Rishbala SS: Balika Bodhu_Chap14..Pg 69 - Page 28

nice concept...pre-independence era;

Madhu was sleeping on the floor as before. She heard someone calling her name in her sleep. "Uhh-huhhu-uhuh-hhu," replied Madhu, as she turned on the other side to avoid hearing anymore sound. "Madhu, get up. It's Ashtami. You will get late for the onjoli," said Rishabh, trying hard to stifle his giggle seeing Madhu's childish antic. "Madhu," called Radha from outside their bedroom. Madhu startled hearing Radha's voice, and jumped up from the floor. "She is coming Ma," said Rishabh and quickly picked up the bedsheet and pillow from the floor.

On the Ashtami morning Mukhopadhyay house was brimming with people. People from all the neighbourhood and relatives had gathered for "onjoli" (floral offerings to the goddess). "Go and take a bath quickly, all the puja works are left to be done," instructed Radha. Madhu hurried towards the pond with her clothes and entered the water to take a quick bath. She loved water; she missed the swimming sessions back at her village. But today was definitely not the day to enjoy playing and swimming in the pool. As she took few dips and turned back towards the ghat, she froze. Rishabh was standing on the last step of the ghat, pouring water on his head with a mug. He was only in his dhoti, which was drenched already and stuck to the lower part of his body. The water was rolling down his head, shoulder, chest and Madhu could see how each and every droplet travelled the contours of his chiseled body. She could not avert her gaze from the glisten of his wet body when she noticed his smirking face and probing eyes scrutinizing her wet sari clad body with equal passion. She hurriedly gathered her stuff from the steps of the ghat and rushed past Rishabh before he could make any move. But to her surprise Rishabh did not even try to hold her once, as if he knew she was expecting him to do that. He kept on pouring water on his head and somewhere inside Madhu felt a strange sense of disappointment. But without wasting any more time she hurried inside the house.

"There will be more than one batches of onjoli, as there will be hundreds of people," said Radha to Madhu as she went to the mandap, dressed in a red bordered white saree and gold ornaments. "You will hold this flower basket and provide flowers to the people. Now go and cut the fruits and arrange them in front of the idol." Madhu looked at the heaps of fruits kept for the prasad. She silently sat down and started with her job. Before the onjoli she had to keep fast, but the juicy fruits in her hand tempted her to no ends. But she could feel Radha's prying eyes on her every now and then. By the time of onjoli Rishabh came down to the puja mandap and saw Madhu hurriedly trying to cut the fruits still left on the baskets. "What are you doing? Where is Hari kaka? Why are you doing this job?" asked Rishabh angrily. "I am almost done. It won't take more time," replied Madhu, thinking Rishabh was angry because of her sloth. Rishabh stomped away to look for Radha. Madhu thought he had gone to complain about her inefficiency and tried to hasten, and cut her finger in the boti (cutting tool) blade. Fearing her blood would smear the fruits, she quickly left the place and wiped her finger in her sari. "Madhu, where are you? Bring the onjoli flowers right now," shouted Radha from the mandap. Madhu rushed towards her with the flower basket.

"Give me some flowers notun bou," asked one aged man, and Madhu handed over some flowers smilingly. The onjoli was going on quite well. People who had not yet seen the new bride were trying to make a way to her and speak about something or the other. Rishabh was already quite unhappy with his mother's behavior towards Madhu. He just waited at a corner to get his mother free for some moments and request her not to put so many burdens on Madhu. Suddenly one sight caught his attention. He saw Madhu standing on the elevated mandap with her flower basket in hand, and Mukund standing at the lower level, asking for flowers. Madhu was looking extraordinarily beautiful today in her red and white sari and Rishabh could see how Mukund was ogling at her from that vicinity. He even saw when Madhu handed him the flowers, Mukund touched her hand, more closely than required. "Achcha, when I try to touch her she acts so shy, and now she is just smiling to be touched by that rascal," muttered Rishabh under his breath. He left the mandap and went back to his room.

