Pani Da Rang | RaHi OS

The 8 students, or Junglees as they were fondly called, had come a long way since their first meeting. After a lot of fights, physical as well as verbal; taunts, pranks, an expulsion letter along with a contract that stated otherwise; the students had matured. They had learnt to control their tempers, have a firm grip on their egos and above all, learnt to respect and care for one another.

So quite obviously, they had a reason to celebrate. Keeping in mind the consequences of the last party that they'd attended, the students had chosen to keep this a very low-key affair. Meaning, it would just the 8 of them and plus the man of the evening; Aniruddh Jaitley. It wasn't even a party really. It was just a gathering. The Junglees felt so comfortable around one another after a few months that they hadn't felt the need to interact with their peers. They'd all become a part of a family. That's what they liked to call themselves. A crazy, whacked out, protective and close-knit family. Despite the million curses that they'd thrown at Jaitley, they couldn't help but admire him for what he'd turned them into. They were obviously much better people, and they understood each other perfectly. They had some sort of a coordinated harmony. Some people had even tagged the bunch as 'Jaitley and his eight dwarves'.

Ranveer Shergill was seated on a small table strumming his guitar lightly to the popular Jason Mraz tune, 'I'm Yours'.

'Abe oh angrez!' Ranveer whipped his head up at this extremely offensive comment and saw none other than Piddi smirking away to glory.

'Oh hello? Kaun angrez?'

Piddi started laughing in his usual fashion, his head bobbing up and down, much to the amusement of the others. 'Layyy! Khud upar dekhta hai aur khud hi puchta hai kaun angrez? Teri hi baat kar raha hoon obviously!'

Ranveer couldn't help but smirk and decided to humour Piddi, just for the hell of it. 'Main angrez? And how do you come to this conclusion, Mr. Punj?'

'Isme conclusion ki kya baat hai? Party chal rahi hai kitni mast! And tu ek hai ki kone mein betha betha angrezi gaane baja raha hai? Sharam nai aati!? Kuch ekdam fatak sa baja nai sakta?'

KD, who'd be observing this exchange with much amusement, couldn't help but pipe in, 'You mean Ranveer Shergill? And desi gaane? Piddi, soch samajh ke bola kar! Yeh donon ek saath kabhi jaa hi nai sakte! They're like chalk and cheese.'

'Oho! So you guys think that I can't act desi or well, even 'perform' desi?'

'Wah, hindi mein bhi samajh gaya! Smart baccha hai!' Piddi couldn't help but add fuel to the fire, not knowing that Ranveer was enjoying this as much as he was.

'You two do realize what this calls for, don't you? A bet in the making, isn't it, Mr. Desai?'

KD sported a smirk, quite similar to that of Ranveers and agreed, 'Oh most definitely, Mr. Shergill'.

KD, who'd stopped making money his first priority, now, placed bets for fun. Who thought that day would ever come, eh? The four girls, plus Jaitley had been watching the entire scene unfold before them with absolute excitement. Ranveer Shergill performing something 'desi'? Please. Like that would ever happen. The guy who'd grown up idolizing Freddy Mercury and The Beatles hadn't known a thing about Ghazal maestros. Everyone knew this fact; and had accepted it too. Everyone except for Panchi Rastogi.

She knew Ranveer more than he knew himself. She knew he was brilliant at singing Hindi songs; and that they gelled brilliantly well with the strumming of his guitar. She silently smiled to herself, knowing that her best friend had this one in the bag.

'Alright then, Juhi, you need to record this one, so that we can constantly mock Ranveer for his abysmally pathetic performance'. KD slapped the guy in question and threw him a 'good luck, you need it' glance.

Yes, the two guys who'd hated each other ever since they could remember were the closest of friends now. Who'd have thunk it? But their friendship didn't stop them from constantly pulling each other's leg. The only difference being that they now did it for fun, and none of it was taken to heart at all.

Juhi quickly took out her iPhone and pressed the record button as she heard the light strumming of guitar, taking it to be her cue.

