Posted:
The Ustaad was back.😎
Words that we longed to hear from the cruel pen of the authoress Sahiba that had wrought one misfortune after another upon the man to the point of hopelessness.😭
And hope came in the form of an angel, petite, soft and tender, yet with the resolve of steel. 👍🏼 What a creation Sahiba!👏 One doesn't need to wield the sword to prove one's bravery. Her mind was a weapon sharper and her will was a weapon stronger.
The pouch of medicines woven into the braids was a masterstroke!👏 I had guessed that crystallising the medicines to white was to make it look like salt. I was wondering how she would smuggle it in. My best guess was that she would stitch it to the hem of her dress. But the Ustaad already having done that to hide the farmaan in the satchel, she might have been checked thoroughly along the borders of her dress too. Clever girl and clever Gauri!👏
The tender scene despite the tensions was in authoress Sahiba's signature style - we could see and feel the scene.
The not-so-spiteful guard...naam kya hai unka? He seems to have garnered a soft spot in everyone's heart...including our leads. Hoping to see him as Ustaad's fourth aide by the end of the ordeal.😳 He is proof positive that God resides at the most unexpected places...his simple gesture of refusing Durga's ring despite realising its sale value knowing its value to the lady as much as its worth - compare him to the foul swine who despite knowing Durga's value and worth, sold her out to the devil.😡
I wonder if you've seen the movie Mahanadi - one of the most depressing movies ever made but a MUST watch...the low haggard and ugly wanderer who cared for the boy and the lady at the brothel displayed such shades of humanity while the sophisticated 'friend' drove him to the depths of humiliation and pain in life. Kamal's expressions, his mere look of gratitude at the two angels in disguise would make even the hard hearted weep. I could imagine Heera looking at the guard like that for a second. The exchange between them was poignant and lovely.
The roasting process of the swine has begun. And his conscience ( that went for a holiday when he cornered Heera and humiliated her to appease his ego inspite of knowing that he had orphaned her ) is the first ember. The tyrants always fear the ones they oppressed despite all their acts of bravery and Mahender truly fears the Ustaad. Unlike Khalil he has been raised in a proper family and is familiar with 'truth alone triumphs'. He fears that his treachery will bring about his downfall. He fears Durga's spirit will cause his defeat. He fears Ustaad's shadow too and is not assured despite the fact that the Ustaad is a mere shadow of what he was. He fears the consequences if he lost. His country will lose its heir, prestiege and he will lose his life and credibility. He will , i am sure, collapse at the mere sight of Ustaad when he marches into the arena in his usual smart self. Me waiting waiting for the day.
The spirits of the men down at Bindiya's capture, being raised by Tejraj's arrival , which ironically was caused ultimately by the same incident was very well portrayed.
In all a happening chapter that brought the first drizzle in the drylands.👏 Thank you Lashy.
Ye Hai Mohabbatein
667