~~Shiksha: A Rudhita OS~~

Hey guys, I've been a silent member of this forum for a while now, but got distracted every time I thought to introduce myself 🤪 I wrote this fic before lockdown started, so it might not completely relate to how Rudhita's equation currently is... but since the show is now approaching the education theme, I thought to post it. I know this forum has really great writers, so I hope this doesn't disappoint you guys! 🙈 Without further ado...

------------

Any moment now, Bondita’s ears would start spewing smoke, she knew it. They always did when she got angry, just like her tongue turned black every time she lied. Her mother had told her about it many times, which was why she always spoke the truth and remained calm (or at least tried her best to). It was absolutely no fun pouring water on her head over and over to cool her ears, or staying an entire week without rosogollas to make her tongue normal again.

She huffed. It was all rakshas babu’s fault!

First he had kept her confined within her room, and when she had finally managed to sneak out to have some rosogollas from the kitchen, he had stopped her and made her do 30 sit-ups instead! She had silently suffered through it all in the hopes that at least the rosogollas would be hers finally, but on finishing, her heartless rakshas babu had given away all the sweets — right in front of her very eyes —to Batuk! Oh, how she had wished in that instant to wipe the stupid grin off that brat’s face! But it was a victory gifted to him by her own patibabu, and she knew she couldn’t mar it in any way.

She huffed again. It was all his fault — all of it! ‘Poore ke poore rakshas hi hai woh,’ she thought, ‘only Dugga maa knew which “devta” her mother saw in him! Not a single god-like quality does he possess! Not a single one!’

And now, just because of him and his rakshas-like attributes, poor little Bondita would have to pour water on herself to cool down her steaming ears — right amidst the chilly wintry air. How unfair! She could only thank her stars that it wasn’t night yet,or she would’ve definitely turned into a living breathing kulfi. ‘Shayad woh dusht laalchi Batuk mujhe hi kha leta tab!’ The thought itself made her shiver.

“Gussa ho?”

She turned back, startled in the middle of her thoughts. Her patibabu was standing behind her, hands in his pockets like he always had when he was planning to talk for a long time. Like always, the gesture alerted Bondita. Her patibabu didn’t like to talk much, she knew. Whenever he left the company of his beloved books to come talk to her, it was either for a class or to scold her for a mistake she had made. And this wasn’t their class-time...

‘Hey Dugga maa, ab mujhse kaun si galti ho gayi? Jitni saza mili hai, aaj ke liye kaafi nahi thi kya? Ab kis baat par daat khaani padegi mujhe?' Suddenly, a terrifying thought struck her. ‘Kahi unhone mujhe unhe rakshas babu kehte huye to nahi sun liya na? Mujhe to pata bhi nahi ki wo kab se khade hai yaha pe...’

Gulping, Bondita dared a glanceat her patibabu, searching his face for any telltale signs of anger. There weren’t any, but that didn’t make her any less nervous. She saw him looking at her expectantly, and remembered that he had asked her a question.

She looked back down at his hands again, still in his pockets. She gulped again, imagining all the different ways she could get scolded. 'Dugga ma, bacha lo! Ab aur utthak-baithak karne ke taakat nahi hai aapki chhoti si Bondita mein!'

Swallowing the lump in her throat, she tried to speak. “Wo... wo...” she fumbled, not knowing what excuse to give for the embarrassing nickname. “Main wo... mujhe nahi pata tha ki aap mere pichhe... main...” she lowered her head, her words gradually losing volume as she realised how disappointed her mother would be in her. She had hurt her patibabu.

"Main aapka anaadar nahi karna chahti thi," she finished softly.

Anirudh crouched down in front of her. He had an important lesson to give his student. “Tumhe bura laga na, jab maine wo saari mithaaiyan Batuk ko de di?”

Bondita looked up curiously. This was not what she had been expecting.

Instantly, her words were back.

“Haan... bura to lagna hi tha na! Aapne mujhse itni kasrat karwayi, aur maine kiya bhi... kyun? Kis liye? Sirf un rosogolle ke liye! Aur aapne mujhe wo diye bhi nahi! Ek bhi khaane nahi diya! Aur ab pooch rahe hai bura laga ya nahi? Kaise na lagta bura?”

