'When I Look Back' (Joint story by Padma, Ravi and Reshma)

"When I Look Back..."

- a story by Padma, Ravi and Reshma

Sometimes, happiness is found in small moments that usually go unnoticed in the commotion and rush of larger activities. It does not have to be magnificent, or heralded with fanfare and fireworks in front of the world. Something as small as a wild flower by the side of the road may mean a lot to the right person, at the right time. A mind filled with chaos, hatred, jealousy and other negative qualities may be unable to find happiness even when provided with all the material luxuries in heaven and earth. The gentle ones feel peace in their mind, love in their heart and compassion for all. And they know that nothing can be more important, more vital and more divine than a loving family. They can brave the wildest tempests, worst of situations and steeliest of challenges if only they have their loved ones beside them.

"Purvi?"

"PURVI!!"

Purvi abruptly snapped out of her reverie, and hastily turned around to face her seniors. "Yes, sir?"

"Kahan kho gayi?" asked the ACP.

"Arre, idhar aao. Freddy hum sabke liye cake laya hai", said Daya happily.

"Aakhir itna bada case solve kiya ki DCP sir ko bhi humari tareef karni padi", laughed Abhijeet. "Ab chalo, aao na!"

She could see Asha beckoning her to come over, smiling. She smiled back and walked back to her team, some of her mind still lingering on the thoughts which had been flashing through her conscious moments before. She wasn't usually like this. After all when on duty, you cannot afford to get distracted by anything, under any circumstances. Constant vigilance, they say. And even during off time, she was more occupied spending light moments with her team, or a favourite song or movie on the laptop at home, or just sit quietly in company of her father. Somehow giving time to oneself had become a thing of the past, almost unknown.

But today, she had remembered. It was the day, four years ago when she had first stepped into a whole new world. A world quite different from any other. Which had given her something she had not experienced for a long time. People she felt close to, she cared for and they cared as much for her in return. She had never felt that way for anybody except her father. She had kept her professional life just that way until then - professional. But this was just different. She could never put in words, the bond they had developed. She beamed at them as they welcomed her at the table, and she felt the happiness swell within her heart.

And abruptly, ACP sir's phone rang and he was forced to leave urgently. All of them sighed. They could not celebrate without him... it was time to wait.

*****

"Purvi?"

It was the third time someone had called out to her that evening. She turned to see Asha walking towards her, out of the bureau from where she could hear strains of the hilarious classical song Freddy was now playing on the radio, to which the duo, Dr. Salunkhe and Sachin were laughing.

"Phir yahan bahar aa gayi", said Asha, frowning at her. "Tum aaj kahan khoyi hui ho, haan? Kaafi der se dekh rahi hoon, bas chup chaap ek kone mein khadi ho, sahi se baat bhi nahi kar rahi. Tum theek toh ho?"

Purvi turned red. She had never realized when she had walked out of the bureau, into the corridor where she was now watching the sunset out of the window. "Woh, ma'am..."

"It's okay", said Asha gently. "Koi personal baat hai toh rehne do. Bas tum apna khayal rakho, kyunki hum sab ko chinta hoti hai tum aise rahogi toh."

"No ma'am, aisi koi baat nahi hai", said Purvi quickly. "Bas ye hai, aaj mere 4 saal pure hue C.I.D mein. Bas wohi yaad kar rahi thi, puraane din."

*****

"Baat toh sahi hai Purvi tumhari. Har ek insaan ke liye kisi na kisi tarah ke yaadein bohot khaas hote hai", said Asha.

"Haan ma'am. Woh bhi mere jaise, I mean, mera apne liye sirf mere papa the. Magar jis waqt main bureau ke andar aayi thi, ussi waqt, I felt something. Mujhe pata tha ki sab log ek parivaar ki tarah hai, ki main ek stalwart strict team mein nahi, balki ek parivaar ke andar aayi hoon."

