PAHELI : A MYSTERY

THE FIRST MEET

SOMETIMES OUR NAME RESEMBLES OUR EXISTENCE, AND PAHELI HAD A TALE AS THE REASON FOR HER NAME.

AFTER THEY LEFT KASHI & SAW THEIR HOME BECAME ASH HAD SHAKEND BOTH VANSH'S AND MAHA MIND'S. ACCORDING TO THE CITIZENS, KASHI WAS IMMERSED IN WATER DUE TO THE OMINOUS POWERS OF VIKRAL'S SUCCESSOR AND IT WAS PIERCING VANSH'S HEART. BUT TRUTH WAS SOMETHING ELSE, WHICH WAS STILL UNREVEALED.

PAHELI WAS PEACEFULLY SLEEPING THROUGHOUT THE JOURNEY AND MAHA ALSO FELL ASLEEP. BUT VANSH WAS UNABLE TO CLOSE HIS EYES FOR A SECOND, AS HE KNEW THAT IT WON'T BE AN EASY CHORE FOR THEM TO SURVIVE IN MADHUPUR WITHOUT HELP. SO,THEY WENT TO MAHARAJ; HE WAS ONE AND ONLY RAY OF HOPE FOR THEIR SURVIVAL. MAHARAJ ASKED THEM TO STAY IN HIS OWN ASHRAM, WITH OTHERS. "FEEL FREE TO STAY HERE AND WE WILL BE BLESSED TO HAVE YOU" SAID MAHARAJ BUT INTERNALLY, HE KNEW IT WOULDN'T BE AN EASY TASK TO HANDLE PAHELI'S POWER.
HE ASKED HIS PEOPLE TO SHOW THEM THEIR ROOM AND GIVE THEM A TOUR OF ASHRAM.

VANSH WAS RELIVE FOR A WHILE BUT IT WAS ONLY FOR A SHORT TERM.

"GO FRESHEN UP YOURSELF, I'LL LOOK AFTER THE BABY'' VANSH SAID AND TOOK PAHELI IN HIS ARMS. SHE WAS STILL SLEEPING; BUT A SUDDEN KNOCK ON THE DOOR MADE HER UNCOMFORTABLE, AND SHE STARTED CRYING. VANSH WAS UNABLE TO UNSUNG HER.
SO, HE TOOK HER OUT INTO CORRIDOR TO LET HER GET SOME FRESH AIR. SHE STOPPED CRYING; BUT SOON AS, THE DOGS OF ARSHAM SAW PAHELI THEY BECAME WILD & STARTED BARKING; PAHELI WAS ALSO MATCHING HER TONE WITH THEM AS SHE WAS COMPETING WITH THEM OR TRYING TO OVERCOME THEIR VOICE.

THE LADY WHO KNOCKED THE DOOR FELT SORRY FOR MAKING HER CRY; SHE WAS THERE TO PROVIDE THEM FOODS. "I'M SO SORRY, BUT I THINK SHE WON'T BE ABLE TO SLEEP IN NOISE OR MAY BE SHE MUST BE HUNGRY" SAID THE LADY.

VANSH THOUGHT FOR A WHILE AND THEN LOOKED FOR MAHA THROUGH WINDOWS BUT SHE DIDN'T CAME OUT, HE WAS CONFUSED "WHAT SHOULD HE DO?" AS MAHA WAS STILL TAKING A SHOWER. PAHELI WAS CRYING CONTINUOUSLY AND HER PITCH WAS INCREASING, HER PITCH WAS SO HIGH THAT SUDDENLY ALL THE WINDOWS BRUST OUT. THE NOISE GAINED THE ATTENTION OF BOTH MAHA AND OTHERS TOWARD VANSH AND PAHELI SO, ALL OF THEM RUSHED THERE.

"ARE YOU ALRIGHT? IS EVERYTHING ALL RIGHT? WHAT JUST HAPPENED?" MANY QUESTIONS WERE RAISED IN FRONT OF VANSH. MAHA TOOK PAHELI FROM HIM AND MADE SURE THAT THEY WERE OKAY.

MAHARAJ INTERRUPTED AND CONVINCED EVERY ONE THAT THE WINDOWS WERE OLD SO THEY BURST OUT BECAUSE OF SUDDEN PRESSURE THROUGH WIND. MAHARAJ MADE SURE THAT NO ONE WAS EAVESDROPPING, HE ASKED VANSH ABOUT THE INCIDENT, VANSH WAS NUMB FOR A WHILE. THIS INCIDENT MADE MAHARAJ SURE THAT PAHELI HAD GAINED SOME POWERS OF VIKRAL. VANSH AND MAHA WERE ALSO IN DOUBT.

