Author

******

"Ye chudiyan kitne ki hai?"

["How much do these bangles cost?"]

Her doe-brown eyes were mesmerized by the beauty of those red glass bangles, beautifully stacked in the bangle rack. Her index finger grazed them, and her heart leapt, doing a happy dance as the chime of those bangles graced her ears.

"50 rupaye darjan...."

["Fifty rupees a dozen..."]

The shopkeeper replied rudely.

She stared at the ten rupees half-crushed note in her hand. Her face fell as she hid the note in her palm as if she was ashamed.

"Kuch kam kar lo na, chacha..."

["Please, lower the price a little, Uncle..."]

Her soft, vulnerable voice irked the shopkeeper. He glared at her and then roughly replied to her, "50 se ek kam nahi hoga...Paise hai nahi har baar aa jati hai chudiyan khareedne"

["Not a rupee less than fifty. You never seem to have any money, yet you are always showing up to buy bangles."]

She flinched at the tone. Even after years, she had never been able to adjust to anyone's harsh tone because she had never been harsh to anyone, not one single person.

As the shopkeeper pulled the display rack of the bangles inside the small store, his elbow roughly pushed her, and he snorted, "Mera samay mat barbaad karo...jao yaha se...grahak aane ka samay ho gaya hai."

["Don't waste my time. Go away from here. It's time for customers to start coming in."]

Tears stung her eyes, but she didn't let them fall.

It wasn't the first time she was humiliated like that because of money; it was a daily affair, yet her hope never died. 

Hope was a cruel thing; it let you be humiliated and disheartened until your soul gets hollow and bereft of all faith.

"Gudiya...tumhari Rampyaari tayaar hai..."

["Gudiya... your Rampyaari is ready."]

Suddenly, a loud voice caught her attention. 

At a small distance from the bangle shop at the shore of the Yamuna River, the boatman waved his red gamcha in her direction, urging her that the boat named Rampyari was ready to sail.

Her sour mood almost brightened a bit, and she ran down the stairs towards the boat on which an elderly lady was already sitting. She gave the ten rupee note to the boatman after she hopped on it and then took a seat on one edge of the boat.

The boatman tore through the green waters of Yamuna with the oar, paving a way towards the Sangam, where it met the blue of Ganga and the Sarawati hiding beneath, teasing both Ganga and Yamuna, playing hide and seek with them.

Her hair flew, along with her dupatta, and she kept staring at the water and hearing the splash as if the rivers giggled around the boat.

"Kya soch rahi hai?"

["What are you thinking about?"]

The old lady asked before stuffing her mouth with a pan she had bought right before boarding the boat.

The girl sighed as she replied, "Yahi ki vilupt hona kaisa hota hai?"

["I was thinking about what it feels like to disappear."]

The old lady frowned but didn't say anything.

"Amma agar Saraswati ki tarah main bhi gayab ho jau aur kisi ko na milu toh?"

["Amma, what if I vanish like Saraswati and no one ever finds me?"]

The old lady laughed as she watched her intently, as if reading her. 

Knowing her for years, she knew nothing about the girl except that she was a Pandora's box of weird questions and that's why she always hoarded a boat with her. Because no one was there to listen to the old lady except the girl, and no one ever answered the girl but only that old lady.

"Fir koi aayega jo tere vilupt hone pe bhi tujhe dhund lega..."

["Then someone will come who will find you, even if you disappear."]

She smiled sadly and then replied, "Main Saraswati thodi jo log dhundte hue aayenge? Saraswati Maa ke toh bhakt jaate hain unhe dhundne..."

["I am not Saraswati that people would come looking for me. It's Goddess Saraswati's devotees who go searching for."]

"Kya pata tera bhi koi upasak aa jaaye..."

["Who knows? Maybe one day, someone devoted to you will come along."]

The old lady teased her, chewing the paan.

Upasak nahi par jaisi meri kismat hai koi rakshas zaroor aa sakta hai

[A devotee? Not likely. Knowing my luck, it will probably be a demon instead.]

The girl thought but didn't voice it out.

The old lady busied herself with some yelling at the boatman about how he was moving the oar in the water, while the girl wearing the off-white salwar suit stared at the water, wondering how deep it was. 

