Happy Reading

"Haldi wala koi gaana hota hai kya?" Preeti wondered

"Ummm..." Rinki began thinking too.

"Wo kuch toh tha haldi lage ...kuch toh rang khilne types. Yaad nahi aa raha." Shefali said.

"Maine toh aisa kuch nahi suna." Kamya said, dismissively.

"Inn haatho me laga de haldi..." Hema began singing.

"Mehndi hota hai." Everyone corrected her

"Ab mai koi gaana bataungi toh wo tum aaj ki ladkiyon ko jachega bhi nahi." Phulla Bua intervened.

"Mere rang me rangne wali ... Pari ho ya ho pariyon ki raani." Swati began singing

"Ya ho meri prem kahani." All the others joined her. "Mere sawalon ka jawab do ... do na."

"Arey! Halla mat karo." Pooja di said while sitting next to Hema. "Taiji ki kamar me moch hai wo neeche haldi lagane nahi aa payengi, keh rahin thi ki jab sabka ho jaaye toh nahane se pehle Naina unke pass ho aaye. Wo wahin laga dengi. Tauji  bhi isiliye neeche nahi aa rahe."

"Aur Rakesh?" Phulla Bua asked. "Usko toh aana chahiye na."

"Unka pata nahi." Pooja di said.

Phulla Bua pursed her lips and tried to control her anger.

"Rakesh Tauji ko toh Arjun Bhaiya se fursat hi nahi milti." Preeti mumbled.

"Badon ke baare me aise kuch bhi nahi bolte Preeti." Phulla Bua scolded her. "Jaa ... Naina ko neeche leke aa. Uske sasural wale aate honge haldi leke. Swati, beta tu bhi jaa."

The girls nodded and went to do as directed. On the other hand, on the bridegroom's side everything was chaotic. Sameer was sitting in the centre of their house's hall and turn by turn everyone was covering him in turmeric's paste and he wasn't liking it at all.

"Nanu!!" Sameer whined.

"Aaj toh Nanu bhi nahi bacha sakte tujhe Sonu beta!" Mamaji laughed as he rubbed his Sonu beta's cheeks with a lot of turmeric paste.

"Aur!"

"Aur lagao!"

Munna and Pandit cheered him.

"O! Rahu-Ketu! Tumhare din bhi door nahi." Nanu defended.

"Tab ki tab dekhenge Nanu" Pandit said mischievously.

"Abhi ..." Munna rubbed his palms.

"Abhi?" Nanu asked.

"Abhi toh..."

Munna bent down in front of Sameer and picked up as much of the paste he could and rubbed it all over Sameer. Pandit laughed hysterically and joined him. Sameer playfully captured Munna's neck in the fold of his arm and rubbed the paste on his cheeks.

"Teri bhi haldi aaj hi mana lete hain na." He said.

"Iski shaadi me toh abhi do mahine hain." Pandit said.

"Theek hai isko chod dete hai. Tu kaha bach ke jaayega?" Sameer told Pandit and ran after him in the hall.

Mamiji stopped Pandit from escaping and he was soon covered with turmeric too. Poonam Bhabhi and Devang Bhaiya joined the Haldi turned Holi party while the elders enjoyed their game from a distance.

"Holi hai!!" Pandit exclaimed

"Haldi! Haldi!" Munna reminded him

"Haldi hai!" He exclaimed with double the enthusiasm.

When everyone decided that they had played enough, Sameer was sent off to wash himself while everyone else prepared to take that Haldi to Naina's home.

"Vishakha didi ko aaj toh aana chahiye tha. Nahi?" Mamiji asked Poonam.

"Sau take sahi baat boli hai! Saaf kehna sukhi rehna. Arey bete ki shaadi me sirf khane aana ye kaha ki samajhdaari hai?" Mamaji replied instead.

"Chodiye na Mum-" Poonam was cut off mid sentence.

"Accha chodo chodo! Ye saaman gadi me rakhwa do. Humein waise bhi nikalna hai." Mamiji rushed everyone as if they had been stalling all this while.

Sameer pulled Pandit with him and handed him a chit. "Bhabhi ko de de na." He added.

In no time, the Maheshwaris were outside Nirmal Jyoti Society.

Auspicious yellow was effusing from the pandal. Naina was sitting in the middle of it with her girl gang surrounding her.

The Agarwal elders received the Maheshwaris. Swati saw Munna and waved, he blushed. Pandit rushed to Naina's side and handed her the chit.

