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Part 17
Shekar jerked his hand from sanskar and descended the steps where he met durga Prasad
Durga Prasad: ji namaste! I thought that..
Shekar: it’s my duty durga Prasad ji but it is a bit disappointing to know that your other son too married a girl from my house.
Durga Prasad gulped and excused himself.
Swara kept staring the moves of her family but no one did come to her. she knew that almost everyone want to talk to her and her father, most probably threatened them.
Ragini: I thought you won’t come papa
Shekar: my daughter has grown up so much that she did blackmail us ragini. So I came for her.
Both of them shot a fake sarcastic smile to each other and parted.
The function went smoothly and sanskar stood beside swara, being a pillar for her while laksh occasionally kept staring ragini and sometimes caught her staring back too.
NEXT MORNING
sanskar: don’t think about yesterday swara. Everything will fall into its place.
Sanskar hugged her before leaving to office and she gave him a warm smile but both of them knew the reality.
Ragini: didi, will you accompany me in shopping?
Swara choked her juice and turned to ragini.
Swara: what do you want to buy now! Didn’t the bill of yesterday’s shopping satisfy you?
Ragini narrowed her eyes while crossing her arms.
Swara: okay, day before yesterday.
Ragini: will you come or not?
Left with no other choice, swara followed ragini cursing something about shopping which ragini choose to ignore.
Swara opened her eyes when car came to halt. She turned to her left side and saw ragini’s emotionless face.
Ragini: come.
Swara frowned but got out of the car. Her eyes widened when reality struck to her
Swara: are you mad?
She shouted because ragini brought her to BAADI, the gadodia house, a house that was hers, once upon a time.
Ragini sighed and dragged swara to the entrance.
Ragini: ma! Papa! Dada and dadi!
Soon, the gadodias reached hall and everyone’s face had same expression that swara had when she realised the destination.
Ragini: I want the things to get sorted.
With that, she stepped in and dragged swara behind her. Swara still kept her eyes locked with shekar.
Shekar: one step..
He roared seeing swara
Shekar: one step in..and one out of us will be killed.
Swara froze and stood rooted to her place. Ragini left swara and went to shekar
Ragini: why papa?
her voice had the same intensity of her father.
Sanskar slammed the car door behind him and entered Manison to collect the file he forget
Sanskar: swara!! Swara!!
Servant: swara went out with ragini beta.
Sanskar: oh! Thanks kaka
He unlocked his mobile to make a call and immediately a message popped from ragini
‘ BAADI’
Sanskar: shit
He muttered under his breath and marched to his car after grabbing swara’s inhaler. Soon the wheels of car turned to BAADI.
Shekar: you should not involve in this ragini.
Ragini: but papa, I ..I don’t feel that di did any wrong
Shekar: what has happened to you ragini? Where is my girl who obeyed me at every second.
Ragini smiled a sad smile
Ragini: where is my dad who always did something good to their children.
Shekar fisted his palms.
Shekar: I won’t let her come inside ragini.
Swara knotted her fingers and lowered her head. Tears brimmed from her eyes.
Ragini: you are angry because di went aganist your choice then what must I do to you papa..even you did something aganist my wish
Tears came to ragini’s eyes but that doesn’t mean that she is going to back off.
Shekar collapsed in the chair near by. Which parent will be able to digest the fact that their children are against them.
Shekar turned to swara, still sitting.
Shekar: you asked me why I hated her..right?
Receiving a nod from ragini, he continued
Shekar: why didn’t you ask the same question to your didi?
Ragini: because I need answers from you
Shekar: fine, (he turned to swara) didn’t I ask you about your approval before engagement?
Swara nodded in yes.
Shekar: didn’t I promise you that I will marry you to the person whom your heart is with?
Swara nodded in yes, wiping her tears.
He turned to ragini
Shekar: look, I did it ragini. I asked your sister before fixing the match but she said that she didn’t had anyone in her life.
Shekar sounded broken but still his voice is loud enough to scare everyone.
Shekar: everything was set ragini. Even you were present at the situation. The mandap was waiting for the bride, the groom was waiting for the bride, I was waiting for my daughter but a letter occupied her place
Swara flinched at her words.
Shekar: it informed that my daughter was already in love with some other guy from six months and cannot live in his absence and so she is eloping.
Ragini sniffed but didn’t break her eye contact.
