Ashni OS: Kuchh to log kahenge; Epilogue on page 9

"As you all know we have gathered here to felicitate Dr Nidhi Mathur whose book Vardaan' has received a lot of critical acclaim from one and all. This book needs no introduction to all the guests present here... its success speaks everything about it. So without wasting much time I would like to invite Dr Nidhi to please come up on stage and share something about this book with all of you. So please welcome Dr Nidhi. The entire hall roared with the claps from every corner of the hall as Nidhi moved towards the stage and amongst all the claps the ones which reached her heart more than her ears were from none other than her husband...Dr Ashutosh who was sitting amongst the guests with their 14 year old daughter Pari. He was beaming with happiness and pride on seeing her work being appreciated.

After their marriage and birth of their daughter one year later...she left her practice to take care of her family while Ashutosh continued his practice. He tried his best to give good time to his family but Nidhi understood his professional commitments and so she devoted her entire time to their daughter and her house. But now that Pari was a teenager and she was comparatively free...she thought of writing a book... and Ashu supported her in this decision. After a lot of thought and Ashu's encouragement, she wrote her first book...she thought of writing on their love story...which was so unique and went against the taboos associated with marriages with wide age gaps...which were still unacceptable in the society...people looked down upon such couples...

As she went up the stage... she sat on her designated place. The host of the evening asked the audience to settle down and that soon they would get a chance to interact with her.

Host: Dr Nidhi first of all congratulations on the phenomenal success of your first book.

Nidhi: thanks...

Host: to sab se pehle yeh bataiye ki aapko book likhne ki inspiration kahan se mili?

Nidhi: mujhe iski inspiration apni life se mili hai...

Host: matlab...main kuchh samjha nahi...

Nidhi: main aapko batati hu... jaise ki aap aur yahan sab log jaante hain ki maine is book mein ek aise couple ki life show karne ki koshish ki hai jinke beech mein bahut wide age difference hai... aur uske baad bhi kaise wo ek doosre ke liye har mushkil ka saamna karte hain...humare samaj mein aisi shaadiyon ko lekar bahut saare galat vichaar hain...jo shayad is book ko padne ke baad kuchh kam ho payen...

Host: to aap yeh kehna chahti hain ki yeh book aapki hi life pe based hai... to kya aapne bhi ek aise insaan se shaadi ki jo...

Nidhi: ji haan ...kya aap milna chahte hain unse?

Host: sure why not? Wo hain yahan?

Nidhi: ji haan...wo yahin hain...mujhe itne important din pe akela kaise chhod sakte the...

Host invited him to the stage as well and Ashu went and sat close to Nidhi. The host greeted him and congratulated him on the success of Nidhi. He asked both of them to share something about their life and the book.

Ashu: ab main kya bataun? Jo bhi hai wo to aap sab ke saamne hai...Nidhi ne is book mein likhe har shabd ko khud jiya hai...

Nidhi: yeh theek keh rahe hain... sirf maine nahi...hum dono ne jiya hai... hum dono ne jo mushkilon ka saamna kiya ...hum nahi chahte wo aage aane wale samay mein kisi aur ko sehna pade... shayad logon ka nazariya kuchh badal paye... sirf isliye ki hum dono mein itna age gap hai ...isse kya humare beech ka pyar aur understanding kam ho jaati hai? nahi na...

Ashu: humara to manna hai ki pyar karne ke liye age koi matter nahi karti... do log ek doosre se tab pyar karte hain jab wo ek doosre ko achhe se samajhte hain...balki main to kahunga ki aapko khud se bhi zyada achhe se samajhte hain... Aur yeh main jaanta hu ki Nidhi mujhe samajhti hai...mujhse bhi zyada...

Host: you are right... ab aap dono humari audience ko bataiye ki kya aap ko kabhi aisa laga ki aapka age difference aapke liye koi problem khadi kar raha hai? aapke relationship ki wajah se aapko koi mushkilon ka saamna karna pada tha?

Nidhi: bahut baar...in fact almost every day hume aise log milte the jo hume ghoor ghoor kar dekhte the... hume bahut baar unke ajeeb ajeeb sawalon ka jawab dena padta tha...par fir humne wo sab face kiya... lekin kabhi humne aapas mein is tarah ki koi feeling nahi aane di...

Ashu: mujhse zyada Nidhi ne saamna kiya hai in sab baton ka... kabhi kabhi mujhe bahut bura bhi lagta tha ki meri wajah se use yeh sab sehna padta hai...par fir hume dheere dheere in sab ki aadat pad gayi aur humne inhe ignore karna shuru kar diya...(laughs)

Nidhi: maine yeh book likhne ke time yehi socha tha ki agar main logon tak yeh message pahuncha saku ki pyaar ke liye koi umar nahi hoti...bas jo insaan aapko samajh sake ...aapke har kadam pe saath de...aapki khushi ko apni khushi banaye...wohi aapke liye sahi jeevan saathi hai... to mera likhna successful ho jayega...

Host: and I feel you have been successful in reaching out to the readers through your book...aapki book ka success is baat ka proof hai... now the audience can put up their questions to both of them one by one...

One person: I want to ask you ki kya aapki family ne aapko support kiya tha aapke is decision mein?

Nidhi: initially to nahi...but baad mein unhone accept kiya tha aur fir jab unhone inhe jaana to mujhse zyada wo sab inhe pyar karne lage the...

Second: aapko ek doosre ki kaun si baat sabse achhi lagi thi...

Nidhi: main aisa koi ek reason nahi bata sakti...but mujhe inki maturity ...understanding...sincerity towards his profession ...his ability to balance so many things at the same time...yeh sab bahut achhe lage the... yeh mujhe itne achhe se samajhte the ...bina bole mere dil ki baat jaan lete hain... inke liye meri khushi apni khushi se zyada important hai...

