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.

Purnota: Chapter Thirteen

Aniruddha eyed Trilochon, sitting at the desk in his room, attending to some paperwork. His reading glasses were on his nose, and he appeared engrossed in a financial document. He stood at the threshold, a bit unsure and glanced over his shoulder at Somnath, Batuk and Bondita. She gestured at him to go on. Aniruddha cleared his throat. That prompted Trilochon to look away from his document at his nephew. “Jethu, if you are busy, I can come back…” He suggested unsurely. “Come in and close the door.” Trilochon glanced over Aniruddha’s shoulder at the others who walked away hurriedly. Aniruddha closed the door, and Bondita tiptoed to place her ears on it. Batuk and Somnath stood at a distance. “So you met her?” Trilochon spoke while cleaning his glasses. Aniruddha nodded. Somnath had introduced them to Ashalata. Bondita, Batuk, and he had met them in a Dhaba off the highway. Although Bondita did most of the talking, initiating a friendly gesture to put the nervous Ashalata at ease, he had...

Purnota: Chapter Sixteen

It had been a month since Bondita had started working in the firm. With Somnath’s wedding date being set for winter, many things were keeping Trilochon and Kalindi busy as they took charge of the smooth running of things leading up to the wedding. They needed to shop for everyone, buy gifts and choose jewellery and sarees for the bride. Despite his attempts, Trilochon found Binoy reluctant to participate in his son’s wedding arrangements. Somnath took him and Kalindi to places they wanted to go, especially Kolkata for shopping, and Trilochon made arrangements to make sure that the first wedding of the generation was grand enough. Bondita tried to help as much as she could as she noticed Aniruddha being oddly aloof from the entire thing. She assumed it was due to Trilochon’s reactions to his lack of interest in marriage. Trilochon kept pestering her to enquire into his reasons while she kept stalling him with excuses. Bondita also failed to know more about Kalindi and Trilochon’s past, ...

Purnota: Chapter Fifteen

A week was all it took for Bondita to get used to work and the new routine. She would wake up early and hurry through her chores, helping Kalindi prepare a tiffin of either Chirer Polao or bread jam and then proceeding to the Roy Chowdhury house. She would arrange the day’s paperwork before Aniruddha arrived at the study room. Occasionally, she would hear him call out to Koeli for breakfast and pack her things, knowing he was almost ready to leave. He would walk into the chamber, check his list, and they would go to work. She would follow him from courtroom to courtroom. She would be sitting in the audience and learning. She would follow him to conferences and client meetings and take notes. They would discuss complicated cases. She would share the tiffin she brought from home. He would at first take a reluctant bite, then eat more than her. She often gave him her share of food discreetly. They usually stayed back after everyone was gone and ordered food for dinner. Some days, he woul...

Purnota: Chapter Seventeen

Bondita opened the curtains of her room at The Park to find the view of Stephen Court and the street below going towards the Maidan. She eyed the double bed and placed her things on one side while lying down on the empty side. The soft bed made her yawn as she sat up, staring at the clock. She needed to change for a quick dinner. They had an early matter at the High Court, and the client’s car was supposed to pick them up around 9 AM. As she changed into a full-sleeve black top and jeans, removed her earrings and adjusted her smudged Kajal, she heard a knock on her door. She opened it to find Aniruddha standing in a pair of jeans and a grey polo-necked T-shirt, his hair brushed back, as he cleaned his thin-rimmed glasses with the edge of his T-shirt. “Are you ready for dinner?” He asked, putting the glasses back on. As she nodded, she grabbed her handbag. They walked into The Bridge, and Bondita was a little conscious of her environment. Many foreign guests, businessmen and even s...

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...

Dreams and Wishes

At dawn, the Bhil women took the girls to the Kalika Mata Temple and the Jal Kund. Dressed in white, a nervous Heer followed everything Ajabde knew and did, trying to explain the significance of the rituals to her. They prayed to Lord Ganesh. Kunwar Shakti and Kunwar Pratap were staying at Punja Ji's place, as they were not supposed to see the brides before the wedding. Ajabde was dressed in her mother's lehenga, a mang tika Jaivanta Bai gave her as a family heirloom and the simple nosering Pratap had gifted. They made their hair into a simple bun with wildflowers before putting on their dupatta. Heer was dressed in traditional Bhil jewellery of silver and beads that the women had gifted her. They made her wear a red and white saree draped as a lehenga and a red chunri with it. She looked like a pretty, colourful Bhil bride. Kunwar Shakti was a nervous groom dressed in a traditional bhil dhoti, kurta and cap. The bhil shawl hung from a side, making the white attire colourf...

You Deserve More

Ajabdeh woke up with the song of birds as she felt something warm on her hand. Her eyes went wide. Her hand was on the pillow in between them, between his hands, clasped as he slept. She thought of removing it slowly, but he was holding on to it so tightly. Ajabdeh's heart beat faster and faster. What do I do now? How do I not wake him? What if... why is my hand in his? She was utterly confused. " Am I...In love?" Pratap was staring at the sleeping figure on the bed as he stared back at the rain. Then he frowned as he noticed that she shivered. He closed the windows of the room to make it cosy, then sat on his side of the bed. A lamp flickered on her side like always, and he stared at her sleeping figure as he put his blanket over her as well. She shifted a little in her sleep to make herself cosy again. Her payals and bangles made a rhythmic sound, breaking the silence of the room. Her hand was out of her blanket and on the pillow in between. He tried to slowly put it ...

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 Fourteen

“Why can’t she work? I will too.” Bondita had barged into the Roy Chowdhury living room early in the morning, still in her loungewear, as Aniruddha looked up at her through his glasses. Trilochon was showing Aniruddha some paperwork from one of their investments as Bondita stood by the coffee table, wearing a frown. Aniruddha looked confused. Trilochon cleared his throat as he shook his head at Bondita. “It's different. She is going to be the daughter-in-law.” Aniruddha eyed Trilochon and Bondita, who shook her head in disappointment. “So?” She questioned, “She can’t have a life?” “When a woman marries…” Trilochon stood up, straightening his Panjabi “Her life is about being a good wife and mother.” Bondita gasped. Aniruddha’s jaws tightened as he kept the papers down. Bondita spoke before he could. “Then by that logic, men should also concentrate on being husbands and fathers.” “Then who will earn the bread?” Trilochon rolled his eyes. Bondita eyed Aniruddha, expecting him to speak...

Purnota: Chapter Twelve

Bondita woke up to the alarm clock ringing as she struggled to get her hand out of the quilt wrapped around her. She sat inside the mosquito net, rubbing her eyes and staring at the clock, trying to remember why she had set the alarm at 3.45 AM. Then her eyes shone in delight. It was Mahalaya. She remembered that during her days in Dehra, she had educated her roommate on the tradition of starting pujo with the voice of Birendra Krishna Bhadra echoing through the air. She was uninterested, and Bondita had borrowed her headphones to hear the program and deeply missed home. She remembered that as a child, while her father was still alive, he would gently wake her up, and take her on his lap to the huge Banyan tree near the Panchayat where people gathered near the Pradhan’s radio, putting flower garlands and lamps around it and folding their hands as they heard Mahishashur Mardini killing the Asura. When she arrived in Kolkata to get her law degree, she thought things would be different. B...

RAABTA

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