Chapter 3: Officers, Gentlemen
Rudra
"Major, I didn't expect such carelessness from you," Major General VK Singh, his commanding officer said as soon as Rudra saluted him. Not one to take kindly to being chastised, for once Rudra allowed his Commanding Officer to rant. Because for one, he deserved it and two because the events of the last couple of weeks had made a dent on his overall sense of assuredness. He no longer felt as sure about himself and his assessment of situations and people. He, Major Rudra Pratap Ranawat had made a grave error in judgement in his inability to understand the desperation of a young woman who was his witness. He had pushed her to end of her tether, causing her to snap and inflict damage on him. And herself. The signs had always been there. Her attempts at self-harm. Her absolute unwavering faith in her Raja Thakur. Her fierce rejection of any attempts of his to reason. Her agreement to even spend the rest of her life tied in a farcical marriage with a man she felt nothing but loathing for.
Truth be told, his behaviour had been more than something that could be described as simply as careless. A pair of hazel eyes, a slip of a girl had taken over his being for a while and led him into a merry dance, a temporary lapse of judgement. Possibly even insanity. Between playing her pretend fiance and her captor, the lines had got blurred. When did captor end and when protector began, he could not tell. When did pretence fade away and these faint murmurs spring in his heart, he did not know.
After having spent time with her, he had begun to get a sense of her. He had almost made peace with her extreme stubbornness, one that would not allow her to betray the man whom she considered her father figure, one who could do no wrong. While he found it frustrating as hell, he had also developed a begrudging respect for her because of this sense of loyalty. But never had he once imagined that she would betray him. Harm him. Take the coward's way out. It shouldn't surprise him. She was after all a beautiful woman. How could he forget that soul-crushing lesson from his childhood? Those who forget the mistakes of their past were condemned to repeat them, weren't they?
"I am sorry, sir. This will not happen again. I am back on my feet now and ready to get back on the Tejawat case again," he assured his Commanding Officer, willing his entire being to focus on the real issue at hand and not be distracted by.. that girl again.
"Hmm. I am getting feedback from headquarters that they are not comfortable with the way things have gone so far. So, I warn you again Major Ranawat, we need to close in on Tejawat, but not harm him. No convenient encounters. We don't want another court martial to hang on your head. Obviously the Tejawat case is part of a bigger cross-border problem and we need to be very sensitive. Also, now Parvati has legal representation. We felt it was for the best. She is a woman and already there are the Womens Rights Groups that are picking on this matter. Major Sumit Rathore, one of our non-artillery officers, who is from the legal and rights department has been working with her since you have been recovering. He will be speaking with you soon and I hope that we can persuade this girl to become a state witness. But remember, no coercion at all, okay? In fact, you will not meet or speak with Parvati. I think it will be the best for all. Captain Aman and Major Sumit will do all the talking with her." Maj Gen Singh concluded, his face thoughtful, as if he wanted to say something more, but decided against it in the last moment.
"Yes, sir," and he saluted at his officer, nodded at Aman and headed towards his own cabin. He grimaced as a sharp pain shot from his feet. His doctor had told him that it would be best if he took an additional week of bed-rest before resuming work. But he was Major Rudra Pratap Ranawat. He was a soldier. He was not going to allow some white coat to dictate to him about how to go on living his life.
Hmmm. So he was to never meet Paro.. Parvati again? Somehow that caused more pain than the bullet that she had put through his leg.
-x-x-x-
Sumit
"So you shot him, yes? What was going on in your mind when you shot him? What were you thinking? How was shooting him going to help you? Where did you get the gun from? How did you feel after you shot him? Parvati, tell me everything. Please."
No response. Today was the eight day that Major Sumit Rathore tried to get his, what was she.. BSD's witness... his client.. to open up. And failed. She was stubborn. Absolutely unrelenting. She did not seem to have remorse. She did not seem to have fear. Cold. Unfeeling. Her eyes, blank, without a trace of any emotion. Not when he asked her about Raja Paramveer Tejawat. Not when he asked her about her dead husband, in whose memory she was dressed in the sombre attire of a widow. Nothing fazed her. Well, not exactly nothing. If he mentioned Major Rudra Pratap Ranawat, her eyes showed some flicker of emotion. He wasn't sure what it was, he was unable to put a finger to it. But he knew that it was not hate. Something in his gut told him that it was very much the opposite of it.
