Chapter 21
Anokhi opened the door and asked in surprise, “I definitely wasn’t expecting you so soon.”
“Is there a problem? I..I can come later if you want.” Shaurya mumbled, to his own surprise. He had never been so nervous around anyone.
“No, it’s fine. Please come inside.” Anokhi said, as she directed Shaurya to follow her into the kitchen.
Shaurya looked around and exclaimed, “What the..What have you done?”
The kitchen table was overflowing with delicacies from around the world.
“I have decided on the dishes that I am going to make for the different rounds. But there is a round of international cuisine. And I can’t figure out what to prepare. Therefore I prepared all the exotic recipes that I knew but I am still not satisfied. So I was thinking….” Anokhi looked at Shaurya meaningfully.
“So you want me to help you prepare for your competition."
“I know I am your competitor but I don't know anyone better at international cuisine than you. You don't have to teach me anything new but if you don't mind can you taste my recipes and tell me what is lacking in them.”
“I forgot to tell you the good news. I am withdrawing my name from the competition.”
Anokhi frowned, “If you are doing it to make me win, then please don't. You know very well I don't want people to have pity on me.”
“No, no. Please don't think that way. I am not doing it to make the competition easy for you. I am doing it because I can't participate in a competition where I don't want to win. And believe me, I really don't want to win this. Because me winning will be the Sabharwals winning and I am not sure if I want them to win. Anyways, leave that. Let us see what you have here.” Shaurya started tasting a little from each vessel.
“Mmm..they are really good. But you are right. The competition will be tough here. The participants are going to come from every corner of the country and everyone will bring their A game. You have to have something that will give you an edge over them. Come, I will teach you today my favourite recipe. But wait a minute, we won't find the ingredients easily. We have it in our kitchen, I will quickly make a call.”
Shaurya went outside to make the call.
When he returned, he saw Anokhi packing the food in tiffin boxes.
“Are you packing those for the homeless?”
Anokhi nodded.
“Great. I have asked Yash to bring the ingredients. It will take him some time. Let us go and distribute this food in the meantime.”
“You want to come again? I thought you didn't like me giving food for free.”
“Do you have a problem if I come along?”
“No. Help me load them in the car.” Anokhi said, walking towards the door with a bag full of tiffin boxes.
They were on their way home after feeding the homeless when Anokhi asked, “By the way, where is your Aastha Mam? I didn’t see her in the flat. I hope everything is fine now between the two of you.” Shaurya asked.
“I don't know. Ever since I returned she has been avoiding me. Yesterday, when you all were gone, she said she had some work in KICAS and left. She returned very late in the night but I had fallen asleep by then. Today morning she said that she needed to go to Kapurthala as some paperwork of the property sale was still pending.” Anokhi said in a gloomy voice.
“That is so typical of her. Her method of dealing with situations is to run away from them.” Shaurya remarked.
“Shut up. I don’t want to hear another word from you against her. Now get down and take the bags out.” Anokhi said, pulling over.
On their way home after feeding the homeless, Shaurya said, “I thought after all this fiasco, I would get you on my side. But all my efforts went in vain.”
“Why would you even want me on your side?” Anokhi asked. “I still laugh at the thought of your ridiculous proposal. I mean seriously, what were you even thinking. Why would someone like you want to marry someone like me? We fight so much now, if we were a married couple, we wouldn’t even look each other in the eye.” She chuckled.
“What makes you think so? I listen to everything you say. Like an obedient husband.”
Anokhi rolled her eyes, “Oh really? When?”
“Just a while back. You ordered me to carry your bags and I did.” Shaurya pointed out with a straight face.
After returning to the flat Shaurya directed Anokhi on how to prepare the special recipe.
“Ok, taste this and tell me if it is any good.”
Shaurya took a spoonful in his mouth and shook his head. “This should be a little less salty and a little more tangy. You will have to start over.”
“Start over!” Anokhi exclaimed. “But..”
“No buts. If you want to do it right, you will have to do it from the start.” Shaurya said with a serious expression.
Seeing no way out, Anokhi quietly went and started cutting the veggies.
Several hours and several attempts later, there was finally a smile on Shaurya’s face when he tasted Anokhi’s preparation. “Congratulations, you have excelled this dish in less than 12 hours. That’s a feat in itself. Let’s eat now, I am very famished.”
Anokhi dropped on a chair and said, “I am sorry. I am too tired to even eat. I need some sleep now.”
