"You have been crying too, Ma!" No matter how cheerful an appearance Anju tried to put on for her daughter's benefit her eyes betrayed her completely. 

Mother and daughter sat next to each other and Anju rested her head on Sanyukta's shoulder. They continued to sit there for a while without speaking a word until Anju rose, wiping her tears away. 

"Come Sanyu, we must not forget that you have reached an important milestone in life today. Let us have lunch. And you should at least taste the kheer puri for the sake of tradition, even if you don't enjoy it." Anju's maternal instinct took over, she had to make an effort lest her daughter spend the rest of her birthday moping over something she had no control over.

Anju lovingly fed Sanyukta the first few morsels. Sanyukta did the same, tearing off a piece of puri and dipping it into the thick milk pudding before conveying it to her mother's lips. This was enough to dispel the gloom that has settled over them earlier. They realised how hungry they were or maybe eating fulfilled a deep emotional void that they were experiencing. 

After lunch Anju called Sanyukta to her room. She opened her cupboard, reached into the vault and fished out a jewel case and handed it over to her daughter. Sanyukta opened it to find an antique gold necklace with a jasmine bud motif and a set of matching earrings. Anju smiled to see the look on her daughter's face.

"This necklace is an heirloom. It belonged to my grandmother who passed it onto my mother and she in turn gave it to me. Sanyu, it is time for me to pass on the legacy to you. We just need to make you a set of bangles and your wedding set will be complete. Put it on, let me see how you look in it!" Anju slipped the jewellery on her daughter and led her to the mirror.

"My girl looks beautiful! I cannot wait to see you in your wedding ensemble although I know it will take a few years!" She snapped a picture with Sanyukta with her phone. 

"Thank you, Ma! It is really pretty. But I never saw you wearing it, in fact I did not know you had this set with you all these years." Sanyukta could not recall seeing it earlier. Her mother had always worn a simple chain of gold beads and pearls on all occasions.

"That's because it has been lying in the bank locker all these years. I never felt inclined to wear it and after you were born I decided to save it as your wedding present. I'll return it to the locker again tomorrow, I just got it out for you to see." The events following Anju's wedding had been so damaging to her spirit that she shut the world out instead of trying to fit in. Sanyukta's birth had been the only ray of hope in Anju's marital life and she decided to let her daughter inherit whatever little she possessed, praying for the girl to have a better start in life than she did.

"Ma, I'm not sure we should discuss my wedding plans today. In fact I am not sure I relish the thought of being married to someone." Sanyukta felt her bile rise as she recalled Renuka's condescending attitude towards Anju and her. Renuka had made it a point to bring up their Devdasi background purposefully, both to remind the mother and daughter as well as her own son that there was no question of any liaison between the two families. And Sanyukta did not want to imagine being married to anyone other than Randhir.

"I know Sanyu, all girls your age find a discussion about marriage annoying. Your education and career is your priority right now. But let me remind you that no matter what occupation you choose for yourself I will not breathe easy before I see you settled with a suitable boy. You are old enough now so I do not mind sharing a bit of our past with you."

"Sanyu, a few generations ago our girls could not imagine being given the dignity of becoming someone's wedded wives. Some who had the potential to become professional singers went to large cities to seek their fortune. Because of circumstances they were forced to become mistresses of the nobility or rich Gujarati Bhatia merchants because these men paid for their upkeep and could afford the fees charged by the Muslim Ustads who offered training in Hindustani classical music. The men who patronised our women had their own families, with wives and legitimate children at home. They maintained relations with the Kalavant mistresses because they were attracted to their beauty and their singing prowess. Any children born to our women took their mother's surnames because they were fated to remain illegitimate. My grandmother made sure none of us took this route in life, she strived to keep music and the performing arts out of our system so that we would seek more respectable professions instead."

"Sanyu, irrespective of how much the world around us changes a complete family will always consist of a married couple and their children. There are many career minded women who remain single. There are still others who may be divorced or become widowed. Deep inside any woman who wishes to raise kids wants a proper family, with a husband who returns to her every night-someone who is a good father to his offspring. In the past our children rarely bonded with their fathers because on the few occasions that these men visited their second homes it was to spend time with their mistresses rather than the children. After satiating their lust they would invariably return to their wives. The Kalavant's children grew up with an identity crisis and were mercilessly hounded by their peers because of their illegitimate status."

