Part 15
Bhalla House - the night of July 18th, 10 pm
It had been a long day. Raman stretched his arms above his head and closed his laptop shut. Most of his morning had been occupied by post-wedding rituals. After lunch, Ishita had inundated him with forms and brochures for Ruhi’s school. She was starting kindergarten next week in the same school where Shravu studied. And the rest of his evening went in dealing with stubborn clients and tedious spreadsheets. He had been forced to work from home as his father refused to let him go to the office on his wedding day. Now, all he longed to do was sprawl on his bed and let his exhaustion wear away. He packed his laptops and files from the dining table and made his way into his bedroom. He placed his things on the table and opened his cupboard to take out his night clothes.
“What the-”
All his clothes had been shoved to the side. His suits now hung with a myriad sarees of various colors. His track pants and t-shirts shared their space with kurtis and leggings.
“ISHITA!”
Ishita rushed into the room. She was already dressed in her night wear.
“Kya hai? Itna kyun chilla rahe ho? Ruhi bas abhi abhi soyi hai. Ek to woh school chalu kar rahi hain us baat se itni nervous hai. Kitni muskhil se aankh lagi hain uski!”
“Mere cupboard mein yeh sab kya hai?” He pointed towards the cupboard.
“Kapde hain. Aur kya?”
“Oh really? Mujhe to pata hi nahi tha. Mera matlab hai, ki mere suits ki jagah par tumhari ye madrasi kapdo ki thaan kyun latak rahi hain?”
“Thaan? Inhe thaan nahi saree bolte hain. Aur mere kapde main cupboard mein nahi rakhoongi to kaha rakhoongi?”
“To itne saare kapde hai kya tumhare? Yeh sab bhari bhari sadiyaan pehnogi tum roz? Thodi si kisi suitcase mein nahi rakh sakti kya?”
“Bilkul nahi. Yeh sab bahot delicate sarees hai. Dekho, yeh wali pure kanjeevaram hain.” She showed him a few of her sarees. “Aur yeh to Amma aur Akka ne gift ki hain. Aur yeh saari Mummyji ne. Kuch to Simi ke ghar se bhi aayi hain. Inhe suitcase mein rakh diya to saari pleats kharab ho jaayengi. Inhe yahin hanger pe rakhna padega.”
“Lekin tumhari in sarees ke chakkar mein mere suit kharaab ho rahe hain uska kya?”
“Agar mere kapdon se itni hi problem hai to mujhe apna khudka cupboard laake do na?”
“Haan, mere paise to ped pe ugte hain, right? Agar apna cupboard chahiye hi tha to apne Appa ke ghar se leke aati.”
Raman grabbed his night clothes and slammed the cupboard shut. He left for the bathroom in a huff. Ishita groaned and sat on the edge of the bed. Her exhaustion from the wedding, her stress regarding Ruhi starting school soon, and having to deal with Ravan Kumar was catching up to her. The day had taken a toll on her, both physically and emotionally. She still remembered the tears in her parents’ eyes during her grahpravesh while they watched from next door. She still remembered the joy on Ruhi’s face when Ishita officially became her mother. Such amalgamation of joy and sorrow was something she had never experienced before.
Raman walked in in his night clothes and ran a hand through his hair which was still wet from the shower. Ishita looked up, his entry distracting her from her thoughts. He looked like a million bucks. Snap out of it, Ishita. What is wrong with you?
“Tum souogi kahan?” he asked.
Ishita looked around. Did he mean what she thought he meant? She and him, on one bed? No. Never. Not even in his dreams.
“Couch pe,” she replied without a moment’s delay.
“Are you sure? Tum comfortable hogi na?”
“Yeah, of course. Mujhe zyada space nahi chahiye. I’ll be fine on the couch.”
“Ok then. Suit yourself.”
Ishita grabbed a pillow and blanket for herself from the bottom shelf of the cupboard and made herself comfortable on the couch. Raman lied down on the king-sized bed and stretched his legs. Thank god, the madrasan had offered to take the couch. Now he had the bed to himself. He pulled out the remote from the side table and tuned into the latest cricket highlights.
