OS: CHITTHI NA KOI SANDES
(Don't forget to read the Author's Note towards the end of the story)
Chitthi na koi sandes,
Jaane wo kaun sa des,
Jahan tum chale gaye...
Iss dil pe lagaake thes,
Jaane wo kaun sa des,
Jahan tum chale gaye...
"Suhana, ye aapke papa hain..." Dev sat on his hunches as Sonakshi reintroduced Dev to Soha formally, as the three of them were in the backstreet of the Bose House- "Aamar Baadi" ... It was one of the happiest days of Dev's life, one that he shall remember forever...
It was the eve before Holi, people were preparing for Holika dehen once the sun sets... They say to ward off all the evil... Dev felt the evil from his life was dissipating as well... None introduced his daughter other than the mother of his child... Happy tears rolled out of his eyes...
Sonakshi though have always tried having no connection with the emotions that Dev felt post their bitter separation... But today she knew exactly how he must be feeling... He is the counter parent of the same child she is the mother of, and could understand the glowing happiness on his face...
Dev stood on his feet to pull the never ceasing to ring cellphone of his, that was interrupting the once in a lifetime moment of his life... Irritated, he pulled the phone off excusing with his daughter for the disturbance... Sonakshi could read his face, though she could not hear whatever the person on the other end spoke... Dev's face was turning white... His hands were trembling... The phone was to slip out of his hands... He was losing his balance...
"DEV!!! Sambhaalo apne aap ko..." Sonakshi rushed towards him, and ushered him to the nearby bench... He has totally zoned out of his environment... He was trembling, he was panicking... He was lost... What went wrong?
"Dev? Dev... Kya hua? Kiska phone tha... Tum aise kyu baithe ho, baat kya hai???" Sona was shaking Dev to focus back to his environment and react accordingly... But he seemed totally taken aback and shocked... He wanted to rush somewhere, but his shocked state wasn't co-operating...
"SOHA!!!" Sonakshi yelled for her daughter's help...
"Yes, Mumma?" Soha came running to her mother looking totally confused at her father's state...
"Go inside, and ask Dida for a bottle of chilled water and Glucose in it... Quick!" Sonakshi instructed her daughter, while she sat on the bench beside him... Rubbing his palm rigorously... She made him drink water that their daughter brought... He didn't calm down from his hurry to rush somewhere, but he stopped trembling... Sonakshi shook his shoulder again to gain his attention...
"Dev, for God's sake, would you tell me, what's wrong? Who called you?" Sonakshi asked him like it were the previous years of their lives when they were together... The times of need make you forget any bitterness... This was another of the few such times...
"Maa... maa..." Dev tried speaking...
"Aapki maa ka call tha?" She asked...
"Nahi Maamaji ka..." he was trying to speak sense...
"Okay, toh Maamaji ka call tha!" Sonakshi affirmed.
"Nahin... Maa..." Dev again spoke.
"Dev, mere kuch samajh nahi aa raha... Kabhi keh rahe hain aap ki maa ka phone hai, kabhi keh rahe hain ki Maamaji ka phone hai... Hua kya hai?" Sonakshi shook him hard...
Dev shook his head to clear the blurry thoughts to concentrate on what Sona was asking... "Maamaji ka phone aaya tha Sonakshi, Maa kitchen mein neeche choolha lagaake halwa bana rahi thi gujiya banana ke liye... Pata nahi kerosene ka choolha kaise gir gaya aur maa ki saree ne aag pakad li..." Dev's lips trembled... He was gaining strength to get up and rush to the hospital...
Sonakshi had clasped her palms on her mouth hearing the news- "Wo theek toh hain, zyada toh jali nahi?" she was shocked.
"ICU mein hain... Doctors are examining... Mujhe jaana hai..." Dev shook himself to get through to the car and drive...
"Dev, nahi... I won't let you drive alone... I am coming along with you, my driver will take us... I don't trust you alone in this state..." Sonakshi announced...
Ek aah bhari hogi,
Humne na suni hogi,
Jaate-jaate tumne,
Aawaaz toh di hogi...
