19th May 1994
Once again it was decided that everyone would rest for the afternoon and head out in the evening for a drive.
Not in the habit of ever sleeping during the day, Naina tossed and turned in her bed for a bit. Then deciding to explore more of the palace grounds, she headed out with a book in her hand.
She strolled through the lemon orchard that the gardener had pointed out to her earlier in the day. The air was heavy with the aroma of the ripe yellow fruit and the white flowers on the trees. Few bees were buzzing around. She picked a few lemons lying on the ground and carried them in a makeshift pouch of her dupatta, happily thinking, I will ask Maa to make my favourite sweet quick pickle. There is something so satisfying about picking free fruit, even if it costs just a rupee in the market!
Sameer stood by his window, listening to some rock music with his headphones on. He tried to shake off the guilt thinking, What's the big deal if I fantasise about her a little?! She doesn't have a clue. So, no harm done! A small voice whined, Because, this is not what you usually do... fantasying about random girls of your acquaintance.
Recalling his grandfather's words from that morning, he wondered if he was really leading her on. But then tried to dissuade himself, It's not like I have been trying to entrap her. Also for all I know, she probably has a boyfriend and isn't even available! Though, he did not find this line of thinking as agreeable as hoped.
I wish she had been wearing a saree today... would have loved to see that chain wrapped around her bare waist! Once again his mind was full of some not so innocent images. He groaned inwardly as his body started responding in earnest. Had it not been so hot, he would have considered burning off some of his extra energy in the pool, he thought glancing it that direction.
As if though, occupying just his thoughts wasn't enough, there she was by the pool!
Naina was in the process of pulling one of the deck chairs in the shade of a huge umbrella. For a moment he wondered with mounting anticipation, was she out for a swim? But alas, she placed something on the ground and then settled on the chair, the umbrella now completely obstructing his view.
Naina had been happily lost in her book for close to half an hour, when she heard someone clear his throat.
Sameer stood close by, now changed in a pair of dark grey shorts and a sleeveless white t-shirt with a print comprising of a strange demonic skull with long horns and vicious teeth. The handsome devil all set to entice some innocent soul... the thought darted across her mind.
She was surprised to see him there, but was even more flabbergasted by the image on his t-shirt. She tilted her head side to side trying to make some sense of the logo and then asked "What sort of weird design is this?!"
He shrugged his shoulders as he pulled another chair close to hers "It's the logo for Motorhead. It's a heavy metal band." She scrunched her nose "Oh, you mean one of those people who claim to make music, when in reality the listener is only bound to go deaf?" He snickered "Well, I can see your taste in music runs very shallow... or should I be nice and call it mainstream?"
She bristled, but putting on a fake extra sweet tone said "Please don't tell me that you have interrupted my solitude just to spite my taste in music." "Milady, my sincere apologies for breeching your fortress of solitude." he mocked back. Seeing that the reference was lost on her, he pulled on his aviators and leaned back in the chair.
Having run out of things to banter about, at least momentarily, both fell silent.
Naina went back to reading her book, or the pretence of it.
Sameer idly looked around, wondering why he had struggled to stay in his room and headed here once he spotted her. She doesn't own this pool! I have every right to be here if I want to! He told himself sternly, not sure who he was justifying his actions to.
Naina on the other hand was wondering, Why is he sitting here if he doesn't want to talk? I hate these awkward silences! Her thoughts again wandered to his withdrawn behaviour from earlier. Is he still mad about the shopping??
Not able to bear his silence, she said in an accusatory tone "You shouldn't have bought those things if you didn't like them!" "What are you going on about?!" he was clearly confused.
"Just because I showed you around the market, there was no need for you to feel obliged to shop. I can understand that you are used to shopping all over the world. The wares in this small village were probably not up to your standards." she finished off sounding a little defensive.
He frowned "What made you think that I didn't like the stuff I bought this morning?" She muttered "You have been a little distracted since then, so I thought..."
Surprised by her perceptiveness, he looked at her intently for a few moments thinking, Lord knows, what you will do if you knew what I have been distracted by!
Sameer replied softly "Don't worry, I really liked all the artefacts and gifts." He pulled out one of the little gift bags from his short pockets and held it out to her.
When she looked on perplexed without taking it, he explained smiling "I got the choker with the black stones for you, seeing how much you seemed to liked it." Naina stuttered a little "Sameer... but why? And how can I take it? I can't possibly..."
