The cooling sun dropped below the horizon
And
Twilight hue added to the glory of Gomati Sadan with its blended brazen and golden tinge.
The hustle -bustle at the venue resembled any other scene of a wedding with happy chaos that spread across every direction, sweets being distributed with sugary smiles, overwhelmed children who received their fair share of chiding as their playing sessions intervened busy elders, budding photographer cousins, over excited aunts effectively flaunting their heavy jewelries and Panditji engrossed in arranging havan chanting mantras loudly oblivion to the habituated uproar around. The arena of hymeneals was perfectly set.
"Bring the bride and groom"Panditaji announced loudly after a while.
Listening to him, few ladies hurried inside the house making their way through that joyous crowed. A wave of excitement rushed through the spectators as everyone waited to get first look of beautiful bride. Those few minutes were worth of waiting as bunch of fascinated sighs were passed when two delicate feet adorned by darken heena descended down the patio stairs.
She landed on the path made of rose petals, of which another end was leading her to the mandap situated at the middle. The beautiful bride clad in an intricately embroidered heavy red lehanga, adorned with matching jewelry and her half of the face obscured with ghunghat walked gracefully amidst many avid eyes. As she came near the end of petal- path made for her, halted in her way and slowly turned around throwing fleeting glance through transparent curtain of veil at the place to which she was calling her own home until now. Her eyes moistened with blissful memories of her childhood flashing before her kohl embellished eyes.
As the bride took delight in reminiscing her happy childhood memories standing there loosing track of time, a lady came near her and put her hand over bride's head lovingly knowing what would be running through her mind and murmured softly " Chalo Bitiya..."
The bride inhaled sharply listening to the words. After all how long could she hold the moment which rode her through the old lanes? Now it was the time to head ahead and create a new bundle of memories which she could cherish in future like today.' Filling her lungs with few excited and some nervous breaths, she collected some courage to face new changes which would be taking place in her life shortly and headed towards the stage. She came across her seat walking slowly and sat all curled up with shyness of a bride. As soon as she rested herself in place, threw an expecting glance through corner of her eyes towards the seat beside her.
A sudden irritation engulfed her as she found the place empty.
Where is he? Looks like today too, I have to wait for him...as usual!!! Uff... He would never change.' She sighed.
After sitting in an uncomfortable silence for few minutes, her eyes started running around her. All the preparations were in place, she noted. She nodded silently when her group of friends waved at her excitedly. A mischievous smile hit her lips when she observed her cousin from Mumbai was trying hard to hit on a girl. She fondly cast a glance over congregation and experienced butterflies in her stomach growing in number with her cheeks heating up with blush. She bit her lower lip from flashing a toothy smile and averted her gaze lest she did something which might look stupid.
It was then when her eyes zeroed on a couple. Her seemingly upset father was in conversation with her panicked mother in a far corner. Her heart missed a beat as she observed her mother pressing pallu on her lips to suppress her sob but that could not hinder her and soon she started crying.
'Her father! .. Should not he be the one who should be pacifying her?' She asked herself. Instead her father too seemed on the verge of bursting into tears. Are they sad because I am leaving them soon?' That was the first thought which reasoned her doubts. But her mind chose to believe in otherwise. She knew her parents very well. They would not stand crying in a far corner on the most important day of their daughter's life. Rather they would choose to celebrate the day along with her. Something was wrong. She realized. Her heart started sinking with numerous unpleasant thoughts clouding her mind. She struggled with an extreme urge to go running to them and confirm that everything was alright but somehow held herself from showing any inappropriate behavior among hoards of people and silently started praying for everything to fall into its place again if there was something awry. Those prayers had hardly calmed her nervous heart when again her beats reached to an enormous speed as she observed her other relatives too joining the couple in discussion and the same panicky started to pass from one to another.
Her mind went completely numb unable to make any head or tail of the situation further when she saw her Buaji approaching her with an unusual heaviness in her steps and she clutched her lehanga tightly by her sweaty palms chanting her deity's name rapidly.
"Chalo bitiya, andar chalo(come dear, let's go inside)" Her Buaji said in small voice bringing her mouth near her ear.
And Khushi's breathe hitched.
