Hello Party People...
Geet placed the phone on the table. She smiled as she looked at her and Maan's wedding picture and then patted her belly gently as if to assure the baby of her love and care. Their baby was their miracle, the symbol of their love… a tiny being that was coming to complete them and their relationship.
It had been four years since their marriage and they were expecting their first kid yet it all seemed like yesterday to her. In Maan she had got everything that a girl wants for in a husband and more. No, theirs had not been a love marriage... at least not as far as she was concerned. It had been a match set up by the families. Their courtship period had been merely 2 months and they had not once dated before their wedding. It was only after she came to Delhi, after the marriage did they gradually open up and explore more of each other's personalities. In their journey together, they had started from being friends to companions to partners to lovers and now – to parents. A sense of pride filled her and she caressed her belly lovingly again before she opened her almirah and brought out her treasured photo albums that had captured various moments of their togetherness.
Orey manva tu to bavra hai
Tu hi jaane tu kya sochta hai
Tu hi jaane tu kya sochta hai bavre
Kyun dikhaye sapne tu sote jaagte
Jo barse sapne boond boond
Nainon ko moond moond
(Nainon ko moond moond)
Jo barse sapne boond boond
Nainon ko moond moond
Kaise main chaloon, dekh na sakoon
Anjaane raastein
(chorous)
Gunjasa hai koi iktara iktara, gunjasa hai koi iktara
Gunjasa hai koi iktara iktara, gunjasa hai koi iktara
Dheeme bole koi iktara iktara, dheeme bole koi iktara
Gunjasa hai koi iktara iktara, gunjasa hai koi iktara
While she waited for him, she softly brushed her hand over the names engraved on the album cover, Memoirs – Maan Singh Khurana Weds Geet Handa… What better way for her to get herself distracted than to relive the memories that brought her alive… She looked at Maan's picture and kissed it gently, as she remembered the day he had come by to whisk her away….
"Urghh Not again!" Geet groaned and slumped on the bed holding her head in her hands. "Di ab kya karenge?" Asked Rajji as she paced back and forth in front of Geet while Pari put a comforting arm around Geet's shoulder. "Karenge kya? usse bhi bhaga denge" replied a confident Titto and hi-fived a grinning Pari who added, "That would make a perfect score of 10". Geet beamed at them as she smiled evilly, "Hmphh… bechara… aane do… aisi halat karenge ki agle baar Amritsar ki taraf mud ke bhi nahi dekhega" said that she extended her hand and one by one everyone placed their hand on hers forming a pact while all of them had evil grins plastered on their faces.
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In the evening, everyone in the Handa Haveli was getting ready to welcome the special guests who were arriving from Delhi. Daarji, the patriarch of the house and Teji, his eldest grandchild had gone to receive the guests while Daarji's sons, Mohinder and Brij were anxiously waiting in the verandah waiting for their arrival. Inside the house, "Arre yeh phool bhi theek se nahi lagaye" Rano fretted as she started arranging the flowers in the vase. "Mummy ji, woh door se aayenge toh unhe bhookh lagi hogi na, main thode pakode bana leti hoon" said Pammi, Teji's wife. "Haan theek hai" Rano smiled at her daughter-in-law.
