Kishtwar, Jammu & Kashmir
Teja is bouncing.
All the 800 kms travelling out of which 500 by air and the remaining through the contours had nothing on her while all others laid tired.
The mountain journey is exhausting.
Finally, she saw their car reaching the greenish plain lands with colorful cement houses, huts & horses. Their village.
She could see the sun slowly rising as it's rays are clashing against the hills surrounding their place.
A few turns later, amidst the green lands, on the right side of the black soil road, she saw what she has been waiting for months...her Dadu's home.
Constructed in a quarter acre, it is a large three storeyed complete stone construction with red gable roofs & a larger plain soily front yard.
Their mawali is watering the land when he saw two cars approaching them from the short compound wall & he instantly realised who are they when he saw Teja waving at him through the car window with a wide smile.
"Waliiii. ", she shouted putting her face out of the window, "Gates kholooo"
Dropping the pipe aside, he ran to open the gates with the same excitement.
While one car trudged inside the gates, the other continued its journey to it's destination which is a few houses away.
Even before the engine is turned off, Teja got down the car, "Ahha"
Rounding herself, she took a glimpse around the raw hills & green lands. It's just beautiful.
"Kiishtwarrr I am hereee", singing she ran inside the haveli.
"Bunny take your bags", her mother chided at her running self but she's in no mood to listen when the mawali helped her with the luggage while exchanging their greetings.
Geetha sighed seeing her home.It is not just her people inside there but the place where she was born, brought up, studied, married & moved.
She smiled feeling warm when she saw the Tulasi plant residing calmly in the open area. Her mother planted it when she was a child while it lasted, she didn't. Geetha lost her parents years ago during their Kedarnath trip but Vijay's parents who are also her own uncle and aunt never made her miss them. She was their child from the beginning.
Geetha felt a bit emotional but composed when her daughter woke up the whole family with her shrieks.
She first need to stop her from waking up their whole town.
Vijay has a younger brother, who lives with their parents in Kashmir, taking care of the fields & his elder sister, with her family lives just away from them.
It's a close knit clan where Teja is the only girl child making her the 'darling'. Her visit will be nothing less than a celebration to them.
The day spent as Teja soaks in all the affection of her dear family along with the delicacies.
Heartful & stomach ful, she walks her way to Nandu's home at evening.
Nandu's home is similar to her's but a lot smaller, also their front yard & back yard is full of plants & creepers unlike her's.
Lalitha's mother likes it that way. Being only two of them, she spends her time taking care of the vegetables and fruits.
Getting inside, she sees Lalitha's father,Sekhar, sitting in the patio, "Nansa"
Sekhar smiles looking at the bouncing girl, "Ha ha ab yaad aaya mein"
She hugs him in the chair itself & gives his hand a a good kiss, "Kya Karu? Apka friend mujhe Jane hi nai Diya hein. Bol raha tha ki waha kya hein? Ek toota hua hath ke alawa."
And he frowned, "Aisa bola?"
Sekhar has a limb cut recently while cutting the log and his friend Mahendra leaves no chance to tease him.
"Ha.Meine bola Nanca fir bhi strong hein aur mein yaha aayi apkeliye", she butters him making him melt when she feels a tap on her head.
"Chal jhooti", Nandu comes there, freshened up & taking a nice nap.
Teja frowns soothing her head while her friend continues, 'Aap iski baatein bilkul math mano. Dadu aisa kabhi nai boltha'
"Oho. Tujhe kuch nai pata. Haina Nanca?"
"Exactly thumhe kuch nai pata uss cheni insan ke bare mein", her grandfather turns against her siding with Teja making her sigh & her friend chuckle.
Teja's grandfather is diabetic, hence the name.
Teja asks looking around,"Waise Nancy kaha hein?"
"Kitchen mein. Apne poti pote keliye kuch bana rahi hein"
"Sirf unke liye? Mereliye nai.", huffing she leaves to meet Lalitha's mother, Chaya.
The evening is spent with Chaya and it is night. Teja got ready to leave when Sekhar stopped her,
"Adi usko chodke aa.", he asked Adhvik to drop Teja home as it's already dark & is not not good to send her alone.
Adhvik once glances at Teja who's surprised & about to deny. Before she does that, he nods to his grand pa & walks afront making her follow him.
Wishing night, she follows him to the front yard where he's taking out the car fob,
"200 metres keliye Car lene ki jarurat nai",she says without looking at him & he halts.
She descends the patio steps & walks straight towards the gates ignoring him, making him look at her sharply.
Putting back the fob in his pocket, he paces to her who already passed tha gates & on the soily path.
It's chilling but she has her thick sweat shirt on & also she's used to zero degree weather as they are living in Dehradun for quite a while.
But that's not the case with Adhvik. For a warm and protected man like him, the wind seemed too cold & rough and his single tee seemed useless.
He was trying hard to maintain his warmth when Teja snickers understanding his condition.
He deserves it, she thought.
She enjoyed seeing him fighting with cold thoroughly, through out their stroll & when they are at her gates, she casually gets inside without a word.
"Suno...", he calls her unable to bear the weather & she halts without turning to him.
"Go and bring someone's sweat shirt. I will return it tomorrow"
Smirking, she faces him & says,
"Deserve & Desire"
And she jogs inside leaving him to the harsh winds.
Picture tho abhi baki hai mera dosth...
