Chapter 30 & Epilogue Pata nehi, he used to give very funny looks, waise seedhi ankho me kabhi nehi dekhta tha but many a times I saw him watching me with hooded eyes….unke nazaar thora ajeeb tha….
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Jai walked the long corridors from his room to Bani's room. The door was shut, Jai had seen her entering, he knocked the door and waited, again repeated the same, after sometime, Gangaiya opened the door holding the keys of the office….
I don't need the keys, hato I want to speak to Bani……
Ji unka tabiyet theek nehi hai….
So what I want to speak to her….
The door of the bedroom banged closed….. …I could stand by him but what was wrong with him, does he not believe in me, he left me in a place jaha mera izzat uchhala gaya….Gangaiya narrated from behind what Bani has been telling her a little while ago….
Jai glared at Gangaiya….
Aisa mai nehi keh rahi hu, woh keh rahi hai…..aur agar mujhse puchha jaye, I am 100% with her, she has stood by you even when you did not want her to….
Aur mujh par kya gujarta hai kisi ko yeh parwa nehi hai, his jaws became hard….
Yes of course but then you are the Garh, you are the shield over us, you have to face the first lashes, the first attack and that is why we have made you immortal….ghao bhi aapko jaida lagega, gir bhi aap jayenge but you have to get up on your own, we can only help you at times…..
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Jai dragged his feet across the long corridor towards his room, Sita Devi smiled at herself, he is crumbling she thought, hit the iron when it is hot, good Jai is fed up of fighting, bechara biwi bhi saath nehi diya, knowing Bani's nature, Sita devi took a chance to challenge her for the AIDS test, of course Bani will protest, being somewhat idealist in nature, Bani will be offended if her words were not taken at face value….tu tu tu…bechara, Sita Devi yawned stretching herself lazily, yes tonight she will sleep well….
As Jai stepped into the section of his corridor he saw Chandana crying into Shashank's shoulder, she is so adamant, ruined the whole thing, I keep on suffering because of her….just then seeing Jai, they straightened….Chandana collected herself and wiped her eyes….Jai Bhaiya I thought I had convinced her that day not to make the issue big, lekin….Jai walked past, turning his face away….
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The Durbar Hall again filled up after a week, this time the meeting was called by Shashank, the atmosphere of the Garh was nerve wrackingly still, just like the time Jai had entered the place after cremating Suraj Singh, though it got over soon, this was continuing, no work was being done, if in the Garh Jai remained confined to his room, not bothering to open his office, many of the co-brothers came to see him, cheer him up, make him understand…some tried to get in touch with Bani as they felt Jai was not going to ask Bani for a check-up, too much self respect is also bad, when your future is concern but then marriage cannot survive without trust, the wives of the co-brothers who could get past Gangaiya to speak to Bani, got to hear, I am clean, he may be the Garh but he is also my husband, doesn't he trust me, and why is he sending you to me….
No no he has not sent me, I came on my own, the lady had to confess…..
As they took their seat, Jai came clicking his heels, without looking at anyone or nodding at anyone he went to take his seat directly, the co-brothers were also present alongwith their wives and children, Tikhamal Das came, Sita Devi was eager to take her seat, when everyone was seated, Bani came, with her ghunghat pulled till her chest, she walked straight to take her seat….
Shashank cleared his throat, Jai was sitting relaxed looking at no one in particular……
Let me apologise first for taking the liberty to call for this meeting to discuss the great matter of the Garh, while Sita Devi's concern does make sense to us but then we should also realise at the end of the day, it is an issue between husband and wife…Shashank paused and then said softly the husband happens to be the Thakur of the Garh and the wife Thakurain, so we are taking the liberty to discuss this matter almost in public, though I might like add here, as for the concept of the Garh, the co-brothers are part of the family, hence please Thakur & Thakurain ji forgive us incase you think we have crossed the boundaries….
Bani sat still, her face under ghunghat, Jai sat admiring his nails…
Ek minute, Tikhamal Das stood up….Bani meri piyari beti hai, mai thoda lalach me akar meri beti ki shaadi idhar kiya hai, iske matlab yeh nehi hai I will not support my daughter, mere kandho pe abhi takh itna shakti hai ki mai apna beti ko wapis le chalu, keeping her dignity and prestige intact….
Pitaji aap baith jaiye, I am not going anywhere, I told you before and I am telling you know, I am the Thakurain of this Garh and if anything wrong has happened even though I am saying it did not, that does not mean I will cease to be the Thakurian, I love my husband, if I am to die, let me die here after all this is my home now and if I cannot give heirs to the Garh, again it will not be my fault as I was not aware that Suraj had AIDS, yes I tried to be his wife, helping him to recover but I was not aware of that fact somehow I cannot believe that Bade Thakur who promised me that he will rectify the mistake he made to me in the past…..
Bade Thakur did not know that Suraj Singh had AIDS, Jai suddenly sat up….
