Chapter 8

BrhannadaArmour

@BrhannadaArmour

Chapter Eight

"You heard what I just played, Farhad!" Raghav snarled. "Tell me, how could this happen?"

Luṅgīvālā Raghav put his arms around Damayanti to reassure her, but his expression was as worried as Raghav's was angry and Farhad's was confused.

"Anna, this is exactly what you told me to delete this morning! Right after you walked out of the den, I logged into the CCTV system with my mobile phone, I found the wedding reception footage from the microphones and camera next to the staircase, and I edited out just these few minutes in which you asked Pallavi Bhābhī why she wore a white saree, you asked her why she called herself a widow, you said that she was supposed to be the Deshmukh family's daughter, you asked me if I knew that she was a widow, and you expressed worry that she would tell Amma the truth about your marriage."

"Well, we just heard all of that, loud and clear, plus Pallavi saying that she would humiliate me in front of the world, and that the day was not far off when she would force the whole world to avert its face from me. Why did she have to say those words right then? To a stranger, it sounds as if she kept her widowhood a secret on purpose because it would spoil my image!"

"We have to protect your Amma," Luṅgīvālā Raghav explained to Damayanti. "Any ideas?"

Damayanti used one hind leg to scratch her ear, then shifted her weight from one front paw to the other.

"Anna, I did exactly as you said," Farhad was saying. "I went to every place where we keep backup drives of the CCTV footage, and I replaced the original footage with the edited version. I emptied the trash securely so that the original footage was written over with scrambled data. The segment in this clip shouldn't exist anywhere anymore."

Luṅgīvālā Raghav realized what Damayanti had suggested, and excitedly translated it for Raghav. "Damayanti says, scroll through the login history of the CCTV system to find out who accessed it after Farhad today. Someone obviously saved the original footage from a backup while Farhad was busy with the server, and then that person accessed the edited version from the server, and aligned the tracks to locate the missing clip to use for blackmail."

"Dhanyavādālu, Damayanti," Raghav said aloud. "Good suggestion. That's what we'll do."

"Anna?"

"Just drive."

Back at Deshmukh Saree Emporium, Krishna was asking Pallavi, "Dīdī, did you expect Raghav Jījū to get a dog as soon as you moved out?"

"It was my idea," Pallavi admitted, "but when I thought of Raghav with a dog, I imagined a completely different animal."

"A majestic, large dog, with an aggressive bark," Krishna guessed, "male, because they're larger than females, and as expensive as possible. A puppy, of course, because Jījū loves children."

"Exactly, Krishna. But Damayanti is none of those things. Raghav didn't call a dog breeder for a plump, purebred puppy. He went to an animal shelter and got a small, quiet dog, obviously several years old already, who looks like she didn't get enough to eat."

"Well, Jījū likes to rescue poor people, you know that, Dīdī."

"Yes, but Raghav doesn't bring poor people into his home. He grew up poor, wearing cast-offs. Now, he doesn't like anything second-hand. Except me, I guess."

"Dīdī!"

"Of course, when ..." Pallavi began, but stopped as she realized that she was about to tell Krishna that Raghav had married her without knowing that she was a widow. That was best forgotten.

Mandar was in the shop too, but no longer paying attention to their talk, because he was browsing the Photogram page for Deshmukh Saree Emporium, and to his utter shock, the woman posing in every saree was Kirti! So, Kirti is a model, Mandar thought, the sort of glamourous girlfriend who suits Raghav's in-the-news lifestyle. Mandar recalled what Krishna had told him about Manasi's photo shoot, that Raghav had paid off the model and tried to take over the shoot. Obviously, the meaning of Krishna's words was that Raghav had exploited the photo shoot as a vehicle for his girlfriend, Kirti, the model. Mandar had watched Raghav taking Kirti home yesterday, and Farhad had known to call Raghav when Kirti was distraught, but did that mean that Raghav and Kirti were still carrying on a relationship now, three months into his marriage to Pallavi? Could Raghav really be so callous about humiliating Pallavi? Krishna and Farhad both said that Raghav loved Pallavi by now, that he was sorry about abusing her. Milind Kākā also said sympathetic words about Raghav. And yet, Raghav had been at the scene of Mandar's accident that Kirti had left, she said, because she hadn't wanted her mother to find out that she was out with her boyfriend. That meant, Raghav was Kirti's boyfriend almost three years ago, and Raghav's obsession with this woman was obvious; Krishna said that he had sent a man to watch Kirti!

