Smita,😊
Here is my interpretation for the Part 121... The Final one!
Let me warn you Its going to be a long one and read it at leisure!
This update is all about the attitude of the family along with the Generation Next that has imbibed from its surroundings. The environment that has been created has led it to believe in the Happiness that they ought to seek from and they sought it too is from its roots.
"Happiness cannot come from without. It must come from within. It is not what we see and touch or that we which others do for us which makes us happy; it is that which we think and feel and do, first for others and then for ourselves" ~ Helen Keller
The Happiness they seek is from their family, with their family, by their family and also for their family. It is in or with ones family.
Hence its EN FAMILLE.
Arnav walked into the house, tired from a day of negotiations and meetings at the office. HP opened the door. Arnav handed over his bag to him, and muttered, "Black tea with lemon, HP."
"Tea tempers the spirits and harmonizes the mind, dispels lassitude and relieves fatigue, awakens thought and prevents drowsiness, lightens or refreshes the body, and clears the perceptive faculties"
~ Confucius
"Ji, Arnav Bhaiyya.", replied HP.
"And a pill for headache." He rubbed his forehead.
"Ji, Arnav Bhaiyya."
Arnav walked only two more steps before he was stopped by a pair of hands encircling his trouser-clad legs.
"Love is when
Daughter rush to open the door
When father comes home"
He sighed, smiling, and looked down. His 3-year old daughter, looking like a fairy in the pink dress Khushi had made for her, had her arms around his legs and was looking up at his face, smiling, expecting to be hugged and kissed.
"A hug is a smile with arms, a laugh with a stronger grip" ~ Terri Guillemets
Arnav bent, kneeling to hug her tight. Gouri threw her tiny arms around her father's shoulders, burying her face in the crook of his neck.
"A man never stands as tall as
When he kneels to help a child"
~ Knights of Pythogoras
"Papa... you smell so schweet..."
Arnav smiled. This was usually Khushi's line.
"Papa, I was waiting... and waiting... and waiting for you...", she complained, her lips in a pout.
"Children will soon forget your presents. They will always remember your presence though"
Arnav kissed her cheek. "Papa has to work, Gouri... and work... and work...", he crooned. "What did you do all day?"
Gouri opened her mouth to reply, but couldn't.
Three pairs of arms came around Arnav and Gouri's shoulders. Akash's, NK's, & Anjali's sons had finally managed to waddle, crawl, & make their wobbly way to their Chachu/ Mamu & Di.
"I will not play tug o' war. I'd rather play hug o' war. Where everyone hugs instead of tugs, Where everyone giggles and rolls on the rug, Where everyone kisses, and everyone grins, and everyone cuddles, and everyone wins" ~ Shel Silverstein
"Nannav Chachu, kissie...", demanded Akash's son. Arnav obliged with a smile.
"Nannav Mamu, me too...", said Anjali's son. Arnav dropped a kiss on his forehead.
"Nannav Chachu...", demanded the youngest of the lot, NK's son. Arnav kissed his rosy cheek. He pulled Arnav's nose.
"Arnavji, me too...", came the next plea.
"Kissing is like drinking salted water. You drink, and your thirst increases" ~ Chinese Proverb
Arnav looked over the heads of the children to see Khushi kneeling by him. Arnav smiled. Her hair was in a single plait, the jasmine flowers that he had picked for her from his garden adorning it. The violet sari lent a glow to her already glowing face.
"Kisses kept are wasted;
Love is to be tasted.
There are some you love, I know;
Be not loathe to tell them so.
Lips go dry and eyes grow wet
Waiting to be warmly met.
Keep them not in waiting yet;
Kisses kept are wasted"
~ Edmund Vance Cooke
He leaned over and kissed her cheek thoroughly, leaving it rosy and blushing.
"And I swear, she tasted like the sun" ~ S. Gregory
Gouri giggled.
