CHAPTER 32
The house was suddenly busy with the announcement that Maa Thakur, Adi and Amrita would be temporarily Moving to Mawhari until the Mandir was complete. Preparations for the move were in full swing.
Sugni was kept busy helping Maa Thakur pack all that she would need while there, shopping for stuff. It was like changing into a new life. In the city everyone was a bit more laid back, Ma Thakur would dress in a plain cotton saree, during the day and a hose dress at night. Amrita and Sugni would also dress very causally in jeans and cotton t-shirts, comfortable clothes, Vickram and Adi were more or less the same, unless in the office where they wore the appropriate sites for work.
Presently Maa Thakur and Sugni were in Amrita's room where she came to drop off some new Sarees for Amrita to pack with her. They were very rich looking clothes like something out of a wedding. Even Amrita wanted to know why was all this necessary. As she was happy with her Jeans and casual tops.
"You girls don't understand...well maybe Sugni dose." Maa Thakur said to them as she insisted Amrita pack the set of new sarees she brought for her. "Mawhari is different from her, girls do not wear jeans ...and as a Thakurine...you have to look a certain way. Otherwise, you are food for gossip. Amrita you are going to have to Adjust..."
"Naani ma...sarees are fine I don't mind...but so heavy..and these jewelry It . every day? It seems uncessary na."
"it is! " Maa Thakur agreeed..."you know it is like "Look at me I am a thkurine'..I understand it was like that before my time. And it is still there...don't worry you can keep it simple...you can leave the accessories out...but you have to wear the Sarees." She said Amrita let out a sigh of relief.
"Tell me one thing...if they dress up like this at home every day what do they do when they have to go to a function?" Amrita wondered.
"I don't know...? Sugni said.
"They look like they are home..."Maa Thakur said dead pan. The two girls looked at her and laughed. "I guess it is compensation." She sad
"for what?" Amrita asked.
"Well most of them have unhappy homes ...but they won't come out and say anything...so their time is spent ignoring the real problem and looking as though all is well in ther lives. It's sad really." She said. She too was once a part of that group.
"Yeah..."
"Maaji how come you adjusted to city life...I mean first I did think yu would insist on wearing the saree and covering our heads like they do in the village...how come you were not...not that I am complaining." Sugni said genuinely curious about this, as before Maa Thakur was always a stickler for the traditions in Mawhari, Sugni thought she would be like that here also .
"Well part of it was my children. See my husband insisted he would give them the best upbringing possible , with education and with knowledge comes power I guess .Vickram as a child well he liked to share what he learned to it was as though I was learning along with him. You know one day there was a function at his school, a boarding school and I don't know where he got the idea but he brought a dress and insisted that I wear it as all the mothers were wearing them."
"OH you did?" Sugni asked , trying to picture it.
"No...I wanted to but his father was traditional na...so I could not against him...he was disappointed but he took well".: She said.
"After their father died, and we moved here...things were different...and I realized that you can adjust to the environment or stand out like a sore thumb. And I did not want to.So I gave up the "glamor" of thakurineship and became this. Truth is this is much easier. Here people more or less keep to themselves...in Mawhari...if you stub your toe , by the evening the whole village knows about it!'
"True" Sugni said. "Well thank Sita Miya you are not like that , right Amrita."
"Yes Naani ma is hip and cool!" Amrita winked.
"OYe oye I am not that cool ..." Maa Thakur said giving them a stern look. Sugni and Amrita did their best to look contrite, but they were laughing.
"Ok Amrita finish packing all your clothes... "Ohh and here is a list of somethings we will need for the haveli for the kitchen, I am sure Vickram will not think of that. can you go get it for me please?" She said giving it to her.
"Sure naani ma.." Amrita said taking the list.
"Sugni beti can you come help me, there are a few things I want to sort to see what I want to take with me?"
"Sure."
So Sugni was helping Maa Thakur sort some of her old clothes she had packed away.She plced them in a bag that Maa Thakur said she would have Amrita send to the dry cleaners to make them fresh and clean again ready for use.
Sugni began packing back the other stuff that she did not need when her eye caught a photo album that was tucked at the back of the cupboard in a corner.
Curiouse she opened it and saw some old pictures of people she did not know. There was pictures of Vickram's child hood. Sugni smiled as she looked at her Thakur Mallick as a little round face boy with an impish smile. As a child he was cute.
