50 That Golden Girl

"Hey Vindhya, isn't it your birthday this weekend?" Gauri, her closest friend, follower, admirer called out to her while they were in the bath area.

Standing under the spout, Vindhya let the cold water wash away the sweat and grime from her lithe body. She had just returned from a gruelling sword fighting session and every part of her body was sore.

Born to a wealthy set of parents nearly sixteen years ago, Vindya was named after the Vindhyachal hills located in their zilla. Since these hills were a source of food, shelter and many more resources to the locals, it was considered auspicious to name one's child after the element.

Depending upon a zilla's geographical location, the food habits, clothes, architecture took shape. Chandragarh had mandated the usage of one language across the country but everything else including the festivals and customs were peculiar to each zilla. The capital of Chandragarh had no specific cultural identity and was more a culmination of various cultures coming together due to influx of people coming their to study or earn their livelihoods, bringing their heritage along with.

Vindhya's parents had been overjoyed with the arrival of such a beautiful girl into the family. Her elder brother, Vidyut was five years old at the time and had insisted on a sibling for the longest time before his parents had gone ahead and obliged him by producing one. He had been a tad disappointed at the arrival of a girl but she was too cute for him to overcome that disappointment soon enough.

Since childhood, Vindhya had the knack of wrapping everyone around her finger. If her smile didn't do the trick, her pearl like tears were nearly undefeatable. She was a fairly ambitious child and worked hard at everything, be it studies or sports. For her, becoming and remaining 'numero uno' was paramount in any and every field.

By the time she was seven years old, her doting family realised that she will be eligible to participate in the competition for the next queen. That was it! Vidyut was his sister's biggest champion and thought that she had all the qualities needed in their next leader. Vindhya was made to sit down and explained about the same by the enthusiastic parents and sibling.

Though she probably didn't fully grasp what it meant to be the Queen of Chandragarh at the age of seven, but she clearly knew one thing - there was only ONE queen. Thrilled at the prospect, she became an epitome of near perfection from that day onwards. There was nothing that she didn't participate in, whether it was a social cause or a benevolent act. She started prepping in horse riding, sword fighting along with learning etiquettes befitting a queen.

Though Rani Samyukta had proven herself to be a fantastic ruler, there were many patrons in the upper society who, till date, believed that she hadn't been the right choice. Vindhya's parents belonged to the same category of thinkers.

Thankfully, they had been provided with an opportunity to rectify the same through their daughter. Hence it was their duty to give their best to the cause. No stone was left unturned in her upbringing and Vindhya also gave it her all. By the time she started attending the Gurukul at the age of nine, she was way ahead of her batchmates in many things, especially, studies and sports.

Her parents ensured that her lessons weren't interrupted and had applied for permission from the Gurukul's dean to allow her to attend specially arranged classes in the evenings post the school hours outside the Gurukul premise.

They had hired the most skilled teachers to continue with her training in all the fields which she had been receiving the coaching for previously at home.

Vindhya's schedule was tightly packed through the day. But she never complained and always maintained a serene, pleasant demeanour in front of everyone. As a result, there was rarely a person who had come in contact with her and had a bad word to say about her. Even after rejecting countless proposals, she had a long line of suitors vying for her attention. Her fame had started to spread in the Gurukul and amongst her classmates, she enjoyed a near divine status.

Her reason to study medicine had also influenced by her future aspirations. Being a medical practitioner was considered to be a noble cause since there was a lot to be discovered in this field still and also because it was one of the hardest subject to study.

"Yes, it is. You are so kind as to remember it," Vindhya replied to Gauri.

"So what are the plans this year? It is your sixteenth birthday, a big milestone. Don't tell me that you intend to spend it again with the under privileged society or some such stuff," Gauri had stepped out of the bath and now, was bending in front of the brass vessel which contained clear water. She checked her skin for blemishes and pimples before straightening up and combing her hair.

Vindhya stepped out of the shower cubicle and replied, "I really enjoy spending time with those people. Unfortunately, I won't be able to visit them this year. I think my parents and brother are planning to come here on that day to celebrate it with me."

"Yesssss… I mean that's great if your family will be with you on the joyous occasion. So, will they come to the Gurukul as well?" Gauri asked the question with butterflies in her stomach.

Gauri had seen Vidyut for the first time three years ago when he had come to visit Vindhya and she had fallen head over heels for him. Like his sister, he was flawless. A successful medicine practitioner, he was charming and a great conversationalist. More importantly, he was a bachelor till date. Gauri knew that she didn't stand a chance of even being noticed by him, but her traitorous heart didn't give a sh*t about her rational thoughts and started hammering hard the minute she heard his name.

"Umm, I don't know whether they would be coming here or not. But you will surely be invited to the party which they throw for me," Vindhya replied with a benevolent smile.