Gauri had never expected that her best friend's wedding, a happy occasion, would be so difficult for her, would forever be a reminder of the pain that love brings.
"Gauri beta, Mukesh's mother is sending someone in half an hour with the haldi, have you prepared everything else?" asked Gauri's mother.
"Yes, Maa, everything else is ready" replied Gauri.
"Good. Jo haldi dulhan ko lagti hain, wahi haldi dulhe ko bhi lagti hain (The bride and groom are applied the same haldi). I think Mukesh's mother will send us the haldi after his ceremony is done" said Gauri's mother.
Richa started giggling.
"Why are you giggling Richa? You are supposed to be shy!" scolded her mother lightly.
Richa made a face behind her mother's back, and beckoned Gauri to her.
"I have heard something interesting. It is said that the bride's unmarried friends who participate in the ritual, get married soon. I'll be sure to rub some haldi on you" said Richa, conspiratorially.
Gauri rolled her eyes.
She didn't know whether she would ever marry, at this point. Her life was already feeling......empty.
"Beta, I think the haldi is here" said her mother.
Gauri nodded, and collected it from the person sent by Mukesh's family. She was glad Ajay didn't come along, she had enough to deal with, without him adding to the problems.
Gauri placed the plate where the ceremony was going to take place, and was about to return to her work, when she almost collided with some of Richa's friends, her friends, from Bareilly.
It was an awkward moment.
Gauri had not done anything wrong so she had no reason to feel conscious, but the other girls lowered their eyes. It was almost eight months since that event which altered the course of Gauri's life forever, yet the wounds were fresh. The evil was gone, but the scar was still prominent.
Finally, one of them mustered the courage to ask her, hesitantly. "How are you Gauri?"
"Alive and well, as you can see" said Gauri, but her voice sounded contemptuous to herself.
"Please, let us all forget what happened for these two days, for Richa. Enjoy" Gauri was relieved that she didn't sound sharp anymore, just cordial, which was the most she could manage anyways.
The group of girls seemed to want to say something, but before they could, Richa's mother asked them to gather around for the ceremony.
Omkara watched from afar, he felt conscious being part of what was prominently a female-dominated event. All the ladies, one by one, applied haldi to Richa. First the married ladies, then the unmarried ones.
There was some slight debate whether Richa and Gauri's mothers, who were widows, should participate in this ceremony or not, but Gauri and Richa firmly put an end to that debate by asserting that Richa's mother had the first right to be part of her daughter's happiness. Yet again, Omkara was reminded how the social situation was still stagnant in the small towns of the country.
Richa rubbed off some haldi from her cheek onto Gauri's playfully. Gauri gave up trying to avoid her and laughed out loud. It was a reminder of old times, their carefree, innocent days.
Omkara smiled seeing Gauri joyous, whatever future brought him, them, he always wished her happiness.
After the ceremony was done, Gauri gathered the leftover haldi, and picked up the plate to place it with the rest of wedding stuff in the store room. As she walked towards the storeroom, Richa called her from behind for something. And she didn't see where she was going, consequently colliding with Omkaraji. The plate fell, and haldi flew from the falling plate, to shower on her and Omkaraji.
Gauri pulled the corner of her dupatta and tried to dust the haldi from Omkaraji's face, and at the same time, Omkara tried to the remove the haldi from Gauri's hair, with his deft fingers.
"Look at both of you, you look like gende ka phool (marigold)" joked Richa.
"Its not funny, Richa" scolded Gauri.
"It is but anyways, you better change Gauri. Anyways, we all have to take a bath, and get this haldi off us. Apparently, we'll be glowing, with the after-effects of haldi, according to my mother" Richa rolled her eyes as she said this.
"But Gauriji is already very beautiful ji" said Dilpreet, without thinking.
Richa gave Dilpreet a curious glance, but didn't say anything.
"Yes, yes, we all better change, and everything. Its almost afternoon, and the mehendi is there in the evening" said Gauri, dispersing everyone.