She pondered that if she jumped into it, would the water reject her as everyone else had?

Her attention was now brought to the green bangles wrapped around her wrists, their colors fading now. They were really old, and she wished to have new ones.

But not all wishes get fulfilled.

She thought of those beautiful red bangles, and how beautiful they would have looked on her hands. Not liking those faded bangles, she pulled them off her wrists and kept them on the boat on one side.

All of a sudden, she heard a cry of help.

"Bachaooo..."

["Help..."]

"Please, somebody help..."

"Mera bacha...."

["My child]

There were sudden yellings; panic rose in her as she noticed a cluster of boats circling a small area in the Ganga river.

The girl rose to her feet, rushing to the boatman.

"Bhaiya, kya hua?"

["What happened, brother?"]

The boatman had stopped the boat and stared at her, looking all worried, and replied, "Us aurat ka bacha gir gaya pani mein," pointing to a lady on another boat.

["That woman's child fell into the water."]

Before anyone could even blink or think, the girl had jumped into the water, diving to the boat the lady was wailing on.

The others kept looking for the kid from the boat, not daring to jump in, but she didn't wait for a miracle or a miraculous person and tore through the water.

The child had fallen in the Ganga; the water there was shallow for an adult but deep for a child. At first, the child thrashed the water in panic, trying to get out of it, but the current was too much for his little limbs, and he was pulled in deep.

His body went still, and the child kept sinking beneath the surface as if pulled by invisible forces.

The river that seemed harmless before now appeared the pit of death.

One misstep and the child could have been out of reach. The boatmen went still with their boats; some men had jumped in too to save the child after the girl.

The girl just dived deep, and before the child could be swallowed by the depths, she held his arm and pulled it out with him.

The boatman of Rampyaari helped her and took the child from her after she had swum with the child in her arms to her boat. The boatman put the child gently on the boat, and the girl grabbed the edge of the wooden boat and pushed herself up on it.

The old lady sat closer to the unconscious child and patted his cheeks, but he was unresponsive. 

The crying woman with the child had now hopped onto Rampyari from her boat and sat beside the child, crying hysterically.

The girl, though, didn't waste a single moment and started giving him rescue breaths. 

She hoped for the child to open his eyes, but it didn't happen. Without further ado, she started with CPR then.

She wasn't a medical professional, but CPR was something she was really good at. She had spent days, months, and years learning it, training, and practicing it.

"Please...be fine...please...be fine...." 

She chanted as she kept giving CPR to the child, her eyes moistening with tears as the people crowded her; some jumped to her boat, while some watched her from the boats they were on.

Then all of a sudden, the child coughed water, and a shrill cry cut through the air. The child had started crying, shivering. The woman pulled up the child, hugged him to her chest, rubbing his back, thanking the girl with teary eyes.

People around her clapped and praised her for her bravery while she sat there in shock with her hands still shaking, with past flashes running in front of her eyes. 

She closed her eyes for a moment to let those images not haunt her, but it didn't stop until she heard a man yell, "Itni Laparwahi..."

["Such carelessness..."]

One of the boatmen was yelling at the mother of the child. 

Then one of the women remarked harshly in disgust, "Kaisi Maa hai ye..."

["What kind of mother is she?"]

The girl was brought back to the present because of all the yelling and the commotion of boats.

"Main iski..."

Before the woman could speak or take her stand, the girl did.

"Inhe maaf kar dijiye....galti sabse hoti hai..."

["Please forgive her... everyone makes mistakes."]

"Dekhiye ye kitni dari hui hain...is nanhi si jaan ke khaatir bas shaant ho jaaiye"

["Look at how frightened she is. For this little one's sake, please calm down."]

She urged the people around, joining her hands, requesting them not to trouble the lady. The child kept crying more and more, and the people grew concerned. The girl asked if she could have the child, and the woman instantly gave it to her.

The moment she held him close to her heart and whispered sweet nothings, words of comfort, and cooed him, his cries began to subside. The people quieted down too, noticing how she handled the child with ease, while his own mother couldn't.

The child found solace in the girl's arms while his mother watched the scene in shock, as if the girl was his mother. The girl felt a tug at her heart when the child took a breath of relief on her neck.