Dadaji: and if you see, she was in love at time we fixed her marriage..she didn’t inform us.
Ragini: but she has right to choose her life papa.
Shekar sighed deeply and smriked sadly.
Shekar: no parent will oppose a child’s wish ragini. I would have never said no if your di did informed me before but she did worst of worst things. She eloped that too a day before the marriage. She didn’t even think about us atleast for a second before leaving the house. Her six months of love dominated our especially my twenty years of love.
He buried his head in his palms.
Dadaji: nothing affected her ragini. She left the place but we were wounded, badly by the society, by our own.
Ragini cannot deny the fact because she has seen her family being abused badly by the society. Why society, her own maasi taunted her mother where as most of her father’s relatives ended their relationship with them.
Sharmista: but now…I..think….we..we must give her a chance.
Shekar lifted his head to sharmista and she backed off two steps with the burning gaze of her husband’s red eyes. He then turned to swara.
Shekar: chance!! That’s what the problem sharmista…she thought that i will surely forgive her after years. That I will suffocate her with hugs and kisses when she comes back after years. That I will forget everything and accept her as my daughter again. That I will forget how she betrayed my love and made fun of it.
Shekar stopped to breathe and again continued.
Shekar: why swara! Didn’t you think this way? I know you might have been day dreaming that my child love will empower me than hatred and will accept you shamelessly even after making fun of me. Say it swara.. Didn’t that thought cross your mind in these years? At least at the time of eloping?
Swara took a deep breath but didn’t answer because words failed her and that’s because her father was true. She thought that her father would accept but it span of time.
Sanskar took a deep breath who is listening to the entire conversation from first but none of them noticed because he is few steps back.
Sharmista: shekar ji..I don’t oppose you but…may be.. May be..she is here for redemption.
Shekar’s gaze travelled the length of swara’s body from toe to the tip if her hair. He then turned to sharmista again with s smrik.
Shekar: do you really think that she is here for redemption!
He asked in a fake surprised tone.
Shekar: but I don’t think the way mishti, seems like your daughter is perfectly alright with her marriage life which will soon turn into a family.
Swara shut her eyes for a moment and then opened again.
Swara: papa
Shekar: don’t call me that
Swara:sorry is not a word that would calm you down. I..I was really scared to inform you about sanskar papa. I thought that I would forget him like many others but no, I failed …I really failed papa but leaving this house was not so easy. Trust me!
Shekar: how swara! I loved you more than myself. I felt you both daughters as my pride but you didn’t even bother it for a second. Have you ever thought how much I would have sacrificed myself to see you and ragini happy? Have you ever know how much hard work I do and act as a cool person before you. Have you ever thought how did your poor father manage to save so much of money to spend on you two to fulfill your wishes? No swara..your six months love was more than mine and I don’t really blame you for that.
Swara: papa..please.. I missed my home every second. I missed our chat at dinner, I missed your scoldings when I made something upside down. I missed your strength beside me infact I missed a part of myself by leaving this family papa..my family.
Shekar rubbed his nose not to cry but that didn’t help..tears of pain came out that he held from three years, that he locked securely deep inside his heart.
Shekar: I am not a selfish person swara. I am not a person who will try to harm my own blood by taking rude desicions..but I am not going to forgive you for this unless and until you are ready for a punishment.
Swara raised her head, hope written on her face.
Shekar: you should stay here swara..the same way you used to stay before marriage
Everyone gasped at his words..he is asking her to break it..no!!
Shekar: first delivery of any daughter will be taken up by her family.
That’s it, everyone bursted out crying including sanskar. Finally, finally his wife has got for what she wished, for what she prayed and for what she waited.
Shekar: step in
With in a fraction of second, swara is embraced by all the family members. Sanskar smiled at her and raised his foot to step in.
Shekar: no!
Sanskar frooze and everyone turned to him. Swara frowned in confusion.
Shekar: I have accepted my daughter that doesn’t mean that I accepted you too..I am still mad at you sanskar for taking my daughter away from us.
Swara lowered her head and bit her trembling lower lip.
Swara: papa..actually there is no mistake of him.
Shekar: what!
Swara: hmm…the night before the marriage, I..I..threatened sanskar that…I..would kill myself if he doesn’t stop this marriage..I…gave him the idea of eloping.
Everyone stared at her with unbelievable expression.
