Chapter 3
Inside the hospital ward, as Geet lay on the bed, Darji began his story:
Puttar, aap janti ho ki humara parivaar ek bahot bada raj gharane ka vanshaj hai. Hamare purkho ne humei paise, property aur naam ke saath hi ek aur chiz di hai virasat mei. Wo hai ek bahot bhayanak baddua, ek bahot bhayanak shraap.
Looking at geet's earnest face, he continued:
Himachal pradesh mei, Jhelum nadi ke kinare par, ek bahot hi bada aur alishaan raj mahal. Uske andar Maharaja Gurvinder Singh ke chhote bhai, Rajvinder Singh ka kaksh. Is ki shuruaat, usi kaksh mei se hui.
A young girl not more than 18 yrs old, dressed in salwaar kurta was crying and pleading to the young crown prince, who was slowly reducing the distance between them with careful steps. His lips had a proud, greedy smirk. His eyes hinted the poor girl's helplessness.
"Kuwarji, mere paas mat aaiye. Aap to rajkumaar hai. Aap ke ek ishare par hazaro ladkiyaan aa jayegi. Mujhe jane dijiye. Maa-pitaji ghar mei meri raah dekh rahe hai. Aise mat kijiye. Mai iske pashchaat jee nai sakungi."
The girl's request was falling on deaf ears. Kuwar came more n more closer to her, now smiling broadly. His eyes held the threat like a hunter having cornered his innocent prey completely. With one big step, he pounced on her and tried to lock her in his arms, but the girl broke free from his grip and jumped out of the window. The great fall took her life, in the struggle for protecting her pride.
The boy could not believe his eyes. He was shocked with the incident and sat dumb-struck on the bed, unable to think straight.
Few minutes later, he came to know thru his elder brother that the dead girl was none other than the royal guru, Acharya Shilananda's only daughter. The royal purohit's daughter had died. Now there was no escaping the old man's wrath.
A big wooden barge crowded with soldiers slowly drifted upon the river's water while entering the palace. Between those men stood an old man, clad in saffron clothes, a glow upon his features and lightning visible in his hawk eyes. He was clutching his staff tightly. His veins were thudding loudly inside his body with anger, resentment and the urge for revenge. The barge slowly stopped and the guards parted for him respectfully. Acharya Shilananda had arrived inside the palace.
Walking ahead he came to the base chamber where a body was kept on the stone slab, covered with a white cloth. As the acharya reached the slab, a soldier quietly shifted the cloth from the body's face and the purohit saw his daughter's innocent face, her child like eyes closed for ever. Now he would never see her smile, never hear her voice, nor be able to take her in his arms to fondle her with fatherly affection. Nostrils flaring in anger, he went to the main hall.
King Rajvinder was standing with a bowed head. Acharya stood before him, glaring at both brothers. Gurvinder singh was kneeling on the floor, his face and expressions the complete picture of shame and fear. He was dreading the royal guru, perhaps more than his brother.
Acharya Shilananda said to the King, "Maharaja Rajvinder Singh, hum, aapke raj guru, aap ke raj purohit, aaj aap ke samaksh, apni wyatha lekar khade hain. Aaj humei aap se, apne prashno ke uttar chahiye."
Rajvinder Singh fumbled, saying "Acharyaji, hum aap se kshama maangte hain. Jo bhi hua, wo galat hai. Apradh hai, ghrina ke yogya hai. Aisa apraadh karne wala chahe humari praja se koi wyakti ho, ya humara bhai, dand sab ke liye ek samaan hai. Aap ko hum se nyay avashya milega. Hum aap ko wachan dete hain, aap ka apradhi kabhi sukhi nahi rahega."