Asha smiled and nodded. She knew how Purvi must be feeling, as she herself had experienced the very same nostalgic feeling every time she completed an anniversary in the team. Both of them were now walking along the parking lot, enjoying the pleasant summer breeze of the day. Purvi seemed unable to find enough words to express herself. The elation and contentment she was feeling now seemed to burst through her heart, and she smiled as she shared her memories with Asha.

"Pehle kuchh dino tak main bohot darr darr ke kaam kar rahi thi, kahin kuch galat na kar du. Kyun ek aur case mein ACP sir ka gussa dekhkar bohot ghabra gayi thi."

"Jab tum theek kar rahi ho, toh ACP sir se darne ki koi zarurat nahi. Woh ek father ki tarah pyaar karte hain, chahe woh Abhijeet ya Daya ho, ya chahe woh Pankaj ho. Magar ek bhi galat kaam unse bardash nahi hota."

"Haan, ma'am. Mere seniors ne - Daya sir ho ya Abhijeet sir ya ACP sir, unhone mujhe bohot guide kiya. Mujhe samjhaya ki shaant svabhav rakhna acchi baat hai, par duty ke liye aur forward bhi hona padta hai", explained Purvi. She paused a bit. "Tabse maine bhi unki baat par amal karne ki koshish ki. Maine bhi unke saath discuss kiya - case ke baare mein, duty ke baare mein... aur unse discuss karke mera confidence bhi bada."

Asha understood very well how she was feeling. Such moments were special to every single person who belonged to this wonderful family. She smiled encouragingly and Purvi continued, "Phir ek din aaya jab mujh par ek khoon ka ilzaam lagaya gaya tha. I felt like it was the end of my long cherished career." Her voice welled up with inefficiently concealed pain as she recounted the case and explained how she was an orphan, kidnapped and sold. Asha patted her comfortingly.

"Humare jaise officers ke liye aise bohot waqt aate hain, jab humari puri himmat kahin kho jaati hai. Par Purvi, meri baat maano, agar dil mein woh aag hai, toh kisi na kisi tarah koi bhi phir se apne raaste par aa sakta hai"

Purvi looked at her admiringly. No wonder she was the best female cop in the team, from the beginning to this very day. Even as Asha spoke, the sternness in her voice was just as the old times.

"Ma'am...?"

"Haan bolo, Purvi."

"Aap mere ghar agar aayengi, toh achha lagega mujhe. Aap aayengi, ma'am? Dinner ek saath karte hain. Mere papa bhi hain. Unse bhi mil lijiye. Aap chalengi mere saath? "

"Haan haan, kyu nahi Purvi!"

Asha felt delighted to see Purvi's smile widen at her words. She wondered whether this girl had ever shared all this with anybody at all. Although it had only been a while since she, Asha, had rejoined the CID team, their bond had slowly grown closer. Purvi rarely spoke much at work. She was tough towards criminals, caring towards innocents, loyal to her seniors and thought well before giving her opinions about the case. Though she did have a playful side, she kept her personal side reserved. And she could never even think of acting negatively towards her seniors or colleagues.

And Asha had sensed that subtle something, which she knew she didn't share much with anyone. She had already known about Purvi's father and background from the ACP, though she had never discussed it for her sake. He truly cared for her, and they knew how hard it was to be a lone girl in Mumbai, working in the police department facing unknown dangers and caring for a father who barely recognized her.

"Aaiye, ma'am", said Purvi's voice.

Asha abruptly came out of her reverie. They had done a full circle back to the parking lot; Purvi was holding her car's door open for her.

"Oh! Thanks, Purvi", she smiled. "Chalo."

*****

As they drove through the moderate traffic, Asha watched Purvi moving the steering with ease, a slight smile playing the edge of her lips, and her eyes blinking rapidly as she concentrated on the road ahead. She knew she was excited to have her Asha ma'am visit her home and share some time with her. Feeling happy at her happiness, she decided to strike up some more conversation.

