FF~Fettered Affection.chp20.p144 23.8.13 - Page 6

Originally posted by: Hamlet53

my amazinggg hammiee waitinggg ..intezar kal khatam hoga...prologue ke tarha story be zabardast hoge😃

HI Hamlet

Thanks for the PM and the annotation can't wait for tomorrow . Take care

Originally posted by: -bharti-

meri boli naku, meri pyari naku 😛 iss ek vishay pe 1st thread hojayega agar hammie jaldi disclse nahi kiya toh. Waise naku ko sssaaab pata hai...😉

yeh andar ke baat kaise pata jale mere maal ...mujhe hammiee ne bahut daata ke sara scret inaugration se phele khol deya .kuch toh tum dono tahera aur bharti digestion ke liye karo😃kal khulega parda shayad naku ke entry ho ya nehin ..ab dekho aur ek raaz mein kol deya..hammiee aai bachao😆😆

Mishal Raheja as Dutta Patil

Fettered Affection ~Chapter 1

"What's past is prologue"..Shakespeare

Dressed in a white kurta opened at the neck, part of his curly black chest hairs evident and in creased white pyjama, Dutta steadily progressed forward followed by a prison officer behind him. How well he knew this new cordoned off hint of blue painted ground floor abode of his. Beneath his feet squeaked the neutral toned slippery smooth prolonged corridor, fringed on either sides by rows of metal rod cells. His eyes noted each cell partitioned from the other by a cemented block of the hint of blue painted concrete pillars. His eyes observed the galvanized iron bar of security lock sensors that ran all the way along the top of the cells and held all the cells under tight security monitoring. His ear strained as the prison warden behind him, irritatingly ran his stick on the metal bars of the cell doors, crank! scrape! that sound how he shirked when he heard it in the deathly dark silence of the night, like a brief witches cackle! that he hid from it. But now was the odd occasion when he was forced to come out of dark solace to face the light of reality ,come clean with what fate handed to him next. His heels smarted as they dug into the prison sandals, which piped and rubbed on the cell walkway, but he continued with the requirement. With one hand loosely creased behind his back, he slanted his neck and contracted his lion like eyes as he spotted his magnified outline before him.The security light behind him cast his ghostly silhouette ahead and although he travelled forward bit by bit, his tall and majestic self, gobbled up his shadow, in the long corridor flanked by cells at both sides. Dutta slowly straightened his head and blinked his eyes once, as he heard an odd whisper of "Bhao"! from the slothfully watchful inmates from the cells. His bow shaped higher lip curled at the corners from their audible warm endearments. Undeterred his long legs shuffled in his white pyjamas as his knees folded and he scoured the distance to the prison officers room... hummhh.. Not so long ago this very journey was reversed as he saw himself a young wisp raw apprehensive adolescent, rudely handled by prison wardens and dumped into one of these very cells.The stench of hopelessness, the hurled volley of abuses from scoffing inmates had given him the welcome of his time.On closer contact with them, almost immediately he was judged more so with corrosive remarks,"salle kaisa kamina hai baap ko he marr dala!, bhaut jigar hai reh tera mein hero! and so the abusive name calling over took him to such an extent ,that soon they never mattered to him any more.. he didn't care what the puny criminals thought of him. He Dutta had carried out what his pater deserved, and regrets there were none ,if at all his action was well deserved by the man whose sperm formed him, he recalled with further contempt. In addition there were forever questions posed as to the why side of the deed.. but he never really acquired the opportunity to speak about the reasons , as before Dutta settled at a prison venue, it was soon time to move on. He smiled bitterly as he recollected his life was that of a human being who never let the grass grow under his feet, a mover but not a runner, for whatever came he handled, and when he grew up mentally from a rising seventeen year old to a twenty seven year old man baffled him still.. But now was another move back into the civilized world.The notion still numbed him, he was at a loss to decipher what exactly he felt ,happy ?sad? excited? none of them made ground with him, but what did was alert apprehension of things to come. He pulled his lower lip into his mouth and his mouth dropped tightly towards his indented broad chin. The prison warden who knew this prisoner well attempted conversation to deafen the uncomfortable sound of plodding feet,"so bata Dutta kush hai azad ho jaye ga aj tu? with a slightly sided face he gave the guttural reply,"Gavde, tum ne buliya tu main ah gaya, ab tum na bola jao tu main chala jaon ka, ju order mila kiya maine aur aage bhi kare ga", Gavde, caught up with Dutta at the side of his wide shoulder, "aree Dutta ya kaise jawab hoya?,kuch tu kushi ho gi thujhe , apne ghar ja reha hai tu family ke pas haina? encouraged the prison warden. Nonchalant he sided his face and firmed up,"dekh Gavde, main soochta nehi bas karta hai, ghar jana hai ,bas jaye ga, agge ka kya bolna tum ne dekha hai ke aj aur kal kiya hoga? main tu sirf abhi ke baat kerta hai", he gritted bitterly. Gavde decided to shelf the conversation and stayed focussed at the task, "chaal phir Dutta, abhi ke baat hai to tu abhi, bare shabib ke daftar ah gaya hai , dekh hosh main rehena koi aise baat maat bolna jis se tu phir se yahan mahman buna rehe" he suggested kindly. Dutta literally smiled at the warden, and bowed his head to acknowledge his request. It was true, the prison was a grotty place riddled with banged up felons and villains, huddled together to be licked into shape so they could function as law abiders after their sentence.. but there were others here also who were, compassionate, sensitive and endearing, due to whom, days of such offenders like him became less of nightmarish inferno.