He needed to speak with the Major immediately.
"Parvati, I will be back in an hour. Please say something, anything. You do understand that we are trying to help you, right?"
Nothing. Nada. Zilch.
-x-x-x-
Rudra
He was listening in to a conversation that the BSD's military tracking had picked up via its radio waves. He squinted his eyes and moved his ears closer to the device, there was a lot of static, the device probably needed a change of batteries.
Aur boliye
Bas wahi purana
He recognised that there were two voices. It was a conversation between a man, evidently on the other side of the LOC and one of their own people stationed at the border. It seemed like a harmless conversation, where they were discussing weather and a cricket tournament. He frowned. He was a patriot and there was no evidence to suggest that the BSD constable chattering away about run-rate and batting order was any lesser. But it was a bit of a Catch-22 situation. As a superior of the constable, he knew that being friendly with the enemy' was treading in dangerous territory. But nobody understood better than him, the abject and utter loneliness of a soldier stationed in a lonely border village. A mesh of wire, was sometimes not enough to keep people apart. No, it never was. After all, people were so similar, no matter what map-makers believed. People routinely strayed from one side to the other, oftentimes harmlessly. Sometimes they came with an excuse to sell their wares. Sometimes to visit a place of worship. And sometime even a wedding party would arrive with one of their sons in tow, seeking a bride. No. This was a dangerous train of thought. He had to stop thinking about Parvati.
Miyaa, saare match tau fixed hi hai
The voice from the other end offered cynically and the constable offered a hearty laugh and the conversation tapered off.
Static
Hmm. He would need to check with Aman about which constable this was and they would need to keep a watch on him. Just in case. He was frustrated. He was hoping to get some hint on the Tejawat episode and all he had gotten after an hour was odds on which cricket team he could bet on should he choose to.
His feet was hurting again. Perhaps he ought to head home and start afresh tomorrow. Just as he was putting his files inside and cleaning his desk when there was a knock on the door. It was close to 10 PM, who could it be at this hour, he wondered. Maybe Aman had some leads.
"Come in."
A flustered constable entered his room. It was Rana Singh, old BSD hand, a war-wounded soldier, who usually managed their canteen and supplies. He was a kindly sort of man and even Rudra had been less than gruff with him. His limp reminded him of his own father. And the fact that he had sustained this injury in combat with the enemy made him forever worthy of his respect.
"Constable Singh, is everything all right? What is the matter?"
"Major Saheb, I don't want to bother you, but it is that girl.. the one who shot.. it is that Parvati... I think she.."
"What about her? If there is anything about her speak with Captain Aman or that Major Sumit who has come from Delhi... I am not... in charge of her."
"But sir.."
"I am leaving. Do you want me to call Aman? Or will you call him yourself."
He picked the keys of his motorbike and started walking out. He did not want to do it this way, but Maj Gen Singh's words rung in his ears clearly. He had to stay away from her. Yes, it was for both of their sakes.
"But sir, I think Parvati Baisa is.. dead."
-x-x-x-
Sumit
He was a soldier, but Major Sumit Rathore did not like hospitals. Of course, there must not be anyone on this planet who could actually like a hospital. Not even the people who worked here, by choice. No, there was always a stench of death that loomed large in hospitals. And you could be a brave soldier. You could be fierce. You could be trained to wield every type of gun. You could shoot down an enemy during combat with minimum or no trepidation. And yet, there is nothing like the fear of facing death, not of yourself, but people you cared deeply for. It could bring everyone down on their knees, even the bravest, most hardened. He had been witness to just that sometime back, when Major Rudra Pratap Ranawat, highly decorated army man, clinical and fierce in his role as a soldier, kneeling down by the bedside of a nymph of a girl, beseeching, nay threatening her to wake up. And the girl. Stubborn as heck, would not listen to him determined to stay in a deep slumber. Perhaps this was the first real rest that she was getting in weeks. A few weeks where her life had completely turned around.
