All the beautiful daughters of Mara by Ashok Aatreya (beach books .TXT) 📖

bundles of thousand rupees notes and a small pistol …. And while putting both the bundle of notes and pistol on the table, she with a very dramatic manner told Anand “Now the choice is yours”
What is all this? Anand for a moment could not understand this nonsense! He, for a moment, thought strongly about the dignity of his position and reputation of the paper for which he was working.
"It’s pitty on both of you! How dare you enter in my office with such a dirty idea to bribe me… how? Mr. Sohrab you please immediately leave the room or I will call my watchman… and then out of excitement Anand took another move… he took hot line telephone in his hand and before the voice of the Chief Editor was heard from the other end…. Anand in a shouted tone expressed his mood…” What type of people can come here, I feel sorry to say you sir, and this is our reputation?" … But before the drama reached the climax point…. there was an anti-climax before his eyes…. The burqa lady opened her burqa! She was none else ……..but…. Shaheen…!
“Yes I am, Shaheen and he is Mr. Asad… my husband and not any Sohrab. Hope you liked the drama of this mid-night… we have reached from Pakistan-today only… my husband was very much interested to meet you… Shaheen was very normal. Her husband Asad laughed… laughed and laughed … the room echoed with his laugh.
‘So you are Mr. Anand, you are a true and really a brave journalist. Shaheen always talked about you…" Actually it is her drama…. not mine… She is now doing repertory- theatre in Pakistan… Hope you don’t mind it… you know her better, she is your old friend.
And before Shaheen put back the thousand rupee bundles and a toy pistol in her bag, Asad gave him a big hand. All three of them decided to meet next day near Daulat Bagh.
Outside the paper there was hot and excited air. The Chief Editor was in his night gown, quite serious. Two police jeep reached there to meet any eventuality and challenge… but when Anand came out with his “friends” in smiling mood, as if nothing happened, they all relaxed. He already conveyed his chief that what happened few minute back in his chamber was a mid-night drama and a friendly gesture from his old friend from Pakistan. That was all.

When Anand entered through the Nashihan side gate of Daulat Bagh, the next day at dot 5p.m. as decided, he was surprised to see only Shaheen waiting outside the park and Mr. Asad was not there. Before he wanted to know the reason of her husband not turning, Shaheen herself came out with the statement- “Asad was busy with his second wife Nighat in Durgah Sarif and sent me alone to meet ‘my old friend’ (you) here…” and with these words, she smiled and looked at Anand. She also told him that Asad would be reaching at Baradari after an hour leaving his wife at Khadim Guest House.
Anand did not react to that and in a very normal mood stepped in the Daulat Bagh with Shaheen moving towards the Baradari. In the garden there was little crowd as it was still not cool and the hot air was blowing. Here and there some old persons, middle aged ladies with children were relaxing and playing and a group of mixed age of persons was busy in the game of chess, very close to the Mahadev Temple, under huge Banyan tree spread in many branches and thick foliage. It so seemed to Anand as if the tree is witnessing his visit with Shaheen again and again and since several births they are visiting the same place and will be coming here again and again, like this… till the journey and their relationship culminate and ends at one particular point finally. He was emotionally moved by the Hindu doctrine of rebirth and for few minutes he was lost somewhere. Only Shaheen brought him back to normalcy fanning her palm before his face with thinking eyes. They reached the beautiful Baradari made of white marble on the north east face of the Anasagar Lake, developed at the time of the Mughal Emperor Shahajahan.
The water of lake was touching the feet of the architectural grandiose, going back to the times of Shahjahan. It created nostalgia in Shaheen's mind.
"Do you know Anand, where did we meet freely first time in our life..?"
"You might have forgotten, but that memory is still in every beat in my heart - Anand became bit emotional."
"How you say so easily. I remembered those intimate moments for years, even after I got married to Asad... and Kapil Muni's Kolayat has become my weakness. Perhaps you cannot imagine I made several tours to the adjoining land of Kolayat where Indo-Pak boarder meet... rather I initiated some social work activities of Madarsa’s to promote literacy among the poor and illiterate population in those remote places just to feel and keep alive our lost love, which is mature in me yet... and that too Asad accepted initially, like a good friend and liberal husband.
"Shaheen, you people feel, its only woman who suffers from love. But I never wanted to touch those silent areas which have gone very far from me now, since I started taking life like a traveller... No attachment to past, only enjoying the present. Past is a history, not for indulgence although that is fascinating." Anand briefly wanted to make his point of reference clear just to avoid farther complication in their relation, as Shaheen was a married lady and her husband Asad supported her to the extent that he accepted Ahsas as his own son... what else one can expect from a man made from the same bones and gravy... Anand thought there was now no need of grating sounds in their life, which seemed to have settled very well by now..