With a tap on the door and a benign nod from the prison warden, Dutta entered the office of the other wise loathed, ShamLal, the biggy of this prison ,but to Dutta he was one who comprehended the complicated pendulum of Dutta's personality. A man in early fifties who attempted many times to be the absent father that Dutta missed, but Dutta disagreed and pushed ShamLal's effort as father he never missed, hence forth the prison officer had concluded that'll he be more of the firm hand of the law , rather than play daddy to Dutta. He stood up from behind his table and peered thoughtfully at this quaidi in standard frugal prison clothes, humh he reckoned his going away attire needed to be sorted, "woh Gavde jane se phele is hero noma Bhao ka kaproon ka tu intazaam ker de," he ordered. Dutta lowered his eyes and blinked his eyes at the fond epithets he was addressed with ,and squared his shoulders and with head held high he requested, or rather in a veiled manner ordered,"mujhe mera purna kapre he chaiya, ek quaide hoone ke naate se apne woh sambhaal ke tu zaroor rekhe hoon ge?", he queried with a slight furrowed brow. The prison officer was aware that being in prison for so long Dutta knew the procedures, rights and duties, so he with a nod complimented,"very good tu apne bhudhi sahi kam mein istalmal ker raha hai Dutta," which brought nothing but a subtle flare to Dutta's nostrils and a side yank of his head as he looked , keenly into Shamlal's eyes,"apne haq ke baat kerta hoon main, mere kapre hain , unse mera ateet jura hoya hai, is liye mera liye bahut khas hain woh kapre.. "but he realized his shirty manner and his eyes from narrow, widened with innocent veracity ,and he added, "ap ko koi problem tu nehi hoga?, Shamlal shook his head and waited for his order to be obeyed and very soon ,Dutta's old clothes were brought and placed on the prison officer stable,"ye le Dutta tera woh kare jin mein tu aya tha , aur yeh hai teri chained wrist watch, kuch paisa aur tera purse, ab ja aur kapre badal ke wapis ah mera pas."instructed Shamlal.

Dutta, felt the clothes in the toilet, and he held them to his nose ,with eyes clouded with salted water, he clenched his jaw and felt the dull pain of his teeth ,and with the twinge came the ache of preceded times when he had looked thin and gaunt , his lean yet athletic body that he carried now was beyond recognition, he had filled out in flesh and perhaps his structural bone frame had fortified too over the years.He put on his attire, and he felt enveloped by a certain undefined comfort level, he felt now a sense of liberty, some form of change in his life. He, fixed his jeans and gave into the temptation of actually for once looking at himself in the mirror. What he saw, he almost with narrowed eyes approved, but not for long as he swivelled his head and, kicked his prison clothes out of the way, pushed opened the toilet swing door with his rounded hard edged shoulder and strode with bold wide strides towards Shamlal's office. Shamlal couldn't believe how altered Dutta looked in every day clothes, any other then the standard prison clothes that almost grow on him as part of his skin and never changed till now. He, headed Dutta to sit before him in a humble wooden chair. Dutta , being the man that he was sat with his legs slightly apart his hands firmly rested on his knees ,with his back very straight and formal, far cry from being relaxed and at ease. Shamlal, nodded at him approvingly,"have to Dutta Patil, urf Bhao, it gives me joy to see you today, tere bahut se roop I have seen in the jail, but this is the feature that I wanted to see you most in my life as a prison officer.. a success story, mujhe umeed hai Dutta you will continue to be a victory story outside these prison walls too. Of course it goes without saying that baher ke zindagi asan nehi ho ge tera liye, tera saath kiya barto karien ge log, is not too hard to predict, but all I am saying is not to lose heart , just stick with what you believe in , and I know Dutta ,deep down tu bura insaan nehi hai," guided Shamlal.Dutta shuffled his posterior and raised his head up ,his eyes on the prison officer, and his lips fell apart as he opined," haan pata hai mujhe life mushkal ho ge, maagar sab log ek jaise nehi hote, jahaan bura hain ,wahan kuch aache bhi hote hain..."he assured ,but within himself he wrestled with his own tack, mera saath jo aacha ,main uske saath aache, mera saath jo pura mein uske saath andehi!.. but then by now he knew that har kisi ke seena mein koi raaz hota hain, aur mera seena mein bhi bahut se raaz dafan hai... he griped silently and his eyes turned to omitting icy glares. Shamlal, studied him and continued,"dekh Dutta baher ja ke bhi, there will be provision made for you to seek support in finding a decent job, or in other field like adjusting to daily normal life, so there is an identified ,rehabilitation officer cum social worker in your area that you could go to should you face any issues beyond your control. At this moment in time I cannot give you the name of the man, because paperwork hona hai is masla par , but apne local thane se tu pata kar sakta hai, but give it week , you know how slow the system can be when you need it most", and Shamlal, reprimanded himself as he may have spoken too much , and he stood up to release Dutta with a hand shake,"ok Dutta ,azadi mubarak ho thuje , ab tu ja , aur yaad rehkna, har lafra se dor rehena.. main edhur he hoon, kabhi bhi ah ke mil mujhse , maagar aache kamse bura kam se nehi.."he said almost over come with emotions,as he saw a red faced Dutta with hooded eyes and strangely quiet, and he led Dutta and showed him out to the main prison gate. Dutta never spoke but joined his hands and raised them above his head as he looked at his prison officer, turned and stepped outside the prison gate...

