Raabta

कहते हैं खुदा  ने इस जहां में
सभी के लिए
किसी ना  किसी को हैं बनाया
हर किसी के लिए
तेरा मिलना हैं उस  रब का इशारा मानो
मुझको बनाया तेरे जैसे ही किसी के लिए

कुछ तोह  हैं तुझसे राब्ता
कुछ तोह  हैं तुझसे राब्ता
कैसे हम जाने हमे  क्या पता
कैसे हम जाने हमे  क्या पता
कुछ तोह हैं तुझसे राब्ता
तू हमसफ़र  हैं
फिर क्या फ़िक्र हैं
जीने कि वजह येही हैं
मरना इसी के लिए

~~ Amitabh Bhattacharya
~Agent Vinod

Navin and Jannat weren't anything like each other. She was shy, coy and took her time to make friends. Staying at home with a cup of coffee and a good book to read or a good movie to watch was her idea of having a good time on the weekend. Her friends, were few but those 3 people knew everything about her life. She could call them at 4 am in the morning and not say anything and they would know that she just needed them to be on the other side. She was most comfortable in Indian clothes and that was what she wore most of the time. She looked beautiful in whatever she wore, there was a sense of grace and elegance in her style. But only a few people sensed that. The same clothes in the exact same way on someone else would look drab. She loved jewellery, you'd rarely find her without bangles or earrings or a neck piece on. Her constant companion though had to be the payal she wore. It was always there, whether she was swimming or in a short dress with high heels or vacationing in shorts. You could always find it on her. There was hardly any make up on her, except her Lakme kajal. If anyone in college or even at work had forgotten their kajal or eyeliner, they could on Jannat to have one handy, actually she always also kept a spare one for"emergencies". Vaseline and kajal you would always find in her bag, even if she forgot to get her wallet. Men didn't really take too much notice of her. She wasn't loud and pretentious or didn't take too much care of how she looked or what she wore. And frankly, she was a nerd in school and college and now a workaholic. She didn't have time to waste on boys. Not like there was a line of them for her anyway. But, she didn't really mind. She knew that she would one day meet someone, who would love her for who she was and she waited for him

If Jannat was mellow and down to earth, Navin was everything but that. He was flamboyant, and was invariably the center of attention. It's not like he craved for attention, but his open, always friendly and non-creepy nature made him everyone's favorite. Not to forget he had a kick-ass sense of humour and would make anyone crack up in a second. His idea of a weekend was spending time with his buddies, over drinks and food and good conversations. Their Fridays and Saturdays would eventually end only at 5 AM the next day and only after a cup of chai and masala dosa in their favorite Adigas on Mysore Road in Bangalore. They would be drunk, not on alcohol, but on life. They were all a well to do set of boys and girls, all doing very well for themselves in their respective careers. Money for Navin was meant to be spent on vacations, on having fun. He didn't hoard it. He wasn't fussy or particular. There was one thing he never forgot to do every year. He would always celebrate his birthday mornings with kids in an orphanage. He played the guitar, and was the only one in the group who listened to hindi music. Most Bangaloreans, raised their eyebrows at Hindi films & even more so at hindi film music. But Navin, felt that there were some feelings that you could only describe in Hindi. English just doesn't match up in some ways. Women surrounded him. He was tall, good looking, was sarcastic and funny, had a lovely voice & played the guitar. Girls usually went for men like that. He had had his share of relationships. None lasted for more than a year. His sister, Nitya, told him that he'll fall for someone completely opposite to the kinds he was dating and she'll be the one he'll finally love and marry. Navin rubbished such talks, he was having fun, not looking for love.

Bangalore was beautiful in December, the perfect weather. Not too cold, the sun was always there spreading that little warmth to chase that biting cold away, until the weather was just perfect for a thin sweater and a scarf. It was Jannat's favorite time of the year. This year, her 2 close friends were getting married to each other, so that made the month even more special. Rahul and Aahana had been dating for 10 years before they finally decided to tie the knot. Jannat, Aahana and Rahul had been in school together. She was close to both of them, and joked that she would change sides during the wedding depending on where the fun was, considering technically she was from both the bride and groom's sides. So while she was a part of all the functions of Aahana's wedding preparations, she was definitely going to dance in Rahul's baraat. There was no way she was going to miss that!