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"Kya khabar laye ho" Geet asked haughtily lazing around in Darji's chair in the backyard of the house when she saw Titto walking in. "zor shor se swagat ki taiyaariyan ho rahi hai Di" he said in a hushed whisper as if sharing a great national secret. "Di… main toh kehti hoon unke aate hi na, unke peeche pagal kutte chod dete hain" Pari said quite pleased with her idea. "Khabardaar!" a voice thundered from behind alerting the gang and Pari gulped when she saw Preeto, her mother standing on the door holding a belan in her hand. "Maine na teri taange tod deni hai" Preeto glared at her daughter and then passed a warning glare at all of them, "Kaan khol ke sun lo tum sab, agar is baar koi bhi shararat ki na toh maine tum sab ko pankhe se ulta taang dena hai" Looking at each of them to ensure that her threat that hit the targets she then turned and made her way back into the house. Geet, Titto and Pari looked at each other in disappointment and dismay. But then Titto's eyes gleamed with mischief as he spoke, "Koi baat nahi Di… pagal kutto wala idea chala gaya toh kya aur bhi toh tareeke hain na usse bhagane ke" He raised his eye brows while the girls grinned back before Rajji came running and panted before she broke the news, "Di woh mehmaan aa gaye". Despite having her gang with her, Geet grimaced while Pari pursed her lips for a moment in determination before she announced, "Ok guys… mission Geet Di ka dulha No. 10 bhagao aaj se shuru". The young Handa gang looked at the door leading to the living room area with an indomitable look while Geet muttered, "Whoever you are mister, you are so going to regret coming here"
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Geet was Rano and Mohinder's daughter and Daarji's muse. While Teji and Rajji were her siblings, Pari and Titto were Brij and Preeto's kids and her cousins. Based in Amritsar, Handas had always stayed together. Mohinder and Brij had been inseparable and so had been their kids. Their family was not the one who withheld their daughters in the confines of the house and so the girls were opened up to equal opportunities like the boys. While Teji always played a role of strict eldest brother keeping an eye on all the youngsters, it was Geet who spread liveliness in the house. She was the head of the small gang and was always upto some mischief or the other. But Daarji's obdurate backing to all her waywardness, paved an easy escape route for her all the time. And it had been like this for her, ever since she remembered. So when first time the talks of her marriage broke into the house, she had been alarmed, scared to leave her territory and since then had succeeded in shooing away 9 potential suitors from their home with the help of her small gang. Whenever it happened, everyone would expect Daarji would loose his patience with her but much to everyone's surprise Daarji would simply shrug his shoulders and laugh it off saying, "Bachchi hai… hum iske liye isse bhi achcha ladka dhund ke layenge"
"Jo bhi karna hai, aaj raat ko hi karna hoga" Geet told the gang who were now clustered together in her room, in a conspiratorial whisper. "Di, main ready hoon" whispered Titto back. "Di, main ek suggestion doon" Rajji said unsure. Geet squinted her eyes at her sister knowing exactly well what was coming from her, after all wasn't Rajji the most humble, polite and obedient Handa kid? "Bol" she said. "Woh… mumma keh rahi thi… ki woh… log… bohut a..ache hai aur…" she trailed back when she saw the rest of the three people glaring at her. "Tera dimag toh theek hai na" Titto chided her. "Aur nahi toh kya? You know, those guys are from Delhi… agar shaadi ho gayi… toh Geet Di ko bhi Delhi jaana padega" Pari frowned. "Haan… aur main kahin nahi jaane wali… agar tu interested hai, toh Mumma ko kehti hoon meri jagah teri baat karde" Geet said annoyed and Rajji fell back making a baby face. "Haan… toh main kya keh rahi thi…" Geet said turning to the others but before she could continue Rano walked into the room and eyed the devils of her house. Rolling her eyes she asked them to leave and warned them to behave themselves while she had a word with her daughter. Rajji, Pari and Titto reluctantly left the room.
"Dekh Geet, ek baar mil ne main kya problem hai? Nahi pasand aaye toh na keh dena" Rano explained as she looked at her daughter sitting crossly. "Jab mujhe shaadi hi nahi karni, toh kyun miloon?" she retorted back. Rano sighed before she continued in a stern voice, "Dekh… that's enough now! You better prepare yourself… kyunki Daarji ne kaha hai ki tu kal subah us ladke se milegi. Unki Dadi Ma bhi saath hai… main nahi chahti ki tu koi bhi shararat kare. Samajh gayi tu?" Rano firmly made her point and left the room, leaving behind a sulking Geet.
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It was an hour past the midnight. The house was pitch dark and everyone was fast asleep except the plotters who were waiting for the right moment to put their plan into action. "Subah mil le na…" Geet scoffed as she remembered her mother's warnings. "Subah tak woh yahan rahenge toh main unse milungi na" Geet thought and a smiled in conviction before she looked at the clock again. It was 10 minutes past 1. "Titto… All the best" Geet encouraged as Titto and Pari wrapped a white bed sheet covering them from head to toe and held a torch light below their chins to give them a ghostly appearance. "Dhyan se jaana" Rajji said scared as she looked uncomfortably from here to there. "Oye, hum apne hi ghar pe hain… jung pe nahi ja rahe" Pari rolled her eyes while Rajji held Geet's arm firmly. To add the extra effects, Geet placed a stepping stool just outside the window of the guest room that opened in the corridor and placed a table fan on it.
