"Born to a chhedi, always a cheddi!" (Cheddi is a derogative term in Goa, meaning prostitute)

"Bells on the ankles are long gone, but the marks still remain!"

"It is a full moon tonight, leave your window open and I'll be there to claim my prize, make sure the price is right!"

Anju tried hard to pretend that she could not hear the jeers and taunts as she walked with her head held high in the college corridor close to her friend Vaiju who belonged to the same unfortunate background as hers. There was comfort in the knowledge that they had something in common, and Anju and Vaiju generally stuck together all day, keeping to themselves to avoid mingling with the rich brats from the upper caste communities, many of whom came from families with a feudal past whose men had been the traditional patrons of the Kalavants or the Devadasis of a bygone era. Although caste-based discrimination was officially routed out, its echoes often haunted those whose only crime was to be born in a certain marginalised community.

"Let her go, Jitendra!" The warning in the voice was hardly subtle and Jitendra Prabhudesai looked back to face Harsh Shekhawat,  whose face was etched with harsh lines. Taking advantage of the situation Anju fled from the spot where Jitendra had cornered her with the intention of harassing her. "Why are you so soft on that one, Harsh? You are one of us and she is one of them, simply waiting for her debut!" Jitendra's face broke into a wicked grin. "If you know what's good for you, you will stay out of that girl's way or face the consequences. Elections are near and I'm sure your father will not appreciate it if your name is put down in the police record for harassing a poor orphaned girl, the opposition will have a field day cashing on your infamy!" Harsh had hit the jugular.

"I get your point bro, you could have just mentioned that you are saving her for yourself, and I would have gladly stepped aside!" Jitendra knew his father would be livid to know it if he chose to openly rebuke a Shekhawat, they had connections in the right place. But he could not resist the urge to take a potshot at Harsh. "You are right! Don't forget, she is my exclusive property!" Harsh could hardly figure what prompted him to make such a statement, and within days the grapevine buzzed about Anju being under Harsh's "protection"! Students whispered among themselves and soon the taunts were replaced by whispers about Harsh Shekhawat being under the spell of Anju Amonkar. The new gossip bothered Anju even more and unheeding Vaiju's advice she stormed the library corner where she knew she would find Harsh alone.

"Are you responsible for these rumors about me?" She asked him angrily, trying to keep her voice as low as possible to prevent invoking the wrath of the librarian. "What rumors? I did not hear any rumours, would you like to enlighten me?" Harsh's face was calm, with just a faint smile on it. "They say that, you and I, I mean that you are my..." Anju fumbled suddenly. "Your boyfriend?" Harsh's smile widened as he saw her face twitch on hearing the word. "You know about it, and you have done nothing to quash them?" She asked him indignantly. "Tell me why I should so that? Has Jitendra or any of his cronies bothered you again after that day?" He asked her. "Not really, I mean, it is not like that! "Her voice trailed off once more as realisation hit her.

"Look Anju, let sleeping dogs lie! If they call me your boyfriend, let them. At least no one will dare corner you like they used to. None of this bothers me, so why are you agitated?" He asked her. "Why? Because I am not from a privileged background like yours! Because I am not even allowed to talk to any boy, leave alone let someone be labelled as my boyfriend. If my uncle finds out I will have to leave college and they will marry me off! How would you understand? I'm the one who will have to bear the consequences." She sounded scared more than agitated.

"Why should you when you have done nothing wrong, nor have I? Look Anju, the only thing you really fear is fear itself. Overcome it and you shall be fine. Now, if you don't mind, I have practicals to attend." He shut his bag and began walking out of the library, returning the book he had been reading earlier. She followed him quietly, as she was in the same batch. "Friends?" He offered her a friendly handshake. "You must know something before that!" She whispered. "What?" He asked, curious. "Just because I talk to you does not mean I will sleep with you!" Her face turned red as she spoke those words, and he burst out laughing. "Ok, thanks for telling me! Don't sleep with me but I would really like you to sing with me for the oncoming inter-collegiate competition. I need to win this one, honestly!" He said to her in a serious tone.