Madhu did not have a single moment of respite for the rest of the day. The Ashtami bhog had to be fed to the guests and by the time the luncheon was over, it was almost 4 in the afternoon. Madhu had been busy serving food to the guest, and in this entire hustle bustle no one had noticed that the poor girl was famished, she did not even have a morsel of food from the morning. Her cut finger had also swollen from all the stress. She was surprised that Rishabh did not come down once for the food or asked for her. She was confused by his indifference and maybe a little hurt too, but she did not express it to anyone. She tried to ask Hari kaka about Rishabh's food when she was informed that he had asked for the food in his room. After the guest left, she went up to their room and saw Rishabh dressed up for going out, with a small suitcase by the bed. "Are you going anywhere?" asked Madhu hesitantly. "Hari kaka, please take down my suitcase. I am getting late," shouted Rishabh without paying any heed to Madhu. "Rishu baba, do you really have to go back to your hostel today? Can't you wait till Dashami?" asked Radha from behind, on hearing about Rishabh's planned departure. "I have exams Ma, I am getting disturbed here with all these people and noise all the time," replied Rishabh. Madhu felt a pang in her heart, but kept her head low, in order to hide the tears threatening to spill over. "When will you be back, Rishu?" asked Radha. "Don't know. Not before my exams are over," said Rishabh, darted an angry glance at Madhu and left the room.

[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4CtBGbt5z7A[/YOUTUBE]

At night Madhu sat quietly at the corner of the kitchen, helping out the aunt with the preparations for the next day. "Why did Rishu go back to his hostel today? Did you have any word with him?" asked the aunt. Madhu just shook her head. "I had told him not to marry this girl. I am sure it has something to do with her. I knew she could never keep him happy," blurted out Radha. Madhu tried to gulp down her tears, but her tears did not comply with her wish, and blurred her vision. "Madhu, go to your room. I will call you for dinner," said aunt and Madhu rushed out of the kitchen. "Radha, whatever you are trying to prove is baseless. Stop blaming Madhu for something she is not responsible for. She is just a child, in a house full of strangers. She doesn't even know Rishabh well and I am sure she has hardly had the courage to talk to him. Did you forget the days when we were married and came to our in-laws for the first time? How intimidated we were all the time. It's the same with Madhu. And as far as I remember you had always waited for Rishabh's marriage so that you could get a daughter of your own, who will be there with you all the time to make this mansion a home. Then why are you pushing her away from you now?" blurted the aunt. "Because I did not want her to be my Rishu's wife. She is uncouth, unruly and rustic. It's only because of Rishu's insistence that she is here, and see, today even he is disgusted with her," spat Radha in response. "The way you mother-son duo have started behaving with her, I suppose Madhu will very soon return to her mother forever. And I am sure it would not have any impact on you, because you have never felt the pain of losing a daughter," spoke Radha's sister as her voice choked with emotions. Radha gazed at her in shock, as she remembered how her sister's daughter had passed away during childbirth, and she was of Madhu's age only that time. "I am sorry Didi," whispered Radha with repentance. "Don't tell me sorry. Try to accept that little girl as a member of your family, see how easily she learns everything and moulds herself the way you want her to be."

Madhu cried all night. She could not take it anymore. "Ma, where are you? Please take me from here. I miss you so much. I promise I will be a very good girl and never bother you," sobbed Madhu. At last she was too tired to cry anymore and succumbed to sleep. Next morning Radha came to her room and for the first time she saw Madhu sleeping on the floor. "Madhu, why are you sleeping on the floor?" Madhu startled out of her sleep. "Ma, I am sorry, I overslept. I will readily take a bath and come to the mandap," replied Madhu as she struggled to get up and get her clothes for bath. "Wait Madhu, I've come to talk to you," said Radha. Looking at her somber face, Madhu sensed something very sinistral. Maybe Radha was going to send her off to her mother, forever. A part of her heart was elated to think about that, but the other part was strangely scared and sad. "I have been very selfish, isn't it my child? I did not see your plight all these days, and even my son left you to your fate. Please don't be sad anymore. You are my daughter, and now onwards you will find a mother in me. Tell me whatever you feel like, don't hesitate," said Radha while cupping Madhu's face in her hands. Madhu was shocked at first, and then tears started rolling down her cheeks, but could not utter a single word. "Padmini is coming here tomorrow. She is going to Kaashi and Benaras with some of the other villagers, and on her way she would come to see you for few hours. Smile my child, I don't want to see your mother seeing you in tears," said Radha while wiping Madhu's tears.

