Arhi SS: Tewari & Sons, No. 23, Chandni Chowk (THREAD I) - Page 31

Originally posted by: CheshireBilli

Sup!

Ok, I'm back.

This chapter was interesting in that it had almost no actual 'action' but a lot of interesting history.

Why did Mahesh Tewari leave his shop to Garima Gupta? Why have I never heard of Bedmi Puri and Nagori Halwa? Where is Shyam if there is a random child not-calling Khushi 'Bua'? Why does Khushi go to college-- to finish up a degree she had to quit midway or to teach or just to study further? (I'd add 'just to chill' but she doesn't seem the vella sort.)

Poonam Raizada is so cool. And f**king intimidating. I'd be terrified of her if I knew her in real life.

So I see Hari Prakash is to function as her trusted spy to keep tabs on her kooky kids.

Like Asma said, I like Payal more than Lavanya. Payal, in her blunt tactlessness and blind privilege is more honest than Lavanya's complex-ridden sympathy. Of course, I don't have Lavanya's full story yet, so I ought perhaps to reserve judgement.

OMG. Is Lavanya marrying the foreign-return Aman? (I don't know why this occurred to me-- probably too much fanfiction that has made Lavanya-Aman near fanon.)

Said it before and going to say it again-- Akash is a cutie. I rarely like Akash, but i do here.

And while Khushi is an enigma for sure, so is Arnav. I can't really put my finger on what he's really like or what makes him tick. I can say with some amount of certainty that he's a nice guy in that he not only feels guilty about whatever he did to Khushi before but also in that he feels like he's cornering her unfairly. I wish more men in fiction thought about their actions like that.

And how chill is Khushi? I have been getting this feeling for a while that she is better-adjusted than the rest of this crazy lot, but I also agree with Stripe and SS88 (I think) in that she is hiding a lot of hurt that she has just more or less successfully pushed away.

I love this shop. Like, I know it's the title and so must be an important place, but just generally. It seems like it has so much potential for action and conversation-- which of course, is entirely due to your skillful writing.

Love, as always.

Originally posted by: StripePurple

About Bedmi-Nagori history, Epic had recently enlightened me. The mental images were happily flashing by as I was reading.

I know an almost- Poonam Raizada in real life. 'F**king intimidating' is the right word. In my head she has this all-knowing air and a very effective stare which makes people shake in their boots and stutter.

Would I prefer Payal's brand of honesty to Lavanya's dubious, moody friendliness? I don't know, really. Probably not. Something tells me that Lavanya (for reasons of her own) might once have felt as out of place in the rich snooty corridors of New Horizons as Khushi did, and that she had worked hard to gain her foothold there. A place which was threatened by Khushi's sporting achievements. Hence the friendliness born out of having been in the same place once, and the resentment of watching the newbie take it all away. Their college days might have had similar dynamics, with sports being replaced by something else, I'm assuming. So intriguing.

Khushi seems very poised to me. Too poised, in fact. Whatever happened with Arnav and Lavanya clearly affected her, but I doubt she ever gave herself a chance to talk it out with someone. She does come across as someone who prefers to find a corner, cry it out, and then move on with life. That's closure to her. But is it, really?

Arnav's self-awareness is his best quality. And rare, for a male character in fan-fiction, I agree. I do think he has this rebellious streak in him though. It's a lot less obvious than Anjali's, but it shows in his work, in his fondness for his brother-in-law, and now, in this itch to get a reaction out of Khushi, which he certainly knows Payal won't approve of.

Tewari & Sons seems just like the sort of place where people would come for a quick breakfast and end up spending hours chatting over savouries and chai. It's already becoming a place for re-unions. So much potential.

Originally posted by: StripePurple

CB, I get what you're saying about Payal, and in relationship-terms, it's true. Lavanya's insecurity, though, makes her a lot less predictable and interesting than Payal.

I don't think she's marrying Aman either. :-D She seems too detached from the school-clique.

It's interesting that the past is from Khushi's pov and the present mostly from Arnav's. I don't know what it is going to be like in the later Notes, but I just realised we know almost nothing about the Khushi in present other than the bare facts and what Arnav himself learns about her. And we watch him getting more and more intrigued by this mystery of hers, her unpredictable reactions, and as he wants to know more, so do we. Instant connect. Maybe that's the reason we think he has evolved the most?

And am I the only one wondering about this non-relationship between Arnav and Akash? NK is a close associate, but what about the quieter, less embarrassing cousin? I sniff a story there.

Originally posted by: CheshireBilli

Also note how Poonam Raizada doesn't even consider Akash as one of her own, a potential heir to run the business, despite him living with them for a good part of his life and being related to them. I mean, yes, he's not offspring, but he's still family. And family who is close enough to live with them.

Maybe it's the class angle picking up again. Maybe there's bad blood there. Or maybe Akash is too much of a proletariat to ever really get along with the kinda diva-ish Raizadas.