Ranjish | 𝒊𝒔𝒉𝒓𝒂𝒋

XVIII. first meet & last

vanraj :

"Arrey yaar yeh Garba mat karwao mujhse. Pasand nehi hai!", I heard my 20 year old self as I was dragged into the garba ground by my friends.

"Gujrati hokar garba nehi karega toh kaise chalega?", One of my friends said grinning as I was pulled into the dance.
With all due respect, dance had never been an art form of my liking.
At least not when I had to do it.

"Yaar..", I sighed standing awkwardly.
Ahmedabad's biggest garba ground was packed with people.
Very often even tourists came here to join in.

"Bhaisahab?", I heard a voice from behind.
It was a man. Probably older than me.
"Woh idhar paani ka koi intezaam hai?", He asked.
He looked like he was from some other place, I had never seen him before.

"Haa aaiye.. mai dikha deta hu.", I said as he followed me.
"Aap yehi ke hai?", He asked.
"Ji ha.. aur aap?", I asked walking through the crowd.
"Mai Mumbai se. Yahan bas Navratri ke liye aaya tha.. hum waise Marathi hai, lekin socha dusre cultures se bhi introduce hona chahiye. Exposure is always good, you know.", He said.

I forced a smile.
The man seemed educated.

"Bohot padhe likhe lagte hai aap toh.", I said as I showed him the free water stall.
"Abhi bas PhD start karne wala hu.", He said smiling.
"PhD? Arrey baapre..", I said rather impressed.

My life's agenda was only to earn, and my education was only enough to fulfill that part.

"Meri girlfriend bhi.."
"Aapki girlfriend bhi hai?"
"Haa..", He said when we heard a feminine voice from the crowd.

"Shantanu!"

"Oh.. that's her.", He said urgently as he picked up a plastic glass filled with water.
"Darte hai aap apni prenika se?", I asked amused.

"Darr nehi hai.. pyaar hai.", He said grinning.
I definitely did not get the concept.

His phone buzzed in his pocket.
"Arrey.."
I volunteered to hold the glass.
"Important hai.. aap thoda sa yeh meri girlfriend ko de denge. She's wearing a maroon ghagra. Isha naam hai."

I nodded as he immediately picked the call.
I gulped turning towards the vast crowd.

"Thank you..", He said in a whisper as he dragged the 'you' awkwardly realising he didn't know my name.
"Vanraj."
"Thank you Vanraj. Please uska khyal rakhna meri absence mein.", He said warmly.

I smiled with a nod as I headed into the crowd.

I found a woman in maroon ghagra.

"Isha?", I asked awkwardly.
She immediately turned to look at me.
She took the glass from me.

"Shantanu kaha hai?"
"Unko koi important call aa gaya.", I said, as Isha sipped on the water, not really noticing me.

I stared at her, taken aback.
A woman doing her PhD, yet looking no different than all those women my mother had been looking for me.
I stared at her, taken slightly aback.
She had an unmistakable aura of power and authority.