Their marriage wasn't a typical arranged marriage yet arranged by their parents. It was a marriage for the custody of Ruhi. Just for Ruhi' was an unwritten deal in their marriage of convenience. Nothing was like in a typical marriage scenario except for all the South Indian traditions and ceremonies followed. Ishita and Raman went about doing everything that their families wanted. Soon after, it was happy news that Ruhi's custody was granted to Mr and Mrs Raman Bhalla.
Ishita was busy with Ruhi and Raman was busy with work, quite relieved that his family and Ruhi were happy with Ishita. They just didn't seem to get affected by each other's presence. They refused to even think that they are married now and are husband and wife. This indifference to each other and to their relationship was worrying Mrs Bhalla and in fact the entire Bhalla family. They knew that within the room, Raman slept on the bed while Ishita took the couch. It was indeed a matter of worry!
A month passed by after the wedding. It was one of such days when Mrs Toshi was alone at home with Neelu cooking the lunch. Every other member was out for some work. She sat thinking about how her son and daughter-in-law literally behaved like strangers to each other. How long will this go on and will a relationship like marriage sustain on such indifference?
She knew that this had to stop. They can't go on just like that for the entire life. Life was long and living it through like this was indeed silly and ridiculous. She decided that she would bring them closer.
Just then she was struck with a brain wave. It ws just the previous day that her elder sister called her from Chandigarh. She was inviting them all to their ancestral home for vacation. She had also complained that they couldn't come for Raman's wedding as if was all fixed and done in a hurry. Now she wanted to see the newly wed couple and everyone else. Mrs Bhalla's extended family was quite a big one and everybody was quite pissed off with the decision of a Tamil wedding in their Punjabi family.
Mrs Bhalla decided to tackle both issues together. A Punjabi style wedding at their ancestral place would surely make her relatives happy. And going through the typical Punjabi traditions would also bring Raman and Ishita together.
She let know her thoughts to Mr Bhalla and the others. All were excited to the idea. Mr and Mrs Iyer weren't against it either. All they wanted was their daughter to be happy. Mrs Iyer also was unhappy so far considering the distance between her daughter and son-in-law. So she instantly agreed to every plan.
Raman wasn't particularly happy but then he had no choice but accept. Ruhi was thrilled about the vacation and she really wanted to see her native place. She had only heard about the place and her distant cousins from her dadi. Ishita had no qualms regarding going there because Ruhi was more than happy. The idea of another wedding was well hidden from the couple for the time being.
Mrs Bhalla and Simmi coordinated all the preparations through phone and also did shopping secretly.
Jagga jaasoos Ishita was suspicious but then didn't bother much and probe into what her in-laws were hiding from her.
But the moment they reached Chandigarh and stepped into home, they knew that it wasn't just a vacation that was planned. Raman was indeed very annoyed with the secret planning to get them married all over again. He had been tortured once with the South Indian style wedding and now his mother was conspiring to repeat it the Punjabi way.
He couldn't retaliate or fight against it openly as it would be insulting his family and also the other elders. After a series of exchanging pleasantries and also blessings from elders, he was allowed to be in private confines of a room. He angrily paced wondering what was wrong with his mother.
He didn't know what to do and that apart, he also wondered what her reaction was to the whole affair. She must be annoyed as well. She was already doing a lot for him and Ruhi. She was working hard for keeping his family happy. Added to all that was this double torture of marrying again.
"Raman..."
Her voice snapped him out. He turned around and she stood extending a glass of steaming hot tea.
"tumne taqleef kyun kiya Ishita?"
He enquired formally surprised as it was the first time she was bringing it for him. She replied a little irked at his formality, "Woh mummy ji ne kaha ke main..."
She tried to reason why she brought it for him. He stamped his foot in anger, "I knew it...kabhi kabhi mummy bhi na..."
"Rehne dho Raman...yahaan sab ke saamne hum dono normal couple ke tarah..."
Her words trailed off and Raman understood what she meant while she added after a pause, "nahi toh accha nahi lagta...hum jaante hai ke humne sirf Ruhi keliye shaadi kiya aur koyi rishta nahi hai but sab ko yeh baat explain nahi kar sakte na? thoda embarrassing bhi hai!"
