AarYa FF : Your Pride & My Prejudice

Your Pride & My Prejudice 

AarYa FanFiction 

Character Sketch 

Aarti Dubey 

Aarti Dubey is the protagonist of the story. The reader sees the unfolding plot and the other characters mostly from her viewpoint. The second of the Dubey daughters, she is 20 years old and is intelligent, lively, attractive and witty but with a tendency to judge on first impressions and perhaps to be a little selective of the evidence upon which she bases her judgments. As the plot begins, her closest relationships are with her father; her sister, Vidhi; her aunt, Mrs Kapoor; and her best friend, Arpita. As the story progresses, so does her relationship with Yash Scindiya, who belongs to a higher social class than Aarti. The course of Aarti & Yash's relationship is ultimately decided when Yash overcomes his pride, and Aarti overcomes her prejudice, leading to them both surrendering to the love they have for each other.

Mr. Scindiya

Mr Yash Scindiya is the male protagonist of the story. Twenty-eight years old and unmarried, Mr Yash is also the wealthy owner of the famous family estate of Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh, and is rumoured to be worth at least one million dollars a year . Handsome, tall, and intelligent, but not sociable, his aloof decorum and rectitude are seen by many as an excessive pride and concern for social status. He makes a poor impression on strangers, but is valued by those who know him well. When Yash first meets the female protagonist of the Story, Aarti Dubey, she instantly labels him as prideful and rude, refusing to see the good in him. Throughout the progression of the plot, Yash & Aarti are forced to be in each other's company, causing each character to see the other in a different light. At the end of the work, both overcome their differences and judgements, falling in love with each other.

Mr Satyendre Dubey

He is the patriarch of the Dubey family, a gentleman of modest income with five unmarried daughters. He has a sarcastic, cynical sense of humor that he uses to purposefully irritate his wife. Though he loves his daughters (Aarti in particular), he often fails as a parent, preferring to withdraw from the never-ending marriage concerns of the women around him rather than offer help.

Mrs Shobha Dubey

She is the wife of her social superior Mr. Dubey and mother of Aarti and her sisters. She is frivolous, excitable, and narrow-minded, and she imagines herself susceptible to attacks of tremors and palpitations. Her public manners and social climbing are embarrassing to Vidhi & Aarti. Her favourite daughter is the youngest, Maansi. Her main ambition in life is to marry her daughters off well.

Vidhi Dubey

She is the eldest Dubey sister. Twenty-two years old when the story begins, she is considered the most beautiful young lady in the neighbourhood. Her character is contrasted with Aarti's as sweeter, shyer, and equally sensible, but not as clever; her most notable trait is a desire to see only the good in others. Vidhi is closest to Aarti, and her character is often contrasted with that of Aarti. She is favoured by her mother because of her beauty.

Payal Dubey

She is the only plain Dubey sister, and rather than join in some of the family activities, she reads mostly, although she is often impatient for display. She works hard for knowledge and accomplishment, but she has neither genius nor taste. She is as silly as her two younger sisters, Palak & Maansi , though she thinks she is very wise. 

Palak Dubey

Palak is the fourth Dubey sister, aged 17. She is portrayed as a less headstrong, but equally silly, shadow of Maansi.

Maansi Dubey

She is the youngest Dubey sister, aged 15 when the Story begins. She is frivolous and headstrong. Her main activity in life is socialising, especially flirting. She dominates her older sister Palak and is supported in the family by her mother. Maansi shows no regard for the moral code of her society and is remorseless for the disgrace she causes her family.

Pankaj Khanna

He is a handsome, good-natured, and wealthy young gentleman of 22. He is contrasted with his friend Mr Yash as being kinder and more charming and having more generally pleasing manners, although not quite so clever. He lacks resolve and is easily influenced by others.

Paridhi Khana

She is the snobbish sister of Pankaj. Miss Paridhi harbors romantic intentions for Mr Yash, and she is jealous of his growing attachment to Aarti and is disdainful and rude to her. She attempts to dissuade Mr. Yash from liking Aarti.

Prashanth Deshpandey

He has been acquainted with Mr Yash since childhood, having been under the guardianship of Mr Yash's father. He is superficially charming and rapidly forms an attachment with Aarti. He spreads tales about the wrongs Mr Yash has done him.

