The credit for this wonderful Poster goes to Piu😃
Chapter 1
Kesar Mehta was supposed to be having fun...he was supposed to be out painting the town red with his friends right now but here he was sitting next to an almost stranger looking lost.His friends were standing to his side with a gloomy expression on their face.Everyone else seemed to be enjoying the festivities.The women were singing some kind of a traditional folk song.Some of the children were dancing to the tune.He looked to his side tentatively .He could not see her face.It was hidden under a thin veil but he could see she was not smiling.Well he had rarely seen her smile so that was not unusual.She looked tired going by the hunched shoulders.What was she feeling right now?...was she happy?...or sad?...or nervous just like him...He did not know.His thoughts were cut short when he heard an old woman bless him, "Beta,tumne ek ladki ki zindagi tabaah hone se bacha li...Bhagwan tumhara bhala kare...".He pasted an uncomfortable smile on his face.He had been doing it since morning so he was used to it by now.It almost looked natural and heart felt.He felt a nudge at his shoulder and as he looked back he saw his friends looking at him gravely.One of them muttered in a low tone,"Why did you do it Kesar?you have lost it dude..."Kesar turned back with another of those artificial smiles as one of the guests called out his name to talk to him.He got up intending to walk up towards the guest when it hit him suddenly.The smile wore off and his face lost colour as he cried out silently, "yeh maine kya kar diya?..."
Kesar could no longer stay there.He needed to be alone.He moved back as he parted through the crowds.He needed to escape.He rushed towards the room which had been assigned to him and his friends for the duration of their stay.He did not not know where else to go.He closed the door with a bang as soon as he entered the room.He stood against the closed door with his eyes closed trying to calm down but it was not helping.His heart was still pounding and his head was starting to explode.Maybe it was the chattering and the loud music outside.He took off the stole from around his neck which had been stifling him.He started to unbutton his kurta as he found it too tight and sticky.Beads of sweat were starting to drip from his forehead.What else could be expected?It was peak summer.He walked towards the open window and took a deep long breath of the fresh night air but it did not provide him any relief.The day had been nothing short of a turbulent roller-coaster ride.Usually he loved drama...he sometimes craved for the excitement and thrill of venturing into the unknown but this was extreme even for the adventurer in him.He had managed to gamble his whole life away.He hit the wall with his fist as he silently cried out,"why...why did I do it?..why????..."He had always been wild and impulsive.He had a nasty habit of jumping into things before thinking them through.This had lead him into trouble a few times in the past.He should have wised up by now but it seemed like he was going to learn a very hard lesson...
This morning he was a 23 year old carefree guy with absolutely no responsibilities and now he was a married man,a husband.How did that happen?.How did he go from being an ordinary guest attending the marriage along with his friends to a bridegroom within a few hours...
"Main karunga isse shaadi!!!!"...uttering those prophetic words which changed his life completely were still ringing in his ears.He still could not believe he had said those words but at that time it seemed the right thing to do.The guy who was supposed to marry her had chosen to run away with the girl he loved.He had agreed to this marriage under parental pressure and when the time came to choose he chose his love.Any other time Kesar would have applauded the guy but as he stood there watching the bride's father collapse after hearing the news he could not help but think that the guy should have made his decision earlier and not left it to the last moment.He still did not know what made him say those words.was it the helplessness on the face of the bride's father or was it her step mother's taunts ... the murmurs of the other female relatives who had no qualms in blaming her for the entire incident and calling her a "manhoos"...
Of course his sudden declaration did not go down very well at first.The bride's father looked less than convinced.The bride's mother...step-mother seemed to take to the idea instantly as she had wide smile on her face, "chalo jo bhi hotha hai ache ke liye hi hotha hai.Kesar ek acha ladka hai,ache ghar ka hai,hum sab ise achi tarah se jaante hain...mujhe yakeen hai ki hamaari beti is shaadi se bahut khush rahegi...".It seemed as if she was trying to convince her husband more than herself.Maybe her instant approval had to do with the fact that he came from a prominent business family.He had never liked the mother.she always came across a little too eager.Just then a soft voice interrupted his thoughts,"maaa...lekin main...main...yeh shaadi nahi karna chahthi".It was the bride speaking.He was about to look at her when the mother replied viciously,"tu chup baith...tujhe patha bhi nahi ki agar aaj yeh shaadi ruk gayi toh isse tumhari choti behen ki zindagi pe kya asar padega...kaun karega usse shaadi...kya tu chahthi hai ki teri wajah se teri behen ki zindagi bhi barbaad ho jaaye?...nahi,mere rehte aisa kabhi nahi ho sakta... yeh shaadi toh tujhe karni hi padegi samjhi..."He was taken aback for a moment.The woman had spoken in a low tone making sure that no one else could hear her but he did and he was shocked to note the hatred in her voice."lekin...bhai saab...bhabhi yeh ladka toh hamaari beti se umr mein kaafi chota hai...kya yeh is shaadi ki zimmedaari ko sambhaal paayega...aur iske gharwaale...unki marzi ke bina kya yeh sab theek rahega..",one of the concerned relatives spoke out.He could not help himself but reply immediately,"... aapko chintha karne ki koi zaroorat nahi hai.main shaadi ki ehmiyat ko samajhtha hoon .haan shaayad main umr mein chota hoon par main apni zimmedaariyon ko nibhana achi tarah se jaanta hoon...".He then walked over to the bride's father and spoke to him in a determined tone,"Uncle...main vaada karta hoon ki main hamesha aap ki beti ko khush rakhunga.use kabhi koi takleef nahi hone donnga...aur aap mere gharwaalon ke baare mein bilkul chintha math kijiye...aap toh jaante hain ki mere ghar mein sirf mere baba aur meri choti behen Rewa hain.main yakeen dilata hoon ki unhe mere is faisle se koi aitraaz nahi hoga.main unhe achi tarah se jaanta hoon.woh is shaadi se khush honge..."