He pulled forward her palm and tried to push the bag in it "Naina, it's just a small gift. You really helped me this morning. Believe me, I would have been absolutely lost trying to find all those gifts. I couldn't follow a word of what those vendors were saying! Consider this a small thank you." She still protested "Sameer, there is really no need for this. It's my job to help you with these sort of things!"
Shaking his head, he pulled out the necklace. Before she could react, leaning over, he placed it around her neck "There! It's yours now. Stop saying no."
Naina's fingers flitted over it, as she remembered being a little disappointed when he bought it earlier that day, wondering if he had decided to buy it for a girlfriend or some other special girl.
"Thank you so much. I did like it very much!" she admitted smiling shyly. His eyes darkened behind the sunglasses and his voice grew a little hoarse "I should have bought that waist chain also... you really liked that one too, right?" She rushed to assure him "Oh no... this is already too much!"
Though a part of him was pleased at not buying her the other ornament, thinking, In all likelihood I would have never seen her wear it. And some other lucky bastard would have had the pleasure of living my fantasies!
While he deliberated on how to ask her if she had a boyfriend, she provided him with the perfect opportunity.
Naina remarked coyly "I thought, maybe you got this for someone special. Do you have one? I mean a girlfriend..."
He smirked "No... I am very much single." For some odd reason, he felt compelled to share "Actually, we broke off a couple of months back."
Her features visibly tensing at the idea of some other girl holding a special place in his heart, she just managed to whisper a "Oh..."
Sameer did not miss the flicker of disappointment in her eyes, and instinctively tried to downplay that relationship "We just dated for a bit. It wasn't very serious, and there was no long-term commitment from either of us. We always knew that Izzy would go back once she finished her studies."
She asked a little surprised "Izzy?? Was she not Indian?" He replied "No, she is Spanish."
Naina experienced a pang of jealously as she envisioned him on a date with some blue eyed blond haired beauty. Did he take her out for candlelight dinners? Or to the movies? Did he buy her red roses and chocolates?! That was as far as her imagination took her in that moment.
Sameer dived in with his question "Are you seeing someone right now?" Glancing around a little confused she blinked a few times, and not getting what he meant replied "Right now, I can only see you... who else is here?!" He chuckled softly "I mean, are you dating someone currently?"
Smarting from the thoughts of him with someone else, and not wanting to admit her own lack of experience in that area, Naina replied stiffly "No, I am not dating anyone." and then added after a small pause "At the moment."
He noticed her tone, and attributed it to what he guessed had probably been a less than amicable breakup. But, he was far too pleased hearing she was currently single, to dwell much on her past.
Naina wanted to ask, why were you with her if you weren't serious about pursuing a relationship with her? But then decided that it had all probably been a part of just getting to know each other. As far as she understood, that's how things worked there. People met and conversed over meals, trying get to know each other's thoughts and interests. He must have done the same, but obviously they had not clicked and had hence parted ways. Yes, that makes sense.
Out of the blue Sameer remarked "It is so oddly shaped." Sensing her surprised glance, he clarified "I am talking about the pool. It's hard to swim in lanes." She chuckled "Well, the king was not expecting to hone his swimming skills in this pool!"
Not bad.. so Nanu's naive Naina isn't so naive. A slight thrill ran through him.
He asked in a husky voice "So, which skills did he hone here??" She gulped nervously, Seriously Naina! Have you never heard of the phrase- think before you speak?!
Ignoring his question, she rushed to voice the next thought that popped into her mind, "It looks so pretty at night!" He raised a brow "When were you out here at night?" She tried to cover up nervously "I meant to say... It must be looking pretty. Why would I be out here at night??"
Sameer bought her fib and replied genuinely "I was out for a swim last night, and it was really very pretty out here!" He smiled contentedly "Nothing like a dip in the cold water after a hot summer's day."
As she squinted against the sun, she smiled broadly, her heart warming to his smile. He is no less than a prince himself. He could have easily stepped out from the pages of those thick textbooks she toiled over.
Looking at the pool, Naina drawled dreamily "The king must have been very romantic... building this pool. How beautiful it must have looked in the evenings, with little lamps floating across it, while the air was heavy with incense!"
Sameer wanted to say, And very lucky too, especially if he was in the company of a beauty like you... but his better judgment kicked in, just in time!
He instead responded in a teasing tone "I can see, why they chose you to play Juliet. I doubt it required much acting on your part!" Naina blushed as she once again imagined him as her Romeo. Sameer wondered as the colour crept up her cheeks, Do all girls here blush so much? Or is she a special case?!
