Hi All,

Thanks for the comments and votes means a lot... Hope you enjoy the next update I now there are a lot of twist but hopefully this update will help reveal a bit more...

Happy Diwali to all whom celebrated may the light for ever be bright like the endless blessing hues of the night...  Let the diya twinkle forever more for the warmth is yet to ignite.. 🤗 keep sparkling people 😊

Happy reading 😊
Love Ekta
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"I'd rather learn from one bird how to sing than teach ten thousand stars how not to dance. e. e. cummings"

Unfortunately the following morning things had not gone quite to plan as Swara and Sanskaar had expected.. The untimely spreading of the viral flu had seen Ghala Amaya fall pray to ill health, due to which their visit had been stalled to the Birla planetarium... Both Shomi and Amaya had insisted that the children leave as arranged but it had been the phone call from Dida that had finally convinced the ladies to let Swara stay and help till they where sure they could manage the running of the foundation by themselves once more, for the children could be a handful to manage on once own...She had carefully explained that Sanskaar and Swara could delay there trip by a couple of days as Sinha uncle had not been expecting them back in Kolkata till the end of the October month...

As Swara settled down to compete Amaya chores for the day Sanskaar had other ideas... Since he had cleared his schedule yesterday for the day he decided it would be a good idea to review the information that they had gathered so far... From what he could recall Swara had mentioned that her Baba had been the one to find him at the time and had passed him in the trusted hands of uncle Rizwan... Not many knew but Sanskaar had been found by the gentleman on the 21 of October which was subsequently also the day that he had been born or so he presumed as it had been mentioned on his birth certificate that his uncle had given him when he traveled to Seattle.... Trying to see if there was a connection he decided to go and speak to Shamistra auntie himself...

An hour into his search round Sargam Sanskaar had stumbled upon her in his uncles study... From what Sanskaar could gather she had been cleaning away whilst shifted though old paper work that no longer where needed...

Knocking the door slowly he entered the threshold of the study as he spoke "Can I help you there auntie?" Only for a startled Sharmista to turn round mist shuffling papers "Oh Sanskaar beta it's you! You gave me a awful fright for a moment... I thought it was Rahul again... I tell you that boy cannot seem to stay away" she smiled fondly as she spoke of the child whilst laying her hand to her chest in reassurance...Sanskaar looked around the room in admiration for the place looked exactly the same just like the last time he had left...The book shelves had still been housed with the rarest collections of steam trains, planes and automobiles... But what truly stood out amongst the display where the miniature figurines of various galaxies that sparked in a array of colours... Not been able to resist the urge of touching them once more Sanskaar shifted closer towards the display while slowly stretching his hands out to trail the figurines with delicacy as if fearing that they may twinkle away to dust with his touch...Sharmista observed him carefully as he walk along the trail whilst touching each figurine just as she had done the very first day she had met him with her Shona... She could see why her Shekhar loved the boy for he was a independent spirit so attuned to his surroundings... Sharmista had been surprised of how much he reminded her of her Shekhar they where so similar yet so different... Just like him she could see that Sanskaar had a fascination with astronomy which subsequently had also cost her to lose her beloved Shekhar so early on into there marriage... The collection that Sanskaar had been admiring had been created on the insistence of Rizwan kaka... The old man had made Shekhar promise that he would send a new figurine to Sanskaar on each of his birthday without fail. And so the tradition had been born where they had sent a new star for his birthday every year which today became the pride and joy of the whole display even after Sanskaar had left...

Sanskaar had nearly reached the end of the shelve when he spoke "Auntie I am not sure if kaka ever told you, but these are a birthday present from him to me... Did you know he would hand me a new figurine on the eve of my birthday and whenever kaka would place it in my hand he would say I was special for I chose to be with them just like these twinkling gems..."while fondly recalling the memories...

"Yes beta I know for these where sent to you by Shekhar on your birthday.. Did you know he would drag me down with him to personal select each piece... The day he had found you he had gone for a meeting at the Victoria Memorial Hall for the Annual Naval Technicians meeting... He had been super excited for he had just signed a new deal with the Birla Planetarium... I am not sure of what Amaya has told you children but the deal he had signed was to help fund the development of a new scientific research centre... At the time we had just been married for over a year but Shekhar believed that you had been his lucky charm for his mother had also finally excepted our marriage and let us return home that day... I am sorry that I had not recognised you earlier but truth be told I had never met you and when I did return with Shona you had already left.."

"Oh it's okay auntie but can I ask did kaka ever keep a copy of all his files before he moved to run the foundation... It's just that Mumanie had mentioned it to Swara that kaka used to keep a diary which I was hoping would contain more information that could lead me to what I need to know about my past..."

