kya banaa rahi ho?"
Riddhima was the only one in the kitchen. She glared at him and clenched her teeth, "main kaaki nazar aati hoon?"
Armaan chuckled, "ek na ek din tho kaaki ban hi jaayegi'.tu tho chaahti bhi yahi hai'haina?"
Riddhima threw the ladle in her hand on him, "kaaki nahin main pehle college jaaoongi aur phir kaam bhi karoongi."
Armaan ducked, "Sach? Meri chidiya college jaayegi aur naukri bhi karegi?" he teased her again as she threw a spoon at him this time, "arre kya kar rahi hai? Mujhey maarne ka iraada hai kya?"
"Haan! Mujhey satao ge tho nahin na phir!" she said tearfully.
Armaan picked the ladle and spoon, and cautiously walked towards her, "main sataa raha hoon tujhey? Achha? Aur mera kya? Itne din se paranthe waali gali ke darshan nahin huye'.uska kya?"
"Ab sirf gaaliyan milengi is gali mein!" she yelled.
Armaan grabbed her wrist and pulled her closer, "saath mein ek badhaa glass lassi ka bhi!" They stared into each other's eyes; both aware of the pain of the last few days they had endured when away from each other, but still hesitant to admit their true feelings.
Such was their relationship; they had had numerous arguments in the past but eventually they would both get over their differences and be back together, as if nothing had ever transpired between them. Neither of them ever discussed their little arguments with each other, but Riddhima had resolved to pursue her further education after his caustic remarks. Armaan was in a way pleased, as he wanted Riddhima to be an independent and educated woman. He was glad that his hurtful words had at least forced Riddhima to think about her future.
Lohri is celebrated with a lot of fervor in Punjab, usually on the 13th of January every year. It is a time to bid farewell to the harsh winter and welcome the spring harvest. As was the tradition, all the families in the neighborhood celebrated the evening festival around the bonfire together. Padma usually cooked a big meal of sarson ka saag and makke (corn) di roti for all the families; Mrs Pathak supplied the sweets as some other neighbors brought gazak, revdi, popcorn, puffed rice and other edibles; the Mallik's usually provided the entertainment. They usually invited bhangra and giddha dancers to join all of them. A special dholak waala was always present to add to the merriment. Lorhi was Billy's favorite festival too, and this was one time in the year, he never acceded to Naina's commands. Naina always wanted to hang out with her 'kitty party' gang, but Billy and the boys put their foot down, "mama'.hum tho lohri apne padosiyon ke saath hi manaayenge'..aap ko jaana hai tho jao apni kitty party waali ladies ke saath!"
Armaan really wanted to spend this Lohri with Riddhima as he knew he would probably be in the US by next year.
Armaan purchased a beautiful red and gold salwaar kameez for Riddhima that year. He imagined how beautiful she would look in that suit. The morning of the 13th, he walked over to Riddhima's house with the suit. As he walked through the gate, he saw Riddhima in the front yard watering the plants. She was dressed casually in a light blue churidaar suit, but he was blown away by her open haired look. He had always seen her in braided hair, even as a kid, but today after he saw her in her waist length, thick open hair, he could not take his eyes off her, "mar jawaan''yeh ladki tho din par din aur soni hoti jaa rahi hai'abhi tho sirf 17 ki hai'..1-2 saal mein tho meri jaan hi le legi!" he said to himself as he walked in.
"*cough*cough*" Armaan cleared his throat and waited for Riddhima.
Riddhima looked up and smiled.
Armaan recited a popular Lohri limerick which they used to all sing as kids when they went house to house gathering their Lohri 'loot'
"Dabba bharaya leera da"
"Ai ghar ameera da"
Translation: Box filled of cloths strips..this house is of the rich!
Riddhima smiled again and said, "apni Lohri lene aaye ho?"
"Haan lene bhi aur dene bhi," he smiled and handed her the package with the suit.
