#2 | IshRa: Meherbaan FF | Thread 3; page 79 - Page 28

they have came long way.

you r very much expressive.

Lovely update.

pls update next part soon.

"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 bhau 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.

"After waking up from the dream that was you, the morning of reality feels so empty." - Empty, Winner.

Subramanian Reddy, did not really like the fact that the woman he has loved for almost twenty one years had found a new lover. Correction: he hated the fact that Ishita had "moved on". In his mind, if he had it, it still was him in his Rajnikant avatar going up to her and demanding her love and she like a Meena Kumari draped in a Kanjivaram saree crying as she accepted him whole heartedly. Wasn't she that? Wasn't that what his mother told him even yesterday, that Ishita still stood by her window pining for him. Giving up Ishita wasn't an easy decision, but putting his love for her against all the hardships his parents faced to bring him up, his respect for his parents took priority. All his parents ever asked for was an heir from from their favorite son. An heir to continue their bloodline. "You can marry her after you give us an heir, son," they had said. They had even promised him that they would accept Ishita whole heartedly. It was the day that he met Ishita six years post their breakup that he realised that if he had to win her back he had to fasten his line of thought. He had seen her crestfallen face followed by her mother's announcement that Ishita had moved on and she now, had a new man in her life. He refuses to believe that. The Ishita who had grown up loving him couldn't move on.

The cell phone was soon snatched from Subbu' hands. As it passed on from one person to another finally reaching Ishita's 21 year old cousin who proceeded to scream. "Chuuuppp!!! [Suuussshhh!!]"

Then the cousin in question stood on a nearby chair. "Akka. Kya baat hai, jiju ka phone itni jaldi.. Bahut besabri hai kisiko. Waise bhi, Photo badi acchi hai." [Sister, what's the deal, yo. It's my brother in law calling. Someone's really impatient. Anyways, this is a really good picture.]

Ishita tried getting hold of her phone only to have it passed a hand from one person to another, finally giving up she looked up to the her cousin, pouted and muttered, "Feel free to talk to that Kud Kud Kumar. I have no interest in talking to him. He'll just start nagging like a bored housewife."

"Did you just say something, sharma mat, we can't hear you."

"Pass the phone, iske pehle ki woh meri class lele."

"Did you hear that? jiju iski class lega, toh class le lene do na, badi romantic hi hogi. Shahrukh jaise jiju mila hai, apna Raj toh bana le. Karle akka, shudh desi romance."

The cousin winked as she received the call and placed it on loudspeaker, "Oye, Madrasan!" Raman's voice echoed through the room. Ishita snatched the phone, switched the call back to handset mode.

"Ji, Raavan Kumar, boliye." She spoke extra sweetly into the handset.

"Suna hai, your daughter had beaten up two boys twice her size."

"Nahi, Ishima. Can your cute si Ru beat such big boys?"

"Ruhanika!" came a stern voice from the other end. Ishita could imagine her baby pout.

"Kyun meri beti ko daant rahe ho Raavan Kumar? [Why are you scolding my daughter, Raavan Kumar?]"

See, Ishima agrees with me. You should be proud of your daughter that she can defend herself."

"So, you agree that you did beat them up, Ruhanika?"

"Haaw, no papa! How could you accuse your darling daughter of such a brave thing. I have you to beat up people for me, like you do for Ishima. My superpapa."

Ishita smiled at the father-daughter conversation going on at the other end of the call, who would have thought that these two didn't even speak to each other less than a year ago. She pictured her daughter opposite Raman, her tiny hands on her hips as she puffed away her fringe whole Raman glared at her. They were so similar.

"Ishita yaar. Ask your daughter what she did, I have to face her principal all over again."

"Again? Raman, define again."

"Papa, you promised."

"So, did you Ruhi."

"But the circumstances were dire."

"Sure, Ruhanika. the circumstances were dire. Makes me wonder who trained in all these abla nari hidden attacks."

"He said he wanted to partner up with me. Boys have cooties papa. BOYS HAVE COOTIES. "

"Yes, boys have cooties!" Raman agreed, as if suddenly remembering the fact.

"Raman!! Kya gundo ko pal rahi hoon mein."

"Boys have cooties, Ishita. Papa's don't have cooties but boys have cooties. Bhagwan bheje dete waqt kya tum jagga jasoosi kar rahi thi?"

"Raman." Ishita sighted clearly exasperated.

"Yeh Raman, Raman kya laga rakha hai. Accha tell me, how was your day with your fellow Madrasans?"

And with that Ishita sat down on the nearest window sill casually chatting with Raman and occasionally their daughter. She smiled and nodded at anyone who came to call her, forgetting them a minute later. So for the hours that came they chatted on about purely mundane things, from her Kanjivaram saree to his Raavan avatar. She asked him about Aditya and he told her about Ruhi. Together they put Ruhi to bed and as usual Ishita fell asleep first followed by a smiling Raman as he sat in his study admiring pictures of his wife and daughter. Raman Bhalla, one of the brightest minds in the nation if not the world refused to admit that he missed his Jhansi ki Rani.