"I see beta... Do you know what it looks like? Or is this what you are looking for ?" As Sharmista passed him a leather bound black journal.. Sanskaar nodded and walked away whilst flipping through the pages of the journal in hand...
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So it had not been till several days later that Swara and Sanskaar had found themselves stranded midway throughout there journey... Standing in utter silence both waited at the bus stop for the next connecting ride to Chowringhee road or the nearest Metro station to Park Street in the hope of catching a connection to there destination...They had been left stranded after Swara's trustworthy car had broken down due to an untimely mechanical issue which was not rare to her but had Sanskaar all agitated as per usual.... Thus Swara had been found tinkering with the engine for the last two hours in hope of finding a temporary fix that could help them reach the nearest garage... Having tried all possible routes to no avail, Swara finally deciding to call it a day by slamming the bonnet all disappointed mist kicking the tyres to calm down her anger... It's not that she had not tried to ask Sanskaar for assistance but all he kept uttering in response was he couldn't believe she had been so irresponsible... For a slip of the tongue a while before had Swara reveal that she had failed to take the car for servicing which had long been overdue... Consequently as a results of it, it had them sitting idly at the stranded bus stand waiting for the next bus to pass and see if a seat would be available for them to complete there journey as intended... It was during this time that's Sanskaar had also decided to voice his disappointment not realising the repercussions this would be having on Swara feelings whom till now was still jovial about the whole trip...

"See Swara I had told you before we should have hired another car. But no, was it not you whom claimed your trusted auto would never let you down. See it's because of your stubbornness we are stranded here today in the middle of nowhere" Sanskaar had spoken all flustered... For he just couldn't understand why she would not listen to any of his suggestions... Afterall they where supposed to reach the hotel before the evening rush hour had set in...

It had been during her period of recovery that Amaya had helped arrange a meeting with one of Rizwan old associates on Sanskaar insistence... They where due to meet a Mr Mehta whom still worked at the planetarium... The retired officer still volunteered at the planetarium where he helped run the operations facilities of archived records... During his brief conversation with the receptionist Sanskaar had been informed that the archiving office only opened for two days a week from 9 am to 5pm in the day... For after this time a weekly backup was run on all digital files meaning no access could be granted for another 48 hours and a new application would have to be submitted for access to be granted to the documents once more... As they would have to be retrieved from the central bank of archived records where they were housed each night when not needed... He knew the crucial point of this whole meet was the ability to be able to access those archived files which where the only clue left to see what his beloved kaka had been working on with Shekhar uncle...

Unlike the volcanic eruptions of Sanskaar emotions Swara had been trying to get to grip with her own feelings... As till now Swara had been a silent spectator whom had been listening in to all these accusations all patiently just couldn't get to grip with his sudden outbursts... The man in front was such an annoyance for he wouldn't tell her what he had found in the journal that he had located in her beloved kaka room three evenings ago.. Letting her musings simmer down his temper she just nodded and shook her head till she knew Sanskaar had let it all be... In the mist of it Swara had once more failed to hear his calling, for she had been brought to the present by a gentle tap on her shoulders... Startled at first she simply blinked her eyes all nervous whilst listening to Sanskaar speak...

"Oh hello moth, shall we leave? Look the bus is here... Or do you plan to let this one go too? ... He walked away mumbling whilst shaking his head all frustrated... Running behind him Swara knew she didn't have the answers to all her questions but one thing she knew for sure, was that he was definitely a angry spitting dragonfly whom always carried the heat on the tip of his nose... Jumping the steps to board the bus she cobbled her way through the crowd to take her seat next to him while hoping for a more soothing journey ahead...
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Birla Planetarium - Chandari Road

Having arrived nearly two hours later then planned Swara and Sanskaar decided to head straight towards the archiving centre from the station... Leaving there bags with Ghala Amaya cousin they grabbed the first available auto whom reassured them that there luggage would be left safely in their hotel rooms which had been booked at one of the many hotels suits available at the grand Victoria Memorial hall...

Dashing through rush hour traffic Sanskaar could feel his heart beat in frantic worry about in concern over the possibility of missing the meeting... Deciding to reduce the likelihood of this happening they had even jumped into the first available rickshaw in hope of making up for lost time, only to be disappointed by managing to get halfway down the road... As this is when the driver had come to an abrupt standstill to only inform them that the road officials had closed the roads for the day... The rumour was that Durga Prasad and his mother Saraswati Maheswari where back in town to discuss the upcoming annual gala dinner with the town mayor... Hence both had been told that the rest of there journey would have to be made upon foot... Unlike Swara whom had been fiddling with her pendant Sanskaar had sprinted out of the auto thanking the man for his help whilst asking Swara to settle the fair... His gentle tap on her shoulder had brought her out of her reverie only to nod her confirmation with a promise to join him shortly...

