Khushi's awestruck hearing Akash's words "Kaun Raizaada?" and then she stopped her words from revealing further and she awaited Akash's answer.
Akash narrates, "
Humare gaon, ka sabse ameer aur izzatdar parivaar hai Raizaada parivar. Kisi zamaane mein royal family hua karti thi. Ab to khair Bharat mein democracy hai, raaj-paat to raha nahi, par gaon waale ab bhi unki bahut izzat karte hai.
Tumhe pata hai, jo mere zameen ko lekar problem chal rahi thi, inhone hi to solve karaayi thi. Sabki madad karte hain wo.
Apne niyam aur usoolon ke ye itne pakke hain ki unke aage aur kisi cheez ya insaan ki koi keemat nahi inke liye. Koi bhi galat ho sakta hai par inke baare mein kabhi koi baat nahi galat ho sakti. Ghar ke har sadasya ke gale mein unke pushtaini (ancestral) nishaan ka locket hota hai. Jo locket abhi tumhare paas hai na, kuch waisa hi. Par tumhe ye kahan se mila?"
The last question breaks Khushi's trance, she decides to change the topic and not reveal her plan, "
Are ye, Raizaada ka kaise ho sakta hai? Koi ittefaq hoga. Ye to hume humari dost ne tohfa diya tha shaadi ka..." And suddenly all the past awful memories zoom in before her eyes, and trinkle down in for of tears. Akash notices this and tries to change the topic, "
Hoga waisa hi, chodo na isko, isse aur acche gehne dilwa denge tumhe"
He tries to keep it back but Khushi stops him, "
Nahi Jijaji, ye to kaafi interesting baat batayi apne hume. Kitni mazedar baat hai na ki humara locket un logo ke pushtaini nishan jaisa hai, jinhone aapki itni madad ki" Akash sees that, she isn't sad anymore and lets her keep it while Khushi continues, "
Unhi ki to wajah se humari zindagi badal gayi" satire creeps into her voice and Akash isn't able to understand why she said that. He queries, "
Matlab" and Khushi smartly covers-up, "
Matlab, unki wajah se hi to aapki problem solve hui, tabhi to aapke gaon rehne jaa rahe hain hum, nahi to bina ghar ke yahan Dilli mein pata nahi kahan jaate" her answer satisfies Akash and he leaves the room to resume the departure proceeding while Khushi has a soliloquy "
Keemat to ab hum unhe batayenge, kisi ki zindagi ki, humare Shyam ki zindagi ki, un mein se jinhone humare Shyam ki jaan li hai, unhe to uska badla apni jaan se hi dena hoga"
They catch the train from Delhi to Sundernagar, which was Akash's village. On their way to Akash's village Khushi puts forward a seemingly innocent query, "
Kuch aur bataiye na hume Raizaadas ke baare mein" and Payal offers to answer this time, "
Kya batayein Khushi, itne acche log to humne aaj tak nahi dekhe, jis din hum shaadi karke wahan aaye the, gaon ke itne ameer log hote hue bhi us ghar ki auratein humari mooh-dikhayi mein aayi aur ..."
"
Haan haan pata hai, Jijaji ki zameen dilane mein bhi unhone madad ki thi, pata hai hume" Khushi interrupts in a disinterested tone "
Aap ye bataiye ki unke pariwaarmein hai kaun kaun?"
Then Payal explains, "
Ghar ke mukhiya Rajendra Raizaada aur unki patni to ab is duniya mein nahi hai, par haan unke do bete hain Raghav aur Arnav aur ek beti Anjali.
Ghar ki saari zimmedari to unki Daadi Gayatri Devi sambhallti hain. Badi sakht mizaaj ki hain wo, koi galti bardasht nahi hoti unse."
Khushi's hunger for introspection isn't satisfied yet, "
Par Didi ye bhi to batiye ki ye sab log kaise hain, matlab Daadi ka to hum samajh gaye aur baaki?"
Payal: "
Raghav ka kya batayein, choti umar se apne pita ki kaam mein madad karta hai to uska bartav kaafi gusse waala hai ho gaya hai, saara gaon darta hai uske gusse se.
Anjali ne kuch hi din pehle pni padhai khatam ki aur gaon aa gayi thi, badi pyaari hai, sabse ghul mil kar rehti hai, bilkul Raghav ka ulta, ghamand ka to koi naam hi nahi hai"
Khushi: "
Aur????"
Payal: "
Aur kaun? Arnav? uske baare mein jaan kar kya karogi?"
Khushi gets alert, seems like a mystery to unfold is awaiting her, and she's near to knowing all she wants as Payal continues, "
Kabhi kabhi lagta hai, Bhagwan ne duniya kini galat banayi hai, par Arnav ko dekh kar ye khayal dimaag se nikal jaata hai. Dil uska jitna saaf hai utna masoom bhi. Har kisi ki madad karta hai,
sab use pyare hai,
muskurata hai to lagta hai din bhar ki thakan pal mein gayab ho gayi aur hazaaron phool khil gaye.
Par wo kehte hain na gulab ke phool ke saath kaante bhi hote hain,
jaane kya ho gaya ki uske gharwalon ne use band kar diya..."
A calm listener Khushi was surprised at the last statement, "
Kyun?"
"
Keh rahe the paagal ho gaya hai, usse milne nahi diya kisi bahar waale ko mahino tak, ab to saara gaon taras gaya use dekhne ko..."
The train halts and who gets of the train is a more confused Khushi, plied with more questions instead of answers. She spends a sleepless night recollecting what Payal had told her and trying to draw conclusions. The next morning she gets up and takes a walk in the village.
It was pretty early and Khushi was strolling in Akash's apple-orchards and there weren't too many people around. Suddenly she heard a tree shake. Turning towards it she advances towards it trying to find out. She stood below the tree and tried to gaze through the branches to find the source of shaking. And then, she spotted that it was a human. A guy had climbed up the tree and was plucking apples. Realizing that, she got alarmed and screamed to raise alarm and call the guard of the orchard "
Chor chor chor..."
The thief got scared and let go of the apples, all of hich fell on Khushi's head like rain. Infuriated she shouted, "
kaun hai!!! Abhi ke abhi neeche utaro!!" The thief tried to pay heed, but a branch broke, and he suffered the same fate as the apples,and before they knew it, Khushi was lying on the ground with the guy over her 😆
Edited by nikkie - 13 years ago
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