||Maana ke Hum Yaar Nahin (completed)||RiKara 5S - Sht5 Pg12 (14/June)

Omkara Singh Oberoi was waiting for his bride . A women chosen by his Dadi to be his better half. He hardly knew her but he cared little. Few years back, he would have laughed at the idea of having an arranged marriage but his heart was not broken then. He was madly in love with his high school sweet heart, Ridhima. Only Art and Ridhima were his true passions . He was all set to propose to her by his final year in college. Alas ! Fate had other plans. Ridhima broke up with him and got married to his friend, Daksh. She didn't bother to give him explanations and he was too broke to seek them. He was unable to paint or sculpt anymore. Oberoi family was surprised when their artistic son decided to join family business. From that day onwards, he immersed himself in work to forget her. His family noticed the subtle changes in him but they brushed it aside stating it as reaching maturity. Only his mother Jhanvi knew his pain and she tried her best to pull him out of his despair. She prayed that one day a girl will come to his life, helping him to get over his past and move on. When Dadi brought marriage proposal for Om from Bareilly , Jhanvi was unsure yet he agreed to meet her. He looked at her picture saved in Dadi's mobile and nodded without any emotions before handing it over to his mom. "Dadi , she is so pretty. Kya naam bataya aapne iska", Jhanvi asked. Dadi replied, "Gauri Kumari Sharma".

Gauri was just 8 years old when her alliance was fixed with Suraj, son of her dad's best friend. Till then they were just play mates but soon entire village used to address them as Gauri ka Suraj & Suraj ki Gauri. Years passed, their friendship blossomed to love. Suraj was already employed at Kali Thakur's haveli, he was one of the most trusted person of Kali thakur. Both families agreed to get Gauri and Suraj bound in matrimony. But due to unfortunate turn of events, Suraj lost his life while trying to save Kali Thakur. Gauri's life was doomed with his death. Kali Thakur was indebted to Suraj and decided to take care of his orphaned family. When he came to know about Gauri, he promised to find a good alliance for her and get her married off as one of his own family member. It was Kali who gave Gauri's proposal to Dadi with intention to find a good match for her but little did he know that Dadi will choose Gauri for her own grandson. Gauri realised she had little choice, her father passed away long back and her ailing mother's last wish was to get her settled. From childhood days, her heart belonged to Suraj and she can never replace him with another man but complied to her mother's wish.

A month back , Omkara came to see her with his family. They hardly talked to each other for 5 minutes, just exchanging pleasantries. At the end when they were asked, Omkara gave his consent and so did Gauri. Today they are going to be wedded in a grand ceremony at Bareilly. He looked at her when she arrived , beautifully cladded in her bridal attire. Their eyes met briefly when she sat near him, she gave him a weak smile while he nodded in acknowledgement.

Omkaara said in his mind, " I can never love anyone again. As elder son, it's my duty to be married and give an heir. Besides, it keeps my family and mom happy. I am sorry Gauri, I won't be able to love you. But I promise to be faithful to you, to respect & protect you and give you all happiness". While taking pheras, Gauri too reflected in her mind, "Forgive me Omkaraji, my heart belongs to someone else. Though he is not in this world, it still belongs to him. I agreed to this marriage just to bring peace to my mother. I promise to diligently perform all my duties as your wife. My body and soul will belong to you from today but I cannot promise my love"

"Vivaah sampann huvah", the priest announced and guests cheered. Omkara and Gauri observed happy faces of their family members and felt happy. Omkara extended his hand to Gauri and wished her, "Congrats , Mrs Gauri Omkara Singh Oberoi". She didn't know how to respond yet felt light-hearted by his friendly gesture. When she didn't take his hand, he raised his eyebrow and asked "Won't you wish me back?". "Oh, I am sorry. Congrats Omkaraji", she shook his hand. Her innocent smile and shy response warmed his otherwise cold heart for a moment. He held her hand and they went to take blessings from elders.

Shot 1

Kali Thakur had thrown a grand wedding reception. He wanted to ensure that Gauri's wedding will be as splendid as any girl from his own family. Jhanvi and Bua ma took Gauri to room meant for her wedding night. Gauri felt overwhelmed by emotions. Every girl dreams about her wedding yet today she was neither happy nor excited. Her tears had dried long back and nothing was left for her to mourn. Omkara was an educated , handsome, rich man whom any girl would have desired as husband. However Guari was unable to bring herself to accept him. It didn't matter whether she accepted him or not, her upbringing had taught her that once married you belong to your husband and having another man in your heart will be a grave sin. She was caught at cross roads and found it difficult to decide to move ahead. Puzzled , she sat with her head resting on the bedpost and dozed off. It was past midnight when Omkara finally made it to the room. He found her cuddled like a soft toy at corner of the bed. Poor thing, he mused. He freshened up and changed to his night clothes. He wanted to place her comfortably on bed but was afraid to wake her up or worse to scare her. He quickly slept on the other side of bed.