Having finally managed to bargain her way out of paying the auto fair Swara could be seen heading towards the iconic Jawaharlal Nehru Road. It had taken her nearly thirty minutes before she could spot the iconic Birla Planetarium in her sight... As she stood still to observe the view in front.. Swara smiled in disbelief for the building had not changed a bit since her last visit with her baba all those years ago before his death... For the planetarium was a well know icon in town and was often a key conversation starter amongst locals when showing the area to passing tourist... As the off white structure was both an symbolic structure of peace and tranquility for its dome like structure made it feel more like a place of worship then knowledge... It was also one of the reasons that Shekhar loved to bring Swara her when she was on her summer holidays from school...

Upon reaching the gates she had been greeted by Sanskaar and Mr Mehta whom seemed deep within conversation over the topic at hand... Soon Swara joined the two men in there discussion after completing the pleasantries of the formal greeting and was bought up to code of what had been discussed so far... It had been during this piont that she discovered that Sanskaar had laid hand on her baba plans of the remodel of the planetarium and the addition of the new wing that had been recently added to the structure not so long ago... Whilst shaking his hand Sanskaar thanked Mr Mehta for his help as they where joined by his assistant Arjun to make there way to the archiving wing for Mr Mehta had reassured them that Arjun would help them find the information they required...

Several minutes later having walked through numerous corridors whilst passing countless exhibitions on the way they had finally reached the archiving wing... Unlike Swara and Sanskaar Arjun had been in a jolly mood throughout the walk for he talked them through the variety of exhibitions that they where showcasing today and also explained how the wing had been funded by Maheswari's... It had been on there request that the wing had been situated at the far end of the building... Learning of these fact Swara could no longer hide her curiosity so she gently pushed her way through the rotating doors where the trio were finally greeted by endless rows of files and boxes....

However Swara and Sanskaar had been left pleasantly surprised for the wing was nothing like they had expected... As it was neither small, dark or dingy but far from it... For the large oval room was elegantly painted in various shades of aqua and had been incased with circular filing cabinets which where designed to create a maze like effect... Yet at the heart of it lay the illuminating computer desks softly furnished with an array of rainbow like coloured ottoman chairs and more... Finally drawing it to a close lay above the glass roof which let the warmt sweep in from the sun but at night provided the warmth of the stars that shone bright... Letting any researcher believe that the universe lay at there feet or as Arjun carried on to describe a planet of hidden gems with all the answers right hear to be found...

Swara tugged at Sanskaar hand as she followed Arjun to there allotted section... As Sanskaar had described to Arjun on the way he wanted to see the original project sketches that Shekhar uncle had drawn... From what he had learnt from Rizwan kaka journal was that he was working on a project with several other associates... He wanted to understand the nature of the project and possible seek clues of whom the main sponsors where... On the other hand Sanskaar had failed to spot that Swara was still holding his hand as they sat at the desk waiting for Arjun to upload the files as luck would have it Mr Mehta had already got the porter to deliver the boxes of files saving them valuable time... Trying to reach one of the boxes to remove some files Sanskaar looked down in surprise as he saw there intertwined hands... In all his worries he had neither spotted or felt the difference yet he felt relieved for the warmth provided him some comfort which he would neither admit or acknowledge but he somehow enjoyed... This had been the second time throughout their trip that Swara had done this for earlier on in the day she had fallen asleep in the bus on the way... It had been during that moment when Swara had snuggled closer to him mist sleep and held his hand close to her cheek... He had been left startled then but not wanting to break her peaceful slumber he had let it be... Just like then he had felt his heart putter with the contact and this had somewhat left him fascinated too for in all these years he had not let anyone get so close to him as she had beside his friends... The arising of these new feelings had left him somewhat rattled for he could not understand what these new emotions meant... Not wanting to dwell into these any further he tried to steer his focus back to the task at hand...

Knowing full well that the moment had to come to an end Sanskaar gently held up there intertwined hands whilst indicating to Swara through his eyes that's she needed to let go for they had work to complete... Swara whom till then had been following Arjun movements in the office looked into his eyes and back at there hands... Shocked with her own behaviour Swara abruptly removed her hand while lowering her eyes in apology... Sanskaar watched her for a couple of minutes before reassuring her that it was okay for he actually started to miss the warmth yet could not apprehend why and knowing that this was not the time to dwell on it he asked Swara to help him sort through these boxes for he knew a lot of work lay ahead before they would be any closer to gaining the answers his uncle or Dida had sent them to find...