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He raised his head and looked at the sky, it was the same colour as it was from within the penitentiary, the sun made his eyes squint, that too was the same, the sounds ,smells of life seemed identical to those behind bars.. so where is freedom he mused for a split second is it a fleeting state of the mind?

Baji's dewy eyes lit up and his overcome face gleamed when he caught sight of his bosom pal. Despite being a jailbird, how handsome he looked, with a day old stubble, his lips curled up a bit on the right side of his mouth, twinkling eyes , his jet black side parted hair, brushed back from his broad smooth forehead. His long sturdy legs clad in his old faded jeans. His board chest stood out in his old high scoop neck white tee shirt with a grey blue boxed check shirt open collar at the top. Baji stood solidified in complete incredulity that Dutta stood before his very own watery eyes outside the prison walls, he blinked back his tears.. as he grabbed the moment when his Bhao too had spotted him. Dutta's frolic some gaze played with Baji's wide eyed mischievous look.. the instance just stood still and after a pause , both figures one tall and one sort ambled towards each other lazily, till Baji threw to the winds all restraint and ran and leapt at Dutta's wide strong chest and buried his head against his friends broad stiff neck ,his right arm wound on Dutta's shoulder and the other curved past his waist and placed on Dutta's back.A certain aloofness stirred within Dutta, as it had been a while since he felt any one at such close quarters. Yet in the inner niches of his heart, some emotion of a lost, but found bond struck and he doubled his chin and looked at the top of Baji's head under his square jaw. Guided by the sentiment his slender fingers rose and patted Baji's back firmly , with a request ,"chal choor ab mujhe, kafi ho gaya hai tera natak am janta ke samna..".Baji on hearing the old cynical gibe in his mate's voice clasped his arm harder behind Dutta's back with a croaky overcome,"Bhao"... Dutta cranked his head and raised his arm and shifted it strongly and gripped the back of Bajis neck, "aeeyee bas kar ab, bola na,!"he commanded. His sudden abruptness, impelled Baaji to retract from this affectionate bear hug. Still Dutta held his friend by the shoulders and had a good look at him," ankoon mein anshoon kyon hai teri Baji , humm? baher ah gaya hai main, jab mein himmat se sazza kat ke aya hoon, tu teri himmat or tashan kahan hai? choor ab ye lardki ke mafak roonde shakal aur chaal",Dutta ordered dryly. Baji's countenance extended into a dimple displayed gleeful smile as he swiftly changed position and threw his arm around Dutta's expansive shoulders, and both men walked towards an old black jeep. Baji was like an exuberant child in possession of long lost obsolete yet precious toy that was temporarily put away in the attic, but now back in his life to afford him priceless joy. He jostled against Dutta in comradeship in their brief walk and constantly, and he looked up at his profile every so often, that made Dutta side his face and with narrow hooded eyes he gazed at Baji's smile ridden face,"kyon mere sarr pe koi seeng lage hoi hain ju thujhe dekh kar hasi ah rehe hai", he said cuttingly and shook his head as he turned it the other way eventually. Baji cackled loudly , "haan Baji aj tu mein bahut mast hai"! and he raised his creased elbows in a wiggly caper. Dutta raised his eyebrow and pulled his firmed lips to one side above his indented chin, "hummh, I see you still have a kahtra jeep, paidel chalna bhi sheek its good for health!" he suggested coldly,"areey Bhao, khetra nehi hai ye, ek dum item number hai ye jeep, tu beith tu sehe is ke ghud mein, hajkole de ge jaise ganga pe naon mein saer kar raho," he jabbered, on and Dutta bowed his head with a sided daggered gaze at Baji, as he slid his folded thigh into the passenger seat of the jalopy,"waise tera bikwas aaj bhi jare hai, maine sooche shayeed tujhe mein ekul ah gaya hogi itna saal mujhse dor rehe ke, pun tu to abhi bhi nautanki baaz hai", moaned Dutta as he played with the left side of his stubble cheek.