Gauri looked at herself in the mirror in her room, her mind went back to the moment the haldi rained over them.
Fate was conspiring against her, it seemed. Gauri sighed.
***************************************
Gauri had changed from yellow dress in the morning into a different one for the Mehendi and Sangeet in the evening.
She was not looking forward to these events. She was mentally and emotionally exhausted with everything happening around her. She idly wondered what she would do after the wedding tomorrow. Richa would leave for her sasuraal (in-laws place).
Gauri couldn't stay back here in Moradabad forever, especially not now when she was engaged to Ajay. She knew his intentions, he didn't consider this Roka serious, either, it was just a means to an end for him, an end that he would never achieve.
Gauri would move to her uncle's city. After all, he did want her to stay in Delhi with him. She'll get herself transferred to a school in Delhi, complete her education there, her uncle would help just as much as Jahnvi Maaji did, thought of course, she would always be beholden to Jahnvi Maaji. Gauri would find some employment and stay in Delhi for the rest of her life. But rest of her life looked scarily long from where she was standing.
"Gauri, what are you thinking standing there like a statue? Come here, and have mehendi applied on her hands" said Richa.
"Richa, I have work left, how am I supposed to do it with Mehendi in my hands?" said Gauri, wanting to avoid the ceremony.
"Stop fretting, all the arrangements are done, and your mehendi will dry up by tomorrow. Please" said Richa, making a puppy face.
Gauri obliged, and sat down to have mehendi mapped on her hands.
"What should I write here, if you have a name to write?" asked the lady who was applying mehendi for the girls.
Gauri remembered her last Mehendi ceremony at the Oberoi mansion, when she and Omkaraji were pretending to be married, and Naniji had told the Mehendi vaali to write Omkara's name there. There was a lump in Gauri's throat thinking back to that day.
"Make an 'Om' symbol, Auntyji. There is no one in Gauri's life currently, but her Shankarji" said Richa, smiling.
Yes, her Shankarji was always with her, thought Gauri.
"Remember Gauri, when were kids you would draw Shankarji's symbol on your boat before floating it? Those were good times" sighed Richa.
Yes, those were good times, thought Omkara, as he overheard Richa's words, and remembered the rainy day when Gauri narrated him this story.
Should he have told her then, how much she meant to him? Perhaps, they would have been enjoying Richa's wedding together now, as one. How Omkara regretted his indecision and overthinking.
Some middle-aged lady made an usual comment about how a dark mehendi means stronger love between the couple. Richa looked hopeful for herself, whereas Gauri rolled her eyes.
All this was nonsense, as if love could be determined by rituals or signs, thought Gauri.
Gauri tried to remember the person she was, not so many months ago, who believed that a one-sided love was enough to sustain her life, that she would be happy with whatever fate brings her. How stupid of her! Of course, she hadn't experienced love then, and knew its disastrous consequences now.
For a 'ladies' sangeet, there was a remarkable number of men in the ceremony as well.
"Dilpreet Ji, you are always cracking jokes or singing, what has happened since the last two days, you've been rather off-color?" asked Richa.
"Oh ji, nothing ji, I am just sad ji, that a girl has to leave her home on marriage ji" mumbled Dilpreet.
"Yes that is sad, but maybe you can cheer us all up with a song. A nice Shahrukh khan movie song, please. I remember how I and Gauri would squabble over who was better; Shahrukh or Salman" giggled Richa.
Dilpreet smiled and took the floor, to fulfill Richa's wish. He didn't even know her that well, but she was Gauri's friend, and seemed like a nice girl, so therefore, he liked her. Dilpreet started singing.
Gauri looked at him. Such a cheerful song, for a happy occasion, while their hearts were in turmoil. Omkaraji could be so selflessly good-humored for someone he didn't even know that well.
Gauri maintained a radiant facade, for the benefit of everyone. After all, if he could do it, so could she.
Gauri and Omkara came across each other while dancing in the group.
While everyone was engrossed in their own rhythm, they had eyes only for each other. Maybe this was the last time, they could make merry like this.