"The first time her laughter unfurled its wings in the wind, we knew that the world would never be the same"
The tea and the pill for headache remained forgotten on the silver tray on the low table in the living room as Arnav sat with Khushi, Nani, Mami, Amma, Anjali, Payal, & Aarti, watching and laughing at the children's antics.
"Children really brighten up a household - they never turn the lights off"
Arnav looked down at the floor, his laptop & work forgotten for a moment.
Gouri was lying on the carpet at his feet, drawing and colouring pictures. Khushi was folding clothes.
"What did you do today, Papa?", Gouri asked as she did everyday.
"Curiosity is a hunger to explore and a delight in discovery"
"Meeting with the finance manager till noon..." He looked at her rapt face, her eyes fixed on his face, listening even though she understood little. " ...Then we hired three designers after interviews that went upto 4 in the evening... And then discussions on the Singhania project... And you?"
"Certain is it that there is no kind of affection so purely angelic as of a father to a daughter. In love to our wives there is desire; to our sons, ambition; but to our daughters there is something which there are no words to express" ~ Joseph Addison
"I prayed. Had breakfast. Milk... yuck... I hate milk... Then I asked Amma to phone Vivek Bhaiyya for me. I talked to him. I looove Vivek Bhaiyya... And Chotu Bhaiyya... And Simi Di... and Nidhi Di ... Babaji... and the others..."
Arnav smiled, nodding. The children at Omkar adored her too.
"The way we talk to the children becomes their inner voice" ~ Peggy O'Mara
"Then Rani grandmother called to talk to Nani. Then she talked to me." Rani & Raj Kisore had shifted to Delhi, winding up their concerns in Australia the moment they heard that Aarti was pregnant.
"Then I went to Badi grandmother's room and put on her bluuush..."
Arnav bit his lip, looking at Khushi who was trying hard not to laugh.
"Laughter is the shortest distance between two people" ~ Victor Borge
"Choti grandmother was making malas of flowers. She taught me to make knots around flowers..."
"Each day of our lives we make deposits in the memory banks of our children"
~ Charles R. Swindoll
Arnav nodded. Aarti's Amma loved Gouri.
"I watched Animal Planet with Naniji... Papa, do you know that dogs love children?"
Arnav swallowed, sharing his amusement with Khushi through his twinkling eyes.
"So quickly you grow with bounds and leaps but the sweetest memories are mine for keeps!"
"No, I didn't. It looks like my education has been sadly neglected.", Arnav said mildly, smiling at his wife.
"And children too love dogs.", Gouri assured him earnestly.
"Oh!", said Arnav.
"I love dogs.", Gouri came to the point.
"The dog was created specially for children. He is the god of frolic" ~ Henry Ward Beecher, Proverbs from Plymouth Pulpit
Khushi l ooked away to stop her chuckles. Arnav nodded at Gouri, smiling.
"And then I slept on Amma's lap as she taught songs to her students... and then I helped Amma make roti for dinner."
"Really?", Arnav asked.
"Really. Amma, I helped you make roti, didn't I?", Gouri asked her mother.
"Nobody can do everything, but everyone can do something"
"Haan, haan, she helped me make rotis.", Khushi vouched for her. "She watched while I kneaded the dough, she made small balls of them, I rolled them into rotis, she put them on the tawa, and I took them off it...", Khushi smiled.
"My two girls have been working very hard all day. You deserve a holiday!", Arnav said softly.
"Papa!", Gouri clapped her hands, all thrilled.
"Happiness is having what you want, and wanting what you have" ~ Josh Bullings
Khushi raised her eyebrow.
"Let's go to Shimla for 3 days.", suggested Arnav, his eyes on Khushi's, both of them remembering the idyllic honeymoon they had spent in their cottage there. Khushi blushed.
"Fond memory brings the light of other days around me" ~ Thomas More
"Yes!", Gouri jumped up and down in excitement.
"Some people are so much sunshine to the square inch" ~ Walt Whitman
"Why don't you help your Amma make a list of everything you need for your holiday?", Arnav suggested.