What had come over him at that time?Maybe it was the step-mother's vicious tone that set him off... otherwise where did that confidence come from?He knew his father would always want his happiness and he had wanted to let him know about his decision before getting married but then the panditji called out saying that the Mahurat time was passing.Everything had happened so quickly that he had not got an opportunity to let his father know.Baba would be deeply hurt but he also knew that his father would have definitely supported his decision if he had been there.His mother had passed away when he had turned 6.His father had not only taken up the role of his mother but also became his best friend.Maybe he should call him up now.He took out his mobile and to his surprise his hands were shivering.He dialled his baba's number and waited but then cut the call."main unse kya kahoonga?yeh baat aise phone be nahi kahi jaa sakti na...nahi is tarah se nahi bata sakta ki maine shaadi..."He couldn't even complete the sentence and once more he hit the wall in frustration with his fist.
Suddenly he felt weary.He dragged his feet towards the bed where his bag was kept.He searched through the contents until he found what he was looking for- his journal.Of course no one knew about it.He would be a laughing stock if anyone knew that a tough guy like him kept a journal.Girls were supposed to indulge in such things but what no one knew was that his journal was a way of keeping his mother alive in his heart.When he had lost her he had been incosolable for a long time.At that time his baba gave him a small notebook and said,"Kesar beta...main jaanta hoon ki tu apni maa ko dekhna chahtha hai...unse baatein karna chahtha hai to yeh le beta...tu is notebook ke zariye roz apni maa se baatein karna.teri zindagi mein jo bhi choti badi cheez ho uske baare mein apni maa ko bata aur dekhna tera jo bhi problem woh yoon sulajh jaayega...".From that day the journal became a very important part of his life.He wrote every single detail of his life in his journal.He needed to let all his feelings out.Maybe that would help him.He took out a pen and started to write...He kept on writing and after a while he stopped.He felt as if a weight had been lifted off his chest.He knew talking to his mother would help him...
A knock on the door put an end to his thoughts.Who was it now?Had somebody guessed the fact that he was hiding out here like a coward instead of going through the rituals or was it his bride?He quickly made himself presentable and opened the door.He stood there stunned because the person standing in front of him was the girl of his dreams...
"Kesar...Kesar...kya hua?"He must have been looking at her like an idiot because she looked concerned.She looked so beautiful in her dazzling ghagra choli.Green was definitely her colour,he thought to himself silently."nahi...woh kuch nahi...main bas yun hi...tu theek toh hai na?tujhe bura toh nahi laga ki maine...".
The girl of his dreams smiled as she cut him off with a vigorous shake of her head,"main maanti hoon Kesar ki pehle mujhe tere is faisle ne bahut hairaan kiya.main toh hakki bakki reh gayi.lekin ab lag raha hai yehi sahi hai.tu ne aaj jo bhi kiya uske liye main bahut shukr guzaar hoon.tu ne hamaare ghar ki izzat rakh li aur main jaanti hoon ki tujhse acha pati...meri di ke liye doodhne se bhi nahi milega...".
He put on a fake smile on his face as the girl of his dreams,Talli made that prophetic statement.She wasn't even aware of his feelings for her.How could she?He always did a great job of hiding it.He was the Kesar Mehta and as he always said to his friends,"main ladkiyon ke peeche nahi bhaagta...ladkiyaan mere peeche bhaagti hain..."but that was before he met Talli.She had been his junior in college.She was something different.A lot different from the sort of girls he was used to.He had no idea when he fell for her but after a point no other girl interested him.He had wanted to tell her about his feelings for a very long time but he never got the courage.Something always seemed to stop him and now it was too late...
"Kesar...oops sorry aj se toh tujhe jiju bulaana padega...hai na jiju...ab chaliye didi aapka intezaar kar rahi hain...",she giggled and rushed out of the room.He turned back feeling the room spin around him.Seeing Talli confused him.He closed his eyes for a second for a moment to steady himself.Talli was so completely unaware of his feelings,he thought with a sad smile and she was right.He was a married man now and even though he did not love his wife he needed to stay true to the vows he had taken in front of the sacred fire.As he stood there trying to gather his bearings,some of the girls had come along and pulled him out of the room all the while teasing him.They took him to another room and pushed him inside and the door closed behind him.
The room was beautifully decorated with delicate flowers but the smell was overpowering.He wanted nothing more than to pull down all the decorations and throw them out of the window.He closed his hand into a fist as he tried to control himself.He had to forget his past,try to accept his present and make his way towards his future who was right now standing in front of him.His wife...Gulaal...
Chapter-2:https://www.indiaforums.com/forum/topic/3167707?pn=4
Chapter-3: https://www.indiaforums.com/forum/topic/3167707?pn=5
Chapter-4:https://www.indiaforums.com/forum/topic/3167707?pn=8
Chapter-5: https://www.indiaforums.com/forum/topic/3167707?pn=9
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