CHAPTER65 [HALDI & SHYRI]
Some celebrations are not just about two people getting married; they are about two families slowly becoming one.
The evening had finally arrived.
The Singhania Mansion looked completely different.
The entire house was covered in shades of yellow, white, and soft green. Marigold garlands hung beautifully from the pillars, white flowers were placed along the entrance, and warm fairy lights wrapped around the trees in the garden.
The main lawn had been transformed into a beautiful haldi venue.
A large stage stood in the centre, decorated with yellow drapes, white flowers, hanging floral strings, and small brass lanterns. Comfortable seating arrangements had been placed around the stage, while small tables held bowls of haldi, rose petals, floral jewellery, bangles, and traditional sweets.
Children were running around the garden.
The elders were busy talking.
The younger members of the family were already planning how to make the function as chaotic as possible.
And right in the middle of all of it stood Rhea.
She was dressed in a bright yellow sharara with delicate mirror work and floral embroidery. Her dupatta was draped over one shoulder, while her hair was styled in a soft half-up hairstyle decorated with tiny white flowers.
She looked genuinely happy.
Anjali walked toward her with a small bowl of haldi in her hands.
Rhea immediately smiled.
---
Just then, the sound of cars approaching the mansion made everyone turn toward the entrance.
A few seconds later, several cars stopped outside.
Anjali's face immediately brightened.
Anjali:
"Yash aur uske family wale aa gaye."
"Yash and his family have arrived."
Rhea's expression changed instantly.
Her eyes lit up.
Sana noticed.
She leaned toward Aarohi and whispered-
Sana:
"Bas, ab dekho madam ka glow."
"Just watch her glow now."
Aarohi smiled.
Aarohi:
"Tum bhi na..."
"You're impossible..."
The main doors opened.
Yash entered with his parents.
Yash looked elegant in a simple ivory kurta with a subtle golden embroidered jacket. He carried himself with calm confidence, but the moment his eyes found Rhea, his expression softened.
Behind him were his parents.
His father was dressed in an ivory kurta-pajama with a beige Nehru jacket, while his mother wore a beautiful yellow silk saree with delicate golden detailing.
Anjali walked forward warmly.
Anjali:
"Aaiye, aaiye. Humein aapka hi intezar tha."
"Please, come in. We were waiting for you."
Yash's mother smiled.
Yash's Mother:
"Hum bhi kab se is din ka intezar kar rahe the."
"We've been waiting for this day too."
The two families exchanged warm greetings.
Yash's father shook hands with Mr. Singhania.
Yash's Father:
"Aaj finally dono bachchon ko saath dekh kar bohot khushi ho rahi hai."
"It makes us very happy to finally see both of them together on this special day."
Mr. Singhania smiled.
Mr. Singhania:
"Humein bhi."
"Us too."
---
Yash's mother walked toward Rhea.
Rhea respectfully touched her feet.
She immediately placed her hand on Rhea's head.
Yash's Mother:
"Khush raho beta. Aaj se nahi, pehle din se hi tum humein apni beti lagti ho."
"Stay happy, dear. Not just from today, you've felt like our daughter since the very beginning."
Rhea's eyes became slightly emotional.
She hugged her.
Rhea:
"Thank you, Mom."
"Thank you, Mom."
Yash smiled while watching them.
Karan, standing beside Vihaan, quietly nudged him.
Karan:
"Bhai, groom saab ka expression dekha?"
"Brother, did you see the groom's expression?"
Vihaan glanced at Yash.
Vihaan:
"Kyun?"
"Why?"
Karan smirked.
Karan:
"Aise dekh raha hai jaise duniya mein sirf Rhea hi dikh rahi ho."
"He's looking at her as if she's the only person in the world."
Vihaan gave him a look.
Vihaan:
"Teri observation kuch zyada hi strong hai."
"Your observation skills are getting a little too strong."
Karan laughed.
---
Soon, everyone gathered around the stage.
This time, there were two decorated seats.
One for Rhea.
One for Yash.
Rhea sat down first.
Yash took his place beside her.
Sana clapped excitedly.
Sana:
"Okay everyone! haldi dono ki saath lagegi!"
"Okay, everyone! both of them are getting their haldi together!"
Rhea laughed.
Yash smiled.
Anjali came forward first and applied haldi to both of them.
Mr. Singhania followed.
Then Yash's parents applied haldi to Rhea and Yash together.
Rhea's face was glowing with happiness.
Yash looked at her.
Yash:
"Happy?"
Rhea smiled.
Rhea:
"Very."
Yash smiled back.
---
Then came the real chaos.
Sana grabbed a bowl.
Aarohi immediately knew what was coming.
Aarohi:
"Sana, please kuch mat karna."
"Sana, please don't do anything."
Sana grinned.
Sana:
"Main? Main toh bohot innocent hoon."
"Me? I'm very innocent."
Aarohi stared at her.
Aarohi:
"Tum aur innocent?"
English:
"You? Innocent?"
Everyone laughed.
Sana suddenly put haldi on Aarohi's cheek.
Aarohi stared at her for a second.
Then she smiled.
