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Bigg Boss 19 - Daily Discussion Topic - 28th Sep 2025 - WKV
BOOTH ROAMING 28.9
CID episode 81 - 27th September
Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai Sept 28, 2025 EDT
70th Filmfare Awards Nominations
Ranbir Kapoor Birthday Celebration Thread 🎂🎂
Revisiting 90's nostalgia
🎶🎵Tribute to Lata Mangeshkar on Her 96th Birth Anniversary🎵🎶
Diana praises Deepika Padukone’s work ethic
SAMAR ki hogi re entry !!
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Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai - 29 Sep 2025 EDT
Maan and Geet- Love Wins Against All Odds..
PAAV PHISLAA 29.9
You have a flair for storytelling! And I love the way you include subtle humor intermittently. I chuckled at the mention of "could-be-would-be in-laws." Love the way the story is progressing. Can't wait to read about Prashant thinks! Please continue soon.
In a nearby town, a young girl was gazing at a painting of hers, lost in memories that smelt of almond oil. The almond oil that her aunt used to massage into her hair every night, when she was a kid.
The painting was that of a forest, with two rows of tall trees, majestic and protective, wise and stately. There was a long-grassed path between the trees, thin and meandering, on which stood a curly-haired girl, seen from the back. She just stood there, looking up to the trees and the few stars that could be seen in the light-coloured sky through the leaves, in awe.
Sandhya sat on her bed thinking for a very long time, before going to Geeta Chachi's room.
Meeting Prashant had made her realise just how much she loved her Geeta Chachi. After all it was Geeta Chachi who had been the reason for her tirade against Prashant. It was all of Geeta Chachi's efforts and aspirations. She would never be able to run away, no matter how suffocating the situation at home got. She felt such a deep surge of love that suddenly, she wanted to do everything she could for the woman who had given her so much. She would give up her desire for freedom, her dreams, her childish whims, everything. She would get married.
In fact, she had had no right to be angry at Prashant. She had been just as self-centred, in wanting to run away from home.
Chachi was watching her favourite soapie, where the main protagonist, a sari-clad lady with heavy costume jewelry, was crying at her misfortunes in a temple, as strong gusts of wind caused the bells to clang and dusty leaves to fly about dramatically.
"I'll come back later," Sandhya said, realising how her aunt was drawn into the scene.
"Oh, no, beta, come, come. This is an old episode."
"Where's Chachu?"
"He's gone to the bazaar. So, tell me, you're happy, no?"
"Yes Chachi."
"You like Prashant?"
"I - yes, he's a good boy, but I don't think he wants to get married."
"Arre, no, he's a bit quiet, but who can say no to my beta?"
"I really don't think he will say yes. But that's fine. There are other guys."
"Prashant will say yes. You looked so beautiful today in that yellow sari. He can't possibly say no. Nobody can. I know. You just wait and see. But, what's this? Other guys, huh? So you really want to get married now?"
"Yeah, I was being childish. It can't be that bad."
"I knew it. You were just being shy! Don't forget, I was also young once."
"I wasn't being shy," Sandhya argued.
"Nonsense. I know everything. You can't fool your Chachi! Every girl wants to get married. Otherwise, what identity can we have?"
"Hmm."
"I have scolded you a lot these past few weeks, no?"
"I have had my tantrums too. I'm sorry."
"It's nothing. I am so happy you have agreed. I have been dreaming of this day ever since your parents entrusted your care to me. I have thought of so many things. Your trousseau is almost complete. Trust me, you will be happy, very happy. I will never do anything to harm you. If I get angry, it's only towards myself. Sometimes when you don't behave like the other girls of your age, when you argue with me about everything, I feel I have failed in the promise I made to your mother. It's all I keep - I am so scared, I don't know -" Her voice broke down.
"Nonsense," Sandhya smiled, "You have been a very good mother. I wish I had been as good a daughter."
"Nonsense? You make fun of your Chachi now, huh? Naughty!"
