Gauri woke up tired. She almost always woke up tired, fatigued by overworking.
She looked at the sun rays filtering through her window. She joined her hands in prayer, and said, "Jai Bholenath" (Hail Bholenath, a name for Shiva). She smiled as she said so, and felt fatigue being replaced with energy, with strength. Her swargiye father (dead father in heaven) had ingrained this belief in her mind, that with faith anything could be achieved, any vipda (difficulty) could be defeated.
"Beta hamesha yaad rakhna, vishvaas se sab theek ho jaata. Kabhi bhi Shankarji pe tumhaare Vishvaas na chhoote, unse saath na chhoote. Unhone hamesha tumhaari raksha ki hai, aage bhi karenge." (Beta, always remember, faith can solve anything. Your faith on Shankarji should never dwindle, your connection with Shankarji should never break. He has always protected you, and he will always protect you.) Gauri believed in the words of her father wholeheartedly. Her Shankarji had saved her from a worse fate when she was just a child, took care of her and her mother when her father passed away when she was only ten, and has taken care of her since. Her Shankarji and Gauri shared a special relationship.
Gauri looked at her mother who was sleeping peacefully next to her. Her poor, ill mother. Her mother who always tried to take care of her, but was either ill or easily subdued by her chaacha-chaachi (paternal uncle and aunt). Speaking of which, her chaacha-chaachi had been very quiet as of late. Since the last one week, they hadn't taunted her as much as they usually did. Something was very strange about this.
But Gauri didn't have time to ponder on this mystery for long. She already wasted some time thinking of her past. So, she got up swiftly and made her way to the gusalkhana (washroom) to clean up and bathe for the day. On the way, she could hear her chaacha-chaachi snoring away loudly in their room. She shook her head at those annoying two, and went about her business.
After taking a bath and getting ready, Gauri took the water-filled kalash (a sort of metallic jar) and poured the water on the tulsi plant, right outside their main house, in the courtyard, while singing the Gayatri mantra (a sort of prayer sang daily in the morning to worship the plant and creator). Just as she finished singing, she could feel her mother.
She turned and saw her mother, and bent to take her blessings. "Jug, jug jiyo beta." (Have a long life!).
"Lo, subah subah shuru ho gaya maa beti ka naatak. Uff! Yahaan koi chain se sone bhi nahi deta" (Early morning the mother-daughter drama has started. Uff! Nobody lets us even sleep peacefully), shouted her chaachi from their room.
"Aur kitna soyegi chaachi? Subah ke aath baj raha hai, surya dev aasmaan roshan kar rahe hai. Ab toh uth jaaiye!" (How much more will you sleep chaachi? Its 8 in the morning now. Sun God is brightening the sky. Get up now!).
Chaachi didn't reply back. She thought to herself, "Just a few days more Gauri, then you will not strut around the house like this. Once we sell you to Kali Thakur, you will rot there for eternity."
"Looks like she fell asleep again." Gauri remarked. "Maa, I'm leaving now. I've no time for breakfast, I'll have chai-bataashe (kind of Indian sweet) at the stall near the temple. You take care, and don't bother with those two."
"Okay, Gauri beta, you have a good day!" wished her mother. Gauri was off to work.
Gauri reached her workstation behind her small shop in the temple, and started to set up her work for the day. She got down to work, cutting up the cloth, sewing away sleeves, doing pretty embroidery. All the while she hummed the tune of the latest Salman khan hit song, with the hint of a smile on her face.
"Aise akele akele kya muskura rahi ho, Gauri didi? Kahi phir se Salman Khan ke baare mein toh nahi soch rahi?" (Why are you smiling like this to yourself? Are you thinking of Salman Khan again Gauri didi?) teased Gaurav, a teenage boy, one of the many teenage boys who were part of Gauri's gang of friends.
"Arey tu yahaan kya kar raha hai?" (Arey, what are you doing here?)
"You forgot. You had promised to teach us the steps of the dance for the upcoming programme in the neighbourhood. Anyways, I came to tell you, that Panditji was looking for you, regarding something about the recent order." replied Gaurav.
"It just slipped my mind. I hope you remember the steps I taught you last time. You revise the steps, while I'll just quickly go and meet Panditji and come back." said Gauri.
"Which steps? The Salman bhai steps?" Gaurav teased further.
"Bhai honge tere. Hamaare to saiyaan hai. (You call him brother. For me, he is my beloved) Gauri smiled to herself.
"Didi, Salman bhai is not going to come here to Bareilly." jeered Gaurav lightly.
"Aayenge. Hamaara vishvaas hai ki hamaara Prem yahaan zaroor aayenge" (He will come. I have faith that my Prem (which also means love) will definitely come here.)
Saying this Gauri quickly made her way to the temple, passing through the narrow gallis (sort of narrow paths between buildings) of the temple road.
