Soulmates

chapter 1

"Now everyone present over here take some flowers and agele leaves in your hand, stand with your closed eyes and pray to the lord". Panditji spoke over mic.

"Now repeat with me"

"Om esho, swachandano, gandhopushpo, billopatro, pushpanjali mayer chorone Namoskritam..

(with folded hands hey maa I offer fragrant flowers, agele leaves dipped in pious sandal in your feet.)

Joe durgaae namo. (jai maa Durga)

Joe durgaae namo.... "(jai maa Durga)

With hand full of flowers and agele leaves all repay these offerings to maa Durga.

But I feel all leaves of marigold got stuck in my hairs. As I turned and stared back to see him, I saw again the same expression and how cleverly he was going to divert by telling lie.

"What, I didn't do that ? "

"I just offered to maa Durga, but you stood before me. It's not my fault. "

"Aunu this is not fair, everytime you had excuses for your fault."

Listening to my groan he looked everywhere but at me. Suddenly he took some more flowers and threw directly on my face to make me flinch at once. As I opened my eyes with angry face, he disappeared. I knew where he sprinted.

I walked out the puja pandal in search of him. He hid behind the peepal tree in the middle of the ground of the premises of his property.

"Aunu... Aunu... Where are you? "

"Listen this is not funny. "

"Every time you turn the table to win the game, I am not scared now. I am grown up. "

"Aunu... Aunu... "

He scared me with ghost mask and I shrieked aloud. He laughed out hard with hands on his belly while I cried with tears in my eyes.

I sobbed so hard not to face his scary face. He tapped on my shoulder to look at him. I still with palms covered my face cried more.

"Vani it's me ..your Aunu, no one else."

"There's no ghost behind the tree. "

Peeping from between the fingers I looked at him. With smiling face and hands folded on his chest he stood infront. I smiled back with tears dribbling down the cheeks, I ran to hug him. He warm welcomed me and took in his embrace.

"Comes let's go to the garden and pluck some more flowers, I knew you are good at making garland."

"In evening we will call Pandit ji to offer this to maa Durga. "

To console me he diverted my mind. He knew very well, how to spread smile on my face.

"Aunu... O... Aunu... bodo maa (elder uncles wife) is calling you.. for lunch, come soon. "

"Coming Krishna Di.. "

He clasped his hands in mine and dragged me to the mansion instead of garden.

It wasn't for the first time I entered it. Being inside I froze to see, how beautifully the mansion was decorated. Lamps were placed at every corners, it smelled so divine being decorated by different kinds of flowers specially the rajnigandha.

The chandelier in the living area added more to its beauty. Everyone was busy to decorate the mansion like heaven.

"Hey! What happened ? Why the ambience looks energetic? " I asked to Aunu.

"You don't know? Today thakurmaa (grandmother) is about reach here after so long from London just to attend puja. "

"Wao! Thakurmaa is coming. "I clapped and jumped on my feet.

"After the death of grandfather this is the first time she's attending puja, considering my plea. "

She was wonderful lady with magical charm on her face. She always kept smiling in her odds too. She loved kids very much. Though I and Aunu always kept quarrelling for the small things, she used to make us busy in her twisted tales and loved us wholeheartedly.

He dragged me to the backward where so many plantlet's were supposed to be planted in earth. Aunu showed many different flowering plants, along with one especial plant of fig.

"Aunu Baaba chalo maa daakche, Tumar thakurmaa ashegeche. "

(come Aunu your mom is calling you, your grandma has arrived.)

"I am coming Kaku (uncle)."

"Come vani let's meet grandma."

Dragging me to the gate he looked me with joy in his eyes, as he got some hidden treasure. He loved his grandma very much. His mother got sick during his childhood so his grandma took care of him and he got attached with her.

"Thakurmaa, how are you?"

He ran and touched her feet and was hugged by grandma. I too touched her feet to get her blessings. She took hold on me and embraced both of us.

"Shravani my child how are you, it's been a long time I saw you. "

I just kept smiling at her. As I was speechless at her arrival.

"Call her Vani grandma I love that name." Still clasping my hand in his he smiled.

"Oh! Grandma I forgot, I brought something for you." I ran to bring Prasad (the food offered to maa Durga).

"O my dear so sweet of you, I would love to eat it. "