"Toh phir kya hua, Purvi?" she asked nonchalantly. "Tumhare upar lagaye gaye sab ilzaam galat saabit ho gaye, ACP sir ne tumhe pyaar se samjhaya ki zindagi humein jo bhi deti hai, humein apnana chahiye."

"Haan, ma'am", said Purvi. "Tab se, main papa ko kabhi apne se dur nahi hone de rahi hoon. Ek nayi, acchi nurse rakhi hai unke liye. Padosi bhi khayal rakhte hain unka. Par phir bhi, ghar jaane tak unki chinta toh hoti rehti hai."

Asha nodded. "Samajhti hoon. Apne toh apne hi hote hain na."

Purvi continued, "Uske baad, maine thaan li ki apne emotions ko kabhi kaam ke beech nahi aane dungi. Haan pichle saal, jab phir se mujhpar Makran ke khoon ka ilzaam laga tha aur mere laakh samjhane par bhi DCP sir seniors ke saamne mujhe sharminda kar rahe the... main khud ko rok nahi paayi. Soch ke bura lagta hai..."

"Tumhe aisa sochne ki koi zarurat nahi, Purvi", said Asha firmly. "Agar humaari koi kamzori hai toh humaare paas uski jagah taakat bhi hai. Emotions hona koi kamzori nahi hai, par haan, humein unhe khud par haavi nahi hone dena hai."

Purvi nodded. Asha could see gratitude in her eyes.

"Maine suna kaise humari team ne 2012 mein, 15th August ko ek bada terrorist attack hone se roka, aur tumne usmein kitni madad ki."

Purvi turned to stare at her. "Maine?"

"Haan."

Purvi laughed good-naturedly. "Par maine toh kuch nahi kiya, ma'am. Haan unmein se ek ko maine phone par uljhaya tha, uska location pata karke usse pakadne restaurant mein gayi, par unn logon ne jaal bicha rakha tha wahan."

"Aur uske baad bhi tumne team ke liye zaruri suraag chhode", pointed out Asha. "Tumhari madad ke bina baaki team waqt par mujrimon tak nahi pahuch paati paata, Purvi."

Purvi shook her head. "Aisa kuch nahi hai, ma'am."

"Har chhoti aur badi kadi case ko solve karne ke liye zaruri hoti hai", said Asha with an air of finality. "Aur tumne apna farz nibhaya... apni duty ke liye, apni team ke liye. Kya ye sach nahi ki ussi saal, tum kareeb-kareeb ek fort se kood gayi, apni team ko bomb se bachane ke liye?"

Purvi slowly looked away from her. Her cheeks had turned red. "I'm sorry, ma'am. Maanti hoon, meri galti thi."

"Kisne kaha?"

"Logon ne..."

"Phir wohi!"

"Sach hai na. Main bomb ko khud bhi nikaal ke phek sakti thi. Ya intzaar karti taaki baaki log usse nikaal dein..."

"Aur tumne aisa kyun nahi kiya?"

Purvi paused. "Main darr gayi thi, ma'am. Apne liye nahi, apni team ke liye. Woh paagal pehle se sab ko torture kar raha tha. Mere dimaag mein sab tarah ke khayaal aa rahe the... agar bomb galti se pehle hi phat gaya toh? Agar usse nikaalte waqt kuch ho gaya aur woh phat gaya toh? Maanti hoon, uss waqt mujhe utna experience nahi tha. Par phir bhi..."

Asha interrupted her. "Chalo, theek hai. Ab toh teen saal beet chuke hain, tumhe tab se kaafi experience bhi ho chuka hai. Toh bolo... aaj agar wohi situation phir se aa jaaye, toh tum kya karogi?"

Purvi had every intention to say she would act with professional prowess, calculated measures as formal training dictated. But somehow, the words were hard for her to speak.

"Haan... shayad, main... tareeke se..."