Major Rathore was an intuitive man. And he knew from his very first meeting with Parvati that she was not a criminal. Not because she was a beautiful woman, who seemed too exotic and other-worldly to be involved in a crime. No, he wasn't that shallow. Though he had to admit, he felt a pang of something the very first time he met her. Attraction? Desire to shield? There was something. But he was a professional and had been able to separate his personal feelings from the job at hand. No, he wasn't convinced about Parvati's innocence because she looked fragile, like someone incapable of something dark and heinous. It wasn't that, because he had come to recognise that she had the emotional tenacity and strength that men and women far bigger than her in physical terms could never possess. No, it wasn't about her gender or how she looked.
His belief in her innocence was triggered by a stray conversation that he had unintentionally eavesdropped on, that took place between constable Danveer Ranawat and her. He had been a little late that day for his session with her, and while there were strict orders that nobody could come and meet this prisoner, he realised that this rule was often flouted. Maybe because she was a young and such an uncommonly beautiful woman, it was hard for even the most passionate of soldiers to not be just a little curious about her. During lunchtime at the mess, in hushed whispers she was the favourite topic of conversation among all the officers and soldiers. They didn't call her Parvati, she was referred to as the gunwalli. Yes, that is what all her years of life had been reduced to - the girl with the gun, a name given to her by men who wielded guns on a regular basis. The conversations were usually around the subject of, can someone who looked like that be a terrorist? An attempted murderer? A girl brought up in a protected, patriarchal society, taking as drastic a step as that, what triggered that?
So curiosity got the better of everyone and people visited her all the time. No amount of orders were able to put an end to it. Some of them came just to see her. Was she really that beautiful? Did she have a swan-like neck? Did she have hazel eyes? Did the hazel eyes betray any feelings of sadness? Did she look like she would confess against Tejawat? Some would come to actually speak with her. Word had got around that she was not willing to crack, so everyone wanted to take a shot at that. Maybe some young officer will get lucky and the girl would open up to them. Surely that would guarantee a promotion. But no matter what their initial reason to come and meet her had been, an occasional soldier would come in and fall in love with her. Maybe it was a transient, just in that moment kind of love, but it happened. In some ways, he found the whole thing amusing as he saw these fanboys hovering around her cell. It was especially amusing since the lady in question remained unerringly stoic through all of this scrutiny and attention. Truth be told, he did not actively discourage the overtures of the soldiers only because he was looking for some window, to be able to break her.
"Parvati Baisa, are you alright?"
"Theekh hoon, Kakusa. Are all of you okay? How is...Rud... Majorsa? Is his feet fine? And his... job? I haven't seen him since.."
"Yes, Parvati Baisa. He is back home today. But you know how stubborn he is. He only wants to come back to work. Singh Saab has forced him to come back next week. But he is alright."
"That is good. So his job stays then..."
"Yes. In fact, there was no court-martial against him because of what you..."
"Hmm. He will be able to walk without any support, right? I was worried that maybe like his bapusa.."
"Hmm. He is fine. Parvati Baisa, I know that you made a mistake in that moment when you shot him... I know you are sorry.. but now it is time you helped the BSD. They will help you bring your life back in order, please tell them what you know."
"It was not a mistake. But I am sorry. Please leave now."
Major Rathore had stood outside, while a rather forlorn looking Constable Danveer walked out. He had been amazed by two things. One, his witness actually had a voice and had enough clarity to express her thoughts. Two, she did not think for a moment that she had fatally shot Major Ranawat. She specifically asked only about his feet. It is as if, she had deliberately shot him on his feet and created this situation. He had to investigate it.
