Tag Archives: fiction

Book Review: She

 Book: She

Genre: Fiction

Author: Santosh Avvanavar

SheI was travelling when this book was delivered at home. Accustomed to think novel as a at least 200 pages thick, I was surprised to see this booklet thinner than a travel guide!

The story it seemed was based in Kolkata, precisely where I had travelled to on an assignment. My expectations for the story had slightly gone down a bit due to the size of the book and I took my own sweet time to start reading the book.

Inspired by the song by RabindraNath Tagore ‘Ekla Cholo Re’ the story is about the society’s behaviour towards the LGBT community.

It is the story of Kusum who born a boy, prefers to indulge in activities more popular with girls. The father, though a doctor is ashamed of his child’s choice of activities and all hell breaks loose when father discovers the sexual inclinations of the child.

Kusum, falls in love with the son of another doctor, Dr Banerjee,  a friend of father. Both set of parents are horrified and Dr Banerjee shifts his son to some other city. The boys, all grown up meet again after few years and rekindle their relationship. However the societal norms and pressures make the lovers decide that  Kusum undergo a sex-change procedure and become a ‘proper’ female for the relationship to continue. But even after the successful sex-change procedure, the fear of ostracism from the society gets to the lover and he succumbs to his family demands of marrying another woman.

The author has tried to draw attention towards our behaviour as a whole towards the gay, lesbian and trans-genders which is far from empathy. We still consider gay relationships inappropriate and look down upon such alliances. The trans-genders are still not accepted in the normal society and the LGBT community is fighting for their place in the regular social thread of society, just like the protagonist of the story.

After reading the story, I realised that busy with my own everyday life and small problems, even I never gave thought to needs of people who are not defined as ‘he’ or ‘she’ in the society.

The story is an attempt to open up your eye but I wish there was more body to the story and the characters were developed in detail with the agony of the characters, the reaction of parents and the final decision of Kusum to go ahead in the world alone were defined properly. It seems like a hurriedly told story or more like an excerpt. The issue of acceptance of LGBT community is huge and the story does no justice in taking it up.

A great effort but a very short story. Decide for yourself….

Also read on:

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1601143494

Tunnel Of Varnavat: A Review

Book: Tunnel of Varnavat

Author: Gautam Chikermane

Publishers: Rupa Publication

Genre: Fiction

Tunnel of VarnavatThe characters of the epic Mahabharata are as complex as it can get with each one having shades of good and bad, right and wrong, compassion and ruthlessness and the more you read various stories of Mahabharat, more facets to each character are exposed.

Every author has his own version of the individual player from the great epic. While most books I have read have stories revolving around the members of royal family or the estranged son ‘Karna’, less has been written about all those characters that played subtle yet important role in life of Pandavas or Kauravas.

In the great epic, the Pandavs had to fend off conspirators, death threats, fight for their rights and face hardships all their life. But where a political conspiracy brews, bravery alone might not suffice for escaping a bid on life. A warrior besides all his skills needs loyal people around him to be his eyes and ears in a hostile atmosphere, people he can trust to warn him of impending danger around the bend or to fight by his side if the need arises.

And though Pandavas, having spent much part of their growing up years away from palace, royal life and subjects of the kingdom, seemed helpless, alone and vulnerable but their endearing politeness and humility had won them trust and affection of people in and around the high walls of palace. People were ready to make sure that the Pandavas escape unscathed and every attempt to compromise their safety was foiled. Vidur, their uncle cum prime minister of Kuru kingdom, the grand regent Bhishma Pitamah, their grandfather, and their maternal cousin the divine Krishna helped them throughout against the reining blind King Dhritarashtra’s secret wish to see his nephews destroyed.

Duryodhana, the crown prince with his maternal uncle Shakuni, always carried a grudge against his five cousins and sought out ways to kill the Pandavas. In one such conspiracy, he built a palace of highly inflammable lacquer and gifted it to the five brothers with an aim to burn the building while the five men slept at night. However Pandavas escaped yet again through a tunnel under the palace.