Pari and Titto entered the room, all prepared to scare the guy who had come to meet their Geet Di… better put, the guy who had come to take their sister away from them. They moved towards the bed silently and gave each other a thumbs up when they saw a sleeping figure on the bed. This was fun, thought Titto. How many times, they had tried this trick and it has always worked. How people could be so dumb, he thought but then the grogginess and catching them off guard played the major part in it, he knew that. So carefully walking up to the bed, they switched on the torch lights, that highlighted their facial expressions spookily and then slipped the cover off of the man's face. As Titto pulled the covers down, Pari began to call out to him in an eerie voice but stopped short when she realized that there was no one under the covers. Titto and Pari looked at each other in confusion and pulled the covers off only to see pillows lined up to make a false impression of a sleeping form on the bed. They looked at each other perplexed when someone tapped on Titto's shoulder causing him to gasp. Titto held Pari's hand and whispered, "Di, peeche koi hai" Pari frowned, "Arre yahan aage (pointing at the bed) koi nahi hai, tujhe peeche ki fikar hai" and the next moment, the hand was on Pari's shoulder causing her to widen her eyes. They looked at each other in horror as they comprehended the problem at hand but then a voice cut through the silence, "Mujhe pata tha, tum log aisa hi kuch karoge" He said as he pressed his hand on the both Pari's and Titto's shoulder making Titto jump in horror while Pari shrieked, "Aaahhh" but a hand quickly shut her up warning her to stay quiet. Scared, they cautiously turned to look at the man behind them and slightly tilted their torches to see the face of the man who had managed to terrorize the devils of the Handa Haveli. Pari's eyes widened, "Dreamy you!" she exclaimed.
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"Itni der ho gayi… ab tak yeh log aaye nahi" Geet said standing at a distance while she restlessly fidgeted with her dupata. "Di, koi gadbad toh nahi hogi na" Rajji was tapping her foor incessantly. "Shubh shubh bol Rajji… Babaji please madat karna" Geet prayed.
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"Maan! Maan Singh Khurana!" he corrected, muffling a chuckle while he tried to keep his face straight. "So as I was saying, I knew you were going to do this. I was waiting for you guys infact" he said in nonchalance. "Wait… waiting for us?" Tito asked eyeing Maan. "Haan… ab koi mere kamre main aaye, toh, wouldn't it be rude if I keep sleeping" Maan asked while Pari gave him a dubious look. "Waise, I think it's so mean of us to not include your family in our fun… nahi?" he asked as if serious while Titto and Pari looked at each other alarmed. "Wait let me call them" Maan said and turned to the door, hiding his smile. "Noo!" Titto lurched forward. "Please… kisi ko mat bulana" he requested terrified now. "Haan please… warna meri mom toh mujhe pankhe se ulta taang ne se pehle ek baar bhi nahi sochengi" Pari joined her hands to stop him. Maan looked at them both and said thoughtfully, "Lekin tum dono ne mujhe abhi tak nahi bataya, ki tum dono yahan aaye kyun the?" he turned to look at them again. Pari bit her lip while Titto raced his mind up to come with an alibi, "Haan… woh… aap… aapse milne aaye the" he said suddenly. "Haan milne aaye the" Pari echoed. "Milne aaye the?" Maan glared at them and added, "Milne aaye the ya dara ke bhagane aaye the?" he pointed at their attire. "Err… woh… haan… hum, hum toh mazak kar rahe the" pari chimed in "Mazak?" Maan raised his eyebrows and finally Pari and Titto slumped their shoulders in defeat. "Fine, hum aapko bhagane aaye the" Titto accepted and looked at him in defiance. "Kyun?" he asked. "You plan to take our Di away" Pari answered and turned to look away.
