Gauri was confused: should she go and thank him for the portrait, of course, she should.
But there was something stopping her, she knew herself well, she couldn't accept his kindness as just that, she would ask him why did he go to the extent of doing all that he did, of sketching that picture when he hadn't touched his brushes or clay for months.
And Gauri knew that if he answered that he did all out of the pure goodness of his heart, then she will not like it. She will be hurt in fact, which in turn made her slightly anxious that why did he matter so much?
She was lost in all these thoughts, stitching away out of reflex, when Majmudaarji informed her that Jahnvi Maaji was here to meet her. He was not looking happy about it. Gauri knew he said nothing because the Oberois were powerful, and on more than one occasion, Jahnvi had paid him off, or bought something from his enterprise, but still with Gauri's frequent leaves from work, he was bound to be annoyed.
"Namaste Maaji, how are you?" asked Gauri.
"I'm, after months, feeling truly happy. Gauri, you have only been a source of happiness for me, from the moment you entered my life" said Jahnvi.
Gauri was puzzled, what had she done?
"You spoke to Tej that day, and I don't know what you told him, he refused to divulge, but whatever you said made him think and release Om from that contract" said Jahnvi pleased.
"Meaning?" asked Gauri still confused.
"Oh Gauri, the contract about Om and his joining business. Day before yesterday, Tej approached Om at night, and told him that he has to do it no more, not join the business, not try to become a business person. Well, obviously Omkara questioned his intentions towards me, and accused him of trying to leave me, but Tej said that he has seen the error of his ways, and he won't divorce me. I didn't believe it either, and I almost interrogated Tej yesterday" said Jahnvi.
"And is he going to leave you or try to?" asked Gauri anxiously.
"No, he is not. He has left that choice to me. And honestly, the Jahnvi who would tremble from within, at the thought of her marriage ending has long left. I have my father back, my sons and daughters are with me, my family is with me, you are with me too, Gauri. I have no reason to hold onto Tej" said Jahnvi.
Gauri could hear a quiver in Jahnvi's voice, "And would you divorce him? Once the six months are officially over?" she asked.
"I don't know Gauri, I don't want to talk about it. The important thing is that after my conversation with Tej, I felt free and I went to spoke to Omkara. It took me a long time to convince him, but I think he finally believes that his mother is no more the weak person she used to be. He can finally return to doing what he does best, follow his heart, his art" said Jahnvi.
Gauri was happy to know this development. Now it made sense that he sketched that portrait of her mother yesterday, and left it as a present for her. Omkaraji could finally regain a part of himself.
*********************************************
Omkara looked at the empty canvass in front of him.
This was the second day he hadn't gone to office. Free of the prison, that curtailed his freedom of expression, and make him part of a system that he loathed, for how it treated the less privileged. He hated the business empire, where the hard work of the poor was appropriated by the rich.
He still cursed himself sometimes for how he deprived so many people of their shops and living in Bareilly, when he acquired that piece of land. Gauri was one of them, who knows maybe it was his actions, and her sudden unemployment that had forced her into Kali Thakur's clutches, out of desperation? Why had Omkara never thought of that? Maybe because being bound in the world of business had chained his heart.
Now that he knew Gauri well, knew what kind of selfless person she was, how she rejected being an Oberoi bahu though she could've easily enforced their marriage and refused to divorce him, he knew that there was more than what met the eye about what happened in Bareilly all those months ago. He sincerely hoped that he wasn't the one who was indirectly responsible for her troubles in Bareilly.
He had listened to her conversation with her mother yesterday. Her mother had insisted that she return with her to Moradabad, there was no threat to her life anymore. For reasons, of her own, Gauri had delayed it. But Omkara knew that eventually she would go back to her mother, her friends, back to her state. But he wasn't ready to let go of her yet. Not that he had her with him in any way. So, out of his selfish desire, he made that portrait of her mother's for Gauri, because he didn't want her to miss her mother so much that she would reconsider her decision, and leave for Moradabad. He wanted some more time with her, though he hadn't talked properly to her since Annika bhaabhi's accident.
Someone knocked on his door. It was a couple of folks from his art gallery where Omkara exhibited his works. Jahnvi had contacted them and told that Om was back in the art community.
They were eager to have his exhibition again. But Omkara dithered, it had been months, since he picked up the brush. And just before they arrived, he was standing clueless staring at the canvass.
"Mr. Oberoi, you are one of the most coveted artists in out gallery, not having your works in our gallery for months, has been a loss for us" said one of them.
"I understand but you cannot estimate the depth of my loss" said Omkara, sadly, mourning the loss of inspiration to create something new.
Omkara apologized to them and sent them away.
He went back to staring at the empty canvass hoping that something would strike him, some spark would light up in him, but nothing. Nothing. It was a blank canvass in front of him, and a black, empty mind inside him.
*****************************
Gauri had decided to meet Omkaraji and thank him. She decided not to ask why he made that sketch for her, he was a sympathetic person, he was an artist, and now his art had returned. How many other reasons she did need? He just wanted to do a good deed.
But what Gauri saw in the mansion, saddened her. She was not expecting this at all. She overheard Omkaraji's conversation with the people from the gallery. It puzzled Gauri. Why did he refuse them? Why did he say he can't create art anymore? Didn't he sketch her mother just yesterday? It didn't make sense to Gauri, that Omkaraji would be able to sketch a portrait, and yet say that he wasn't able to paint anymore.
She knew that Omkaraji never lied, until absolutely necessary, so...She wanted to go in and ask him that moment but he looked so upset, that she stepped back and thought to give him time. No one noticed Gauri entering and no one saw her leaving.
Back home, Gauri posed this issue to Dandi bhaiyaa.
Dandi bhaiyaa thought for a while, and replied after much thinking "Gauri, I understand art, after all, we actors are also artist, but I think Omkaraji's problem is different, he is a creator kind of artist"
Gauri still looked puzzled.
"I'll tell you one incident. This was long back when I was new to the sets and this world of movies and theatre. I was lost in the set, taking in the sights, and I accidentally walked upon this producer talking to one of his writer friends, to develop a script based on an idea he had. But his writer friend just refused, he said he couldn't think, he couldn't write. I was surprised because he looked all healthy to me. But it turns out that the writer friend was depressed, and not the kind of sorrow which makes people sprout poetry, but the kind of depression that addles their brains. Don't ask me what it means, because I don't know, but the result was that, this writer person had developed what they called a....what was it.....a yes, a writers' block" explained Dandi.
Gauri didn't understand much English, but she understood the words separately. "So, there was something stopping or coming in the way of the writer?" she asked.
"It seems like that. Some mental locha (problem) the person had in his brain, that was like those barricades we see on the roads in Mumbai, to stop cars, from driving straight into a rain water filled naala (pit/hole). Omkaraji might facing a painters' block, something which is coming in the way of his thought's traffic" said Dandi.
"Anyways, sister, why do you care? These rich people and their issues. Have you ever seen a poor man who stopped working because his brain came in the way? All rubbish illnesses which happen to only rich people" said Dandi.
Gauri nodded her head absent-mindedly, but subconsciously she knew that this was not a rubbish issue that Dandi bhaiyaa scoffed about.
But he was right, Gauri shouldn't care about it, she had enough problems of her own. She would go tomorrow, thank Omkaraji and come back home. Let him deal with his own mess.