At the brink of pre-dawn, they resumed their journey again.
Bondita was now properly clad in her sari and Aniruddh couldn't help admiring how lovely she looked in whatever she wore...be it her normal daily wear saris or his shirt!
Biting back his smile at the stirring memory of last night, he just held her hand and kissed it before starting their journey, and she smiled shyly as her complexion flared up to various shades of pink and red.
After traveling for what felt like an hour, the sun was up now but was still not brightly lighting the sky. However, to their relief, they could see a road a little ahead of them.
Rejuvenated with new enthusiasm, they ran hand in hand towards the road that would lead them towards their destination.
Suddenly Aniruddh stopped in his tracks as a realization dawned on him
Bondita also stopped as she saw him deeply rooted in one spot and immersed deeply in some thoughts.
"Kia hua Pati babu? Koi pareeshani hai kia?"
She asked cautiously.
Slowly raising his head, he looked in her eyes with an incredulous expression and said,
"Bondita, tum ne mujhse aik bhi baar nahi poocha ke hum ja kahan rahay hain?"
A wide grin plastered on her face as she closed the gap between them. Raising the hand that she was holding already to her lips, planting a soft kiss on his knuckles, she said lovingly,
"Jahan Aniruddh, wahan Bondita. Aap dunia ke aakhri konay mien bhi le ker jaayein ge tou mujhe apne sath payein ge. Hamesha hamesha ke liye. "
His chest constricted at her intensely beautiful response and pure, unashamed love shining proudly in her eyes. His soul stirred with an unexpected pleasure on hearing her say his name for the first time like this.
Overwhelmed by the emotion, he just cupped her face and softly planting a tender kiss on her forehead, he said coarsely,
"I love you, Bondita."
His mouth slowly descending towards her, he planted a soft kiss on her lips, making her quiver under his touch.
Dragging his lips to her cheek, he planted a soft kiss there and said,
"Ram aur Sita ghar laut rahay hain Bondita."
Her eyes widened at his unexpected response. It took her just a second to understand what he meant as she mouthed,
“Tulsipur!!”
Smiling, he nodded his head in affirmation.
Her excitement suddenly got replaced by a worried frown as she asked,
“Lekin Pati babu, abhi kisi ko pata nahi hai humari shadi ka. Tou Tulsipur walay tou …” Naked pain slashed her features as she felt incapable to even repeat the horror they faced at the hands of those vile people when they had nullified their marriage.
Understanding her unsaid words completely and feeling a fresh surge of anger simmering within him on recalling how those people put a price on his Bondita’s head and how they had tried to set her on fire as if she was a witch, his hold instinctively tightened around her arms.
But then, controlling himself, taking a deep breath, he released her.
Bewildered, she cautiously looked up at him when she found him bending down to take something out from his duffle bag.
Trying to peep around, she was hoping to see what it was and why he was so silent when he suddenly turned.
Facing her now, his face reflected a mixture of emotions with a somber expression and a look of deep love and slight apprehension, as he raised his hands for her to view what he was holding.
Her eyes popped out on seeing the object in his hands.
It was the sindoor daani that she had left at the Hotel in Siliguri when they had run away and he had gotten her enrolled in Siligur’s hostel.
Her eyes started tearing up as she asked in a shaking voice,
“Yeh… yeh sindoor dani…”
Nodding, he came close to her and solemnly said,
“I could not leave it there, Bondita. Yeh tumhara tha… aur yeh sirf tumhara hi rahay ga.”
And then, taking another deep breath, he said,
“Bondita, kia tum please mujhe yeh sindoor apni maang mien bharne dou gy?”
Her heart slamming against her ribcage, she just held his hand tightly and asked,
“Mager Pati babu...kia aap waqai aisa chahte hain?”
Raising his fingers to her cheeks, softly wiping her tears, he replied sincerely,
“Mien Child Marriage ke khilaaf hun Bondita. Mager mien abh tumhari jaan ko mazeed khatron mien nahi daal sakta hun. Legally hum Pati Patni hain. Aur samaaj ko dikhanay ke liye sirf yeh Sindoor kaafi hai. It does not define our relationship...but it is necessary to survive. Aur mien iske liye poore dil se tayyar hun ager tum ijazat dou tou.”
Unchecked and uncontrolled tears rolled down her cheeks as she slowly nodded her approval.
With tears in his eyes too and a sweet smile playing on his lips, he took a pinch of the red vermillion and filled it in her center parting.
She raised her trembling fingers and touched her sindoor. Looking at the bright red color that had changed her life twice before, she was overwhelmed that now it was back, to reset everything in their lives and make it alright.
Completely consumed with emotion, she bent down to touch his feet.
He instinctively held her shoulders as he pulled her up, and slowly shaking his head, he said,
“Tumhari jagha yahan hai, mere dil mien. Yeh sindoor tumhari pehchaan nahi hai Bondita. Ager yeh mard laga sakte apni ‘pati’ hone ke status ko signify kerne ke liye, tou mien bhi laga leta!”
Smiling brightly now, tears of joy still brimming, she replied cheekily,
“Chalien Krantikari babu, abh next reform yehi kerein ge hum dono. Mard bhi sindoor lagayein, aur sab se pehle tou hum Tulsipur ke mardon ko hi sindoor lagwayeinge!”
The jungle that had witnessed their pure love and passion now suddenly erupted with their hearty laughter on Bondita’s joking remark, and then it silently wished them good luck as it bid them farewell for their journey ahead.
------
The End
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Safar Khoobsurat hai Manzil Se Bhi (A Mature AniDita Fanfiction)
FanfictionThis novella is basically a fanfiction on the show, Barrister Babu. It is based on the current track when Bondita was forced to go through a "shudhikaran" rutual for purification as her Thaku maa wants to marry her off as soon as possible. So, this...
