Smita,😊

Here is my interpretation to Section 1 of Part 15.

Khushi was looking at Amma and Buaji with an anxious face while they were packing innumerable things to be taken to Raizada Mansion for Her Jiji's Mehenedi Ceremony. Her Jiji was was placing a shawl on their father's feeble shoulders. They were getting ready to go in the cars that Arnav had sent for them.

She kept on debating in her mind as to how to ask and how could she not? All the while his smile, his eyes coming in her mind's eye and playing a havoc on her senses. Squeezing her eyes shut, gathering every bit ounce of courage in her, with a prayer sent to her Devi Maiyya, Khushi called out to her Buaji with much trepidation. Buaji who was counting the cones of Mehendi asked her Titaliya, what the matter was. Khushi asked her to go to RM as she would follow later. Buaji frowned at her Sanka Devi for her new antic. Khushi quickly told her that Munshiji needed her help in the morning and she would help him out and then go to RM. She sent out a plea to her Devi Maiyya for Her Divine intervention. Buaji asked her with her hands on her hips how long would it take? Khushi told her with the dread of not being allowed that it may take her an hour or so and she would be back by the time her jiji would start to apply the mehendi.

Amma who was always conscious what the society would think asked with a worried look what will the Raizada's think if Khussi doesn't reach on time for her only sister's mehendi function. Khushi assured her that she would be on time and all she needed was to go to her work place for some time. With great reluctance, still harbouring doubts Amma and Buaji gave their consent.

Munshiji who had not expected Khushi was wide eyed to see her dressed grandly for the function in a magnificient orange lehenga that looked totally and turn up at work in a dingy godown. It stood in stark contrast and Munshiji asked with fondness why had she come to work place when she was on leave. Khushi giving him a pasty smile said that she thought that she would enter a few pages of data before she was due to be present at the venue. She thought as to how could she explain her dilemma to poor Munshiji? Will he be able to understand about Arnavji's penetrative eyes doing havoc in her system and inciting so many unknown feelings in her, her dhak dhak, acidity, the feelings that his touch invokes, the way it eats up her sleep and when she does sleep the way it makes her flush even in her dreams, his mere look was enough to give her sleepless nights as well as daydreams and he was a Smiling Assassin. If ever she voiced out her thoughts to Munshiji he was a sure candidate for cardiac failure!

Jhoot Bole Kauwwa Kaate... was the song that was coming out of the Munshiji's radio. As it was reflecting her deeds Khushi glared at it and rushed to her seat and got on with her work.

Arnav who was waiting for Khushi to turn up looked at Guptas' as they entered the house. He found Amma, Babuji, Buaji and Payal but where was Khushi? He peered to get a glimpse of her, but she was not to be seen! Just then unknowingly NK came to his rescue asked what Arnav wanted to know. He asked Buaji where Khushiji was? Buaji with a smile and a tweek on his cheek said that she had to go to her work place and she would join them soon. NK made a quick work of clearing from that place rubbing the reddening cheek vigorously.

Akash asked his brother Arnav whether they could all go over to the hall where the mehendi was being applied. Arnav with his mind occupied by what Buaji had told NK just bobbed his head. When NK told them that his Maasi had said that boys were not meant to attend as it was the exclusive women only Mehendi function Akash exhaled with his shoulders drooping in defeat. All his plans to be with Payal had gone down the drain. NK wailed and asked Arnav whether it was not unfair for only girls to have all the fun. When Akash agreed he continued to say with a heartfelt sigh that Khushiji hadn't come yet and he wanted to watch her wear a saree! Arnav and Akash were left gawking at him. With his fist clenched tight a stern What the! spit out of Arnav. Akash who was also stumped by NK's statement asked him what was he saying? His round eyes practically popped out at NK while peering through his specs. NK clarified that he wanted Khushiji to teach him how to wear a saree so that they could dress up like women and attend the function. NK was unaware as to how close he was to get his teeth realigned

Nani hugging Buaji told her that under usual circumstances boys were not allowed to attend the all women function of mehendi but as an exception this time we would love to have them along. Anjali seconded her. Nani continued to say that her family was happy after a long time with many bad memories of the past being wiped away slowly. So they wanted to share all their good and happy moments to be savoured with the boys too amidst them.

Buaji agreed to it saying that she doesn't have any problem to have boys amidst in their revelry. The more the people the merrier the occasion becomes and memorable too. So Mami called out to the boys, Arnav Bitwaa, Akash Bitwaa and NK Bitwaa to join in the celebrations. She told them that she would be applying Mehendi on them too, to make them beautiful.

Arnav, whose mind had dwelt only on Khushi looked at the clock and searched among the girls who were creating a din in his living room. He wondered where Khushi would be? She had not answered his call all the three times it had connected.

The girls were busy selecting the designs consulting NK who was in their midst. NK was enjoying himself so much that he was living true to his name. Akash was a different matter. It was like as though he was conjoined with Payal and wouldn't budge from being as close as possible to her. But Arnav's mind dwelt only on Khushi. Where was she was the question that his mind was mulling and quickly called her once more.

Her phone rang and Arnavji was displayed. Khushi looked at the laptop screen with psuedo concentration. Munshiji who was getting ready to go to the bank to deposit a cheque told her that her phone was ringing again. Khushi acknowledged him and thanked her stars that Munshiji was on his way to the bank. Munshiji instructed her to leave for the mehendi as soon as her work was done and not wait for his return. Khushi with a sigh agreed.

She had tried her best to stay away, ignore, avoid talking to him but had utterly failed in her attempts. Each day brought in a new facet of Arnav before her, who had changed from the stern, cruel, arrogant, anger personified to a soft, concerned, wounded bleeding man seeking solace from her and trying to make up for all the lost love in his life.

