Knotty Affairs Read online

  Each one in the house knew that they had a long way to go before they could call their arrangement a success. Once the novelty of it wore off, they would face a fresh influx of challenges and problems. But it hardly mattered at the moment because they all were sure of one thing: till the point they were together, they would never ever have a dull moment in their lives.

  On the night before the wedding, Aakash felt very edgy. Only a few hours separated him from one of the most important moments of his life. About twenty-five guests had gathered at their place at Powai. Most of them were his cousins from Gujarat and the US. Both his and Aneri’s parents had gone back to their old homes, catering to relatives who were staying with them. Aakash, Aneri, and Kinjal had decided to stay back with their cousins and friends. No one wanted to sleep. Some DJ tracks played in the background and most of the guests let themselves loose on the dance floor. The aroma of pizzas and pav-bhaji filled the house. Aneri showed her bridal wear to her friends and cousins. The ambience was full of fun and excitement, as everyone eagerly waited for the great moments ahead.

  Away from the party, Aakash stepped onto the balcony, breathing heavily. He had tried to behave as normally as he could. Yet, his nerves betrayed him. Out of the blue, he felt delicate fingers slip into his. He did not even turn around. As the grip tightened, he closed his eyes and thought, ‘How the hell does she manage to remain so calm at all times. Usually girls are considered the jittery types.’ He was amused by the role reversal here.

  As Aneri rested her head on his shoulders, he felt his anxiety ebbing. They both knew that they were moving into an unknown territory. When a driver does not know the way around in an unknown land, he either switches on his GPS navigation or asks around for directions. Either way, he places his trust on these tropes and devices to reach his destination. Aakash knew he had to do the same: to rest his faith on Aneri and her family right now. He felt he needed to be and do everything correctly now more than ever.

  Chapter 23

  December 12, the wedding day

  Subramaniam Temple, Chembur

  CONTRARY TO WHAT Aakash had thought, temple weddings could be very lavish affairs. He had seen a big ground in the vicinity of the temple and even bigger ones meant for marriage parties. He had selected a comparatively smaller-sized hall, which accommodated around eighty relatives and friends from both sides. The mandap was created with multi-coloured bandhni drapes and a stack of ghadas in all four corners. Right at the centre, a sacred homa was constructed for lighting the holy fire. A number of materials constituting the samagri were laid out in front of the panditji for the rituals.

  Aakash, attired in a light-gold sherwani and pink turban, removed his footwear and stepped onto the mandap. He felt weak in his knees, but strong in his heart. The ambience had an auspicious feel to it, imbuing him with a sense of calm. He and Aneri had exchanged the varmalas moments ago amid loud cheers and applause. The panditji chanted mantras to invoke the blessings of various gods and deities.

  Aneri stepped onto the mandap and Aakash’s heart skipped a beat again when he saw her. She looked stunning in her designer bridal sari and matching jewellery. Her make-up was minimal, highlighting her beauty. Aakash’s eyes gazed upon her and everything else faded to the background. Aneri was very calm, though she did feel somewhat dizzy. Her parents’ warning that she would find no suitable match given her feminist thoughts and ideals came to her all of a sudden. And they were so right, till about a month back. She had met a lot of guys, most of them typical orthodox idiots. She smiled when she remembered the first time she had met Aakash, the charming guy who had driven through town for her.

  As asked by the panditji, she placed the back of her palms on Aakash’s palms for sankalp. Not once had he doubted her intentions of getting everyone together. He could have easily denied her proposal or accused her of being unreasonable. But he chose to believe her. He chose to understand her. He chose to stand by her. She knew that the hand she was holding at the moment was someone’s she trusted completed. She was sure that his hands would be there with her forever as her’s would be with his.

  When the panditji explained the significance of the seven vows to be taken with the seven pheras with agni as the witness, Aakash and Aneri looked at each other, their minds latching onto the same thought. The seven vows were: to nourish each other, to grow together in strength, to preserve their wealth, to share their joys and sorrows, to care for their children and parents, to be together forever, and to remain lifelong friends. They both realized that they had indeed included their entire family to become a part of these seven vows. They knew that they could not ask their parents to walk by their side, but they also knew that they could not let them be mere spectators, showering petals and blessings on them. Taking everyone by surprise, they got their parents to stand inside the circle. As their parents stood on four sides each of the havankund, Aakash and Aneri took their pheras. Circling their parents and the fire in the centre, Aakash and Aneri felt assured that they had included their parents in their vow-taking with agni-devta as their witness. Even though they weren’t sure whether the gods would approve of their unique proposal, they knew for sure that the gods would far from disapprove it.

