Chapter Two
Farhad had pleaded with Raghav Anna to stay in the hospital that morning. "Anna, it's a two-hour drive each way to and from Vikarabad. It will wear you out, and the doctor said that you need rest. Pallavi Bhābhī told you, as soon as Mandar gets to Dr. Ramya's clinic, she'll talk to him and convince him to come home. You will see her tonight, so until then, please relax."
"Will I see her tonight, Farhad? She didn't say that. She didn't even say, 'I miss you.' Just, 'I'll call you when we leave Vikarabad.' And 'remember to listen to the doctor, Raghav.' That's all she said."
"Anna, that's how a wife tells you, 'I miss you.' She orders you to behave while she's gone and warns you that she's checking on you."
"Farhad, do you have a secret wife that you're hiding from me?" Raghav had looked at him suspiciously, and Farhad had suppressed a chuckle. Anna had no gaydar at all.
"Jī nahīṃ, Anna. Mere Ammī-Abbū kī bāta yāda āyī."
"Listen, Farhad. Your Bhābhī is not like that with me. You know how our marriage began, and how much I hurt her by covering up the hit-and-run. Just the day before yesterday, the sight of our wedding photograph made her shudder. Now there's a man on his way to convince Pallavi to leave me. You know how trusting and generous she is. What if he's an imposter? I have to protect her!"
"Imposter? Anna, this Dr. Ramya recognized Mandar's photo, right? And if Bhābhī only saw someone who resembles Mandar from the window, she will know it's not Mandar right away when she sees him up close."
"Don't you know about plastic surgery, Farhad? I am going to tell Pallavi, until there's a DNA match, this is not Mandar!"
"You have been watching TV because you can't work out, haven't you, Anna? Don't worry. Plastic surgery won't give anyone the exact same face as Mandar, let alone the body."
"That's too much, Farhad! You are driving me to Vikarabad right now, before Pallavi checks out that man's body for a mole or a birthmark!"
"Wait, Anna, listen, what if Mandar arrives while we're on the road, and Pallavi Bhābhī leaves with him? Shouldn't you at least call her to say you're on your way?" Even while starting the car, Farhad had hoped that Raghav would listen to reason, but Raghav had refused to give Pallavi any chance to talk him out of his need to see her.
So, now Farhad found himself in Dr. Ramya's office, where Raghav had just collapsed with a panic attack. He removed his hands from those of the sturdy man who was supporting Anna's head on his lap and soothing him in his softly rumbling voice.
"Raghav, you will be fine, just fine. Look at the blue saree that Pallavi is wearing, and breathe in ... and out ... in ... and out. Imagine that you are under a clear sky, and this perspiration is dripping into the grass. Breathe in ... and out ... in ... and out. Imagine that the zigzag pattern on Pallavi's saree is a breeze moving over you. Keep breathing in ... and out ... in ... and out."
Raghav lifted himself off Mandar's lap and held out his hand to Farhad, who helped him to stand. Pallavi gave Raghav a reassuring smile, and said, "Dr. Ramya, Raghav is claustrophobic. We should take him outside. Farhad?"
"Jī, Bhābhī."
Mandar looked at the young man who was addressing Pallavi as Bhābhī. Who was this Farhad? Dressed in a spotless white shirt, buttoned up to the collar, and a dark suit, he looked very serious, and yet his clean-shaven face had an expression of innocence that Mandar found endearing.
Farhad held Raghav's hand, and walked him out of the office and the clinic. Pallavi and Krishna faced Dr. Ramya and Vishnu, and Mandar looked at one pair, then the other.
"Raja, beṭā ... Mandar, you did very well just now. How are you feeling?"
"I am all right, Amma. I am starting to remember some Marathi phrases - maybe things that were said to me before my accident."
"You haven't had many opportunities to speak Marathi since we found you. Did talking to Pallavi make you feel better?"
"Yes, Amma."
"Would you like to go with Pallavi and Krishna to meet your family in Hyderabad?"
"Yes, Amma. But I don't even recognize my own Āī and Bābā. It will be like meeting strangers."
Vishnu put his hand on Mandar's shoulder. "I would like to come with you, for a day or two, until you get settled. May I?"
"I'm sure it will be no problem," Krishna spoke up. "I will call Milind Kākā right now. Your name is Vishnu, right?" He nodded, and Krishna called Milind to tell him the good news.
"Milind Kākā, this is Krishna. I'm with Pallavi in Vikarabad. Kākā, give thanks to Gaṇapati Bāppā, we found Mandar Dādā alive! Yes, I'm saying Mandar Dādā is alive! I'll give the phone to him in a minute so that you can hear his voice, but please don't expect him to recognize you. He didn't know his own name because he lost his memory, but he's safe and healthy and we are bringing him home! Also, his friend Vishnu would like to stay with you for a day or two. We'll leave soon and it will take us at least two hours to reach you. Please tell the whole family so that they don't get a shock when they see Mandar Dādā."
