Chapter
27
Giving
up Us, for You – Part 1
(August, 1982…)
(Army Cantonment, Roorkee…)
"Hurry up
Tejbir, we are getting late."
"Hold your
horses brother," Tejbir looked at his impatient friend, "we still have time."
"No we
don't!"
"We do!"
Maan glared at
him, "Don't you know how restless she gets without me? She must be getting all
jittery and you are sitting here hell bent on irritating me. Don't you know she
misses me every second that I am away?"
"Is it she
who misses you or you who misses her?"
Tejbir got
another glare as a reply.
"Relax Maan,
she won't even realize…"
"How can you
say that?"
"Because for
one she is just three weeks old and secondly I am her father."
"Ha! You are
just jealous that Nia smiles more at me. Anyways I up you in rank. You may be
her father. But I, on the other hand, am her godfather," Maan cocked an eyebrow
at Tejbir.
It was not an
exaggeration to say that Maan adored Nia to bits. Nia, a name that he had
chosen for the little angel, had become the centre of his focus ever since her
birth. A birth that could have cost Anupama's life because she went into labor
in the eighth month itself. The time Tejbir spent taking care of his wife; Maan
became the mama-duck for Nia. So much so that the officer, who rarely took
lunch-breaks before, now rushed to Dhillon's place in that single hour too.
"Maan, could
you come to my office for a minute?"
Maan and
Tejbir immediately stood to attention hearing their Colonel's voice who had
popped in his head in their office.
As Tejbir
snickered at the back, Maan followed Col. Rathore with a resigned sigh, "Yes
Sir?"
"I have a
news for you, good or bad that is upto you to figure," Col. Rathore replied as
they entered his office.
"What news
Sir?"
"Have a seat
Captain," Col. Rathore as he removed his beret, "As you are aware that your
posting is due anytime now you must be anticipating a field posting, right?"
"Ofcourse
Sir," Maan replied, "that is the set norm in Infantry, peace postings and field
postings are awarded alternately."
"What if I
say I can pull some strings and get you a peace posting?"
"But why,
Sir?"
"Maan, you
have given your best to the regiment always. Isn't my duty too to seek the best
for my best officer? And anyways, how can this tenure at Roorkee be counted as
peace posting in true sense of term, when you spent almost half of it in
expeditions."
"It was my
duty Sir," Maan stated matter-of-factly, "and was personally gratifying for me
as an officer, as a person. It was not a task that I took as a burden."
"Think about
it Maan," Col. Rathore opined, "it's either Sikkim
or a peace posting," he signaled Maan to stop anticipating his reaction, "Yes,
I know you would love going to Sikkim.
High altitudes excite you. But the peace posting could be beneficial too. You
could use it look after your family obligations. You or your family must be
planning for your marriage. Think about it."
Maan nodded
an affirmative at his senior and took his leave. He would need time to think it
through. He would need counsel.
He needed to
meet his father.
**********************************************************************
(Khurana Kothi…)
"Bas, bahut
ho gaya,"
Savitri complained to the quiet Amrit, "How long am I to wait for my bahu to
come home? It's been more than a year now. Geet has finished her B.A. too.
Mohinder jee should now start thinking about his duties as our samdhi and not
just as the father of his daughters."
Taking the
silence from Amrit as an encouragement she went on, "I will soon visit Amritsar and have a word
with them."
She stood up
with her resolve ascertained and strode out of the room, leaving a worried
Amrit behind.
**********************************************************************
(Amritsar…)
Fear and
worry was etched on his face. He had his hands clasped tight else they would shake
with trepidation. The blank walls of the hospital were closing in on him as he
sat on the cold metal bench, sweating profusely.
A screeching
wail resounded in the halls. His heart sank…
…with relief
and happiness.
A nurse in pristine white came out as the
blessed harbinger of the good news.
"Mr Daman
Singhania?" she scanned the eager faces and zeroed in the man in question "Congratulations sir, it's a boy!"
"How is
Nandini?"
"How is my
son?"
Two voices
spoke up immediately.
A father had
asked for his daughter. Another, for his son.
**********************************************************************
(Khurana Kothi…)
"Who asked
you to tell anything to Nayantara?"
Amrit stood
sobbing in the arms of Nayantara as Savitri continued to scream at her. Despite
Nayantara's best efforts, Savitri was nowhere near stopping in berating Amrit
for calling Nayantara and telling her about Savitri's thoughts about Maan and
Geet's wedding.
