19th May 1994
The next morning, when Sameer walked into the breakfast room, Nanaji had finished his breakfast and was sipping on his second cup of tea while reading the newspaper. He pondered on Naina's absence at breakfast, while his coffee was served, wondering if she was still cross at him.
Finishing breakfast, they headed to the foyer. Shambhu, who was idly chatting with one of the servants, rushed to fetch the car. As they waited, Sameer saw her walking towards them, chatting with one of the palace staff, holding a bunch of flowers. Though she was dressed in a simple dark green shalwar–kameez, she was wrapped in the allure of a forest nymph. Once close by, Naina greeted them both with a smile and shared that she had been chatting to the gardener, who had been kind enough to pluck some flowers for her.
Nanaji climbed into the front as decided the previous evening. The drive to the main palace which was just under half an hour, was completed in almost silence, with just the occupants of the front seat exchanging a few sentences.
Though the backseat passengers made an outward show of being too focused on the scenery outside the car, they were both engrossed in thoughts of each other.
Naina was still more than a little shaken and agonising, Did he catch me watching him last night? Oh God! What will I say if he asks me?! Sameer was a tad bit confused, not knowing what she expected of him. Should I just pretend like nothing has happened, or should I apologise for making her feel uncomfortable?
The main palace was a grandiose structure. Naina slipped into the shoes of a tourist, as they were welcomed and then shown around by one of the senior staff. Part of this palace had been converted in a heritage hotel, while some parts were preserved just for viewing. If Dasi Mahal was impressive, this one was many times more so. It was clear, this palace had been built to house the royalty.
Once the formal tour was completed, they were free to explore by themselves. Sameer took some photos as he walked around, fighting hard against the temptation to include her in some of the frames.
His eyes spotted her standing by herself, looking at some oversized portraits of kings and queens now long gone. He decided that he was being plain stupid, for letting their little argument from the evening before become an issue between them. Approaching her, he silently stood next to her for a few moments before saying "Hey, I am sorry about last night. I didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable."
She rushed to reply "It's okay. You weren't wrong... I mean, not wrong in what you said." He asked uncertainly "In what I said??" She fumbled "Well... about people seeing what could be seen. Just because, someone sees something, doesn't mean they are being a pervert... right?"
Sameer nodded along thinking, What has brought about this sudden change in her stance of last night? See, I was right all along! not realising that, this was actually her way of excusing her own behaviour of watching him after his swim!
Noting she was standing in front of a portrait of a young man, he chuckled softly "Well, I suppose he is definitely the better looking one amongst them, considering he seems the youngest. Were you admiring him??"
Her expression turned solemn, thinking he must died young if this was his last portrait. Finding the thought too hard to dwell on, she dragged her gaze away form the young man's handsome features to the majestic dog sitting at his feet.
"If you must know... I was admiring the artist's skill. The the dog looks so real! You an almost imagine him bark. And his fur... every hair has been so precisely painted! Makes me want to hug it tightly and bury my face in his fur!" As she uttered the words, Naina felt rather surprised at her own reaction. She had never considered herself much of an animal lover. So, where had been sudden urge to hug the dog come from??
Now closely observing the dog, Sameer agreed "It is a beautiful creature and the painter has truly captured the intelligence in it's eyes." Few moments later, he added "Shall we head outside?"
As they turned to walk away, Naina cast a glance over her shoulder half expecting the dog to jump out of the painting and follow them.
Feeling satisfied that the disquiet between them had been put to rest, they headed outside to explore the garden. As they stood admiring a huge fountain, he asked out of the blue "David Hasselhoff or Jeremy Jackson?" Seeing her confused expression, he smirked "Well, you obviously don't watch Baywatch for Pamela Anderson... so, who do you fancy?" She objected "I don't watch it for anyone. It's just an interesting show."
He muttered "Liar liar... pants on fire... come on Naina, please don't tell me that girls don't enjoy checking out hunks in trunks!" As she coloured at the memory of the hunk she had spied on the previous night, he smirked and clicked a close-up of the blushing beauty. Then showing her the photo on the screen, he chuckled "Look at how pink you have turned! Spill the beans! Who are you thinking of?" He followed her, when she walked away feeling very rattled.