So as Swara and Sanskaar started to unravel the secrets of the past, miles away others lay awake with hidden worries of there own...
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Karma Inc - Upper Eastside Seattle

It had taken a year to the day for Aman to gather his courage and call his beloved ammi after he had received some disappointing news from the call he had received from Dida earlier in the day... Several months had passed since the incident but he still recalled there last telephone conversation for it had taken place a week before his beloved abbu had passed away...For the call had only ended on a sour note with neither party being able to agree on the issue at hand... As Aman relived the memory in greater detail all he could recall was that the call had resulted in both of them having a heated argument on a issue they always knew they would never reach a ultimate conclusion too... Like all the times before his mother had again asked him to choose between his responsibilities over his friend and family... To Amaya disappointment Aman had again chosen to be with Sanskaar which is when she had asked him not to call her again till he had changed his mind... Aman had not wished to go against his mother at the time but he had been bound by the promise his abbu had taken from him before they had parted ways for his travels to London.. He had held his abbu hand and reassured his father that he would always lookout for Sanskaar come what may... A week later Rizwan had called his son and confirmed after his arrival at London that he had managed to track Sanskaar down and so had laid the paths for there meet contrary to Sanskaar knowledge, whom was none the wiser regarding the sequence of events ever since... Unlike Sanskaar, Aman had been at boarding school his entire life and had never traveled to Sargam for the holidays for these days he would either be out for summer camp or his ammi would insist they visit her mayka for a much needed break... It had therefore meant that the boys had never crossed each other's paths till the day they met in London...

So till this day Aman had never regretted his actions by going against his mother's wishes... Yet he still lived with twinge of guilt for the choice had cost him the ability to make it to the funeral of his beloved farther... It had been a time when Karma had been working closely on closing there first major programming deal with one of the key naval reserve operators in the city. The whole focus of the deal was based upon the foundation to set up its first integrated communications network solely based upon the cloud project that Sanskaar had been programming for months... As part of competing the deal Karma was required to hold a launch presentation which would showcase the prototype they had developed... It had been very rare for Aman to head these meetings but on this rare occasion Aman had been asked by Sanskaar to travel to Toronto for the Annual Technology Gala on his behalf which was being held by their main sponsors to showcase their project... As Sanskaar had fallen prey to ill health during this period and had been under doctors strict orders to be bed bound for the next two weeks to fight of the viral infection he had before resuming any of his working activities once more...

Feeling emotional drained Aman started to stare at the roof of his office as he rocked his chair back and forth... The motion was somewhat soothing and with it brought him some comfort for he lay his head to rest while closing his eyes recalling his memories with his abbu all those moons ago...

Tapping away at the arm rest while he hummed there favourite lullaby Aman opened his eyes in surprise... Only to quickly raid his desk looking for his journal... In all his worries he had forgotten the last letter that his abbu had sent him... As Aman took out the letter from his journal he delicately stroked the piece of paper as if to feel the warmth sweep of the paper for it had been marked "To my beautiful son love abbu" opening the letter once more to share with him the wisdom he had left behind... So as Aman was reading the letter once more his PA had knocked at his door... She walked in with several files that required his signatures and mentioned that the proposal had arrived too from Maheswari Inc... Placing the letter aside Aman quickly signed the files whilst browsing through the various pages to ensure all was in order... Feeling satisfied that it all checked out he asked her if there where any further meetings scheduled for the day... She simply confirmed that there where no know meetings organised in his calendar or her schedule thereby allowing him to focus his attention back to finalising the proposal that he had received a few moments ago from Maheswari Inc for the rest of the remaining afternoon...

Flicking through the bulky content of the file whilst annotating the pages for editing he stumbled across a little piece of paper that had been laid mist the plans... Taking a closer glance Aman had realised that the post was a confirmation of Karma attendance to the meeting for it both confirmed the date, place and receipt of attendance of there company... Aman chuckled as he held the piece of paper for Dida had been right about Durga Prasad for he was a man that never played fair... He knew that the old man had done this not to ensure if they had accurately checked all the terms of the final deal but rather more then that it had been a test of there loyalty towards there brand and their partnership with Maheswari Inc... As in all his years of having worked in business with Sanskaar he had learnt one crucial point which was that clients valued quality over efficiency and that could only be delivered if one checked all the nook and crannies to ensure that the project didn't fail before the show had even hit the road...

Yet it had not been the confirmation letter that had caught his interest but rather something else, for with the project file lay an golden invite of the Maheswari Annual Gala... The Gala from what he could recall was the talk of these town and as usual had been planned for the eve of the 21 October at the headquarters of Maheshwari Inc... Carefully flipping the invitation in his hand he knew it was time to join his friend back in India for the road ahead would be anything but glistening... And so Aman gave into his urge only to dial both Dida's number and his Ammi's once more to confirm that he would be coming home within the next couple of days afterall... With the hope of helping Dida complete his abbu's wish and resolve the differences him and his ammi had once and for all...
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"When a prayer becomes the steering wheel to set a sight the strength to take our wings to greater strengths"

Birla Mandir - West Bengal - Kolkata

Meanwhile on the other side of town Sahil and Sinha uncle could be seen pulling into the drive of the Birla Mandir... It had been on a off chance that Sinha uncle had decided to meet Dida for he had learnt from kavya that the elderly lady had gone to pray for the wellbeing of her children before the annual festivities kicked in... As it had happened on a mere coincidence his meeting had also been cancelled and so rather then head straight back he had asked Sahil if it would be okay to make a last minute detour... Sahil has simply chuckled and asked his uncle to lead the way as he drove towards there destination...

