Hasta-prāpya-stabaka-namito bāla-Mandāra-vṛkṣaḥ (FF) Ch. 36 p. 15 - Page 6

Well I finally was able to read Chapters 5-8.

That's some good progress we have. I understand how you're clearly trying to portray how Raghav's actions look to an outsider because they weren't in his shoes in those situations.

For eg: we know that he was Drunk when he found Pallavi unconscious on the Road & that's why Farhad & he took her to his home - guest room. But had they taken her back to the D-Nivas then(according to my views & ofcourse Raghav wasn't thinking so much in his drunk stupor then), Sulochana would have definitely created a huge ruckus & utilised the opportunity again to malign Pallavi's character & used Raghav's drunk stature to emphasize more drama.

But to Krishna, it looked more like a captive event.

I would want though a little more affection to be bestowed on Raghav soon when we start getting his perspective & his feelings also. Right now the Bechara guy feels even Damayanti loves Mandaar more - it might mess up his mind pretty bad - and if Pallavi tells that she's choosing Mandaar - he'll go through Hell in the next few chapters.

So how many chapters are you thinking for This story to come around the Delivery Boy cos that definitely happened way before Mandaar came into the scene?

And btw, you can use the quote feature below every Comment to reply to another user. You can also use the same feature & input your comments right between theirs instead of the effort you have to put in for copying & then adding yours. Just trying to help save your time🤗

Originally posted by: BrhannadaArmour

Shri_12 wrote:

Just wanted to ask, why do you think Pallavi is a vegetarian? She belongs to Kolhapur, which is a famous city for its unique non-veg cuisine.

In an early episode, Sharada exposed Sulochana and Amruta for entering the temple after eating eggs for breakfast. The implication is that the Deshmukhs have a vegetarian breakfast every day, and even those who don't pay attention to religious prohibitions aren't eating meat, just eggs. So, I had Farhad say in Chapter Five that he doesn't know if Bhābhī even eats eggs, and the Deshmukhs' dinner last night was only vegetarian.

Pallavi is proudly from Kolhapur (like Sulochana, Sharada etc.), but I've never heard her praising tāmbaḍā-pāṇḍharā rassā or otherwise saying outright that she isn't a vegetarian. When Raghav's mouth was hanging open because he saw that Pallavi hadn't been blown up in the taxi, Pallavi teased him that he likes to eat non-veg so much that he's trying to catch flies. I think that if Pallavi herself ate non-veg food, she would simply ask if Raghav was catching flies, not imply that non-veg eaters will eat anything.

There was a scene of Raghav trying to cheer up Pallavi with Marathi breakfast dishes, all of which were vegetarian.

On screen, when Pallavi and Mandar found Raghav at the restaurant, she asked, Raghav, you'll have the chicken, right? I think the dialogue writers wrote that line to tell us that Pallavi doesn't mind Raghav's dietary choices because she loves him.

So, after writing that Pallavi moved into Farhad's parents' home, I thought I could not ignore the likelihood that a Muslim family would have to adjust to her dietary restrictions.

Also how do you write Marathi lines? Using some translator? I read those lines whenever I can, but then I also read the English lines to see whether I understood correctly or not

Marathi is my language at home in Canada. It is easier for me to write what Pallavi and the Deshmukhs would say to each other in Marathi (although I don't mix in as much English as people living in India generally do), and then I translate it into English in my head. You may have noticed that my stories have almost zero Hindi or Telugu lines, because I would make a mess of those.

@green bold: No dear, I think the implication was D's don't eat eggs and non-veg on festivals and Poojas. Also if D's are vegetarians, how do they have eggs in their house for Amruta to eat? Sharada, Vijay, Milind didn't object to cooking and eating eggs in their house? I actually liked that you included the diet differences between 2 families.

SONIA441 wrote:

And btw, you can use the quote feature below every Comment to reply to another user. You can also use the same feature & input your comments right between theirs instead of the effort you have to put in for copying & then adding yours. Just trying to help save your time

SONIA441, thank you for your perspective. I do use the Quote button, so maybe you get a notification that I quoted you, but I delete the HTML so that you won't have to read my replies against a grey background. I delete the parts of the quoted post that I'm not replying to, so it does look like I copied and pasted excerpts.

I understand how you're clearly trying to portray how Raghav's actions look to an outsider because they weren't in his shoes in those situations.

I think that most rational persons, if they found themselves in Raghav's shoes, wouldn't behave as he did. I am trying to portray how Raghav's actions look to Krishna, who knows better than anyone else what Deshmukh Saree Emporium and Pallavi endured from Raghav, and to Mandar, who is protective of his family and Pallavi. Krishna and Mandar are indirect victims of Raghav, not "outsiders" in my view.

For eg: we know that he was Drunk when he found Pallavi unconscious on the Road & that's why Farhad & he took her to his home - guest room. But had they taken her back to the D-Nivas then(according to my views & ofcourse Raghav wasn't thinking so much in his drunk stupor then), Sulochana would have definitely created a huge ruckus & utilised the opportunity again to malign Pallavi's character & used Raghav's drunk stature to emphasize more drama.

