SANGEET
The hall had a center stage with fairy lights as backdrop. The subtle yet colorful drapes all around, accompanied with colorful lights, setting the perfect mood for a sangeet night.
Rudransh was wearing a teal coloured Indo western set, illuminated with glistening sequins worked into detailed chikankari embroidery. A plush draped fabric overlays the mandarin collared coat with an embellished front button placket. The ensemble is coupled with a soft white pleated dhoti that creates a unique juxtaposition of extravagance and simplicity. The outfit is paired with a turban on his head, and a pair of understated brown shoes.
"-RUDDY! Where are you looking? I am talking to you," huffed an annoyed Kabir, who had been trying to have a conversation with a lost Rudransh, "Bhai teri hi dulhan hai, yahi aayegi, kahi nahi jayegi mere baap! Stop being so obvious!"
(Bro, she is your bride, she will come here only, she isn't going any where!....)
'Mera bhi din aayega tab bataunga isse,' muttering under his breath, Rudransh resumed to look for her, ignoring Kabir.
(My day will also come then I will show him)
Kabir, being a little irritated, left. He went near the stage and was doing the sound checks. He heard some commotion, and looked up to see Advita walking in with her friends. A small smile formed on his face, 'Finally, now Rudransh will be at peace,' and he looked up at Advita, 'or maybe not.'
Advita wore a teal coloured Rajputi poshak, with heavy embroidery. A heavy lehenga, and a net dupatta covering her face. He styled it with the breathtaking ethnic Rajputi jewelry.
"Adi! Badhai ho, khushnaseeb hai behen tu, The Yuvika Singh is wearing a lehenga! Yaad hai Bhavya ke Mummy papa ki 25th anniversary celebration mein three piece suit pehen ke aaye the captain madam," Shrushti pointed, making the other two laugh as well.
(Adi! Congratulations, you are very lucky The Yuvika Singh is wearing a lehenga! Remember how captain madam wore a three piece suit to Bhavya's parents' 25th anniversary)
"That isn't my fault! The theme was suit and saree! Army cantt mein uniform pehenti hu, aadat nahi hai saree ki! Also, Adi was planning to ditch you guys too, Shrushti found out about her plan last minute. And in my defense, I was according to the theme!" Huffed Yuvika, making them all laugh at her antics.
(.....I wear uniform in Army cantt, I am not used to wearing sarees!...)
"By the way, Captain Yuvika Singh, when are you joining back?" Asked Advita.
"Err, well...ehm..." Yuvika awkwardly scratched the back of her neck, which was enough to make the other three anxious, keeping in mind their past experiences.
"Yuvi!" Bhavya warned.
"Theverynextmorningafterthewedding," she breathed out.
The three blinked once, twice, thrice. Finally registering her words, they all looked at her in disbelief.
"Yuvi, you are not coming to Mumbai with us? Maa baap ko shakal dikhani nahi hai kya, last do saal pehle ghar gayi thi tu!" Fumed Shrushti.
(....You want to show your face to your parents or not, last time you visited home was two years back!)
"She may forget us, but we won't," all the four turned around and yelled in excitement. Yuvika and Bhavya ran towards their parents.
"What are you doing here?" Bhavya asked her mom.
"Why? Did you think we will miss Adi's marriage?" Counter questioned Yuvika's dad.
"Thank you so much uncles aunties," Advita chirped as she bent down to touch their feet.
"Yuvi bacche, i thought you got leave for a month?" Inquired her mom.
"Yes mom, but there's some urgent work and I have to report at Jammu cantt," replied Yuvika.
"Jammu? But why?" Her dad asked.
"Confidential details papa. Leave that, come let's enjoy."
The wires were checked and the speakers were switched on.
Araaa ra ra ra ra
Kalyo Kud Padyo Mele Me
Cycle Puncture Kar Laayo
Kabir's head shot up straight in Advita's direction, getting a nod from her he ran towards the stage stairs, following her.
They both danced like crazy, grooving on the song- just like they used to in childhood. They were dancing freely, enjoying themself.
"It's been years since they danced on this," said Kabir's dad to Advita's.
"So true. Seeing them dance like this, like the old times, brings so much peace."
Rudransh had a smile on his face hearing them. Afterall, they looked adorable dancing like that. Until now.
"Is that Raani hukum and Chauhan ji's son? Remember how we used to think that they would get married," the people were being nostalgic about their funny speculations, but poor Rudransh didn't like it.
Kabir, who was coming back, listened to everything as well. Rudransh saw him coming towards him with a cheeky grin on his face.
