Part Two:
Ab Tere Bin Jeelenge Hum
Now I'll live without you
Zahar Zindagi Ka Peelenge Hum
I'll drink the poison of life
Kya Hua Jo Ek Dil Toot Gaya
So what if one heart broke
Kya Hua Jo Ek Dil Toot Gaya
So what if one heart broke
Sanam Tod Deta Mohabbat Ke Vaade
I would've broken the promises of love
Agar Jaan Jaati Main Tere Iraade
Had I known your intentions
Kise Maine Chaaha
Whom I desired
Kahan Dil Lagaya
Whom I loved
Main Naadaan Thi Kuchh Samajh Hi Nahin Paayi
I was innocent and couldn't understand
Mere Aansuon Ke Moti
The pearls of my tears
Aankhon Se Behta Paani
The water flowing from my eyes
Mere Toote Dil Ke Tukde
The broken pieces of my heart
Tere Pyaar Ki Nishaani
Are the signs of your love
Kaisa Main Bhoolongi Tere Sitamb
How can I forget your injustice?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rTatsmUgmiA
He sat in his bedroom lost in his own thoughts and stroked the mangalsutra that adorned his wrist. A lonesome tear fell from his eye as he thought back to the last time he had seen her. He envisioned how he had pushed her away that day not sparing her a second glance. He looked at that same arm responsible for his grief and slammed it hard against the wall repeatedly with all his might as his tears began to fall faster. That arm that had the audacity to prod his beloved away from him. If only he could numb the pain that tore at his heart every second of his existence. Hearing the blows coming from afar, Dashrat rushed inside his grandson's room. The site in front of him crushed his heart into a million pieces. "Viplav!" he shouted pushing him away from the wall. "What are you doing? Have you gone crazy?" he reprimanded his grandson. "Are you trying to kill us?" Dashrat weeped to his grandson. Viplav stood in front of him completely lifeless. The spark in his eyes was absent and that charming grin long gone. Dashrat looked at his grandson's solemn face and gaped in bitterness at his condition. He had tried to the best of his ability to help Viplav out his devastation. Oh, how he had tried, but had failed miserably each time! "Five years have passed, Viplav. How long will you go on mourning, child?" He watched his grandson play with the mangalsutra tied on his wrist. Dashrat and Kanak had succeeded in omitting Dhani from Viplav's life, but they could do nothing to annihilate her from his heart and his memory. "Dhani is a part of me in every way imaginable. With every breath and every beat, my heart and soul covet for her. If only there was a way I could turn back the clocks of time so that I could change my destiny. If only I could show her my regret for every one of my mistakes. Her love will remain with me in this mangalsutra until my last breath. Dada Ji, I want you to perform my last rights with this mangalsutra on my wrist. I may not be a suhagaan, but my ultimate wish is to die a suhaag." Having made his point, Viplav stood up and walked away from his dejected grandfather's sight.
Five years had passed since she had walked out of his life. He had searched every ashram in North India since that godforsaken day in the hope of finding her. He had contacted the police and had hired private investigators to search for his wife's whereabouts, but to no avail. Dhani and the rest of the ladies in white had vanished into thin air. On his grandfather's insistence, he had fulfilled his Dada Ji's dream of having acquired an education in America. He had returned from Boston two years ago as Viplav Tripathi, Barrister-at-Law. In a short duration of time, he had built a reputation for himself as one of India's most sought after lawyers. Forbes Asia had awarded him a rank on their prestigious list of the Top 30 Under 30 in the category of Law and Policy. His NGO, I Care, had received accolades for its initiative on defending the defenseless. The organization aimed at bettering the lives of widows and orphans in distress. Viplav had drowned himself in his work day and night in an attempt to escape from his sorrow of a life without his better half.
