CHAPTER 3
"I think we should first search out for some residential place, Madhu." Rishabh suggested, walking in some busy street. "Are you sure it will be safe, Rishu!? I doubt!" "Even I doubt that Madhu but we have no other option because I have changed our plan now!!" "What??" She looked at him surprised. He took her hand and both went under a dense roadside tree, "What is this Rishu? Now a days, you are becoming so self- directed. You don't even feel to consult me once!! This is not at all done, Rishabh Kundra!!" She whispered furiously. Rishabh chuckled at her words. Even her angry face was so drool worthy. "Madhu, I am feeling like to kiss you madly!!" Madhu looked at him popped eyed. "Just look at yourself Jaan! You are simply irresistible even in anger!!" Madhu slightly patted on his arm. "I had changed the plan already in the train when Aslam told us the destination but forgot to tell you there." He got little serious. He slowly told her the latest contrivance. "We had planned to go to Delhi and then to Rome but now, we will go to Nepal first and then, to our final destination. We have no other option, Madhu. This is the only safest way to escape from this country." "But it'll not be easy Rishu! They will find us anyhow. And how we will go to Nepal?" "I'll collect that information within few hours Madhu. Don't worry about that! Do you remember Teriya Dogbe? Our batch mate? Her father lives in Nepal currently so she may help us!! For now, we need some place for few days to stay here." "Hmmm... And some clothes and food too!! My suit is stinking Rishu!!" She pouted. Rishabh lovingly kissed her forehead and checked out his wallet- only 2000 bugs left. Madhu noticed it too but he managed, "I have my ATM card with me. Don't worry!" After a hunt of few more hours, they finally got a room in one motel. "Madhu, you go and freshen up. I will go to the ATM outside for the money and will arrange some food." He was about to turn when she caught his hand, "You also come with me, Rishu. Just look at yourself! You look so tired, baby!! And... I don't like my handsome to look so untidy... Eeewww!!!" She playfully pulled face which made him giggled. Later, Rishabh arranged both the money and food for them. After a short nap in the noon, "Rishabh, shall we go out for some shopping? We really need some new clothes! It's smelling really very bad... Yuck!!" She spoke, snuggling in his arms. "Sweetheart, if we had to stay here only all the time, then you won't have needed any cloth... except this... bed sheet... I swear!!" He smirked. Madhu looked up at him with eyes wide opened, "Behave Mr Kundra!! We are not yet married!! Control your super excited hormones, darling!!" She kissed his jaw line sheepishly and got up, pulling him along with, "Now get up!! I wanna go for shopping right now!!" Soon they left from there to the nearby market. To Rishabh's surprise, Madhu actually acted like a very intelligent homely wife- she didn't wasted a single penny in useless shopping which was against her nature. She bought only those stuffs that they really needed. Money was the mandate requirement of theirs by then. But to its addition, Rishabh had to act as a good dutiful husband- he has to carry all the shopping bags after all...!
Both of them returned back to their motel in the evening. After so many days, they finally got to spend few hours with each other peacefully. They had just entered the hall but the motel manager was staring at them suspiciously. Rishabh noticed it but then thought to ignore it. At the reception, "Madhu, you go, put these bags in room and get ready. And yes... take you sporty bag along with you. We will have our dinner outside!" "But Rishu... our money..." "Jaan, don't worry about that!! We have enough bugs by now!! You just go and get ready!" "And you?" "I am comfortable in this... I don't need any change! You go!" She went upstairs and Rishabh sat on the nearby sofa, waiting for her. Twenty minutes passed but Madhu didn't came down. The entire reception hall was pin drop silent. "Uff!! Why these girls need so much time to dress up one simple suit yaar??" He murmured. He was about to get up when he heard her footsteps. Madhu slowly came down, constantly staring at him blankly. But the surprising thing was she was in her same old suit. "What is this yaar? You took twenty minutes upstairs and still you didn't change!!" He irritatingly walked towards her, "You must have told me that