“Aap ko abhi TV dekhna hai? Sona nahi hai?” Ishita twisted her neck to face Raman.
“Mujhe agar paanch-dus minute cricket dekhna hai to usme kya problem hain tumhe?”
“You know what? Aap ko jo dekhna hai, aap dekhiye. Lekin kam se kam volume to kam kijiye? Kal subah Mummyji ne pooja rakhi hain. And some of us need to sleep in order to wake up early.”
“Mera kamra hain, mera TV hain. Meri jo marzi ho woh main karunga.”
“Come on, Raman. Can’t you cooperate a little?”
“Fine. I’ll reduce my volume halfway. Baaki tum earplugs laga kar so jao.”
“Hmph. Fine,” Ishita huffed. “Paithyam. Ravan Kumar.”
While Ishita plugged her ears with cotton, Raman lowered the volume of his TV, albeit reluctantly. So now he couldn’t even watch TV at his own leisure the way he liked? It hadn’t even been 24 hours since he got married and this Jhansi ki Rani was already ruling his life. May the Lord Almighty be with him.
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Bhalla House - the next morning, 8 am
“Aur yeh ho gayi hamari Ruhi taiyyar!” Ishita pinned the necklace around Ruhi’s neck and turned her around to face the mirror. “Kaisa laga?”
“Bahot pretty hai, Ishimaa! Thank you!”
“You’re welcome. Ab chalo, jaldi se breakfast karte hain. Phir pooja bhi to karni hai?”
“Mumma, aap ko aaj clinic nahi jaana?”
“Nahi. Maine shaadi aur baaki sab functions ke liye chutthi li hai. Ab Monday ko aap jab school jaayengi, tab main clinic jaungi. Abhi chalo, breakfast karna hain”
Ishita picked a giggling Ruhi up in her arms and carried her outside. She made her sit on the dining table where her grandparents were already setting up the plates.
“Romi! Rinki! Raman! Kitthe reh gaye sab?!” Toshi hollered.
While Romi and Raman came out and took their place on the table, Rinki was having problems of her own.
“Mumma, I need some help with this dupatta!” she cried.
“Offo, ab yeh ladki ko kya hua?” Toshi sighed. “Neelu, tu sab nu naasta paros, main dekh ke aati hoon.”
“Mummyji, aap baith kar naasta kijiye,” Ishita suggested. “Main Rinki ki help kar deti hoon.”
“Lekin puttar, Ruhi ko teri zaroorat nahi hogi?”
“Maine Ruhi ko naashta paros diya hai, aur woh apne aap kha rahi hain. Aap bhi baithiye aur khaana kha lijiye. Subah se lagi huyi hain aap.”
“Thik hai puttar.”
Ishita went inside Rinki’s room and found her struggling with the pleats of her dupatta.
“Lao Rinki, main help kar deti hoon.”
“Thank you bhabhi, aap aa gayi. Warna yeh dupatta to mujhse sambhal hi nahi raha tha.”
“Koi baat nahi. Do idhar.” Ishita took over the dupatta and folded it to make evenly spaced pleats. “Tumhe pata hain, jab main choti thi tab Amma bhi mujhe aise hi dupatta ya saree pehnati thi.”
“To phir aap khud kaise seekhi? Maine to kitni baar try kiya hai, par mujhse hota hi nahi hain.”
“To usme kaun si badi baat hain? Jaise jaise practice karti rahogi, waise dheere dheere seekh jaogi.” Ishita took a safety pin and pinned the dupatta to Rinki’s kurta at her shoulder. “Aur yeh lo, ho bhi gaya.”
“Thank you so much bhabhi. You’re a lifesaver!”
“Isme thank you ki kya baat hai? Chalo abhi, sab breakfast pe wait kar rahe hain.”
Ishita and Rinki joined the rest of the family at the breakfast table adorned with parathas, egg bhurji, toasted bread, and tea and milk. Ishita was surprised to see Toshi beside Ruhi feeding her parathas with her own hand. She was hoping that Ruhi would get into the habit of eating and getting ready herself now. Oh well, she’ll get into the habit sooner or later.