Baji stole glances at his friends profile, he gulped with unease, why was he at a loss for words, his Bhao was set free, they were together again as the inseparable pair, time was benevolent to them once again his eyes clouded and he felt a lump configure in his throat and he gulped, lest he was caught in this pulp situation. Although, silence subsisted between them like an invisible vacuum of air, but it goaded both of them to puncture it. Baji took the lead and decided to take his friend down memory lane. Dutta, with his arm folded and his fingers gripped on to the metal roof top of the jeep, peered inquisitively at the signs of life around him in all directions. Seemingly disinterested, yet familiarity still greeted him, in the form of bustling shops, proud brightly coloured houses, the hubbub of an assortment of vehicles, beeping cars, quick sliver cyclists, bulging buses imposing their ways about and nifty rickshaw drivers whizzing about, and natty bikers weaving in and out of all the conceivable spaces possible amidst a cacophony of sounds . Dutta allowed a smile to play on his lips, as he realized very few things changed in the precincts that he had lived a greater part of his life in, but for a few new shops and two storied houses that had popped up. Gradually he began to sense the difference of milieu betwixt behind bars and outside them ,he drew his breathe and relaxed his stubble jaw. Meanwhile Baji turned the jeep towards the river and he briefly braked at a familiar point. Both friends, stepped out of the jeep and stood outside it and just witnessed soundlessly, the descent of the wide bricked steps that gave one easy access to the waters. Baji turned to Dutta ,"yaad hai yeh jagaa Bhao? kitne pataya tune us Seema ko yahan, pata hai ab tu woh teen baachon ke maa hain! ye mooti ho gayea hai! aree Bhao tu to chala tha lagaan kerne us se",Baji sniggered. Dutta bit his lip , turned his head and mutely delighted in the greenery around and across the river. How constant the trees were, solid though and unchangeable despite going through the motions of time.. with his head held high he decided to reply to Baji's earlier remark, "thujhe kis na bola ke main us Seema se lagan kerna chatha tha? hummh?.. and after a pause he continued, shaadi ka tu khayal bhi nehi ayea mujhe", he admitted. Baji defended , tu woh jo uske saath jo tum khomte the Bhao woh kya tha tum time pass ker rehe the?, Dutta folded his arms and dangerously shook his head,"woh time pas ker rehe the mare saath, use talash the paisa wala ke, aur woh tu main tha nehi,"he accepted ,and added "aur shaadi puri barbadi mein main yakeen nehi rekhta Baji!",he firmed up. But Baji carried on, "pun Bhao, mujhe aj bhi yaad hai re, thujhe kitna junoon tha us lardki ka, chandi ka locket diya tha na tune use, ise jaga pe ,? Baji sniggered and Dutta moved his body to face him ,"thujhe kaise pata? he questioned caught out, and Baji retorted "aree Bhao maine sab chup ke dekha woh dewar ke peeche se.." Dutta glared at him,"thujhe se umeed bhi yeh hai Baji, tak jhank kerna!, waise band kar kisi aur ke biako ke mutalaq baat kerna", and turned his heels and headed to sit back in the jeep.Once they took to the road, Baji continued to tease Dutta,"waise tu pooche ga tu nehi maagar phir bhi main thujhe baitai ga ke lagan us teri gul pari Seema na wohi humara moota mechanic se kiya hai," Dutta, piqued his lips and snapped, "haan tu thek kiya us na , mera se lagaan bunti tu gahte mein rethe ,main tu hawalt ke hawa kha raha tha... he said with a degree of dead pan truth. Baji just nodded ,but not without fear, somewhere along the line his Dutta had undergone a change, his responses regarding this girl he had teenage hots for, came as a surprise.. could it be that Dutta has moved in years, now he has the knowledge that she is all married and settled. If the later was the case, then be it so, judged Baji ,but if it was a response that was brought about from the fact that his Bhao had served a sentence , then it was an anxiety for him..feared Baji. Dutta settled again in the undisturbed somewhat comfortable silence. But Baji within was edgy, and he spurted out,"woh ghar mein sab tera intezaar kar rehe hain Bhao, khas kar Aye Sahib, maa hain na beta ke rah dekh rehe hain" he briefed. Dutta took a deep breath and turned his head to look the other way at the passing signs of the lived in dwellings, and under his breath he muttered,"tu is mein kaunse ankhoo baat hai Baji, jab beta ghar par na ho itne waqat se, tu maa intezaar tu karege, maagar afsoos ye beta jail se choot ke ah raha hai ,koi medal jeet ke nehi ,he said objectively.. Baji gulped again, at the plainness of his Bhao's reply. He tried to soften his friend,"bahut yaad kertain hain AS, thujhe Bhao, koi aisa din nehi guzra jab teri kame nehi mehsoos hoi unhe, Bhao,".Dutta moved his head to one side and narrowed his lion like eyes, and with great serenity replied,"maine poocha kiya thujhse Baji? nehi na ?, to tu maat ker unke waqalat, yaad karien ya bhool jaien mujhe koi farak nehi parta ab, haan farak zaroor parta ju unke pas main retha".. he said in uncertain terms.. Both Baji's face and his spirit smarted.. this here was something he had not bargained for.. bhaut himmat ke saath kam lena pare ga thujhe Baji he counselled himself..

They soon entered the narrow crowded road where their home stood. Finally they reached the humble dwelling, an unattractive yet liveable abode, adequate enough to accommodate, Dutta, AS, Baji, and Roops..Baji stopped the jeep in front of the house and Dutta looked up at his home and didn't know quite what he felt... all he concluded was that this was not the central jail..

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Love or otherwise, ex-con or not ,one clarity that remains with Dutta's family is that they are believers in ritualistic spiritual deities, of which Ganesha is given the highest position within the household.AS, in particular was carried all these years after the event ,and the conviction of her son ,by the strength passed on to her from other equally prominent deities of the God Mahadev, and the Goddess Amba.

