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  ‘Look, Kashish, I want you to think about this again,’ said Kashish’s mother. ‘You have always believed that marriage is not just the union of two people but also of two families. I remember, you once said that when a girl gets married, she does not lose her set of parents, but, instead, she gains two. Have you considered how Aakash’s parents will react to the news? Will they be okay with it? Will they be able to accept you as their daughter?’

  Throwing a volley of questions at Kashish, she finally said, ‘If you are really sure about this, I will talk to your dad about it.’

  ‘Mom, I know I will be dealing with a radically different lifestyle in the future if I plan to go ahead with Aakash. But, I assure you, I won’t take this any further if Dad and you are not comfortable with the idea.’

  Apeksha was completely taken aback with the turn of events. She said, ‘This is utter crap ya! Just two weeks into their declaration and Aakash is playing the marriage card! They haven’t even spent enough time together to be sure about each other. I certainly think that once they move ahead together, the consent of their respective parents may not be the only hurdle they will have to face!’

  ‘Aakash truly loves Kashish. You can literally sense that when he is with her,’ Uttam spoke firmly, ‘but after his experience with Shriya, I don’t think it is wrong on his part to seek parental approval so early. Apeksha, what if his idea of getting into a relationship is subject to reaching out to his loved ones and taking their approval? Didn’t Neha and Suyog face problems too? Neha still complains that the whole process of convincing her parents about Suyog completely drained her. Take the example of most of us here. We involve our parents when we see the relationship working out into marriage. What’s wrong if someone decides to involve them from the beginning so that a relationship works out smoothly?’

  Apeksha though still infuriated, said, ‘But that’s absurd! People who are in love can’t go on asking for consents to propel their way ahead! What if the parents don’t agree? Would it be fair to lose out on a life partner if your parents don’t agree with your choice?’

  Neel came and sat beside Apeksha. Putting an arm round her shoulders, he reasoned, ‘Apeksha, we all want Aakash and Kashish to be together. But don’t you think it is better that they fight this out on their own? Yes, I know he is a bit confused and dazed right now, but isn’t it important that he plays by his rules at the moment?’

  Apeksha sighed as she realized that Neel’s words made sense.

  Kashish slowly bent down to reach out to a small kitten playing with its mother as they neared their housing society. She let the mother cat spring away, while she softly held and played with the little kitten. Sitting there, Kashish felt anxious and confused as she thought about everything. This was one of the rare times in her life when she felt clueless about how to move ahead. She was sure that she did not want to hurt her parents. Both she and Aakash knew that they would be extremely hurt if something went wrong on that front.

  She closed her eyes for a second and let out a deep breath. She envisioned the needle symbol that Aakash had used in his seminar when they had met for the first time.

  As Apeksha bent down to wear her high-heel sandals, she brightened up and said, ‘You know what? Don’t you think being persistent, sticking to one’s choice, and not giving up works most of the times with parents in this unorthodox age? I mean, more often than not, parents ultimately agree. At least, in most the cases, that is how the story goes. I am sure that that’s the path that Aakash and Kashish, too, will follow.’ She looked back at her friends and smiled at them before she left Neel’s place.

  Neel waved and smiled back. He thought to himself, ‘In other words, a failed attempt is unheard of.’

  From the balcony of his home in Chembur, Aakash looked at the vast golf course stretching ahead. Kashish was standing beside him, lost in her thoughts. Aakash was the first to break away from his reverie. He leaned against the railing, bent down, and looked at Kashish from the corner of his eyes. And, as if on a cue, Kashish, too, looked towards Aakash. Both of them had a distinct ‘what next?’ look in their eyes. Aakash pretended to read Kashish’s mind, so he leaned closer to her, and said, ‘Kiss?’

  Kashish leaned in closer and whispered, ‘I don’t mind! But that person playing golf is staring at us. Will think about it when he looks away!’

