The Gods have meant That I should dance And in some mystic hour I shall move to unheard rhythms Of the cosmic orchestra of heaven And you will know the language Of my wordless poems And will come to me For that is why I dance.
Faith and initiative rightly combined, remove mountains, barriers and achieve the unheard of and the miraculous.
***
"What magic did you do? Papa ke saath dosti kaise ho gayi, achanak?" Shehnaaz asked wondering when they were alone on the couch in the living room.
"Bas, you said to spell my charm and I did!" He lay down on the couch feeling relaxed. Heads on the sofa arms and legs on her lap.
"Kuch bhi... bolo na... jao flashback mode on karo aur detail main batao... I want details!" she snapped her fingers to know every single piece of information.
"You get so snoopy sometimes..." he giggled. "Acha chal batatha huin. We were quiet for a few moments in the elevator and stairs. When he saw the view, his face beamed. Then I started the conversation, showed him a few places which we can see from the terrace, that's when we made plans to visit those in person and I added a few other places of interest. But ek baat hain, tera baap mast movie buff hain. He is like you in many ways, once he starts to talk then there is no stopping."
Shehnaaz chuckled hearing that, "Woh toh hain! I can talk a lot... Singing toh mera second passion hain, talking is my first!" she giggled pressing his heels and snapping the toes for which she received a moan from him. "Dard ho raha?" she asked.
"Haan yaar, bahut dino ke baad gym start kara hain na, full body main pain ho raha hain. Though, I don't mind it... It's a good pain, you know." He forwarded his other foot for the same treatment.
"Pain bhi good and bad hotey hain?"
"Haan... of course yeh meetha dard hain. This pain says that my workout is helping me build muscles and whatever I am doing is benefitting me."
"I hate Gym! Breathing exercises karo lo, it's easy and helps me with singing, diet kara lo, shopping and walking karo lo... but gym is so boring" sitting on the other end of the sofa she pressed his calf and asked him to continue. "Woh sab chodo, what happened next, tell me that"
"He also has somewhat of the same ideology about gym, like you, when he asked me about my fitness. I gave him some tips and asked him to join me at the gym tomorrow so that I can show him some exercises to reduce his belly and some general cardio tips to have a healthy body."
"Sahi hain... waise Papa bade lazy type hain. Kaam karva lo, but gym sym... nope. Don't make him do much tomorrow. Apne jaisa mat samaj lena unko, ki josh josh main ek hi din sab kar lo. Ek piece main Delhi wapas bejhna hain unhe, Mumma ke paas."
"Hmmm..." he hummed with closed eyes, enjoying her fingers doing magic to his aching legs.
"Neend aa rahi hain?" she asked, giving a tickle to his feet.
"Hmm..." giving no reaction to her tickle.
"Room main jaa ke so jao" she suggested.
"Tu bhi chal" he demanded.
"Nahi... please understand na... Papa..." she pleaded.
He scoffed and took his feet away from her and pushed her out of the couch and dropping her in the floor.
"Jaa phir yahan kyun baiti hain?"
She sat in a single seater sofa across him and twisted her mouth in anger, "Tumhe nahi lagta tum bahut jayda advantage le rahe ho mere achepan ka. Main na bahut patient huin tumahre saath warna badi kutti cheez huin main. College main sab darthey the mere se. Par yahan toh koi value hi nahi hain meri. Sahi hain! Kya kare... Ek hastart hai ki kabhi wo bhi hume manaye, par ye kambakht dil kabhi unse ruthta hi nahi."
"Acha teek hain. Shayar banne ki jarurat nahi hain. Chali jaana tere Bapu ke paas, thodi der aur ruk yahan... gaana ga koi" he requested.
"Hayee tum maan gaye itni jaldi. Muhe laga ab pata nahi kitne papad bhelne padenge!" she giggled saying that.
"Gaana ga jaldi" he said irritated, opening one eye making a frown face.
"How rude! Where is my Sidharthhh... jao koi dund ke lao... Jo mere samne baitha hain jab dekho gussa kartha rehta hain..." she chortled her throat and hummed to sync her voice to tune and then started to sing looking at him who was already looking at her amused.
"Barsaat bhi aakar chali gayi
Baadal bhi garaj kar baras gaye
Par uski ek jhalak ko hum
Ae husn ke maalik taras gaye
Kab pyaas bujhegi aankhon ki
Din-raat ye dukhda rehta hain.
