FF:Pyaar Ka Rishta Final Chapter updtd Pg 67 - Page 23

Chapter-13

"Woh ab is duniya mein nahi rahe". This sentence left Gulaal confused and bewildered. Kesar had put his head down on her shoulder and was crying his eyes out. She caught hold of his shoulders and made him face her. Kesar had his eyes tightly shut and tears were now flowing freely "Kesar yeh kya bol rahe ho tum? Tum tho kisi business meeting ke liye gaye the na. achanak Vasant ke baare mein kahan se patha chala?mujhe kuch samajh nahi aa raha.Kesar theek theek bataao ki tum aisa kyun keh rahe ho?". Gulaal looked at Kesar and it pained her to see him so distraught and heartbroken. She held his face in her hands, wiped his tears away gently and once again addressed him softly "Kesar, mujhe bataoo Kesar,kya hua?kaise patha chala?". Kesar opened his eyes and looked into her eyes which were full of compassion and concern for him. He could see his pain reflected in her eyes. That made him tell her the whole story from the beginning-how he had got the help of a PI and how finally he got to know of Jenny and Vasant's fate in Guwahati. Kesar who had tried to hold on to his emotions for the past two days now completely gave into his pain "main kya karoon Gulaal,mere Vasant bha mujhe chod ke chale gaye.main unhe aakhri baar dekh bhi nahi paaya Gulaal.mere mann mein unke prati itna gussa tha.main unhe mann hi mann kostha raha. lekin yeh kya ho gaya Gulaal?yeh tho maine kabhi nahi chaha tha,kabhi nahi", Kesar lamented. Gulaal had no idea what to say to him. Her own thoughts were all jumbled up. Her mind had blocked out her own reaction to Vasant's death. It was too much to process instead she just focussed on Kesar's pain. She hugged him back trying to calm him down. She took him to the bed and made him sit there. He was a complete mess. She quickly decided to get some water for him but the bottle in her room was empty so she decided to go and get some water from the kitchen.but as she is about to leave he held her wrist "kahaan jaa rahi ho Gulaal?mat jaao please main akele nahi rehna chahtha. Vasant bha tho pehle hi chodke chale gaye ab agar tum bhi chali gayi tho main kya karunga". Gulaal's heart broke when she heard the fear and despair in Kesar's voice. She went near him and comforted him, "main kahin nahi jaa rahi Kesar.main tho sirf tumhare liye paani lene jaa rahi thi". Kesar nods his head furiously saying "nahi Gulaal,mujhe kuch nahi chahiye.bas tum yahi baithi raho.mere paas". After she sits besides him he looks at her for a second and then looks away. He felt as if his head would burst any moment "mera sar tho phata jaa raha hai.main kya karoon Gulaal? main yeh baat gharwaalon ko kaise bataaun?Motaba se, Panba se,Rewa se aur baaki gharwaalon se, kaise''..kya kahunga aur unpar kya guzregi?". Then suddenly he looked at her as if he realized something "Gulaal,mujhe maaf kardo.maine tho yeh ek baar bhi nahi socha ki iska tum par kya asar hoga?main yeh kaise bhool gaya?", he holds her hands and looks into her eyes intently. Gulaal is astonished at Keasar's concern. She herself had not given it a moment's thought. She was so immersed in Kesar's pain that she had not thought about how this would affect her. Vasant was her husband-but she did not know a thing about him. He was an absolute stranger to her. She knew him as the son of this house but not as a husband or even a friend. "maine Vasant se shaadi tho karli lekin kabhi uski patni nahi ban paayi aur aaj main uski widhwa ban gayee",this thought agonized her. But right now her pain was nothing compared to the family's distress when they would come to know about their son's death and Kesar's anguish who had lost his beloved brother. Yet Kesar's concern for her and his intense stare as if he could look right into her heart and read her thoughts, broke her down and she started crying. Kesar did not say a thing and took her in his arms. And they both shared their grief and stayed like that for a long time.

