Her's Only - SwaSan SS Part 3 Page 3

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Starting a New Story.
I will continue my old one and will update that soon.
I was hearing many of the rabintra sangeet songs and i had to write this. Hope my dear SwaSanians find this interesting enough to read .

Index

Part 1 - Page 1

Part 2 - Page 2

Part 3 - Page 3

The Past

"The past never quite disappeared, did it? Folks usually thought time moved forward, starting on the left and riding a right-pointing arrow into the future. The future twisted uncertain, a shapeless dream, but the past - the past was set. It cast evidence behind it, photos and letters and bones, piling up in hidden places, waiting for the chance to spill out. An avalanche. A burial. The past consumed the future, always."*

The city of Kolkata. The city of sondesh and Durga puja. A city which reminded its occupants of the colonial past and the hard fought freedom from the foreigners. Swara was a girl like any other you may find in the city. Chirpy bubbly and sweet, and so unlike her older sister Ragini. The Gadodia house consisted of Parvathi Gadodia , her husband Lokesh Gadodia and the family of their son. The household ran under the tight rein of Parvathi. Ragini was the apple of their grand-mom's eyes. She loved Ragini as much as she hated Swara. Or truth be told she might hated Swara a lot more than she loved Ragini.

Family status was above all for Parvathy Gadodia and in her eyes Swara was a constant reminder of the fact that how Shekhar had slipped from the pedestal. It was never the man's fault. So the fault lay with Sharmista and her daughter. Sharmista was Sheker's collage fling that was the way she always thought her to be . Up on the million stars in the sky she could swear she never thought that Bengali Girl would have become her bahu. She had married him off, forcefully by using every trick in her sleeve, to a girl from their own community. Which son will choose to try his luck by going against her dying mothers last wish to marry a girl of her choice. Yes she was not ashamed to admit it she had pretended to be sick and at death bed to make him marry Gayatri.

But after 5 years of marriage Gayatri died giving birth to a daughter. After a few short months Sheker met Sharmista again. Sharmista had never moved on from him and Shekar had never loved Gayatri. This time it was Shekar who threatened asked her to choose between him leaving the house forever with her ladoo Ragini and living with Sharmista else where or accepting Sharmista as her bahu. She had to accept her .So Sharmista Bose became Sharmsita Gadodia and later came Swara Gadodia.

Sharmista never differentiated between her two daughters or it won't be a lie if we say she always tried to love Ragini a bit more. Both the girls grew up without knowing the true state of affairs. Swara always wondered why dadi seemed to prefer her didi.

Love for music was what brought Sansakar to Swara's life. Both the sister's were studying BA music anad one day their Professor asked Swara a favour. He wanted her to teach music to one of his friends granddaughter.

And our protagonists story starts from that day.

Change can come in many forms in our lives. It might come forcefully like a tidal wave, or creep along incrementally like a glacier. And that day changed all their lives for better or worse was difficult to tell.

They say love is that power which can break every barrier. It is so powerful that even countries fought battle for someones love. Even the great battle of Troy though some may say that Paris love for Helan was wrong.

The Present

It was a morning like any other in Kalibadi. The kids were busy getting ready to go to schools, women busy in their kitchen, radios playing so many different languages and between all those noises one voice was reaching everyone's heart. Her voice were as sweet as the murmur of a brook. Her pain and earning for love was visible in her melody. It felt like she was calling out to someone. To comeback to her and complete her.

Aamar praner pore chole gelo ke Basanter batashtukur moto

Se je chunye gelo nuye gelo re Phool phutiye gelo soto soto

Se chole galo bole gelo na Se kothai gelo phire elo na

Se jete jete cheye gelo ki jeno geye gelo Tayi apon mone boshe achhi kusum bonete