Anirudh smiled knowingly. “Kya tumhe aisa nahi laga jaise tumhara koi haq tumse cheena ja raha ho?”

“Haan! Bilkul aisa hi laga tha!” she said complainingly, and then stopped herself. What was she saying? Was she questioning her pati babu’s judgement? Again? What would maa say? She bowed her head down, feeling shameful again.

“Arey, sar kyun jhuka liya?”

“Wo... galti to.. meri hi thi na patibabu," she said in a low voice, still not meeting his eyes. Maine hi kal ki class ki padhaai adoora chhod diya... paath padh ke aana chahiye tha... aaj class se pehle... jaise aap ne kaha tha.”

“Hmm... ye baat to sahi hai. Padhai to tumhe poori kar leni chahiye thi Bondita. Par ek baat batao, tumhe to iss galti ki saza mil chuki thi na? 2 ghante tak apne kamre mein baith kar usi paath ko padhna pada, aur phir wo utthak-baithak bhi to kiya tha na tumne? Phir bhi maine tumhe wo rosogolle kyun nahi khaane diya? Sawaal nahi utha tumhare man mein?”

Slowly, Bondita raised up her head. As she mulled over his words, Anirudh saw the sparks of defiance return to her eyes. “Haan, yahi sawaal to aya tha patibabu! Aur sawaal ke saath saath gussa bhi aya tha! Yaha baith kar yahi to soch rahi thi, ki kitna daata aapne mujhe, utthak-baithak bhi karwaya. Maine apni paath khatam bhi kar li, phir bhi us handi mein se ek bhi rosogolla aapne khaane nahi diya mujhe! Aisa kyun kiya aapne patibabu?”

Tapping his chin, Anirudh pretended to think. “Par Bondita, abhi to tum kuch aur hi keh rahi thi na? Ki sab kuch tumhari galti hi thi? Ki wo mithaaiya na dekar maine tumhe us galti ka sahi dand diya hai? Aisa hi kuch keh rahi thi na tum? To ab ulta kyun lag raha hai tumhe? Khud ki baat khud hi kaat rahi ho?”

Bondita was now really confused. Should she have gotten the rosogollas or not?! She knew that not completing her homework had been her fault, but she had faced the punishment for it... right? Or had that punishment not been enough? Was patibabu right or wrong in taking away those rosogollas? Should she feel cheated and deprived? Or ashamed and guilty? Who was at fault here?! She felt utterly lost — it was like her Bistra babu had given her a math problem tosolve, but she couldn’t even begin to understand what the question was!

Bistra Babu, on the other hand, was observing his student keenly. Her confused expressions were amusing him to no end, and he was having a hard time keeping his laughter in check. He continued to keep a neutral expression, though, because he still hadn’t given his student her lesson. “Apne haq ke liye insaan tab hi ladh sakta hai Bondita,” he began, smiling gently at her, “Jab usse apna haq pata ho.”

Bondita looked up.

“Ye jo duvidha ke baadal chhaaye huye hai na tumhare saamne, ye iss liye hai kyunki tumhe pata hi nahi ki un rosogolle par tumhara haq tha ya nahi. Jab haq pata hi na ho, to usse maangogi kaise Bondita? Uske liye ladogi kaise?”

Bondita was listening in rapt attention.

“Agar haq kya hai yeh hi pata na ho, to uske chhin jaane ka khabar kaise hoga tumhe? Uske na milne par awaaz kaise uthaogi tum? Kaise pata chalega tumhe, ki tumhare saath nyaay ho raha hai ya anyaay?”

Bondita now pondered over hiswords. They made sense, like they always did. (Her patibabu was a Bistra babu, after all.) She had a question, though.

“Par... ye haq ka pata chalta kaise hai pati babu?”

Anirudh smiled. Finally. This was the question he hadbeen waiting for. This was the lesson he needed to ingrain in his protegee’s young mind, once and forever. The one tool she would need to fight all her battles in the future...

“Shiksha. Shiksha hi wo ek aisi cheez hai Bondita, jo humein samajh deti hai apne haq ko khud jaanne ka, unke liye ladhne ka. Shiksha hogi, tabhi tum anyaay ke khilaaf theek se awaaz utha paogi.”

“Aur agar shiksha nahi hui to?” asked Bondita, curious as ever.

