"MAY 27, 1997" " HUBLI" "What is life?" "This is life" "What is life?" "This is life" "Ships sink in the clean pond of life" "No one can live in these lonely ruins" "Ships sink in the clean pond of life" "No one can live in these lonely ruins" "Where there is life, there is also death?" "What is life?" "This is life" "What is life?" "This is life" "Leave aside your disappointments and enjoy your life" "Let your life flow out" "Leave aside your disappointments and enjoy your life" "Let your life flow out" "It always dawns after every night" "What is life?" "This is life" "What is life?" "This is life" "MARCH 16, 1999" " PUNE" " Aditi!" " Coming!" "Aditi, where's my tie?" "I have a meeting in the afternoon." "And it will continue till evening." "Aniket... are you ready?" "Pune's weather is nice!" "No." "Just a minute..." "I'll phone Shree." "Damn it!" "The phone had to ring now!" "Yes.?" "Who's speaking?" " Shree, Ravi here." "Dr. Ravi Bapat?" "Do I know you?" "Hey, stop pretending!" "Pretending?" "Rascal!" "Where have you been?" "Were you dead?" "Couldn't you at least phone once in a way?" "It's nothing like that." "But yes!" "Although I'm in Goa, I keep track of everything in Pune!" "Then why have you phoned today?" "I'm phoning from Pune." " What!" "Meghna is also with me." "I'm here for some property matters." "Great!" "So, it's dinner at my place then!" "But, Shree..." " No excuses!" "Rascal!" "You didn't even come for Aniket's engagement!" "I really wanted to come but was unable to." "And we'll have dinner some other time." "I have an appointment with the estate agent this evening." "And I have to return to Goa tomorrow morning." "Actually, I phoned to congratulate Aniket on his engagement." "No way!" "Congratulating over the phone won't do!" "Shree, try to understand!" "You have an evening appointment?" " Yes." " Then come down." "But don't you have to go to office?" "Catch a taxi right away and come here." "I'll wait for you." "Listen to me..." " No arguments!" "Hey!" "What's this?" " I'm bunking office today!" "But you have two appointments today" "Cancel them!" "My friend, Ravi Bapat, from Goa is here." "Aditi, he's a childhood friend." "Go to office and cancel my appointments." "Also bring Revati her" "But she must have gone to office." " Bring her here!" "Let Ravi and Meghna know what I'm destined for!" "I'll go and prepare lunch." "Hey listen!" "Make something very tangy The doctor is fond of food!" "I'm already feeling high with the second peg!" "I am not used to drinking in the afternoons." "Even after two bottles of beer, you are still sober!" "I live without any tension, I drink without any tension!" "If you want to live in Goa you must imbibe its elated spirit in you" "After finishing my practice, I return home at 11-11.30 a.m." "I like to have beer in the afternoons, so I drink beer." "I enjoy life!" "You are so fortunate!" "You have freedom from tensions." "And that too, freedom in Goa!" "But look at me!" "I'm slogging in Pune!" "But you're making money too!" "What do I do with it!" "Eat it?" "!" "Well, with so much money, you can make anything of it and eat" "But for now, just eat some cashews!" "Does your house face the sea or not?" "So pleasing to the eyes, right?" "Yes!" "My house is right opposite the sea." "Here's my house, and there's the sea." "And in the middle is the beach" "Some guys have all the luck!" "A house in Goa, a sea opposite the house, a beach midway." "...a pleasing sight of lovely girls!" "Some with a one piece suit some wearing a bikini and some topless!" "The old man is beginning to feel young!" "Who the hell is old!" "Rascal!" "The heart is still young!" "And you scoundrel!" "You didn't marry for so many years!" "When you broke off with Sanya you'd said that you would never mar" "So how did you get married then?" "Of course, anyone looking at Meghna would have done the same." "Yet..." "I wouldn't have got married." "But Meghna and I met two years back during a Himalayan trek." "Friendship blossomed." "I proposed to her a day before the trek ended." "And within a few days after we came back she even accepted my proposal" "Of course, she had told me everything about herself." "About her first marriage that had failed." "About her divorce." "She has two daughters from her first marriage." "The oldest is Radhika, the younger one is Shravani." "The oldest is 15 years old and the younger one is 13." "Do they manage to live by themselves?" "They have gone with their father" " Prashant Vaidya." "He lives in Goa." "Prashant Vaidya." "I am very clear cut about my opinion in this matter." "We have separated but even he has to share the responsibility of the girl" "They are as much his daughters as they are, mine!" "It's a different issue that even I was his wife." "But he never thought he had a responsibility towards his wife." "Please don't feel awkward Anyway, we've been divorced for 4 years now" "He had an affair with his business associate." "When I learnt about it, I felt