His mother came to the doorstep prompted by a surge of irrepressible maternal sentiments and her eyes welled up in tears of sorrow turned to joy.. she swung the arti plate before the face she yearned to see that of her only son.With a face as blank as a sheet of paper, his eyes looked into her beseeching eyes of his mother and he showed total denial in accepting the message from her soul with a cold stare. Baji who stood to his side, glared at Dutta and batted his eyes towards the floor.Dutta snapped out of his frigid zone and awkwardly leaned forward and crooked his still body and felt his mothers' toes.The faint contact from his slender fingers upon her toes signalled her motherly hands to tender his firm broad shoulders lovingly and he raised himself and stared down into her awaiting weepy eyes. She spread her arms imploringly,to hug her son to her bosom, but in delayed instance, Dutta stood still like a solid rock.Baji's hand on his arm, reminded him of the appropriate response to his own mother and he slowly leaned his head forward and his mother grabbed the small mercy bestowed upon her by her son. Sadly she held his face in her warm gentle palms and kissed his forehead. Dutta cringed within and levelled up tall once more. Roops stepped forward and stood before her older brother.His eyes softened as he studied her innocent face, she was a chit of girl when he left her, now he observed she showed signs of woman hood,"bare ho gei hai tu ab Roops" he remarked in melt down fashion, which was sign enough for Roops to move forward and cling too his chest in a warm tight embrace. Dutta's arms painstakingly moved from his sides and gradually closed around his sisters back, and affection initiated her sniffles . With a blink of his eyes and head thrown back to swallow his tears he caressed his palms on her back and whispered, "sshh, big girls don't cry" , and she snivelled hard and moved her head back from his chest and looked up at him sullenly,"ab maine tumhe kahan nehi jane doon ge Bhao.."she said adamantly. Dutta pulled his mouth to one side and continued to stand in the door frame, standoffishly distant from familial bonds. His eyes shifted to assess this house which was where he lived till he could remember. He stared at the once magnolia walls now turned into a faded drab colour of dusty dullness .What does one say to one's next of kin after spending a long stint in the doldrums he mused. His mother's eyes searched his narrow eyes which gave nothing away as he turned his face, curt and insensitive and gazed vacantly at nothing in particular...there was nothing to talk about he decided. AS, still driven by maternal instincts, took hold of his arm and invited,"ah ja indur Dutta tera he ghar hai ye, chaal beith Roops na khana buniya hai tera liye",he nodded,"hummh"he responded and stepped into the house his eyes shifted slowly, and noted any changes ,in his previous surrounding... there were none. In a trance still, his sister held him by the arm and directed him to the dining area .. yes this he recalled the bonding and eating together at the floor ,seated on wooden patla floor stools, with bajot tables for their thalis.. yess he thought positively, no more eating with offenders at prison tables.. and he bent his knees, folded his legs and took his place on the patla stool at the head of the spread.. exactly adjacent to his mother.. Roops served the thalis of home cooked dal ,rice, and roti with pickle and quartered red onion. His fingers closed around the roti and broke a morsel,dipped it in dal and popped it in his mouth chewing quietly.AS smiled at the move of her son, after a few morsels he announced he had finished, "bas yeh le ja Roops, aacha khana buniya hai tune ,"Roops giggled,"nehi Bhao meine nehi baniya, ye sab tumhare pasand ke chezzien tu AS na buniye hain". Dutta looked across to his mother blankly and stood up and addressed his sister,"ab ghar ka kam thujhe kerna chaiye Roops" he expressed himself in a stern note. Baji too stood up and defended,"nehi Bhao woh Rops ghar ko chalne ke liya telephone exchange me kam ker ti hai.. isliye, kahane ka dhayaan AS kerti hain.." Dutta poured himself a glass of water to cool off the financial shortfalls that formed due to him being behind bars.His brow furrowed with anxiety. AS, noted and she attempted to rise from the patla and Baji ran to help her stand up,"AS, kitne dafa bola hai ap ko ke ap uppar beith ke khana kahiya karien maagar ap manti nehi,"but AS smiled at Baji as she placed her palm on his head,"dekh Baji maa ke jaga apne baachoon ke saath he hote hai, saab ko band ke ju rekte hai maa", she said as she turned to look at Dutta who stood afar , but on hearing his mother he drank another glass of water.AS could sense her son was under duress and she informed him,"pata hai Dutta , Baji bhi choota motta kam kerta hai garage mein , tu khercha nikal jata hai ghar ga".. and after a pause added,"ab tu bhi laut aya hai tu sab thek ho jayea ga.."Kala aur Leela bhi kabhi kabhi paisa ke maadat ker deti hain, maagar woh.."Dutta growled "BAS! bas! ek din mein he sab batna ke zarorrat nehi! abhi tu main aya hoon aur kuch nehi suna mujhe!",he roared with his palm raised up defiantely..AS, Roops felt snubbed at this uncalled for reaction from Dutta. Baji looked at AS and bowed his head calmly, and sauntered over to Dutta ,"chaal Bhao, adda ka chakaar laga ke ata hain.." and he turned to AS, "ap dono sau jana ,khar ke chabi hai humara pas , tu kuch der bad hum laut ayen ga.."he pledged. Dutta looked at his mother and then turned to Baji, "chaal mera dum ghut raha hai" he moaned as he clenched his square jaw, and stalked out.

