Friendship Can be Love

Main Manhoos Hoon

Sameer redelegated the duties, most of which were to be executed by the boys only.

"Par Sameer...bhai, itne kam waqt mein yeh sab kaise hoga?" quibbled Munna.

"Jaanta hoon, thoda mushkil hai par Naina ke liye kuch bhi. Tum log sirf yeh batao ki mera saath doge ya nahi?" asked a determined Sameer.

"Arre yaar, hum tere dost hai, tera saya, hum tera saath nahi denge kya!" Pandit confirmed that they were always with him.

Just then Naina walked in the class, followed by economics professor. Everyone quietened down.

Naina sat with the girls and continuously stole glances at Sameer. Usually, he would be openly staring or gazing at her, but today, it was unusual that he was fixedly staring at the blackboard, little did she know that his mind was preoccupied with the revised plans.

After the classes, he usually pleaded with Naina to stay back for some extra time so they could have some romantic moments, but today he was in a hurry to leave. Upon asking, he made an excuse that he had to meet Munshiji regarding Nanu's business matters and was going to take the boys with him too. He also told her that he might have to go with him to visit some factory sites and might be back late, and hence, they might not be able to talk on phone at their usual hour. She was convinced, sad that they might not talk tonight but glad that he had started taking responsibilities to make Nanu proud.

On the way home at the bakery shop:

"Uncle, mujhe aaj shaam ko hi cake chahiye?" Sameer requested the owner.

"Nahi sorry, tumne kal shaam ke liye bola tha, ab itna achnak itna urgent order ready nahi ho sakta...apko kal hi milega...waise bhi tumhara special order hai, waqt lagega...aur agar tum koi saada cake bhi chahoge, toh bhi mushkil hai kyonki iss waqt hamara baking oven kharab hai. Hum use theek karva rahe hai, par thoda samay lag sakta hai", denied the owner.

"Par uncle, thoda plan badal gaya iss liye urgent chahiye", Sameer tried pleading again.

Now the owner was irritated "Dekho, tumahara plan badal gaya toh main kya karoon? Kal ka order tumhe kal mil jaayega...agar aaj itna hi urgent hai toh khud bana lo, mera dimaag mat kharab karo". And he went inside the kitchen to supervise the repairs.

Sameer was irked but cooled down immediately as his anger would only spoil things. Suddenly an idea struck that delighted him. He screamed loudly "Idea dene ke liye thank you Uncle" and hurried out of the shop.

He stopped at a magazine stall and asked the boy to give him a recipe book for cakes.

"Arre bhaiyya, aisi cheezin toh sirf mahilaon ki patrika mein hi milegi...ab itni saari hai, kismein hogi kya pataa...aap khud hi dekh lo, mujhe toh grahak dekhne hai. Waise jyadatar mahilaein GrihShobha le jaati hai". The boy pointed him to different piles of magazines, indicated the famous one, and got back to his own tasks.

Sameer was flabbergasted at having to go through each edition available to find a recipe, but well he had no choice, and so he set about the task at hand.

After spending a good 20 minutes, ignoring the mumbled sniggers of lady customers and those passing by, who were amused at a young boy rummaging through women's magazines, he managed to find what he was looking for. A simple chocolate cake recipe without eggs. He heaved a sigh of relief, paid the stall boy quickly and hurried on his bike to the nearby grocery shop.

He opened the page and instructed the owner to pack everything according to the ingredients.

The shopkeeper was also amused at such an unusual request "Beta, hum iss tarah saaman nahi dete...ek chamach, ek katori, yeh naapna mushkil hai, mein toh wajan se hi de sakta hoon".

Sameer was confused but had to decide quickly "Theek hai uncle, aap wajan se de do, par utna dena ki 5-6 cake aaram se ban jaaye".

The shopkeeper was amused and confused but judged and packed the ingredients accordingly.

Finally, gathering all that he needed, he rushed home at jet speed, dumped everything in the hall, asking Ramdhari to keep it in the kitchen.

"Bhaiyya, yeh sab kya hai, itna saara saaman...aisa kya banana hai aaj? Koi mehmaan aa rahe hai?"

"Nahi Ramdhari, buss cake banana hai, tujhe aata hai?"

"Nahi Bhaiyaa, kabhi banaya nahi hai aur padhna humko aata nahi hai, toh vidhi padh bhi nahi sakte".

"Theek hai, tu rehne de, main dekh loonga".