“And there she goes to dreamland. I have seriously never seen anyone fall asleep so fast. There goes my plan of a nice candlelight dinner.” Shaurya mumbled to himself. He looked at his watch. It was 2 in the morning. He looked at Anokhi’s sleeping form. She looked so innocent, like a baby. He gently lifted her up and took her to her room. After laying her on the bed and covering her, he stood there, wondering what to do next. He didn’t want to wake her up, neither could he leave with her sleeping. Meanwhile his hunger pangs were getting stronger. He went to the kitchen. The beautiful aroma of the food made him even hungrier. But how could he eat when Anokhi had slept without having any food. Perhaps she would wake up in a while and then they could eat together. He sat down at the dinner table and decided to wait.
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The ringing of the doorbell woke Shaurya up. He raised his head from the table and blinked his eyes a few times to figure out where he was. He realised that he had fallen asleep while waiting at the table for Anokhi. He got up and opened the door. It was Mr. Bhalla.
“You! What are you doing here? Where is my daughter?” He demanded angrily. Before he could answer, Anokhi emerged from her room.
“Pappaji!” She exclaimed.
Mr. Bhalla took a glance at her and then grabbed Shaurya by the collar. “Did you do anything to my daughter?”
“Calm down Pappa, he hasn’t done anything.” Anokhi went and released Shaurya from Mr. Bhalla’s clutches.
“I am a decent guy, Sir. Believe me.” Shaurya said, straightening his collar.
“I am so happy to see you, Bauji. How’s ma?”
“Nikki puttar” Rama cried out.. She and Aastha were standing at the door.
Anokhi saw her mother and ran to hug her. “I am sorry. I put you all in trouble again. I missed you so much Mumma. But honestly, I wasn’t expecting you to come a day in advance for my competition. I cannot express how happy I am.”
“Even we didn’t plan it. Your father said we would go directly to the competition venue tomorrow but Madamji arrived there and almost forced us to come.” Rama explained.
“Aastha Mam? She convinced you all to come here. But where is she?” Anokhi asked, looking towards the door in anticipation.
“She said that something has come up at KICAS so she needs to get there urgently. She gave us her house keys in case you aren’t here. By the way, isn’t this her son? The one who…” Rama said, looking at Shaurya.
“You are right. I am Shaurya Sabharwal, the one who escaped with your daughter. But don’t worry, I have no such plans today. I came here because she needed some help. I will leave now.”
“I am sorry I forgot to ask. Did you have your dinner last night, Mr. Sabharwal?” Anokhi asked. Then she looked at her parents and said, “Mr. Sabharwal has helped me a lot in preparing. He stayed awake the whole night to teach me a recipe.”
“That’s okay, Miss Bhalla. I will go home and have breakfast.”
Rama went to Shaurya and said, “I am so grateful to you puttar. I don’t know how to thank you for what you did for my daughter. Please wait a little, I will go and whip something up for you. I am not a well known chef but I can cook a humble homely meal. I hope you will not mind eating with us.”
“Oh no, aunty. You don’t have to take any trouble. There is a lot of leftover food from last night. That would be enough for all of us. I will put them in the microwave by that time you get freshened up.”
After Shaurya left, Rama said to Mr. Bhalla, “He is such a well mannered boy. It would be great if we could have him as our son in law.”
“Mumma please. Am I not enough? Why do you need a son in law? Now come, I will show you our room.”
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Aastha was sitting in her office, deeply engrossed in some filework. Anokhi appeared at the door and asked, “May I come in, Mam?”
“Anokhi..what are you doing here? You should be at home, practicing. Have you forgotten that the competition is there tomorrow?” Aastha said, looking up.
“You still haven’t answered my question. Am I allowed inside your office or not?”
“Don’t be ridiculous, Anokhi. When have you needed permission to enter this office? It is as much your office as it is mine.”
Anokhi entered and sat down on a chair in front of Aastha. Then she said, “I don’t know if I will be able to perform well at the competition. I cannot focus completely on my work until my doubts are cleared and my mind is at peace.”
“What doubts?” Aastha asked, a bit confused.
“Are you mad at me for some reason? I have noticed that you have been avoiding me of late.”
“If I were really mad at you, I wouldn’t have invited your parents to stay with us.” Aastha replied.
“Then why did you not come home in the morning along with my parents?”
