This was a very sad scene. All concerned are hurting. I wonder how the meeting between Arnav and Kushi will take place in Lucknow? I hope it's a huge confrontation. And I hope Kushi holds strong and steadfast. I know both Kushi and Arnav are hurting right now. But he seems to be too much in control. I would really like him to snap and completely lose control. In front of her, for her, because of her. I'm wondering how long it will be before they get together. And how will it be possible? What will make it OK for them to be together? Both have had a brick wall hit them smack in the face - Garima and his dad - how can it ever be OK? He believed her in case of Shyam. Can he believe Garima? Dad is not even there to prove anything. Who can prove anything? Is that why they are back in Lucknow? Is there somebody there to prove Garima's innocence? Whatever happens, please make Kushi be in control and strong.
Thanks for PMing me. As you know already, cannot wait for your scenes!Hey Smitzy, are your scenes getting shorter???😃
*None of my work can be copied without explicit written permission from me. It's not polite to steal ideas.*
Writer's note: This chapter is written from Arnav's POV. Enjoy and please leave your feedback. cheers! 😊
Precap: Arnav and Khushi have a really bad fight at Aman's party after which they both promise each other never to come in each other's lives. Arnav retreats into his angry young man persona while Khushi becomes determined. Payal and Aakash decide to go separately to Lucknow. Shyam is upto something new with regards to property papers. Khushi and Payal have their father admitted to the hospital for his operation and Anjali has a heartfelt conversation with Arnav about Garima having received enough pain as punishment before they leave for Lucknow.
Ab aage.
Chapter 11 Blast from the past
Scene 1
The journey from New Delhi to Lucknow takes 40 minutes if there are no hold ups at either end. I actually thought I could get some work done in the flight, maybe get the presentation finalised that I was to discuss with my clients from Singapore due to arrive in the coming weeks. How wrong I was. I had NK as my copassenger, a very eager and enthusiastic NK who, having never been to Lucknow, was bursting with questions. I tried to answer them as patiently as I could.
"Nannav! Kya ye sach hai ki Lacknow ki ladkiyan bahut samandar hoti hai?" NK finally asked me looking up from a magazine he was holding when my irritation crossed its threshold. Seriously what was wrong with him? Was he going to get married?
"Samandar nahin sundar," I snapped wondering when his obsession with learning Hindi will end. NK's mouth formed an apologetic O as it always does when someone corrects his hindi. I was sure he was about to ask me something else when I had an idea and asked Aakash to switch seats with me. Let NK badger him with his stupid questions now. To my surprise, NK just plugged in his iPod and started listening to songs. I couldn't help but frown, was NK deliberately trying to annoy me? Ah well, who cares, I had work to do. And with that I opened my laptop again.
"Arnav bitwa," my new co passenger, Mamiji immediately started off, "hum bahut saal baad Lucknow to return trip kar rahe hain. Pata hai last times, hum Hazratganj mein kulfi eat karne ko Motimahal gaye the. Tumka lagta hai woh abhi bhi open for business hain?" Mami asked me eagerly. I stared at her exasperatedly. I mean really Mami? I don't know about the sweetshops operating in Lucknow! Hell I don't even know about any in Delhi. Ah, I had to escape. I looked around and saw that Nani was sitting with Anjali; they looked comfortable and I didn't want either of them to get up until the plane landed. Dadi had another old lady as her co passenger and I was in no mood to switch with her. However, as the frequency of "Hello Hi"s kept on relentlessly increasing next to me, I summoned the air hostess to ask if they had any vacant seat in the business class.
I didn't realise that I had already spent 30 minutes while switching seats and answering the stream of questions. Finally, the air hostess took pity on me and showed me to a vacant window seat. I smiled at her thankfully and opened my laptop. Just then the plane yawed to one side, and my gaze went out of the window to the land a few thousand feet below me.
My home. Lucknow.
It was the place I was born, the place I grew up in, the place I did my early schooling. It was where my roots lay. However, it didn't manage to evoke any nostalgia in me as it always did in Di. But then I knew she was way more emotional than I was. For me, this place was just a ghost town containing the most painful of memories of my past. The only memories that I had left of this place now.
The captain announced to fold the tray tables and keep the seat upright as we'd be landing shortly. I cursed inwardly not having managed to do a single piece of work all through the travel.
