Dhoka - A story;new link-pg147;pts 1-22 pg-148&149

Hi, I am not exactly new here but this is my first story. The main protagonists are Raj and Naina from the show LRL but I have taken liberties with characters in general. Except the story nothing is mine.... Comments and feedback welcome!

Statutory Warning: All characters, incidents and situations in this story are completely fictitious. Any similarities with any person, living or dead and events in history are purely coincidental and maybe a little er.. inspirational. The sentiments echoed by the characters do not necessarily imply my own views and I am not for or against any particular nation. Everything is due to the story. I will try my best to make a realistic narration of this story but some situations maybe slightly beyond reality. Please read the story with a pinch of salt here and there, attributing those to creative freedom but if you feel I have crossed way beyond, do let me know and I will try to rein in my imaginations. So sit back and enjoy! 😊

Story Rating: PG 13, contains elements of violence and of course, romance!

DHOKA

Prologue

December 21, 1999; 2.20 am

Somewhere in the pine forests of Ladakh, Kashmir, India

It was a cold winter night. Like any other night in December in Ladakh. The crescent-shaped moon peeking through heavy clouds now and then, casting a ghostly pale light on the earth below. The wind howling through the gaps between pines and acorns heralding the onset of a blizzard. Nothing unusual. It was like any other night in December in Ladakh. But the night was nothing normal for a few people. Some people lost something that night, while some gained something. A few lives were altered that night but apart from that, it was like any other night'

The snow was falling with rapidly increasing intensity, adding to the few feet of snow already piled up on the ground. Two shadows passed rapidly through the forests, stopping once in a while to check the direction in a small hand-held compass. The blinding snow did not really help in visibility but the two shadows plodded on, unmindful of the fierce snow-storm raging around them. The two shadows ran through the snow a repressed hurry but there was no panic or frenzy in their actions. They stopped at times to hide behind solid tree trunks whenever the moon decided to grace the earth with a piercing white light. They were being pursued.

There was only silence surrounding the two men being pursued, apart from the howling winds and their own soft footfalls. Their pursuers were either too far behind or too stealthy. But there was no time to ponder about it. They ran through the forest alongside each other when one of the men tripped over a fallen branch covered in snow and went rolling down the hill. The other man tried to stop his companion's fall but only succeeded in sliding down beside him, at least more controlled was his fall. The fall of both men was broken when they crashed against a few trees near the edge of the slope that they had travelled down so ungraciously. The two men sat up, breathing hard and immediately checking their surroundings. One of the men was clearly older than the other, inspite of his boyish looks. He was probably in his late thirties or just stepping into the fourth decade of his life. The younger man was in his early twenties, still innocent-looking, inspite of having faced many a battle in life, though not on the war-field. The older man checked the direction again in his compass and pointed east. "That way cadet. I hope you haven't broken any bones." "I am fine sir. Shaken but fine", he replied breathlessly. "Let's go then", he urged the cadet. The two men once again started on their journey, wading through snow, not really caring about leaving behind footprints for their pursuers, for they knew the fierce snowfall will cover their prints before they cross a few feet of distance. The men were clothed in heavy winter clothes but there was no mistake identifying the camouflages they wore. They were dressed for battle. They had only travelled for a few minutes when the older man froze in his tracks. Terror passed through his features for a moment before calm descended. The other man had not noticed his partner lagging behind yet. "Cadet, one minute", he called out. The young man skidded to a halt before returning to his superior. He was puzzled for a minute looking at his mentor who was standing like a statue before he let his gaze drop down, and a look of horror dawned on him. The older man was standing on a live landmine!

2.35 am

Both men dropped down wearily, taking care not to disturb the foot on the landmine. The young man glanced at his partner but was surprised to see no fear on his handsome face. He looked deep into the other man's hazel eyes and found peace there. There was determination in those eyes, along with a pride that he will achieve his ambition at last. He will lay down his life for his country. It was his dream since he was a teenager, to serve his Motherland and if it comes to that, to give up his life for Her. The older man looked at his protge admiringly. He had already proved he will be a great soldier but today he had showed signs of a good leader. There was no fear of death in the young man's gray eyes. The only sign of his inner turmoil was the storminess that clouded his usually clear gray eyes, eyes that have seen a lot in his short life till now; eyes that now held admiration for his mentor along with a strong determination. He knew the score now. He will have to finish the mission single-handedly now. His friend, philosopher and guide, his mentor will not be with him to see the end of this mission. His jaw was set, lips thinned and devotion glinting in his eyes as he gazed at his superior, waiting for his orders. This man who was sitting in front of him with such calm was the reason he is what he is today. The man took him under his wings when he came to the academy a year and half ago, a bitter young orphan whose aggression bordered on violence. This man helped him channel his energies, taught him in the workings of the world, made him discover a new man within him. In turn, the older man was not disappointed. The young man in front of him required some guidance and he was happy he has helped shape a promising young soldier in service to his country.

