Omkara hated this. This....all these people quickly wrapping up their business, and running helter-skelter. The temple environs were full of people picking up all their belongings, their years of hard work and blood and sweat, loading it onto carts and scurrying away.
Omkara knew that law was on his side. The land belonged to the Thakurs. Kali Thakur's forefathers had granted the land to the community, for developing a temple related environment. For whatever reason, Kali Thakur had decided not to upkeep that informal agreement, that is between him and his dead forefathers. Omkara was completely on the right side of the law, to buy the land from Kali.
Yet, he felt guilty. He feared seeing accusations in the eyes of the people. But instead he saw something worse, he saw fear. These villagers were sneaking glances, but they quickly looked away when they caught his eyes. They were scared of him, scared of the person who was snatching away their source of employment. And Omkara was also scared of looking at them directly.
Omkara wore his shades, hoping to avoid seeing them and hide his true feelings. He hated this "business". He wished he got some other deal to crack. But he had a hunch that whichever business deal he would work on would involve moral sacrifices like these. Maybe Mr.Oberoi purposely chose this deal, to see whether his son could really live up to his words of becoming a businessman. Omkara could not retreat, for his mother, it was essential that he completes this deal successfully. This was his first task, he had to succeed at it. He kept on repeating Shivaay's words, keep calm, don't involve your heart.
Through the long wall of people leaving the area, suddenly he could make out the outline of a tiny girl breaching that wall and going in the opposite direction, coming towards him. She went to what Omkara assumed was her shop, and started calling out some visitors who had hung back and other passerbys, to buy her products. Omkara didn't have the heart to tell her to stop and vacate the area. So, he beckoned one of Kali's men who was employed to do this, to go and tell her to leave.
"Chale jaayenge. Pehle hum dus hazaar rupiye kama le, phir dukaan band kar denge. Phir bana lena apna Taj Mahal."(I'll go. Let me just earn ten thousand rupees, then I'll close the shop. Then you can build your Taj Mahal)
Oh so she only wanted some money? Maybe she was facing some emergency, some economic obligation. She just needed the money.
He gestured that hefty man to step back, especially because he didn't trust Kali's men not to use force, even against a woman.
He walked up to girl. She seemed nearing Rudy and Soumya's age. She had a lot of threaded and bright bangles on her left hand, which caught Omkara's eyes, because it clashed with the otherwise drab clothes she wore. But he didn't pause to ponder on this artistic anomaly.
"Listen, you girl. I have bought this land, it belongs to my business now. Others are vacating it, you have to vacate it as well." Omkara said seriously, his eyes still hidden behind the shades.
"Zameen khareeda hai, humein naa hi khareeda. (You have both the land, but not me) I'll leave but only after earning the amount I need." she replied.
Her choice of words irritated Omkara. "Listen girl, don't be stubborn."
"I'm not being stubborn. You are misunderstanding my faith as a tantrum" she replied.
Faith. It was something Omkara never possessed, because having faith never helped. Believing in the almighty or in people was useless, both disappointed him. He wanted to prove this mouse of a girl wrong.
"You are misunderstanding your obstinacy as faith, which I can break easily." he countered.
"Then break it. You are also here, I'm also here. Lets see what breaks first: my faith or your arrogance." she replied
Omkara was getting angry. He didn't know what he was angry about: the girl's unshakeable faith and his lack of, her obstinacy to not vacate the place, or most of all, because she was in the right, and her accusatory eyes were making him feel guilty. He controlled his anger, and remembered that she only wanted to earn some money.
He took out a wad of notes, probably more than the entire value of her shop, and held it out to her. He hoped it would compensate her, and also assuage his guilt.
"I don't have the time to argue with you. Take this cash." he almost ordered.
He was looking back at affronted eyes.
"I don't want this money. I don't need your charity, I can earn them on my own." she said.
These words sounded to familiar to Omkara, but he didn't want to think back on those thoughts.
"Stop talking big, you said to the man that you needed the money, here take it." he said, insisting that she take the money from his hand.
"My need is much greater than your money." she said simply.
There was no end to this or Omkara's anger now. He was at the end of his patience. He took off his shades to get a better look at this girl, and said, feigning calm.
