Chapter 2
The bus dropped Bani at the village bus stop…Bani quickly went to the cycle stand and took her cycle….it was getting dark but that was not a problem she knew her way blindfolded….she came to their haveli…14 years have passed by …the haveli in the setting sun looked more dilapilated.....yes money was short, the brave front put in by her father and grandfather was not much of use…Bani has reached the age where she understands basic realities of life…her bare-papa confided many things to her…everybody called him half mad or mad…but he was the sanest person Bani has come across yet, she knew they were neck deep in debt…her father and grandfather were trying to lease out this property but due to mortgage and cross mortgage it was becoming very difficult, in the meanwhile her mother's ornaments were disappearing…..
Bani opened the gate and crossed the garden, now no durwans or gardeners were employed, the garden was overgrown…one day a few people will be sent from the village to cut the grass and take it as fodder.
She entered the house from the kitchen…wow keya smell….aree dai ma, itne sare khana…keya baath hai….Bani uncovered the dishes to see what has been cooked….picking out bits to taste…
Dai Ma: Arree Bani, tu keya kar rahi hai beta…haath dhuwa ki nehi….kaha kaha ghumti rehti hai…ja ja upar ja muh haath dhow le..chhoti bua aur damatji aye hai…bas taiyar ho jane se hi paros doongi…garma garam….
Bani ran up, her jooti making tinkling noises…she enters her room…it was smaller than the other rooms but she liked it....it was the last room at the end of the long passage...with a nice view overlooking the pond, a very rare thing in Rajasthan, but bare-papa tried to maintain it and after his death, she made limited efforts…the water was drying up, some lotus were still there, in the morning it looked good….
She closes the door, doesn't lock it, throws the mirror work jhola on the bed and looks at her bare-papa's photo displayed prominently….Rano ne paisa de di hai, bare-papa…maine kaha ki mere liye part-time job doondh ke liye bhi…college ke beech beech me karoongi, pehle Rano ka paisa wapis doongi, phir mujhe ma se paisa bhi nehi mangni paregi…Bani took her change out, hid the money carefully in her secret place, picked up the small plastic container, took some besan flour in it from the packet on her dresser, squeezed the tomato which she had picked up from the kitchen and entered the bathroom across the passage.
While applying the paste all over her body, she smiled thinking about Rano's effort to make her beautiful…she is the one who gives her tips on home beauty products, knowing fully well Bani unlike Pia did not get money to spend on expensive beauty products…no she was not so dark anymore…after bare-papa's death she has stopped roaming about in the village in the sun…so her sun burn has reduced substantially…..Bani mixes rose/jasmine& spice concentrate made by her from the formula she read in a magazine in her bath water …Rano told her that it is not important to be beautiful but to be presentable….it gives boost to the confidence…her bare-papa always said that women is god's greatest creation…then why her family never really took notice of her…because she was not as beautiful as Pia or another girl in the family…she overheard her mother complianing to her father some years back….jab Bani paida hui apke parivaar toh mera muh nehi dekhna chahate the…kitne tane mare apke behenone, agar Dhruv na paida hota toh apko shayed dosri shaadi karni parti….
Bani did not wait for her father's reply….
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Bani entered the small sitting room where her mother normally entertained or they assembled before dinner….she saw her chhoti bua sitting there with her mother & Pia. Dadi rarely joined them now as after bare-papa's death, other than Bani, she was the most affected…Bani being young, she pulled along but loosing her first born, Dadi was hit hard….
Arree kaisi hai, Bani..Bua was forced to ask as Bani did her namaste…
Theek hu, Bua…..
Parai warai khatam….
Kaha bua, abhi results nikalne dijiye phir college ke admission…
Koi Government college me bharti ho jana, bhaiya ka paisa kharab math karna…Bua replied….shaadi bhi toh karani hai….