Haldi ke peele rang se shagun hua hai
Agla rang laal hoga.

She read and instantly recognised the handwriting. Sameer Maheshwari was a wizard of words, for sure!

"Shuru kare?" Phulla Bua asked her.

One by one, family, friends and guests started applying the turmeric paste on the bride. She was shining like a sunflower among them. Naina dipped her finger tips in the paste and rubbed it on Swati's cheek.

"Agla number tera hai."

When the ceremony reached it's end, Preeti got up and pulled Bela to the centre.

Maye ni maye munder pe teri bol raha hai kaaga
Jogan ho gayi teri dulari man jogi sag laga (x2)

Chan mahiya, chan mahiya mere dhol sipahiya

Chand ki tarah chamak rahi thi uss jogi ki kaya, mere dwaare aakar usne pyar ka alaq jagaya
Apne tan pe bhasm rama ke, (x2)
Saari rain wo jaaga
Jogan ho gayi teri dulari man jogi sang laga

Among all the claps and applauses that were cheering for them, two eyes were fixed on Preeti and were reluctant to move. Pandit was seeing a new side of her today.

Sun heeriye nach heeriye
Nach ke rang jama

Sun heeriye nach heeriye
Nach ke dhoom macha!

Mannat maangi thi tune ek roz mai jaau biyahi
Uss jogi ke sang meri tu kar de ab kudmaaye
Inn haatho me laga de mehndi (x2)
Baandh shagun ka dhaga
Jogan ho gayi teri dulari man jogi sang laga

        ____________________________

The ceremony had ended hours ago but the bitter taste hadn't left Taiji's mouth.

"Iss kamar ko bhi aaj hi mudna tha." She rubbed the balm on her waist a millionth time that day.

"Bure karmo ka phal bura hi hota hai!" Pralay was reciting his lessons in a corner.

Tauji cleared his throat, trying to ignore Pralay.

"Rakesh gaya tha?" He asked.

"Haa." Taiji said.

"Accha?" Tauji raised his eyebrows. "Maheshwariyon me ladki de rahe hain. Wo bhi apni marzi se. Samaj me kya izzat reh jaayegi? Rakesh ko Anand ko kuch toh samjhana chahiye tha na!"

"Kis haq se?"

"Kaisi baat kar rahi ho? Sabse zyada haq hai uska!"

She tsked in annoyance

          __________________________

Days were stumbling faster than Naina had ever experienced. The Haldi ceremony had ended in the blink of an eye and the day for the mehndi had arrived. A bowl filled with henna was sitting in the hall. It was numbering her days left in her maiden home. She was torn in between her excitement and sadness because of her marriage and then there was the enthusiasm to start her new course. She had started taking time out to check out her new books.

She was sitting on the swing, lost in her own musings when someone poked her arm.

"Ouch!" Naina snapped her head.

Rinki was smiling. She adjusted herself next to her cousin.

"Naina! Ek baat poochu?"

"Pooch." Naina replied, still rubbing her arm.

"Tu sabse zyada kisko miss karegi?"

"Tujhe toh bilkul nahi karungi." Naina replied while poking Rinki's arm in return.

"Bata na!"

"Sabko. Papa, Mummy, Preeti ko sabse zyada." She sighed.

"Taiji-Tauji ko?"

"Bahot zyada nahi."

"Rakesh Tauji ko?"

"Unse ... unse kuch khaas bonding nahi hai." Naina said.

"Arjun Bhaiya ko?"

"Arey baba! Sab ko! Har kisi ko miss karungi. Khush?"

          ___________________________

The smell of henna was mixed in the air. Women were sitting in groups and were applying mehndi on each other's hands.

"Sameer ka S likhna hai." Naina told the mehndi artist without her asking.

"Uhu! Uhu!"

All her friends began teasing her.

"Waise Naina," Swati sat next to her and began whispering. "Suna hai, aaj aapki saas Delhi se aane wali hain."

"Ye jo rishta hone ke baad bhi tu aazad ghum rahi thi na wo sab ab band hone wala hai." Preeti joined Swati.

"Naina, tujhe dare huye expressions dene hai." Swati reminded her. "Tu ye hindi film ke villain wale looks kya de rahi hai?"

"Kya karni wali hai behen? Tu kuch aisa waisa nahi karegi ab. Samjhi?"

Precap - Healing his wounds.

Suggest some 90s (Till '95 only) Bollywood shaadi songs please!!