Darmiyan is d first OS of my collection. Hope U will like it..!
It was a night with a clear sky. Although,the moon didn't show up in the sky,the atmosphere seemed to glow! Yes,it was the night of festival of lights,Diwali..!! Small earthen lamps were lit in the balconies and threshold of every house. Also,decorations of electrical lights over the walls were adding to its glory. The sounds of crackers reverberated every now and then. All in all,the surroundings were vibrant,indicating the festive mood!!
Away from the hustle & bustle of city of Ajmer,in a place which we could say as a town,was Kala Bhawan. The building looked magnificent although of old design. The golden illuminance provided by the glowing light of earthen lamps were adding to its glory. It was a place for those whose passion were arts,music & Indian Culture. There was some sort of cultural program going on in there.
A group welcome dance,some instrumental performances,solo songs were executed. Of course,there was a brief speech from the head person or Guruji,as people addressed him. A boy,who looked like in mid-twenties,clad in a off white kurta & churidar with a brown colored waist coat donned on it was standing with a mic in his hand. He was Anant,the host of the evening. He moved towards Guruji to ask if the ongoing song was the concluding performance. To his surprise,he answered in negative. He checked his own list & was confused as there was no other name on it. The stage,by now was empty and the lights were off. He was just wondering who was coming next when he heard a familiar voice. He stood rooted to the ground. When the spotlight fell on the person and he turned around to see the source of voice,he froze...
Phir le aaya dil,
Majboor kya kije,
Raas na aaya rehna
Door kya kije,
Dil keh raha
Usse mukammal kar bhi aao
Wo jo adhuri si baat baki hai,
Wo jo adhuri si yaad baki hai..!!
Some old memories flooded through his mind as tears clouded his vision..
2 years ago..
Shrishti broke the news to him that she got a confirmation call from the great music director Virat Bakshi's office. They wanted her to sing for an album. She was extremely happy and excited. It had always been her dream to work with him which was going to come true. Meanwhile,she noticed that Anant hadn't spoken a word till now. He was smiling through tears,extremely happy for her but sad at the thought of her leaving. Next second,she was ensconced in a firm embrace. She knew exactly the reason for his breakdown,how wouldn't she,being the only person who knew him better than himself ! In fact,she herself was unhappy at the thought of separation but she had to,for her dreams and they both knew that!
So,to make the atmosphere light,she stated..-" Hey Mister,Cry baby..U are not going to get rid of me that soon,keep this in your mind. I may not be present in front of U,but I will haunt your mind,if U try to forget me! And,I'm just a phone call away from U,okk"
*************
The sound of claps by the audience brought Anant back to present. He realized that he had been remembering about the past. But there was no use of it now. Their relationship was over and thinking about it would only increase the pain,that's it. Guruji gave him a nod that it was the swan song. Casting all his thoughts aside,he moved towards the stage to announce the concluding speech.
Maximum of the audience have left for their homes. Anant was standing near his car and waiting for Guruji to come over so that he could drop him. After that,he would go to his own home. He turned around at the sound of approaching footsteps. Guruji was not alone. He was accompanied by her,the same person whom he was trying to avoid.
Guruji -"Anant,Shrishti would also be going with us,you wouldn't mind dropping her,would you??"
Anant didn't reply,only nodded in affirmative with a small smile.
He opened the door to the passenger seat expecting Guruji to sit there,but Guruji insisted he would be okay at the backseat. Shrishti slid beside the driver's seat. The journey was not completely a silent one. Shrishti & Guruji were talking & he was just avoiding to become a part of their conversation. Guruji even asked him that why is he so silent,he simply stated that he didn't wanted to talk while driving. Guruji's home was 15 minutes distance from Kala Bhawan. After dropping him they started moving forward.
There was an uncomfortable silence in the car. Shrishti noticed that Anant was driving with an unreadable expression on his face. He showed no visible hurt or anger as if putting a wall on his feelings! This was all her fault,she thought resignedly. She had said things she thought for betterment of both and it ended being totally opposite!
**********************
Past...
One & a half years ago..
6 months had been passed since she came to Mumbai. Everything seemed to have changed. She had been so occupied with her work that she got meager time to think about even herself. Anant had promised her he will never let their relationship be a distraction for her but she herself was finding difficult to cope with it. She wanted to be with him but not in this long distance relationship!
It was one of those evenings when she had come back to her flat after spending a tiring day at the studio. The doorbell rang and on opening she saw Anant standing there. Her mouth opened in a big -O-
Anant advised her,"Close your mouth,otherwise mosquitoes will enter..!"
The pleasure which she felt on seeing him vanished after hearing his words. She glared at him while he continued to gaze at her angry profile with a smile. Then he moved forward and enveloped her in a hug. She embraced him back as fiercely.