The next morning Ishita was awakened by her internal alarm clock reminding her that she had to wake Ruhi up. So, instinctively she tied her hair into a loose bun and walked out of the room half awake with her eyes shut as she felt her way to the 'kitchen'. When her down self and mildly functional brain both agreed that the place she stood in was the kitchen she stifled a yawn and mumbled, "Neelu, saab ka mocktail laga do, kal ke party ke baad he'll have a hangover. Aur Ruhi ke breakfast ke liye ingredients nikal do. She had demanded pasta last night, my naughty baccha," smiling as she said that, "I'll shower and come back in a moment. And call one of the drivers up. Raman and I are busy and Ruhi needs to be dropped to school. Remind me to remind Raman to tell his accountant to clear mummyji and papaji's accounts. Aur agar gynac se mere liye reports aye toh send them to me instead of Raman, it was so embarassing to ask them back last time. But first baby ka drink tayyar kar dena, you know she has to be fed something as soon as she wake up. Neelu, are you listening to me?" exclaimed a frustrated Ishita only to be met with fits of laughter from the background. "Hadd hai yaar," Ishita explained clearly annoyed now (the influence of her kud kud Kumar). But as she opened her eyes she realised that she stood in a dining room filled with relatives and early rising cousins. Ishita covered her face. Mortified wasn't clearly the expression she could use at the moment, she felt worse. Damn, she was so silly Silly and tired. The amount of work she had as a part of the family was finally taking toll on her.

"Akka, jiju ka phone hai. I think he really misses you. Chalo, let me be the wonderful saali that I am. But the phone will be on loudspeaker ah."

Ishita rolled her half open eyes, she waved her hand and signalled her cousin to hand the phone over only to be met with a mischievous nod indicating a big fat no. So instead o fighting, Ishita slumped her shoulders and with a defeated sigh she signalled her cousin to let her talk, to which her cousin smirked and whispered a "Jeeju, Akka is ready for you" into the phone.

"Ishita yaar, Ruhi ka science project kaha hai and humari beti ki samjha dena ki she is getting no Madrasi breakfast from me today. And that I am not entering a South Indian restaurant for that. Har din tumhari boriyat kam padti hai usse ki ab bahar ka Madrasi khana maangane pe tuli hai."

"Haaye, mere kud kud Kumar. Good morning naam ki bhi cheez hoti hai baba."

"Good morning, Ishitaji. Ab kaam ki baat karein?" Ishita could feel the sarcasm drip from the tone of his voice.

"Raavan Kumar. Chalo."

"Ruhi ka project."

"Ruhi ke room mein, uske PS4 ke niche wale cupboard mein hoga. Uska submission aah toh nahi hai."

"Ji madam, aaj hi hai."

"Raman, maine yeh number emergency mein use karne ko kaha tha. Yeh thodi emergency hai. Mere pass bhi phone hai na."

"Did you even change your phone? and this is an emergency.. Apki beti ne do ladko ko jo peeta hai. Aur ap ke lecture se thodi kam pak jata hoon ki jaake uske principal ke sunu?"

"Ishima ka phone hai?" came a loud squeal from the other end.

"Ruhi, pehle Mihika se apne baal bana lo."

"No, papa. Mornin' Mama. Ruhi ka morning wala kiss kaha hai?"

"Morning Ru baby. Ishima na apko apka kissy selfie mein bhej deti hoon. Okay, baby. Par ap itni morning morning papa ko tang kyu kar rahi ho, baby?"

"Papa ne apse kitni rudely bath ki, papa ko phir boycott karein?" Ruhi giggled.

"Kaise maa beti se pala pada hai yaar. Ruhi, breakfast karlo, school nahi jana? Ishita, phone charge karlo aur kam mat karna varna utha ke vapas le aunga."

And the call disconnected, to which Ishita smiled and shook her head. Her mischievous brats.

Subbu's wife, Nalini, was in like with her husband. She was his class mate who like his carefree attitude in life. His rebellious nature which was accompanied by his care a damn attitude. From the moment everyone started teasing them together or instinctively pairing them up in hopes of getting them together, her decisions were affected by him. Her choices and her dreams and then came Ishita.

Nalini and her friends had once decided to follow Subbu during their summer vacation. It had been a simple dare given by her younger sister who had called her up informing her about the first snow fall in Nainital that season, the place where her parents had relocated to recently, owing the move to their jobs.

"Confess di, every lie is forgiven on the day of the first snow", she had said. So her friends and she had decided that they would hunt Subbu down that day and that she, Nalini, would confess her love to him. What she hadn't expected to see was Subbu at the movies with his elder brother, his brother's girlfriend and another girl who was wearing Subbu's jacket.

That was the first time Nalini had met Ishita- the girl who gave her worst nightmares a sense of reality. And today, seven years of marriage to Subbu fuelled by her one sided love Ishita stood there again - the woman who had the power to tear apart everything Nalini had struggled to build.