So as they had arrived a hour later then expected they had been greeted by the sight of Dida deeply emerged in her prayers... Sahil noticed that the pooja was about to end as the pandit lay the final touches do the flame within the havan which had been decorated surrounded by a alluring ray of fruits and flowers as offering to the goddess of the day.... They took off their shoes and joined the prayers waiting for the moment to end...

Dida opened her eyes as the final call of prayer had been announced as she took the prasad from the pandit to compete her manat... As she turned around to offer the remaining sweets to the other worshippers she had been surprised to see Sahil and Sinha Saab... She stood up with the help of the little boy that had been assisting during the prayer and headed her way towards greeting the men at the far end of the prayer hall...

As she arrived the men smiled at her whilst taking the offering of the day... Sahil slowly bend down to take her blessing only to be told by Dida not to worry and was asked what the sudden visit was all about... It had been then when Sinha uncle had expressed that he had wished to see her for he was in-town due to a meeting which had been cancelled...

Letting the hymns of the pooja surround them once more he had expressed his desires to Dida... Sinha Uncle could be seen in deep discussions with the pandit as Dida watched and this is when she realised he had come to see her regarding the formalisation of the engagement dates... She watched the pandit bless the old man as he handed back the kundalies he had been carrying of the children only in return asking Sahil to bring the box of invitations for the blessing... It had been a family tradition for years that the first card would be offered to the goddess a ritual that had been followed religiously through generations before any event was formally announced... For it was both to ward of any ill intentions of seekers nearby or those of close friends before these where distributed amongst close family and friends...

The pandit had laid the tali in the temple as Dida happily watched from afar whilst the pandit had announced the auspicious dates that the engagement could take place... Running through the various options an hour later it had been formally agreed amongst the three to hold the wedding a week after the engagement had been formally announced on the eve of the business party that had been organised by Saraswati... The three couldn't agree more for they could both celebrate the launch of the new project and with it announce amongs friends the strengthening of the family relationships which to this date had been the envy amongst many in town...

Parting away as the men carried an speaking Dida joined her hands in prayers once more... She let her soul seek the strength from praying to the gods to gain answers to her prayers and hoped that they show her Shona the light soon for which she had sent her with Sanskaar... If only she knew that the birds had set a sail as the stars had mellowed there hearts and the wings had strengthened there bond which would soon be surely test like never before... For Dida closed her eyes once more as she recalled Sinha Saab gentle reminder of shekhar promise to Avinash... He had been clear when Sahil had been speaking with the children that he had come here solely to get the promise fulfilled that Shekhar has made to him so many moons ago... Mr Sinha looked at the old maiden as she processed his words he knew he was being harsh but yet he was bound by his own promise that he had made to his friend and so he had tried to be clear by setting the ball rolling and ensuring that the time had finally come to fulfil the promise he had carried for so long... So as she nodded her consent to his wishes he quickly lay his offering at the goddesses feet and walked away without paying her another glance for he wanted to let her complete her prayers... So as Dida gently lifting her hands up towards the sky to lay a bay her fears... She tried to gain her strength she struck the numerous dumbbells in hope only to be answered by the tweets of the birds as if to sweep away the song of the bells in song with the sweeps of there wings... So as the birds headed south with the they sang away her message with the gushing winds... They where the hope she needed as she walked out of the temple with the men in toe...

Settling back in her car Dida watched the men drive away as she scrolled though her phone.. She had sent a text to Nakul to let him know she was leaving to come home before asking her driver to finally take her home... Having had arrived later then expected Dida had missed out on catching up with Nakul and lay about calling Shomi whom she had asked to come home so she could help with arrangements and preparations that needed to be made for the engagement... Unlike Sharmista whom had been smiling throughout the conversation Dida had been shown to be looking worried... It had not been like she had not tried to share he daughters good spirit but the joy somewhat felt sort lived for as she put the receiver down... Meanwhile on the other side Sharmista could be seen running towards Amaya whilst shouting out to her to tell her of the good news which she had been praying to hear for so long...