Sulochana cannot be Raghav's excuse for not returning Pallavi to her family, because at the time, Raghav didn't know that Sulochana likes to make Pallavi look bad. We viewers knew, but Raghav hadn't yet heard any of Sulochana's insinuations about him and Pallavi. If Raghav didn't want to be seen drunk, he could have called Harish or any other hefty employee to take Pallavi home. Raghav did know that Pallavi coming home in Raghav's car would look bad to Vijay, but Pallavi staying overnight and not being able to say how Raghav had touched her while she was unconscious would be far worse. If Raghav had been thinking clearly, maybe he would have chosen the worse scandal, because Jaya had just refused to recognize him as the taxi driver who took her home from the hospital, and Raghav thought that was Pallavi's fault. This happened shortly after Raghav taunted Vijay that Pallavi was just one of the girls chasing him. As you say, Raghav was drunk and didn't think, but that's not an excuse, and Farhad made the choice to follow orders instead of being decent enough to inform Pallavi's family that she was safe.

I would want though a little more affection to be bestowed on Raghav soon when we start getting his perspective & his feelings also. Right now the Bechara guy feels even Damayanti loves Mandaar more - it might mess up his mind pretty bad - and if Pallavi tells that she's choosing Mandaar - he'll go through Hell in the next few chapters.

There will be occasions for Raghav to receive kindness and affection in this story, and of course he won't keep his feelings inside, but this is a character who doesn't like to explain his actions or apologize, so perhaps Pallavi will not see him as clearly as the readers do.

So how many chapters are you thinking for This story to come around the Delivery Boy cos that definitely happened way before Mandaar came into the scene?

I posted Chapter One of Delivery Boy forty days before I posted Chapter One of Hasta-prāpya-stabaka-namito bāla-Mandāra-vṛkṣaḥ, so the chronology is rather confusing, I know. In Delivery Boy, Chapter One, Vijay regards Raghav as "Pallavi's new husband - or paramour, or whatever," and resents Raghav for making him hate Pallavi who should have been Mandar's wife, while Raghav reminds Vijay that Mandar has forgiven Kirti. So, Raghav's outreach to Vijay definitely happened after Mandar was back from the dead for some time.

After about a week, in Delivery Boy, Chapter Two, Raghav speaks to Mandar without hostility, and Mandar smiles at Raghav's manipulation of Vijay, while Vijay refers to Farhad as Raghav's man, not by his own name. In both chapters, it's ambiguous whether Pallavi is living with Raghav or Sharada is just encouraging Raghav.

In Hasta-prāpya-stabaka-namito bāla-Mandāra-vṛkṣaḥ so far, Mandar is compassionate but uncomfortable with Kirti (Chapter Three), Vijay wants to reconcile with Pallavi even if she chooses Raghav (Chapter Three), so Vijay, despite telling Mandar not to worry about Raghav being lonely (Chapter Six), invites Raghav and Kirti to the Deshmukh family's Satya-Nārāyaṇa pūjā (Chapter Eight), and Vijay doesn't yet know that Pallavi has chosen Mandar. So, I still have to write Mandar forgiving Kirti, reveal Pallavi's choice to return to Mandar, and somehow break up Pallavi and Mandar so that Vijay again resents being visited by Raghav, plus make Raghav nicer to Mandar, without Vijay feeling the need to use Farhad's name. I don't know how many chapters that will take.

Originally posted by: Shri_12

@green bold: No dear, I think the implication was D's don't eat eggs and non-veg on festivals and Poojas. Also if D's are vegetarians, how do they have eggs in their house for Amruta to eat? Sharada, Vijay, Milind didn't object to cooking and eating eggs in their house? I actually liked that you included the diet differences between 2 families.

You could be correct. The show has not been explicit. Who cooked the eggs for Sulochana and Amruta? Were they able to cook for themselves, or did Sharada or Milind have to do it? My interpretation is that with eight people sharing the house, the vegetarians get along with the others. If Pallavi, Sharada, etc. have ever said that they eat eggs or meat on the show, I can have them say so to Farhad.

Intriguing update 👍🏼

Suspense about the recording is interesting... Kirti, Sunny... sulochana?

Love how Raghav's conversations with lungiwala Raghav are still guiding him in the right direction and Damayanti is now an extension of himself.

Pallavi was surprised about Raghav's choice in choosing Damayanti, interesting. Is this a sign for things to come? Raghav acting out of character and being unpredictable to Pallavi.

Sad that Pallavi still views herself as being second hand 💔

Mandar's view of the Kirti Raghav situation is so far from the reality but shows how easily people make assumptions based on what they see.

Sulochana 😕does she know about Mandar? I think she does, but I am interested to know what are her motives.

Aayi is being a wonderful mother figure, as always.

Excited to know how Raghvi meeting goes during the Puja. Will they get a chance to discuss their situation rationally amongst all the people or will it be fireworks...

Zara2021 wrote:

Intriguing update 👍🏼

Suspense about the recording is interesting... Kirti, Sunny... sulochana?

Good guesses! I haven't decided, but I am definitely thinking of these three.

Love how Raghav's conversations with lungiwala Raghav are still guiding him in the right direction and Damayanti is now an extension of himself.

I am enjoying writing for Damayanti and how Luṅgīvālā Raghav interacts with her.

Pallavi was surprised about Raghav's choice in choosing Damayanti, interesting. Is this a sign for things to come? Raghav acting out of character and being unpredictable to Pallavi.

