"Ma, enough ok! We are not attending a wedding, it is just a visit to the temple!" Sanyukta protested as Anju continued to dress her hair with care, adjusting the lush string of aboli flower on her daughter's hair bun carefully. She helped her drape a cobalt blue nine-yard saree and a placed stick-on bindi on her forehead. Sanyukta had put on her mother's pearl jewellery set. Anju remembered to apply a spot of kajal behind Sanyukta's ear. "Ma! What a pointless ritual, there is no such thing as the evil eye!" Sanyukta muttered.

"My daughter is not going to turn eighteen every day. And I don't want to take any chances before we seek the Goddess' blessings for you, one can never be too careful around strangers in a temple. Let us hurry now if we want to avoid rush hour. Sanyukta laughed to see her mother's eagerness. She found it hard to recall when Anju had been so excited about anything. Mother and daughter had lived a rather cloistered and quiet life. Sanyukta felt immensely happy, and not just because it was her birthday. Any occasion that brought a smile to her mother's face was worthy of a celebration. She hoped that she could make her mother's smile last forever. Her heart ached to see Randhir on this special day, although she knew it was unlikely tha the would come to Goa just for her sake.

"Look Sanyu, while education and work remains your priority I won't wait too long once I feel you are ready to settle down. I am going to spend the next few years identifying and shortlisting suitable boys for you." Anju's excitement made her spill the plan that were uppermost in her mind. 

"Ma, do you mind?" Sanyukta glared at Anju, drawing her attention to the driver of the hired car. They were half way into their journey to the town of Anju's family Goddess' shrine. Anju had requested to offer a small pooja on Sanyukta's behalf. Her daughter was no longer a minor and soon she would have to choose a career path that could decide her future. Anju was not very spiritually inclined but for Sanyukta's sake she did not want to leave any stone unturned, seeking divine benediction was quite appropriate.

Anju did not know that the mention of prospective grooms was unappealing to her daughter who had her heart set on a certain unattainable target. Sanyukta decided it was best not to argue with her mother lest she suspect something. She wished she could see Randhir's reaction to seeing her dressed in a nine yard saree. She wondered if it would be right to click a selfie and send it to him but she decided against it, what with her mother sitting next to her. They finished the rest of the journey in silence. 

When they arrived they gathered together the essentials they had brought for the rituals. They entered the temple and approached the altar where Anju met the priest whom she had spoken to about the puja. He asked them to take their places while he began the rituals by chanting sacred hymns. The few visitors who came to the temple at the early hour stayed very briefly and left as soon as they had paid obeisance to the Goddess. Sanyukta and Anju kept their palms folded and their heads bowed as the priest continued to chant and made offerings on their behalf. 

Approaching footsteps summoned the arrival of another family who had probably asked for a similar puja to be performed early in the morning when the temple was not busy. Sanyukta kept her head bowed though she could sense that there was something familiar about the people who had just appeared. A woman spoke and both Anju and Sanyukta froze instantly, recognising the voice.

"Guruji, when we booked a puja we did not expect to wait in queue for our turn!" The tone was crisp and authoritarian. Anju did not have to open her eyes to know that the voice belonged to Renuka Shekhawat. Her eyes opened wide to find Renuka standing close to her. She was accompanied by Harsh and Randhir who looked surprised to find Anju and her daughter before them. Anju smiled at Renuka greeting her silently with folded palms. She did not look directly at Harsh but acknowledged him and Randhir with the same benign expression. Harsh and Randhir returned her greeting politely.

"Anju, I hardly expected to see you here! And is this your daughter? She looks all grown up now." It was hard to define Renuka's demeanor. A stranger who overheard the conversation could have easily mistaken it for a friendly one. Renuka shot a sideways glance at Sanyukta. She could not believe the awkward maladjusted girl had transformed so dramatically. Clad in a beautifully draped saree she actually looked quite elegant. Mercifully Renuka did not notice her son catching the girl's eye and smiling at her knowingly without uttering a word and the girl responding by turning crimson red, her blush changing the hue of her complexion. 