"Tum wohi karogi na, jisse tumhe yakeen ho ki tumhari team ko kuch nahi hoga? Bhale hi woh tumhari official instructions ho ya na."

Purvi was silent for a few moments. "Haan... mission ko pura karna aur apne seniors ki baat manna toh sabse zaruri hai mere liye. Par agar unki jaan khatre mein ho, toh..."

"Tumhe toh pata hai Purvi, ki humari duty mein sentiments nahi chalte", said Asha rather sharply. "Agar mission puri karne ke liye team ko peeche chhodna zaruri ho jaaye, toh woh bhi karna padta hai."

"Main bhi toh peeche reh sakti hoon na. Apni jaan dene ko bhi tayyar hoon... unko kyun kuch hona hai?" said Purvi a bit forcefully.

Asha didn't pursue the topic. She sat back, and out of the corner of her eye, Purvi could've sworn she saw a hint of a smile on her lips. "Mujhe bhi yehi umeed hai ki tumhe woh din na dekhna pade, Purvi. Abhi bhi, kuch cheezein hain jo tum nahi samajhti... par tumhare jaise koi aur bhi bohot kam hain. Chahe koi maane ya na... main toh ye zarur kahungi."

Coming from her, that was an extravagant statement. Purvi didn't know what to say. She merely nodded again and focused ahead. Gradually, she slowed down and pulled along the road.

"Aaiye, ma'am. Mera ghar aa gaya."

*****

Purvi's home was modest, with four small rooms and a respectably neat arrangement, with not a thing out of place. The first thing Asha noticed after entering was a large framed photo of Purvi with her team, set beautifully over the front wall and shining, undoubtedly, from the numerous times it had been cleaned carefully. An old TV with a vase of flowers was kept on the other side, near a small wooden temple with a statue of Ganesha. There was a bookshelf containing selected titles on science, economics and some novels, along with a few CDs of classical songs and some English and Hindi films. Newspapers were stacked neatly on a small stool in the corner.

Purvi led her inside, past the small but equally neat kitchen and into her bedroom. The bed hadn't been made; she seemed to have left for work in a hurry. Asha saw a small table in the corner featuring the awards and trophies she had won from her school days to her present days in CID. There was also a small board of newspaper clippings featuring some of her daring stunts in CID, including leaning out of a moving car to hit another car's steering and making its hypnotized driver come to a safe halt, helping one Riya stand her ground against her ill-mannered society and another recent incident where she, with some help from the duo, had descended down a cliff single-handedly to save one Anjali. All of them included only a very brief mention of her, some not even naming her properly.

"Ye bas isliye rakha hai, ma'am, kyunki papa ko dekhkar accha lagta hai", offered Purvi, looking a bit embarrassed. "Haan woh nahi jaante main CID mein kaam karti hoon... par phir bhi, pata nahi kyun, unki reaction dekhkar mujhe lagta hai unhe accha lagta hai."

Asha looked at her. "Iss explanation ki kya zarurat thi, Purvi? Tumne ye sab kaam kiye na. Toh trophies rakhna kya koi galat baat hai? Come on."

But she felt good. She knew many officers preferred to keep their trophies and achievements grandly in the living room, to show off everybody who entered the place, but Purvi's approach was the complete opposite. She knew her junior did not like the spotlight. She did duty out of dedication and heart, not for glory and fame.

They stayed in the room for a while, where Purvi gladly showed her a collection of bright but proper dresses in her cupboard. It was her hobby and they had a nice time discussing them, laughing and sharing their views and ideas. Asha was so cool, outgoing and kind that Purvi almost felt like she was talking to an old friend and not her idol senior. Then, she led her towards the last of the rooms.

"Aaiye, ma'am. Ye hai papa ka room", she said, holding open the door.

Purvi's dad's room was not so big, but just enough. The bedside table had his tablets and other medicines on it and her father was sitting up when Purvi and Asha came inside. Purvi told the nurse to go finish her dinner and to take a short nap if needed. The nurse moved out, smiling at Purvi, who in turn patted her.