“Aaj mujhe office jaana padega. Waise bhi, kaafi dino ki chutthi le li hai maine,” Raman spoke to no one in particular.
“Oye khote de khur,” Toshi chided. “Shaadi ke dusre din tujhe office jaane ki itni jaldi hain?”
“Maa aap-”
“Papa, aap ghar pe nahi reh sakte kya? Ishimaa bhi ghar par hi rahengi aaj,” Ruhi asked.
“Nahi beta, I have to go. Papa ko bahot important kaam hain.”
Ruhi was visibly disheartened but she didn’t have the courage to counter her father.
“Ruhi, aap papa ko jaane do,” Ishita intervened. “Main rahungi na aap ke saath? Aur dada dadi bhi honge.”
“Ok,” Ruhi obliged reluctantly.
“Let’s do one thing,” Ishita suggested. “Papa, aap Ruhi se promise karo ki aap shaam ko jaldi aaoge. Aur dinner ke baad, Ruhi ke saath monopoly kheloge.”
Ruhi looked at Raman with adorable pleading eyes. How could he refuse now?
“Thik hai. I promise ki main jaldi ghar aa jaunga aur hum shaam ko saath mein monopoly khelenge.”
Toshi and Omprakash gave each other a look that said, ‘am I dreaming?’ Their son would not give up work for anything. They had tried for years to bring him back to the family but all their efforts had gone in vain. Truly, Ishita and Ruhi’s arrival proved to be a blessing for them.
Once breakfast was done, Toshi asked everyone to freshen up and gather around the temple for the pooja. Raman, Ishita, and Ruhi sat in the front to perform the pooja, while the rest sat behind them. Simi, Pulkit, and Ananya had arrived to attend the pooja as well. Together, the newly wed couple offered prasad and performed aarti of the Goddess.
At the end, Toshi instructed Ishita and Simi to offer money and sweets at the feet of the Goddess on behalf of each member of their family by stating their name.
“Yeh vidhi suhagan auraten karti hain apne pati aur bachoon ke liye. Ishita, tum apni, Raman, aur Ruhi ke liye chadhana. Aur Simi, tu apni, Pulkit, aur Ananya ki taraf se, theek hai? Main apni, Bhalla ji, Romi, aur Rinki ki taraf se chadhava chadhati hoon. Phir saara chadhava hum paas ke mandir mein prasad ke taur par daan kar denge.”
Upon getting an affirmative answer from Simi and Ishita, Toshi began her prayer while making her offering.
“He Mata Rani, mere, mere pati aur Romi te Rinki par apni kripa banaye rakhna.”
Simi followed her mother’s doing and offered prasad and money at the feet of the Goddess.
“He Mata Rani, mere pati Pulkit, meri bacchi Ananya, aur mujh pe hamesha apna aashirvaad banaye rakhna.” She turned towards Ishita. “Ishita, chal tu bhi aaja.”
Ishita made her way to the front and filled her thaal with sweets and money. She went up to the idol of the Goddess, set down the thaal, and started her prayer.
“He Mata Rani, mujh pe, mere pati Raman pe, aur is ghar ke dono bacche Ruhi aur Aditya pe apne aashirvaad barsate rehna, aur sab ki raksha karna.”
It was a good thing that her eyes were closed, because the looks of awe that she was the recipient of might have startled her. Raman looked at her with such poignancy, grateful that his son was included in the wedding festivities, even if only as a symbolic gesture. The rest of the family exchanged looks, alarmed that she had so naturally taken Adi’s name, when they themselves had stopped out of fear of Raman’s predicament. And in that moment, Omprakash knew without a shadow of doubt that he had made the right decision in bringing Ishita into their family.
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Bhalla House - later that evening, 6:30 pm
Ishita stacked Ruhi’s coloring books on her desk while Ruhi organized her colored pencils and crayons. She glanced at the clock. It was close to dinner time.
