by Anuj Tiwari
Ved and Anushka talk over the phone for a while.
Day after tomorrow, Arjun will travel from Mumbai to Pune.
Taking the lift to the 4th floor, Angira and Charu reach Ved’s place.
Ved, Angira and Charu are drunk because Charu wanted to get high before reaching the venue. They both gave her company. This allowed Ved and Angira to spend time with each other as well. By the end of the evening, Ved is so drunk he needs lemonade before he can get to the venue.
‘I told you not to drink, but you guys…you don’t listen,’ Angira says, looking worried
Ved takes a sip of the lemonade.
‘I am fine,’ Ved says.
‘He is fine,’ Charu says, smiling.
‘I am fine. By the time we leave, I’ll be perfect,’ Ved gets up.
‘At what time will we be leaving?’ Charu asks Ved.
‘You guys get ready. We’ll leave at 6.30 from here,’ Ved says, checking his cellphone. ‘Guys, few of my college friends are also joining.’
He looks at the mirror where he can see Angira getting ready.
‘Nice. Charu may get lucky,’ Angira remarks.
‘Where is Anushka?’ Ved enquires getting up from the bed.
‘She is at our flat.’ Angira is wearing a lehenga and big earrings. She is looking like a Gujarati girl. The red and green colour combination of the lehenga suits her.
‘Charu, can you and Angira pick up Anushka and reach Kora Kendra. I’ll pick up my friends and then see you all there,’ Ved says as Charu is more familiar with these places than Ved.
‘Ved, you are drunk. Tell them to come directly. You can’t go in this state,’ Angira turns to him and says authoritatively.
‘Now, don’t behave like an Indian girlfriend. I am fine,’ Ved replies and then he realizes Angira may feel bad. ‘Okay, I will take the car to Jignesh’s house and then he’ll drive. Cool? Now, see you guys at the venue.’
‘Sure.’
Jignesh is his Gujarati classmate and he also wants to come for the garba dance.
‘Okay, I’ll get ready and leave,’ he comes closer to Angira. ‘Don’t be nervous,’ Ved softly pats her shoulder.
‘Yeah, I am fine,’ Angira says.
‘See you there,’ Ved kisses her on her cheek.
‘Are you taking Arjun’s car?’ Angira asks him since she wanted to go with him in the car.
‘Yes, at least I can take advantage of his absence.’
‘Okay, cool. Call me if you reach before us.’
‘Sure.’
He gets ready and leaves to pick up his friends and reaches the venue directly.
Everyone is all set to go. Angira and Charu reach their apartment to pick up Anushka. They then pick up Iona from her friend’s home and take a cab together.
‘See what I got for you,’ Charu says, showing Iona a few bottles in the cab.
‘Orange juice?’ Iona says jokingly.
‘Guys, don’t do that. I am not responsible if anything happens,’ Anushka warns Iona not to drink.
‘Guys are cooler in Mumbai and Gujju guys are so innocent and shareef, they won’t trouble us,’ Charu answers as Iona breaks into laughter.
‘I don’t know about that, but be sure you remain in your senses,’ while Anushka completes the sentence, Iona has finished a bottle in one go.
‘So are you guys ready for the bright colours and rhythmic steps of garba?’ Charu asks the group.
‘Have we reached?’ Iona and Anushka ask together.
‘Just a few more minutes…’
Mumbai is infamous for its traffic, but they manage to reach the destination on time. Angira and Iona talk, and she tells her all about the famous landmarks in Mumbai. Everyone is excited to celebrate these nine nights of revelry in the city that never sleeps. Mumbai has a huge Gujarati population and the city celebrates this festival with great fervour.
People, especially ladies, in the crowd are already discussing what they wore last Navratri.
‘Anushka, there is one problem,’ Iona says.
‘What happened?’ Anushka comes closer to listen to her as they’re in a crowd and she is not audible.
‘We are short of passes. We need two more, right?’ Iona asks.
‘No, we need three passes. Ved and his friends are also coming,’ Anushka says.
‘Ved,’ she looks at Angira.
‘Three?’ she asks, surprised, and tries to come up with a solution.