Anirudh looked away sadly. Everyday, the current society proved to him what a lack of education could bring forth —backwardness, ignorance, blindness and LOTS of superstition. His country was drowning in darkness everywhere, and the absence of education was the only thing to be blamed.

“Agar shiksha nahi hogi Bondita, to anyaay ke khilaaf awaaz uthaana to door ki baat hai, anyaay ka ehsaas bhi nahi hota,” he said quietly.

“Haaww! Shotti?”

Anirudh chuckled. Somehow, Bondita and her innocent antics always made him feel lighter, like the huge responsibility he had taken upon his shoulders had lessened just a bit, like the darkness surrounding his country and its people was really not as deep as it seemed. “Shotti!” he replied, smiling.

Bondita, however, was shocked. A world without this ‘shiksha’ sounded dangerous indeed! If people were not even aware of the wrongs happening around them, how would they make those wrongs right? Wouldn’t the world continue to be wrong forever, then? She wrinkled her nose, not liking the thought at all. No, she’d get her hands on this ‘shiksha’, no matter what. If needed, she’d right all the wrongs herself.

“Par ye shiksha milti kaha pe hai pati babu? Bhari kaka ko bolungi to laa denge kya bazaar se?”

Anirudh couldn’t help it, he started laughing. This girl and her questions... how does she even come up with them?! He sometimes wondered if all children thought crazily like her, but he could swear he had never heard Batuk or Som ask such out-of-the-box questions. It must be a Bondita trademark, he figured. “Shiksha khareedi nahi jaa sakti paagal ladki, usse kamaana padta hai,” he said.

“Shotti? Kaise kamaate hai? Kaun deta hai? Aapke paas hai kya shiksha, patibabu? Aap mujhe denge na? Mujhe bhi chahiye shiksha!”

“Main—”

“Aapko pata hai, kakasasurji kehte hai ki pati ke har cheez par patni ka adha haq hota hai... to aaj se aapki har shiksha par mera adha adhikaar hai! Theek hai na?”

Grinning widely, she started clapping and jumping. Mujhe shiksha mil gayi!

“Nahi Bondita, aisa—”

“Waise aapko apni shiksha kaha se mili patibabu? Kya aapka bhi koi pati hai jiska adha shiksha aapko mil gaya? Aur agar hai, to unhe unki shiksha kaha se mili? Kya har kisi ko apni shiksha apne pati se hi milti hai? Waise aapke pati hai kahaan? Kya wo aapke saath saath mere bhi pati hai? Aapko pata hai, meri maa kehti hai—”

“Jo class mein seekh rahi ho na har roz Bondita, ussi mein hai tumhari shiksha.” Anirudh was sure that if he hadn’t interrupted, this girl would go on for the whole day (and possibly more) without ever pausing her brain or her tongue. Both of which meant trouble for him.

Bondita, however, was thinking back to her morning vocabulary lesson, the one her patibabu had made her revise for two hours. “Par aap to class mein shabdo aur vaakyo ke baare mein bolte hai patibabu... usme shiksha kaha hai?”

"Wahi shiksha hai Bondita. Shabdo aur vaakyo mein hi to chhupi rehti hai wo.”

“Oh, chhupi rehti hai?” asked Bondita, immediately getting excited again. “Dhoondna padega kya? Chuppan chupaai ke khel ki tarah?” she asked, her toothy grin back on her face.

‘Chuppan chupaai? How did we reach from ‘shiksha’ to here? Only Bondita... ONLY her’ Anirudh sighed mentally. “Hmm... khel to nahi hai, par khel jitna mazedaar banaaya zaroor sakta hai! Agar tum man lagaake padhogi to.”

“Main pakka man lagaake padhungi patibabu! Dhoond nikaalungi shiksha ko!” said Bondita. She couldn’t wait for this new adventure!

“Yahi umeed hai tumse!” said Anirudh, his eyes shining with the vision of a future — a future that was far away at the moment, but one that he knew they would reach eventually, together. He was sure of it.

At present, though, there was something else his little student needed...

“Bhookh lagi hai?” he asked her, bringing out a pot of rosogollas from behind him.

Bondita’s grin grew tenfold.

“Mere liye hai?” she asked with all the excitement of her nine-year-old self.

“Haan, poora ka poora!"