*
It had been more than a year since I had last been in this city. But it seemed nothing had changed. The roads were still the same, the crowd of people was still the same, the usual throng of waiting customers near MotiMahal in HazratGanj (much to the delighted squeals of Mami who excitedly pointed it out to NK), the air was filled with the familiar smell of tunda kababs as we passed through Ameenabad, the same purposeful stride in people as they were heading to offer prayers at the Dargah... I leaned back on the seat of the car and closed my eyes, trying to cut myself off from the sounds and sights of the city hoping for some peace of mind.
A young woman clad in a green lehenga walking on the ramp... stumbling and falling in his arms... The same young woman, a vision in white, running up to him and offering a key...
My eyes snapped open in shock as I felt my heartbeats racing. How come I didn't think about this earlier? My roots weren't my only connection to this city. This is the place where everything began - my hatred for a belle called Khushi Kumari Gupta and each and every annoying encounter with her that followed as if dominos falling. Nafrat karte hain hum aapse... Khushi's venomous declaration suddenly echoed in my mind and I stilled, staring out of the window again to distract myself. Don't think about her... don't think about her... don't-
I felt a hand touch my knee gently and I looked sideways to see Di looking at me. She smiled tentatively at me probably thinking I was feeling uncomfortable being here. I merely nod back. I really don't feel like having a conversation right now. I look away, my gaze falling on Dadi's rigid posture sitting on the plush leather of the limosine. It was her idea to return here, to do the pooja here. And I had agreed because I hadn't been in the frame of mind to say no. But now it just seemed like a bad idea.
30 minutes later, after weaving in and out of the evening traffic, our car finally entered the main gates of Purani Haveli. I immediately gazed out of the window in curiosity watching the old building closing in. It kind of looked like a much smaller version of Sheesh Mahal to me of course minus any of its extravagance. It had a murky brown exterior, quite possibly not having been painted in years. The domes at the top were classic mughal architecture. The front face of the building had a drive-in portico, supported by regal looking pillars. High arched windows were flanking either side of it. But this building must have been beautiful in its time. I remembered coming here 14 years ago, the night Chacha threw us out of Sheesh Mahal. But we hadn't stayed for long here after having a heated argument with Dadi. Naniji had sent a car in the dead of the night to have me and Di picked up. So it was safe to say I had never really been here before.
The car stopped and we slowly stepped out. There was a family at the doors waiting for us- an old man supporting his weight with a walking stick, although dressed in a stiff white kurta and dhoti, a young stronger looking man, standing with his hands respectfully folded, two women who I guessed were their respective wives -the caretaker's family. I helped Di get out of the car and Dadi got out after her.
The old man rushed towards us and threw himself on Dadi's feet. "Badi Maalkin!" he gushed reverently. I couldn't help but feel surprised for I had hardly seen this level of respect shown towards anyone. Dadi had one of her rare smiles on her face.
"Tum to bilkul bhi nahin badle ho Dinanath," she replied as he picked himself up and bowed respectfully to her. "Ghar mein sab kushal mangal?" he gave a half nod.
"Meri patni Roopmati ko to aap jaanti hain, badi maalkin," he pointed to the older woman who folded her hands in greeting. "Aur ye Raghav hai, mera beta," he said with pride in his voice. The young sturdy man too greeted us and then immediately reached to pick up our bags. "Aur ye Geeta hai, meri bahu Badi Malkin" he added softly. Dadi nodded at each one of them.
"Achhi baat hai. Bheetar chalein?" I wonder if she had paid any attention to what Dinanath said. Dinanath tried to help me with my bags but I told him not to bother. I wasn't sure how much weight could he pick up and in any case, my bags weren't that heavy. I also started walking in with the rest of the family. I noticed Di wasn't with me. I stopped and turned around to find Dinanath staring at Di who was gazing back at him.
"Dinu kaka?" she whispered, her voice breaking. He walked a little closer to Di.
"Chhutki bitiya?" he replied back, his shock at recognizing her completely evident in his tone. He placed a hand on her head as if in blessing. I stared as I saw tears in Di's eyes. She looked at me, smiling brightly through her tears as if really excited.
"Chotey! Ye Dinu Kaka hain!" I could understand that there was definitely some deeper relation at play seeing that Di had spent her childhood in this house. I felt a smile creeping on my face as Dinanath looked back at her adoringly.
"Chhutki bitiya kitni badi ho gai!" he said tearfully. He glanced at her pregnant belly and gasped. "Aur ab to aapki chhutki aane wali hai!" he exclaimed joyously. That line brought my back to my senses immediately. Di had been travelling for a long time and she needed her rest. I was about to ask her to walk inside with me, when Dinanath quickly wiped his tears and summoned his wife.
