VEER’s PERFORMANCE AT PARK HOTEL:
Ragini and Kavya were captivated by Veer’s rich voice; his soft romantic numbers sounded even more melodious in person than they did on a CD.
“Next, I am going to sing a new song for all of you,” Veer spoke in his deep baritone, “it’s called seven stages of love…..yeh pyar kya hai…….just like the rainbow has seven colors, this song illustrates the seven colors of love……the seven stages of love….here you go,” he gently swerved on his stool and started humming:
“yeh pyar kya hai” (from Salman’s movie- MARIGOLD- a beautiful song for all us romantics!)
yeh pyaar kya hai, yeh ek dhanak hai
saaton rango ki ismein jhaalak hai
phela rang hai suno kaisa, saamne aaye koyi aisa
dil kahe khwaabon mein, isko to hi dekha tha – 2
dusara rang pyaar ka, phele se gehra jara
badhti jitni kashish hai, hoti utni khalish hai
kuch din rehta hai yehi silsila
aage armaaano ka rang hai tisara
umm aage armaaano ka rang hai, tisara
chautha rang iqkraar ka, paanchawa intezaaar ka
aur woh rang jo chhata hai sapno ki woh ghata hai
har pal rehta hai woh khoya hua
saathwan rang kar deta hai deewaana – 2
haan, yeh pyaar kya hai, yeh ek dhanak hai
saaton rango ki ismein jhaalak hai
hey hey hey o ho o ho… hey hey hey…
Ragini was floored by the song, “kitni gehraayi hai Veer ki awaaz aur soch mein,” she thought, “kya pyar sach much itna rangeen hota hai? Kaash…..ek din mujhey bhi koi aisa pyar karne waala mil jaaye……jo pyar ki sundarta ko itni achhi tarah pehchaanta ho.”
“Hello!” Kavya snapped her fingers in front of Ragini’s eyes, “please remove this dupatta from your face and what are you thinking.
Ragini came out of her trance, “nothing… I’m not going to remove dupatta from my face.
“Ladies and Gentlemen….I am going to end the evening with an old favorite of mine……O O jaane jaana!” Veer got up and started strumming his guitar; the audience started cheering and clapping with the beat of an all time favorite song, which had made Veer a star in a short period.
I Love You All
Doston Na Koi Manzil Hai Na Koi Saathi Hai
Phir Bhi Nikal Pada Hoon Ghar Se
Shaayad Jiski Talaash Hai
Vohi Saathi Hai Vohi Manzil Hai
Hit It
O O Jaane Jaana
Dhoonde Tujhe Deewana
Sapnon Mein Roz Aaye
Aa Zindagi Mein Aana
O O Jaane Jaana
Dhoonde Tujhe Deewana
Sapnon Mein Roz Aaye
Aa Zindagi Mein Aana Sanam
Mera Khwaab Mere Khayaalon Ki Rani
Kisi Din Banegi Hamari Kahani
Mera Khwaab Mere Khayaalon Ki Rani
Kisi Din Banegi Hamari Kahani
Ay Meri Bekhudi Ye Kasam Maine Li
Pyaar Mein Ek Din Meri Jaan Tujhe Hai Paana
Sapnon Mein Roz Aaye
Aa Zindagi Mein Aana
O O Jaane Jaana
Dhoonde Tujhe Deewana
Sapnon Mein Roz Aaye
Aa Zindagi Mein Aana Sanam
Veer got off the stage and started dancing with his guitar in between the tables. All the girls and women swooned over him; they tried to touch him, hug him, pose with him, even tried to kiss him. Veer then stopped at Ragini and Kavya’s table and sang to them.
Kisi Khoobsurat Pari Jaisi Hogi
Mujhe Kya Pata Dilruba Kaisi Hogi
Kisi Khoobsurat Pari Jaisi Hogi
Mujhe Kya Pata Dilruba Kaisi Hogi
Sochta Hoon Tujhe Chahta Hoon Tujhe
Dil Mera Keh Raha Saare Faasle Mitaana
Suddenly, Veer paused; he gazed at the beautiful pair of eyes staring at him…….they were the most striking pair of eyes he had ever seen……..he could not see her face behind the black veil……..but he thought he could read everything they had to say……..in aankhon ki gehraayi mein aisa kya hai? Aisa lagta hai jaise main in aankhon ko janam janam se pehchaan tha hoon……..
The audience started clapping, nudging him to continue his song. Veer came out of his trance and started singing softly……..