Not able to hide his amusement any longer, Maan chuckled and shook his head, "trust me kiddos… try as much as you wish… I'm going to take your Di away. And don't forget I know what you guys have done so beware" said that Maan opened the door of the room for them while pari and Titto gaped at him. "You are blackmailing us?" Titto spat. Maan shrugged and yawned before he said, "Good Night kids. Now LEAVE!" Pari and Titto walked out of the room dejected while Maan laughed before he slumped on to his bed thinking about what had happened. He knew he was not their first target, there were others who had fallen victims to their monkey business before. But then, he was extremely pleased that they had managed to keep those other guys, who had come to seek Geet's hand in marriage, at a bay. His thoughts went back to the time when he had come to the Handa Haveli with his friend Dev.
Dev was a Canada based businessman whose family was settled in Delhi. His family wanted to get him married to a suitable girl and it was then that someone had suggested Geet's name. Dev was extremely apprehensive about getting married to a small town girl. He already had his biased judgment clouding his thoughts when he agreed to meet Geet for the sake of his family. However, he had cajoled Maan to accompany him here to meet Geet and despite his numerous requests and excuses he couldn't find a way out of it. So it was then that Maan had come to Handa Haveli for the first time and had met Geet. Though he would hate to admit it, he did sense his heart flutter at the sight of her. However, then owing to the circumstances, he pushed his thoughts back, not thinking much about it.
What unfolded in the next couple of days was unbelievably hilarious, bizarre and entertaining to say the least. Since even then they were travelling from Delhi, they were going to stay over with the Handas. He was tired and fell asleep soon after he laid on the bed in the room allotted to him. However, couple of hours later, his sleep was rudely disrupted with the loud banging on his door. At first he was baffled to see a terrified Dev standing at his door. He was sweating profusely when he narrated Maan about the hauntings in his room. Maan laughed out aloud attributing it to a nightmare Dev must have seen in his sleep. Dev's ordeal didn't end there. Titto had played another of his cards when he ushered Dev with him alone on the pretext of showing him the farms. When they returned, Dev was drenched and shivering. Apparently, Titto had told him that there was no water in the house and if needed to take bath he could bathe in the pond that they came across. The haughty Dev had stepped into chilling waters of the pond and had returned home drenched. If that was not all, it was later they found out the pond was not meant for humans but for giving bath to the cattle. Aghast, Dev ran into the washroom and had spent two hours to clean himself and ward off the stinking smell of the cattle off of him. Maan couldn't help but laugh when he remembered how Pari had coaxed him to sleep on the terrace where the entire night, mosquitoes had feasted on his blood.
Dev came straight to Maan's room eager to run away from the place as fast as his legs could carry. When Maan coaxed him, he narrated the whole episode to Maan who was perplexed nonetheless. He asked Dev to pack his bags while he proceeded with his. Meanwhile, he had to make an urgent call and since the reception was weak in his room, he stepped out to make the call. Once he was done, he turned back to his room and it was then that a laughter caught his attention. Curious, when he stepped towards the backyard, he saw Geet, Rajji, Pari and Tito sitting there and having a gala time at Dev's expense. It didn't take him long to discover that it was all her plan. As he fitted the puzzle, he couldn't help but laugh himself and wondered how Dev could be so stupid to fall to such dim-witted childish tricks. From the corner, he watched her animatedly talking to her siblings and mimicking Dev, before she fell into another bout of laughter. Wasn't she cute? He knew he should be angry but strangely he was not. Her mirth was contagious.
But then he rushed to Dev to explain things to him, but Dev refused to listen to Maan. Sighing, Maan left the house but could not forget the adorable looks and innocent tricks that made him smile everytime he thought about her. When his Dadi Ma, Savitri Devi, noticed it, he first tried to shrug it off but then succumbed to Dadi Ma's insistent persuasion. Understanding the matter, Savitri Devi quickly got things arranged and spoke to Handa's proposing for Maan's marriage with Geet. And so here he was… with his Dadi Ma… back at Handa haveli… determined to make the girl, who had managed to capture his heart effortlessly, his! He shut his eyes, blocking out everything else but her beautiful face from his thoughts.