Exactly. Now that Pallavi has decided to leave Raghav, realizing that she underestimated him opens the door for her to look back.

Sad that Pallavi still views herself as being second hand 💔

Krishna agrees with you. I think Pallavi doesn't feel sorry for herself here; she is just remembering how she changed Raghav's image with her announcement that he had married a widow, and upon realizing that Damayanti is also previously adopted, Pallavi is questioning whether Raghav's image was the real Raghav.

Mandar's view of the Kirti Raghav situation is so far from the reality but shows how easily people make assumptions based on what they see.

Coincidentally, Raghav's fidelity to Pallavi has been tarnished on the show at this time. What would my readers like to say to Mandar about his mistaken impression that Raghav is unfaithful to Pallavi?

Sulochana 😕does she know about Mandar? I think she does, but I am interested to know what are her motives.

Please don't be disappointed when you find out. She's not that complex.

Aayi is being a wonderful mother figure, as always.

I hope I can do justice to her wisdom when it's Mandar's turn.

Excited to know how Raghvi meeting goes during the Puja. Will they get a chance to discuss their situation rationally amongst all the people or will it be fireworks...

I'm excited because I get to write it soon. But at the moment, Mandar is on his way to see where Farhad lives, and meet his parents.

My responses in blue.

SONIA441, thank you for your perspective. I do use the Quote button, so maybe you get a notification that I quoted you, but I delete the HTML so that you won't have to read my replies against a grey background. I delete the parts of the quoted post that I'm not replying to, so it does look like I copied and pasted excerpts.

- Yeah, I saw that right now. Lemme try this now for myself.

I understand how you're clearly trying to portray how Raghav's actions look to an outsider because they weren't in his shoes in those situations.

I think that most rational persons, if they found themselves in Raghav's shoes, wouldn't behave as he did. Krishna and Mandar are indirect victims of Raghav, not "outsiders" in my view.

-By outsiders I mean anyone who isn't Raghav or his immediate family who is only Farhad here. That's the reference.

For eg: we know that he was Drunk when he found Pallavi unconscious on the Road & that's why Farhad & he took her to his home - guest room. But had they taken her back to the D-Nivas then(according to my views & ofcourse Raghav wasn't thinking so much in his drunk stupor then), Sulochana would have definitely created a huge ruckus & utilised the opportunity again to malign Pallavi's character & used Raghav's drunk stature to emphasize more drama.

-As I stated, Sulochana's point of view doesn't come in the picture since only viewers knew'bt it. It's according to my view what could have happened. I made that already clear in the above comment. And then again, if we're going so indepth of each character - why hasn't Nikhil's involvement in the illegal errands - which actually was the reason of Pallavi's kidnapping - been discussed. I don't think it's right for Raghav to be blamed for things he didn't do as well.

Sulochana cannot be Raghav's excuse for not returning Pallavi to her family, because at the time, Raghav didn't know that Sulochana likes to make Pallavi look bad. We viewers knew, but Raghav hadn't yet heard any of Sulochana's insinuations about him and Pallavi.

There will be occasions for Raghav to receive kindness and affection in this story, and of course he won't keep his feelings inside, but this is a character who doesn't like to explain his actions or apologize, so perhaps Pallavi will not see him as clearly as the readers do.

- Okay. Let's see how this goes.

So, Raghav's outreach to Vijay definitely happened after Mandar was back from the dead for some time.

- Ofcourse the gap helps in forgetting these lines.

In both chapters, it's ambiguous whether Pallavi is living with Raghav or Sharada is just encouraging Raghav.

So, I still have to write Mandar forgiving Kirti, reveal Pallavi's choice to return to Mandar, and somehow break up Pallavi and Mandar so that Vijay again resents being visited by Raghav, plus make Raghav nicer to Mandar, without Vijay feeling the need to use Farhad's name. I don't know how many chapters that will take.

- That's a lot of things you have to undertake in the next Chapters.

SONIA441 wrote:

-As I stated, Sulochana's point of view doesn't come in the picture since only viewers knew'bt it. It's according to my view what could have happened. I made that already clear in the above comment.

I'm happy that we agree.

And then again, if we're going so indepth of each character - why hasn't Nikhil's involvement in the illegal errands - which actually was the reason of Pallavi's kidnapping - been discussed. I don't think it's right for Raghav to be blamed for things he didn't do as well.

Discussed by whom? Do you mean, why haven't I revealed Nikhil's truth in my story yet? I never promised to tie up every loose end from the show, but thanks for the reminder. I have an idea of who should reveal this truth, and to whom, so that it will have dramatic impact. But at this point, Pallavi has accused Raghav in front of everyone from Mr. Mehra at Raghav's Śivarātri pūjā to the jilebī-hungry man at Manasi's mehandī, and that is what Mandar hears from Krishna.

We viewers know that the fake police kidnapped Pallavi to collect on Nikhil's online gambling debt, and that had nothing to do with illegal errands for Raghav (which Nikhil didn't start until after the kidnapping, to repay his debt). However, the kidnappers haven't been caught, Pallavi on screen has never believed Raghav's denial of that crime, and Nikhil hasn't confessed his gambling to anyone but Abhishek and Harish. The right time for Pallavi to accept Raghav's denial was when Pallavi told Vijay that Raghav would admit to having him arrested if he had done it. I have a different idea, but give me time. Chapter Seven was only the second day of Mandar's return home. He doesn't know what has happened to Nikhil or Manasi or Amruta while he was gone.