AS, watched them both leave with tears in her eyes, Bappa Baji na hota tu humara kiya hota?.. she thought long and hard..

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In the slight lull of the dusky hours, walked this petite figure dressed in a simple fluorescent green churidar pyjama and a modest shirt, which subtly hugged her tiny frame. Her tiny toes bent within her embroidered ethnic pumps.She walked intently towards her destination. Her mobile rang and she bent her arm and reached out for it from her brightly pattered shoulder tote bag. Her green doe eyes twinkled and her bottom lip curled into a slanted smile as she ,answered the phone, "ok Bob, what is now? have barely stepped out and you doing the rounds on me,"she teased, "hey lady, this guy here is only doing his job ma'am, so tell me you ok?" he queried, Naku continued walking and folded her arm across her belly as she felt the handle of her bag that hung from her shoulder, "of course Bob, why wouldn't I be? I am in my home territory everyone knows me here , no one would dare!".Bob responded, "yes that's fine , but you know the issue of women's security rife so just wanted to check up on your where abouts," he reasoned, "she agreed ,"I know what you mean, Bob, but I suspect because this is such a talked about issue preceding the gang rape incident, I doubt if anyone would try being smart with me now, people have thier eyes and ears open now Bob, news is too much in the forefront", she argued, "besides who would give me a second look Bob" and she giggled, Bob accepted, "ok lady if you say so, are you nearly there? honestly you leave me speechless Nakusha, you and your shall we interesting ways, but we talk about that some other time, in the meanwhile , tell me you there yet? he asked repeatedly, and she responded , "yep I am now , ok have to go ,I'll speak to you later, take care Bob," and she disconnected the phone.

Before she even pressed the bell on the door, abusive language greeted her along with the sounds of utensils being chucked about. Finally she took a deep breath and pressed the bell.The door was flung open and the cussing and hurling of utensils ceased.The woman inside the house looked at this dusky bi-browed young woman with huge green doe eyes outside on the door step,"haan kaun?,dekho maaf karo lardki,koi dossera ghar talash karo mangne ke liye" shunned the house owner. With a quiver to her thin rosebud lips, the visitor replied, "main Nakusha Mahale, ap na daftar phone kiya tha, home visit ke liye,".The lady, highly embarrassed at her misjudgement, urged Nakusha to enter the house and invited her to be seated on a humble settee and herself sat on a chair. Nakusha looked about and judged the whereabouts, secure, not luxurious but liveable, so a young couple she surmised. He looked at her face disdainfully,and started again ,"ye kyon aye hai yahan ? sab baatien karte hain koi masala ke hul nehi deta.."he moaned as he stood up and progressed towards his wife," chai de mujhe nehi tu main bhar chala daroo peene".. and with the threat he moved towards the front door,"roko! commanded Nakusha , yahan ah ka beitho aaur batao kiya masala hai , mujhe buliya hai tum logon na tu ab problem bhi bato? she said firmly.The man, not more then twenty five years of age looked at this diminutive dark skinned woman ,decided she had some clout and headed his presumably wife ,"chaal tu bata he said embarrassed,"finally they both sat and decided to open up,"dekho Nakusha ji, problem ye hai ke, mere mard ko jail ho gaye the ek baras ke, choori ke the is ne, abhi jail se choot ke aya hai ,pun koi dandha nehi hai is ke pas , bas main he ghar se darzi ka kam kar ke ghar chalte hai,ap ko buliya kuch madat ke liye," explained the young wife. Nakusha nodded and then further asked, as she turned towards the young man, "aap ne kam ke liye apply kiya?. He leaned forward agitated ,"dekho madame ji, bahut jagga kiya, bole tumhe jail hoi hai tu tumhare charither pe sahaq hai is liye tumhe naukari nehi de sakte, har jagga se yehe kha jata hai , ab tum batoa ke tum mujhe kam dilwa sakte hai kiya? he pleaded helplessly. Nakusha, looked at him compassionately, it's not that she had come across a dissimilar situation elsewhere, it's what she dealt with all the time.., she looked at both of them and spoke plainly,"dekho, main tumhara problem aachi tharen se samjhete hoon, mujhe ye jan ke kushi hoi ke tum , kam ke talaash mein laga hoon, main abhi kam ke list tumhare pas choor ke ja rehe hoon, ye rekh lo, is par jagaa ke nam aur telephone numbers hain, tum dekho , tum kaunsa kam tum kar sakte ho , mujhe batao , main tumhara interview set kar doon ge , aur meri company tumhare character ke guarantee dein ga,"she assured the couple.The man clasped his hands in gratitude and instructed his wife ,"didi ke liye chai le kar ah", which Nakusha declined, with a ,"nehi us ke koi zarorrat nehi ab main jalte hoon raat hone wali hai,"and she stood up to take leave.The man anxiously offered,"didi aagar pas mein hain ap ka ghar tu main chaloon ap ke saath, ap ko tu pata hai aaj kal halat kahrab hein, ekele lardki ke liye raat ke time", he reiterated. But Nakusha, smiled stoically,"haan ise area mein hai mera ghar , sab jante hain mujhe koi problem nehi , main fatafat ghar phoonch jaye ge, ap chinta maat karoon, aacha namaste,"she confirmed as she bade good bye and left..

