Of Sins and Kanyaadaans

 

“Aaiye Hrishiji. Aao Nimisha. Welcome, welcome!”

“Namaste Sudhirji!”, greeted Hrishi.

 “Pranam bhaiyya.” beamed Nimisha, as she bent down to touch her elder brother’s feet.

“Khush raho.” said Sudhir. “I hope the journey was comfortable.”

“Oh yes, it was. And any amount discomfort could not have lessened your sister’s excitement for Maansi’s wedding.” teased Hrishi.

But Nimisha was too happy to be bothered by the teasing. She looked around to  examine the decorations. “The orchids on the front gate look beautiful. And the lights are just perfect.”

“They are all Maansi’s choice.” boasted Sudhir.

“That’s why! By the way, where is your princess? ”

“She must be upstairs. I’ll send someone to call her.”

 

The conversation faded slowly as Maansi walked from the balcony to her room. She was relieved to find it empty. She locked herself in, hoping for a few minutes of peace. Lying down on the bed, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

Her schedule in the last few weeks had been nothing short of hectic. She was finally getting married in four days and she had supervised almost every part of the marriage preparations.

After her parent’s divorce when she was three years old, she had been brought up as her dad’s princess. For her marriage, he had arranged everything in a way fit for a royal wedding. But they could not have managed everything without Nimmi buaa. From the colour of her lehenga to the lists of guests, Sudhir and Maansi could not finish anything before her consent.

Nimisha or Nimmi buaa, her father’s younger sister, had been there for Maansi and her dad in times good and bad. With her vibrant personality and ever smiling face, she would solve all Maansi’s problems in a jiffy. Maansi had become the daughter that Nimisha did not have and Nimmi buaa had been her mother, elder sister and friend ever since Maansi could remember.

But there was something that Maansi had not shared with even Nimmi buaa. In spite of all her attempts, she had never been able to gather the courage to tell her. She loved her buaa too much to break her heart. So Maansi had locked those dark memories in the deepest corner of her heart. But moments ago, as she saw Hrishi from the balcony, the memories broke open from the chest and started floating in her mind.

 

Nimmi buaa would always visit them during her summer holidays and Hrishi, her husband, would often come to pick her up after the stay. Hrishi would always call Maansi his Sushmita Sen. He would bring so many gifts for her every time. Beautiful Barbie dolls, dressed in the prettiest dresses, with their eyelids opening and closing when she moved them. Imported hairpins and hair bands of every imaginable colour. Plastic coated story books with pictures of candy houses in them. Maansi would treasure them and show them off to her classmates later. When Maansi was in Class II, Hrishi had come to pick up Nimmi bua after her yearly visit and had stayed for a week.

 On the afternoon of the fourth day of his visit, he had taken Maansi for a drive to the ice-cream parlor. Maansi had sat licking the mango duet on the front seat of the car when she had suddenly felt Hrishi’s left hand lifting the edge of her red frock. He had pushed it back to show her thighs and his left hand slowly rubbed her right thigh. This had continued till they had reached their house. Maansi had looked at him with fear in her wide open eyes. He had said, “Oh! Don’t worry. I love you, my Sushmita Sen. And this is how elder people show their love.”

Maansi was unable to eat another bite of that mango duet and she had thrown it in the dustbin.

The next afternoon, her yellow top had been pushed off her shoulders. He had kissed the hollows of her collarbones and licked her tiny brown nipples.

Maansi had slept early that night and had not had any dinner despite all of Nimmi buaa’s attempts.

The third afternoon, she had tasted the tobacco of his cigarette in her mouth. His tongue had almost gagged her. All the while, the speakers of the car’s music system had continued blaring, “Soldier soldier, meethi batein bol kar, Dil ko chura le gaya…” 

As they had reached their house, he had said, “Now, this is going to be our little secret. You won’t tell anybody about it, will you?” 

She had been too scared to even nod. 

After that summer, she had never gone for an ice-cream with Hrishi. Also, she had secretly given away every presents that he brought for her to the housemaid’s daughter.

 

suddenly, a loud knocking brought Maansi back to the present.

“Maansi didi, Papa is calling you downstairs. Nimmi buaa and others have come.” shouted one of the kids from outside the door.

“Yes, I am coming in a minute.”

Wiping her face, she braced herself up as she opened the door.

  

After dinner, they all sat talking when Nimisha walked in carrying a small velvet covered box in her hand. As she sat down on the settee, Maansi noticed the box and asked, “What is that, buaa?”

Nimisha smiled and opened the box to show a heavy gold chain and a pair of solitaire earstuds. In the chain hung a gorgeous triangular diamond pendent that matched perfectly with the earrings.

“Wow, they look gorgeous!”, Maansi’s eyes sparkled.

“I am glad you like them, I got them made for you dear.”

“Thank you buaa, thank you so much.”

“But Nimmi, these…these must have…I mean…there was no need…”, stuttered Sudhir.

“There was every need. She is my only niece.  And after all, Hrishi and I will be doing her kanyaadaan too. I have as much right on her as you do.”

“What?” exclaimed Maansi. “My kanyadaan? But…”

“Why are you so surprised? Haven’t you told her, Sudhir bhaiyaa? We had talked it over last week only na.”

Sudhir tapped his hand on his forehead and replied apologetically “Oh! I am so sorry Maansi, it completely slipped off my mind. I am growing old, after all.”

Maansi’s face lost all its colour. The mere thought of that miserable scoundrel performing her kanyadaan made her stomach hollow and her head heavy. She opened her mouth to speak something but no words came out.

 “What is wrong? You don’t look okay.” Her father asked with a concerned upward jerk of his head.

The smiling faces of Nimmi buaa and her father flashed across her mind along with the memories of those three afternoons. She looked at them, those two people who meant to world to her. “Nothing’s wrong. I am just a little tired.”, she replied with a tiny smile.

“Are you sure, beta?, asked Nimmi buaa.

 “Yes, Positive.” Maansi broadened her smile.

Tears filled her eyes but she did not let a drop fall.