“Ruhi, aap apne crayons rakh do uske baad aap ke bed pe jo toys pade hain unko bhi neatly organize kar do.”
“Ok mumma.”
Ruhi ran to her bed and gathered her barbie dolls and their accessories.
“Rehne de Ruhi, main karti hoon,” Toshi’s voice from the door caught Ishita’s attention.
“Nahi Mummyji, aap use hi karne dijiye. Aise to uski aadat kharab ho jaayegi.”
“Kya Ishita? Choti si bacchi hi to hain. Use khelne de na? Yeh sab hum kar lenge.”
“Mummyji, woh apni cheezein ka to dhyaan rakh hi sakti hain. Aap karne dijiye use. Aise hi seekhegi woh.”
Before Toshi could reply, the sound of the door opening diverted her attention. Romi and Rinki were returning from their college.
“...Rinki! I’m so proud of you!” Romi was saying as they entered.
“Kya baat hai? Itni khushi kis baat ki?” Toshi enquired.
“Mumma, maine jo jobs ke liye apply kiya tha na, unmein se do companies ne mujhe package offer kiya hai! In fact, woh log to chahte hain ki main agle mahine graduate hote hi job chalu kar du!” Rinki cheered.
“Oye hoye, yeh to badi changi gal hai Rinki! Congratulations!” Toshi exclaimed as she took her daughter into an embrace, followed by Ishita.
“Ab yeh sab chaddo Mummy, jaldi se khaana laga do. By god, pet mein chuhe daud rahe hain,” Romi requested.
“Tere bhai ko aa jaane de, phir baithte hain. Tab tak jaake haath muh dho le.”
Once Raman was home, the family gathered for dinner. Raman was delighted to know of Rinki’s job offers but he was weary of her starting work so soon.
“Rinki, are you sure tujhe itni jaldi job chalu karni hai? Right after graduation? You could go for a higher degree and do a Masters or MBA like Romi.”
“No bhai, I’m not interested in a Masters. As soon as I get my computer engineering diploma, I want to start working. Maybe a few years later, if I feel like it, I can go back to school for further studies.”
“Ok. As you wish. Arey haan, kaam se yaad aaya. Romi, hamare office mein ek assistant ki zaroorat hain. Ab tere MBA ka final year shuru ho raha hai to tum experience ke liye woh job kar sakte ho.”
“Are waah! Matlab meri pehli real naukri aur salary?!” Romi grinned.
“Oh hero! Zara dheere. Aap abhi apne final year mein ho. To tab tak, unpaid internship hi milegi. Ek baar acche marks se graduate ho jao, phir salary ki baat karenge. Thik hai?”
Romi meekly nodded his head.
The rest of dinner passed in relative silence. After dinner, Romi and Rinki retired to their rooms to study while Ishita and Toshi wound up the kitchen with Neelu’s help.
Just as Neelu opened the door to leave for the day, two people greeted her at the door - Vishwa and Madhu.
“Amma! Appa!” Ishita instantly hugged her parents and welcomed them inside. “Aap log? Come na, come inside.”
“Ayiye Iyer saab,” Omprakash gestured. “Kaise aana hua?”
“Woh actually, Madhu ko Ishu ki bahot yaad aa rahi thi pure din,” Vishwa began. “Maine use kaha, ki beti ko gaye sirf ek hi din to hua hai. Par nahi maani. Phir shaam ko mujhe bhi milne ka mann hua to hum chale aaye.”
“Accha kiya Iyer saab,” Omprakash replied. “Jab bhi mann ho tab aa jaya kijiye. Hume bhi accha lagta hain. Please baithiye.”
Ishita, Raman, and both sets of parents took a seat on the sofa set.
“Ishu, tumhare aur Ruhi ke bina to ghar ek dum soona lagta hain. Aur aaj to Mihika bhi nahi hain,” Amma said.
“Kyun amma? Mihika kahan gayi?”
“Woh to apne office se seedha Mihir ke saath dinner date pe chali gayi.”
“Tabhi janaab ko aaj itni jaldi thi jaane ki,” Raman remarked, earning laughs from all around.
