Shaurya aur Anokhi ki kahani reboot

New Beginnings

The remaining day went fast and with no more commotion, Alok had again found all the details almost late in the afternoon and had gone home to let Devi know. Devi was quite taken aback by this new development, and was more puzzled now. Already she hadn't been able to find out what had happened between Shaan and Shaurya. Yesterday's conversation, arguments still needed to be dissected and understood.  Shaan had scolded even Shaurya over the divorce issue while Shaurya had sided with him and gotten that student of Aastha to SIAC. 

On the other hand Anokhi was elated and more than that thankful and content. She had found both hostel and new job, at least now she could concentrate on her studies and career. She had been introduced to the canteen lady and had been briefed about her work and timings. After classes were over for the day Anokhi hurried back to pack and move to the hostel, she didn't want to spend one night more in that room that had sheltered her for some time yet kept her scared in the night. Also on the way back she had gone back to the cafe and informed them about leaving the job. 

It was late evening when Shaurya arrived back at home, the whole anti Aastha Sabherwal gang was all set with the assault plan. Shaan wasn't anywhere around, Devi wanted him as well. But Alok had no patience.

Alok- Shaurya aaj jo tune kiya hai na wo bahut galat hai, apni behano ke upar tune us ladki ko hostel room de diya.

Shaurya- Really chachu? Toh phir aap ek baat batao ki Bebo and Kitti ko hostel room ki kya zaroorat hai? Wo dono chandigarh main rehti hai, ghar pe. Hostel is for students who come from other cities and towns to study at SIAC. And on top of that why wasn't anyone told about it? And then Bebo and Kitty have never been living in that hostel room? What do they need it for?

Alok- Wo important nahi hai Shaurya. Important yeh hai ki tune us ladki ke chakkar main apni family ki against kuch karne se pehle socha bhi nahi.

Shaurya- Wo ladki bright hai, deserving hai and uske sath galat hua hai, maine sirf wo theek kiya hai, isse family he against jaane ki baat kahan se aa gayi.

Alok- Acha toh phir, ek management ke decision ko change karne ka kya matlab hai? wo bhi akele?

Now even Shaan had arrived. And Shaurya saw him arriving, he eyed Shaan and both had anticipated such a drama back home.

Shaurya- If I remember correctly, even I am very well part of the management and even dad is part of the management. Dad do you know if something about Bebo and Kitty having a hostel room was ever discussed?

Shaan nodded in a No.

Alok- Shaurya ab tu kis had tak jaayega us ladki ke liye?

Shaan- Alok Shaurya galat nahi hai iss baar. Tumhe aisa kuch karne se pehle batana chahiye tha? Bataya tumne?

Alok- Aap toh rehne hi dijiye Shaan praaji, aapko kab se SIAC main interest aane laga? Aap to sirf apni classes lete the, decision making was never your interest.

Devi was seeing the evolving scene along with Tej, Shaurya looked all set to lock horns and then even Shaan was looking quite aggressive until Alok's last comment.

Alok- I am sorry Shaan praaji, main bhool gaya tha, aab to aap ko sab cheezo main interest aayega, wo Aastha Sabherwal ki student jo ab SIAC main ghoos aai hai, aap toh waise hi sab lutane ko ... aur ab Shaurya ko bhi wahi karne ka rasta dikha rahe hai, Shaurya tumhara dimag kharab .....

And the statement from Alok didn't go well with Shaurya, neither Shaan. Tej and Devi saw the impending storm and anger building up in Shaurya. They had to salvage the situation, Alok in his bruised ego of his authority being challenged had messed up the whole opportunity. Devi had planned it up differently.

Devi- Alok, Shaurya ke baare main, main aisi koi galat baat nahi soonongi. 

Alok- Parjai ji aap ....

Devi- Bas Alok, Shaurya ko laga wo ladki zarrooratmand hai, toh uski help kar di, iska koi aur matlab nikalene ki koi zaroorat nahi hai. Shaurya ko maine bachpan se sahi aur galat main pehchan karna sikhaya hai. Usko achi tarah pata hai kaun kya karna chahta hai, aur wo kuch galat nahi hone dega. Baat sirf ek ladki ki padhai aur career ki hai, aur kuch nahi. Shaurya kabhi bhi kisi ko bhi Sabharwal's ko reputation and family se nahi khelne dega. Wo ladki sirf SIAC ke ek student hai, like all other students.

Tej and Alok looked at Devi with concern and little astonishment. They couldn't understand what was Devi doing by backing Shaurya. On the other hand Devi was doing the opposite, she was backing Shaurya but still putting their expectations to his actions, she was making things clear for his perspective, reminding him that Anokhi was a stay away zone for him and that she is just a student and no one connected to Aastha, that is how Shaurya is supposed to deal and treat her.

With Devi's intervention the conversation closed quickly and everyone dispersed. 

By the time Anokhi got back it was evening, she had just parked her luggage in her new hostel room when she received a call from her mother. She informed her about the new development and Rama was more than relieved than even Anokhi. By the time call ended it was almost dinner time and that clicked something in Anokhi. She remembered last night, Shaurya Sir, his worry, his concern and then dinner with him and why he had come running to check on her. She called up Shaan Sir to let him know that she was all settled and again thanked him for all the help that he had given her.

Another person that Anokhi called up next was Aastha and relayed her all the details. Aastha was happy for Anokhi, but the details about how Shaurya had got involved in all this with Shaan along had gotten her worried. She could sense something was not right either with Shaan or Shaurya or both of them. 

Finally after days Anokhi had a proper dinner in the hostel canteen and decided to retire for the day, she was tired and then from tomorrow she had to start catching up on her studies and the lost time in the semester as well as she had to now allocate time for her job as well.

A few days went by, Anokhi had settled in and joined the canteen. Other than the comments, and isolation from Bebo and Kitty's gang, things were in general okay for Anokhi. Bebo and Kitty had harboured the negativity and superiority complexes from their home and did everything to show Anokhi her place, in the class the only thing they could manage to do was make her sit at the back with other non elite students, but in the canteen they did everything to humiliate her and make fun of her situation. Anokhi had found friends in other girls of the class that didn't belong to elite group like Reema and Priyanka. And Anokhi not knowing them to be Sabharwal's ignored their shit, she had more things important to concentrate. She didn't care about the fun they made of her being the studious one, she was one because she was intelligent and then she didn't care about them calling her waitress etc because she wasn't ashamed of her job, unlike them she wasn't the privileged one, she was earning for her own self respect and sustaining all by herself, for her this was something she was proud off, she wasn't the one who believed in crying over things, rather had the courage and zeal to uplift herself out of her situation for a better future. 

Shaurya on the other hand was more surprised to see, how sharp and brilliant she was. He had seen the trailer in the interview, but the movie was better. He saw that in no time, she had covered up on the lost time of the semester and was up to pace with all that had been taught. He was waiting for the mid semester exams to see how well she performs there, he wanted to see how well could she translate her verbal knowledge to words in the answer sheet. This was not the only front where he had been keeping a check to ensure her well being. He had often in the evening taken rounds of the canteen to see she was okay working there. Anokhi in the canteen doubled up as cashier, waitress and also did the inventory and stocking. In fact he had let Shaan also know that Anokhi could be short of money as her scholarship was yet to start and he knew definitely Shaan would do something about it and as expected, Shaan had asked the canteen caretaker and Anokhi's boss to keep a check on that and let him know if Anokhi struggled to meet the expenses. 

Anokhi on the other side had been little comfortable, the scholarship was now restarting from next month and for the time being she had some saving from the job at the cafe that she was using judiciously.