FF - Ek Duje Ke Liye, Ch 35, pg47 updt on 15.12 - Page 5

Bajirao shook his head as he walked out of the bedroom…..inspite of being a friend and confident he know there was a place in Dutta heart where nobody could touch, where no logic was justified….

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Ayi sahib was sitting with her hands folded and watched the pandit drawing up Nakusha's kundali…Nakusha was sitting now wearing a dress given by Ayi Sahib with a bit of jewelry, hair tied nicely….Ayi Sahib noticed she was looking quite nice inspite of her dark self…

Ayi Sahib, she is lucky girl, you have chosen well but then ….the Pandit went back to reading the horoscope….

Nakusha felt the room going very quiet suddenly, she lifted her face to her parents, the sisters and Ayi Sahib sitting as usual then she realized somebody had come to stand behind her, the hair of her neck stood up…

Ayi Sahib, the girl is lucky no doubt, matching bhi achha hai but at the same time I must say they will have to make their marriage work….it will be a good one provided they are willing work for it…nothing which cannot be overcome…

Suna Dutta tune kya keh raha hai Panditji? Ayi Sahib beamed….

Hmmm he grunted, then came forward, I am going out for a meeting, he came forward, touched his mother's feet, without looking at Nakusha, he crossed the hallway….

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Nakusha never felt alone in the world, her mother was her greatest supporter, she fought for her and protected her but suddenly she seems to have change…can money change a person so much, what dream is her mother dreaming for her? With a man who lives at the gun point…she knew for them ethics did not matter much but inspite of everything Babi had raised them honestly and taught them some nice values of life….why the same Babi was reacting differently now…why they were congratulating each other for such a good prediction by the Panditji, what was good about it? All marriages need to be worked, doesn't her Ayi work towards hers…her father has 100 faults, but still Ayi will run around to pick him up from street corners, feed him if he is too drunk, bath him if he is too dirty…Yes her parents' marriage is also successful….despite of everything it has survived all these years!...

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Shokhi bhabona kahare bole?
Shokhi jatona kahare bole?
Tomra je bolo dibosho rojoni...
'bhalobasha' ' bhalobasha'...
Shokhi, bhalobasha kare koye?
She ki keboli jatonamoye?
She ki keboli choker jol?
She ki keboli dukher shash?
Loke tobe kore ki shukheri tore
amon dukhero aash?

(Sorry my Marathi is very limited, here is something by Rabindranath Tagore)

Translation

Friend, what is this emotion?
Friend, what is this pain?
Day and night you talk about this love...
What is this love?
Is it only painful?
Is it only a tear?
Is it only sighing of sorrow?
Then why do people crave for this sorrow in the name of happiness?

It was their favourite spot next to the sea…as they sat on the bonnet of the car staring at the sea, the vast open space, the dhabawala served them two bottles of chilled beer…Dutta asked him about his well being…

Aap ki kripa se sab theek thak hai Bhau….

Soon Datta got lost watching the sea, Bajirao stood on guard, he watched the man whom he has known for ages now…the boy who came to stay with his mother and three sisters in the kholi next to theirs. The boy who struggled to become a man from a very young age…Baji became his follower very soon. Datta had some inborn leadership quality…….they joined an early morning college so that they could do odd jobs during the day to supplement the income of their respective homes. Bajirao remembered that Kalavati inspite being elder to Dutta refused to do anything, infact she was upset and often blamed Dutta for their present situation…she was an unhappy child always cribbing, her two sisters also at times followed her…Ayi Sahib was too busy to earn a living than to listen to their tantrums….

It was in college they met Sulekha, a beautiful girl, like all the boys Datta too was attracted to her…soon she became their friend and very soon a very good friend of Dutta….she started visiting his kholi and got along very well with the sisters….at times took them out for films or gifted them with gifts…Dutta was very happy…he was dreaming of a blissful future when one day Sulekha said her father is somewhat in a fix and needs some help with his job…Dutta was already doing odd jobs, he agreed readily…why not….

It turned out Sulekha's so called businessman father was actually a smuggler, he strapped with certain contraband goods which he could not ship as the new Police Officer was on the vigil and already being high on the police list he and his men were being watched by the Police…Sulekha's father Shivraj tried to buy him over but the officer was not on ready sell himself…..he needed one unknown face which Dutta provided….

Being intelligent and deeply in love with Sulekha Dutta alongwith Bajirao carried out the job happily…followed by two / three more assignments…since Datta was not taking any money from his to be father-in-law, their kholi was filled with presents for his mother and sisters and after many years his sisters were really pleased and happy….then Dutta got caught…he was sent to jail…Ayi Sahib ran pillar to post…Shivraj assured help but did little saying he was too marked to do anything….anyway after a month or so when Dutta got released as it was his first offence and due to lack of evidences, he came out to learn that Sulekha had got married to the very Police Officer and Shivraj in the meanwhile turned into a politician pretending to be very honest….his Ayi was heartbroken and his sister upset…they blamed him for losing such a good friend, you should have been more careful and not a fool to get caught by the police…after all these years ek achha dost mila tha woh bhi gaya….

