Skip to main content

Nights and Stars

Pratap calmed his racing heart as he looked at her reflection in the mirror. He removed his suit and was now in his shirt and trousers.
" You lied." Her allegation made him frown a little.
" What?"
" Yes, you lied, you didn't take me to meet Brownie."
" Ranima took you away, how could I..."
" I dunno, you lied." She sat down on the dressing table seat and tried to remove her nose ring.
" Damn, this hurts!"
" Then why did you wear it in the first place?" He chuckled.
" Ranima made me." She frowned.

He walked up to her, held her nose ring and took it off carefully, his eyes not leaving hers. Then, without her saying a word, he proceeded to the maangtika, earrings, and necklace. She felt her stomach having a funny, nervous feeling as he moved behind her and removed the pins from her hair, letting her hair fall open. Then he slid the hair to one side and kissed her bare neck, making her gasp. He smiled at it, as he saw her face turn red in the dim lights, as he moved back to face her and sat down on his knees. He removed her payals, then her Kamar bandh and stood up to remove her bangles one by one. Then kissed her hand.
"I..." She managed a word as he put his hand on her lips.
" Hushh!" Her heart beat like she was going to have a heart attack, or so she thought.
He cupped her face with his left hand as his right one travelled to the dupatta, making it fall on the ground and then to her back, where the crisscrossed strings were holding her Anarkali tight. One tuck at it loosened the strings as she looked wide-eyed at his teasing smile. Then, to her utter confusion, he moved away.
" I got something for you." He whispered.
" Like??" She asked, narrowing her eyes.
" This." He held out an envelope.
" Hein? A paper?" She looked confused as he chuckled.
" Stupid!"
" How dare you?"
" It's a certificate from NASA." She still looked confused.
" You know there are thousands and billions of unnamed stars in the universe and ... people... can request and name them... like... with certain fees..."
" You mean rich people..." She pointed.
" Yes, usually celebrity fans do this and all... so I thought since you are so unique...."
" Oh My Gosh! You wasted a fortune to..."
" RW29002 from the Virgo Constellation is now Ajabdeh," He smiled.
" You wasted a fortune on a star we can not see." She repeated. " All we have is a paper!"
" Okay, give that back, then, I will name it after Phool." He frowned.
" Pratap Singh, how dare you talk to your wife like that?" She narrowed her eyes at him.
" I can if you ruin my moment with your ... whatever it is... Give that back." He tried to read the paper.
" No!" She moved it away from his reach.
" Yes, give it back!"
" No." She got ready to run.
" Don't you dare fall today!" He warned as she stuck out her tongue.

He walked forward as she moved back, hiding the certificate behind her back, then she dashed for the other room, with the closets and mirrors. He followed suit as she quickly removed her shoes, giggling, and waved the certificate at him. He removed his shoes, more because they would make a noise, and the Palace was full of people. She ran up on the bed and down from the other side, throwing a pillow at him. He, on the other hand, had something else in mind as he walked around, blowing off the candles while giving her a chase. She giggled at his inability to catch her, not knowing that Pratap Singh always planned ahead.

When he was done with the candles, he smiled, saying, " That's it!"
" What ?" She asked, confused, a little breathless from the running.
He went straight up to her, making her stare, a little taken aback, and before she could react, he lifted her up on his arms as her hands grabbed his shirt. He made her lie down right in the middle of the bed and pulled the pillows and cushions to a comforting position. Her hands caressed his hair as his fingers travelled, from her hair, down her nose and lips and neck, ultimately grabbing her waist and making her gasp a little. He liked the way he made her blush because Ajabde Punwar was not someone to give that reaction easily.
" I love you, Sunflower Girl." He whispered as he nudged her ears, making her smile.
" I love you, my Strange girl." He travelled to kiss her forehead, cheeks and nose as she closed her eyes and smiled.
" And I love you, Princy." She smiled as he frowned at the word and sealed a kiss.