Bani did not reply, she did not have any intentions to get married now, wanted to be self sufficient….Pia studied in the best college in Udaipur…after her exams was sitting at home….planning to shift to a big city, her parents were looking for a match but Pia was finicky ….Bani was lucky to have her bare-papa alive during her schooling….he fought with her father to get her admitted in Pia's school after she had completed her kindergarten from the village school….her pitaji did not want to spend that kind of money for Bani….mujhe Dhruv ke liye rakhna hai…usko jaida jaroorat hai…aur Pia par rahi hai na…Bani ke liye gao ke school hi theek hai…bare-papa was adamant mera jo paisa hai tere pass…usse Bani paregi…aur hamare khandan ke ijjat ke bhi sawal hai, trying to emotional blackmail her father….
Aapke paisa…aapke paisa to aapke daru me hi nikal jate hai…Pitaji had replied in an angry voice…
Theek hai, aajse whiskey baandh…nehi piyenge hum whiskey…uss paisa se Bani paregi….
Aap daru chhor rahe……
Scotch whiskey chhor raha hu….
Pitaji had no other arguments but to let Bani study in the costliest public school for girls in Udaipur….for college Bani knew she had to fend for herself…suddenly she heard her bua saying…bahut mushkil se Jai razi huwa ane me…abhi apna business bara rahe hai….pehle bar woh khud kahi nehi jata…uske team survey karta hai, phir woh jata hai …lekin Mohanji ne Jigyasa se kaha…Jai ko khud ana parega…humlog kisi aur se baath nehi karenge….
Kiran(Bani ki ma): Jai ka shaadi ho gaya….
Shaadi? Shaadi karne ka time uske pass nehi hai....
Chhoti bua and her husband Mohan Khandelwal lived in Mumbai, where he had a business, Pia does visit them from time to time but Bani never went and she was also not invited….
You know Bhabhi, Mohan always cribs about my Kitty Parties …lekin maine keh diya yeh deal agar ho jaye…aap mujhe kuch nehi bolenge…after all Jigyasa is my kitty party friend….
Pia: Aree Bua…Jigyasa, the name sounds familiar…lekin aapko toh pasand nehi the….
Bua: Chup Chup Pia, aisa nehi kehte…haito bahut snob lekin abh adaat ho gayi…aur Pia tere se ek baath hai…Jigyasa ka beta Ranveer kaal ayega, Jai ke saath….dekh phasa sakti hai toh…bahut handsome hai….aur paisa….Jai ka sare paisa toh woh log ka hi hai….agar phasa sakti hai toh samjhungi tere me daam hai….tere toh life baan jayegi aur saath me humlogo ka bhi….aapne sare friends to dikha doongi…..
Bani yawned
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At the dinner table, Dadaji suddenly looked very frail, he was under a lot of tension Bani knew….she looked towards her father, who was concentrating on his food…but hardly eating….Mohan phupha….was doing most of the talking ……bauji, mai abhi Jai se milkar a raha hu….woh time ka bahut pawand hai, aap apna mann taiyar rakhiye baas… woh time waste nehi karna chahega…akhir Jai Walia hai woh…time ka bahut kimmat hai uski pass….
Pia: Kal Jai Walia a rahe hai idhar? The Jai Walia.....
Dhruv gave a blank stare at Bani, Bani shook her head…no she had no idea who Jai Walia was…
Bua: Toh tu keya sooch rahi thi Pia….
Pia: Aap Jigyasa/ Ranveer kiu bol rahe the…
Bua: Jigyasa…Jai ki bari bahen hai…bahut bari hai usse…uska ladka hai Ranveer jo USA se parke abhi Jai Walia ke business me join kiya hai…
Pia: Maine Jai Walia ko TV me dekha hai…bahut handsome hai….kafi paisewale bhi hai…
Bua: Ha …Ranveer bhi handsome hai aur tera umar ke ass pass ka hai…she winked at Pia…Pia smiled………
Dadaji cleared his voice: Aaplog kal ghar me rahiga…kuch mehman ane wale hai…
Bani listened: She has to go to the Bank for sometime to make a draft in the name of the institute she plans to join for her computer course and anyway nobody in the family would be missing her…but she would come back just to see the tamasha once again ………….so many people came and went but no deal seemed to take place….
Mahadev And Sons