"Chaiyyiji
bas vi karo…"
"Chup kar
kudiye," Savitri taunted Nayantara, "don't tell me what to do and what not to
do. These days I am seeing you girls being too bold infront of me. This is all
Maan's fault. Getting the girls educated, asking their opinions, encouraging
them to take their decisions. Look! Now my daughters feel that they are better
than their mother," she glared at Amrit, "I am going to teach this girl a nice
lesson today."
Helpless in
the face of her mother's wrath, Nayantara could only pray for some
intervention. And that was when her husband came in the room for her rescue.
"What Amrit
did wasn't wrong Chaiyyiji," Dev came and stood next to his wife, "please don't
scold her more," he disguised the ultimatum as request. In a society where
son-in-laws are treated akin to Gods, he stood upto his name for the right reasons.
After all Amrit was no less than a sister to him too.
"Dev ji, you
don't know…"
"I know
Chaiyyiji," he asserted, "I do know. And I approve too. What you were going to
do was what I do not approve of. Rest, you are the elder here, you know the
best."
Duly snubbed,
Savitri held her peace. For now.
**********************************************************************
(Handa
Haveli…)
"Where is
Sonu?"
Daman rushed in, discarding
his bag on the sofa, with impatient strides looking for his newly born son.
Nandini, who was still recovering, was staying with her parents as per the
custom.
He rushed
into his wife's room to find her surrounded by her sisters. But his eyes could
not find the one he sought.
"Where is
Sonu?"
"Sat Sri Akal
Daman paahji, Papaji has also just come back from factory so…"
"Sameera,
just tell me where is Sonu?"
"Daman puttar," Mohinder called out from behind as he came
in carrying the baby, "kee haal…"
"Sonu!" Daman ignored his father-in-law's question as he
litteraly snatched his son away and walked out of the room without a backward
glance to anyone.
"What was
that?" Sameera spoke up with irritation. "How could he ignore Papaji this way?
What is wrong with paahji these days?"
"Kuchh nahi
Sammy," Mohinder hid the hurt that had registered in his eyes, "he just excited
to see his son."
"This is more
than just excitement Papaji," Sameera refused to buy the excuse, "he has been
behaving weird ever since Sonu's birth. He doesn't even bother asking after his
wife. And he his being particularly rude to you Papaji. I do notice things
Papaji. Everytime you hold Sonu, he snatches him away from you."
"Believe me
Sammy, he his just being an excited father. When Nandini was born even I was
this possessive. It's not unnatural for fathers to be this way. Anyways," he
made an attempt to divert the topic, "have you made the invitee list? We must
have a grand function Captaan Sa'ab! No mistakes! And has Rano spoken to
Savitri jee? I have already called Ajaipal jee from office."
The lure
worked and the girls got busy discussing the function arrangements. Unbeknown
to them, a worried look passed between Mohinder and Nandini, whose eyes were
clouded with pain and worry.
**********************************************************************
(Khurana Kothi…)
(Chandigarh…)
"Puttar! When
did you come?"
Ajaipal Singh
Khurana looked on surprised as his eldest son strode into the estate lawns. For
Ajaipal gardening was a passion, walking his favorite passtime. He had always
loved walking through his lawns after dinner. He found it pleasant and
soothing. But watching his pride, his Maan walk towards him, with him, made his
evening splendid beyond words. This was convenient in a way, because he was a
man who rarely gave in to words, unless compelled to.
"Huni aaya
Daarji." [I just came Daarji.]
"Achanak? Sab
khair?" [Suddenly though? All well?]
"Everything
is fine Daarji. Just needed to speak to you…"
"Sardarjee…Sardarjee…"
The excited
voice of Savitri came from within the house. Both father and son looked upon
with identical expressions. What now?!!
Savitri
hurried to where her husband stood. "We need to go to Amritsar tomorrow."
"Savitri,
Maan aaya hai…"
"Oh Kakke!!
Good! We need to go to Amritsar
tomorrow."
"Chaiyyiji…"
"Nandini nu
munda hoyya hai..." [Nandini has given birth to a boy.]
"Savitri…"
"We must all
go. They have a function tomorrow. Few of their close relatives are also
coming. It's the perfect occasion to speak to them about the marriage."
"But
Chaiyyiji…"
"Infact we
could take the chunni* along and and they give shagun to Maan then and there."
"Listen to me
Chaiyyiji…"
"Bas
bas…bahut bolda ae…andar jaa khana khaa. [Leave it…you talk a lot anyways…go
inside and have some food] Let me talk to your father."
**********************************************************************
(Handa Haveli, Amritsar…)
(Function day, morning…)
"Sab aag
gaaye Sameera?"
"Nahi
paahji."