Pratap was watching her sleep in the first light of dawn. Her hair was falling on her face, and she was making an uneasy face about it. He removed it as she unconsciously smiled at his touch. He smiled back at the sleeping figure.

Yes, he had a sleepless night, the best sleepless night he ever had. He had read in novels and love stories how authors glorified things with the words, " Two souls in one" He had found them rather funny until now. He felt it last night, more than once, as his wife gave in to his desires and his love. She was not the mad, crazy Ajabde he always knew and was frankly scared of at times. Last night, she was just a newlywed bride, nervous, anxious and happy. There were no Brownie, Ranima, Friends or Phones; she made an excuse of and he was glad that she didn't. The last thing he would want on a Suhaag Raat was a fighting wife.

Ajabde opened her eyes to see him watching her with a smile.
" Good morning." He whispered softly as she fluttered her eyelids.
"It's 4.30AM. It's far from morning, sleep!" She frowned, pulling her blanket over her head and then peeping through it. He smiled and kissed her nose as she smiled back, putting her hand on his cheek, " Sleep."
" Or ... we can..." He teased.
" Princy! I slept an hour ago, and am sleepy." She turned her back on him. His hand caressed her bare back until she slapped at it, making him chuckle before falling asleep.

Ajabde was rubbing her wet hair with the towel as she sat down on the dressing table. She was wearing a Kaftan kurta, which was electric blue with pink borders and pink leggings. She was putting on a sleek platinum earring studded with diamonds, along with her diamond-studded Mangalsutra and then took the box of Sindoor to apply on her forehead. He woke up, staring at how she was managing to look so pretty this early in the day. A smile curved his lips as he watched her apply the Kohl and lipstick and rub her lips before checking herself in the mirror. Then she grabbed her pink scarf and pulled her hair to one side. She was about to step out when he called.

" Arree suno."
" Kya?" She turned around, narrowing her eyes.
" Mera shirt to deti jao!" He teased with his eyes as she picked up the shirt from the floor and threw it at his face.
" 8AM nikalna hai, Ranima said."
" Kaha?" He frowned.
" Ohho, how you forget, Hum e Eklingji jana hai na? Then..."
" Then bhi hai?" He frowned again.
" Yeh mera addition hai." She giggled. " I want a tour of the hotels."
" Kya? Kyun?" He asked, surprised.
" Meri marzee! Main malkin hoon!" He continued to stare at her as she giggled and left.

When she walked back in, he was setting his hair in his track pants and vest.
" Ranima ne bulaya hai for breakfast. She said Aj Eklingji nahi jana, kal Jana, she will go too, aj hum hotels dekhne jaenge."
" Jana zaruri hai?" He smiled teasingly as she looked away.
" Ji haan!"
She was about to leave when he grabbed her by the waist.
" Aree, door..."
" Khula rehne do, koi na aega."
" Aur agar aya toh?"
" Toh kya? Biwi ho meri."
" Chi Princy tumhare royal codes of crap ka kya hoga!" she giggled.
" Woh kya hai na, tumhare saath rehte rehte woh sab bhool gaya."
" Really?"
" Really!"
" Jaane do!" She struggled to free herself.
" Nahi!" He held tight.

" Dadabhai!" Shakti's call made them move away, right in time before he walked in, a little disturbed.
" Main jaa rahi hoon, dono ka Bharat milaap khatam ho toh aa jana."
" Bhabisa, wait! I need to talk to you both!" She looked at Shakti and then at Pratap, who told her to be quiet.
"I'm leaving tonight for London." Pratap was about to open his mouth to say something when Ajab spoke up.
" Brilliant, and you are never coming back!" There was a hint of anger in her voice.
" Ajab." Pratap tried to calm her down.
" No, Pratap, let him be. Happy Journey, Shakti!" She stormed out, leaving the duo stunned.