"I know Ishita...sorry, mera family ke wajeh se tumhe yeh saare troubles lene pade...isiliye main yahaan aane se bhi mana kiya tha...ab dobaara shaadi bhi...you are ok with it na? agar problem hai toh main maa se baat karoonga"
She was flaring up at his utmost formal talk. And mere family' annoyed her more. Wasn't this her family too?
"Its ok Raman...I am fine..."
He looked at her gratefully while she turned to walk away. She stood at the door and looked at him, "Raman yeh mera family kya hai? ab yeh meri bhi pariwar hai...aur apni pariwar keliye kuch karne mein kaisi problem?"
"Waise bhi shaadi aur usske kasme vaadein dobaara karna accha hi hai!"
There was an unmistakable mischief in her tone while she said that as if poking him that he had to take the vows again to remember and follow what he promised her during their previous wedding.
She didn't wait for his reply to walk away while he couldn't control a smile. It wasn't the first time she had made him smile with her cute antics and sweet gestures. But yes, it was the first time, she had cutely argued back to him. It was the first time she had conversed with him informally, voicing out what her heart felt.
Well little did she know how he had been controlling himself from shedding his formality around her! He had to literally stay away from her to stop himself from treating her as his wife. He had always felt that he could never get into her head as a husband and get his place in her heart. He didn't want to burden her with anything more than just being Ishima for his daughter.
But now when she said about his family being hers too and also the mention of nuptial promises made him think otherwise. Was she also..."
His thoughts ceased and wanted to grab her back and check the same. He sprinted out and had just grabbed her wrist, "Hey..."
She looked at him in shock and he was about to say something when one of his cousins pitched in between them, "aaah aaah...bhai, ab yeh sab kuch shaadi ke baad"
Simmi joined in, "haan bhai...Pinki teek keh rahi hai...ab romance shaadi ke baad hi kar sakte ho"
"What the hell!" was what Raman's expressions said. He added, "Simmi, agar tum bhool gayi toh yaad dilaa doon...mere aur Ishita ki shaadi ho chuki hai...ab bas tum sab ke paagal pann..."
"OYE..."
Toshi ji's loud voice snapped him. She walked towards them and said, "woh shaadi bhool jaa...ab tum dono shaadi shuda nahi rahe...kal humaare Punjabi style mein shaadi hai aur tab lagega shaadi hogayi, samjhe?"
Raman looked on in frustration while Toshi and Simmi took away Ishita from his hold, "tu aa Ishita...rokha, mehndi, sangeet, shaadi sabke kapde dikaathi hoom"
The ladies walked away literally towing her away from him while all they both wanted was each others company and some private time.
Before turning around the corner, she turned to him and his frustrated look of having missing her already gave her a blushing smile. He ran his fingers across his hair desperately wishing everything else freeze but for him and her.
He grinned back naughtily and also helplessly at the time they had wasted away. Now they yearned to be with each other but cannot.
Rokha, mehndi, sangeet...everything passed away in a blur all through the day. They were kept far apart from each other as much as possible. He was longing to see her, kidnap her away from the galore of relatives who just seemed jobless and were busy flooding them around.
She looked gorgeous in the green lehenga during the mehndi. He gazed at her from a distance shamelessly while all she could do was steal glances at him as she was surrounded with the other ladies.
They were mercilessly teasing his bride and he could sense the amount of tease from her crimson red blush which made her all the more beautiful. Quite obviously, they must be teasing her with his name. From the very little he knew of Punjabi traditions, he understood that they were imprinting his name in her mehndi pattern. He mentally noted to track it in her hands once in private.
The whole house was nothing less than a house on fire with all sorts of crazy people frothing back and forth. The noise, the commotion, the fun, frolic, laughter was unlimited yet when their eyes met across the big hall, every other noise ceased, everything else froze. It was just them.
Sangeet was another comedy circus with every family member right from youngest to oldest performed for them. While Simmi, Romi and Rinki performed a small skit of Ishra-Ru life with Romi acting as Ruhi, Mrs Iyer and Mrs Toshi performed Ooh la la
All his cousins too performed on rocking songs giving a perfect Sangeet treat.
