Chaand Raat Bazaar : AsYa OS With Eid approaching, Sadaf has requested that I write an OS about Chaand raat (the night before Eid.) Let’s hope that we will get to see both Chaand raat and Eid celebrations on the show too. “Najma! Asad! Zoya! Abhi khabar mili hai ki kal raat Chaand raat hai. Matlab do din baad Eid! IshaAllah, yeh Eid hum sab ke liye sab se yaadgaar Eid hogi.” Dilshaad raised her hands in reverence and thanked Allah. They were all seated in the living room. “Kal Chaand raat hai?” Najma jumped up with excitement, “Zoya, that means hum kal chaand nikal ne ke baad bazaar chalenge. Wow! Kitna mazaa aayega!” “I would love to go tamatar. New York mein hum log jaate the Chaand raat mela but I am sure Bhopal will be extra special.” Zoya matched her enthusiasm. “No one is going to the Chaand raat bazaar!” Asad walked in with a stern expression. Since Tanveer’s betrayal. Asad had become extra anxious about Zoya’s safety and couldn’t bear the thought of her going anywhere where her life could be in danger. “Bhaijaan!”Najma pouted. “Why not Mr.Khan?” Zoya asked. “Arre Asad, ladkiyon ke liye Chaand raat bazaar bahut khaas hota hai. Please take them this year.” Dilshaad requested. “Nahin ammi! Have you seen how crowded it gets there? It’s impossible to even walk there. Aur wahan kai badtameez ladke bhi aate hain. You know-wo—wo- ladkiyon se ched chaad karne waale. I will not allow anyone to go! Hum yahin ghar par celebrate karenge.” Asad put his foot down. “Tamatar!” Zoya got up and folded her arms, “main le jaaungi tumhein. Mr. Khan ko chalna hai tho chalein. We will go! Aur waise bhi MAIN hum dono ki hifaazat kar sakti hoon. I am enough for all those badtameez types.” “Ms Farooqui!” Asad rolled his eyes, “this is not New York. Please try to understand.” “I am sorry Mr. Khan. I don’t have to listen to you. I am very capable of taking care of both myself and Najma.” Dilshaad glared at Asad. He relented, “alright. Main le chaloonga aap logon ko. Lekin ek shart par.” “Shart?’ Najma and Zoya echoed. “Jee. Aap log mere saath hi rahengi. I don’t want you roaming all around the bazaar.” “Mr. Khan, aap ek doggie strap baandh dee jiyega hamari gardan par. You know, like a leash.” Zoya chuckled. “It’s not funny Ms. Farooqui. This is Bhopal! Aapka New York nahin hai.” “Uffo, abhi Ramzaan khatam nahin huye hain,” Dilshaad shook her head, “please stop fighting. We will all go and have fun. Bas! Keh diya!” “P-par ammi!” Asad protested. “Par ammi kuch nahin. No discussions! Ab chalo, mujhey Eid ki tayyari karni hai.” Zoya raised her eye brow at Asad and rolled her tongue, “Mr.Khan, you can never win against three women. Just get used to it. Zindagi bhar ab yahi karna hoga aapko.” He rolled his eyes and walked away to his room. As soon as he had his back to her, he smiled inwardly and thought, “that means aap bhi mujhsey nikaah karne ko utni hi besabr hain Ms. Farooqui.” NEXT DAY: After they sighted the moon, Najma and Zoya pestered Asad again. “Chaliye na bhaijaan. Let’s go. Parking bhi nahin milegi phir. Humein mehndi lagwaani hai, choodiyan khareedni hain, and so much else to do. Come on bhaijaan!” Asad was awe struck by how angelic his Zoya looked. Dressed in a green salwaar kameez with her head partially covered with her dupatta, she looked like the perfect Mrs, Khan. He was dressed in a blue pathan suit. Dilshaad gave them an endearing glance, “touchwood,” she placed a smear from her kohl behind Asad and Zoya’s ears, “kisi ki nazar na lag jaaye mere bachcho par.” The four of them stepped outside to leave for the Chaand raat bazaar. “Zoya beta, you sit in the front. Ab wohi tumhari jagah hai. Najma and I will sit in the back seat.” “Lekin phoophi-wo.