👑Eight~

Virat's white Rolls Royce moved ahead through the roads of Kulsagara, as he stared around at the scenic beauty of the village, before spotting the topmost point of the haveli at a far distance, which was built by his maternal grandfather, since the village was under their territory before it went under the Shekhawats.

[Play the first half of the song "Barso Re Megha" mentioned in the video box, as the background music here]

Na re, na re, na re, na reNa-na-na re, na re, na re, na reNa-na re, na-na re, na-na re, na-na reNa-na re, na-na re, na-na re, na-na re

As the weather was getting cloudy, a girl sitting at one of the balconies of the haveli, plucking the petals out of a flower, looked around in joy, as she loved rain.

She opened her hair and brushed it with the thin twigs of the nearby plant, while small droplets of rain fell upon her young face, and she chuckled.

Barso re, megha-megha, barso re, megha-meghaBarso re, megha, barsoBarso re, megha-megha, barso re, megha-meghaBarso re, megha, barso

Rushing down the stairs she took rounds through the foyer of the haveli and ran out.

She ran through the herd of goats, as it started raining. Picking up a goat kid she gave a twirl and then kept it down and ran ahead.

Meetha hai, kosa hai, baarish ka bosa haiKosa hai, kosa hai, baarish ka bosa haiMeetha hai, kosa hai, baarish ka bosa haiKosa hai, kosa hai, baarish ka bosa haiJal, jal, jal, jal, jalJal-thal, jal-thalChal, chal, chal, chal, chal, chalChal, chal, bahta chal

She danced around through their crop fields, and her father chased her away as she was getting drenched. Taking a sickle and a jute bag from her father, she went into a shrub area filled with wild plants, and then cut a taro plant and dug out the taros, collecting them in the jute bag, and ran out of there.

Na-na re, na-na re, na-na re, na-na reNa-na re, na-na re, na-na re, na-na reNa-na re, na-na re, na-na re, na-na reNa-na re, na-na re, na-na re, na-na reHey, barso reBarso re, megha, barso re, megha-meghaBarso re, megha, barso

Giving the sickle back, she carried the jute bag, and took her elder brother's cycle for the purpose, and he scolded her, but in vain, as she had already paddled away, giggling to herself, before parking it near a lake.

Va vaaya ne vaadad umatyaGokudma tahukya mor manvaGeeli, geeli, geeli, haanHaan-haan-haan-haan, haan-haan-haan-haan

She jumped into the lake and swam around, collecting lotus stems and stealing the shrimps that had been harvested and kept in the nets tied near the banks. She poured the collected items inside the jute bag and continued her journey towards home.

Geeli-geeli maatiGeeli maati ke chal gharaunde banayenge reHari-bhari ambi, ambi ki daaliMil ke jhoole jhulayenge re, hoDhan, baiju, gajni, hal jote sab neBailon ki ghanti baji aur taal lage bharne

She touched the oxen moving through the roads, and rang the bells tied to their necks, paddling alongside them, before their owner scolded her for disturbing the animals, and she paddled away after sticking her tongue out at him.

Re tair ke chali, main toh paar chaliRe tair ke chali, main toh paar chaliPaar wale par le kinaar chali, re meghaNa-na re, na-na re, na-na re, na-na reNa-na re, na-na re, na-na re, na-na reNa-na re, na-na re, na-na re, na-na reNa-na re, na-na re, na-na re, na-na re

Virat's car was moving towards the road of the haveli, and it took a right turn and dashed into a cycle, making the cycler fall down.

"Ayeee! Dekh ke nahi chala saktey?"she shouted and stood up.(Can't you see while driving?)

She started quarrelling with the driver, before Virat stepped out of the car and the driver held an umbrella above his head while he asked in his usual sophisticated tone,"are you okay? Thik ho tum?"and she went quiet.

Staring at him from top to toe, she asked,"are you a king?"

Virat chuckled and replied,"not yet! I am a crown prince."

"Crown prince? Are you from Chandraprayag?"she asked excitedly and he replied with a nod and asked,"you know us?"

"Yes! I have seen in news. I have seen your father too when he had come here. Your driver is very bad,"she said and Virat laughed and said,"okay little girl. I apologise on his behalf."

"I am not a little girl. I am twenty two years old,"she said while frowning and Virat chuckled as given her age, she was twelve years younger than him.

"Yes, a very big and mature girl indeed,"he said and added,"what is your name?"

