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“Salil....” Nilima held his hand.  Salil turned to her.  The furrow on his forehead clearly expressed his worry. 

“I am worried too...!” he said closing his eyes and sighing. 

“I am more worried about Disha...She doesn’t want this marriage...” Nilima blurted and Salil sat up in the bed.

“Why? Why do you think so?” he asked her.  Nilima shook her head.

“I am not sure... but she has heard somethings about Ravi’s father....” Nilima said gravely. 

“She said some things to me too...!” Salil said running his fingers through his hair.  

“But Rini and Vinit had all the praises for him...!” Salil said getting confused.

“And Indorneel bhaisaab? He would have got them married there in the US itself!” Nilima added to his confusion.  

“Yeah... Except Disha.. No one has any problem with this ...” Salil said deep in thoughts. 

“You think, we should stop this?” Salil asked and Nilima fell silent.  She remembered Dhaa’s furious face...! 

“What if we put an end to this.. and Dhaa..?” she left her sentence half way through shuddering.  Of late she had sensed change in Dhaa’s attitude.  She had become more stubborn, aggressive and arrogant not caring for anyone’s feelings... “

“Humm... “ Salil sighed and rested his head on the pillow...!

“Salil... Can we talk to Vinit? I mean is it ok if we call him... I mean his condition...” she again sat up.  Salil followed. 

“Yeah .. I think we should ...” he said holding her hand.

“Now?” she asked impatiently and they looked at the time.  “Is it too late?” they both thought but decided to call him, before it was too late of Dhatri...! 

 “He is a big respite...” Salil said disconnecting the phone.  Nilima sighed in relief.  They both fell silent for a long time after talking to Vinit. 

...............  .........

“For Godsake, Dhaa... “ Nilima pleaded but Dhaa had picked up her backpack and moved towards the door.

“Can’t you stay, Dhaa? I am leaving tomorrow...!” Disha jumped into arena....! Dhaa turned.  “Happy journey, Didi” she said calmly and looked at her mother.  

“Give her the bottle of pickles we made the other day, Mamma... “ she said and turned murmuring...!

“Anyway, that will be confiscated at the airport....So no use Disha Didi, Sorry...”

“Dhaa... please... Its a Sunday... “ Disha ran forward and held her hand.  Dhatri looked at her with strange expression....! 

“Didi.. I am going... !” She said firmly and then pausing a bit said... “Please do not try to dissuade me... ! My decision is final...” Disha gaped with open mouth and frowned.  

“What do you mean Dhaa? Should we not do the background check?” Disha flared up again and Nilima jumped in between them sensing the fireworks... At that moment she felt better that Dhaa was going back to collage...! 

“Not in my case Didi,  Nothing works according to your plans...!” she said coldly.  Disha was taken aback.  

“Are you marrying him to defy me, Dhaa?” She had pinpointed.  Dhatri gaped for a while to introspect.  It was true that she wanted to defy Disha and her snobbish, bossy behaviour... But that was not the only reason... And strangely, she didn’t know what the other reason was....! “Why am I marrying him?” she asked herself wincing slightly in with an unknown fear.... ! 

“Dhaa... Stay back! We can talk...!” Disha urged and Dhatri turned to leave.  “No Didi... I have backlog to catch up...” she said waving her hand and moved out leaving dejected Nilima and Disha behind.  

“She didn’t even look back...!” Disha said sadly sighing...! 

“Why is she like this, Mamma?” she asked for which Nilima had no answer.  Her fears, that Dhatri had changed were confirmed again.....!

“Has she really changed? Or is there something else to this?” she thought ....

“I am asking you Mamma....” Disha shook her out of her chain of thoughts...! 

“Haan? .. Disha... Come let us go inside....” she said absentmindedly and Disha shook her head hopelessly.  Nilima had gone inside and the doorbell rang.  