-wo,” Zoya felt awkward but Najma and Dilshaad ignored her protests and settled in the backseat of Asad’s SUV. Asad had a faint smile on his lips as he ignited the engine. His begum was right next to him- just the way he had always imagined his life with Zoya would be. CHAAND RAAT BAZAAR: She had been in India for a few months, but never before had Zoya seen such a crowd. After parking their car, they all got off and walked towards the bazaar. The gates to the bazar were beautifully decorated with flowers and neon lights. There were stalls on either side of the crowded street. Bangles, clothes, sweets, jewelry, electronics- everything was being advertised and throngs of people surrounded each stall. “Wow Mr. Khan! Kitni raunak hai yahan!” “Maine kaha tha na Zoya, Chaand raat bazaar ki raunak kuch aur hi hoti hai.” Najma exclaimed, “ammi yaad hai bachpan mein kitna aate the hum yahan.” “Yaad hai,” Dilshaad held onto Najma as they walked behind Asad and Zoya, “kitne saalon baad aaye hain lekin raunak wohi hai.” Dilshaad reminisced how Rashid loved to bring her here when they were together. How he would always surprise her with an unusual gift every Eid and….she shrugged her head to shoo away those painful memories. Instead, she admired the way Asad walked with Zoya, protecting her from the crowd and shoo away the roadside Romeos. As expected, Zoya was enthralled by all the decorations and kept wandering off from one stall to another. Asad, who hated chaos, grabbed Zoya’s hand and pulled her closer, “raunak nahin, tamasha hai yeh. Aap bas mera haath pakad kar rakhiye yahan. Idhar udhar mat jaaiye.” A bemused Zoya glanced at his fingers around her wrist and whispered “ab tho yeh haath zindagi bhar pakad na hai Mr. Khan, aap befikr rahiye. Main kahin nahin jaa rahi.” Her words managed to bring a smile to his lips, “Ms Farooqui, aap bhi na, baatein kam kariye and pay attention to where you are walking. You never know what you might step into.” “ZOYA! MEHNDI STALL!” Najma grabbed her other hand and pulled her away from Asad. “Najma!” An infuriated Asad pulled Zoya back, “Zoya is allergic to mehndi, yaad nahin hai pichli baar kya hua tha?” “Oh yeah! I am sorry I forgot.” Najma apologized. “Nahin tamatar. Main tho mehndi zaroor lagwaaungi aaj. I am sure they won’t mix acid in mehndi here.” Zoya sighed and took a deep breath. Asad and Dilshaad exchanged glances and grimaced. Another clue they had completely missed. Zoya had endured more than her share of pain in their relationship. Once again, Asad blamed himself. How he wished he could turn the hands of the clock back to that fateful day when he had seen Tanveer at the accident site. How he wished he had never run to her or brought her home with him and then insisted she stay back after her initial task was done. Najma and Zoya settled on two stools for the henna application. Asad stood like a wall behind them, his hands rested on each of their shoulders. The henna ladies were swift and within 10 minutes, both Zoya and Najma had beautiful designs on their palms. Zoya even convinced them to write Asad’s name in Urdu on her palm. They both got up and displayed their designs to Asad and Dilshaad. “Mr. Khan, ab tho aapko apna naam saaf saaf dikhaaye dega. No more treasure hunt.” Zoya teased him. Asad gazed at her palm and then looked upwards into her eyes. Their silent communication expressed their happiness. Asad glanced at his palm and as they started walking again, whispered into Zoya’s ears, “your name on my palm is permanent. Kya mere naam ki permanent mehndi lagwaa sakti hain aap?” His dreamy, romantic statement blew Zoya away. “Mr. Khan, aap theek tho hain? Itne romantic aap kab se ho gaye?” Asad turned red as Dilshaad and Najma chuckled at Zoya’s comment. “Zoya, don’t underestimate my son, aakhir beta kiska----“ Dilshaad stopped short. Why was Rashid invading her thoughts