  In absence of the traditional bidaai ceremony, the wedding was shorter than usual. But it meant a lot for Aakash and Aneri, as in their hearts they knew that they had finally managed to pull off a tear-free wedding. As everyone dispersed for lunch and prasad, the young couple got busy acquiescing to the request of the photographers and getting their pictures clicked at various parts of the temple. The others joined the newlyweds for some picture-perfect moments.

  Before winding up the ceremony, they touched their parents’ feet, asking for their blessings for a new beginning. Ashwin caught hold of his son’s arm and handed him a fancy envelope. Instinctively refusing it, the young groom thrust the envelope back into his dad’s hand. Smartly tucking it into his upper pocket, Ashwin smiled at his son and said, ‘I know that you won’t accept anything but our blessings and wishes, but it’s from all of us and it can’t be taken back. Accept it because you both deserve it!’

  Aakash and Aneri looked at the smiling faces of Ashwin, Kinnari, Chhaya, and Bharat with perplexed expressions. Wondering about the contents, Aakash unfolded it as Aneri looked on.

  Aakash’s hands held out two return flight tickets to Dubai.

  Room 1101, Sheraton Beach Resort, Jumeira Beach, Dubai

  When the bellboy, clad in a completely white attire and white turban, knocked on the door of the suite, he was instructed to come in by a muffled voice. As he entered the dimly lit room, he heard heavy shuffling and heaving from behind the bed. The bed creaked slightly, but there was no one in sight. The bellboy, utterly confused, stopped, for the want of not stepping onto a young couple’s privacy.

  After a few moments, he decided to bend down and explore the source of the sound. Going down on all fours, he peered under the bed. From under there, he saw two pairs of knees, a male and a female on the floor. He crawled around to the other side and found a young couple trying to work over some gadget. On seeing the attendee, the guy pointed towards the gadget and said, ‘Hi, we were connected to the wi-fi and, all of a sudden, we went offline. We are now checking the router connection.’

  The bellboy asked the couple to move aside. He then inspected the gadget for about five minutes and, coordinating with his colleague who was handling the central device on the main floor, got it working in five minutes. ‘Aakash, Skype’s re-connected. I’m uploading the photos,’ said Aneri. ‘Also, let’s check if we can again connect a call to Kinjal.’

  Aakash thanked the attendee and signed his complaint register. He went back to Aneri who was sprawled on the bed and bent to kiss her forehead, ruffling her long hair. He winked and said, ‘I hope it’s an audio call you’re making and not video…’

  Aneri looked up at him mischievously and tugged his t-shirt to bring him closer. Before he could aim for her lips, a shrill voice startled the
m. It was Kinjal, saying, ‘Aneri bhabhi, I just received that halfdownloaded pic before you got disconnected. You look so cute in the floral dress. And it matches perfectly with the flower cottage in the background.’

  Aakash collapsed on the bed, sighing heavily. Aneri playfully punched him and put her head on the pillow next to him. She replied, ‘Thanks, Kinju. That’s Miracle Gardens. It is beautiful. Nature has woven its magic there. Check out these pictures. Monuments of flowers, flower cottages, cars studded in flowers, windmill of flowers, valley of flowers… It is magnificent!’

  She sent a picture of Aakash wearing a white Arabic robe and of herself in an hijab. Kinjal chuckled, and they heard another voice say, ‘Jaisa des, vaisa bhes.’

  Aneri forwarded a few more snaps. Aakash riding a squad bike in the desert, Aakash and Aneri on a camel, standing in front of a huge aquarium where whales and starfishes could be seen swimming.

  Aakash said, ‘You know, Dubai has one of the most efficient transport systems in the world. And the locals here are so warm and welcoming. I don’t feel like I have stepped out of India.’