Shaking his head mournfully, the guru retorted, "Tum aur nyay doge mujhe! Meri putri mrea sab kuch thi. Uski maa ki mrityu ke pashchaat maine usko maa aur pitaa ka prem aur saare sanskaar dekar palaa tha. Teen dino ke baad meri putri ka vivaah hone wala thaa. Kitne sapne, kitni ichhayen thi meri, apni beti ke vivaah ko lekar. Har pitaah ka ek swapna hota hai, ki uski laadli putri ka badi shaan se, raunak se vivaah ho. Usko ek achha ghar, tatha ek adarsh pati aur parivaar mil jaaye. Putri apni sasuraal jaakar apna aur apne pita ka maan samman badhaye. Parantu aaj, keval tumhare bhai ke karan, khushiyan mujh se, meri masoom bachhi se rooth kar, mere dwaar se waapas chali gayi, Rajvinder Singh.
Aaj main tumhe, aur tumhare is raj parivaar ko shraap deta hoon. Jis prkaar, mai apni bitiya ko dulhan bante nahi dekh paya, usi prakaar, tum log bhi apne kul ki putriyo ko dulhan bante nahi dekh paaoge. Tumhare kul ki putriyaan kabhi bhi vivaah aur sukhi parivaar ka sukh nahi praapt kar sakengi. Aur yadi kisi bhi putri ne vivaah karne ki koshish ki, ya vivaah karne ke baare mei socha bhi, to uski mrityu ho jayegi. Aaj se, isi samay se, tumhare kul mei aage janam lene wali har putri, shraap lekar hi sansaar mei pravesh karegi. Is kshan se hi, tumhare kul ki har putri, shraapit hogi."
Having uttered this deadly curse, Acharya collapsed on the floor with a thud. Life left his body and his soul went to the skies, to be together with his dear daughter.
Scene shifted to Khurana Mansion, Mumbai.
Isi baat ke chalte Amar mere dost, Savitri Bhabhi. Mai maan aur geet ke rishte ke khilaaf jane par majboor hoon. Darji pleaded to maan's dada-dadi, his old friends. Geet's family came to visit the khuranaas along with her, only to reveal the bitter and shocking truth.
"Is shraap ne hamare parivaar ki har beti ki zindagi par sawaal khada kar diya hai. Warna apne maan puttar ke rishte ki baat sunkar mere jaisa Dada uchhal padta khushi ke maare. Kitna khush kismat hota mai, agar maan aur geet ko apna aashirwaad bhi de sakta, zindagi bhar ke rishte aur pyaar ke saath!"
Maan's Dadaji was really astonished to hear the story. However true it might seem, he refused to believe such a curse.
"Sukhi, mere yaar. Us din, jo bhi huwa, wo bas ek bura haadsa thaa. I mean ki, we're living in the 21st century. Tu aaj ke zamane mei bhi aisi baato par vishwaas karta hai! Aur phir itni sadiyaan guzar chuki hai, zaruri to nahi ki ab tak us shraap ka prinaam chalta hi rahe. Ho sakta hai ki ab tak, uska asar khatam ho chuka hai."
Daarji held in his hand a small box, which contained maan's gifted ring. He slowly pressed the box into Dadaji's hand and said, "Yaar mera yakeen karo ki mai majboor hoon. Ye rishta kabi hona mumkin nahi ho sakta. Ek taraf muje is rishte ki baat par kitna khush hona chahiye thaa, par mai kya kar sakta hoon!"
Meri geet hi to meri zindagi, mera sab kuch hai. Aaj tak hamare parivaar ki jis beti ne shadi ki koshish ki, wo aise hi kisi haadse mei mar gayi. Aur agar mujhe geet ki khushi aur uski zindagi mei se ek chunni padi, to mai uski lambi zindagi chununga. Mai jaanta hoon ki aap log mere faisle se naraaz hai, but it has to the same way.
Having made this declaration, Daarji stood up and Geet followed along with her mom and dad. Holding her hand, Daarji slowly led her out of the Khurana house, with mohinder and rano trailing behind them. Dadaji-Dadi, annie, dev and maan just stared after them. Maan watched silently as his love went far from him, but there was nothing he could do just then. He watched her go, as the painful lump in his throat tightened and threatened to burst.
Edited by turbulence - 8 years ago
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