When he did speak to Capt Aman and few others in the village, it wasn't tough to put it all together. She had shot Major Rudra to get him off the court-martial, without betraying her Raja Thakur, whose innocence she honestly believed in. But the most important thing that he realised was that in her head, or rather heart, Major Ranawat and her Raja Thakur now had equal importance. There had to be something more than mere humanity that made her feel a kinship with Major Ranawat, enough for her to put her own life and future at risk. No, this girl knew nothing and she was not going to be a witness for the BSD. The only thing she had witnessed was a lot of pain and angst, all undeserved and he had to help set it right. With help from Major Ranawat, of course.
He only wished that that he had spoken to Major Ranawat earlier in the day, but he had left it for the next morning and now unfortunately Parvati might be dying after she had, what prima-facie looked like a suicide attempt. The attending doctor had pointed at her wrist that had a cut that was no bigger than an inch, almost encompassing all of her tiny wrist. Sometime after his session with her earlier in the day, she had slashed her wrist and now the girl-with-the-gun was probably going to be the dead-girl-with-the-gun.
-x-x-x-
Rudra
When Rudra finally got home it was seven in the morning. He was exhausted after an all-night vigil at the hospital. What a stupid, stupid girl, he thought. What was she thinking? Correction, she was obviously incapable of any coherent thought. If she was, she wouldn't have tried to kill him and then herself. All this for what? That worthless Tejawat and her equally worthless dead husband. In fact, she probably deserved to die. The doctor had said that the next twenty-four hours were critical. If she made through it, she would be fine. Stupid girl. He had no sympathy for her. Not for an anti-national. Not for someone who had brought this all upon herself. Yes, she deserved to die.
An hour later, after having taken a shower, he felt a little better. But his feet was hurting and he was hungry. There was a pile of work waiting for him at office and he should probably focus on that. He had a meeting with Major Sumit Rathore this morning. There was the Tejawat case as well, that needed his complete focus. So when he saw Maithili walk in, he scowled at her. He was not feeling conversational this morning. Not that he ever felt conversational. But today his mood was completely dark.
"Devarji-sa, I got you some chai. I know that you came back home only just now."
He looked at his cousin's wife and gratefully accepted the cup of tea from her. Thankfully she was not looking for any conversation after all.
"Devarji-sa, how is Paro now?"
Oh well. Of course, that is why she had come. Kakusa had probably told her. He was unsure how had the shooting impacted Maithili's assessment of and affection for Paro.. Parvati. He knew that they had developed a kinship and thought of each other as sisters.
"She is.. I don't know. If she pulls through the next twenty-four hours, she will be okay. Else she can even die."
"Oh. I hope she gets better. She never meant any harm. She is suffering too much."
He could scarce process what Maithili had said when his father walked in. He scowled at him as well, as he watched his father make his way to the middle of the room, gingerly tapping on the floor with his crutch and finally sitting down on the bed. He did love his father, but sometimes he was convinced that he did and said things only to drive him mad. And since for the last fifteen years the two men only had each other, fortunately or otherwise, he had begun to read his father's moods a little too well. He knew something was afoot. It was the way in which his father would sometimes leave that long-suffering sigh and tap the crutch on the floor, in an almost distracted and restless way. Yes, he could sense an impending storm. Ranawat needed to stop being so predictable, he thought wryly. But more importantly, he had better leave before his father sent him into a fit of rage and tricked him into saying some hurtful things that he would later regret. This pattern needed to be broken. At least for today. He would leave rightaway.
"You came in the morning only. Where were you?"
"Work."
"What kind of work?"
"Listen Ranawat, I am this close to losing it, so don't annoy me for a while at least. Please."
"Rudra-dev, you are always raging. What is new? Did this work called Parvati keep you up till this morning?"
"Hmm. Kakusa told you? Yes, I was with her."
"Why?"
"What do you mean why?"
"Why were you concerned about a girl who harmed you and whom you clearly hate."
"She is a witness of BSD. It was.. is my job."
"Is that all?"
"Yes."
"Babloo was telling me that she might not make it. Is that true?"