Tunnelling is an engineering skill which needs careful planning, knowledge of terrain, soil conditions and accurate execution for it to become a successful escape route. It certainly is not an overnight work. The thought, that the ‘Lakshagrah’ the palace of lac, might have tunnels that could be used to escape either would not have occurred to Duryodhan and his scheming uncle or the more likely explanation could be that Pandavas had a friend in the enemy camp who was loyal enough to construct a tunnel after the palace was built to save them.

This is the aspect that the author Gautam Chikermane explores in his book ‘Tunnel of Varnavat’. Never in the stories was the making of an escape tunnel given its due… Author ‘digs out’ a story about this intricate world of tunnels which permitted royals to escape and be safe.

The chief engineer, Badri along with the prime minister Vidur chalk out a parallel conspiracy in favour of Pandavas and right under the enemy’s nose successfully execute the escape. With a  few impromptu allies the tunnel is dug and enemy fended off.

I simply loved the idea around which the story is woven because in all other stories it was always taken for granted that Pandavas knew the peril and would escape. The author takes the reader under the ground describing the making of a tunnel and the dangers involved. I was almost transported to that era and could smell horses, hear the metal clang of the practising swordsmen, walk through the forest with hidden tribal warriors and feel the conspiracy  brewing.

The story though quite gripping drags sometimes at places. Also I was not convinced of the inner demons, turmoil and webs of tunnel in the mind of the chief engineer. The wolf-dog and his army of wild dogs was stretching the fiction a bit too far.

In all it was entertaining read but could have been slightly shorter even without losing its flavour. Good for readers who love elaborate period stories.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1583942160

http://www.amazon.com/review/R4M8TMONAZ7BX/ref=cm_cr_rdp_perm?ie=UTF8&ASIN=B01AUWHH62

Book Review: Rakshasa

Book: Raakshas

Publisher: Westland Books

Author: Piyush Jha

Genre: Crime Thriller

RaakshasMore often, it’s the crime thrillers, war-espionage-spy stories, detectives and mysteries that lure me to a book store. The affair with mystery stories and thrillers started in school with Nancy Drew, The Hardy Boys, Sherlock Holmes, Agatha Christie and shifted to Robert Ludlum with Bourne series. Later Dan Brown became much favourite.

There have been stories by Indian authors who have tried to shape their books in Dan Brown style with Indian mythology woven in the story but for me, by end of the book those stories lost their grip.

With the delivery of ‘Raakshas’ at my door step I was expecting something similar with a promising great start and later tapering off and story getting diluted.

I delayed reading the novel by a day and decided to take it as my travelling companion for a three-day trip to Kolkata. Though the ‘soon to be a major motion picture‘ tagline on the cover did not make me rush into reading but once I began reading I was happy to find that it captured my attention. Soon I was so engrossed that I almost missed the boarding announcement for flight to Kolkata.

The story is about ‘Raakshas‘, a man so named by his own grandmother for being the cause of death of his mother during childbirth. The boy grows in a love deprived atmosphere often subjected to inhuman behaviour by his own father. A child engulfed by adverse circumstances he is shaped into a heartless, dispassionate and ruthless cold-blooded killer. He meets his nemesis in Maithili Prasad, the Additional Commissioner of Police who hunts him down and puts an end to the terror he unleashed.

That the childhood traumas and upbringing may play a great role in psychology and perceptions of a person is the underlying idea behind the story. The author has brought attention towards the various other reasons that have been researched in other countries, in the making of a serial killer.

After a long time, I have come across a good attention holding story but I am not sure whether it will make into a good movie. One, because in the movies churned out by the Bollywood even a criminal breaks into a song and dance sequence and two, he is shown to have some weird quirks like insane laughing or idiotic conversation during climax which for me spoil it. Also sometimes movies do not do justice to the book. I liked the book ‘Da Vinci Code’ by Dan Brown but did not like the movie.

This is one good story, tight in its composition. I liked it and stopped reading it only after the last page late at night. This story will keep its readers engaged.

