Kuch Ankahi Baatein

Diwali

The arrival of autumn marked the month of October... The season brought along the festival of Diwali with itself... Diwali the festival could soften even the hardest of hearts with a prominent of give & forgive... Every corner of Ahmedabad city was lit up with shimmering lights.. dancing in the air... Streets were crowded till late night.. as the list of purchasing going on.. since it was the most awaited festival of the year....

Chachiji prepare a to-do list for Diwali... And Taiji keeps on adding her own items which she required at her home for Diwali... Girls were busy in-house cleaning and decoration... coloring diyas..making hand-made kandils..Rangoli..handmade sweets and so on....

Nanu also has so much work to finish before Diwali as he declares three days holiday for every employee in the factory with bonus... He keeps on checking the quantity of sweets they have to buy and the sweets they want to make at home by their ancestral halwai... who used to make it every year... For Anubhav, all these things are new and excited as this is the first time he is at home during this festival... Generally.. he stays back at hostel or sometimes at Delhi where he was never be allowed to participate in any preparation... considering him as an outsider...

Nanu: Aaj itne saalon baad lag raha hai ki is ghar mein bhi Diwali hai.. varna to bus akele Pooja karta tha aur Ramdhari thode diye laga deta tha... Teri Nani ke baad to tyohar manana chhut hi gaya tha...

Anubhav: Nanu koi baat nahi... iss baar main hun na aapke saath... hum milkar Diwali manayenge...

Nanu: yeh baat to hai... par mujhe to intzaar hoga us din ka jab teri Dulhan is ghar mein Diwali ki taiyari karegi... apane haathon se mithai banayegi..bhagwaan ka prasad.. mandir sajana..Rangoli banana..diya lagana... Us din hogi is ghar mein alsi Diwali ki dhoom...

Anubhav shyly laughed and said: Nanu aap bhi na.... chaliye tab tak mujhse hi kaam chala lijiye...

(in his mind): intzaar to mujhe bhi hai jab voh is ghar mein aayegi aur isse khushiyon se bhar degi... par beta... manzil abhi duuuuuur hai...

Diwali morning.. Anubhav came back from morning workout and Nanu was waiting for him...

Nanu: anubhav tu aa gaya jogging se.. chal achchha hua..jaldi se taiyar hokar aaja

Anubhav: Good morning Nanu.. but itni subah taiyar hokar jaan kahaan he.. Aaj to chhutti bhi hai...

Nanu: Barkhurdar..aaj chhutti hi nahi.. Diwali bhi hai.. aur hum Mandir ja rahe hai..

Anubhav: Mandir?? Par Nanu main Mandir nahi jaata... yaad bhi nahi ki pichhali baar kab gaya hounga..

Nanu: Are isiliye to kah raha hun..chal mere saath.. Bhagwan se aashirwaad bhi le lena..

Anubhav: Par mere liye to aapka aashirwaad hi bahut hai... mujhe aur kuchh nahi chahiye..

Nanu got emotional and hug him... Beta par mere saath to chal sakta hai na... kya pata aaj tujhe bhi kuchh special prasad mil jaaye...

Anubhav: Ok Nanu.. aap ke liye kuchh bhi.. main abhi taiyar hokar aaya..

On the other side.. Naina comes to temple murmuring : Uff late ho gayi aaj to... aur banaao prasad apane haathon se.. Chachiji kah bhi rahi thi ki mandir se prasad kharid lena par nahi tujhe to har baat mein kuchh alag karna hota hai na.. chal bhaag nahi to aarti khatam ho jayegi.....

Climbing stairs with Nanu..a soothing feeling took over his heart... As if somehow his wishes should be granted..as if he would meet his Haseena..to whom he is missing terribly due to holidays... Inside temple.. Anubhav very affectionately seeing the Rama Sita Idol... Aarti starts and here Haseena comes inside... A wind just passed away through Anubhav indicating " Voh aas paas hi hai..."