Krishna handed her phone to Mandar. He was trying to remember Milind Kākā, but he couldn't. "Mī Raja - Mī Mandar bolatoya," he said simply.
"Mandar, bāḷā, are kuṭhe hotāsa itake divasa?" Child, where were you all these days? Milind was obviously crying. "Lavakara gharī yeśīla nā?" Won't you come home soon?
"Ho, Kākā, yetoya." Yes, coming. Mandar didn't know what else to say. He held out the phone, and Pallavi took it.
"Kākā, kharaṃça Mandar mājhyāsamora pratyakṣāta āheta." It's true, Mandar is actually in front of me. "Ho, gharīça bheṭūyā." Yes, see you at home. Pallavi ended the call and gave the phone back to Krishna.
"May we take your leave, Dr. Ramya? Raghav needs to be at home, resting."
"Yes, of course. Call me when Mandar is settled tonight."
Dr. Ramya followed them out of the clinic. Farhad was standing by the car, and Raghav was lying on the hood, hands behind his head.
"There is only room for five people in the car, and we are six," Pallavi realized.
"It's all right, Dīdī, we have the taxi waiting for the return trip," Krishna reminded her. "Vishnu jī, I will take you to the Deshmukh house in the taxi, if Mandar Dādā doesn't mind." Mandar nodded, and Vishnu followed Krishna to the taxi.
"Raghav, you'll be more comfortable in the front seat, and we can open the car roof," Pallavi suggested. "I have more photos to show Mandar, so I'll sit in the back with him."
Farhad was looking at Mandar. So, this was Anna's rival, the man whom Bhābhī respected and fondly remembered, the man whose lost life meant so much to Bhābhī that when she had asked Farhad to obtain Kirti's confession to the hit-and-run, Farhad had not hesitated to go against Anna's little sister and face Anna's wrath. Mandar was a broad-shouldered man with lustrous brown skin and an adorable face built for a wide smile - a very attractive combination, Farhad caught himself thinking. Anna's insecurity was justified, sadly.
"I'm Farhad, Raghav Anna's secretary," he spoke, smiling as he held the car door open for Mandar.
"I'm Raja," replied Mandar, folding his hands, unaware that his name had changed, as he was absorbed in the friendly warmth of Farhad's eyes.
Farhad liked the name Raja. It was a name for a loyal friend, or a beloved pet, and thus suited this friendly-faced Mandar more than his real name, that of a heavenly white flower.
Pallavi made sure that Raghav was settled in front, then joined Mandar in the back seat. As Farhad started the car, Raghav took out his phone and played a video. It was a Bharatanatyam item that Amma had recommended to him, and he played it without headphones. He wanted Pallavi and Mandar to feel his presence loud and clear if they dared to look at any more of their wedding photographs.
The nādasvaram playing in the video brought tears to Raghav's eyes as he remembered Nānna's love for this instrument. Long before Pallavi had become the lighthouse beacon of his turbulent life, live nādasvaram music had filled his happy childhood, and his one mistake had put an end to it.
Mandar's cheerful voice interrupted Raghav's melancholy. "Raghav, this sounds like Rāga Kedāra. Is that right?"
Farhad smiled; he liked Mandar even more, knowing that he appreciated classical music. Kedāra might be his favourite Rāga - the repeated movement from Ṣaḍja to Madhyama to Ṣaḍja made him think of fresh air, skies clearing after light rain, grasses ripening in the fields...
"It's Rāgam Hamīra Kalyāṇī!" Raghav snapped, turning around to look at Mandar. "This is a tillāṉā. Carnatic music, not Hindustani." How dare Mandar claim his music - and by leaning forward to listen to it, Mandar was showing off his broad back to Pallavi! Raghav abruptly shut off the video.
"Mandar, in one of our video chats before we got married, we talked about our favourite Rāga. Do you remember your choice?" Pallavi asked excitedly.
"Mūlatānī," Mandar replied without hesitation.
Farhad was impressed. Whenever he listened to Rāga Mūlatānī, with the low notes rolling out in a deep voice and the swelling leap to the high notes, he thought there could be no better expression of masculinity in music.
"And you chose Pilū!" Mandar exclaimed, certain that this was a real memory, and Pallavi's shining eyes affirmed it.
Of course, Farhad thought. Plaintive Rāga Pilū with its variegated and spiraling notes had a romantic personality that was just as demure as his Bhābhī's.
