"Arjun ji!" Sakshi begins,
"Mera naam Sakshi, yeh meri friends...mitra... Preeti or Archana!" She properly introduces them. Archana and Preeti waved at him as they were getting ready for their classes.
Arjun smiled at them with no constrain. He wasn't sure the 'dream' was just a mere dream; sure Guru Drona had sent him the message to meet Lord Krishna through dreams. He needed to get out of this situation as soon as possible.
"Ap breakfast karenge?" Sakshi asks, looking genuinely concerned as Arjun looks zoned out for a bit.
"Arthat?" Arjun was confused. Sakshi took her phone out to google some translations.
Arjun looked over to see the phone she was holding.
He wonders, Yeh yantra kya hai? Bhavishya dekhne ka pustak?
"Sakshi yar jaldi kar, we are getting late for classes!" Archana groaned as she was applying her mascara.
"aree ruk yar! Ah...ap kuch bhojanaa grahan karenge?" she carefully rolled out each word, reading syllable by syllable.
Arjun looked sympathetically at the 'uneducated' girl before nodding, "Bhojan?"
Sakshi nods
He smiles, "Ap yadi sankoch na kare to, parantu main keval satvik bhojan hi grahan karunga!" he was so doubtful whether they devour humans. He still isn't convinced they are not 'rakshasis'.
The girls ogle at him as if he is speaking Chinese. Sakshi meanwhile googles the word Satvik before gasping.
"yar... this is crazy!" she whimpers. Then she thought.
"Milk...ap dudh peete hai?" she asks, hopefully, she can somehow manage it from the leftover in the fridge.
"Parantu, idher gaiya kaha hai jo ap dudh ka praband karengi? Yaha to keval sadak evang vishal bhavanain dikhai par rahe hai?" he asked, with great curiosity.
Archana smirks while brushing her hair, "Sakshi is the holy cow, wohi hai filhal! wahi dudh dengi! Don't worry!"
Preeti playfully smacks Archana.
Sakshi crunches her eyes shut groaning mentally. Whereas Arjun looked horrified, before looking away. Shiv shiv shiv shiv !
After their classes
"Sakshi bro, I don't think hum apne so-called guest ko girls hostel me rakh painge!" Preeti whimpers at Sakshi as they hurry their way to their dorm to solve the problem that has arisen.
"Tu abhi tak yehi soch rahi hai! I am just fretting ke usko kaha le jau!" Sakshi moans.
"I have an idea, kyu na hum use kisi hotel me rukwai, Delhi me kitne awesome hotels he. What's the issue?" Preeti looked proudly at her friends. They weren't so happy about the idea though.
"Papa ne is mahine kitne pocket money diye tujhe?" Archana asks, Preeti chose not to answer.
"Archana. Stop being sarcastic, and give me some cool ideas!" Sakshi nudges her.
They fiddled with the keys while Archana looked thoughtfully.
"hmm... let me think."
"Hi girls!" they whirl their heads to see one of their college mates approaching them.
They shudder, they can't open the door. For obvious reasons. They look at each other with discoloured faces. They immediately stood awkwardly, almost guarding the door. As if she could see through the door.
"oh hi Meeta!" Sakshi waves as the girl approaches them. She looked at their faces, pale and fidgeting.
"tum teeno kal raat ko kuch ulta seedha kar rahe the kya?" she asks. The trios look at each other. Meeta was the 'chugalkhor' in their hostel. Fetching for gossip and news to pass on.
They shake their head in unison. crossing their fingers.
"Aree raat ko room me rats ghoos gaye the... bhot baraa!" Preeti looked at Archana, before continuing, "And I screamed."
"Are you sure, kyuki tumhare pados me jo bully rehti hai! Anamika, she was saying all of you were shouting like loonies, bichari so hi nehi pai!" She giggles forcefully.
The girl gulps, "Ha to hum is Preeti ko dant rahe the!" Archana covers up, failing miserably. Feeling miserable too.
"You girls are lying, btao na! weed to nehi kiya na tum teeno ne?" Meeta looked amused.
The girls were shocked, "Are you mad?"
"Dude, go fetch some other people for gossip...we girls are boring! And broke too! Weed dekhne ki bhi paise nehi hai humare pas!" Archana carefully falters the topic.
The girl didn't look convinced but she left smiling, rather sneering to have an eye on them.
Arjun was lying on the floor, sleeping. Girls enter closing the door without even letting a hair in to see anything.
They were so exhausted.
They looked at him, feeling sympathetic for him. An empty glass of milk was carefully placed near him.
"Kuch socha?" Sakshi whispers, careful not to wake him.
Archana shakes her head.