A strong wind blew and her dupatta flew a little off the ground, softly caressing the shoulder of a tall man going in the opposite direction. The man looked back, but couldn't see the face of the girl to whom the bright yellow dupatta with red embroidery, belonged to.
Gauri kept walking until she almost stumbled and fell to the ground. She looked down to see the source, thinking of pushing the errant stone away, so that other passerbys don't stub their toes, but found herself looking at an expensive smartphone. She picked it up and looked behind her to guess who might have left it behind. Only one person fit the description. Gauri knew that such an expensive model could only belong to a city-dweller. She saw the man, with tailor fitted clothes walking swiftly towards his destination, his long hair tied in a half-ponytail swaying behind him.
"These city-dwellers have weird hairstyles." thought Gauri to herself, as she ran after him to call him, but he walked too fast for her to catch up. She lost his trail, and remembered that she had to go to the temple to talk to Panditji.
As she made her way to the temple, the stranger's phone in her hand buzzed. It flashed a name in English. After two attempts, Gauri could make out the words, 'Annika Bhaabhi'. it must be that stranger's sister-in-law she thought.
Should I pick up the call? Or should I leave it? Looking up at the sky as if to take Shankarji's permission, Gauri received the call. However, before she could utter a word, the caller on the other side started.
Annika asks "Where are you? Why were you not picking up the call?"
Gauri replied, "I'm in Bareilly."
As both the women heard each other's voices, the same thought flitted through their minds. As if the voice on the other end belonged to someone they knew, someone from another lifetime.
Annika went on in a flow, "I know you are in Bareilly, but.... this is some girl's voice." stating the obvious.
Gauri replied, "Well, I sound like a womaniya, because I am a womaniya".
Annika is puzzled,"Womaniya, who are you?"
Gauri replied,"I'm Gauri Kumari Ssarma, paachvi paas from Bareilly, Namaste."
Annika questioned further, "How did you get this phone?"
Gauri explained, "That Hippie looking guy walked off harharaike, and his phone fell from the pocket. I can guess from your voice that you are worried."
Annika said, "Har...what? But yes, I was feeling a lot of michmichi." Now it was Gauri's turn to be amused and confused,"What is this 'michimichi'?"
"You don't know michmichi? That weird feeling you get in the stomach, the uneasiness..." Annika cuts off suddenly realizing that she is on the phone with a complete stranger.
"Don't worry, Bhaujaai. Have faith, and it will resolve everything." said Gauri with confidence.
"Really? Does it?" asked Annika testily. "I have learnt one thing in my experience that whoever faces the difficulty, has to solve it own their own. One can't rely on faith to resolve issues." said Annika sadly.
"But what is the alternative to faith? I think as long as we believe, we can be happy with anything. We can only pray for the best, whether we get the best or not, its in God's hands. I'm satisfied in trying only. See Meera was so content with only her worship of Krishna, without ever finding him when she was alive." said Gauri sagely.
"Oh bete ki! Such deep talks with a stranger." said Annika realizing that she had just had a deeply, philosophical conversation with this Gauri.
"Yes, Bhaujaai, its always easier to unload oneself to a stranger. But now I have to go, its getting late. It was nice talking to you. Take care!" chirped Gauri, disconnecting the call.
Before Annika could tell her to stop, the call was disconnected. "Hmm, why did she sound familiar?" thought Annika to herself.
Gauri went about her business. She returned to find another of her teen friends sitting at her workstation, crying.
"What's up with you Mohan? Why are you crying?" enquired Gauri.
"Because I'm unfortunate. I lost one leg in that accident. And now I can't do so many things that other boys do. I can't dance with them in this upcoming programme." cried Mohan.
"Don't ever call yourself unfortunate. You are so lucky. Do you realize that? You could have lost your life, you could have lost both your legs. Or your hands. Or been paralyzed for life. You have only lost one leg. Yes, its bad, but it could have been so much worse. You are fortunate. And anyways, who says you need limbs to dance?" said Gauri encouragingly.
Gauri called all boys for practice. She changed the signature step of the dance so that Mohan could also join in easily.
They were all enjoying dancing to the Salman Khan number, when an middle-aged man came running to the practice hall behind the temple.
"Gauri beta, what are you doing dancing? Your mother has met with an accident."
"What? Where kakaji?" asked Gauri frantically.
"On main temple road." he replied.
Gauri rushed there to find her mother lying unconscious on the middle of the road. She reached her mother, and with difficulty pushed her near the pavement, out of harm's way. Tears streaming down her face, she tried to stop passing cars, and call for help. But no one stopped, no one helped.
But Gauri knew that there was one entity always ready to help her. She looked above, and almost shouted, "Shankarji, help your chiraiyaa!"
And she felt this surge of strength course through her body. She knew nothing was impossible now. She pulled her mother onto her back, and slowly lifted her, carrying her piggyback style.