It's not right that Raghav is blamed for the fake police kidnapping along with the tie-Pallavi-in-front-of-a-truck kidnapping, the get-married-right-now kidnapping, and the gagged-and-over-his-shoulder kidnapping that he committed. Raghav likes to choose which false accusations he protests (fake police, leaving saṃgīta with Pallavi, abortion, necklace), which ones he allows (causing his father and brother's death, keeping people waiting for darśana, Anjali photographs), and which ones he takes upon himself (registering the explosive car in Pallavi's name, casual affair with Pallavi, hit-and-run). It's just a part of his character to be falsely accused and guilty of much more.

I respect my readers' sense of poetic justice that misunderstandings should be cleared up. I am creating misunderstandings in this story, but I hope you will like them.

Chapter Nine

"Mandar, tuzhā asā ceharā kā paḍalāya?" Mandar, why is your face so downcast? Sharada questioned her son as they rode in the rickshaw together. "Kāla āṇi āza tulā kāhī aprasanna goṣṭī aikāyalā lāgalyā, tyāmuḷe tū asvastha zhālā āhesa kā?" Yesterday and today, you had to hear about some unpleasant incidents; is that why you feel disturbed?

"Āī, tyā Raghav nāṃvācyā Rākṣasāne āpalyā dukānācī itakī toḍa-phoḍa kelī." Āī, that Rākṣasa named Raghav did so much to break and wreck our shop. Mandar let out his frustration. "Pallavi-cyā māge lāgūna divaseṃdivasa vāḍhatyā krūrapaṇāne tiçā chaḷa kelā." He chased Pallavi and tormented her, day by day, with increasing cruelty. "Tilā gharātūna uçalūna nele āṇi tilā ṭhāra māraṇyācī dhamakī dilī." He carried her out of our house and threatened to murder her. "Ticyā cāritrāvara āṇi āpalyā vyavasāyāvara nāhī nāhī te khoṭe āropa kele." He lied about her character and our business with unthinkable accusations. "Śevaṭī tyāçā trāsa asahya zhālyāmuḷe Bābāṃnī svataḥlā zāḷūna ṭākāyaçā prayatna kelā, vara tyāṃnā hṛdayavikārāçā zhaṭakā ālā!" Ultimately, when his harassment became unbearable, Bābā attempted to set himself on fire, and on top of it, he had a heart attack! "Āṇi he sagaḷaṃ zhālyāvara tumhī tyālā māpha kele?" And after all of this happened, you forgave him? "Jyā māṇasācī svataḥcī āī tyālā lampaṭa aparādhī mānate, tyāça āīcī taḍazoḍa svīkārūna to dhoṇḍā Pallavi-cyā gaḷyāta bāndhalāta?" The man whose own mother considers him a lecherous offender - you accepted that mother's compromise and tied that millstone to Pallavi's throat? "Nāhī, tiçe tyā Rākṣasāśī lagna lāvūna tiçā gaḷāça kāpalāta tumhī!" No, by getting her married to that Rākṣasa, you actually slit her throat!

"Ho, Mandar," Sharada admitted. "Raghav hā svabhāvāne Rākṣasaça āhe." Raghav is just a Rākṣasa by nature. "Malā vāṭāyaçe kī to itakā duṣṭa, itakā vidhvaṃsaka, itakā khoṭāraḍā, itakā nirlajja āhe kī, to mājhyā Pallavi-cyā nazaresamora yāyalāhī lāyaka nāhī." I used to think that he is so perverse, so destructive, so dishonest, so shameless that he's not even worthy to come in front of my Pallavi's gaze. "Maga tyāne Pallavi-vara dabāva āṇūna tilā lagna karāyalā bhāga pāḍale." Then he put pressure on Pallavi and forced her to get married. "Mī svataḥ tiçā hāta dharūna tilā lagnācyā māṇḍavātūna oḍhūna nyāyaçā prayatna kelā, paṇa Pallavi-ne toṃvara ṭharavale hote kī tyā Raghav-lā dhaḍā śikavalyāvāçūna tyālā tī soḍaṇāra navhatī." I myself held her hand and tried to drag her away from the wedding venue, but by then Pallavi had resolved that she wouldn't leave that Raghav without teaching him a lesson. "Āṇi lavakaraça Pallavi-cyā tattvaniṣṭha svabhāvāmuḷe Raghav-madhe badala ghaḍāyalā lāgale." And quite soon, Pallavi's principled nature caused changes to occur in Raghav. "Ticyā sukhāsāṭhī kāhīhī karāve, ticyā māṇasāṃvara nehamī lakṣa ṭhevāve, ase tyālā manāpāsūna vāṭāyalā lāgale." He started to feel sincerely that he should do anything at all for her happiness, that he should watch over her people always. "Āmacyāvara koṇatehī saṃkata yetānā disale kī Raghav-çā hāta te jhelāyalā puḍhe hoū lāgalā." Whenever Raghav saw any trouble approaching us, he would put out his hand to catch it.