Sameer continued teasing her "Come on, you can tell me." Then donning a very solemn expression he said "Rest assured that all your secrets will be safe with me. Whatever you share, I promise to carry it back to UK and then to my grave with me." She knew he was just pulling her leg, and yet she visibly paled "Please don't talk of graves." He sighed "I am just kidding."
On reaching Nanaji, Naina excused herself to visit the restrooms. Sameer and his grandfather stood chatting for a bit. They talked a bit about the beauty of the palace and reminisced about their last visit together to Windsor castle. Sameer spoke about his visit to the castle of Edinburgh with some university friends.
When they headed towards the car, Naina was already waiting for them with Shambhu. Nanaji suddenly said "Sameer, be careful. She is not like the European girls you know." Seeing the confused expression on his grandson's face, he clarified "Girls here are different. They are innocent. They think and feel differently. They are not used to this casual flirting... or friendships. Matters of heart really matter to our Indian girls."
Sameer replied a little stiffly "Nanu, I am not trying to lure some innocent. We have been just conversing about this and that." His grandfather responded in a placating tone "Beta, I am not accusing you of anything. Just asking you to bear in mind, the cultural and social differences. She is a sweet, simple girl, unlike the girls you mingle with in UK."
Nodding silently Sameer refrained from arguing with his grandfather. But he was fuming silently on the inside. What did his grandfather mean to imply by this caution? That he was a thoughtless guy with no regard for anybody's feelings? And what was that dig about 'unlike the girls he otherwise mingled with'? Was that about Isabella?!
Sameer barely heard, when Naina informed them that they would now head to the village. He glanced at his grandfather and thought to himself, Nanu undeniably lives in a bubble! He had no inkling of the changed times and the world around him.
He had spent the last couple of weeks interacting with his extended family and cousins in India. Most of them had unabashedly shared their dating exploits with him. Devang was currently in a relationship with his third girlfriend, while Manoj had been going steady with his girlfriend from his school days. And based on what they had all alluded to, the romance was surely not limited to exchanging lovelorn looks or holding hands.
Yes, he knew that the youngsters here didn't openly acknowledge their love-lives in front of the elders but were the elders really that oblivious?! He hated this hypocrisy! He had seen shades of it in the Indian community in London too. So many parents insisted that their daughters present themselves as the epitome of virtue at the community gatherings. The same girls that he would see in clubs dressed in short clingy outfits, dancing in the arms of boys of all race and colours. He didn't think there was anything wrong with how both the genders of his generation chose to live their lives. But being forced to pretend otherwise for 'cultural' reasons did not sit well with him.
Sameer glanced at the girl next to him. His grandfather had tried to impress upon him that she was 'simple and sweet'. But why was 'nice' considered as a synonym for 'naïve'? He did not for a moment doubt that Naina was a lovely girl. But is being innocent or inexperienced when it came to dealing with men, a prerequisite for her to be considered respectable?! She is a working woman, who interacts with men from all walks of life. Surely, she is no untouched shrinking violet!
He did not notice that Shambhu had parked the car, till Naina called his attention "Sameer, we have reached the village. I have been told that the regional market is setup today, and you can buy local handicrafts for a bargain." Nanaji smiled over his shoulder "That's a great idea. You can pick up souvenirs for your friends." Still a little maddened, he just nodded.
The market offered an eclectic mix of stalls and handcarts. Food produce stalls were laid out with the local fruits and vegetables, grains, spices, pickles and so on. One vendor was exclusively selling variety of oils, both edible and cosmetic. Another sat with a wide range of gems and crystals, claiming he had a cure for every aliment known to mankind.
As they ambled around checking out the wares, Sameer felt the earlier anger and tension slowly fading away. Nanaji shared some recommendations. The stall selling brass and copper artefacts had a good collection. Sameer chose a few things for his mother and couple of aunts. Not seeing many options for Rohan and his guy friends, he picked some letter openers shaped like the dagger that was considered very unique to that regions. Finally, it was time to shop for his sister and few other girls. Nanaji pleaded ignorance in that area and chose to head to a tea stall.
