Grey clouds were crowding since the afternoon in the sky of Kolkata, scaring away the white ones and then proceeding to overtake the blue canvas all over the city. A loom and gloom atmosphere settled in everybody's heart, despite being a Saturday evening where its mandatory to go out and celebrate the end of a hectic week. Soon slow breeze started, barely there over the skin but still managing to raise goosebumps like a lovers' caress, which roared as hours passed, ruining perfectly made hair dos and pricey clothes.
Monsoon was making its presence known in the city, Swara thought to herself as she pulled at her light shawl so that its wrapped tightly around her. Her Grandmother, Parvati Gadodia, has already yelled at her to come down and now proceeded to curse her stubbornness, complaining sitting beside Sharmishtha who squirmed uncomfortably as she adjusted her focus to dinner preparation and look after her Daughter simultaneously. Swara didn't mind rain. It might be a cliche but who cares? A person with a heart and soul has to love the tiny drops, the coolness after unbearable warm and sticky weather, and the earthy smell afterwards. She always wondered why people complain when they get what they wants. And then they say God doesn't listen to them
She waa beating her fingers against her knee in an old rhythm. Sa re ga ma pa dha ni. Earlier it used ro be simple, just her and Dida and the slap of palms as the latter taught her the age old melody. Now everything is complicated, strings, adjusting wires, fixing pitch.. She loves her school and students but there are some days she aches to be days when everything used to be simple.
Swara cant explain why she becomes melancholic sometimes. She belongs from a well adjusted family, loving parents, two grandmas and two sisters (Tara is sister) , she has a job which she loves to do, she has hopes-dreams-ambition. She has everything which people wants in their whole life, and yet sometimes she finds herself thinking things she doesn't know where it came from, or Why. And its not because the day is gloomy, it just hits her at unprepared events. In middle of a tune, talking to Ragini, or maybe when Dida and Dadi has their regular fights about Bangalan vs Madrasan. She is yet to figure out why.
The sky was almost black by now, but with a surprised giggle Swara noticed one lone star was still up there, twinkling and hiding behind clouds as they passed. Her eyes went glassy, her smile fading as another unexpected memory hit her.
A 7 year old Sanskaar was looking at the evening sky seriously as he laid down on the dirty soil. Beside him, Swara was equally busy, but to braid her doll's hair in the correct way. Laksh and Uttara was there with them a few minutes earlier, but the small girl threw a fit over something and for punishment the former was summoned.
"Its decided." Swara looked at Sanakaar as he made a decision. His eyes were glued to the starful of sky.
"What is?"
He turned to her and spoke with all seriousness, "Swara, I will become Astronaut."
She blinked a couple of times, then scrunched her pink nose up in confusion, "What is that?"
His eyes widen in offense, but then he just sighed and shook his head, making up his mind to be patient, "I will go to see the stars."
Her earlier quizzical expression turned grave, "You cant."
"Of course I can!" It was impossible that Sanskaar Maheswari cant do anything. He's a good boy, and his Mom says he's the best, and Bade Papa says he can be anything if he sets his mind on that. And he wants to see the stars. So he will.
"You can't." Swara spoke with all seriousness of an adult, overlooking his startled yelp, "Dadu went to see stars, remember? He didn't come back. If you go you also won't be back."
"That's because . . . " Deendayal Gadodia had an heart attack, he had heard Dad saying. He doesn't know what is that, but he knows this- Dadu has gone far, far away, maybe farther than stars. Biting his lip he cleared throat, "I will send letters!"
Her eyes widen, "You can?"
He puffed his cheek out in confidence, "Of course! I will send back the rocket with letters for all of you. Then you can reply me back." Satisfied with his resourcefulness, he laid back, countimg on his fingers, "I will write to all of you. Maa, Papa, Bade Papa, Badi Maa, Lucky. I will send a star for Tara, and for you too." He added after a moment.
"But you will be back, right?" The little girl was still hooked on that. Sanskaar turned his neck toward her, and a gave a wide grin without answering.
"Nothing can stop me."
A strong wind made her shiver, breaking her trance. Shaking off the remains of her childhood memory with a long lost friend, she frowned at the way trees in the far moved like rag dolls due to the wind. Early monsoon is normally gentle in Kolkata, just light shower and chilly weather for days to come. But something was different this time.
Hawaaon ka rukh badla huya hain.
An uneasy feeling gripped her heart, but before she could duel on that an urgent footsteps on the stairs made her turn. Thinking its again her Dadi, she was surprised to find Uttara Maheswari in all her glory, with sparkling eyes and a huge grin on her face. Before she could even ask the young girl was babbling away her happiness, that how Bade Papa forgave Adarsh Bhaiyya and they are all one big happy family once again. Swara had many questions - did Durga Prasad really believe in his son at last? What took it so long? Why now? - but it was hard not to caught up in the infectious excitement of the Maheswari Princess. Soon she was also almost jumping upside down with her, her shawl forgotten and lying on the floor, the light rain pouring at last on the city, Parvati Gadodia's muffled cries ignored.