"Whoever comes in my way would have to move. Whether its you or your need. I will defeat every obstacle in my path. If need be, I'll crush it." Omkara stressed, thinking of his mother and how he was determined to save her marriage.
The girl got really angry, and said something too fast, too loud. The only word Omkara caught was "Jhaap" and he didn't know what that meant.
She kept on murmuring to herself, until she came across some tar on the road, among the demolition materials. She picked up a handful of it, and flung it at his face.
To say he was shocked was an understatement. No one, had ever behaved with Om this way. Maybe because he had always been a good guy, and inspired positive emotions from people. It was an unpleasant feeling to be object of such intense dislike.
"Is this what your mother taught you? Your parents must be so disappointed in you." she said angrily.
Omkara heard her, but louder than her words, were Jahnvi's words echoing in his ears. 'You are my achcha beta, my good son'. And then he heard his father. 'Omkara is such a disappoint, all because of you Jahnvi, you didn't bring him up well'. A haze of anger enveloped Omkara. In his rage, he did not see the tiny woman in front of him, he only saw his father jeering his mother for his upbringing.
Omkara rubbed the tar off his face. His dam of patience broke, and now it wanted to break something. He walked to his car, got inside, and accelerated. He saw the girl walking to get more stuff to sell, probably. He pressed the horn to alert her, so that she got out of the way. She turned and was shocked. In her shock, she stumbled and fell down on the ground.
Omkara rammed his car into her shop. In one swift blow, he completely destroyed her shop. All that girl's work was falling around her.
He got down from his car, and looked at all the destruction his anger had wrecked. Now that his anger was satiated, his guilt came rushing back. He wore his shades again. He stared down at the girl who was looking up at him from the ground.
Instead of defeat, he saw rage building up in her eyes. She stood up and turned around.
Omkara assumed she accepted the truth and decided to leave. But he was proved wrong. There was some movement behind him, he turned and he saw one of those massive bulldozers nearing his car. Just before the blade of the huge machine could thrash him, he jumped out of harm's way.
The blade landed on his car and crushed the hood. His eyes followed the metallic arm, and saw that the driver was none other than the tiny girl.
She kept on hitting the car, attacking it. Omkara tried to think what purpose it served other than releasing her anger. And he couldn't believe that such a tiny body could hold that much rage. Finally when the car was reduced to metal and plastic, the girl released a breadth of satisfaction, and jumped out of the bulldozer.
Who was this girl?
As if reading his mind, she replied, "Naam yaad rakhiyega, Gauri Kumari Ssarma". (Remember the name, Gauri Kumari Ssarma)
Omkara was unlikely to forget this incident any time soon.
Someone else also called her name from the opposite direction.
"Gauri Sharma?" the person asked.
"Yes" she replied expectedly.
"Gauri ji I was looking for you. Tiwary ji sent me from Kanpur for placing an order for the temple clothes. Here is advance ten thousand rupees." he handed the money to her.
The girl nodded and bowed slightly to thank him.
Then she half-turned to look at him, Omkara.
"Baath baandh lo, gaath ho jo, Vishwaas hai loha, kaanch guroor. Bambiya jo aaya tashan mein, ho gaye bhaiyaa chaknachoor". (Tie the thought, faith is iron, arrogance is glass. Bombay person came with a lot of swagger, but got crushed like glass.)
"Chalte hain. Namaste!" (I'll take your leave, Namaste!)
Omkara was stunned and angry and still a little guilty over the whole thing. Most of all, he was starting to get a headache.
**********************************************************
Gauri deposited the required money in the hospital, and urged the doctors to start the treatment.
Meanwhile she started working on Tiwary ji's order with whatever material she had salvaged from her shop and workstation. Tiwary ji's order was a godsent for her, and she wanted to complete it as soon as possible.
During the afternoon, her little teen friends came to visit her, bringing her lunch. Her mother was out of danger and sleeping. The doctor told her that he would keep her mother under observation for a couple of hours, and then discharge her in the evening.
Her friends cajoled her into eating something. As they were about to leave, Gauri handed them half of the completed order, worth the advance, and told them to deliver it to Tiwary ji's assistant, who was the middleman in this business.
"Gauri didi, you got this order in the morning only, and you finished half of it so soon?" asked an amazed Mohan.