"Āī, asalyā māṇasācyā çāṅgalyā vāgaṇyāvara āpaṇa kasā viśvāsa ṭhevāyaçā?" Āī, how can we trust in the good behaviour of this sort of person? Mandar asked.

"Mandar, tulā Ghaṭotkaca āṭhavato kā?" Mandar, do you remember Ghaṭotkaca? Sharada answered his question with a question.

"Mahābhāratātalyā Pāṇḍava bhāvāṃpaikī Bhīmāçā mulagā, zo Rākṣasa hotā?" From Mahābhārata, out of the Pāṇḍava brothers, Bhīma's son, who was a Rākṣasa? Mandar remembered.

"Barobara." Correct, Sharada answered. "Ghaṭotkacāne aneka niraparādha lokāṃnā trāsa dilā, tyāñcyā dhārmika kāryāṃta vighnaṃ āṇalī, āṇi kityeka pāpaṃ kelī, kāraṇa tyāçā tasā duṣṭa Rākṣasāçā svabhāva hotā." Ghaṭotkaca harassed many innocent people, created obstacles in their sacred duties, and committed numerous sins, because he had that perverse Rākṣasa nature. "Karṇāne zara Ghaṭotkacālā mārale nasate, zara Ghaṭotkacāne yuddhāta Pāṇḍavāṃsāṭhī svataḥçe prāṇa arpaṇa karūna ekā vīrāçe maraṇa miḷavale nasate, tara Śrī-Kṛṣṇālā svataḥ Ghaṭotkacāçā vadha karāvā lāgalā asatā." If Karṇa had not killed Ghaṭotkaca, if Ghaṭotkaca had not laid down his life in battle for the Pāṇḍavas and won a hero's death, then Śrī Kṛṣṇa himself would have had to slay Ghaṭotkaca. "Aśī Ghaṭotkacācī aṭaḷa niyati asūna suddhā, to saṃpūrṇapaṇe vāīṭa kadhīça navhatā." Although this was Ghaṭotkaca's inevitable destiny, he was never totally bad. "To svataḥcyā māṇasāṃśī, mhaṇaje Pāṇḍavāṃśī, nehamī çāṅgalāça vāgata ase." With his own people, that means, with the Pāṇḍavas, he always behaved well only. "Tyālā tyāṃçe udātta vicāra samazata navhate, tarī suddhā jevhāṃ Arjuna astrāñcyā śodhāta gelā hotā, tevhāṃ Pāṇḍavāñcyā vanavāsāta sobatīlā Ghaṭotkaca rāhilā, āṇi tyāne svārtha visarūna tyāñcī sevā kelī." He didn't understand their noble ideas, but still, when Arjuna had gone in search of magical missiles, then Ghaṭotkaca joined the Pāṇḍavas in forest exile to guard them, and he forgot his self-interest as he looked after them. "Ekadā Gandhamādana parvata pāyī çaḍhatānā Draupadī thakūna beśuddha paḍalī." One time, while climbing the Gandhamādana mountain on foot, Draupadī felt exhausted and fell down unconscious. "Tevhāṃ Ghaṭotkacāne tilā pāṭhīvara uçalūna ghetale, āṇi parvatācyā śikharāparyanta poçavale." Then it was Ghaṭotkaca who lifted her onto his back, and carried her all the way to the mountain-top. "Tara Pāṇḍavāñcyā āṇi Draupadīcyā dṛṣṭikonātūna Ghaṭotkaca eka krūra Rākṣasa asūna suddhā tyāṃçā premaḷa mulagāça hotā." So, from the Pāṇḍavas' and Draupadī's point of view, Ghaṭotkaca who was a cruel Rākṣasa was their affectionate son only.

"Āī, zase Draupadīne Ghaṭotkaca Rākṣasālā mulagā mānale, tase tū Raghav-lā mulagā mānatesa?" Āī, the way Draupadī considered Ghaṭotkaca the Rākṣasa her son, do you consider Raghav your son too? Mandar thought about the implications of his mother's story.