He was betrayed by two people, his love and his mentor under whose protection he worked, Dutta was upset and decided to take revenge and to take revenge he had to beat them in their own game…he had learnt well, the only thing he now ensured that he did not get caught, no way, money started flowing into the house, his sisters became happy, they started looking for match for Kalavati…from Dutta he became Bhau, a name Kalavati too started addressing him with….

Ayi Sahib in the meanwhile realized that her son was too deep to return from where he had reached, she then started guiding him, to give and share, to take care of our neighbours, she already had experience of running a cooperative, once she guided Dutta, he knew what to do….soon he became somewhat like Robinhood, a Don with a golden heart.

Baji watched Dutta lost in his thoughts, Baji knew him too well to know that his thoughts were not too far from his, he often recollected the events which led to his change, from a college going boy to a don, dreaded in a city like Mumbai….

Bhau, bhau, Baji kept a hand on his shoulder, Dutta turned blinking his eyes….Ha Baji chal ghar chalte hai….he got down from the bonnet, taking a last drag of the beer, he got into the car taking the wheel…Baji got in, kya socha tu ne Bhau, he asked as he put on the belt….Dutta watched the sea for one last time…I wish I could cross it and leave everything behind…lekin kitna din ke liye??

Tu aisa kyu soch raha hai bhau, Bajirao asked feeling very concerned…This is the first time you are speaking like this…kya ho gaya tujhe Bhau…

Bus yesahi…dimag me aya…chhor yaar…can I ever stay alone in life…mujhe needh hi nehi ayegi if I don't get to hear all the noise of the house, people doing Bhau bhau…he concentrated on the road…

Baji frowned, his marriage was being fixed, why does he talk like this now….is it fear of marriage or is it the girl Nakusha?

Do you think Nakusha will bring me luck…do you think she can change my fate…Dutta asked once again…

Pata nehi Bhau, I am an ordinary man and in my point of view she is extremely lucky woman to get a husband like you…

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Kalavati sat down sipping a glass of wine, dinner will be served when Bhau is back…that is if he chooses to return in the stipulated time, that too in sane condition….Ayi Sahib will wait till the hands of the clock reaches it exactly atleast, not one second before….

Kalavati sighed, at times she wants to ask Ayi Sahib if she has ever saw anyone beyond Bhau….Kalavati was the eldest, she was quite close to her mother even till the disaster struck, they had to move house, shift to a chawl and much to Kalavati's disgust her mother stuck on to Bhau, he became the man of the house…the most important member, oh how jealous Kalavati was….oh how she tried to make her mother understand…everything Ayi Sahib did she wanted his endorsement…as if we were not her daughters…..even now after all these years it is still Dutta Dutta Dutta….

Tai Tai….kya soch rahi ho…koi plan banaya ki nehi asked Roops..the moron thought Kalavati, if Bhau gives her a nice gift she will jump over to his side……

Nehi mai soch rahi hu, jo ho raha hai hone do…have you seen the girl…Bhau as usual is trying to please Ayi Sahib but then he has to live with that girl….the kind of life Bhau lives he needs a wife who can help him in his social life, has to play an active role…Ayi Sahib is getting old the girl has to take over….tumhe kya lagta hai Naku kar payegi yeh sab??

Roops smiled…ha yeh tu ne theek kaha hai Tai….hume kuch nehi karna parega..Bhau will get fedup with the girl automatically….

Kalavati kept quiet…well this much she will ensure that the girl never settles down…after all who could have imagined Dutta Sriram Patil rising from that slum with amass so much wealth that even if he sits at home, he can spend the rest of his life without earning a single paise but living in full luxury…it would be too much to let it go…..

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Naku stood has Babi rubbed the soot on her body, like other days she was not cooperating….she was upset with Babi and angry that she could not leave the house….

Mai tera dushman nehi hu…jo kar rahi hu soch samaj ke kar rahi hu….Babi muttered….

Toh yeh kyu poth rahi hai…then why do you want to remain ugly in front of them..Naku glared at her mother…

Babi blinked her tears…dekh I know I should be revealing the truth lekin kya karu, I am a mother…Ayi Sahib has liked you like this, Bhau…Bhau has agreed to marry you like this….I know I should be revealing but the mother in me is stopping me…kuch uch nich na ho jaye…Babi stifled her cry….

Aur uske baad…Nakusha asked in a very still voice….

Babi starred at Nakusha initially failing to register than lowered her eyes…it will be a nice surprise for him isn't it to know his wife is not actually a ugly duckling but a beautiful woman…after all he is a man and all men like that….

Nakusha's voice did not change, in a flat tone she replied….if you say so, all I know he is the biggest Don of Mumbai and surely he has become that not by doing charity only but also killing a few people…will he liked to be deceived?

Isme dhoka kya…aur koi buri baath thori na hum chhupa rahe hai….Babi added quickly…

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