(Guys story belongs to 20th century so positive or negative all the characters have similar perception about the society, culture nd it's rule ..... So try to understand them nd not judge them)

In the early afternoon,

Nandini's mother nd grandmoter both were busy sorting grains so that they can grind them to get flour for Roti making. They were sitting in the veranda and suddenly they saw Nandini nd Jija coming from somewhere, Jija was about to turn towards her home but Indu called her.

"Jijaaa ..... Come here " listening to her Jija came nd sat beside Indu. Even Nandu came silently nd sat beside her Aajji trying to hide from her dangerous mother who first glared at her and then turned to Jija. Her mother also forgot to notice that gloomy look on her daughter's face. Off course Nandini wore Jeans and knee length Kurti with three fourth sleeves to get this treatment from her mother. Even in the morning she earned 3/4 curses nd after a short argument she won and went outside the house with Jija but today was not her day.

"Where u two were roaming?" She asked calmly to Jija.

"We went to see the college ...... Nandini wanted some information of literature faculty" she answered politely.

"I don't know what is her future ...... She is very stubborn she won't listen to me ..... But Jija u r mature girl and going to get marry soon ...... U should behave like decent and graceful woman and not like a ill mannered girl ...... Keep it in mind, u r like daughter to me" she said caressing her cheek and Jija also nodded overwhelmingly to which Nandini rolled her eyes from her place and her Aaji also silently agreed to Indu's words, they believe woman should act sensibly so others can respect them nd their family's pride.

"Thank you Kaki ...... I will remember all ur lessons ...... I also want to be a graceful lady like you" Indu smiled at her and after few words Jija left the house so Nandini also stood up to go from there, in her room.

"U wait here" Indu's stern voice made Nandini stopped in her way.

"We had discussed it already then also why u wore these clothes again? ...... Don't u have basic manners to follow ur mother's words" she scolded with a anger in her voice.

"I went to college nd not in our area ..... Many girls wear such clothes"

"Disrespectable girls in society wear such clothes nd not the one with good family morals ...... Why u r adamant to spoil our image ?..... I feel like we made mistake by sending u with ur Aatya" her words were also heard by the Shamal who was standing nearby, she felt hurt but kept quiet.

"Sunbaai" Nandini's grandmother raised her voice, reminding Indu that she can't hurt her daughter and disrespect her care towards Nandini. Indu realised her mistake instantly.

"I didn't know that we girls wear respect with our clothes or clothes comes in category of respect" she spoke against her mother and it increased her mother's anger.

"Nandini go nd change ur clothes" gulping down her raising anger she ordered Nandini calmly.

"And u r blaming Aatya for my wrong upbringing ...... Do u know how to love ur child? ..... No ..... But she knows ...... She knows how to care but u don't know ...... Since I came here not for once I saw u happy ...... Ur gaze always makes me feel that I am burden that u want to get rid off ...... That's why u keep finding ways to hurt me" without giving attention to her mother's anger she just cried.

"Society doesn't run according to ur thoughts but there are rules nd norms we should follow ..... I'm ur mother nd it's my responsibility to make u better woman, for society to look up to you" this time her tone was convincing and calm but it didn't work on Nandini's tears.

"I wish you would have care even for 10% of what I feel nd not what society want ..... I'm sorry ..... I know u can never be a proud mother of a girl nd also u can't love me like you love Dada ..... Sorry for expecting u to be my mother" saying this in disheartened tone she went inside while wiping her tears and Indu stood there unmoved.

"Aai take care of her ...... She is stubborn but she will understand ...... Now I should leave it's already early afternoon" Shamal talked with her mother and she nodded. Indu also went near them.

"Taai I am sorry ...... I didn't mean to say that ...... Please don't go this soon ...... I'm really guilty" she folded her hands in front of Shamal.

"Vahini day after tomorrow is Gudi padwa ...... Start of the year ...... I should be at my own house for first festival of yr" she said directly.

"This is also ur house" Indu said.

"I should leave" and she smiled for last before going.

"Aai bye" she bid bye to her mother and left the house. Indu looked at her mother in law who gave blank look nd went inside to see her grand daughter.

..................||

On the other side,

Nandini came into her room, crying. She don't know what wrong she has done by wearing these clothes. She can understand the people near her area are orthodox they won't accept it but FC is a international college nd she is not the only one to wear such clothes still her mother has problem with it.

Somewhere she can understand her mother too but she can't understand Manik, how he can be so heartless when it comes to her?. Who will say he is a topper with such thoughts, it's true that education doesn't define real you. But again he is not against other girls but just her. She cried more thinking about the morning incident.

In the morning, (flashback)

Manik came early to college in the morning at 8am because he has a paper at 11am. He met his few colleagues on his way to the main gate then after solving their problems with ease he moved towards Wadia library in college to study without any disturbance.

"Hey guys ...... Have u seen daughter of Agarkar ..... She is wearing a JEANS" Manik heard the amused and murmuring voice of someone nd he turned to see group of boys gossiping near the tree outside the library.

"It's very shameful of her ...... Her family is very respectable and look at her ..... She is so shameless" another boy wearing a cotton dhoti kurta said this.

"That's why my family never allowed girls' education ...... My sister barely passed her fourth standard and they got her married ...... Now she is handling a whole joint family including her two children"  Manik heard it all with his ears but didn't mind correcting them, he is not against girls education but he is not social worker either to fight for their rights.