Riddhima was puzzled; she opened the bag as Armaan stared at her beautiful face longingly, "yeh kya?"
"Aaj tu yehi pehenegi'..samjhi?" he said
"Aur nahin pehni tho?" she teased him while admiring the suit he had selected.
"Tho main yeh sochunga ki hamare beech kuch chakkar hai, iss liye Riddhima mera diya hua suit nahin pehen rahi hai," he chuckled
Riddhima giggled, "phir tho zaroor pehenoongi," she looked at him adoringly and then bit her lip. She thought, "kya Armaan, hamare beech kabhie chakkar nahin ho sakta?"
"Kya kaha tuney?" he asked
"Kuch nahin'.shaam ko dekh lena'..abhi mujhey bahut kaam hai'ab jao tum," she turned around to go inside.
Armaan walked back too, but turned around and yelled, 'KAAKI SE KEHNA SARSON KA SAAG ZAROOR BANAAYE AAJ'..AGLI LOHRI PHIR HUM SAATH HO NA HO!"
Riddhima paused her steps and wondered, "aisa kyun kehte ho Armaan'Vaahe Guruji ne chaaha tho hum apni saari Lohriyan saath hi manaayenge."
As the evening set in, the neighbors started pouring into the common ground in front of the neighborhood. Armaan, Rahul and Billy lit the bonfire. Everyone sat around and sang songs to welcome the festival.
Here is a popular Lohri song which all the ladies and men sang in a chorus:
Tera kaun vicaharaa ho!
Dullah bhatti walla ho!
Dullhe di dhee vyayae ho!
Ser shakkar payee ho!
Kudi da laal pathaka ho!
Kudi da saalu paatta ho!
Salu kaun samete!
Chache choori kutti! zamidara lutti!
Zamindaar sudhaye!
bade bhole aaye!
Ek bhola reh gaya!
Sipahee pakad ke lai gaya!
Sipahee ne mari eet!
Sanoo de de lohri te teri jeeve jodi! (Cry or howl!)
Paheenve ro te phannve pit! "
Translation
"The 'ho's are in chorus
Who do you have
The groom with the tandoor
The groom's daughter got married
He gave 1 kg sugar!
The girl is wearing a red suit!
But her shawl is torn!
Who will stitch her shawl?!
The uncle made choori!
The landlords ate it!
He made the landlords eat a lot!
Lots of innocent guys came
One innocent boy got left behind
The police arrested him!
The policeman hit him with a brick!
Cry or howl!
Give us lohri ..long live your jodi!"
Rahul and Muskaan exchanged glances and sat next to each other. Armaan, in a bright navy blue kurta pajama sat with the men folk, but kept his gaze on only one person- Riddhima!
Rahul whispered to Muskaan, "agli Lohri ko main tujhey dulhan apni banaa kar laaoonga."
Muskaan blushed, "tumhare mama-papa maan jaayenge?"
"Kyun nahin maanenge? Itni soni bahu milegi unhein," he squeezed her hand and stared into her eyes.
"Aur nahin mane tho?" Muskaan asked
"Tho tujhey bhagaa kar le jaaoonga apne saath Chandigarh," Rahul reassured her.
Riddhima looked gorgeous in her red and gold salwaar suit. Her braided hair with the parandi dangled all the way to her knees. She gave Armaan mischievous glances too as they all sat around the bonfire and sang.
Riddhima thought," kya ek din main bhi nayi dulhan ki Lohri Armaan ke saath manaaoongi?"
Armaan thought, "Aaj mann kar raha hai Riddhima ko apne seene se lagaa loon'..aur keh doon'.keh doon'.kya keh doon? Kya main sach much usey chaahne lagaa hoon? Ek din bhi nahin dekhta usey tho bechain ho jaata hoon'.kya yehi pyaar hai ya mujhey sirf uski aadat ho gayi hai?" he wondered.
The crowd ate revdi, gazak and puffed rice and at the same time threw it into the bonfire.