Har waqt yahi hai ghum,
Uss waqt kahan they hum,
Kahan tum chale gaye...
Chitthi na koi sandes,
Jaane wo kaun sa des,
Jahan tum chale gaye...
Iss dil pe lagaake thes,
Jaane wo kaun sa des,
Jahan tum chale gaye...
Dev walked briskly on the corridors of the hospital he was informed in which his mother was being treated... Walked in steps with him was Sonakshi who dreaded him going alone... She promised to leave him as soon as his family takes over...
Inspecting from the reception, they walked towards the Burns Unit, that dealt with patients who had burns ranging from Minor to Critical... He found Vicky walking around with his mother... Seeing Sonakshi along, they had their faces made...
"Dev, take care... Main chalti hoon..." Sonakshi informed him in the corridor near the room... She didn't want to face any taunts by her ex-in-laws, she was now no longer obliged...
She was about to turn when he gripped her fingers tightly... His fingers still trembled... "Please Sonakshi, abhi mat jaao... Main akele nahi face kar sakta ye sab... I need you..." he pleaded looking straight into the corridor... And his face gave no emotions... His fear was evident in his gestures though... A person who is not close enough to understand his body language, would never know the extent of turmoil he was in...
She nodded at him... She was nobody to him right now, but once upon a time he was her friend, lover, boyfriend, and a very loving husband, but above all, a great human, and he needed support that she knew wouldn't be offered by anyone at his place...
They walked to Ishwari's room... They just vaguely understood from the bed net that the patient laying inside was the mother of the house who faced burns... Maamaji stood outside the area, his eyes filled with tears for his younger sister, Kachori, that he used to address her with...
Dev walked to his mother, and sat on the attender's stool, that was kept out of the reach of the patient, barring the prospective infections... Dev could hardly identify his mother with all the barriers kept, but he sat quietly... Upon seeing Sonakshi, mamaji gave an arm hug to Sonakshi, like a father wanted to share his grief with his daughter. Sonakshi consoled him without a word of exchange.
"Maamaji, doctor ne kya kaha?" Dev asked looking unblinkingly at the glasses...
"Dev, doctor keh rahe hain ki Ishwari bohot zyada jal gayi hai... Shayad... Shayad... Wo..." Mamaji covered his mouth, still not prepared to utter the unacceptable, the foreseen warning by the doctors about the low survival rate of the patient...
Har cheez pe ashkon se,
Likha hai tumhara naam,
Ye raste ghar galiyaan,
Tumhe kar na sake salaam...
Haaye dil mein reh gayi baat,
Jaldi se chuda kar haath,
Kahan tum chale gaye...
Chitthi na koi sandes,
Jaane wo kaun sa des,
Jahan tum chale gaye...
Iss dil pe lagaake thes,
Jaane wo kaun sa des,
Jahan tum chale gaye...
Dev sat before the covered corpse of his mother at Ishwari Niwas, their home, from where they had to proceed for the funeral... His tears knew no stoppage, and had no idea, how many people had come to give their last tribute...
He distinctly remembered, when he was to go and meet his mother in the room, Sonakshi had brought Suhana to meet her grandmother before anything irreversible happens... She had asked Dev to take Suhana in with him...
Robed in a sterilized gown along with her father had Suhana gone inside... Dev told the news about her granddaughter coming to meet her, Ishwari knew Suhana... A soft grunt of approval was all that was heard from her fighting for life body...
And they were the last few moments before the sepsis, the infections over the burns were taking a toll on her vital organs, her heartbeat count was dropping and the life was slipping away from their hands... He somehow knew...
Dev could understand what was about to happen, and he rushed Soha out, before she witnesses what is one of the most emotionally wracking episode any common person witnesses, he handed her over to Sonakshi to take her away...
His eyes pleaded help that his mouth never uttered... She knew he needs to get back to his dying mother... She knew, he may need her as well... She saw his sisters crying standing... They needed her, but Radha Rani and Vicky were creating a lot of issues for her to stay back... Not like she wanted to... She forced herself to drive back with Soha to her home... She would get the news whatever it was...