"I am Snehanvi Kothari. My father is the village head."

"Oh! Okay. Nice to meet you Snehanvi. Is there any compensation you'll like me to give for your cycle or that jute bag of yours?"Virat asked politely and she replied,"ummm! No. You're the crown prince so I am forgiving you. Hmm."

Virat chuckled and said,"that's very generous of you. Thank you."

"You're welcome,"she said and bent down to collect the scattered taros"

"What are these?"he asked and she got surprised and asked,"you don't know what are these? You haven't tasted taro before?"

"Uh...No."

"Lotus stems curry with shrimps?"

Virat nodded a no in confusion as he never knew that things like these could be consumed too.

"Fine! I'll bring for you then. Where will you stay? At that haunted haveli? Tabhi sochu, why the people were dusting and cleaning it!"she asked while tying the bag to her cycle, properly this time.

Virat arched his brow and asked,"haunted haveli? That was built by my predecessors."

"Oh! Yah...okay. Then they will not haunt you,"she said and quickly ran away with the cycle, while the driver said,"I think the girl is mad."

"Might be. She's still childish. Let's go,"Virat said before getting back inside the car while the rain subsided.

"Maa! Oh Maa Sa! Lo, aajka khaana,"Snehanvi said while walking inside her house, and her mother,Sudha, came out of the kitchen, asking,"ke le aayi phir se laado? Oh ho! Pura bheeg ke aayi hain tu! Phirse? Ibb bukhar hovega ko dawai na dungi thaare ko."(What did you bring again? Oh! You're completely drenched. If you catch a fever, I'll not give you medicine)

"Haan haan thik hain. Jaldi se jeh sabziyan bana deh. Thoda jyada bana-na. Maharaj...ah Yuvraj ko khilaungi thoda,"Snehanvi said while sitting on the verandah, twisting her clothes, to remove excess water.

"Yuvraj? Yuvraj agaye? Tab toh sab ne jaana chahiye unkey swagat vaaste."(The crown prince has arrived? Then everyone should go and welcome him formally)

"Huh! I don't understand all these stupid protocols,"Snehanvi murmured when her elder brother Sumit walked in, shouting,"Anvi! Anvi! How dare you steal my cycle again?"

He came to her and clutched her hair, making her stand up, and she said,"ahh! It's hurting. I didn't steal your cycle. I just took it for returning home."

"How many times have I told you not to take my things like that? Maa Sa! Iska parhai likhai hogaya hain. Abb iska biya kara doh Rajan Kaka ke bete ke saath. Sirh dard banti jaa rahi hain yeh."(Her education is over. Please get this girl married now to Rajan Uncle's son. She's turning into a headache)

"Sumit, chhor deh vah ko. Biya toh karavenge hi. Thaare Bapu Sa ne baat karliyo hain. Isi mahiney kara denge biya. Shaant ho jaa chhora,"Sudha said.(Sumit, leave her. We will get her married this month itself. Your father has talked about it already)

"Nahi! Mhaare ko biya nahi karni uss chhore se. Voh dasvi fail se, Bhai Sa. Main Graduate hoon. Maine course ki hain stitching ka, computer ka. Voh mhaare liye sahi ladka na se. Mhaare ko aur parhna hain. Job karna hain,"Snehanvi protested.(No! I don't want to marry that guy. He is a 10th fail, whereas I am a graduate who has done courses in stitching and computer too. I want to study more. I want to do a job)

Sudha slapped her, coming forward and said,"thaare Bapu Sa ne itno dur parhayo hain thaare ko, itna kaafi na se? Aur mard ka parhai likhai dekh kar ke karegi tu? Arey khaatey peete ghar ka chhora hain. Bagalwaley gaon ka sarpanch ka beta se vah. Aur ke chahiye?"(Your father has taught you so far, that's not enough? That guy is the son of the sarpanch of the adjacent village. He belongs to a well-fed family. That's enough. What will you do with a man's education?)

"Aur ke karegi parh likh ke job karke? Samhaalna toh thaare ko ghar ka chulha hi hain! Jaa apan kamrein mein jaa,"Sumit scolded her and she ran to her room, crying.(And what will you do with so much education and a job? At the end you have to look after kitchen works only. Go to your room)

Meanwhile, Virat was welcomed into the haveli as the caretakers and guards had already dusted and got it ready. He looked around while sending a message to Suryavardhan that he had reached the village.

