'Happy Holi, Ms. Singh'
Karishma smiled at the message and quickly started typing a response.
'Aapko bhi holi ki shubhkamnaye. Kya aapka aaj avkaash hai?'
She looked away from the phone to once again guide the arrangements for the holi celebration being organized in their village.
On the other side, Haseena was leaning against the police jeep's bonnet, with two very colorful young men crouching in front of her, hands looping from behind their knees to hold their ears.
"Humne suna nahi, wapas dohrao!" Haseena glared while Cheetah stood upon them, swirling his baton in a menacing stance.
"Hum kisi par unki consent ke bina balloons nhi giraenge!" The duo chorused with a whimper and Haseena sighed. These two had attacked an unsuspecting man going for a meeting with a barrage of water balloons that too, near his face.
She gestured Cheetah to let the two leave, and as they scurried away, she climbed into the jeep while Cheetah took the driver's seat.
Haseena glanced at her phone as it beeped and smiled slightly seeing the photo of the holi decor and preparations, Karishma had sent.
'Ji, hamara off aaj nahi, kal hai. Abhi hum round par hain taaki holi ki aad main koi durghatna naa ho jaae'.
Karishma nodded as villagers started coming over to her and applied color on her cheek or did a teeka on her forehead. She, therefore, excused herself and messaged Haseena back.
'Ji, hum sune toh hain policewalon ki holi ke charche. Kafi acha hota hoga?'
Haseena's jeep by that time had halted outside of a residential area whose case she had solved in the not-so-distant past. The woman there clamored to color Haseena and after profuse requests, managed to put a teeka on Haseena's forehead who chuckled seeing Cheetah's multicolored face owing to the children's mischief.
While Cheeta entered a house to scrub his face clean in a bid to keep an on-duty officer's decorum, Haseena hesitatingly accepted a rasgulla and clicking its picture, sent it to Karishma.
'Function toh kaafi acha hota hai lekin humein holi main itna interest nahi hain toh hum usually attend nahi karte. Aur iss baar vese bhi kafi waqt se humein chutti nahi mili, toh kal hum sirf aaram karenge'.
'Lekin agar aap chahein toh-
Haseena stopped, shook her head and deleted the message. What are you doing inviting her over? She won't come, Haseena. No one ever does.
Karishma, in this moment was conversing with other people over glass of thandai while her fingers moved on her phone's screen.
'Agar aap chahein toh hum aap-
She ceased and deleted the message. Woh kal aaram karna chahti hain aur tumko lagta hai ki unko tumhara unse milne jaana pasand aaega?! Topa kahinki!
'Yeh toh bahot badhiya baat hai. Abhi hum aapko aur pareshan nahi karte hain'.
Haseena's eyes dulled at the message, but she nodded and quietly pocketed her phone, once again fixing her eyes on the road.
Next day
Lying in the bed on her stomach, Haseena was watching a series when the doorbell of her house was rung and confused, she opened the door, only to get pleasantly surprised.
"Aap sab?"
"Happy Holi, maddam sir!" The MPT trio, Iqbal and Badnaam chimed.
"Aap sab ko bhi happy holi. Andar aayiye please", she moved to the side while they all walked in but kept on standing.
"Humne socha ki aap nahi aayi toh kya hua, hum log aa jate hain!" Santosh chimed in while Cheetah ended up lost in her beauty.
"Ji, toh thoda sa rang laga le hum?" Pushpa ji added and Haseena nodded with a hearty smile.
"Of course, Pushpa ji. You don't have to ask".
Following that, everyone applied colors to Haseena and she returned the gesture.
"Bethiye toh sahi aap sab?"
"Nahi maddam sir, abhi na humein chalna chahiye. Wahan DSP sir bhi aaye hain", Cheetah replied and all of them started to move out.
"Arre cheeteh, madam ko woh toh de de!" Santosh interrupted suddenly and Cheetah also recalled what he had forgotten.
Quickly rushing out towards the jeep, he returned few minutes later with a wrapped basket and forwarded it to Haseena.
"Lekin hum toh aapke liye-
Haseena was about to wallow in her despair of being the worst senior ever when Pushpa ji clicked her tongue.
"Nahi, nahi maddam sir, ye hum nahi laaye hain. Yeh toh thaane main mila humein, aur ispar aapka naam tha toh hum le aaye".
"Kuch din pehle bhi madam ke liye ek fruit basket aaya tha. Maddam sir, you have an admirer, right?" Santosh remarked casually while Haseena inspected the chit with her name and was instantly able to recognize that beautiful cursive.
"This is from a friend, Santosh". She smiled and soon bid adieu to her guests.
Once alone, she unwrapped the basket, to find it filled with Gujiya, a packet of gulal and ashes of some sort. Buried underneath it all was a letter, which she unfurled with haste.
'Hamari mitrata ke baad ye pehla tyohar hai toh humne socha ki mithai toh banti hai. Ye gujiya hamari vidya kaki ne banaya hai. Bahot hi swaad banati hain wo mishthan. Aur ye holika dahan ka raakh hai, hamare yahan isse shubh maana jata hai.
Antt main, aapko holi ki dheron shubhkamnaye, Inspector Sahiba'.
Haseena felt her eyes cloud with unshed tears and chuckled as she bit onto a gujiya and carefully folded Karishma's letter.
She then cut the packet of gulal and poured it all into a plate.
Other side, Karishma received a message while she was riding her bike. And bringing it to a stop, she retrieved her phone from her pocket and smiled in satisfaction.
It was a message from Haseena.
'Thank you'
Carved in a plate full of gulal, with her fingers.
And accompanying it, was a half-eaten gujiya.
"Well done, Karishma!"
Patting her shoulders, she then started her bike and rode off.
YOU ARE READING
Teri Lakeerein
FanfictionTu haathon main toh hai mere, Hai kyun nahi lakeeron main... Ye kesa tera ishq hai... Saajna... ~~~~~~~~ SHO Haseena Malik, the famous good cop of Lucknow, has it all. She is revered by many, and in turn, she reveres her country, her duty. And then...
