Yato hastah tato drishṭih|
Yato drishṭih tato manah|
Yato manah tato bāvah|
Yato bāvah tato rasah|
"Where the hands go, the eyes follow;
Where the eyes go, the mind follows;
Where the mind is, there goes the expression;
Where the expression is, ther...
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•••
Rishi laughed cunningly, slapping his thigh in humor as he saw a pleading Chandni being forced onto the centre of the stage.
Chandni fell down, hunching forward with her hands on the floor. Trembling with anger, resentment, betrayal and hurt, her head lifted up and she sent a scathing look around.
A student who was playing Duryodhana sat on a stage-prop cockily, met Chandni's eyes and patting her own thigh with a suggestive smirk.
Aisha haughtily gestured Chandni to get up, but she didn't comply and kept the look of disgust and anger on her face at the student's perverse suggestion.
Arrogantly, Aisha's hand shot out and hovered as a fist behind Chandni's head and following its movement, the latter got up with pain written on her face.
Chandni stumbled forward when Aisha's hands shoved the air behind the former's head and suddenly a cruel smile took over the latter's face.
Stepping forward in a masculine way, Aisha rounded Chandni who was sending something between a glare and a plea at the juniors. Said juniors who were kneeling by the side with their jaws clenched in helpless anger as they faced away from her.
Chandni then prayed. Prayed and prayed and prayed until Duryodhana gestured to start with it, and Aisha's hand fisted in front of Chandni's shoulder, as if grabbing on to her cloth and started pulling.
Chandni grabbed on to the air by her shoulder; Aisha and her in a tug of war with 'the fabric' that Aisha was trying to pull off of Chandni.
Suddenly, Chandni's fist opened with her palms upturned and trembling as Aisha overpowered her, shaking her head in refusal.
Aisha tugged hard and Chandni spun at the supposed force, humiliation, anger and helplessness blooming as she found herself shedding a drop of tear when Aisha kept continuing to pull at her supposed clothing.
Then, the song's beats got faster and right when Chandni's lips parted in a noiseless plea, another junior who played Krishna appeared from the background, bestowing blessings.
A surprised happiness and devotion filled Chandni's face as she gestured as if million kilometers of fabric were winding themselves around her and Aisha's eyes widened, her pace fastening as she pulled and pulled and pulled.
Aisha then stumbled, panting as she showed about the unending fabric that came as she pulled and pulled.
Around Chandni, some of the students acted angry while some acted relieved but everyone acted surprised about the never-ending fabric.
Chandni continued about the oath wherein she promises to not tie her hair unless it's lathered with the Kaurava's blood.
The student who played Bhima and was kneeling with the other juniors, swore to break Duryodhana's thighs and cut off Dushasana's hands that 'molested' Draupadi—played by Chandni—and drink the blood from his chest.
