SWARAGINI: THE PATH TO HAPPINESS
Here is my next chapter!!! Thnx for comments and to my silent readers…
Chapter 19
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Sanskar reaches swara…
Chapter 19
Swara turns to Sanskar who is shocked and stands like a statue…They both look at each other with tears in their eyes. They remember their promise to be with each other always…Kya hua tera vaada plays….All their past moments play…Their sham wedding, real wedding, him applying Sindoor, their love confession, them meeting in Parna, dancing to teri meri in the party, love confession once again, their wedding and their first night……
Swara (croaks) : I love you Sanskar!
Her eyes slowly close. Sanskar falls to the ground in shock.
Sanskar (screaming) : SWARA!!!!!!
Sanskar tries to enter the hut but Laksh and Ansh stop him again. He sees that the rope from the roof is about to be burned and then Swara will fall in the flames. Just then the fire trucks and ambulances arrive. Sanskar gets up resolutely and goes to one of the trucks. He takes the hose and drenches himself. He then tries to reduce the fire in the doorway. He drenches himself again.
Before anyone coulds stop him, he jumps inside.
Laksh : Sanskar!! Sanskar!
Sanskar jumps over the flames and tries to reach Swara. It is very smoky and he can’t see properly. He begins to cough. He takes a handkerchief which he had drenched and ties around his mouth. He spots Swara. The rope is almost about to give away. HE sees that if Swara falls, she will land right on top of the burning table and he won’t be able to save her.
With renewed energy he ran and jumped to go near her. The rope gave away and Swara fell…..right into Sanskar’s arms. She is slightly burnt, especially her legs. Everyone sees Sanskar trying to come out with Swara and are hopeful. Suddenly a beam falls on top off them. A huge smoke cloud is created and no one can see anything.
Ansh : Swara di! Sanskar!
Rasika : Swara!
Laksh : Sanskar! They try to go inside but the police stop them…Rasika falls down hysterical. Ansh holds her and cries. Laksh just stares at the burning hut. Slowly the smoke starts to clear and a black Sanskar comes out with Swara.
Laksh : Swara! Sanskar!
Anika look up and see them. The police come and tell them they couldn’t find Abhay anywhere.
Sanskar : Let him be. I will find him.
He keeps Swara on the stretcher and tries to wake her up.
Sanskar (crying) :Swara! Wake up! Laksh, Ansh, Ask her to get up….
The doctor comes and checks her up.
Doctor : I cannot feel any pulse.
The four of them stand shocked….
Sanskar : NO! DOCTOR DO SOMETHING…SWARA GET UP!
He starts shaking her. Ansh drags him away…
the doctor checks her again and tells that he can feel a brief pulse and they have to take her to a major Kolkata hospital immediatley. Sanskar and Rasika go in the ambulance while Laksh and Ansh come by car.
Laksh gets Ragini’s call.
Ragini : Laksh! Why haven’t you called yet? I am very worried. Have you found Swara?
Laksh ( in a broken voice ) : Ragini….
Ragini (alarmed and hysterical) : Laksh! Please tell me…
Laksh : Ragini, I will tell you but you should not go into shock. You have to be strong..Strong for Swara, Sanskar, your parents and me. You have to be strong for our baby.
He tells her everything. Ragini is shocked but steels herself.
Ragini (determined) : Laksh! You reach Apollo hospitals…I will come right there. The doctors will be ready for when you arrive. Nothing will happen to my Swara. Now hang up.
Laksh : One more thing. Don’t tell Pulomi anything. And don’t leave her alone. Maybe that abhay will come there. The police will soon be coming there to give her protection.
He hangs up the phone…
Meanwhile Sanskar is holding Swara’s hands in the ambulance. Rasika is holding his shoulder for comfort. He is numb with worry and fear. He keeps thinking of what all happened and how he couldn’t prevent it.