Viplav had landed in Mumbai hours ago for a high-profile case involving an industrialist's son. The accused had been charged of driving under the influence in a hit-and-run case that had injured three bystanders waiting for their bus at a depot in Worli. VIplav had been hired by the Maharashtrian government to represent the poor three men that had been struck by the accused in a nearly fatal incident. He was on his way back to his hotel at night when he got caught in one of Mumbai's notorious traffic jams. An hour had passed and the car hadn't moved an inch. Exasperated by the delay, Viplav asked his driver for a cold bottle of water along with an alternate route back to the ITC Maratha in Andheri. Twenty minutes had passed with no sign of the driver infuriating Viplav even further. His eyebrows scrunched together in annoyance as a grimace donned his face. He angrily grumbled to himself, "I'll have to the sort the matter out myself." He reached for the door when he felt a hand grip his wrist holding him back. He looked down towards the hand embellished with gold bangles and immediately looked up towards the person sitting next to him. He saw Dhani in a red saree adorning gold earrings and a heavy necklace. Her part was filled in a bright red symbolizing her marital status. Her rosy red lips held a faint smile as she looked at him in jest. "Why is your anger always on the tip of your nose?" she fussed. A smile spread on Viplav's face as his eyes began to sparkle on recognizing his wife. His eyes locked with his wife's as joy radiated in Viplav from within and his smile widened in response. "Always angry at everything. How angry will you get? Your anger is always on the tip of your nose." scolded Dhani. Viplav inched forward towards his wife. "Where? Here?" he touched his nose gazing intently at his wife. His eyes sparkled like diamonds as his attitude changed to one that was lively. He touched his love's nose waiting for her reaction. Dhani bit her cheeks holding in her chuckle and pointed to his nose. "Here." she said as she examined her husband closely. "Where?" Viplav asked again sliding even closer to Dhani. "Tell me again." said Viplav moving his lips millimeters away from Dhani's. He shuddered in excitement at their growing proximity. Butterflies formed in his stomach as he became hypnotized by Dhani's beauty. His blood surged at their intimacy. He could feel his erratic pulse combine with his shallow breaths as his body lusted for her gentle touch. He wanted nothing more than to capture her soft moist lips with his own. "It flew away." Dhani said with a bright smile on her face. Viplav looked away with a wide grin engrossed in the moment. His eyes shone as he rested his mouth on his fist. He turned to look back at his wife with his left index finger on his temple. Dhani had disappeared. His grin immediately converted into a frown as a somber expression manifested on his face. His eyes that were bright seconds ago turned as dim as dark clouds on a rainy day. Her absence in his life hit him hard once again.
Ranjhan dhoondhan main chaleya
When I went out in search of my lover
Ranjhan mileya naa ye
I couldn't find her
Jigraan vichon agan laga ke Rabba
After igniting a fire inside my heart, O Lord
Laqeeran vich likh di judaai
You've written separation in my destiny
Kho gayi, gum ho gayi
She got lost, she disappeared
Waqt se churaya tha jo
The one whom I had stolen from time
Apna banaya tha
The one whom I had made mine
Ho teri, woh meri
She was mine
Saath nibhaaya tha jo
The one who had been my companion
Apna banaya tha
The one whom I had made mine
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f7dd7aojpUY
Indrani sat on the porch of a three bedroom house with a cup of tea in the locality of Mahim in Mumbai. She looked out on to the street where a group of children were having a gala time playing cricket. Life had changed drastically for the widows of Tarini Vidhva Ashram five years ago. When she had made the decision to sell the ashram, she wasn't sure where they would go or what they would do to survive. With Suvarna's divorce and Dhani's separation, the time had come to leave Benares and its bitter memories forever. She knew life wasn't going to be a walk in the park, but she had never anticipated the difficulties that arose their first year there. Mumbai, the city of dreams. It was a cinch to go astray in the sea of people here. Nobody seemed to have time. Everyone was always in a rush. Indrani had just enough money to purchase a three bedroom house for ten widows in a middle-class neighborhood. The property came with a slew of problems; there was no working electricity or plumbing, the house was infested with roaches and lizards, and the paint was peeling off the walls everywhere. They looked for the same kind of work at the temples in Mumbai. Making garlands for a living was the only skill they thought they had that would come to use. The wages were meager, often times they could only afford one meal a day.
Dhani's pregnancy hadn't been without complications in her last trimester. The stress of leaving Benares and her day-to-day struggles in Mumbai had led her to developing a medical condition known as preeclampsia, a complication of pregnancy characterized by high blood pressure. Dhani had swollen quite a bit in her last month of pregnancy and often complained of severe headaches and dizziness. Sita Mayi and Chayya Kaki both had experience assisting women in their villages give birth, but couldn't comprehend what was wrong with Dhani. One afternoon closer to the end of her pregnancy, Dhani had a sudden onset of excruciating abdominal pain. She crunched into a ball on the floor holding her stomach as she yelled in discomfort. Tears streamed down her face as she was unable to control her suffering. Dhulari and Indrani both gave her support on each side as they frantically searched for a doctor or a hospital. Dark clouds had filled the sky and the wind was strong as the three women fought to find their destination. Dhulari ran towards each auto rickshaw and taxi that came their way, but each vehicle whizzed past them leaving them discouraged and hopeless. Indrani and Dhulari looked up and observed the dark gray sky and knew without a doubt it was going to come down hard. They jumped at the sound of thunder and stared at one another in fright. They were soon drenched from head to toe in the heavy rain. In the darkness that surrounded them, there was barely any visibility left on the road. Dhulari and Indrani made a dash with Dhani towards the opposite side of the road when a car came to a screeching halt. The three women had been saved from a collision by a mere inch. A tall, muscular, handsome young man quickly came out of his car and hurried to check on the women he had almost collided with seconds ago. His eyes fell on Dhani who was hollering at the top of her lungs in pain. He looked at her condition and her pregnant frame and immediately offered his help. "Please let me help you. I'm a doctor. Your daughter needs to be taken to the hospital right away." The two women nodded their heads nervously as they helped Dhani into the backseat. The handsome man got into the car next to his driver and instructed him to drive to Lilavati Hospital as promptly as he could.