Navin and Rahul were cousins, Navin was the elder one. Rahul invariably was teased, a lot, in the days leading up to his wedding, because he was so eager to get married at 25. Navin would additionally tease him for marrying the first girl he ever met.  All in jest though, because they all loved Aahana, she was perfect in a crazy way to the even more crazier Rahul. Navin and Rahul, though cousins were very close to each other. After college they had traveled to Europe together and that was where they bonded as brothers, and as men. Even though, they were close even while growing up, that trip was very special to both of them.

On the day of the Sangeet and engagement, Navin was going to sing and dance, and as usual was the star of the show. He'd prepared a medley of old hindi classical songs, Rahul and he, as kids would loudly sing Kishore Kumar and Mohd. Rafi songs when they were at their grandparents house spending their summer vacations. And some of their Europe memories involved these songs as well. So this was a tribute to all those days. He went and sat down on the tall stool with the mic in front and strummed his guitar to tune it.

 And then he saw her entering, in a light golden saree, with a pink full sleeved brocade blouse. There was a radiance in her face, devoid of any make up, except, really big dark kajal lined eyes. As she came running down the stairs, her long earrings dangled from side to side. She was running in a saree and heels as if she was wearing shorts and running shoes. She came and hugged Rahul and Aahana from behind. Navin was far away from them on the makeshift stage, but he could see, that she as apologizing for being late, she held her ears and he could read the words "Sorry" on her lips. And then he started strumming a song, a song he hadn't prepared, but a song he wanted to sing, as soon as he saw her. There was something about her that made him feel like in this room of a 100 people, he was alone with her. And he started singing Raabta. It was a difficult song sing, but Navin sang it effortlessly. He didn't even need to look up the words and stop for breath. He closed his eyes and had a smile on his lips as he started. After the first stanza, he opened his eyes and didn't see anyone but her. She was standing with Rahul and Aahana, and watching him sing. And she was singing along. As he came to the last stanza, he only looked at her and their eyes met and held for the duration for the song.

Jannat forgot where she was and was just listening to Navin sing, it was one of her favorite songs, but she could never sing it properly, you had to sing the lines continuously without a break to breathe in between. And she was always out of breath before she started the 4th line and here he was singing it like it was coming from the depth of his heart, and playing the guitar at the same time. She found herself singing along. Towards the end their eyes locked and there was a force in his gaze, a force that didn't allow her to break away. So she didn't. When the song got over, and everyone started clapping, the connection broke and she looked away, with a heaviness in her heart, a weird anxiety. She leaned towards Aahana and asked her who this was. Aahan told her and then turned to look at her, "Why, falling in love already?" Jannat, slapped her shoulder and told her to shut up, "hey, I'm the bride for the next two days ok, so treat me with respect!" "yea, whatever", Jannat said and smiled looking ahead.

The evening's MC was now announcing a dance that Ahana's little cousins, all girls, had prepared. But Jannat wasn't hearing anything, the thud in her heart was growing louder as she saw Navin walk towards her. She was panicking, and then she calmed herself down and got her composed face back. Rahul and Ahana thanked Navin for the song and said he sang beautifully. Navin, was all the while looking at Jannat. He finally stretched his hand and introduced himself, she took his hand and introduced herself. And then Rahul stepped in and spoke about Jannat and how he knew her, then he looked at how Navin was staring at her and said "Waise, she looks all proper and all, but she is quite something ah, so be careful." Jannat rolled her eyes at Rahul and looked at Navin and said "Don't listen to his nonsense, your song was beautiful, it's a difficult song to sing, but you were awesome". It was Navin's time to blush. He rarely blushed, and very rarely in front of women, when they were complimenting him. But coming from her, it just felt a little weird, his stomach was churning like it does in a roller coaster ride.

