Evening of Different Colours

Roshni checked herself in the mirror. She was wearing black jeans and a sequenced pink top. She tied her hair up in a bun, then opened it, confused. She put a hairband on. Then replaced it with a hair clip. In a short black dress, Phool was pacing the room in her high heels. She was checking her Twitter updates and also keeping an eye on Roshni.
" Oh!" Roshni sat down, throwing the clip on the Bed.
" What's wrong?" Phool stopped her makeup brush and asked.
" What to do with my hair?" She shrugged.
" You need a haircut," Phool suggested.
" I mean now!" Roshni had never shouted this way at Phool before. She looked a little wide-eyed.
" Ohh, tie it up, let it loose, whatever." Phool shrugged and went back to applying lip gloss.
A ring of the bell and Phool's servant came to inform, "Phool Baby Ji Gari taiyar hai."
" Okay, hurry up, Roshni, it is already 6.15."
" Oh no, we are late", Roshni brushed her hair vigorously!
" Calm down. It is one of the million dates I go to, no big deal... " Phool stopped pacing. " Wait a minute, you want to impress Pratap, do you?"
" What?" Roshni was caught, and she turned red, " No, of course not!"
"Yes, yes, that's it, Oh, Roshni, am so happy!" Phool hugged her in joy.
" Please don't tell him I like him." There was a tone of guilt in Roshni's voice.

Pratap and Vishal sat on a four-seater corner sofa of the well-decorated cafe. Vishal was growing impatient, looking at the watch and the door; it was already 6.45. What if she didn't turn up? Pratap was wearing a red T-shirt and a black half jacket over his blue jeans. His heart pounded fast; he didn't know why. Even ordering a cold coffee couldn't calm him down. He gulped at it, yet it seemed to get stuck in his throat. The door opened, and Vishal got up in a hurry, spilling his coffee on the table.
" Stupid!" Phool murmured to Roshni. Roshni stepped in, and the air blew her hair from the sides to her back. She looked up and saw Vishal standing with a shameless smile, Phool greeting him in awkwardness, and Pratap instructing the waiter to clean the table. He finished his instruction and looked up at her. A smile appeared on both faces, and the pounding of hearts increased.

He came up to take her to the table.
" He's a mess." He whispered to Roshni, indicating Vishal.
" Many guys are like that with Phool around." She giggled. Pratap stopped to stare at her.
" Your orders, sir!" the waiter asked.
" I will have a fat-free latte, no sugar, please." Phool was always health-conscious.
Vishal looked at her and said, " Me too, Same!"
" I will have a chocolate dark passion ice cream." Taken aback, Pratap and Roshni looked at each other.
" So I will make that two?" The waiter smiled.
" Yes, please!" Nodded Pratap.
Now Phool was busy flirting with Vishal, uncomfortable at first, but later in the evening, Phool began to enjoy his company.
They laughed and giggled as Roshni told Pratap, " I think they like each other."
Pratap smiled, " Mission accomplished?"
It was already 8pm, and time to go home. Roshni got up worried; she was supposed to be home by 8, and her mother would surely scold her.
Phool was least bothered as she declared, "I'm going for a drive with Vishu in my car!"
" But... But... who will take me home?"
" Pratap, of course!" Vishal pointed at him.
" No... No... I will get an auto." She got up to leave after the couple.
" Hey, wait!" Pratap grabbed her wrist. " I can drop you, it's no issue!" She turned around as he got up, her wrist still in his hands, the smell of his perfume was magical as ever. She stared into his deep, dark eyes, and in a second she realised he was holding her hand. He let it go.
"Let's go." He pointed at the door as she followed him out. Not a word was exchanged in the car as it drove up to her house; her wrist still felt hot from his touch, it seemed. She looked out of the window, determined not to look at him. He did so on the other side, scared that she might not have liked his touch.