"If my parents were alive, they would - I don't know, but you are a good mother, you have - you have been very -"
"Arre, such a big girl, about to get married, crying! What is this?"
"Like you're not crying."
"Tell me the truth, Sandhya, am I doing the right thing? I am not forcing you, no? Tell me this is what you want."
"This is what I want." Sandhya replied, trying her best to mean what she said, "I was, I am a bit scared. I have always been scared of making choices, taking decisions. But I trust you. You have always thought of my well-being. There's just one thing. For the next guy that comes, I won't straighten my hair. He has to like me the way I am. You don't think that's possible?"
"Not at all. I - of course, I - you are very beautiful. But you look so much nicer with straight hair, beta."
An argument was on the way. Sandhya narrowed her eyes and pouted.
"Okay okay," Chachi conceded, "It's a deal. Just as you are. Oh, beta, I can't believe this day has come so soon! What will I do after you get married? Who am I going to fight with after you go away to your husband's house?"
Sandhya couldn't bring herself to say anything and hugged her Chachi, trying to convey in that hug all that she felt, all the gratitude, the guilt, the sadness, the happiness, the confusion. The love.
She had decided she would not give up on her dreams, she would fulfil all of them, but not by breaking her Chachi's heart. She would get married to somebody who would not tie her down and deny her her freedom. She would fall in love with him. And she would be happy. All she needed was to believe in the future and to give it a chance. She could not keep postponing her life out of fear for consequences she could not predict. It was okay, Sandhya tried to reason, not to know everything. It was okay not to be in control all the time.
That night, in their different rooms, aunt and niece sobbed silently in their pillows, not knowing exactly why. But it felt good. There was something oddly comforting about the cool wet pillow against their cheek. And after a long time, both felt they were able to look forward to the coming dawn.
How do you do it? How do you write so beautifully? It's like reading a novel. I loved the description of Prashant's first meeting with the ex.
And you are saying this is long? I could just go on reading! Update soon please.
Awesome Hemmaaa!!!
I was so mesmerised by the way you wriote this!!Awww....I feel bad for Prashant!How can you even write this thing so well??I could like go on reading and yet not know...whats going on...u are superb in writing!!!Update soon!!!LoveAranya
Two dawns later, the house was in a state of utter pandemonium again. Now that shouldn't really be surprising in a place that held in its midst only the most theatrical aunts to be found on the face of the earth. However, this time, exceptionally, Sandhya felt like she was a part of the pandemonium, and the pandemonium was a part of her. This time, it was impossible for her to detach herself and recite Robert Frost or multiply large numbers under her breath.
But, let's start from the start.
It was a Saturday morning quite like the others that had preceded it. It was hot, swelteringly, suffocatingly so. And the old, wheezing fan did nothing but provide a meager semblance of cool. The dozen or so kids had refused to eat the dhoklas with groans of "not again" and they were being earnestly pacified, coerced and bribed by their exasperated mothers and aunts to behave themselves. The older elements of the family were shaking their heads, being just as typically useless as expected, sighing at "the children of nowadays" and recounting inevitably exaggerated snippets from the past. Nobody was listening. In fact, the Desais hardly ever listened to each other, even if they shared similar preoccupations. It was a family that thrived upon simultaneous, self-absorbed monologues.
Sandhya smiled, in spite of herself. There was an undeniable charm to the hysterical family she lived in. The togetherness, bitter-sweet though it may be. The backbiting, the complaining, the anger and resentment. And behind it all, sustaining it all, love, that seemed to surface at the oddest of times, surprising no-one really.
Kamal Chacha smiled back at her and went back to gulping down his breakfast so that he could go and hide behind a newspaper in the verranda, before his wife's complaints veered to his non-cooperative attitude. Which was only a matter of time.
There were far too many women in the family, Sandhya thought. The men had always been hopelessly outnumbered. And now, because of the school holidays, there were far too many children too, whom parents had conveniently dropped off supposedly to spend time with their grandmother.
