P.s.: Need some encouraging, its pretty hard [Read A/N below]. Help my spamming this chapter, please! Your comments are energy boosters!
Happy reading!!!
Bondita's p.o.v
"Bondita didi!!!"
An ear-piercing scream from Tapur was the first response I got after silencing everyone else by introducing myself at my 'Mayka'. Not that I'm complaining about it. After so much adventure and heart breaks, it actually felt like music to ears – knowing someone really cared about me the way I wanted them to. Unlike some others...
"Didi! Didi! Didi!" Tapur ran and enclosed me in a bone-crushing hug.
"Tapur" I acknowledged back, clutching her cheeks and beaming at her in return.
"Bondita?" Maa more like murmured to herself.
"Haan Maa. Mein tumhari Bondita hi hoon"
I nodded at Tapur and made my way towards her. A silent tear strolled down one of cheek her but she wiped it almost immediately and turned away from me.
"Kyun aayi ho yahan?" she enquired accusingly.
"Kyun aayi ho? Mein apni ghar nahi aa sakti? Apni Maa, behn aur Thaku Maa se mil nahi sakti?" I gave my signature pose – hands on my hips.
"Itni parvah thi apni Maa ki toh itni der kyun ki tumne? Tum London se aake apni Maa se milna toh zaroori nahi samjha na? Aj itne maheenon baad apni Maa, behn aur Thaku Maa ki yaad keise aagayi tumhe?" she pointed out.
"Ah!" I relaxed myself and smiled sheepishly "Toh yeh baat hai" I slowly stepped forward and engulfed her in a back hug "Apni Bondita ko maaf kar do na Maa. Apni uss galti ko sudharne hi toh mein wapas aayi hoon! Dekho mein tumhare liye kya kya laayi hoon. Kambal, mithayiyaan aur haan" I released her and opened my bag to retrieve my special gift for her "Yeh dekho" I whirled to face her and kept the piece of cloth to see how it looks on her "Tumhare liye khaas London street se sweater laayi hoon. Tune chitti mein likhi thi na ki tumhe dhand se takleef ho rahi hai. Yeh pehnkar soyegi na, toh thand tumhare paas tak aane ki himmat nahi karegi, shotti!" I pinched my throat.
She snatched the sweater and threw it away.
"Dhat pagli! Tumhe kya lagta hai, mein tumhari in taufon se maan jayegi? Mujhe yeh sab nahi, apni beti chahiye!"
"Khud ko bhi toh layi hoon na mein. Tumhari beti hi toh tumhare paas hai" I showed my best ever puppy eyes "Gale nahi lagaungi apni beti ko?"
She snorted and pounced on me for a big, long, warming, motherly hug. I relaxed myself in her hold, feeling peace after so long in my life. The wonders of a mother!
"Matlab... tumne mujhe maaf kiya?" I tried.
"Chalo" she leaned back and caressed my cheek "Maaf kiya tumhe" she completed with a wet kiss on my forehead.
My grin widened, only for it to freeze in mid-air not after a minute.
"Maafi aur karz, donon bina soche samjhe nahi dena chahiye!"
With a semi-pleasant smile, I turned to face the owner of the voice.
"Thaku Maa" I leaned forward and took her blessings.
Her hand graced my hair and she murmured some blessing.
"Saalon baad apni Mayka keise yaad aagayi tumhe?"
"Woh... Bohot din hogaye hai na sabse milke, isiliye socha..." I trailed off.
Her eyes swept from up and down my body. I internally cringed at the fact that I was still wearing that cotton saree from our act. Luckily, she decided to not utter a word about it. But I'm sure she already has her guesses for my attire. Then her gaze swept from left to right and finally fixed on me with a new found life.
"Akele aayi ho?"
Well... Here goes nothing.
"Haan"
A single eyebrow rose on her forehead.
"Iss baar kya kiya hai uss Anirudh Roy Chowdhary ne?"
I internally sighed. How come she know it every single time?
"Kuch bhi toh nahi. Pati babu aana chahte the lekin unhe achanak kaam ke silsile se Culcutta jana pada"
"Zyada baat, zyada laat. Tabhi samjhe mard jaat" she shook her head smugly, expressing pretty well she didn't buy my latest lie.
Oh, she had one reserved for men too? I never knew...
"Yeh sab chodo, didi ap batao! Mere liye kuch nahi laye?"
Thanking Tapur internally, I turned to her with a broad smile. Thank Dugga Maa, I'm rescued at least for now.