"Finally I had got a reason to use my licensed gun, but damn it, main uncle aunty ko be aulad nahi karna chahta," Rudransh spoke with a tone of disappointment in his voice.
(.....I don't want uncle and aunty to be childless)
"Aree oye, sanki mangetar! Main toh sirf nach raha tha!"
(Hello, crazy fiance! I was just dancing!)
"Maine tera nam liya kya?"
(Did k take your name?)
"Oo bewade aadmi! The Rathore twins are more like siblings to me, from the start. So stop getting jealous. Aur waise bhi mujhe toh Ro-"
(Drunkard man!.......Anyways to me Roo-)
His eyes widden in realisation, 'Where the fuck did this come from?'
He looked up to see Rudransh still waiting for him to complete the sentence, "Ro.....chi! Roochi! ROOCHI!"
('Roochi' is an hindi word as well as a name, meaning interest)
"Who Roochi?"
"Roochi as in, mujhe toh roochi bhi nahi hai ye prem prakran jaise tamashon mein."
(... I don't have any interest in these love story drama)
"Amit ji ghus gaye hai kya tujhe? Ab aage kya bolega- deviyon aur sajaano, chaliye sangeet prarambh karte hai?''
(Did Amit ji's soul entered in you? What are you going to say next- ladies and gentlemen, let's start the sangeet?)
"Ho gaya? Waise bhi jise tu dhundh raha tha, aa gayi hai na. Toh bhavre, jao uddo apne phool ke pass," saying this a grumpy Kabir walked away from him.
(Done? Also, the one you are looking for has already arrived. So mister bumblee bee, go fly around your flower)
Everyone took their respective seats- Rudransh with Advita. But he was still grumpy, because the face he was eagerly waiting to see was hidden behind the long ghoonghat.
(Veil)
He leaned towards her a little and faked a cough, gaining her attention, "Sardar ji, kuch kehna chahte hai?"
(Sardar ji, you want to say something?)
"Ji. Maana apki muskurahat thodi jaanleva hai, magar yun ghoonghat rakh kar uss muskurahat se hume vanchit na kare."
(Yes. Agreed that your smile is deadly, but that doesn't mean you will hide it behind the veil and deprive me of that smile.)
She giggled, "Ghoonghat se kya bair hai aapko? Aur waise bhi roz jaisa hi toh hai chehra, kya hi alag dikh jayega aapko?" She replied in a teasing tone, enjoying annoying him a little.
(What enmity you have with the veil? And anyways my face is like usual, what difference does it make?)
'Apko kaise bataye ki iss chehre ko roz dekh kar apne aap ko tassali deta hu, ki haa yeh sach hai, aap meri ardhangini banne wali hai', he smiled at his own thoughts.
(How do I tell you that looking at this face daily gives me solace, that yes it's true, you are going to be my better half)
"Sach bataye?"
(Should I tell you the truth?)
"Ji bilkul."
(Yes)
"Raani sa, toh baat kuch yun hai,
Bejaan sa yeh dil
Aapke aate hi
Phir dhadak utha hai...
Magar kambakht aankhe humari
Abhi bhi khafa hai,
Dhundhti hai ye jis chehre ko har dafa
Kyu wo aaj ghunghat me hai chupa?"
(Raani sa, the thing is,
This lifeless heart,
Om your arrival,
Has started beating again...
But these wretched eyes
Are still upset,
The face they look for every second
Is why behind a veil today?)
After a minute of silence, which felt like an eternity to Rudransh, she spoke, making his heart flutter and thousands of butterflies dance in his stomach, "Sardar ji, yamraj ne khud bheja tha ya apki hobby hai shareer se aatma khichna?"
(Sardar ji, yamraj himself has sent you or it's just your hobby to pull the soul out of body?
Yamraj- Hindu God of death)
Their trance was broken when they heard loud clappings and cheers. Bhavya and Yuvika were on the stage. Though the girls danced gracefully, making it seem all natural, pre-choreographed and planned, everyone now knew the context and spontaneity of the performance.
Ghoonghat ki aad se
Dilbar ka
Deedar adhoora rehta hai
Jab tak na pade aashiq ki nazar
Shringar adhoora rehta hai
After the performance was over, Rudransh again leaned towards her, "Aur kitni der aapka shringar adhoora rahega?"
(For how long will your makeup be incomplete?)
"Sabr kare Sardar ji, intezar ka phal meetha hota hai."
(Patience Sardar ji, its fruit is sweet.)
"Nahi mujhe nahi chahiye meethe phal, mujhe kadwe phal pasand hai!" Before he could even realize, the words already slipped out of his mouth. His eyes widened, and the poor soul didn't even know how to cover up. Whereas, her heart skipped a beat. The desperation, the longingness...was all evident in his voice. But the question that lingered in her mind was, why?