“Now you are just being childish, Anokhi. Don’t you know how much work piles up if I am absent even for a day. I told you this administrative business is not my cup of tea. But you insisted that I remain the director. I have to create a roster, assign replacement duties for absent staff and what not. I have been breaking my head over all this work since morning and I am really sorry if it has for some reason offended you. To be honest, I don’t even understand why you would need me there. Your parents have come here for the first time and you should be happy to spend time with them.” Aastha paused and walked up to Anokhi. Then she gently cupped her chin with her hands and said softly, “Look, tomorrow is a very important day for you. So please don’t let such trivial things clutter your mind and weaken your focus. Do you get what I am saying?”
Anokhi nodded.
Aastha smiled. “ Good. Now if you will excuse me, I have a class to take.” Saying this Aastha got up and went out of the room.
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“Excuse me, please excuse me” Shaurya bore his way through the crowd of participants to reach Anokhi. When he reached her, he was panting heavily.
“Oh my God! Why are you sweating so heavily?” Anokhi asked, looking at him.
“I have to tell you something. No matter what happens, don’t let anyone shake your belief in yourself. Be confident in what you are doing.”
“Why are you giving me this prep talk all of a sudden?” Anokhi asked, a bit puzzled.
“I have a kind of bad news.” Shaurya replied. “My Bade Papa, Tej Sabharwal has pulled some strings and managed to get himself appointed as a judge. He doesn’t take defeat easily. And his ego has been seriously bruised by my refusal to participate. I am afraid he is going to take it out on you. All I request you is to be prepared for the worst.”
“Oh, okk..I am cool. Don’t worry. I am going to give my best. I promise. My loved ones’ blessings are with me. I won’t give up easily. Hey listen, can you do me one more favour? When my parents and Aastha Mam arrive, please make sure they get a good seat.”
“Sure. I will leave now. All the best.”
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Shaurya went to the audience seat and saw Mr. and Mrs. Bhalla waiting. He went and showed them to their seats.
“I hope you didn’t have any problem reaching here?” He asked.
“Oh, not at all. Madamji arranged a cab for us.” Mr. Bhalla replied.
“But where is she? Didn’t she come with you?” Shaurya asked, running his eyes through the crowd.
“No, actually she is suffering from a bad back. It is because of some accident from years ago. Therefore she asked us to go ahead. She will come when she feels better.” Rama explained.
Shaurya was about to ask something more when the beginning of the first round was announced.
The judges started arriving. Shaurya noticed his Tej walking inside with the organisers..
After the judges had taken seats, the participants arrived one by one at the cooking area marked for them.
The first round was over. The judges went to each participant and tasted their recipes.
Shaurya looked at his Bade Papa approaching Anokhi. He could tell from his demeanour that he was going for the kill. Shaurya wanted to help her but he couldn’t go there. He watched helplessly.
Tej tasted a spoonful of Anokhi’s preparation and said, “I must say, this is really good. From where did you learn this? Aastha Kashyap?”
“Yes, she taught me this but I improvised upon it.”
“That’s great. But do you know where she got her recipes from? By stealing from us. Hasn’t Shaurya told you about it? She seduced my brother the same way you have seduced Shaurya and made him withdraw his name.”
“I am sorry Sir, but your tactics won’t work on me. Shaan Sir has already told me the truth. Soon, Shaurya will know everything too. And he will never forgive you for what you did to his family.”
“Just shut up.” Tej whispered, gritting his teeth. “Shaurya is a Sabharwal. He will understand why I had to send his mother away. She was never one of us. If she was, she would have convinced you to withdraw your name so that her son could win. But it doesn’t matter. Because even if you win, this victory will not be complete as you didn’t defeat the best. I hope you know very well that had Shaurya participated in this competition, no one else would have any chance at winning. He made this sacrifice out of pity for you. We know how desperately you need the prize money. Perhaps that is why you emotionally blackmailed Shaurya.”
Anokhi looked at him defiantly and said, “I never stopped Shaurya from participating in this competition. And for your information, I want to win this competition fair and square. Blackmailing people might be your way of getting what you want, not mine.”
She could notice a vein pop on Tej’s forehead. He gritted his teeth and said, “But using people for your own benefit definitely is. You are using Shaurya. He did so much for you. Even risked his own life to save you from a forced marriage. You are repaying him by snatching away his dream. Do you know how much hard work he had put into preparing for this competition? Shaurya deserves to be counted among the best chefs in the world. This competition would have opened so many opportunities for him. But why am I telling you all of this, you are just an ungrateful little brat.” Saying this Tej quickly moved to the next participant.