Also read on :

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1553340090

http://writersmelon.com/

http://www.flipkart.com/reviews/RVJUMIBE6EZFLS8HI

https://www.amazon.com/review/RUV7S5FJP42K2/ref=pe_1098610_137716200_cm_rv_eml_rv0_rv

Book Review: Forbidden Desires

Book: Forbidden Desires
Publisher: Rupa Publications
Genre: Fiction
Author: Madhuri Banerjee

Forbidden DesiresThe educated Indian women are slowly but surely beginning to reclaim their voices which were being repressed since many centuries now. They are now being vocal about their likes, dislikes, emotions, desires. They are no longer crying behind closed doors and silently bearing the ill behaviour meted out to them by their own spouses. They have become bolder and are not afraid to walk out of a stagnating relationship. They know what they want and are working towards having it.

The ‘Forbidden Desires’ is a story of such women who at some point of life have realized that they have been betrayed in their relationship but instead of wallowing in sorrow, they free themselves and dare to find someone who understands them, reciprocates their love and stands by their desires to follow their passions.

The story is of Naina who gives up her passion of having her own restaurant to plunge headlong into taking care of family in the process losing the vivacity of her marriage and is betrayed by one whom she loved most. This is the story of Ayesha who never got an equal commitment in her marital relationship yet kept trying to find sanity in her marriage. This is also the story of Kavita who despite being a successful working woman could not find enough love and respect within her marriage. And story is about Kajal who dares to break the society’s rules by desiring a married man, fighting for her love and yet choosing to not tie herself up in a marital bond.

These women walk out of their marriages to find a new love and follow their dreams. Their lives are entwined. They realise the futility of hanging on to a dead relationship which binds both the partners.

I will not deny that marriages do not go through a rough patch when you doubt whether there is anything left worth saving but honestly speaking I haven’t yet met women who have dared to give up on marriages… May be there are women in similar situations as the characters of the story in reality too but who still are afraid to call their marriages a farce…. Or it is possible that real women have not met a character like author’s ‘Pinky’ who sets up the situations and fixes the meetings and forces the person to behave in an out of ordinary way when they are at their emotional lows.

The  bold step taken by the women of Madhuri Banerjee seems like a fantasy among the women I know. The story has a little glimpse of “Desperate Housewives” with the wives here being Indian.

I stopped being an active architect since the birth of my daughter and now I am a ‘housewife’ since last twelve years. Do I miss being a working woman? Yes I do…sometimes… Has it changed me into a wife with suppressed desires? I don’t think so… Most of the time I am pretty happy being at home indulging in my writing, painting, cooking and other house chores…. Has it driven away my husband to a more younger carefree woman for a wilder sex… Well I can safely say an emphatic no…you see he too has grown older and calmer and his physical fitness has also taken as much beating as mine ;p 😉 But then the book is not about my story!

The book has forced me to think what if I face any of such situation…What would I do? I believe women should take charge of their lives and not suppress their dreams but in real life how many women take any drastic steps? It is not easy to break the shackles of society and swim against the flow. And more importantly is it always right?

Madhuri’s women want more magic and more romance in their monotonous life. There are small snippets from life of each character which many of us might relate to in small doses. The book makes for one spicy mix of stories so well woven that I found it difficult to put it down. As they say gossip about other people always make for an interesting topic…and I enjoyed peeking into the juicy life of the four women and their affairs(now I understand why women are crazy about Ekta Kapoor’s serials and their hideously painted women)

Being a screenplay writer for Hindi Cinema, the author has belted out a crowd-puller of a story. It would not surprise me if the book becomes one masala movie.

Read it if gossip is your tea…

http://www.flipkart.com/reviews/RVI614XCSI2EVNJKD

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1515019823

https://www.amazon.com/review/R1M0EAD4XWWZHM/ref=pe_1098610_137716200_cm_rv_eml_rv0_rv

Book Review: Shakuntala, The Woman Wronged

Book: Shakuntala

Genre: Fiction/Mythology

Publisher: Rupa Publication

Author: Utkarsh Patel

Shakuntala_CoverI have been reading a lot of fiction based on mythological stories  these  days. A few days ago I finished reading about love of the most beautiful celestial nymph Menaka and sage Vishwamitra. Their love came to fruition with the birth of a beautiful daughter Shakuntala. And the love story of this fiery daughter with Dushyant, King of Hastinapur  is what that has kept me busy these last few days.