Se dheuer moto bheshe geche chander aalor deshe geche

Jokhon diye hashe geche hashi taar rekhe gechhe re

Mone holo aankhir kone amaye jeno deke gechhe se

Aami kothaye jabo kothai jabo bhabitechhi tayi ekla boshe

Se chaNder chokhe buliye gelo ghumer ghor

Se praner kothaye dulia gelo phooler dor

Kusum boner opor diye ki katha se bole gelo

Phooler gandho pagol hoye songe taaree chole gelo

Hridoy amar akul holo Nayan aamar mude elo re

Kotha diye kothai gelo se

"Who wafted by my heart like a whiff of spring's breeze. He touched me, brought me to knees, made flowers to bloom at ease. He passed by, a word he said not, to where, to return ever not. He passed by a glance he threw by, an unknown song he sang by. So I sit and wait in trance among flora and trees. . He wafted away like a wave, to where moon-rays rave. He smiled as he passed by, his smiles stayed by- From his corner of the eye I think he called me with his tease. Where do I go, O' where to, I now ponder sitting alone on my knees. He waved a trance of sleep on moon's eye, His whispers fluttered the flowers in the lei. What did he say to wild flowers as he passed by? Their fragrance in a trance with him flew by. My heart turned restless, heavy are my eyes. He comes from where, to where he leaves."

" Shonaa its already 7.30 beta. Dont you have office today."
"Oh maa i forgot about going to office."

"Sharmista why did you wake madamji from her dream world. You should let her stay there. I have told you before you should not allow her to go out much. She have already ruined her name once . And to girls like her ek moka hi kafi hai dubara aisa kuch karke ayega. I have to think about my ladoo ." said the matriarch of the house Parvathi Gadodia.

Swara hadnt heard those words she had already walked away from the house. She was walking but in her mind she was singing.

Tabo prema sudharase metechhi,

Dubechhe mon dubechhe

Kotha ke achhe nahi jani

Tomar madhureepane metechhi

dubechhe mon dubechhe

" I've fallen upon Your nectar of love

Where mind has been sunk down

Know not who is where

Only I've just fallen upon Your pleasure & beauty

still my mind has been sunk down abysmally, more & more. "

And with the song a face was coming in to her mind. A face she had tried hard to forget in the past 5 years. His smile was magical it still made her heart flutter. His sound was musical though he sweared upon her life that he could not sing.

She had put a brave face for her mother. She had made her believe she had walked away from the past. That the bright eyes doesn't disturb her sleep anymore.

He had left her but why she didn't know. She thought no she knew he loved her or didn't he. It was the question that haunted her days and nights. She had loved him with her heart body and soul. Swara toh Sanskar ki thi na . Tho kya Sanskar Swara ki Nahi thi kya.

PART 2

The Past

" Swara are you sure you want to go there"
"Ragini trust me i wouldn't be doing this if i had any other choice."

" Bhaya Stop this is the house. Swara i will come after paying the cab. You go inside ok."
Swara nodded yes to Ragini and walked inside.

Maheswari mansion was one of fine examples of colonial architecture in Kolkatta. It was bought from one of the British officials by Ram Manohar Maheswari in the early 1900s. Swara walked into a beautiful living room which reminded her of a palace she visited as a kid. She was greeted by one of the servants and asked her to wait for Mrs Maheswari at the living room. By the time Mrs Maheswari reached the room Ragini had also joined her.

"So you are the girls professor Sinha have sent to teach Uttara Music . i didnt get your names you are?"

"Mam i am Swara and this is my elder sister Ragini Gadodia."
" Oh you are Marwari's great. If you want you can start your class today. She had studied music for some years but now as she is in high school she dont get much time to go to music classes thats why i asked Professor to sent someone to teach her."

"Yes, mam we can start today if she is ready."


"So Uttara mai Ragini aur yeh meri choti behan Swara hai. You can call her Mam or didi which ever you prefer."

" I will call you didi . I always wanted one " said uttra.

"Acha aajse Swara tume music sikhayegi. Swara mai chalthi hu."
" Bye Ragini ."

" So we can start class." Swara started singing.

Her voice called him. As if it was calling him to come and claim it as his own. Sanskar had never felt such an emotion. He was the cool dude of the college. The one who flirted shamelessly and left a trail of broken hearts where ever he walked through. But this time it was to be different. He didn't knew it yet but this time was different. He walked towards her as if in trance not noticing anyone or anything just her.
"Bhaiya when did you come. Didi yeh mera bhai hai Sanskar aur yeh mera naya music teacher Swara "
" Beautiful " said sanskar ." Kyaa bhaiya"

"Beautiful voice "

" Swara Sanakar " he said giving her his hand.