Finally, Billy and Shashank got up and sang their favorite Lohri song. Padma and surprisingly, Naina joined them too:
"lodi" from "veer zaara"
Haay, haay, haay, haay
Haay haay haay haay haay haay haay haay -2
Haay-haay, haay-haay, haay!
Haay haay haay haay haay haay haay haay -2
Lo aa gayi lodi ve, (aaha!)
Bana lau jodi ve, (aaha!)
Kalaayi koyi yun thaamon, na jaave chhodi ve, (aaha!)
Na jaave chhodi ve
Female Chorus: Choothh na boli ve, (oho!)
Kufar na toli ve, (oho!)
Jo tune khaayi thi kasmein, ik ik todi ve, (oho!)
Ik ik todi ve
Lo aa gayi lodi ve, (aaha!)
Female Chorus: Bana lo jodi ve, (oha!)
Lo aa gayi lodi ve, (aaha!)
Bana lo jodi ve
Oy... ho ho ho ho ho ho oh' hoy-hoy-hoy-hoy-hoy-hoy-hoy!
Tere qurbaan jaavaan, teri marzi jaan jaavaan
Toh har baat maan jaavaan, teri Muskaanye
Oy-oy-oy, tere qurbaan jaavaan, teri marzi jaan jaavaan
Toh har baat maan jaavaan, teri Muskaanye
Oy-oy-oy tere qurbaan jaavaan
Haan! tenu main jaan-diyaan, khoob pehchaan-diyaan
Milna jo mujhko haiga tujhko, sun le kuchh galaan meriyaan) -2
Tenu main jaan diyaan, khoob pehchaan diyaan
Oy oy oy jind meriye
Haay haay haay, jind mereya
Shaam hote hi naal yaaraan de roz da peena..
Doobe sooraj toh banda vi doobe, hai ye koyi jeena, hmm
Baat changi, hai ye teri, dhyaan rakhaanga
Aaj pee loon, boond kal se, main na chakhaanga
Haan.. jo ab shaam hogi toh seedhe ghar jaayenge
Haan haan haan
Tere qurbaan jaavaan -2
Oy raanjhna, mere makhna, oy dhholna, mere sajna
Jind meriye, oy heeriye, Muskaanye ho'
Tenu har din, vekhdi hoon, khed-de patte
Mujhse pyaare, tenu panje, chhikke te satte, kyun?
Taash kheloon, ab na hogi, aisi naadaani
Ab toh honge, do hi patte, raaja aur raani
Jind ey meri hogi teri, chhad patteyaan di dheriyaan
Tenu main jaan diyaan, khoob pehchaan diyaan
Oy oy oy jind meriye
Haay haay haay, jind mereya
Lo aa gayi lodi ve, (aaha!)
Bana lo jodi ve, (aaha!)
Kalaayi koyi yun thaamon, na jaave chhodi ve, (aaha!)
Na jaave chhodi ve
Jhoothh na boli ve, (oho!)
Kufar na toli ve, (oho!)
Jo tune khaayi thi kasmein, ik ik todi ve, (oho!)
Ik ik todi ve
Kuchh mangaaun, yaad tumko reh nahin paaye
Laana toh tha, ek paraanda, halva le aaye
Paas ab ye, note book hai, is mein likh loonga
Yaani ab jo, tum mangaao, woh hi laaunga
Haan.. sudharte sudharte hi sudhar jaayenge, haan haan haan
Tere qurbaan jaavaan -2
Muskaanye, baliye, jindiye, heeriye
Sajna, dholna, makhna, raanjhna
Aa..., chaahe badlo ya na badlo, phir bhi mere ho
Main toh chaahoon, jab janam loon, tum hi mere ho
Oh ho ho ho ho..