Sameer turned to Naina for help and she grinned happily "Just tell me the number, and we shall find you some lovely gifts!" He bit his lower lip as he thought and then replied "Some general gifts for five girls, and then something special for Deepika."
Making some enquires, Naina led him towards the stalls selling traditional bandhej dupattas. She explained "The girls can use these as they please. Either as dupattas, stoles or scarves." He seemed to ponder for a bit and then pointing out one of the dupattas said "I am not sure how... can you show me? Ask him for that red one."
Naina got the vendor to pull down the one requested by him. It was in silky material covered with a smattering of sequins. She then started showing him how it could be draped in different ways. When he started taking photos, she objected "Why are you clicking so many photos?!"
He replied trying unsuccessfully to hide his smile "Well, it will be easier to just show them how the model wore these, than me trying to explain." "Model? Which model??" she frowned and then as realisation dawned, she pulled off the dupatta "Oh... You are just making fun of me!"
He chuckled "Not making fun... you really make a very cute dupatta model!" Though she tried to appear grumpy, her heart was grinning, He thinks I am cute!
Once the dupattas were selected, they moved to a stall selling beautiful ethnic jewellery in search of something special for Deepika. Necklaces, earrings, bracelets, rings for adorning fingers, toes and nose, and several other pieces that neither could easily identify, hung from the makeshift walls of the stall. Most of the jewellery was the oxidised variety, but there was some in copper too.
Naina once again started sharing her recommendations. As her eyes were repeatedly drawn to an oxidised heavy choker which was embedded with some back stones, she exclaimed "Sameer, this one is really beautiful! It's a very classic style and your sister will be able to match it with many outfits." Sameer sounded a little unconvinced "The design is nice... but Deepika has now outgrown her gothic phase."
"Gothic phase? What does that mean??" she asked confused. He smiled "Well, last year she wore nothing but black... all the time! Her clothes, footwear, accessories... absolutely everything. Sometimes her lipstick too!" She grimaced "Black lipstick! But why?!" He shrugged "I don't know. As a strong expression of self... or as a protest against god-knows-what! Anyway, point is, it's now over. And she has once again embraced the other colours. So, lets choose another colour."
The same design was available with cobalt blue stones too, and they settled on that. For the next few minutes Naina bargained with the shopkeeper, and Sameer watched her slightly amused as she made every effort to save him about fifty pence, which was quarter the price of his one coffee back in London.
Once she was convinced that they were getting a fair deal, instructions to pack it were issued. A young boy was dispatched by the shopkeeper to fetch some decorative packing bags from other stall.
While waiting for the boy to return, Naina started browsing through the other items in the shop. Sameer couldn't follow most of her conversation with the seller as he was unfamiliar with the local language but continued watching their interaction none the less.
He noticed how her eyes kept drifting back to the choker with the black stones that she had originally liked. He told her to ask the shopkeeper to pack that one too. When she asked sounding confused "What will Deepika do with two identical necklaces? Let's choose another in a different design." He mumbled that it was for someone else, and so she asked the vendor to add it to their purchase.
Suddenly she pointed at a piece of jewellery that seemed too big to be a necklace. As the man behind the counter handed it over to her, a strange feeling of déjà vu overcame Sameer.
The next few moments seemed to play out in slow motion.
Even before it happened, he knew that she would wrap the ornament around her waist and then turn in his direction. She spoke a little breathlessly "I find this most impractical in today's world, and yet so fascinating!" just as he knew that she would.
Though she did not ask him what he thought of it, her eyes searched for something in his. And they must have recognised and liked what they saw, because she cheeks turned a dark pink.
As if in a trance, he took a step closer to her and reached out to gently tug on one of the dangling bits. He knew that she would now protest "Sameer, be careful! He will charge us the full amount if it breaks."
He was about to retort "I don't care. I will buy you many more." when the boy sent on the errand arrived back panting and presented the packing bags that he had brought back for their approval.
The bizarre moment was broken. He blinked a few times, not able to make any sense of what he had just experienced, as Naina returned the ornament.
He paid the shopkeeper whatever she asked him to, and accepted the thin white polythene bag with the gift wrapped necklaces inside. As they headed back towards the tea stall where Nanaji was resting, she pointed out few things of interest. But Sameer was far too shaken for any of it to actually register.