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A yellowish orange leaf floated down ever so slowly to place itself on my head. I smiled and pulled it out of my open hair. In front of me, the whole river bank is covered with the same leaves – decorating the ground in a mixture of hues. Some of them floated along the crystal clear water surface, creating beautiful ripples here and there. I sighed and sat down on the big rock overlooking the entire river bank. It's been ages since I've been here – probably fifteen years or so...
The last time Baba brought me here, I remember him and I drenching each other by splashing water and even making mud houses. A smile touched my lips. I missed him since then. I miss him every single day.
"Kyun? Tum bhul gayi ki meine tumse kya bola tha uss din?"
That voice brought me out of my thoughts. My smile widened and I turned to face the man sitting beside me.
"Jab bhi tumhe meri zaroorat ho, jab bhi tumhe mujhse baat karne ka mann ho, toh turant yahan, humare iss Badmash ghar aa jana Mishti Sinhi"
"Apke shabdon ko mein bhala keise bhul sakti hoon Baba?" I replied.
This is probably just a dream. No, it is a dream! Because beside me sat my deceased Baba, wearing that favourite light green Kurta of his. His features are still the same – young flawless skin, dark, mysterious, loving eyes, strong physique and raven black hair. It was really him – my Baba.
"Toh batao. Aisa kya hogaya ki tumhe apne Baba se milna pada?"
"Mein khud ko kho rahi hoon Baba... Mujhe darr hai mein kahi -"
I stopped abruptly, not knowing how to stop the tears that threatened to fall from my eyes.
"Kisi aur ko apne dil dene mein koyi galti nahi hai Mishti Sinhi. Balki hum apna dil sirf unko dete hai jis par humein khud se zyada bharosa hai. Kyunki humein yakeen hai ki humse zyada woh humara khayal rakhenge. Kyunki humein yakeen hai ki woh uss dil ko khone ke bare mein kabhi sochenge bhi nahi"
"Aur agar woh humara dil lena nahi chahte toh? Agar usi insaan ne uss dil ko toda hai toh?" I dared to question.
Baba looked at me for the first time, his expression nothing but pure fatherly love.
"Toh wapas jod denge" he shrugged.
"Agar woh dil marammat ke pare hai toh?"
"Ek naya lakar tumhe phir se zinda kar denge" his eyes never left mine.
I scoffed.
"Dil toh ek hi hota hai na? Zindagi toh ek hi hai na?"
"Nahi" he shook his head "Ek insaan apni zindagi mein ek baar nahi, baar baar mar sakte hai. Uss har ek samay use lagta hai ki uski zindagi wahi ke wahi khatam ho jayegi. Lekin aisa nahi hota. Pata hai sach mein kya hota hai?"
I shook my head in a no, utterly confused yet hopeful.
"Woh phir se zinda ugte hai. Ek nayi soch se, nayi seekh se, nayi aasha se, apni nayi zindagi jeene lagte hai. Jeena aur marna yahan nahi" he tapped his heart with a finger "Yahan hai" then he tapped the side of his forehead.
It took a while for his words to sink in. After ample time, I dared to ask again.
"Mein kya karun Baba? Mujhe nahi pata kya sahi hai kya galat. Mujhe nahi pata ki humare rishte se mujhe ab kya ummeed rakhni chahiye. Mujhe nahi pata ki Pati babu ke dil mein kya hai. Mujhe nahi pata ki hum donon... hum donon kya hai. Kya hai hum donon? Pati-Patni? Barrister-Jodi? Dosth? Kya hai hum donon?"
"Tum donon in sabhi se bhi bada aur behtar hai Mishti Sinhi"
He smiled a loving, mysterious, adoring and smug smile, caressing my cheek.
"Tum donon toh Anirudh aur Bondita hai"
Anirudh's p.o.v
"Yeh wala doon ya yeh wala?"
"Ek kaam karo, woh wala de do"
"Yeh wala?"
"Haan wahi"
"Kyun? Mujhe toh yeh wala zyada acha lag raha hai"
"Woh dikhne mein acha hai lekin chota hai. Doosra bada hai toh zyada awaz aur zyada tukda dega"
"Right Barrister Anirudh, yeh wala denge hum"
The freak in white finally presented me with the vase of their choice after ample discussions with his subordinate – Barrister Anirudh. Yes that's right, I'm in the middle another session of Mission Torture Anirudh!
"Ise bhi lelo aur phod do, jeise tumne baki sab phoda hai iss kamre mein" Sportsman Anirudh beamed at me while the other gave an encouraging smile and a thumps up.
I let my eyes wander around the room covered with broken bits of glasses, vases, bits of papers and even wooden planks.