Meanwhile back at the home Avinash Sen Gupta was seen walking towards the attic... Coming to a halt at the end of the corridor Avinash slowly pulled the strings from roof as he watched the folded stair case slip before entering the forbidden part of there dwelling... For no servant was allowed entry even after all those years it was a place he kept person to himself... One would have been pleasantly surprised for unlike a traditional attic which would usually be housed full of dusty boxes and broken memories this was all set in a orderly fashion for it felt like it was slept in and only awoken when the night owls called.... Patting his hands free of any trickling dust he walked over towards the window ledge only to remove a box hidden beneath several cushions... Lifting the latch while opening it slowly Avinash looked within the box to reveal a little photo album which had been housed with his priced medals from his naval days... He removed the album from its cover slight before finally picking up the whole photo album as he settled on the bay... For it felt strangely awkward as any stranger looking in would wonder what he was up to in the darkness of the night for as others slept he lay awake... So as the rays of the moon peeked in on a closer glance one could see Avinash only trying to remove a black and white photograph... It was a memory of his happier days for the picture revealed a group of men smiling at an inauguration... As Avinash flipped the picture back and forth in his hands mist deep in thoughts he sudden held the photograph up towards the light for when turned around the faded ink only unveiled the names as Durga Parsad Maheswari, Avinash Sen Gupta , Shekhar Gagodia and another whom he never wished not to name. Thus striking of the last name in hope he would never have to see it again just like the ink had faded on the picture with time... So as he smirked at the hues of the moon he was brought to the present by the text on his phone which when opened only revealed to say that it had been done... Avinash smiled a put away the picture once again as he walked back towards his room all content for he had been worried before but not anymore... If only he knew how wrong he was for his worries had just begun...

As yet Avinash was alluringly unaware that certain steps had already been taken by his very own people to stop his scheming ways from within his very own inner circle once and for all... Therewith bringing with it the crumbling of time... For time would only tell if these where going to be the shackles that would be his undoing or in his case to end of his rising that he has had the opportunity of enjoying for so long...
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"Music may be my soul yet the the heart desire the answers yet to sweep the imagination for wings fly yet the healing starts when one desires to grab hold of shadows yet to discover"

Victoria Memorial Hall - Kolkata
They had been staying at one of the top 5 star hotels at the Victoria Memorial hall when Sanskaar had asked Swara to join him for dinner at one of the renowned restaurants in town...

He had arranged the dinner to thank her for her help earlier but also to apologise... For his conversation earlier with Mariah had reminded him that it was not the girls fault the car had broken down but that of destiny, for things do break when we least expect them too... It had also been upon her suggestion that Sanskaar had organised the impromptu dinner for he hoped it would let him buildup the warmth he needed to seek her forgiveness ...

Recalling the incident from earlier on in the day all he had done at the planetarium was to give her the cold shoulder as she would pass him files and show him facts she found maybe relevant to her baba and kaka work... He had realised it was not right on his part yet Sanskaar was still angry so would refute to listen and learn of what she had discovered... Yet as the day drew to a close and they called it a day with Arjun he somewhat started to miss her rambling for she would just follow as he led them all the way back to there hotel rooms...

Just like he had done throughout there bus ride Sanskaar had refused to speak to her and simply given her the silent treatment till there arrival... So it seemed Swara had decided that since their earlier quarrel fell in the same category the best possible treatment would be to give him a taste of his own medicine... Sanskaar however didn't like this one bit for he secretly started to miss her voice but would neither admit it to himself or Swara that throughout the journey he enjoyed annoying her for it felt like coming home... Hence he had called shomi auntie and asked her for both details about Swara's favourite foods and flowers were and set about arranging the perfect apology dinner he could... Sanskaar could have asked Nakul or Dida but he knew both would just tease him to death for they would ask what happened before willingly obliging and helping him with arranging his surprise... He knew he neither had the patience for this or the stomach for he was already nervous as it is...

Three hours later Swara had been surprised by the knock on the door... She had been resting ever since she had gotten back from the planetarium by reading her favourite book... It had been another one of Dida chosen romantic novels where the heroine was trying to run away from her feelings for the hero came with too much baggage... She chuckled lightly at the novelty for she couldn't understand her Dida fascination with these stories and why her Dada jee had given her these on each of there marriage anniversaries... Swara had learnt from both her ma and Nakul that her grandfather was a strong believer that marriages where made by the bonding of the heart and not by the social status that society conformed by... From what Swara had discovered over time was that her grandfather was a the son of a renowned clothing merchant whereas her Dida was a simpletons daughter of a fisher man... They had fallen in love when he had been on one of his annual festival holiday visits to the Birla Mandir... Her ma had explained that they had married straight after even when the families had protested for he had walked away from all the riches to be with the woman that he loved... Swara had heard Nakul once ask Dida during there evening tea sessions why he had done so and all she had said was he believed that his soul belonged to her for wealth could be built and bought but companionship is rare to find... She went on to explain that he believed the souls where brought into the world to be connected for they where the wings of two halves that would only prosper when together... Swara had laughed at the notion then but when she learnt about her ma and baba love story she had started to be believe in his notion and hoped that soon she may find her soulmate too or the bird to her calling tune...

