Part 1 Part 2
Part3 Meera Ka Mohan PT 4
maa mujhe apne aanchal mein chipa le
gale se laga le
ki aur mera koi nahi
phir na sataaunga kabhi paas bula le
gale se laga le
ki aur mera koi nahi
maa mujhe apne ...
(chota bhai)
Ganga asked to be dropped off at home. Veer and Varun tried their best to get her to come back with them but she refused. As the car stopped in the chawl, Jai looked for the first time at the chawl he was trying to buy from the thakral…Adi's word came to haunt him about uprooting people from their home. This was where Ganga's home was…a girl living alone with only her mother…the father who had abandoned them from what she had said. He watched Ganga sitting quietly between Veer and Varun. The boys were chatting away but Ganga seemed to be somewhere else. The sad look on her face got to him. For a long time after death of Atharva and Krishna, a child was tugging at his heart string. Ganga stepped out of the car as it stopped outside the dabba. She looked at Jai at the open window of the car and gave him a smile and said "Thank you uncle, " and walked into the dabba.
Back at the mansion, Karuna and Jigs were bustling around making sure the place was ready for the mehndi function. Jai looked at the overly decorated place, couldn't understand Jigyasa's taste in flashy dcor which also extended to her wardrobe too. The loud saris and the overly large jewellery were her hallmark. As she spied Jai walking in, she screamed, "Jai bhaiya you are back. Did you make the deal for the land and the chawl?"
Jai loosened his tie and answered quietly, "No! I am not interested in the land. It's not suitable for what I had in mind." He walked upstairs followed by Adi who concealed his surprise at Jai lying about the land. In his room Adi asked, "What happened Jai? Why did you lie to Jigyasa?"
"No reason. I have changed my mind. I don't want that land or want to start a project here. Now if you'll excuse me I want to rest for a while."
Downstairs Jigyasa asked Meera where they had been. Meera told her about going to the school function as the boys had been invited there by their new friend. Jigyasa glared at her, "Veer and Varun made a friend with a commoner and you thought it ok to take them to some village school. There is so much work to be done here and you go off like that. Seems you need to be reminded what your position is in this household."
Meera slipped away quietly without replying to Jigyasa's insults. She had got accustomed to them. If her brother had not been so forceful she would never have stepped a foot in the Walia house. At least before marriage to Jai Walia, she had been content to live with the memory of her first marriage…at least there had been love there…there had been someone to hold her at night, someone to share her dreams with. Being a widow with memories was a lot better than living as an unwanted suhagaan.
When Ganga did not return from school to see her, Bani panicked wondering if something had happened. She left instructions with her cook and helpers to take care of things while she went home to check up on Ganga. Bani hurriedly walked home. Ganga was in habit of always going to see Bani at the dabba when she returned from school. And today she had said she would come straight to the mansion before coming home.
At home she found Ganga lying on bed with tear stained face. Sitting down beside her Bani asked, "What happened Ganga? Why are you crying?"
With more tears Ganga related the taunts said by the woman at school. Bani listened with heavy heart at the anguish in Ganga's voice. She wished she could tell Ganga her father was Jai Walia and he lived in Mumbai. But what was the point as that would only lead to more sorrow for Ganga. She could never go back to that house and stand in front of Jai and tell him he has a daughter...she did not want Ganga to be called a child of an illicit affair. She sat holding Ganga and comforting her saying one day she would get to see her father...maybe one day he will come back to them.
Thakurani came to see Bani just as she was about to leave to go back to her duties at the mansion. She gloated as she said to Bani that she must empty the place by night as it had been sold. No amount of begging by Bani to give her few extra days swayed thakurani. Instead thakurani gloated saying the chawl was going to be demolished anyway, so what would an extra few days achieve. Bani left Ganga and hurried back to the mansion. Her staff had managed to get the dinner ready and was already laid out for serving. She told them about having to give up the dabba and after the wedding next day, there would be no jobs for them. Her staff tried to cheer her up saying they would help her find another place where she could reopen and until then she was more than welcome to stay with them.
Bani went home early and while Ganga was still sleeping she packed up their few belongings. Then she quietly woke up Ganga and said they had to leave their home as thakurani had asked her. She told her they were going to stay at Amrishchacha's house for one night and then tomorrow they would leave for Daksh mama's house in Mumbai.
Still half-asleep Ganga did not protest but walked a short distance to the mithai shop where Amrishchacha's wife was waiting for them. She showed the bed where Bani and Ganga could sleep and then left them.
Next day Bani told Ganga to stay at the shop with Chacha while she went finished her last day on the job. A hectic morning and afternoon followed for Bani as they prepared all the food required for the wedding. She briefly saw Meera looking for Ganga but she ignored her and kept on going on with her work. After today she or Ganga would never see her or the boys again anyway.
Unknown to her Ganga had come to the mansion just to meet Veer and Varun. She told them about how her mom had to move out of the house and that tonight she would be going to Mumbai to stay with her Daksh mama. The boys were excited to learn she was also going to Mumbai and Veer wrote down the address for Walia mansion and asked her to come and see them. After a while Ganga left saying she had better go back before Armrishchacha sent a search party out for her as she was not supposed to go anywhere.
A very tired Bani was just making sure everything was packed and sent off back to the various people she had rented the equipments from when Meera came to see her. She put an enevelope in Bani's hand and said it was a thank you gift from her for the excellent service provided by Bani and if Bani ever needed any help from her she could count on her. Bani thanked her and put the envelope away and finished rest of the cleaning up. When she reached home Ganga was waiting for her eager to go to the station. Bani thanked Amrishchacha for his help and with tears in her eyes she walked out of the chawl towards the station.
As they walked along, couple of black Mercedes passed by...Jai Walia stared at Ganga walking along holding hand of a woman possibly her mother. The car moved away before Jai could glance at Bani's face. For a split second Bani felt as if someone was looking at her but looking around she couldn't see anyone familiar.
They boarded the night train bound for Mumbai, Bani sat down with Ganga lying on her lap and waited for the train to move out of Meerut back to the place she had left more than five years ago.
to be continued……….
Anupamaa
