‘Mom, stop it! Don’t get ideas. Ahan is only a good friend, like many others. At present, we are all just shaping our careers ahead! No time for anything else. How could you even think of it?’
Her daughter’s candid confession eased her mind a bit. Then she thought about why it should matter to her at all! Throughout the day, Ananya continued to argue with herself, framing logic and counter-logic, and finally concluded that her daughter’s choice of partner was none of her business!
In the evening, she started to dress for the party. Urna, seeing the beige sari she had chosen, objected rather firmly, ‘Mom, you are not going to wear this dull colour, specially for this evening. You must wear your blue silk. You look gorgeous in blue.’
These were exactly Rohit’s words. He would always insist on her wearing blue.
Anu, you should see yourself through my eyes. Blue suits you like no other colour does. I see a piece of sky meeting the ground when you walk in blue.
Ananya hesitated a little, but then decided to go with her daughter’s wishes. It didn’t matter, really, after all these years. Rohit would be at the party with Ahan’s mother, a proud parent of the class topper. Both the charm of the colour blue and of its wearer must have long faded in those eyes.
As she entered the hall, her heartbeat grew louder. Urna was greeted by cheers from all sides—from her friends and teachers. Ahan was on stage, playing the guitar with a band. Ananya looked around for Rohit but could not find anyone like him among those present. Had he changed beyond recognition or had they not arrived?
Some of Urna’s friends came to greet her and introduced her to their parents. The band was playing soft, pleasing tunes. Ananya started to enjoy the party, which was well organized, with very subtle and aesthetic arrangements. There were some alumni present among teachers and parents. A woman from her junior class, who remembered her well, showered compliments on her.
‘You are still so pretty, Di! Not many changes other than a little extra weight, which, by the way, suits your personality.’
Time passed happily, reminiscing of old times.
The band then started to play the timeless anthem of graduation, a favourite of their times—Papa Kehte Hain. This was Ahan, singing loudly with his guitar.
Ananya looked everywhere but could not see anyone resembling Ahan’s ‘papa’ anywhere. His friends surrounded the stage, clapping and cheering. Urna was leading the noisy crowd from the front. The elders stood a little towards the back, encouraging and smiling. After all, you are young only once!
As dinner was announced, Urna guided her mother to a table and brought soup for the two of them. They had just started when Ahan came to them, with a lady and a gentleman.
‘Aunty, my Ma and Baba. Maayi, you have met Urna already; this is her mother, Ananya Aunty.’
Ananya had noticed this couple earlier, standing quietly near the stage and listening to the music. Ahan’s father nodded at her respectfully and his mother held Ananya’s hand intimately.
Disappointed or relieved?
She was not sure of her feeling—a bit of both, perhaps. They sat together with food on their plates. Ahan and Urna did not give anyone much chance to speak. While recovering from the state of dismay, Ananya could not help but glance at Ahan’s face from time to time for a more detailed look. His likeness to Rohit was uncanny. Nature had played a trick on her!
That night, Ananya dreamt of the Urni river.
She had often taken a walk along the riverside with Rohit. He would talk about his dreams, their future together and read poems to her. She’d named her daughter Urna, as the child’s laughter had reminded her of the river and the joyful memories associated with it.
In her dream that night, she saw the silver line of Urni and the sparkling white sand of the riverbed on a moonlit night.
Rohit, drenched in moonlight, recited Nazim Hikmet to her: ‘You’ll live, my dear. My memory will vanish like black smoke in the wind.’
She awoke very early the next morning. Urna was still sleeping. Quietly, Ananya slipped out, past the garden, and started walking towards the river.
The pristine beauty of the river and the surrounding jungle remained intact, untouched by the hand of time. A little out of breath from the long walk, she sat down on the ground. Time, too, went past her like sand, as she sat there, immersed in the stream of memories.
A soft touch of hand brought her back to the present. Ahan’s mother was standing by her side.
‘Ananya, I am Rohit’s sister, Ruhana . . . Ruhi, remember my name?’
The calm in the voice touched Ananya. She stood up and looked straight at her for a few seconds, trying to grasp the meaning of those words.
So Ahan was Rohit’s nephew. Now that explained the resemblance!
Ruhana looked at her hard, as if trying to read her mind.
‘You guessed right before. Ahan is Rohit’s son.’
Confused, Ananya stared back at Rohit’s sister. Yes, she was his sister all right; the similarities were distinct.
‘Ahan’s mother died at childbirth. Rohit was very upset. He blamed himself for not caring for her enough—for not being able to forget you, ever. He decided not to marry again and took up a job abroad. I kept young Ahan with me.’
Trying hard to hold back her emotions, Ananya said grievingly, ‘I am sorry. It was my fault that I couldn’t gather enough courage to go against my father at that time. But Rohit was not ready for marriage either, as he had family responsibilities. I, too, have suffered a lot. I have failed in my relationship.’
Suddenly the years melted away, and past and present merged together. The vision of a girl with a dupatta drenched in tears, sitting on the edge of her narrow bed as her father roared outside, came alive in her mind.
How dare she want to marry someone from a lower caste with no proper earning? It will take him years to stand on his own feet and rise to any kind of socially acceptable position. All love will go down the drain when they struggle to make ends meet. This is outrageous! I can’t let my only daughter throw her life away because of a street beggar!
Ananya now felt a surge of pain for the younger Ananya going through the emotional turmoil, praying silently for help.
Oh, she was so young and stupid, perhaps, to believe in those empty threats!
Tell her that if she leaves home to marry that boy, she will not see me alive again. I will prefer to die than bring shame to my forefathers because of her. The status we have gained in society over generations will be dust in one day. If she wants to build her life on her father’s grave, let it be so.
Ruhana’s voice sounded distant. ‘Don’t be so hard on yourself. Perhaps it was fated to happen. And see how destiny has brought you two on the same road once again. On one of my visits to Ahan, I met Urna and discovered that she was your daughter. She is such a loveable girl, and we bonded really well. I heard of your divorce from her.’ She added tenderly, ‘Rohit loved to talk about you. I feel I have known you all my life. I always considered you a sister.’
Ananya eyed her gratefully. Rohit had never said much about Ruhi, except that her marriage had been a priority for him. It would have been nice to have had a caring and compassionate human being like Ruhana for a sister.
‘I told Urna and Ahan about you two. Kids of today are more mature than us. They are the ones who planned this meeting for us during the graduation ceremony. Urna kept it a secret from you as she wasn’t sure how you would react to the idea.’