Shaurya couldn’t hear anything from the audience area. But he could sense that Tej was using one of his manipulative tactics to discourage Anokhi. He prayed that she wouldn't fall for it.
Fortunately, Anokhi passed the first round with very good marks from all the judges except Tej. Shaurya knew as long as Tej was there, it would be impossible for Anokhi to win. He had seen Tej fuming after the results were announced.
The second round was about to begin after a short break. Shaurya was surprised to see Anokhi coming towards him looking very anxious.
“Where is Aastha Mam?” She asked him, her eyes searching for her mentor.
“Umm, she hasn’t arrived yet. Your mother told that she wasn’t feeling well. But why are you looking so worried?”
Anokhi dropped herself on the chair. “That cannot be the reason. If it was earlier, she wouldn’t have missed this day for anything. Something is surely amiss.”
“Alright, I will go and check on her. You please pay attention to your task. This is the international cuisine round. I hope you remember everything I taught you. I want you to get the highest marks in this round. “
Anokhi nodded. “Yes, I do. But for the final round I was going to make a dish that Aastha Mam had taught me. I had participated in this competition on behalf of KICAS. I wanted to prove to the world that Aastha Mam’s recipes are the best. It would have been my tribute to her but…” Anokhi’s voice choked.
“But what?” Shaurya asked.
“But she used a special spice mix for this preparation. I had brought it and now I can’t find it. I can manage all the ingredients except a crucial one that is specially sourced from a spicemaker in Kapurthala. Aastha Mam has a bottle of it at home. That is why I was looking for her.”
“Then call her and ask.”
“I wasn’t allowed to take my phone inside. Can you make the call for me?”
Shaurya dialled Aastha’s number. “Once again she is not receiving the call.”
“I don’t think we can wait for your Mam to pick up the call. Please try to remember where you had kept it.”
“All I remember is I had left it on the counter here and went to the washroom. Once I returned, I couldn’t find it anymore.”
Shaurya frowned. Somebody had definitely played some mischief here. He knew who could be behind it. But he needed the proof.
Anokhi’s face fell. “Your Bade Papa was right, I am not a good cook at all. I can’t even remember one simple ingredient.”
“Please put my Bade Papa out of your head. Go and prepare for the second round. Don’t worry, I will go and get your Aastha Mam and her spice mix.”
Shaurya left Anokhi and ran towards the exit. On his way out he bumped into Shaan.
“Where are you going in such a hurry?” Shaan asked.
“Oh Dad, Thank God you are here. I want you to help me with something.” Then Shaurya whispered something in Shaan’s ear.
“Don’t worry. I will try my best.” Shaan assured him.
Shaurya then got into his car and started driving at full speed.
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Shaurya pulled over outside Aastha’s apartment building. As soon as he got down he saw Aastha. She was loading a large suitcase in a cab.
“Where are you going?” Shaurya demanded.
Aastha was a bit startled to see Shaurya there, “Shaurya, what are you doing here? I thought you would be at the competition venue.”
“Answer my question first.”
Aastha looked a bit uneasy. “I am going out of the city.”
“Mrs Bhalla said you were sick. That means you lied to her. You are going on a tour leaving Anokhi alone on such an important day. I won’t let that happen. You have to come with me. Only you can get us out of this problem.” Shaurya said as he unloaded Aastha’s suitcase from the cab.
“What are you doing, Shaurya? Please keep it back. I am not coming with you. I have a train to catch.” Aastha said, taking the suitcase back from Shaurya.
“What do you mean by that? Where are you going?” Shaurya asked.
“Why do you want to know? You don’t want to keep any relation with me. So why should I tell you?”
Shaurya was a bit taken aback by her question. “I am not asking for myself. I am asking for Anokhi. She deserves to know.”
“No, she doesn’t. She didn’t tell me anything when she disappeared all of a sudden.”
Aastha paused. Then looked away and said quietly, “Besides, Anokhi has her parents with her now. She doesn’t need me. My work here is done. Anokhi can manage KICAS on her own now.”
“Oh, okay. Do whatever you want, go wherever you want. But right now you will have to come with me. I have promised Anokhi that I will bring her Aastha Mam and I am going to keep that promise.” Shaurya held Aastha’s hand and started dragging her.
“Shaurya, please try and understand. It is important that I leave before Anokhi returns. Otherwise she will never let me.”
“What is important right now is to help Anokhi give her best in the competition and for that I need you. Now please get inside the car. I will explain everything on the way.”