Prateek Collins

Prateek ,  aged 25, is Mr Dubey's clergyman heir to his estate. He is "not a sensible man, and the deficiency of nature had been but little assisted by education or society." Mr Collins is obsequious, pompous, and lacking in common sense. 

Gayatri Devi

She, who possesses wealth and social standing, is haughty, pompous, domineering, and condescending, although her manner is seen by some as entirely proper and even admirable. 

Aunt and Uncle Kapoor

Mr Kapoor is Mrs Dubey's brother and a successful businessman of sensible and gentlemanly character. Aunt Kapoor is close to her nieces Vidhi & Aarti.

Arpita 

She is Aarti's friend who, at 27 years old, fears becoming a burden to her family and therefore agrees to marry Mr Collins to gain financial security.

IT is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife.

However little known the feelings or views of such a man may be on his first entering a neighbourhood, this truth is so well fixed in the minds of the surrounding families, that he is considered as the rightful property of some one or other of their daughters.

'My dear Mr. Dubey,' said his lady to him one day, 'have you heard that Bhopal is let at last?'

 Mr. Dubey replied that he had not. 

'But it is,' returned she; 'for Mrs. Sehgal has just been here, and she told me all about it.'

Mr. Dubey made no answer. 

'Do not you want to know who has taken it?' cried his wife, impatiently. 

'You want to tell me, and I have no objection to hearing it.' This was invitation enough.

'Why, my dear, you must know, Mrs. Sehgal says that Bhopal is taken by a young man of large fortune from the north of England; that he came down on Monday in a chaise and four to see the place, and was so much delighted with it that he agreed with Mr. Mayur immediately; that he is to take possession before Roopra's, and some of his servants are to be in the house by the end of next week.'

'What is his name?'

'Pankaj Scindiya.'

'Is he married or single?'

'Oh, single, my dear, to be sure! A single man of large fortune; four or five thousand a year. What a fine thing for our girls!'

'How so? how can it affect them?'

'My dear Mr. Dubey,' replied his wife, 'how can you be so tiresome? You must know that I am thinking of his marrying one of them.'

'Is that his design in settling here?'

'Design? nonsense, how can you talk so! But it is very likely that he may fall in love with one of them, and therefore you must visit him as soon as he comes.'

'I see no occasion for that. You and the girls may go, or you may send them by themselves, which perhaps will be still better, for, as you are as handsome as any of them, Mr. Khanna might like you the best of the party.'

'My dear, you flatter me. I certainly have had my share of beauty, but I do not pretend to be anything extraordinary now. When a woman has five grown-up daughters, she ought to give over thinking of her own beauty.'

'In such cases, a woman has not often much beauty to think of.' 'But, my dear, you must indeed go and see Mr. Khanna when he comes into the neighbourhood.' 'It is more than I engage for, I assure you.'

'But consider your daughters. Only think what an establishment it would be for one of them. Everybody is determined to go, merely on that account; for in general, you know, they visit no newcomers. Indeed you must go, for it will be impossible for us to visit him, if you do not.'

'You are over scrupulous, surely. I daresay Mr. Khanna will be very glad to see you; and I will send a few lines by you to assure him of my hearty consent to his marrying whichever he chooses of the girls; though I must throw in a good word for my little Aarti.'

'I desire you will do no such thing. Aarti is not a bit better than the others: and I am sure she is not half so handsome as Vidhi, nor half so good-humoured as Maansi. But you are always giving her the preference.'

'They have none of them much to recommend them,' replied he: 'they are all silly and ignorant like other girls; but Aarti has something more of quickness than her sisters.'

'Mr. Dubey, how can you abuse your own children in such a way? You take delight in vexing me. You have no compassion on my poor nerves.'

'You mistake me, my dear. I have a high respect for your nerves. They are my old friends. I have heard you mention them with consideration these twenty years at least.'

'Ah, you do not know what I suffer.'

'But I hope you will get over it, and live to see many young men of four thousand a year come into the neighbourhood.'

'It will be no use to us, if twenty such should come, since you will not visit them.'

'Depend upon it, my dear, that when there are twenty, I will visit them all.'

Mr. Dubey was so odd a mixture of quick parts, sarcastic humour, reserve, and caprice, that the experience of three-and-twenty years had been insufficient to make his wife understand his character. Her mind was less difficult to develop. She was a woman of mean understanding, little information, and uncertain temper. When she was discontented, she fancied herself nervous. The business of her life was to get her daughters married: its solace was visiting and news.