miserable." "But I felt worse that Prashant didn't see anything wrong in it." ""So what?" "I've made a mistake."" ""Why unnecessarily speak about loyalty and fidelity?"" "This is what he'd say." "He just didn't know what a man woman relationship was about!" "And even if he did, he didn't care about it." "I found Ravi." "A gem of a man." "Have your girls accepted him?" "Accepted?" "They are closer to Ravi than to me!" "By the way, what do you do?" "Me?" "I'm a housewife." "Don't you do anything else?" "!" "There's a lot to do at home, so..." "So?" "!" "Do something!" "But why?" "Look at me." "After I got divorced I felt I should have done something earlier." "You should never mortgage your self-respect with anybody." "And most certainly not with a man." "I have opened my own boutique, it's doing well." "And what's really good is that I am standing on my own feet!" "I don't need to depend on a man." "Even you do something." "All of us must!" "It's too late now." "Are you mad?" "Time never runs out." "Vithal, open the door." "May be, Aniket and Revati is coming." "Ravi, Revati is my future daughter-in-law." "Revati, this is Dr. Ravi Bapat, A very good friend of mine." "Aniket, you are a true jeweller." "You know how to gauge a gem!" "After all, whose son is he?" "Doesn't he look handsome?" "...Just like his father!" "Go ahead!" "Why put on a charade of seeking my permission?" "Anyway, after marriage, you will do as you please." "Well-said!" "By the way, Revati, what do you do?" "I am a Computer Science graduate." "And I work for a computer firm." "How often have I asked her to quit the job!" "What do we lack that our son's wife needs to work!" "But this girl just does not listen!" "Revati, Quit your job." "Don't, Revati!" "What you're doing, is absolutely correct." "All right!" "Revati, if you want to work, join my company." " I'll never do that!" " Why?" "Will someone eat you there?" "!" "It will be his firm." "There won't be any fear or competition!" "There will be no motivation to work" "I don't want such a job!" "Continue to work where you are!" "Hey!" "Are you a friend or a foe?" "I will plead against you in your wife's court!" "Plead?" "She is Aniket's..." "Okay, okay!" "His future wife, right" "And, Revati, Meghna is the beautiful wife of this old man Ravi" "You may not believe it, but she is the mother of two young girl" "That's precisely why I married her!" "A beautiful lady with two readymade daughters!" "Readymade daughters?" "Meaning?" "They are from my first husband." "I was a divorcee." "And I must have done something good in my last life." "To have found Meghna in this life." "In the desert of my life... uh... what is it?" "Oh yes!" "She entered as an oasis!" "Well-said!" "Fantastic!" "Aditi, bring my diary." "Aditi, bring my diary." "Write it later." " I'm drunk!" "I'll forget it later!" "Vithal, open the door." "Hay, there's no need to ask for a diary." "Phone me and ask." "Whenever we talk of our marriage I always say this and impress her!" "Madam, a registered post for you." " For me?" " Yes." "Aditi's letter?" "Give it here." " It's for Aditi, isn't it?" " So what?" "This is ridiculous!" "It's your letter, you read it!" "But she is my wife." "What difference does it make?" "Whose letter is it?" "This is incredible!" "Absolutely amazing!" "What is the matter, dad?" "Shree, I don't know what's happening Will you please tell me?" "What's written in this?" "My wife has suddenly struck it big!" "A man named Malhar Kamat died in Hubli last week." "He's left his inheritance in my wife's name!" "A 15 acre land, an ancestral mansion plenty of gold, and Rs.860,000/- in cash!" "My wife has hit a jackpot!" "Who's Malhar Kamat?" "Who cares!" "He has left a treasure for my wife!" "My dear wife, if I ever need money then do lend me some, okay?" "Aditi, was Malhar a relative?" "No." "I used to learn music from him some years back." "What a union between rhythm and melody!" "The guru has left his inheritance for his disciple!" "Wow, maestro!" "Salutations to you, my wife!" "Shree, that's enough." "Let's go and eat now." "What's the hurry?" "Drink some more!" "Shall I get you some more booze?" " Have Ravi and Meghna left?" " Yes." "They ate before going, didn't they?" "Obviously, Shree!" "It was so late It was 3 by the time lunch was over" "I should not drink at all." "Thank God!" "At least, you realised that!" "Should I massage your head?" "Who's Kamat?" "Malhar Kamat" " I used to learn music from him." "Did I ever meet him?" "Yes." "Once, when you had returned from a tour." "And the second time, after Aniket was born." "He had come to see Aniket and brought him a gold bangle." "Right?" "After that, you completely stopped learning music." "Who would have looked after Aniket then?" "He never came after that, did he?" "No." " Was he married?" "How would I know!" "Why am I questioning you!" "Were Ravi and Meghna very upset?" "They didn't express it... but they must be a little upset." "I'm too much!" "I should apologise." "I'll