"Bhaiyaa, aapka khana banake rakh diya hai, main apne chacha ke ghar ja raha tha na aaj, par agar aapko kuch madad chahiye toh main ruk jaata hoon". Supported Ramdhari seeing a haggled Sameer, who was trying to find something on the desk in his room. "Kuch dhoondh rahe ho bhaiyya? Main madad karoon?"

"Nahi, tu ja, main dekh loonga sab kuch". At that moment he also found, Ajay bhai's number and dialed immediately.

"Hello, Ajay bhai, main Sameer, wo aapko photos diye the...mera kaam ho gaya kya?"

"Haan...Sameer, tumhare photos ready hai".

"Kya aapne unhe frame karvaya, jaisa maine bola tha?"

"Haan haan...frame ke saath ready hai, tum kabhi bhi le ja sakte ho", informed Ajay bhai.

"Ajay bhai, kya main ek request aur kar sakta hoon...kya aap unhe gift wrap karke, mere ghar bhijwa sakte hai, please...main extra paise de doonga, par bahut urgent hai...please".

Ajay bhai was thoughtful on the other side, but hearing a please, he acceded, "Theek hai Sameer, waise toh hamara studio aisa nahi karta, par tum Kabir ke dost ho toh tumhari request ko special maankar kar doonga, shaam ko 8 baje tak bhijva doonga, apna address de do".

Sameer dictated the address with explicit directions so that the delivery guy is not lost and the gift is delivered on time and hung up after thanking profusely to his Nainital friend Kabir's cousin.

Then, he opened his desk drawer where he had hid a card that he had made for Naina, a birthday card, on which he drew some roses and lilies using stencils and adorned it with her most beautiful pictures from the school days, mt. Abu, and Pooja Didi's wedding. He had also written a beautiful wish inspired from the most popular birthday song.

Baar baar din yeh aaye

Baar baar dil yeh chahe

Tum jeeyo hazaaron saal

Aur unn saalon ka har pal mere saath bitao

Happy Birthday, My Dearest Naina!!!

He lovingly touched the card and Naina's pictures but was jolted back hearing the phone ring.

Munna Pandit were calling him from a booth, and after giving them some more instructions, he heaved a sigh of relief.

Finally, everything was organized, gift was on the way, card was ready, Munna Pandit would take care of the decorations, now the last but the most important remaining thing was the cake.

He walked into the kitchen to joust with something he had never tried in life. Looking at so many ingredients and such a long recipe, he panicked and muttered to himself "Yaar, baaki sab toh manage kar liya, par yeh kaise karoonga?" and he clucked his tongue.

He took a deep breath "Nahi Sameer, darne se kuch nahi hoga, Naina ne kya sikhaya hai, jab gaanth ulaj gayi ho, toh use ek ek dhaaga karke suljana chahiye, tu haar nahi sakta. Yeh soch, Naina hoti toh kaise karti".

He closed his eyes and thought about her and the path enlightened on its own. He smiled, opened his eyes, first took the magazine, read the whole recipe once thoroughly. In the second read, he placed all the ingredients and equipment sequentially as per need. During the third read, he started measuring out the ingredients and mixing and following the recipe. He tried to follow it to the dot and used the microwave (yes only rich and urban had the microwave in those days, others baked the cake in a cooker or in closed pans) as per instructions, but the result was a half-burnt mound. It tasted bitter and resembled bits of charcoal in a few places, but nowhere close to the picture in the magazine. This was the first ever full-fledged kitchen venture for him but he was not going to give up, so he discarded the disaster, took in a deep breath, and started all over again. After three more failed attempts, which resulted in a brown stone, half-baked, cracked, and collapsed products, his patience was withering. He was frustrated and time was running out. It was already 8 p.m. when the doorbell rang and he went to answer.

The studio guy delivered his package, neatly wrapped in a gift paper as he had requested. He paid him the extra money as promised and also tipped the delivery guy for the extra effort as a token of thanks. He was dying to open and see the end-result, wishing he hadn't asked the studio to gift wrap it already, but he was confident as he himself had monitored the computer version of the final design. So, if the final product looked half as good, it would be well worth the effort. Thinking how Naina would be elated seeing this brought a smile to his face, and he placed it with the other things that he had gathered for her.

Rejuvenated with new vigor, he stepped back into the kitchen, looked at the mess he had made. "Chal Sameer beta, Naina ka naam lekar ek koshish aur kar le. Naina hamesha tere liye kitna kuch karti hai, tu ek cake nahi bana sakta....itna bhi mushkil nahi hai...dheere dheere, aaram aaram se thande dimaag se bana, iss baar pakka ban jaayega!"