(I don't want sweet fruit, I like bitter ones!)
After a lot of performances from his friends, her cousins and again his cousins, a very sudden announcement took everyone by surprise.
"Put your hands together for the queen, Maharani Advita Singh Rathore!'' And the hall roared up with squeals and shrieks of excitement, of anticipation.
Advita stood up, chin up, taking hold of her ghoonghat with one hand and the other one clutching the lehenga, and she walked like the queen she was. She was walking with the dignity of a lioness, yet with gentility.
Rudransh followed her each step with bated breath. Rutvik, with a playful smirk on his face, grabbed the mic from the host, "Veerji, saah toh le lo!" And the whole crowd, the audience, roared with waves of laughter seeing Rudransh hiding his face in his mum's saree ka pallu.
(Brother, atleast breathe!
Saree's loose end)
As Advita reached the stage, everything fell silent. Pin drop silence. Her presence screamed power, control. The silence was the live proof of the control she had on people.
She joined her hands together, and bowed down. The music started and she started doing ghoomar. A dance so sacred and elegant, made her look like a goddess. Swaying & clapping the hands and twirling in rounds, everything was perfect, just like her.
As she took a final twirl, she removed her ghoonghat and adjusted it on her head. And one more time, she bowed down with folded hands.
"You didn't faint? I bought water for you", Kabir nudged Rudransh whose eyes were fixed on her.
"Trust me man, I was just a second close to faint", he dreamily replied, with a hand resting on his chest.
The other performances continued, a banger after banger. The night was filled with music and fun and food and teasing.
Shrushti was having some snacks as she was going to have dinner with the girls later. She was about to put a morsel of chaat in her mouth when she heard the song. Her favorite, as well as her performance song. She put the plate down and ran towards the stage.
Chali chali phir chali chali
Chali ishq di hawa chali
Apne dilbar ko deewana
Apne dilbar ko deewana
Dhundhta dil gali gali
Chali chali phir chali chali
Chali ishq di hawa chali
As she got near the stage she saw Rutvik dancing there. Rutvik Arora? She controlled herself enough to not run to the stage, but as the end of the performance came, where Rutvik did the original choreography, she couldn't hold herself and ran to the center.
Shrushti had learned the steps since her childhood, they were imprinted in her head like a mantra. The sync of moves and energy between the two brought a wave of exhilaration among the crowd.
As his performance was over, Rutvik walked towards Shrushti, "You hijacked my performance!" He said with a scrunched nose.
"No I didn't. Iss gane pe Shrushti Kulkarni kabhi bhi kahi bhi nach sakti hai, aur usse koi nahi rok sakta!" She said with a declarative voice.
(Shrushti Kulkarni can dance on this song anytime, anywhere, and nobody can stop it!)
"Kyu? Amit ji apne hathon se copyright likh kar diye hai aapko?"
(Why? Did Amit ji himself wrote the copyright and gave it to you?)
"Look, don't try to act smart! I know you must have somehow found out about my dance and stole my song!"
"And why would I?"
"Obviously, you are afraid to lose!"
"Oh no no darling, its you. Your team is going to lose!"
"Will see!"
Finally the function came to an end, with a final performance by the groom and bride, and a lot of bickering over which team won. Well, the decision is still pending.
Atlast it was dinner time, and only youngsters were left. So they decided to discard their heavy dresses and change into casuals.
"Kabir bhai, where are the tables and chairs?" Rutvik was confused, and before he got an answer, he saw helpers coming in with two huge thaal. It was put down and Kabir pulled him down.
(Platters)
The girls- Kanikka, Advita, Shrushti, Bhavya, Yuvika and Roohi sat together while the other platter was occupied by Rudransh, Kabir, Advit, Rutvik and a few friends of Rudransh.
The boys were done eating their dinner and hence moved to their respective rooms. However, the girls had another plans.
Rutvik couldn't sleep so he came for some fresh air when he saw Roohi's room locked. He texted her regarding the same and her reply shocked him.
A yawning Kabir, and sleepy Rudransh and Advit looked at Rutvik with a 'no nonsense' look.
"Kaha bhukamp aaya hai? Kyu neend kharab kar raha hai ye Rutu!" Kabir asked.
(Where is the earthquake? Why are you disturbing our sleep Rutu!)
"The girls are still down, dancing and enjoying themselves!"
"So what's the big deal?" Asked Advit.
"BOYS BAN"
Kabir's eyes shot open in between his yawing. Rudransh and Advit's sleep flew out of the window as well.