She was about to reach her home, when she had a call from a traumatized Nikki, sobbing her heart out for her mother who passed away some minutes back... Though Sonakshi felt heavy at heart, but had no courage to go and face them right away in this state...
Sonakshi now walked into the mourning hall of Ishwari Niwas... She, Asha and her Dadi had walked in there... Bijoy refused to come and Saurabh stayed back to have a care for Soha... Sonakshi did not know if she should be coming here, but on her mother's insistence she had come here...
She went and paid her tribute to Ishwari, whose face was kept covered for the public, as it was not really in a shape to be shown... She looked at Neha, Riya and Nikki... They were shedding tears quietly... She then looked at Dev, who had a permanent fixture next to his mother... Sitting like a statue... His fair, pink handsome face looked so disturbed... His hair so disheveled, his beard all grown and his nose and cheek red with all the crying, eyes so puffy... He looked tormented at his mother's death...
Sonakshi closed her eyes, remembering Ishwari, her mother in law in the bygone years... Her smiling face swam before her closed eyes... The one who refused to eat nutritious food, the one who was particular about praying, the one who loved to do all the work for her son, the one who danced cutely on Neha's sangeet, the one who laughed at her youngest daughter's antics, the one who remained worried for her eldest daughter neha, the one who was proud of her middle daughter Riya... And the one who extremely loved her eldest child Dev... The one who's love had proved fatal for their love... The one who's insecurity demanded on the cost of Dev and Sonakshi's breakup... The one who got severely burnt making halwa for filling in the Gujiyas for her son and granddaughter, who loved it... Everything rolled like a film reel before Sonakshi's closed eyes, and a tear rolled out her eyes... Whatever she did in her lifetime, it was Sonakshi's duty to forgive her for one last time, for the departed soul's journey abode be free from the pains of the past doings... Sonakshi, from the bottom of her heart, forgave her...
Ab yaadon ke kaante,
Iss dil mein chubhte hain,
Na dard theherta hai,
Na aansoo rukte hain...
Tumhe dhoondh raha hai pyaar,
Hum kaise karein iqraar,
Ke haan tum chale gaye...
Chitthi na koi sandes,
Jaane wo kaun sa des,
Jahan tum chale gaye...
Iss dil pe lagaake thes,
Jaane wo kaun sa des,
Jahan tum chale gaye...
Kahan tum chale gaye...
Kahan tum chale gaye...
Ho... Kahan tum chale gaye...
Sonakshi revisited Ishwari Niwas in the evening, once she was sure, Dev was back from the funeral... She needed to bath, and she did so at her home, and now came back... The house looked relatively quiet against the crying and howling that happened a few hours back... Except for the house helps wrapping up the beddings on the floor, everyone seemed to be back to their rooms...
Soha clutched to her mother's hand walking in the hall... She had accompanied her mother to see her father, since she felt, Mr. Dixit was sad. "Soha, baby, stay here with Golu... I will call you to papa's room in a while... Don't start playing around and don't make any noise... Okay Soha and Golu?" Sonakshi handed Soha's hand in Golu's hand, who solemnly took his sister's hand, shaking his head... Seeing the environment around, he got the idea that he is not supposed to be jumping around, and so was behaving very properly...
Leaving the kids to themselves, Sonakshi walked to Dev's room, climbing the staircase... Dev sat yet again like a statue on the corner of his bed... His face red, yet again... A few tears wetting his face... Sonakshi could have conveniently left Dev to his own devices, since she wasn't obliged to comfort him, just like the previous time when he had met with an accident... Today she felt, he needed her...
"Dev?" Sonakshi sat on the corner of the bed next to Dev, what once upon a time used to be their heaven in each other's arms, was now his alone...
He looked at her... Another fat tear rolled down his lower eyelid... "Sonakshi..." Dev's dry lips uttered her name... As if his eyes were waiting for her comforting look... He launched himself in her arms just like it was the most natural thing for him to do... He wanted to seek comfort from the other most important woman of his life when the another one was no more... He sobbed his heart, like he waited for her only... He shook with his intensity...
