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Rani used to stay in her flat all day long. She would cook, eat, watch TV or read a book or magazine, but in the evening, she used to sit and/or stroll for an hour or so in the society lawn. Usually men, even while living in the same locality or street for months and years together, and even when crossing by each-other quite often, remain complete strangers, but the case with the women is just the opposite. Despite being complete strangers, it doesn't take them long to develop a good rapport with each other. Rani became acquainted with many women within a few days. Now that they had become known, it was necessary for Rani to tell that her husband is in the business of import-export who remains mostly out of station and comes home for a day or two in a week. When at home, he likes to rest. Although it was just half of the truth but Rani could not do without telling this partly cooked up story.
Two days before Karwa Chauth, the woman from flat number 301 asked Rani, “Dear sister, your husband must be coming here on Karwa Chauth (A fast observed by Indian women for the long life of their husbands)?”
“No, he would be busy in Delhi this time. So, he has called me there. I’m going tomorrow to join him.”
After coming to the flat, Rani called Alok. After exchanging ‘hellos’, she said, “Alok Ji, Karwa Chauth is on the day after tomorrow. I’m coming tomorrow to observe the fast for your long life.”
“Rani, I’m really very happy to know that you’re coming. Festivals impart joy and happiness to our lives. One enjoys being in a group. When you’re amongst a group, the feeling of individual consciousness of ‘I’ gets absorbed in the collectiveness of ‘We’ and the joy of companionship and mutual complementarities take life out of the dark pit of despair and provides it a rhythm. The vehicle of runs smoothly on two wheels. If there’s a problem in either wheel, the vehicle will either stop running, and if it continues running, it’ll wobble continuously and spoil the pleasure of journey of life. Therefore, if the fast is observed only by one and not the other, it loses its true spirit. Come down here, we’ll observe fast not for each other’s long life but for a healthy life. It’s more important how well one lives and not how long one lives.”
…..
As promised to Ramesh and as decided by Alok and Rani themselves, except on Karwa Chauth and Diwali, they did not stay together at night, and, at least, not at the flat. They observed fast on Karwa Chauth and celebrated Diwali at Patiala. Then an opportunity came to spend quality time together in solitude and enjoy...
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