Udi Udi Jaaye
Sighing, I put on the disturbingly colourful kediyu Rudra forced me to wear for tonight's Gujarati-themed sangeet, thanks to his Gujarati fiancee.
You owe me, I had commented as soon as I looked at the outfit he'd picked out for Shivaay and I. Surprisingly, Shivaay had talked him out of sporting it tonight, but I couldn't. And so, here I am, I sighed once again.
I fixed the jacket for the umpteenth time, feeling not-at-ease at all.
Regardless, I knew the smile it would bring on Rudra's face, and so I was willing to bear the brunt. I can handle one night of being dressed as a human palette, I thought to myself as I prepared myself to deal with the million eyes that would be intently staring (probably in shock) at my "choice" of outfit for Rudra's sangeet.
Prinku came in to summon me for the puja that had begun outside, but before that, she kissed my cheek and asked the photographer to take our picture. I knew very well what was to follow - countless blackmailing sessions courtesy to this one picture - yet I let her.
We finally headed outside, and I could literally feel people eyeing me up and down. I sighed and sped up to join the family, effectively hiding myself from the eyes of the unknown. But it was at that precise moment that I caught the eye of someone who was dressed in even more colourful clothes than me, as if that was possible right?
But the more I looked at her, the more radiant she appeared - especially her smile. I smiled upon the sight reflexively and had to force myself to look away before it seemed as though I was staring at her. Diverting my attention to the puja, I ignored the smirks Shivaay kept throwing at me from the side - at my outfit or did he catch me looking at her? But I shook off those thoughts as an announcement proclaimed an upcoming performance by someone named Ishaana - probably a cousin of Saumya's.
Having no interest in dance performances, I headed back into the hall away from the commotion. However, I was just about to enter in when I heard Shivaay scream out my name. I turned and mouthed, "What?" shrugging my shoulders at him. All he did in response, though, was nod towards the stage. And so I shifted my gaze, only to catch the sight of the same colourfully-dressed girl performing.
I recognized the music as a song from Kai Po Che, but never had I paid attention to it before. Her movements were fluid, and a strange sense of excitement evident on her features. But the most fascinating, and rather captivating, aspect of her performance was the intricacy of her movements.
Grabbing a seat by the couple of the hour, my eyes were glued to her form which was effortlessly swaying with the beats.
The song soon ended, closing her performance with a thunderous round of applause and cheers. But as if the atmosphere had changed completely, the speakers burst out with another song and opened the dance floor to the crowd.
My whole family was on the dance floor by this time. Rudra almost dared to ask me to join them, but one scowling look was all it took and he backed off.
Instead of waiting for the dance floor to eventually thin out, however, I watched everyone with a heightened sense of interest.
My eyes met hers yet once again, and I smiled at her. She effortlessly made her way towards me and stood right in front of me, "You've been staring at me for a long time don't you think?" she smirked.
I snapped out of the trance I seemed to have gotten in and smiled nervously, "Umm sorry, you just... You are really good, I guess I just couldn't take my eyes off of you!"
I stood up and asked for her hand, "I'm Omkara!"
She smiled, "I know, but I'm going to start charging you for staring so much."
"Huh?" I involuntarily voiced out, evidently confused at what she was asking for.
"What say, one dance Mr. Omkara?"
I heard Prinku gasp and Rudra laugh, but I agreed. There was something that just felt right about her, and so I went for it.
The next song played and our bodies swayed together on the dancefloor. As awkward as I felt, I couldn't help admire how well she lead me around the dancefloor. The night went on, and I stayed in for the endless rounds of garba till the dancefloor had literally thinned out.
She smiled, "You're not so bad yourself Omkara," she said after placing a kiss on my cheek and swiftly walking away
--
Udi udi jaaye, udi udi jaaye.
Dil ki patang dekho udi udi jaaye.
Anupamaa