What ? Was the collective question..
Baith jao Bani, Jai waved his hand towards her, as you said this is your home, kahi jane ka jaroorat nehi hai…..
She claims to love you but then she will not undergo any tests…Sita Devi commented….if Bade Thakur never knew than who knew…..
Sirf aap jante the that Suraj Singh had AIDS, Jai's eyes gleamed, his smile was mean…
How dare you accuse me, I admitted I knew, only later….us din jab
You knew from the very beginning, aap ne ek galati kar di….aapne goti toh bahut sundar sajaya, but by showing the sheet on which I consummated my marriage with Bani….of course it showed the world that Bani did not bleed during her first night with me….I was not concerned as I too had assumed Bani is my brother's widow so it is natural, aur mai kitna sachcha hu, I slept with Pia after my marriage to Bani but displaying of the sheet bugged me, later it made me think and come to the conclusion that it was a planned attack, I asked Radhe, who handed over the sheet to taiji, Radhe told me while cleaning the room, he went out in between and later when he noticed he thought he already had given it for washing, if not Radhe then who, and why was Radhe who is my personal servant suddenly called in the kitchen? Then I asked myself why planned attack, Suraj Singh is not alive…..then I got to know about your character Taiji, I got to hear that Dharam Singhji at times made efforts to please you, to rectify himself but your accusations sent him back to his old life, I am not defending him but you are always wanting revenge, if I cannot be happy, nobody should be happy, if I have been deprived, others should also be so….it is kind of a psychological disorder…if I may so add…
Of course I am once again made out to be the villain but does it prove Bani is clean, she is safe enough for you, you are not addressing the real problem….
She is safe as she did not sleep with Suraj Singh….
Lekin….
The sheet proves nothing and even if Suraj Singh was well enough I don't think he would have consummated his marriage willingly, after all he was a gay…..
Tum ko kaise maloom, Sita Devi asked Jai now really looking surprised…..
Jai smiled, Aapko toh maloom tha hi, after all you were the one running to Delhi all the time to see your son, get him out of his habits…..several travel bills are evidences enough…
You better have enough proof Thakur Sahab, it is a terrible thing to accuse someone with, Dikhpal Singh spoke, Sita Devi looked grateful….
It is not too difficult Dikhpalji if you accept your children are a bit different but since you have asked me for clarification it is because your attitude to trap me with Pia, of course Pia is very attractive, I was unhappy being married off suddenly I made use of her to let out my anger and frustration but the time I was with Pia, I never heard her mentioning Suraj Singh except for once or twice, how come you did not try your tricks with Suraj or was he not interested…….anyway the other day Radhe told me, he did not like the way Suraj Singh stared at him, later when Shashank came to cheer me up, I asked him casually about Suraj Singh, what kind of man he could have been, as Shashank was with me in America, he had no clue but then he remembered that Uditji had commented that Aditya once met Suraj is some party, he had funny looking friends….
But that does not prove anything Dikhpal continued….
Of course it does not, lekin internet bhi kamal ki cheez hai, in USA, things are much more open, I had all sorts of friends, some gays too, so I spoke to them when one of them told me that during this age, everybody is member of some forum or the other in the net, just see if your late cousin has been member of any such forum, he gave me some names…..and voila I soon found out what I was guessing…..
Wah re Garh wah kya vichar hai aapka, mera mare huwe bte ko badnaam karke you want to prove that your wife is pure and healthy…..
I do not need any prove of Bani's purity but then I do believe Bani is telling the truth, if not Bani than Savi Bua definitely is, because I found her like an angel, innocent and pure, she speaks from heart….she told me Bani loves me and Bani never lies, later she called me up to say that I trust you and I know you will not hurt my Bani….what have I done to gain your trust, I asked her….my heart tells me so and I believe in my heart, it has never let me down, God has been kind to me in this regard….Jai noticed Tikhamal Das wiping his tears, trying to control himself…..
So we come to the conclusion that the charges brought against the Thakurain….Shashank started…
Shashank rehne do, apno ke beech kichar math uchhalo….I take this opportunity to announce two things….many of the co-brothers have been sounding me that they would like to handover their mantle to their children and lead a retired life, though in co-brothership there is no retirement, once you are a brother, you are a brother for life but then I am ready to look into this matter, times have changed and with such stressful life it is but natural to wearout soon so I would request you to volunteer your nomination, it will be looked into and assessed…
Aur doosra? Shankar asked….
As you know this Garh was set up by 15 co-brothers and now only 10 remain, time has come for us to take the no. to 15 atleast looking at the future of the Garh but then common sense says we cannot nominate someone who does not believe in this concept, way back in America I used to have endless discussions with my mother, why girls should also be allowed ….but the point is you have to believe in the concept of the very thing….therefore I have a suggestion, please look for 4 such people, preferably related to the former co-brothers and ask them if they are interested in joining the Garh, of course after their assessment only….
