SwaSan FanFic (TOL)

CHAPTER 1

It was a humid day in Kolkata. Everyone was waiting for the sky to break out and drench them with showers. July was usually a sultry and sticky month in the eastern city of India. The air was still and heavy. Families living in this particular Baadi felt more comfortable than others because the area in this Baadi was spacious and the courtyard at the center brought relief from oppressive heat.

It is in this courtyard that Swara was sitting on the steps and strumming her guitar. There was a program at the community hall and she was supposed to play the guitar with the vocalists for a concert. She informed Ragini about the concert and she had hoped that Ragini would join her with violin. But her half sister was too steeped into the domestic duties of Maheshwari family to take time out for such activities. Her half sister Ragini had married into Maheshwari family fifteen days back to Laksh Maheshwari after lot of drama and furore. Now, finally there was peace at home.

It was mid afternoon when the postman delivered a letter to her. The print on the envelope showed the name of one of the media houses that she had applied to for a trainee induction. Swara wanted to be a journalist and her inquisitive, sharp mind encouraged her to pursue it further. She passed out with distinction and at one of the campus orientation programs, the organizers had asked her to apply for trainee internship at one of the media corporations. So she applied to many companies and awaited their response. The envelope that the postman deposited on her was from SM24 News Corporation Ltd. It was one of the leading Media houses that owned news/entertainment channels, newspapers and magazines. Swara had attended an interview in this company last week.

With quickening heartbeat, she opened the envelope and took out the single sheet.
There it was.....

Swara could not believe her eyes.They had accepted her application and offered her training for six months.The letter said that she would be offered a job at the end of her training provided the organisation was satisfied with her stint as trainee. Swara read it again.Oh god! She rushed into her house and called up her mother who was still working at a jeweller shop. Her mother was overjoyed and informed her father about it.

Shekhar Gadodia came home immediately with a huge bag of sweets and distributed the sweets to everyone in the Baadi. He proudly announced to one and all that his daughter was now a journalist. Swara was little embarrassed with his enthusiasm but dadi, dida and later her mother also encouraged him so Swara just accepted everyone's wishes. Swara did not expect her newly acquired father to be so thrilled for her. She always thought that Ragini was the apple of his eyes. She still was, but Swara was happy to see him being proud of her. Dadi invited Swara and dida for dinner that evening.

Swara lived with her dida while her mother moved into Gadodia's house after she married Shekhar Gadodia. This arrangement suited everyone because her mother was just a call away. Also, Swara could not imagine herself living with a control freak like her dadi. Another reason was, Swara did not want to leave her dear dida alone. They had the best of fun at home.
That evening, Laksh and Ragini dropped by at Gadodias to congratulate her. Her father informed Ragini about it and they came by, to wish her. While they were having dinner at her parents' house, Swara noticed that Ragini and Laksh seemed to share a comfortable camaraderie. She was glad that Laksh and Ragini had buried their discord and settled into a marital life.The topics at the dinner table ranged from her mother's workplace to Maheshwari family business. Suddenly, dida and dadi who had shared a love/ hate relationship since their childhood started arguing about a function that happened during Laksh and Ragini's wedding.
Hearing about that eventful day, Swara tensed and tried to stop her mind from wandering into dangerous territory. She did not want to remember that day because it brought back memories of an arrogant, brooding and cold Sanskar Maheshwari who detested her.She jerked her mind back to the present and headed to the kitchen to calm her nerves.There, she drank a glass of water and steadied her trembling body. She hated him but she never forgave herself for those hateful moments.

'Shona', her mother's call pulled her back to the present. She returned to the dining table and found out that Ragini had gone to the neighbour's house. Swara was asked to bring the photo album of the wedding from dida's house. She went to the house and took out the album. While she was leafing through the sheets, someone knocked on the door and she turned back to see that it was Laksh

'Hi Swara'

'Hi...'

'So Congratulations are in order, when are you starting this training?' Laksh asked, stepping into the house.

'Thanks. I have to meet them tomorrow and the training will start from Monday' she let him know excitedly.

He slowly walked in and stopped in front of her 'Mm.... it will be a new surrounding and set up. You will take care, won't you?' he asked.

Swara looked at him sharply then and what she found in his eyes worried her. They reflected his longing, pain and love. Swara was perturbed. She thought he had gotten over her but his eyes spoke a different story. When she was about to reply, the look in his eyes vanished behind a smile. He shook her hands and walked out without giving her a chance to question his feelings.

Swara stared after him anxiously.

....

Sanskar brought the yacht back to anchor. The curving bay of the city of Hong Kong shone with tall skyscrapers reflecting the sunlight. Sailing and surfing were his favourite hobbies and he moored his favourite Yacht 'Karma' here in Hong Kong. One of his head offices looking after the East Asian region was situated here and he visited the office quite often. He arrived here two days back and after winding up his meetings, he came down to the harbour this morning. The weather was perfect for sailing. So he was in the sea since morning but it was time to get back to land. There was nothing in the world to match the feeling of elation that he got when he whipped through the wind in the sea and the powerful waves lashed at him. His mother often told him that he must have been a fish or whale in his last birth for him to love sea so much. He often flew to Mumbai to go sailing. His smaller yacht was anchored there but his favourite Yacht 'Karma' which he gifted himself on his 25th birthday was moored here in Hong Kong. He spent two months of the year sailing and surfing in his yacht. Now as he entered the Yacht club House to change,his assistant called him up to remind him that he had to leave for the Airport to take his flight back to Kolkata. Sanskar cursed himself for being so late and hurriedly washed, changed and exited the club for airport.

He was unaware of several feminine eyes following him appreciatively.