Instead of going inside the library he went to find the source behind his anger nd worry that too just before his paper. He is very reserved nd calm person also he respect his study so much.

There she was talking non stop with unknown group of girls, girls looked outsiders by their appearance. But the way she was mingling with them it seemed they r friends from years.

"It's enough .....  I'm going to teach her lesson" two boys from that group came running to Nandini's direction and one of them said this in anger.

"Yes she is black sheep of our culture" other boy said this nd they again started walking to her direction.

"Nandini ...... Come with me" before any boy could reach her Manik stood behind her and called her to which she looked back nd ignored him by lowering her neck.

"Come with me" he said in his cold yet low voice scaring her from her gut.

She silently followed him, seeing her going with Manik, boys stopped in their way and went back to their place thinking that Manik will make her understand.

"Umm what?" She asked without looking up when he stopped near the Gymkhana, he walked till there, because rarely anyone comes in the morning to that area of college.

"What u r wearing?" He asked in same cold voice, he was trying hard not to lose his control but she knew he is angry at the moment.

"Many girls wears jeans in ur college ...... It's not like I am wearing it in our area" she looked up and defended her right.

"I'm telling u for last time ...... U r not wearing it again" he ordered her.

"Why ? ...... Don't I have freedom to wear clothes?" She was disappointed.

"U do ..... But u don't have right to act like a disrespected person in society".

"U didn't think that before, when Claire kissed you? ..... That was very honourable act, right?" She was accusing him.

"U r accusing me for her fault ? ....... U know my upbringing ...... Do u seriously think she pecked me with my will?" Even he became hurt nd angry with her change of subject.

"U r doing same ...... U r also accusing me by supporting others inappropriate thinking about me ...... Though u too know my upbringing and me" and he didn't say a word for another minute.

"Try to understand ...... Both are different things" he sighed helplessly.

"No ....... It's just that, things are gender biased in our case". She said with fury and tears in her eyes.

"Okay ...... I'm the wrong one here ...... But I don't want others to stare at u nd even utter a ill word about you ...... I can't bear that and u know this" his eyes were pleading in front of her and she just lost her stand. She never liked him being helpless and pleading in front of her.

"You know I can't go beyond ur words but I wish u will understand that I also deserve freedom to choose for myself" and she went from there, crying.

"How I wish Nandini a world to be a better place where we can have right to choose our happiness" he murmured to himself while watching her retreating figure. He don't know what will she do if she don't get the chance to choose her love, she is very immature, emotional nd stubborn which always makes him worry for her future nd somewhere also for their future. He don't know if someone is made who can handle her with care, or love her the way she deserves.

Flashback ends

"I never thought our first conversation would be like this ..... That too after two years ....... That day I hurted you nd today u hurted me ..... Why u can't be my 9yr old Manik again?" she wiped her fresh tears and closed her eyes for a minute to suppress her haywire emotions.

..................||

"Why my Laadubaai ( sweetheart) is grumpy?" Her Aajji came into Nandini's room with a plate full of rice and black turtle bean curry which is Nandini's favourite.

"I'm not grumpy" her chubby cheeks shrunken instantly as she made a sad nd tired face.

"Hmm eat" she kept a morsel in front of Nandini's lips but she denied.

"I don't wan...."

"How many times I have told you not to disrespect the food ...... This is not acceptable" her grandmother scolded a bit and Nandini ate the bite immediately, she knows the importance of food and also her family is very religious even she is, so she ate and silently prayed.

"Nandini ...... Not everyone is educated my child ...... But that doesn't mean they are not knowledgeable ...... The environment in which u live affects ur perspective" she said while feeding her second morsel nd Nandini shifted her full focus on her Aajji.

"Ur environment is wider and different than ur mother ...... But her experience is more than you ...... Ur thoughts are different and u both are right with different perspective ...... U can't expect her to forget her beliefs and upbringing, nd behaves in ur favour ..... She is doing what is right for her daughter so don't doubt her love, my love" Nandini nodded after chewing her bite.

"But she can't also expect me to behave according to her beliefs" she objected.

"U know the elder person always have that ego nd pride in them which don't allow them to act according to younger ....... But u r small so u should respect them nd accept them ...... Nd I won't say she is wrong either ....... U r different but world is not going to adjust with you ..... So u also need to bend at some points to live peaceful life".

"Okay I understand her even if she don't understand me ...... But what about her love? ...... Even u support her ideology still u r here ...... Because u care for me ..... And look at her she is not even happy to see me after yrs".

"I'm not defending her ...... But everyone is not same and also there are different ways of loving a person nd expressing it ..... Nd she is so lost in caring about ur next unpredictable mistakes that she forgot to care for u in real ...... U makes her reckless my dear" at last line both chuckled a bit.

"And she makes me cry ...... So I guess it's fair enough" Nandini smiled while wiping her nose.

"It is" she too smiled.

"But still u r going to scold her" Nandini said in her usual attitude.

"Nandu" she raised her eyebrows.

"Yes u r doing it ..... Idk anything" she said it firmly nd left for kitchen to put her used plate in soap water.

"Crazy" her Aajji sighed.

................. End ...................||

Let me know if you found any mistake.

How was the chapter?

.............. Aish❣️ ...............