"No way, Ma, I am not going to wear anything like that!" remarked a frustrated Sanyukta as her mother tried coaxing her to look at the pattern book showing shapely models adorned in traditional ghaghra cholis, with bare midriffs. Sanyukta could not believe her mother was trying to convince her to go practically backless, with her breasts curvaceously augmented by a padded front, just to make her appear older. Did her mother think she was willing to look like a toothsome, edible morsel before the greedy eyes of strangers at a wedding she had no desire to attend? The only man who she'd love to dress up for was miles away and nowhere in the picture, and even for his sake she would not compromise her dignity unlike those shameless girls who practically threw themselves at him. Wooing her would have to be his job!

"But you will have a heavily worked-upon chunari to hide yourself under. And do you realise you will be eighteen in a few months and we have not had a single query so far?" retorted her mother. ""Don't even think of marrying me off before I graduate!" threatened the angry daughter. This impasse was an oft-repeated situation these days in the Agarwal household. The two argued relentlessly except in the presence of the father and son, Anju did not want the men stressed over the issue. It was an unspoken rule; the women clammed up when those two were at home, acting as if everything was hunky-dory.

Sanyukta had not shared with her mother or even with Vidushi that she had initiated the process of enrolling for a hospitality management course that would take her away from home to the city where the finest institute was. The Shekhawats were seriously considering turning their home into a heritage hotel and she would need a valid reason to get involved, with a professional degree she could legitimately have a stake in helping to manage the property.

Yasmeen had invested the previous few months mastering voice modulation. She sang sonorously by now, having garnered sufficient knowledge of sur-taal-laya. Rendering a song had other dimensions too, especially the ability to convey emotion or sensuality expounded in its words. She learnt diction and the coquetry of adaa and nazaqat in urdu poetry, a pre-requisite for understanding shaayari and ghazals. Her tuition extended to being able to get the attention, set the mood and captivate the listener to the point of rapture using her music as well as body language and gestures.

A retired courtesan groomed her on the art of shringar, coiffeur, clothing, conversation and protocol for professional performers. Yasmeen was not sure how much use she would put that to; nevertheless she paid rapt attention to lessons on the correct use of perfumes, scented oils and unguents on the body- how one can look appealing without needing to dress up too much. The courtesan had spent a life-time playing an enchantress, there was no way she was going to let this girl off the hook. Hers was a dying art and she desperately needed to pass on the legacy to someone much younger and able, no matter how naive!