O O Jaane Jaana
Dhoonde Tujhe Deewana
Sapnon Mein Roz Aaye
Aa Zindagi Mein Aana
O O Jaane Jaana
Dhoonde Tujhe Deewana
Sapnon Mein Roz Aaye
Aa Zindagi Mein Aana Sanam
O O Jaane Jaana
Dhoonde Tujhe Deewana
Sapnon Mein Roz Aaye
Aa Zindagi Mein Aana
O O Jaane Jaana
Dhoonde Tujhe Deewana
Sapnon Mein Roz Aaye
Aa Zindagi Mein Aana Sanam
Aa Zindagi Mein Aana Sanam
Ragini realized that Veer had been staring at her; she was very embarrassed and lowered her eyes. She did not have the courage to look up any more. As soon as the song finished, she prodded Kavya to leave, “let’s go kavya, it’s 9:00 pm and mom-dad must be worried ”
Kavya relented and held Ragini’s hand as they tried to escape through a dark corner of the hall.
Veer saw the two women trying to leave quietly. He noticed the woman with the beautiful eyes was very fearful and shy when he had been near their table…… who is this girl? From where she came from? Why is she having that effect on me?
He started humming as everyone cheered him up for singing another song.
“Yeh gaana uss gumnaam ladki ke liye hai jo sirf apni aankhon se bolti hai….. (this song is for that unknown girl who only speaks through my eyes) aur shayad uski awaaz seedhe mere dil tak pahunch rahi hai………, (and her voice directly reach to my heart)” he said as he strummed his guitar: “ik kudi jida naam mohabbat” from movie Udta Punjab
Ikk kudi jida naam mohabbat
Ghum hai…ghum hai…ghum hai…
Ho…saad muradi, sohni phabbat
Ghum hai…ghum hai…ghum hai…
Ho…surat osdi pariyaan wargi
Sirat di oh, mariyam lagdi
Hasdi hai taan, phul jhadd de ne
Turdi hai taan, gazal hai lagdi
Lamm se lammi saru de kadd di..haye
Umra aje hai, marke agg di
Par naina di, gal samajh di
Ikk kudi jida naam mohabbat
Ghum hai…ghum hai…ghum hai…
Ragini paused at the door as she heard the song. Her heart was thumping inside her chest, her breaths heavy; her palms were clammy as his voice and lyrics pierced her heart……..mujhey aisa kyon lagta hai ki yeh gaana meri wajah se gaa raha hai (why am I feeling that he is singing that song for me)…….she shut her eyes and tried to calm down. Kavya was glad that Ragini had decided to stay back.
Ikk kudi jida naam mohabbat
Ghum hai…ghum hai…ghum hai…
Ho…saad muradi, sohni phabbat
Ghum hai…ghum hai…ghum hai…
Veer came down the stage again and stood behind the two women at the door. Everyone turned around to see what had caught their pop star’s attention.
“Wouldn’t you tell me your name?” he said huskily into Ragini’s ears.
She almost died when she realized he was so close to her; her legs felt like jello…..she wanted to run away, but could not.
Kavya smiled and was about to say, “Ra…,” but Ragini interrupted her friend and quickly said, “DIYA,” and ran away from the banquet hall to stop outside the lobby for a taxi. Kavya followed her friend, “Stop Ragini, why did you said Diya’s name”
Veer stood still for a few moments, “Diya? Her name sems modern but why she was covering her face like old time ladies? I like that…..I like it a lot!” he smiled and turned back to join the guests.
As they sat in the taxi, Ragini buried her face in her palms, “Kavya….. What has happened? I wouldn’t be able to show my face to anyone.
Kavya rolled her eyes, “Ragini you never show your face to anyone……itna badha parda jo hai tere mooh parr,” she chuckled.
“What he might be thinking? I hope your bhaiyya does not get into trouble…….all this happened because of me. I should not have come with you,” Ragini started sobbing.
“Relax Ragini…….why are you so scared of everyone? Nothing has happened. Veer was just interested in knowing your name…….maybe he was just inquisitive. In these days who cover their face with dupatta? And that too in front of a hottie like Veer!” Kavya laughed.
“From now on I wouldn’t do any mistake like that. I am so embarrassed. If anyone has seen me and told mom and dad. I will die if they find out,” Ragini clutched Kavya’s hands.
“No one will know….trust me…..waise bhi Veer thinks you are Diya….and he has not even seen your face……so chill sweetheart……tu mera bhi blood pressure badha rahi hai!” kavya tried to reason with Ragini.
