Bairi Sanam: The hate of a lover

Chapter XXXII: Suhaagan

Tejasvin

Putting her veil down, she sat at the mandap while I stood in a corner. I just watched her for some time to my heart's content but then the thought of her getting married to someone else resurfaced. I walked away from there and as I was walking, I heard few men talking and laughing. I moved my head in the direction of it and found Chetan sitting at a table and drinking with other men at some distance from me.

"Why did you even agree to marry her? That Tejasvin slapped you because of her and you willingly agreed to marry her?" One of them said chugging down his drink.

"That's why I'm marrying her," he said gulping his drink. "I was humiliated in front of everyone because of her and now by marrying her I'll humiliate her every day and then leave her on the streets to die. No one would accept her after that, even his own family won't. Who would even like to keep such a disgrace in their house?" He said pouring another drink into his glass.

My rage knew no bounds listening to his malicious intent. I took huge steps towards him and held him from the collar of his sherwani that he didn't deserve to wear today. The glass he was holding fell from his hand with my sudden action and everyone else moved away in fear.

"I knew I shouldn't have given you a chance," I bellowed throwing a punch on his face.

"Sar-sa—"

I threw another punch and he fell on the table crashing onto the glasses and breaking them. Lifting him up again, I kicked him hard, and he threw up blood. I held his collars tightly looking gravely into his eyes that were lacking any shame. Everyone else held me from behind pulling me away from him but I jerked them off. I punched him again and he landed on the ground. I hovered over him and kept beating him until all the men held my arms to stop me. I pushed them off and cleaning off my sweat I got up. 

"Don't you dare come to the mandap," I warned him and began walking away when I heard him laugh. It made me halt on my steps and I turned around to look at him who was still laughing hysterically.

"I won't but no one will marry her if baraat returns today," he spoke between his laughter. "She is already ruined enough and if the wedding doesn't happen then no one will accept her after this."

I fisted my hands in anger as whatever he said was true. If the wedding doesn't happen, then Ketaki would have to face more humiliation from the entire village which would just add to her agony.

I don't know what came to my mind, but my feet turned in the direction of the wedding pavilion where she was sitting with her head lowered. I felt everyone's eyes on me as I abruptly sat where the groom was supposed to sit. Everyone gasped out loud.

Ketaki

I felt someone sit next to me and I thought it was Chetan but soon heard everyone break into gossips.

"What is he doing there at the place of the groom?" I heard a woman that made me lift my head up. I looked through my veil only to find him sitting next to me and I quickly lifted my veil up.

"Sahib what are your doing here? Where's Chetan?" I asked and my heart began to race in anxiety. I kept looking at the side of his face while he kept looking straight without saying anything.

"I'm asking you something. Where's Chetan? Please sahib, this is not the time to annoy me please," I pleaded as my eyes collected tears, yet he didn't answer. I pulled on his arm harshly that finally made him look at me.

"SAHIB," I yelled, and his eyes turned red in anger.

"Panditji mantra shuru karein," he said looking dead in my eyes.

(Begin with the scared chants priest.)

"Sahib what is all this? Why aren't you answering me?" I asked and he turned his head away from me. My heart was pounding in my chest, and I had no idea what was going on. Few tears leaked out of my eyes as I tried to wrap my head around whatever was happening. Panditji kept chanting and adding ghee to the scared fire that was burning in front of my eyes. He added more ghee that made the flames erupt suddenly and I screamed looking at it.

"Ahh," I yelled, and I hid my face in his chest getting all scared. He wrapped his hands around me that gave me some comfort and I began sobbing impromptu holding onto his sherwani. Everything was happening so quickly that I couldn't help but cry out.

"Panditji stop adding ghee to it. She's scared of fire," he commanded in an angry tone, and I cried more still hiding my face in his chest.

"Why are you doing this sahib?" I said between my sobs against his chest, and he still refused to answer me.

"Ab var vadhu pheron ke liye khade ho jaye," I heard panitji say but I didn't move from my place.

(Now the bride and groom stand up for the nuptial rounds.)

When I didn't move for some time, I felt him gripping my arms tightly and he made me stand up. I kept resisting and pushing him away, but he held my arms so tight that all I could do was wiggle in his hold.

"Sahib leave me," I kept trying to push him away but he didn't budge from his place.

"Ketaki," he said softly as I kept resisting.

"Ketaki," he said few times and when I didn't stop, he yelled making my heart stop.

"KETAKI," he yelled tightening his hold around my arms that made me stop moving.

How could I forget all the emotions that I have experienced with him all this while but how can I also forget that he is the son of Rajwant whom I had to beg to save my parents. He would never accept me as his daughter in law and I would never be able to live in the same house as him.

I turned my head in the direction of the crowd trying to find chacha ji somewhere and saw him standing at some distance quietly.

"Chacha ji," I yelled. "Chacha ji stop him please. Look what he's doing," I screamed shedding tears but he lowered his head not saying anything.

"Chach—" my voice broke when he refused to look back at me and I looked at other people who didn't utter a word.

"Someone please stop him," I screamed at the crowd of guests, but everyone held onto their silence and no one dared to say a word to him.

My eyes moved back to him, and he slid his hand down from my arm to my hand and held it tightly. He began pulling me behind him as he moved around the fire. I pulled on his hand and shook it off with a jerk that made him stop and turn around to look at me.

"KETAKI VYAAS," he yelled but I refused to feel scared.

"TEJASVIN DHYUTIDHARA," I yelled back, and he neared me erasing any distance between us. Before I could decipher what he was thinking, he picked me up in his arms.

"You can't do this," I said crying out loud, but he began taking circles around the fire holding me in his arms. I kept looking at his face that was laced with anger and I couldn't understand what this anger was all about. Did he still hate me that much that he couldn't help but humiliate me like this in front of everyone? I really thought we were past that hate but maybe I was wrong.

I could hear the sacred chants and the crackling of fire while I kept my gaze fixated on him. We were taking the seventh round around the fire and a tear escaped my eyes.

"I will never forgive you this," I said as we completed the last phera. Coming to a halt, he put me down and made me sit down by pulling on my arm. A lady brought a platter that had vermillion and nuptial chain placed on it. She forwarded it towards him, and he picked the mangalsutra up from the plate.

Looking sharply in my eyes he tied it around my neck. Taking a pinch of sindoor, he filled my partition, and I closed my eyes as soon as that auspicious powder touched my maang.

"Shaadi sampann hui," panditji spoke.

(The wedding is complete.)