The older man reached into his heavy winter jacket and drew out a red box. It was a nondescript rectangular box, weighing a few pounds but the contents were capable of starting or ending a huge war! The nuclear triggers that were kept on a ready state at the Ladakh forward base to protect the country if it boils down to that. Thankfully there was no need for that and the battle was stopped before it blew out into a full-fledged war between two strong nations of South-East Asia. Tension simmered just below the surface even months after the conflict at Kargil ended, making it necessary to keep the triggers in its place until now. The triggers were being shifted to its original home under the protection of very able officers of the Indian Army, before they were ambushed about 30 miles south of the Ladakh forward base. Clearly out-numbered, the two men were the only ones able to escape with the triggers and flee into the forests. It was upto them to get the triggers safely to its home at the cantonment at Ambala, until the older man stepped on a landmine. It was now the duty of the younger cadet to make sure this mission is a success.

The younger man silently received the package before placing it carefully inside his jacket, in the specially lined compartment that was designed specifically to minimize vibrations that may disturb the delicate contents of the box. The older man then looked at his partner and quietly commanded, "You know the procedure, cadet. Go ahead with what you have to do." The young man hesitated a second before stripping his superior of his identifications, his wallet and military badges. He knew he will return with reinforcements to get his mentor or his body. But these procedures were necessary to prevent identification of the person or his military rank if he, unfortunately, gets captured by the enemy. He older man removed his chain from around his neck and the young man watched a flicker of emotion as the older man gazed at the locket for a long time before handing it over to his cadet. The young man pocketed all his mentor's belongings safely before drawing out a small pocket knife hesitantly. Seeing his protge not prepared to take the next step, the older man took the knife from his hands and peeled the skin off the finger tips of both his hands. The young man knew it is part of procedures to prevent identification but still couldn't help his eyes getting moist. The calm determination on his mentor's face forced him to blink his eyes; his mentor hated soldiers who get emotional in the battle-field!

2.40 am

Once all the 'procedures' were completed, the older man looked at his favorite student. "Leave", he said. The young man stood still, unable to stomach the fact that he may not see his 'sir' after this. The older man's face softened for a minute before he said, "That is an order, cadet!". The young man saluted his superior, looked at his mentor for a few seconds and turned on his heel. "You will be a good soldier. Have a good life, cadet!", he heard his mentor say softly. The young man knew his duty. He turned, saluted the man again, turned and ran into the night. That was the last time Cadet Rajveer Singh Shekhawat saluted Captain Navin Singh Ahluwalia!

~Yeti

woww...nice start n interesting story line... ur writing skill is soo gud..hooked me from first line to last...
waiting for the next part... 😊

very good start...

looks quite interesting

Thank you guys, for your compliments and support. It is really heart warming to see efforts being appreciated and encouraged here. I was quite nervous as I had written my last creative work when I was in high school. Long time since then.

I will post part1 in a few hours maybe. I was home this entire weekend and got around to typing the first couple of parts.

@Prerna, Alekh will come too. Soon!

~Yeti

Mind blowing...good start..the concept is interesting plZ CONTINUE SOON

I am back with part1 so soon! Thank you for all your support and wishes. And a special thank you for the compliments. Do let me know if you "like" this story if you do not have time to post a comment about the direction the story is heading.

And of course feel free to comment about my style of writing if you find it too narrative or descriptive. My characters do not really speak a lot but they have their own thought processes which are in italics in the story, along with any emphasis in the narration.

The characters maybe slightly different from what we have seen in LRL, along with some new ones. The story may seem to move quite fast in the first 4-5 chapters but all the background I need for Raj and Naina's journey has to be dealt with. The characters may not be developed completely right now, but I promise in due course everything will be dealt with. But of course if I forget something or commit sme bloopers, do let me know!

Here is another long part! Happy reading!