phone him." "I'm sorry, I drank a bit too much." "A bit too much?" "." "...That was in excess!" "Leave alone me, you should have thought about your daughter-in-law!" "But the mood was such!" "And then, I met both of you after so many years." "Otherwise, I don't drink so much." "Indeed!" "Should I inquire in the city?" "Go ahead!" "And suppose you're proved wrong, then?" "Then I'll give you a party." "The next time, we'll have a sober celebration, okay?" "In fact, the next time, come with Aditi to Goa." "O' God!" "You won't improve!" " What was he saying?" " What can he say?" "He phoned to apologise." "He's a very self-centered and pompous man." "You've met him for the first time so how would you know about him?" "It doesn't take me too long to know such people." "I've spent 17 years of my life with such a man." "Shreekant Pandit is one of them!" "Write tomorrow." "There was so much of work today, I'm tired!" "Have I ever written about today's events in my diary, the next day?" "Go to sleep." "I'll write the diary and then sleep." "Switch on the table lamp." "I'm switching off the light." ""19 June, 1999"" ""Dr. Ravi Bapat and Meghna came home today from Goa."" ""I invited both of them for lunch."" ""They were going to come home, so I did not go to office."" ""While the party was on there was a registered post at noon, in Aditi's name."" ""A man named Malhar Kamat left his entire property in Aditi's name before dying."" "He is not letting me fill my pot" "He is not letting me fill my pot" "What's wrong?" "Sing." "No, I'm not in the mood today." "No?" "Don't you want to practise singing today?" "Singing is beyond me!" " Then sing that." " What?" ""Singing is beyond me!"" "Don't laugh." "Sing!" "Tell me, how I'll sing The tone is not in sync." "Tell me, how I'll sing The tone is not in sync." "Rail is running here and there like the naughty Radha" "Sound of its whistle reaches the sky" "The bell on the cows neck ring when they come" "Sound of morning ragas come with the mountain winds" "Music seems to come from the nature itself How do I sing now?" "Tell me, how I'll sing The tone is not in sync." "Tell me, how I'll sing The tone is not in sync." "He is not letting me fill my pot" "He is not letting me fill my pot" "I arm not joking." "Music flowers in your veins!" "When you sing, there's nothing else I can hear." "Please!" "Don't praise me so much!" "I'm just cannot sing the tune that you ask me to!" "No way!" "I'm not flattering you." "Your voice is God-gifted." "All right!" "What will you have?" "The usual." "Vithal!" " Coming!" " Bring two cups of tea." " Make that three." "Hey!" "When did you come?" "Just 5 minutes back." "Why didn't you call me then?" "I didn't deem it right to disturb such a melodious singing session." "Shree, he is Malhar Kamat, a highly qualified maestro of music" "And he's Shreekant, my husband." " How does my wife sing?" " Her voice is God-gifted!" "I know." "That's why I ask her to keep practising." "Indeed!" "She should never stop that." "Her lovely voice can make her a professional singer in a year or two" "Nonsense!" "No career for her!" "She has to learn music, only because she's fond of it." "Not for money." "To make money is my job." "And that, I am." "There's no need for my wife to work" "She has to learn to sing, solely for her joys and not to make money" "Tea." "You've brought tea at the right time" " Is breakfast ready, Vithal?" " Yes, it is." "Shree!" "It's 8 O'clock!" "Coming!" " Breakfast is ready." " No breakfast today, Aditi." "Why not?" "There's work pending Yesterday's appointments have to be attended to" "But eat something." "I have to rush." "I'll eat in the office." "Dad, where are you off to?" "I'm in a hurry." "Eat your breakfast and come." " I'll take just 2 minutes..." " Take your time, son!" " What did you say?" "!" " Nothing!" "Mom, I'm famished!" "Quickly give me something to eat." "Stop behaving like a child!" "You are engaged now!" "So what?" "Nothing in this world compares to my mom!" ""I received a fax at the office from Singapore."" ""I decided to go there."" ""I had to supervise the company's final phase of an electrical setting" ""I'd just returned from Nepal." "I had some office work even there."" "I won't listen!" "This is too much!" "I understand everything, Shree!" "You'd said that once you return fro Nepal you'll be here for 3 months!" " You think I enjoy doing this?" "!" " Who knows!" " What do you mean?" " What else, Shree!" "In our 2 years of marriage you've not stayed home for even months!" "You are always away!" "It's Mauritius, Singapore Colombo... and God knows where else!" "There's just no end to your tours!" "And I always stay at home all alone!" "It's a matter of some months." "I'll start my business in a year." "My tours will stop then." "My planning is foolproof." "Your planning!" "Your planning is solely for yourself!" "Where's the place for our home, our family?" "!" "Loneliness gnaws me!" "If we had a child, then I would have endured