"Aap sach much de rahe hai mujhe?"

"Dena to padega hi na Bondita, haq jo hai tumhara!” Anirudh said, his grin matching hers.

------X------

So there it was! Was it good? Bad? Terrible? Barely tolerable? Please let me know! I haven't written in a looong time, so please forgive any mistakes 😛 Also my Hindi is a bit broken, sorry about that! 🙈

Great wow the care he showed great writing loved it to

Hey dear it's really very beautiful 👏A beautiful concept with full of innocent questions and beautiful answers 👍🏼

And I didn't feel that your Hindi is bad. It's fine. Do write more.

Btw how should I address you?

P.S.- Don't be a silent member, be an active member trust me we aren't that bad 😆

Originally posted by: shirin04

Great wow the care he showed great writing loved it to

Thank you I love Anirudh's caring side for Bondita

Originally posted by: Prit_007

Hey dear it's really very beautiful 👏A beautiful concept with full of innocent questions and beautiful answers 👍🏼

And I didn't feel that your Hindi is bad. It's fine. Do write more.

Btw how should I address you?

P.S.- Don't be a silent member, be an active member trust me we aren't that bad 😆

Thank you 😃

Whatever Hindi I know is picked up from serials actually 😆 So I tend to make mistakes with the words sometimes...

Well, lockdown me is trying to be as productive as I can, so I'm always juggling between things 😅 But I'm gonna try and be as active as possible!

This show and esp Rudhita make me wanna write and imagine after a long time 😍

And call me Bee 😃

Originally posted by: Bee222

Hey guys, I've been a silent member of this forum for a while now, but got distracted every time I thought to introduce myself 🤪 I wrote this fic before lockdown started, so it might not completely relate to how Rudhita's equation currently is... but since the show is now approaching the education theme, I thought to post it. I know this forum has really great writers, so I hope this doesn't disappoint you guys! 🙈 Without further ado...

------------

Any moment now, Bondita’s ears would start spewing smoke, she knew it. They always did when she got angry, just like her tongue turned black every time she lied. Her mother had told her about it many times, which was why she always spoke the truth and remained calm (or at least tried her best to). It was absolutely no fun pouring water on her head over and over to cool her ears, or staying an entire week without rosogollas to make her tongue normal again.

She huffed. It was all rakshas babu’s fault!

First he had kept her confined within her room, and when she had finally managed to sneak out to have some rosogollas from the kitchen, he had stopped her and made her do 30 sit-ups instead! She had silently suffered through it all in the hopes that at least the rosogollas would be hers finally, but on finishing, her heartless rakshas babu had given away all the sweets — right in front of her very eyes —to Batuk! Oh, how she had wished in that instant to wipe the stupid grin off that brat’s face! But it was a victory gifted to him by her own patibabu, and she knew she couldn’t mar it in any way.

She huffed again. It was all his fault — all of it! ‘Poore ke poore rakshas hi hai woh,’ she thought, ‘only Dugga maa knew which “devta” her mother saw in him! Not a single god-like quality does he possess! Not a single one!’

And now, just because of him and his rakshas-like attributes, poor little Bondita would have to pour water on herself to cool down her steaming ears — right amidst the chilly wintry air. How unfair! She could only thank her stars that it wasn’t night yet,or she would’ve definitely turned into a living breathing kulfi. ‘Shayad woh dusht laalchi Batuk mujhe hi kha leta tab!’ The thought itself made her shiver.

“Gussa ho?”

She turned back, startled in the middle of her thoughts. Her patibabu was standing behind her, hands in his pockets like he always had when he was planning to talk for a long time. Like always, the gesture alerted Bondita. Her patibabu didn’t like to talk much, she knew. Whenever he left the company of his beloved books to come talk to her, it was either for a class or to scold her for a mistake she had made. And this wasn’t their class-time...

‘Hey Dugga maa, ab mujhse kaun si galti ho gayi? Jitni saza mili hai, aaj ke liye kaafi nahi thi kya? Ab kis baat par daat khaani padegi mujhe?' Suddenly, a terrifying thought struck her. ‘Kahi unhone mujhe unhe rakshas babu kehte huye to nahi sun liya na? Mujhe to pata bhi nahi ki wo kab se khade hai yaha pe...’