  Aakash scowled, ‘What crap! He is too far away to see what’s happening!’ He waved his hands at the distant figure, trying to shoo him away, but he failed to attract the person’s attention. ‘See, he doesn’t care!’ Aakash said as he turned towards Kashish. He found that she was looking at him and had a naughty smile on her lips. Before Aakash could react any further, she winked at him and bent forward to plant a delicate peck on his cheek. Aakash was surprised. But as he opened his mouth to speak, he felt someone watching them. Kinjal stood there, clearing her throat in embarrassment. She had barged in with a plate of sandwich-dhoklas in her hand. Passing it over to Aakash, she knowingly smiled and said, ‘I will come back later!’

  ‘Yes, yes, fine,’ Aakash replied impatiently. He wanted her to disappear as soon as possible. But just as Kinjal was about to walk away, Kashish held her hand and stopped her. She pointed her finger far ahead and asked Kinjal, ‘Don’t you feel that golfer is looking in this direction?’ At this point, all of them actually felt the eyes of the distant golfer scanning them. With an uproarious chuckle, everyone ducked below the railings.

  ‘Next, I feel he will be driving his ball on to the terrace!’ said Aakash mockingly as he eyed the distant lush green golf course used by very few players on weekdays.

  ‘It is going to hit you hard on your head, Mr Fan-of-PDA!’ Kinjal teased Aakash. Evidently, she had seen more than intended. Kashish turned scarlet with embarrassment. Aakash glared at his sister and said, ‘In that case, you should be going downstairs!’

  Kinjal made a face and scowled, ‘Oh really? I am about to. I just come to say that Dad will take another fifteen minutes to return from office. You can come down by then.’

  Much to Aakash’s surprise, Kashish followed Kinjal downstairs. Before he could react, Kashish blurted out, ‘I need to go and help Kinnari Aunty with the dinner!’

  Kashish stopped as Aakash shouted out to Kinjal, ‘Is it fine if Kashish joins you in the kitchen ten minutes later? I need to have a word with her.’

  As Kinjal left, Kashish turned to Aakash; she folded her arms and remarked, ‘So much for a kiss, haan?’

  Aakash pretended to laugh in amusement but quickly became serious. There was an uneasy silence and hesitation between the two. As a cool evening breeze blew, both Kashish and Aakash stood facing each other nervously, trying to look for answers in each other’s glance. Finally, Aakash said, ‘You have met my dad a couple of times before na? He always treats you like his own daughter.’ Kashish kept quiet but she was clearly moved.

  After a rather long pause, Aakash continued, ‘He likes you immensely, Kashish, and yet he is of the firm opinion that we should think of keeping our relationship on hold for a couple of years more. We should focus on shaping our careers. In a way, his argument doesn’t seem wrong, but I certainly hope that he and Mom understand that we have our own reasons as well.’

  By now tears had welled up in Kashish’s eyes and when she spoke her voice trembled with emotion, ‘I hope everyone is happy with this. The last thing I want is to break anyone’s heart, Aakash. I won’t be able to forgive myself if that happens.’

  Aakash put his arms around Kashish and consoled her, ‘C’mon, Kashish, it’s not possible to make everyone happy in this world. But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try doing so. Ultimately, we both have to take this decision!’

  As the sun set behind the palm trees that encircled the golf course, the fading sunlight bid goodbye to the young lovers on the terrace. Aakash looked straight at the setting sun and said firmly, ‘No matter what happens, Kashish, I promise you that I will never ever hurt you!’

  ‘Kya, Uncle! Everyone
around us is asking the same thing. Be it any conversation, sooner or later, it all boils down to the same question,’ Kashish complained. ‘Are we sure about what we are doing to take things to the next level.’

  Kashish was a bit louder this time, ‘And, frankly speaking, I am as confused as Aakash right now!’ She looked at Kinnari and Kinjal and said pleadingly, ‘How can any girl be sure in such a situation?

  ‘The only thing I am sure about is that I really like Aakash and feel we could go places together. He really completes the picture that I’ve always had in my mind about sharing my life with someone. One look in his eyes and I feel sure that he will be there for me whenever and wherever I need him! ‘But when I think deeper, I feel that, perhaps, it is the rush of feelings that is making me feel this way. At these moments, I am reminded of not just Aakash, but also of all of you and my parents, whom I love immensely. You see, Abhishek bhaiyya may plan to settle abroad. All my parents have here is me. Every evening when I return home from college, I see excitement in my dad’s eyes. I see my mom living my life when I share it with her. Aakash and I both know that our parents are our best friends. So, Uncle, are we wrong to want to take this ahead with your consent and your support? Are we wrong to admit that we are confused about the direction our love should take? If Aakash and I are to celebrate this feeling of love, we both want you all to be a part of the celebration as well,’ Kashish spoke passionately.

