"Sakhi?" He asked her as she opened the door.
"Abhi? Oh yes, she has told me you'd drop by. Come in... She ll be here any minute. Please come!"
She shut the door as he entered their wonderful duplex apartment surrounded with lush greens...
It was close to 4.45 pm and she had just woken up from her short noon nap...
She was dressed in an earthy colored organic cotton tunic and a soft flowing olivemul skirt...
Her dark long hair flowed loose from her thick braid which ran till her waist and her nose pin sparkled in between the locks that covered her face from the noon breeze...
She welcomed him with a warm smile...
She had heard a lot about him from her daughter since she came back from the fresher's party...
"Sakhi has been talking about you constantly after you selected her at the dance auditions for the intercollegiate. She tells me that you are one of the most popular and loved cultural secretary your college has ever had! Come, make yourself at home... What will you have? I was going to make myself some ginger chai. Great to have your company now.... Sakhi is a religious coffee drinker..."
She kept talking as she rearranged a few cushions over their ethnic baithak and pushed the handloom curtains away letting in warm golden sunlight along with a confusingly cool breeze...
He kept looking at her almost muted in amazement as he watched her hurrying things up in a rhythmic grace...
He couldn't help but stare at her tall curvaceously gorgeous frame of feminine elegance her glowing face and flawless skin...
He hadn't seen a complexion as smooth as her's in real life...
He thought he was seeing a beautiful sculpture right from an ancient cave...
She went to their open kitchen where she started making tea as she continued her constant chat.
"Abhimanyu is your name right? How do you like your tea, one spoonful of sugar? Come sit here at the dining table. Sakhi told me you love to talk as well. You haven't uttered a sentence! Do you find me intimidating Abhi? ", she chuckled as she got the tray to the table...
"No aun...sorry, I mean No ma'am...
I was awestruck with the serenity of this place! It is so precious to have a duplex apartment right here in the heart of the city and that to with a garden as exquisite as this... You have perfect outdoors inside... M'aam thank you for the tea!" , he said politely conscious of how he sounded since he wanted to camouflage his excitement..."
It suddenly got cloudy and began to rain.
"Oh, I hope Sakhi doesn't get stuck..." He said looking out through the garden...
"I guess she'd be near our area by now...unfortunately her battery seems to have discharged... I am going above in my riyaz room for singing now... You can wait for Sakhi here or come join me upstairs", she said smiling...
The spark in her jet black kohl eyes was extremely invigorating...
He being the Cultural Secretary felt that this was a fabulous opportunity to hear some awesome music in a fantastic climate...
"This is our ancestral home build by Sakhi's great grandfather during his hay days. He was an architect with a remarkable sense of esthetics." , she said as they climbed the teakwood staircase that led to a long passage with bedrooms on either side and a huge hall designed like a courtyard overlooking a vast terrace...
She sat down on the brocade mattress tying her hair into a bun... holding the tanpura n then wrapping her long arm round it....
Her long fingers caressing each string into a soothing sound....
She began with her saaaa....as Abhi sat on a teakwood swing as he watched her start her practice...
He could listen to that saaa for the entire evening without missing out on any other kind of singing...
This was followed by aakaar...
Her voice was enveloping the growing wind and was embellished by the occasional lightening...
As she started the introductory notes of NAT MALHAR...
Her raag vistaar must have truely inspired the clouds which then burst in full swing!!!
Aalaap n taans that followed melded with the crazy wind that flowed and it seemed that there wasn't her there wasn't him... There was just music that had blended the renderer and the listener into divine oneness...
The music rain play continued till late night until the home phone rang...
"Maa, my scooty gave up in the rains and my phone got discharged... and then I had to walk the east west bridge but as I came down I saw the terrible waterlogging and went back to naani. Did Abhi come? Oh...or is he stuck at our place? Omg...wait Maa dad's calling. Guess he is worried about us looking at the news... I ll call u back " , said Sakhi.
"Abhi, Sakhi got stuck in rains and is staying back at her grandmom's place. It hasn't stopped raining since late noon. I suggest you don't barge out tonight, stay back and inform your parents about your stay." , she said as she covered her tanpura with a silk drape...