Khushi looked at her bua's dreading face with her doe-like hazel eyes. Grieved expressions marked on her face did not do any better to lift her spirit and she understood that something had gone terribly wrong.
"Why Buaji? It's almost time for muhurat'. How can I go inside now?" She asked uncertainly.
"Andar chalo bitiya(let's go inside dear), tumase kuch baat karani hai(I have to talk something to you)" Buaji maintained her voice from cracking.
"But buaji what is that so important than the muhurat that you want to discuss it now? Can't we talk about it later?"
"Suno bitiya, let's go inside. We will come out again. Chalo" Buaji tried to convince her again.
"Buaji? See Pandit ji is ready with his arrangements. All are gathered here to see me getting married. How can I go inside now? What is it buaji?" She asked confused looking into Madhumati's eyes and her stomach tied in knots when her bua turned her gaze.
"No, I won't come" The words came out too fiercely than Khushi had intended in her hard attempts of keeping those atrocious feelings which were slowly creeping inside her heart at bay.
"Don't you understand Khushi? Do as you are being told" Buaji bellowed in high pitch but soon she realized that there were many witnesses to their predicament. So making her voice somber again she said, "See bitiya, the groom has not yet arrived. Let's go inside for now and come out later when he comes."
Madhumati's constant insistence to take her inside rang alarm bells in Khushi's mind and she did not like the direction towards which her thoughts were wandering. She drew few longer breaths trying to stabilize her nerve. "No! Not today" She murmured. 'How could she allow anything to ruin her day today? She had ardently waited for this day for three long years. '
By brushing aside every devastating thought that dared to touch her mind, Khushi vigorously shook her head in negative and pressed her knees more to her chest determinedly not agreeing to leave Mandap'. "I know buaji, he is late. It is just that he always takes so much time to get ready, you know. But he must be on his way now" She tried to excuse and shook her head vehemently when her perverse bua did not buy that.
Khushi slowly rose from her sit balancing weight of heavy lehenga and stood on her feet. She held Madhumati's hand gently while requesting in a heart melting voice "Why don't you understand buaji? He won't like it if he doesn't find me here waiting for him when he comes. I can't make him upset today, Please. I can't leave this place. He will be reaching here at any moment now."
Madhumati's throat choked listening to her dear niece's hopeful words and she blew out finally unable to take it anymore "He is not coming Khushi. He has left you at alter. He is not going to marry you. "
Those words failed either to hit Khushi's ears or to signify their meaning to her brain as she continued with her soliloquy as if her bua had not said anything while her excited gaze was fixed on the preparations laying in front of her. "You know buaji , I have been so eager to know how will it feel when he would put that vermilion." She dreamily looked at the vermilion kept in pooja thal. "I wish to treasure the moment when he would tie the mangalsutra around my neck." A heartfelt smile spread on her lips and she lost herself into a reverie for a minute or two before turning to her Bua again "I have waited so long for my dream coming true Buaji...And now when I am going to live that moment, how can you insist me to leave this place? I won't. I can't. "Khushi denied fervently.
The suppressed sobs grew louder with Khushi's every word in a far corner and Madhumati threw a helpless glance at her brother Shashi and sister in law Garima. One look at their drawn faces and she pursed her lips with determination. She had to do this. It was only her who could break the news to khushi because emotional and soft-hearted Shashi and Garima doing that was out of question. Madhumati closed her eyes for fraction of seconds collecting her remaining strength and announced loudly, "This marriage is not happening. He has denied marrying you. Do you get that? Now let's go inside" She tugged Khushi's hand forcefully
That jolted Khushi out of her daydreaming.
Those words sank in her ecstatic mind and severity of them hammered her brutally.
'Did she hear right? Is he not coming?'
"What are you saying buaji? You are pulling my leg like usual, right?" She asked Madhumati with her eyes still full of anticipation.
Madhumati s eyes welled up looking at her niece's naive attempts to forestall that acidulous situation. She touched her cheek gently speaking those words. "Wish I were, my darling! I truly wish it were just my another prank on you" She heaved a deep sigh. "But no! Today, fate has played very unfairly with me leaving no scope for my mischief. It's better for you as well for us if you accept the reality beta! This marriage is not taking place. He does not want to marry you. "
A wave of sheer hysteria ran down Khushi's spine. "No. This cannot happen. How can he ditch her like this? It is not possible. He loves her so much to do this to her." Her heart forcefully rebuffed any such possibility.