Dhulari and Indrani did the best they could to pacify Dhani until they reached the hospital. The handsome young man kept assuring them he wouldn't let anything happen to the mother or the baby. The car screeched to a halt in front of the doors to the emergency room. A team of nurses and paramedics awaited their arrival with a stretcher and rushed forward to help Dhani out of the car. As the paramedics swiftly pushed the stretcher back inside the hospital, the handsome young man paused in front of the two women and introduced himself as Vidhaan. He rushed inside the hospital behind the nurses. Dr. Vidhaan Tripathi was an American trained anesthesiologist who had returned to India two years ago. At the young age of 35, he was the assistant director of the anesthesiology department at Lilavati Hospital in Bandra. Vidhaan paged in one of his colleagues from the obstetrics and gynecology department. As the nurses checked Dhani's vitals, Vidhaan briefed his colleague Dr. Priya on the case. They unanimously decided to induce Dhani into labour and prepped the maternity ward for childbirth. Once Dhani had dilated to 7 cm, Vidhaan administered an epidural to aid in easing her pain. Throughout Dhani's labour, Vidhaan held her hand behind the curtain and gave her strength to keep pushing. Two hours later, Dhani had given birth to a beautiful baby girl. Both mother and daughter were out of danger and healthy. Dhani named her baby Vidha, Viplav and Dhani's Vidha.
Vidhaan stayed in touch and made an instant connection with Dhani and all of the other women. He learnt of their story and all of the ordeals they had endured since arriving in Mumbai. He felt an odd sense of familiarity being around the women as if they were his own relatives. He introduced his wife Mahi to all of the women and she bonded with them just as easily as Vidhaan. Mahi had studied to become a fashion designer in England. She was doing an internship in America when she met Vidhaan. Mahi was not only beautiful and extremely stylish, she was also very kind and compassionate. Dhani, Rajlaxmi, and Suvarna looked up to Vidhaan as an older brother and Mahi as an older sister. Mahi and Vidhaan both doted on little Vidha as if she was their own daughter. They referred to her as their princess and fulfilled all of her wishes with fervor. Vidhaan was troubled by the lack of education he saw in the women. He was especially concerned about Dhani, Rajlaxmi, and Suvarna. With Mahi's help, he saw to it that the young woman be educated in both Hindi and English. He also empowered the older women to abandon using their thumbs as their signatures and to become literate in Hindi.
On one visit to the ladies' house in Mahim, Mahi was seated on the cot with Vidhu in her arms. She was waiting for Dhani to bring her a cup of tea. A white dupatta caught her attention and she sauntered over to pick the dupatta up in her hand. The allure of the intricate embroidery done on the dupatta had astonished her. When Dhani came out of the kitchen with her cup of tea, Mahi asked her where she had purchased this exquisite piece of fabric. Dhani explained that the older women in the house had done the embroidery with their own hands. Mahi asked if they were skilled in other kinds of artisanship. In reply to her query, Dhani showed her a handful of pieces used on different occasions for worship in chickenkari, gota, phulkari, shisha, zardosi, and dabka. Mahi quickly came to the conclusion that the women were extremely talented in their craft. She was struck by an idea that could be beneficial to her and all of the women. Upon returning home, she disclosed her idea to Vidhaan who shared the same enthusiasm she did. The very next day, Vidhaan and Mahi returned to Mahim with a business proposition for the ladies. Mahi proposed that they become partners in a clothing boutique venture. Mahi had envisaged that she be the one to design ethnic fusion wear, the older ladies would be responsible for the artisanship, and the younger women would take charge of the boutique. The ladies in white were ecstatic by Mahi's proposal which prompted the beginning of Mahi T Couture in Juhu four years ago. The success of the boutique brought good fortune to the ladies. They had finally reached a position in life where they were no longer struggling to make ends meet. They were able to fix the issues with electricity and plumbing, had the whole house exterminated and repainted, and were able to furnish the house as per their desires. They even had a television and cable!
"Badi Nani! Badi Nani!" called out a little girl bringing Indrani out of her reverie. She ran straight into Indrani's arms and climbed up into her lap. Indrani smiled at the little doll in her lap and kissed her head. "How is my little Vidhu?" asked Indrani. Vidha put her finger on her chin and looked upwards toward the sky. She pretended to think for a moment or two before replying, "I'm fine, but I could be better." Vidha's eyes twinkled in mischief just like her father's. Indrani stroked Vidha's hair lovingly and asked, "How can we make our Vidhu feel better?" "Badi Nani, do you remember that chocolate bar I had from the shop down the street?" Vidha questioned while batting her eyelashes. Indrani laughed out loud at her request and stood up saying, "I remember quite well." She took Vidha's hand in her own and walked out of the gate towards the shop to heed to her granddaughter's request.
Edited by ~DaZZ|ing~ - 7 years ago
