Hey guys,
Sonam requested me to write this story; I hope you will like it. It is a true story!!!! I found it very sweet!!!! Sonam had really become emotional after reading it when I PMed her!!!!
I hope you all will like it!!!
ENJOY!!!
The Transit… …
She was nervous, unknowingly so, it was the first time she was going to India, the word itself was enough to send shivers down her spine; it was the first time that in her nubile 16 years she was going to her homeland… she loved her home ground, she loved to read about it, listen about it form her parents, but stepping on its soil was a different feeling all together…it was jittery, it was like meeting oneself… …one's identity…
She rested her head against the seat….she closed her eyes… she could feel her heart soaring…
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Bani quietly stood aloof watching her uncle and aunt hugging her parents…bani hesitantly greeted them…they were all ushered inside…and shown their respective rooms, Bani curiously looked around the huge palace type house, it was rustic and old, with carved pillars which were decorated with flower garlands, it looked like an old palace of the yester year… …bani was climbing the steps looking around when she bumped into someone… she looked up to say sorry when she was held by the sight of a tall man, no young man, she mumbled a quick apology and headed above…she turned back to see him walk away… it was something about his eyes she thought… … she entered her room to see rano already mingling with her cousins…it was easy for her as she always had been a very bubbly, extrovert girl, unlike her…
They had come to Benaras, for the marriage of her father's elder brother's son's marriage, it was practically the first time she had met his uncles, aunts and cousins…she felt strange yet a sense of belongingness engulfed her…
She stood at the window…gazing at the sky, a streak of pink was spread over the light blue sky…Benaras…she echoed in her mind, her home town…she had read about it, the land of temples, the land of Vedas, the land where the Ganges flowed… …she looked down to see the same who she bumped into laughing aloud along with someone… the bride groom she remembered…his laughter was roaring… …
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Bani was carrying a platter full of sweets towards the kitchen when he again bumped into the same young man again…
"I am sorry…" he said looking at her…
Before she could say anything they were interrupted by her cousin, Tarun Bhaiyya, the groom's sister…
"Arre, Bani…tum yahaan ho…maa bula rahin hain…" sheela said as she approached them…
"Haan main bas jaa rahin thi…" bani said walking…
"Ek minute…Bani inse milo, yeh Jai bhaiyya hain, tarun bhaiyya ke best friend…aur Bhiyya yeh abni hain, my cousin jo London mainrehti hain, Rano ki behen…" sheela said
"Hello…" Jai said…
"Hello…" bani said before ran away…
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Nishikant and Kiran looked transfixed…the beats of the music were reverberating in the atmosphere…Shobna Kapoor was sitting in front of them talking about a marriage proposal between her nephew Jai Walia and their daughter Bani…
"Mujhe Bani sach main bohot pasand hain…bohot pyaari bachi hain…" shobna said fondly…
"Woh sab toh theek hain…par bani abhi choti hain…" nishikant spoke up…
"Haan bahisab…main kab keh rahin hoon kal hi shaadi kar lijiye…jab bani badi hojaye tab ki baat hain…waise jai bhi abhi business sambhal raha hain…usse bhi waqt chahiye…"
"Theek hain par…hum ek biradari ke nahin hain…"
"Uski chinta aap mat karo…humme assi koi pareshani nahin hain…bas aapki beti chahiye… "
"Ji…par aapne jai se poocha…"
"Haan..jai ko koi aitraaz nahin hain…aapko toh aji pasand ahin na…"
"Jai so bohot acha hain…par bani pata nahin…kaise react karegi…"
"Aap araam se bani ko samjha dijiye…abhi bachi ahin, thodi badi hojayegi toh samajh jayegi…"
"Aap sahi keh rahin hain…"
"Toh main yeh rishta pakka samjhoon…"
"Ji…"
"Achi baat hain…"
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Bani stared at her parents in disbelief…
"Aap mazaak nahin kar rahen hain…" bani said…
"Nahin beta…aisa mazaak thodi an karenge…" kiran replied
"Par...shaddi…"
"Arre itni jaldi thodi na kar denge…tu araam se apni padhai poori kar le…woh toh bas rishta pakka karna chahti thi…bas…shaddi toh baad ki bath hain…"
"Phir bhi ma…"
"Bani dekh tere pe koi zabardasti nahin hain…maine jethanigi se poocha, keh rahin thi ki bohot bhale log hain, woh toh yeh bhi keh rahin thi kit u bohot bhagyawaan hain… Jai sach main bohot acha hain…"
"Agar app keh rahin hain toh theek hain…"
"Beta, thodi badi hogayegi toh tujhe ehsaas hoga…ki main kya keh rahin hoon…"
"Hmm…"
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Bani lay on her bed thinking …he mind diverted towards Jai, he was good-looking, 7 years older than her, an architect by profession, an MBA holder, handles his late father's construction business, very busy and a workaholic…her mind tried to draw some similarities between the two of them… she failed to do so as she hardly knew him…but she wondered Why he agreed to marry her??? Must be because of his Massi, Sheela had said that he loved his massi very much, after his parents' death; it was his massi who had brought him up…
MARRIAGE…her mind was a muddle pool when it came to that…well, in London she lived a very freelance life but never crossed her limit, even in her school she had no boyfriend as she did not trust anyone of them as they were all flirts and playboys, she believed in that fairy tale romance, she wanted someone who can love her truly and stand by her through thick and thin…one who will always care for her and lover her even when she becomes old…an everlasting love like that of fairy tales… Was Jai the man??? She kept asking herself…but got no answer… …
Bani was busy reeling in her thoughts when Rano and cousins barged into her room…
"Kisske khayalon main khoi hui ho di…" rano said teasingly…
Much to her dismay, almost everybody in the house had come to know of her alliance and she had become the object of teasing form everybody, including the elders…
"Shut up Rano…" bani retorted…but Rano and her cousins continued to tease her, until bani shouted and covered herself with the blanket and went off to sleep…
