Chapter 23
Kesar looked above and saw talli?talli is 20 year old niece of sudha she is childhood friend of kesar and was studying in US she had just arrived in India
Kesar looked at her he was delighted to see her?.and said "jhalli tu ?tu kab aayi america se"
Talli said bas "abhi kuch din pehle"
Kesar said playfully "finally tujhe american govt ne ban kar diya naa?chalo waha k logo ko to shaanti mil gayi"
Talli said "kesar"
Kesar and talli started laughing rewa panba sudha came out due to the noise they saw talli they were extremely happy
Rewa exclaimed in joy "talli tum kab aayi"
Talli went to her and hugged her and said "kuch din pehle aayi...mere studies finish ho gaayi thi to sudhamasi ne yanha bula liya"
Sudha intervened in between "haan meine bula liya hain yanhi rah kar intership puri karegi raman do teen bade fashion house ko jaante hain unme kisi ek k yanha intership mil jaayegi"
Kesar said to talli "mein bahot late ho raha hun aake tujhse milta hun" and then he left
After he left talli came to panba and said "panba vasantbha k baare mein pata chala bahoot dukh hua tha maan kiya tha jald se jald aap sabke pass pahunch jau par padhai thi isliye nahi aa saki"
Panba replied "jo hona tha so ho gaya is ghar ne bahut kuch dekha hai"
Rewa panba and talli hugged each other...sudha then said "talli baatein hoti rehengi ab apne room mein chal kar fresh ho jao"
Talli took her luggage and started walking
While she walked she looked around she saw gulaal was standing outside the kitchen..
Talli stopped and greeted her "namaste mein talli"
Gulaal didn't knew her she also folded her hand and welcomed her..
Talli went in her room and rewa told gulaal that she was close frn of her and kesar
Talli went in her room she took some rest and then she started unpacking her luggage while she was taking her clothes out she found kesar pics she stopped and looked at the pics foundly
Suddenly sudha came there and said "kya kar rahi ho talli"
Talli hide the pics
Sudha said" jo chupa rahi ho mujhe pata hai"
Talli said "sudhamasi kya pata hai"
Sudha said "kya mein janti nahi tum teen mahine se india mein ho par tum mumbai nahi sirf isliye naa k kesar k shaadi ho gayi hai"
Talli said "aisa kuch nahi hai sudhamasi ap galat samajh rahi hai"
Sudha said "mujhe pata hai talli tum kesar ko bahoot pasand karti ho"
Talli quickly said "sudhamasi mujhe is baare mein koi baat nahi karni kesar k shaadi ho chuki hai..mein yeh sab batein nahi sochana chahiti" and she quickly left the room
Sudha was standing there she said to herself "koi baat nahi mein sab kuch thek kar dungi"
Kesr returned in the evening...talli and kesar soon engaged themselves in conversation
Gulaal also returned from hospital...she quitely watched kesar and talli they were talking like best buddies...she just went inside kesar didn't noitced her...and then talli gave him a latest smartphone...kesar was exited
He said "wow talli that's such a cool phone tujhe yaad tha mujhe yahi chahiye tha"
Talli said "haan..poore US mein dhondh kar layi hun tere liye"
Kesar said "talli u r sweetheart"
Gulaal was standing outside the kitchen she was listening all the conversation with a smile sudha came near to her and said "gulaal kesar aur talli kitne ache lag rahe haina baat karte hue"
Gulaal looked at her and noded her head
Sudha said "yeh donno bachpan k dost hain talli hamesha summer holidays yanha bitati thi aur kesar aur talli hamesha saath saath khelte the...inko ek dusare se jyada koi nahi jaanta"
Gulaal stood silent
Sudha said "hum sab ko talli bahut pasand hai...and then she said "pata hai vasant ko bhi bahot pasand thi aksar kehte tha kesar k shaadi talli se karwa denge.bilkul ek dusare k liye hi to bane hai" she tried to play her card
Gulaal was shocked she looked at her in disbelief
Sudha said "ab hum to yahi chahte the par ab koi kya kar sakta hai" and then she left the room
Gulaal stood there muted and speechless just like a parched land silently watching her rain laden cloud just passing by without shedding one drop of its priceless content...she looked at kesar and talli blankly.