"Papa...papa. Dekhiye kaun hai? Asha ma'am aayi hai. CID mein sabse pehli aur sabse best cop hain. Dekhiye papa!"

Her father looked at Asha, who bent down and touched his feet. Asha felt suddenly very bad. She suddenly thought of how hard Purvi must be feeling with someone who can't even recognize her, to look after. Purvi was now helping her father to the bed while talking some pleasant stuff to him and also to Asha about her father's schedule to take his medicines. After he was in bed, Purvi and Asha walked out quietly.

*****

"Aayiye ma'am. Dinner karte hain", said Purvi, inviting Asha after they had come back to the hall.

"Nahi Purvi. Mujhe aaj khane ka mann nahi hai." But seeing Purvi lower her head, she said, "Chalo, ek kaam karte hain; juice pi lete hain."

Purvi smiled and prepared two glasses of pineapple juice while Asha waited, now and then glancing at all the pictures in the hall.

"Suna ki tumne Abhijeet ko bachaya jab woh kisi trapdoor se ghir gaye the. Woh bhi akele?" asked Asha, as Purvi set the tray on the table beside the sofa.

"Aisa kuch nahi, ma'am. Sirf apna farz nibhaya. Par aapko kisne..."

"Arre yaar, kam se kam tareef toh suno. Fredericks ne bola tha. Usne bataya agar do aur minute der ho jaati toh Abhijeet coma mein chal sakte the..."

Purvi remained silent. She could feel the raw terror of that day, and the determination which propelled her to do whatever was necessary to help her senior. But she never let it get to her. That achievement of hers was known only to her teammates.

"Main toh kehti hoon aise kaam ke liye kamse kam tumhe news mein dikhna chahiye tha", said Asha, looking closely at her.

Purvi looked up. "No, ma'am. Maine woh kisi award ke liye nahi kiya. Bas Abhijeet sir theek hain, humari teem khush hai... mujhe toh bas wohi chahiye tha."

Asha looked at her for a moment, before smiling. "Agar aise hi chalta raha, toh tumhe sanyasi samajhne lagenge log."

Both of them laughed. Purvi felt elated deep under as she stared at her idol sitting in front of her, talking to her like a long lost friend. Asha too felt happy seeing Purvi laugh so heartily, because she knew that Purvi seldom opened up to people.

"Waah... juice bohot badiya hai."

"Thank you, ma'am. Vaise suna ki aap pakore bohot achhe banati hain", said Purvi, now feeling a bit more confident.

"Arre yeh log bhi na... kuch na kuch toh kehte he rehte hain. Aa jayiye Purvi ji humare ghar, pakore kya, pura dinner khila deti hu team ko."

"Time mila toh pakka, ma'am" said Purvi, grinning at Asha.

"Aur waise Abhijeet aur Daya, dono bol rahe the ki tum log jab ek train par the aur Abhijeet ko chaku lagi thi, tum bohot ghabra gayi thi aur Abhijeet ke na bolne ke baad bhi tumne Daya ko bulaya."

Purvi didn't speak immediately, but her expression was firm. "Ma'am, aur kya karti main. Abhijeet sir bohot dard mein the aur bohot khoon nikal raha tha. Sir ne mujhe strictly mana kar diya Daya sir ko batane ke liye. Par aisa lag raha tha ki kuch der baad woh behosh ho jaayenge. Isliye Daya sir ko bola tha maine."

"Haan woh toh malum hai. Abhijeet bata rahe the ki tumhari awaaz mein bohot chinta aur dhridta thi uss waqt, jab tumne unse sorry bola Daya ke aane ke baad", said Asha, drinking a little more juice from her glass. She continued, "The entire team is really proud to have you, dear."

Asha smiled, and Purvi didn't really know what to say. She just returned a small smile.

"I'm really very grateful, ma'am."