Raghav was furious with himself now, thinking, in three months of marriage, I never got to know that Pallavi listens to classical music, and this man who didn't remember his own name has her favourite Rāgam's name on his tongue!
"How about Amṛtavarṣiṇī, Pallavi?" he blurted out. "That's my favourite. What do you think?"
Farhad tried to recall Rāga Amṛtavarṣiṇī. What came to mind were musical phrases that demanded attention, refused compromise, insisted on making a point. Of course, that would be Anna's favourite!
"Sorry, Raghav, I don't know that one," Pallavi replied. "It's Carnatic, right?"
Mandar said, "I don't know it either. Raghav, could you play it for us, please?"
"Never mind," Raghav said. "I'm sleepy. You can play your memory game." He closed his eyes.
Poor Raghav is a bit grumpy after his panic attack, Pallavi thought. She took out her phone and showed Mandar a few more photos.
"This is Manasi, Milind Kākā's daughter." Mandar didn't recognize the face, but immediately felt protective of the slightly self-conscious young woman in the photo. "Dādā, malā khāndyāṃvara ghe!" Lift me onto your shoulders! Had she said that to him? He must have watched this baby grow up!
"And this is the youngest in the family, Kākā's daughter Amruta." The teenage girl in the photo was pouting and posing. "Dādā, mājhyāsāṭhī kharaṃça kāhī āṇalaṃ nāhī?" You really didn't bring me anything? No doubt, this baby had been his favourite.
"This is Milind Kākā, who was just on the phone with us." The goofy-faced man in the photo obviously smiled even more readily than he cried. "Are, zoṃvara donaça hāta āheta toṃvara āpalaṃ puruṣāṃçaṃ bhāgataṃ. Ekadā dona hātāṃçe cāra hāta zhāle kī āpaṇa cāra pāyāṃçe kadhī hoto, te kaḷata suddhā nāhī." Hey, as long as we have only two hands, we men can get by. Once those two hands become four hands (upon marriage), how we become four-footed (beasts of burden), we don't even notice!
Mandar's spontaneous laughter sounded delightful to Farhad's ears.
Pallavi noticed Mandar chuckling, and asked him if he remembered something. Mandar told her the joke, and she laughed until tears came. "Yes, Milind Kākā really did say that. He said it at our haḷadī event because Sulochana Kākū was driving him crazy, making him take her photo from two angles at every stage, as she applied haḷadī to your feet, your knees, your arms, and your cheeks. And then the same when she did it to me."
They had not bothered to translate the joke for Farhad, but otherwise they were speaking Hindi so that he would not feel left out. Farhad knew that Raghav Anna was only pretending to sleep, and was listening to every word about Pallavi's first wedding like a needle going in and out of his flesh. Anna liked Milind Deshmukh, his foremost supporter in Bhābhī's family, but always referred to him disparagingly as Bindī kā Ghulāma, fooling nobody in his attempt to deflect and deny his own desire to be claimed and controlled by Bhābhī. Jaya Amma, Kirti, and Farhad all knew that Raghav secretly envied Milind Deshmukh, who was the heart of his family and thought himself a happy man.
"Do you have a photo of Sulochana Kākū?" Mandar was asking Pallavi.
"Yes, here it is." What Pallavi showed Mandar made him catch his breath. This face, which could have been vivacious but was belaboured with makeup and a perpetual simpering expression - he knew this face, it took him no effort to recall a memory!
"This woman's name is Sulochana Kākū?" he whispered.
Chapter One on page 1
Chapter Three on page 2
Chapter Four on page 3
Chapter Five on page 4
Chapter Six on page 4
Chapter Seven on page 5
Chapter Eight on page 5
Chapter Nine on page 7
Chapter Ten on page 7
Chapter Eleven on page 8
Chapter Twelve on page 8
Chapter Thirteen on page 8
Chapter Fourteen on page 9
Chapter Fifteen on page 10
Chapter Sixteen on page 10
Chapter Seventeen on page 11
Chapter Eighteen on page 11
Chapter Nineteen on page 11
Chapter Twenty on page 11
Chapter Twenty-One on page 11
Chapter Twenty-Two on page 12
Chapter Twenty-Three on page 12
Chapter Twenty-Four on page 12
Chapter Twenty-Five on page 12
Chapter Twenty-Six on page 13
Chapter Twenty-Seven on page 14
Chapter Twenty-Eight on page 14
Chapter Twenty-Nine on page 14
Chapter Thirty on page 14
Chapter Thirty-One on page 14
Chapter Thirty-Two on page 14
Chapter Thirty-Three on page 15
Chapter Thirty-Four on page 15
Chapter Thirty-Five on page 15
Chapter Thirty-Six on page 15
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