He had told exactly that to Maithili some minutes ago. But hearing it being mouthed by someone else somehow made it real. It was like for the first time since the doctor had pronounced his assessment of Paro... Parvati's delicate condition that he honestly considered the idea that she might die. She might stop living. That she will cease to exist. Like some mirage in the desert land, someone he knew for a little while and who just stopped being one day. And he felt something akin to pain. He was used to a lot of pain, but this was a different kind of pain. Small, yet gnawing. No, big and forgettable. He was confounded by that girl again. He needed to get to work. He needed to focus on his work. He didn't care if she died. It didn't matter.
"Ranawat, I have a lot of work. I must go now. I will try and come back early tonight."
"You were going to marry Parvati."
"Hmm. Where is this leading to? Anyway, I was not. It was only to get her to talk about Tejawat. You knew that. I told you."
"But what if she didn't break till the end? What then?"
"What then?"
"Would you have still married her?"
"Yes. Maybe. I don't know. I am leaving now, Ranawat."
"You must get married."
He stopped. What was up with Ranawat he wondered. It was all Paro.. Parvati's fault. She had made the man forget his lesson from the past. A lesson that had served the father-son duo well. Until recently that is. Of women.. beautiful women... women like Paro.. Parvati, to never give them any kind of hold over you. But she had neutralised his very cynical and bitter father. Chipped away his rough edges, turned him into her champion. What is that he said? Like gentle rain in the burning desert sand. No, he did not care for his father's poetic assessment of Parvati. He was putting this all down to senility that was clearly hitting him in his advancing age. Marry Parvati, it seems. Marry the girl who had made his professional and personal life hell. Never.
"I am not going to marry Parvati. I am not even sure if she is going to be alive. Stupid girl tried to kill herself. She tried to kill me too. Or have you forgotten that?"
"I said that you should marry. I did not say that you have to marry Parvati. In fact, marry anyone else but her. The two of you are not for each other. The thought of being with you makes her want to kill you or herself. That cannot be a good basis for a lifetime of togetherness. Marry that girl from Jaipur."
"Which girl?"
"How many women did you make promises to, Rudra Dev?"
"I did not make promises to anyone. You know that I don't go around promising happy endings to women I meet."
"Then it is time to fix it.. I forget her name... ah, yes.. Laila. Marry Laila."
"Ranawat, if you don't know what to do with your life, go ahead and open a marriage bureau. Just let me be. I am not marrying Laila."
"Would you rather marry Parvati?"
"No."
"What is wrong with Laila? You must have found her tolerable to not want to kill her for all these years. She obviously likes you enough to have hung around you for eight years. If a woman does that, it must mean something. She won't leave you like your mother left me. Marry her. Unless you would still rather marry that girl Parvati. She is so much like your mother... isn't she?"
And that was finally enough for Rudra to storm out. He would make damn sure that he stayed at work until late.
-x-x-x-
Aman
Aman paced up and down the hospital corridor. He was doing a countdown. Another six more hours. Parvati, please pull through this. You have to. You must. He had decided not to go to the HQ and play nurse to his adopted sister. He knew that Major Ranawat was not happy when he had called him earlier in the day to inform him. But thankfully, Maj Gen Singh was on his side and Rudra and barked a terse, okay!' and hung up.
Contrary to what his boss thought of him, Aman was not a sentimental sap, losing his marbles over one of their witnesses. He felt a genuine affection for Parvati. Yes, she did share a name with his beloved sister, who had been his best friend and confidante. And whom he missed terribly. But his kinship was beyond that nomenclature. Parvati to him was more than a name. From the moment that the BSD had captured her and brought her to their prison cell, he had been fascinated by her. What had drawn him to her was the enormous strength she possessed, in that quite and assured way of hers. That had the ability to bring down the most difficult of adversaries down to their feet. Like his boss for example, he thought wryly. And even though his boss was not convinced, or at any rate didn't admit to it, he never felt that Parvati knew anything about the nefarious activities of Tejawat.