Naina made a quick stop at a glass bangles stall, and picked up a dozen and half of multi-coloured set for herself, as a memento of the visit.
On joining Nanaji, he ordered a cold drink for himself and then sat sipping on it, oblivious to the conversation between Naina and his grandfather.
The different theories that he had come across around the phenomenon of déjà vu sprung to his mind.
One thought process was that it was just a matter of our brain being able to predict the most likely way how the situation would unfold, based on similar previous experiences. But that didn't make any sense here. How could I have possibly predicted what she would do or say when I have known her for less than thirty hours?! He had never been out jewellery shopping with her, or coming to think of it, with any other girl before. He hadn't even recognised what that specific piece of jewellery was! So, how had he have known that she would drape it around her waist?
And there was no question about him hallucinating! He hadn't even consumed a beer for over the last few days, forget anything stronger.
Another theory he had read somewhere behind déjà vu was that it's because our soul keeps reliving the same life till we get it right. And at times remembers fragments of the past life. Does that mean I know her from another lifetime? If so, what is it that we were trying to get right in this lifetime?? This theory was starting to seem nothing short of ludicrous too!
Nanaji tapped him on his shoulder "Where are you lost? I asked you something." He shook his head "Just thinking about something..." His grandfather repeated his question "Shall we head to the restaurant at the main palace for lunch? It is starting to get rather hot." Though it was just half past eleven, the mercury had started raising rapidly. Sameer was glad to get out of the sun, and Shambhu was advised of the destination.
* * *
Lunch was very elaborate and lasted for a long time. They had ordered the Rajwadon Ki Thali, which turned out to be true to its name. The food was served in plates and bowls made of silver. They soon lost count of the dals, curries, vegetable stir-fries and accompaniments served. Four to five varieties of rotis and three types of pulavs were offered. And of course, five types of sweets!
After half an hour of valiant effort, Naina was the first to surrender her cutlery, and Nanaji followed suit five minutes later. Both now watched the young man still working his way through the assortment of desserts with an amused smile playing on their lips. He just shrugged "It's not every day that I get to binge on such awesome sweets! Nanu, you've tried the Indian sweets we get in London. They aren't anywhere close to these." Nanaji nodded in agreement "That's because none of the ingredients there can compare with our desi stuff!"
Sameer had tried hard to steer his thoughts away from his earlier bewilderment during the meal, but he wasn't so successful during the drive back to Dasi Mahal.
Along with his prior perplexity, his mind recalled something else.
The moment he had heard her share how she found the waist chain fascinating, his mind had conjured up a truly fascinating image of its own. Naina donning that ornament sans anything else. Where the hell had that come from?!
And why had he been about to tell her that he would buy her many more if he broke that one? He felt the back of his neck heating up, as a number of scenes instantly played out in his mind, where they might end up with the broken trinket.
What's wrong with me?! Why the hell am I fantasying about the girl I have met just yesterday? And that too in broad daylight, with Nanu sitting not more than a couple of feet away from! He chided himself strongly, Stop this Sameer! Since when did you turn into such a Randy?!
The object of his fantasies, ignorant of his thoughts, was still lost in thoughts of the scrumptious lunch that she had tasted. She couldn't wait to recount very minute detail about the ambience of the restaurant and the indulgent food tasted to her mother and grandmother.
Once her thoughts returned to the young man next to her, Naina tried to make some small talk about the success of their shopping expedition. Though he made some reply in acquiesce, it was a short one and then went back to being silent. She couldn't put her finger on it, but felt that he hadn't been quite himself since they left the market.
Did he not like the items that we purchased? Naina, you are such a fool! Why would someone like him, who lives in London and travels the world, like the clothes or jewellery sold in a small village?! Is he cross at me, thinking that thanks to me, he is now stuck with a bunch of useless gifts? The poor girl fretted all the way back to Dasi Mahal.
(Hope you all liked this part :) Looking forward to your comments, as always! Will post the next part on Friday, as it is partially done.
And to all my readers sitting their exams, best of luck!!!
Lots of love, May)