Dil Dhadakne Do.....Keesh

Chapter 2

A huge hotel is shown. There was a huge carving in blue titled "Krishna". A young charming man came out from there. He was about to get into the car when a young girl came running to him saying "Naksh Bhai, what cuisine do we have to serve tomorrow?" Naksh blinked and said "Marathi". The girl smiled and left. He got into his car and started driving. While driving away he noticed that the tourists living in the hotel were admiring the rose gardens. He smiled. Keerti's idea was a phenomenal one. She was always in favor of green spaces. She even managed to convince the family to carry jute bags while shopping.

Naksh continued driving. Keerti was a wonderful life partner. Coming from a joint family, she always respected the fact that Naksh wanted to stay with his family. She got along with the quite well as she knew them even before they got married. Juggling her profession and house work is a herculean task. Thankfully, his mother Akshara treated Keerti with love and respect, and helped her in the household chores. Going through heartbreak was not easy for Naksh. He loved Tara from the bottom of his heart. When he was engaged to her, he always imagined them living happily together in the plains with their kids, while leading a simple yet romantic life. When Tara ran away from the wedding, he felt hurt, heartbroken and cheated. He often questioned himself if he had hurt her sentiments in any way. 

Amidst all of the things that were happening, Naira disappeared too. Over this period, he learnt to be self-dependent and kept his safe distance from everyone lest he is heartbroken again. But then he came across Keerti. She was like the missing part of his life. She carried herself with great maturity and grace which made him respect her. After witnessing Aditya's torture, he realized how patient she was and how much she respected relationships.  They had been married for 3 months now and they are getting to know each other better. Naksh wondered if he ever would fall in love with Keerti.

By the time he reached home, Gayu was busy trying to make a rangoli but it was going bonkers. Naksh asked "Gayu, why didn't you ask Mishti to help you?" Gayu smiled and replied "Bhai, you want me to take the help of someone who is 10 years younger than me? Are you implying that I am bad at this?" Naksh was at loss of words. If he did say something, he would be in trouble. "Your brother doesn't want his sister to work hard alone in the sun." Both of them looked up to see Keerti, who was listening to their conversation silently.

Gayu went up to her and said "Bhabhi, you are supposed to be on my side! " Keerti grinned and replied "I am. I wouldn't want you to have sunburns all over your face. My beautiful nanad will be sad, right!" Naksh smiled. Keerti makes sure no one is upset. She is one champion orator! Keerti walked down and said "Naksh, I have a meeting with a prospective client. I'll be back by 7. Bye." Naksh waved goodbye and entered the house. Naksh remembered Keerti was working all week on a portfolio for this huge destination wedding in Udaipur. The clients were Indian Americans who wanted to have a traditional Rajasthani wedding. Boy, their demands were long. For example, the groom's sister wanted her chunri to be a particular shade of maroon and orange, which was practically impossible to find. Keerti managed to contact a friend of hers whose maternal home was in Kanchi. She managed to procure it, but the groom's sister changed her mind.

Thankfully, the wedding was in October which gave Keerti plenty of time to fulfill their wishes. Bua-Dadi was initially against Keerti working. But Badi-Dadi came up with an excellent ruse. She said that Keerti could help Naksh gain more tourists in their hotel. And she was right. As a thank-you gesture, Keerti recommended the Krishna hotel to her clients, and they were pleased with the service. Naksh liked the fact that Keerti decided to take her life in her hands and made everyone happy around her which included herself.

He came and sat down in the house. His mother Akshara came by and kissed his forehead and sat down next to him.

Akshara: How was work?

Naksh: We are housing German delegates for a conference tomorrow. So I was busy making sure they were feeling comfortable.

Akshara: Naksh, go to the vegetable market and get these. Today all those old ladies came to our house and made 13 types of dishes and ate them. When they are gossiping, they forget about their diabetes, arthritis, calcium deficiencies and so on. Hmph! They need something to eat while listening to that. Look! For tomorrow, I have no vegetables in the house.

Naksh: I am tired. I don't want to go, Ma.

Akshara pinched his ear and said "All you do is go to an air conditioned hotel and work. While me and my daughter-in-law are slogging in the kitchen. Can't you get a few vegetables?

Naksh grunted and took the list and left. Akshara smiled thinking about how responsible her son has gotten. She wondered about her own husband 30 years ago.

Glossary:

rangoli : an art form, originating in the , in which patterns are created on the floor in living rooms or courtyards using materials such as colored rice, dry flour, colored sand or flower petals. 

Bhai :  the Hindi term for brother

Bhabhi : the Hindi term for your brother's wife.

nanad : the Hindi term for your husband's sister. 

chunri : a long length of cloth worn along with a salwar kameez and lehenga.

Kanchi : a city in the Indian state of Tamilnadu in Tondaimandalm region. Kanchipuram is one of the seven Tirtha (pilgrimage) sites, for spiritual release. The city houses Varadharaja Perumal temple, Ekambareswar temple and Kamakshi Amman temple which are some of major Hindu temples in the state. Of the 108 holy temples of the Hindu god Vishnu , 14 are located in Kanchipuram.  The city is well known for its hand woven silk and most of the city's workforce is involved in the weaving industry.

Bua-Dadi : the Hindi term for the sister of your grandfather. 

Badi-Dadi : the Hindi term for your grandfather's sister-in-law.