Mere saamne waaley sofey mein
Ek chaand ka tukda baita hai
Afsos ye hai ke vo hamse
Kuchh ukhda ukhda rehta hain"
He replied singing in the same tune with his heavy voice, "Really! Afsos ye hai ki vo humse kuch dur dur rehti hain!" smiling sleazily.
"Hayee... jab dekho tumhare saath fevicol ki tarah chipki rehti huin, aur kya karun main? Tum na pak jaoge thodey din main"
"Tch... kabhi nahi" he opened his one arm and signaled her to come to him. She jumped in his arms, and they chatted for hours sitting/laying on the couch, making plans, fighting, settling, singing, in silence and finally sleeping on the couch across from each other, head in the sofa arms and legs tangled with each other.
It was almost midnight when Santhosh Ahluwalia came out of the room to find Shehnaaz, when he realized, she had not come to the room yet to sleep. Living room lights were still on. Air conditioning had made the room very cold. He saw both Shehnaaz and Sidharth sleeping peacefully on the couch. Away from each other, still strongly connected. He saw her curled up like a ball on her sides due to cold and he laid flat with one leg straight stopping her to fall and one bend in support of the sofa.
He went towards her and lightly tapped her shoulders to wake her and asked her to sleep in the room. The movement disturbed Sidharth's sleep too and he too without a word retired to his room.
Early morning, the house was awake. Sidharth and Santhosh went to the gym around 8am. Mom and Preeti were in the kitchen. The servant maid was doing her chores. Shehnaaz was showing her singing talent to Shradda and Suchi in Sidharth's bed. School was still closed, and they were enjoying this time and the company in the home.
At around 11ish after having breakfast, Shehnaaz said, "Papa, Karou ka phone aaya tha. He said electricity and water is back in our apartment and the water is also cleared. We can go there now"
"Haan haan, main toh kab se ready huin. Luggage bhi ready hain, tu bas Shera ko call ke bula le yahan." He happily said.
"Aree Shehnaaz lunch karke jathey na" Preeti said.
"Nahin di, already itna heavy breakfast kar liya. Ghar jaake, Sidharth, main aur Papa gumne jaa rahen hain. Bahar hi kuch kha lenge baad main" she explained.
Sidharth was upset about her leaving but when she included him in her plan he was pleased.
"Waise di, I was thinking if Shradda and Suchi can also come with me"
Both girls got excited hearing their names and yelled in unison, "Yes... Yes... Yes... I want to go too... Please mom... please"
Seeing their puppy faces and eyes Preeti couldn't say no to them and all of them travelled to her apartment in her white car. She insisted that going together would be more fun than riding in two different cars and Sidharth's car if seen by any media journalist would be bombarded yet again with unwanted news all over social media.
Sidharth in his black cap and sunglasses was sitting in the back with Shehnaaz and two kids. Shera was driving the car with Santhosh sitting next to him. The usual 45-minute ride almost extended to two hours, and they finally reached her home. Though they did not complain as the car ride was fun with girls' constant chit chatting and games they played, brought them closer to each other.
The road to her apartment was not in great condition, rain had hidden its dips and debris and it was very narrow too, making the drive challenging.
"Tu idhar rehti hain Gudiya?" Shera asked.
"Haan bhaiya, bas 2minute, yeh left main hain apartment ka entrance. Andar le lo aap" Shehnaaz did not mind the challenge as she had faced this last year too and rains are barbarous especially to this side of Mumbai. Sidharth too was accustomed, but her father was shocked seeing the traffic, road condition and contradictory situation of place her apartment was compared to that of Sidharth's
Karou welcomed them by giving a hug to Sidharth and Santhosh.
"Uncle I never thought you would ever visit us in our house" he said.
"Oye, kuthey maine bola tha na clean karke rakiyo... kaise phela ke rakha hain tune!" Shehnaaz yelled at him.
"Aate hi shuru ho gayi. Sid aap kaise isse jhelthey ho! She is so bossy man" Karou complained.
"Ek chappet lagau... move your big bumboo" she screeched.
Shradha and Suchi were enjoying the scene, giggling, holding Sidharth's arms on both sides.
"Sahi toh hain baby, aaram kar. Come sit here. Karou leave it, come." Sidharth asked her father to sit down on the Sofa and he grabbed Karou's laptop bag, some biscuit cover, and debris out of sofa to make room for him and niece's. He went inside Kitchen to throw the waste off in trash.
"Papa chai banau?" Shehnaaz asked grabbing her hair to a bun. She grabbed the broom and handed it to Karou to sweep. "Saaf kar"
Santhosh was not happy seeing the apartment and the place. Though inside was not that bad as she had her touch of aesthetics and kept the place very clean, minimalistic, and sorted, except the mess Karou had created.