Arnav sat watching his excited daughter list out all the things she needed to be happy.
"Papa... Amma... NK Chachu... Akash Chachu... Payal Chachi... Aarti Chachi... the 3 Chotus... Babaji... Anand Chachu... Anjali Chachi... Gopi Kakka... Chotu Bhaiyya... Vivek Bhaiyya... Buaji... Nani... two grandmothers... HP Chacha... Chota grandfather..."
"There are no extra pieces in the universe. Everyone is here because he or she has a place to fill and every piece must fit itself in the big jigsaw puzzle"
~ Deepak Chopra
The Raizadas, the Kisores, the Dwivedis, the Sinhas, Amma, Gopi Kakka, Baba, the children from Omkar, HP... all of them reached Shimla, drawing in the cold, clean air to fill their lungs. Arnav had purchased all the cottages in the resort he had spent his honeymoon in, and turned them over to Akash, NK, Mamaji, Baba, Anand Jiju, & Payal's parents. He retained only the one he & Khushi had used four years back.
"A person's world is only as big as their heart"
Amidst a lot of laughter and jokes, the huge family left the cottages to go to the main building of the resort for dinner. Arnav looked at their laughing faces and felt contented, at peace.
"Life is a succession of lessons which must be lived to be understood" ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson
He was not his father. He was not irresponsible like him. He had kept his family together, added to it, kept them safe, secure... And he had Khushi with him. For always. A sigh of relief left him.
"Never blame anyone in your Life.
Good people give you Happiness,
Bad people give you Experience,
Worst people give you a Lesson,
And
Best people give you Memories"
"Papa!"
He turned to see Khushi walk towards him, a smile on her beautiful face, their daughter in her arms.
"The smile upon my lips, ?
It will surely never die ?
As I'm waiting here for you ?
until you're by my side"
~ Freida Martine
As she reached him, Gouri leaped from her Amma's arms into his. He caught her expertly, cuddling her protectively against his shoulder.
"Walk a little slower, Daddy!" said a little child so small.
I'm following in your footsteps and i don't want to fall.
Sometimes your steps are very fast, sometimes they're hard to see;
So walk a little slower Daddy, for you are leading me.
Someday when I'm all grown up, you're what I want to be.
Then I will have a little child who'll want to follow me.
And I would want to lead just right, and know that I was true;
So, walk a little slower, Daddy, for I must follow you!!"
"Khushi?" His husky voice saying her name always made her heart thud.
"Ji?"
"Khushi, I love you. More than life.", he whispered.
Khushi hugged him. His free hand came around her to hold her as close as humanly possible.
"I love you too, Arnavji.", Khushi whispered.
" ONLY YOU"
"Only you
can make this world seem right
Only you
can make the darkness bright
Only you and you alone
can thrill me like you do
and fill my heart with love for only you
Only you
can make this change in me
For it's true
you are my destiny
When you hold my hand, I understand
the magic that you do
You're my dream come true
my one and only you, only you
Only you and you alone
can thrill me like you do
and fill my heart with love for only you
Only you
can make this change in me
For it's true
you are my destiny
When you hold my hand, I understand
the magic that you do do
You're my dream come true
my one my one my one and only you"
~The Platters
"Hey, you love birds... Aren't you coming down for dinner?", NK teased.
All laughed.
"Love on an empty stomach, hein?", teased Mamiji.
NK sang,
Mujhe neend na aaye, mujhe chain na aaye
Koi jaaye zara dhoondke laaye
Na jaane kahan bhook kho gaya...Na jaane kahan bhook kho gaya...
Aarti shut her ears to keep out NK's besura song, laughing at the look on Arnav & Khushi's faces. NK ran after Aarti, chasing her to make her listen to his song.
Arnav kissed Khushi on her cheek, caught hold of her hand, and walked down with his wife & daughter. Life had come full circle.
