Episode 1
4th of November 2012, 9pm, Chandigarh
The main alley guiding the doli from the mandap was full of lights, happiness, people… Walking alongside the adorned bride, there is an hidden but still noticeable noise heard next to you. When you focus the camera on that direction, you actually compose slowly the bride’s figure, and was seen that one source of tears : her eyes.
Crying, she was feeling loneliness and a deep silence among the music and talks all around her. Slowly she closes her eyes and lets two more tears fall on her hands drawn in mehendi.
(Flashback shown zooming in on those tears and entering in)
10th of August 2012
Ludhiana railway station. People looking at the same direction, waiting for one same thing : the arrival of the princess.
Ananya is the daughter of the richest man of Ludhiana and the leader of the village. Being an only child and having lost her mother at 3, her father sent her to town for her studies. Its main reason might certainly be her falling into coma because of an accident and her memory loss at her 11 years old. Following it, she was then brought to Delhi for a better treatment. Scared to bring her back to Ludhiana directly, Ananya’s father left her there for her studies. And so, spending her days at school and reading her father’s letters, she was only filled of her family memories and grew a love with each of them spending her vacations. And today, time has come for her to come back to her hometown, finishing her 12th grade exams.
Finally the train reaches the station. The train slowing down, a young girl, getting her smiling face out of the train, admires at the outside view. The green all around, the soft windy weather, the sun shining over the village… Some things she missed in town. She then turns her head and falls on her father standing besides the board with the name of her village and waiting with some of his people behind him. Seeing her father, an excited Ananya waves her hand.
Ananya : (waves her hand) Bauji!
Her father, a tall man, wearing a turban, a strict look covering his face, is the chief person of his entire village. Everyone gets scared to do anything against his words. He is a kind-hearted 50-year-old man, but following his ascendants and their family’s rules is his aim. He is the one who decides whatever might happen in his village. Though he respects all his people, he never tolerated the marriage between two different castes. Whenever there is such a situation, he punishes the two people concerned and sends them out of the village after reuniting that village’s panchayat. Though he is such a severe man, he has always loved his daughter a lot. He always accomplished all her wishes from her childhood, and brought that mother love in all his gestures.
Seeing Ananya coming in the train, he smiles and waves his hand. Ananya gets down of it and runs to stick in between her father’s warm and big arms. Then smiling at each other, they get to the car and reach home. Reaching home, all her relatives overwhelm her presence and celebrates her arrival like a festival. Ananya, who truly missed such atmosphere, let them welcome her and enjoyed.
Two days later, after having taken an entire rest day, Ananya decided to spend her time with her father taking part in his daily works.
Ananya’s father : No betha. What will you do there?
Ananya : (makes a puppy face) Please bauji! I have come back here after so long. I really missed spending time with you. And it’s not the first time I will assist you na?
Ananya’s father : Look betha. If you want, then we will go somewhere one day, only both of us. But not today. Today I am going to the town and I will come back only in 2/3 days. You will get bored.
Ananya : But bauji…
Ananya’s father : And where I go might be a dangerous place for you. I dont want to put my baby’s life into risk.
Ananya : (makes a sad face) Alright, as you wish.
And she goes to her room while her father laughs at her childishness.
A while after her father went to town, Ananya goes out alone and decides to visit her childhood places. Farms, water falls, rivers, everything she used to go everyday alone. Nothing was changed at all, neither people nor the views.
Reaching a water fall, quite hidden under the floor and covered of plants and trees, she decides to sit on the big rocks and wets her feet sitting over the border. She was enjoying that cold softness those waves blowed on her skin. Shaking her feet in the water, she was calling the small creatures under the water with the melody of her anklets. Suddenly she felt some water drops falling over head. Looking up, she notices the sudden weather change and some few drops fall on her face making her close her eyes. It started raining heavily and Ananya rushes to go home. Running on the roads, her shoes get broken, only useful to be put in the bin.
Ananya : (shocked) Huuh? My slippers! Oh no… (makes irritated face expressions) Now what to do ?
Though she lost her shoes, she continues walking holding them in her hand. Unfortunately, because of heavy rain, her short feet slip and the poor girl falls on the moody roads where none can be seen at this moment, and gets dirty.
Ananya : (disgusted) Chi! What is happening with me today ? Now how will I go home ? If someone sees me like this, they will be laughing.
She was yelling at her faith when a hand is forwarded towards her face. She looks up to fall on a young person whose face couldnt be clearly seen under the rain except that he was smiling, and is followed by a group of cows. Wearing a pair of pants, he makes her able to believe he was a man as in a place like hers, there will be no girl with trousers. Ananya looks at him hesitated at that first attempt and refuses.
Ananya : No thanks.
She tries to get up pushing her hands on the floor, but falls again and gets even dirtier, already irritated because of the rain.
Ananya : Hey Ram!
She suddenly hears a laughter coming from that young guy.
Ananya : (looks at the guy quite angrily) You might find it funny and enjoy na ?
Young man : (laughs) I am really sorry but.. if you have had accepted my help at the first time, then this wouldn’t have happened.
Ananya realises he was true and upset, keeps quiet. The young guy notices her angry face and stops laughing.
Young man : At least, you can take my help now. (forwards his hand again)
Ananya turns her head on her right side, showing her attitude, and the guy stands there feeling guilty. He comes down close to her and talks to her.
Young man : (holds his two ears) Ok sorry. I mustn’t have laughed at you. Will you forgive me, raajkumari?