‘We won’t get them,’ Charu tells Angira who is already requesting a person at the counter for passes but it seems they’re sold out.
‘They have passes,’ Charu points to the counter where Angira is standing.
‘Yes, but they won’t give us. We have to buy them in black,’ Iona says.
‘What the fuck,’ Anushka says in frustration.
Getting passes in events like these at the last moment means one has to pay three times more than the original price and it doesn’t even guarantee one an entry. ‘Is there any other way to get passes?’ Anushka and the group are collectively thinking about how to get it.
‘Do any of you know how to speak in Gujarati?’ Charu asks the group and adds, ‘Yeah, if you know Gujarati and look sexy, you may get the passes.’
Everyone looks at each other and bursts out laughing.
‘Okay, you guys stay here. I’ll come in some time. Angira, come with me,’ Iona starts mentally mugging up the Gujarati words that she had learnt from one of her Gujarati friends.
‘Are you sure you want to do this?’ Angira walks fast, trying to match Iona’s pace.
‘Let’s try, we might just get some passes,’ she says with a smile.
They reach the counter and ask for the passes. Before the guy at the counter can reply, the other guy standing near the counter says, ‘₹1,100.’
‘I need two passes, sorry, three passes.’
‘₹3,300,’ he says.
‘Bhai, bargaam thi avyo chu ane bav moto fan chu garba no… thaye toh trana pass nu kai adjust kar,’ Iona speaks. Angira looks at him and says, ‘Adjust kar…’
The person looks at both of them.
‘Okay, come with me,’ he says and takes them to the corner of the ticket counter and gives them three passes for ₹1,500.
‘I can’t believe you spoke in Gujarati,’ Angira says gleefully.
‘I hope I spoke correctly,’ Iona answers.
‘Whatever you did worked! By the way, what did you say to them?’ Angira asks.
‘I have come from out of town and I am the biggest fan of garba. Can you please give me three passes?’ She giggles. ‘I think I spoke it correctly.’
Upon overhearing them, few people around look at them.
Over the Limit, under Arrest
Timpanists are playing their drums full of energy, wearing kafni pyjama and dhoti. The women’s dresses consist of colourfully embroidered designs and bare-backed blouses extending to the waist. They are wearing multi-coloured chaniya choli, ghagra, lehenga, saree or lancha. They look gorgeous, striking and stunning, and the dresses compliment their waist.
Charu is wearing a ghagra and her slim waist is grabbing everyone’s attention. Anushka wears a kurti and churidar. She always looks beautiful because of the way she carries herself in any outfit. Iona is wearing a red kurta with white slacks. They are all looking colourful and beautiful.
While Iona and Angira have gone to get passes, Charu asks Anushka about Ved.
‘When is Ved reaching? It’s already 8 p.m.’
Anushka dials his number and waits for him to answer the call.
‘Ved is not answering,’ she says, redialling
‘Do you have any other number?’ Charu asks, pinging him on WhatsApp and checking to see when the tick marks turn blue.
‘Messages are not even getting delivered,’ Charu says.
Anushka steps away from the crowd and sees Iona and Angira coming.
‘You guys go inside. I’ll just come in a few minutes.’
‘A
re you sure?’ Charu confirms if she needs any help.
‘Yeah, yeah, I am fine. I’ll just call Ved and come with him.
‘Your pass?’ Charu asks her
‘I have it,’ Anushka replies. She redials him and this time he answers.
Anushka waves her hand standing across the road and tells them she will come in ten minutes.
‘Hello Ved, where are you?’ Anushka almost shouts at him.
People are staring at her as she is looking terribly worried.
‘This is Jignesh. We’ll come in some time.’
‘Where is Ved?’ Anushka starts walking away.
‘He is at the police station,’ Jignesh says in a low voice.
‘What? What happened to him?’ Anushka is shocked.
‘Nothing. Don’t worry, we’ll manage. Have you guys reached?’ he asks her.
Ved and Jignesh have been at the Kandivali police station for the past half an hour.
‘We have reached, but what happened? Give the phone to Ved,’ Anushka shouts.