The author, Utkarsh Patel, has astutely observed the different moral yardsticks of our society which still remain unaltered:

“A man was seldom blamed for his sins and if at all he was, it was passed off as an oversight. But a woman was blamed, shamed and made to suffer for the misdemeanours of men around her for no fault of hers”

Because of such double standards, almost all stories revolving around Dushyant have depicted the king as an upright man of high morals who becomes a victim of some strange curse and forgets about his love and marriage. He was hardly ever shown as one pleasure-seeking wily king…

But here in this story, author has dared to call a spade a spade….King Dushyant engaged in a one night stand with the a virgin woman on false promises of marriage and that makes him one of those vain men who consider women an object to play with and discard at convenience. His morals and intentions are questionable and the story does not sugar-coat the character of the mighty, used-to-getting-his-way king.

The demure Shakuntala of Kalidas, the great poet of all times, who pines for her beloved and is dependent on fate for reminding the King of Hastinapur of his marriage and promises to her, is nowhere to be seen in this story. This Shakuntala, based on the original characterization by Sage Vyasa, does not wallow in pain of abandonment but takes matter in her hands and questions the society and its different rules for men and women. She is fierce, fights for the rights of her son and asserts her importance as a wife. She is independent woman who does not need the crutches of wealth and a label of queen to survive in the world.

I loved the book through and through not only because it is very well-knit and to the point but also because author has subtly raised certain issues that still need to be addressed and debated over; the difference of reactions meted out to men and women for craving physical gratifications, the unnecessary emphasis given to virginity of women, freedom of women to choose their partners…

I am quite impressed by Vyasa’s and Utkarsh Patel’s Shakuntala for being brave enough to stand up against an hypocritical society and silence it with her uninhibited logical reasoning. Such strong women who believe in equality of men and women are need of this nation and more so today because men have taken enough advantage of the love which a woman has to offer.

We need more such men too who respect and honour women; who believe that future of such a nation, that does not respect its women, where women shed tears and are treated like objects, is doomed.

The chapter ‘Time’ however seemed little out-of-place because it reminded me of the opening scene from the mega serial “Mahabharat” with voice booming out of the idiot box “Mai Samay hoon….” Story could have been taken forward by prose within the chapters instead of ‘Mr Time’ speaking up suddenly and then keeping quiet during rest of the story!

But this hardly anything to hold against because the book has a wonderful prose that is apt to be read even in modern context.

Review also on :

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1484621949

http://www.flipkart.com/reviews/RV3UQVSF3OTMB8F0R

Book Review: You Are The Best Wife


Book: You Are The Best Wife

Author: Ajay K Pandey

Publishers: Srishti Publishers

You Are The Best WifeOne look at the title of the book and a little jealous wife in me wanted to read what this was about…. I mean who really tells his wife that “You Are The Best Wife”?

When WritersMelon sent the book for review, curiosity got the better of me and I finished this 240 page book just in a day.

A tragic true love story, it is a narration straight from heart by Ajay Pandey. As the story gradually advanced page after page, I was taken back to memories of my days at college, the hostel life, helping friends in playing out their love stories, the days of ragging. And having grown up in various town and cities of Uttar Pradesh I could identify the language and tone of the story and could almost imagine the young couple stealing meetings at shops, coaching classes, riding different vehicles to prevent nosey neighbours from opining…. I can understand the caste and community differences that are much prevalent in small towns of Uttar Pradesh, the inhibitions of parents and their emotional preconditions for inter-caste marriages.

The story seems simple about girl meets boy in small town, their struggle of love and acceptance of their relationship by each set of parents but then the story throws a twist where instead of an end that is happily ever after, is the life threatening medical emergency. The struggle of meeting the expenses, unconditional support by friends, the bonding and reliability of family members, the desperation of a husband, his fight to stay calm are easily pictured through the narrative.

I liked the optimistic and positive attitude of the girl, Bhavana, who believes in cherishing and enjoying smallest of event and day-to-day life to the fullest.

“There are two kinds of personalities. There are those who have everything and still complain as if they have nothing. And there are those who lose everything and act like life has given them everything…..”