At the breakfast table, Pratap arrived in his usual avatar, his blue suit and white shirt, as he stared at the odd 20 people looking at him. He ignored the teasing glances as he sat beside Shakti, who looked drained.
" Are you all right?" He asked as Shakti nodded. Ranima walked in with the breakfast as the servants served the guests.
" Aj ka breakfast Ajabde ne banaya hai."
" Is it edible?" Shakti asked Pratap as Chaks seemed to say the same out loud, making everyone laugh.
" Nahi, tumhare liye edible nahi hai." Ajabde stormed in, taking his plate and making Bhago laugh.
" Okay, okay, sorry!" Chaks took his plate back. " Tevar dekho Kuwaranisa ki."
" Kha ke bolo jaldi!" Pratap stared at Ajabde, remembering his first taste of her food. So she does that to everyone.

Ranaji walked in, making everyone go quiet as he sat down, and Ranima gestured at Ajabde to serve him.
" Aj breakfast Ajab ne banaya hai." Jaivanta beamed at Udai Singh, who in turn looked at Ajabde.
" Tabh toh zyada khaani chahiye." He smiled.
" Aur nek bhi dijiye", Ranima urged.
After breakfast, Udai Singh called Ajabde and Pratap to his study. They followed Ranima in, and Ranaji got up and came to Ajabde.
" Tumhe Iska Ferrari bohot pasand hai na?" She looked at him wide-eyed as Pratap looked at Ranima, smiling.
" Toh kyunki tumko nek dena hai, maine aur tumhare Ranima ne socha... chalo tumko dikhate hai." The trio followed Ranaji to the car shed, and a brand new black Ferrari sports car stood there, right next to Pratap's red one. " Here's the key."
" Oh My Gosh!" Ajabde exclaimed with a quick, gaining composure, " Thank you, Ranaji." That made Pratap hide a laugh.

" Can I take this thing today itself, Ranima?" Ajab pleaded like a child pleads to play with a new toy.
" Ji nahi bilkul nahi." Pratap interrupted.
" Kyun nahi?" She frowned.
" Haan Pratap kyun nahi?" Ranima repeated, making Ajab jump a little.
" Yay! I should name him too!" Ranima walked away smiling as Pratap stood watching Ajab inspect the car.
" How do you know it's him, not her?" He asked, amused.
" Kya?"
" The car! You said you will name him."
"Colour se! Dekho Pink Red, etc, are her cars, and Black, grey, white are his cars!"
" What crap!" He exclaimed at her explanation, " Mine is no she car!"
" OMG, it is," She giggled.
" Ab chale ya late hona hai?"He frowned as he sat beside her reluctantly.
" Maine naam soch li iska!!"
" Kya Naam Socha?" He asked, amused.
" Black Beauty!"
" Wow, kitna original naam hai!" He taunted as she narrowed her eyes at him.

" Pata hai, I met Brownie subah, he was so happy!"She spoke as she drove, her scarf over her head, and sunglasses on.
" Oh, really? Bola usne?" he taunted, chuckling.
" Haan bola please mujhe apne saath kamre mein rakho!!"
" Ajab, we already discussed that." He became serious.
" I know." She frowned.
" Can I get jalebis and laddoo?" She turned excited.
" Tumhara car, tum driving jaha rokna hai roko. Bas thokna maat kahi bhi!" He shrugged.

" Music!" She connected her iPod to the car stereo.
....Jisse zindagi dhoond rahi hai, kya yeh woh makaam mera hai, yaha chain se bass ruk jau, kyun dil yeh mujhe kehta hai, jasbaat naye se hui hai, jaane kya asaar yeh hua hai, ek aas mili phir mujhko jo qubool kisine kiya hai....

Pratap stared right at his wife, singing and driving, her hair and scarf flowing in the wind, her newlywed sigh, the red and white bangles made a piece of tinkling music to his ears. She noticed his stare but decided to concentrate on the song and driving instead until his hand travelled to touch her, making her heart skip a beat as he smiled.
" Ab accident hoga toh don't blame me!" She said with such a serious face that it made him laugh. They headed past the toll gates with the sign " Welcome To Udaipur."





Popular posts from this blog

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...