***************NOTE - edited BC's wife's name to Chitra *****************

Part 1

May, 2007

Ambala, Haryana

She made her way up the temple steps, her payal chiming gently. She had on her a pale yellow chudidhar-kurta, the kurta reaching almost to her knees and the chudidhar gathered tight around her ankles, with the dupatta covering her hair in respect to the Lord. Holding the pooja thali in one hand, she bent down and touched the threshold of the temple with her right hand. She went near the deity of Lord Shiv and looked around for her one relation in the world. "Arey beti, poojariji ko doond rahi ho? Unhohne paani laane keliye abhi gaye. Atha hi honge", informed Naren Kaka. Naren Kaka was the mukhya of the small village of Panjokhra, bordering the Ambala Cantonment, on the outskirts of Ambala. As part of his duties, he always initiated the morning aarti at the Shiv Mandir in the village.

"Kaun humare bare mein baath kar rahe hain", came a voice from behind. She turned around and smiled widely at the frail old man who was making his way up the side stairs with a pail of holy water. She kept her thali near the deity and went to the old man. Taking the pail from him, she chided him softly, "Kya Nanu, humne tulsi pooja karne gayi thi aur aap yahaan aagaye. Humne kaha tha na, aapka tabyat teek nahi hai. Aap humari aane tak intezar nahi kar sakte?". The old man smiled at his granddaughter and accepted her scolding silently like a child does. He knew she can never be mad at him for long. "Dher ho raha tha. Isiliye.. Ab tum aagayi na, meri madad karo aarti shuru karna hai", he said, keeping his right hand on her head and blessing her silently in his heart. "Chaliye".

After the aarti, she and her grandfather returned to their modest dwelling by the side of the temple and she helped him to recline on the rocker. "Nanu, Hume Chitra Aunty se milna hai. Unko prashad dena hai. Aaj patha nahi who kyun nahi aaye aarti keliye. Can I go to KMA to meet her?", she asked him once all work was completed at home. "Kyun nahi, beti. Zaroor. Magar jaldi aana", he replied closing his eyes. He did not know that it was the last time he was going to see his beloved granddaughter for a long time!

She drove her compact car towards the main gates of Ambala Cantonment. Although the distance could be covered on foot, she always went in her car, as she wanted to return early. Today especially, as she had promised her Nanu that she would return soon. If she had gone on foot, she knew she will return only at dusk but she had to help her Nanu with the evening aarti and make the prashad. With just the two of them, they were not lacking in material wealth. She was well educated and is capable of landing a plum job if she wished so. Her Nanu only worked as the pujari as he wanted to spend his life-time serving the Lord and his dream was to breathe his last while serving his Shivji.

Ambala cantonment.. One of the most important bases of the Armed Forces, which housed a huge Indian Army base as well as an Indian Air Force base. Alongside these famous establishments was the Kanchenjunga Military Academy, the nation's best training ground for young soldiers in the making. Highly selective and secretive, the cadets of this academy get trained by facing adversities like any soldier would, on the battle-field. The KMA never recruited cadets directly. The best talents that were recruited in other academies in India were hand-picked after few months of careful and detailed monitoring and were given a chance to complete their training at the best military academy of India, the KMA. Most, of course, accepted and turned out to be able, dedicated and successful officers of the Indian Army, with a few opting to pursue further training to be commissioned into the Indian Air Force. Cadets spend close to two years at this academy, honing their skills both theoretically as well as practically. The most important training method of KMA was the mentorship program where each incoming cadet is assigned to a staff member, the staff being distinguished officers of the Indian Army themselves. The secrecy surrounding KMA is due to the importance it holds in war-time strategies of the Armed Forces. Only a few senior-most members of the Armed Forces and the Parliament know the reason behind this secrecy. The KMA is the home of the highly sensitive nuclear triggers, which boost the nation's power on the defense map of the world.