In between their conversation, Ishita felt a tug on the pallu of her saree.
“Ruhi? Kya hua?”
“Ishimaa, monopoly,” she whispered in her mother’s ear. “Papa ne promise kiya tha.”
“To yaad dilao papa ko.”
“Woh gussa to nahi karenge na?”
“Arey, gussa kyun karenge? Unhone promise kiya tha na? Go, tell him.”
Ruhi inched towards her father and gently tapped on his shoulder.
“Papa, monopoly. Aap ne subah promise kiya tha.”
Raman ran a palm down his face. Of course, how did he forget?
“Yes beta, of course. Hum monopoly khelte hain. Maa, papa, amma, appa, Ruhi ko monopoly khelna hain. Aap sab kheloge?”
“Haan haan, kyun nahi?”
Soon enough, the coffee table was cleared and the board for Monopoly was set up. Everyone started gathering pieces of property and the board was being filled up.
It was now Toshi’s turn. She rolled the dice and it landed under the table.
“Koi gal nahi, main le leti hoon.”
“Kitne aaye Toshi ji?” her husband asked.
“Bhalla ji, I got a 12.”
“Aiyyo Santoshi, maine dekha. Sirf 11 the,” Madhu countered.
“Nahi nahi Madrasan, 12 the.”
And thus, both mothers were engaged in another turf war.
“Amma amma, jaane do na,” Ishita implored. Finally, at their children’s behest, they ended in a truce.
The game went on. Towards the end, Toshi and Vishwa were competing for the final spot of property that Vishwa purchased, thereby winning the game.
“Tata, hamesha ki tarah aap hi jeet gaye. You’re so good at this game,” Ruhi remarked.
“Haan Iyer saab, kamal kar diya aapne. Bahot kam logon ne aaj tak Toshiji ko haraya hain, chahe khel koi bhi ho,” Omprakash said.
“Aiyyo, agar Punjaban cheating karegi to koi bhi kaise haraayega?” Madhu cut in.
“Amma, again?” Ishita chided her. “Waise papaji, Appa to monopoly se bhi zyada chess ke bade champion hain.”
“Sach mein? Chess to mujhe bhi bahot pasand hain. Iyer saab, we should play together sometime.”
“Definitely Bhalla saab.”
As their game ended, Vishwa and Madhu said their goodbyes and left while Toshi and Omprakash decided to turn in for the night. Ishita, Raman, and Ruhi too started getting ready for bed.
While Ishita was laying down her pillow and blanket on the couch, Ruhi showed up at the doorstep of her and Raman’s room.
“Ishimaa, mujhe aap ke aur papa ke saath sona hain,” she said as she made her way to the bed.
Ishita hesitated.
“Aao na mumma,” Ruhi implored. “Ek taraf papa, ek taraf mumma, aur beech mein baby.”
It was an innocent demand of Ruhi’s and so, both Ishita and Raman gave in. Ishita climbed into bed beside Ruhi, and Raman turned off the TV so as not to disturb them. He got under the covers as well. Ishita began narrating a bedtime story to Ruhi and she slowly drifted to sleep.
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Vidya Shakti Public School - Monday, July 22nd, 8 am
“Ruhi, aapki saari books aa gayi na? Aur apka pencil box aur tiffin?” Ishita asked for the nth time as Raman parked the car in the school parking lot.
“Yes mumma, kitni baar puchoge? Sab kuch hai,” Ruhi sighed. It was her first day of school but Ishimaa looked more nervous than her.
“Madrasan, woh school jaa rahi hain. Jung par nahin. Relax,” Raman teased. “Pura weekend Ruhi ki shopping mein nikal gaya, aur aaj subah bhi tumne sau baar iska bag check kiya hoga. Calm down. Aur ab chalo sabhi. School ke first din late nahi hona hai.”
The family of three got out of the car and proceeded towards Ruhi’s classroom. For the first day, all parents had been instructed to come inside and meet the teacher. As always, Ishita had a million questions and a hundred reminders for the teacher to make sure Ruhi was taken care of. Raman had to apologize to the teacher and drag his wife away before she talked her ear off. Ruhi had been settled in the class and had already found a friend. They waved goodbye to her and left for their car.