"Roopmati! Chhutki bitiya pet se hain!" Roopmati's face also bore signs of blissful recognition. She hugged Di and caressed her belly. Di was euphoric, I had never seen her this happy before. "Suno, neeche wala kamra inke liye rakhna. Aur bitiya ko job hi chahiye inko dena. Ab se chhutki bitiya ki zimevaari tumhari hai Roopmati." Dinanath instructed his wife. The old couple helped Di streadily up the stairs and inside the house.
I felt an inexplicable lump in my throat as I watched the old caretakers take care of Di like she was their own daughter. I loved Di, but this love was different; it was bordering on adoration like I had never seen before. Looking around I suddenly realised that I was the only person left standing at the entrance. An eerie silence had finally descended around me, the peace of mind that I had been yearning for ever since stepping out of the airport finally enveloped me. I took a deep breath, feeling content.
This felt like home.
*
ENGLISH VERSION
Chapter 11 Blast from the past
Scene 1
The journey from New Delhi to Lucknow takes 40 minutes if there are no hold ups at either end. I actually thought I could get some work done in the flight, maybe get the presentation finalised that I was to discuss with my clients from Singapore due to arrive in the coming weeks. How wrong I was. I had NK as my copassenger, a very eager and enthusiastic NK who, having never been to Lucknow, was bursting with questions. I tried to answer them as patiently as I could.
"Nannav! Is it true that the Lucknow girls are very samandar (sea)?" NK finally asked me looking up from a magazine he was holding when my irritation crossed its threshold. Seriously what was wrong with him? Was he going to get married?
"Not Samandar, sundar (beautiful)," I snapped wondering when his obsession with learning Hindi will end. NK's mouth formed an apologetic O as it always does when someone corrects his hindi. I was sure he was about to ask me something else when I had an idea and asked Aakash to switch seats with me. Let NK badger him with his stupid questions now. To my surprise, NK just plugged in his iPod and started listening to songs. I couldn't help but frown, was NK deliberately trying to annoy me? Ah well, who cares, I had work to do. And with that I opened my laptop again.
"Arnav bitwa," my new co passenger, Mamiji immediately started off, "I'm on a return trip to Lucknow after a long time. Last time I had gone to Hazratganj to eat Kulfi at MotiMahal. You think they are still open in business?" Mami asked me eagerly. I stared at her exasperatedly. I mean really Mami? I don't know about the sweetshops operating in Lucknow! Hell I don't even know about any in Delhi. Ah, I had to escape. I looked around and saw that Nani was sitting with Anjali; they looked comfortable and I didn't want either of them to get up until the plane landed. Dadi had another old lady as her co passenger and I was in no mood to switch with her. However, as the frequency of "Hello Hi"s kept on relentlessly increasing next to me, I summoned the air hostess to ask if they had any vacant seat in the business class.
I didn't realise that I had already spent 30 minutes while switching seats and answering the stream of questions. Finally, the air hostess took pity on me and showed me to a vacant window seat. I smiled at her thankfully and opened my laptop. Just then the plane yawed to one side, and my gaze went out of the window to the land a few thousand feet below me.
My home. Lucknow.
It was the place I was born, the place I grew up in, the place I did my early schooling. It was where my roots lay. However, it didn't manage to evoke any nostalgia in me as it always did in Di. But then I knew she was way more emotional than I was. For me, this place was just a ghost town containing the most painful of memories of my past. The only memories that I had left of this place now.
The captain announced to fold the tray tables and keep the seat upright as we'd be landing shortly. I cursed inwardly not having managed to do a single piece of work all through the travel.
*
It had been more than a year since I had last been in this city. But it seemed nothing had changed. The roads were still the same, the crowd of people was still the same, the usual throng of waiting customers near MotiMahal in HazratGanj (much to the delighted squeals of Mami who excitedly pointed it out to NK), the air was filled with the familiar smell of tunda kababs as we passed through Ameenabad, the same purposeful stride in people as they were heading to offer prayers at the Dargah... I leaned back on the seat of the car and closed my eyes, trying to cut myself off from the sounds and sights of the city hoping for some peace of mind.
A young woman clad in a green lehenga walking on the ramp... stumbling and falling in his arms... The same young woman, a vision in white, running up to him and offering a key...