"Jab Shankarji hamaare saath hai, toh har kaam yunh chutkiyon mein ho jaata hai." (When Shankarji is with me, then I can finish anything quickly) smiled Gauri as she snapped her fingers.
Evening came, and Gauri left the hospital with her mother. To cheer up her mother, she took her mother to the chaat corner to have some golgappas.
Suddenly, her bag started vibrating. Peering inside she found the phone which the stranger had left behind.
She took out the phone. Her mother questioned her, "Whose phone is this Gauri? From where did you get it?"
"Arey Maa, some stranger left it behind. I just picked it up." she replied receiving the call. Before she could say hello, the person on the other end started.
"What is this O? You left without meeting me, just because I over-slept. And then you didn't even call me!!! Its been so long since we all talked and ate and hugged and..."
Gauri cut in between, this was the second time she was out-talked by someone on the other end of this phone.
"Hey Shankarji! You talk so much!" she said.
"Er...this is Omkara's number right?" Rudy asked, thinking he might have called wrong number,
"Is it Omkara's number?" Gauri asked back
"I just asked this question" Rudy smiled.
"I know. I'm also asking the same question." Gauri smiled.
"I thought I had called O". reconfirmed Rudy
"Now who is this O?" asked Gauri
"O as in my elder brother, with long hair." replied Rudy
"You call your elder brother as O? Thats so disrespectful." scolded Gauri.
"No, no you get me wrong. O is short for Omkara, my brother's nick name." Rudy clarified.
"Oh achcha!" Gauri laughed at the confusion.
"By the way, why is Omkara's phone with you? Where is he?" Rudy asked, smiling to himself. Omkara was the last person to hang around unknown girls. Just the thought that his brother could've picked up a girl almost as soon as he landed in an unfamiliar town was making Rudy smirk.
"If I knew where he is, I would've returned him the phone. Didn't your bhaujaai tell you, that he dropped his phone in a hurry?" asked Gauri.
"Oh ,maybe she forgot." Rudy replied.
"Maybe she did." Gauri said uncertainly.
"By the way, you didn't tell me, who are you?" Rudy asked.
Gauri went totally filmy to reply to this question. "Gauri Sharma woh kanya hai, bulldozer chadha de car pe. Dushman uska ek jhaap mein, satt jaaye deewaar pe" (Gauri Sharma is that girl, who rams a bulldozer into a car. In one jhaap, she sticks her enemies to the wall)
Rudy was both awed and amused at the description.
"And who are you?" Gauri asked
"Well, the world knows me as Rudra. But since you seem as cool as me, you can call me Rudy." smiled Rudy
"Ru..Rudy! okay! Achcha now I have to go, Maa just returned from the hospital, and I'm taking her out for golgappas." said Gauri cheerfully.
"Oh okay, have fun, take care of your mother. And if you manage to return this phone to O, tell him I called." said Rudy.
"Sure" replied Gauri and disconnected.
Gauri and her mother had just walked a few paces, when the phone buzzed again. This time Gauri was determined to get the first word.
"Namaste, bhaiyaa" Gauri guessed this must be another brother, seeing the name 'Shivaay' flashing on the phone. "I know what you are going to ask. That where is Omkara. I don't know. His phone fell out when he was walking. I told Annika bhaujaai and Rudy.." Shivaay cut in, "You spoke to Annika and Rudy?"
"Yes I did, they seemed very friendly. You seem like a serious chirota. Anyways, I wish could speak on longer, but I have to go and take Maa for golgappas. Take care of Annika bhaujaai. Namaste!" Gauri replied and disconnected the call.
On the other end, Shivaay was left wondering how many more people like Annika did this world hold?
Omkara realized sometime in the morning that he lost his phone. So, he went to the main market place of this city to buy another phone. All around he could see people eating and laughing. He was both annoyed and envious that people around him were so happy, something which he was not going to feel for a long time.
While in thinking these depressing thoughts, he collided with someone who barely came up to his shoulders. Holding out his hands to stop the girl from falling, he saw a familiar face looking up at him, wearing the most ridiculous shades.
Oh no, not her again, Omkara groaned.
P.S. So, apparently its confirmed news that IB is going off-air sometime in November. Even if I update daily, I don't think I can finish this FF before March next year. So, just to let the readers know, you're in for a longgggggg haul xD.