everything!" "Even you not being around!" "Aditi, I want to stand on my feet." "If we have a baby, it will be in our house, not in a rented home" "Fine." "Even I'll come with you then." "Who will pay for you?" "The company?" "All right, I'll bear your expenses." "But I'll be busy and will not be able to give you time even there." "You will be alone even there!" "May... may I take up a job?" "Aditi, no woman in our family has worked nor have we made her work" "I don't want my wife's money!" "I can run my own house!" "I can empathise with your loneliness, your gloominess..." "Please be patient for some months... for my sake!" "Why don't you start singing again?" "You have a good voice You've just stopped singing after marriage!" "Start your singing sessions again." "You will pass your time and feel good too." "Okay?" "Aditi, look at me." "And please smile just once." "Dad, the people who were to discuss the cement project are here." "But your presence is crucial." ""I returned from Singapore today."" ""I met Aditi's music teacher, Malhar Kamat, at home."" ""He seemed a nice man."" "'Franklyn speaking, I was preoccupied with some other worry.'" ""I have to go to Nigeria the next day for some urgent supervision.'" ""I know, Aditi will move heaven and earth when she learns about this."" ""But..."" "Aditi, I have decided to quit my job!" "No one cares about the man who slogs hard!" "Will I keep working like a dog, day and night, for the company?" "!" "Shreekant Pandit is efficient He is earning profits for the company!" "So, squeeze out as much work as you can, from him!" "They don't understand that I am married!" "That I have a wife who feels lonely." "I don't meet her for months together!" "And now they want me to leave for Nigeria tomorrow itself!" "Have you packed for tomorrow?" "Yes." "I promise I won't step out of the house for 3 months after returning." "If you do, then I will leave this house!" "I'll divorce u, Shree!" "I swear by you, I won't go anywhere." "Why do you always falsely swear?" "!" "Fine!" "Then I swear by myself, by Vithal, by Patwardhan's dog..." "That's enough!" "You will return by July 21, won't you?" "Why?" "It's our wedding day, Shree!" "Of course, Aditi!" "How can I forget that?" "Well, you just did, darling!" "...Here, have the milk." "I'll change and come." "Please, Aditi." "Not today." "I'm very tired, and I've also got to leave early in the morning." "Wake me up at 5.30 a.m." "Sir, there was a call from home." "Give it." "What's it?" "I phoned to ask if you'd eaten or not." "I..." ""I forgot, as I was busy " This is what you were going to say, right?" "I've eaten." "Really?" "What?" "I'll phone you later!" "Bye!" ""I tried to reach home early on the day of our anniversary."" ""But I did get late."" ""I reached home, with a new found joy."" ""Joy at having got an independent contract in Nigeria."" "'For my own company.'" ""My wedding anniversary was a new beginning."" ""When I reached home, Aditi was very gloomy, as usual."" "Madam, sir's here." "I have committed a grave crime, for which there is no punishment." "Yet, if you want to, then I'm prepared to face any sentence." "Hang me in the gallows have me trampled under an elephant's foot!" "Feed me to the lion!" "Burn me alive!" "But please forgive me." "I'll tell you the truth about why I was delayed." "Look at this." "It's my company's first contract." "Come on, Aditi, pack our bags!" "We'll go to Khandala for a couple of days." "We have not gone out anywhere." "And only I'm to be blamed for it." "But that won't be the case anymore." "I'll make time for you every month." "I swear by you." ""After we returned from Khandala, Aditi fell ill."" "She was feeling giddy and nauseous." ""That's why, even I couldn't go to office."" "Take it easy..." "Are you all right?" "Sit." "I'll call Ravi." "Let him check you once." "Don't." "I'm having Dr. Joshi's medicines." "Ravi is a specialist, not just a doctor!" "I'll be fine in some days." "Don't get so tensed." "Did you eat something improper?" "No." "I ate what you did." "Then, what's wrong?" "!" "Nothing!" "When my periods get delayed, I suffer from acidity." "I was supposed to get them yesterday but I still haven't." "Don't get so worried." "Have a cigarette." "Please!" "Come on!" ""I've seen a plot for our bungalow today."" ""I liked it very much."" ""I'll buy it soon."" ""It was a special day today."" ""I've even acquired a big contract."" ""I reached home to give this good news."" "What's wrong?" "Tell me!" "Aditi, I have signed my life's biggest contract today." "I have even see a plot for our bungalow today." "And now, this news!" "Shree, I want to tell you something." "I don't want to hear a thing." " Please hear me out!" " I love you, Aditi!" "Shree, I've made a grave mistake." "Hey!" "You're back early today?" "Are you feeling fine, Shree?" "Aditi, please come to the bedroom." "Sit." "Aniket was born on April 3, 1974." "Yes." "But why are you telling me this?" "I'd spoken to you about