The desperate husband’s plea to his dying wife “Fight for me Bhavna. Fight for your husband” brought a little tear in my eyes. Every wife would love to hear her husband say that she was the best wife and author gave that happiness to his wife in her last moments.

The story of “You Are The Best Wife” was indeed heart touching but the writing style was quite ordinary. It was more like a person recounting the tragedy to a relative or friend.

I mostly prefer reading romance and tragedy novels by Danielle Steele, Erich Segal and Richard Bach and hence I can only empathize with the author and understand the huge loss he suffered, though I wasn’t much impressed by the quality of story-telling.

The book is okay for a quick read.

The best thing I liked about this personal essay was that the author and his family have created the Charitable Trust where the proceeds from the book will be donated for people in need. A very noble and selfless gesture indeed…

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27778898-you-are-the-best-wife

http://www.writersmelon.com/

 

A night to remember…

I stood staring out of the window, not very happy to see the heavens pouring down. It had been raining since last two days…the roads, clogged with plastic packets everywhere, looked like big drains…Hundred thoughts wrestled in my mind… power outages had left inverter overworked, washed clothes had not dried and maid was on an infinite leave….I stared at load of house-chores without any human or electric gadget for help….

All of a sudden, Shashank, in a rare romantic mood snuggled up from back, nuzzling at my ear…planting little kisses on my neck….

“Remember…?” He whispered.

“What..?” Though distracted by his tickling nose, my brain was still thinking about the looming mountain of workload!

“Ummm….” he nibbled on my ear sending a sweet shiver…..“Our first kiss! It was raining as much that day and you were so nervous!!”

Memories…..they ebb and rise just like waves drawing us into their sweet-sad folds!

Yes… I did remember. How could I forget my first ever kiss…. it was only weighed down under responsibilities and duties of married life. A little dusting and the memory showed up like fresh dew drops on the early morning leaves.

Love seems much sweeter with little stolen moments…

Our families being friends, we had seen each other grow up. We had teased, fought and consoled each other till our families shifted to new cities…. We lost touch for many years.

Six years later, we met as two young adults; he a freshly commissioned fighter pilot in the Indian Airforce posted somewhere in Punjab and me, pursuing a college degree in Nagpur. He sought me out and landed at my college hostel…..And I was secretly thrilled at his impulsive act!

Bogged with a nervous energy and loss of proper words, we only managed to convey that each of us had thought about the latter all through those years….We parted as friends again and began the journey of really knowing each other through letters which still lie in a box at home…

Six months rolled by in proclaiming our love through letters before he managed to take leave again…..since our second meeting had the benefit of acknowledged  feeling towards each other, so the day was spent in holding hands, silly laughter, coy smiles and shy longing gazes….just like they show in movies!

By evening when I dropped him at airport, heavens conspired in our favour… sending dark clouds over-burdened with rain. It was a deluge….and the flights were cancelled!

To my pleasant surprise, he returned at my hostel gates dripping wet and grinning sheepishly…

“I forgot to kiss you!” is all he said. Scooping me up, he kissed like there was no tomorrow….sudden, fiercely passionate lingering kisses soaking wet with millions of raindrops… our love sealed with the first kiss, stolen from the world, right on the road!!

Not only did the raindrops on my windowpane, bring memories alive, they also had recreated a perfect setting for a romantic rendezvous.

And just like that our lips locked again….

THE WEDDING

This is my first attempt at writing light hearted fiction…..I sent it to a magazine and in a story competition but never heard back from either of them. I now am not sure whether it is worth reading by anybody and hopefully it won’t hurt someone’s feelings.

 Please let me know opinions…

 THE WEDDING

“Is something wrong darling?” asked Sujata patting Ananya’s head.

Sujata adored her daughter. Her daughter lazed on bed with a dazed look or so Sujata thought. Ananya had returned from college but was a little quiet and wasn’t her chirpy self as always. She was a beautiful girl with rich black silky hair that just about reached her waist. With a height of five feet six inches, a slim figure, large chocolate-brown eyes and a heart melting smile she already attracted prospective suitors. Of course the offers for marriage had been turned down as Ananya still had few more months at college to complete her graduation.

