FF:Pyaar Ka Rishta Final Chapter updtd Pg 67 - Page 4

Chapter 3

"Panba,Vasant chala gaya hai,Woh hum sabko,Gulaal ko chod ke chala gaya…" Panba takes him into an empty room and a stunned Gulaal follows without their knowledge. Panba cries out "yeh aap kya keh rahe hain.nahi,woh aisa nahi kar sakta usne mujhse vaada kiya hai." "usne aisa hi kiya hai.hum sabko dhokha deke kaayaron ki tarah bhaag gaya.padh lo is chitti mein usne yehi likha hai." Motaba gives her the letter and Panba reads it aloud "Jab tak yeh chitti aapko milegi tab tak main is ghar se bahut door jaa chuka hoonga.Maine bahut koshish ki main aapki iccha ko pura kar sakun,lekin mujhse yeh nahi ho paayega.Ba,maine aapse bahut baar kehne ki koshish kii thi lekin har baar aapne mujhe apni kasam dekar rok leti,bas ab aur nahi-main kisi aur ladki se pyaar karta hoon,haan woh hamaare dharam ko belong nahi karti lekin pyaar dharam yaa jaath ko dekh ke kiya nahi jaata na ,pyaar tho bas ho jaata hai aur main use bhulaake kisi aur ka haath nahi thaam sakta.isliye shaadi se pehle hi yahan se jaa raha hoon.mujhe maaf kar dijiye.main jaanta hoon is faisle se aap sab ko takleef hogi lekin main bhi apne pyaar ke aage majboor hoon.aapka Vasant".

"maine kya kuch nahi kiya use samjhane ke liye,yahan tak keh daala ki agar woh yeh shaadi nahi karega tho mera mara mooh dekhega.Iske baavajoodh usne aisa kadam uthaya.usne tho mera dil hi tod diya",she wails. Motaba regaining his composure says "Panba,aapko aisa nahi karna chahiye tha,shaayad isliye woh ruk gaya aur beman shaadi bhi karli,par kya faayda anth mein uska pyaar jeet hi gaya. lekin aapko mujhe yeh baat pehle hi bataa dena tha aur Vasant ne bhi mujhse yeh baat chupaayi,kyun?usne kaha hota tho main kuch upaay doondh leta.lekin ab tho bahut der ho chuki hai.ab Gulaal ka kya hoga? hum kis mooh se us bachi ka saamna karenge.humne uski zindagi barbaad kardi". "aap Gulaal ki chinta mat kijiya.Is baat ka kisiko pata nahi chalna chahiye nahi tho samaaj mein hamaari badnaami ho jaeyegi.main use samjhaungi,baat karungi usse….kisiko khabar nahi hona chahiye is baare mein"replies a determined Panba

Standing outside the door Gulaal is shocked listening to their conversation.She wants to run away but she is rooted to the spot.Her eyes are brimming with tears of broken dreams and expectations.She mutters "Motaba….yeh kya….."Motaba and Panba look at her with shock. Panba quickly brings her inside the room and shuts the door. "mujhe maaf karde beta,maine tujhse vaada kiya tha lekin main woh nibha nahi paaya….."Motaba says without being able to meet her eyes.Panba tells him "jaayiye aapko baahar hona chahiye.kisiko shak na hojaaye.main Gulaal ko samjha dungi". Motaba,his shoulders hunched in defeat leaves the room with slow,unsure steps. "Gulaal,ab main jo kehne jaa rahi hoon shaayad sahi nahi hai.lekin iske siva aur koi raasta bhi tho nahi hai.maine tujhe apni beti maana hai isliye tujhse yeh baat bina jhijhak keh sakti hoon.Vasant ne jo tere saath kiya woh galat hai.Tu shaayad apne baa-baapji ke paas jaana bhi chaahe lekin isse kisiki bhalaayi nahi hogi,ulta tumhare parivaar ko dukh pahunchega aur jo badnaami hogi so alag.aur kisiki nahi tho apne Choti behen ke bare me soch-uski shaadi nahi hui abhi tak aur yeh baat jaan ne ke baad kya koi acha rishta aayega uske liye" Gulaal is not able to understand a thing,her mind is completely jumbled up and she asks "aap kya kehana chahti hain?mujhe tho kuch sammajh nahi aa raha" Panba says with a determined look"Gulaal tujhe sab se Vasant ke jaane ki baat chupaani padegi.Tujhe sabko yeh yakeen dilana hoga ki tu behad khush hai Vasant ke saath apni nayi zindagi mein" Gulaal is shocked "lekin Panba…" "apne parivaar ke bare mein soch,kya woh yeh sach jhel paayenge….main tere aage haath jodti hoon Gulaal-ab dono parivaaron ki izzat tumhare haathon mein hai"Panba begs her.Gulaal looks on with shock and heartbreak.

