VAISHALI-9

VAISHALI

9

Vaishali finally reached her room and closed the door and immediately put her left leg on the bed and lifted the hem of her sari and looked at the thread! It was black with silver rings on it and there attached to it was the trident with a blue stone embedded in the centre!

The medallion looked very old, and Vaishali debated about removing it! She touched it with her finger and as she made to open the knots... a cold wind blew from the open window and she felt odd... as if.... as if she was doing some forbidden thing!!!

Whats all this? What should she be doing? Should she believe in what the Aghora said?
Now its for sure that she had seen all that she thought she was imagining!The black thread and the medallion were the testimonials for the fact that it was not her imagination!!!

She decided to keep it till the next encounter with the Aghora... if at all there was any and somehow she was sure that there will be an encounter in the future!!!

She showered and the strange thing she noticed immediately was that the black thread and the trident medallion did not get wet! It was very odd!!! She touched again and again and thought may be her hands were wet along with her body so she was not able to feel... all in all it was really weird!!!

She did not even venture to meet others ... she went straight to bed as she had a major programme the next day! Everything else had to wait.

VAISHALI

Neel settled in his bed!
" She will make you sweat!"
His granny's voice echoed in his ears!!!

Well... He had his share of women! They all made him sweat he slyly smiled! But one thing he always was sure of was,... that he never lost his control over any of them! He was firmly grounded and never budged from his stance! They all had to eventually come to his terms! He never compromised any where! And as he wished,so he dealt with them! At first he thought it was money then power but later he learnt he was a skilled lover and a charmer whom women could not resist! He loved them and was honest as much as possible and once he was through ... he bid them adieu and in style with no bad blood at the end of it!

He dozed off remembering he had to go jogging by six- half hour before Nissar turned up! Man!!!Was it a pleasure to outwit his bodyguard!!!! But just before he went to sleep he just remembered those beautiful eyes on Abbas's invitation that said IBAADAT!

VAISHALI

Vaishali got up and went down for early morning tea with her cousins.Suparna and Manasa were up and they greeted her merrily!

" Vaishu You have your programme today is it not?" Suparna asked!

Yeah!!!Vaishali said gulping down hot tea...

"I designed a new outfit for you!!" Suparna announced smugly...

"WHAAAAATTT?"Vaishali was overjoyed!
She always liked Suparna's designer skills! She mostly got her outfits designed by her!
"What have you made this time?.... but you know the theme na?" Vaishali was all questions!!!

"Haan baba! You are playing Sharmista so I designed a simple sari type outfit with some works... you wait till my assistant gets it! " She said and added..."And Srikanta wants to join!"

Vaishali froze!
"No Di please! Amma and Bapa..." She could not finish what she was saying...

"Hey common he just wants to see your show man! Vaishali what is wrong if someone likes you! I have so many men who are really interested in my work... and they eventually try to befriend me... As long as you know where you stand and are not a tease unnecessarily leading them on... i don't think you have a problem!" Suparna tried to drill sense into her cousin!

"Who knows you can meet your man of your dream too!" Manasa added joining them in their conversation as Rajeshwari set places for breakfast on the table!

Vaishali closed her eyes and thought! If at all they knew she dreamt of an Aghora they would be having a heart attack!

VAISHALI

Neel Kantha Agnihothri zoomed on to the main road in the thick fog and he was absolutely happy and enjoyed his early morning jogs!!! He jogged past the house and to the public park near by and wondered how the lady with those beautiful eyes looked like as he saw many women jogging there!
He was... as if haunted by those eyes... he saw them everywhere! How beautiful she would be if her eyes were so! One night is all that he would ask with her!!! Hell he would do anything for that!!! He stopped and took a long breath!

As he turned he noticed him! HIM again! HE Stood right in the center of the road hazy yet clear in the thick early morning fog and smiled at Neel and said," Adhya divasaha!Avashyam!!!! Thadaasthu!"( Today! For sure! So be it).
(today! For sure! May it be so!)

Before Neel could say anything a big black burly man stood before him! He was angry!
"Hey Nissar!" Neel greeted an outraged Bodyguard!