"Ma'am I d call them anyways. But they don't stay in this city. I stay with my friends in a rented flat on the other side. Hope Sakhi's father is safe"
"Oh Ram is touring for business this month... He d love to meet you otherwise being such a people's person that he is... Come I ll cook dinner for us..."
That night conversation ruled the dinner table and they discussed everything about art craft culture textiles fashion spirituality ethnicity influences modernism contemporary flavor history aesthetics dance theatre sculptor poetry theatre puppets films instrumental music books literature and all things related to creativity...
First across the terracotta lamp lit platform near the windows in the living room and then perched up on the brass hooked swing upstairs....
They stayed up late through the night way beyond dusk into the early hours of dawn...
As the rains subsided in the morning and he slept over the brocade matt in the riyaz room...
She carried on with her morning chores...
Sakhi pulled him down the stairs as he sleepily approached the dining area seeing her mom just out of the bath with wet hair and her waist showing through the saree pallu draped across her svelte body...
Dhoop in one hand and flowers from the garden in another, she wished him morning with a warm smile...
Abhi couldn't take his eyes off her... He wondered how lucky would Mr. Ram be...
Sakhi and Abhi rushed to college after breakfast....
She continued with her routine of prayers n puja cooking gardening lunch reading yoga writing noon nap...
She kept thanking divinity for Sakhi was in good company as she though about how intelligent intellectual and talented Abhi was.
She kept hearing about him every now and then from Sakhi and knew that they both were getting close...
As the college won all the prizes that year with Sakhi and Abhi in tow they knew that they were a winning formula and got fond of each other...
However after their overnight picnic Sakhi seemed considerably disturbed...
She stopped talking and being her usual cheerful self.
Concerned about her well being she coaxed her to share her frustration and sadness...
"Maa, we broke off... Abhimanyu and I....she said sobbing bitterly... At the overnight trip when we got close, as we neared the highest point of our intimacy Maa...his eyes were closed and he uttered Avantika, maa he took your name!..
Why maa why???"
She had raised her daughter into a very confident young soul who could share anything to her at any point without inhibitions....
Just that....to be utmost honest to herself...Avantika felt bad for her daughter...but somewhere good for herself.
Some tales are humanly honest...
#notsotinytales
- Prajakta Sathe.
"Abhi? Oh yes, she has told me you'd drop by. Come in... She ll be here any minute. Please come!"
She shut the door as he entered their wonderful duplex apartment surrounded with lush greens...
It was close to 4.45 pm and she had just woken up from her short noon nap...
She was dressed in an earthy colored organic cotton tunic and a soft flowing olivemul skirt...
Her dark long hair flowed loose from her thick braid which ran till her waist and her nose pin sparkled in between the locks that covered her face from the noon breeze...
She welcomed him with a warm smile...
She had heard a lot about him from her daughter since she came back from the fresher's party...
"Sakhi has been talking about you constantly after you selected her at the dance auditions for the intercollegiate. She tells me that you are one of the most popular and loved cultural secretary your college has ever had! Come, make yourself at home... What will you have? I was going to make myself some ginger chai. Great to have your company now.... Sakhi is a religious coffee drinker..."
She kept talking as she rearranged a few cushions over their ethnic baithak and pushed the handloom curtains away letting in warm golden sunlight along with a confusingly cool breeze...
He kept looking at her almost muted in amazement as he watched her hurrying things up in a rhythmic grace...
He couldn't help but stare at her tall curvaceously gorgeous frame of feminine elegance her glowing face and flawless skin...
He hadn't seen a complexion as smooth as her's in real life...
He thought he was seeing a beautiful sculpture right from an ancient cave...
She went to their open kitchen where she started making tea as she continued her constant chat.
"Abhimanyu is your name right? How do you like your tea, one spoonful of sugar? Come sit here at the dining table. Sakhi told me you love to talk as well. You haven't uttered a sentence! Do you find me intimidating Abhi? ", she chuckled as she got the tray to the table...
"No aun...sorry, I mean No ma'am...
I was awestruck with the serenity of this place! It is so precious to have a duplex apartment right here in the heart of the city and that to with a garden as exquisite as this... You have perfect outdoors inside... M'aam thank you for the tea!" , he said politely conscious of how he sounded since he wanted to camouflage his excitement..."
It suddenly got cloudy and began to rain.
