(EPISODE 74 on Pg 146)Do Dil Ek Jaan ..ek baar phir - Page 5

There was still time for all of them to reach in the basti. Ashok kaul and Geeta kaul was seating inside the taxi with utter silence. Antara and Ishan never thought that someday, they would see their lively, full of life parents like that. They seemed like some different peoples who just resemble their pappa and mumma. Antara looked outside through the window. The rusty smell of air mingled with the disels and smoke almost burned her nose, the chaos and buzz on the road, sounds of horns and noise made her almost deaf. She always said that she used to like crowd and cheerful voice of people but for the first time she felt like running away so far from them. She saw the sea of crowds on the road running like hell without even making a single conversation with each other. They didn't even have the time to say hi or sorry someone if accidentally two people collided. They looked like mechanical robots. The taxi entered inside a slam area and she saw the little boys and girls wearing old tore clothes begging on the footpaths. Some of them even were physically handicapped. Antara squeezed her eyes shut and looked away. She couldn't see anymore. The Mumbai city seemed more horrible place than she thought to be. however the taxi passed that area so soon and they reached their destination. "chaliye bhaisahab-madam jii utriye. Aa gaya.. yahin hain woo jagah." Taxi driver said. "Geeta..." ashok called slowly. Geeta just nodded and came out of taxi holding his hands. antara and ishan came out after them and antara paid for the taxi. The taxi driver put their luggage and hosed away in full speed leaving a huge amount of bitter disel smoke behind. All four of them looked around the crowded but arranged basti area. It was good that the ccrowd was not like the main parts of Mumbai city. A bit of peaceful nature could be found there. They slowly moved to the door nearby. Antara pressed the calling bell and middle aged woman opened the door. "Didi, jija jii!!..." she said in cheerful voice. "how are you saroj?!" ashok asked with a dry smile. "I am fine jija ji... please come in..." saroj invited them and all of them went inside the house. Govind, geeta's brother and saroj's husband came down listening to their voice. "didi.. jija ji..." govind touched their feet. "how are you govind?! Everything's fine?" ashok asked. "yes jijja ji... with your and didi's blessing my saree's shop is really going good and soon I am going to open my shop'd branch in ahmedabad." Govind said. "that's really good news govind. May you prosper more and more in your life! Seriously, if you didn't let us live in your house we don't know where would we go." Geeta said with grateful voice. "what are you saying didi?! It's your house too. Please never consider yourself as a guest here. Didi- jija ji, from now on it's your house." Govind said. Both ashok and geeta smiled generously and overwhelmed by govind's behavior. they welcomed them with warm heart and they felt so much comfort and peace after a long time. They even left the two rooms on the 22^nd floor for them. one room was for ashok and geeta and other room was for antara and ishan. Geeta and Ashok objected at first but they convinced them. antara was quite happy as she saw two balcony on her room. She really love standing at the balcony and watching different peoples on the road. She opened the door of south facing balcony and the warm sunlight spread on her face. Ahhh!! That was so good. Mumbai didn't seem such bad at all. she came out at the balcony and looked down. Great it was facing the road. She cheerfully looked at the peoples on the road. After ssuch a long time an warm smile escaped her lips. she moved her gaze throughout the bassti and her eyes fixed on the huge haveli situated just at the right of their house at the end of basti. "Damayanti Bhavan" antara read the huge name grooved at the top of the house. She wandered, who lived at such a big haveli. Cause she didn't saw anyone rather than two security guards standing at the collapsible gate.

After some moment antara was found in kitchen helping saroj. She really loved saroj's company. Antara admired her character very much. At one side she was warm, kind hearted, cool headed but whenever if some danger or bad time appears she saw how her mummy ji became a strong woman and handled the situation coming forward. A beautiful combination of heartiness and strength, that's what saroj was. "mummy ji, tell me one thing. who lived at the big mansion beside our house?" antara asked. "you mean damayanti bhavan?" saroj asked. "yes that one. It was a quite big house but I didn't saw a single people there. I wander why." antara said. "cause very few people lived there... perhaps some serfvants and his man and that boy all alone..." the sadness flickered in saroj's voice as she spoke those words. "I didn't understand.." antara said in confusion. "It was an incident of 3 or 4 years ago.. we didn't even come here at that moment... but I heard few things from the local peoples...the mansion... it was called Naik Sadan at first according to the name of Daya Naik... but before four years he suddenly appeared from nowhere and almost captured the mansion from naik's hand. He named that mansion on the name of his dead mother, Damayanti." Saroj said. "and who was the person whom you are reffering all the time as He'?" antara asked. "Actuakky he is... ohh god!" saroj said loudly as she opened the container of suger. "what happened mumy?" antara asked. "god! I didn't notice that sugar was finished. Now I have to tell him to bring sugar otherwise I can't serve the tea." Saroj said in low voice. "mumy, why are you troubling mama ji? Give me the rupees, I will go and bring sugar." Antara said. "no no antara! how can I send you all alone? You came at Mumbai city for the first time and you don't know the roads..." saroj frustrated voice was resisted by antara's giggle, "mummy ji.." she said, "I may not be aware of the roads but I am aware about the stationary shop situated just at the other side of footpath. I think I am quite capable to visit that small distance?" antara finished with a smile. "Uff antara..." saroj stroke her own head, "okk.. if you really want to go I won't stop you but please be aware." Saroj said. "Don't worry mumy. I will be absoluteky fine." antara assured.