  It was Aakash whose eyes turned moist this time. Ashwin, Kinnari, and Kinjal looked at Kashish blankly, stunned by the intensity of her emotions. Ashwin gathered his wits and finally spoke, ‘Kashish, you have my vote. We can continue this discussion with all seven of us: you, your parents and us. Fix a date and let us know when we can meet.’

  Kinjal had moved closer to Kashish and held her hand warmly. Aakash came closer to Kashish and poked her arm in jest to cheer her up. She let out a soft ‘ouch’ with a mix of tears in her eyes and a smile on her face. Aakash felt she couldn’t look any more beautiful than this!

  Mrs Indira Banerjee, after much deliberation and planning, decided to broach the topic of Kashish and Aakash with her husband. She chose to bring it up during a post-dinner stroll, a few days after her chat with Kashish on the matter. Mr Vishwas Banerjee listened to his wife without interrupting and, more importantly, without reacting. Mrs Banerjee was baffled to see absolutely no signs of distress or excitement on her usually opinionated husband. After Indira had finished, Vishwas merely expressed an immediate wish to talk to his daughter.

  When Kashish was summoned to her father’s bedroom that night, she had goosebumps all over her body. She told herself to be strong and calm.

  When she faced her father, she was relieved to find the expected anger missing from his demeanour. And when he spoke, he merely spoke with his usual gruffness.

  ‘How are you planning to go ahead with this now?’

  Kashish fumbled but eventually found her voice, ‘Papa, rarely have I felt this way. I am, for once in my life, somehow assured of going ahead without planning!’

  ‘It could be my experience versus your feeling then,’ remarked Vishwas. ‘Aakash is a good guy, undoubtedly, but I am sure you are indifferent to the gross changes that you will go through if you both get together. I am certainly aware that neither my experience, nor your feelings are enlightened enough to show us how happy you could be tomorrow. But I am sure we can come up with a decision, keeping in mind your inner feelings and our experiences taken together!’

  As Mrs Banerjee joined them in the room, Vishwas hugged his daughter and said in a raised voice, ‘Kashish, we all agree that your happiness is all that matters to us, but it can’t be denied that it’s a big decision to make. I would like you to think deeply on this before arriving at any decision. You could talk to Aakash about all of us getting together this weekend so that we can have an open discussion on each other’s views and opinions.’

  As Kashish was about to leave, Vishwas called out from behind, ‘Kashish, what is it that you actually want from me: my consent or my opinion?’

  Without turning, Kashish slowly said, ‘Papa, your opinions have most often led to your consents. So, why the difference now?’ She smiled and left her father with his thoughts.

  Chapter 6

  AS AAKASH’S DAD took the guests around his flat, Aakash and Kashish looked at each other and signalled an ‘all the best’ to one another.

  Aakash suddenly realized how his life had just come full circle. He remembered how he and Kashish had waved all the best to each other when they had first met at that seminar a few months ago. And now their parents were meeting to decide the biggest decision of their lives! His heart had not pounded so hard even on the stage, when he had faced a crowd of hundreds, but today it thumped relentlessly. He just wished everything went smoothly. He had even promised Kashish that if everything went well, they would celebrate at Breeze, a new open-air lounge, famous for its ambience and stunning view of the pristine Powai Lake from the sixteenth floor.

  Once Mr Ashwin had shown the Banerjees around his house, the two parties settled down on the couch of the living room. Kinjal, Kinnari, and Indira Banerjee carried in plates of fruits, dry fruits, and other assorted snacks. Kinnari placed glasses of chilled anjeer milkshake that she, Indira, and Kinjal had prepared. It was a good beginning.