He huffed and set about again. Finally, after a couple more tries, which came out ok, he successfully made the best cake, perfectly round, not cracked in any place, and didn't collapse when he transferred it to a carry box. The remnants in the baking dish tasted quite better than before. He spread the white chocolate icing as described, which he had prepared and stored much earlier, tried to draw some exquisite heart design and wrote Happy birthday Naina! Finally, satisfied with the end result, he took a moment to admire his handiwork. "Wah Sameer! Aakhir tune kar dikhaya!" He winked and smirked at his own cake.

The doorbell rang again. Thinking "Munna Pandit aa gaye honge!" He ran to open the door.

His guess was right. The two most simple-looking, continuously doing monkey antics, his two rock pillars entered howling in elation, indicating that the assigned task was complete.

"Tum logon ne sab kuch theek se kar diya?" asked Sameer to confirm although their zeal said it all.

"Arre bhai, tu hume koi kaam de aur hum use pura na kare, aisa toh aaj tak nahi hua. Sameer thanked them and they hugged in their trio.

Sameer once again checked everything, the cake, candles, matchbox, torch, water bottles, cold drinks, a few munchies, card, gift, a special tiny velvet box that he had bought a few days ago, and camera with a new reel and an extra reel and instructed Munna Pandit to stow everything carefully in the car.

Then, he went to his room to dress in his best avatar that Naina loved, his red turtleneck with sky blue jeans.

He was excited and couldn't wait for the impending date. The only task and the most challenging was to convince Naina. He had planned several arguments and pleadings because he knew Naina might not be really happy about the whole idea. It was going to be a Herculean task by itself to convince her and get her out of the house at the unusual hour. It was a huge risk but he was planning to take it; he and Preeti had planned it carefully to minimize the risk and also keep the surprise intact until the last moment.

At Agarwal house since evening:

Just as everyone was finishing dinner. Preeti and Naina were helping Bela to clear the dining table and were in the kitchen.

"Bela... O Bela..." Taiji came in her usual hollering self, but clearly more upset than usual.

"Bhagwan jhooth na bulvaye, kya hua Bhabhiji...khana nahi banaya kya? Par humne toh kha liya....Aur aap hi ne toh seekhaya hai na ki raat ko jab ek baar chulha thanda pad jaaye, toh fir jalana nahi chahiye". Bela started forming excuses to avoid cooking another round of fresh food for Taiji and family in case that was what she asked for.

"O Bai...meri billi mujhi ko meow! Sab samajhti hoon main Bela...badon ka toh aadar karna hi bhool gayi hai tu! Waise bhi...teri rasoi ki aas mein nahi baithi rehti main....tune khana banana mujhse hi seekha hai, guru hoon main teri..." Taiji reprimanded her for presuming too much. Bela only shook her head in affirmation, to avoid further taunts.

"Khair wo sab chod, jo batane aayi thi wo sun", Chachaji also came outside washing his hands.

"Aaram se baithkar baat karte hai Bhabhiji, kya hua?" He asked.

"Anand babu, aaj mein Gandhinagar wale Krishna mandir gayi thi. Wo Megha ki Maa ne bataya tha. Wahan ek bahut pahuche huye Babaji aaye huye hai, bahut bade bhavishya vaqta hai, toh main sab bachchon ki kundali lekar gayi thi".

Chacha didn't believe in all this but didn't say much so as not to mar the respect of an elder.

But Bela's interest was piqued "Toh kya kaha unhone hamare bachcon ke baare mein".

Taiji continued "Are kya kehte, sab achcha aur shubh hi hai, aakhir Agarwal khandaan mein paida hone ka saubhgya jo mila hai. Pooja ka bachcha swasth paida hoga, Arjun ke bhagya mein bhi keerti yog hai, hamare Pralay babu toh khandaan ka chirag hai, sabka naam roshan karenge aisa kaha unhone, aur Preeti ki shaadi bhi jaldi ho jaayegi".

Chachaji shook his head that all Bhabhiji was interested was in to get the girls married off at an early age as if they were a burden. Well, he didn't care about any kundali, he always supported his girls.

"Aur Naina, Naina ke baare mein kya kaha Babaji ne? Batayiye na Bhabhiji.." Bela enquired enthusiastically.

"Arre...wahi toh batane aayi thi", Taiji getting upset all over again "Main na kehti thi, jali hui kundali lekar paida hui hai, Babaji ne bhi yahi kaha...." Just then Naina Preeti came out of the kitchen. Upon seeing her object of rant, Taiji continued in an even louder tone. "Aa gayi maharani...issi ki wajah se ek din hamare khandaan ki naak kat jaayegi".