Sonakshi had to take the support of her wrist, making a fist on the bed, to keep herself balanced while he was launched on her, sobbing his pain... Her other arm went around to his back, which sometimes caressed his back for comfort, and sometimes into his hair to ease his pain out...
She had never seen him crying like this ever before... She is that only woman in his life who has witnessed every single shade his personality professed... Right from a ruthless businessman, to the obedient son, to a caring brother, to an obsessive lover, to a romantic boyfriend, to a confused husband, to a bending father... From anger to love and pain, she had seen every single emotion he had... But she had never seen him broken ever before... Deaths have been hard on him anyway, be it his father's or his mother's...
"Dev... Dev! Sambhaalo apne aap ko... Aise kaise chalega? Nikki-Riya ko kaun sambhaalega agar aap aise toot jaayenge toh?" she forcefully gave him a glass of water to drink... His lips refuse to take the glass, and she forcefully insisted on making him drink some...
"Chali gayi maa... Meri maa... Chali gayi Sonakshi... Meri maa mere liye halwa banaate-banaate chali gayi..." he had no explanations to give... He just grieved his mother's demise...
Sonakshi knew, he was his lowest right now, and no amount of sense will make any sense to him... He needs to wash all this out of his system... She let him sob whatever it was, to accept it finally that this is what the truth is... His mother was no more... And he must live alone all over again...
Minutes and many more minutes passed by... He had settled his head quietly over Sonakshi's shoulder... A few tears lingered about, getting absorbed in the simple cotton kurta of the salwar kameez that Sonakshi wore... No matter what the past was, she could not deny the fact that this was the most comforting head that she could have on her shoulder, and she was someone whom he approached so effortlessly, seeing her...
"Papa... Are you okay?" Soha stood on Dev's door, wearing a simple Patiala salwar and short kurta...
Dev looked up surprised at the door... Soha had called him papa... What he was yearning to listen for so long... He looked at Sonakshi, who gave him an encouraging smile...
Dev was on his knees before his daughter... He opened his arms for his baby, who walked in unhesitant, and hugged her father... Dev sobbed yet again... He was on his lowest a few moments ago and he was on a high... He couldn't help his ranging emotions...
"Papa, mumma ne bataaya, Daadi ki death ho gayi na... I am sorry, Papa..." Soha told her father, wiping his tears as a fresh batch of tears arrived, which again was wiped by his daughter...
Dev hugged his little baby to his heart... He didn't know what to say or do... He was shattered at his mother's news and his heart was rebuilding with his daughter's love...
"Papa, aap bilkul alone nahi ho, jaisa aap mumma se keh rahe they... Aap ke paas aapki daughter hai na, Miss. Suhana Bose... Aur mumma bhi toh hain na? Hum sab aapko kabhi alone nahi hone denge..." Soha hugged her father, as she opened her another arm for her mother to join, that she slowly did...
"Main bhi aapko kabhi alone nahi leave karunga, Bigcha!" Golu came inside and joined the hug...
Dev ruffled the little boy's head, and hugged him as well...
Sonakshi hugged all the three of them in a family hug... Without a word, as a silent support to both the kids and the adult who seem to be each other's staunch support from here on...
~~THANKS FOR READING~~
AUTHOR'S NOTE:
Guys, please be noted, I do not intend to hurt anyone's sentiments writing this work... If it did, I am really apologetic...
This one came, more like a vow... The ones who know me from near, know that I had promised myself, if Ishwari ever goes to the Bose House to see Suhana, and claim her rights over her granddaughter, I am going to kill her...
She did that in the show, and I was mightily pissed off.. And according to my promise, I was supposed to write her funeral... It took me days to write, because my story demanded to be posted at this time only...
I hope you get where this sadist frustration to kill the stuck in the throat kind of character of our show, is coming from...
I hope, none such stories have come up until now, and that makes this work unique...😆
Have a great day ahead...😃
Aazeen⭐️
Itti Si Khushi Sab TV
Anupamaa
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