My eyes snapped open in shock as I felt my heartbeats racing. How come I didn't think about this earlier? My roots weren't my only connection to this city. This is the place where everything began - my hatred for a belle called Khushi Kumari Gupta and each and every annoying encounter with her that followed as if dominos falling. I hate you... Khushi's venomous declaration suddenly echoed in my mind and I stilled, staring out of the window again to distract myself. Don't think about her... don't think about her... don't-
I felt a hand touch my knee gently and I looked sideways to see Di looking at me. She smiled tentatively at me probably thinking I was feeling uncomfortable being here. I merely nod back. I really don't feel like having a conversation right now. I look away, my gaze falling on Dadi's rigid posture sitting on the plush leather of the limosine. It was her idea to return here, to do the pooja here. And I had agreed because I hadn't been in the frame of mind to say no. But now it just seemed like a bad idea.
30 minutes later, after weaving in and out of the evening traffic, our car finally entered the main gates of Purani Haveli. I immediately gazed out of the window in curiosity watching the old building closing in. It kind of looked like a much smaller version of Sheesh Mahal to me of course minus any of its extravagance. It had a murky brown exterior, quite possibly not having been painted in years. The domes at the top were classic mughal architecture. The front face of the building had a drive-in portico, supported by regal looking pillars. High arched windows were flanking either side of it. But this building must have been beautiful in its time. I remembered coming here 14 years ago, the night Chacha threw us out of Sheesh Mahal. But we hadn't stayed for long here after having a heated argument with Dadi. Naniji had sent a car in the dead of the night to have me and Di picked up. So it was safe to say I had never really been here before.
The car stopped and we slowly stepped out. There was a family at the doors waiting for us- an old man supporting his weight with a walking stick, although dressed in a stiff white kurta and dhoti, a young stronger looking man, standing with his hands respectfully folded, two women who I guessed were their respective wives -the caretaker's family. I helped Di get out of the car and Dadi got out after her.
The old man rushed towards us and threw himself on Dadi's feet. "Badi Maalkin!" he gushed reverently. I couldn't help but feel surprised for I had hardly seen this level of respect shown towards anyone. Dadi had one of her rare smiles on her face.
"You haven't changed one bit, Dinanath," she replied as he picked himself up and bowed respectfully to her. "Everything fine at home?" he gave a half nod.
"With your blessings. You know my wife Roopmati, badi maalkin," he pointed to the older woman who folded her hands in greeting. "this is my son Raghav," he said with pride in his voice. The young sturdy man too greeted us and then immediately reached to pick up our bags. "And this is Geeta my daughter in law, Badi Malkin" he added softly. Dadi nodded at each one of them.
"Good. Shall we go inside?" I wonder if she paid any attention to what Dinanath said. Dinanath tried to help me with my bags but I told him not to bother. I wasn't sure how much weight could he pick up and in any case, my bags weren't that heavy. I also started walking in with the rest of the family. I noticed Di wasn't with me. I stopped and turned around to find Dinanath staring at Di who was gazing back at him.
"Dinu kaka?" she whispered, her voice breaking. He walked a little closer to Di.
"Chhutki bitiya?" he replied back, his shock at recognizing her completely evident in his tone. He placed a hand on her head as if in blessing. I stared as I saw tears in Di's eyes. She looked at me, smiling brightly through her tears as if really excited.
"Chotey! This is Dinu Kaka!" I could understand that there was definitely some deeper relation at play seeing that Di had spent her childhood in this house. I felt a smile creeping on my face as Dinanath looked back at her adoringly.
"Chhutki bitiya has grown up so much!" he said tearfully. He glanced at her pregnant belly and gasped. "And now she's going to have a chhutki of her own!" he exclaimed joyously. That line brought my back to my senses immediately. Di had been travelling for a long time and she needed her rest. I was about to ask her to walk inside with me, when Dinanath quickly wiped his tears and summoned his wife.
"Roopmati! Chhutki bitiya is pregnant!" Roopmati's face also bore signs of blissful recognition. She hugged Di and caressed her belly. Di was euphoric, I had never seen her this happy before. "Listen, keep the ground floor room for her. And make sure she gets whatever she needs. From now on you're responsible for her, Roopmati." Dinanath instructed his wife. The old couple helped Di steadily up the stairs and inside the house.
I felt an inexplicable lump in my throat as I watched the old caretakers take care of Di like she was their own daughter. I loved Di, but this love was different; it was bordering on adoration like I had never seen before. Looking around I suddenly realised that I was the only person left standing at the entrance. An eerie silence had finally descended around me, the peace of mind that I had been yearning for ever since stepping out of the airport finally enveloping me. I took a deep breath, feeling content.
This felt like home.
*
| topics | author | replies | views | reply |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rizz-ington | 35 | 5760 | ||
| abavi | 247 | 91475 |
comment:
p_commentcount