I am sorry Anand if I have disturbed you, now tell me, Are you married? How many children do you have...? Your wife is in Ajmer...? Where does she live?" So many questions, one by one, not gving space to Anand to answer one single question!
"Shaheen I am still a two legged man but feel, habits die very hard, you still have the same questioning mind as you left in the desert area, searching the xerophyte herbs Anand could not reply her basic enquiry and for that he suddenly became conscious to have contradicted his own philosophy to leave past and..!
I don't understand, what do you mean? She asked him.
"Well, I can answer your one question, at one time, not all the questions at one stretch - my memory is very short." Anand told her.
No I don't accept that... you have been only appreciated because of your fantastic memory... you remembered each and every herb of, Kolayat desert at that time when we were class fellows - Shaheen took him back to past... !
O.K., you win, I lose, as always... Hope you don't impose your ideas on Asad like you have been... And there was the interruption... Asad was just behind. Shaheen and Anand were busy in their digging the past gold mine of romance... directly or indirectly.
"Dear Shaheen I have reached in time to disturb you. ! Asad was smiling just behind their back.
"Oh, Mr. Asad we were rather waiting for you where were you lost? Anand asked him pointedly.
That you might have known from "Shahee !" Asad did not call her Shaheen but Shahee..!
No, I did not tell him anything about your new adventures - Shaheen told.
"My new adventure, what's that? It’s a news to me mohtarma (Madam) Asad countered."
"OK leave the matter, please come and sit... here Anand has kept this space vacant for you! Shaheen told Asad in happy, good mood but with pleasing satire!"
"Oh, really, your Anand is g..r..e..a..t ! Was it not my place?
"Well sir, it is too much, please don't bring me between your love & war, for grace of god… Anand did not want to touch the sensitive issue further so he stood up; Shaheen did not move from cool marble floor and simply tured her neck and told Asad - "Now it is already late. Please be seated like a disciplined boy!”
So that's the case. Anand thought in himself. He was happy to see them in good sporting term...!Even to that extent that Shaheen told before Asad that as soon as she found free time from her husband’s busy schedule,she will visit India alone and meet him as she always felt close to him .
‘I am really happy to see Shaheen happy with you Asad’- Anand told his fellow sitting next to him.
‘Since how long you are a journalist, Anand sahib?Asad asked him
‘Any doubt?’
‘No doubt at all. But you have not yet understood your old love.’
‘What do you mean Asad?’
‘Because whatever she told you, you accepted it as a line engraved on stone.’
‘I am still not clear what you mean to say.’Tell me what you people want to prove like this?’
‘First of all the man before your eyes is Sohrab…not Asad…glad to meet you Anand…But please don’t doubt about the lady…mohterma is Shaheen’
NOW SOHRAB AND NOT ASAD.wondrful nautanki this time! Anand thought.
It was a drama like situation.For that moment Anand kept himself little ready to see the next part of play.
It was Shaheen now- ‘Anand what Sohrab telling you now is hundred and one percent correct.Meet Mr Soharab now in his real identity...He is head of the department of Dramatics in Lahore University…a chronic bachelor and my friend. We are not married.We were in National School of Drama in some international seminarin Delhi and thought to meet you that's all’-Shaheen told him another ‘good’ story.
‘So now I should admit, I am no more with Asad. Isn’t it? Anand asked.
‘Yes, Asad is behind the Jail with his old friend….MY ONE HOUR HUSBAND SAADAT.
‘Your one hour friend…and Asad in jail…what happened to him…He married you? Anand was perturbed by hearing all that.
This is a long story.Better to forget all that.I don’t want to remember him anymore…She was serious.
‘And what about….when you left… you were pregnant…I heard…
‘I did not abort the child…He is safe and sound…I have given him name…AHSAS…our A..H..S..A..S. Do you like the name? Shaheen asked him.
Anand was silent spectator.The lone ‘audience’ of the drama.’ Good name, he murmered…Shaheen put out bunch of photograps of Ahsas…in cradle…on floor…in the tub in swimming mood…and cycling..,
‘I have not taken any photograph of Ahsas after this cycling photo…Shaheen’s eye’s were wet.
And after a pause she told Anand… by grace of ALLAH, he was saved on the same day…He was in the trap of kidnnapers.That was his happy birth day and his loving uncle Sohrab had brought cycle for his ‘youngest friend’.
……..
They coud’nt talk more .The Annasagar lake was silent. All three of them looking beyond the sky.It was a cloudy day with difference
In that nostalgic evening, the old wines of memories were served in the new bottles but in shaddy glasses... The present past and future merged & lost its straight line path and became part of circular time, happened earlier was happening and will be happening as all again. All three of them left...-‘ Khwam Khwah Ke teen Darwaje," the unfinished Bharadari... of the time of Shahajahan. What a strange, the emperor who build Taj Mahal, couldn't finish the last Baradari..! And it was left unfinished for ever. What a tragic mystery!Perhaps men and matter sometime meet