"Once you realize how valuable you are and how much you have going for you, the smiles will return, the sun will break out, the music will play, and you will finally be able to move forward the life with grace, strength, courage, and confidence"
~ Og Mandino
When Arnav entered the house after a hard day at work, HP who opened the door, was told to get him lemon tea and a paracetamol for headache.
"Tea is the elixir of life" ~ Lao Tzu
Tea is an all purpose beverage.
"If you are cold, tea will warm you;
If you are too heated, it will cool you;
If you are depressed, it will cheer you;
If you are excited, it will calm you"
~ William Ewart Gladstone
After instructing HP Arnav moved just two steps when he was stopped by a pair of soft hands encircling his legs. It was the resident 3 year old, the oldest of the tiny tots, looking like a pink fairy hugging his legs. She was smiling up at him waiting to be hugged and kissed by her very own Pa.
"Hugs can do great amounts of good especially for children" ~ Princess Diana
When Arnav knelt to hug her, she held him by his shoulders with her tiny arms and nuzzled into his neck. She said, "Papa... you smell so schweet..."
imitating Khushi, making Arnav grin. She further continued and complained, "Papa, I was waiting... and waiting... and waiting for you..." once again imitating her mother's expression. Arnav kissed her and told that, her Papa had to work a lot and asked her what she did all day long. Just as Gouri was about to answer, they were engulfed by three pairs of hands turning it into a group hug.
"The most precious jewels you'll ever have around your neck are the arms of your children"
It was the battalion of the young residents whose Drum Major was Gouri. They had come enmasse to greet Arnav who was being greeted by Gouri first! O! What a grand welcome!
"Come in the evening, or come in the morning,
Come when you're looked for, or come without warning,
Kisses and welcome you'll find here before you,
And the oftener you come here the more I'll adore you.
~ Thomas Osborne Davis, The Welcome
"Nannav Chachu, kissie..." was the demand of Akash's son that was obliged by smiling Arnav,
"Nannav Mamu, me too..." came from Anjali's son and Arnav obliged! Next came the demand from the youngest of the lot, NK's son, "Nannav Chachu..."
When Arnav kissed his rosy cheeks he obliged Arnav by pulling his nose.
"Hugs and kisses are not measured by quantity; they are measured by quality"
"Arnavji, me too..." finally came the request from Khushi kneeling by him amidst the children. Arnav smiled at his very own Aphrodite, in a violet saree, with a plait adorning the Jasmine that he grew in his garden just for her, beaming like a full moon. He who never let any of her wishes go unfulfilled gave her a smacking kiss. It made her blush, but her daughter was thoroughly tickled by the display!
Getting such a warm welcome Arnav was sated with happiness. He felt refreshed and relaxed. His tea and the headache tablet remained untouched. Forgetting all about his work, sitting with the rest of the family members he watched the children having fun.
Papa's girl, Gouri, was lying at his feet on the carpet, doodling and colouring pictures. Khushi was folding clothes. As usual Gouri asked Arnav, "What did you do today, Papa?" Arnav like a good father, who gave due consideration to the feelings of his daughter, told her all about his day's work. He treated her like a friend and narrated his day at his office. "Meeting with the finance manager till noon... Then we hired three designers after interviews that went upto 4 in the evening... And then discussions on the Singhania project... And you?" All through his narration she listened to him keenly without understanding much.
"Never get tired of doing little things for others. Sometimes those little things occupy the biggest part of their hearts"
And to his question she started to list out her activities!
"I prayed. Had breakfast. Milk... yuck... I hate milk... Then I asked Amma to phone Vivek Bhaiyya for me. I talked to him. I looove Vivek Bhaiyya... And Chotu Bhaiyya... And Simi Di... and Nidhi Di... Babaji... and the others...
Then Rani grandmother called to talk to Nani. Then she talked to me."
The children at Omkar loved her a lot and she basked in their love. NK's parents, Rani and Raj Kisore had settled down in Delhi once they came to know that they were going to be grand parents.