  Aakash stole a glance at Kashish who was sitting on the opposite couch. He found her lost in thought, her eyes half-closed. He had to fight down a strong urge to walk up to her and calm her by holding her hands. Vishwas Banerjee sat beside her. Aakash smiled nervously as Mr Banerjee’s eyes met his. Today, for obvious reasons, he found the same old friendly Vishwas Uncle looking grim. The friendly tone that he had encountered when he had been to their house was conspicuously missing. Yet, Aakash was relieved to see that he was calm and unperturbed. He eyed Aakash carefully, making Aakash feel uncomfortable in his seat.

  Some seconds of silence elapsed as everyone searched for the apt words to break the ice. Aakash looked at his dad in anxious anticipation. Ashwin nodded at his son and then looked at Vishwas Banerjee.

  ‘Mr Banerjee, do you feel like the tail-ender batsman who has been left to finish the match?’ Ashwin chortled, adding, ‘Our kids truly belong to the Google generation and they know how to move fast. Yet, this time, as they are headed for an important milestone, their Google maps have stopped responding, and they have turned to the age-old device of parental advice!’ he looked at Aakash with a grin.

  Mr Vishwas Banerjee agreed, ‘I am in complete awe of them. I have not met many who would be ready for the altar this early.’

  Indira Banerjee spoke, looking first at Kashish and then at Kinnari, ‘The best part is that our kids, despite all the cyberworld at their disposal, believe in us and consider our opinions more valuable than even their friends.’

  Ashwin Mehta cleared his throat and said, ‘Aakash and Kashish, all of us here are aware that you both enjoy being in each other’s company and, believe me, we wish for nothing more for our kids than to find the right life partner. But, Aakash, Kashish, the road ahead is not that simple. Just think about it, you are fresh out of the college and have not even started earning a livelihood yet. It’s totally understandable that your focus has shifted momentarily, but your careers are yet to be moulded. Apart from that, the differences in caste, customs, and religious parameters also need to be considered. You both sound pretty determined about spending a lifetime together and, hence, I thought I could just give you both a reality check to begin with.’

  Kinnari Mehta took it from there, ‘If you truly feel that you will be able to tackle all the difficulties that may crop up, you have our support! In fact, it would be a test for us, the elders, as well. We could help you get ready for the lifestyle and other changes you will encounter in the future.’

  At this point, Aakash said, ‘Uncle, I know it’s more testing for a girl since she has to leave her world and adapt to a completely new one. And, I assure you that Kashish is totally free to fol
low the religion and rituals she does now, so she does not have to worry too much about acclimatizing here.’

  Kashish’s father, toying with his milkshake glass, looked from one person to the other. He felt eagerness in everyone’s eyes as they looked at him. He opened his mouth twice to say something but stopped abruptly. Finally, looking at Ashwin Mehta, he asked, ‘Are you convinced about this match only because Aakash convinced you or because you feel that Kashish would be apt for your son?’

  Ashwin opened his mouth to speak but, before he could say anything, Vishwas Banerjee continued, ‘Every parent wishes that their daughter marries someone from their own caste and religion so that she may have to face fewer hurdles in adjusting to her new surroundings. A girl’s father is always anxious about the wellbeing of his daughter, as she has to live away from her parents. Yes, Mr Mehta, I have been stressed from the day my wife informed me about Aakash and Kashish. I have no doubt that you will try to make my daughter comfortable here, but I have not been able to convince myself that my daughter will be able to adjust to your lifestyle.

  ‘Aakash,’ Mr Banerjee’s voice was now making Aakash shudder in discomfort, ‘we have discussed this before. Let me be blunt and practical here. I have seen the inside out of a dental career, as many in my acquaintances have passed through it. You’d have to either go for higher studies or set up a clinic. There will be many a month when your finances will dip and rise. With the cut-throat competition around, it’s increasingly difficult to shorten the initial period of struggle. It’s not some government or corporate job where you are handed a fixed amount at the month’s end!’

  Aakash could not help cutting him short, ‘But Uncle, that’s a short-term observation. Every dentist flourishes and achieves success at some point in his life. When both of us will practice together, the struggles can be bypassed sooner than you think.’