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Dutta drove the jeep this time, he seemed more established in his present surroundings now , it began to sound like he was back in the land of the living. He drove towards the adda ,much to Baji's delight, far removed from the little small town. As required by the need of the hour the few bits and pieces of cash he had left over from before he graced the prisons with his presence, he decided now to squander on tharra!. Both lay sprawled on the green cold moist grass and took a swig here and there from the same bottle, for friendship to them meant mouthing from the same bottle neck" Dutta smiled lazily, as Baji remarked half sloshed "ek baatli se peena mein pyar bharta hai Bhao! ..thoree se jo pee hai chori tu nehi ke hai!" he sang lewdly, and then realized he said chorre and tapped his ear lobe with the bottle neck.. "ooohooo nah re ab se koi aise baat nehi kerne jis mein chorre chakari ye jail wail ke tharaf isharra hoi! ab tu hum sirf ek dum shareef log hain koi lafra nehi , nako!"he jabbered. Dutta sat up on the grass his long legs kneed up as he rested his long arms on his knees in a reflective pause, after a while he spoke,"yaar Baji ab ye salle kam ke talaash bhi karne hai, woh mottu mechanic ke pas koi kam nehi mile ga kya?tu ja ke pata ker .. use kal!"he instructed.. and Baji lay on the grass and rolled on his side his head held up by his folded arm. He nodded in agreement,"ho Bhao pooche ga kal, ye phir koi aur jagaa, try mare ga.."Dutta grabbed the nearly empty bottle of beer from his friend, raised it upturned the bottle neck to his ready and waiting pink pout ,and in one go he drank to the last drop, and flipped the bottle away on the grass and sluggishly propped himself up . He loomed over Baji and commanded,"chaal uth ab ghar chal! ho gayea hai buhut yaraana .aur woh bottle bhi uthe le jeep mein rekh le kam ah sakte hai",he remarked. Both men had drunk within limits and drove at a reasonable speed.Besides one couldn't go any faster, as they were in the thick of the narrow road right in the heart of the tiny community where they lived. They could hear the chugging and the occasional whistle of the nearby railway network. Dutta drove dexterously half amused at the public's casual disregard of activity on the road. His nifty use of the horn, warned many pedestrians of their imminent doom as he drove his jeep, with the cold wind playing with his hair.The two friends cruised the area by night, minding their own business ,content and bonding in each others company, with many an event with Dutta's recollected chuckles and Baji's guffaws, " Bhao kitna choona lagate the hum logon ko! maagar badmasshi.. nehi.. kabhi bhi".

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This was an area slightly out of her locality, but close by.. Bob had briefed her that it was imperative that she visited this woman in person, as she had contacted the office several times. Nakusha carried on focussed on the directions of her terminus. On meeting the woman she learnt, "dehko Nakusha, pati choor gaye hai mujhe, kisi dooseri aurat ke liye, abhi main un do baachoon ko pal rehe hoon, bahut maskal lageta hai, kam karoon tu baachoon ko kaun sambale ga? the single mother cried. Nakusha systematically questioned, and was satisfied to learn that the five year old daughter went to a local school, for the toddler she advised that the mum, stay at home to nurse him, but she found resistance quite rightly by the mum,"dekho paise ke zaroorat hai mujhe tu kam tu mujhe karna para ga ,bas yeh baache ka problem hai, soochte hoon ke apne Aye ke pas bhej doon",Nakusha, intermediate "dekho, abhi phele edhur he aisa kam talash karo, jahan baachoon ke nursery ho, tum parthe lekhe ho"?, to which the single mother replied ",haan main barwe pas hoon,".Nakusha nodded "tu theekh hai aur kuch nehi, tu jo paroos mein baache hain choote class ke tum un ko tuition de sakte ho ghar pa, is theran tumhare baacha bhi tumhare pas rehe ga", she suggested and the single mother saw some light at the end of the tunnel. Nakusha, held her by the arm and consoled, "dekho mein tumhare details bhi le kar ja rehe hoon, kuch kam ke khabir mile tu tumhe bata doon ge, phir tum kud choice kerna , ke tumhe ghar se kam kerna hai ,yeh baher ja ke, aache ab main chalte hoon, phone karna aagar koi problem ho,"she offered ,and then left the single parents home.

It was later than expected, here was a degree of nervousness about her as she made way down the winding road down this unknown housing estate. She passed by some shops and stopped for a cola. Her walked resumed, and she unscrewed the pop bottle and drank the pungent bubbly drink , and was about to burp when she heard a yell,"areey sanwali salooni beauty humien bhi ek ghoont pila de ,apne hatoon se", she sided her head, and thought to herself now this is confirmed that she was not on home ground. Without looking back she could tell there were more then one, but preferred to think that they were just friends mucking about, and probably harmless. A few wolf whistles followed, and she felt something soft being hurled on her back as she proceeded her walking... their ridiculous singing started loud and clear,"bahroon phool barsao mera mehboob aya hai", they rendered as they chucked marigold flowers upon her back .. along with the gentle plonk of the flower on her back she heard the revved engine and her legs functioned fast forward and she ran, only to be stopped by the yelling of nearby shop keepers "abhi salleoon polis ko phone karoon tumhe phoolen ke mala phennain", as she anticipated the loafers shouted to each other,"aree chorre rehe is bhootni ko! din mein bhi bhoot nazar ayen ge , ja ba kale kulti! and Naku walked briskly but her lips curled up in a smile, her one off social experiment of how people would treat her according to her skin colour had paid off, and nearly got her out of this precarious eve teasing position. Her head held high she proceeded further into the tighter section of the road which would take her a few steps closer to her house which from a distance appeared yet another matchbox, packed between other matchboxes.