It was weird for her as to how a stranger made her feel like a human, while the people she knew couldn't.

After the child stopped crying, she handed him to his mother, reluctantly. Even the child was not willing to be out of her arms, as he had fisted her Kurta in his soft palm.

The girl kissed his hair and freed her kurta, unwillingly, while the mother of the child pulled him harshly into her arms. Her lips quivered watching the child not wanting to be with her at the moment. Yet she held him tighter, as a mother would, and she mumbled, "Dhanyavaad..."

["Thank You"]

"Koi baat nahi...Dhyan rakhna..."

["No worries...take care]

The girl said softly, as she stroked the hair of the child, and then the woman went back onto her boat. The people dispersed and busied themselves with whatever they were doing before the fiasco happened.

And the girl...she kept staring at her palms...as if she was guilty about something, as if she didn't just save a child but murdered someone.

The old lady who had watched it all but didn't utter a word until now warned her solemnly, "Kisi din teri dariya dili tujhe le dudebi..."

["One day, your kindness will drown you."]

"Satah pe rehna ka shauk kise hai, Amma? Ya toh ye dariya hi le jaaye mujhe"

["Who even likes staying on the surface, Amma? Either let this river take me away."]

The old lady was rendered speechless. 

There was always weight to the girl's words that seemed unfathomable, a wisdom no normal twenty-three-year-old girl ever carried, but she did.

"Lagta hai koi badi hasti aayi hai aaj ghaat par..."

["Looks like some important person has arrived at the ghat today..."]

The boatman's comment caught the attention of two ladies.

The girl noticed armed guards in all black standing at the shore. Fear crept up to her chest, constricting her to breathe.

Her hands and feet began to turn cold. Her heart began beating rapidly now.

She urged the boatman to take her to the shore hurriedly, and he agreed. 

As soon as the boat stopped at the shore, she stepped off after bidding bye to the old lady and the boatman, and she rushed up the stairs.

An elderly woman in an old cotton saree was there waiting for her. The moment she took in her appearance, she was shocked. The girl didn't have her dupatta, was completely drenched, and looked like a mess.

"Ye kya haal bana rakha hai gudiya?"

["What have you done to yourself, Gudiya?"]

The elderly woman asked with concern. 

That was when the girl noticed her state and realized what a blunder she had made. She turned around to see if Rampyaari was still there, as she had forgotten her dupatta on the boat itself when she jumped in the river to save the child and also the bangles, but the boat was gone already.

"Chaliye jaldi isse pehle koi aapko aisi halat mein dekh le...mandir ke andar vale kamre mein rabab rakh diya hai maine jaiye vaha."

["Come quickly, before someone sees you like this... I have kept your rabab in the inner room of the temple. Go there."]

The girl thought she would find enough time to hide herself before anyone could see her. But she had no idea it was too late for that, as the moment she took a step towards the temple, her steps halted and so did the steps of the old lady.

The old lady created distance between them, leaving her side as if she wasn't just a moment ago advising her to go to the temple, hiding from others.

The men with rifles now surrounded the area the girl was at.

Two women of power wearing banarasi silk sarees watched the girl standing at a distance of a few feet. Their eyes were covered with sunglasses. 

While one of them watched her with pure disdain, which was apparent even when she wore glasses to save herself from the sun's bright rays, the other one held a poker face, not giving in to her true sentiments.

The woman holding the disdain was Ritu Chaudhary. 

She circled the girl, smirking at her, eyeing her up and down, and then she said to the other woman, "Didi... dekhiye aapki gudiya ki halat..."

["Sister... look at the condition of your Gudiya."]

The girl stared at her feet, not daring to look up at them. Keeping quiet was the sane choice she made.

Ritu tucked her fingers under her chin and made her look up at her and asked, "Aap geeli kaise ho gayi?"

["How did you get soaked?"]

The girl didn't reply, so she grabbed her jaw harshly, glaring at her. The girl winced in pain, and left with no choice, she mumbled, "Vo main...mera paanv fisal gaya..."

["I... I slipped."]

"Jis hisab se aapke paanv fisal rhe hain... inhe bediyon ki zaroorat hai...."

["The way your feet keep slipping... you need shackles."]

"Ritu... mandir chaliye..."