I like dandiya
I like garba
But, if you really wanna party
Throw your hands up and twist'em around
Do the bhangra everybody
Common and do the bhangra everybody
I like dandiya
I like garba
But, if you really wanna party
Throw your hands up and twist'em around
Do the bhangra everybody
Common and do the bhangra everybody
Nothing like my jatt mahiya
Nothing like my mutyaara
Nothing like some kangna shangna
And long da lashkhara
Booggie te woogie main gidda kholna
I toh go crazy ke jab vajde
Punjabi wedding song
I toh go crazy ke jab vajde
Punjabi wedding song
Dholon ke beeaton pe main tha dolna
Haaye sharam chadd ke, laga jhatake
Hai isme nothing wrong
I toh go crazy ke jab vajde
Punjabi wedding song
I like dandiya
I like garba
But, if you really wanna party
Throw your hands up and twist'em around
Do the bhangra everybody
Common and do the bhangra everybody
Everybody enjoyed it full on before retreating to their rooms.
Raman had hoped that atleast in the night, she would be with him but he was wrong. They were asked to sleep in different rooms till the marriage was over.
He fretted but made plans to get her to meet her in the terrace. He sent a letter to her through one of his youngest cousin, a 5 year old one. But unlucky for him, the letter reached Simmi's hands.
Simmi chuckled reading it and exclaimed, "mamma, bhej doon bhabi ko...bechaara bhai bohat desperate ho raha hai!"
Toshi ji also grinned naughtily, "nahi nahi rehne deh Simmi...jo hona hai hone deh...tabi usske akal tikaane pe aayega!"
Simmi grinned and pitied her brother who was literally pinning to be with her bhabi.
Raman wasn't aware of the truth that his letter hadn't even reached Ishita. So he paced up and down the length of terrace waiting for her. When she didn't turn up even after midnight, he decided to venture to her room and find out.
He slowly slipped into the room. It was totally dark and he muttered gazing at the sleeping form, "lo main wahaan thand mein intezaar kartha raha aur madam aaraam se gode beech ke so rahi hai..."
He was about to sit beside her to wake her up when the lights went on and his mother came in from outside, shocked seeing her son there at that time.
"kya hua putthar? Tu iss waqt?? Kuch kaam tha kya?"
His mother had chosen to sleep along with her bahu that night and had gone to the kitchen to fetch some water when Raman came in.
Raman didn't know what to say in this red handed situation. The water in his mother's hands came to his rescue.
"haan woh mujhe paani chaahiye maa...yahaan ke kitchen fridge kuch teek se patha nahi toh Ishita ko bulaane aaya tha"
His mother understood his intention as she had personally ensure that water was placed in his room. So she knew that he was making a false excuse to meet Ishita.
She suppressed a smile and replied, "accha? Ishita gheri neend mein hogi...chalo, main paani dehti hoom"
Without a choice, he followed her out, only to be handed over with a bottle of water.
He walked back to his room wondering if he should gulp it down his throat or pour it on his head. Be it either, he couldn't sleep today as sleep had decided to abandon him long back, precisely the moment she had turned, smiled and blushed, the reason being him, just him.
He ruffled his hair shaking his head amused and amazed to be behaving like a teenager in his first love. And all he could see, think, feel, breath was her, just her.
Yes, he realized he was in love, deeply, madly, truly in love with his beloved madrasi biwi, his Maahi ve!
Dhoop paani pe baras jaaye..
Ye saaye banaaye, mitaaye
Main kahoon, aur tu aa jaaye, behlaaye
Har doori sharmaaye
Tu saath hai, ho din raat hai
Parchhaaiyan batlaaye
Tu saath hai, o din raat hai
Saaya saaya, maahi ve! maahi ve!
Meri har baat mein saath tu hai
Mahi Ve.. Maahi Ve..
Mere saare haalaat tu
Maahi ve aye aye ye.. o..
Maahi vay aye aye ye.. o..
************************
so how was it? pls do reply...
I know wedding tak nahi paunchi but then bohat long hogaya and then felt this is a logical point...may be I will conclude it as a TS later...😆
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