A man walking past her looks at her.
‘He is inside. He gave me the phone to talk to you. Actually, we were on our way when our car broke down, so we asked for help from a policeman nearby. He took us to the police station saying that Ved is drunk. Now he is asking for ₹5,000 to let him go. We only have ₹3,000 on us. Let’s see,’ Jignesh peeps in through the window to where Ved is sitting and filling a form.
While Jignesh and Anushka are talking over the phone, Ved comes outside smiling, says, ‘Done. Let’s go.’
‘Anushka,’ Jignesh says.
He takes the phone.
‘Abby, we are reaching in twenty minutes,’ Ved says over the call like nothing happened.
‘Ved, I am going to kill you. Are you okay?’ Anushka is calm now.
‘Yeah, I am fine. I just asked for help and he took me to the police station,’ Ved says, acting like the most innocent guy Anushka has ever talked to.
‘Because you are drunk. When are you reaching? Ask Jignesh to drive the car.’
‘No, it’s not me. It’s Arjun and his unlucky car. Jignesh is fixing the problem. It isn’t starting due to overheating. It’s not far away. Maximum fifteen minutes.’
‘Okay, come safely. Call me once you reach here and tell Jignesh to drive, okay?’ Anushka gives him all the instructions to follow.
‘Okay.’
Meanwhile Anushka calls Charu at the entry gate because she doesn’t know how long Ved is going to take to reach. Instead of standing by the roadside, she decides to walk inside the venue. On the way to the entrance, Charu joins her and now they are busy discussing some steps in garba.
‘Hey, come, come,’ Charu says, reaching the crowd.
‘Where is everyone?’ Anushka asks Charu, trying to look for the others in the crowd.
Anushka looks tired and thirsty. She tries to look for drinking water.
‘Angira just called me, was asking about Ved…’ but she keeps quiet knowing she must not say anything about Angira and him. ‘Hey, do you have a water bottle,’ she asks Charu.
Charu picks up a bottle from a corner, where some girls have left their sandals and heels, and hands it to her.
‘Is this ours?’
‘No rights on water. Now have some and let’s go,’ Charu winks and pulls her into a huge circle of more than fifty people moving counter clockwise.
The basic dance formation is that of a circle that moves counter clockwise, four steps forward and two backward and is called popat. Charu points at Iona and Angira who are in the same circle. Their steps look well-rehearsed, while Anushka is trying hard to learn the steps, which doesn’t stop her from enjoying the whole time. Angira looks damn funny while following those steps. These Gujju guys holding her hands on both sides have realized that she is new to the dance, so they try to teach her some of the steps. As the steps are rhythmic and repetitive, Angira can easily follow the beats and learn quickly.
Anushka receives a message on WhatsApp that Ved and Jignesh are reaching in five minutes.
‘Not bad,’ Ved shouts in the crowd.
Everyone is lost in the crowd and Anushka can only see Ved and his few friends walking toward her. Ved runs towards Anushka who is standing in the corner, tired, thirsty and sweating.
‘This is Jignesh, my saviour of the day. Jignesh, this is Anushka, my friend,’ Ved introduces them.
‘Where is Charu?’ he enquires.
He, in fact, wants to know where Angira is.
‘How do you know Charu?’ Anushka asks him.
Ved pauses and then responds, ‘Angira called Arjun, so he told me that she is living with Charu.’
‘Okay, she was just there in the circle,’ Anushka tries to find her but she can’t.
‘Ved, did you keep water bottles in the car?’ Anushka asks, hoping to get one from him.
‘I think so,’ Ved says, ‘By the way, why have you called Iona here?’
‘Ved, it’s been more than two years. Why do you still hate her?’
‘Because she deserves it.’
Ved wants to say more, but Charu waves at him from the other side. He waves back.
‘Ved…’
‘Okay, chill. Charu is coming,’ Ved says to Anushka.
It is not as humid as it was when they arrived, but Ved desperately needs some cold water.
‘Okay, I am going to get a bottle of water from the car. You guys carry on,’ Ved assures them.
Anushka is worried about what will happen when Ved and Iona see each other.