The surreptitious black window of an Audi Q3 came down with an urgency, a pair of dark eyes longingly taking in the scene in front of his. He didn't want to lurk in the darkness on a rainy night and test his temptations by spying on his family, but how can he resist when he's in the same city as them, confined merely 10 km away in a luxurious but cold Five star Hotel and under pretense? The obvious destination had to be the Mansion, still here he was.
Maybe because it started with Shekhar Gadodia. Atleast for him.
He could not take his eyes off his sister. Gone was the lanky teenager with big glasses, who used to be so painfully shy and awkward, always on his heels, tailing elders wherever she went. Look at her now, not afraid to let out the real, pure self of her to the whole world, which he always believed his sister possessed, so lively, so joyful. Her aura so powerful that it made him ache, made him want to reach out and lit up the dark corners of his life.
Princess Tara, his Star. Not a princess anymore, he chuckled to himself, maybe a Queen. Definitely a Queen.
Immediately that thought sobered him. He was gone for too long, he has missed so much. Of course, he usee to get updates on his family, but witnessing the change is different. Heartbreaking. Maybe a selfish part of him had hoped that nothing has changed. But he won't begrudge the people he loves for moving on. He might be bitter, but still he wants them to be happy.
Until he destroy everything.
A loud screech from the girls snapped him out of his thoughts, and with wry amusement he noticed Shobha Bose, holding one ear of both of them with her two hands, and dragged them without saying anything. The half hearted complaints and giggles of theirs echoed for a long time even when they were gone, making his attempt at a smile last a little longer.
Then the smile was gone and his head was hitting the backrest with an audible thud, followed by a loud sigh born out of pure exhaustion. He closed his eyes to fight off the painful ache of his chest, and was surprised to find out his vision filling not with his remarkable sister, but another girl who was with her on the terrace. The brown eyed girl who always found happiness in others victory, who drove him crazy with pranks, whose soulful voice he still hears inside his head after a long, tiring day. Or after a nightmare.
Don't go there, he warned himself, his jaw clenched and hands in identical fists. When he opended his eyes, gone was the man desperate for a piece of joy himself. Gone was the man who had just laid his eyes on his family for the first time in 5 years. There was no weakness in him, no emotions in his eyes. Just pure darkness.
Sanskaar Maheswari is dead. The man who is here now is born after a thunderstorm and destined to burn the world to ashes.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
"Hurry Pari, they are going to be late." Sujata Kaki was fussing beside her in the kitchen, a blur of green saree, quick movements and bossiness as she stirred a pot ful of curry and yelled at helping staff simulteneously. Giving her a nod, she returned her focus on putting butter on bread.
Annapurna never bothered to step inside the Kitchen or see how preparations are going, always content to rely on staff or order Sujata. They are rich people, they don't do mundane things like cooking or cleaning. Sujata, on the other hand though, relish into these small tasks, participating as well as instructing the housecleaning staffs to do their job. Parineeta often think her Kaki does these things only because deep down she feels so lonely inside.
Ram Prasad was always a detached man as far as Pari can remember. He will smile with family and pose for pictures, he will frown when times are tough or murmur encouraging words, but he was really into the moment, contributing. Like a shadow who is there but who has no strong presence. It's hard to imagine how two different people like him and Sujata remained together for over twenty-something years. Well, if together means staying under same roof and sleeping on same bed. She doesn't think Kaki and Kakaji ever had any real conversation.
Pari was married into a time when things were difficult for the Maheswari family. Centaur was supposed to have IPO but for some unknown reasons they pulled away from that decision, the family was facing dual identity crisis both outside and in their hearts. There has been a death in the family and though, it was over an year ago, the sadness was still visible on their faces, the hunch in their back and hollow smiles were hard to overlook. Particularly Adarsh was in a bad shape. The arranged marriage was Durga Prasad and Annapurna's idea to force their Son to grow up and leave behind the Drug abuse he had taken into the push away the grief. They thought if there is additional responsibility on his shoulder he will become better, and Pari thanks her stars that Adarsh turned out to be a gem of a person who fought against all darkness and came out on the other side. He is a good man with a considerate, kind soul who lived for his family, who lived upto all of their's expectations and became an example for many of them. He was a representation of how the Family pulled through the tough times.
As she bid goodbye to her husband, with a matching grin on her face, she wondered if Adarsh is really happy. He is a open book, but she has often find it hard to look past the armour he put up to show the world he is alright, that he is not slipping through. Parineeta never tries to look if the armour is intact, she cares about the man beneath. Is that man okay? Does that man need a hand to come out? Does he need an ear to say something?