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Bani stood watching the marriage ceremony holding the marigold petals in her palm, the bride and the bride groom were sitting before the fire… she watched the fire ate away the wood…standing testimony to their sacred marriage…
her father, Nishikant Jha had immigrated to States almost 20 years ago…and Bani was born and brought up in London only… her Hindi was not very fluent, it had an English accent to it, but it was very well understandable… …though a foreign resident she valued and respected the Indian culture and traditions…
The concept of marriage had always intrigued her…she at times wondered how her parents lived 18 years of their lives together… she had many times questioned her mother the same but she always got a sweet smile as a reply…it was a difficult task, accepting a complete stranger and living with him, sharing life with him, spending the entire life with him…it was something out of the realms of her teenaged brain…
She kept looking at the bride and the groom who were walking around the fire in circles…holding hands, promising to each other…
Will she get married in the same way??? Was he her destiny??? Her glance glided towards Jai who was standing quite far away from her…he had not even tried to talk to her since the proposal was accepted quite surprisingly…boys were always very outright she thought, at least in this regard…she kept looking in his direction…their eyes didn't meet…
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Bani kept staring at the holy Ganges t in the sultry afternoon…there was a giant oozing mound of black mud where the Ganges washed into the stoned steps of the ghat…she looked a the diamond ring adorning her ring finger…she was engaged to him yesterday evening after the welcoming of the new bride…she felt strange…they were all set to leave in an hour's time…she stood up to leave, she suddenly turned around sensing an occult feeling…she kept walking, but she felt as if somebody's eyes were following her… …she would certainly remember this transit for her entire life…it was during this transit that she had a tryst with her homeland, a tryst with the vibrant culture of India, a tryst with her destiny, a tryst with herself, a tryst with HIM… … she would never ever forget THE TRANSIT… …but some where deep down she knew, she was going back to come again… …
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Bani was back to her own little world…everything was still the same…nothing had changed…she moved on with life…
Suddenly one afternoon, she received a phone call…it was from her fiance…she felt awkward…in fact both felt awkward and nervous, it was ht e firs time that they were actually having a full blown conversation…their first conversation ended in How are you ?? And I am fine…
That one phone call lead to another call, and another and their telephonic conversations increased…they just talked on phone…mail each other…they started liking each other…either of them knew when this liking had overgrown into profound love…they discovered so many things about each other starting from their favorite colors to their ambitions in life…
After months, they talk to each other almost every day, especially in the morning when he calls to wake her up…so that she can get ready and go to school…
"Jai…" bani asked
"Hmm…" jai said…
"Ek bath poochoon…"
"Hmm…"
"Aapne shaadi ke liye haan kyun ki…"
"The firs time I saw you…I saw a pretty girl lost in her own thoughts…how nervous and out of place you felt…how quickly you said me a hello and ran away… I liked your innocence… …"
Bani's cheeks tinged with light shade of red…
"Toh aapne mujhse kabhi baat kyun nahin ki…"
"Well, you were already very nervous and confused; I didn't want to add to your agony…"
"Aur mujhe laga you are not happy…"
"Sach kahoon toh all this feels like a dream…kabhi socha hi nahin tha…aisa nhi hoga mere saath…"
"Maine bhi nahin…"
"acha, tumhari ek cheez mere paas hain…"
"Kya…???"
Jai played the string of little bells…against the receiver…
"Yeh..toh…meri payal…"
"Haan…jab bhi isse suntan hoon…tumhari awaaz goonjti hain…"
"Aapke paas kaise aayi…main kab se soch soch ke pareshan thi ki kahaan kho gayi…"
"Ghaat main milli thi…"
"Toh aap the wahaan…"
"Hmm…"
"Bani…please ek baar India aao…tumhari chuttiyan bhi toh hain agle hafte…mujhe tumse milna hain…"
"Nahin…"
"Bani..please…"
"Kehdiya na nahin toh nahin…"
"Par kyun…"
"Bas…humari jab shaadi hogi tabhi hum milenge…"
"Mujhe uss din ka besabri se intezaar hain…"
"Mujhe bhi…"
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They both waited for the moment to come…with their love which only grew stronger by the lapsing time…LOVE which they never thought would touch their lives…they waited patiently living each moment together…mentally, emotionally…the person who is the very last thought at nightfall…the last one they saw in their minds' eye…the thing that kept them awake at night…their very first thought at sunrise…the very first call of the dawn chorus…that feeling in their chest when they missed each other...that feeling of uncontrollable butterflies in the pit of their stomach and these butterflies did strange things, before long they realized they had started listening to love songs, started smiling all of a sudden without any reason…
They had realized over the years that they had at last found somebody… who was willing to be patient and understanding, they had built up a wall around themselves…it surrounded them, kept them safe from falling for anyone, then they came into each to each other's life, and bit by bit, brick by brick they took that wall down...
It was like the chocolate sauce on an ice cream the extra bit that made it worthwhile… but now they were more like the water that they drank without which survival was impossible… the air that they breathed each day… the sun which breaks through the clouds…
It didn't involve THEM any more it was US which mattered…they patiently waited…for THE TRANSIT which they will travel together…into their new life filled with happiness and love… …
It is not the End but a New Beginning… …
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God bless
Dhani
P.S.: I hope I did justice sonam!!!
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