"No." Khushi adamantly pushed her buaji aside. "What is wrong with you Buaji? Why saying such unpleasant things at this auspicious occasion? I don't know why you are talking such absurd things but let me make this clear that I don't trust you. He loves me so much to do any such awful thing to me. He will come, I am sure. He has to come. And I am not leaving this place until he comes and this marriage takes place. No matter how long I need to wait. " She declared furiously.
Her words twitched every one present there. A gush of muteness descended down the whole vicinity turning that cheerful air dull and lackluster.
Khushi sensed that sudden drift. The changed air suffocated her. Abrupt lack of vivacity in the surrounding unnerved her, that malaise slowly percolating in her mind defiling her confidence. She turned her eyes around her. That uncomfortable silence, those drab faces panicked her utterly "Buaji tell me this is not true. What you said was not true. Tell me" She requested with extreme sincerity and Madhumati could hold herself back anymore. Her defiant facade slipped and she gave in uncontrollable sobs.
And with her tears, Khushi's last string of hope unraveled tearing her heart. Loud sobs arising from every corner shattered her certitude. She glanced at her parent's tear strained faces and downcast eyes; who till then had come and stood beside her and finally reality stuck to her.
She closed her eyes tightly barring any thought or any sound from touching her senses for few seconds and then slowly opened them hoping it was just a nightmare which would disappear as soon as she opens her eyes. But unfortunately it did not. Everything was as it had been few moments before.
Her worst nightmare had turned into reality.
Khushi felt as if someone had divested her breaths and she would asphyxiate at any moment.
She repeatativly asked buaji furiously shaking life out of her "Why Buaji? Why me? Where did my love fall short? Why?"
"Kismat ke age kuch nahi hota bitiya! ...Sambhalo apane aap ko..(Destiny is ultimate dear!...Take courage)" Her father muttered woefully.
A sudden surge of acute dejection passed over Khushi and her brutally broken heart failed to stand that .Her knees gave up with dizziness. Before she could fall on ground Shashi caught her tightly. Garima too hurriedly offered her support.
In her parent's aiding refuge, Khushi left a dreadful cry and burst into tears.
Those cries stirred Shashi's soul. The fate had brought him at such situation where he could not do anything than helplessly watching her child suffering miserably. He held his tears back with herculean attempts and took her in embrace soothing her back.
Khushi snuggled more into that warmth which had always solaced her in every trouble. Today too she wished that his caresses could purge away her ravaging pain. She tried to verbalize her thoughts but as much as she tried, she only ended up sobbing loudly. And her words in between her uncontrollable sobs sounded something like"No ...He can't deceive me. He loves me. ...He loves me"
The felicitous surroundings turned into mourning one within few minutes of span. The people, who had gathered there to witness sacred union of a couple in loves, now had to be spectator of devastation of a callow life. The day had nipped dreams of a young girl about her new life in the bud itself. The only man who had claimed of boundless love for her had marred that innocent soul permanently. She, the one who was eager to create new set of memories not so long ago now might not dare to think of it again. The fate had played brutally today and no single person had any clue of what was to be done at that situation. Hence everyone stood watching the grim scene silently feeling very sorry for the bride.
An elderly lady watching all these commotions spoke to another one, "Don't know what it is with these Gupta sisters. The elder one, Payal's marriage too was broken on her wedding day as the groom's family demanded a heavy dowry and her father could not fulfill their demands. That poor soul could not bear the pain and hung self to the ceiling on that same night. No wonder if this younger one too follows her suit."
The other lady sighed heavily and agreeing her said"God can be so cruel at times."
"Messengers of death, are you?" A horse voice snapped at them.
Both of the ladies turned around warily to take a look of the person who had dared to spat at them. Their frowned faces turned to sides instantly as they found themselves unable to abide that extreme raw rage those eyes emanated.
After all who had been able to stand to that fiery till date?
The ladies chose to leave the place immediately and the man found his way towards the mandap..
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Geet - Hui Sabse Parayee
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