Aahana asked him "We thought you prepared hits of Kishore Kumar and Rafi saab". Navin, still a litlte red, but still looking at Jannat, not realising what he was saying, said " Yes, but when Jannat walked in, something in me told me to sing Raabta and I just wanted to" There was silence for a second, Jannat and Navin were looking at each other. She, shocked with what he had just said and he, unmindful of what he had just said, continued to look at the glow on her face. Ahana cleared her throat loudly and smiled, Navin's trance then broke and he started justifying his statement, "I meant to say I will definitely sing those other songs, as soon as these kids finish dancing"

With that he walked away towards the MC, but turned back to look at Jannat. He just felt the constant need to keep looking to her. He found her staring at him as well. He turned back to look ahead and smiled. What was happening to him. What was this girl doing to him. He had never felt like this with other girls. He felt like dancing, he couldn't stop smiling, and he wanted to take that mic and sing in front of all these people. He wanted to grab her hand and lead her to the dancing floor and dance with her, hold her in her arms as he sang to her and twirled her around. OK, he needs to stop, he was going up to sing the medley finally and he needed his heart to be calm to be able to sing properly. He was just not in his senses.

The MC announced him again and he went on stage, and he couldn't help but look at her. She was talking to other friends now. One of them pointed towards the stage, telling them that the performance was about to begin. He sat down with his guitar and he started searching in his head for that tune from Kishore da's song but, instead sang Tum Mile 

तू ही मेरी हैं साड़ी ज़मीन
चाहे कहीं से चलूँ  , तुझपे ही आके रुकु
तेरे सिवा मैं जाऊं कहाँ  ,
कोई भी राह चुनु , तुझपे ही आके रुकु
तुम मिले तोह लम्हे थम गए
तुम मिले तो सारे गम गए
तुम मिले तो मुस्कुराना आ गया
तुम मिले तो जादू छा गया
तुम मिले तो जीना आ गया
तुम मिले तो मैंने पाया हैं ख़ुदा

And this time Aahana and Rahul turned to look at Jannat, she caught them looking and walked towards them, Aahana said "I didn't know Kishore da sang this" and winked. Jannat blushed, and Rahul hugged her, laughing.

After the performances, the DJ started playing dance songs and like any Indian wedding sangeet, everyone was on the "dance floor" dancing their heart out. Rahul, Aahana and Jannat were dancing next to each other. Navin was at the bar. His right elbow was resting on the bar counter while his hand held his whiskey. His left hand was in his pant pockets. He was slightly leaning against the counter, standing with the other cousins, but always watching Jannat. He wasn't listening to a word anyone was saying. He suddenly kept his glass aside, adjusted his blazer and walked towards the dance floor. Jannat saw him coming, he was good looking, no doubt, very very good looking. Tall, slim body, very chiseled, so he obviously was into sports, broad shoulders, a longish face, not too dark, but definitely not fair. A slight stubble on his face, curly hair, a little long, but it suited him. He was wearing a white shirt with a black suit. The top two button were open, slightly showing his collar bones. Jannat caught herself staring at him, and turned away. He joined the group and they all danced to  Sooraj ki baahon mein from Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara. And then the DJ played the acoustic version of Raabta and  Rahul, slyly took Aahana away for a couple dance, purposely leaving Navin alone with Jannat.

Without asking her he took her in his arms and danced. She thought of protesting because that's the natural thing to do, but she didn't want to. So they danced. He could smell a hint of lemon verbana on her. Without realising, while attempting to capture the other notes of her perfume, he accidentally touched his cheek to hers. He could feel her body stiffen for a minute and then relax. She didn't try to withdraw from his hold and  they continued dancing, a little closer now. When the song ended, they stepped back and walked together towards the bar to get something to drink.

And there finally they got talking. Navin could have spent the whole night talking to her and listening to her voice. They had dinner together and then he got called to run some errands for the next day's function. And had to leave. He said he'll meet her tomorrow and they briefly hugged and he left. After he left, Jannat suddenly felt like the music in the room had died, the lights were a little dimmer and the marigold flowers weren't as orange as before. There was something about him, something nice, something funny, something soft, something harsh. When he talked, his tone had a hint of playful teasing, but there was a sense of earnestness in his voice. They way he looked at her, as if there was no one else present in the room. Just her. And she hadn't felt as much peace as she felt when he held her while dancing. If she could, she would have stretched those minutes to hours and hours to never ending days. She just wanted to be with him all the time. And suddenly she realised, they hadn't exchanged numbers. She smiled  and realised see him tomorrow anyway.

