Ghungroo,Ek Sundar Sapna✨(republished)

6.

"Dekha Siddh!! Mai jeet gayi !! Siu baby ko bhi congratulations bolna, wo runner up hai junior's category mein!!" Sana exclaimed proudly, checking the notice board in the registration  office.

"Kya Sanu! Result hi 1 mahine baad aaya tum logo ka! Ab inaam kab milenge???"

"Aree Siddhu Buddhu! Parso hai prize distribution. Waise aaj mera Kathak performance hai mandir mein, tu aayga dekhne?"

"Haan haan...mai kyu nahi aunga? Waise tujhe scientist banna hai ya dancer?"

"Dono banungi! Dance meri jaan hai maths aur science mere kidneys hain!! Acha abhi  bakwas chhod jaldi chal..aaj mere superhero ka birthday hai, kanha ji ke birthday ke sath!! Mujhe papa ko wish karne jaana hai performance khatam hote hi"

.

"Ajju ye kya haal bana rakha kamre ka. Aur ye kya tune ek saal purana newspape---- 

Oyeeee!!! Ye toh apni Sana hai!!! Aree waahhh..badi talented hai teri kudi "  Lt. Abeer Pahwa said entering the barrack after the rigorous drill in the freezing cold of Ladakh, only to find his dear friend Ajinkya who had returned 3 mins before him, sobbing. Every army officer has a buddy who is a sahayak. He takes care of the officer and the officer takes care of the buddy. Abeer has been Ajinkya's buddy since they had been urgently posted in Ladakh due to the raging India-China conflict.

"Dance has been her shortcut to happiness, she seeks solace in it yaara. Guddu aur Neeti ke jaane ke baad, bohot akeli si ho gayi wo. Mai bhi uska saath nahi de paya. Tab mujhse kuch nahi boli. Yeh kehti ki already aapke upar country ki zimmewari hai, tension ni leni aapki Naumi kar legi. Khud se seekhi dance wo. Uski dream hai professional dancer and scientist banna. Lekin kuch dino se na mujhe uska behaviour weird lag raha hai. Mera wo jaahil aur harami baap kuch ulta seedha na kare!! "

"Haan haan tune bataya tha apne baap ke baare mein. Wese tu roh kyu raha hai veere?? Tu theek aan? Tera birthday hai aaj khush reh!!"

" Hmm..Yaad aa rahi uski,aaj phone zroor kregi"

.

"Chal Sid performance ka time hone vala. Mai ghungroo le aayi Brijwasi bhaiya ki amma se" saying this she quickly grabbed his hand and both of them rushed to the mandir. Soon the performance began.

(Dance & song for reference)

"Band karo yeh naach gaana..Aaj shaam is ladki ki shaadi hai sab aana, abhi ham chalte hai hame tayaria karni hai" Ajeet Upreti screamed, disrupting the beautiful janmashtami celebration, dragging Sana with him..Sid sneakily followed them home.

"Baba hamein ye shaadi nahi karni baba! Please baba! "

"Ladki hai tujhe zinda rehne dia wohi bohot hai, ab badbad band kar ye saree pehen aur ye payal band pair mein."

"Nahi karni na ise ye shaadi to aap iske saath aisa kyu kar rahe ho! Ise payal nahi ghungroo pasand hain! " Siddh said interjecting in between the convo from outside the window.

"Tu hatt yahan se ladke! Mere parivar ke maamle mein mat aa!! " He harshly scolded Sid, driving him away with his cane.

"Tu, chup ho ja!! Teri ek baat nahi sunni hai hamein ! Do angrezi ke shabd kya aa gaye zabaan ladaygi hamse?"

"Par baba!"

"Par var kuch nahi ,samjhi! Mera beta jo hai na ,tera baap, wo bada hi bhola hai bichara ! Aree use to tujhe tab hi khatm kar dena chahiye tha jab pata laga tha ladki hui hai! Lekin nahi! Are bhala ladki ke paida hone par bhi koi utsav manata hai? Wo to teri us manhoos behen ko bhi rakhne ko taiyaar tha..Acha hua mar gayi!! Ladkia to baap ke sir par bojh hoti hain bojh! Tera baap jisse pehle wapas aaye, usse pehle teri shaadi karwa dunga mai !Jaake apne pati ke sir pe naach! Joote ke nok pe rakhega tab hi akal thikane aygi teri ,Samjhi?"