going to Singapore on April 27, 1973." "On the same day, I had also advised you to learn music." "On May 5, 1973, I left for Singapore." "And returned on June 19, 1973." "A month and a half later." "I met Malhar Kamat the same day at our home." "The very next day, on June 20, I left for Nigeria." "And returned a month later, on July 22." "Our wedding anniversary is on July 21." "I couldn't make it on that day." "So, in order to pacify you, we left for Khandala on July 23." "And returned on July 26." "You started vomiting the very next day." "You told me then that your periods had been delayed." "You even told me that they were due on July 25." "On August 1, 1973, you told me that you were pregnant" "And on April 3, 1974, Aniket was born." "After 8 months." "Aniket was not a premature baby." "I have noted all these dates in my diary." "So, every incident is very clear in my mind." "Then, Aditi, why is Aniket's date of birth not consistent with the other dates?" "Could you tell me about the inconsistency?" "Why is there a discrepancy?" "Aniket is Malhar Kamat's son." "Shree, will you tell us why you've summoned us from Goa so urgently?" "Ravi, Aditi will answer that." "Shree, why are you doing this?" "Why are you creating a spectacle before everyone?" "This is a personal matter." "Ravi is an old friend of mine." "It's important that he stays here." "And even more important is that everybody should know the truth!" "I don't want people to accuse only me in the future." "Please go out." "Aniket will stay right here." "He has the maturity to understand what he's going to hear now." "Dad, will you please tell me what's going on?" "Shree, what is this!" "Why don't you clearly come to the point?" "Do you know Malhar Kamat?" "The same..." "The same generous man who assigned his inheritance in Aditi's name." "The same Malhar Kamat." "Fine." "But what's he got to do with you summoning us here?" "Malhar Kamat is Aniket's father." "Why did this happen." "How... and when." "I want to hear Aditi answer all this." "And in front of all of you." "This is a personal matter." "You may privately listen to what your wife has to say." "There's no need to create a scene before everyone." "Anyway, I'm least interested in staying back." "Wait, Meghna." "For my sake, please!" "It was a few days after you left for Nigeria." "My sister, Sudha, and her husband, Amar had come to Pune from Mumbai." "So, what brings you to Pune suddenly?" "We have to go to Jezuri." " And Rahul?" " He's with my mother-in-law." "He stays mostly with her." "We stand to benefit with that!" "Amar!" "You're the father of a 3 year old child!" "So behave a bit like a responsible man!" "First, try and look like a mother of three children!" "Of course, my wife looks attractive." "And I like that." "But you want to make me an old man..." "I don't like that!" "Stop it!" "Let us talk!" "We've met after so many years!" "Go ahead, talk!" "I'll sit here quietly!" "Amar!" "Go for a stroll!" "Really?" "Will you come along too?" "Shall I go?" "!" "I'll go and freshen up." "He's mad!" "He harasses me all the time!" "He always wants to remain glued to my side!" "I hope your Shree is not so mad!" "Shree is hardly here, to indulge in such madness." "There's just one solution to this - have a baby soon!" "Shree wants to indulge in planning." "You've not had even one baby, and you're into planning!" "But look at my mad man!" "He's been demanding for another baby since the time Rahul turned two!" "Did you see?" "He doesn't leave me alone for a minute!" "Coming!" "I'll be back in a while." "Why did you call me?" "Let me sit with my sister for some time!" "Go ahead!" "But I'm going out, I don't know when I'll return!" "I thought, before I leave, let me K-l-S-S you." "You're...!" "They stayed here for 2-3 days." "Their affection them not giving a damn about others and coming close" "I was watching it all." "Restless and alone." "The next morning after they left, I was practising singing." "With Malhar." "What's wrong?" " My foot!" " Just a minute." "Show me your foot." "How does it feel now?" "Don't stop, Shree." "I strongly felt the need for him then." "My singing lessons continued but..." "I was not concentrating on music." "I became very restless." "Perhaps Malhar sensed my restlessness and loneliness." "He started becoming a bit too sympathetic towards me." "During our music lessons, we began brushing each other lightly" "And I don't know why even I didn't feel the need to curb them." "One day, I was playing the harmonium." "He was singing." "My concentration was nil." "Perhaps he realised that, and sat behind me." "He put his hands over my shoulders and began teaching me the tune." "He did so, for the first time." "I sure was surprised at his guts but..." "Perhaps it was what I was searching for." "And it seemed as if he was reading everything written on it." "My face was like an open book at that moment." "My music lessons went on." "And Malhar also continued to come home." "After the