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APOLLO HOSPITALS 2 HOURS LATER
Sanskar and Swara enter the hospital. Ragini, Shumi, Annapurna, everyone is there waiting for them. They all are shocked to see Swara in such a state. Ragini almost collapses but then she remembers Laksh’s words and steels herself once again. She bends down to talk in Swara’s ears.
Ragini : Nothing will happen to you. You are my lioness, My better half. Please don’t leave me alone…
Swara is taken inside the OT. Everyone tries to come close to Sanskar but he drifts apart. He is drowning himself in his guilt. Laksh and Ansh haven’t come yet. Sanskar keeps looking through the peep hole of the OT to see his jaan struggling between life and death.
He goes near the wall and bangs his hand into it repeatedly. Everyone notice this and want to comfort him. But how do you comfort someone who is watching his entire life struggling? How do you understand that pain?
Shumi finally cannot bear it and stops him from injuring himself.
Shumi : Sanskar beta! You need to stay strong. I know you feel helpless, but you know Swara. She is strong and has immense will power. She won’t let herself be taken by God so easily.
Sanskar : Ma! This is all my fault…I couldn’t come to your daughter quick enough. That is why she is suffering.
Everyone hears him and are stunned. They thought he was heart-broken and scared, not thinking himself guilty. They try to tell him that it is not his fault but he doesn’t listen. He starts to walk away. He thinks about how Swara first told him I love you…how they got married, how the thakur threatened Swara but he didnt take it seriously enough. He thinks about how guilty he is. All these images start to blur around his head. He shouts Swara and collapses in the floor unconscious just as Laksh and Ansh enter.
Ansh : Bhai!
They slowly lift him up and he is admitted in an adjoining room. A doctor comes and examines him. Sanskar regains consciousness expecting to see Swara. But he doesn’t and he remebers what happened.
Sanskar : Why are you all here? Go be with Swara. I am fine.
He starts to get down but the doctor stops him.
Doctor : Not now, Sanskar. You need atleast 2 hours rest. Even you inhaled some of that burning chemical. Plus the worry and stress added to you falling unconscious. You need to rest now.
Sanskar ( in a dangerous tone) : Do you know what it means to love Doctor? How can you ask me to stay here when my Swara is in there. I promise I won’t move around but I am not going lie down here. And no one can make me….( he looks at his family)
Laksh : Bhai…
Ragini : Sanskar….
Sanskar : DAMMIT!! Why don’t you understand? How would you feel if that was Ragini or Rasika in there? Laksh ? Ansh? Would you stay here? Anyways I am tired of arguing with you all. I need to save my energy for Swara to take it. Doctor Let me go NOW.
He leaves with everyone staring at him.
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1 HOUR LATER
Swara’s operation is over but she is still critical and is in the ICU….
Sanskar is sitting outside waiting for the doctor to come out. Everyone is standing quietly, their tears have run dry. They are just waiting for a miracle.
Sanskar takes out his phone to look at Swara’s pictures. He sees that he has two voice messages and plays them absent-mindedly, closing his eyes.
Swara’s voice : Sanskar!
Sanskar looks all around him thinking that Swara woke up. Everyone else too look around. Then they realise it is from his phone.
Swara : Sanskar! I know I promised you that I won’t leave for Parna alone, but there is some problem in the music school. I tried calling you nut I think you were busy. So anyways, I am packing now. I know you can’t be without me even for one day but don’t come rushing here in the middle of the night. Nothing will happen to me. I love you Sanskar! Call me later…
Everyone is crying again except for Sanskar. He quickly plays the other voice message…
Swara (in a tired, yet smiling voice…Only Sanskar recognises another tone- fear) : Sanskar! I don’t know if this will reach you. I don’t know if I’ll be alive when you see this message. But I do know one thing. You will be blaming yourself if anything happens to me. Pagal Ladka! Please don’t hold yourself guilty for this. Abhay told me that his father threatened you that he would destroy me….I am so sorry that you had to hold that fear in your heart for 2 weeks now. Perhaps it is all my fault. But that’s not why I am sending you this message. Listen now. If something happens to me, I know that you will be broken. You will drift apart exactly as you did during Kavita’s time. Stay strong. Your family needs you. My mother needs you. My father needs you. I need you. ( her voice breaking down a little) Our baby needs you. That is my only regret. That I might never see my little girl or boy. But you will be there for the child and I know you will cherish him/her…..