“Tum kitna bolti ho Madrasan? Mujhe lecture deti ho, wahan tak thik hai. Par bichari teacher ko itna kaun sunata hain?” Raman said once they were in their car.
“Maine aisa bhi kya galat bol diya? Jo bhi keh rahi thi woh sab Ruhi ke liye zaroori tha. Agar usne time pe lunch nahi kiya to? Aur agar usne tiffin khatam nahi kiya to? Aur agar-”
“Bas meri maa, bas kar! Abhi kuch waqt ke liye na, apna muh bandh rakh. Ruhi is fine. She’ll have lunch on time, she’ll finish her entire tiffin, and she’ll have a great first day. Lekin agar tum aise hi karti rahi, to tumhara aur mera din kharab ho jaayega. Samjhi?”
Raman changed the gear and drove to Ishita’s clinic. Damn, the woman had a tongue! She could lecture until eternity if given the chance. Thankfully, the rest of the drive passed in silence until they reached her clinic.
“Yeh lo, aa gaya tumhara clinic,” Raman said as he unlocked the door. “Jao, daant todo logon ke.”
“What do you mean by ‘daant todo?’ I’m a professional medical doctor. We do real important work, okay?”
“Excuse me, tum doctor nahi dentist ho.”
“Dentist bhi doctor hi hote hain. Hum puri padhai karte hain. I’m Dr. Ishita Vishwathan Iyer.”
“No, you’re not.”
“Abhi bhi zid? How rude are you-”
“I mean you’re not Dr. Ishita Vishwathan Iyer. You’re Dr. Ishita Raman Bhalla now.”
“Right. Dr. Ishita Raman Bhalla.”
Ishita had to take a moment to process that. It hadn’t occurred to her that she had a whole new identity now. Raman, on the other hand, had to retrace his thoughts again seeing Ishita taken aback.
“Ishita, maine to aise hi bol diya tha. Naam badalna ya na badalna tumhari choice hain.”
“I know. I’ll think about it. Anyway, main abhi chalti hoon. Bye.”
“Bye.”
Ishita gathered her purse and white coat and left the car. Once in the clinic, she was greeted by Dr. Batra.
“Good morning, Dr. Iyer!” he exclaimed. “It’s so good to see you after so long. First things first, very many congratulations on your wedding!”
“Thank you Dr. Batra,” she replied. “And, it’s not Dr. Iyer anymore. It’s Dr. Bhalla.”
She didn’t think that she would ever be inclined to take Raman’s name. But it came naturally. If she was Ruhi Bhalla’s mother, then it made perfect sense for her name to be Ishita Bhalla. But was Ruhi the only reason why she felt so attached to the Bhalla name? Yes, of course. Why else would she do such a thing? Because this marriage meant something to her. It was the reason she had gotten her daughter back. She had to cherish it regardless of whether she loved her husband or not.
“Dr. Bhalla it is then,” Dr. Batra said. “Well, I wanted to introduce you to someone. While you were gone, we had to hire a new receptionist. Meet Sarika.”
At the receptionist stood a young brunette of dusky complexion clad in a simple blue salwar kameez.
“Hello Sarika. My name is Dr. Ishita Bhalla.”
“Hello Doctor. So good to finally meet you. I’ve heard so much from Dr. Batra about you. He says you’re the best pediatric dentist he has had the pleasure of working with.”
“He is too kind. And nice meeting you as well. I’ll take your guys’ leave now. The first wave of patients have already started coming in.” She gestured towards the families seated in the waiting room.
And with that, Dr. Ishita Bhalla put on her white coat and entered her cabin to start a new day.
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Raman’s office - July 22nd, 12 pm
You’re Dr. Ishita Raman Bhalla now.