She saw other pictures with two little girls one looked older than him and te other one looked like a toddler.. she came across pictures of a younger Maa Thakur who was beautiful and Thakur Saab Senior,the resemblance between Him and Vickram now was striking., the same deep brown eyes, that little smirk that sometimes you could not tell if he was pleased or angry...they way they stood tall and commanded attention just by being there.
As she looked thourgh she found again this little girl and wondered who was she, obviously the bigger one was Aditya's mother, she saw pictures of her in Adi's room. Obviously she was close to them. She turned the page and stopped as she looked at wedding pictures of Adi's mother and Dad and others, then turned again as caught her breath as she saw Vickram and Reva in a wedding picture, he was smiling at something someone was telling him, everyone looked happy. She squashed the pang of jealousy she felt as she turned the page and looked at others.
Flipping over a page she stopped in shock and she could not help the involuntary gasp that she let out. Saring back at her was another wedding photo, this one was obviously that of the girl who, looking at er grown up it was obvious she was related to them.
"What...how is this possible?" She thought as she blinked sure her eyes were playing tricks on her. Again she wondered who was she, obviously she was close to the family as she was in the family album, but no one ever mentioned her. And this photo...
"What are you doing?" Maa Thakur Asked as she came returned to the room to see sugni on her bed looking through the old Album. Moving quickly she came to the bed and took it from her. "Where did you get this?" She asked.
"It was at the bottom of the cupboard." Sugni said. "Maaji who is this girl and why is she ...?"
"Gosh I gorgot that was in their. These are just some old pictures Sugni...nothing more. Don't concern your self with it."
"But Maaji..." Sugni persisted.
"Enough SugniI don't want to talk about it...Ok...we have done enough for today...tommorw we will do the rest." She said obviously dismissing her.
"OK Let me finish packing..."Sugni began clearing the bed of clothes.
"Don't bother...I'll take care of it...thanks...Shanti it's almost time to go pick up Shanti na?" She said
Sugni looked at the time she was right.
"Maa ji I am sorry I did not mean to upset you I was just just curious." She said softly.
"It's ok...there is just somethings we don't bring up in this family...this is one of them...Whatever you saw here it's all in the past...please leave it there...Please." She said.
"Ok Maaji..."Sugni said not wanting to cause any more stress to her. She was upset about it.
"I'll send one of the servant's up to help...be back soon." She said as she left..
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Maa Thakur watched as Sugni left , she knew she must have 100 questions going trhough her mind looking at the pictures. She sat on the bed as she opened the album,with some sort of morbid fascination. She caressed the faces of her loved ones and wondered why was there so much turbulence in her family.
As tears spang to her eyes, it had been a while since she opened this album. She knew she should burn it, but she could never quite bring herself to do thatSo she locked it away and never opened it. She wondered if this was a bad omen that of all days it should come out now, and through no body's hands but Sugni's. Suddenly she was filled with a fear that she could not explain. She was going back to that place to fulfill her husband's wish but it was with great trepidation
Should she tell her the truth? Maybe but she did not have the strength to relive all that all over again. No! She would not...and she hoped that Sugni would eventually forgot what she saw here. She wiped her eyes as she opened her safe and locked the dreaded album in there, where no one would come across it again.
She turned as she looked at the pictures of the deities she had on a side table in the corner of her room.
"Hey Devi Mata...Please protect my family...what is left...watch over them and keep them safe and happy.. That is all I ask now. We've been through a lot...and we took it in stride...Please no more I beg you" She prayed.
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Try as she might Sugni could not get the images of those pictures out of her head. Who was that girl, how come no one mentioned her?. And the most shocking that wedding picture?. How was that possible. ?
She wondered who could she ask. Amrita? Judging form Maa Thakurs reaction to it she doubted that Amrita knew . Sugni was shaken out of her thoughts by Vickram who came into the room with his laptop. Obviously he had work to do.
"Working late tonight?" she asked.
"Hmm just have some stuff to go over..."He said
You want tea."
"Na na..I am full from dinner...maybe later...Oh am...how is the packing coming...?"
"good everything is sorted basically... I can't believe they are leaving in three days." Sugni said. It had been three weeks since Maa Thakur made her decision to move back. "Is everything prepared in Mawhari."