Ananya turns her head towards him to talk, but she was not excepting to fall on a super good looking and cute guy, and that made her feel quite disturbed suddenly to be that close to him. She was feeling something distracting her inside and gets lost.
Ananya : (looks at him, nervous and shy) It… It’s ok.
The guy smiles, gets up and lends his hand again. Ananya looks at his hand and gives hers to hold it tightly. Holding his hand, a strange feeling inside spreads but she is unable to define what kind of feeling it could be. The guy holds tightly her hand and with his other hand, holding his wood stick over his shoulder, takes her arm making her get up easily by pushing her up. Once Ananya gets up and looks at her current state, the guy leaves her hand and arm and looks at Ananya. Her salwar’s pants were totally covered of mood and also some parts of her salwar and dupatta.
Young man : Are you ok?
Ananya : Yeah, thanks.
Young man : Hmm I guess you must change your dresses.
Ananya : (still looks at her dress and removes the mud on her arms using the rain water) Yeah I know right. *ATCHOUM* I… I have to go home now.
Young man : Listen, if I tell you something, then you will not get angry right ?
Ananya : What ?
Young man : Actually, I live quite near here. If you want you can change your dresses, and go back home freshening up, then I won’t mind.
Ananya : What ?
Young man : I just thought to help you. If Raajkumaari will get cold, then what will happen ?
Ananya : Nothing will happen to you. Thank you, but there is no need to care for me. And .. how can … I come to your house ? If..
Young man : Why ? (laughs) Doesn’t Raajkumaari go to other people’s house ?
Ananya : No no… Nothing like that, but …
Young man : (smiles and gets his head close to her) Are you scared ? That your family members might tell something ?
Ananya : (shy) No, not like that. Why should I get scared ? Actually… I… I don’t have any other dresses to change. And by the way, (puts her dupatta correctly) my family will be searching for me right now. If I don’t go home fast, then they will shower me of their numerous questions.
Young man : Alright then. I will not stop you. (smiles and holds his wood stick on his hand) Shall I accompany you till going back home?
Ananya, though her heart wanted his company to go home, resistes mentally and refuses.
Ananya : No thank you. I don’t live so much far from here, I can go on my own.
Young man : As you wish, Raajkumaari.
Telling that, the young guy shares his killer smile and goes crossing her, guiding his cows, while Ananya stays there not moving. Walking quite far awy already, the man turns his head and looks at Ananya. He makes a 360° round on himself, turning around his wood stick and disappears with his cows. Ananya was staying under that rain, confused of what happened to her. The girl who was rudhing to go back home, is now staying there like a statue and, in a way enjoying that rain. She then starts walking slowly and reaches her shelter in less than 15 minutes. Her terrified family which was searching for her, shows a relief on their face seeing her crosssing the main gate. They rush towards her under the rain, and bringing her faster in the house, sends her to her room to get clean.
Bua : Ananya betha, go and change your dresses quickly. I will bring some hot chocolate for you.
Ananya : Yes bua. (goes upstairs)
Ananya enters her room and closes the door behind her back. She removes her wet dupatta, puts it on her bed, takes a towel from her cupboard and goes into her bathroom.
10 minutes later, a towel covering her soft body, her wet and long hair falling on her back, she comes out of the bathroom and takes a blue salwar with its white dupatta and pants set from her cupboard. Wearing the salwar, she adjusts the dupatta looking at her through the mirror. Then, sitting on the chair in front of the mirror, she puts on her ears some matching earrings, takes a bindi from her accessories box, beautifies her forehead putting the bindi in between her two eyebrows. She slowly removes her finger off her face and keeps looking at herself in the transparent glass. She was staring at her face and on its own, a smile comes out her red-and-pink shiny lips. Suddenly some pictures flash on that screen. She gets shocked and looks closely at the mirror. She falls on those pictures of her accidental meeting with that young guy. She was quite surprised but she doesn’t care about it either. She was indeed enjoying and smiling. When she sees the moment that guy makes her stand up holding her hand on one hand and on the other one holding her arm, slowly caressing that same arm the guy touched, closing her eyes, she was actually feeling his contact and smiles broadly unconsciously. However, her dream couldn’t be longer when she gets interrupted by someone knocking at the door. Certainly her favourite bua with, like promised, that hot chocolate.
Bua : (sits on Ananya’s bed) You are ok Ananya?
Ananya : (sitting also on her bed next to her) Yeah bua, I am fine. *atchoum*
Bua : (shouts) Betha, you have caught a cold, and you didn’t tell me about it. Why ?
Ananya : (moves her hands to indicate her to soft her voice) Bua, nothing happened, I am ok. Just a small *atchoum* cold because of heavy rain.
Bua : (softer) You just come with me right now. We will go to the doctor. (takes her hand to get up)
Ananya : (makes her sit down) No bua. I am telling you na? I am fine. I have been to the doctor. He prescribed me medicines already. So don’t worry.
Bua : Don’t make me fool Ananya, I know you very well. You come with me.
Ananya : But… Bua !
Ananya’s bua, not listening to her words, pulls her holding her hand and takes her downstairs. And now, there was no way for Ananya to escape, she was quite weaker than her. And she was now stuck with her entire family’s care for her.
Thank for reading. Keep commenting and telling your views.
Ok fine, I am done with first episode. Hopefully you like it, and hopefully I will indeed post episodes everyday, as I will have people at home.
I am always open to any types of comments (excepts insults). Do tell me what you really think about it. And haan, it won’t be like pure Viplav & Dhaani, so yeah you might find it different to those characters.
With lots of love!