"Sometimes, what you need is right beside you and many a time it is within you."
This is the story of two young people, Aadarsh and Riddhi who live in contrasting worlds in the same city. They are different yet similar. One is overtly ambitious whil...
With fresh green veggies, colorful fruits, and a kaleidoscope of flowers, the place burst with vibrant hues and enticing scents.
The air was alive with birds chirping, the chatter of vendors, and the laughter of children.
Everywhere one turned, there was movement and energy, as shoppers navigated the crowded lanes, children tugged at their parents' hands, and bicycles found their way in the narrow lanes with baskets filled with different shades of articles to the head.
Amidst the hustle and bustle, the marketplace pulsed with life, each stall looked like a kaleidoscope of colors and textures.
Vendors called out to the customers making enticing offers like -
'10 che 5 limba' 'keli ghya keli' 'Nagpuri Santre' 'Ratnagiri che ambe'
It was, as the locals call it - Mandai.
And there stood Riddhi, amid the chaos, observing these people, the shops, the vendors, and the gothic architecture of the place.
She felt like a tourist in her own city.
Her eyes wandered everywhere before stopping at a little girl, who was probably 7 or 8. The girl was holding her grandpa's hand, guiding him to a particular shop.
A shop that had colorful bangles, necklaces, bindis, gajras, etc.
She pointed towards a liquid kumkum bindi which had 11 colours.
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(By liquid kumkum bindi, I mean this, tell me if you remember this☺️)
Seeing this nostalgia surged in Riddhi's veins.
When she was a child, she would also come here with her aajoba and sometimes with her aaji.
Like this little girl, she would also insist her grandparents buy the bindis and the bangles. Her aajoba would happily buy these for her along with a gajra for her aaji.
Completely unintentionally, Riddhi's feet guided her to the shop.
She took the gajra in her hand and kept looking at it with moist eyes while a small smile played on her lips.
It was the same shop, but the vendors were not the familiar ones. It was the case with every shop in Mandai because the shops were run by newer generations now.
While Riddhi stood there, trying to make a conversation with the shop lady, a pair of eyes found themselves fixed on her.
Adarsh's POV:
Like every time, I was here again, in Mandai with my Mom. It isn't my favourite activity, to navigate the chaotic lanes of the place with constant background bickering from people.
But still, I come here because of my mom.
She likes to come here to buy fresh veggies and fruits for home and flowers for the daily pooja.