"But I don't sing! Who told you I do?" Anju's face turned pale, what was she getting herself into? "Don't lie. I heard you singing devotional hymns in the temple utsav in Shiroda." His said with a poker face, not wanting her to realise that he had been stalking her. He had all her personal information, he had cajoled a peon in the college administration to show him her personal file. He had pulled strings quietly to change his subject combination to hers without anybody's knowledge, frustrating Renuka in the bargain who was stuck in the batch with his earlier combination. He knew how much money Anju had in her bank account, what her favourite foods were and what kind of music she enjoyed best. 

"Look Anju, your family need not find out, we can keep your participation a secret. In any case we will do our rehearsals here in college. So say yes, will you? It will mean a lot, I mean, to our college!" He corrected himself just in time. She consented after much hesitation. They rehearsed painstakingly for hours together and soon ended up completing journals and studying together too. They won the competition and from that moment they became inseparable. Anju unwittingly grew distant from her friend Vaiju who stepped aside graciously to let her enjoy the company of Harsh. She did, however, issue a subtle warning to her friend. "Unless you are married to him, if you let a man cross your final frontier, he will have nothing more to look forward to!" 

Anju never forgot the advice. Her relation with Harsh remained largely platonic, she became nervous even if he held her hand. One day, however, after a showdown at home when her aunt insulted her very badly, she broke down in his presence and he hugged her, comforting her till she calmed down. "Thank you for being there, Harsh!" She told him. In return, he presented her a string of her favourite flowers, the bright hued ratan aboli. "These are the best abolim all the way from Assagao!" He said earnestly. Her face brightened visibly at the sight of the flowers and he carefully tucked the string into her hair, his fingertips lingering on the nape of her neck long enough to make her gasp.

"Tell me, why do you like Aboli so much? It is the commonest flower in Goa!" He remarked, mainly to distract her from the moment they had shared. "Yes, it is the commonest flower. It grows along garden pathways and blooms unnoticed, ending up in hair strands or in devotional garlands. The ratan aboli is different from the others because the buds barely open. There is no fragrance but if you look carefully, the modest Aboli is present perennially, irrespective of the weather. It is the symbol of resilience in adversity and grace amidst simplicity. In bright sunny weather the blooms gladden the eye with their bright colour. When the sky is overcast, when rain clouds gather, and the rain descends on it the pods explode, dispersing the seeds far and wide so that baby plants have a future. Sorry, I got carried away!" She smiled brightly.

She had blushed to know how he was listening with rapt attention, taking in every word and probably trying to deconstruct her. She could not understand what Harsh had seen in her, she was an unlikely candidate to draw his attention. He came from a rich and influential family, from old money and respectability. His father was ambitious and a successful entrepreneur. Anju had heard that Harsh's father had connections with Renuka Salgaoncar's powerful family, and there were whispers about an impending matchmaking between the two families in the future. Harsh never discussed either his family matters or Renuka with Anju, and she never dared ask him questions, knowing fully well that the chances of her union with him were slim indeed. They chose to live in the moment, and express their love for each other through their singing. 

She made him keep all the trophies and certificates they had won together as she could not carry them home with herself. Each time they won he gave her a string of her favourite ratan aboli from Assagao, and she let him tuck it into her hair, a task on which he lingered as long as he could because although he longed to hold her close and kiss her, pouring his feelings into the caresses, she was uncomfortable with physical contact. Vaiju's words rang in her ears and mind like a clarion call. The college years were their happiest, and soon afterwards she went on to finish her bachelor in education while he pursued a business management degree like he was expected to. They continued to meet, a fact that bothered Renuka so much, she took her father into confidence, requesting him to help her distance Anju from Harsh's life. 

Renuka's father enlisted the help of his PA, getting him to send the proposal of marriage on his son Kishore's behalf, with a veiled warning that failure to comply would cost Anju's uncle his job with Salgaoncar Industries. Anju's uncle was warned of her plans to elope with Harsh and he chose emotional blackmail as a means to dissuade Anju, by telling her the story of her ancestry and the family curse, by letting her read her mother's secret diary. Anju, who was shattered by the possibility of passing on the jinx to Harsh, complied with her uncle's wish and broke up with Harsh to marry Kishore Agarwal. In the present Harsh took Randhir into confidence and narrated the story of how his love remained unfulfilled. He had waited for a long time to confide into his son. He knew that Randhir was ready to understand why he felt the need to help Anju after all these years. Harsh hardly knew that by doing so, he was unknowingly binding his son in the chain that connected his fate to Anju and her only daughter Sanyukta.