"Meine kaha na mujhe akela chod do" I seethed in anger, trying hard to not get up from the sofa and strangle the minions in front of me.
"Na, na, na. We can't leave you alone" Sportsman Anirudh shook his head.
"Humein tumse bohot zaroori baatein karna hai. Aur weise bhi, hum tumhare tarah baaton ko chupakar nahi rakhte" the other in coat continued.
"Kya chupaya hai meine?" I crossed my arms and challenged the torturers.
Both of them shared a glance before bursting out laughing. There they go again!
"Apne dil ki baat" Sportsman Anirudh informed while struggling between his breaths.
"Tumne Bondita se abhi tak apne dil ki baat kaha hai?" Barrister Anirudh questioned.
"Mein Bondita se baat karoon ya na karoon uss se tum donon ka kya matlab?" I exploded.
"Err... Kyunki humara kaam hi yahi hai?" Sportsman Anirudh offered dubiously.
"Anirudh!!!"
That sound from Kaka interrupted our conversation and then, Kaka slammed onto the doors.
"Anirudh darwaza kholo! Kab tak andar hi beidhe rahoge tum? Anirudh!" he rammed into it with impressive strength.
Barrister Anirudh showed his eyes while Sportsman Anirudh pointed his thump finger – both encouraging me to open the door. Sighing to myself, I dragged myself towards the door and opened it.
Bad decision! Why, you ask? Well, the whole Roy Chowdhary parivar was waiting for me outside. That's the problem. I groaned and marched back to my previous seat.
"Hey Dugga Maa, yeh kya halat bana diya iss kamre ka Anirudh?" Kaka started.
"Anirudh tumhe chot toh nahi lagi na?" I heard Baba question.
"Acha yeh sab chodo, yeh batao yeh bache kya bol rahe hai? Bahu Krishna Nagar chali gayi?"
Oh please! Why can't they leave me alone?!
"Hum kitni baar bole Kaka, haan! Boudi wapas apne ghar chali gayi, Dada ko chodkar"
My eyes shot up to Batuk. He should've seen the fire in my eyes because he winced back with an "Ow!". And yes, Rudhira stepped on his foot too.
"Aise keise bina bataye ja sakti hai woh?! Wapas aane do use, iss baar saza dekar hi rahenge hum" Kaka muttered to himself.
"Mujhe nahi lagta Boudi wapas aayenge" Batuk managed yet another time, earning another kick from Rudhira.
Now, now, where is that vase I was... From his position, Sportsman Anirudh offered it up for me. I eyed him incredulously before suppressing my urge to throw that vase at my dear brother's head.
"Kya matlab hai tumhara? Bahu wapas kyun nahi aayegi? Arre agar use..." Kaka trailed off, obviously putting together two and two.
All the blood drained from his face and I knew he now understood the gravity of the situation. His eyes shot up to mine and I immediately pulled mine down. I don't want to see his face.
"An-Anirudh!" Kaka managed "Tum abhi bhi yahan beidhe ho? Arre jao Krishna Nagar aur lekar aao use!" he ordered.
"Nahi Kaka" I stood up determined.
"Nahi matlab?" That was Baba. He adjusted his chashma before continuing "Tumhe jana hoga Anirudh. Use manakar wapas lekar aana hoga"
"Mein kyun jaun? Woh yahan se Krishna Nagar tak ka rasta janti hai toh wapas aane ka bhi rasta pata hoga use"
"Dada ap aisi baatein kyun kar rahe hai?" Som enquired dumbfounded.
"Keisi baatein Som?" I challenged.
He swallowed and pulled himself back. But that look from me wasn't enough for Kaka to continue.
"Anirudh! Apni Patni ko wapas lana tumhara-"
"Kaka please! Bondita sirf meri Patni hi nahi balki ek swathantru aurat bhi hai. Agar woh apne ghar jana chahti hai toh use rokne wala mein kaun hoon?"
"Uska Pati!" Kaka shouted.
"Nahi Kaka! Ek Pati ko bhi apni Patni ke faislon mein dakhal andaz karne ka adhikar nahi hai" I puffed up my chest.
"Lekin Anirudh yahan baat kuch aur hai. Yeh tum bohot achi tarah jante hai" Baba reminded.
Out of the corner of my eye, I can see the two minions who unfortunately looks like me shaking their heads in agreement.
"Baat wahi hai jo mein samajh raha hoon Baba! Bondita iss ghar mein rehna nahi chahti isiliye woh apne ghar chali gayi. Bas!" I squared my shoulders.
"Anirudh tum -"
Kaka couldn't complete his sentence because someone interrupted.