["Ritu... let's go to the temple..."]

The other woman said, her voice calm, as if she was unbothered yet held authority. Ritu let go of her jaw sharply, causing her to stumble. Ritu and the other woman walked away along with the elderly woman.

The girl didn't waste a second and ran towards the inner chamber of the temple from the opposite side. She sat cross-legged, making sure she was hidden, and picked up the Rabab after joining hands in front of Lord Ram's idol.

******

[Rabab]

******

No one could see her, but she could see everyone from inside.

Ritu Chaudhary and Rukmini Chaudhary, her aunts and women of power, sat on lavish mattresses outside the temple's main garh. Inside, before Lord Ram's idol, sat Swara Chaudhary, Rukmini Chaudhary's daughter, dressed in an elegant red anarkali and holding another rabab.

Swara exuded luxury from head to toe, adorned with beautiful gold earrings, silver payals, and red bangles that gleamed with every movement.

Swara looked at the girl hiding and then nodded. 

Taking the cue, she started playing the rabab and singing the beautiful bhajan based on Raag Yaman, "Payo Ji maine....Ram Ratan Dhan Payo."

She got lost in the melody, rhythm, and beat, and her pure devotion towards God as her fingers magically worked on the strings of the rabab. 

Swara, on the other hand, pretended to sing and play the rabab with her back turned to everyone.

The moment the bhajan finished, there was a beautiful smile on the faces of the priests.

"Aapki bitiya bahut surila gaati hai. Dil khush ho jaata hai, Rukmini Devi. Isiliye Chaitra Navratri ki shuruaat bitiya ke surile bhajan se hi karvani thi."

["Your daughter sings beautifully, Rukmini Devi. Listening to her voice fills the heart with joy. That is why we wanted the Chaitra Navratri celebrations to begin with her melodious bhajan."]

The head priest was all praises for Swara and even blessed him, wishing for her to get all the beautiful blessings out there.

Then Swara got up, leaving the Rabab in the temple, and touched the head priest's wife's feet, who bestowed her with blessings, saying, "Swara vakai mein surili hain aap..."

["Swara, you truly have a melodious voice."]

Meanwhile, the one who should have been given credit for her talent and devotion watched the scene unfold before her with a sad smile. 

She was sad because no one had adored her like that in years, and she was smiling because at least her voice brought joy to people. 

Even if no one knew it, it was her voice that had marked the beginning of the Chaitra Navratri celebrations; she was still a little content that her prayers reached God through her voice.

Swara claimed all the glory while the real devotion came from Sargam's voice, whose entire existence was to live in someone else's shadow.

Because no one was supposed to know that she belonged to the Chaudhary clan, the most powerful family in Prayagraj, the family of Dharmendra Chaudhary, the city's opposition leader.

The moment Rukmini, Ritu, and Swara left with the old lady staff named Geeta, Sargam thought it was the right opportunity to take her dupatta and bangles from the boat. 

As she walked out from the backdoor of the inner chamber of the temple, making her way to the shore, someone tugged on her arm painfully.

Ritu Chaudhary stood there, glaring at Sargam with her smoldering eyes. Her eyeglass rested on her hair now.

"Gaadi mein jakar baitho..." she seethed.

["Go, sit in the car."]

Sargam understood she was trapped now. 

All the way, she kept praying in her head to be spared from any mishap.

But the moment she stepped inside the house, a harsh slap landed on her face with force.

She fell to the ground, and the impact was so intense that she felt dizzy. Her body went numb with shock.

"Kiske saath rangraliyan mana rahi thi tu?"

["Who were you fooling around with?"]

******

Payo Ji Maine, Ram Ratan Dhan Payo 🥹❤️

[I love this bhajan 🥹]

Hi Lovelies,

Kya kisi ne socha hai gayab hona kaisa lagta hai? 🥹

[Has anyone ever wondered what it feels like to disappear? 🥹]

Sargam ke saath kon kon gayab hona chahta hai, main toh chahti hu 🥹

[Who wants to disappear with Sargam? Because I definitely do. 🥹]

What do you think will happen in the next update?  🥹

I am scared for the next update; are you all, too? 🥹

Do share your views about the chapter. It would mean a lot to me. ❤️

Thanks,

Shrishtee