Mandar shivered, and shook his head. He was only going to make himself miserable if he thought about Raghav's disrespect for women. Bābā was right; he should just fulfil his own commitment to Pallavi, and not worry about Raghav.

Vishnu, who had excused himself after lunch to make some phone calls, now arrived, and Mandar spent the rest of the afternoon with him, walking around the neighbourhood and pointing out whatever he remembered.

"Raja - I mean, Mandar, your Sulochana Kākū is definitely up to something." Vishnu said, after checking that they were out of earshot of any passersby.

"Why do you say so? What did you notice?" The night before, Mandar had alerted Vishnu about his memory of Sulochana Kākū abandoning him with Dr. Ramya at the clinic, telling her that he had been stumbling along the highway, and introducing herself as a stranger who simply took the drugged man to the nearest psychiatrist.

"I was up on the terrace, in between calls, when she came up there with her mobile phone and made a call. She stayed at the top of the stairs, out of the sunlight, so she didn't see me, but I was close enough to hear her ask for Dr. Janaki, and then she said, 'Listen well, Dr. Janaki. Mandar Deshmukh is back in Hyderabad. His memories are coming back, but he hasn't remembered the taxi ride to Vikarabad with me, and of course he doesn't know who you are or where to find you. Just in case anyone asks you any questions, remember that I paid you well for your silence.' And that was all she said."

"I owe you, Vishnu," Mandar said. "Whoever this Dr. Janaki is, and wherever I'll find her, I hope she's easier to understand than Sulochana Kākū."

"You don't have any idea why your Kākū would isolate you from your family and Pallavi jī?" Vishnu was curious.

Mandar shook his head. "Kākū has never been affectionate to me, but she's not maternal to her own children either, Manasi and Amruta. Manasi has always looked up to my Āī, and Amruta was very attached to me. Kākū didn't like that. I was five years old when Sulochana Kākū joined the family, and I remember trying to make friends with her. She would just get up and walk away without a word. After a while, she got more comfortable in the family, and started to make fun of me - my brown skin, my nose, I used to be skinny, I would include girls in boys' games, and even join Manasi and Amruta with their toys ... I don't think she has any idea, you know."

"You're sure? After all, she took you to Dr. Ramya, a conversion therapist, and not to a homeless shelter."

"I can't be sure, because Sulochana Kākū was always gossipping and speculating about that sort of thing. Neighbours, celebrities, politicians ... anyone who disappointed her wish to appear at high-profile social events was labelled less than a man. She did tease me on a weekly basis by inquiring whether I had a girlfriend, always raising her voice to ask, 'or a boyfriend?' If she knew, she would embarrass me, but I don't think she would harm me for that reason. I can only say that I was careful to hide my problem from her. I would never confide in Sulochana Kākū."

"Mandar, from what I've heard your Kākū say just this morning and afternoon, I think it won't be long before she spills more clues about what she did to you. I'll have to leave you and go back to Vikarabad tomorrow afternoon, but you're being careful, so I think you're safe. Your Kākū took advantage when you were injured and drugged, but she can't easily harm you now."

"You're right," Mandar said. They continued their walking tour, and returned to Deshmukh Saree Emporium just as Nikhil was locking up, and Pallavi and Krishna were waiting outside with Sharada.

Sharada had arrived just before closing time, and taken Pallavi aside.

"Pallu, zasā Mandar māzhā āhe taśī tū suddhā mājhīça āhesa." Pallu, just as Mandar is mine, so you too are mine only. "Mandar-sāṭhī tū āpalyā gharī yāvesa asā māzhā ajibāta āgraha nāhī." I am not at all insisting that you should return to our house for Mandar. "Tū jithe sukhī rahāśīla, titheça tū rahāvesa." Wherever you will stay happily, only there you should stay. "Tulā mājhyāśī mokaḷepaṇāne kāhī bolāyaçe asela, tara bola." If you have anything to say to me freely, say it.