MEANWHILE AT THE MEHRA RESIDENCE:
Shekhar and Janki were engrossed with their daily dose of prime time SOAPS on TV, when janki said, “where are Ragini and Diya and why they’re so silent” and they didn’t even came out for dinner.
” it is a good thing Janki…… maybe they both are preparing for exams ” Shekhar said absent mindedly, as he was focused on his favorite ‘CID’ program.
Janki was concerned about her daughters, “they might be hungry, I’ll go and check.”
Diya was busy in their room, watching some Youtube videos of the day’s match between India and West Indies. She was wearing jeans and a sleeveless top, and sat with her legs folded on the chair with eyes fixated on her computer screen.
“Diya!” Janki knocked on the door.
Diya hastily minimized the Youtube window on the computer and let the monitor display an economics paper instead, “haan mom do you have nay work with me? Wo I was studying for exams.”
“Where is Ragini?” Janki looked around. Ragini and Diya shared a large room in their house. They each had a desk and a twin bed on either side of the room.
“Wo….wo….. She is in bathroom…..do you need her?” Diya asked innocently.
“Nahin…. When she came out just send her to me. I just need her help in kitcher,” janki knew Ragini would never hesitate to help her in the kitchen; Diya on the hand was a different story-she would be happy if Diya would learn how to make a cup of tea one day!
“OK mama!” Diya stretched her arms, as if she was exhausted from all the mugging for her exams.
As soon as Janki left, Diya got up and changed up into one of Ragini’s salwaar suits. She fixed her hair like Ragini’s and made a serious face, “haan…..ab main Ragini jaisi seedh saadhi lag rahi hoon,” she checked herself in the mirror and stepped out of her room.
Ragini and Diya were indeed identical in every way. Their heights, weights, features, complexion, voices were IDENTICAL. Their mother could usually tell them apart, but their father often mistook them for the other one, especially if they were dressed alike. Since adolescence, they had developed their unique style of dressing and of course their personalities were poles apart, so their parents usually did not get confused.
There was, however, one major difference: Ragini was right handed and Diya was left handed! It is a well known scientific fact that a quarter of all identical twins are actually mirror images of each other. If one is left handed, the other one is right handed. In fact, some people theorize that every left handed person is actually the only survivor of an original twin pregnancy!
Diya joined her parents in the living room, “maa kya help karoon?” she spoke softly like Ragini.
“Ragini can you cut bhindi,” Janki pointed to the vegetables lying on the kitchen table. Diya was horrified- she would actually have to enter the kitchen, cut vegetables and even cook them!
“Ragini ki bachhi! Kahan phasa diya tumne?” Diya cursed her twin.
Diya sat down at the table and looked at the bhindi as if they came from an alien land!
Diya started cutting the vegetables with her left hand, but saw Janki approaching her from the corner of her eyes. She quickly transferred the knife to her right hand and clumsily started cutting the bhindis.
“Ragini! What has happened to your hand? Why are you cutting like that?” Janki was puzzled to see her normally deft girl being so clumsy in the kitchen.
“Wo maa today I just fell down and hurt my right hand,” Diya lied through her teeth, but kept her eyes on the table; although she was a compulsive liar, she could never look her parent’s in the eyes when she was lying.
“OH…sorry beta go to your room and take some rest, I’ll do it. And one more thing send Diya to me…..iss bahane usey hi kuch kitchen ka kaam sikha doon,” Janki felt sorry for Ragini. It was not unusual for Ragini to remain silent after any major injury or bruise, unlike of course Diya, who would make sure the whole neighborhood knew of every minor scratch she ever sustained!
Diya got up obediently and said softly, “maa Diya is in bathroom.”
“Bathroom?” Janki asked, “today you both are going to bathroom a lot ?”
“Wo actually today something was wrong with canteen’s food, many students got food poisoning” Diya looked away and said.
“Oh Ragini you should have been told me before. I’ll make soup for you both and now go to your room and take rest ,” Janki stroked Diya’s hair and sent her off.
Diya went to her room and called Ragini from there, “Ragini! Where are you? You are going to get me into trouble!”
“Diya I’m on my way. Did mom and dad got any doubt?” Ragini asked worriedly.
“Well you know I’m Diya Miss perfect and you’re doubting me said Diya with attitude.
