Naina and Sameer stood before the door embellished with iris and geranium and buttercups flower hangings. "Welcome Home" was written with petals of colorful tulips, and Shivangi ahead came with important things.
She brought the brass thaal containing all auspicious threads, kumkum, and rice grains.
"Aai nahi karegi aarti?" Naina asked her sister-in-law with a perplexed face.
"Main kaise aarti kar sakti hoon beta? Main vidhwa hu." Savitri said in a meek tone while thinning her lips.
"Toh? Rasma ke hisab se toh aapko humari aarti karni chahiye hai." Naina replied, giving a gentle smile.
"Par beta yeh abshagun hoga, please zid mat karo. Tum donon apni nayi zindagi ki shuruaat karne wale ho. Aise me agar ek vidhwa aurat tumhari aarti karein toh acha nahi hoga." Savitri explained to her obstinate daughter-in-law with a brooding expression, and Naina let out a deep breath, shaking her head in disbelief.
"Heights of being superstitious," Naina muttered disappointedly under her breath but was instantly calmed down when her husband grasped her hand, gesturing to her to not overanalyze things and be happy.
Shivangi rotates the plate in front of the newly wedded bride and groom, pressing a soft smile on her dusky-toned face, and puts a wet kumkum adorned with teeny-weeny particles of rice on their foreheads. She threw petals of flowers on their heads and then knelt to place the brass kalash on the doorstep. Naina nervously fisted the pleats of her saree while raising her right foot, and Sameer intertwined his fingers with her soft ones to make her feel that she was protected from his side.
Naina pressed her lips tighter and gently kicked the kalash filled with rice, her long-held breath finally escaping her mouth. Claps resonated in the vicinity when the clumsy girl followed the first ritual without making any blunder, later Shivangi placed a vintage gold-toned plate on the floor, floating with red water. Naina carefully rested her milky bare feet inside the round dish and took a baby step ahead while holding onto her husband's hand tightly. Her heartbeats were speedily scurrying to make her pulse rates drop down, and her dewy eyes were focused on the given task. She walked gingerly on the pure white cloth, leaving back her footprints which signified the beautiful welcome of Lakshmi Maa at their house. Sameer didn't leave her palm even for a millisecond, assuring his woman that from now on it is his responsibility to be her safe side at every difficult stage of her life.
Naina couldn't believe she rightfully and delightfully finished the rasam of Grihapravesh at his home and obtained the lifetime key of holding every responsibility and duty as a daughter-in-law of this Ghar from this very moment.
She noticed mostly everyone there was recording the grihapravesh scenes on their phones and her heart was content with the image of hers being known as Raut's family bahu.
Sameer calmly glanced at his wife, his smile widening when he thought how since day one of their relationship he sincerely dreamt of bringing Naina to his home, not as his girlfriend but as his wife and his mother's daughter-in-law. He imagined various cliche moments to take place during her Graha Pravesh ceremony, but nothing sort of them happened, dragging him out of the imaginative world. He smiled to himself while pressing his lower lip under his teeth, wondering how stupid he was to think that Naina would accidentally fall into his arms while kicking away the kalash, or perhaps her saree would get stuck on his watch when she would take a step ahead. He too had become another version of those dreamy people who make Khayali Pulaav in their minds.
But yet he was satisfied that now nothing could draw her apart from him.
He was legally her husband and she was legally his wife. They can officially and pridefully live under the same roof as a partner without any fear and guilt of lying to her family.