  Next, Aneri uploaded a short video of fifteen seconds. The initial seconds showed Aakash in a headgear and eyewear, standing with his knees bent over a sand-board. His face looked like he was about to conquer the desert. As the video progressed, Aakash’s expression changed from supreme confidence to raw fear as he tried to balance the board, his hands flailing in the air, and finally, of him falling flat on the sand. The video ended with Aakash red in the face, shaking off sand from his ears and mouth.

  He heard cackling laughter on the other end and looked angrily at Aneri.

  ‘Who asked you to send that video?’ he blasted. ‘Hahaha. Laugh, laugh. Let me tell you all, sand boarding is not as easy as Hrithik makes it seem in Dhoom 2. And, by the way, Aneri, too, fell flat on her face while learning to ski at Snow World in Emirates Mall. It’s a pity I couldn’t take a video of the event. It was too cold in there to take my hands out of my gloves.’

  He got a collective ‘boo’ from both ends as he successfully ducked the pillow Aneri threw at him.

  Laughing, Aneri uploaded another hazy photo of Aakash on the front seat of Ferrari Rossa, the fastest roller-coaster ride in the Ferrari World, Abu Dhabi. She instructed Kinjal to zoom in on the picture till she got a clear view of Aakash’s expression. The picture showed him with his eyes tightly shut, his mouth in a grimace, as though he was bracing himself for a death ride.

  Ashwin laughed and remarked, ‘Aakash, are you at a Halloween party or on your honeymoon? All I am seeing is horror on your face!’

  ‘Dad, I, at least, attempted the ride. Your beloved daughter-in-law flat refused.’ Aakash sounded clearly annoyed.

  He nudged Aneri as she gazed at him in admiration.

  This guy was at his cutest best during these leg-pulling sessions…thought Aneri.

  Aneri cuddled him and kissed him on his nose. She let her lips brush his neck. Aakash felt a shiver run down his spine. His mind thought of ten different reasons to cut short the audio chat on the laptop.

  But the chat extended to another few minutes and ended amid much laughter, leaving no doubt in everyone’s mind of the fun the newlyweds were having. Presumably, Aakash would have been delighted when it all ended around midnight. But, he surprised himself by asking Aneri, ‘Bed or beach?’

  Aneri bounced on the bed a couple of times and then sprang to her feet.

  ‘Ahaa…bed can wait. Let’s walk on the beach.’

  ‘These beaches are so safe and lively even when it is well past midnight,’ remarked Aneri, dumbstruck to see the huge crowd of people from various countries strolling on Jumeirah Beach.

  Jumeirah Beach Reclamation, popularly known as JBR, was lovingly built on the shores of Jumeirah Lake. The whole strip, from one end to the other, consisted of lavishly designed eateries in Parisian style. Various parlours and restaurants, serving cuisines from all over the world, along with exquisite bakeries, were crowded by a large number of foreign and local patrons. The whole ambience had a strong European feel to it. Right in the middle of the beach, a huge white screen streamed a live football match, which attracted a bevy of cheering fans. It was a lively atmosphere all around.

  Away from all the noise, Aakash and Aneri sat hand in hand on the sand parapet with their feet dangling against each other. Aneri stared at the vast, dark sea whose calm was broken occasionally by the sound of waves crashing. ‘This is so beautiful! I wish this moment would never end,’ said Aneri, looking at Aakash, her eyes glistening with tears of joy. There was magic and love in the air. Aakash held Aneri’s hand and said, ‘You remember, today at Ferrari World you asked me what had made me serious all of a sudden? We were on the “Flying over Italy” ride and our seats rose into that giant dome projection? Well, it reminded of the “dare2drop” ride at Imagica, I did during college with Kashish. I proposed to her there. Sometimes, old memories resurface out of the blue.’

  Aneri tightened her grasp and said, ‘Isn’t that normal?’

  Aakash looked at the sea, as if searching for something in its deep dark waters and said, ‘Aneri, some memories are etched so deeply in one’s mind that they can never be completely erased. Over time, new ones accumulate, burying the old ones until something jolts them to the fore again. So, I guess it’s the way it is.’

  Touching her toe with his, she kissed the back of his palms and murmured softly, ‘I love you, Aakash!’

  She gently put her bare feet on the sand and added, ‘Beaches will always remain special for us, won’t they? Remember our first meeting? We ended it on the beach!’