"This village has the potential of being turned into a small town. Hmm...at first I have to implement my plans after having a talk with the villagers about their current problems and then work on it step by step,"he thought.

_______________________________________

"Just a little bit of rain and the weather underwent a change,"Hardik said while walking up to Durdhara, who was standing near one of the railings around the Prayag river of Chandraprayag.

The diamond of her wedding ring sparkled even in the dull light, while she held the cup of warm lemon water which he passed to her.

"Thank you. That's my staple drink,"she said and chuckled while he added,"I so happy that you came here to meet me."

"Relationship is about equality, Hardik. Why will you always go to meet me? It should be the other way round too? Isn't it?"she asked looking at him and he said, inching closer to her,"of course."

"I love this kind of aesthetic weather,"she said, looking at the river while he secured her shawl around her body properly.

"Then for our honeymoon, we can go to a place where this kind of aesthetic weather prevails,"Hardik said and she chuckled and said,"someone seems eager."

"Aren't you?"

"What do you think?"she asked, a spark of mischief evident in her eyes.

"I think we should go to France, and just forget about everything else for some days and become one,"he replied making her turn away, smiling to herself.

He hugged her from behind, and she whispered to him,"it's a public place, prince. We cannot show our emotions out in the open."

"I give a damn!"he replied and said,"you're mine. I am yours. Do hell with the protocols. Do hell with the world."

Durdhara turned towards him and stared at his intense dark eyes before pulling him into a hug, and he hugged her back, closing his eyes, revering the moment of their blooming love.

Shubman was playing a sitar and practising a bandish at the gurukul while Chandrika sat in front, saying,"that's fine, but can you play the sitar and sing the same bandish in rock tone?"

Shubman stopped singing and then looked at Guru Advait for his permission, and he gave a nod and said,"we have rock instruments too here now, as I prefer my students getting prepared for everything with the changing world. Though Maan Singh has learnt it on his own. It wasn't available here when he had started taking taalim from me in his childhood."

"Tune in the rock instruments please,"Shubman said to the other disciples with a smile and Chandrika looked on.

Once the set up was done, he held his sitar while asking instrumentalists to tune in accordingly.

"Guruji! What is so special about him among all your students? Almost all of them are good at classical,"Chandrika said to Guru Advait, who smiled and replied,"he is a natural talent. What he does cannot be achieved at such an early age unless it's inborn. When he was five years old, he has been learning classical music from that time and was way ahead of his fellow batchmates. Shubman sings from his soul. Even if he has a sore throat, you'll still find his performance phenomenal. That's the difference between him and everyone else out here."

Chandrika looked on startled as Shubman started singing "Garaj Garaj" suddenly.

"Close your eyes and feel the song,"Guru Advait said and she obliged.

[Play the song "Garaj Garaj, Sitar Version" mentioned below, as the background music here]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u9WIcIJ0pZU

Aaaaaaaaaaa..Garaj Garaj Aaaj MeghGhanana Ghanan Chyo ReeDhamak Dhamak Chamke BijuriiKahat Hai Rituraaj Aayo riii.

He sang the first part of the bandish without any music, while everyone cheered at once.

AaaaaaaaaaaGaraj Garaj Aaaj Megh

He then tuned in the sitar and started playing it accordingly, while singing the rest of the bandish.

Pama pani pama pa Pama pani pani pama paPama ni pamaDha ni sa reRe ma paniPani sa re

Chandrika lost herself in his voice while listening to him with her eyes closed, while he continued singing soulfully.

Re sa re ma pa maRe ma pani ni sa rePa ma re sa(2x)Garaj garaj aaj meghGhanan ghanan chayo reDhamak dhamak chamke bijuriKahat hai rituraj ayo riiiiiiiiiiiii.

Shubman completed singing and everyone clapped for him while he clapped for the other musicians who played with him.

Chandrika opened her eyes in the meantime and he looked at her while Guru Advait said,"Raja Maan Singh, I would like you to guide and train Chandrika sometimes. Consider this as my wish. She has the potential of flourishing a lot."

Shubman joined his hand and said with a bow,"jee Guruji."

He came and sat beside Chandrika as Advait called him forward, and then he tied sacred threads around their wrists, and said looking at Chandrika,"I bestow half of my duty of training you to my best pupil."

Both Shubman and Chandrika stared at each other before looking away, as they were tied in a musical relationship, though they never intended for having something like that.

************************************Here goes the update. Keep Reading and Keep Vommenting Guys.😘❤️