"Sir how can you?" Nissar asked!
"What?" Neel feigned ignorance!
"Why do you try to avoid me I am there to take care of your security! Your pranks can cost me my job and your life!" Nissar was really angry!

"I will get you a better job Nissar and my life? well it has to go if its destined to go one day!" Neel said and jogged back looking at his watch... he was expected to be at the consortium by ten ... then to the exhibition and then the evening at the Taj Palace for cocktale and dinner! Long day ahead!

VAISHALI

Vaishali walked to the stage and looked at the settings ! Perfect! Nachiketha joined her! Nachketa Misra was an art director who Vaishali met when she went to take a short course in asthetics! This was an year back when she started coreographing full time on her own with the blessings of her Guru and her passion to bring traditional art to the forefront made her realise the need to improve on lights settings and stage and dynamic backdrops to ween people away from films and...towards a more enthralling over all experience! Thats when she met Nachiketa!

They were an instant hit! HE had fantastic vision and Vaishali felt her creativity was complemented by his visual depictions of the same! Today he was helping her with the gala performance at the Taj for the International Gem and Jewellery consortium sponsored programme, the proceeds of which was going to a local orphanage that the Shivagothris patronised!

Yeah... Lights should focus there! Nachiketa was a maniac as far as work went!!! But Vaishali somehow at some corner of her mind felt a little uneasy at times with him! As an artist that too of performing arts, she was akeen observer and she always thought there was more to him that met the eye! It could be her whim! Suparna di was always very sceptical about her this quality of getting a 'Feel' about a person!"How can you get a feel about people the very first time you meet them when... we don't know completely about an individual even after living with him/her for a life time she argued always!

But Vaishali knew she had that uncanny ability to look through! And Nachiketa was a puzzle! He looked very easy to go with !A little eccentric though... all such people were she added to her own thoughts! But at the same time she felt there was an invisible something that stopped her from getting any closer to this man! All her colleagues and friends told her that he had a thing for her! He never admitted of any though! But !!! She felt at ease with him yet uneasy!

"Li! How is this?" he showed her a cardboard wing! Another trait of his pure child like innocence that asked for appreciation... he even pouted and sulked if his work was not appreciated!

"Fantastic... for the gandharva? Very nice Ketu",she endorsed his design and that made him happy! It was nearing ten and her ballet was at three an odd hour... for a ballet but some of the international guests were also travelling exploring India and since the cultural programme was in their honour, the organisers requested Vaishali and the group to prepone their programme!!!

"Ketu will you manage?...will just be back!" she tossed him the keys to the green room and went to the elevator for going to the lounge... She promised Zarine she would be there for her father's art exhibition! Afterall Abbas uncle had painted her eyes on the invitation! She was touched by his gesture of affection!

It was ten to ten and Neel was at the elevator to first go see Abbas and be there for the inaugural and then join the delegates at the consortium! He felt a strange excitement in the air and it was a pleasant one!!! Something like spring time he thought and said aloud "wow!" Nissar stared at his boss! A older gentleman turned and said "excuse me?",for which Neel put his palm up and said "sorry !!!"

He put on his dark glasses and got into the elevator!...

Vaishali waited and as the elevator approached... her senses tingled... she did not know but she felt a sense of exhileration which she always felt before going on before the audience... but this was slightly different... it was as if.. as if... something was in the air!!!!

VAISHALI

"ARRRRRHHHHUM KRRRREEEEEM  ASTRAAAAYA PHAAAATTU!" Bairi got up from his place and turned his right hand round his head and struck his left palm with the four fingers sans his thumb of his right hand,  making a noise!
"RENI!!!" he bellowed Reni appeared before him!
"To night should be the darkest one,... as the stars shine brightly but the moon should not rise!!! Do you understand?" he asked for which Reni nodded!!!
Bairi sat again in the same posture and closed his eyes!!!

VAISHALI

The lift was about to reach the floor! Vaishali stood ready to get in! The exhibition was on the ground floor! The door opened and a hand closed in on her mouth and she was whirled away from the lift and into the fire exit simultaneously!