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It was the final round. All the participants were busy preparing their recipes. Anokhi was constantly looking at the door, waiting for Shaurya and Aastha to show up. She looked at the watch, only 20 minutes were left. How will she be able to finish in the given time? Was all her effort going to be washed down the drain?
Just then one of the volunteers came and handed her a box. Anokhi opened it and took in the aroma. Yes! This was it. Shaurya had finally managed to save the day for her. She quickly got down to finish her cooking.
At the end of the final round, all the participants were ready with their best preparations. The judges tasted them one by one and jotted down the marks.
Anokhi looked at the audience. It was dark and she couldn’t figure out who all were there. But she hoped that all the people she cared about were present to witness one of the most important moments of her life.
Shaurya was sitting among the audience with Aastha by his side. She hadn’t spoken much since her arrival. Shaurya too didn’t tell anyone about what had transpired at the apartment.
The judges got up onto the podium to submit their marks to the announcer. There was pin drop silence as the total scores were calculated. Everyone waited with baited breath.
“And the winner is …”
No! It was not Anokhi. She has missed it by just 1 mark. The winner and Anokhi both had secured the perfect score from all the judges in the final round except one. That is what had made the difference. Shaurya knew without saying who it could be.
Shaurya noticed the disappointed look on Anokhi’s face. He looked around, as if desperately searching for someone.
Just then Shaan appeared on the stage with a person in tow.
“I am really sorry for the intrusion, but I have a very important question to ask. This competition has a number of criteria to disqualify a candidate but is there any criterion to disqualify a judge? What if he tried to sabotage a participant’s efforts.”
Everyone looked puzzled.
The organiser asked Shaan what he meant.
Shaan then pointed at the man following him. “This is Rajesh. He participated in the competition as an independent chef. Though his previous employment was with Sabharwal’s kitchen. That is how I know him and that is how one of your esteemed judges, Mr. Tej Sabharwal knows him. I have got access to the cctv footage of the cooking area. You can see him near Miss Bhalla’s counter, picking up something and walking away. Now he will explain his own actions to everyone present here.”
Rajesh looked regretfully at everyone and said, “I am sorry. My greed got the better of me. Mr. Tej Sabharwal had promised to help me open my own restaurant if I could make Miss Bhalla lose this competition. I found an opportunity when she left the counter for a few minutes. That is when I took her bottle of spices and hid it.”
“This is deplorable.” One of the judges looked disgustingly at Tej and said.
The organiser then went to the podium and said, “With the recent turn of events, I have to regretfully announce that Mr. Tej Sabharwal is no longer a part of this event. Mr. Sabharwal, I am requesting you to kindly leave the judges’ seat.”
Tej gave a hateful look to Shaan, then haughtily got up and left the stage. His face had turned red with anger and humiliation.
Amid thundering applause, Anokhi was handed over the joint winner’s trophy and the cheque of 50 lakh rupees. She couldn’t hold back her tears as she received the fruits of her labour. Her parents got up on the stage and hugged her.
The announcer gave her the mic.
Anokhi held it with trembling hands. Her voice was shaking. “I want to congratulate everyone else who participated in this event. Trophies do matter but what matters more is the dedication towards this art of cooking. And that is why I want to dedicate this trophy to the people who made me fall in love with this art. I believe I have made them proud. That’s all.” Anokhi returned the mic and wiped the fresh barrage of tears from her eyes.
Shaurya was surprised to find that his eyes were wet too. This was the happiest he had felt in a long time.
“Here, take it. Your nose always starts watering when you cry.” Aastha said, offering him a tissue.
Shaurya took it and said, “Thanks. I don’t expect you to reconsider your decision because I am saying so. But I think you should inform Anokhi before you leave. Because I know how much it hurts when the person you thought was closest to suddenly leaves without any explanation. It is her right to know. Don’t deprive her of it.
Aastha looked at her son. She could still see that lonely child behind the facade of this grown up man. Her heart cried in silence and she looked the other way. Just then she heard Anokhi call out her name.
“Aastha Mam.” Anokhi ran towards Aastha, her face beaming with relief and joy. “You know I was really scared. I thought you didn’t want to come because I had hurt you a lot. Here, take this trophy. I have participated in this competition on your behalf and this is your victory.”
Aastha held Anokhi’s hand and said, “No, it is not. This victory is yours and only yours. I just showed you the way. It was you who walked on it. I know you had to face many adversities on the way but you overcame all of them bravely. Today’s win has removed all the doubts I had regarding your capabilities. You are now ready to hold the reins of KICAS. I want you to be the new director…..Please don’t say ‘no’.”