Swara: she slapped me even. Asked me to forget him but..I….I ..am sorry.
Shekar once again collapsed in the chair. Sanskar approached him, sat on his kness before shekar and placed his hands on his.
Sanskar: I really apologize papa. I know..I know that we did something extremely wrong..aganist your wish and you have every right to be mad at me. I am sorry that I eloped with your daughter papa. It…It…happened in the heat of moment and I really felt very proud opposing my family, your family, our family..at that time…but the fog that covered my eyes slowly started clearing and then I realised that how much pain I gave to my beloved ones, our beloved ones. I felt shameful for my act which once I thought as a brave deed.
Shekar didn’t break the eye contact
Sanskar: I didn’t understand your state exactly until your daughter said about my parents hood. I am here, jumping in joy for the arrival of my child who didn’t step into this world and I can bet that you felt the same when swara was in ma’s womb. I am feeling that father’s love papa and trust me..I am repenting , repenting to separate you from her.
Shekar smiled at his words remembering his excitement at swara’s delivery.
Shekar: now that you both realised, there is no point that I would be mad at you sanskar..it’s just a feeling of insecurity which every father has about their children life.
Everyone in the house smiled genuinely for the first time after three years.
Suddenly,everyone’s attention turned to swara who started suffocating, breathing heavily. Sanskar pulled the inhaler out and helped swara.
Sanskar: breathe..slowly..swara.
Shekar’s and sharmista’s eyes became moist for the affection of sanskar for swara and shekar realised that her daughter wasn’t wrong in decisions.
Ragini’s mind kept reeling shekar’s words.
‘ do you know how much I sacrificed myself for your happiness?’
‘ I am not the person who will harm my own blood’
If her father really loved them,they why did he marry her to a divorcee aganist her wish.
Sharmista sighed when she entered their room. Shekar turned to her and She gasped seeing tears in his eyes.
Sharmista: everything is fine
Shekar: no
He spatted, his voice shivering.
Shekar: ragini hates me sumi..she loathes me
Sumi: ji..don’t get any negative ideas
Shekar: no sharmista, she did. I can see it in her eyes. You do loathe me for marrying her to a divorcee.. Right?
He asked looking straight into her eyes. words failed because he is true.
Shekar: seven years back, if you remember, I applied for job in one of the textile companies for better salary.
Sumi nodded.
Shekar: you must have been aware of the fact that how much I needed it..actually, I was late to the interview because of an accident that occurred on my way. I stepped out of the auto and crossed the road and asked many for a lift but none of them stopped. I started feeling dizzy because of hot sun and fell unconscious. When I opened my eyes, I found myself in hospital with a man of nearly my age beside me. Tears came to eyes when I realised that I missed the interview. He asked me for the reason and I somehow felt like sharing..after listening patiently, he called someone and after 20 minutes, I had job letter in my hands..then I learnt that he was one of the leading business man in our state sumi.
Sumi: is that durga Prasad?.
Shekar nodded faintly before continuing.
Shekar: I said that I am owed to him for life time but he laughed playfully for that. So I promised him that I will fulfill his wish whenever he comes and few months before, he came. I thought that the issue was something but it turned to my daughter’s marriage. I begged him for not to do this injustice because he is business tycoon and i am helpess but he seemed so stubborn and for a moment I was confused about the person whom I met was he or not.
He took a deep breath. When her cheeks became wet, sharmista realised that she is crying.
Shekar: I wasn’t a weak person. I got details about laksh’s past, his nature and everything with help of a friend and made a stubborn decision of marrying him to our daughter. Of course he was a divorcee and I didn’t had any other option rather than accepting it. So I did my best to collect and check about laksh just to assure myself sharmista..I am not wrong. Please don’t hate me.
Sumi: ji..please
Shekar: I would have said this to ragini but he took a vow of not letting anyone know except you.
Sumi: don’t worry shekar ji..laksh is indeed a good guy and ragini’s misunderstanding will clear soon. It’s just she is angry because no girl wishes to get married to a divorcee and it is more difficult for a girl like ragini. And you made the situation worst just by acting arrogant and stubborn.
Shekar: I wish
He hoped that everything will fall in its place.
Least they knew that ragini eavesdropped their conversation and is now repenting badly for her behaviour and thoughts towards his father.
It’s always true that any parent does always wish for their children benefit and welfare. Ragini did understand it lately.