Next day gulaal was in kitchen she was preparing food...talli came there and asked "aap khana bana rahi hain"
Gulaal said "haan"
Talli said "waise mein apko kya kahu gulaal bhabhi ya gulaal didi"
Gulaal replied "jo kehna ho tumahri marzi"
Talli thought for a sec and said "mein tumko gulaal hi kahungi kesar tumko gulaal kehta hai aur mein kesar k dost hun isliye mein bhi tuhe gulaal hi kahungi"
Gulaal looked at her and said "thek hai"
Talli asked "tum khana bana rahi ho...mein bana du"
Gulaal stopped and said "thek hai bana do"
Then talli started preparing for lunch gulaal asked kya bana rahi ho...talli said "oodiyon k sabzi"
Gulaal looked at her and said in low voice "kesar k pasand bahoot ache se janti ho"
Talli said "oondiyon to sabko pasand hai"
Gulaal looked at her smiled and said "par sabse jyada kesar ko pasand hai...haina"
Talli looked at her and smiled
Lunch was prepared and everyone sat on for lunch
Talli and gulaal were serving the food
Kesar looked at the oodiyon he looked at it and said "khana gulaal ne nahi banaya...kisne banaya hai"
Gulaal looked at him
Rewa came close to kesar and pulled his leg and said in his ears" kyu re kesar ab tu gulaal k haath ka bana hua khana sirf khusboo pehchaan jaata hai..kya baat hai tu apni wife k haath ka khana dekh kar pehchaane laga hai"
Kesar blushed
Talli said "khana meine banaya hai"
Kesar tried to get away and said"haan mujhe to pata tha" he tasted it and said "aisa khana to talli hi bana sakti hain mujhe to uske haath ka swaad ache se pata hain".though kesar never had any liking for talli's food...he had recognised that food wasn't prepared by gulaal...he just said it to avoid rewa's sweet comments
But he didn't knew that his word pinched gulaal little bit...she remained silent
For the next two days she quitely observed kesar...she observed his frnship, his understanding his confort level with talli
And then she went in sudha's room
Sudha saw her and called her in
Gulaal said "sudhabhabhi mein kuch baat karna cahiti hun"
Sudha asked "kaho kya kahna tha"
Gulaal said "sudha bhabhi meine to yanha par kuch mahine se hun mujhe nahi pata hai par ap batayi..kya talli aur kesar dusare ko pasand karti the"
Sudhabhabhi said "haan bahut pasand karte the mein bataya tha tumhe"
Gulaal stood silent and then said sadly "sudhabhabhi aapse to kuch chupa nahi hai aap janti hain meine deeyarvattu is parivaar k khushi k liye kiya tha"
With a deep pain in her voice she said "mein yeh rishta nahi nibha sakti sudhabhabhi ek na ek din mujhe kesar k life se dur jana hai...aur agar kesar aur talli ek dusare ko pasand karte hain to mujhe unke rishte se koi problem nahi hai"
Sudha heard what she wanted to hear she said "haan gulaal mein samajh sakti hun tum dono ka rishta hi kuch aisa hai kaise nibha sakte ho tum dunno ise..sach mein gulaal tumne bahut acha socha yeh betmatlab ka rishta khatam hoga to tumhe aur kesar donno ko aage badhane ka mauka milega."
Gulaal didn't said anything but she felt a ache in her heart...deep and intense
Sudha resumed "gulaal agar kesar aur talli k shaadi ho jaati hain to tum is ghar ko chod dogi..."