"Oh, I hope Sakhi doesn't get stuck..." He said looking out through the garden...
"I guess she'd be near our area by now...unfortunately her battery seems to have discharged... I am going above in my riyaz room for singing now... You can wait for Sakhi here or come join me upstairs", she said smiling...
The spark in her jet black kohl eyes was extremely invigorating...
He being the Cultural Secretary felt that this was a fabulous opportunity to hear some awesome music in a fantastic climate...
"This is our ancestral home build by Sakhi's great grandfather during his hay days. He was an architect with a remarkable sense of esthetics." , she said as they climbed the teakwood staircase that led to a long passage with bedrooms on either side and a huge hall designed like a courtyard overlooking a vast terrace...
She sat down on the brocade mattress tying her hair into a bun... holding the tanpura n then wrapping her long arm round it....
Her long fingers caressing each string into a soothing sound....
She began with her saaaa....as Abhi sat on a teakwood swing as he watched her start her practice...
He could listen to that saaa for the entire evening without missing out on any other kind of singing...
This was followed by aakaar...
Her voice was enveloping the growing wind and was embellished by the occasional lightening...
As she started the introductory notes of NAT MALHAR...
Her raag vistaar must have truely inspired the clouds which then burst in full swing!!!
Aalaap n taans that followed melded with the crazy wind that flowed and it seemed that there wasn't her there wasn't him... There was just music that had blended the renderer and the listener into divine oneness...
The music rain play continued till late night until the home phone rang...
"Maa, my scooty gave up in the rains and my phone got discharged... and then I had to walk the east west bridge but as I came down I saw the terrible waterlogging and went back to naani. Did Abhi come? Oh...or is he stuck at our place? Omg...wait Maa dad's calling. Guess he is worried about us looking at the news... I ll call u back " , said Sakhi.
"Abhi, Sakhi got stuck in rains and is staying back at her grandmom's place. It hasn't stopped raining since late noon. I suggest you don't barge out tonight, stay back and inform your parents about your stay." , she said as she covered her tanpura with a silk drape...
"Ma'am I d call them anyways. But they don't stay in this city. I stay with my friends in a rented flat on the other side. Hope Sakhi's father is safe"
"Oh Ram is touring for business this month... He d love to meet you otherwise being such a people's person that he is... Come I ll cook dinner for us..."
That night conversation ruled the dinner table and they discussed everything about art craft culture textiles fashion spirituality ethnicity influences modernism contemporary flavor history aesthetics dance theatre sculptor poetry theatre puppets films instrumental music books literature and all things related to creativity...
First across the terracotta lamp lit platform near the windows in the living room and then perched up on the brass hooked swing upstairs....
They stayed up late through the night way beyond dusk into the early hours of dawn...
As the rains subsided in the morning and he slept over the brocade matt in the riyaz room...
She carried on with her morning chores...
Sakhi pulled him down the stairs as he sleepily approached the dining area seeing her mom just out of the bath with wet hair and her waist showing through the saree pallu draped across her svelte body...
Dhoop in one hand and flowers from the garden in another, she wished him morning with a warm smile...
Abhi couldn't take his eyes off her... He wondered how lucky would Mr. Ram be...
Sakhi and Abhi rushed to college after breakfast....
She continued with her routine of prayers n puja cooking gardening lunch reading yoga writing noon nap...
She kept thanking divinity for Sakhi was in good company as she though about how intelligent intellectual and talented Abhi was.
She kept hearing about him every now and then from Sakhi and knew that they both were getting close...
As the college won all the prizes that year with Sakhi and Abhi in tow they knew that they were a winning formula and got fond of each other...
However after their overnight picnic Sakhi seemed considerably disturbed...
She stopped talking and being her usual cheerful self.
Concerned about her well being she coaxed her to share her frustration and sadness...
"Maa, we broke off... Abhimanyu and I....she said sobbing bitterly... At the overnight trip when we got close, as we neared the highest point of our intimacy Maa...his eyes were closed and he uttered Avantika, maa he took your name!..
Why maa why???"
She had raised her daughter into a very confident young soul who could share anything to her at any point without inhibitions....
Just that....to be utmost honest to herself...Avantika felt bad for her daughter...but somewhere good for herself.
Some tales are humanly honest...
#notsotinytales
- Prajakta Sathe.
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