"Tum jitna sochti ho, usse bhi zyada hai Purvi. Tumhe pata hai kaise ACP sir ne tumhe Priyanka aur kai auro ke aage chuna, CID mein. Aur bilkul sahi kiya unhone. Tumhare Freddy sir bhi bohot maante hain tumko. Tum unn kuch juniors mein se ho jo sach mein unko izzat dete hain."

Purvi looked at her. Somehow she had never thought in depth about all this.

"Aur Daya aur Abhijeet, dono bohot care karte hain tumhare liye", said Asha with a smile. "Bhale hi bahar ko na kahein, mujhe unki baaton se clearly pata chala. Khaas kar Abhijeet jab bhi kuch aise kehte hai, he always means it."

She paused a bit, and said, "Main bas tumhe ye isliye bata rahi hoon Purvi, taaki tum khud ko kabhi akela mehsus na karo. Kabhi negative mat socho. Hum sab ke liye, you mean a lot... kuch ke liye ek beti ki tarah, kuch ke liye behen ki tarah aur kuch ke liye ek acchi teammate. Aur hum sab humesha tumhare saath hain."

Asha was looking at Purvi straight in the eye, and Purvi felt her eyes moisten as she blinked. She knew that all of them respected and cared for her, but to know that her team cum family held her in such a special place, was simply overwhelming. She knew Asha must've been compelled to express this after meeting her father. She muttered a few words of thanks, which were barely audible. But Asha wasn't waiting for that. She smiled again, drained the last of her juice and, despite Purvi's protests, collected both glasses and cleaned them in the kitchen. At that point, she received a phone call and attended to it briefly.

"Accha ab, chalo bureau waapas", she said calmly as they walked back to the living room. "ACP sir wapas aa gaye hain. Cake katne ka waqt ho gaya hai."

She grinned at Purvi and clapped a hand on her shoulder.

*****

The drive back to the bureau felt like a breeze. Asha took Purvi to the room, where the entire team was waiting to cut the cake. And to her surprise, as they opened the box, she saw that the cake featured huge letters in icing...

HAPPY 4TH ANNIVERSARY IN C.I.D, PURVI!

She felt her cheeks go red again, but couldn't help but smile as she looked up at them.

"Par mujhe toh laga, cake case solve karne ki khushi mein..."

"Isse surprise kehte hain, Purvi ji", smiled Dr. Salunkhe.

"Tumhe kya laga, hum bhool jayenge?" chuckled Abhijeet.

"Chalo, bohot intzaar ho gaya", said Freddy. "Time to cut the cake!"

With their hand on Purvi's as she lowered the knife, all of them cut the cake together and fed each other with pieces of it. There was joy all around. Conversations began and they found themselves reminiscing about their journey in the CID family, but Purvi was still silent and merely watching them.

"Purvi, tumhe bhi kuch bolna hoga", said the ACP encouragingly. "Aakhir ye party tumhare liye hi rakhi hai. Aise kaise chalega, haan? Chalo, bolo."

"Haan haan. Purvi ko toh bolna hi padega!" said Daya, Abhijeet, Freddy and Asha, cheering her.

Purvi was hesitant, but when she spoke, her voice was firm and heartfelt, with a subtle aura of contention. "Sir... CID ne mujhe bohot kuch sikhaya hai. CID mere liye mera ek bada pariwar hai. Mere desh aur deshwasio se badhkar mere liye aur kuch nahi hai."

ACP sir, who was observing her speech, came near her and patted her on the shoulder while everyone else clapped, beaming at her. She could feel respect and love in his eyes. "Purvi, aaj tak tumne jitne bhi logo ki jaan bachayi aur jitne logo ko inspire kiya, ye medals hi hain; tumhare liye aur humare bhi."

"Kitni saari ladkiyon ko apne haq ke liye awaz uthane, apne liye ladhne ko sikhaya tumne", said Freddy.