Gulaal opened her eyes after sometime. It was still dark. She was surprised to find that she had slept off. She suddenly remembered Kesar and tried to get up. She tried to move but was unable to do so as something was holding her very tightly. She finds to her amazement that she and Kesar were on the ground leaning against the bed. She looked a little towards her side and finds that she had been resting her head on his chest. She moves a bit and looks at Kesar's face. He was still sleeping and his face looked so innocent and child like. Her heart went out to him "main khush hoon ki thodi der ke liye hi sahi Kesar, lekin tumhe chain tho mila". She shakes him a bit "Kesar, utho Kesar". Kesar slowly opens his eyes and is amazed to see Gulaal so close to him and he suddenly remembers the events of the previous night. He quickly removes his hands from around Gulaal and says in a low voice "sorry Gulaal,patha nahi kab aankh lag gayi". "koi baat nahi Kesar.acha hua ki tum sogaye,yeh tumhare liye zaroori tha.chalo uth jaao. Hume Motaba ke paas jaana haina", she says in a somber voice. Kesar once again feels the pain of Vasant bha's loss stab his heart. "haan, batana tho padega hi.jitni jaldi batade uthna hi acha hai". He gets up slowly from the ground and slowly starts to leave the room "Gulaal,tum chalogi na mere saath.tum saath rahogi tho himmat bandhi rahegi". She silently nods her head to let him know her acceptance. Kesar looks at her and says "Gulaal'woh kal raat ke liye thanks.agar tumne mujhe sambhaala nahi hota tho main tootke bikhar jaata". Gulaal replies "Kesar tumne bhi mujhe sambhaala na tho phir.aur ab yeh sab baatein zaroori nahi hain.humein ab apne parivaar ke baare mein sochna chahiye aur tum fikr mat karo hum dono milkar sabko sambhaal lenge.yeh mera tumse vaada hai". For the first time since he knew about his Vasant bha's death Kesar felt as if a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders, he had someone to lean on and this thought gives him the strength and courage to face the rest of his family.

Kesar and Gulaal slowly entered Motaba's room. Motaba looked at Kesar and a smile forms on his face "Kesar,beta tum waapis aa gaye,kab aaye?...". Kesar's eyes fill up and he speaks in a low tone "jee kal raat bahut der se pahuncha isliye socha ki main aaj subah aapse baat karun". Motaba looked at his somber face and then at Gulaal who was standing behind Kesar with a similar expression on her face. "kya baat hai beta?sab theek tho hai.tum dono ke chehre itne utre hue kyun hain?Kesar, bol na beta'..aise chupchaap kyun khada hai". Kesar kept his head down trying hard to avoid Motaba's eyes "woh Motaba'maine Vasant bha ka patha laga liya hai''woh 'woh". Motaba feels a surge of anxiousness in him "Kesar kahan hai Vasant? Woh'..theek tho haina?",and even as he asked the question his mind could gather the terrible answer from the silent tears of his son and Gulaal standing in front of him. Kesar remains quiet . Motaba sways and holds onto Kesar "nahi beta''tumhari chuppi tho bahut kuch keh rahi hai.ek baar kehde beta ki jo main soch raha hoon woh galat hai'.ek baar". Kesar looks at him and says "main yeh nahi keh sakta Motaba" and he hugs his father. Motaba cries out "nahi'. Vasant '.nahi aisa nahi ho sakta'nahi". He collapses on the ground but Kesar holds on to him the whole time "nahi Motaba yeh sach hai. Vasant bha ab is duniya mein nahi rahe". Suddenly they hear a cup crash on the floor.

All three of them look around to find Panba standing near the door completely shocked. "Kesar", she screams and comes towards him, gets him up by the collar and slaps him "subah subah kya anaab shanaab bol rahe ho.kya bol rahe ho tum? kuch hosh bhi hai tumhe". Kesar though momentarily stunned by the slap looks straight into his mother's eyes and tells her "nahi baa Main sach keh raha hoon .Vasant bha nahi rahe baa woh mar chuke hain'.". Panba slaps Kesar once again and holds his collar "Kesar,phir se wohi baat.Vasant ke baare mein aisa kyun bol raha'..nahi" she starts crying "nahi Kesar mera Vasant mujhe chodke nahi jaa sakta.woh aayega'zaroor waapis aayega", she collapses in Kesar's arms and cries out "Vasant'..Vasant". Gulaal looks on as Kesar makes her sit near Motaba on the bed and tells them the whole story. Gulaal comes near them and Motaba looks at her and says "yeh maavdi ne hume itni badi sazaa kyun di?shaayad humne jo tumhaare saath ''.",he stops in between no longer able to continue. Panba keeps her head on his shoulder and Motaba holds her. Gulaal and Kesar quietly leave the room allowing them to grieve for their eldest son.