again? Perhaps, she shouldn’t have accompanied them to the bazaar. There were just too many memories buried here. And then, she knew why Rashid was omnipresent in her thoughts today. “BHAIJAAN!” An excited Ayaan ran towards them. Behind him were his sisters, Shireen and Rashid, all dressed in festive outfits. They were all enjoying the festivities of the Chaand raat bazaar. Even after all these years, Dilshaad could still sense his presence. As always, Rashid stood silent, awkward and hesitant. “Chaand Raat Mubarak ho!” Asad hugged Ayaan. He couldn’t have been happier that night. All his loved ones were right next to him. He wished Nikhat and Nuzhat but ignored Rashid and Shireen. “Chaand Raat Mubarak ho beta,” Rashid finally came forward and smiled tearfully. He was happy to see Zoya by his side. He placed his hand on her head, “tumhein bhi Chaand raat aur yeh Eid bahut Mubarak ho beta, lagta hai Allah ne tum logon ki dua qubool kar li.” Asad lowered his head and mumbled, “aap sab ko bhi Eid Mubarak ho.” “Mona?” Ayaan was pleasantly surprised to see her there, “Bhaijaan, aap apni museebat ke saath? Am I dreaming?” “No you are not!” Zoya smiled, “kuch galat fehmi thi, wo ab door ho gayi hai.” “Mubarak ho bhaijaan!” Ayaan hugged Asad again, “tho ab nikaah ki dawat kab de rahe hain?” Asad smacked Ayaan’s head, “bewkoof, pehle nikaah ho jaane de, phir dawat bhi khila doonga.” “Sach?” Ayaan was ecstatic. He winked at Zoya, “ab ki baar tho phans gayi Mona. Ab akdu ke saath zindagi kaise katogi?” Zoya snuggled close to Asad’s arms, her palms still in the air to dry her henna, “don’t worry Raabert. Tumhare akdu bhaiya ab badal gaye hain. We will take care of each other. Tumhein fikr karne ki zaroorat nahin hai.” ‘Wah! Wah! Kya baat hai. Lagta hai aag dono taraf barabar hai, kyun bhaijaan?” Ayaan grinned from ear to ear. Asad lowered his gaze; his face had turned beetroot. His feelings were all out in the open now; everyone in Ayaan’s house knew how he felt about Zoya. He gave Rashid a quick glare as if taunting him that after all, he was not going to end up like him. “Ayaan, in logon ko pareshan mat karo,” Rashid pulled Ayaan’s arm. He could sense Dilshaad’s discomfort in Shireen’s presence, “Asad, nikaah mubarak ho beta.” He lowered his eyes and then exchanged glances with Dilshaad as they all walked away. “Allah hafiz!” The two parties said their goodbyes and walked off in opposite directions. “Bhaijaan! Choodiyan!” Najma pointed at one of the large bangle shops. “Najma, hamare haath mein tho mehndi hai, kaise choose karenge bangles?” Zoya wondered. “Asad, jao Zoya ke liye select kar lo chhodiyan. Main Najma ke liye leti hoon,” Dilshaad teased her son. “Wo-wo-ammi-main?” Asad protested, “I have no idea what to select.” “Ek baar dukaan mein andar aa jao Asad, when you see the bangles, tumhein khud pata chal jaayega ki Zoya ko kaunsi pasand aayengi.” Najma and Zoya giggled at Asad’s predicament. “Bhaijaan, I am sure you can do it. Aap Zoya ke liye itni sundar sarees bhi tho laate hain. I am sure you can select bangles for her.” Asad glanced at Zoya, who wasn’t making it easier for him with her mischievous smile, “alright! I will try.” Ammi was right. The moment he started perusing through the selection of bangles, he knew exactly the colors and styles to buy. Even if he had a hard time expressing, his imagination was very vivid. Just like the sarees, he could imagine how each bangle would look on her delicate wrists. He selected a whole bunch in various colors. “Mr. Khan, itni saari chooriyan? Have you ever seen me wear so many bangles?” “Ab pehenengi na?” He raised the bangles and jingled them against her wrist, “ab aapke haath kabhie khaali nahin dekhna chaahta main.” He whispered in her ear, “aapke Mr.Khan ki yeh wish aap poori