you..." Before he could complete, he saw two hulk bodied men coming down too, staring at him. Madhu fearfully walked towards him and caught his palm tightly. A fearful silent tear rolled down, "We lost it, Rishu!!" She whispered. Her words were enough to shock him deeply. "The game is over of you two!!" One man spoke rigidly. "Now stop this Tom and Jerry game and come with us!!" Rishabh pulled Madhu behind him and replied, "And you think, we will readily surrender!?? Stop dreaming!!" "You have to... Rishabh!!" A voice came from the upstairs. It was familiar to Rishabh. Both of them looked up confusingly to figure out that voice. A small man walked down with a stern smile on his face. "BITTUJI!!!" He whispered shockingly. "Thank god, you still remember me... Rishu Baba!!" Bittu smirked. "Don't you want to know how I found you here?" Rishabh glared at him. "Through your ATM, Rishu. You transacted out some money today from the nearby ATM and rest was so easy for us to trace you!!" "How could you Bittuji?" Rishabh spoke out in disbelief. "You said you loved me a lot, Bittuji!!" "I still do Rishu Baba. But my love for you is not bigger than my loyalty towards my Chief... Your Dad... Mohan Kundra!! I have a huge debt on my shoulders by your father, Rishabh!! I have to pay him back through my loyalty anyhow!! I can't betray him!!" "But you can betray me... whom you called as your SON!!" Rishabh replied disgustfully. His words really pinched Bittu deeply but he maintained his firmness, "I am helpless, Rishu!! But I still consider you as my Son..." "Don't you dare call me that, Mr Bittu Sharma!!" Rishabh shouted. Madhu clenched his T shirt more tightly in fear. "The moment you chose my Dad's loyalty over me, you lost that fatherly right over me, Bittu!!" Bittu's eyes welled up in pain but he gulped down his pain and spoke out evilly, "Fine!! Good for you, Rishabh Kundra!! And now... I won't have problem to take further decisions against you!! Now, I am giving you last warning, surrender and come with me and just leave this b***h here!!" "Mind your tongue, Bittu Sharma!!" Rishabh shouted irately. The two men took out their guns in reaction. "Don't you dare to speak against my Madhu else I won't hesitate to snatch out your filthy tongue!!" "OK! I won't!" said Bittu casually. "In favour, you come back with me else my men won't think for a second before shooting you two!!" Both of them started stepping backward slowly, "We would rather prefer dying than leaving each other, Bittu!!" Rishabh tightly held Madhu's hand in his. Bittu and his men got alerted, "Don't try to run away from here, Rishabh! They will shoot you!!" "Then... give it a try, Bittu Sharma!!" Rishabh smirked and both of them immediately ran out of the exit door. The men shoot their guns but they missed their target. "Morons, go and catch them in any way!!" The men too ran behind them. "Don't get caught in their hands, Rishabh!! Run away fast!!" Bittu prayed in his heart.
Both of them were running hand in hand in the busy street, as fast as they could and the other men behind them with equal pace. Madhu was not physically as strong as Rishabh but she was trying to match his footsteps. Rishabh was riotously pushing the people coming in their way- their only aim was to escape as soon as possible from the gawks. "Run fast, Madhu!!" He instructed while running but suddenly, Madhu stumbled with a stone in her way. "OUCH!!!" She fell down. Rishabh had already ran little ahead. He turned back and saw her on the road, wincing with pain in her foot and the men a little away from them. Rishabh ran back to her, "Madhu! Get up!! We need to run Madhu!! C'mon!! You can do it, love!! I am with you!!" His mere words acted like a balm to her. She passively got up and they were about to run when one of those goons caught her hand tightly. "Finally!! Now, stop this run game, boy!!" And the other man punched Rishabh on his nose. "Rishu!!" She shouted. He fell on the ground. Seeing all this, the local mob was scared to interfere in between. Rishabh got up slowly, caressing his hit nose. He saw a bus coming from one end towards them. He analysed the timing quickly and when it was quite near to them, he punched the man, holding Madhu's hand, hard on his face and he fell on his partner instantly. He kicked both of them with force. Rishabh caught Madhu's hand and both of them jumped inside the running bus in matter of a second, before they could get up to catch them.