4 or 5? Asked another co-brother….
5th one I know whom to nominate, my friend Shashank, his grandmother was a co-brother's daughter but then Shashank cannot beome a co-brother now as I have another proposal for him, Bani has been bugging me for quite a while that she thinks Shashank and Chandana make a very nice pair, maine usko mana kya as I thought the prerogative to settle Chandana's marriage is with Taiji, anyway since Taiji was busy elsewhere I noticed Chandana & Shashank indeed make a good pair, so I will ask both of them if they will marry each other, I will assure them keeping in the tradition of the Garh, Shashank cannot become the co-brother as he will be related to me then but their children will become eligible automatically.....co-brothers or co-sisters…
You mean to say you will induct girls into this brotherhood….Shankar frowned….
Jai gave a lop sided smile, he got up from his seat, extending his hand he called out to Bani, Thakurain come lets have tea together, bahut din ek saath chai nehi piye, lets ask Radhe to serve us under the Champa tree, bahut kaam kar liye aajke liye…..saying so they walked out of the Durbar Hall hand in hand….
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Epilogue
Jai watched his mother hugging Bani, a little while ago she arrived from the States, Jai introduced Bani who was busy running around arranging Chandana's wedding to Shashank. They will move to live in Shashank's father's maternal grandfather's haveli which has been lying vacant as his lineage was declared dead, it has revived with Shashank, Shashank could rather marry Chandana than become a co-brother, Jai once again managed to convince that atleast some of the perks of the co-brothership should be granted to Shashank….after all I am reviving his family, to start with they agreed that Shashank can stay in a co-brother Haveli vacated by his grandmother's family many years ago…..
Seeing everybody busy Jai walked out of the Haveli towards the river, past some months he has been fighting, coaxing at times even cheating the co-brothers so that he could have his way or prove his point, Roshni had told him about the meetings at her home but there was no recordings, he made that up challenging Udit and Dikhpal to play the blank CD, he even inducted Chandana into his office in a round about way but then he had to agree also Chandana insisted that she will no longer work with him, I will need time to set up my new home Jai Bhaiya, Aditya and two others were taking training, Pia's brother is still under assessment, Jai has told Shashank to go slow on him, Pia has gone to Mumbai to open a boutique with one of her friend, Jai is helping the way he can, Roshni and Rajiv showed up at last, Rajiv was working in Bangalore with a software company and Roshni is busy setting up her own design studio….no I have not done so badly, I even gave back the first instalment of the portion of the money to Tikhamal Das, he and Chandana did make some clever investment….if I have done some wrong, I have done some right too, after all it everything is fair in love and war...yes it was a kind of war, to establish yourself but then now let the peace prevail….Jai noticed the sun was about to set, the view from here was his favourite, he turned and frowned…Bade Thakur was coming, with his white beard flowing, in his trademark red attire…..he came and stood in front of Jai….
Kyu Digvijai, very happy today that your mother has come to visit you…he said….
You know about it…..
Bade Thakur smiled, I always believed you are the true Digvijay, the founder of our legacy….
So you said always but how
come you did not know that Suraj Singh was terminally ill before you married him off to Bani….
Who said I did not know, Suraj had to set for Digvijay to rise, see the sun has set but you are standing straight in front of me, Bade Thakur gestured mockingly…..then added Sita Devi wanted to get Suraj married soon as she thought he will mend his ways after marriage, Bani's kundali always said she will be married twice, she is a strong woman, I knew she will be a good Thakurain as soon as I saw her…but then getting her married to you was a bit tricky, so I had to make my own rules,
You mean the rule, Jai's eyes narrowed….
Bade Thakur laughed, yes, in those days people married young by default, just as you are tricking the co-brothers to get your own way…..abh chalu, I have to bless Chandana and convince Sita to come with me, I have booked a place for her at my Guru's Ashram in Haridwar….it is time she gets some peace and contentment ….with these words Bade Thakur walked towards the Haveli clicking his khadao, Jai stood watching him, Gangaiya always believed he will come to see if everything was alright and she was right, how did she know, did Bade Thakur tell her or was it her faith….the end…………
Dear Friends,
Thank God I am able to give this complicated story an ending. Politics is still a dirty word, be it at home, in office or in the society but then we need politicians to run the country, and the quality we have, the less said about them is better, I will not waste my words on them. When I was seeing Tudor I saw how the nobility used their daughters to enchant Henry VIII and become his mistress or wife later. Not that they did not have money but they wanted their rank to rise in the ladder of hierarchy. Ann Boylen was one such woman, the mother of Elizabeth I and ended in losing her neck under the axe. I have seen her frustrations and fears of losing Henry or unable to keep him interested in her. While they used Henry, Henry ensured he got want he wanted, if not sent them under the axe. Since Digvijay could not use the axe like Henry did, he had to get his work done in a round about way. I hope I have been able to cover all the emotion to your satisfaction….love Tin
Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2