Sujata prided herself in raising a well-behaved, compassionate and intelligent daughter who was also aware of all traditions of a Maharashtrian Brahmin family yet was a new age girl. A firm believer in honouring and following one’s traditions, Sujata had never shied away from change. She accepted some new concepts and ideas of younger generation but reserved her opinions on cultural and social behaviour. She had for some years dedicated herself as a primary teacher in a nearby school but refused to take on the post of principal. She now free-lanced as a voice-over artist on a radio channel.

Having worked with children for many years in school Sujata could make a fair guess if something was amiss. She noticed Ananya blush at being asked such a simple question but she kept to herself her concerns hoping her daughter would eventually confide in her.

“Why do you ask this, Ma?” probed Ananya.

“Arre baba! Just like that. You aren’t your bubbly self today and seem a little lost….distracted. And moms just know!!”

“Nah, Ma! Nothing is wrong….you worry unnecessarily. I just have a lot of assignments to deal with, so off you go……let me get on with my work.”

Ananya smiled sheepishly at the mirror amazing at her mother’s perceptiveness. But how to tell your mother about your first ever kiss, wondered Ananya. “Of course, you don’t tell her, dumb-head!!” answered her reflection from the mirror.

Sujata saw her daughter with a dreamy look and a blush more often now and wondered if her mind was conjuring up images or whether something was really going on in her daughter’s life? She had this niggling nagging feeling that something was just not right.

“Oh! Heavens! Has she fallen in love or something….Is she ….Oh! No, no…….Good Indian girls don’t indulge in sex before marriage….. certainly not MY daughter! Why am I even thinking on these lines….it sure is my imagination?”

Sujata had wondered aloud to her husband. “Don’t you feel Anu has changed in last few months? She seems quieter these days.”

“Arre….. You must be thankful that our daughter is calmer and not doing wild things like other kids of her age. And what do you expect from a twenty-one year old….. Maybe she is thinking about her career, now that college will end in few months. Don’t you want her to be responsible now?”

Sujata kept hoping that her daughter would confide in her as months rolled by. Her curiosity was finally put to rest one day when Ananya returned from college and hugged her tightly and just like that blurted….. “Ma, I am in love and we want to get married soon after college.”

Sujata’s heart was racing and she could manage only a “Who?”

“Harjit” said Ananya trying to gauge her mother’s reaction.

“Punjabi family? Will you be able to adjust? Why soon after college? Don’t you both want to get some jobs first? How will your home run?”

“Whoa…Mom, slow down! So you are not annoyed?”

“Are you …. Did you… Have you had  physical relationship with Harjit?”

“Mooooom!! Easy mom…. Okay…..not yet, but we have kissed.”

“Anu….!! We don’t do…!” Sujata was so much in anguish. Her daughter…..How can her daughter have forgotten the traditions, culture?

“Oh! Mom…it’s just a kiss…. It’s not like I am pregnant and all! So, the culture traditions are all intact…. don’t you worry. And, what is this … we don’t do? How does our country’s population increase if we don’t do?” Ananya was getting irritated.

“Aren’t you glad that we are seeking parental consent and not running away?” Yes! Sujata was definitely glad about that.

It was not the ‘inter-caste’ marriage that was pinching Sujata but the fact that her daughter had kissed before marriage. She never was against two people of different communities coming together through a marriage as long as both were equally committed and belonged to well-educated cultured families. She believed that the two people who married each other should respect each others’ culture and adjust accordingly for the marriage to survive. She however was absolutely against any sort of physical intimacy before marriage and considered it a western world influence……a not “Indian culture”. But what now had been done could not be undone, so with a sigh she accepted this new development in their life. She had a lot of preparation to do now for the upcoming wedding.

Sujata got down to making a list of things to be done for the wedding. She had decided to marry off her daughter in style. “But what if Harjit’s family wanted a Punjabi wedding? How will we accommodate the rituals of both communities in the marriage?” she wondered. The families hadn’t yet met and Sujata was little concerned that the other side had not shown any interest in meeting the prospective bride and her family.

“Anu dear, don’t please be annoyed but are you sure Harjit’s family is aware of both of your decision to marry? And when will Harjit come to meet us? We would like to meet the family too…….this is normal course that wedding plans take shape, don’t you think?” Sujata broached the topic delicately with Ananya.