Gulping, Bondita dared a glanceat her patibabu, searching his face for any telltale signs of anger. There weren’t any, but that didn’t make her any less nervous. She saw him looking at her expectantly, and remembered that he had asked her a question.

She looked back down at his hands again, still in his pockets. She gulped again, imagining all the different ways she could get scolded. 'Dugga ma, bacha lo! Ab aur utthak-baithak karne ke taakat nahi hai aapki chhoti si Bondita mein!'

Swallowing the lump in her throat, she tried to speak. “Wo... wo...” she fumbled, not knowing what excuse to give for the embarrassing nickname. “Main wo... mujhe nahi pata tha ki aap mere pichhe... main...” she lowered her head, her words gradually losing volume as she realised how disappointed her mother would be in her. She had hurt her patibabu.

"Main aapka anaadar nahi karna chahti thi," she finished softly.

Anirudh crouched down in front of her. He had an important lesson to give his student. “Tumhe bura laga na, jab maine wo saari mithaaiyan Batuk ko de di?”

Bondita looked up curiously. This was not what she had been expecting.

Instantly, her words were back.

“Haan... bura to lagna hi tha na! Aapne mujhse itni kasrat karwayi, aur maine kiya bhi... kyun? Kis liye? Sirf un rosogolle ke liye! Aur aapne mujhe wo diye bhi nahi! Ek bhi khaane nahi diya! Aur ab pooch rahe hai bura laga ya nahi? Kaise na lagta bura?”

Anirudh smiled knowingly. “Kya tumhe aisa nahi laga jaise tumhara koi haq tumse cheena ja raha ho?”

“Haan! Bilkul aisa hi laga tha!” she said complainingly, and then stopped herself. What was she saying? Was she questioning her pati babu’s judgement? Again? What would maa say? She bowed her head down, feeling shameful again.

“Arey, sar kyun jhuka liya?”

“Wo... galti to.. meri hi thi na patibabu," she said in a low voice, still not meeting his eyes. Maine hi kal ki class ki padhaai adoora chhod diya... paath padh ke aana chahiye tha... aaj class se pehle... jaise aap ne kaha tha.”

“Hmm... ye baat to sahi hai. Padhai to tumhe poori kar leni chahiye thi Bondita. Par ek baat batao, tumhe to iss galti ki saza mil chuki thi na? 2 ghante tak apne kamre mein baith kar usi paath ko padhna pada, aur phir wo utthak-baithak bhi to kiya tha na tumne? Phir bhi maine tumhe wo rosogolle kyun nahi khaane diya? Sawaal nahi utha tumhare man mein?”

Slowly, Bondita raised up her head. As she mulled over his words, Anirudh saw the sparks of defiance return to her eyes. “Haan, yahi sawaal to aya tha patibabu! Aur sawaal ke saath saath gussa bhi aya tha! Yaha baith kar yahi to soch rahi thi, ki kitna daata aapne mujhe, utthak-baithak bhi karwaya. Maine apni paath khatam bhi kar li, phir bhi us handi mein se ek bhi rosogolla aapne khaane nahi diya mujhe! Aisa kyun kiya aapne patibabu?”

Tapping his chin, Anirudh pretended to think. “Par Bondita, abhi to tum kuch aur hi keh rahi thi na? Ki sab kuch tumhari galti hi thi? Ki wo mithaaiya na dekar maine tumhe us galti ka sahi dand diya hai? Aisa hi kuch keh rahi thi na tum? To ab ulta kyun lag raha hai tumhe? Khud ki baat khud hi kaat rahi ho?”

Bondita was now really confused. Should she have gotten the rosogollas or not?! She knew that not completing her homework had been her fault, but she had faced the punishment for it... right? Or had that punishment not been enough? Was patibabu right or wrong in taking away those rosogollas? Should she feel cheated and deprived? Or ashamed and guilty? Who was at fault here?! She felt utterly lost — it was like her Bistra babu had given her a math problem tosolve, but she couldn’t even begin to understand what the question was!

Bistra Babu, on the other hand, was observing his student keenly. Her confused expressions were amusing him to no end, and he was having a hard time keeping his laughter in check. He continued to keep a neutral expression, though, because he still hadn’t given his student her lesson. “Apne haq ke liye insaan tab hi ladh sakta hai Bondita,” he began, smiling gently at her, “Jab usse apna haq pata ho.”