It was so difficult to ignore him or run away from him now. Earlier his rude demeanour had made it easy to ignore him. She thought why did her sister had to get married to that family only as though there was a dearth of boys in the entire city of Delhi!

Again the song that was coming from the radio reminded her of the lost sleep due to the memories of the love that went sour. She frowned at the statue of her Devi Maiyya who sat silent with her benevolent smile on her table. Khushi berated at her friend, that even with the daily dose of Jalebi and Aarti She couldn't even deign it fit to be kept away from crossing his path. Devi Maiyya just smiled on her beloved daughter. Khushi was riled seeing her serene smile without even showing any emotion. She told Her that She has been relaxing all the time while Khushi was fretting and fuming. She was burning herself out like a lamp lit in her honor and couldn't she even see that! Khushi buried her face in her arms placed crossed, across the table. It was inevitable for her to attend the mehendi. There was no way anybody would forgive her if she ever skipped it. If she did so she thought she would be the in the first batch of pooris that her Buaji would be frying for dinner that evening. But how to face him? How to camouflage her feelings? How to put up with her racing heart and her hyperventilation?

While all these thoughts were flitting across her mind, there came the call, Khushi.. Khushi sat up with a jerk and lo! Arnav Singh Raizada had materialized in front of her, his six foot plus frame clad in suit, coat and boot looking dashing just to have a chunk of her peace of mind. Looking at her was Arnav a picture of anxiety asking her whether she was alright. She wondered how she could ever be that when the cause of all her problems was standing before her. Throwing a scorching glance at her Devi Maiyya, for betraying when she had beseeched to save her from her Arnavji, She had sent him to her immediately. She threatened her friend, Devi Maiyya that she would take care of her later for her betrayal!

Arnav with a quick stride, catching her by her shoulder, made her stand upright. He asked her, what had made her look so whey faced? Khushi trying to free herself from his grip thought how could she look anything other than pale? Any other girl in her place would have been a basket case by now unable to withstand the sharp penetrating heat of of Arnavji's gaze and his single minded devotion to give her such focussed attention.

Arnav pulled her into his arms and hugged her tight. He whispered to her that he was waiting for her at home making Khushi acknowledge the fact with a constricted throat. He told her that the girls were all set for the ceremony and only she was missing. Khushi whose senses were reeling, stammering like a fool, told him that she had work to complete. Hearing her excuse he whispered, that was his line. He dropped a kiss on his her chubby dimpled inviting cheek. He told her that he had told all at home about his Papa and the past.Nani, Di and Mami had cried with relief and wasting so many years with misunderstanding the situation. It was like a dark cloud lifted by the Mistral leaving behind a warm sunny bright weather. When she looked at him he thanked her for her support, trust and direction to solve the heartache that had made the memory of his parents painful. He verbalized his thanks followed it by deed. He kissed her on her forehead. Khushi swallowed at this onslaught on her senses. She managed to blurt out a protest in a soft tone, that she had not done anything. He told her that she had made him see that there was a lacuna in their perception of the events. Her logical analysis of the situation had convinced him that he needed to rethink his thoughts. Kissing her nosepin he told her that it made him search for the missing link and it turned out to be Kusum Bhandari. He kissed her eyes and said that this made him find the truth. Pausing to kiss her chin he said that knowing the truth freed him from the past. He kissed her cheek. This he told returned his Papa to him. Seeing that he was hell bent on capturing her lips Khushi jumped away.

She stammered that they had to attend the mehendi. The radio in the godown was belting out a song on the spell cast and how the talks were formulated.

Arnav drove with Khushi by his side. Though he kept stealing glances at her she sat with her face turned towards her side glass. Seeing that it would be a futile exercise to wait for her to turn, he called out to her and she was forced to look at him. When he said that she looked beautiful and that colour suited her Khushi's face took in the hue of a flamingo. The words and the look in his eyes made her hitch her breath and out popped the question that she had been dreading. He asked her with a tender look and a voice caressing her when was she going to marry him? Not being able to face his love filled gaze, Khushi looked out through the side glass. The pulse in her throat throbbed madly like the flapping of the wings by a bird in captivity.

In this update we see, Khushi Kumari Gupta trying to avoid her presence at RM as much as she could. She was planning to be present at her sister's Mehendi function at the nth moment.

"Do you ever wonder why things have to turn out the way they do?"

~ Nicholas Sparks, A Walk to Remember

Then she spends her time logging on the entries at her work place that could have been done at a later date too.

We see her dawdling over her work.

We see her not accepting calls that were able to draw the attention even of Munshiji.

All this was done just to avoid meeting one person, Arnav Singh Raizada who seems to have occupied all her thoughts both day and night.

"Avoiding someone has two reasons: you either hate that person or you're in love with that person"

Even while working, she dreams about the feelings his presence invokes in her.

When the person who dwells in her thoughts materializes she is stumped, as he first enquires about her well being and proceeds to thank her for being his guiding light, his very own Personal Pole Star. He effectively verbalizes his gratitude along with the actions making her stop in her flight.

"I know well what I am fleeing from but not what I am in search of"

~ Michel de Montaigne

In fact his deeds make her into a flightless bird and stopped her from her flight, that was meant to avoid him at any cost.

It also made her feel like a pet bird with no options but only one, homing to its keeper and that to her was him. He once again pops out the question and she feels that she is a bird who has no wings that were light enough to help in flying away.

"What is more agreeable than one's home?"

~ Marcus Tullius Cicero

That is why I have termed it as RATITE... a Flightless Bird

That's it from me. Hope you like it.

rulama2013-04-01 06:58:20