"I have another idea!" Preeti whispers, and the girls roll their eyes.
"no!"
"aree suno to!" she whines.
"it better be good, okay!" Sakshi warns.
"listen, inko na banaras wali bua hai meri, unke pas bhej dete hai! She is just like him! dehati!" she giggles. The girls looked as if they just wanted to puke.
"Stop it Preeti!" Sakshi hisses.
"Yar at least I am giving you ideas, tum dono to bas attitude dikha rahe ho!" Preeti huffs grumpily before storming to the kitchen.
Her footsteps made Arjun jolt awake as if he had been electrocuted. Archana and Sakshi are startled as he scoots away lightly.
"Sorry! Ap please dariye mat!" Sakshi blurts, before groaning, half the words are like Chinese to him. But he is clever so he smiles.
Preeti came back to the room, holding another broken bottle with a pout.
"Girls, we are running out of bottles!"
The other two girls sigh out loud.
***"
In the evening
"Ap teen deviyo ne mera adhik upkar kiya hai!" Arjun declares. The girls smile in appreciation. Their host is loving their hospitality.
"Ab mujhe keval ap teeno se ek disha ka marg janna hai! Mujhe waha turant prasthan karna hai. Ap bata sakengi?" Arjun talks slowly as the girls try pretty hard to comprehend each word he is saying.
"Kaha jana hai apko?" Sakshi asks.
"Nidhi Van!" Arjun sighed as he stood to sit on the cushion.
"Nidhi? Ab yeh kon he?" Archana looked confused. Sakshi excuses herself to look up on Google.
She widens her eyes. "Vrindavan?" she blurts out loud. Arjun croons over to see her mobile phone with interest. He is so curious to know what the device is that she gets all the answers. Hastinapur me kyu nehi hai esa yantr? He wonders before answering,
"ji Vrindavan? Ap mujhe waha ka marg darsha sakengi?"
Sakshi and Archana looked at each other.
"Listen, tum akele waha kaise jaoge?" Archana twitches her left eyebrow.
He looks sad. "Kathin hai, parantu prayatn to kar sakta hu! Jane ki! Wahi se yadi Hastinapur ja pau!" he suddenly began to miss his family. His brothers. His mother.
Archana didn't think and scoffed, "Are you mad?" The other girls cringe.
"mera matlab, tum is tarah...kese ja sakte ho? Tumhe kuch pata bhi hai konsi train pakadni hai! And in kapdo mein?" She eyed at the heavy ornaments that he adorn.
Arjun looked offended, "Dekhiye, ap mujhse kya keh rahi hai mujhe kuch gyaat nehi parantu itna samajh sakta hu koi tippni ki hai apne! Or ek kanya hoke is swar me baat na hi Karen! yeh apko tanik bhi shobha nehi deti hai!" he looks elsewhere, equally frustrated.
Archana was confused, whether should she be offended or not. Glad she didn't understand his shudh hindi or else she would've.
Sakshi ignores her, "Dekhiye" she begins with a smoother tone,
"Main samajh sakti hoon ap pe bahot samasya a gayi hai! Par ap please samjho! Yeh shehar abhi bohot badal chukka hai!" She reasons while looking at him straight in his eyes. She felt a distant longing for him. Sympathies, maybe?
She even glanced at his forehead and noticed the beautiful sunmark between his eyebrows. He is a royal person, though she hasn't read much of Mahabharat. She sure could guess that for him it is too difficult to handle extreme situations. And the situation of this era, this country...must be beyond his imagination. her grandma used to say pehle zamane ke log seedhe hote the is ringing in her ears.
"Aryavrat badal chukka hai?" he questions, abruptly. "Ab yeh kinka rajya hai?"
The girls looked at each other.
"Arjun ji, yeh abhi India hai...Aryavrat nehi!" Preeti declares.
Arjun looked stressed. Every new piece of information is giving him a whiplash. He couldn't figure out any idea to reach.
He walks up to the balcony. Thinking about what to do. Should he talk about the dreams of his Guru to the girls? Will they believe him? Will they be able to help him? they are after all 'kanyai'. How much can they afford to help him?
He looked at the starless skies as the girls tried to discuss what to do.
"Listen...aj to isko yaha se nikalna hoga! Before it is too late!" Sakshi warns her mates.
"I have an idea, watch man jungle ke pas wale gate pe raat ko soya para rehta hai...tab nikalte he! Subah subah ajainge isko Nidhi Van chorke!" Archana suggests.
"but ek issue hai!" Preeti dares to raise her squeaky voice.
"kya?"
"uske kapde or jewelery!"
The girls sigh.
"Abhi kya arrange kare uske liye?" Sakshi looked at Preeti.