“Papa and Bhanu...” Disha knew who were at the door.  Bhanu had decided to get the breakfast from Hotel... He and Salil went to the Railway station to get the omletts and Pav from the railway canteen... famous for its spicy Paneer Pakodas...!

“You...?” Disha gaped at the couple at the door and Swarnima and Virender walked in....!

“Arey.. Aap log? Please come...!” Disha welcomed them...! She ran inside to inform her mother....!

******** ******

“Arey? Dhaa? Howcome?” Ragini screamed in surprise and Dhatri dumped her backpack...!

“Why? You have any problem?” Dhatri retorted...! 

“Yes.. I do! I was so happy to have the complete bed all for myself...!” Ragini was no less...!

“You can enjoy that... I have my sleeping bag...!” Dhatri spat back.  

“fine...” Ragini said as she pulled dhatri’s bag to see what her mother had given her...!

“Arey? Only Laddus?” she asked disappointed and Dhatri threw a Bhujiya pack at her from her vanity bag...!

Ragini stuffed in her mouth satisfyingly and looked at Dhatri’s sulky face.

“What happened?” she asked and Dhatri shook her head wiping her face with her hand...!

“New one?” Ragini saw the ring...! Dhatri shuddered but putting up the brave face, ignored the question.  Ragini, who was diehard crazy for jewellery and makeup, held Dhatri’s hand.  

“Wow... Dhaa? Disha Didi got this?” she asked looking at the ring.  Dhatri pulled her hand back and clenched her fist.  “Where is Poorva?” she asked making up her mind.

“And call Suresh also...Canteen...” she was very hungry.  

................  .............

“What?” they all were shell shocked.  “What did you say?” Ragini asked her again.

“You heard it right...!” Dhatri didn’t want to utter those words again.  Ragini touched Dhatri’s finger surveying the ring again....

“You mean... you are getting married...?” she asked in disbelief and Dhatri snapped at her...

“Yes...” she said gravely. 

“But I don’t find any excitement in your voice....” Ragini sensed something was majorly wrong with Dhatri.

“I am more scared than excited, at this moment...” Dhatri said gravely.  Suresh had already pulled his Laptop and was searching for the electric plug to switch on...!

“What are you doing?” Dhatri asked bewildered.  “Calling Ray Dave...” he said to her dismay...!

“No.. Please...” she pulled the plug from the socket...! 

“Why?” Poorva asked suspiciously and Dhatri clutched her head in despair...!

As Dhaa unfolded the fall of events... Poorva looked very serious, Ragini was super excited and amused and Suresh just gaped at Dhatri in disbelief...

“And I ended up opening the gift and wearing his ring...” Dhatri said and there was a silence for a long time.  

“This is no less than a fairy tale man...” Suresh said trying to bring himself to a rational being...! 

“Yeah... the tale of Dhaa and Ray...!” Ragini exclaimed and went further.. “You know? Such a nice and romantic bed time story for our children...!” Suresh looked at her in surprise and she went ahead encouraged....

“There was a beautiful girl named Dhaa ... she was our friend... She met her Prince...” Ragini had reached the dreamland...!

“Oh! Shut up Ragini..!” Poorva snapped at Ragini.  Ragini suddenly fell silent looking at Poorva’s grave face...!

“There is a flip side to this....! Dhaa, are you sure, you did the right thing?” Poorva asked.  She was sure that Dhaa had not thought over anything before saying yes to Ravi...!” 

“But Ray is a very good man....” Exclaimed Ragini nudging Dhatri....! Dhatri drew up blankly.  And then shrugging... said... “This is it.... I ended up in a mess again...~!” 

“No Dhaa..! No mess..! Its a five star restaurant...! Rich and famous...!” Ragini took the meaning of the word mess to make it lighter to have an opposite effect...!

“Yeah.. And I am a scavenger in that five star hotel... cleaning the tables..” Dhatri spat back and Ragini winked at Poorva.  