" Thank You." She said, getting out of the car.
" Is That Pratap?" Her mother called out from the balcony. " Please come in, Beta."
" Not today, Aunty!" he said with a smile. Definitely not today!
Hansa was not a woman to listen to his excuses. She took him inside, tempting him with some chocolate brownie she had made. Roshni's father was home, and Hansa introduced them, " Ram, this is Pratap, Roshni's classmate and Jaivanta's son."
" Hello, sir." He touched his feet.
" Roshni, take him to your room." Pratap followed her to the pink room, decorated with soft toys and pink curtains. A picture hung on the wall, of her and her mother.

" Can I ask you something?" She said in a low voice as he sat down on her bed.
" Yes, of course." Hansa interrupted with a plateful of sinful brownies. " Enjoy!" She said with a smile and left.
Putting a spoonful in his mouth, he said, " You were asking?"
" Aunty... Your mother told mine about your father..." She stopped to look at him. He had stopped eating and looked at her, a little irked. " I don't like to talk of him, Roshni," came a stern reply.
" I think you should... umm... help Aunty...."
" Help?" He gave a sarcastic laugh. " Who needs my help? Who needs me anyway?"
" She does."
" No, they have never ever cared about me, my feelings or my life. "
" That is not true." Roshni frowned in protest.
" What do you know? Do you know how it feels when they fight and shout and call each other names? I have sat in a dark room witnessing this since I was five. Do you know how it feels if your parents call you their mistake?" His eyes filled up as he stepped toward her. She moved back and found herself pinned against the wall.
" Don't you dare say you know this feeling because you don't". He fought back his tears. He realised he was too close to her. Her heavy breath could be felt near his chin. He moved away. "I am sorry."
" No, I am not saying I know how you feel. I am saying your parents love each other, they love you, there must be some misunderstandings that you can help them solve."
" Love? I don't believe in it! It doesn't exist. " He was too angry. She was shocked. She thought he meant it for them. Her voice shook as she asked, " You don't believe in love?" Her sad voice made him realise what he had done.
Damn it, I didn't mean... " Roshni, I... I meant..."
" Go home, Pratap, it's getting late, and I'm sorry I was only trying to help. " She replied in a stone-cold voice before leaving the room. " Listen, I can explain...." His voice went unheard.

He bid goodbye to her parents and stood on her porch. While getting into the car, he looked up at the balcony, and a smile appeared on his face. There she was, standing, looking down at him leave. He waved goodbye. She nodded as the car rushed out of their porch to the main road.

Towards You

The Afghans, after Sher Shah Suri's untimely demise, were at loggerheads for power. Their troops near Mewar were now led by Mehmood Shah. They secretly captured territories in the forests and waited to attack Mewari camps when the time was right. Rawat Chundawat and his spies had confirmed the news, and Udai Singh sent a warning to Mehmood Shah to withdraw his troops from Mewar in vain. Now that it was out in the open, it was time they declared war. Mehmood Shah had limited resources in Mewar. His internal rebellion against his commander did not help his cause. His spies clearly suggested that in no way could he win, especially with Kunwar Pratap leading his troops. He was having second thoughts about the war. It was then that one of his aides suggested a perfect plan. Maharani Jaivanta Bai had decided to go to the Mahakaleshwar Temple near the outskirts of Chittorgarh, in the forestlands of Bhilwara. They had travelled a long way and across the Gambhiri river that meandered during...

My Everything

Kunwar Pratap stormed into the Mahal at Gogunda amidst uncertainty and chaos. Happy faces of the chieftains and soldiers welcomed him as Rawat Chundawat, and some other chieftains stopped the ongoing Raj Tilak. A visibly scared Kunwar Jagmal looked clueless at a visibly angry Kunwar Pratap. Rani Dheerbai Bhatiyani hadn't expected Kunwar Pratap to show up, that too, despite her conveying to him his father's last wish of crowning Kunwar Jagmal. Twenty-one days after Udai Singh's death, she was finally close to a dream she had dared to dream since Jagmal was born. He was not informed about the Raj Tilak as per Dheerbai's instructions. She eyed Rawat Ji. He must have assembled the chiefs to this revolt against her son, against the dead king. No one except them knew where Kunwar Pratap was staying. It was for the safety of his family. " What are you doing, Chotima?" A disappointed voice was directed at her. She could stoop down so low? For the first time, an anger...