Bondita looked up.

“Ye jo duvidha ke baadal chhaaye huye hai na tumhare saamne, ye iss liye hai kyunki tumhe pata hi nahi ki un rosogolle par tumhara haq tha ya nahi. Jab haq pata hi na ho, to usse maangogi kaise Bondita? Uske liye ladogi kaise?”

Bondita was listening in rapt attention.

“Agar haq kya hai yeh hi pata na ho, to uske chhin jaane ka khabar kaise hoga tumhe? Uske na milne par awaaz kaise uthaogi tum? Kaise pata chalega tumhe, ki tumhare saath nyaay ho raha hai ya anyaay?”

Bondita now pondered over hiswords. They made sense, like they always did. (Her patibabu was a Bistra babu, after all.) She had a question, though.

“Par... ye haq ka pata chalta kaise hai pati babu?”

Anirudh smiled. Finally. This was the question he hadbeen waiting for. This was the lesson he needed to ingrain in his protegee’s young mind, once and forever. The one tool she would need to fight all her battles in the future...

“Shiksha. Shiksha hi wo ek aisi cheez hai Bondita, jo humein samajh deti hai apne haq ko khud jaanne ka, unke liye ladhne ka. Shiksha hogi, tabhi tum anyaay ke khilaaf theek se awaaz utha paogi.”

“Aur agar shiksha nahi hui to?” asked Bondita, curious as ever.

Anirudh looked away sadly. Everyday, the current society proved to him what a lack of education could bring forth —backwardness, ignorance, blindness and LOTS of superstition. His country was drowning in darkness everywhere, and the absence of education was the only thing to be blamed.

“Agar shiksha nahi hogi Bondita, to anyaay ke khilaaf awaaz uthaana to door ki baat hai, anyaay ka ehsaas bhi nahi hota,” he said quietly.

“Haaww! Shotti?”

Anirudh chuckled. Somehow, Bondita and her innocent antics always made him feel lighter, like the huge responsibility he had taken upon his shoulders had lessened just a bit, like the darkness surrounding his country and its people was really not as deep as it seemed. “Shotti!” he replied, smiling.

Bondita, however, was shocked. A world without this ‘shiksha’ sounded dangerous indeed! If people were not even aware of the wrongs happening around them, how would they make those wrongs right? Wouldn’t the world continue to be wrong forever, then? She wrinkled her nose, not liking the thought at all. No, she’d get her hands on this ‘shiksha’, no matter what. If needed, she’d right all the wrongs herself.

“Par ye shiksha milti kaha pe hai pati babu? Bhari kaka ko bolungi to laa denge kya bazaar se?”

Anirudh couldn’t help it, he started laughing. This girl and her questions... how does she even come up with them?! He sometimes wondered if all children thought crazily like her, but he could swear he had never heard Batuk or Som ask such out-of-the-box questions. It must be a Bondita trademark, he figured. “Shiksha khareedi nahi jaa sakti paagal ladki, usse kamaana padta hai,” he said.

“Shotti? Kaise kamaate hai? Kaun deta hai? Aapke paas hai kya shiksha, patibabu? Aap mujhe denge na? Mujhe bhi chahiye shiksha!”

“Main—”

“Aapko pata hai, kakasasurji kehte hai ki pati ke har cheez par patni ka adha haq hota hai... to aaj se aapki har shiksha par mera adha adhikaar hai! Theek hai na?”

Grinning widely, she started clapping and jumping. Mujhe shiksha mil gayi!

“Nahi Bondita, aisa—”

“Waise aapko apni shiksha kaha se mili patibabu? Kya aapka bhi koi pati hai jiska adha shiksha aapko mil gaya? Aur agar hai, to unhe unki shiksha kaha se mili? Kya har kisi ko apni shiksha apne pati se hi milti hai? Waise aapke pati hai kahaan? Kya wo aapke saath saath mere bhi pati hai? Aapko pata hai, meri maa kehti hai—”

“Jo class mein seekh rahi ho na har roz Bondita, ussi mein hai tumhari shiksha.” Anirudh was sure that if he hadn’t interrupted, this girl would go on for the whole day (and possibly more) without ever pausing her brain or her tongue. Both of which meant trouble for him.