She paused before the guard-house of the Ambala cantonment, furnishing her identification before entering. Ganesh Ram, the havaldar who patrols the main gates greeted her warmly, "Aao beti. Aaj kya tum khud yahaan chali aayi? Kya baath hai?" "Namaste chacha. Bas yuhin.. Chitra Aunty ko milne aayi..", she replied smiling at him. "Leejiye prashad. Hum KMA jaa rahe hai. Aapka log book mein entry karna math booliye", she reminded him before driving towards the second guarded compound within the boundaries of the cantonment. Presenting her identification again at the gates of KMA, she thought about her life at Panjokhra the past couple of months. Her grandfather and she had moved to Panjokhra just a couple of months ago, when her grandfather took up the position of the temple pujari at the Shiv Mandir. Due to his failing health, she had also accompanied her grandfather to Ambala and assisted him in his daily temple duties. Her Nanu never agreed that he has to slow down now that his body and his organs were slowing down but still continued in his service to the Lord. She knew she can never talk him out of it. So she did the next best thing... staying with him and making sure to the best of her abilities that he was comfortable. In the past two months, she had come to love the peaceful life of the village and often spent her time in the temple in holy service. She also taught kids Mathematics and English every weekend at the temple and the people of the village loved her for it, although most were puzzled as to why such an obviously well-to-do duo have decided to stay in their modest little village and work at the temple. In the two months, she had also come to love Chitra Aunty, "the First Lady of KMA", the wife of the commanding officer of KMA. Having lost her parents at a young age, she found an emotional anchor in Chitra Aunty in a very short duration. Although her grandfather had stayed by her side throughout, she was more concerned about his delicate health and could never confide in him her insecurities in growing up an orphan in a strange place. She always looked forward to spending a couple of hours with Chitra Aunty when she came for the morning aarti everyday. And it was not unusual for her to go to KMA on the days Chitra Aunty could not make it to the temple due to work or poor health. As she passed through the gates and parked her car in the visitor lot, she hoped to God that there should be nothing wrong with Chitra Aunty's health.

Three pairs of eyes watched her as she got down from the car, locked it and went towards the main building.

As was her usual routine every time she came to KMA to meet her Chitra Aunty, her legs automatically took her towards the place she considered holier than the inner sanctum of the Shiv Mandir - the Hall of Fame! She stopped before the pictures of men and women who had trained at KMA and given up their lives in service to their nation. Shahid, martyr, hero... She gazed at the faces looking down on her from every corner of the room, not realizing the single drop of tear that was about to drop from her left eye. She knew what she had to do... She did not realize she had been standing here for the past twenty minutes simply staring at the pictures and inscriptions when she was suddenly jolted out of her reverie hearing the second year cadets trooping towards the mess after yet another exhausting drill session with Major Nair. She had not met any of the staff members or cadets of KMA personally but knew most of their names and short character analysis, courtesy her Chitra Aunty. She knew that Major Nair was the 'Hitler of KMA', fondly called 'Muchad' by this batch of KMA cadets. She hurriedly blinked her eyes and smiled to herself thinking of all the pranks this particular batch of cadets had played on almost all staff members in their first year, as regaled by Chitra Aunty.

"Yaar, is Muchad ka koi biwi bhi nahi hain. Then whose anger is he taking out on all of us", complained a petite young girl with curly hair and a sharp nose. "Iski tho mein...", her words trailed off as five pairs of eyes wandered towards her. The five cadets stopped shortly at the sight of an unknown face in their Hall of Fame. She was dressed in a pale yellow chudidhar-kurta and had a pooja thali in her hands. She was of medium height, curvaceous and quite fair, as if she had spent most of her time in hilly areas. Big eyes under neatly trimmed eyebrows but they could not decipher the eye color from that far; dark wavy hair left open and falling below her shoulders, pale pink lips, small bindi between her eyebrows and a simple gold chain around her neck, yellow bangles on one hand and a gold watch on the other hand. "Yeh kaun hai yaar. Ekta ki heroine dikhthi hai, of course before her marriage. Shaadi ke baath tho woh hamesha sajke savarke ghoomthi hai", the petite girl commented in a sagely voice. Before she could go and inquire the unknown girl's history and geography, another guy standing next to her caught her hand. "Pooja, hume dher ho rahi hai. Aapko yaad hai, mess bandh hone wala hai. Then Major Nair will make sure we don't get anything to eat until lunch time", he reminded. "Haan yaar Ali. Tum sahi keh rahe ho. And I am so hungry. Let's go guys", said another guy with a slightly pronounced accent. Pooja looked at the second guy weirdly, "Yudi, tume humesha kaise khana hi yaad rehta hai? What are you made of?", while she kept talking the others pulled her and rushed towards the mess. The unknown girl can be met later.