Ashu: main to bas yeh hi keh sakta hu ki Nidhi ne meri life bilkul badal di... mujhe usse milne ke baad pata chala ki zindagi jeena kise kehte hain... meri life ki har khushi bas isse hai...

Third: aur aapke bachhe?

Ashu: humari ek pyari si beti hai...Pari...wo bhi baithi hai audience mein... apni Mumma ke liye...

Fourth: wo aap dono ki hi laadli hogi? Par zyada kiski laadli hai?

Nidhi: wo apne Papa ki Pari hai... uska naam uske Papa ne hi rakha tha...

Fifth: usne kabhi aapke relation ko lekar kuchh kaha? Wo kaisa feel karti hai?

Ashu: nahi aisa kuchh nahi hai... hum teeno apni life mein bahut khush hain... wo humari jaan hai...

Nidhi: i think we are about to come to an end of this session ...but last mein main itna hi kahungi... ki zindagi mein humesha apne dil ki suno... kisi ke pressure mein kabhi apne pyar ke saath compromise nahi karna chahiye...kyunki isse bahut zindigiyan barbaad ho sakti hain... Pyar Bhagwa ka diya hua sabse keemti tohfa hai... use apni life se nahi jaane dena chahiye...agar wo aapke saath hai to aap har mushkil ka saamna kar sakte hain...

Host: bas ek aakhri sawaal... Aapki book ka title...Vardaan ...yeh hi kyun rakha?

Nidhi: wo isliye kyunki pyar ek vardaan hai...aur main lucky hu ki meri life mein mujhe mere husband ek vardaan ki tarah aaye aur hum humesha saath hain...har sukh aur dukh mein... isliye maine yeh title rakha...

The audience clapped for her and she received a momento and after the function...all of them left for their home. Pari was thinking about the function after reaching home...since many days her classmates were teasing her because of this only... they always made fun of her father being 18 years older to her mother. She was feeling embarrassed because of these daily taunts but she wasn't able to tell anything to her parents...thinking how would they react to all this? She never could reply them back as she didn't know what to say...But she had started to think of reasons of missing her school as she didn't want to face all this again and again...

Nidhi came inside and saw Pari lost in her thoughts.

Nidhi: kya baat hai Pari? Aaj humari gudiya itni chup chup kyun hai? chalo dinner ready hai...

Pari: Mumma mujhe bhi aapki book padni hai...

Nidhi: kya baat hai? aaj suddenly...

Pari: aap doge?

Nidhi: haan baba le lena... par pehle dinner kar lo...

All of them had dinner together and after that Nidhi gave her own copy to Pari to read... but she had some doubt as to why today she was wanting to read her book...while she isn't fond of such books...she loved painting and dancing...she told Ashu about this...he asked her not to worry and that he would find out. There Pari started reading her parents journey together... As she went through the pages...she realized the depth of those words...the hardships both of them faced before marrying each other... everytime she read ...tears came into her eyes... each and every word her parents said in that function started making sense to her young brain...everything came like a scene in front of her eyes. "Mumma Papa ne kya kya face kiya tha...aur main kya kya sochne lagi thi...kitni buri hu na main? she thought once she finished reading it. She thought of talking to her parents the next day.

There Ashu had secretly talked to Pari's best friend Khushi...she had told him about the constant taunts she was facing in the school by her classmates. Ashu told Nidhi about this ...she too became upset on knowing this...but Ashu told her to relax as Pari is their daughter... she has herself found out a way to figure out everything...thats why she wanted to read her Mom's book...he was sure things would be clear to her once she finishes reading...they need to give her time and space. Nidhi trusted his words as always and was sure... His trust on his daughter can never go wrong...the depth to which he understood people... that was unparalleled.

Next morning was a Sunday and over the years he has stopped working on Sundays... So all of them were home when Pari came upto them.

Pari: Mumma Papa mujhe aapko kuchh batana hai...

Both of them looked at each other and understood what she wanted to talk about... she told them about the class incidents and how all of them made fun of her because of them...she apologized for hiding everything from them as she was hesitant to share everything with them...thinking they might be hurt... then she confessed about her realization after reading the book. She was proud of her parents for doing so much for each other...she also told them the last day's incidence where she gave a good reply to that group of students. On being asked what she had said...she told...

Pari: maine bola ki mere Mummy Papa ke baare mein kuchh bhi bolne ki zaroorat nahi hai...mere Papa meri Mumma se bade hain to kya hua...unhone har baar meri Mumma ka saath diya hai...kya tum mein se koi bhi aisa hai jiske parents ke beech mein kabhi jhagda nahi hua...jiske Mummy Papa apne se zyada tumhare baare mein sochte hain... but mere parents aise hain...wo sab se zyada mujhse pyar karte hain...aage se kabhi unke baare mein kuchh bhi kaha na to main Principal se complaint kar dungi...

She told them how all of them scattered after this... Ashu and Nidhi were proud of their Pari and he took her in his embrace...

Ashu: Pari duniya mein har tarah ke log hote hain...har kisi ke apne thoughts hote hain...hum sab ko badal nahi sakte...isliye better hai ki hum apne thoughts clear rakhe...doosre kya sochte hain...usse hume koi fark nahi panda chahiye...kehte hain na...'Kuchh to log kahenge...logon ka kaam hai kehna'...to jise jo kehna hai kehne do...tum bas apne life ke goals par dhyan do...ok... Pari nodded her head in agreement and after this all of them went for an outing as it was many days since they went out together.