C H A P T E R 1 M A R J A W A
Chapter Edited by Dhara (@dsgirl)
"The world is on fire and no one can save me but you."
"You will meet someone today who will change your life forever, for whom you won't think twice before giving up your life for, they say it's love at first sight', today you fall in love..." was what her horoscope read the day Ishita Iyer met her daughter Ruhi Bhalla. Ishita till date had lost alot in life die to a simple medical report that read that she was infertile, 'baanj' was what she was tagged as - a woman whose womb was forever to be barren - along with idle talks and insults came free; she had lost a relationship worth twelve years due to a simple fainting incident on the day of her engagement that ruined her life forever.
"Oh, her! I heard she was forced to marry a drunkard divorcee with two children due to her condition." She could almost hear the auntiji's not so loud Chinese whispers and, how wrong they were.
Rama Bhalla was Ruhi Bhalla's father. A man scarred by love. He was a reject, just like she was. While she was rejected by the society for being unable to conceive, Raman was rejected by his ex-wife due to his lack of connections and power, the irony in the fact that today he stood as the businessman of the decade - powerful, cold, insensitive and angry at the world.
While Raman's daughter Ruhi stood rejected by her father who was unable to love her freely because of a simple mole at the top of her smile that reminded him of the woman who deceived him.
Ishita's marriage to Raman was unconventional yet conventional at the same time, they were arranged to marry by their fathers who were next door neighbours but chose to marry for a simple clause "just for Ruhi" - nothing more and nothing less. And marry they did, people with two different ideologies and two different mindsets coming from two opposite parts of the nation married because either were madly in love - with their daughter.
And for the days that came by they warred with each other verbally and emotionally - while Ishita was a volunteered "samaj sevak" (social worker) butting into anyone and everyone's life problems, Raman was an insensitive fool scarred by his love for his first child, hatred for his ex-wife, the unexpected companionship of his new wife and the undying love for his daughter, while Ruhi being the mini Ishita that she was tuning out to be tasked herself to mend the bride between her parents - running around saying, "Uffo Papa, you fought with Ishima again, didn't you?"
And as days passed Ruhi was to be known as Ishima ki chamchi or Mini Ishita, Raman as Raavan Kumar and Ishita as Madrasan or Jhansi ki Rani.
Ishita smiled as she recollected the moments she shared with her family. These days her mornings would start with her daughter's "Ishima, five minutes more, please!" followed by her husband's "Ishita yaar!" echoing throughout their apartment and end with a goodnight peck from her daughter and an acknowledging nod from her husband- the two people who gave her the joy of being a family - something that the world had told her she'd never have.
For years Ishita has fantasized what meeting Subbu would be like, would he look at the same way that he did all those years ago? Would the guy she spent twelve years of her life on be gentile enough to apologise to her? Would he have words other than the harsh words he said to her upon receiving her report? And for the years of their separation she had dreamt that he would come begging of his knees for her and when she did meet him no words could explain how irrevocably foolish she had felt. The man who once fought for women and their rights stood before her while his mother flaunted his then pregnant wife, a grim smile adorned his face, almost sadistic. She had half expected him to stop the drama and walk on, to take his mother away, but he stood there almost enjoying the show. It was then that Ishita has completely erased him from her past, present and even her future. It was then she had come in terms with the fact that he was a worthless son of a bit*h. It was then when she felt at peace.
"Subbu aa gaya!!" "Chitti ka favourite bhai aa gaya!"
Ishita huffed as she placed the basket of flowers on the table to make way for the horde of running girls.
"No, Amma. I won't be affected by him. Yes, Amma. He will be on the other side of the house. Why, Amma? You know na that Raman would feel stuffed up in a small place like this filled with Madrasans'. Ruhi is in school. Mihika or Vandita will get her along with them. Yes, Amma. Come safely. "
Ishita had visited her ancestral house on the occasion of her elder cousin's remarriage. Growing up Vishwa, her elder cousin brother named after her father had been her favourite. He would beat up any guy who messed around with he, buy her sweets when her parents refused to - blaming it on her sugar rush and even play her doll games with her when her elder sister Vandita claimed that she was too much of a "big girl" to play with her anymore. Ishita was the first person Vishwa introduced his first wife to. Vishwa was the one who punched Subbu's guts out (and had him hospitalized for weeks!) and as fate would have it Vishwa was now marrying Subbu's sister-in-law.
"Vadakkam, Vadakkam!" Bala's mother marched into the room like a netaji with fake promises, accompanied by her son, daughter in law and grandson in tow. "Ishita, what are you doing here? Were you invited or did you just decide to pop up like the busy bee that you are? "
"Ishita is family, Vandita ki saas. We do not need to invite Ishita. She is afterall our favourite." Ishita's chitti spoke up.
Ishita's chitti has never failed to notice the disapproving look Vandu's saas had whenever she saw Ishita with her younger son. In her eyes Ishita was a vixen who had trapped her elder son in her false innocence and had then proceeded to entrap her younger one with her 'love'. Subbu's decision to marry Ishita had shattered all her hopes of marrying her good looking, well educated son into a higher society, but Ishita's "shudh Brahman" status had been an elating fact if not for the fact that the Iyers' were well of. Ishita's infertility report to Vandu ki saas was a victory call with which she like a proper desi saas had brainwashed her son into the thoughts of marriage and family life. Ishita's chitti had enough of this vamp. She decided that she would take Maa Durga's avatar given that it was the new TV show that had promoted the idea. So, here she stood with her eyes narrowed into slits, a forced smile that could be nominated for the advertisement for Colgate and teeth that almost sparked - almost being the keyword.
Ishita, the docile being, smiled at her aunts acceptance.
Subbu looked at Ishita's smile. He loved it when she smiled. He remembered the first time that he met Ishita, he had been barely thirteen when he saw a smiling seven year old and at that moment he had fallen in love with her.
It was plain luck that their siblings were dating and over the next two years he got to know her better and finally on her birthday he had asked her out, well, he had just told her that he liked her and that she was his and she had smiled and said that since her Akka liked his brother, she would like him too. For the next twelve years to come they had progressed from holding hands to pecks and at pecks they had remained. Ishita coming from a traditional Tamil Brahman family never discussed moving ahead and that and he did not want to test he miss. So they had smiled at the end of the day as he picked her up on his way back from work and she in return gave him a peck on his cheek when he dropped her home. And just like how he had claimed her to be his he had dropped her like a hot potato. And he regretted that.
"Yeh phone zara akka ko pass kar dena, woh kya hai na, yaha crowd hai aur Akka dur hai toh.."
"Kaun Akka?"
"Arreh Subbu bhaiya, Ishita akka! "
"Ishita? "
Subbu looked at the recent model of a popular cell phone he held in his hands. It must have cost a bomb, he thought.
And on the screen set as the caller identification picture of a certain "Raavan Kumar" was the picture of Ishita and an unknown man as he wrapped Ishita in an embrace. He stood behind her as his arms interlocked with hers and his elbows touched her bosom as he reached out his cake filled hands towards her face while Ishita tried to prevent him from smearing cake on her face, holding hands in the process. A dimple adorned the stranger's face and an unseen smile lit Ishita's face up.
His ishita had a new man.
Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2
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