“But Mam…”
“Please Anokhi, it’s my request. I don’t want to carry on with this job any longer. It is time for me to retire.” Aastha paused to clear her throat and said, “I have contacted an old age home in Delhi. It’s a really nice place. I think I will live very comfortably there.”
Anokhi couldn’t believe what she just heard. “What are you saying Mam? You cannot leave. I still need you. KICAS needs you.” Anokhi pleaded in tears.
“You will have to learn to live on your own. Believe me, you will manage just fine. I have that faith in you. Besides, your parents are there. You can ask them to come and stay with you whenever you feel lonely.”
“But why can’t you stay with me? I asked you if you are annoyed with me for some reason. You didn’t say anything that time. And now you are leaving all of a sudden.”
“I have to go, Anokhi. Don’t try to stop me because I won’t.” Aastha then looked at Shaurya and said, “I couldn’t be the mother you deserve. You are right in not having any expectations from me. But if you are willing to give our relationship another try, I promise, I won’t let you down this time. Whenever you feel like you need me, just give me a call. I will be there, no matter how far I am. And the same goes for you too, Anokhi. I hope you will understand my decision. It’s time for me to leave. Please stop crying dear. This is your day. It is time for you to enjoy your hard earned success. I promise to keep in touch. Now wish me goodbye with a smile. Yes, that's my girl.”
As soon as Aastha left, Shaan arrived. “I am sorry, I was busy talking to the organisers. Whatever happened today would give a bad name to our business. That is why I had to request them to keep the matter private. I also had to call the media representatives who had attended today’s event. I don’t know how much damage control…”
“Dad..dad.” Shaurya, intruded “Please, we will listen to everything later. But your lady love is leaving. She is going to stay in some old age home in Delhi. She wouldn’t listen to any of us. You have to stop her Dad. You have pined for her for years. Now is the time to take action. Please do something if you don’t want to lose her again.”
“Where is Aastha now?” Shaan asked anxiously.
“She just walked out of the main entrance. If you are fast enough, you will be able to catch her before she gets away.” Shaurya said.
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Just as Aastha was going to close the door of the cab, Shaan held her hand.
“What are you doing here?” Aastha asked.
Shaan made his way inside and said, “Can you move a little bit? I need more space.”
“Get out of my cab, Shaan. I need to get to the railway station or else I will miss my train.”
“I won’t, unless you tell me the reason for this sudden decision.”
“It’s not a sudden decision. I knew I would not be able to stay with Anokhi forever. She was on rent to me by her parents. Now they are back into her life. I should gracefully move aside.”
“That’s not true. Anokhi is not a thing. She hasn’t rejected you. The place that her parents have in her life and the place you have are different. None can take the other’s place.”
“But we can't all stay together under one roof. Anokhi needs to stay with her parents. She has missed them dearly in the past six years. And Ramaji has made so many sacrifices for her. Now when she is on her road to success, her mother should be the first one who should get a share in it.
“You don’t know if they want to stay here.”
“I had talked to them. They said they would love to live here. They don't have much left in Kapurthala.”
“So you had planned this much in advance.”
“Shaan, try and understand. It is better that I stay away from her. My presence only makes her life more difficult. Had she not been associated with me, the Sabharwals would have left her alone. Do you think Tej Bhaisaab would have made this shameful attempt to spoil her hard work if I was nowhere in the picture?” Aastha looked at Shaan questioningly.
“But you should also see the other side of the picture. It is one of the Sabharwals who saved the day.”
“Yes, I know that. It’s a good thing that Shaurya will be there for her even if I am not. I feel he has feelings for Anokhi. Perhaps she does too. But in my presence they couldn’t be that free with each other. All the more reason for me to stay away.
“You are an idiot. It’s no use arguing with you.” Shaan said disappointedly. “Driver, please start the car.”
“Wait, where are you going?”
“Wherever you are going?” Shaan said nonchalantly.
“No way. I am going to an old age home. Why will you come there?”
“Why can’t I? I will also get myself admitted there. Just give me the name and contact number. I believe it is open for both men and women.”
“What kind of stubbornness is this?” Aastha said irritatedly.
“Why should you be the only one being stubborn? I can too and I will.”
“Listen to me, Shaan. You have no reason to stay in an old age home. You have your work, your family here.” Aastha tried to reason.