“At least show us a picture of Harjit” coaxed Sujata. “Um…hmm… You will meet Harjit , Mom. Have a little patience. I only have a photograph of our group Ma. Here, take a look. There next to me is Harjit.”

Ananya stood sandwiched among her huge group of friends, with a very handsome boy and a good-looking girl next to her in the photograph. “Hmm…”Observed Sujata and smiled at her daughter. Ananya hugged her mother “Thank you Mom, for understanding….I will let your worry be known to Harjit. You will meet the family soon enough I hope.

The months flew away so soon……Sujata kept insisting to meet Harjit before both families met to plan the wedding but the college activities and then the campus interviews had kept both Ananya and Harjit very busy. And now that the time was less, Sujata got another jolt…..Harjit’s parents were against the wedding and would not involve themselves in any activity related to the wedding!

Sujata again had the same niggling nagging feeling that something was just not right.  Her thoughts raced again…… “Why doesn’t Harjit’s family approve….. Are they against inter-community marriages….? Oh, God….. Are they expecting dowry? Where will my daughter stay after marriage……Will they never accept her? Why are they not even talking to us? How will we know what they are thinking? O Lord Ganesha! Help us!”

Ananya and Harjit had decided to go ahead with the marriage whether both set of parents agreed or not…… Sick with worry, Sujata nevertheless kept preparing for her daughter’s wedding….after all it is supposed to be the best day of a girl’s life. She bought the blues, greens, yellows ….the silks, chiffons and cottons…. all variety of saris for her precious daughter. She chose most delicate gold jewellery and diamond jewellery of her daughter’s choice too…a big ring and a thick gold chain for the groom. Saris for her daughter’s mother-in-law, suit for the groom and father-in-law. The priests had been consulted for the ‘shubh-muhurta’. The decorators were finalised and the theme decided…..expenses negotiated. Food was decided….both Maharashtrian and Punjabi food would be catered for….What if the groom’s family forgives and decides to attend the wedding after all?

The day of wedding had finally arrived. Harjit’s parents never consented, never called and no one from Harjit’s family was attending the celebrations. Sujata was worried and very unhappy of the whole situation. Ananya and Harjit’s friends were the only ones attending the wedding as the groom’s guests. “Something is just not right” she kept saying to herself fearing that her mood would spoil her daughter’s wedding.

The venue was decorated with the brightest of the red roses, pink and purple gerberas, while yellow marigold petals were laid out as carpet on the pathway. The faint aroma of incense sticks filled the venue. Jasmine and chrysanthemums were used to make the ‘mandap’ where the wedding garlands and wedding vows were to be exchanged. The whole venue was looking like a dream. The guests had started arriving and were sprinkled with rose water and handed a rose bud at the entrance. All were waiting for the groom to arrive.

Soon the faint strains of drums and music could be heard and Ananya’s mother and aunts gathered at the entrance of the venue with ‘puja-thalis’ to welcome the ‘baaraat’.  The wedding procession could be seen at a distance and people danced to loud Punjabi film songs and drum beats. The groom was to ride in a red car decorated with white rose bouquets. Since no one had met the groom so as the procession came to a halt in front of the gates of venue everybody crowded over and craned their necks to see the groom…….

Sujata was surprised to see the same handsome boy from the photograph dancing among the friends in ‘baaraat’. As the car stopped the handsome boy came forward to open the car door to allow the groom to get down from the car.

When Sujata saw the groom alighting from the car, her heart stopped and she knew why she had had the niggling nagging feeling all the time since the day Ananya had expressed her desire to marry!

A loud collective gasp was heard followed by a stunned silence as soon as the groom came out of the car holding a huge red rose wedding garland:

There decked up in the most gorgeous bridal finery, a bright red ‘lehenga’ embroidered with the most exquisite ‘zardosi’ and glittering gold jewellery stood the beautiful girl from the photograph…Harjit…..MS HARJIT KAUR !!

 

 

 

 

 

A Web of Fate …

Team name: Vijeta

Roohi sat sulking and whining in a corner watching her parents fight yet again. She had just been given an earful along with a ringing slap by Tara , her mother, for being stubborn.