"My child, the only thing I fear is our past imprinting itself on your future. Sanyu, I must find a boy who, along with his family, respects and loves you as an individual, someone who knows about our background and is still willing to accept you. You heard Parth's mother's words this morning, they reflected the arrogance of her class and the contempt their lot hold us in. If you want a life of dignity stay away from people of such background. Harsh and his sons are an exception but even Harsh was not able to breach the class barrier!" Anju stopped abruptly when she realised what she was saying. 

"Ma, I am sorry if this sounds intrusive, but do you hold it against him for marrying someone of that kind, someone who despises our lot?" Sanyukta knew she was walking on thin ice. She had never dared to ask her mother anything so personal, nor had Anju shared about her past with Harsh before. Anju sighed deeply and fell silent for some time.

"Sanyu, it wasn't him but I who decided to call off our relationship so that he could marry her. My uncle had me convinced that it was the best thing for me to do. If I loved Harsh truly I'd have to prioritise his future rather than my feelings for him. Harsh rose meteorically after benefiting from his father-in-law's strong political connections. He could not have achieved so much had he married me." Anju avoided looking at Sanyu by keeping her eyes lowered.

"Ma, you may have sacrificed your happiness for his future but i think you never fell out of love. You still feel as strongly about him although you try hard to keep out of his way. Was your sacrifice worth it? You had to endure an abusive and unhappy marital life while he got everything a man wishes to have." Sanyukta could hardly believe what she had just said. She wondered how her mother would react.

"Sanyu, you are too young and inexperienced to make such an observation. When you encounter a fork on the path of life you can rarely predict the consequences of your choice. I may have gambled my happiness away but someday when you truly fall in love with someone you will have the grace to let him go if that is the best option for him. Love cannot be selfish." Anju stood up and returned the necklace set to the cupboard, locking it behind her. Sanyukta knew this marked the end of the conversation, her mother did not owe her an explanation for the decisions she had made in her own life.

The rest of the day passed with Sanyukta responding to birthday messages over her phone. Anju preferred watching an old Hindi movie on television. Neither mother nor daughter had appetite for dinner. Anju excused herself to go to bed early. Sanyukta saw her pop a pill to help her sleep and immediately felt guilty for having brought up Harsh and his past with Anju into the conversation. It had obviously affected her mother, Anju would not take a tablet to help her sleep otherwise. Sanyukta's eyes teared up as she recalled what Anju had said about finding the right boy. She knew her mother had switched off her own phone and would not wake up until the following morning. She longed to unburden her thoughts before someone but she had already spoken way too much before Anju.

Sanyukta went to her desk and reached out for the carefully concealed bottle. She uncapped it and took a deep swig. She only did this when she was unable to come to terms with the conflict inside her head. She pocketed her phone and house key and staggered out of her house as quietly as she could even when she knew Anju was in deep slumber by now. Her feet carried her where her mind was commanding her to go. She stole through the shadows and took the familiar back alley route to the one place she just had to be.

As she crept up the stairs the bungalow felt oddly empty. That meant the resident family was probably out for the evening, attending a party or similar event. Sanyukta stole towards the dark corridor and knocked softly on the door, leaning on it for support. She almost fell forward inside the room as the door opened abruptly and she was expertly gathered up by a pair of strong masculine arms.

"What are you doing here at this time? And have you been drinking?" Randhir was hardly expecting to see her at his doorstep. He led her inside and shut the door behind him. He thanked his stars that his parents and Parth were not home. A drunk Sanyukta was not the smartest thing to have around them, especially around his mother. 

"Viva!" She raised the bottle of rum she had in her pocket to make a toast. "May the Heavens forgive me for what I am about to do!" She slurred as she stared right into his eyes.

"Are you feeling ok, Mowgli?" Randhir sounded concerned. He tried to gather his thoughts trying to figure how best to deal with the situation on hand. 

Suddenly she lurched forward, grabbed his face with her palms and launched a full blown assault on his lips, taking him completely by surprise. He could tell she had never kissed anyone before, but what she lacked in experience she tried to make up by pouring in her passion. Randhir stood absolutely still wondering where this was going as she ground her young body in his, pushing him against the wall. He tried hard to stay calm but her feminine assault continued, sending a wave of excitement coursing through his virile body. He felt a sudden urge to reciprocate her in full measure. He realised he had to do something before either of them let themselves go fully.