Living in her own little moments Swara had thus been surprised when she had heard the door knock once more... From what she recalled Sanskaar had neither mentioned they where to meet or nor had she made plans to go out... Jumping off the windowsill she slowly made her way to open the door... Soon enough Swara had been greeted by a beautiful elfin girl at her door, whom had been dressed in a sparky pink floral gown and came carrying a beautiful bouquet of her favourite flowers which she held smiling towards Swara for her to take...Not being able to resist the urge Swara asked the little one if she was lost... She just smiled and nodded to confirm that she was neither lost but had been asked by her bhaiya to request the pleasure of her company for dinner...

Swara smiled at the bubbly natura of the girl while asking whom her bhaiya was to which she replied " Didi aap ko nahi pata? My name is Sia and of course silly only Sanskaar bhaiya has called you... Aap ko pata hai he become my friend today for he helped me find my teddy earlier which I had lost... You see I am her with my parents, Didi see they are waiting for us to join at the end of the hall.." the little girl pointed at the far end of the hall... She smiled and followed her trail to where her hand had been pointing and so was greeted by the lovely couple...

Swara patted Sia head in admiration slowly and asked her to wait for she was going to change... The girl smiled and nodded leaving her with the flowers and a box on the floor... As she reached her parent she mentioned that the box was a present and she would love for her to wear it... All Sia muttered was that it was a fairytale dinner organised to celebrate the stars of the night squealing in delight as she jumped into her father arm to go and watch the fireworks display on show at the hotel...

It had been over an hour since Sia had come over to Sanskaar and confirmed that she had delivered his presents... She had given him a little twirl of her dress as she told him how beautiful her Didi was for she kept on calling her butterfly... He had smiled when she had mentioned that she reminded her of tinker bell for she was so tiny yet so beautiful and wonder why she did not wear her fairy wings... Sanskaar has smiled at the girls innocence yet basked in her warmth for it helped ease his nervousness...

And this is the scene that Swara had witnessed as she walked across the lawn to join him for dinner... She had seen Sia kiss his cheeks as she ran to join her parents... She had been admiring his eyes for they had sparkled as she had been telling him her story which most properly must have been about there earlier meet...

Coughing ever so lightly to gain his attention Swara stood in silence as she waited for his reaction... She had been pleasantly surprised when she had opened the box for it contained a off white pink flower gown lightly embossed with crystals at the hems of the gown... As Swara lifted the salwar suit to have a close look she could see the delightful little birds and could not contain the urge but have a quick twirl as she ran her way towards the mirror to see how it looked... To her delight Sanskaar had sent her a matching bracelet and earrings which showed Swara how much thought and care he had put into his gift...

So as Swara stood behind Sanskaar in the mystical of the night she watched him slowly rotate in delight... He had been feeling joyful at her arrival he had somewhat feared she wouldn't come... As he slowly raised he eyes taking in her appearance he had been blown away for she looked even more alluring then he had believed... He had chosen the dress for her felt it suited her free spirited nature which he had not failed to judge either... It had been this very emotion that Sanskaar had been fighting with all this time for he recalled that ever since there first meet in the gardens there had been this cosmic pull that he couldn't avoid... And so Sanskaar slowly trailed his eyes to only stop when they looked each other eye to eye...

Contrary to Sanskaar believes Swara was having a tough time herself... She had been following his trail as she took in his appearance for she had noticed the growing smile as he slowly reached to meet her eyes... What she couldn't fantom was why she had been blushing for it felt like his eyes where a ray of heat... She was not sure why but all of sudden she hoped that he liked the way she looked... However before either could have said anything they where joined by a joyful Sia whom had toughed at her hands only to rejoice in how beautiful her Didi looked...

Neither Sanskaar or Swara where aware of the little girls chatter for they where so lost in the moment... There gazes had not shifted ever since he had looked into her eyes... It was like he was bound by a web of unspoken promises... Sanskaar suddenly felt all warm inside for as if the whole inside was no longer an empty stream but a lake filled with soulful soothing... Yet the symphony had been stopped for the Sia had pulled both there hands and asked them to join her in watching the firework display... Leading both Swara and Sanskaar to there allotted table before joining her parents to watch the mellowing night illuminated in delight....

