Plot - Lockdown in place. The six Ranes are stuck at home (AN). Online sessions begin for Kalyani and Sarthak. Malhar had both online and field work. Moksh is bored out of his mind with his Nani and Aatya who are overloaded with work. Luckily Aao Saheb and Pallavi are with Vivek and Malhar's dad Madhav who had gone out of town for a concert and was stuck there but was taken care of by the concert sponsors.
"Malharji, zara dheere boliye, mujhe disturb ho raha hai." Kalyani muttered through her teeth.
Kalyani was sitting in front of her laptop with her headset covering her ears as her professor was conducting lessons through Teamlink. She got irritated as Malhar was talking a bit too loudly and his voice was heard even through her head phones.
Malhar was having a meeting online with the officials and he signalled her to keep quiet.
"Hamesha mujhe chup karana hi aata hai inhe. Dikhta nahi kya, mere bhi lessons chal rahe hai. Selfish kahin ke." she twisted her face angrily.
On the other hand, Anupriya and Swara were having a difficult time managing little Moksh and the housework together.
Moksh wanted to go in and be with his parents. "Moksh, Bhago mat, Aai aur Baba busy hai, Chalo hum aur khelte hai."
Swara picked him up and brought him back to the living room. She poured all the building blocks down and began making tall and colourful buildings with them asking Moksh to do the same.
"Swara, thodi der chup nahi reh sakti? Kitni aawaaz kar ri ho." Sarthak frowned, coming out of his room.
He was also online in a meeting with his juniors. They were discussing a case which they would probably have to present through virtual court. Before Swara could answer him, he walked back into his room shaking his head in annoyance.
"Hey Deva, itne sare bartan dhone hai…! Swara zara madad karo na." Anupriya who was getting overwhelmed in the kitchen asked her.
"Kaki, mai bartan dho deti hun, lekin aap zara ise sambaliye na please." she said pointing to Moksh who was now bored of the blocks and looking to run in again.
Anupriya sat down relaxing her legs and held Moksh on her lap, "Pillu, chal mai tujhe ek acha sa kahani sunati hun." While narrating the story, Anupriya's eyes drooped and she was soon snoring softly.
Moksh, who had gotten the perfect opportunity, slided down from her lap and quietly ran into their bedroom where both his parents were glued to their laptops. He first went to his father who signalled him to keep quiet by putting his finger on his lips.
Moksh pushed a stool and climbed up on it, standing behind his dad, he saw another three people on the screen. He wanted to hear what they were talking so he tried pulling the headset from Malhar's ears.
"Moksh, chup raho beta, Baba ko baat karne do."
He put Moksh down from the stool and asked him to go and play with Aatya. "I'm sorry Sir… " he said, returning back to his call.
Moksh next went towards Kalyani, who was sitting on the bed. She didn't notice him climbing on the bed. She was trying to concentrate on the class without yawning. Moksh pulled out the headset wire from her laptop and suddenly the room filled with loud talking from some students trying to ask questions regarding the ongoing lesson.
"Kalyani, dimag kharab ho gaya tumhara, headset kyun nikala? Volume kam karo." Malhar got up from his chair and eyed her angrily.
"Maine nahi nikala, Pillu ne kiya."
"Toh tum kya so rahi thi tab tak? Dekh nahi sakti thi ki bacha paas khada hai."
Kalyani also got irritated now, "Mai apne lesson me concentrate kar ri thi, aap sambhal nahi sakte the use thodi der?"
"Dikhta nahi tumhe mera meeting chal raha hai?"
"Sirf apne baare me soch rahe hai, kitne selfish hai aap. Mai kya logout kar doon apne class se?"
"Woh sab mujhe nahi pata, yahan shor mat machao."
"Shor toh aap macha rahe the, kitni zor zor se baat kar rahe the aap, tab maine adjust kiya na. Bas mai headset wapas lagane hi wali thi, itna bhi patience nahi hai aapko."
"Jaldi Karo…."
"Haan Kalyani…….Jaldi karo… class rukh gayi hai…… Lekin hume iss break me mazaa aaya….." she heard the voices of her classmates from the laptop.
Only then both of them realised that they were still online and turned red with embarrassment. Malhar glared at her before joining back into his meeting, apologising once again for the disruption.
Kalyani excused herself for a moment and took Pillu out of the room handing him back to Swara. She came back into the room and locked it from inside, before joining back her session online.
After an hour Malhar had finished his meeting and calls for the time being and went out of the room for a break. Kalyani's class was also over but she still had to complete her assignment and upload it.
Malhar came back into the room with a cup of tea, sitting on the bed and sipping it slowly.
"Ek cup chai mere liye nahi laa sakte the aap?"
"Flask me sirf ye aadha cup chai baaki tha. Tum khud jaake bana lo. Aai aur Swara dono kaam me busy hai."
"Isi me se thoda sa share nahi kar sakte…" Kalyani mumbled to herself and just continued with her work which she wanted to finish soon and relax for a while.
After lunch, Malhar left for field work wearing a mask, face shield and gloves.
Anupriya rested for a while and Swara cleared the kitchen and finished washing up the rest of the vessels. Kalyani was tired after the long session of classes and went to sleep with Moksh.
In the evening again Swara and Anupriya were on their own with Moksh, preparing for tea and snacks followed by dinner later and taking turns to engage the little guy. Kalyani and her friends had planned group study sessions. Sarthak went back to working on his case notes. Malhar came home very late after duty.
Five whole days passed in this manner.
Kalyani was online most of the time, either having virtual lessons, going through video lessons, having group discussions and completing assignments. She attended to Moksh during her free time.