"Aur Purvi, woh garma garam pakode jo hum log khate hain... woh lunch, breakfast jo hum sab log saath mein karte hai, woh toh tum bolna hi bhul gayi", smiled Daya.

"Arre haan Daya, ye toh Purvi bhul hi gayi aur humein pakode banana sikhaya bhi nahi", laughed Abhijeet, pulling her leg.

Now, Purvi looked up at them with a big dimpled grin on her face. She knew her CID family could do anything to bring a smile on her face. And so could she, for them. With happiness in her eyes, she looked towards Asha ma'am, who was smiling happily at her.

"Ma'am, apko pata hai aap mere liye..." She hesitated.

"Haan bolo Purvi? Kya keh rahi thi tum?"

"Ma'am, aap humesha mere liye meri role model rahi hain. Aap jaisa kaun banana nahi chahega, ma'am!"

Asha interrupted, "Ab bas karo, haan. Tum toh meri tarif hi karne mein lag gayi. Purvi, tum bhi kuch kam nahi ho. Tum bhi kitne logo ko inspire karti hogi. Pata hai tumhe?"

Purvi tried to divert the topic. "Aapko pata hai, mujhe humesha lagta tha ki aapke saath kabhi kaam karne ko mil jaye. Aapne phir se join kiya CID, mein aur hum sab bohot kush hain."

Asha smiled. "Main bhi bohot kush hoon, Purvi. Aur tum jaisi ek pyaari nayi member bhi aayi hai ab CID mein. It's great to work with everyone, and you too."

Purvi looked at her, humbled.

"Aur waise Purvi, Daya keh raha tha ki tum tez bhagti ho, stunts bhi acche kar leti ho", continued Asha. "Salunkhe sir iss baat pe mujhe bol rahe the ki unhone tumhare aate hi bol diya tha ki ye bohot medals jeetegi aage chal ke."

Purvi felt nervous but still said, "Ma'am... CID mein kaam karna hi medal hai mere liye."

Just at that moment, Freddy brought forth a beautiful album featuring photos of the entire team celebrating each other's birthdays, Holi and more than anything, the loveliest Diwali celebrations that the team had with NGO kids. And as he turned the pages, there were more lovely photos... including some they had not seen for years. The team handing ACP sir flowers as he freshly returned after regaining his eyesight... a snap of the duo laughing together... another lovely one of the team together just outside the hospital after the duo had disposed of a dangerous bomb... the team in 2009 celebrating Daya's miraculous survival.

Purvi smiled as she observed these old treasures. Although she had not been in the team then... probably still in college, or training, but she felt as though she herself was there with her team as she watched those relics of old times. And then the pages turned to 2011 and ahead. There were photos of her smiling with the team in Freddy sir's village, Shirdi, Rishikesh, Haridwaar, Satara, Ahmedabad and even their recent visit to Delhi and Agra which had been carefully added to the end. And as they began pointing out incidents of them teasing her in various photos, she laughed along with them and felt a growing happiness and elation in her heart. She was where she belonged, where she was destined to be, always. With her family.

"When life takes something from you, it gives you something back. Sometimes, you just need to be capable enough to see it, strong enough to accept it and adept enough to make it your strength. ACP sir taught that to me, that very day. It was hard to adapt myself to what I knew I had to. But I did it, and I could not have done it without them. And I wish for nothing more but that togetherness. I am not going anywhere... for I'm home."

THE END

Authors' note: This is a combined story by DemonStar, Padmpriya and Reshu16 on the occasion of Ansha di (Inspector Purvi) completing 4 years in CID on July 30th. 👏 We got delayed due to our schedules, sorry for that. With this small token of respect, we wish Ansha di a belated happy CID anniversary once again and hope to see her in CID as Purvi for countless years to come. 😊

Thank you so much Saman, Samyajita, Vis, Krittika, Rifah, Binod bro. 🤗 😃 Its so sweet and encouraging. Really means a lot.