Some time was spent in companionable silence, till the sun turned extra hot and the shade of the umbrella no longer sufficed, forcing them to head indoors.
Naina thanked him again for the thoughtful gift and both retired to their respective rooms.
* * *
That evening they drove to a famous temple located about half an hour away. The shrine was dedicated to Durga the goddess of valour, who embodied the belief of good always triumphing evil.
After sharing some information about the origins of the temple, Naina pointed out the size and weight of the idol made in silver and adorned with serval kilos of gold ornaments. Some of the ornaments adorning the goddess were from the time of the old kings, as she was their family deity.
Once again, she offered her prayers accompanied by a pooja thali. Along with the usual flowers and coconut, the offering to the goddess included all the tokens for a married lady: a red chunni, bunch of green glass bangles, some tiny brass earrings and a string of tiny black beads.
Naina had offered such thalis on a number of occasions, usually on behalf of her mother and grandmother. But though she couldn't put her finger on it, for some reason the offering seemed strangely poignant that day.
As she bowed down almost prostrate, Sameer watched her, amazed at the depth of her belief in the holy. Not many of his generation amongst his friends were still so religious. He wasn't an atheist, but he didn't consider himself particularly religious either.
As he sat on the steps with his grandfather, he remarked "Nanu, I have always struggled a little to understand the concept of so many Gods and Goddesses in our religion. The other three big ones believe in only one God. Why do we have so many?" Nanaji was taken aback by this question, especially considering that it was coming from Sameer.
When the kids were much younger, he used to take along books with various Hindu mythological tales and read to them during his stay. They had listened to him with anticipation as he described the various battles between the gods and demons, and giggled over antics of a naughty young Krishna till they tuned nine or so. But later other things like Pokémon, Spiderman, Superman and so on had caught their fancy. The story books taken over by Nanaji, sat gathering dust in the cabinet where Vishakha made a point to display them.
Sameer watched his grandfather remove his specs, wipe the lens very carefully using the end of his kurta and put them back on. The older man then replied in a contemplative tone "Beta, I am no religious scholar. But my personal view is, it's all about the history of our civilisations and the context in which different religions evolved."
The young man's eyes narrowed "What do you mean by 'religions evolved'? Most religions don't believe in the concept of evolution!"
Nanaji chuckled "Don't you think that in itself supports the theory of evolution? When our civilisations were in their infancy, it was easy to explain the existence of everything using the theory of Creationism. It does not need any proof or deep understanding of how the world around us works."
He then added "But let me be very clear, I am using the word 'evolution', also meaning change or adaptation, not necessarily implying progression or advancement."
Sameer asked with a smile spreading across his face "But what does that have to do with one or multiple gods worshipped by various religions?
Nanaji went on "Beta, different religion came into being trying to meet the needs of that time and place where they were founded. The needs, wants and problems of the people around, played a huge part in the religious doctrine that was established."
Happy to see that his grandson was listening attentively, Nanaji went on "The older ones have a more seemingly pagan but pragmatic approach. The old Roman, Greek and even Egyptian religions are very similar to Hinduism. Different deities represent 'what' someone is praying for rather than 'who'. Individual innate needs of humans vary, some can relate to worshipping the god of wisdom and learning more, while another needs to draw strength while fighting on the battlefield, and yet another's soul craves for music. Those religions probably evolved as the higher needs of humans developed. The gods repressing the elements of nature like Vayu, Varun, Agni were more wildly worshipped across all cultures in the beginning, when life was all about surviving the vagaries of nature. Once, we found ways to overcome those challenges, humanity then turned to pursing and in turn worshipping the other deities depicting our consciousness and higher intellectual needs."
"Coming back to your original question, in some places either due to lack of major conflict or just a more tolerant way of life, the olden religions thrived. Whereas, in other places people struggling for a sense of belonging or who were disillusioned with the old ways, started looking for something new, something that would unify the masses. Perhaps the doctrine of one single god was just what worked for them. Again, these are just my personal views." Nanaji shrugged his shoulders.
Sameer's eyes gleamed as he nodded his head in understanding.
Nanaji savoured this moment. Discussing religion and philosophy with his young grandson seemed like a major milestone.
Sameer felt tranquillity overcoming him. His step-father was alright, but he had missed having an absolute father figure in his life.
He wondered briefly why had he never spent much one-on-one time with Nanaji. Agreed, he had been busy doing what most boys his age did, but still he should have made the time. The look of contentment in his grandfather's eyes in that moment, said a lot. He decided to make more efforts going forward.