“I have given a lot of time to my family and work. Now it’s time to live for myself. I want to be happy again, Aastha. And you are my happiness.” Shaan said, his face full of love and longing.
Aastha turned her face away. Trying to hide her feelings.
Several minutes passed in silence until the cab driver said, “Madam, we have reached the railway station. Will I park the car here?”
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
A month later
It was raining heavily. Despite that, students had thronged in large numbers to the KICAS kitchen. No one wanted to miss this class. After all, it would be taken by their favourite teacher. The clock struck 10. There was pindrop silence in the area. Soon a tall, bespectacled handsome man arrived at the door.
“Good morning, Shaurya Sir.” The students greeted in unison.
“Thank you.” Shaurya said as he entered the room. “I believe you all have practised the recipe that I taught you in the last class.”
“Yes Sir, I practised ten times.” One of the students answered.
“And I, 12 times. But it doesn’t come out as good as yours.” Another student remarked.
“Have patience, keep trying. You will definitely be able to do it even better than me. Today we will learn a new recipe. Get your tools ready. I will ask Sushma to distribute the ingredients.”
Shaurya was so immersed in teaching the students that he didn’t realise that someone was standing at the door the whole time and watching him at work.
Towards the end of the class, his attention fell on the door and soon his face lit up. “That’s all students, I believe you enjoyed today’s class. If you have any queries, you can always reach me through mail or message.” Saying this he hurried towards the door and asked, “Miss Bhalla, I am sorry I didn’t notice. Since when were you standing here?”
“I came just a few minutes back.” Anokhi lied. “It’s great to see you teach. You remind me of Aastha Mam.”
“Thanks. I am grateful to you for giving me this opportunity.” Shaurya replied.
“Shall we stand here and talk? Look, it has stopped raining. I have to go and check the fresh batch of kitchen tools that got delivered today. If you are free, you can come with me.”
Shaurya was elated at this invitation. He was about to say something when someone called him from behind.
“Shaurya beta.”
It was Devi’s voice.
Shaurya turned around to see Tej and Devi standing there. “Badi ma. What are you doing here?”
“I have come to take you back. Please forget whatever happened in the past and come with us.” Devi said with teary eyes.
“That’s not possible. I have made my decision and I am going to stick with it.”
Now Tej spoke up, “You are making a mistake, Shaurya. You will achieve nothing by teaching in this small cooking school. You are meant for bigger things. I see you as my successor. I have forgiven Shaan and you for the humiliation that you caused me at last month’s event.”
“It is not us but your own deeds that was the cause of your humiliation. I can’t believe you tried to harm an innocent girl just to preserve your ego.” Shaurya said with disgust in his voice.
“Because of that girl, you abandoned us. You refused to participate on behalf of Sabharwal Kitchen. How could I let her win? I don’t think I did anything wrong. I can see how she is trying to seduce you. I always knew she was behind your wealth.”
“Enough Bade Papa. I won’t let you insult Anokhi like this. Please leave before I lose all the respect that I have for you.” Shaurya turned to see if Anokhi had heard Tej’s words. She was nowhere to be seen.
“What about your dream of taking Sabharwal kitchen to every part of the world? You have given so many years to it. Are you going to throw all that away?” Devi asked.
“Yes. Because it is the same Sabharwal kitchen that took my childhood away from me. My dream was built upon the broken dreams of many others.”
“Let’s go Devi. I told you it would be no use trying to reason with him. He has forgotten all that we did for him.” Saying this Tej held Devi’s hand and dragged her away.
Shaurya watched them leave then went to look for Anokhi.
He found her in the supplies’ room, matching the delivered articles with a list in her hand. He went to her and said apologetically, “I am sorry.”
Anokhi looked up. Shaurya couldn’t figure out from her expression if she had heard Tej.
“For what?” She asked casually, her attention still on the list in her hand.
“For everything that you had to put up with because of me.”
“Hmm, that’s okay. I am now used to it.”
“What?” Shaurya asked, a bit hurt. “What do you mean? Am I a nuisance for you?”
Anokhi looked at his pained expression and chuckled. “God, you are so sensitive! Now forget whatever I said and help me put these boxes in place.”
As they were arranging the boxes, Anokhi said, “To be honest, I was really irritated with you at first, but slowly I realised your actions stemmed from deep seated pain. In the last few months I have come to know you better. So now I can see that you are not as bad as I had thought.”
“Really? You don’t think of me as a spoilt brat anymore?”
“No.” Anokhi assured him with a smile.