She took some haldi and applied it right back to Sana's cheek.
Sana:
"Aaru!"
Aarohi laughed.
For a moment, she forgot everything.
The past.
The pain.
The confusion.
She simply laughed.
And from across the garden, Vihaan noticed.
He didn't approach her.
He simply watched.
There was something peaceful about seeing her smile again.
---
Arjun walked toward Sana.
Sana looked at him suspiciously.
Sana:
"Aap kyun aa rahe ho?"
"Why are you coming here?"
Arjun took some haldi.
Arjun:
"Tumhe lag raha hai main tumhe bachane aa raha hoon?"
"Do you think I'm here to save you?"
Sana's eyes widened.
Sana:
"Arjun!"
He calmly applied haldi to her cheek.
Sana immediately laughed.
"You too!"
Arjun smiled faintly.
Arjun:
"Tum meri wife ho. Tumhe haldi lagana toh banta hai."
"You're my wife. I'm obviously supposed to put haldi on you."
Sana's cheeks turned slightly pink.
Karan immediately started laughing.
Karan:
"Ohooo! Arjun bhai bhi romantic ho rahe hain!"
"Ohooo! Arjun bhai is getting romantic too!"
Arjun looked at him.
Arjun:
"Karan."
Karan immediately raised both hands.
Karan:
"Okay, okay. Main chup."
"Okay, okay. I'm quiet."
---
Rhea suddenly stood up.
Rhea:
"Yash, tum bach nahi sakte."
"Yash, you can't escape."
Yash took a step back.
Yash:
"Rhea, don't."
"Rhea, don't."
Rhea laughed and applied haldi to his cheek.
Yash smiled.
He took some haldi and gently put it on her forehead.
Everyone started cheering.
Sana shouted-
Sana:
"Finally!"
Rhea immediately hid her face.
Yash laughed.
---
Aarohi watched them with a genuine smile.
Vihaan stood a little away from everyone.
Their eyes met.
For a brief moment, everything around them seemed to disappear.
Aarohi quickly looked away.
Vihaan didn't try to stop her.
He simply let her have her space.
Perhaps that was the biggest difference now.
He no longer wanted to force his way into her world.
He wanted her to choose whether she wanted him there.
And somewhere inside Aarohi, she noticed that change.
---
The haldi continued for almost an hour.
Everyone got involved.
Karan ended up with haldi all over his face.
Sana laughed at him.
Rhea threw a little haldi toward Arjun.
Arjun narrowly avoided it.
Anjali laughed at her children.
Yash's parents joined the teasing.
Even Mr. Singhania couldn't stop smiling.
The garden was filled with music, laughter, and the bright yellow glow of the celebration.
And for the first time in a long time, Aarohi didn't feel like an outsider standing among the Singhanias.
She was simply there.
Laughing.
Smiling.
Living in the moment.
And perhaps that was enough for today.
---
After the haldi rituals were completed, Sana suddenly climbed onto the small stage and clapped her hands.
Everyone looked at her.
She had that mischievous smile again.
Sana:
"Okay! Haldi toh ho gayi..."
She paused dramatically.
"Ab asli competition hoga!"
"Okay! The haldi is done... now the real competition begins!"
Karan looked suspicious.
Karan:
"Ab kya plan hai tumhara?"
"What's your plan now?"
Sana smiled.
Sana:
"Do teams banengi."
"We're making two teams."
Rhea immediately became interested.
Rhea:
"Kaisi teams?"
"What kind of teams?"
Sana pointed toward the girls.
Sana:
"Ek team mein saari ladkiyan."
Then she pointed toward the boys.
Sana:
"Aur ek mein saare ladke."
"One team will have all the girls, and the other will have all the boys."
Karan laughed.
Karan:
"Competition kya hai?"
"What's the competition?"
Sana's smile grew wider.
Sana:
"Shayari."
The garden immediately erupted with excitement.
Rhea clapped.
Yash laughed.
Karan looked at Vihaan.
Vihaan simply raised an eyebrow.
Sana continued-
Sana:
"Har team se ek person shayari bolega, aur opposite team uska jawab shayari mein degi."
"One person from each team will recite a shayari, and the opposite team will answer with another shayari."
Rhea looked toward Aarohi.
Sana looked toward Vihaan.
Karan looked at Yash.
And suddenly, everyone realized-
this competition could become much more interesting than anyone had expected.
Especially because there were certain feelings in this family...
that nobody had been brave enough to say out loud.
Tonight, perhaps those feelings would find their way into poetry.
-------
Sana stood in the middle of the garden with a mischievous smile on her face. Everyone had gathered around the stage, already excited about the new game.
She held a small bottle in her hand and raised it dramatically.
Sana:
"Alright, everyone! The rules are simple. We'll spin the bottle, and whoever it lands on will have to recite a shayari for their team."
Karan immediately raised his hand.
Karan:
"And is cheating allowed?"
Everyone laughed.
Sana narrowed her eyes at him.
Sana:
"Looking at you, I feel like you're exactly the person who would cheat."
Karan placed a hand over his heart dramatically.
Karan:
"You doubt me that much?"