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As he took her hand and made her seated she looked bewildered for a moment staring around not comprehending...
And she looked up at Suneri when she spoke on her behalf 'but bhai sa her hand is burned...' her eyes searching for a reprieve..
And he held her wrist dragging it to him... she tried to wriggle it away despite the fresh burns stinging the harder he held..
and he asked her 'does it pain?' for the benefit of the eyes that are watching them.. only she and he knew she was not trying to drag her burned hand away, not because it was aching so hard... but because she didn't want him to hold it..
she looked at him trying to comprehend.. only to see him again issue a 'shhh' playing the audience, as he acted to comfort her...while dipping his hand in the mehendi...
As she agitated dragged at that burned hand held in his with renewed struggle he brought the mehendi towards her palm and smeared on it..
his mouth worded another 'shh' and her stained gaze stared at him seeing not a hint of warmth in his face that he was displaying for the benefit of the onlookers...
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And he spoke to his kaki, and she listened quietly 'don't you know that mehendi cools the body along with the soul...and when something that is burned gets cooled, one gets comfort, right?' and she stared at him... knowing very well that he knew... that every action of his left a burn on her soul...violated her beliefs...
And she accepted it and waited passively while he finished smearing mehendi on her burned palm..probably giving her a tendril of comfort physically as the cooling paste comforted her burned and stinging palm...
But that peace for a moment left her as he forcefully turned her wrist, turning it towards him.. and with nonchalance drew his initial on her..
Her horrified eyes stared at him.. tears glistening in them..in agitation she pulled at his hold.. trying to drag her hand away...and only once he was done he left it...
She stared at him without a word.. only her pained gaze giving away... as he played to the crowd once again.. 'the mehendi of this hand is completed now.. did u feel cooled?' he mocked at her... her horrified eyes dropped silently.. in shame.. and in defeat..no longer being able to look at him..no longer being able to hold her head high.. as her humiliation was complete.
And he continued 'here also fire burned u, in the hand?' and he dragged at her other hand.. she looked back at him, through the film of tears and renewed her struggle to drag away that hand..
And he said, 'look, the more u try to remove ur hand from my grasp the more it will hurt.. ' her eyes widened in hurt.. 'slowly.. patiently have it applied..' he played the crowd again.. enlisting their support.. only she knowing what he truly meant..
And fell for his words... they did...and Maitili spoke up agreeing, her ignorance making her add to Paro's distress as she said, 'yes Parvati baisa devarji was saying the truth.. get the mehendi applied.. u will feel cooled..' her lips quivered.. as she held back the sobs that were threatening to leave her.. she tried so hard to not to break down and weep...at her utter helplessness..as her jija too unknowingly supported him to complete his humiliation on her..
And Paro's eyes squinted in pain as, in her effort to defy him she clenched her burned hand as tight as she could.. to stop him..
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And yet, his superior physical strength easily opened her palm with his as he tightly held her wrist in his other hand..
her tear-drenched incredulous eyes watched at his palm aligned with hers..
And finally that he was done.. her accusing eyes were raised to his..with hopelessness and the pained humiliation reflecting in hers..
Not a single word!! Not a word was spoken... yet what fabulous acting... Sanaya Irani take a bow!! You made my heart ache for Paro.. some instances my breath caught as that acute pain reflected in Paro's pain darkened eyes screamed silently with that gut wrenching plea from her soul..
PaRud were intense! Ashish and Sanaya kept me in a fascinated stupor I couldn't drag my eyes away from...
