Zainy's post on 'the return of Mr.Darcy' and her suggestion of a desi spoof for Prida and Prejudice made me thinker to write something on the same lines....Pardon me if it does not meet expectations....will try and do my best. So Zainy this is for you....
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Pride and Prejudice - The Prida Story
Chapter One : Page 1
Chapter Two : Page 5
Chapter Three : Page 9
Chapter Four : Page 12
Chapter Five : Page 16
Chapter Six : Page 19
Chapter Seven : Page 24
Chapter Eight : Page 28
Chapter Nine : Page 32
Chapter Ten : Page 36
Chapter Eleven : Page 39
CHAPTER ONE
The sprawling lawns of Gujral Mansion were bustling with excitement. Guests relaxed on chairs laid out on the green grass, family gathered catching up on gossips, attendants walked around serving nibbles and drinks, children ran around playing hide and seek and a soft melody of the flute flooded the premises. It was difficult to say that the time was 9 pm ....it looked as if the sun was shining only at Gujral Mansion, such was the decor lighting it up. Ila Gujral's daughter was getting married and that was the talk of the town. She had invited the media, for a short coverage of the wedding and the throng of media and the flash lights added glamour to the event.
The bride gazed at the mirror ' trepidation, anxiety and fear overbearing the strained smile that she tried to paste on her face. In a lovely green lehenga and exquisite jewellery to match it ' she looked no less than a queen herself. Clutching a diary harder every time the clock struck the next hour, she patiently waited for the final touches of makeup to be done with. It was just an hour for the ceremonies to begin. As the clock ticked, her nervousness increased, her hands were cold and she could feel a sudden surge of nausea hitting her. She gulped down a glass of water and paced restlessly up and down the room, trying her best to calm down the nerves. 'Shree Gurucharan saroj raj.....' she chanted.
It all happened so fast, she remembered clearly that evening at the dinner table, when Ila Gujral brought up this subject.
'Mr. Chawla was in town for a few days and met me at work today. They are looking out for a girl for Jai. He said he always had Avni in mind, whenever he thought about a bride for his son and wanted our opinion on the same. Avni you remember Jai, right', her mother continued. 'I said I will discuss with the three of you and get back to him by tomorrow. What do you think Damini?'
'Mama this is the best news I've heard for a long time now. Avni was always special for Jai, as a kid he shared his ice creams and chocolates only with her. I think its a wonderful proposal and you should say yes.' She turned and looked at Avni and added 'That is if Avni is ok with it'.
'Thats great Di, I remember him too. He was very smart as a kid, am sure he would have grown up to be a dashing young man now .....like...hmmmm..... Khanna Uncle's son'. Roshni added her bit. The three women on the table rolled their eyes and nodded their heads.
'Avni what do you think' she got out of the daze at her mother's question.
'I don't know ......am not sure........ but why all of a sudden....' she was lost for words. Damini was quick to get to her side. 'Avni, Jai is a good guy, I have interacted with him a few times on business and he seemed a person with his head firmly planted on his shoulders. And who knows, Jai could be the Prince Charming that you have dreamt of, all these years'.
At Damini Di's encouragement she smiled as if in yes. And here she was, in her bridal wear waiting for the moment...there was little time to sit down and watch days as they unfolded..... there was little time to stand and stare.
Avni the second daughter of Ila Gujral was different from her sisters. She was what people would call 'Plain Jane', the girl next door who often went unnoticed even when alone. She was very shy and did not make friends easily. Candy love stories, mills and boons and the classic romantic fictional characters were her friends. She would time and again be chided by Roshni for being sloppy about her clothes, but Avni lived in her own world of dreams....Yes, she dreamt of the Prince Charming who would one day take her away to a land of fairies where they would live happily all their life. She did not know whether Jai was that Prince Charming, she had not met him yet. All she had was a few of his pictures which her mother had shared and chatted with him over the phone and messenger a couple of times in the past few weeks. His candour and passion for life had impressed her. He had shared his ambitions, his vision of a wife and family and strangely she felt she fitted well into the scheme of things. His dream of buying a house overlooking the bay, where they could have quite evenings just looking at the birds and the sun going down was right out of her favourite book she had read over and over again.
'Well, I still think its terribly romantic...Just think, a childhood friend you met years back...suddenly to know him and get married, just like that....' were Roshni's encouraging thoughts.
'Di barat aa giii', yelled Roshni as she came into the room, and darted out at the same speed with Goldie close on heels. She sat there alone, tears threatening to break free. She opened the diary in her hand, the page had wrappers of chocolates, chocolates she had shared with Jai those early summers their family had visited them in Mumbai. As a kid she fancied the lovely colourful wrappers and collected them for fun, but last few weeks they became her connects to Jai during those endless nights, sleep evaded her. With a final caress on the wrappers, she closed the diary and put it aside.
Di, she wanted to see Di. Di was the only one who could help her feel better.
Damini came rushing in and stood still on her tracks as she saw Avni. 'Avni, you look like a queen' she said and pulled her in to a tight hug. Deep down Damini knew Avni was nervous, holding both her hands in her own she said 'Avni this is the next phase of your life, and it will be just as beautiful as you are. Don't you worry, Papa up there', she pointed skywards 'is looking at us and feeling happy. He will never let anything go wrong. Now cheer up, Ok'.
Avni drew a deep breath and smiled, she knew Di could help and she was already feeling better.
'Ab chale..' Damini asked her and she nodded.
Damini led Avni down the stairs and all eyes turned to them. The lovely daughters of Ila Gujral. Holding Di's hands tight Avni walked down the stairway with a renewed confidence. She looked at Di and realised Di looked beautiful herself.
The only question she had asked mama before saying yes to the wedding was how Di would feel, that she was getting married first. Mama had comforted her saying 'Your Di will be very happy. She isn't ready for a marriage yet, she feels she has a lot of business commitments that needed to be wound up. Moreover getting a match for her is a tough task. So don't you worry about that Avni beta.'
**** To be continued ****
Do comment....constructive criticism welcome will help me improvise 😉 ...
Edited by achumen - 15 years ago
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