lessons, he would go away." "But once he was gone the thoughts arising in my heart would make me feel ashamed." "'Malhar, don't come from tomorrow.'" "I would decide to say so, everyday." "But I'd also eagerly wait for him to come home." "I didn't want my face to reveal my feelings." "Fearing this, I would send Vithal out everyday, under some pretext." "Malhar came that day." "With a composition of his new song." "He was very eager to sing it for me." "Come with me!" "Come with me!" "Without you every moment is lonely" "Oh my love, oh my love" "Come with me!" "Come with me!" "I have a desire in my heart to see you to my satisfaction" "Let me close my eyes and lose myself in your dreams" "Every moment let me swing in the music of love" "Oh my love, oh my love" "Come with me!" "Come with me!" "Your cheeks are fragment from the stolen flowers" "Wind has drunk the honey from your two lips" "My love!" "Your dress has nice fragrance" "Come with me!" "Come with me!" "Oh my love, oh my love" "That was a lone moment of weakness!" "And I lost it all." "I even thought of committing suicide." "But I lacked the guts." "I didn't want Shree to go through the trouble of answering the world!" "The next day, Malhar came home again." "I have decided to stop the music lessons." "It'd be better if you stop coming here from tomorrow." "Please don't say that, Aditi." "Everything that happened yesterday has cast a permanent impression on" "That experience has become a part of my body, my soul." "Please don't keep me away from you." "I..." "It was only a transient moment." "Body had taken control over the mind." "I'm not blaming you, and I won't." "Yesterday, the body present was yours but... the face was Shree's." "Please go away from my life forever." "You returned from Nigeria, joyous you had acquired a new contract." "But I was feeling miserable and depressed." "You thought I was upset because you couldn't make it for our" "However, the reason was different." "I wanted to tell you frankly about everything that had transpired" "I even knew that it would hurt you." "In order to pacify me, you took me to Khandala." "The burden in my heart eased in those settings." "I decided to forget the past and start life afresh." "But fate had decided, otherwise." "I returned from Khandala, and I missed my period." "When I went to the doctor my pregnancy was confirmed." "I called Sudha." "Aditi, you will end up destroying two lives!" "Terminate this pregnancy right now, without telling a word to anybody." "No, Sudha." "I cannot deceive Shree." "I know Shree very well." "He will never forgive you!" "No problem." "I'll endure that." " I will have to endure that." " Please don't do that!" "No, Sudha." "If anything goes wrong, then just call me." "I'm here for you." "That day, you came home and looked very happy." "You had acquired a new contract." "And you had even seen the plot for this bungalow." "You saw me and asked..." "What's wrong?" "What's wrong?" "Tell me!" "Aditi, I have signed my life's biggest contract today." "I have even seen a plot for our bungalow today." "And now, this news!" "Shree, I want to tell you something" "Shree, I have made a grave mistake!" "To hell with your mistake and our planning!" "I'm going to be a father, Aditi!" "Vithal, I'm going to be a father!" "I'll phone Ravi!" "Pick it up!" "Uncle!" "I'm going to be a father!" " Give the phone to Ravi, please." " Okay, sir." "Hello, who's speaking?" "Fantastic!" "When did you find out?" "!" "Aditi told me about it just now." "You were so happy that you didn't even doubt the baby was not yours." "Seeing you so elated, I couldn't muster the courage to tell you the truth" "I knew you would break down." "You would not be able to bear the truth." "Did Malhar know that Aniket was his son?" "A few days after Aniket was born he had come home." "Sinha, the file of Radical Electrons is in my office." "Send it to the party in Singapore." "If Shreenivasan doesn't agree..." "Welcome, Mr. Malhar Kamat!" "Where have you been?" "I had some work in my village." "I stay there nowadays." "That's why I'm here." "I met Vithal in the market, and he told me." " Is Aditi..." " She's inside." "I'll join you later" "Sinha, tell Shreenivasan, if there's a family problem, I'll give a notice" "You?" "Why have you come here?" "To congratulate both of you." "And to see the baby." "Aditi, this is how I looked in my childhood." "The same nose, eyes, lips..." "Exactly this way." "This is not your baby." "I know, Aditi..." "I do." "But don't worry This secret will always remained buried in my heart." "And will leave with me when I die." "I desired to see my child just once." "After this, I will never ever enter your life." "Shree, forgive me." "Please!" "I swear I didn't do anything intentionally." "Ravi, now tell me, what am I supposed to do?" "Look, Shreekant..." "I consider you to be a very close friend." "And in all this time, I have noticed one thing." "Aditi's abundant love for you." "You and your family were her