Ab ke Baras! Chapter 14 up! On 12th Apr! On Page 41! - Page 10

CHAPTER 4. BLACKMAIL TIME

"Maan bete! Kya abhi bhi humse naaraaz ho?", Daadima pouted while staring at her grandson with tear filled eyes.

Maan did not even look at her. He simply continued with his packing, his movements jerky and sharp, showing his anger at the situation. Daadima sighed dramatically and stepped into Maan's room. She once again gave a soulful glance at her grandson who was standing by the bed packing his clothes for his trip. Maan once again ignored her.

"Maan bete!", Daadima pleaded. Maan closed his eyes and took a deep breath but could not control his anger. He turned around and lashed at his Daadima, "No Daadima! After what you did, you have no right to talk to me!" He turned back to the packing.

Daadima huffed, throwing away her pretense of being sad and glared at her grandson, "Humne kya kiya? Swamiji ne kahaa isliye hum tumhein hypnotist ke paas le gaye! Ab galat kya kiya humne?"

Five Days Earlier...

Maan looked on grimly as he sat on the reclined seat made specifically for people like him; the patients. He looked up at the Doctor who sat by him. He noticed his Daadima hovering behind the Doctor nervously. He sent an assuring smile at her and she relaxed a little. He focused on the Doctor as the Doctor spoke, "Alright Mr. Khurana! I have read your case file and while I don't believe in supernatural I do believe in reincarnations. And I think seeing past life helps anyone solve the current life problems. So I will send you to your past life today and we will see how much we can glean from it!"

Maan nodded and waited for the Doctor to get the recorder ready on his Laptop to record their session. As Maan watched the Doctor adjust the settings Maan remembered how he had reached to the point where he had to consult a hypnotist to research his past life. He remembered the accidents and the throttling nightmare and the romantic dream. And then he remembered the visit to Panditji who along with Swamiji explained how all these were connected to his past life and suggested trying a session with a hypnotist to see if they could find about his past life. The moment they left the Ashram, Maan called his top right hand guy and ordered him to find the top hypnotist in the city who also had worked on reincarnation. His right hand man was confused but did his job without question. And now here he was, two days later trying to find answers to his questions.

Back to present...

"Yeah right! You are the one who planned this trip! ", Maan growled and spoke in Daadima's style, trying to imitate her, "Maan bete! India jaane ki tayyari karo!".

"Hey Babaji!", Daadima gasped, "It is not my fault that you lived in India in your past life! Is it?"

Five Days Earlier...

"What do you see Maan? What do you see?", the calm and measured voice asked but Maan only heard it vaguely as he looked at the darkness in front of him. Suddenly there was a flash and he was on a road. The road was moving fast, he felt. Then it clicked to him. He was sitting on a vehicle and that was moving. He felt a feeling of coming home and he could sense the delight in his heart for travelling this road. His eyes were on the road and he raised them only to see a milestone on the side of the road. Maan was able to only catch a glimpse of it before the scene changed. It had Hoshiarpur 7 kms written on it...

Back to Present...

"So? That does not mean you parcel me off to Hoshiarpur!", Maan huffed.

"Offo! What else am I supposed to do?", Daadima pouted, "Hypnotism proved to me one thing! Your life as Mohi' was spent in Hoshiarpur! And Swamiji said that you need to go and check out the places where your Mohi' lived. So what else am I supposed to tell you? Maan bete! You seemed to be born and brought up in Hoshiarpur in your past life. Go! Check out Australia!?"

Five Days Earlier...

...The scene changed and he was standing in front of a big palace. It was grandiose and Maan seemed to be walking towards it. Feelings of happiness and loyalty rose in his heart and he could feel a wide grin on his lips. The scene changed again and he saw a familiar scene. It was her! It was Mahi! He could feel it. The familiar feeling of love and trust rose in him and he smiled. He still could not see her face though. She was running through the fields of yellow flowers and he seemed to be running after her. Her laughter echoed around him as she kept glancing back at him while running away. He grabbed her waist from behind and his arms encircled her waist. Lifting her up, he spun her around. Laughter of both of them echoed around them.

Suddenly, there was darkness around him and then his eyes opened to see an old ruin in front of him. His hand was grabbed and he heard Mahi's laughter. He turned to the side where she stood. He still could not see her face. Suddenly he was being dragged towards the old ruin by her hand. He seemed to be reluctant while Mahi seemed to be eager. He felt the love for her surge through his heart as he reveled in her laughter. And then the scene changed and what he saw left him breathless.