Archana's face forms an evil smirk as an equally mischievous idea crept into her mind
"I got an idea!"
Midnight after dinner
The dinner was equally stressful. The girls are now confirmed that this man is not a normal average 'aj ka larka'. He engulfed approximately 30 chappatis. Archana was glad that they had already told Warden Maam that they would eat 10 each. Hence they were able to give the chappatis to him. He was genuinely glad that they were so kind to help him.
"Archana, bro, hum kya khainge?" Preeti pouted at the empty Castrol tiffin.
"Apples!" Archana gives one to her.
The girls are finally ready to execute their plan of escaping the hostel through the backyard gate, which usually isn't too guarded due to its leading to a dense forest.
For Arjun, they have decided to dress him in Archana's ex-boyfriend's shirt and sweat pants that she kept to herself. A token of memory that she had of him. A truly hard break-up.
" I never knew, yeh kapde is tarah se bhi kaam a sakta hai!" Archana mused to Preeti. Sakshi was doubtful that Arjun, if he is Arjun is going to wear this! Besides it was too old and smelled so much due to it being kept in the wardrobe for so long.
Suddenly a hoarse voice came out from the washroom.
"Hey, Ishwar!"
The girls startle.
"Ky...kya hua?" Sakshi blurts out, too conscious that his voice might echo to the other dormitories.
"Ji...main yeh kis prakar...dhaaran karu?" a nervous voice emitted from the washroom. The girls looked at each other. Archana and Preeti stifled a laugh as Sakshi hit her palm over her head.
"umm...ap rukiye! Main ati hu!" Sakshi offers; scowling at a snickering Archana, and red-faced Preeti.
"nehi nehi! Main kuch prayas karta hu...ap kripya wahi rahe!" Arjun pleads, his voice trembling.
"Aree, Arjun Ji!" Archana breaks in and is still laughing, "Sakshi akhen band kar legi!"
Sakshi rolls her eyes, "ji please, Arjun ji! Hume jaldi nikalna hoga! Mai apki madad karti hu! Nehi to bohot der ho jaigi!"
There was silence. The girls looked at the poor Sakshi before wishing her luck. "grow up you two!" Sakshi rants at them before bracing herself.
She knocks on the door.
"Main ajau?" she spoke. A few shifts and then the door opens from inside.
Sakshi looks up and her jaw drops.
(please ignore the watch! :) )
Arjun was standing there, not naked. The Shirt and the black pants looked dreamlike on his figure.
He looked marvellous to be real. Sakshi's breath was caught as she backed out. Arjun couldn't figure out her expression. To be honest he wasn't even sure if he correctly wore the clothes. Archana and Preeti are still curious about Sakshi's flabbergasted reaction, peaks from the corner and gasp. Quite audibly.
"woaa" Archana gapped. "Yar yeh to Hrithik Roshan ko complex de sakta hai! but mera ex boyfriend bhi to yehi pehnta tha! Shakti Kapoor lagta tha!"
Sakshi raised her eyebrows at Archana before smacking her arm.
Arjun was fidgeting. Never in his life, he has seen girls ogle at men like they are at the moment.
he clears his throat,
"Yeh poshak..pariyapt hai? Is nagri me bhraman karne ke liye?" he sarcastically asked.
With regrets he thinks, Is se acha to main woh vaan na hi chalata!
Outside the hostel
The girls peek out from the corner of the building. It was half past 2. They looked here and there before ushering Arjun to follow them. Arjun was feeling so odd in the pants he was wearing. He was glad the girls packed his usual attire and his ornaments in a strange-looking satchel (a duffel bag).
The only watchman who was sleeping in the backyard gate made them an easy escape route. The only problem that persists for them. The enormous gate.
Sakshi and Archana looked at each other before ushering Arjun to come over and climb it. He was feeling dreadful. What if the pant rips? He was praying to god to save his dignity in front of three unmarried girls. They are so shameless, they will even laugh out if such happens.
Then a miracle happened. As he put his feet up on the bar of the gate, he felt comfortable. The pants he wore were stretchable, so he easily climbed the gate and carefully jumped to the other side.
Now it's the girl's turn. Archana and Preeti went over first and hopped skillfully. Sakshi carefully climbed and yanks to the other side; however she was carrying the duffle bag she couldn't look over and her foot missed the bar and before she could comprehend, she fell.
Arjun looked alarmed at her. Preeti and Archana both looked miserably cautious. They couldn't make any noise.
Sakshi looked exasperated. Arjun bent over and helped her up.
"Ap thik hai?" he whispers. She nods.
"Mujhe shama karein. Mere karan ap sabko..."