world, and they still are" "And what she just mentioned, is only a human folly." "Any other woman in her place would have done the same." "Perhaps even me." "However, she has been very truthful" "Shreekant, you are a sensible and mature person." "Whatever happened was an incident of the distant past." "Even time does not wish to remember that episode." "Put the past behind you and accept the circumstance." "If you were in my place, would you have accepted it?" "I have accepted Meghna along with her two daughters!" "Ravi!" "You knew everything about her past before you got married to her!" "You knew everything, and married her!" "If this were to happen to you, would you...?" "Yet!" "Yet, I would accept her!" "And after listening to Aditi... definitely!" "Then, Ravi, you are a very broad-minded man!" "Unfortunately, I am not." "I can never forgive Aditi." "If this is your stand, then even you have not been loyal!" "Remember, some years back you had spoken about your affairs to me?" "!" "Remember?" "They lasted only a few days And even if I were to have a child I wouldn't have brought him home!" "I won't wait here for a minute more" "Let's go, Aditi." "Leave me, Shree." "After causing me such endless pain do you think you will be set free so easily?" "So that people can say I left you because Aniket was not my son" "You will be free, Aditi." "But people will say, "Look!" "There goes the impotent man!"" ""Who raised another man's child for 25 years believing it to be his."" "No way, Aditi." "I won't let go of you so easily." "This is your punishment." "You will remain in this house all your life." "With your husband... who will have nothing to do with you" "And with your son... whom I will never consider my own." " What are you doing?" " Packing!" "I can't stay here anymore" "But, Meghna, how can we leave Aditi in this state?" "Ravi, I'm only leaving this house, not the city." "I will not leave Pune until Aditi's problem gets solved." "What a disgusting man Shreekant Pandit is!" "I feel he's a disgrace to the race of men!" "I'd recognised him instantly, and I had even told you." "I was absolutely correct." "Therefore, his behaviour didn't take me by surprise." "But what distressed me was Aniket's behaviour." "He's belongs to today's generation having the so-called modern view" "At least, he should have understood his mother." "But he insulted her, and that too, using such foul language!" "However, at least as of now, I see no solution to this problem" "What's wrong, Aniket?" " Don't touch me!" "Don't say a word!" "You have ruined me... destroyed me!" "Why didn't you kill me at birth?" "!" "O' God!" "Why did I have to be born to this woman?" "!" "I don't even want to see your face!" "This is a home, not a bazaar!" "This woman has ruined my life!" "Revati has called off our engagement" "And you are responsible!" "And if you have any shame left the go and blacken your face somewhere!" "That's good!" "What I had feared, has happened." "Revati knows about it today." "Tomorrow, whole world will." "Know" "I will be mocked at, everywhere." "Mr. Shreekant Pandit's honour will go down the drain before the world!" "I will prepare the divorce papers in some days." "It makes no sense not seeking a divorce now." "And yes!" "Don't bother going to the court." "I'll give you an alimony so you won't have to worry about money." "I don't want anything, Shree." "Nothing?" "Oh yes!" "I'd forgotten." "You don't need my money anymore." "You're a rich woman!" "The sole inheritor to Malhar Kamat!" "Whether I accept that money or not, I won't bother you." "All I ask for is your permission to let me stay here for some days." "Till I make another arrangement." "I've tolerated you for 27 years." "I can bear for some more days" "Our love is unique" "Our love is unique" "When it is hot, you give me shade" "When my feet gets burnt, heal me with your touch" "Our love is unique" "Our love is unique" "I had my lovely dreams on your arms" "Rays of hope were received from your window" "I blossomed like a flower in this flower" "I got all comforts after entering this door-step" "Our love is unique" "Our love is unique" "A bond attached with this house for 4 years will be severed today." "Really." "Just the way a baby is separated from its mother by cutting off the umbilical cord." "Before I leave, I'd like to tell you something." "There's nothing left to say now." "You have tolerated me for 27 years." "You might as well bear me for a while more, Shree." "You also wait, Aniket." "Don't leave." "Whatever you say, will have no effect on me!" "No way!" "Don't worry I won't say anything that will make you stop me" "I only wish to speak of certain things which I couldn't, earlier." "Shree, a man may make merry with as many women as he wants." "But he expects complete loyalty from his wife, right?" "Because of a weakness manifested 25 years ago my home is broken today." "It's so strange." "What I term a weakness, you call it immoral." "Tell me something is the heart