Amrita Priya - Two Quality Ladies

Published by Jaico Publishing House
A-2 Jash Chambers, 7-A Sir Phirozshah Mehta Road
Fort, Mumbai - 400 001
www.jaicobooks.com

Amrita Priya

TWO QUALITY LADIES
ISBN 978-81-8495-835-5

First Jaico Impression: 2016

No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers.

L ove is not finite, so dont be afraid of sharing your man. His love for you will remain unblemished always, said Tasneem to Omera, her daughter-in-law of nine years. Tasneem, Omera and Musheer lived in a sprawling bungalow which was the only one of its kind in the whole of Lakshadweep Island.

Musheer Sultan, the obedient and successful son of Tasneem, and the handsome, immensely rich and caring husband of Omera, had finally made up his mind to marry Kinja. Marrying for the second time when the first wife is still in his life may have seemed to be a fortunate mans destiny to many, but for Musheer, it was a most turbulent decision. It is a devastating feeling when a man loves two women at the same time. It is a lonely situation to be in. It feels as if the soul has been broken into two parts. There is always a sense of helplessness of not belonging completely to a single soul. Musheers contemporaneous love for two women was the reason behind his emotional wretchedness.

For Musheer, the situation was lonelier because there was no confidant who had shared the same fate as his. For the past year and a half, he had been managing well with a wife and a mistress, but the decision to shift Kinja to Sultan Mansion and provide her a status similar to Omeras had brought about the biggest imbalance in his life. Kinja had been a perfect mistress despite the fact that just like one has to lead and work upon a virgin bride, Musheer had to coach her in the world of mutual and blissful ecstasy. It was the first time that Kinja had experienced the pleasure of a mans proximity in her life. She had got completely drenched in the showers of his love which was like rain on parched soil. After a long dry spell, when it gets the first blessings of the Rain God, the soil emanates a sweet smell. Similarly, for a poor girl like Kinja, Musheers interest in her and the subsequent material, physical and emotional comforts that he provided in abundance, were like rain on the parched soil of her twenty-four-year-old uneventful life.

The Sharia law states that if a man marries two women, he should treat them equally, both financially and emotionally. For a man with a kind heart and a pocket as large as Musheers, abiding by both conditions was not tough. However, the equations that he shared with the two women were very different. Omera was as important as air. She was everywhere in his life. It was unimaginable for Musheer to exist without her. But despite being present all the time, those days, she was invisible. In her world, there existed the irreparable loss of four unborn babies who were not conceived by lovemaking. The possibility of their existence became all the more bleak after four consecutive failures of the in vitro fertilization attempts.

Elegance came naturally to Omera. She was the wife of the biggest fish exporter of India, who was also the owner of a vast land of coconut plantations. She had brought good fortune to her husband. Immediately after their marriage, Musheer had set up the coir twisting manufacturing unit. In nine years, the manufacturing unit had grown by leaps and bounds. Now, it produced 18 percent of the total supply of the white coir fibre from India to the world.

Omera was one of the well-known and frequently photographed ladies of the island. She had made shararas very stylish. She got them stitched from the best tailor in Cochin. The entire process of selecting the right fabric, deciding on the design of the intricate embroidery, choosing the colour of the satin threads or zardosi , getting it stitched and embroidered and finally, sending it to the island took plenty of the tailors time. But the reward that he got in the form of his stitching charges and the sight of his creation on Omeras slender body whenever she visited Cochin, was worth his efforts. When she was amongst people, she displayed excellent command over her emotions and reactions. An aristocratic half-smile adorned her lips each time she stepped out of her opulent house in one of the fleet of expensive cars that her husband owned.

Kinja was beautiful, just like her name. She was ten years younger to Omera and it would take some more time for her personality to match the graciousness and wisdom that seemed to be inherently present in Omera. Nevertheless, she exuded the qualities that epitomize true love. She knew that Musheer was not completely hers but she attained fulfilment in the fact that a man like him desired her. Her femininity oozed the charm of the moon whose beauty lies in the fact that it is different every day. Musheer loved the myriad hues of Kinjas personality which beautifully adapted to the mood he was in. However, he had to cross many boundaries in his mind before being comfortable in submitting himself completely to her during their bi-weekly tryst.

It was during the annual feast of businessmen, industrialists, educationists, eminent artists and top journalists on the occasion of Milad-Ul-Nabi that Musheer had first seen Kinja. She was an employee of Mystique Majestic, the hotel where the feast was being held. An emerging theatrical group had got the honour of presenting a short play to commemorate the birthday of Prophet Muhammad before the distinguished people of the island. Kinja was given the responsibility of announcing the commencement of the play to the honourable people who were exchanging pleasantries in between beverages and delectable kebabs on the exquisite lawn of the hotel. She was constantly on her toes to keep the guests comfortable. Later, when the play was over, she walked up to the stage to introduce the fresh talent to the glitterati. As soon as Musheer saw her, he got drenched in her charm. It was the first time he had looked at someone that way. However, he did not want to believe that he was getting hopelessly attracted. Kinja did not notice him the way he noticed her. Other hotel staff was wearing exactly the same sari, but somehow, the sari looked prettier on Kinja. When she walked up to him seeing that his glass was empty and politely asked whether he would like to have something, his answer was a firm and rude no. Kinja was taken aback by his lack of politeness but did not let her irritation surface because, as the staff of the hotel, she did not have the liberty to do so. However, she made sure that she did not go anywhere near him for the rest of the party.

Due to Tasneems careful upbringing, Musheer was a man of good manners. He had traditional thoughts as far as the sanctity of being in a relationship was concerned. The rude no was not a reply to Kinjas question but an attempt to control the way a distinguished man like him was getting captivated when he had a beautiful and accomplished wife waiting for him at home.

T he next morning he opened the newspaper in the expectation of a glimpse of Kinja. He knew it was a remote possibility as she was not a celebrity. He came across a two-page supplement that covered the Milad-Ul-Nabi celebrations across the islands. A half-page collage was dedicated to last evenings most lavish celebration. Musheer was the favourite of the local media not only because of his fortune but also because of his exceptional good looks. So his photograph was bound to be there. That was the reason why he no longer felt excited to see himself in the newspapers. However, he spent an exciting minute skimming through the pictures in the hope of finding Kinjas face somewhere. His eyes had never searched for someone like that, and that too, in a newspaper. He felt a strange pull towards her and it was refreshing. At the corner, there was a small tilted picture of her holding the mike. Looking at it intently, he bent his head to get a better look. Then he followed his custom of spending 20 minutes to go through the local news. Before keeping aside the newspaper, he again quickly glanced at the picture and moved on with the morning.