"Rukiye! Sab log please chup ho jayiye" Laya shouted.
When the commotion ended, she slowly started speaking.
"Kya mein Anirudh dada se akele mein baat kar sakti hoon?"
Everyone blinked at her while Som clutched her hands for his dear life, his eyes clearly saying Why-are-you-jumping-into-the-fire? She just squeezed his palm and let it go. Squaring her shoulders, she entered the room and closed the door behind her.
"Kya batana hai tumhe?" I massaged my eyes and sighed in relaxation.
"Dada apko sujhav dene wala mein koyi nahi hoon lekin phir bhi ek baat kehna chahungi... Dada hum aurat na, hum duniya ke sabse jatil jeev hai. Humein samajhna, humari baaton ko samajhna mushkil hi nahi namumkin hai" she giggled sadly "Apko pata hai? Kabhi kabhi humein khud apni bhavanayein aur baatein samajh nahi aati. Kisi aur ko humein samajhna itna bhi aasan nahi hoga"
I waved a hand dismissively and interrupted.
"Laya tum kehna kya chahte ho?"
"Mein bas itna kehne ki koshish kar rahi hoon ki bhale hi Bondita ne yahan kisi se bina bataye apne ghar gayi ho, lekin iska matlab yeh hona zaroori nahi hai ki woh apni poori marzi se apne ghar gayi hai. Ap yeh nahi soch sakte ki woh yahan iss ghar mein hum sab ke sath – apke sath – rehna nahi chahti. Aisa bhi toh ho sakta hai ki woh chahti hai ki ap use lene, use manane, use samjhane wahan jaye"
"Bondita aisa kyun karegi Laya?" I enquired annoyed.
She shrugged and thought for a moment.
"Kyunki shayad woh khud nahi janti ki use kya chahiye? Apko bas use samjhana hai. Uss se apne dil ki baat batana hai. Use yakeen dilana hai ki ap sach mein uss se... Ap samajh rahe hai na?"
It took a moment for her words to sink in but gradually it did. And just like that, I got an entirely different perspective of the situation. A smile crept up my lips and I beamed at Laya for being my saviour of the moment.
"Thank you Laya! Thank you so much" I jumped up my feet and resisted my urge to hug her.
Behind Laya, Barrister Anirudh and his companion beamed at me with a stupid grin plastered over their faces. Those grin simply said we're-glad-you-finally-got-your-screws-tight. I narrowed my eyes at them.
"Ab zyada daat mat dikhao mujhe" I hissed at them.
Laya jumped and turned around.
"Err... Meine kab daat dikhayi?"
"Arre nahi nahi, mein tumse nahi uss safed savar pagal Anirudh se baat raha hoon"
"Um... theek... hai... mein... jaun?" she questioned dubiously.
Why is she flustered all of a sudden?
"Haan haan jane do bichari ko" Barrister Anirudh instructed.
"Tum mujhe aadesh mat do! Mein janta hoon kya karna hai!" I snapped at him.
"Err... Dada?"
"Nahi mein uss Barrister Anirudh se baat kar raha tha. Tum chodo aur haan, tum ja sakti ho. Thank you Laya" I dismissed her off with gratitude.
She smiled nervously and nearly ran away from me. But before getting out, she turned and enquired.
"Dada ap bohot jald hi Bondita se milenge na?"
"Haan Laya, kyun?"
Relief flood over her.
"Phir koyi baat nahi. Chalti hoon"
What was that all about? Whatever! I've much better things to focus on. Much better scenarios to dream about. Much better matters to plan. Much better objectives to accomplish.
Mrs Bondita Anirudh Roy Chowdhary, I'm coming for you!
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Jaanus!
I'M SO SO SO SO SO SO SO SO SO SORRY!!!
I don't plan to make excuses but I was caught up in a frenzy. I had to run for my university admissions and then the show wasn't helping [not to offend anyone] and then I got into a new book and couldn't release myself from its grip and also, since I ditched Social Media long b4, I didn't see any of your messages.
Actually, I stopped watching the show and then kinda went into a hard time with my inner self. This topic is not up for discussion so pls no fighting here. I just wanted you all to understand that I wasn't in a good mood to write. Not just show but my personal life was also kinda exhausting with all the admission procedures sucking my breath out! I had to find myself back and it took time. I apologize from the depth of my heart. Ily all for your care and love!
Interviews will be coming soon... [I hope]
There are no winners for GG this time. The answer was Baba [Eeeeeeeeee]
I Jeene Ki Wajah You all
[Coz you all are kinda that at the moment. Life is hard, u see]
Z,
MS