Sorry meri maa said Ragini to stop Diya’s blabbering
but hurry up…..and don’t ring the bell…..just SMS me……and come inside very quietly…OK?” Diya whispered loudly on the phone.
Diya paced up and down in her room and waited for Ragini’s text message.
Janki came in to check, “what happened Ragini?”
“No maa…..I need to rush,” she made a red face and ran into her bathroom with her phone.
Janki shook her head, “bechari Ragini…waise hi itni dubli patli hai….. Now she will get more weak with food poisoning
Janki came back to the living room and joined her husband. Just as she sat down, they heard a loud scream , “AHHHHHHH!”
They got worried and ran to their bedroom.
They saw ‘Ragini’ (actually Diya) shaking fearfully in their bedroom.
“What happened Ragini?” both her parents ran to her.
“Chipkali! There is a lizard in the bathroom mama!” Diya yelled.
Her parents rolled their eyes, “Ragini…. You scared us. Now come and have dinner” Janki reassured her scared little daughter, “learn something rom Diya, how brave she is. chipkali kya, even lion can get scared from her.
In the meantime, Ragini came back and tiptoed into her room. Diya had warned her that she was actually ‘Ragini’ that evening, so Ragini had to quickly change up into Diya’s jeans and top to look authentic. Ragini was never comfortable in jeans and tops. She kept covering herself with her hands and stretching her top down, “yeh Diya ki bachhi how she could wear these small tops, they are so uncomfortable?”
Ragini came out of the bedroom, dressed up as Diya, “Hi mama…Hi papa!” she tried to act chirpy and bubbly like her sister.
“How are you feeling now?” ab kaisi tabiyat hai Janki asked ‘Diya'(actually Ragini)
“Tabiyat?” Ragini was surprised.
“Mama! My tummy! Ouch!” Diya (real one pretending to be Ragini) held her tummy with her hands and rolled in ‘pain’
Ragini (real one) understood what was going on, “better hai mama….lagta hai Ragini (real Diya) is in pain.
“I don’t know what both of you ate today?” janki was worried, “
Diya (real one) gestured to Ragini, “W-E B-O-T-H H-A-V-E F-O-O-D P-O-I-S-O-N-I-N-G!”
“Oh!” Ragini (real one) said silently.
Janki, meanwhile came back with 2 cups of hot turmeric milk, “now both of you drink this turmeric milk and all of your pain go away. The girls were mortified-they hated haldi ka doodh! That was the most disgusting thing in the world.
“Mama now I’m feeling better.” Diya (actually Ragini) said, as the real Ragini would never disobey her mom.
“Quiet both of you.PEE LO CHUP CHAP!” Janki ordered her girls. The sisters made a disgusting face and pinched their noses as Janki made sure they drank the yucky concoction.
Diya (real one) glared at Ragini as if warning her, “this is all because of you! Main bhi dekh loongi tujhey!”
“Let’s have dinner girls,” Shekhar joined them after ‘CID’ was over.
The girls obediently sat down for dinner and started serving themselves with their non-dominant hands.
“Diya….did you got hurt on your hand too?” janki noticed that ‘Diya’ (actually Ragini) was spilling half the food on the table while serving herself with her non-dominant hand.
“OH….mama…. Today I just fell down,” Ragini (real one) said.
Janki was really confused, “even Ragini fell down and hurt her hand.. bechari meri betiyan
Both Ragini and Diya remained quiet, but thought, “mama…on the contrary, it was the best day of my life.”
Ragini (real one) thought, “I will remember this day always” she shivered as she remembered how close Veer was to her, and how he had melted her insides with his husky voice- kya apna naam nahin bataaogi? Kripa was cursing herself now for saying ‘Diya’ instead of her real name- she was just so frightened at that time, so on an impulse had said her sister’s name. Diya had a habit of getting into trouble all the time, and Ragini thought Diya would not mind it if she found out.
Diya (real one) thought, “aaj Dhoni ki century kya kamaal ki thi…. Wish I was there watching live match. Haye mera Dhoni…..he is my superhero……my superman….my spiderman…..my batman! Kaash meri zindagi mein bhi koi aisa superhero aa jaaye….sigh!” said Diya dreamigly
Hey guys! Finally I got some time to update this ff. Hope you guys liked it. Please leave your comments and don’t ask to update Saadi Love Story. I’m not sure when i’ll be able to update next part.
Take care, stay happy, stay healthy, stay busy, stay blessed, stay loved, keep shinning, keep smiling, be confident & you guys are beautiful the way you’re…be yourself!!!