"What's the plan now?" Kabir quizzed.
"Let's just get in!" Rutvik suggested.
"No! No! Let's go there first, and see what's the scene?" Rudransh's suggestion seemed quite practical to everyone and they, without wasting any time, tiptoed to the room where the girls were.
They walked to the farthest window of the room, and peeped inside. Rudransh gawked in disbelief, slapping a hand over his mouth to stifle the short scream that emitted.
Advita was sitting down, to be precise, sitting down wearing a black oversized tshirt and printed boxer shorts, and a net dupatta covering her face.
Aaisi Najar Se Dekha
Uus Jalim Ne Chowk Par
Humne Kaleja Rakh Diya
Chaku Ki Nok Par
Her hands moving with grace, and expressions? Drop dead beautiful.
As the song ended and a new one started, it was now time for Kabir to be shocked. He starred in a catatonic stupor, and his mouth was clamped and eyes fixed on her.
Fire brigade mangvaa de tu
Angaron par hai armaan
Oh balma, oh balma, oh balma
Roohi jumped on the floor, with those twerks and swing and expression. She could make a mature, growed up man look away with shyness with those flirtatious moves and dance of hers.
One by one, all the girls joining and the boys' eyes growing widder and widder. With the shocked faces, and a few glance at each other, they decided that it was better to leave. Rutvik stepped on Kabir's foot and he hissed in pain, gaining everyone's attention.
"Pagal hai!? Hathoda thodi pada tha! Itna zor se kon chillata hai?" Advit whisper yelled at Kabir.
(Are you crazy? It wasn't a hammer that you have to be so loud!)
"Aur tujhe kya itni jaldi hai?" Rudransh said to Rutvik.
(What's the hurry?)
"Maine kya kiya! Ye hil hi nahi rahe apni jagah se!" Rutvik defended himself while pointing towards Kabir.
(What did I do! He wasn't moving from his place!)
"Pehle yaha se nikal-"
(Let's leave first-)
"What are you doing here!?" Shrushti's yelp gained their attention and they awkwardly chuckled, scratching the back of their neck.
"I told you not to come! Which part of 'BOYS BAN' you didn't understand?" Roohi yelled, with her hand on her hips.
"Aree hum toh sirf check karne aaye the-" Advit tried to explain.
(We just came to check-)
"What was there to check, please enlighten us?" Kanikka said with narrowed eyes.
"Aadhi raat ko kali shaktiyan jaag uthti hai, kya pata kisi ke anadar ki chudail bahar aa jaye!" Rutvik said while looking at Shrushti.
(During midnight, negative energies wake up, who knows whose inner witch will wake up!)
"What do you mean? You-" Before she could reply anything, they heard footsteps approaching. Without wasting a minute the ran in whichever direction they could, switching off all the lights.
Shrushti and Rutvik were hiding behind the same table, suddenly Shrushti exclaimed, "Jai bajrang bali, raksha karna prabhu."
(Hail god Hanuman, protect me)
"Aadhi raat ko? Achanak?"
(In the middle of night? Suddenly?)
"Bhoot pishach nikat nahi aave, mahaveer jab naam sunave."
(Ghosts or vampires don't come near, hearing his name)
Giving a done look to her, Rutvik said, "Seriously?"
"You called me a chudail first!" She huffed.
Rutvik was thankful for the blackout, so that he didn't have to try hiding his smile. He internally chuckled at her behavior. She looked too cute.
After a few minutes when they thought the way was clear, they all immediately tiptoed to their rooms.
Kabir was passing by Roohi's room when he called her, "Should i call fire brigade?" He said with a teasing tone.
Roohi's eyes widened in disbelief, as if a sudden jolt of electricity had coursed through her veins leaving her momentarily stunned. She tried to say something but failed miserably.
"Actu- I-i-"
Kabir winked at her with a smirk and walked away towards his room. Her face flushed. Too stunned to speak anything, she just looked at the retreating silhouette of his.
Advita was walking towards her room with Rudransh, "Kal se hum apko yun chodne nahi aayenge, apne sath le jayenge."
(From tommorow, I won't come to drop you, I'll take you with me.)
"Aap le jayenge?" She asked, cocking an eyebrow.
(You'll take me?)
"NO! No! I meant, apko lene aayenge, aap aayengi na?"
(....I'll come to take you, so will you come with me?)
"Will think about it and tell you tommorow," and with that she entered her room, gave him a last glance. They smiled at each other, and she closed the room while he walked away.
***
THANK YOU SO MUCH @ayrasukhera for making this book cover! This is really BEAUTSJKDKDKDKSKDKIFUL
💗✨