Continuing her narration she said she had been to Mami's room and applied her blush, making Arnav and Khushi control their mirth so as not to offend the little Miss who was telling them earnestly all the things she did that day. "Then I went to Badi grandmother's room and put on her bluuush... Choti grandmother was making malas of flowers. She taught me to make knots around flowers..."
"A three year old child is a being who gets almost as much fun out of a fifty-six dollar set of swings as it does out of finding a small green worm"
~ Bill Vaughan
Kamala, Aarti's mother loved Gouri who would hang around her and observe what ever she did.
Then she narrated what she did with Nani and started enlightening him about the documentary she saw on the television. "I watched Animal Planet with Naniji... Papa, do you know that dogs love children?"
She with her curiosity and the new found knowledge asked her father whether he was aware that dogs loved children. Like a good parent he shared an amused smile with his wife.
"Sometimes when I need a miracle I look into my daughters eyes, and realize I've already created one"
Assuring him that, "And children too love dogs."
Gowri put forth her view. "I love dogs."
Nodding with a smile at her pleasant, cute yet assertive way of presenting her thoughts he let her continue. "And then I slept on Amma's lap as she taught songs to her students... and then I helped Amma make roti for dinner"
She asked her mother for confirmation at her Papa's disbelief. Khushi who was listening to the father-daughter duo conversing with interest vouched with a smile, "Haan, haan, she helped me make rotis. She watched while I kneaded the dough, she made small balls of them, I rolled them into rotis, she put them on the tawa, and I took them off it..."
Arnav then announced that his wife and daughter deserved a holiday after working very hard. His daughter clapped her hands with glee at the prospect of going for a three day holiday to Shimla. Their destination being Shimla, evoked sweet memories of their honeymoon, making Khushi bashful. Seeing Gouri's excitement, Arnav suggested her to help her Amma to list out all that she needs for her holiday. While Gouri listed out Arnav watched. And lo! What was it that all she needed? Just this! "Papa... Amma... NK Chachu... Akash Chachu... Payal Chachi... Aarti Chachi... the 3 Chotus... Babaji... Anand Chachu... Anjali Chachi... Gopi Kakka... Chotu Bhaiyya... Vivek Bhaiyya.. Buaji... Nani... two grandmothers... HP Chacha... Chota grandfather... "
She just wanted the people she loved around her with her. Brought up amidst the loving family, even Gouri never thought that her happiness lay only with her Amma and Papa. For her, they, her Amma and Papa, were the center of her Universe. And in that Universe there were other Planets, Stars, Galaxies too! Even a Comet and an Asteroid made a part of it. This shows just like her parents, she was family centric. For her happiness is doubled only when when shared. An extremely nice way of bringing up a child!
"Children are the living messages we send to a time we will not see" ~ John W. Whitehead
So as per the wishes of the little Miss, it was holiday time for all her beloved. The entire Parivaar was taken to Shimla where Arnav had purchased all the cottages in the resort. He had handed over the cottages to his fellow family members retaining the one he and Khushi had used to himself. It was funtime for all. Arnav looking at all the happy faces realized that though his father's blood ran in him, he was in no way like him.
"God doesn't give you the people you want.
He gives you the people you need.
To help you, to hurt you,
to leave you, to love you and to make you the person you were meant to be"
He was not an irresponsible person.
"It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are" ~ E.E. Cummings
He was able to keep the future of his family safe and secure. He had a big loving family that was expanding just like a Universe, and still intact. He was lucky to have so many people around him who loved being a unit. Above all, he had his soulmate who true to her name was the binding force and spread happiness around her.
"Let yourself be silently drawn by the strange pull of what you really love. It will not lead you astray"
~ Rumi
He was happy to have her in his life. With her by his side he felt peace, he felt content.
His reverie was broken by the call of his daughter. His wife Khushi, with a smile on her beautiful face, carrying Gouri in her arms, was coming towards him.