Intrepid she scaled the distance, under the vigilant narrow eyes of the ex-con and his bosom buddy, it was hard to ignore this female.. dusky and unattractive but notable nevertheless due to her darker then usual skin tone. He observed her from behind as her churidar clad legs carried her forward in her journey at his ungodly hour. However from where they sat unobtrusively in their jeep, both Dutta and Baji were vigilant, and Dutta looked out whether the girl had disapeared around the corner, she had.Yet in the same instance he saw the band of loafers head in the direction she travelled. Before Baji, could speak ,Dutta started the jeep and in first gear followed the young lads, with no good thoughts up their sleeves. Dutta had attentively taken in the complete scene of their previous conduct with some interest. He stopped the jeep behind them and stood up with his palms rested on the edge of the front glass screen of the jeep, "woh khao tu, tum sab ko ghar choor doon?! he roared aloud.They stopped and reeled around taken aback in surprise and one of them barely nineteen, but ozzing with bravado jeered at one of his buddies, "ab ye kaun Dabaang hai!.. and before he could finished Dutta clambered his long athletic legs one after the other over the wind screen of the jeep and hauled himself menacingly over the bonnet of the black jeep his legs slightly apart ,and within a second he heaved and jumped and landed on the ground. Before he knew it the lads scrambled and ran off every which way and Baji's loud hysterical cackle resounded in the dark night, "bagh gaye salle gedhar ke aulad!, aaja wapis jeep main, Bhao, dekhte hain woh lardki phooch gaye apni ghar ye nehi?"suggested Baji. Dutta heeded and started the jeep again and in second gear drove ahead , and lo and behold she was found still walking briskl . Dutta brought the jeep closer to her and suggested, "dekho, jeep mein beith jao tumhe ghar choor dete hain, "he said earnestly. Nakusha stopped in her tracks and thought, some decent guys so not all men are wolves, but she chided herself and continued walking ,but how would she know if they are good men so she turned abruptly, "dekho tum dono ju bhi ho, mujhe nehi chahiye tumhari lift, muhje nehi pata hai tum kaun ho ? raat mein kyon mujhe lift dena chathe ho? is liye ab dono jao aur mera peeche maat karo?"she said firmly. Dutta stopped the jeep and cranked up the hand brake noisely, "ayee lardki! hum koi aise waise admi nehi! dekha sab ju tumhara saath ho reha tha is liye bola , bhaliya ka tu zameena he nehi raha! he roared, with one finger raised in her face from where he sat. She stiffened up and walked around the front of the jeep and stood beside him glaring at him with her large green eyes,"dekho tum jo bhi ho mujhe baachene ke koi zaroorat nehi , main apna khayal kudh rekh sakte hoon, waise bhi koi kitna sharif hai uske mau par nehi lekha hota! tum ne suna nehi aaj kal ekele lardki dekh ke us ke saath kya ho raha hai humari society mein , kyon beitoon mein tumhare jeep mein? she challenged and after a pause she added,"khabrien nehi dekhte ho kiya? bare aye mujhe jeep mein lift dena wale"! she rasped and stepped back as she noted he yanked his head to one side, narrowed his eyes at her green eyes and growled,"tu thek bole lardki main khabrien nehi dekhta, logon ke chare parthe hoon, aur tera chera dekh ke main ye bata sakta hoon ke thuje mein himmat hai! aur Dutta himmat waloon ke izzat karta hai"...Nakusha looked at his squared jaw, stubble face, his narrow eyes and didn't know what hit her.. and she receded and mumbled "main jate hai".. and she smiled as she walked away, he was the first man who seemed unconcerned by how she appeared. Both, Baji and Dutta watched her leave from their jeep , and Dutta headed Baji,"ja dekh ghar phoonche woh lardki," Baji jumped out of the jeep and walked ahead and craned his neck and returned shortly,"haan phooch gaye Bhao", he said with a twinkle in his eyes. He smiled a dimpled smile as he felt a lightness within himself regarding his moody Bhao, looks like he may be on the mend...to be continued Hamlet53~ 25.1.13

Precap:"dekho beti humien apne beta ke bahut chinta hai,tu soocha tum se baat karien.."

nakusha ji thanks for all he information, waisay ek raaz ki baat main bhi aapko bataon, mujhay thodi mystry pasand hai, warna maza nahin aata. baki masti khatam aaj se writr ji ki amad honay wali hai.😛.

friend you all are waiting for me but you know you idiot tammy forgot to recharge net card of mtnl and last date was 24 and i thaught ki i will do it on 25th but on 25 i come to know that its 3 days holiday which start from 25th ab me in trouble so am using my brother net card so please wait till monday i will recharge my net card and will give big comment tab tak ke liye