Purnota: Chapter Twenty Five

It took Trilochon half a day to figure out something was wrong at home. Since he was back, Somnath did not talk to him at all, and Aniruddha looked visibly upset. They avoided each other at the dining table and the living room. Trilochon was not comfortable with asking Ashalata anything. In the evening, as Kalindi poured tea from the pot, Trilochon groaned inwardly. “It’s not even six months since he got married, and she has started a war between brothers.” Kalindi stopped pouring the tea as she turned to him. “What?” She asked, a little cluelessly. “If I had chosen a bride…” Trilochon stopped at Kalindi’s disapproving stare. “What makes you say that?” She asked rather calmly. “Well, I never saw Som and Aniruddha fight until she came here.” Kalindi looked amused at his words. “You are the type for whom people hate in-laws.” “Pardon?” Trilochon narrowed his brows. “What do you mean?” “Bondita. Ask Bondita.” Kalindi shook her head. “I told her it was a bad idea to work with him.” “You ha...

Purnota: Chapter Twenty One

The morning after the Chief Minister of the state attended the reception party, Binoy wrapped the newspaper that had just arrived at their threshold, eyeing the picture of him and Trilochon with the chief minister smiling proudly, made a mental note of framing it for his office in Siliguri and stepped out to see the car waiting for him in the entrance to take him to the station. He glanced over his shoulder at the house, still asleep and watched Bihari put his luggage in the back seat. Bihari had been with the Roy Chowdhury House since he was a teenager. He eyed Binoy as he lit his pipe and straightened his jacket when Bihari approached him. “Boro Saheb, should I inform Kotta Moshai once?” Binoy eyed Bihari with a disapproving glance. “If I wanted to tell him, I would have done so myself, Bihari. Where is the driver?” He checked his watch. Bihari sighed as he ran to check on the driver. Bondita stopped on the gravelled path leading from the entrance to the main gate as she watched...

Purnota: Chapter Twenty Four

Aniruddha let the shower run as his skin erupted into goosebumps under the cold water. He breathed out and removed the locks of wet hair from his face. He turned off the shower, wrapped the towel lowly around his waist and walked back to the room, not caring about the wet floor from the water dripping down his torso. He lay on the bed as his body soaked the blanket. He stared at the ceiling, stretching his arms over his head. Bondita’s promise played on his mind in a loop. “I will not leave… I will never leave.” He wanted to believe her. He wanted one person he could fall back on, trusting them to catch him when he stumbled. But his experiences proved him otherwise. He remembered that day as vividly as if it were yesterday. He had bought a scarf for Bondita from Palika Bazaar as a truce because he felt bad leaving home after fighting with her. He had tried to be patient with her and sat her down numerous times to make her understand why boarding school would benefit her. Aniruddha...

Purnota: Chapter Twenty Two

The winter morning was pleasant, especially when the sunshine hit the dewy grass on the lawn, and Bihari set down the porcelain cups for Trilochon and Kalindi to start their day. Kalindi had just taken up some orders to knit sweaters and mittens for some of the neighbourhood kids as she wrapped the thick brown shawl tightly around herself, on the chilly morning as she sat down on the lawn chair with her needles, pin and colourful balls of wool, as she knit a pair of mittens while waiting for Trilochon to join her. Bondita hurried out of their place and stopped at the sight of her sitting alone, unsurely. “Do you need something?” Kalindi raised her eyes briefly from the wool and asked as she shook her head. “I was hoping to talk to Jyatha Moshai…” She shivered a little as Kalindi scolded her to find a sweater first. She rushed indoors as Kalindi spotted Trilochon in a thermal t-shirt, a pair of pants and a shawl walking towards her with the cane in hand. He stopped as he watched her kni...