'Pani da rang vekh ke
Akhiyaan cho anju rul de
Maahiya na aaya mera, maahiya na aaya
Maahiya na aaya mera, maahiya na aaya
Ranjhana na aaya mera, maahiya na aaya
Maahiya na aaya mera, ranjhana na aaya
Akhaan da noor vekh ke
Akhaan da noor vekh ke
Akhiyaan cho anju rul de'

The stunned looks on everyone's faces, barring Panchi's, were indication enough for Ranveer that he'd officially won the bet; and he'd only started the song.

There was something, though, that the others didn't know. Ranveer had chosen to dedicate this song to Panchi. Yep, what had started with him realizing that his best friend was an attractive young woman had later turned into a full blown epiphany that had him concluding that he was officially in love with his Moti.

There was a slight glitch in the situation though. She was not giving him any attention. At all. Ranveer was quite aware of the fact that Panchi knew the song was being dedicated to her; after all, he'd made sure he caught her eye before starting the song. However, she wasn't even looking at him, which made him rethink the lyrics of the song, sighing as he matched them to fit his situation at that particular moment.

Meanwhile, Piddi quickly rushes to KD's side, who is standing rooted to the same spot where the two contenders had made the bet.

'KD Bhai, yeh kya ho gaya? Yeh Ranveer toh ne toh pure Punjabi mein humaari 'L' laga di! Matlab, angrezi munde ne desi style mein hum dono ki 'mother-sister' together kar di. KD Bhai? Are kuch bolo toh sahi! Oh hi Juhi, tum hum par kyu focus kar rahi ho? Dekho Ranveer kitnaa accha gaa raha hai? Uske upar camera daal do okay?'

'..taaki humko sharam se laal hote hue koi na dekh sake' he added only for KD to hear.

Finally having concluded that KD wasn't going to respond to his silly comments, Piddi sought out the second best person who could help him out in this situation.

'Panchi yaar, yeh Ranveer desi roop mein angrezi munda hai, ya angrezi roop mein desi? I mean, yeh HO kya raha hai?'

She simply chuckled at Piddi's irritability and said, 'Piddi, Shergills are Punjabis'

That simple sentence made Piddi lose all sense of logic and he sank down onto a nearby chair, simply reveling in the song, rather than focusing on his loss; a feat, that was absolutely commendable!

Kamli ho gayi tere bina aaja ranjhan mere
Baarish barkha sab kuch beh gayi, aaya nahi jind mere
Akhaan da noor vekh ke
Akhiyaan cho anju rul de

Ranveer had noticed the entire exchange between Piddi, KD and Panchi. He smiled inwardly to himself and focused his eyes back on the girl who meant so much to him. He had tried everything that he thought would help him get away from his newly acquired feelings. Falling in love was something that was completely alien to him and the thought of messing up scared him. She was the only one who'd stood by him no matter how much he'd hurt her. He'd berated himself for saying such harsh words to his Moti for some cheap girl that he'd virtually met. Now that he'd realized what she meant to him, he couldn't stand the thought of losing her. Not for anything or anyone.

Kotthe utte beh ke akhiyaan milaunde
Na jaana main tu kabhi chhod
Tere utte marda, pyaar tenu karda
Milega tujhe na koi aur
Tu bhi aa sabko chhod ke
Tu bhi aa sabko chhod ke
Meri akhiyaan cho anju rul de
Akhiyaan cho anju rul de

At this point in the song, everyone was absolutely mesmerized by the way Ranveer lightly guided the melody while strumming the guitar lightly. He handled the song so well that the 8 students couldn't imagine someone else singing it in the first place. That's right. Ranveer Shergill was THAT good.

Panchi found herself staring right back in those chocolatey eyes and couldn't help but be surprised as he got up from the stool and walked directly towards her. Her eyes found her feet and a faint blush coloured her cheeks. She had been friends with Ranveer long enough to understand Punjabi. And what those lyrics were telling her? She refused to believe them. She refused to be hurt again. She looked up once more, and seeing everyone looking at her with smiles on their faces, she confusedly, looked around to spot Ranveer, only to see him grinning at her, and circling her as he sang the last few words. For the first time, he had paid attention to the lyrics and meant what he was singing. He'd love her like no other.

Little did he know; that it'd take him more than a song to convince her of his love. Panchi Rastogi may be his best friend, but was a tough cookie to crack in the matters of love.

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That's a wrap! 
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-Raina