PART II
Friday Afternoon..ITI
Dean's office..
Sunil: Whatever may be the case, she is his wife now..
Dean Chowdhry: Mr. Khandelwal, we understand and that is why
we suggest family housing..
Mad: FAMILY HOUSING??..Please, they are not a family..my son
was impulsive'
Sunil: (holding Mad's hand to stop her from saying anything
more): Prof. Chowdhry, with all due respect,
it is my family, and I would rather my son's wife stay with us..
Dean: I think so, but it was Mrs. Khandelwal who brought it
up..
Mad: Who hamare ghar kyun rahegee? I mean, it's a new city
for her..we are hardly ever home..she is better off here..GOD!!! I don't even
know what the hell is going on..to think straight..WHAT were you thinking,
Shantanu??? (looking at Shaan who is standing in a corner)
Shaan: Mom!! (then looks at the Dean): Sir, I need to live
in my room..we are working on a huge project..I need all the time I have..I am
not interested in moving into family housing which is quite a few kilometers
from the department.
..Suddenly, Sunil spots his new daughter-in-law seated on the
sofa looking straight ahead, something comes over him and..
Sunil: And Khanak..Mumbai mei tumhara koyee jaan pehchaan
wala hai..
Khanak: (shakes her head): Main Suraj ke kamre mein rehna
chahtee hoon..
Everyone looks at each other..waiting for the other to
respond..Shaan steps outside the room..
Mad: Where are you going Shaan?
Shaan: (in a tone that has never been serious before): Mom,
I need to get all the saaman into the room..
Sunil: Well, that settles it then..
Mad: Sunil??!!!
Sunil: (pleadingly): Madhavi..Ghar chalte hain..come on..
Prof. Chowdhry is relieved..but also worried..one of his
brightest has met an early death and one of his smartest is yet to meet with
the consequences of his deed..How shall this turn out? ..his wife shall know..
Hostel 7 lobby..a
liitle later..
Karthik: It is too heavy yaar..
Murli: Come on..we should be able to get it..it is just one
flight of stairs
Harshad: How the hell?
Shaan: What the heck is it anyway??
Karthik: It is a tanpura..
Murli: Genie's Ass..why the hell didn't you say so in the
first place??..remove the damn thing from the huge casket and take it
upstairs..
Harshad: Kya matlab..how the heck do you know so much?
Karthik: (grins and winks): Prof. Tripathi's wife sings na..dekha
hoga..
Harshad: Freak!!!
Murli: (removes the tanpura from the huge case): WOW!
Shaan: (runs his fingers on the strings and mutters):
Taanpura..how does she play it?
Murli: Dude..she does not play it..it is an accompaniment..your
wife sings!!
There is a sudden silence among all the friends..the
discomfort takes a minute to pass..and probably would have taken longer if they
were not interrupted..
Khanak: Please sambhalke..
Karthik: Take it upstairs yaar..I will get the other stuff..
Shaan: I will take care of it..
Karthik: (looking at Khanak): Aapko bhook lagee hogee..
Friday late
evening..Hostel 7 mess (canteen):
Karthik: Shetty..2 plate Hakka..
Murli: (looks at Khanak): Aap kya khayengee?
Harshad: Shaan kahan hai?
Karthik: woh suitcases rakh raha hai..
(Shaan enters the mess to see the only seat available is the
one next to his wife..Sooraj's girl..no.. his wife..runs his fingers through his
hair ..waves to the boys and comes and sits next to her)
Murli: Will you have noodles?
Khanak: Jee..
Harshad: (nudges); I think only hindi..
Khanak: (with a small smile): Jee means 'yes' in Hindi..I
will have noodles..
Harshad mutters a Sorry..Karthik smiles at Khanak..
Karthik: Good one Bhabhee..
Khanak laughs..Shaan suddenly looks at her..smiles.. and
then his eyes fall on her mehendi filled hands..and he suddenly says..
Shaan: Murli..we need to sit down tomorrow and realign the
lever measurements on the prototype..
Hostel 7, Room 201,,
Shaan: Maine samaan uss cupboard mei rakh diyaa hai..
Khanak: Thank you..
Shaan: Agar aap bathroom jaana..
Khanak: Jee I am okay..
The silence between them is eating up all the space in the
room..until she walks towards the bed..his heart beats faster than normal and
he is quite sure she can hear it..but he is not sure why it is so..
Shaan: Jee aapka bistra uss taraf..
Khanak: Oh! (walks away and sits on the other bed): Oh..
Shaan: (does not really want to watch this): Why don't you
get settled..I will be back..
Khanak: Oh..OK..
Shaan leaves the room..gets down the stairs..this is why
people smoke..he thinks..he sees quite a few of his hostel mates cigging
away..it is almost 11 pm..she must be asleep..
Upstairs Khanak rubs her hands over her bed..his bed, she
thinks..looks at the side table..runs her fingers on the night stand..opens the
drawer..there is a book and a bunch of pens and an extra pair of glasses..She
then gets up..walks to the desk..there is an open book with lots of
diagrams..and a pencil with its end chewed up..she smiles in wonderment..there
is a fancy watch on top of the desk..and a glass half filled with water..she picks
it up and drinks it..
Shaan enters..
Shaan: Did you need something?
Khanak: Nahin tho..
Shaan: Aap mere desk pe baithe ho..
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Pyaasi hoon Main..Pyaasi Rehne Do..
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Review Mandatory
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Next part- page 11
Edited by saaaz - 12 years ago
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