Daman turned an irritated look
at Sameera and then at Mohinder who was standing at the gate to receive the
guests.
"What is
this? We should start by now…"
Sameera hated
the tone he was using with her father. She interjected equally irritated at Daman, "Some of our guests are yet to arrive."
"Kaun? Look
at my relatives. They are all here on time," he taunted back.
"Khuranas. It
takes them seven hours to get here from Chandigarh.
It's a long journey paahji yet they are making sure they reach here to
congratulate you and join us in the celebration. And then Gurvinder masiji,
Brij masarji…"
"…and your
Jugnu Mamaji."
Hearing
Jugnu's voice, Sameera exclaimed with surprise.
Rano's
sister, Gurvinder, Gurvinder's husband Brij were expected to arrive as they
lived few hours away from Amritsar.
But arrival of their Jugnu Mama was a surprise. He had been living in Canada for past many years and rarely came to India. Last the
Handas had met him was when Anvesha's elder daughter had born, five years back.
Rano came and
embraced her sister as the girls surrounded their jovial Jugnu mama.
"Jugnu
paahji!" Rano turned to embrace her brother, "You have come after so long. We
never imagined that you be coming."
"Bas
Ranjeeta, I had some business in our anscestral village. Through Brij I came to
know of this blessed news and came to meet my darling nieces and nephew."
"Sat Sri Akal
Brij jijaji," she then towards her brother-in-law.
He gave a
gruff nod to Rano and turned back to conversing with Mohinder. Brij wasn't the
one for wasting time on unnecessary matters. And only one thing mattered to him
money.
His wife,
Rano's sister, on the other hand, held money in disdain. Gurvinder hadn't been
as lucky as Rano. But a loveless marriage didn't reduce her capacity to love.
She showered it on her children and her sister's children in abundance.
"Mamaji,
tussi Canada
toh kadd aaye? Baaki sab nahi aaye? Mamiji, Rajji?" Sameera asked Jugnu, after
the girls greeted all of them.
"Do din
pehla," Jugnu replied, "but your Mami and Rajji have not come. Rajji has her
exams. But your Mami have sent gifts for you all."
"Yes!!" Geet
exclaimed, "And did Rajji send me those earrings I had asked for?"
"Err…wohh
puttar…"
Geet
understood and chided herself for being so silly. Why would Rajji remember such an old thing? She is stupid anyways!
Seeing the
dejected face of her youngest niece, Gurvinder hastened to cheer her up. "So
what if Mamiji forgot? Maasi remembers," she smiled at Geet who beamed at
hearing this.
As the Maasi
bonded with her nieces, Jugnu gave a sly nod to Brij. On getting his cue, Brij
began, "Mohinder paahji, horr dasso, how is the business going on?"
"Sab Babaji
di kripa hai Brij paahji," Mohinder smiled.
"Ofcourse,"
Brij replied, "and what about things at home. How is the progress for the
girls' marriage?"
Mohinder
hesitated before replying. To tell them that Geet had got engaged before her
elder sisters wouldn't have looked very well. Hence, he and Rano had decided to
wait before breaking the news to the relatives. But how long could one keep
such things hidden. However no such occasion came up when they could let their
relatives know. This event seemed a good opportunity. Though he knew that they
would probably feel insulted that such big news was kept from them. Relatives
are always a tough lot to handle.
Mohinder was
saved from giving a reply as Daman spoke up a
little rudely, "Bauji should we begin…?"
"Daman puttar, Khuranas have not arrived yet. It wouldn't
look nice if we begin without them."
"Khuranas?
Important guests Mohinder paahji?" Brij faked interest.
"Haan jee,"
Mohinder began, "infact we wanted to tell…"
"Aa gaye!"
Meera exclaimed and everyone turned towards to look at the gate.
A white
Ambassador came and stood to a halt. Out stepped Chaudhary Ajaipal Singh
Khurana and his wife, Savitri Swaroop Khurana. They were followed by their
eldest daughter and their eldest son-in-law, Nayantara and Devender Rajgir.
As Gurvinder,
Brij and Jugnu stood watching keenly, a tall young man stepped from behind the
car and made his way to the front of the group, as they made their way towards
the house.
As he took
his place next to his father's right, she took a step back and hid behind her
father.
Geet Handa
peeped from the left of her father's shoulder to gaze quietly, yet confidently,
the man who intrigued her, Captain Maan Singh Khurana.
**********************************************************************
*Chunni – here it does not refer to a mere veil but the veil that is a token of
formal acceptance of marriage. Once the bride is adorn with the ceremonial veil
it is taken as her belonging to the groom from thenforth.
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