Malhar had to attend his online meetings and also go out on duty, staying on the roads to ensure if everything was running smoothly. After returning home, he had to sanitise everything he had used, wash his clothes and scrub himself clean. By the end of the day he was exhausted.
Sarthak was always busy either online holding discussions with his juniors or sometimes on duty through virtual court, otherwise going through legal books, making notes.
Not getting any help from these three was taking a toll on Anupriya, Swara and Moksh.
Either Swara or Anupriya had to go out for the groceries and vegetables needed taking the precautions of wearing a mask and sanitising everything after returning home. Moksh was bored out of his mind to be confined to the living room, kitchen or his Aatya's room.
Then came the weekend….
Kalyani got up lazily from bed, Phew she could get a rest from the college work for a day and maybe watch a movie.
She freshened up and was happily sipping her coffee when Aai handed her the laundry basket overflowing with clothes, asking her to wash them.
"Kya Aai ! Aaj toh thoda free rehne do na." Kalyani whined.
"Alag karke Washing machine me dalo aur baad me sukha dena." Anupriya replied coolly.
Sarthak came out of the room asking for a cup of tea. Swara gave him a cup of tea and handed him a duster cloth. She then pointed the pail of water and mop stick in the corner.
"Kaka, aap saare pankhe saaf kijiye aur pure ghar ka dusting khatam kijiye. Vahini jadoo laga degi phir aap pocha laga dena."
"Are….lekin mujhe aur bhi kaam hai…"
"Lekin wekin kuch nahi, jaldi chai peekar lag jaiye kaam par." Anupriya ordered her husband.
"Vahini, Nashta toh humne bana diya hai, kha lena aur uske baad tum aur Kaka lunch banana shuru karo."
Malhar came there with Moksh in his arms and Swara smilingly told him, "Dada, Agar aap ko koi meeting nahi hai toh Moksh ko sambhalna aap ka kaam hai."
"Lunch banana teek hai Anupriya, lekin ye baaki ke sab kaam Bai karegi na?" Sarthak reasoned with his wife.
"Dekha Swara, tumhare Kaka ka dimaag bhi lockdown ho gaya. Inhe toh ye bhi yaad nahi hai Bai nahi aa sakti."
"Haan teek hai bhool gaya mai. Waise hum dono ko itna kaam saunpkar tum dono kya karne wale hai? Tum logon ko bhi haat batana chahiye." Sarthak grumbled.
"Acha…..haan, sirf aap hi hai jo kaam karthe hai. Hum toh bekaar baite hai pichle paanch din se. Are Swara Uss din tum Moksh ko ek kahani suna rahi thi na, ek ladke ke baare me, uska naam kya tha?"
"Harry Potter… "
"Hmm...hum bhi Harry Potter ke tarah apni jaadu ki chadi ghumathe hai aur khud hi chai coffee, lunch, snacks, dinner sab ban jaata hai. Wapas chadi ghumathe hai toh bartan dhul jaate hai aur ghar ki safai bhi ho jaati hai."
"Sahi hai Kaki, bahar se sabziyaan, doodh, aur bakhi saaman bhi magic wand ghumakar hi laate hai hum. Moksh bhi apne aap khana kha leta hai, naha leta hai, khelta hai…...Sahi bola hum donon toh bas aaram se baite hai."
"Aur kya kaha aapne Sarthak? Hume bhi haath batana chahiye? Swara ! Acha mazaak hai na?"
"Ji Kaki, ye log toh pura din uss laptop ke aage baite rehte hai. Ek ungli tak nahi utathe hamare madad ke liye aur ab humse haath batane ki baat kar rahe hai."
"Sirf Malhar ko thoda maaf kar sakte hai." Anupriya declared.
"Malharji ko kyun maafi milegi? Woh bhi toh kuch nahi karte, ye sahi nahi hai Aai." Kalyani glared at her husband for being let off from the housework.
"Zara sharam karo Kalyani, Woh bechara janta ke seva karne baaki police walon ke saath bahar dhoop me, baarish me khada rehta hai mask wagerah pehenke. Wapas aakar apna uniform khud dho deta hai aur bathroom bhi saaf kar deta hai. Uske kaam ka to koi chutti nahi hai. Isliye woh jab ghar me he, sirf Moksh ka khayal rakhega aur aaram karega."
"Anupriya hum log bhi online me koi mazaak nahi kar rahe hai.. apna kaam kar re hai."
"Dekhiye Sarthak, hafte ke panch din aap dono online the aur humne ghar ka pura kaam kiya aur bache ko bhi sambhala. Humne koi madad nahi maangi."
Swara took over, "Ab ye do din aap dono ki court aur college ki chutti hai, isliye aap dono ghar sambaliye. Waise ek kaam kam hi hua aap dono ke liye, Moksh ko toh Dada sambhal rahe hai na."
"Chalo Swara, time ho raha hai hume online jaane ka."
All the three of them looked wide-eyed at Swara and Anupriya. "Kya matlab? Tum dono ko online kya kaam hai?" Sarthak asked, earning another glare from his wife.
"Mera satsang class hai online. Uske baad me YouTube se quilting ke naye designs browse karne wali hun." Anupriya replied airily. 😎
"Mera dance class hai 2 ghante ka Aur uske baad hum ek online performance ke liye practise karenge. Pata nahi kitna der lagega." came Swara's reply as they both walked away to their rooms. 💃
Malhar nudged them, "Chaliye wakt barbaad mat kijiye, kaam pe lag jaiye. Mai aur Moksh nashta karke, khelne jaa rahe hai, Moksh bye kar do… " 😜
Moksh waved his hand to both of them as his dad walked into the kitchen to have breakfast and feed him too.
Kalyani and Sarthak were looking at them with gaping mouths. 😯
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