"I missed you..a lot!" ,he confessed.
"I missed you too", she said.
After sometime she broke the hug and asked,
" Why didn't you tell me earlier that you are coming?"
He replied simply," I wanted to give you surprise,why else!"
They ate dinner together talking about their daily lives and other stuff. He told her that he had taken 2 days off from his office to meet her. After cleaning the dishes and setting the kitchen properly,they sat on the couch next to each other. Shrishti rested her head on his shoulder and he entwined their fingers,just like old times. Since they both were tired,they fell asleep within a short while.
Next day ended even before they realized. Since he was leaving the next day,she took a day off herself. They were back to her flat after roaming around the city for a couple of hours. After dinner they were sipping their coffee.
Shrishti asked," Why don't you join the Mumbai branch of your office?"
"Sree,how can I join here and why?",he asked,a bit surprised by her question.
She asked," Why not? I'm here and the company provides with a flat,isn't it..you can live with Chachiji there!"
Shrishti referred to his mother. She was his only family and they lived in Ajmer in their paternal haveli,Surya Bhawan.
"Sree,Maa would never agree for this. She is so attached with Surya Bhawan,its not just a haveli for her,its the place where she had spent her life with Papa. Not only her,but its difficult for me too to leave it and you know that!",he replied.
It was true. He had spent his childhood there and he felt as if some part of his father's soul had still left there. He too,was emotionally attached to his home.
She began,"I know its difficult to part with a place where you had spent your childhood but till when will you be there,one day -"
"That day won't come..ever! I will never part with my home due to any condition and for anyone.", he replied indignantly cutting her short.
"Am I just 'anyone' for you?",she retorted.
He took her hands in his and spoke in a calming tone,"Sree,you are as important to me as Maa. I can't choose between two of you,because my life is complete only when you both are by my side."
She said,"But I'm not asking you to choose Anant."
He replied,"What you are suggesting is also impossible Sree!"
Shrishti took her hands out of his clasp and concluded,"Then we should call off this relationship."
"What?!", came his shocked reply.
"Yes,you heard it right. I can't be in this long distance relationship,if you want to be with me,then you have to be here", she said firmly.
"Is this your final decision?", he asked hoping she would say she wasn't serious about whatever she said.
"Yes it is", she concluded and moved towards adjacent room and slammed the door shut.
He left the next morning but without talking to her. For the next few months she kept convincing herself that she did the right thing. She kept saying to herself that if he really cared about her,he would have agreed to her thought. She kept herself hell busy with practicing in studio and her skills kept increasing. She sung for 2 new albums which brought her a lot of praise.
But along all this,some part of her still longed for him. She missed talking to him,she missed his voice,she missed being complimented by him..everything! As time passed,she began to think,had she really did right by breaking up! Perhaps no..it was never correct.
She had realized her mistake and it was time to rectify the same. With that decision, she had come back to her home,her love!
******************
Present..
She came back to present as the car came to halt. Anant's voice echoed through her ears,
"Your home has come,you may leave now", his voice devoid of any decipherable emotion.
She replied,"I want to go to your home."
He said,"Its late and there's no one there who wants to meet you."
She replied to his statement,"I want to talk to you."
He bluntly said,"But I don't want to talk to you. So,get out of my car."
She rejoined,"I will not leave until you hear me out."
Anant looked at her for a moment. She looked determined to have a conversation.
He said,"Fine,then talk to yourself."
To her surprise,he opened the door to his side and disembarked from the car. His home was not far from there,just 5 minutes walking distance. She followed after him,pleading
"Anant,please listen to me!"
He sped up and she doubled her pace to counter his. At last,she came in front of him and hugged him forcefully. He tried to shove her away but she adamantly refused to let him go.
"I'm sorry", were the first words which he heard her say.
He stopped fidgeting but didn't embrace her back. She looked up at him. Both their eyes were glistening due to unshed tears.
This time she continued,not removing her eyes from him," I'm sorry about everything I said. I was thinking only about myself,my pain but I forgot that you are also going through the same situation. I was being selfish and I thought you didn't care for me at all. I thought that breaking up with you will be a solution but I realized that I cannot go away from you,no matter how much I try. Please forgive me!",she ended in a gruff undertone.
Anant continued to look at her without saying anything. Feeling dismayed, she thought why ever she decided to part with him. But then one of his hands came to hold her from her waist and he wiped her tears with the thumb of other hand. He bent his head and rested his forehead against hers. This action cleared all her doubts regarding his anger and she smiled through tears.
"I love you", he murmured huskily.
" I love you too",she replied back.
Somewhere behind them,a loud sound of a cracker resonated the atmosphere. They looked above and saw beautiful patterns in the sky as if signifying their reunion!!
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Book Talk
Aami Daakini
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