But given the enormous leap of faith that his mind had taken, he had been disappointed with Parvati after the shooting episode. In that moment she transformed from a misinformed, stubborn girl to someone who probably had evil intentions. But after the knee-jerk reaction, as he thought about it, the more things began to fall into place. Parvati shooting Major Ranawat was not a desperate call for her own freedom, but it was her way of fixing' the mess. She had knowingly sacrificed herself to keep intact her belief in Tejawat, her father-figure and Major Ranawat, her.. she probably had no idea either.
Rudra and Parvati, two names symbiotically connected, but Aman realised that there was a pull that the two had towards each other. It would be too simple to term it as love, but something more other-worldly. They challenged each other. She dared him to believe and he dared her to question. In another time, in another place, in another universe they would be together. But not in this one. Certainly not if Parvati didn't pull through in the next five hours.
Which brought him to the current situation. He knew that Parvati was capable of many things, but he did not believe that she would have attempted to take her life. Yes, she was broken. She had pretty much nothing to look forward to in her life. But he would like to believe that the gentle girl, pleased by butterflies and simple things, would not want to end her life. She had many opportunities to kill herself, but she didn't. No, this was certainly not a suicide attempt. This was an attempted murder. And this could only mean one thing, Tejawat was within sniffing distance. He hovered outside the ICU, peeped in through the glass. Yes, she was safe. For now.
Once all was well with Parvati, he would speak with his boss. C'mon Parvati, another four hours, don't give up now.
-x-x-x-
Sumit
He had heard about Major Rudra Pratap Ranawat's rage. In fact, it was pretty much part of BSD folklore that the Major did have a bit of an anger management problem. This constant rage both made him a formidable soldier and on occasion got him in more than a spot of bother. Like it happened recently with the Parvati's baraat episode. This had been the first time in the last fifteen years that this tradition of marrying girls off to grooms on the other side while carrying out arms trade, that the BSD had made a breakthrough. They had managed to collect some of the weapons and cash. But sadly, no witnesses. Except for one that is - Parvati
"Stop being ridiculous, Major Rathore. Your job is to make Paro.. Parvati talk about Tejawat. Not to play matchmaker between her and one of BSD's officers. You may leave now."
"Major Rudra, you misunderstand me. I am not playing matchmaker. In fact, just the opposite. I thought you should know the facts... I mean not facts, but things I have observed. And I have observed that she feels an emotional attachment with you. One can't blame her. She is a simple, village girl. You a worldly, has seen the world soldier. There is bound to be some hero worship. I am not blaming either of you.. just the situation of the two of you. In fact, Cap Aman and Mj Gen VK Singh have noticed this too. Maj Gen Singh wanted you to not interact with her because of this very reason."
Sumit wasn't sure why he felt this compelling need to share this piece of insight of Parvati with Major Ranawat. But he had done that because he felt that somebody needed to address the elephant in the room. He also felt particularly emboldened by the fact that it was three against one now. Both Captain Aman and Maj Gen V K Singh also had a similar take on Parvati and Major Ranawat. Maybe it was as transient as the affection that some of the younger soldiers felt for Parvati. Maybe it was a case of Stockholm Syndrome, which could be cured with time. Or just maybe, it was really about two people finding love. God knew that it happened rarely enough, so why not give it a chance at least. He had at least done his bit.
He looked at Major Ranawat who now looked thoughtfully at a glass paper-weight on his desk that he kept spinning. He was not an easy man to read. Was he upset? Was he secretly rejoicing? Okay, that was unlikely. Had he through his big-mouth put his on own job on the line. After all, Major Ranawat did outrank him on seniority. He was beginning to feel sorry for himself over his fanciful thoughts when there conversation was interrupted by Captain Aman.
"Sir.. Parvati is.. Oh I am sorry Major Rathore, I didn't know you were here. Shall I come back later?"
Before he could say anything, Major Ranawat got up from his chair and all but jumped over Captain Aman.
"What about Parvati? Is she fine?"
Ah Major Ranawat, that was quick. Too quick, he thought wryly.
