TOE: One Shot: Illuminare
18th October 2017
8:00 pm
Sheesh Mahal
Just as the cerulean colour of the boundless sky dissolved into dark grey, Advay heard whistles. It was Diwali. The festival of lights in the 21st century is also celebrated as the festival of – noise. Advay was looking heavenward, waiting for the darkness to be enveloped in brilliant radiance. Advay has always been ebullient on a Diwali day. Diwali has always been one of his best-loved days as he enjoys experiencing the infinite colours and sounds lilting across and against the dark background. Any other non-Diwali night would have been uninteresting.
For some people the normal night atmosphere would seem serene, for some it would be creepy and frightening , for some it’s merely time to sleep, but for Advay, a non-Diwali night is just – lonely, except for scattered stars and transmogrifying moon.
Advay did not like loneliness. Being lonely was dull and boring. And that’s why he liked Diwali. According to him it spreads happiness and boosts energy into people. The whole day, thus, defines exuberance.
He has spent most of his Diwali(s) with his dearest Di, but since she got married they hardly spend time with each other. But then, they talk to each other via – cellular telephones and synchronous conferencing.
Tonight, as he was gazing at the flamboyant night sky, he was also awaiting a call from his Di. She hadn’t called or texted him for the whole day.
She must have a lot of work to do, Advay thought. She was the bahu of a huge and powerful family. The Raizada(s) were always concerned that their daughter gets into a family with equal status. Thankfully, their daughter had fallen in love with a man of great name and fame. The – rishta – was approved by both the sides and had resulted in a shaandaar shaadi. The wedding was one of the most celebrated and most talked about in the whole nation.
Advay looked briefly at his watch, it said – 8:15 pm. And then, his phone ringed.
Advay grinned. It was his Di.
“Hello?!! Chotu?!! Happy Diwali!!!” said Di, from the other end.
“Hiii Di !! Happy Diwali !! Ek minute keliye mujhe laga tha ki tum phone hi nahi karogi”
“How come you thought that? You know I can’t sleep sound without talking to you”
Advay beamed and continued to chat with her. His day was complete. He had spoken with his Di (speaking). His – Annika Di.
**********
Hey People!!
Thought that I’d post this OS on Diwali as I couldn’t think of a better way to wish you guys.
But most unfortunately, I didn’t find time to update (sorryyyy) .
Hope you guys had a safe and fun Diwali !!
And about the OS – it’s a part of my FF, The Oberoi Empire (TOE). Weird, that it must be abbreviated to ‘TOE’….
So I think I have made it clear that the person Annika talked with in the prologue is actually Advay, her brother, Chotu. And let me also covey that this portion is a part of their past, so it’s more of a flashback (remember, the FF is set in the future).
I will be writing such OS(s) to give extra details of certain characters, incidents, etc. And most of them will be connected with TOE.
Sorry for the brief update….and one last thing
Gear up for TOE: Chapter 2 (to be published on 23rd Oct)
-Shhrika ? ? ? ? ?