Realisation And Nurture (BOOK #2) ✔

Chapter 36

Chapter 36

     By turning the wheel to the right, Vihaan pulled his car through the narrow entryway leading to Omkareshwar, his uncle's residence. In the beginning, there wasn't any intention of ever visiting the ancestor city, but Sanchi and Vihaan had come back to the same fateful place because of the concerns in the mind of Durga.

The lane was not too large nor too narrow but could easily be covered by a regular vehicle. On each side of the road, there were canopies of green trees, with plants of Sheesham and Neem. They could feel a tremendous thrill of approaching their ancestral home with every tree passing by their eyes.

Sanchi was more excited than Vihaan as it was going to be her first visit to the house. Vihaan had described most of it to her, including how the house looked and the external appearances of the members present in the family of his uncle.

"Vih, did you collect infor-mation about our twins?"

Sanchi's sudden question engaged with his concentration in driving and he turned to her. "I did Sanchi, they reached on time and are safe. Now don't tell me you want to talk to them because they won't allow."

"This is the fir-st time they are going to stay aw-ay from both of us and I'm so ten-sed, Vih. How will they man-age?"

"To build the sense of courage and confidence in them, they need to learn to endure everything alone. I have sent them to a place where they will learn things and be good human beings, maybe far better than us." Vihaan lifted his palm and caressed her cheek. "If you trust me, shrug off all your worries for them. You'll be surprised to see the new changes in them once they return."

"I wish it be as mu-ch true as your wor-ds, Vih."

When Vihaan flung the door open to his car, Sanchi stepped out of it and inhaled the cool breeze around them. The weather was tempting and soothing as it had been continuously raining since the previous night, though it had declined by a considerable amount since they had begun their journey for the ancestral house.

"Do you know Sanchi I remember nothing about my childhood?" Vihaan said as he parked his car outside the big iron gate of the Singh Bundela house and walked inside together with her. "Whenever I see the house, I feel as if I'm so attached to it. But remembering the tiny bits of my life which I might have spent here is so difficult."

"I ha-ve never been to your ances-tral house." She stepped into the porch and saw a polished grey katte of the basil tree centering the courtyard. The pot of tulsi sat traditionally on top of it and an extinguished lamp at its side.

A middle-aged woman who was sitting next to the worship corner rose up as soon as she saw Sanchi and Vihaan approaching from the other side. "Vihaan–" she murmured in her heavy voice as if it had deepened by sobbing for some time.

"Aunt–" Vihaan stopped short and turned to Sanchi. "Sanchi, she's my uncle Jitendra's wife Vaidehi."

"Is every-thing alright, aun-tie?" Sanchi mumbled with her lips trembling as she put her palm on Vaidehi's shoulder. "Why have you been cry-ing?"

"Where's uncle?" Vihaan interrogated as his eyes wandered about the courtyard. "Uncle?"

Vaidehi lifted her bowed head slowly and paced towards Vihaan, caging his wrist into her palm. "Your uncle is at the police station, Vihaan. They just took him away."

"Why will the police bother to take him away? What's wrong with you all? Why didn't you tell me anything?" Vihaan pulled an old cane chair from the corner and helped Vaidehi to respite on it. "It's lucky that I'm here for a different cause and found it out."