"Deeya ko kuch mat bolo"

"Ab tu mujhe bataygi mai kya bolu ya nahi? Chup-chap kamre mein ja ke kapde badal . Mai bazar se aur samaan la raha hoon"

She could never tolerate a word against her sister. She always yearned to play with her and pamper her like all big siblings usually do. She had been the most excited person when the news of her beloved mother's 3rd pregnancy broke out.

She and her older brother,Arjun had a huge age-gap of 9 years. Arjun was a sweet child and a responsible sibling who would flatter his younger sister every now and then and Sana would jump into his arms as soon as he would return from school.  Yes, it had been a 'family' of 4 of them in their little nest, happy being deserted by their grandfather. But alas! The span of happiness lasted for the famiy only until 3 years of Sana's birth. The children's chachu had moved out of the village due to his job  and this is when their grandfather moved in with them. Her parents reluctantly agreed as Ajeet Upreti had nowhere to go to.

That's when the manipulation game started. Arjun's very human and healthy spirit was crippled by his "crippled" grand father. His grandfather successfully turned him into a selfish narcissist like him .His grand father drilled into his head that girls are only capable of being subordinates of a man and whatever his father taught him about feminism was not true. Arjun started turning a lot bitter to his mother and sister after being brainwashed by their grandfather.

When Arjun turned 16 and Sana 7, their little sister was born. Sana was overjoyed to hold that little human in her arms. Arjun too,wanted to have a glimpse at the new addition to the family only to be stopped by the venomous words of his grandfather which rewinded in his brain. The baby could not survive more than 12 hours being premature, and she grew her angel wings and flew away, leaving her family members heartbroken. Their mother couldn't fathom the loss of the little being whom she had nurtured in her womb and thought that it was all because of her that the baby died and she jumped off from the hospital's 7th floor, leaving her two grief stricken children and a husband alone. After these incidents, Arjun's attitude towards Sana changed a lot as he was already suffocated with the guilt of being rude to his mother, that he could not leave his younger sister alone amidst the chaotic condition of the house. The two shared  a wholesome hug on the tehravi of Parineeta and Deeya and vowed to protect and support each other. But again, their ruthless grandfather made an entry, isolating the siblings from each other. He restricted Sana's entry in his and Arjun's part of the house and forbade Arjun from going near her.  After a whole year to the tragedy, one fine day, when Arjun came to tell him about his collage sweetheart Shreya, and their deep desire to marry each other after they passed collage, their grandfather  talked with Shreya's only family member, her  distant 45 year old uncle, and he came up with this "masterplan" to marry of his granddaughter first to her uncle as he, being the legal guardian agreed to give Shreya's hand in marriage only if he could abide with the rules of an aata-saata marriage.

"Chikki..kya ho gaya? " Arjun came rushing down the stairs as he had heard his grandfather roaring down .

"Bhaiyyaa!! Aap itne time baad aaye mujhse milne. Aapko baba mujhse milne hi nahi dete hai!!" Sana sniffed, jumping into his arms for a hug.

"Kya karu mai chikki..Dada aane nahi deta na..Seedhiyan bhi college ke liye upar ke floor pe hi banwa di hai..Tu kyu ro rahi chhutku?"He asked rubbing her back.

"Meri shaadi krwa rahe hain baba..Kanan karke hai koi..Mujhe nahi karni shaadi bhaiya..Nahi karni mujhe!!"

"Paagal hai kya ye dada!! Shreya ke mama se teri shaadi krwa rahe! Shreya ne bataya tha bohot ghatiya hai wo!! Despite marriage being illegal until one turns 18!! Wthhh!! Chikki tu ek kaam kar jaldi se 10 minute mein apna samaan leke aa idhar pack krke baba ke aane se pehle!! Papa ke ek friend hain Abeer uncle unki wife Gurugram mein rehti hain..Mai apne dost ko kehta hoon ki tujhe unke yahan le jaye aaj ki bus se..Ja jaldi pack kar beta!!"

So..this was the last part. Epilogue 2 weeks baad post hoga.

Happy reading!!