She smiled to herself at the antics of these cadets. Chitra Aunty sahi keh rahi thi. Yeh log hai hi ithne lively. She then realized she had been standing for too long here and turned towards the staff quarters. She knocked on the door to Chitra Aunty's house and waited for someone to attend to her. The door was opened by an orderly who asked her to sit while he fetched his boss. She was looking around the paintings hanging on the walls when she heard a booming voice, "Tum? Kya baath hai. Sab kuch teek hai?" She turned around to face Brigadier Chandook, the commanding officer of KMA. He was well-known as a strict disciplinarian who expects the best out of his cadets and staff and has ways of getting it too. She noticed he was not dressed in his usual military uniform but in a pair of slacks and dark colored trousers, matched with dark colored blazer with the KMA logo over his heart area. She mused that the logo was placed at the correct place, as she knew very well his dedication and commitment to KMA and making its cadets the best officers of the Indian Army. He was adjusting his scarf when he looked up and saw her gazing at him with a small smile. He then noticed the pooja thali on her hand and wondered from when she started to give prashad to him. Although she had grown quite close to Chitra Aunty over the past few weeks, she was always polite and reserved with the Brigadier and he seemed to reciprocate with the same level of politeness. That was the reason he was wondering about her arrival that fine morning.

"Hum Chitra Aunty se milne aaye hai, Brigadierji", she replied softly. She always found it a bit unnerving to stand in front of him but she guessed it was the same with almost everybody in KMA, with the exception of his wife, Chitra Chandook. She had heard rumors that though Brigadier Chandook may be the chief of KMA, the chief of his house is his wife, the ever-lively Chitra Aunty as she was well-known. The childless lady seemed to have decided to shower all the love and affection that a mother would shower on her kids, on everybody she comes across in life and she herself was no exception. She seemed to have some deep bonding with Chitra Aunty since the day she met her at the temple and looked into her kind eyes.

"Chitra? Woh tho Delhi gayi hai. Apne bhai ke ghar. Uski bhatiji ka sagaai hai aaj aur mein bhi wahi chal raha hoon. Kya Chitra ne tumhe nahi bataya?" he enquired while taking his shoes from the orderly. "Unhone kaha ki who shaayad nahi jaayenge kyunki aapko kaam hai yahaan", she replied surprised. Chitra Aunty was quite close to her and she was surprised she did not inform of her change in decision. "Haan tha, lekin hum kal sham decide karliya ki hum dono do din chutti leke Delhi jaayenge. I asked her to inform you through an orderly. Shaayad bhool gayi woh", he said as he finished tying up his shoe laces and stood up before her. She was puzzled, Aunty could not be so careless. She knew it is difficult for me to leave Nanu in his delicate state and come here and she also knew I will surely come here if she doesn't come. Deciding to question Aunty once she returns, she took her leave from the Brigadier and walked back to her car, seeing the Brigadier's car making its way out of KMA. She was thinking she will make her Nanu's favorite baingan bartha for lunch today and with a twinkle in her eye, opened her car and started from there.

She was half way to the main gates of the cantonment when she heard some commotion behind her. She looked into her rear-view mirror and saw two jeeps of soldiers coming out of KMA at full speed. Thinking they were on their way for some important mission, she pulled over the side of the road to give them way to pass. But to her immense surprise, she found the two jeeps accost her, one at the front of her car and one at the back. Another jeep full of soldiers from the main cantonment stopped next to her car. Soldiers piled out of the jeeps and rushed towards her car with weapons drawn. She felt a shiver run down her spine and a sinking feeling in her stomach when she realized the soldiers were pointing their weapons at her and surrounding her car. She heard a knock on her window and rolled the glass down. She looked up to see Ganesh chacha looking at her with pain in his face. Was that sympathy in his eyes? "Aap andar hi baitiye. Aur please apna trunk kulye", he asked her in a formal tone. She knew for sure something was wrong; Ganesh chacha was never so formal with her, even during her first visit to KMA. She reached down and opened her trunk, still looking at Ganesh chacha and trying to decipher the pain reflected in his face. She heard a few soldiers rummage around the contents of her trunk. A couple of minutes passed before she heard one of them call out, "Ji sir. Yahaan hai". What was there, she wondered. But before she could question Ganesh chacha what was going on, she heard his voice.

"Naina Singh, you are under arrest for engaging in espionage against the nation."

~Yeti

NOTE: I noticed that Brigadier Chandook is always a lonely old man, so here he has a wife 😊

nice update...

oh god naina in problem!

i hope everything will b fine....

continue soon...

wow,