  ‘Yeah, I remember. From the marriage ground to the parking lot to, finally, the beach. How can I ever forget that night! It defined the course of my life.’

  His face turned a little grave and he said, ‘Aneri, do you think this will work? I mean, I and my parents with you and your parents?’

  ‘Aargh Aakash look around you. I am treating you to few of the most romantic moments in you life. Don’t be such a bore. how about ice cream as your, treat?’ She eyed the glitzy ice cream parlours on JBR Street, ‘Maybe we can find an answer to your question over a cone of ice cream.’

  Aakash laughed heartily and got up, brushing the sand off his pants. Aneri had a knack for defusing the most solemn of moments. Neither Aakash nor Aneri had an answer regarding the future but, at that moment, ice cream was a most enjoyable solution.

  Tired and almost busted, they slumped against each other at the Dubai International Airport. Aneri sleepily rubbed her eyes and looked at Aakash, who was staring at her curiously. She knew that the talk they had had in the taxi on their way to the airport had somehow affected Aakash more profoundly than she had thought. They had enjoyed every bit of their honeymoon trip, but it had left them dead tired with all the wandering around the city, coupled with sleepless nights. Now, as they waited to board the flight back to Mumbai, Aakash seemed bothered by something they had discussed in the taxi. He thought to himself, She is going way too far with this. I have willingly participated in all her dreams, but she has her head stuck up on this little thing. ‘So what’s the big deal if I go with two surnames? You are reacting as if I will be the first person to wish it. I am adopting yours, but what is wrong if I keep mine as well? So many girls opt for it these days. What’s the big fuss about?’

  ‘Aneri, somehow, it sounds strange.’

  ‘Does it sound strange when you hear Aishwarya Rai Bachchan or Kareena Kapoor Khan? You admire them for keeping their identities. So, when someone like me talks about doing the same, why do eyeballs start rolling?’

  ‘It could complicate things,’ argued Aakash, ‘I mean, what will we name our kids? You may not want your daughter to have a really long and complicated surname, right?’

  ‘Believe me, Aakash, it’s not all that complicated.’ She was about to say more, but was stalled by the buzzing of her phone. Aakash could sense her utter surprise as she looked at her mobile screen. He heard her mu
rmur, ‘It’s 12.30 a.m. here, so it’s 2 a.m. in India. It must be something urgent if Dad is calling at this hour.’

  She silenced Aakash with a gesture. Listening to their conversation, Aakash immediately sensed that something was not right back home. He could not hear further as Aneri excused herself and walked to one corner of the waiting lounge. Aakash saw her frantically pacing up and down and talking. She seemed tense and he understood that she was arguing with her dad. He almost jumped to his feet when he heard Aneri raising her voice, but she gestured him to hold back.

  She rushed to him in a matter of minutes. Aakash asked, ‘What’s happened?’

  Aneri was fighting back her tears, ‘Dad has ordered me to come back to our Opera House residence once we reach India. And he has asked you to go back to Chembur. Your dad will be calling you soon. I will join you at your Chembur residence tonight.’

  ‘What the hell happened?’ Aakash asked, feeling dazed.

  Aneri could not look him in the eye, ‘Mummy and your mom got into a nasty fight last night. Things turned ugly and Mum and Dad left the Powai apartment and returned to Opera House late last night. I could not talk to Mummy. Dad said she had just fallen asleep after crying the whole night.’

  She broke down in Aakash’s arms, ‘She swears that she will never return to stay with your ma again!’

  Aakash’s mind felt numb. What an anti-climax to their lovely honeymoon.

  Chapter 24

  ‘FOR GOD’S SAKE! Please tell us what happened,’ Aneri shouted, but all she met with was pin-drop silence. Aakash, leaning against a wall in the far corner, bit his fingernails. Kinnari and Chhaya sat close by, refusing to look each other in the eye. Bharat, with his hands firmly dug in both his pockets, gazed at Powai Lake with a stern expression. Ashwin sat on the edge of the couch with his palms covering his eyes. On the same couch, Kinjal sat on the armrest with her arm round her dad’s shoulder and her eyes furtively moving from one person to the other in the room, expecting someone to break the silence. The travel bags that Aneri and Aakash had unloaded from the taxi lay untouched near the doorway.