Maan broke from the trance by sitting up and screaming Mahi's name over and over. It took the Doctor few minutes to calm Maan while Daadima wrung her hands worriedly. Maan's voice was filled with pain when he called for Mahi and it tugged at Daadima's heartstrings. She could not see her grandson in pain. A tear trickled down her cheek and she wiped them away.

"Mr. Khurana! Mr. Khurana! Maan!", the Doctor shook him and Maan's unfocused eyes zoomed on the Doctor. Slowly the clarity in Maan's eyes returned and he blinked vigorously. Once he felt he was in his senses, he looked up at the Doctor in astonishment.

"Doctor! What the hell is happening to me?", it came out as whisper.

Back to Present...

"Beta!", Daadima spoke in defeated voice and Maan's anger flew away. He turned around and opened his eyes. Daadima walked upto him and hugged him tightly. As they drew comfort from each other Daadima spoke, "Beta! You know why I want you to go right? Tumhein jab bhi woh ladki yaad aati hai tum apne aapko bhool jaate ho! And we cannot have that happening!"

"But Daadima...", Maan frowned, "Doctor did say I will get used to Mohi's memories!"

Five Days Earlier...

The Doctor sighed and signaled Maan to come with him to other room. The other room held the Doctor's cabin and he sat down behind the desk as Maan and Daadima sat in front of it.

The Doctor removed his glasses and scrubbed his eyes as he tried to calm himself. The way Maan had woken up screaming in anguish had shaken the Doctor a little. Once he felt calmer, he addressed Maan, "First of all, Mr. Khurana! Can you convey what all you saw in your memories? And not just what you saw! I also want to know what all you felt. Your feelings, your thoughts, your emotions, everything!"

Maan took in a deep breath and started his narration. He explained the first scene he saw; him riding some kind of vehicle and the milestone which stated that Hoshiarpur was 7 kms away. He explained the delight and happiness he felt and when the Doctor prodded him more, Maan hesitantly explained that he felt he was coming home.

"Aha!", the Doctor exclaimed, "See Mr. Khurana! The first scene itself explained most important thing. You in your past life lived in this city called Hoshiarpur wherever it is!"

"It is in India!", Daadima interrupted and when Doctor and Maan turned to her for explanation she elaborated, "It's a district in Punjab. And also a village!"

"I think it must be a village! I saw fields!", Maan confessed and the Doctor nodded. Then the Doctor asked him to continue and Maan explained how the scene suddenly changed. The Doctor frowned, "Strange! Au contraire to what is shown in the movies, a person cannot access all their old memories in one hypnosis sitting but they definitely see more than what you saw Mr. Khurana!"

Maan frowned too but he continued. He explained the Palace and the loyalty he felt for it. Doctor smiled and explained that it might be house of someone close or must be of Maan's in past life. Then Maan explained Mahi and him running in fields. As Maan described the scene, there was a strange smile on his face that only Daadima and Doctor noticed. They looked at each other worriedly as Maan continued to speak about Mahi, her laughter, her voice. His words continued to praise her. The Doctor called his name twice but Maan did not notice; he was that lost in his Mahi.

"She was like fresh breeze. An angel...", Maan would have continued if Doctor had not pinched his arm. Maan flinched and looked at the Doctor who was frowning heavily, "Mr. Khurana! You seemed to be very attached to this Mahi character in last life! You must have loved her a lot! The reason I say this was because even while describing your feelings for her, you were lost in her thoughts. You were so lost that even with us calling your name twice did not bring you out of your thoughts. It is as if you were not Maan Singh Khurana anymore. You forgot yourself for a second, Mr. Khurana!"

The Doctor looked a touch worried and Maan felt worry too. If even her memory made him forget his identity how will he deal when all his memories came to fore or when he met her? What if he forgot himself fully and started to believe that he was Mohinderjeet? He looked at his Daadima with horror who had the same expression mirrored on her face.

For few seconds all were silent and then the Doctor prodded Maan to continue. Maan explained the ruin he saw but did not mention that he was heading towards it because Mahi was dragging him there. He did not want to even think about Mahi for the fear that he will turn into Mohi again. And then the Doctor asked him to narrate what he saw that had him coming out of his hypnosis midway through the session shouting.