They were supposed to start for his home by morning. Omkara woke up and got dressed. Gauri was still sleeping so he softly shook her, "Gauri , wake up. We need to leave soon". She opened her eyes and was surprised to see her new husband and shocked to realise it was already morning. "I am so sorry. I slept off. Shall I get you tea? Do you need anything ?", she nervously asked. It was their first morning and she had slept past her husband wake up time. She was unhappy that he might consider her as lazy and irresponsible. "Gauri, relax. No need to panic. I am fine and I don't need anything. You get ready as we need to start for home", he told her. As asked she got ready quickly and was helping him to pack his bag, "Its okay Gauri, I will manage", he told. "Aisey kaisey manage, it's my duty to do it ", she said innocently. "No Gauri, it's not. You are not my servant or slave . You are my wife, you are equivalent to me. Neither above or below but we are on same plane. Understood?" he asked. She nodded although she didn't understand it. She had seen from chidlhood that wife is supposed to serve her husband, even Suraj insisted that she had to leave her childish ways and be a dutiful wife after marriage.

Silence evaded the space between them. Jhanvi and Bua ma decided to send bride and groom alone while remaining family members followed them in other cars. It was Bua ma's idea to give some quality time to RiKara after hectic wedding. It's been a while since they started from Bereilly after her tearful bidaai and none uttered a word. Omkara was concentrating on road, yet throwing occasional glance at his newly wedded wife. She was clad in a beautiful marron lahenga and jewelry, her head being veiled by a matching chunari. Gauri was feeling really cold and hugged herself. "Gauri, are you comfortable?", finally he asked. "Ji? Yes, I am fine", she said unsurely. "Do you want me to adjust the temperature of A/C?", sensing her body language he asked. She nodded timidly. "Kuch bolo, Gauri", he told. "Aap boliye, mein sun rahi hoon", she meekly replied. Omkara smile at her naivety. He halted at a dhaba, they both were not hungry but he went ahead and bought coke. "Tumhe coke toh pasande hain na?", he asked while giving it to her. "Haan bahut", she giggled. Momentarily Omkara saw glance of cheerful Gauri only to be masked behind her polite demeanor. He leaned on the bonnet of car. Gauri came out and stood near him. While enjoying the cold drink, he asked suddenly , "Gauri, what do you think should be the base of a good marriage?" "Trust", she replied quickly. "Maybe but I think it is Friendship. If we are friends then trust, respect and mutual understanding will follow on its own ", he paused to see her reaction. She gave a confused smile to him. "Mujse dosti karoge?", he extended his hand and she took it quickly. She was surprised at her own response, she didn't feel shy or confused by his proposal of friendship. "Aaj se hum dono buddies. Cheers to it", he announced clinking their coke bottles. Rest of the journey went fine. Gauri was bit more herself, she talked to him about her likes and dislikes. Her devotion to Bhagvaan Sankar, her love for Salman Khan movies, and so on. Omkara simply listened to her, encouraging with nods, laughs and some queries .

"Omkaraji, kab se hum he batiya rahein hain. Apne barey mein bhi boleye?", she asked. "Well, nothing much about me. I like to drive, I like soft music ,I prefer healthy food and I am not big movie buff. I am not a believer in God either.. ...". It went on few minutes, Omkara deliberately avoided his passion for art. "Looks like we don't have much in common", Gauri was tensed. "That's the best thing. We are like ying-yang. Perfectly complementing each other", he told her cheerfully. "Omkaraji, aap bahut achey hain", she told. "Aur tum bahut sweet ho", he paused to continue "See we already have something in common. We both admire each other". They both laughed out loud, it was not the fake content which they adorned for others. It was pure , natural and heart felt. It was memorable journey for both of them. Their new found friendship had brought the much needed light and life to their broken lives.

A week passed since Gauri came to her sasural. Her extended family made feel at home, especially her mother-in-law. Jhanvi absolutely dotted on her, partly coz she felt guilty and anxious. Jhanvi knew the truth about Om, his heart was broken and he claims never to fall in love anymore. Even then she pushed him to a relationship with an innocent belle like Gauri. She was guilty of being a selfish mother. Gauri was her last hope to revive her son. There was always a risk of having the history repeat itself, Gauri being a successor of Jhanvi, a victim of loveless marriage. She consoled herself that Om was not Tej and never be Tej. She promised herself to support Gauri to best of her abilities in whichever situation that comes in future. Besides she was happy to see the newlyweds warming up to each other. Om showed signs of being a caring and friendly husband. Entire family was happy for them but Jhanvi recognized the missing element , it was Love. She could only hope that with time, Love will find its way into their lives.

PRECAP: Rikara honeymoon . Ridhima's re-entry