"Kya keh rahi aap Bhabhiji, kya kiya hai Naina ne?" Asked a worried Bela.

"Arre paida ho gayi, isse jyaada kya bura ho sakta hai? Paida hote hi Maa ko kha gayi, Nabaji ne bhi yahi kaha ki iski kundali ke hisaab se, iska jeevan aasan nahi hai, Mata-Pita ka sukh nahi hai, shaadi mein bhi adchan aayegi. Hayee Ram, agar iski shaadi nahi hui toh zindagi bhar hamari chaati pe baithkar moong dalegi! Waise bhi na shakal surat mein dum hai na akal hai aur na hi baap ke paas dene ke liye dahej. Uss din toh maine Rakeshji ko sirf tana maara tha, par ab toh mujhe sach mein lagta hai, ki iska haath kisi din kisi raah chalte ke haath mein de dena padega...fir yeh jaane aur iski kismet...fir iski futi kismet ka tokra wo uthayega jiski khud ki kismet futi hogi...Hum kyon jhele umar bhar? Haan... kal hi janamdin hai na iska, wo manhoos din, jab iske paida hone ki wajah se hamari Bahu chal basi....kitni manhoos hai, paida hote hi Maa ko toh kha gayi...apne bhai se bhi Maa chin li...Kaash uss din Bahu ki jagah, ye hi..."

Chachaji's patience was done now and he bellowed "Buss Bhabhiji...buss kijiye...kya bole ja rahi hai aap? Naina hamari bachchi hai, aap uske baare mein aisa soch bhi kaise sakti hai?"

Naina was silently taking in all the insults and accusations hurled at her, and today again Taiji had hurt her where it hurt the most, taking her mother's name but today she said something that no one had uttered before that her brother was also a motherless child due to her. Tears continuously streamed down and Preeti helplessly looked at her, just laid one hand on her shoulder and the other on her arm, trying to support her and infuse some of her strength. She hated seeing her beloved sister in so much pain but she couldn't do anything when the elders were arguing. However, she was grateful to her parents who thought of Naina as their own child and didn't pay heed to such rubbish.

"Arre Anand ji, abhi toh main sirf bol rahi hoon...ek din yeh sach na hua na, toh aap mera naam badal dena...ab ek hi raasta hai, kal hi yeh shaadi layak ho jaayegi, toh buss, jo pehla ladka mile, iske haath peele karke vida kar do".

Taiji provided her age-old solution for any girl-related issues.

"Buss bhabhiji, aap badi hai, iss liye main ab tak chup hoon...aap ke baare mein nahi jaanta, par Naina mere liye Pooja aur Preeti ki tarah hai, meri teesri santaan hai aur main apni bachchiyon main farak nahi karta. Sahi waqt aane par Naina ki bhi shaadi hogi, aur uske liye bhagwan ne kisi khaas ko hi banaya hoga. Tab tak meri betiyan padhengi, aage badhengi, aur apne sapne pure karengi".

"Par..." "Buss Bhabhiji, ab isse pehle ki mujhse koi galati ho jaaye, main haath jodkar aapse vinti karta hoon ki iss waqt aap ghar jaayiye". Chachaji folded his hands, bowed his head, and requested her to leave.

Bela lovingly placed her hand on Naina's head then cheek. "Arre, beta, tu kyon ro rahi hai, Bhabhiji aaj tak mujhe bhi taane maarti rehti hai, unki baaton ko dil se mat lagaya kar...tu toh hamari sabse pyaari aur sabse layak beti hai", she assured her.

"Naina, Beta jab tak main hoon, main apne kisi bachche ko koi kami nahi hone doonga, aur tu toh meri pari hai", Chachji also comforted her and Naina hugged him.

"Haww...toh mein kya chudial hoon?", Preeti quipped feeling left out and trying to lighten the mood.

"Haan chudial hai, par pyariwali..." Chachaji smiled through his emotions and hugged both his daughters tight to assure them that they need not fear anyone or anything.

When the girls went to their room and Chacha-Chachi to theirs, "Suno Bela, kal ki party ke liye sab saaman le ayi ho na?"

"Ji le toh aayi hoon, par aapko lagta hai ki yeh party karni chahiye? Matlab, aaj jo hua? Bhabhiji ko achcha nahi lagega aur Rakesh Bhaisaheb ko toh waise hi nahi pasand". Bela tried to reason to avoid further conflict.