"You'll meet her tomorrow anyway," his mom said, he looked at her and was about to say something, when she continued, "so you don't have to look like you're going to someone's funeral. I'm sorry I had to pull you away, but we need to do this for tomorrow's blessing ceremony" Navin laughed and said "Mom! she is beautiful, I haven't felt this way for anyone before, she's just beautiful, and she is so crazy, I mean, she's just ......."   "Beautiful, i know. you're in love, finally" his mom said and they laughed as they drove that cold misty winter night.

They were only going to see each other at the baraat or the wedding next evening, because Jannat will mostly be with Aahana for the morning functions and Navin will be with his brother. The day went in an anxious daze and all they wanted was for the evening to come, so they could meet again. He was with Rahul, dressing him up, but he kept glancing at his watch. "One hour more and you'll get to see her Bhai," Navin hugged him tightly and Rahul screamed "Dude, my wedding sherwani, little respect!" Navin squeezed him tighter and then apologized and began smoothing the creases on the sherwani. Finally the baraat was ready and on it's way.

When they reached the venue and Rahul mounted the horse, the band wallahs started playing the usual wedding numbers and the cousins and friends started dancing. Navin saw someone running in her lehenga towards the hotel gate, he knew it was Jannat, she looked beautiful in a pink and orange lehenga and weirdly they matched, he was wearing an orange kurta with a pink turban. And they danced and danced and danced, he leaned next to her and said "Shall I also get a horse and sit on it to come get you, let's also both get married" She laughed, "Cheeeee, have some shame Navin, ok I have to run now, I have to be at the entrance to welcome the baraat from the bride's side!" And she ran back, and he continued dancing. Oh the joy of dancing on the road without giving a damn about how you looked or who saw you. Indian weddings are just something else.

When they arrived at the entrance of the hotel lawns, she was standing there with a thali welcoming the groom's family. Rahul finally got off the horse and walked inside, when Navin, crossed Jannat, he leaned forward again and said "at least answer me, yes or no", she replied softly "arre, go with the groom, he's far ahead, don't you have to protect his shoes?" and she laughed while he ran to save Rahul's shoes. Joota chori, an age old tradition or a game, call it what you may, still followed/played in north Indian weddings and awesome fun to watch. The extent to which the bride and groom's brother and sisters went to win, was unbelievable. Navin and Jannat found themselves in opposite sides this time. But Navin was too late, meticulous planning by the bride's family made sure they were the winners this time.

The groom's side walked around with sullen faces. Until, they saw the bride walking towards the mandap and there was a collective sigh from the crowd. Aahana looked like a princess as she walked under a sheet of flowers or phoolon ka chadar that her brothers held over her head to protect her from all evil as they walked her, to hand her over to her would-be husband. All eyes were on Aahana, but Navin again found himself looking at Jannat walking beside Aahana. The girls held each others hands, and when they reached the mandap, Aahana turned to hug Jannat, they both had tears in their eyes, Aahana then turned to take Rahul's hand to step onto the mandap. Jannat, still looking at them, walked backwards away from the crowd, to watch the ceremony from afar. And felt herself bump into someone, she looked back and saw Navin, she looked up at him with her eyes full of tears and then turned back to look at the ceremony. Navin slowly held her hand lightly and she pressed it tightly and he returned the squeeze. And they looked on as the Pandit started chanting mantras that would bind Rahul and Aahana together for always, until the end of time.

मेहरबानी जाते-जाते मुझ पे  कर गया
गुज़रता सा लम्हा  एक दामन भर गया
तेरा नज़ारा  मिला  रोशन सितारा  मिला
तक़दीर कि कश्तियों को किनारा मिला

सदियों से तरसे हैं जैसे ज़िन्दगी के लिए
तेरी सोहबत  में दुआएं हैं उसी के लिए
तेरा मिलना हैं उस रब का इशारा
मानो मुझको बनाया तेरे ही जैसे किसी के लिए

कुछ तोह हैं तुझसे राब्ता
कुछ तोह हैं तुझसे राब्ता
कैसे हम जाने हमे  क्या पता
कुछ तोह हैं तुझसे राब्ता
तू हमसफ़र  हैं
फिर क्या फ़िक्र हैं
जीने कि वजह येही हैं
मरना इसी के लिए