Naina had settled couple of steps away after finishing her adulations. She listened to part of their conversation, feeling more awed by the elder man's thoughts.
She realised with a pang, just how much she had lacked a male role-model in her life. Both the women in her home had lavished her with warmth, love and emotional support, but she had missed out on the presence of a thinking worldly man. The over-protective instinct that Nanaji had displayed the night before, had pulled at her heart strings.
As they stood up and started walking down the temple steps, Nanaji placed his arm around Sameer's shoulders. Naina trailed behind watching the elder man's display of affection with longing. Intuitively, Nanaji looked in her direction and smiled at her. When she was closer, he unexpectedly patted her head. Words were deemed unnecessary, as her eyes shone emotionally and both smiled at each other.
* * *
Balwant had recommended dining at a place which was renowned for its rustic charm. The open air restaurant was set up like a model village, which was a novel experience for visitors, especially Sameer.
They were greeted at the gates with two cows tethered to a wooden pole. A bale of hay was available for the visitors to feed the cows if desired. Naina excitedly offered a handful, while Sameer immediately pulled out his camera.
Before he could start using it though, Naina kidded "Stop hiding behind the lens all the time! Come here and feed the animals. Let me capture you in action!"
"I don't think the cow likes me very much..." he complained, when the cow started waving its tail around as soon as he approached it.
"Who was finding it so funny, when I was startled by the squirrel yesterday?!" Naina teased the already flustered young man. Sameer glared at her "That squirrel was smaller than one of the horns on this beast!"
Nanaji chuckled "Stop being such a coward! It's just a cow."
Once a few photos of a very wry Sameer feeding the cow were captured, they headed inside.
Numerous food stalls were scattered around offering various freshly cooked regional delicacies like: roasted Corn on the Cob, flattened millet bread served with assortment of local vegetables, chutneys, pickles, garnished buttermilk, jalebis and kulfi ice-creams.
Apart from the mouth-watering treats, the place had a lot of entertainment on offer too.
Various local artists were performing on a small raised dais.
A puppet show was in progress when they arrived. Grabbing some dinner, they settled down to watch the artists perform. It had been ages since any of them had watched a puppet show and it brought back childhood memories for all.
Next, a couple of musicians arrived with a string instrument called ek-tara, which is literally made of one string. Sameer was very surprised to see the type of music they were able to create with such a basic instrument.
This was followed by some folk songs. Not understanding the words, Sameer just enjoyed the beat. His enjoyment grew manyfold, seeing Naina's expressive eyes and face reflecting the emotions convveyed by the song, as she listened enraptured. She is actually very pretty! Especially her eyes... they remind one of a frolicking deer. Sensing his eyes on her, she turned towards him and raised her eyebrows, silently mouthing a 'What??' He shook his head, and diverted his gaze back to the performers.
Ladies carrying small wooden baskets were walking amongst the guests offering to draw henna designs. Naina gave into the temptation and was soon enveloped in the tantalising fragrance. The lady with the henna cone was very talented, and shortly Naina's palms were covered in an intricate pattern. Nanaji generously tipped the artist, remarking nostalgically that it had been ages since such activities had occurred in his household.
The final performance for the night was a juggling act. The man started with a couple of balls, which kept growing in number till he had about half a dozen in the air. The balls were then replaced by knives and later on by flaming bottles. The audience watched in rapture and the artist received a resounding applause.
Just before they left the venue, the men grabbed some Kulfis. All Naina could do was eye the pieces-of-heaven-on-a-stick longingly, as the henna on her hands hadn't dried as yet. Noticing her reaction, Sameer made it a point to make various ummm yummm noises while slurping on the sweet treat. He chuckled when she frumpily turned away.
As the car travelled in the direction of their temporary abode, Sameer leaned closer to her and whispered "Lucky last..." offering her the last bite of his Kulfi. Naina's first instinct was to refuse his jhootha, but the pull of his allure proved stronger. Never before had a morsel of food tasted so divine!
When he chucked the stick outside the window, she thought wistfully, How could he throw it away so carelessly? I would have treasured it for... And then she rebuked herself, What's wrong with you Naina?! What's there to treasure in a simple stick??? You are definitely going a little crazy!
It was late by the time they reached Dasi Mahal, and all the guests quickly retired to their rooms, after some quick good nights.
(Done for now! Hope you all enjoyed the increased interaction between Samaina ☺️ Have a lovely weekend!
Take care and stay safe and healthy.
Lots of love, May)