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Kakisa had wanted to make trouble ever since that snakelet and his smoke maiden had returned. People like her didn't wait for the perfect opportunity, they created it. As did she when she saw Rudra stride in from work; saw the shadow darken the smoke maiden's face, saw their eyes meet - with nary a lover's glance. Not even close. She hot-footed it to the kitchen.
"Your bread-winner has come home, go give him a cup of tea," she told Paro. And watched with satisfaction as the girl hesitated, apprehensive. The dunce, Mythili, offered to pour the tea and her even denser daughter offered to serve it to Rudra, while Rudra's fiancee stayed put. But Kakisa was used to dealing with lesser mortals and applied the goad. "Do you have to light incense to do aarti in front of the cup and make it fly to Rudra's room?...You have to give him tea, beendhni, not sherbet. It's getting cold. Go, serve it!"
And finally, Paro had carried the tray on leaden feet to Rudra's room.
Rudra was on the table, pulling down the drapes from the window, when he heard the knock. Paro hovered in the doorway tray in hand. He descended and walked up to her. "Tea.." she proffered the cup. "What?" It wasn't the tea he couldn't comprehend, it was Paro bringing it to him. An unbidden warmth softened the wariness in his eyes. But her next words effectively banished it: "I didn't want to bring it but..." He followed her pointed gaze and saw the dark clouds closing in.
"There, keep it on the table...please." His mouth twisted around the unaccustomed politeness. He threw in a gracious nod for his aunt's benefit. Paro followed his lead. She'd barely set down the cup, when the wind picked up. Could Paro tidy up the room, as it was so messy? Perfectly reasonable request. Then why did his neck prickle with unease? He took the blanket out of Paro's hands. "I'll do it," he said, his gaze darkening.
Ranawat chose that moment to inform Rudra that his stuff had arrived from Jaipur. He'd do well to unpack and put it away. At that the thunder rumbled: "Why? Why will he unpack. Parvati baisa is there to do it. Till then Rudra banna you drink your tea and tell me how it is."
"I'll drink it..." The light in his eyes all but extinguished. And now the thunder rolled again, louder. Parvati baisa must pick up his boots and put them away. The air was so close that it was difficult to breathe. Paro, almost disabled by the tension, bent slowly to pick up the boots only to have her wrist gripped by Rudra. At that, she raised her wide, troubled eyes to his taut face. He shook his head once in warning.
Lightning flashed then. "What happened? Are they too heavy? Do you need Rudra to help you?" At that Rudra straightened up, pulling Paro behind him to shelter her from the full impact. "She will not touch my boots..." It was the sulphur in the air that made Rudra's nostrils flare and his brows descend. "I said NO!"
"Why this anger? She doesn't look like your mother..." "ENOUGH!" His temper boiled over, running unchecked down his fingers to Paro's wrist. But she didn't make a sound. Suddenly the sky was a battlefield, and the raindrops bullets - all aimed at him. "No, I meant, she doesn't seem like your mother who didn't like doing household chores."
Rudra was bleeding; wounds everywhere; the pain unbearable. Leaking out of his fingers into Paro still joined to him as they faced this deadly rainstorm together.
"Or is she?"
At that he let her go. And eyes molten, body drawn tight as a bow, he clung instead to the table.
"Or do you think that she is like your mother and that one day she too will..." It wasn't bullets, he realised, it was acid - acid rain, and he wasn't going to take it any more. "ENOUGH!" He hurled the cup of tea that had started it all.
But the elements continued to mock him: "So much anger! What happened Rudra banna? Didn't you like the teacup or was the tea cold?
"Get out" Rudra was in meltdown and he wanted Paro out, now. But she stared at him uncomprehending. "OUT NOW!" He was shaking now with the force of his emotion. And she left. "That was unnecessary," the elements reprimanded, "it was just a regular question..." But it was Rudra's turn to advance, and breathing in between his teeth, chest heaving, he bore down on the rainstorm, which vanished as suddenly as it had come.
Leaving Rudra thwarted and suffering still. So he shut the door behind them. And dragged his trunk into the middle of the room. Then, kneeling before it, eyes blind with emotion, he balled up the offending clothes one-by-one and flung them out. And finally allowed his feelings release. "Do you think that she is like your mother and that one day she too will..." The taunt stung his eyes. But what was this? His hands fell on THAT doll. He lifted it up. Calmer now, he stroked it as he brought it to him. His mind rewinding to that bright moment in that whole dark episode when a little girl had given it to him. His mouth curved now in memory of that gentle smile, and her attempt to cheer him up. The turbulence in him calmed, his throat working as his tears finally fell.
Paro, passing by his uncurtained window, saw Rudra as she never had before - on his knees, and wiping tears from his face.
And Rudra, emerging from his memories, found Paro looking in through his window much like that other little girl whose doll he still clutched. Only there was no smile on this girl's face. Just pain in her eyes. Pain and another emotion that made her drop her gaze and which made Rudra's searching eyes harden.
Today was dhamaka Tuesday. First the CVs gave us the reveal that Kakasa was still in contact with Rudra's mother, and that she will potentially try to get in touch with him. Although, the day Rudra finds out that Kakasa was holding out on him all these years, is the day their bond will break. Then came the dhamaka of the sudden storm-in-a-teacup. Violent, but with no obvious result for the initiator, Kakisa.
For Paro, however, the runaway mother reveal has happened. And for Rudra, it is the knowledge that Paro has seen him vulnerable. How I wonder will this alter the PaRud equation. We, the viewers, got to see the doll again. And of course Rudra's smile! Kakisa has now enlisted Sumer's help to dig up everything he can find on Paro.
Hats off to the CVs for a powerful episode that still reverberates through me as I key this in. đđđ The screenplay was excellent. But today was all about acting. Ashish's meltdown was epic and unforgettable!! The best I've seen so far on TV. đđđđ Sanaya's more complex and controlled emotions were very convincing. And Ananya was outstanding as the acid-tongued Kakisa.
What an episode!!
Ye Hai Mohabbatein
Mangal Lakshmi