Shaurya wanted to say a lot of things but he suddenly felt tongue tied.“Errm…if you don’t mind, can I ask you something?” That was all he could say.
“Sure, go ahead.”
Just then Shaurya’s phone started ringing. Shaurya looked at the caller. “Dad”.
“I think you should take the call first. We can talk later. I will be in my office.” Saying this Anokhi left without giving Shaurya a chance to say anything.
Shaurya received the call, “Dad, you have a very bad timing.” He said, a bit annoyed.
“What can I do? Proper network connection is very difficult to get in the mountains. That is why I called you the moment my mobile showed some towers. Anyhow, tell me about the progress you made.”
“Progress is good. The students really like me here. If all goes well, I might soon get a promotion.”
“I am not talking about that progress.” Shaan said irritatedly. Then he lowered his voice and said, “Have you confessed your feelings to her?”
“No, Dad. Everytime I try to do that, something comes up. Just like your call came now.”
“Oh, you were about to propose? That’s good. I think you should take her out on a date and buy her something nice.” Shaan advised excitedly.
“Come on, Dad. Do you think Miss Bhalla will be impressed with that? Was that how you impressed Miss Kashyap?” Shaurya asked.
“Hmm. I did take her out on a date to propose to her but I don’t think that impressed her. To be honest I still don’t know what she saw in me.”
“It’s no use talking to you. Give the phone to Miss Kashyap.”
Aastha took the call and said, “Hi Shaurya, how is everything going?”
“Everything is fine. It’s just that I am not able to be honest about my feelings to Anokhi. I want to take her out on a date. But I don’t know which place she will like or what dress I should wear or what food she will like. You know her so well. Give me some tips na.”
“Nope. I am not going to do that. If you really want her in your life, make some effort to know about her likes and dislikes.”
“But how? She always maintains such a formal relationship with me. I think she has become even more serious after you left. I don’t even know if she likes me. Or if she will agree to go with me on a date.”
“All you can do is try until you hear a “yes” or “no”. Okay listen, the paragliding instructor is calling us. Take care, bye”
Shaurya felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned. It was Anokhi.
“Do you like bhutta?”
“Of course, shall I make it for you?”
“No silly. There is a vendor outside. I can tell from the scent. Come with me fast or he will leave.”
“But didn’t you have some work in the office?”
“It can wait. But the bhutta vendor won’t.” Anokhi held Shaurya’s hand and ran towards the main gate.
“Oh no. He has already gone far.” Anokhi said disappointedly when they reached the entrance gate. “You know, none of the elaborate recipes of our kitchen compares with this humble corn roasted over coal fire. And they taste heavenly during the monsoon.”
Just then it started raining again.
“Let’s go inside, Mr. Sabharwal. I don’t have an umbrella.”
“I do.” Shaurya opened his umbrella and held it over Anokhi’s head. “Please hold this and wait here wait here. I will be back soon.” Saying this Shaurya forcefully gave Anokhi the umbrella and started running in the direction in which the bhutta vendor went.
“Where are you going Mr. Sabharwal? It’s raining heavily. Mr. Sabharwal…Shaurya…Please come back. We can have bhutta some other time.” Anokhi shouted from behind but to no avail.
Shaurya had already gone out of her sight.
Anokhi decided to follow him. Though she couldn’t walk fast enough due to the high heels she had recently started wearing. She had been giving more attention to her own appearance of late.
“Ouch!” She twisted her ankle as her feet fell on a pothole. She removed her heels and threw them away. Then she started limping towards the direction Shaurya went.
Soon she saw Shaurya returning, completely soaked in the rain. But there was a jubilant smile on his face as he showed her the two cobs of bhutta that he had finally managed to secure.
“I told you not to go in the rain. See, you are completely wet. Now you will get sick.” Anokhi admonished Shaurya.
“And why are you limping? I asked you to wait at the gate. I am not a kid.” Shaurya retorted.
“I know, but I was worried. Even if you are grown up, you cannot take care of yourself.”
“Okay, stop arguing. Take this before it gets cold.” Shaurya handed a bhutta to Anokhi.
The rain had stopped by then. Shaurya held out his hand for Anokhi to take support.
As they walked together, savouring the delicious bhutta, Anokhi asked, “You were trying to ask me something. You can ask now.”
“Oh it’s nothing important. I will ask some other time.” Shaurya said.
He didn’t want to think about the future or past. All he wanted was to enjoy this moment, feel her warmth, let it seep into his soul.
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