The grandmother in question, Sandhya's Dadi, was the epitome of extreme miserliness and grumpiness. She disliked pretty much everything and complained endlessly about food, the weather, modern culture, servants, politics, inflation, pollution, and basically anybody that crossed her path. But she was highly respected, revered almost. And thus she wielded tremendous power over the household, and really was the one who kept the family as one. She was an intriguing mix of self-conflicting contradictions, for she could appear very loving at times. One never knew what to expect from her, and that constituted the essence of her magnetism. Sandhya personally had always felt that her so-called bitterness was nothing but a facade that she kept up to keep herself busy and interesting, and even if not, this bitterness was something to be respected for being the fruit of a lifetime's experiences.
"What? Now you also won't eat your dhokla?" Dadi enquired, noticing that Sandhya had been staring at her.
"No, I'm eating."
"You're getting married soon. Can't be picky anymore. You eat whatever you get."
"Yes, Dadi," Sandhya replied quickly before the usual sermon repeated itself. Dadi had drawn in a long breath, undeceived by Sandhya's attempts at seeming like she was interested in what young girls of her age should be like. But fortunately, just then, the phone rang.
Seven-year old Deepu ran to it and answered, giggling madly, as his mother, Sandhya's Namrata Bua wrenched it away from him.
It was an important call, Sandhya could tell. Namrata Bua's eyes had widened and brightened. She was talking with immense calm, but clearly suppressing a lot of excitement. It couldn't be family calling. She was too controlled and formal. And yet, there was this odd smile playing at the corners of her mouth, a secretive, conspirator-like smile... Maybe she was having an extra-marital affair, Sandhya giggled to herself.
"It's Prashant Joshi," she whispered, calling Geeta Chachi to the phone.
Geeta Chachi almost ran to the phone and smiled more and more with every word she heard...until the smile could not widen any further, so the happiness leaked out of her beady eyes. And all she said was "yes" over and over again, in a variety of intonations.
Sandhya couldn't understand. Prashant must have called to say no for the marriage, so why were her aunts behaving in such a strange way? Everybody was smiling, as though they understood something that she had somehow missed on. But no, they couldn't have understood anything. Prashant clearly had had no interest in talking to her, let alone marry her. And after everything that she had said to him, it was surprising that he had actually called. She had expected his mother to call and say no. What was going on?
Geeta Chachi waved at her frantically, interrupting her confused tangle of thoughts, to indicate that Prashant wanted to talk to her. Sandhya went over, dazed. It felt like a dream. Nothing made the slightest sense.
"I had told you he would say yes, you silly girl," her Chachi whispered to her before handing her the phone.
Sandhya nearly slammed down the phone in protest. Why was this man deceiving her family into believing that he wanted to marry her? Hadn't he fooled around enough? But no, she reasoned, it was impossible. As much as she had managed to understand him in the course of their short meeting, he had seemed merely sad and withdrawn. Not as mean as she had made him seem in her furious tirade. Surely, Bua and Chachi had misunderstood him. After all they were experts at making mountains out of molehills. And molehills out of mountains. She would explain everything to them once she had spoken to Prashant.
"Hello?" she said uncertainly, after her Bua had motioned her to speak with arched eyebrows and an exclamation-mark look.
"Hi, your aunt said we can meet for coffee tomorrow. Is that okay with you?"
"You really said yes to the marriage?" Sandhya asked urgently, at which point, Dadi dramatically slapped her forehead for having such a shameless grand daughter.
"Yes," Prashant answered simply, "Um, so we meet tomorrow? I can come pick you up at three?"
Sandhya felt like another of her outbursts was on the way, but she didn't feel she could muster the requisite strength. The whole situation was too absurd to evoke any definite emotion from her. And then she realised that everyone around her had frozen to a somewhat chaotic family photo scene, and was looking at her with bated breath. She said yes and bye and hung up, stunned.
And that's when the actual pandemonium started. Wedding preparations, potential baby names and the likes. And above it all, Geeta Chachi's thundering "I knew it"s.
The children sneaked out to watch cartoons.
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