Sharada thought for a moment, then replied. "Azūna āmacyāta tase zavaḷaçe nāte nāhī. Paṇa he nāte ghaḍavaṇyācī śakyatā nakkī āhe." So far, our relationship is not so close, but to forge that relationship is a definite possibility. "Jevhāṃ Raghav-ne Pallavi-śī lagna kele, tevhāṃ āmhī Janakamma-çe ghara sāṃbhāḷata hoto." When Raghav married Pallavi, we were looking after Janakamma's house. "Raghav-ne tyāça gharātalī rikāmī kholī bhāḍyāne ghetalī, jyāmuḷe to dara divaśī āmhālā bheṭāyalā yeū śakalā." In that same house, Raghav rented an empty room so that he could come to visit us every day. "Tyālā āmaçe vicāra zāṇūna gheṇyāśī kartavya navhataṃ; to phakta āmacī paristhiti zāṇūna gheta rāhilā, āṇi madatīçā hātabhāra lāvata rāhilā." He had no interest in understanding how we think; he only kept apprising himself of our situation and giving us a helping hand. "Maga tyālā āpaṇaça kaśī lātha mārāyacī?" So, how could we ourselves kick him aside? "Eravī mī svataḥcyā āvaḍīnivaḍīpramāṇe aśā nīca māṇasālā dārāta suddhā ubhe kele nasate." Normally, by my own liking or choice, I wouldn't give such a villain even a place to stand at my door. "Āṇi ātā, zara Pallavi-ne tyālā soḍāyaçā nirṇaya ghetalā, tara ghaḍatāghaḍatā tyāçe āṇi āpale saṃbandha saṃpatīla." And now, if Pallavi takes the decision to leave him, then our developing bonds with him will be over already. "Tyācyā pāpāñcī śikṣā tyālā miḷāyacī asela tevhāṃ miḷela." Whenever he is to receive punishment for his sins, he'll get it. "Te āpalyā hātāṃta nāhī." That's not in our hands. "Zoṃvara Pallavi tyā Raghav-lā navarā mānate, toṃvara mī mhaṇate, padarī paḍalaṃ āṇi pavitra zhālaṃ!" As long as Pallavi considers that Raghav her husband, so long I say, what falls in our lap becomes pure for us! "Tyācyā baryā vāgaṇukīlā mī uttejana deta rāhīna, paṇa mājhyā tyācyākaḍūna kāhī viśeṣa apekṣā nāhīta." I will keep on encouraging his good behaviour, but I have no special expectations from him.

While Mandar sat in silence, thinking about Sharada's words, until their rickshaw reached Farhad's address, Farhad was busy with Raghav in his den, examining the login history of the CCTV system.

"Anna, there was only one device that logged in after I did today. That must be the person who downloaded the edited footage."

"Well, whose device is it?" Raghav demanded impatiently.

"It's only an alphanumeric identifier, but our information technology staff should be able to trace it to the device's owner. I'm sending it to them right now." Farhad spoke as he worked.

Raghav's phone buzzed as a message from Pallavi appeared: "I can't come to meet you tomorrow morning. Satya-Nārāyaṇa pūjā at Āī-Bābā's house. You are invited with Amma and Kirti. Please come. I have to talk to you."

"Anna, I just searched the login history for this identifier, and the same device has never logged in before!" Farhad spoke excitedly. "This means, the person who is trying to extort money from you probably learned how to access the system just today, just to locate the clip that I deleted. Somehow, the person heard what was said in this room, this morning."

Raghav clenched his fist and banged the desk. "Farhad, I want this den swept for listening devices, tonight!" Then a terrible thought sent a shiver through Raghav's body. "It wasn't just said in this room! I opened the door and walked out onto the landing, and then I reminded you to delete the footage! How could I be so careless? Anyone in this house could have heard me!" Raghav's fist made contact with his own forehead.

Farhad was frantically typing a message to the surveillance staff while Raghav continued, "I know that I have to find this lowlife and neutralize whoever it is; I know that giving in to blackmail just keeps it going, but Farhad, how can I take the risk -"

"Wait, Anna! Don't tell me!" Farhad knew that Raghav hated to be interrupted, but it was part of Farhad's job to know when to bend the rules. "You never told me why the recording had to be destroyed. The reason was only spoken inside this room, correct? If the blackmailer acted after hearing your instructions to me spoken outside this room, whoever it is cannot know more than I do. We'll do the sweep, and if there are no listening devices in here, we can proceed carefully because, at least, the blackmailer doesn't know why this recording is a problem for you."

"You're right, Farhad! You deserve a raise. Now, check today's CCTV footage of every place in this house from where someone could have heard me on the landing. Whoever is spying on me in my own house will regret ever hearing the name of Raghav Rao!" And with that, Raghav left Farhad in the den and descended the stairs to join Amma, Celli, and Damayanti in the living room.

At Farhad's flat, Pallavi rang the doorbell and called, "Ammī! Abbū! I am Pallavi, coming in," and Abbū came to the already open door. Seeing Āī, Bābā, and Mandar standing behind Pallavi, Abbū folded his hands to greet them.

Mandar saw that Farhad's father was as neatly dressed as Farhad - Abbū was wearing a spotless white kurta and pyjama - and he had excellent posture, like Farhad, shining eyes and a friendly smile on his clean-shaven face, like Farhad.

Bābā made the introductions. "Namaste, I am Vijay Deshmukh, Pallavi's Bābā. This is my wife, Sharada, and our son Mandar, Pallavi's husband."

"Namaste, Vijay jī, Sharada jī, Mandar. My name is Gulshan Nawaz, I am Farhad's Abbū. Please come in."

Mandar stepped over the threshold and immediately felt at home in Farhad's parents' flat. There were so many photographs on the walls - Hindustani classical musicians intently playing their instruments and vocalists delighting in the moods of their own creation. Most of the faces were young - someone's students, certainly. Mandar could imagine that the empty living room floor space was often used for concerts with a cramped but excited audience, and the flat-cushioned, rather narrow, rectangular couches surrounding it were where the family slept when they had given their bedrooms to guest performers. There were no decorative objects in the living room, not even a vase of flowers. It was entirely different from the living area of the Deshmukh house - a courtyard surrounded by pillars, often colourfully decorated, and offerings of fresh flowers to Gaṇapati Bāppā every morning. And yet this austere and unpretentious living space seemed to welcome and warm him.