"Papa..." she called again. She knew what was going on inside her father's mind. She grew up privileged, had a lavish lifestyle, after seeing her raised up with everything, she understood how he felt to see his daughter in destitute.
"Papa, come, I will show you, my room. Bhaiya aap yeh suitcase mere kamre main rak do aur apna bag Karou ke kamre main rak lo chahiye toh or else anywhere you want in the hall. Apka hi ghar samjna." She grabbed her father's arm, giving instructions to Shera and walked towards her room opening the closed doors.
Sidharth was watching everything but did not want to intrude in between father and daughter moment. He kept himself busy with his nieces who were enjoying the keyboard session with Karou. He went to kitchen and tried to make Tea for everyone, but exactly how Shehnaaz likes with ginger, cardamom, and surfeit amount of sugar.
Her room felt inviting, clean, and cozy. It was still very small compared to the room she had in Delhi, ten times bigger than this! "Beta, tu... tu... Dilli wapas aaja mere sang. Tu singer bann, naam kamma, bahut gaa... jab chahe Mumbai aa ja, flight wich audition dene vaste, ya kuch bhi vaste... but teri yeh halat nahi dekhi jaa rahi puttar. Tu chal mere naal. Nahi toh main na tere naal yahin ek ghar le lena hain. Haan yeh sahi rehega... ha.. haan... yeh teek hain!" stammering, Santhosh finally opened his mouth after he entered her apartment. He sat down in the bed and looked around the room and then watched her sitting beside him.
"Kya halat Papa? Thodi na main koi juggi jhopadi main reh rahi huin. I am in a home, made with brick and cement. A home that is my abode. I know it's not perfect, it might look small to you, but this is me, my life. In this one year this home has comforted me, kept me safe. Aisa waisa kuch na bolo mere ghar ke baare main, bol diya." She pouted with a glare.
"Acha yeh sab chodo, aap yeh dekho mera harmonium and yeh guitar. Yeh kuch aur instruments. Ache hain na? Yeh sab maine apni kamayi se karida hain. I am so proud of myself, Papa. You also started everything from scratch, coming out from Punjab, a farmer's family and making a name for yourself? Bas, I also want a name for myself, and I am making it, abhi bas ek saal hi toh hua hain... aur ab toh aapka aashirwad bhi hoga... aur..."
"Mera bhi..." Karou added who walked in with a tray of teacups.
"Aur mera bhi..." Sidharth added who joined behind him and Shradha also added, "Mera bhi whatever you guys are saying!" Suchi also joined in her squeaky, thin voice, "Main bhi..."
Sidharth lay down in the bed behind her father. Shradha and Suchi fidgeted with her musical instruments.
"Haan haan, sab ka aashirwad... okay, khush... CHAI!!! Wow... I wanted it desperately. Tune banayi kuttey!" grabbing a cup she sipped it and gave a hearty, satisfying expression.
"Tere Hero ne banayi hain" Karou giggled handing the cup to her father and grabbing one for himself.
"Hayee sachi! Wah ustad wah, what a Chai! Atma tripth ho gayi" She gave a kiss on his cheek while sitting next to him. Seeing that Suchi also ran to him and gave him a kiss, "Mere mama hain" she jumped on him possessively.
"Mere bhi!" Shradha also jumped next to Shehnaaz and gave him a peck too and lay down on her lap.
"Why do I feel left out" Karou added sitting down in the wheeled stool near her instrument table.
"Ek pagal kafi nahi the ab teen aur aa gaye!" Sidharth chuckled looking at Shehnaaz.
She grabbed his hair and pulled it and asked, "Paagal kisko bola?"
"Shehnaaz, behave! Chai gir jayegi" her father yelled, who got a good distraction from his otherwise contemplating thoughts.
Many parents are caught between their desires to love, nurture, and protect their children and their fear that their children don't have the skills, drive, or emotional strength to enter the adult world and figure out who they are and what they want for themselves. There will come a time when they must turn the children loose and let them learn to fly on their own. Hard choice but must be made and as a parent they shouldn't feel guilty about eventually having to do that.
Even with that deliberative thought Santhosh Ahluwalia could see how happy his daughter was, with her place, her career, her friends, the person she loved and his family. She did not have any anguish, rather a peace was reflected out of her aura. He asked himself, 'Why is he making decision for her?' This a not an easy perspective for a father but how it is viewed can be the answer for the insight.
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