"Sir, she is fine. She even had a meal now. I came here to say that it was not a suicide attempt. I knew Parvati wouldn't do that. I suspected that it was Tejawat's doing. So, I spoke with her now and she said some BSD constable came to meet her and she passed out. That is all she remembers. I think we need to shift her to some safe place. She can't be at the hospital."
"Or, we keep her in a place that Tejawat can reach easily. We need to lure him. Parvati will be the bait and surely he will come. We will be prepared this time."
Major Rathore was disturbed on hearing this, as was evidently Aman who for once gave his boss a disapproving look.
"But Sir, we can't put Parvati at risk like this."
"Aman, the mission is the most important. And we will take precautions. Anyway, you go back to the hospital and make arrangements to shift Parvati to our guest-house. Tejawat's people will have easy access to it. I will make sure that the place is well guarded."
"But sir.."
"Aman, these are orders.. do as I say."
A forlorn Aman finally left. Not following protocol was a non-negotiable for a soldier after all. He also decided to leave. Clearly Major Ranawat was now entirely focussed on his mission. But he had to express his disappointment at least once before he left. After all somebody needed to fight for Parvati.
"Major Ranawat, isn't this a little too harsh?"
"What is?"
"Using Parvati as a bait."
"There is always collateral damage in war."
"Are you punishing her for.. because of our conversation earlier."
"No, Major Rathore. I am not. This is not personal. Besides.. I think.. I may.. I am marrying someone else."
"Oh. Congratulations, Major Ranawat. Good luck to you on the mission."
And with that he left.
I am sorry, Parvati.
-x-x-x-
Danveer
He made his way to the guest-house where Parvati bai-sa was. She was sitting on a chair, her eyes sad, a plateful of food in front of her. Untouched. He had been surprised when Constable Rana Singh said that Parvati wanted to meet him.
"Parvati Bai-sa how are you feeling now? Why haven't you eaten your food? You have become so weak, you need to eat more."
She offered a smile in reply. It was as if she couldn't be bothered enough to even attempt to form words into a coherent sentence anymore. What had his organisation done to this child.
"Bai-sa what did you want to talk to me about?"
"Kaku-sa, Major Rathore said that.. Rud.. Major-sa is getting.. married. That is..gr.. great. His mother's bangle should be given to the girl. I put it inside the stainless-steel container in which rice is stored. I hope it is okay."
He assured her it will be fine and left.
-x-x-x-
Rana Singh
It had been his fourth day of vigil at the guest-house which now housed their star witness - Parvati. When he was put on duty here, at first he had been a little anxious. Because he knew the importance of this prisoner and the risk that she was at. He did not like it at all that she was being offered as a bait to Tejawat. He felt disgusted. Even though he knew that desperate times did call for desperate measures. And a soldier could not afford to be emotional. But why this altogether too nice girl, he wondered.
Of course, it had all been Major Rudra Pratap Ranawat's idea to begin with. Except that ever since Parvati was shifted to the guest-house Major Ranawat had all but moved here, as he guarded the place and his witness like a zealot. He sometimes didn't understand the Major. If the purpose was to lure Tejawat by lulling him into a false sense of security then why this overzealous need to protect her and almost make it impossible for anyone to reach.
The girl inside this makeshift fortress remained oblivious to the outside world. She ate sparse meals. Prayed. Read books. Embroidered pretty clothes, god knows for whom to wear. And sang. Just one song. Like it would set her free or something.
He watched that Major Ranawat walk in just then, a flask of coffee in his hand. He looked exhausted and Rana felt a surge of almost fatherly affection.
"Sir, why don't you go home and take rest today. There are thirty soldiers guarding this place and I will be here too. You need a break."
"I am fine. Is Paro okay?"
"Yes sir. She is fine. She is still awake. The light in her room is still on."
They both looked up at the second-floor, in the direction of their prisoner's room. Major Ranawat sat on a bench and kept staring at the window.
When Rana returned two hours later, he found that the Major was still sitting in the same spot, glancing at the window every now and then. As if on cue, Parvati finally turned off the lights.
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Chapter 4: scroll down
Edited by asmanichatri - 9 years ago
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