PART II
Friday Afternoon..ITI Dean's office..
Sunil: Whatever may be the case, she is his wife now..
Dean Chowdhry: Mr. Khandelwal, we understand and that is why we suggest family housing..
Mad: FAMILY HOUSING??..Please, they are not a family..my son was impulsive'
Sunil: (holding Mad's hand to stop her from saying anything more): Prof. Chowdhry, with all due respect, it is my family, and I would rather my son's wife stay with us..
Dean: I think so, but it was Mrs. Khandelwal who brought it up..
Mad: Who hamare ghar kyun rahegee? I mean, it's a new city for her..we are hardly ever home..she is better off here..GOD!!! I don't even know what the hell is going on..to think straight..WHAT were you thinking, Shantanu??? (looking at Shaan who is standing in a corner)
Shaan: Mom!! (then looks at the Dean): Sir, I need to live in my room..we are working on a huge project..I need all the time I have..I am not interested in moving into family housing which is quite a few kilometers from the department.
..Suddenly, Sunil spots his new daughter-in-law seated on the sofa looking straight ahead, something comes over him and..
Sunil: And Khanak..Mumbai mei tumhara koyee jaan pehchaan wala hai..
Khanak: (shakes her head): Main Suraj ke kamre mein rehna chahtee hoon..
Everyone looks at each other..waiting for the other to respond..Shaan steps outside the room..
Mad: Where are you going Shaan?
Shaan: (in a tone that has never been serious before): Mom, I need to get all the saaman into the room..
Sunil: Well, that settles it then..
Mad: Sunil??!!!
Sunil: (pleadingly): Madhavi..Ghar chalte hain..come on..
Prof. Chowdhry is relieved..but also worried..one of his brightest has met an early death and one of his smartest is yet to meet with the consequences of his deed..How shall this turn out? ..his wife shall know..
Hostel 7 lobby..a liitle later..
Karthik: It is too heavy yaar..
Murli: Come on..we should be able to get it..it is just one flight of stairs
Harshad: How the hell?
Shaan: What the heck is it anyway??
Karthik: It is a tanpura..
Murli: Genie's Ass..why the hell didn't you say so in the first place??..remove the damn thing from the huge casket and take it upstairs..
Harshad: Kya matlab..how the heck do you know so much?
Karthik: (grins and winks): Prof. Tripathi's wife sings na..dekha hoga..
Harshad: Freak!!!
Murli: (removes the tanpura from the huge case): WOW!
Shaan: (runs his fingers on the strings and mutters): Taanpura..how does she play it?
Murli: Dude..she does not play it..it is an accompaniment..your wife sings!!
There is a sudden silence among all the friends..the discomfort takes a minute to pass..and probably would have taken longer if they were not interrupted..
Khanak: Please sambhalke..
Karthik: Take it upstairs yaar..I will get the other stuff..
Shaan: I will take care of it..
Karthik: (looking at Khanak): Aapko bhook lagee hogee..
Friday late evening..Hostel 7 mess (canteen):
Karthik: Shetty..2 plate Hakka..
Murli: (looks at Khanak): Aap kya khayengee?
Harshad: Shaan kahan hai?
Karthik: woh suitcases rakh raha hai..
(Shaan enters the mess to see the only seat available is the one next to his wife..Sooraj's girl..no.. his wife..runs his fingers through his hair ..waves to the boys and comes and sits next to her)
Murli: Will you have noodles?
Khanak: Jee..
Harshad: (nudges); I think only hindi..
Khanak: (with a small smile): Jee means 'yes' in Hindi..I will have noodles..
Harshad mutters a Sorry..Karthik smiles at Khanak..
Karthik: Good one Bhabhee..
Khanak laughs..Shaan suddenly looks at her..smiles.. and then his eyes fall on her mehendi filled hands..and he suddenly says..
Shaan: Murli..we need to sit down tomorrow and realign the lever measurements on the prototype..
Hostel 7, Room 201,,
Shaan: Maine samaan uss cupboard mei rakh diyaa hai..
Khanak: Thank you..
Shaan: Agar aap bathroom jaana..
Khanak: Jee I am okay..
The silence between them is eating up all the space in the room..until she walks towards the bed..his heart beats faster than normal and he is quite sure she can hear it..but he is not sure why it is so..
Shaan: Jee aapka bistra uss taraf..
Khanak: Oh! (walks away and sits on the other bed): Oh..
Shaan: (does not really want to watch this): Why don't you get settled..I will be back..
Khanak: Oh..OK..
Shaan leaves the room..gets down the stairs..this is why people smoke..he thinks..he sees quite a few of his hostel mates cigging away..it is almost 11 pm..she must be asleep..
Upstairs Khanak rubs her hands over her bed..his bed, she thinks..looks at the side table..runs her fingers on the night stand..opens the drawer..there is a book and a bunch of pens and an extra pair of glasses..She then gets up..walks to the desk..there is an open book with lots of diagrams..and a pencil with its end chewed up..she smiles in wonderment..there is a fancy watch on top of the desk..and a glass half filled with water..she picks it up and drinks it..
Shaan enters..
Shaan: Did you need something?
Khanak: Nahin tho..
Shaan: Aap mere desk pe baithe ho..
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Pyaasi hoon Main..Pyaasi Rehne Do..
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Next part- page 11
Edited by saaaz - 14 years ago