Gulaal almost cracked and said "haan"
And she left in distress
Next morning sudha came in talli's room
Talli was sitting with kesar pics
Sudha looked at her and said "chinta mat kar talli jise tu dekh rahi hai wo bahoot jald teri jindagi mein aa jayega"
Talli looked her and in haste said "kya sudhamaasi mein to bas unhi beithi thi aur meine aapse kaha hai mujhe in sab baatein mein nahi padna"
Sudha said "talli tu chupana k koshish mat kar mein janti hun tu kesar ko bachpan se pasand karti hai mein bhi yanhi chahiti thi k tu kesar k patni ban kar is ghar mein aaye par phir vasant k jaane se bahoot kuch change ho gaya...kesar k financial status bhi theek nahi thi isliye mein chup thi aur phir gulaal aur kesar k shaadi ho gayi to mein kuch nahi kar paayi par ab sab kuch badlane waala hai"
Talli said "aap kya kah rahi hain sudhamaasi aap janti hai kesar k shaadi ho gayi hai ise baatein sahi nahi hain"
Sudha said "kaunsi shaadi...gulaal aur kesar k shaadi sirf ek samjhoota hai gulaal ne yeh shaadi isliye k taaki wo apne family ko support kar sake sach to yeh hai kesar aur gulaal k beech mein pati patni jaisa koi relation nahi aur gulaal bhi yeh shaadi todna chahiti hai"
Sudha was talking to talli she saw gulaal was passing by she called gulaal in
Gulaal came in her room sudha asked "kyun gulaal mein sahi kah rahi huna tu apni shaadi todna chahiti hai bata gulaal talli ko k tum dunno mein koi rishta nahi hai"
Gulaal looked at sudha with tears she said "haan...y..yeh sach hai...mujhe kuch responisbility poori karni hai jis din poori ho jayegi mein yeh ghar ko chod kar chali jaungi"
Sudha said to talli "dekha talli meine kaha tha na"
Talli came near to gulaal and asked "to kya tumahara aur kesar k beech koi rishta nahi hai"
Gulaal was speechless she had no answer to her question.
after a pause she said" hum dono ache dost hai...bas"
talli heard it and her eyes filled with hope and at the same time gulaal's hope dashed to grounds
in the evening kesar came back
talli was waiting for him...talli saw him and said "chalo kesar discotheque chalte hain"
kesar looked at her and said in playful manner"nahi mujhe nahi jana agar tujhe lekar gaya aur galti se tera meine naam le liye 'talli' to tu sune na sune wanha aas pass beithe talli log mujhe jarur peet denge mujhe nahi jana"
talli said "kya kesar yeh kya baat hui chal na meri kuch frns bhi aa rahi hai"
kesar still refused
gulaal came and said "kesar le jao..talli ko
kesar looked at her said "thek hai gulaal tum bhi chalo"
gulaal made an excuse "nahi kesar tum log jao mein hospital se aayi hu aur bahoot thak gaayi hun" and then she left
kesar and talli left for discotheque
gulaal went in her room and stood near the window she qiuelty watched the car leaving the premises and soon it disappeared...as the car disappeared a tear like a dewdrop fell from her cheek
she remebered sudha and panba conversation that were asking her to keep herself away from kesar...these words made her soul totter in the sense that she felt she was present in the unknown world...she felt as if the most precious part of her soul; her heart; her conscious was fading away and was being displaced by dullness and gloominess...she felt herself reduced to the lower level of existence.is she living a life-all that was worth calling life..
she collapsed on the floor near her bed...she wanted to cry but her tears were dried she just took out the sketch that kesar had made..she looked at it and she looked shattered with a trace of silent tear on her cheeks..she looked at the sketch and talked to herself.."talli achi ladki hai kesar tumhe bahoot khushi degi...mein hamesha tumahre aur talli k khushi k liye prathna karungi..mein tumse door"and she cant say any further
meanwhile kesar and talli were in discothek talli was having a good time with her frn but kesar was sitting quitelty since two three days he couldn't spend much time with gulaal and now he was missing her.he was sitting blankly he was took the paper napkin and was drawing some odd lines in the paper...talli called him but he didn't listened as he was in his thoughts...each minute, every word ,every moment he spend with gulaal reminded him how much he missed her; how much she meant to him.with each moment that passed he could feel himsef becoming more attached to her..he was in the deep thought almost ifelt isolated in the crowd present in discotheque he was just drawing lines in paper without looking at them
talli came and interrupted "kitna pyaara gulaal ka sketch banaya hai"
kesar came out of his thought and looked at the paper he has made gulaal's sketch while he was in deep thought...he was surprised to see it..how and why did he made her sketch...he kept wondering