AS DAYS PASSED PEOPLE WERE GETTING SUSPICIOUS OF PAHELI'S EXISTENCE AS NO ONE WAS ABLE TO TOUCH HER EXCEPT MAHA, VANSH AND MAHARAJ HIMSELF; IF ANY ONE TRIED TO TOUCH HER, THEY GETS SHOCK AND FALL AFAR. NO ONE WAS EVEN ALLOWED TO MAKE ANY SORT OF NOISE DURING THE TIME WHEN SHE FALLS ASLEEP, AS IF SHE WAKES UP, SHE WOULD EITHER BREAKS BRITTLE THINGS WITH HER HIGH PITCH OR THINGS GET LIFTED UP.

DAY BY DAY, VANSH AND MAHA WERE ALSO GETTING TRAUMATIZE; AS THERE CHILD WAS DIFFERENT FROM OTHER CHILDREN IN ASHRAM. THEY WERE CONFUSED THAT HOW A 10-15 DAYS OLD BABY COULD DO SUCH THINGS BUT STILL SHE WAS THEIR ONLY CHILD. SO, THEY WANT TO LIVE PEACEFULLY AWAY FROM BEING SUSPECTED & THEY SEEKED HELP FROM MAHARAJ.

"I WILL ALSO SUGGEST THAT, YOU SHOULD STAY FAR AWAY FROM HERE; AS, THE ENVIRONMENT OF ASHRAM IS GETTING DISTURBED AND IT COULD ALSO BE HARMFUL FOR THE CHILD. MY BROTHER OWN A HOUSE NEAR KULLU IN MID VALLEY. JUST GO THERE AND START A NEW LIFE, AND I'LL PROVIDE ALL SORT OF HELP" MAHARAJ ADDED.

BEFORE THEY LEFT ASHRAM;

MAHARAJ MADE THEM TO SIT IN A PUJA WITH THEIR NEWBORN BEFORE, LEAVING FOR THEIR NEW HOME.

A TWO YEAR OLD, RAJVEER RAN TOWARDS HER INNOCENTLY AND WANTS TO PLAY WITH HER SO, HE TOUCHED HER. BEFORE ANYONE COULD STOP HIM, HE WAS HOLDING HER HAND AND IT WAS THE FIRST TIME PAHELI SMILED AND SOMEONE OTHER THAN HER PARENTS OR MAHARAJ HAD TOUCHED HER. HE WAS THE ONLY SON OF VIJAY SEHGAL, BROTHER OF MAHARAJ; WHO WAS THERE WITH HIS FATHER TO MEET HIS UNCLE.

EVERYONE WERE MESMERISED, AS SHE SMILED A KADAM TREE LEAF FALL ON HER AND THE TREE SUDDENLY BLOOMED WITH BEAUTIFUL FLOWERS, WHICH HAD BEING DIEING FOR YEARS.

IT WAS THE MOMENT MAHARAJ LOOKED TOWARDS HER AND SAID "PAHELI ''.

NOW THE WORLD WILL KNOW YOU WITH THE NAME "PAHELI" HE ADDED.

VANSH WANTED TO KEEP PAHELI'S MYSTERIOUS BEHAVIOR A SECRET FROM THE WORLD. SO, MAHARAJ TIED A RAKSHA SUTRA ON PAHELI'S HAND, WHICH WAS INVISIBLE THROUGH NAKED EYES. IT WILL CONTROL HER POWER, AND ALSO LET OTHERS TO COME IN CONTACT WITH HER.

AGAIN, THEY TOOK DEPARTURE FROM ASHRAM; BUT THIS TIME THE SITUATION WAS TOTALLY DIFFERENT EVERYONE WAS CRYING AND RAJVEER DIDN'T WANT TO LEAVE HER, SO AS PAHELI WAS.

AT LAST MAHARAJ SAID THAT "SHE CARRIES BOTH POSITIVITY AND NEGATIVITY, HER ENVIRONMENT WILL ACTIVATE THEM. SO, MAKE SURE SHE CHOOSES GOOD PATH. AND YOU HAVE TO GIVE ME EVERY BIT OF INFORMATION". AND FOR HIS NIECES SAKE HE ALSO ASKED THEM TO VISIT EVERY MONTH.

BUT, IT WAS NOT THE GOODBYE FOR BOTH RAJVEER AND PAHELI AS, DESTINY HAVE SOME OTHER PLAN...