She never knew Sanskaar Maheswari, except for the pictures Sujata Kaki showed her many times in the past. A tall, lean guy with sparkling black eyes and wide grin, identical to Uttara's. Parineeta has met Ministers, Businessman and Investors after she came into this family and has learnt to judge man by the way they look at you and smile at you, so she feels confident to give the verdict that the twenty something boy was a good person. It's not hard to imagine why Adarsh took it hard after he died unfortunately in a Car crash, nearly every picture of Sanskaar is filled with him or Uttara, sometimes one of the Gadodia sisters joining. They were close, their bond going way deeper than Brotherhood formed by blood. Lakshya is rarely in the album, except for the pictures in childhood days.
She thinks maybe, if, Sanskaar was here, he would have told her what was wrong. It's silly and wrong to put so much expectation on a person she never knew, who is not even here, but it's always in the back of her head, in desperate times. She wants to see the boy who laughed out loud in the pictures, wants to see him without the hunch of his shoulder or the emotional armour. Yes, death shapes people, and yes, it's incredibly selfish of her to hope to get back the Adarsh Maheswari before his Brother's death, whom she never even knew. But she loves the man too much, and she wants him happy. Truly happy.
The convoy of cars left the premise of the Mansion and Parineeta's mind was filled with other thoughts. What made Durga Prasad to suddenly change his mind? What new Business emergency he had? She ducked her head, bitterness sharp inside her mouth. She just can't forget the treatment the two of them received from their parents, neither she can forgive. Adarsh can do that on her behalf. He thinks Durga Prasad forgave him, (Pari doesn't understand what's even there to forgive when the overdose was clearly an accident!), but she knows it. Has to be Centaur related matter which needed his expertise. She just didn't want to poke hole in his hope.
After all, all she wants him to be happy.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Ragini was inside a music shop to buy a string for her violin when she received the call.
Lakshya was sounding down, she had picked up on the first sentence. He was neither his usual playful self, with that deep voice he use whenever he talks to him, nor he made the conversation go to directions which will make her blush or prolong the phone call. Half the time it was her who talked, he was silent except for small hums. She felt like he wanted to talk about something, but he just didn't.
Then, just before cutting the phone call, he interrupted her, "Swara is alright, yeah?"
The sudden change made Ragini frown, "Of course. Why would you ask?"
She could practically hear him shaking head, "Nothing . . . just . . . " then he abruptly stopped, "Everything alright between you two, right?"
"Why, it should not?" Wheels were turning in her head, "What's wrong?"
"Nothing."
"Lakshya . . . "
"Really, I was just . . . I mean, you are family." He mumbled. And just the way he had called, out of nowhere, he disconnected in the same manner.
And the conversation nagged her for the whole day, even in the evening when she was playing the Violin, the book of instructions in front of her untouched. What was the call all about? Why Lakshya sounded to rattled? Why he asked if all is okay between the two of them? Why it should not be?
Ragini once again remembered the tensed silence in the car merely a week ago on the night of Lakshya's birthday, and the miraculous lightness she felt when she returned to fetch Swara after she twisted her ankle. She still didn't have any answers to all the questions, even after cajoling and threatening Swara to spill beans. In response, she just teased her as Mother Hen protecting 'Baby Lucky' and avoided her eyes. Now, if she thinks strongly about it, she might see the teasing as a diversion tactic and those smiles fake, the eye-avoidance a sign of guilt.
Her heart sank and she dropped the violin, all pretense of playing forgotten. What had happened? What is going on? Ragini had always championed herself to be updated about Lakshya, how she had missed this? And what she had missed? It had to be something major to make him uneasy like this.
Did Swara do something? The thought made her frown. Her sister can be real blunt and thoughtless sometime, she may have made a comment or two about Lakshya's behavior. Won't be the first time she did, Swara had never really liked him. Ragini will always glare at her if she's around and listened to her sister making a remark like that, but even if a thing like that has happened Lakshya never really pay any heed to those criticisms. Why would he now? And why would it upset anything between the sisters?
It makes no sense.
**********************
On the other side of the city, Lakshya smirked into his liquor, his sinister plan already in the force.
Swara rescued a girl trying to commit suicide on the railway tracks and put her into a hospital.
Shekhar Gadodia and Durga Prasad conversed over Suraj Khanna in the latter's study, Annapurna eavesdropping outside and picking out important details.
Adrash thanked Pari with a small smile when the latter passed him a Hot mug of coffee, preparing himself for another long night of work. Her wife took a couple of steps back and looked at him worryingly.
Sujata stroked lovingly the picture of her children, Ram Prasad lying on the bed beside her, his back towards her.
The Man with the burnt scar flicked the bed lamp switch on and off in a constant loop, his eyes ahead and unfocused.
Outside, the storm was brewing over the city.