"Both the pujas can continue alongside simultaneously as they are similar in nature, since both set of parents have asked for blessings for their respective children. Please take your places so that we may begin." The head priest of the temple said to Renuka. He had personally came forward to offer the prayers for the influential Shekhawat family. "Oh, is it now! From her attire one could mistake the rituals for the girl's dedication ceremony! Of course I could be wrong as I have never witnessed one personally." Renuka's words fell like molten lava on Anju's ears and her eyes filled up immediately. Sanyukta's face turned pale as she understood what Renuka had tried to imply. Harsh and Randhir wore an expression of shock, hardly believing what they had heard.

The priests looked at each other awkwardly wondering how to control the damage done in the situation. Since it was the family shrine the background of both families was known to them. "Renuka, we are in the shrine where your forefathers have worshipped. I don't think I need to remind you about maintaining decorum and about why we are here. Anju, please accept our apologies, we should focus on praying for the children instead." Harsh's voice was both firm and soft at the same time while he tried to contain the situation as tactfully as he could. The priests continued chanting and in a few minutes Anju collected the prasad from them, bowed before the altar once and led Sanyukta out of the temple with her head held high. Only her eyes betrayed the humiliation that had been heaped on her daughter by the woman who had made it her life's mission to inflict as much pain on Anju as was possible.

The mood suddenly changed to sombre as mother and daughter boarded their hired vehicle and immediately started their journey homeward. In the car Anju's tears came like the summer flood in a snow-fed river and Sanyukta hugged her to try and comfort her. She knew her mother was regretting the fact that she had insisted on Sanyukta dressing up in traditional clothes on her birthday visit to the shrine. All her life Anju had struggled to break out of the shackles of her Devdasi background. And it had taken Renuka just a few seconds to destroy Anju's perception of dignity. Under different circumstances Anju could have countered Renuka's snide remark but she had held onto her dignified silence lest the situation escalated to something uglier.

When they reached home mother and daughter freshened up and Anju performed aarti and tika for Sanyukta, blessing her and heaping good wishes upon her before giving her an affectionate hug. Sanyukta became emotional once more. She touched Anju's feet and both went into the kitchen to prepare a special meal, mainly to get their minds off recent events. The menu for lunch included pulao, kheer-puri, sauteed potatoes, salad and a sweet sour mango relish called saasam. They had almost finished cooking when the doorbell rang and Anju went to answer it. She was not surprised to see Harsh standing at her doorstep. 

"Anju, I am sorry to impose like this but I really need to have a word. May I come in, please?" His expression conveyed the guilt he bore in his mind. Anju stepped aside without a word, inviting him silently. Meanwhile Sanyukta had switched off the flame in the kitchen and emerged to see what the matter was. Harsh stepped forward and addressed her.

"Happy birthday dear, I am sorry to intrude this way but I owe it to both of you to make amends for Renuka's indiscretion this morning. Please dear, forget about what happened and enjoy your day. I need a favour, I wish to speak to your mother in private for some time. If you don't mind, could you join Randhir on a short drive? He'll get you home in a few minutes. I apologise, it is your special day and you should decide how best to spend it. But it is vital for me to speak with your mother. Anju, please, this is really important." Harsh's face showed genuine concern. Anju was unsure how to react. Sanyukta squeezed her palm to reassure her.

"Ma, I'll be back in a jiffy, don't worry. This must be important." She grabbed her phone and wallet and stepped outside to find Randhir waiting in his car. 

"Get in, we are going on a short drive!" Randhir held the door open for her and she slid in without a word. "Happy eighteenth birthday, Mowgli, I hope you like what I picked up for you!" He said with a warm smile. Sanyukta knew he was trying hard to compensate for what had happened even if it was not his or his father's fault. Her mind was in a turmoil with a range of emotions coursing through it. Randhir turned the car towards the quiet part of town, hoping to park somewhere before he could have a candid conversation with the birthday girl.