No Replay, No Rewind
‘Anu, I need water,’ Angira says heavily panting. ‘Bottle…,’ she looks around.
Angira is searching for Ved in the crowd but she cannot find him anywhere.
‘We can get it from the stall, but I left my wallet in the car,’ Anushka says. Call Ved. He has gone to get a bottle of water. Tell him to get a few packets of chips as well,’ Anushka sits on the floor wiping her face with a handkerchief. ‘Get my wallet as well, if you can find it on the front seat. Should I come with you?’
‘No, I’ll get it,’ Angira says, dialling his number.
Angira is tired and drags herself to the parking zone, which she takes time to find. Being afraid of the dark, Angira is scared as the parking lot has only one halogen light glowing in the distance. She wonders how a parking space this big is left unguarded. She calls Ved. Though his phone rings, he does not answer. She feels Ved must have gone back to the venue. She checks the side of the parking lot where Anushka said Ved has parked the car. She walks till the end and finally locates the car. As she walks towards the car, she hears some faint noises. She realizes there is someone else around the car and is scared. As the car comes into clear view, she sees Ved inside kissing a girl whose face she can’t recognise in the dark. She suddenly feels empty and is unable to understand what to do next. She is in denial of what she just saw. However, she looks again and confirms it. She is in complete shock and remains silent. She doesn’t know how to face this situation. How can Ved do this to me?
Should she drag Ved out of the car and give him a hard slap for fooling her for the last three months or go back to the venue? She hates this moment and never thought that Ved could do this to her. Questions are piling up in her mind, questions that go unanswered. She realizes the reason he was hiding his phone and why he deleted the WhatsApp chat when she took his phone from him. In utter disbelief, she runs back to her friends who are waiting for her.
‘What happened? I was looking for you, Angira. Why were you not answering my call?’ Anushka asks her when she spots Angira at the exit.
‘Nothing, I just got scared in dark. Where is Charu?’ she asks and pretends as if nothing happened.
‘What happened?’ Anushka asks her.
‘I am not feeling well, I want to go home.’
‘You are sweating. Are you okay?’
‘Is everything okay,’ a person passing by asks Anushka.
‘Yeah, fine,’ she say
s. ‘May I have your bottle of water?’ She takes the bottle and gives it to Angira.
‘Yeah, I am fine,’ Angira says. ‘Just felt a little weak…’
‘I thought so. Did you find Ved?’ Anushka asks her as they walk back to the area where people are dancing.
‘No,’ Angira says.
Angira is sitting on the floor and the events of the night flood her mind. She still doesn’t believe what she saw.
‘Where are Charu and Iona?’ Angira wants to talk to Charu.
‘They were there a moment ago. Wait, let me call them,’ Anushka says and takes her phone out.
‘No, that’s okay.’
‘Where is Ved?’ Jignesh asks both of them. ‘I can drop you home if you are not well.’
‘Can you call Ved and ask if he can drop me,’ Angira says, though right now she hates him the most.
‘I am not feeling well. I want to go home,’ Angira says and tries hard to control her tears because she could break down any moment and tell Anushka about how Ved has ruined everything.
Why do I always have to suffer? A drop of tear rolls down her cheek and mixes with the water she splashed on her face.
‘Okay, let’s go,’ Anushka says.
‘No, you stay here with them. Ved will drop me,’ Angira replies, still thinking about what she saw in the car.
Ved appears.
‘Are you okay?’ Anushka asks her.
‘Where were you?’ Anushka asks Ved.
‘Had gone out. I’ll drop you,’ he says.
Anushka realizes how messed up things are without Arjun. ‘Sure you can drive?’
‘Yes, I can drive, don’t worry,’ Ved says, though he doesn’t look like he can.
Was it really Ved? Angira is feeling a pang of regret for not having knocked on the door of the car and caught him red-handed.
‘Are you sure? Because I can come with you if you want,’ Anushka asks her.
‘No, I’ll go,’ she says.
‘Okay, take care and text me once you reach,’ Anushka waits until they leave.
‘What happened to you?’ Ved asks, looking at her.
‘Nothing, can you drop me home?’