Chapter 11 Rudra meets adhya

       The next morning adhya got ready in a long  Anarkali suit with a dupatta

Drishti wore a beautiful saree with a sleeveless blouse, wrapped in a pashmina shawl as it is still cold weather in Shimla. Ashish and devrat wear simple kurta pyjamas.

  Drishti wore a diamond mangalsutra ., she then insists that adhya wear a chain with a diamond pendant. Adhya was not much fond of jewellery, but for her mother's happiness, she didn't refuse.

   Abeer reached the hotel on time ., garima also accompanied him. After exchanging greetings .adhya touched Garima's feet after giving blessings to adhya garima hugged her. They all started their journey.

Garima suggested adhya and abeer come in SUV in the second car garima.

And in the third one devrat  Ashish and drishti

Before going to her car garima nodded at abeer who blinked his eyes .only devrat noticed this, But he was sure that abeer wants to talk to adhya about something important, so garima is giving them privacy.

  The journey got started, and abeer got busy on his phone. Adhya was enjoying the sight of Kasauli, she was not feeling comfortable in this Indian wear as taking a dupatta ( stole ) is not her thing. The winter was not gone yet so she has to wear a sweater also.

she started playing with her dupatta(stole) and ended up tangling her hands with it. Abeer looked at her tangled hands shakes his head and started helping her out. Adhya leaned to his shoulder. ,

   "I miss you abeer, a lot "

  " I miss you too love  "

  "Adhya I want to discuss something very important to you "

 "  Hmm, but first tell me why is this compulsory to wear a suit while meeting your family .? I am not comfortable in this"

" I know love but we are going to meet my only family members, the first time I am going to introduce you to them .so it will not look good if you were western wear" .abeer tried to make her understand.

"See if you love me and want me to be  happy so please remember some points .you will not hug or kiss me in front of them, it's better if you will keep your hands to yourself in front of them ."

Adhya nodded yes with a pout.

" Please touch my Badi ma's feet for blessings and bhai too "

" Badi ma is ok as I also touch aunty's (abeer's mother's) feet. But why your elder brother I will not touch his feet, and he is only some years older than you " adhya argued.

" 11 years older by me,adhya. And I respect him a lot, and so does my mother .its very important for us to get their approval for our marriage. "Abeer thought that when adhya meets his brother she will touch his feet of her own will. Just wait.

adhya doesn't answer back but makes a note in her mind that she will not touch his feet. As Garima's words were still ringing in her mind.

The car stopped near the temple gate.

The khurrana family,adhya's parents and grandfather got down from another car. The third car was of garima Shekhawat she also joined them. All of them started climbing the stairs of the temple.

First was garima and abeer

They are followed by Ashish who was helping his father to climb the stairs.

In the last drishti with Adhya,drishti was noticing the surrounding s with interest.

The villagers joined their hands to greet abeer and garima Shekhawat as they belong to the respected and well-known Shekhawat family of Shimla.

adhya started whispering to her mom, "mom I dont like this dress see I cannot walk properly in this "

" Just bear for sometime beta dont you see how much power and respect Shekhawat has here ., for abeer please"

Drishti tried to make her understand.

 .Adhya nodded in yes.

They reach inside the temple where the puja was going on. Some priests were chanting mantras and some other priests were pouring milk and water from Kalash over the shivling.In front of the shivling a  havan was going on and people were sitting around the havan kund, a  man was performing the puja.

Adhya, garima and drishti were sitting on the first row on the floor on the lady's side.

  Abeer, Ashish and devrat were sitting in the first row on the men's side.

Adhya visited temples in London, just once or twice during Indian festivals every year. But she was the first time seeing this type of puja.

  Suddenly the mantras stopped and dhol,manjire started playing music ., the man who was sitting in front of the havan kund got up from his place near shivling with aarti and the crowd started shiv stotram. adhya was surprised to see the man wearing dhoti and a white shawl on his naked chest was reciting the strotram perfectly. She checked her surroundings and found that garima and abeer also started reciting the stotram perfectly.

The people present in the temple were

engrossed in the aarti and murmuring the stotram with full faith .some people were having tears in their eyes while they are offering prayers to god. She doesn't understand what kind of gesture is this, some were so engrossed in the aarti as they are giving all their pain to the almighty in hope that every problem will be solved.

The atmosphere was just divine. , she also joined  her hands in front of the almighty and closed her eyes to feel the power of  lord shiva

 

   The aarti got finished and everybody started going near the idol to offer flowers to the shivling. Adhya and abeer also went near the idol to offer flowers.

That time the same man who was performing aarti before came near abeer.

  Abeer touched his feet and that man hugged him patting his back. Abeer turned towards adhya and introduce her to him.