Next day Padmini reached Mukhopadhyay mansion by afternoon. She had to leave for Kolkata soon as she had a train to catch that night. She hesitantly entered the house. The enormity both intimidated and made her happy for her daughter. But seeing a smiling Madhu removed all doubts from her mind. "Where is my jamai?" asked Padmini. "He has gone to his hostel for exams," replied Madhu, holding the smile. "I hope you are keeping all the people of this house happy," said Padmini. "I am trying my best Ma," replied Madhu. After some more chit-chat, Madhu finally gathered the courage to ask her mother the things that had been bothering her for long. "Ma, can I ask you something?" "Yes my child." "Ma, he wants to hold me very close at times, and then do things that I don't know whether I should like him to do or not. I am completely at my wit's end," said Madhu gingerly. "Oh my god Madhu, he is your husband. Of course he would like to be close to you. Did you refuse him?" asked Padmini in shock. Madhu lowered her head and nodded lightly. "Oh my god, I have really failed to bring you up as a girl. I had never thought that you would not grow those senses. It is very natural for him to be attracted to you, and same for you. Do not refuse him Madhu, you may lose him forever. A man has no control on his desires and whims. If you refuse him, he will get it from somewhere else, and no matter how much you try after that, he will not come back," said Padmini. Madhu's face blanched hearing her mother's words. "I hope it is not late yet my child. You are his wife; it is your duty to take care of all his needs," said Padmini and held her hands tightly.

Durga puja was over, and the Mukhopadyay mansion was quiet again. All the relatives had left. It was Radha and Madhu only, and they came closer to each other with each passing day. "Ma, when will he be back?" asked Madhu one day, after being unable to hold back her anxiety anymore. "Missing him very much, aren't you?" asked Radha teasingly. Madhu blushed red in embarrassment.

Rishabh was in his hostel room when he received a letter from his mother. "Madhu is not well, she is running high fever. I want to send her back to her mother. Suggest some medicines so that she gets better quickly and sets off for Shimulpur," were the words in the letter that had the maximum impact. Rishabh forgot all his annoyance about Madhu's alleged proximity to Mukund. "Why is Ma being so harsh with her? I have to go back and make Ma understand," said Rishabh and started preparing to go back.

"Ma, where is Madhu?" asked Rishabh as he barged into Radha's room. "She must be in her room," replied Radha unperturbed. "No, she is not in our room. How could you drive her out in her fever? Why are you doing this to her?" demanded Rishabh. Before he could say anything more, he saw Madhu entering his mother's room, all hale and hearty. "Madhu, are you ok?" asked Rishabh. "Yes I am ok," replied Madhu, unable to hide her joy seeing Rishabh. "But Ma, you said that Madhu.." "Why? Only you can blackmail me? I am your mother. I know of many more tricks than you my son," said Radha while laughing out loud. Both Rishabh and Madhu blushed red and smiled sheepishly.

Wow ! Update finally and what a nice update.

Beautifully written..loved it..👏

thanks for the updating mimi ,nice update

nice update...
finaly rishu back
can't wait 4 next..

Superbbb update dear...loved it...finally Radha accept her...

Lovely updt
So radha n madhu cmg closer
Radha is treating madhu like a daughter
Rishab is so sweet madhu ki tabyat thik nahi sunke bhaga chala aaya
N madhu is innocent bt cute
Waiting for nxt
Updt sn

HEY MIMI... SUPERB UPDATE AFTER A LONG TIME.. I FELT BAD FOR MADHU IN THE FIRST HALF.. BUT FINALLY EVERYTHING TURNED WELL.. RADHA ACCEPTED HER AND RISHU CAME BACK LEAVING BEHIND HIS ANGER AND JEALOUS...

EAGERLY WAITING FOR THE NEXT PART..