karengi?” She blushed at his comment and whispered back, “bas itni choti si wish Mr.Khan? Not a problem. Waise aap meri moon waali wish kab poori karenge?That’s your last challenge.” “I told you I like challenges. Wo wish bhi aaj raat poori ho jaayegi.” He had a faint smile as he turned around to pay for all the bangles. She gave him skeptical glance and walked out of the bangle store with Najma. Later, they all enjoyed hot jalebis and rabri at one of the stalls. Asad had to feed Zoya with his hands as her hands were still moist with the henna. Dilshad did the honors for Najma. When no one was looking, Asad stole a bite from Zoya’s half eaten jalebi. “Chori pakdi gayi!” Zoya startled him from behind. “What?” He turned around, aghast. “Jhoothi jalebi kyun khayi meri? I want my jalebi back.” She teased him. “Jalebi par aapka naam likha hai kya?” He retorted. “Haan likha hai! That was my favorite jalebi!” She glared at him. “Uffo! Tum dono kuch pal ladhe bina nahin reh sakte?” Dilshaad rolled her eyes, “Zoya, yeh lo- take some from my plate.Waise bhi maine bahut khaa lee hain. Asad beta, zara Zoya ko khila do.” Asad swept it off Dilshaad’s plate and held it in front of Zoya’s lips. Before she could grab a bite, he placed it in his mouth and gobbled it up. Najma and Dilshaad were in splits as Zoya stood there with her mouth wide open. They all burst out with laughter. Dilshaad’s happiness had no bounds. Zoya had completely changed her son. Not only was he having fun at the bazaar, he was teasing Zoya; least bothered about his syrupy hands. In her mind, she thanked Zoya for making her son so happy and so ‘normal.’ After a couple of hours, they returned home. Zoya headed for her room to wash off the crusts of her dried mehndi. Asad followed and startled her as she walked out of her room. “Mr. Khan, bina knock kiye phir?” He ignored her question and placed all the boxes of bangles on her bed. Then he held a bigger box in front of her eyes, “for you.” “Yeh kya hai?” “Aapki last wish.” Her jaw fell to her knees, “are you kidding Mr.Khan? Is box mein moon hai?” “Maybe. Open it.” She gave him an incredulous glance and un-wrapped the box, “Mr.Khan, I didn’t know aap mazaak bhi kar lete hain. This better be the moon. Warna aap jaante hain, main aap se nikaah nahin karoongi.” She chided. “Open it first.” Gently, she opened the box and placed her palms inside. There was a large marble colored globe with beautiful inscriptions from the Quran. An image of the shadow seen on the surface of the moon was painted on the globe. “Yeh tho model hai!” “Yes, aapne apni list mein specify nahin kiya tha ki real moon chaahiye.” He folded his arms, “ and this moon is multifunctional.” “Mr. Khan! Aap bhi na,” she couldn’t believe her eyes. “Here, this moon is like a three dimensional jigsaw puzzle. Aap jab chaahe, half moon, crescent moon, full moon dekh sakti hain.” He gently dismantled the pieces and displayed the various facets of his model. “Wow! Yeh kahan se laaye aap? It’s amazing. I love all these inscriptions from the Quran. This is beautiful.” She had tears in her eyes. “I designed it.” He smiled, “after all I am an architect and not an astronaut.” She placed the model on the bed and ran into his arms. He pulled her closer into a passionate embrace. They held each other for a few moments. “Mr.Khan, aapne meri saari wishes poori kar di. I am such a lucky girl.” She was still sobbing as she pulled away, “aapne meri zindagi kisi bhi maayne mein adhoori nahin hai. Ab mujhey kuch aur nahin chaahiye.” “Lekin mujhey chaahiye,” he pulled her back and caressed her face. “Kya?” She asked shyly. “Nikaah! ASAP!” “Qubool hai!” She smiled through her tears of joy. ….the end…
Posted on: Sat, 27 Jul 2013 15:19:57 +0000
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