The message stops. Sanskar is staring at the phone. The message continues.
Swara : Ragini!
Ragini looks at the phone with tears in her eyes.
Swara : Ragini! I am so sorry that I didn’t send you a seperate voice message. I love you, my sister. Because of you, I got a family. Because of you, I met Sanskar. And because of you, I won’t have to worry about him. Please take care of my love…He will go and hide inside a shell if someone doesn’t stop him. Ragini..Make my Sanskar live a normal life…Please…And do take care of my Sasural, Bade papa, badi ma, mom, papa sabko. Take care of my child too. And Ansh, I am glad you found your soulmate. Stay happily with Rasika and take care of everyone in Baadi…Ma Baba, Badi ma bade papa, Mom Papa, Uttara, Laksh Ragini I don’t know if you all are listening…Nothing will happen to me. Your blessings wont allow that. But for now, nothing is decided. So Pranaam! Thank you for having me in your family.
Everyone looks at Swara in the ICU who is in an oxygen mask. The message continues.
Swara : Sanskar! This last bit is only for you. Please move a bit aside…….Have you moved? Good…I am telling this again. Please don’t feel guilty. It will break you and that would destroy me regardless where I am. Consider it my last wish of sorts. Raise our child properly. I wanted one thing especially for our child. If the baby is a boy, will you name him Aarav? I have always loved that name….
Swara ( now crying softly ) : I am sorry Sanskar. I broke our promise. I made you sad. Will you please forgive me? I love you so much. I am so glad that I got to be Mrs Swara Sanskar Maheshwari. I know I promised that I will send you lots of voice recordings. write notes on the mirror and give you your vitamins everyday. I have some of the voice recordings in my laptop. Whenever you feel lonely, listen to them. Sanskar Maheshwari, I LOVE YOU!!!! I LOVE YOU!! I LOVE YOU!!! One day we will meet again. Whether here in Earth or elsewhere we will see….Sanskar! Sanskar! Sanskar!
The message ends…
Sanskar clutches the phone to his chest….
Ragini comes to him.
Ragini : Let it out Sanskar! Cry! You will feel better…
Sanskar : No way Ragini! Swara wanted me to stay strong. I will stay strong. You know, Ragini, Your sister is always correct. But this time, she is wrong. She is not dying. I will not let her and she cannot disappoint me. So why should I cry? Swara will be alright soon. Then I will scold her for telling all these things.
Ragini smiles at him tearfully and gives him a hug. Sanskar asks about Pulomi and learns that Pulomi doesn’t know anything about Swara as it could affect her pregnancy. He nods and turns to the ICU. The doctor comes out.
Sanskar ( rushing to him) : Doctor! How is she?
Doctor : Her lungs are deeply damaged. We have done our best but only if it doesn’t deteriorate further will we be lucky. Also, She has to wake up within the next two hours. Otherwise her chances of getting brain damage is 99% and we will not be able to do anything. You may go meet her in pairs after 15 minutes. Maybe she will wake up listening to you. I am sorry Mr Maheshwari, But her chances of surviving is less than 10%….
Everyone stares at him in shock….
A voice : NOOOO……
Sanskar turns back to see Pulomi with Adarsh Bhaiya and Pari Bhabhi…Pulomi looks at everyone with frightened eyes, then clutches her stomach in pain, screams loudly and faints.
Sanskar looks at Swara in the ICU and Pulomi down on the floor….
NO PRECAP