CHATURVEDI HOUSE, HAUZ KHAS:
The clock strikes twelve. Kalyani is sitting on her table with her head buried inside a big fat book, beside the book is lying a stiff backed notebook wide open with some scribblings of some large numbers, exponents, alphabets, xyz, abc and other complicated stuff. Just all of a sudden, she hears some noise….. Someone knocking. She is irritated, but gets up and walks towards the door, fuming. She opens the door and shouts,”Why are you disturbing me at this time mom? I have already taken my food!” But as she looks up, she is surprised!
Malhar, Kunal, Aditya, Anu, Neerav are all standing there singing Happy Birthday to you, behind them is Malini with a cake. Kalyani is awestruck. “Oh! How stupid I have been! Stupid enough to forget my birthday!” wonders she. She is overwhelmed, but manages to say “Thankyou” with much trembling of her lips. She is the happiest person right now, on the top of the world! Her face is beaming with joy!
Malini places the cake on the table, arranges the candles and hands over the knife to Kalyani, saying,”Happy birthday my sweet little sister, my young genius!” Kalyani takes the knife, everyone wishes her. Anu tells her to blow off the candles. Kalyani looks at the candles, she sees the 19 NUMBERED CANDLE she blows off all the candles but is again back to her thoughts, she thinks, “And just like this, another year has passed, I couldn’t do anything even this time, I haven’t done anything except failing, failing badly.” Absent mindedly, she cuts the cake, everyone sings out loud, “Happy Birthday to you” everyone gives her the gifts but she is lost, lost somewhere in her own world of thoughts. Malhar pats on her back, “Kalyani, what are you thinking of?” Kalyani comes back to the present and nervously says, “Nothing, nothing much….. And Malhar sir why didn’t Sampada ma’am come?” Malhar says, “Oh! Sampada, she wanted to come, but she was feeling a bit unwell and uneasy, hence she couldn’t come.” Kalyani once again absent mindedly says, “Oh!”
The celebrations continue, food, songs, dances, games and so does Kalyani’s pondering. It is 2 a.m. now. Malini says, “Oh! It’s quite late. Thankyou everyone, for making the day memorable for Kalyani.” All thank her too for the party and leave one by one. Aditya says to Malini, “Malini, tomorrow I am going to a slum in Noida to interview the people over there. I have to leave in the morning itself. So, we’ll have to cancel the coffee plan. Sorry dear” Malini smiles and says, “No problem at all, we’ll have coffee together some other day. We have much time for that, right?” Adi says,”Of course, bye take care, love you” he leaves.
Malini goes to Kalyani who is still pondering. “Kalyani!” “Yeh- yes, di” “I know what you are thinking of, I have always told you, give your hundred percent, the results don’t matter, your hardwork does. I know you have been tired of listening to this but I must remind you that I know how you have studied for these three years forgetting your existence, giving up on your funny and chirpy activities, these books, these exams seem to have soaked the life out of you. But my dear girl, this is life, it’s beyond JEE it’s much more than IITs. And failures are a part of our lives. Give your best, which you are already giving, still if you fail, then it’s ABSOLUTELY FINE! It is not something you need to feel sad about, you just have to move ahead! I didn’t ask you about your birthday party before because I knew you would have refused for any celebrations, the thing you have been doing since last three years. Bachha! You have to enjoy your life, this is the time, don’t lose yourself!”
Kalyani is almost in tears,” Thankyou di, thankyou so much! I know everything, I know what you are saying, but I forget, I always forget it when someone tells me that you are an IIT professor and I am a failure. And thankyou so much for this birthday celebration, I know it wouldn’t have been such pleasant surprise for me a few years ago. But today, it was and thankyou for this.” She hugs her Malini di, Malini hugs her back, and says, ” Love you my Kallu, good night and always remember you aren’t a failure, you are a fighter, my tigress!” Malini leaves. Kalyani smiles, closes her books and goes to sleep.
IMLIE’S HOME, NOIDA
Imlie is sleeping peacefully on a small cot, grasping a pillow tightly with her hands. She murmurs something in her sleep and all of a sudden sits up wide awake on the cot. She looks round, takes the NOKIA 1100 phone lying beside her and screams, “Ma, why didn’t you wake me up? Its already 8 O’clock. ” She gets up, looks around and calls out, “Ma, Ma where are you?” She wonders ” Its already 8, this is not even the water filling time, also the Guptas have gone to Mumbai, so she must not have gone for work to their house, where is she then ?” She goes out to search for her, she asks a neighbour, “Aunty did you see Maa?” “Yes, beta, she was standing in the queue to fill water sometime ago.” Imlie thinks, ” But Ma didn’t return home still. Where could she have gone??”
PRECAP: Meethi comes back to home. Imlie asks, ” Ma where were you? Had you gone to search for work again?” Meethi says, “No, Imlie, I had gone to seek help.” Imlie asks, “Help? What kind of help? From whom?” Meethi says, “Your father, Dev….”