"Āī, mī Subhadra yāṃnā kāyadyāçe sagaḷe praśna vicārale." Āī, I asked Subhadra all questions about the law. "Tyāñcyā uttarāṃpramāṇe māzhe āṇi Mandar-āṃçe lagnāçe nāte azūna astitvāta āhe, phakta tyāṃçā mṛtyudākhalā radda kelyāvara he nāte siddha hoīla, āṇi he nāte siddha hotā hotā māzhe āṇi Raghav-çe lagnāçe nāte radda hoīla." According to her answers, my marriage to Mandar still exists, and it only has to be validated by expunging his death certificate, and just as this marriage becomes valid, my marriage to Raghav will be annulled. "Ase hoṇyāādhī eka tara mī Mandar-āṃnā ghaṭasphoṭa deūna māzhe āṇi Raghav-çe lagnāçe nāte ṭikavū śakate, nāhī tara mī svataḥ Mandar jīvanta asalyāçe kāraṇa sāṅgūna māzhe āṇi Raghav-çe lagnāçe nāte radda karū śakate." Before this occurs, either I can divorce Mandar and preserve my marriage to Raghav, or I myself can cite Mandar being alive as grounds to annul my marriage to Raghav. "Kāyadyākaḍe pāhile tara nirṇaya gheṇyāçā adhikāra sarvasvī māzhā āhe." If we refer to the law, then the right to make a decision is entirely mine. "Paṇa dharmākaḍe pāhūna mī kāya karāve?" But considering dharma, what should I do?

Sharada listened quietly, thought for a moment, and then replied, "Pallu, ithe malā Śrī-Kṛṣṇāne Arjunālā Bhagavad-Gīteta sāṅgitalelā upadeśa āṭhavato:" Pallu, this situation reminds me of Śrī Kṛṣṇa's warning to Arjuna in Bhagavad-Gītā: "śreyān svadharmo viguṇaḥ paradharmāt svanuṣṭhitāt. svadharme nidhanaṃ śreyaḥ. paradharmo bhayāvahaḥ. Hyāçā artha asā āhe kī dusaryāçā dharma askhalitapaṇe pāḷaṇyāpekṣā çukā karūna suddhā svataḥçā dharma pāḷalelā barā." It is better to follow one's own dharma imperfectly than to be perfect in someone else's dharma. "Svataḥçā dharma pāḷatānā mṛtyu ālā tarī bare." Even to die for one's own principles is desirable. "Kuṇāhī dusaryā māṇasāçā dharma pāḷaṇe he āpalyāsāṭhī bhaya nirmāṇa karate." Anyone else's dharma will only bring anxiety.

Sharada smiled hesitantly, and Pallavi smiled back, understanding that Sharada's advice was to follow her own sense of right and wrong, and not to feel obligated to fulfil anyone else's expectations.

Saying goodnight to Krishna, Pallavi and Sharada walked back to the Deshmukh house with Nikhil, Mandar, and Vishnu. Vijay came to the door with water for all of them.

"Gurujī agreed to come tomorrow morning to direct the Satya-Nārāyaṇa pūjā," Vijay informed Sharada. "Luckily, our thanksgiving can happen before Vishnu has to return to Vikarabad. I phoned Jaya jī to invite all of them; we cannot leave them out. And we should go in person to invite the family that is hosting Pallavi."

"Let's do that without delay," Sharada agreed. "Mandar, Nikhil, go find us two rickshaws. Pallu, send the address to Mandar's phone, then he and I can follow you and Bābā. Was Farhad going to pick you up here tonight?"

"No, Āī, Farhad and Raghav are busy with a meeting tonight," Pallavi said, thinking, I have to call Amma to tell her that I can't meet Raghav tomorrow morning, unless he comes to the Satya-Nārāyaṇa pūjā with her.