Aaji's Waghya

"Amma, I want to do this for myself now."

Aaditya said this to his mother while he was packing some clothes in his college bag.He was born and raised in Pune in very educated family. His parents were government employees. Aaditya was their only child.

Long ago when Aaditya was just 2 years old, he was badly ill with Dengue, almost to the deathbed. His aaji (grandmother) went to lord Khandoba to save him. She folded her hands and Said "Khandoba Maharaj please make my grandson fit and fine, bless him with a long life, and I'll make him were ghaghra choli and perform a dance at your jatra (holy fair)"

Call it the magic of Khandoba's power and blessings, or aaji's faith in him, Aaditya recovered within a few weeks.
Since then, to keep his grandmother's promise, during the Khandoba Jatra every year, Aaditya would wear his grandmother's ghahgra choli and perform dance infront of Khandoba Maharaj.

Aaditya had lost his grandmother last month. Today was the Jatra day. Like every year, Aaditya was leaving to perform there.

His mother told him "Aaditya, you don't have to do this now. Your aaji is no more; with her, the promise also ended, beta."

Aaditya looked into the mirror, his almond shaped eyes were decorated with dark shade of kohl. His lips looked pink. He said with full conviction: "All this while I wore the ghagra choli and performed for Lord Khandoba because of Aaji's promise. I never realised I always wanted to do this. This is me. I feel free when I wear the ghagra choli. I feel beautiful in this beige pink shade of lipstick."

"Amma, please don't stop me."

"Amma, I want to do this for myself now."