"Beauty is when you don't care about how you look, but rather about how you act, and that makes all the difference" ~ Khadijah Bagais
As she reached, Gouri jumped from her arms to his. Hugging her and carrying her against his shoulders he called his wife, "Khushi?..." in his husky voice making her heart miss a beat and then beat rapidly.
"There's something so tender about the gesture. It might as well have been him whispering I love you" ~ Cynthia Hand, Hallowed
"Ji?" "Khushi, I love you. More than life." conveying in a whisper all that he felt for her and all that he needed was her in his life. She hugged him and he held her tight and she responded with a whisper,
"I love you too, Arnavji."
"Love is like a puzzle. Hard to piece together, but beautiful when all the pieces are put together"
NK who saw this called out to them to join the rest for dinner. "Hey, you love birds... Aren't you coming down for dinner?" NK's teasing had all in laughter. Mami who loves to tease and not the one to let go a chance uttered, "Love on an empty stomach, hein?"
Taking the cue from his Maasi, NK sang,
Mujhe neend na aaye, mujhe chain na aaye
Koi jaaye zara dhoondke laaye
Na jaane kahan bhook kho gaya...
Na jaane kahan bhook kho gaya...
making Aarti shut her ears to keep out NK's off tune singing just like his beloved Maasi. Laughing at the look Arnav and Khushi were giving, she ran only to be chased by NK to make her listen to his song.
"Love is like pi
natural, irrational and very important"
Placing a kiss on Khushi's cheeks, Arnav clasping her hand within his and entwining their fingers, walked with his wife and daughter to join the rest of his family.
"A man is lucky if he is the first love of a woman. A woman is lucky if she is the last love of a man"
~ Charles Dickens
Braving through the storm that had encompassed them with the wrongdoings of his Dad, affecting not just his family but another two families, that made Khushi an orphan and also battle the burns and scars all alone, until adopted by Pandit Sasi Sharma, Arnav who had become ASR got reverted to Arnav for his family with the advent of Khushi in his life.
"Courage: the most important of all the virtues because without courage, you can't practice any other virtue consistently" ~ Maya Angelou
Khushi true to her name and nature was the binding force and also the root cause for the happiness of his, now their family. To reach that stage they both had to courageously face a lot of difficulties.
"The man on the moon didn't get there by falling"
Both were successful in their quest and created a whole new happy situation for their relatives, siblings and their children.
"He didn't tell me how to live; he lived and let me watch him do it" ~ Clarence Buddington Kelland.
This was how the children were brought up in their family. As both Arnav and Kushi knew,
"You are the author of the children's days"
"There are little eyes upon you
And they are watching night and day.
There are little ears that quickly
take in every word you say.
There are little hands all eager
to do anything you do;
And a little child who's dreaming
of the day he'll be like you.
You're the little fellow's idol;
You're the wisest of the wise.
In his little mind about you no suspicions ever rise.
He believes in you devoutly,
holds all that you say and do;
He will say and do in your way
when he's grown up just as you.
There's a wide-eyed little fellow
who believes you are always right;
And his eyes are always opened;
and he watches day and night.
You are setting an example
Everyday in all you do,
For the little child who's waiting,
to grow up to be like you"
The actions you take and the habits you make as you pass through your days will influence children for the rest of their lives. Your conduct defines the days of the children. Your behavior will have an influence on them, everyday as long as they live. All eyes are on you, never forget that.
This was the foundation laid by Arnav and Khushi the CUSTODIANS of the Raizada clan. The Generation Next had a strong footing on which to rise and always had a family, backing them come what may! Arnav Singh Raizada was lucky to have Khushi as his wife, who was the root cause of their Happiness, and a daughter Gouri who was the Happiness squared.
Life for him had come a full circle.
"Love is a circle ... without ending ... never narrow ... always bending."
As always,
"True love stories never have endings"
~ Richard Bach
That is why it is "EN FAMILLE". Am I not right?
That's it from me. Hope you have enjoyed it!
Link to my post on the next page: 76691099
Edited by rulama - 12 years ago
Cricket
Kundali Bhagya
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