Bondita, however, was thinking back to her morning vocabulary lesson, the one her patibabu had made her revise for two hours. “Par aap to class mein shabdo aur vaakyo ke baare mein bolte hai patibabu... usme shiksha kaha hai?”

"Wahi shiksha hai Bondita. Shabdo aur vaakyo mein hi to chhupi rehti hai wo.”

“Oh, chhupi rehti hai?” asked Bondita, immediately getting excited again. “Dhoondna padega kya? Chuppan chupaai ke khel ki tarah?” she asked, her toothy grin back on her face.

‘Chuppan chupaai? How did we reach from ‘shiksha’ to here? Only Bondita... ONLY her’ Anirudh sighed mentally. “Hmm... khel to nahi hai, par khel jitna mazedaar banaaya zaroor sakta hai! Agar tum man lagaake padhogi to.”

“Main pakka man lagaake padhungi patibabu! Dhoond nikaalungi shiksha ko!” said Bondita. She couldn’t wait for this new adventure!

“Yahi umeed hai tumse!” said Anirudh, his eyes shining with the vision of a future — a future that was far away at the moment, but one that he knew they would reach eventually, together. He was sure of it.

At present, though, there was something else his little student needed...

“Bhookh lagi hai?” he asked her, bringing out a pot of rosogollas from behind him.

Bondita’s grin grew tenfold.

“Mere liye hai?” she asked with all the excitement of her nine-year-old self.

“Haan, poora ka poora!"

"Aap sach much de rahe hai mujhe?"

"Dena to padega hi na Bondita, haq jo hai tumhara!” Anirudh said, his grin matching hers.

------X------

So there it was! Was it good? Bad? Terrible? Barely tolerable? Please let me know! I haven't written in a looong time, so please forgive any mistakes 😛 Also my Hindi is a bit broken, sorry about that! 🙈

@blue- I can literally feel that Bon can say those things🤣🤣...

@underlined- Anii has always been the perfect teacher..btw nice lines haaaan.. ❤️❤️

Loved the OS dear...it was such sweet delight for my eyes❤️☺️!! keep it up dear... looking forward to read many more works of yours☺️🤪

Beautifully penned 😳

Bondita character is so apt and in point of how she is in talk 😎Her instigating questions is adorable and ani is being used to her questions and admiring her innocence and smartness 😳

And liked how you described the utility of education

This was so good to read Bee😳 Btw what can I call you ,?

Hoping forward to read your work more ❤️

Keep writing 😳

Wonderful!!❤️

Could actually see it happening while reading it. You write so well!👏

Originally posted by: rmahi25

@blue- I can literally feel that Bon can say those things🤣🤣...

@underlined- Anii has always been the perfect teacher..btw nice lines haaaan.. ❤️❤️

Loved the OS dear...it was such sweet delight for my eyes❤️☺️!! keep it up dear... looking forward to read many more works of yours☺️🤪

I'm glad! 😆 I love her questions and her endless curiosity, such a riot 🤣

I always love it when Ani gets into teacher mode for Bon Their village track will always be one of my favourites forever ❤️ He was so understanding, so accepting of her viewpoints And the way he explained her the bad touch vs good touch, I loved it 👏❤️

Thank you! I'm glad you liked it! 😃 I'll try to write more 😳

Btw, what should I call you? Mahi? 😊

Originally posted by: --Lalz--

Beautifully penned 😳

Bondita character is so apt and in point of how she is in talk 😎Her instigating questions is adorable and ani is being used to her questions and admiring her innocence and smartness 😳

And liked how you described the utility of education

This was so good to read Bee😳 Btw what can I call you ,?

Hoping forward to read your work more ❤️

Keep writing 😳

Thank you for this lovely comment! 😃🤗 It seems like you liked exactly the things that I wanted to focus on, and that makes me really happyy 😃

I really love Bondita's never-ending reasonings 😆 and I love it even more when she makes Ani smile or chuckle with them

I yearn to see them get to the point where they're just totally comfortable with each other, solidly bonded Right now in the show Ani cares for her but he still hasn't realised what a special child Bon is... she's really a raw uncut diamond that needs some polishing ❤️

Sorry I'm rambling btw 🤪 Call me Bee, and what should I call you?

Thanks again! 😳 I'll try to write more 😊