"I hope we are not imposing. We found out this afternoon that Pallavi is staying with you, and of course we wanted to express our gratitude in person," Bābā explained.

"I am pleased that you decided to visit. Please, sit down over here. Farhad is working late, but Rehana - my wife - is on her way back from teaching music classes. Please stay long enough to meet her. Pallavi, beṭī, dinner is almost ready. I learned to make vegetarian biryani with seitan. Ask your parents to join us." Abbū moved to the kitchen area to fetch some cups and a bottle of water.

"Thank you for the invitation," Āī said. "We have Mandar's friend Vishnu staying with us, so we will have to return home in time for dinner. However, we are very pleased that you have done so much for Pallavi to feel at home."

Mandar caught himself looking at each of the photographs to see if he could recognize Farhad at a younger age. Did Farhad appreciate classical music, like his mother? Why hadn't Farhad said anything yesterday, when Mandar had named his own favourite Rāga, and Pallavi's? Mandar's memory of the conversation suddenly felt incomplete without Farhad's voice. You are here to thank this family for hosting your wife, Mandar, remember your manners, he silently scolded himself.

"Farhad has talked to us about Pallavi every day for months now," Abbū replied, as he passed cups of water to his guests. "We were delighted to meet her last night."

Mandar smiled at the mention of Farhad's name, but he remembered to face Pallavi, who was sitting next to him, as if the smile was for her. Pallavi smiled back at him, but quickly turned to the door, where Ammī had just arrived.

Mandar liked Farhad's mother at first sight - a slender woman with fearless eyes, wearing a pale green salwar and kameez, quickly slipping off her sandals as she greeted her guests with a smile.

"Rehana, look who has come to visit us: Pallavi's Āī, Sharada jī, and her Bābā, Vijay jī, and their newly returned son Mandar Deshmukh. Friends, this is Farhad's Ammī," Abbū introduced them, as Mandar stood up and folded his hands.

"Sit down, beṭā, this is your own house," Ammī ordered Mandar. "So, you finally remembered your wife and returned to her?"

"Yes, Ammī jī," Mandar managed to reply, as Pallavi looked at her hands in her lap. This Ammī has a dry wit, Mandar thought.

"It was Pallavi who found Mandar and brought him back to us," Bābā corrected. "We are offering thanks with a Satya-Nārāyaṇa pūjā at home tomorrow morning. Please accept our invitation to visit us and partake of the prasāda."

"Satya-Nārāyaṇa pūjā - that is usually done after a wedding, correct?" Ammī asked.

"Yes," Āī replied, "but it can be done on any joyous occasion. This time, we are celebrating Mandar's return only."

"We had planned a Satya-Nārāyaṇa pūjā for the day after Mandar's and Pallavi's wedding," Bābā thought aloud, "but that was the night he was struck by the car and lost to us."

Mandar stood up and took one of Bābā's hands in his. Pallavi followed him and took Bābā's other hand. They knew that Bābā's pain would not be forgotten so quickly.

"Thank you for the invitation," Abbū said gently. "Tomorrow is a work day for both of us, so kindly excuse us. Pallavi, beṭī, please remember to bring some prasāda for us."

"What I say, Farhad's Abbū," said Ammī, not willing to give up the subject, "is that this Satya-Nārāyaṇa pūjā is a nice incentive for families to create joyous occasions sooner, rather than later. How old were you, Mandar, beṭā, when you got married?"

"I was twenty-six years old," Mandar replied. He felt a little excited that he could answer the question without hesitation now, whereas just two days ago, he hadn't known his own age.

"That's our Farhad's age right now," Ammī said. "You met him yesterday. You know, our Farhad is kind-hearted, educated, and handsome, but he works too hard. You should have a talk with him about settling down."

How could Farhad and I talk about settling down? Mandar thought, and then realized that Ammī meant that Farhad would find someone else. Of course, Mandar thought, he deserves to be happy, and I have my own life. He hid his uneasiness with a tight-lipped smile for Ammī.

"Pallu, you are good friends with Farhad by now," Āī intervened. "Perhaps you could convince him that marriage would make his life happier?"

"Yes, Pallavi," Ammī rejoined. "You know better than anyone that Farhad spends the whole day running after Raghav Rao's needs, and so he has no time to find his own special man."

"Excuse me," Bābā did not trust his ears. "You mean, no time for a special girl, of course?"

Ammī stared at him. Abbū turned to Pallavi, and said, "Pallavi, beṭī, we thought that you must have told your parents the truth."

"What truth, Abbū? I myself don't know," Pallavi admitted. Farhad and another man? Farhad never spoke of it. Did Raghav know, and never tell me?

"Our son is gay," Abbū confirmed. "It's not a secret, but as parents, we worry about our son's safety, you understand. We are trusting you to be kind to our son, because you know how precious your own son's happiness is. We're proud of Farhad and we hope that he will find someone who appreciates everything that makes him special."

Mandar noticed that Bābā was knotting his fingers, clearly uncomfortable. Bābā gave a sharp nod to Abbū and, without looking at him, stood up. "Sharada, Mandar, we shouldn't keep everyone waiting at home. Please excuse us, we'll have to be on our way now."

Mandar stood up and folded his hands to take leave of Abbū and Ammī. Both of their faces had wide-eyed smiles for him.

