thanks so much for all your encouragement and comments. If you want me to PM you for my future OS/SS please buddy me. It would be easier for me to send PM. Here is the second part
_________________________________________________
The next day, the residents at RM was getting ready for the sangeet ceremony which was to happen in the evening. Also as per raizada tradition, they had a pooja in the morning asking for devi maiya's blessing for the couple to be married. The hall showed visible signs of a big pooja that was about to begin.
Baskets of flowers and small packets of rice and other grains were stacked near the entrance to the pool in the hall. Anjali was in the hall along with the panditji getting things ready for the pooja. Naniji was sitting along with Garima and Buaji. Mamaji and Aakash were also standing there. Anjali had sent NK to fetch Mamiji. They all knew Arnav will not be intersted in this pooja so no -one bothered about him. Shyam was also at RM but was faking allergy as he did not want to face kushi's family and was at his room.
"Kushiji you?" anjali asked, it was then everyone noticed that Kushi had come there along with payal supporting her.
"Why did you come here Kushi? You are supposed to rest" naniji told her
"payaliya you shouldnt have brought her here. She is weak" Buaji scolded payal
"She didnt listen buaji" Payal told.
"Ok come sit" anjali finally agreed "but if you are feeling weak anytime, let us know ok?"
"hello Hai bye bye...pati saari doesnt have sense why anyone would ask her to stay away from this pooja" Mamiji suddenly announced. Nk had fetched mamiji for pooja and was looking baffled at her remark as everyone else.
"what are you saying Mamiji?" Anjali asked
"that this low class girl wont even understand that she is corrupted now and she is a bad omen for the wedding...No one wants her here when the pooja is for the well being of the couple"
kushi's face ashened.
"manorama! watch before you speak" shouted Naniji
"yes and why in the first place should we still conduct the pooja, i dont understand" Mami continued. "As I dont want the sister of a blemished girl to be my DIL"
"Manorama! if you dont shut you mouth now" threatened Mamaji
"you dont speak now... I agreed for the wedding because you told I was also in the same status as payal before wedding. That was fine. But what about their honour now? Her sister is corrupted, I dont want a bahu from a shameless family"
The entire atmosphere had became total chaos.Everyone tried to console mamiji and she was unbudging. Kushi was almost in tears that Payal's wedding is stopped because of her again.
"Stop all this nonsense!" A voice echoed from the entrance to the hall from the pool side.
"Cant anyone in this house do anything without making a racket about it?" Arnav came near them. It was then he noticed that everyone was tensed.
"what happened?"
"Chotey, Mamiji is not agreeing to the wedding again, she says that kushiji is corrupted, she says..."anjali sobbed and couldnt continue further.
Arnav tried to strike a deal with Mamiji
"what is it now Mamiji?"
"Arnav bitwa, I dont want Aakash to get married to payal whose sister is now a marked girl"
Everyone started speaking at once again...
Anjali started sobbing
Aakash stood to his ground that he will marry payal only.
Naniji and Mamaji were trying to control Mamiji
Kushi declared that payal's wedding need not stop because of her as she is not her own sister, she was an orphan and as they think she is the marked one, she is willing to stay away from the wedding, she was literally begging Mamiji.
Buaji found her stand and told that Kushi is not an orphan and she need not be crushed under raizada's foot.
payal declared that she wont get married at the expense of Kushi's self respect.
Garima was silently crying seeing all this and Babuji was helplessly watching Shayam who had come there and watching the cause of all these noices.
Arnav was helplessly watching kushi breaking down as tears streamed down her cheeks. She was feeling week that she couldnt stand any longer. she slumped down at the sofa behind her. This made him act impulsively, he was not in control and couldnt sense why he was doing what he is doing... he went near the pooja area where the panditji was sitting watching this drama.
"shoes beta, remove your shoes" panditji told him. but arnav was in no mood to recogonise that, he just grabbed a pinch of sindoor and came near Kushi.
"Kushi get up!"
she looked up at him as others were watching him as well.
"I said get up!" he demanded again
when she stood up he quickly applied sindoor on her partition. Before anyone could register what had happened, he pulled her towards mamiji.
"Mamiji you were worried that because of kushi, Payal is also stained right? Now payal is my wife's sister, now do you have any problem?"
Mamiji was in shock that she merely shook her head indicating she had no problem.
"problem over" grunted Arnav trying to leave the place.
"Chotey! what have you done? you...you just married kushiji..."
"yes, so what?" arnav said her as a matter of fact, then it sinked , the whole meaning, he repeted it again slowly "I married her"
Kushi was in shock as the rest of them.
He suddely realised everyone was watching him and felt uncomfortable.
what has he done? he acted without thinking, in his haste, instinctively he has ended up marrying kushi kumari gupta?
He chanced a look at her. she was steadily looking at him...Eyelock, rabba ve in the background...
suddenly they were brought out of their trance realising flowers were being thrown on them.
"Dont worry, everything happens for good, all devimaiya's way" pandit ji announced. He was the one blessing them with flowers. you have actually applied sindoor at an auspicious timing. but finish off the rest of the ceremony" he asked them.
"yes chotey, come sit there, you too come kushi" anjali asked them.
"Di, you very well know that I dont believe in all this...I am not interested."
"but Kushiji believes in it"
"just now you did something that you dont believe arnav bitwa" naniji told "why do only half finish off the rest of the ceremony too ? for kushi's sake? for our sake?"
"I dont care a damn about it, I wanted to end this mess and got into a mess myself" arnav muttered and when he looked into kushi's eyes again, he saw the pain in it... she had always believed in wedding, bonds and now he didnt even ask her consent before he filled her maang...
"Ok whatever" he declared, removing his shoes.
"we need a mangalsutra" the pandit ji asked.
"Di, you can give him the one we had got for payal, we have time till tomorrow for our wedding, we can get another one before that" Aakash told anjali
"No Aakash, I have my Mom's in my cupboard along with her kangans..., it is only right that we use hers for chotey's and kushi's wedding. right nani?"
"absolutely!"Naniji was happy. This was her dream... kushi is becoming the elder bahu of the next generation...
Anjali turned to her husband who was shocked beyond repair at the turn of events."Shyamji, you know where it is can you go and fetch it?"
but shyam was so depressed that he was not in a state to listen to anything... he stood there dumb and cold.
then Aakash volunteered to fetch it.
thus it happened, as it was destined to happen in front of Arnav and Kushi's family members and kushi' s Devimaiya, it completed with Arnav putting the mangalsutra which was once owned by his mom around kushi's neck. and they took 7 rounds around the fire and took the oaths of a wedded couple. they were a married couple now...they also took blessings from the elders while Anjali put the kangans on kushi's hand and told her that this was from her mom, its like she has blessed the couple.
Kushi looked at her mangalsutra...she didnt even dream today morning that turn of events would make her a married woman now...she is married...that too to Arnav singh raizada, the person she had a number for times called rakshas, Laad governer...Devi maiya, she was feeling numb...
to be continued...
Edited by abavi - 13 years ago
328