"Nahi Bela, aaj ke iss waqkye ke baad, yeh party aur bhi zaroori hai. Naina ab bachchi nahi hai, badon ki aisi baaton se uske dil ko bhi thes lagti hogi. Aur iss baar sabko achchi tarah yeh bata dena zaroori hai ki baaki do ladkiyon ki tarah Naina bhi hamari beti hai, aur hum hamesha uske saath hai, khaskar ki Bhabhiji aur Rakesh Bhaisaheb ko. Rakesh Bhaiyya janamdin ke din kabhi Naina ko apne samne bardasth nahi kar paate. Muh se nahi kehte, par shayad Bhabhi ki maut ke liye wo bhi Naina ko zimmedaar mante honge. Mujhe yeh sab badalna hai, unhe yeh samjhana zaroori hai ki har koi apni kismet lekar paida hota hai aur apna bhavishya khud savarta hai. Bete ki tarah betiyan bhi parivar ka naam roshan karne ki kshamta rakhti hai." Chachaji explained logically and continued "Maine Preeti se keh diya hai, Naina ko ghar le aaye, college ke baad, aur saare doston ko bhi".

Chachiji remembered something "Ji baaki dost toh theek hai, par Swati ko nahi bulana chahiye".

When chachaji furrowed his eyebrows in confusion, she went on to narrate the whole Swati-Munna incident.

Chachaji was thoughtful for a minute and then said "Bela, zamana badal raha hai. Ladke ladkiyan agar saath mein padhte hai toh unme dosti hona swabhavik hai. Aur fir Munna Pandit toh school se hamari betiyon ke saath padhte hai. Aur Swati, wo toh Naina ki sabse pehli aur pakkiwali dost hai, mujhe nahi lagta ki wo kuch galat karegi...Aur hume apne bachchon par, apne sanskaron par, aur apni parvarish par vishwas karna chahiye. Tum fikr mat karo, Bhabhiji se main baat kar loonga. Waise bhi aaj jo hua, uske baad agar Naina ke sabse kareebi dost uske saath nahi honge, toh uski khushi adhuri reh jaayegi. Iss baar hume uska yeh din ekdum khaas aur yaadgaar banana hai...huh? Ab so jao, kal subah bahut kaam hai". Instructed Chachaji.

In the girls' room, Naina had wiped her tears in Chachaji's presence to convince him that she was fine. But the moment they were both alone, Naina couldn't stop her emotions and started to weep again. Preeti tried consoling her, asking her to forget everything and not pay heed to Taiji's comments, but today Naina was really hurt. She couldn't stop blaming herself, a first in all her years.

"Sach hi toh keh rahi hai na Taiji, agar main paida nahi hoti, toh aaj Maa zinda hoti. Meri wajah se Arjun bhaiyaa ki bhi Maa chin gayi! Sach hai, main hi manhoos hoon iss parivar ke liye, Bhaiyaa aur Papa ke liye, Maa ko nahi, mujhe mar jaana chahiye tha!" A fresh bout of tears bursted again as if a dam broke loose and Naina closed herself in the bathroom.

Preeti's heart wrenched hearing her continuous sobs and after umpteen attempts also she couldn't make her leave the bathroom. She tried one last thing "Dekh Naina, ab tu rona bandh kar aur bahar aa, nahi toh main Papa ko bulakar laungi aur Rakesh Tauji ko bhi". Even this didn't seem to work and her sobs grew louder.

Now there was nothing more left for to do, only someone else might be able to work his magic on her.

She stepped out of the room, ensuring that her parents were asleep, she tiptoed to the hall and called her magician. He picked up on the first ring. He had told Naina he would be late and might not call her tonight, so preparing some mental explanations, he spoke hesitantly "Hello".

"Jijaji" came the usual screech from the other end. "Saaliji, aap? Main thodi der mein niklunga, aapke yahan sab so gaye?"

"Sab so gaye Jijaji, par aapko abhi ana hoga....Naina ki halat bahut kharab hai".

Hearing Naina, all his senses were on full alert mode. "Kya hua Naina ko? Wo theek toh hai?"

"Nahi jijaji, Naina bilkul theek nahi hai" and Preeti narrated the whole incident. Sameer's rage was boiling and hands fisted, one around the cordless phone and the other hand balled as if ready to punch someone.

"Maine use shaant karne ki bahut koshish ki, par ek ghante se apne aap ko bathroom mein bandh karke baithi hai aur roye ja rahi hai...use itna dukhi aajse pehle kabhi nahi dekha...aap please kuch karo, meri baat toh sun hi nahi rahi hai".

At Preeti's request, he took in a deep breath and blew out as if removing the toxic anger out of his system and assured her "Aap chinta mat karo, main abhi aata hoon".