Maan closed his eyes not wanting to go there but the image flashed into his mind. It was a photo in a frame with garland over it. Even though blurry, Maan knew it was Mahi. He opened his eyes and grabbed Daadima's hand scared of the emotions he would feel once he described what he saw. Not wanting to forget himself, he described it in words which were as short as possible, "She was dead. And I felt his pain!"

Maan got up and started to pace as he tried to push the memory away. He could feel the pain surge in his heart again and he wanted to be away from it. As he paced, his breath turned faster and his eyes jumped around erratically. He did not want to remember that moment. He did not want to feel Mohinderjeet's pain. He did not want to! He roared mentally Maan did not know that he was starting to shake till Daadima hugged from behind and mumbled his name. Maan came back to himself. He turned around and hugged Daadima back. It was her touch that grounded him. He was Maan! Yes! He was Maan! Maan Singh Khurana!

Doctor allowed Maan the moment he needed to push away the emotions he felt when he accessed Mohinderjeet's memories. Those emotions were not his! He had to constantly remind himself. He had to even repeat his own name for a while to grasp the reality.

Soon Maan and Daadima were seated in front of the Doctor and the Doctor started to speak, "Most people believe that it is easy to access old memories. Like in those movies we see. The characters accept their

past memories so easily in these movies. But the fact is it is not so easy to accept those memories. Because as far as we are concerned, Mr. Khurana, those are foreign memories. For people who remember these memories since childhood, yes, it might be their own memories for them because they have seen it and felt its emotions for their whole life. But people like you, who find such memories that also only in fragments after they reach adulthood, it is tough for you to accept them. For us, it should be like watching someone else's autobiography. But unfortunately we get feelings with those memories too and that confuses us."

Maan frowned in worry and the Doctor smiled, "Identity crisis is normal Mr. Khurana! And it is expected infact. Give it some time! And I am sure you will be able to reconcile Mohi with Maan and accept his memories as yours! For now these memories might be overwhelming. But after a while, those emotions will dull just like all the emotions with your childhood and teenage memories have dulled too!"

When Maan seemed to look skeptic, Doctor decided to explain it in different manner, "Mr. Khurana! You have lost your parents at a young age right?"

Maan nodded and Doctor continued, "Do you remember the sharp pain of their loss you felt at their funeral? Does the pain of their loss have the same intensity now when you think about them?"

Understanding dawned in Maan's eyes and the Doctor nodded, "As loosing Mahi for Mohinderjeet was painful like loosing parents for you, the pain was quite sharp and devastating! And just like the pain of loosing your parents have dulled for you, the pain of loosing Mahi will also dim soon! You need to adjust to your memories! Give yourself some time to digest those memories of old life! You will be fine! And as far as Mahi is concerned, there also time will dull the pain!"

Back to Present...

"Lekin Daadima...", Maan pulled away from Daadima and narrowed his eyes at her, "What is this zidd to get me married to Mahi?" Maan walked away from Daadima and aggressively carded his fingers through his hair. He turned around and glared at Daadima, "Do tell me! How can you order me to marry some unknown girl?"

Four Days Earlier...

Maan sat in shock even though it had been a day since he visited the hypnotist. He was so shocked by the knowledge he acquired in the last few days that he spent the whole day in a daze. Just then Daadima arrived into his room, "Maan bete!"

"Maan Bete! I need a favor from you!", Daadima spoke as she sat by her grandson. She lovingly cupped his cheeks and smiled softly at him. And then she dropped the bombshell on him!

"Maan Bete! When you find Mahi in this life, I want you to marry her!"

Maan blinked and blinked again.

After few seconds he whispered, "Daadima!" in shock.

Before Maan could collect his senses and protest or complain, Daadima filled her eyes in tears, "Maan bete! Poori baat sunlo phir kuch bolna! It is obvious Maan that you loved this girl in your past life. She is your soulmate. So you marrying her in this life is logical Maan! And think Maan! In last life, you could not get married to the love of your life! Don't you think you deserve to marry her in this life? Aur waise bhi I am getting old these days! I want to see you married Maan! Please Maan! Promise me! You will go to India, find the love of your life and marry her!"

Shell shocked Maan could do nothing except nod and Daadima walked away. It took Maan a day to digest the information he came across in the last few days and once he realised that his Daadima had emotionally blackmailed him into agreeing to marry Mahi in this life, he felt anger well inside him. But by then, he had agreed to Daadima's words so he swallowed his anger and started planning his trip.

