Once Upon a University Campus

Fragrance of Mehndi

The bride's party was behind schedule when they reached the lawns of Oberoi Mansion for the Mehndi ceremony. Unlike the Sangeet, Mehndi was just an extended family affair. Mrs Phatak and Mrs Hiremath chaperoned Annika. Gauri and Sumo had reached the venue earlier. Annika remembered Sumo mentioning something special for the evening. Gauri had snickered without revealing much. Annika lost in her dissection of the job interview did not dwell on it much. The upcoming interview at the Center For Advanced Studies also bothered her though she was convinced that it was going to be a cakewalk, after all she was the best candidate for the position.

The costume of the day was a relatively simple yellow chiffon silk sari paired with an ornate violet blouse. Thankfully the blouse was also a comfortable fit, thanks to all the weight she had lost. The venue was lit up the same way, though the flowers used for decoration turned out to be bright yellow sunflowers and happy white daisies. A few older ladies ambushed Annika and walked her to the women's wing, discussing designs and exchanging notes on costumes. The large stage from Sangeet was now gone. Instead it was low seating arrangements on one side and the bar continued its business on the other side.

Annika caught a fleeting glimpse of Shivaay. She badly wanted to speak to him, tell him about the interview. But the ladies around her left her with no choice. The next time she craned her neck to see Shivaay, she caught him trying to see her amidst the umpteen distractions. He beckoned her. Annika pointed out to all the people around her. Before Shivaay could communicate anything else, Khanna came running from behind. He whispered something to Shivaay and the duo rushed inside. Annika would not see him the whole of the next hour. It was after the two ladies between whom Annika sat sandwiched, moved their attention to the narrow window during which they could eat before the Mehendi induced debilitation set in, that Annika was able to sneak out.

She tiptoed inside from the back door hoping to not bump into anyone. Thankfully she succeeded. Thinking quickly she approached Shivaay's study. She had seen him last with Khanna so it must be something related to work and she knew Shivaay always worked out of his. She softly knocked on the door. And Khanna opened the door just a few inches to check hesitantly, as if he was covering up a bloody murder. Noting it was Annika he gestured to her to be quiet and opened the door wide, just long enough for Annika to walk and closed the door behind her quickly. Shivaay was on a call

Khanna quickly whispered to her that there was a serious problem up with the launch of the new Solar Energy systems. They had got news that their competitor was trying sue them for patent infringement and had approached the high court to stay the launch. The news was sensitive given the high profile product launch was scheduled for the next day. Keeping it under wraps in a house filled with relatives and a wedding underway was not an easy task. So far Shivaay and Khanna were doing a good job at concealing the new developments and no one outside had any clue about it.

Obviously it was malicious on the part of the competitor. Annika had seen how Shivaay and his team painstakingly researched and developed the product. For a moment her heart sank. It was supposed to be a happy occasion they both had been looking forward to. The unhappy development was going to leave a bitter taste on their auspicious beginning.

A crestfallen Annika stood by the door when Shivaay gestured to her to sit down. Khanna pulled the chair and helped Annika settle down. Annika knew her time was running out. It was only a matter of time before someone would come looking for her and nervously tried to check the time on Shivaay's large wrist watch. He took a deep breath and excused himself from the call.

"I got to use the restroom SSO" Khanna tactfully exited giving some privacy to the couple.

"I am so sorry Shivaay.. I heard the news"

Shivaay held Annika's hand and smiled. "All in a day's work my love. It is alright. Not a big deal"

Annika noticed the dark circles around his eyes. Something about him was uncharacteristically sloven. There were a rag-tag bunch of papers scattered on the table. Three large white porcelain cups stood abandoned at a corner on the desk. There were dark black coffee stains at the bottom of each one of them. It could not have been Khanna's chai cups. There were ink stains on the insides of Shivaay's thumb. The whiteboard on the wall was not wiped dry. He was wearing something from his work wardrobe. Annika did not know what to say.