Heeriye main, har janam hoon, tera hi jogi
Tu meri thi, tu meri hai, tu meri hogi
Haan'tumhaare bina ye kidhar jaayenge
Honi ab poori, hai zaroori, mann diyaan sadraan teriyaan
Tenu main jaan-diyaan, khoob pehchaan-diyaan
Tere qurbaan jaavaan -2
Ho! Ho! Ho ho ho!
Aaha! Aaha! Aaha aaha aaha!
Ho ho ho ho ho ho lo aa gayi lodi ve (aaha!)
Bana lo jodi ve (aaha!)
Kalaayi koyi yun thaamon, na jaave chhodi ve
Choothh na boli ve, (oho!)
Kufar na toli ve, (oho!)
Jo tune khaayi thi kasmein, ik ik todi ve
As they all sang and danced together, they made a circle around the bonfire. Riddhima and Armaan danced around with their arms around each other's waists.
As the pace got faster, Armaan could not resist himself and picked Riddhima on his shoulder and twirled around the bonfire along with the bhangra music. Everyone clapped and cheered for their 'punjabi munda'
Naina was not too pleased to see that, but Padma and Shashank looked at each other and smiled. They knew that both Armaan and Riddhima were very fond of each other. Shashank resolved in his mind that he would talk to Billy the next day about getting them married. Shashank really liked Armaan; he was a well grounded man with a focus in life and above all he knew Armaan really cared for Riddhima, "bas Billy aur Naina bhi is rishtey ko haan keh dein'.tho mujhey chain milega."
Finally, the music and dhol stopped. A tired and sweaty Armaan placed Riddhima down on the ground.
He was out of breath, 'jaanti'ho'" he tried to catch his breath as he looked at Riddhima, 'aag ke aar paar, poore saat chakkar liye hai maine tumhare saath'.phew," he was still panting, but Riddhima just stared at him in shock.
"Kya kaha tumney?" she asked softly
Armaan could not speak; he just lifted seven of his fingers and grinned at her.
Riddhima turned red like a beetroot; her rosy face flushed with the heat of the bonfire and Armaan's remarks. She ran inside the house; she was too embarrassed to stay there any longer.
"Shayad Armaan ne na samjhi mein yeh kar diya'.mere saath saat phere le liye usney'.hai rabba'..yeh kya ho gaya? Anjaane mein yeh kya ho gaya?" she shut her eyes as she stood in front of the mirror in her bedroom, as she felt butterflies in her stomach; kya mera sapna sach much ek din poora hoga?
She was panting herself; her heart was racing away in her chest when she heard footsteps behind her.
"Bhaag kar kyun aa gayi?" Armaan asked huskily. He stood right behind her and touched her braid. Riddhima felt his fingers brush along the nape of her neck, sending shivers down her spine.
She felt him removing the parandi from her braid and then gradually unbraided her hair one by one. Riddhima felt an intense throbbing inside her as his fingers kept brushing and caressing her back and neck. She closed her eyes as she felt extremely weak in her knees.
Once her hair was all loose and open, he ran his fingers through them to comb them gently, "aaj se baal aise hi rakhna," he said softly. Armaan felt dizzy and aroused himself; he came closer and gently pressed his body against her. He caressed the soft skin of her arms with his fingers and then bent down to kiss her neck. As soon as his lips brushed her neck, they heard the front door unlatching.
"RIDDHIMA! RIDDHIMA! KAHAN HAI TU?" it was Muskaan.
Armaan pulled away and composed himself. He walked out of her room and asked, "kya hua Muskaan? Main zara paani peene aaya tha."
Muskaan looked a little frightened, "jaldi aao Armaan'Riddhima ko bhi le aao'.Padma kaaki behosh ho gayi hain!"
Riddhima heard what Muskaan had just said and ran out of her room, "KYA KAHA?"
Armaan, Riddhima and Muskaan ran out to the bonfire area to find a crowd gathered around a collapsed Padma.
Posted next part earlier😉EID MUBARAK to all those who are celebrating ...🤗
Edited by ...vibha... - 12 years ago
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