"Bhai meet my fiancee adhya khurrana" "

  "Adhya meet my elder brother

Rudra Singh Shekhawat "

Adhya's jaw dropped, and the man standing in front of her was a living Greek god.

She was looking at him in awe from toe to head, when her eyes met the hazel green ones she found him looking at her with a cold glare.

Aadhya divert her eyes and started looking at the floor. First time in her life she was feeling scared, intimated and impressed at the same time. So much was going inside her mind, that she froze.

To her bad luck, a man with aarti came near them. He stood in front of Adhya for her to take the aarti. Adhya, of course, knows what the man is asking her to do, she knows how to take aarti but in nervousness, her hand didn't move to take the aarti.

  Rudra was observing her movements keenly, so he raised his hands and gave aarti to her. This act of rudra gave some courage to Adhya, she came out of her thoughts, she realised that nervousness she even didn't wish rudra properly.

  Adhya joined her hands in namaste.    ..,...and she touched his feet for blessings as she was feeling rudra's presence formidable, rudra lips turned lightly.

' Stay blessed "rudra kept his  palm on her head "

    She understood that what her dad was saying that day was correct. Rudra is a   handsome man .she was looking at rudra with an unintelligible look.

  Rudra on the other hand noticed the fragile girl in front of him, who was looking at him in awe. He thought that the girl is really pretty and well mannered too but is she suitable for abeer? But he noticed how abeer introduce her as his fiance to clear his intentions to Rudra.

  Abeer was already looking at the scene in front with a smile as he already expecting this type of reaction from both the people standing in front of him .and he was not surprised. He deliberately introduces adhya as his fiance to make his decision clear to his bhai.

    Garima came along gauri near adhya ., "adhya beta meet Mrs gauri Shekhawat, Rudra's mother and  abeer's  Badi maa "

  Aadya greeted her in namaste and then touched her feet in blessings.

   "Stay blessed beta  "( child)

  " So you are adhya, I have to agree on this that abeer found a beautiful daughter in law for us. Welcome to the family beta " listening to this rudra looked to his mother which she royally ignored...Gauri already discussed this with garima and both the ladies were determined to make Abeer married to his love.

"Thank you auntyji " adhya answered with a shy smile.

  Gauri was keenly noticing the actions of adhya. Her dressing style her way of talking, her nervousness and she didn't miss her cheeks which turned a shade of pink when she compliment her. Abeer introduced adhya's family members to his family. Devrat Ashish greeted gauri and rudra in namaste.

  Ashish started taking with them.

   "Thank you so much for inviting us to this puja, after years I and my family have experienced this type of divine atmosphere. I must say this temple is very pretty and has a divine atmosphere around ."gauri smiled at him and answered politely.

  " Yes mr khurrana this temple is atleast100 years old, our ancestors built this temple for the people of Kasauli, and it was the first shiv temple of Kasauli,"gauri stated proudly.

  " Hhmm,  I also like this place it is peaceful here. Yes we also love coming here often but our business in Shimla doesn't allow us,"gauri added more.

  

  " Yes, I can understand "Ashish answered in understanding.

"I think the puja in the temple is completed so we should start the journey back to Shimla  After lunch at our mansion, we have to discuss something very important. "Rudra interfered with their chit chat. Adhya heard his cold and stern voice for the first time which brings goosebumps to her body.

"As you say mr Shekhawat "Devrat agreed.

   All the while rudra uttered the last lines only, as he was also noticing the behaviour of the khurrana family.

On the other hand, drishti was getting more and more impressed by the Shekhawat family. She noticed the heavy silk saree and royal jewellery that gauri is wearing. In her mind, she was just praying for this alliance.

After some time they all started the journey to Shimla. But this time with different sitting arrangements.

The Khurrana family in one SUV.

  Garima and gauri in one car

Abeer and rudra are in the third car.

    Garima was worried throughout the journey. Gauri knows the reason for her tension, it was rudra's acceptance of this alliance that willingly.

    Gauri knows how much garima had suffered already by destiny's hand but this time she will not allow anyone to snatch her happiness which lies in abeer's happiness ....that is Adhya Khurrana.

Gauri made up her mind to play her cards cleverly, especially when the opponent is her son   Rudra Singh Shekhawat.

   In the other SUV, rudra was enjoying the sight of Abeer who was sitting beside him. Abeer was sweating badly, he used to bite his nails in nervousness now and then, it was his childhood habit. Abeer was looking at rudra for some reaction but rudra kept his calm face.

      The silence was making Abeer more nervous, he wanted to spend his life with Adhya but now watching rudra's face he was doubtful about the acceptance, he wished that rudra should accept this proposal willingly not under some pressure

      Rudra already decided what he has to discuss with Khuranaana