of a man different from that of a woman o his desires vary from that of a woman?" "!" "Do the flames of physical desire that engulf you, stoke me any less?" "And if I'm overwhelmed with this desire, what am I supposed to do?" "Do I beg and implore before you?" "Or do I keep waiting, wondering when you'll oblige me?" "Anyway, I don't want the answers." "As the answers lie in the these very questions!" "But do these questions ever come to your mind too, Shree?" "!" "Under a similar situation, what does a man do?" "!" "He never implores before a woman to have his physical needs satisfied" "Whether a woman gives her consent or not he satisfies his desire!" "In this manner, even you have raped me many times, Shree." "Before the union of two bodies, a union of two minds is necessary." "But you never understood this." "After marriage, you'd go out of station for your work." "And I'd be at home, all alone." "In that loneliness, I lost my control." "Which even you lost, sometimes." "Even you had affairs." "Which you conveniently forgot." "You have even forgiven yourself." "Because you felt that, being a man, it was your right!" "Who's given you this right?" "!" "Those women with whom you slept?" "!" "Have you ever thought, what must have happened to them later?" "!" "Your ego was bruised when you learnt that Aniket is Malhar Kamat's son!" "Your pseudo, shallow ego!" "Even Malhar Kamat was no different!" "It was his ego that made him transfer his wealth to me, right?" "After all, I was the mother of his child!" "And according to you only the power to procreate is a sign of being a man" "Aren't people who don't have children, men?" "!" "When you'd consider Aniket to be your son... how proudly you'd claim it..." "And everything has changed in just a day... a moment?" "!" "Everything, Shree?" "!" "Do you have any proof that Aniket is Malhar Kamat's son?" "!" "You don't!" "And even you know it today only because I told you!" "Me - his mother!" "This is the only relationship which is true." "That of a mother and her child." "Only a mother can say who the child's father is, Shree." "Only a mother can!" "And then if I hadn't succumbed to my weakness 25 years ago I'd have been accused differently." "Of being infertile." "Mind you, I'd have been accused, not you!" "In spite of the truth that we never had any children after Aniket" "Yet, you're the only I have loved." "And I would have loved only you." "But today, you, this house and nothing here..." "belong to me anymore" "Now..." "But today, I have no regrets leaving behind all this." "Mrs. Aditi Shreekant Pandit." "Aditi had got lost somewhere in this name." "The open skies beckon her today." "I'm eager to find my ...my individuality." "Yes, there is a feeling of restlessness but there's no fear." "And I am very grateful to you for this, Meghna." "Remember, you had once told me that I should do something?" "At this age, I feel I have been born again." "Aditi, come with me to Goa." "No, Meghna." "I'm waiting for somebody." "Who?" "I know, all of you must be surprised to see me here." "You must be wondering why I'm here, in spite of knowing everything, right" "Well, I have come to take away Aditi." "Aniket, the incidents that occurred in Aditi's life was not the reason why I broke off our engagement." "I called it off because the men of this house didn't try to understand" "I don't think Aditi has committed a sin." "In fact, her honesty and commitment didn't try to understand" "But your dad sorry, Mr. Shreekant Pandit cannot understand this." "His behaviour towards Aditi was indeed improper." "But yours was worse!" "A man with a narrow-minded attitude like yours will not be my husband!" "I consider myself as belonging to the new generation." "Broad-minded and devoid of any prejudices." "And I had considered you to be the same." "I don't think I'm inferior to men in any respect." "So, in that regard what's considered wrong for me as a woman should also be regarded as improper for you." "And being a man, what's considered right for you should be deemed correct for me too in spite of being a woman." "One last thing, Aniket." "You say that by being immoral, Aditi has slandered you." "But you forget you are here today because of her so-called immorality" "You have an individuality!" "And you will always have to be indebted to this immoral lady for it" "Let's go?" " Yes." "Take care, Shree." "All by yourself." "I'll leave." "I will never vanish or die from here" "I will never vanish or die from here" "I will have to be alive here forever" "I will have to be alive here forever" "I will have to be alive here forever" "Till there is life" "Till the sky is present" "Till the ocean and Sun are there" "Till the winds blows" "Till there is life" "Till the sky is present" "Till the ocean and Sun are there" "Till the winds blows" "Till then I will also remain here" "I will be alive here forever will be alive here forever" "I will have to be alive here forever" "I will have to be alive here forever"