Why had he said that? Why did he care if she took his name or not? Face it Raman, he told himself. You care about this marriage. Well, why shouldn’t he? This marriage was the key to Ruhi’s happiness. After what he had seen in the past couple days, it was also the key to his parents’ happiness. He had to care about it. But that didn’t mean he had any attachment to the woman he was married to. At least, that is what he told himself.
“Bhai, aap ko lunch nahi karna?” Mihir asked.
Raman lost his train of thought and realized his plate was still untouched. Mihir had ordered butter chicken on Raman’s request. He was tired of eating vegetarian food ever since Ishita had moved in. Now that his favorite chicken was in front of him on a plate, he seemed to have lost his appetite.
“Haan. Kha raha hoon,” he said and began eating.
“Waise bhai, ab Ishita bhabhi kaisi hain? Woh ghar mein adjust ho gayi?”
“Adjust? Madam ne to mere cupboard pe, mere bathroom pe, yahan tak ki mere kamre tak pe kabza kar liya hain. Mere cupboard mein mere kapde se zyada uski saadiyan latak rahi hain. Raat ko cricket nahi dekh sakte ab kyunki madam ki neend kharab hoti hain. Aur to aur Ruhi bhi har baar usi ki side leti hain. To meri thodi na chalegi ab?”
“Accha hai bhai,” Mihir chuckled. “Koi to ho jo aap se darta naa ho.”
Raman’s glare cut his laugh short.
“Waise kal tera dinner kaisa tha?” he asked Mihir.
“Kya?”
“Mihika ke saath date pe gaya tha na? Isiliye office se jaldi nikalna chahta tha, right?”
“Sorry bhai, woh…”
“Dekh beta, agar date pe hi jana tha to bol deta. Isme itna dar mat.”
Mihir breathed a sigh of relief. “Thanks bhai. And sorry once again.”
“Koi baat nahi. Ab khaana kha le.”
Raman indulged in the delicious butter chicken on his plate trying hard to take his mind off his new equation with Ishita. In another part of the city, Ishita buried herself in dental procedures and surgeries to clear her head of any thoughts about her new relationship with Raman.
Kehne ko Jashn-e-bahara hai
Ishq yeh dekhke hairaan hai
Kehne ko Jashn-e-bahara hai
Ishq yeh dekhke hairaan hai
Phool se khusboo khafa khafa hai gulshan mein
Chupa hai koi ranj fiza ki chilman mein
Sare sehmein nazare hain
Soye soye vaqt ke dhare hain
Aur dil mein koi khoye si baatein hain
Kehne ko Jashn-e-bahara hai
Ishq yeh dekhke hairaan hai
Phool se khusboo khafa khafa hai gulshan mein
Chupa hai koi ranj fiza ki chilman mein
Kaise kahen kya hai sitam
Sochte hai ab yeh hum
Koi kaise kahen woh hai ya nahi humare
Karte to hai saath safar
Faasle hain phir bhi magar
Jaise milte nahi kisi dariya ke do kinare
Pass hain phir bhi paas nahi
Humko yeh gum raas nahi
Seeshe ki ek diware hai jaise darmiya
Sare sehmein nazare hain
Soye soye vaqt ke dhare hain
Aur dil mein koi khoye si baatein hain
Kehne ko Jashn-e-bahara hai
Ishq yeh dekhke hairaan hai
Phool se khusboo khafa khafa hai gulshan mein
Chupa hai koi ranj fiza ki chilman mein
Hum ne jo tha nagma suna
Dil ne tha usko chuna
Yeh dastaan humein vaqt ne kaise sunai
Hum jo agar hai gumgee
Woh bhi udhar khush to nahi
Mulakato mein hai jaise ghul si gai tanhai
Milke bhi hum milte nahi
Khilke bhi gul khilte nahi
Aankhon mein hai baharein dil mein khiza
Sare sehmein nazare hain
Soye soye vaqt ke dhare hain
Aur dil mein koi khoye si baatein hain
Kehne ko Jashan-e-bahara hai
Ishq yeh dekhke hairaan hai
Phool se khusboo khafa khafa hai gulshan mein
Chupa hai koi ranj fiza ki chilman mein
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cr4Tz4JEP40
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