"Hey! Who are you? And what is all this? C'mon, get down of this bus now!!" The bus conductor shouted. Both of them were panting profusely. Rishabh tried to convince him, "Listen Bhaiyaa! Trust us! We are not goons! Some people were behind us so we were trying to save ourselves. That's it!" "I don't know anything!! Both of you just step down from the bus!! We don't want any trouble for ourselves. Who knows what crime you both have committed!!" "WE HAVE DONE NOTHING!! YOU GOT THAT!!" shouted Madhu irately. It was obvious for her to react as it was same allegation they were been accused with since many days!! There crime was just that they were in Love...! "Oye Raju! Let them be seated!" Interrupted the bus driver. "We will drop them on the very first stoppage ahead! O Sirji, is it alright with you both?" "No Bhaijaan, please pass two three stoppages then drop us down!! Please, I request you!" pleaded Madhu. He agreed to it. After a journey of about 25- 30 minutes, the bus dropped them near a kind of deserted area- not actually deserted. The evening had grown darker by now. Madhu wiped off his blood carefully through her Dupatta while her eyes moistened. "They really hit you badly!! They are very bad!!" She pouted while weeping. "But one good thing is that we both are still together... Right? Now stop crying, Jaan! I am here with you." She hugged him tightly, sniffing her nose on his already dirty T shirt. "We need to search out for some safe place as early as possible, Madhu else they can reach us easily." They walked ahead from there on the lonely road. After a brief walk, they reached near a garden, decorated with lights and flowers and number of men and women donned in beautiful attires. "Balaghat Muslim Cultural Society Ijtemaye Nikah 2014." Rishabh read out the board hung on the entrance gate. "Ijtemaye Nikah? What does that mean, Madhu?" he asked confusingly. "It means Community marriage. Just like you have community marriages, we also have the same in our religion and it's called Ijtemaye Nikah." "Great! That means we can easily get a place to hide here for some hours. Let go inside!" He moved ahead but felt her still at her place. "Madhu!? What are you thinking? Come no..." Madhu smiled slightly at him and then looked at the garden board. "Don't you feel a signal, Rishu?" He looked at her confused. "The day I fell for you, I had dreamt of only one thing... marrying you... with all customs and traditions... of any religion!! And today, our respective gods have brought us here... at the door of my dream!!" She looked at him hopefully. Rishabh understood what she meant. He lovingly caressed her face and asked, "So... will you give me that chance to fulfil your dream, Madhubala Shamsher Siddiqui??" She gazed at him shocked. "Madhu, the day I fell for you, I had promised myself that I will fulfil all your dreams anyhow!! Will you give me the chance to grow old with you??" A happy tear fell down. Madhu gently kissed his palm and nodded in affirmation. Both of them walked to enter inside but the gate keeper stopped them. "Do you have the entry pass?" Both of them felt embarrassed, "Ammm... Wo... We..." "Sorry, without pass, you can't enter here." Madhu looked at Rishabh with hurtful eyes and seeing her, he felt a stab penetrating in his heart. For the first time, his love asked for something but he failed to give her. "Can't we do some settlements?" Rishabh offered some bugs. "Bhaijaan, this is a noble cause happening here. Don't try to do such things. GO!" That man rejected. Both of them turned back to leave from there when a feminine voice stopped them again, "Wait! Are you Zubeeda Beg?" "Ammm... Actually I..." Madhu tried to reply. "YES! She is Zubeeda Beg." He slightly pressed her palm. "And you? Iqbaal Ali?" "Ji..." He lied. Madhu didn't understand anything. "Ya Allah... Then what are you both doing here?? Firstly, you didn't submit your photos and registration fees completely and now, you are late!! What you want to do? Aren't interested in your Nikah... hunnn??" She shouted. "Sorry, we were just coming inside but your security didn't let us enter!!" Rishabh glared at the gate keeper. "OK OK!! Don't waste time. Come inside and get ready. Zubeeda, you go there... in the hall. Other brides are also getting ready there. And you... Iqbaal Sahab, first complete your registration and then go there in the red tent! Go fast!!" After the lady left, Madhu perplexedly whispered, "What's going on here, Rishu?" "Nothing sweetheart! Just that your Allah is getting us married today!! NIKAH MUBAARAK HO... B...I...W...I...!" He smirked with a wink and gave her a flying kiss and went to his tent. Madhu first got shocked but later understood his plan. Finally, her wish was getting fulfilled today. She shyly left from there.
The volunteer girls in the hall helped Madhu in getting ready for her wedding. She wore a bottle green heavily gold embroidered Sharara with a dark pink Dupatta, equally embellished with matching work. She was wearing a matching green Kundan jewellery. Throughout her dressing, there was a contended smile on her face. She was living her dream today after all.
In the tent, the helper boys made Rishabh ready as a perfect broom for the Nikah. He was wearing a maroon Sherwani broidered with golden needle work all over the attire, with a Golden stall wrapped around his neck in style and a flowered Sehera on his head.