"It's okay! Ap humari chinta na kare!" Sakshi smiled genuinely at him. Arjun smiles back.
"Ho gaya?" Archana raised an eyebrow, "Ab chalen!?"
It almost took an hour for them to cross the jungle and a few footpaths to reach a nearby bus stand. Arjun was baffled to see such smooth roads. But he was bracing himself to meet Vasudev soon to return home.
"Ab konsa bus ayega station tak le jane ke liye?" Archana asks Sakshi. Sakshi looks at her phone.
"Palam wali...10 minutes me ayegi!" she reads.
Arjun stretches his neck to see her phone.
He couldn't help his curiosity to ask,"Is yantra se kya dekhte hai?"
Sakshi smiles genuinely, "Isko mobile phone kahte hai!"
Arjun looked above trying to pronounce under his breath. Sakshi and Preeti giggled at each other.
Arjun then asks, "or iska kya karya hota hai?"
"bohot kuch!"
"Isse ap kisi dur insaan se baat kar sakte he!" Preeti sighs out loud. She was hungry.
"or isse ap kuch bhi puch sakte hai!" Sakshi pipes in. Arjun was beyond amazed.
She hands him her phone. He looked at it with great interest. He starts to scroll just like Sakshi does; with both hands.
"By the way, isme porn bhi dekh sakte hai!" Archana smirks as she looks amusingly down at her shoes.
Sakshi looked pale. How is she going to explain this to him?
"Ji? kya?" Arjun asked.
Preeti looked wide-eyed.
The bus ride was another hurdle for them. The bus itself took hardly 20 seconds to let a huge crowd board an already crowded bus. The girls and Arjun somehow pushed their way into the jam-packed bus. Arjun was huge so he almost made his way through with his overpowering height and frame. Arjun was now sure how Kalyug was!
There was no place to stand properly.
The other people who were already feeling agitated by this enormous man standing in the middle of the cramped bus were bickering amongst themselves.
Preeti and Archana were hooded at the corner. Sakshi has mentally pledged to not let Arjun feel alone to fend for himself. So she guarded him.
"Itna lamba admi! Pehle hi conductor 50 ke jagah 100 bhar rakhe hai!" A guy mutters to his friend in the corner.
",ha bhai! Hum to gareeb hai! Yeh rayees taaze log gaadi chor is bus me kis shok se chade hai!?"
Sakshi rolls her eyes. Arjun could halfway understand their talks. But he felt the need to ignore it for now.
He looks over at Sakshi, he then remembers the phone that he was still holding.
He nudges at her.
"Apka Mo- Yantra!"
Sakshi looks at her phone before giggling at his choice of name for a mobile phone.
She smiles,"Thank you!"
Arjun somehow realized that she said this word so many times as a remark for her gratitude. It must mean dhanyawaad. In her language.
He smiles back.
Archana and Preeti were finally spared with one seat for themselves. They decide to sit on top of each other. though they detested the urge to do this, extreme situations call for extreme measures.
Sakshi glanced at Preeti sitting edgingly on Archana's lap, before giggling to herself.
Arjun looked amused at them with a smirk, before he flicked his eyes back on her. Her dimples. They look interesting. Only Mata Kunti has this kind of dimple. He missed her so much. He somehow felt assured to see Sakshi laughing. It felt as if his mother was laughing, especially when Mata watched her sons bickering and pulling each other's legs.
They reached the New Delhi station. The platform looked heavily crowded. Though it is midnight.
Archana went for the tickets to Mathura Express. Preeti went for a packet of chips to quench her hunger.
Sakshi stood with Arjun, waiting for the two to return.
Arjun was filling his eyes with the treats of smooth tiled floors, platforms and booths. The railway tracks. That was even more quizzical to him. "yeh kya hai, Sakshi ji!?"
"train tracks..." She mentally slapped herself, again trying "rail ki patri!" just when she thought to herself, none of the two definitions was going to help him understand anything.
She groans.
"Ap chinta na kare,!" he smiles.
At the arrival of the train
The look on Arjun's face made the girls snicker when they saw him eyeing the elongated train that pulled up slowly.
"yeh kya hai?" he asks Sakshi, still watching the train bogeys pulling one after the other with wide eyes.
She chuckles, "Train!"
"yeh kaha se shuru ho raha hai!?"
Archana licked her lips before motioning the girls to follow her to the sleeper compartment.
Arjun follows, still so shocked.
The moving train made Arjun's head nauseous for a split minute.
Sakshi and Preeti were carefully patting his shoulders and giving him water.
Archana was popping gums while watching such a handsome man acting so whimsy, before rolling her eyes.
Men she grimaced to herself.