‘You’ve done a beautiful job,’ Siya offered. ‘I’ve not seen such a well-maintained, kid-friendly shelter before. It’s commendable.’
Vihaan smiled. ‘We try to keep it as homely as we can. The trick is to remember that we’re the lucky ones who get to be around them, but oh, they’re definitely a handful.’
‘I wanted to make her day special and now it is. You can definitely expect that she’ll be back as a volunteer,’ Raghav mused, watching the kids shower his wife with attention and love.
‘She’s welcome anytime.’
‘I’d dropped this idea earlier because I couldn’t figure out how to make it happen. Thank you for doing this on such short notice. I was scrambling till the last second but honestly, you made it so easy.’
‘The kids deserve joy and we’ll take every reason to make it happen. Oh, but they are definitely a handful. It’s been fun and chaotic since we told them the plan during breakfast,’ Vihaan mentioned, pushing his glasses up his nose.
Siya sat on the ground, cross-legged as kids handed their sketchbooks and colours up to her. One of the girls began painting a star on her cheek with glitter glue, making her giggle.
Siya glanced briefly at Abhay, and found him watching a toddler climb into Luv’s lap and with no hesitation, he picked him up and pushed him up in the air, making the toddler squeal in delight. The longing in her husband’s eyes tugged at her, and she looked away.
‘I did wonder how you’d get the approval from the authority a few hours out,’ Raghav said.
Vihaan shook his head. ‘That was actually the easiest thing to accomplish. I didn’t introduce myself properly. I’m Vihaan Raj, the chairman and director of this home.’
‘Wait, wait, you’re Vihaan Raj? As in Vihaan Raj, the renowned artist? As in the recipient of a National Award for painting?’ Swayam asked, his eyes wide.
Vihaan rubbed the back of his neck and chuckled. ‘Guilty. Though most people don’t know such info about my life by heart.’
‘Oh my god,’ Swayam sighed, turning sharply toward Meera. ‘Mihu, come here. Come here right now! I’ve got you the best birthday gift and you don’t even know it.’
Meera, taken aback by his insistence, immediately rushed over. ‘What’s going on?’ she asked, looking from Swayam to Vihaan.
‘Brace yourself because this is going to blow your mind,’ Swayam pushed Meera to stand right in front of the man. ‘Meet the man you’re so obsessed with that you can’t stop talking about him every time we walk past that art gallery on St Xavier street. Vihaan Raj!’
A wide, awestruck smile lit up her entire face. ‘No way. Is this true?’ she whispered, looking around at everyone to make sure this wasn’t a prank.
Vihaan nodded but looked awkward under the spotlight, fidgeting with his fingers. ‘Uh, yeah.’
‘I’ve followed your work for years,’ Meera gushed. ‘The first painting of yours I saw was in an art exhibition in London.Shadows of the Forgottenwrecked me. Those half-blurred faces were haunting and the way you used muted greys and bright indigo to paint the eyes… I stood in front of that one piece for over twenty minutes.’
Vihaan lifted a shoulder in shrug and placed a hand over his chest. ‘I’m very humbled. Thank you.’
‘She means it. Man, you’re my wife’s hero. Getting an original painting of yours is literally on her bucket list,’ Raghav patted her arm when she gleefully looked at him.
Meera tilted her head slightly. ‘Where do you find that kind of inspiration? I mean, it’s not just technique. Your work… itfeelsalive.’
For a moment, Vihaan looked away. He seemed to think long and hard before answering, ‘Some of it is lived. I grew up in an orphanage much like this, back in Delhi. Those memories and stories became my paint.’
‘Oh, I’m sorry,’ Meera offered, wincing slightly.
‘Please, don’t be. We became a family and my experiences with them shaped me into a better man,’ Vihaan assured with a sheepish smile.
‘Are you still in touch with them?’ Swayam asked.
‘Oh yeah, most of us are. A few of us are spread across the globe, but most of us still stay together. We’ve formed a Search and Rescue unit up in Dehradun. That’s where I stay, and occasionally visit here to make sure everything is well.’
‘You should offer special lessons to Luv. He can’t search for his keys even when they’re right in front of him,’ Swayam teased.
‘Shush! He’s a celebrity. Have some respect,’ Luv shot back.
‘Not at all,’ Vihaan said, shaking his head.
‘When I called you yesterday, I didn’t think it would come together so well but now I see it’d been foolish to worry. I would’ve guessed Dhruv had a reason for this place if I knew him a little better.’
