Once again, a smallish update but I thought you all have waited long enough and patiently enough😉, so guys, bring on the red carpet and the drumroll.....tan ta na, tan ta na!!!!
Here comes the resident brooding tall dark handsome munda, aka Raunaq. And the other special character is a tribute to all the velhe dogs that seem to roam Balaji studios all the time😃 Remember the episode where Shanky saves Prateeksha from the gundas by calling his commissioner uncle? and how we all joked that Prateeksha had done the vanishing trick by changing into one of the stray dogs on the road?🤣
Once again, pleeeeeeeeeeze let me know your thoughts and press the like button. I read elsewhere on IF that "the LIKE button is free"😉, so please don't hesitate to use it if you like what you read. 😃Thanks for all your support.😊
Part X
The room, though fairly large, was almost spartan, the only concession to Gurgaon heat being thick, dark curtains. One end housed a single bed that was neatly made up and the other side of the room had a small table that was edged by two narrow, uncomfortable chairs. The walls were bare, save one plastic analog clock and the relentless ticking of its seconds hand seemed to echo and magnify the deafening silence in the room.
Raunaq was slumped in one of the chairs, his head resting back and eyes closed. He had come home after a hard day's work and had yet been unable to muster enough energy to make himself a cup of tea. "How has it come to this? Mera jurm kya hai….suna tha ki Bhagwan apne sachche bando ki pareeksha lete hain…lekin itna kuch?…main kab tak yuhin akela sab sehta rahoonga….ek aam insaan ki tarah maine bhi to sirf ek normal life chaahi thi…ek pyaar karne wali beewi, ek ghar, ……kyun sab kuch meri pahuch se itna door raha hamesha?….Araina…tumne mujhe kyun itna bada dhoka diya? Dhoka? Kaisa dhoka? …Tumne ussey uski chaheeti behen cheeni …dhoka usne diya ki tumne? Maar daala uski behen ko….nahin maine nahin maara…who ek accident tha…..Jyoti ki jaan ka sawal tha….kuch bhi ho, tumhaari wajah se ek maasoom ki jaan gayee….kya tum is baat ko kabhi bhula sakte ho…us bechaari ka isme kya qasoor tha? Jyoti aur uskey bachche ko bhi to tum nahin bacha paaye…………haan, haan nahin bacha paya! Kya karta? Puri koshish to ki thi maine, Jyoti ke bete ko kitna pyaar diya, lekin woh bhi mere paas nahin raha…main kya karoon….? Kya karoon? Ladkiyon ki tarah ro…aur kya karo? Kya karoon? Do you really think you deserve any sympathy….tumko ab tak smajh nahin aaya ki tumse har koi kyun alagh ho jaata hai? Tum ho hi is laayaq….Nahin, main bura nahin hoon…Prateeksha hamesha mera saath deti thi….usne mujhe kabhi bura nahin samjha….mere bure se bure waqt mein mera saath diya…who mujhe theek tarah se jaanti hai….But the reality is even she left you….she left me because she wanted me to be with Araina….she was looking out for me…she was my only real friend….Yes, she looked out for you, but who did you look out for? Apne budhe maan baap ke baare mein soch hai tumne kabhi? Un par kya beeti hogi jab tum CA banne ke baad bhi, apni zid mein, ek horse trainer ki job karne unhey Chandigarh mein chodh kar chale aaye….kabhi mudh kar bhi nahin dekha….tum, jo unke eklaute bete the…..unke jeene ka sahara……kya Bhagwaan tumhe is sab ki saza nahin denge? Bolo bolo, kya koi jawab hai iska tumhare paas?Tab to tum apne aap bada independent samajhte the…saare rishte-naaton se pare…ab khud ko akela mehsoos kar rahe ho? "
His face contorted in a grimace and he opened his eyes with a start. Sitting up straight and gripping the armrests tightly, Raunaq bent his head and took few deep breaths. "Main is tarah apne aap ko torture nahin kar sakta....I will have to control myself....these kind of self-defeating thoughts will do me no good...I have to see that from this point onwards, I don't repeat my mistakes and hope and pray for the safety and happiness of all those that I had inadvertently hurt....lekin Araina?......kya tum waqayi kabhi usko bhula paaoge? Us pyaari si ladki ke bina jee paaoge, jo apni behen ki maut ke gham mein paagal ho kar badle ki aag mein jal rahi thi.......woh ladki jiska chehra tumhari aankhon mein bas chuka hai?" Before he could find any answers to these burning questions, suddenly, there was urgent scratching noises in the room and he quickly walked over to open the balcony door. No sooner had he done that, a big, shaggy dog bounded into the room, skidding to a stop at the far wall, almost knocking him over in the process. With its tail wagging vigorously and tongue hanging out of the open mouth, it turned around and jumped on to Raunaq, in a desperate bid to lick his face.
"Achcha bhai achcha, I am sorry….didn't mean to leave you out for so long….sit…sit…good boy, good boy….Chief…sit, sit." After some persuasive pets on the head and scratching behind his ears, Chief finally sat down and looked upon Raunaq with adoring eyes, his tail thumping loudly on the floor. With a deep breath, Raunaq petted him some more and then walked towards the attached kitchenette , "Come, Chief, hum kuch pet pooja karte hain". With characteristic economy of movements and efficiency, he placed a steaming cup of tea and a plate of biscuits on the small round breakfast table, in short order. "Nahin, yeh sab tumhare liye nahin hai, yeh meri chai hai", Raunaq laughingly admonished Chief and then took out some tinned pet food and placed it in his feeding bowl. "Yeh hai tumhara…." The dog needed no further encouragement to leave his guard post at Raunaq's feet and lop over to his dinner and started to gobble it up at great speed. Chief looked up with a puzzled look in his eyes at Raunaq's "you're very welcome…."and promptly resumed his activity when he saw no further order was forthcoming. "Kisi din main tumhe khaana khaane ki tameez sikha paaonga….one day, of that I am sure."
Just as he was about to sit down and have his tea, the phone rang.
To be continued in Part XI
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