Back to Present...

"Unknown girl?", Daadima planted her hands on her hips, "What unknown girl! Do remember Maan! You fell in love with her! You were crazy for her!"

"In past life Daadima!", Maan deadpanned.

"That I don't know!", Daadima folded her arms against her chest "Mujhe Mahi hi iss ghar ki bahu chaahiye, matlab chaahiye!"

"WHAT THE HELL!", Maan finally exploded, "You are out of your mind Daadima! TOTALLY out of your mind Dammit! You want me to marry some stranger! How can you think about it in this era? In this era where even arrange marriages are going extinct you want me to marry a stranger! Even arrange marriages have the girl and boy meeting and spending time together! You just want me to go and marry this girl who I don't even know!"

"Arre! What is there to know!", Daadima sounded indignant, "You fell in love with her in last janam! I am sure you will fall in love with her this janam too!"

"Err... What?", Maan blinked in confusion at Daadima's logic.

"Aur nahi toh kya?", Daadima huffed, "Look Maan! She was your lover in last janam! And we Indians believe in janam janam ka saath! So obviously she is your life partner this janam too!..."

Maan's jaw dropped open. Is she seriously talking about janam janam ka saath? He could only look on incredulously as Daadima continued to talk.

"In short, one day you will meet her, try to understand her, fall in love with her, propose her. And knowing you that will take you God knows how many years! So might as well cut short the whole process Maan, and just marry her!", Daadima shrugged carelessly and walked away.

Maan fell on the bed in shock. What kind of rubbish was that? He slapped his forehead trying to understand Daadima's logic. But any way he looked, he could not make head or tail out of it.

"DAADIMA!", came a roar and Daadima who was getting down the stairs turned around to see Maan stumble down the stairs behind her.

"Kya hua Maan bete?", Daadima looked curiously.

"What kind of gibberish was that Daadima? What is the guarantee that she is the girl for me in this life?", Maan asked incredulously.

Daadima rolled her eyes, "How many times I have to explain it to you Maan bete? Its saath janam ka bandhan Maan! Seven lifetimes! You are made for each other!"

Daadima turned and climbed down the remaining steps. Suddenly Maan spoke up from behind, "What if this was my eighth janam? Then what?"

Daadima turned around and smirked at Maan, "Now you are talking rubbish Maan!"

Daadima turned back and walked off while Maan threw his hands in the air. He glared at his Daadima's retreating back.

"So you are expecting me to marry some random girl? What if she is not educated? What if she is narrow minded? How will she adjust in USA? What if she did not even speak English? What if she does not know how to behave in cultured society? We will be doomed Daadima! And lets not forget what it will do to our reputation!", Maan ranted in anger.

"Oh ho! Maan! You are the narrow minded one here!", Daadima waved him away, "Ladki ka dil dekho! Don't see her education and her behavior! Dil sone ka hona chaahiye! Baaki sab bekaar hai!"

"But Daadima...", Maan hesitated, "The girl took me to my death remember? The terrace? The car accident? She lured me remember?" Maan was grasping at straws right now and was using every excuse to avoid the trip. Soulmate my foot!

Daadima sighed, "Woh sab humein nahi pata! All I know is that Mahi tumhaari humsafar hai aur tumhein waise bhi in accidents ko rokne ke liye India jaana hi hai aur usse milna hi hai! So might as well marry her and bring her here!"

"But Daadima...", Maan whispered and Daadima was unable to keep her calm anymore.

"Bas Maan bas!", she cried out as she looked at him with tear filled eyes, "Tumhein koi ajeeb shakti maarna chaahti hai! Tumhaari kundali kehti hai ki yeh baras tumpe bhaari hoga! Hum tumhein iss saal kho sakte hain Maan! Aur iss maut ko rokna hai toh tumhein uss ladki ko dhundhna hoga, apni purani zindagi ko jaanna hoga, samajhna hoga! Aur kyunki woh tumhari har janam ki saathi hai, tumhein usse shaadi karni padegi! Yeh humaari khwaish hai! And it's final!"

Daadima walked away leaving a shocked Maan behind. So it was final! He was going to India! And then meet the love of his last life who would be virtually a stranger to him and marry her! Damn! When did my life become this complicated?

So how was that folks? Maan is off to India!

But Geet will enter only in Chapter 6!

Till then you can enjoy the below teaser!

Thank you, take care and have fun,

Kalpana