Bade Acche Lagte Hain | MaNan

A Control Freak?

Surprise :)

1st January, 1996.

It was a new day with a sunny morning for the residents of Lucknow, the cool wind substantiating the dominance of the winters.

The Malhotras welcomed the new year with gratitude and hope for a better day and a promising year.
Followed since years while living with the Virani's, the practice of visiting Gurudwara on the very first morning of the New Year's has become a ritual for Malhotras as well. With Nandini, the habits were kindred as she visited Bangla Sahib Gurudwara in her hometown every Sunday, regularly. She rejoiced in serving food during langar or doing Jalseva in Gurudwara since her childhood.

The Malhotra men weren't very strong devotees, like Nandini, however they never questioned anything Parvati asked them to do. The only habit Manik zealously followed was visiting Vaishno Devi every year in January since he had started his own buisness. His mother was a staunch believer of Goddess Adi-Shakti and had pledged to visit the holy place once her business would run smoothly but fate had planned something else for her. She couldn't fulfill her oath but Manik believed in his mother's beliefs.

What started as a silent wish to fulfill Kasturi's promise became his own wont, a practice he didn't want to part ways with. He was enchanted by the ethereal sanctity of that shrine. Perhaps, he felt closer to his mother. He knew it was his illusion but he didn't care. The feeling was unworldly and priceless. This time, he was eagerly looking forward to go to the pilgrimage with his wife. The connection would only grow deeper.

Collecting the clean and neatly chopped mutton, Manik walked back to his scooter and hanged the polybag on the hook, the sunrays stroking the layers of his brown hair making them shine beautifully.

Harish, Madhu's husband and the Virani's were coming for dinner tonight. It was always the latter hosting dinners on occasions and festivals but this time, Prakash had requested Nandini to do it. Harish was their son-in-law and when they finally had the woman in the house, it was Nandini's responsibility which she gladly accepted. It was nothing new for her.

Kick starting his scooter, he drove through the lanes towards his home with a small smile on his face. The streets were hustling with vendors strolling to sell their items advertising with their signature voices and style and women putting out clothes in the balcony or terrace under the sun high up in the sky. Men sat in groups, playing cards and talking about politics while the children were living the best days of their life, playing in the mud with no worries of tomorrow, some flocked around a man selling colourful candies and peanuts. There's nothing that crossed their mind other than eating, playing, sleeping and waking up next day to repeat the same cycle.

The broad smiles on their faces reflected on Manik's as well, re-living his own golden days. Those were supposedly the days when shoulders weren't hunched and burdened with responsibilities rather carefree laughter flowed through. Those days when he was a five year old kid. He sighed blissfully.

As he entered the lane near his house, the sunrays were dwindling and his smile gradually reduced to restlessness as the cold wind slapped his cheeks. It levelled the cold feeling rising in his heart. The incident during today's breakfast had shook him up, adding to his nerves and brewing his worries for Shivansh. The boy had spoken rudely to Nandini, blowing her small mistake out of proportion. It was completely out of his nature. Stumbling near the edge of the carpet in the living room, Nandini had happened to spill few drops of hot tea on Madhu's hand from the cup before she could balance herself. It was an honest mistake but Shivansh's aggressive reaction baffled everyone. It was Nandini's maturity and compassion that she could see the fear behind Shivansh's anger.