The passerbys stopped in their route, stunned that a tiny, mouse of a girl could carry that heavy, unconscious woman. One of them came out of his stupor, ran a few steps ahead and called for an autorickshaw. With his help, Gauri lifted her mother in the vehicle and reached the hospital.
As Gauri's mother was being admitted in the emergency accident ward, she saw her Chaachi entering the hospital.
"Uff! This nuisance of a woman. I told her to wait, I would take her to the doctor for her asthama, but no, she had to leave the house herself, and get hit." Chaachi complained. "She is bad news. She could never conceive, and then her bad luck killed jethji also. And your father left her, and you, a burden on us."
"Chaachi! Don't you dare call my mother a bad omen. And what burden? I slog hard to make the ends meet, paying for your and chaachaji's expensive lifestyle, and your useless son's education in Delhi." said Gauri angrily.
"Oho! You pay for us? Then pay for your mother now. I won't give a penny. Don't know why you care for her so much, she's not your biological mother anyways." said Chaachiji and left from there.
"Relationships are built in the heart, not by blood." said Gauri to herself. "I better start arranging the money for mother's treatment."
*************************************************************
Omkara felt a sense of foreboding as he entered the antique mansion, like some great evil rested in this mansion.
A servant came to him. "Bade Thakur will be with you shortly. Till then please have a seat and drink this sharbat (juice)". The servant bowed out and left.
Omkara didn't sit or drink. He could hear some argument going on in the room above.
"What will I do? Please don't do this, don't embarrass me or yourself. Don't abandon me! Where will I go?" pleaded a middle-aged women.
"Thats your problem, isn't it? This is a big house, there are so many corners for you to sit and cry. And what embarrassment? When all the men in Bareilly see that I have procured the brightest jewel in the zila (district/village), they will suffocate with envy!" laughed a man's low, menacing voice.
Omkara felt disgust at his voice. He didn't know what 'jewel' this man was talking of, but the greed dripping from his voice creeped out Omkara. He didn't want to have to do anything with this man. But he remembered the advice, Shivaay had given him in the morning, when they spoke on the phone.
"Keep a cool mind. Don't relent on the bargain, bargain in a take-it-or-leave-it manner. And don't involve yourself in the matter of these people. Just keep to your business. And Om, think from your mind, don't involve your heart."
Omkara was reflecting on this advice, when the middle-aged woman, clothed in expensive saree and jewelry rushed down the stairs. There were tear stains visible on her face. She looked at him curiously.
Omkara cleared his throat. "I'm Omkara Singh Oberoi, from Mumbai. I've come here to seal the land deal with Mr. Thakur." he said politely, in a reassuring voice.
Strangely calmed by his voice, the lady replied. "I'm Jahnvi, the...Thakurain of this house."
"Jahnvi..." Omkara whispered. "My mother's name is also Jahnvi." he smiled and bent down to take blessings of the lady.
The lady hesitated, but then slowly raised her hand to bless him.
"Jahnvi, what are you doing here? Go to your room!" ordered Kali Thakur coming down the stairs.
Jahnvi Thakurain, clearly scared, rushed to one of the anterooms.
"These woman. They forget their place in the home and hearth." lamented Kali Thakur smiling in a twisted fashion.
"A woman's place is of respect in a man's eyes." said Omkara firmly, disgusted at the orthodox thinking of the man standing before him.
"Is it so?" questioned Kali Thakur with a smirk.
"It is. But I'm not here to discuss women rights with you. We have to sign a land deal." said Omkara.
"Indeed." replied Kali Thakur. This deal was important to him. The land belonged to his forefathers. His fool of a grandfather had given the land to the community for developing it around the temple. His greater fool of a father, had upheld this informal agreement, and had expected his sons to do the same. But it was almost a year since his father's death. His old, sick father had been refusing to die, but finally with some persuasion, he breathed his last.
After a tough bargain, Omkara finally managed to seal the deal for a profitable amount. He settled the deal with Kali (and his absentee brothers).
"Now that the formalities are done, I hope the land is cleared quickly" said Omkara with a sick feeling at the pit of his stomach, but he suppressed it.
"Sure I'll send my men to do the job. You can supervise them, if you want." replied Kali Thakur.
Omkara nodded and turned to leave. As he was leaving, he heard Kali answer a call. "Its okay. She won't last long. Anyways, I've now come up with a better plan to secure what should belong only to me." he smirked evilly.
Omkara's feeling of foreboding increased. He didn't like the sound of Kali's voice, but he reminded himself Shivaay's words, "Don't involve your heart." Yes, he won't involve his heart, he would keep a cool head.
P.S. I know the update is boring, and the next few updates are going to be testing your patience. But just hold on, it will get better when the Bareilly portion is done. Its just that I love the first two weeks a lot, and didn't want to change much about it factually. ;-)