After half an hour, the wedding procedure started in the main garden. All the brooms belonging to several families gathered at their places, with their family members chit chatting alongside. Among them, only Rishabh was sitting alone but he has no disappointment for it at all. Though he has always wanted his Dad to celebrate his wedding like a festival, to be there with him with his blessings but today, he wasn't missing him- his deeds have vanished all the respect his son had for him. Rishabh was constantly staring at the hall side from where the brides were about to come out. The priest announced to call the brides finally. Within few minutes, the brides started coming out with an obvious shyness on their faces. Rishabh's restlessness raised more- to see his BIWI in the wedding attire. Finally, his wait got over and there she entered- with her head lowered down and a huge smile on her face.
(Ye Tune Kya Kiya- Once Upon A Time In Mumbai Dobara)
Ishq wo bala hai... Ishq wo bala hai,
Jisko chhuaa isne wo jala hai
The moment he saw his love donned in green, his heart skipped zillions of beats for sure... He had never seen this angelic side of his angel. She was looking beyond beautiful...
Dil se hota hai shuru... Dilse hota hai shuru,
Par kambhakt sar pe Chadha hai
She stepped in the main altar and finally saw her soulmate- her Rishu! Though her eyes were not ready to look up in shyness but she managed to search out for her last destination. And the moment she saw him, her breath stuck in her throat- she couldn't take her eyes off from him.
Kabhi khud se... Kabhi khud se,
Kabhi zamaane se lada hai
The instant their eyes met, the entire world stood still... They were few metres away from each other but they could easily hear the pounding beats of each other's hearts!!
Itna hua badnaam fir bhi har zubaan pe ada hai...
She moved forward towards her place, still gazing at Rishabh. On the other side, he was busy in drooling over his lady love!
Ishq ki... sazishein... Ishq ki... baaziyaan,
Haara main khel ke... Do dilon ka juaa...
Madhu sat at her place, opposite to Rishabh's. She signalled him through her fingers, appreciating his look to which he winked in reply.
Kyo tune meri fursat ki, kyon dil mein itni harquat ki,
A cool breeze flew suddenly and a hair strand came over Madhu's eyes. Rishabh immediately signalled her to remove it- he didn't want any obstruction between his desirous gaze...
Ishq mein itni barqat ki, ye tune kya kiya...
Amidst of it, the priest reached near them for the rituals. He read the blessings from Kuran Shareef and finally asked, "Iqbaal Ali, do you admit Zubeeda Beg as your lawful wife?"
Rishabh looked at Madhu who was constantly smiling at him. He didn't know how to reply to the priest. Madhu understood his confusion. She signalled him with her lip synch, " Qubool Hai!! (I admit!)"
Phiru ab maara maara main, Chaand se bichda tara main,
Dil se itna kyo haara main, ye tune kya kiya...
Rishabh smiled at her and finally, spoke out aloud, "QUBOOL HAI!!" A surprised, happy tear welled up in Madhu's eyes.
Main dil ka raaz kehta hoon, Ke jab jab saansein leta hoon,
Tera he naam leta hoon, Ye tune kya kiya...
The priest, then, asked Madhu the same question, "Zubeeda Beg, do you admit Iqbaal Ali as your lawful Shohar (Islamic word for husband)?" A brief trail of her entire journey with Rishabh came in front of her eyes- the first time they met, the first time they talked, the first time they hugged, their confession, their escape decision and his last word till now, "Qubool Hai!" echoed in her ears. Those welled up tears fell down. She looked up at him and smiled behind her wet eyes. Rishabh was eagerly waiting for her voice to be heard. He knew she would say yes but still his heart was gripping with unknown fear...
Mujhe tu raazi lagti hai, Jeeti hui baazi lagti hai,
Tabiyat taazi lagti hai, Ye tune kya kiya...
Finally, those two fateful words came out of her mouth, "QUBOOL HAI!!" And, Rishabh literally sighed in relief...
Main dil ka raaz kehta hoon, Ke jab jab saansein leta hoon,
Tera he naam leta hoon, Ye tune kya kiya...
The entire crowd there clapped to celebrate their wedding. Madhu's eyes were shedding those happy droplets but she didn't want to wipe them off today... They were worthy!! Rishabh wanted to quickly get up and embrace her in his arms but the surroundings were stopping him to do so... He simply whispered gently to her, "I LOVE YOU, BIWI!!" to which she replied behind her tears, "I LOVE YOU TOO, RISHABH!!!" Finally, her only dream left got fulfilled... At last, they became one... They were TOGETHER...!!!
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