Purnota: Chapter Twenty

Trilochon’s only desire for Som’s wedding was for it to be so grand that the entire Chandannagar remembered it for the longest time. He had also invited the leaders of the opposition, ministers and even the CM, and if rumours were to be believed, he would accept the invitation. That meant trying to impress him for a ticket to the next Lok Sabha elections. He knew the only way to do so was also to showcase Som as a prodigy. Their family name was enough to earn votes for the party in the area. “Perhaps you could tell him about Somnath Babu’s involvement in some of the projects here. Like the slum area where water was flooding the pathways…” Poritosh had suggested. “But it was done by…” Bapi Da had stopped as Trilochon shook his head, “How does it matter who did it? What matters is that we say Som did it.” They agreed. “Jyatha Moshai.” Bondita walked into his room, not expecting the elderly men from the Party office to be there. “ Bolo, Maa. ” “The Gaye Holud is here.” She smiled. “How a...

Purnota: Chapter Twenty Three

“So the question is, do the slum dwellers get their dues to relocate, or do they protest on the road, grabbing media attention? If one of them mentions the sewage project where all this started, we can’t guarantee not dragging certain names then. It will be beyond our control.” Bondita breathed in as she eyed everyone at the table. The conference hall of ARC & Associates had an oval table with a whiteboard, projector and podium and sitting around the table were a stenographer, Bondita’s secondary attorney, Debashish Ghosal, the contractor and his attorney Biswas, the representative of the NGO with the Union leader of the slum, Trilochon, Somnath and Aniruddha. The people of the NGO appreciated her strategy with a nod. Ghoshal looked perplexed as his lawyer whispered something in his ear. Somnath did not look up from the table as Aniruddha passed a note to Trilochon in writing. “Now the decision is yours.” Bondita continued. “We are keen on out-of-court settlement if our basic ...

Purnota: Chapter Nineteen

“Wake up, wake up!” Bondita smiled, amused at Aniruddha and Batuk sleeping on his bed, hugging each other like children. She removed the curtains, and the room was flooded in daylight. “Urgh.” Batuk stirred as Aniruddha sat up. “What is wrong with you?” Batuk threw the pillow Bondita caught before it hit the floor. Her wet hair shone in the sunlight, with droplets of water lingering on its tips as she adjusted her well-pleated orange saree with a blue border and opened the window. A gust of cold breeze blew in from the Ganges, prompting Batuk to pull his blanket over his face. “Let me sleep, Daini !” He murmured. “Is it not enough that you all gave away my room to guests?” Aniruddha was stretching and yawning as Bondita chuckled, amused, pulling her wet hair to the side of her shoulder. “Why are you dressed up?” Aniruddha asked, suppressing a yawn. “Oh, you should be, too. Jyatha Moshai said We are going to Kalighat.” She raised her brows, amused. “Oh shit,” Aniruddha murmured, hitting...

Purnota: Chapter Twenty Six

Bondita was surprised to find Binoy in the living room of the Roy Chowdhury house as she entered the premises early in the morning. Trilochon sat with his brother, looking serious as they discussed some paperwork, as Bihari walked out with tea. Noticing Bondita so early in the morning, Trilochon looked up questioningly. “I have some errands to run before the office.” Bondita smiled as Trilochon nodded. She had to pay some bills and deliver some of the orders Kalindi had finished because her ankle hurt in the morning. Trilochon enquired about her need for medicines as Bondita reassured him that she had made sure of it. Bondita briefly eyed Binoy, who did not take an interest in her or the conversation, as he did not look up from the papers. Bondita cleared her throat, informing Trilochon that she should be on her way. “I think you should show her the papers, Binoy.” Trilochon stopped her as he suggested to Binoy, who eyed Bondita briefly. He looked unsure as Bondita opened her mouth wit...

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