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"What do you mean he knew?" Geet snapped her head in pari and Titto's direction who cowered at her dominating stance. They knew their Geet Di, she had no patience or tolerance towards the failed plans! And this was anyways a grave situation which she was desperate to escape from. "Di, he's smart" said Pari with a wistful look in her eyes only to earn a smack for her Di in return. "Smart my foot! Mujhe lagta hai meri saari training tum logon pe waste ja rahi hai… ek bande ko bhaga nahi paaye" she glowered at them. "Di… lekin humari baat toh suno" Titto pleaded. But Geet turned away, "Nahi Sun ni… tum logon ki wajah se ab kal subah mujhe us nikamme se milna padega" she rued. "But Di aap us se already mil chuke ho" Titto said. Geet turned to him, "Matlab?" she asked eyeing them uncertainly. "Di! Woh… wohi hai… dreamy" Pari said with an excited smile. Geet frowned, "Who dreamy?" she asked in confusion. It was then that Pari told him about Maan. Geet shut her eyes and flopped on the bed again wondering what did she ever do to land into this situation. As Titto and Pari told her about what had happened Geet remembered the first time she had met this man.
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Dev, the NRI guy who had come to see her was accompanied by this friend of his. At first instance, Geet had thought Maan was the proposed guy but then it had turned out to be Dev. And she was a bit disappointed to know that as undoubtedly Maan was much more handsome, gorgeous and intelligent than that dim-witted friend of his. No… not that she was considering to give him a chance, its just that it would have been more flattering if the guy would have been Maan. From the little they talked, Geet was quick to realize that Maan was witty and smart. And when they were leaving, didn't she see Maan eyeing her with a smirk while his eyes had the look which gleamed with familiarity… It was as if he knew… he knew what they had done with Dev. Geet remembered looking away in embarrassment when he wished her luck for her future. But never in her dreams had she ever though that he would come back for her. And it was precisely at this moment she knew that she was trapped! The predator had turned into a prey! Grunting, she hid her head in the pillow making futile attempts to sleep.
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The sun was much above the horizon when Maan woke up. Freshening up, he walked out of the room and looked around to catch a glimpse of Geet. But instead was met by Rano who guided him into the dining room. His dadi ma was already seated on the table and they had a general conversation over the breakfast. All this while, Geet was missing and Maan's eyes searched for her. Daarji smiled and excused himself as he went towards Geet's room.
"Mujhe nahi aana neeche" Geet stomped her foot on the ground as Preeto and Rano tried to coax her into meeting the guests. "Puttar ek baar mil toh le" Rano pleaded but sitting on the bed, Geet hugged the pillow tight and vigorously shook her head in denial. "Achcha baba… chal ke breakfast hi kar le… maine tere pasand ke paranthe banaye hain" Preeto tried. But Geet shook her head again. Rano sighed, "Dekh Geet tu..." she started but was cut off when Daarji's voice came in, "Kyun pareshaan kar rahe ho meri Geet ko… ki hoya Puttar?" he asked in an affectionate tone. "Daarji… mujhe kisi se nahi milna" Geet whimpered almost in tears now. Taking long strides Daarji came to sit in front of Geet, "Arre toh is main rone wali kaunsi baat hai?" he asked running a hand over her head in assurance. "Phir aap zidd nahi karenge na" Geet asked cutely. Daarji smiled at her and said, "Puttar, aaj tak kabhi aisa hua hai ki teri koi baat hum ne na maani ho?" he asked and waited for Geet to respond. Geet shook her head for a no and then he continued, "Toh phir? Lekin meri Geet, kuch bahar ke logon ke wajah se apne kamre main darr ke chup ke baith ti achchi lagti hai?" he tried to prompt her. "Main nahi darti kisi se" Geet at once asserted. "Toh phir neeche aane se mana kyun kar rahi hai… arre nahi karni shaadi toh na kar… mehmaan hai, do din ke liye aaye hain, chale jayenge" he reasoned as casually as he could. Geet smiled instantly and agreed to come downstairs. Rano, Preeto and Daarji smiled as Geet shut the washroom door to get ready.
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