“But I don’t understand, what’s wrong with this? Ray is a good boy... He proposed Dhaa....” Ragini touched the ring leaning forward and Dhatri reflexively withdres her hand...!

“See... how possessive she is about this ring...!” Ragini again giggled, pulling Dhatri’s hand... As she surveyed the ring carefully her mouth fell open...!

“Dhaa... its a diamond ring... a real big diamond...!” Ragini said aghast and everyone leaned forward to have a better look at it....!

“How do you know?” Dhatri again had pulled her hand back...!

“You are asking me, Dhatri Dixit? Me? The only one who has a biggest collection of fake jewellery in this entire hostel? Are you asking me about the real thing and a fake one? Oh god! Why didn’t I die, before hearing this question?” Ragini fell back on the chair pressing her chest dramatically and Suresh burst out in laughter.  But Poorva was serious.

“If this is real diamond....! Dhaa, this means he is serious about it...!” she concluded.

“But what about her? Is she serious? Has she thought over this?” Suresh asked pointing at Dhatri....! 

Dhatri had the answer for this, she wouldn’t tell...! 

................  .............  

“Papa.....!” Disha’s voice trailed as she saw three cars entering their compound....! Two Black Prosche cars and in between a vintage Daimler Roadster convertible ....! Bhanu dashed out and stood at the door waiting for the people to get down.  Disha dashed in to call her parents.  

Three persons ethnically dressed and two persons in fur cap and sherwani disembarked from the car... The persons carried packets and covered plates and the two person stood outside waiting for someone to come out of the house.  Salil and Bhanu walked out ...

“Hello.... I am Raheman.... he is my elder brother Suleyman....!” the person in his fifties said shaking hands with Salil and Bhanu.  Bhanu smiled knowingly ...! 

“Hello uncle....!” he said looking at the duo...! Salil brought them in and introduced them to Virender...! Nilima and Swarnima stood at the door of the kitchen bewildered to the core. 

Disha came forward and Bhanu introduced....! She looked at the duo remembering Sayajirao saying “Ask Raheman” she looked at him and his elderly brother gauging them both.  

The persons kept the packets and silk cloth covered plates and stood aside for further orders.  Raheman gestured them to wait outside.  Suleyman took out a silk scroll and presented it to salil.  Traditional Proposal... he murmured. Before Salil could open the scroll Disha took it from him to read ....!

“A what?” her eyes popped out....! She forgot to read further...! A seal of ‘Hanuman lifting Dronagiri’, Royal Family of Kanker boared at the top said it all......

Disha looked up at Bhanu who avoided her gaze.  Virender took the scroll from Disha seeing her all lost....! 

“Whoa...!” he read further....

“I am ready for your questions, Sir...!” Raheman said politely breaking the trance.  Salil looked at Disha who had lost words....

“why didn’t Bhanu tell me that Ravi is from Royal family?” she was angry...!

“And why did Sanyogita Aunty hide it from me that she was married into a Royal family...? She never missed telling that She was from Sardar Family .... !” Disha’s mind was all riot...! 

“Why didn’t anyone tell me about this?” she retorted forgetting that they had guests....!

“I am here to answer all your questions, Madam...!” Raheman said leaning forward.  No one had asked them to sit....The elderly brothers were standing, locking their fingers in front....! 

“Please have a seat Bhaisaab...!” Swarnima was the first one to speak sanely.  She brought in water and Mithai....! She turned to them.. "I am sorry... We do not know how to welcome Royal Family...!" she said looking at everyone's ghostly faces.  Bhanu came to the rescue...!

“Umm... Uncle... he is Raheman uncle,  Saya uncle’s friend and legal adviser... and He is Suleyman uncle... his estate manager....!” Bhanu formally introduced.  

“May I talk to the Dulhan, Sir?  Her acceptance is required....” Suleyman asked taking out a docket and a packet from his bag...! And everyone looked at each other.... 

The so called Dulhan Dhatri was attending her practicals in compilers ....!!