The stationary shop was just at the opposite side of the road of their house. She didn't felt any difficulty. "beta, tum iss ilake mein nayi lagti ho?! Pahele kabhi dekha nahi?" the shop owner asked. "jee haan... main aaj hi ayi hoon..." Antara said. suddenly a loud boom reached their ear and shook their every fiber. Antara stood there wide eyes looking at the smoke gathering on the entrance of basti. She couldn't react, scream or move her feet from the place. It seemed like she was rooted to the spot. the horrible memory of the blast flashed in her mind taking away her each and every strength. The smoke was spreading in the air. Suddenly so many gunshots could be here from nearby and two jeeps loaded with people who were carrying huge arms and guns in their hand, appeared out of the smoke. The people who were on the road and balconies, gasped looking at those men. "hey bappa.. fir aa gaye woo log.." the shop owner said in fearful voice which broke antara's trance. "uncle kaun hain ye log?!" antara asked in low fearful voice. "shh! Beta abhi kucch baat mat karna... bahut khatarnaak log hain yee..." the shop owner said. the jeeps pulled their brake at the middle of road. A man with a huge sturdy physique jumped down from the jeep. His face was hard and his eyes red eyes were moving at each and every corner of basti. There was not a single strand of hair on his round glistening head. The man looked towards damayanti mansion and screamed, "raghu!!... bahar nikal!!" he screamed. But no one answered from the house. "kiss bill mein chupa huya hain ye chuha... aaj nahi bach payega tu apne hathon se... aaj tera khoon dekh kar hi iss basti se niklunga main.." he screamed again. a man with a rifle in his hand, jumped down from the jeep and came near him, "bhai lagta hain bhag gaya idhar se..." he said. "arey shetty se bhag ke jayega kidhar... acha thik hain... ek ek ko nikal bahar basti ke sare gharo se aur yahin pe lass bicha de unki..." the man said. the panick sriken basti people started to run on the road. Antara was standing there couldn't eable to understand what to do. She saw mumy ji coming out of the house and she saw antara. "antara...!!" she screamed and indicated her to come inside. antara looked here and there. peoples who were running aimlessly was blocking her way. she was trying to reach at the other side somehow but suddenly they heard a gunshot and all chaos became dumb. Shetty looked towards the crowd with his murderous gaze. "Raghu agar tu ek min mein bahar nahi ayya too sare ke sare marengey.." he screamed loudly. Still no one reached there. "eee leke aa uss bachi ko..." shetty pointed towards a little girl on the footpath. The goon went and pulled the girl from his mother's grip. "nahin!!... nahin chor do ussey..." his mother cried madly and pulled that goon's hand trying to free the girl from his grip. "ayii... ayiii..." The little girl screamed. "eee hat..." the goon pushed her away and the lady fell on the footpath. The goon pulled the girl near shetty. Shetty smiled nastily and put the barrel of rifle on her chest the girl was crying continuously and looked towards shetty's hard face. shetty was about to push the trigure when suddenly a hand approached from the side and pulled away the barrel from that girls side. shetty became surprised and confronted two determined hard hazel eyes which were looking towards her without any fear. All of people were shocked when the girl moved from the other side of footpath and pushed away the barrel from that girl's side. "antara!!..." saroj gasped at the scene. Antara hold the barell more tightly and looked towards the hard face of shetty. When she saw the girl was about to being shot she couldn't control herself. She rushed towards the road without caring about her own and stopped shetty. "Ek bachi ko maar ke agar aap ko apni zor dikhana hain too main woo aap ko nahin karne doongi..." she said with determined voice. "ee larki kaun hain tu? Aur idhar kaise tapki?!!" shetty was still confused. "main joo bhi hoon woo maine nahin rakhta... par main aap ko iss bachi ko maar ne nahin doongi..." she said in determined voice. "kya tu?!!" shetty laughed like hell. Not just him, all of their man burst out in laughter. Antara just stood there calm still holding the rifle. "eee chokri... naya maal hain kya tu iss pagalkhane ke.. arey pura sahar kaanp ta hain shetty bhai ke naam se... aur tu heumein rokegi... woo khali hatho se..." one of the shetty's man mocked. "haan.. main!!.." antara said in hard voice. "god this girl.. someone save her.." saroj was so much worried about antara. "galat ke khilap awaz uthane ke liye kissi hathiyar ki nahin himmat ki zarurat hoti hain... Gandhi ji ne too apni ek lathi ke sahare sare angrezo ko bhaga diya... to aap log kya ho?!!" antara said in that same hard tone. Shetty and her man was amazed by her bravery. "eee... ye gaandhi ji netaji ka bhasan apun ko mat sunaa... gaya woo zamana... dekh cchokri apne pass time nahin hain... haath idhar se..." shetty jerked out the rifle from antara's hand and again pointed towards the girl. Fire caught in antara's hazels and she immediately came in front of shetty's rifle covering rge scared girl behind her. Saroj gasped looking at the scene. Govind was also looking at the scene from the window and was terrified. He couldn't even go outside otherwise ashok and geeta would come to know about the incident going outside. "what happened govind?! I heard antara's voice." geeta said worriedly. "nothing didi... nothing just some random quarrel..."govind quickly suppressed the matter. "no it seemed serious... let us see.." ashok proposed. "I told you naa.. it's nothing jija ji.. didi.." he quickly came near them, "lets go in your room.. it's quite hot here..." govind said. "but..." geeta was confused. "it's nothing didi... come.. it will be cool at ur room.." govind almost dragged both of them inside. "god this antara!." govind thought with worried face. as soon as they were inside their room govind quickly rushed outsaide with worried face.