Yes...as best as could be done. ...Adi will see the rest when he gets there, for now I have arranged for new servant's , a doctor , and all repairs and whatever needs to be done before hand. The house should be ready for them."
She nodded. Sugni went about her evening routine while Vickram saw about his work but she could not get the pictures off of her mind. Finally deciding only he could answer her she started to ask, but stopped whn Maa thakurs's voice came into her head to leave the past in the past.
What if he got upset? He did tell her there was not anything she could not ask him. True they did not talk much about his family's past. She was part of the family...she should know right? She just had to know.
For some reason, she was nervous bringing this up. "Thakur Mallick?" She said softly.
"Hmm?" he answered reading whatever was on the screen. Maybe now was not the best time.
"Ah nothing..." She said. Then again when would be a good time...
"Umm...I was ...won...never mind." She said he courage leaving her. He forrowed his brows as he looked at her. She was wringing her hands ...a nervouse habit.
"What is it?" He asked.
"Nothing...your busy." She said
"Kamal hain...Sugni what is it...tell me."
" I saw some.." She began but was interrupted by the opening of their door. Shanti walked into their room in her Pajamas and fuzzy slippers with a book in her hand.
"Shannu?...What are you doing inhere...you are supposed to be in bed young lady." Sugni said seeing that they wished her a good night over half and our ago. Shanti passed her mother who was standing looking at her and made a bee line to her father without ceremony she climbed onto his lap , leaning against his chest making herself comfortable.as she said.
"I can't sleep...I am upset." She said as she sighed sadly. Vickram and Sugni exchanged amused looks ...as she did not look one bit upset. A ploy to stay out of bed perhaps.
"And why is my princess upset?" Vickram asked her.
"Why dose Grandma , Adi bhaiya and Didi all have so many bags packed...I thought they were only going for a little while?" She asked.
"Well yes..." Vickram said to her..."see Nanimaa has something important to do and so they will be away for some months...so they need a lot of stuff...but they will be back." He explained.
" I want to go with them. Can I?" She asked.
"No...baby you have school and soon you will have your test so you need to stay here."
"I can go to school from there, please Daddy?" She said looking up at him.
"Shanti...no you can't...don't worry the time will pass before you know it..and you will talk to them na...through the internet."
"It won't be the same." She pouted.
"I know but we have to adjust just for a while ok. If it was not important they would not go ...hmmm"
She nodded.
"Ok..." Sugni said. "You still have three days with them to give them all the love ok...now it is time for bed. School tomorrow."
"but I can't sleep...I tried..."
"Shanti..." Sugni said coming close to her..."What is that on your face?" She said noticing a little brown spot on her chin.
"chocolate" She said.
"Where did you get chocolate?" She asked wiping it off.
"Naani maa gave me." She said
"Naani ma...when?'
"before I came here...I went to see her."
"And you ate it? you know it's not allowed at night?" Sugni said sternly.
"I forgot." She said guility. Sugni sighed and shook her head.
"Ok fine lets go back to bed..."
"Daddy..you take me...and read me a story."
"You already had one." Sugni said.
"Please Daddy?..Mummy always reads me your turn." She said.
"Shanti Daddy has work to do and you are disturbing him. Now come on I'll take you." Shanti looked at Vickram with such a sad look on her face his heart melted.
"It's ok I'll do it." He said as she smiled.
"Yippeee!"
"Come on munchkin time for bed." He said as he got up and threw her over his shoulder like a sack of flour. She shrieked laughing.
"Ohh don't rile her up..she'll never sleep." Sugni complained.
"Shh she will cause she is my good girl...tell mummy good night.?"
"Night mumma!' Shanti said.
"Good night.!" Sugni laughed as they went out the room. Vickram spoiled her that was for sure. She yawned as she was tired all that running around she spent doing today. Sugni lay down on the bed as she closed her eyes waiting for his return.
Vickram came back into the room after finally getting Shanti to sleep. It took some effort as she was all riled up on the chocolate, but eventually after a couple of stories she did fall asleep. He wondered what it was Sugni wanted to tell him that had her so nervous. However as he looked at her he saw her fast asleep on the bed.He smiled he knew she had to be tired. Quietly he covered her with the blanket as he took the laptop to the balcony where he finished seeing about his papers.
Edited by Vinnie79 - 11 years ago
Mannat Har Khushi Paane Ki
Arjun
Cricket