Roohi was a healthy nine-year old daughter of Tara and Shekhar. Since she was a single child, she was the pampered princess of her father and a  notorious one at that, seeking attention through screaming and throwing tantrums. She, even at such a tender age, preened in front of the mirror and was rather very proud of her fair complexion looking down upon her lesser fair neighbourhood girls. She would frolic around in her frilly frocks and two long pigtail teasing and hitting other children in the gated society’s park of posh Mumbai suburb.

“Why can you not just teach her to be little respectful while talking? Look how demanding she has become because of all your pampering!” Tara accused her husband Shekhar as usual.

“Oh! Why can you not do the same? Look how you speak…Mothers are the first teachers of a child. Of course she will pick up what she sees!But you don’t have time for her….you are not at home to teach her manners.” retorted Shekhar.

“Why, You sit here all day with your lofty dreams of being a best-selling author one day. Can you not pay a little attention towards her. I work all day to pay the bills and you expect me to be around her too? If we both sit at home where will the food come from Mr. Writer?” lashed out Tara.

The blames kept piling till all three were so tired that they slept off without dinner.

Eleven years ago,Tara and Shekhar  had come close to each other due to similar dreams of making it big in the publishing world. They were both passionate about travelling, writing and responsible journalism.

Shekhar Dutta, with an average height and fair complexion was an easy-going and soft-spoken man who always wore a smile on his face. His lean looks were more accentuated with his loose t-shirts, track pants, french beard and thin frame of spectacles. Post his marriage to Tara he had chosen to work as freelance writer so that he could work on a story of a political thriller.

Tara,  a tall and fair woman, however was a practical career oriented person and wanted to make it big as a media professional. She had joined a publishing house as an intern and later got absorbed as a staff member of the same firm. She was a no fuss woman who kept her hair short to avoid early morning delays and was always prim and properly dressed. She was an ambitious woman and loved the idea of power-dressing in formal and high heels. She did look intimidating to her juniors.

The idea of staying at home after Roohi was born did not appeal to Tara so the onus of taking care of the baby fell on Shekhar as he was already there at home. Shekhar did not mind at all the stay-at-home-dad tag.

After eleven years and many rejections from publishers, Shekhar had begun to become impatient and little frustrated.  Though he still wore a smile but now had developed a bald patch on perfectly round head. He had little success as a freelancer but he hung in there to keep his self-respect and to keep himself sane.

This elusive success had become the cause of bitterness and constant fights between Shekhar and Tara. But Shekhar, really hoped and prayed for a big story a dazzling idea to bring change in his status.

Next morning when Tara woke, she was surprised to see  a gloomy Shekhar sipping tea in the small balcony by the bedroom. She saw tears streaming down his eyes and immediately felt guilty for the earlier evening. She moved towards him and hugged him tight.

“I am sorry, Shekhar. I really am! I have felt responsible for Roohi’s deteriorating behavior since many days now and yesterday when you also reiterated the same, I lost my temper. I want to bring in some change in my schedule and have quality family time….I have missed out on it so much…I feel tired Shekhu.” sobbed Tara.

Shekhar folded her in his arms “ I too want some change Tara….I want a little success and I feel frustrated at not being there to pitch in financially. I will stop this futile dream from ruining our life and pick up a job may be!”

“No, Shekhar…don’t please! You will succeed…just hang on.I know you are good at fiction, you will get some bright idea.”

Tara started fixing some breakfast. Everyone was hungry from the previous evening and Tara wanted to make it up for her outburst. A thought crossed her mind.

“Shekhar, why don’t we take a break and go on a vacation somewhere outside Mumbai? After all that was all what poor Roohi asked for and it will be a much-needed change for us. Maybe you will come across some inspiration with fresh perspective when we travel. What say?“

Shekhar warmed up to the idea…He needed a fresh outlook and a time away from home. Yes! they needed a change….They started planning a surprise for Roohi….a big long vacation!

Unknown to them……Fate too conspired  life changing itinerary for them. They knew not what was coming towards them…..

Read the next part of story at http://bhaktimotta.wordpress.com/2014/09/13/a-web-of-fate-2/

 

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