The Binding String

S I X T Y - F O U R

"You're one kind of wife who don't trouble her husband especially in her pregnancy phase." Ishita chuckled listening Santhosh words, continued to sip water. "Puttar I feel you're going to have baby girl. You know when I was pregnant with Simmi the entire phase passed smoothly but when I was pregnant with Raman, and it was a hell rollar coaster ride. I used to puke all day." Ishita chuckled enjoying her mother in law hilarious expressions. She made herself comfortable until Romi appeared in the living hall dressed up in casuals. "Oye khotte! Drive safely and take care of her."

"Don't worry Taiji. We will not leave Bhabhi alone." Romi fetched keys from the stand and forwarded his hand to Ishita. She took support of his hand and steadied herself, they bid the couple adieu and walked towards the main door. Romi has planned to pick his friends from their house, his friends were excited to enjoy the biggest corporate event organised by leading MNC group of the country. Ishita chose to sit on passenger seat where Romi three friends secured backseat including Sarika. Ishita smiled at the three and they drove towards PSR Cultural Centre.

PSR Cultural Centre is the newly built Cultural Hub spread in acres, in the country capital. It's a newly inaugurated park which had auditoriums, drive in theatres and open air auditoriums for different cultural event. Ishita saw the banners of PSR all around as their car drove towards the open air auditorium. They showed their passes to the manager and all of them escorted by the programme executives. The open air auditorium was nicely built in the middle of PSR Cultural Centre, surrounded with lush trees, it had a design like step well, providing seats on the steps. Ishita removed the pallu from her shoulders as the cool breeze hit her, she can listen the strings of sitar from the distance, the performance had started already. Her VIP passes allowed her to take front row seats but she felt awkward to go there especially when the concert had started. She can see her husband sitting in the front seat surrounded with officials, she chose to sit in fifth or sixth row rather than grabbing all attention.

Woh jo hum mein tum mein, qaraar tha. Tumhe yaad hoke bhi na, yaad ho.

Vahi yaani vaada nibhaah kaa tumhein yaad ho ke naa yaad ho.

(That steadiness we had between us, you might remember or you might not
That promise of staying together, you might remember or you might not.)

The next gazal had started and Ishita felt her breaths hitched. It's been one of her favourite gazal, the couplets written by Urdu Poet Hakim Momin Khan Momin. This ghazal has been sung by various artists from veteran artists to contemporary one, she has listened to almost every version of this soulful ghazal during her college days from Ghulam Ali, Begum Akhtar, Usha Uthup, Nayyara Noor to Madhurani, Pankaj Udhaas, Abida Parveen, Farida Khanum and Talat Aziz and everyone has sung it with beauty but what attracted her more it's each snd every word of this Urdu poetry describing the pain of a lover who seems longing and missing his/her partner. She made Raman familiar with this ghazal years back when they were vacationing in the Germany. She couldn't help to stop herself from smiling remembering that cold night at Munich when he took her for a concert.

"Are you crying? Really? Ishita Bhalla is crying?" Raman teased his wife who was walking along him hands in hands. The tip of her nose turned red in the freezing cold making it look like a cherry.

"I ain't." Ishita rubbed her nose making a pissed face.

"Honestly I didn't got a word of that gazals. Urdu is not my cup of tea."

"It's beautiful! I have been in the love with this language since University days. These couplets define the plight of the lovers are longing for the lost love once they had, the promises they broke, the smiles they lost. The love replaced by silence, the fights took over promises." Ishita sighed and looked back at Raman who was looking at her intently. They were standing on the footway near the lamppost. Ishita bit her lower lip trying to read her husband emotions through his eyes which never reached to her mind. She felt his arms wounded around her and the warmth engulfed her.