Vignettes- 18. Hai re Nandkishore! Finished! Thread 2 - Part 30/ Pg 18 - Page 6

The next day dawned bright and cheery, much like the mood in Shantivan. Watched by the wondering eyes of the three Prakashs, the elder ladies of the house bustled around in a hum of activity - ladki ko dekhne vaaste jaana jo tha!

His wife having wriggled out from his possessive arms much earlier, Arnav had been left with nothing else to do other than getting ready for the day. Coming down the stairs with his coat slung over one arm and a tie looped loosely around his neck, he set down his briefcase by the dining table and looked around for his wife. Not spotting her at her usual post by the pantry, he also noticed that he couldn't find his Di or Payal either.

The faint sounds of Khushi's laughter leading him on, he walked on towards his grandmother's room and soon found the reason for the deserted appearance of the main living areas. The womenfolk of the house were all gathered around a perspiring NK who was trying his level best to extract himself from their midst, so that he could run away from their efforts to "make him look like a bridegroom"; while the bemused men stood watch, waiting for all the fussing to get over so that the Mohantys could leave for the hospital.

"Kya ho raha hain, yahan?", he asked the room at large, only to have NK's relieved eyes focus on him immediately. "Nannav, help me! Yeh sab mujhe presentable banane ki koshish mein hain. Please tell them to stop!"

Before Arnav could respond, his Mami pounced, "Arnav bitwa, tum bus shut-upiya raho aind watch the decorations... hum NK bitwa ko ek dum prince chairming bana denge!"

Muttering out the side of his mouth, Akash said, "Can't seem to distract them, Bhai, might as well let it run its course. Bus Badi Ma ne kaha ki NK ko thoda aur dress up karna hai and everyone pounced on him."

Shaking his head at the goings-on in his house, Arnav wisely opted to leave and had just turned when he caught his wife's eye. Tilting his head towards the hall, he smiled and walked away, soon enough followed by Khushi, her departure not going unnoticed by Payal and Anjali, who grinned at eachother - their morning farewell ritual was well-known to everyone and best left private.

Soon, Manohar and Akash left and by the time Khushi sent her husband off for the day and came back, the threesome were dressed up for the visit to the hospital and were sent off with much fanfare. Turning back from the door, Anjali said, "Bhagwan karein sab theek-thaak ho jaayein", to which her Nani replied, "Fikar na karo bitiya, sab achcha hi hoga..."

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The lift coming to a slow stop, NK took a deep breath before smiling at his parents and leading them out, to Pooja's room. Seeing her parents standing wait at the door, Jagraj and Meena walked forward to greet them, leaving NK behind, giving him a moment to catch his breath, to compose himself, before he took the biggest step of his young life - introducing the girl he loved to his parents.

Seeing his father turn and gesture to him, NK took a deep breath and walked forward. Pushing open the door, he went upto Pooja's bed and leaning down, he murmured, "Don't look so scared.. mere Mom-Dad achche log hain. They already like you and I'm sure, tumse milne ke baad woh besakht honge tumhe apne DIL banane ke liye."

Whatever nerves Pooja had, washed away in a fit of nervous giggles as she corrected him, "Besabr, besakht nahi!" Making NK grin as well, as he turned around to the entrance door.

It was to the sound of those giggles and to NK's wide grin that his parents walked in and the look of pure joy on their son's face went a long way in reassuring them of the hold this girl had on his heart. Looking down at the bandaged face gazing up at them in a mixture of shyness and apprehension, their warm hearts bled for this young child who had suffered much in her quest for a better livelihood.

Instinctively leaning down and gathering her close in an embrace, Meena murmured, "Meri bachchi... kitna kuch saha hai tumne. Ab sab theek ho jayega... hum hain naah..."

His eyes tearing up at the rare emotional display from his wife, Jagraj too put his hand over Pooja's head, silently giving her both his blessing and his son. And just like that, their decision was taken.

The remainder of their visit going in talking to the girl and getting to know more about her, they returned home with their minds made up about getting her as their bahu as soon as possible, much to the delight of their Shantivan family.

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The next few weeks flew by, with the Mohantys becoming daily visitors to the hospital, so much so that Pooja started to think of them as her extended family and their close interactions gradually making her parents comfortable with the idea of marrying her off to their son. There were many more minor surgeries to go through before the total reconstruction procedure got over, and since NK's parent's couldn't stay back indefinitely, an idea began to emerge - to hold an engagement ceremony as soon as Pooja was able to be discharged from the hospital.

The idea was met with apprehension by Pooja's parents but they were soon won over by the combined efforts of Jagraj, Manohar and Devyani with Madhumati's influence over Kamla and Bittu going a long way in convincing them. However, opposition came from an unexpected quarter - Pooja.

Looking up at NK's parents from her hospital bed, she said softly, "Agar jo main bol rahi hoon, usse aapko koi dikkhat ho, toh mujhe maaf kar deejiyega. Par main abhi shaadi nahi kar sakti. Meri bahut saari zimmedaariyan hain - apne maa-bauji ke ore aur apne bhai ke padhaayi karvaane ki. Yeh sab karne se pehle main unhe chodke kahin nahi chal sakti."

Her eyes shining with pride, Meena glanced back at her husband before turning to Pooja's shocked parents, who were rendered speechless at their daughter's words, that too to her prospective in-laws! Taking Kamla's hands in her own, she said, "Aisi bahu paana sabke naseeb mein nahi hota. Aapko garv honi chaahiye ki aisi parvarish di hai aap apni beti ko ki woh apne zimmedariyon se kabhi mooh nahi modti."

Looking down at the young, earnest face Jagraj promised, "Hum intezaar karenge, beta. Jab tak tum raazi nah ho, na tumhari shaadi hogi, na hum tumhein apne parivaar se door le chalenge. Humein bus ek ceremony chaahiye, jisse humein bhi tumhein apni bahu ke roop mein dekhne ki ijaazat milein, tumhein apne parivaar ka hissa haq se keh sakein..."

Before she could manage to get a reply past her trembling lips, NK piped up, "and I don't want to let my lakdi slip through my fingers!" In the laughter that erupted in the room, there was joy, hope and love... the happy days were back!