Sanskaar had slowly pulled and set chair for Swara after Sia had left before joining her for dinner... The waiters had been serving canapés and drinks as the subtle music played which Sanskaar had arranged to be played after the fireworks display had ended... It was during the close of the evening that Sanskaar had finally gotten the courage to say what he had called her for... As he watched the couples dance to the rhythm of the music and families embracing the warmth of new memories it gave him the opening he so much needed and so asked if she was having a good time... Swara whom up-to this point had been silently watching an elderly couple dance looked up at Sanskaar in awe whilst nodding to confirm... Of course she was could he not see that, well she knew the only way to let him out of his misery was to say it through words and so spoke what she felt " Sanskaar this evening has indeed been beautiful from the dress to the food and music but you now what has made it extra special is the moments that we have shared... look do you see that elderly couple they have not spoken a word since they have arrived but there eyes say it all... just like yours do of how sorry you are for today.. but let me tell you that you have nothing to apologise for the mistake was mine as much as yours for I should have understood how important this day was..."

Not wanting to see her feeling dejected he tapped her hand in reassurance before getting back to discussing what they had found...

"It's okay Swara let's put this behind us for the day was not a waste as we found out today your baba and kaka had been working on a project which was to be funded by the Birla Industrial & Technology Museum of whom one of the main sponsors where the Maheshwari but what was interesting to see was that the deal was run by a private sponsor too.. You now all those moons ago when Dida gave me the box with the name tag and birth certificate I thought to myself what was the point for I was never going to get the answers I wanted... But you know what I am glad we did come her for those clues have lead me one step closer to finding why I may have ended up being taken..."

She watched him closely observing each mannerism as he spoke... And this is when she realised it was not that he regretted being whom he has become or how his life has shaped to be but it's the void of knowing whom he resembles... He carefully told her of the time him and Nakul would compare each other's behaviours and wonder if they were like their mothers or fathers... It was the lose of individuality that hurt him the most but none the less she was impressed for the man in front had gone to great lengths to spread his wings...

At this moment Swara felt proud of her baba for she could see why he loved him so much for the outer shell was a mask to simply hid the pain of all those moons ago... For it was on his final statement "Swara I am a such a bird that left the nest before it even learnt to blossom... A clipped wing whom flew south before it even learnt to fly east amongst the twinkling stars"...

"Oh Sanskaar...please don't say that...for your with people that love you more then you can think for the tunes may not have been the haven you had hoped but still they are the song that have lullabied you home ashore today... Just look at the light above and feel the gentle breeze as it intertwines the hues of the moon with its gems... they are the light for all of us for they come to greet us everyday just to make sure we are okay... the tune of our soul to heart blessed by the prayers of the people we have lost but never stopped to love..."

Sanskaar closed his eyes to embrace the moment and watched the stars aline the road ahead... He could feel the dark clouds shift slowly for the stars lay a path that brought him closer ashore... It felt like he was back at Seattle sitting at the porch but this time it was not the rains that greeted him but the gentle mist of winds... He felt the air brush through him as if asking him to reach for the shadow but as he tried it moved away which is the exact point he looked back at Swara... Only to nod and express his desire to leave but not thanking her for the lovely evening he had had... Sanskaar left Swara to carry on watching the full moon as he walked but if he had turned he would have realised that the woman he left behind had long be lost in him and his musings for both mind and soul were far gone where they had never been before...

Several minutes later as she kept watching the the path ahead she was joined by the elderly couple whom she had been watching throughout their dinner... They had left her with their blessings and told her embrace what she felt with open arms for the could see how much the young man adored her.... Smiling at there stories of the events before she realised how much he had thought of her wishes... The couple patched her head ever so lightly before retreating back to there rooms... As she closed her eyes she heard the humming of the birds taken it as a sign she stood up from the table to head back to her room to let herself imagine what life would be like with Sanskaar as her unspoken music in her universe...

And that's when Swara learnt that she could no longer teach her heart to sing for like the rising sparrow it only puttered when caressed by his gentle touch... She knew she had not lost her star but found her inner bird... Her song to all her musing, for his sorrow where no longer his own but hers and with that a promise was built of never letting him go...

She never knew why her baba loved to give her a camilianne flower every day but today she knew one thing for sure she was willing to lay her destiny in his hand... After all her baba had been right all along for in a galaxy many carry the weight of an infinity number of gems, but the weight of these was immeasurable to the one that one felt in there heart especially when once soul would connect to that of another's soul... So as Swara tried to reign in her trail of thoughts by watching the stars inginite she could feel her heart flutter in excitement once more... Finally only to lay the matter to rest by reaching the conclusion that had been singing to her soul for all these days which was that her happiness now lay in his no matter the consequences... Embracing the night she walked the halls to her chamber with the warmth that Sanskaar would follow like he always did...

If only she knew as her wings learnt to embrace others dared to gather there strengths as there inner birds learnt to fight the havoc that was yet to come... For the twinkling night had awoken sleeping souls that best lay forgotten like the lost gems of time... The change of direction was inevitable if only they knew others had more to lose then some for a rising is far more difficult to gauge then that of a stumbling step....
———————————————————————To be continued...
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Reference:

Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/e_e_cummings_176712?src=t_bird

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Birla_Planetarium,_Kolkata