"Rehana jī, Gulshan jī, it was very nice to meet you, and we will miss you tomorrow." Āī stood up, and Pallavi squeezed her hand as they walked to the door.

"Good night, Pallavi," Mandar said, as they stood on opposite sides of the threshold. "We'll meet tomorrow morning." Pallavi smiled at him, thinking that this sturdy man looked very cute when he was shy.

In Raghav's living room, Damayanti was blissfully happy, lying on her back and kicking her legs in the air while Kirti, sitting on the floor beside her, rubbed her nose and chin. Raghav's gaze moved back and forth from Jaya to Kirti. This was the family that he had wanted for so many long years - the three of them, enjoying an evening together without having to worry about money. If only Pallavi had stayed! If only he could outwit that blackmailer and get Mandar out of the way, and convince Pallavi to come back! His family was not complete without her.

"Amma, who gave this dog such a funny name? Damayanti - where did they find such a name?" Kirti asked.

"I don't know if someone at the animal shelter named her, or whoever to whom she belonged before," Jaya replied. "But when I heard the name, I knew that I had chosen the right dog for Raghav."

"Why, Amma? What does the name mean?"

"It means, 'she who inspires self-control.' And this name belonged to the heroine of the oldest surviving romantic adventure story of India. Long before there were heroines on TV, or in written Saṃskṛta literature, or even in Bharata Muni's tradition of theatre that became our Bharatanatyam, there was the oral recitation of Nala and Damayantī's story, which comes down to us through Mahābhārata. Damayantī was a princess of Vidarbha, a land that is now part of Maharashtra, and she fell in love with Nala, the king of Niṣadha, a land somewhere near the Payoṣṇī river and the Vindhya mountains. Nala was a Dramiḍa, meaning someone from South India."

"So, Damayantī was a Marathi girl who caught a South Indian boy?" Raghav chuckled, thinking of his own Marathi girl, whom he had introduced to Damayanti today as her Amma.

"Who knows? It was so long ago, before the name Mahārāṣṭra was in use, when Vidarbha was considered part of South India," Jaya smiled. "Nala was a fine man; he could coax horses to race like the wind; he was brave and generous, handsome and popular. He had one flaw, however. He could not refuse a challenge; if he was losing a game, he would keep on playing until he was utterly ruined. When he had lost everything, Nala felt ashamed and he ran away from Damayantī."

"What did Damayantī do then?" Kirti asked.

"Damayantī was as wise as she was beautiful. She had kept in touch with her parents and her three younger brothers throughout twelve years of marriage, and so she was able to send her twin children to safety before they saw their father's humiliation. When Damayantī found herself alone in the wilderness, she faced many dangers with only her courage and her wits, until she managed to reach her cousin's kingdom, where she lived as a guest, unrecognized, listening for news of anyone, anywhere, who had Nala's remarkable abilities."

"Was Nala in disguise?" Raghav asked.

"Yes, he had been bitten by a friendly snake, whose poison changed Nala's features and his stature, making him unrecognizable to everyone. But Damayantī was an excellent judge of character. The Gods of Rain, Fire, Law, and Streams - that is, Indra, Agni, Yama, and Varuṇa - each had wanted to marry her, and they had even convinced Nala to go as their messenger to Damayantī, carrying their marriage proposals instead of his own. Even under that much pressure, and even when all four Gods changed their appearance to resemble Nala exactly, Damayantī cleverly identified the mortal Nala and chose him as her husband, on account of his virtues, and her fidelity convinced the Gods to grant magical powers to Nala. Now, Nala's use of those magical powers allowed Damayantī to be sure that Nala was hidden inside the man who looked nothing like him. And when the time was right, Damayantī made Nala come to her as fast as the horses could carry him."

"How did she do that?" Kirti asked.

"Damayantī, like any good wife, knew exactly how to get her husband's attention. She sent a message to the king whom Nala was serving as a chariot-driver, knowing that Nala would hear the news. The message was that Damayantī was going to choose a new husband. Tomorrow."

Chapter One on page 1

Chapter Two on page 2

Chapter Three on page 2

Chapter Four on page 3

Chapter Five on page 4

Chapter Six on page 4

Chapter Seven on page 5

Chapter Eight on page 5

Chapter Ten on page 7

Chapter Eleven on page 8

Chapter Twelve on page 8

Chapter Thirteen on page 8

Chapter Fourteen on page 9

Chapter Fifteen on page 10

Chapter Sixteen on page 10

Chapter Seventeen on page 11

Chapter Eighteen on page 11

Chapter Nineteen on page 11

Chapter Twenty on page 11

Chapter Twenty-One on page 11

Chapter Twenty-Two on page 12

Chapter Twenty-Three on page 12

Chapter Twenty-Four on page 12

Chapter Twenty-Five on page 12

Chapter Twenty-Six on page 13

Chapter Twenty-Seven on page 14

Chapter Twenty-Eight on page 14

Chapter Twenty-Nine on page 14

Chapter Thirty on page 14

Chapter Thirty-One on page 14

Chapter Thirty-Two on page 14

Chapter Thirty-Three on page 15

Chapter Thirty-Four on page 15

Chapter Thirty-Five on page 15

Chapter Thirty-Six on page 15

Wow. Loved it. Beautiful chapter