After 1 month (early morning in the Patel house)

Jai Ambe Gauri, Maiya Jai Shyama Gauri.

Tumako Nishadin Dhyavat, Hari Bramha Shivari.

Om Jai Ambe Gauri...

Gulaal's lovely voice echoes throughout the house and everyone joins in.After the pooja she seeks Motaba and Panba's blessings with a smile on her face. Motaba's health had taken for worse after the incident. He wanted to free Gulaal from these meaningless ties but Panba and rest of his family stopped him,asking him to think about Rewa and how it would affect their business.He never felt this helpless before.It killed him whenever he saw Gulaal's sad smile "Vasant kitna unfortunate hai-use itni achi patni mili thi naseeb se lekin woh pehchan nahi paaya" Gulaal quickly runs to her room to get ready to go to college ,looks at her huge room and the loneliness creeps in.To the outside world she was a happily married woman whose only misfortune was the fact that her husband had to go on frequent business tours and so could not spend enough time with her. Of course she knew people talked wanting to know the reason behind the long business trips and making assumptions of their own. What a joke her life had become. Sometimes she feared that one day she would start believing the lies she told. "no" she thought, this situation was just temporary. Her family found it odd that Vasant was too busy to meet them and they felt that maybe he was embarrassed about their low social standing therefore he was purposefully trying to avoid them. Gulaal let them think that, it was better than the truth which would shatter her parents .Her life now revolved around her studies and fulfilling all the duties of a bahu but never getting to enjoy her life as a wife with a loving husband by her side. Once again doubts enter her mind regarding her decision but then she is reminded of her family especially her unmarried sister and her new found family,most of whom have given her love and respect. The family knew of the reality of the situation and they never made her feel like an outsider. Rewa had become like a younger sister to her and through her she came to know a lot about the other family members-about Jamna Kaki's gossipy nature,Giga Kaka's helplessness to stop her,Dushyantji's silent but honest and straight forward personality and Raman-Sudha's sadness for not being able to have a child. She came to know about Vasant a lot,which painted a different picture but she could never forgive him for ruining her life…. ever.

And the one person she had never met- Kesar,Vasant's younger brother who had been unable to attend the marriage due to his exams. He was studying in London and will be coming back very soon completing his studies. Rewa could not shut up about him and Gulaal could slowly make out why looking at his photos in the album.He did not stand still even in one single snap. Animated and energetic he looked like a fun person and was definitely the "laadla" .Everyone seemed to dote on him and the mischevious glint in his eyes made her smile. Gulaal hoped she could gain a good friend in him.

Coming back to the present Gulaal gets ready and taking her bag comes downstairs. "arre Gulaal,kahan jaa rahi ho,nashta tho karke jaao"Panba says "nahi Panba,mujhe jaana hoga,pehle hi bahut der ho gayi hai"she takes her blessings and rushes out the door to go.She almost collides with a person .She takes a step back and looks at the stranger with curiosity and then recognizing him from the family photos she smiles at him.He looks shocked for a second and then taking off his sunglasses he says"acha tho tum ho woh ladki ho jiski wajah se mere Vasant bha ki zindagi barbaad ho gayi" stares at her in anger for a second and just walks past her into the house. Gulaal remains rooted to the spot with a frozen smile on her face.

Sorry for the extra long chapter.but I needed to introduce Kesar in this chapter😊