FF: Ishq-e-Watan *Chapter 78 Posted* - Page 47

CHAPTER 35

HIS SHERNI

Karan crossed his arms, looking at the cadets who stared at him expectantly. "Cadets, organize yourself according to your subgroups. Alpha iss side, Foxtrot uss side, baaki sab beech mein. Fall out!" The cadets looked at each other, before they all fell out of the ranks, forming into small groups.

"Ek commando ke laane hand-to-hand combat jaanna bahut zaroori hoto hai", Sanju started. "Jab koi hathiyaar naa bhi ho, tab bhi dushmano se ladna aana chahiyo. Tum jhingooron ko humne sparring sikhaayi thi. Aaj ek pratiyogita karto hain."

Sid raised his hand. She nodded at him. "What's prati... whatever?"

The six trainers heaved a sigh in unison. "Competition", Karan said.

"Oh", Sid said. "Thank you. Continue." Sanju smiled a little, shaking her head fondly.

"Sparring ke rules woh hi rakhenge. Don't be too hard. The moment blood is drawn, match khatam", Karan said. "Jo bleed kar raha hai, woh haar gaya. Agar aap apne opponent ka neck jerk karte ho toh bhi aap jeette ho. If you pin your opponent for 10 seconds toh aap jeet gaye. Are the rules clear?"

"Sir!" The cadets echoed.

"Yeh baat hui sparring ki", Karan continued. "Ab aate hain competition par." He patted the box that sat on one of the benches. "Iss mein tum sab logon ke naam hai. Sanidhya bimaar hai isliye bache tum 48 cadets. Charlie, tumhaara ek cadet missing hai, toh tum mein se ek dobara spar karega. You can choose who goes the second round. Whoever wins gets 2 points. Match draw hua, toh 1 each and jo haara, use 0 points."

"Ab prize bhi bata dete hain", Faizi said. "Jo subgroup jeetega, use do din ke liye weapon training karne ko milegi. Matlab, guns." The cadets looked at each other in surprise, eyes lit up in excitement. "So, try your best, cadets."

"Are you ready?" Karan asked.

"YES SIR!" The cadets shouted, grins on their faces.

Sanju grabbed the box, as Ustaad ji went to the board, writing the names of the seven subgroups at the top. "Sabse pehlo", she announced. "Alpha se Megha, aur Echo se Sonakshi."

Karan leaned against the wall, as the spars went on. "Sun", he said, leaning over to Faizi. "Tujhe kya lagta hai? Kaun jeetega?"

"Foxtrot", Faizi said. "Achhe fighters hain."

He hummed. "Tujhe kya lagta hai? Monami lad legi?"

Faizi hesitated. "Nahi. Sparring mein thoda aggression toh zaroori hai."

Karan grinned lightly. "Hazaar ki shart."

"Theek hai. Par hum bhi chahte hain ki hum yeh shart haar jaaye." He glanced at her. "Hum bhi dekhna chahte hain ki aisi kitni khunkaar sherni dikhti hain tumhe iske andar ki bina confidence ke bhi jeet jaayegi."

He smirked. "Bahut khunkaar hai. Tu darr jaayega."

Faizi looked at Koel. "Koel jeetegi?" He asked. "Shart lagaani hai?"

"Koel par? Mujhe haarne ka koi shauk nahi hai. Pakka jeetegi. Peetkar aayegi." Karan chuckled slightly at Faizi's grin.

"Foxtrot se Siddharth aur Bravo se Tushar", Sanju announced. Karan narrowed his eyes, glaring unhappily at Tushar. He would love to chop that annoying brat into pieces, and stuff him into his punching bag.

"Go, Bhai ji!" Bala cheered, clapping and whistling.

Sid stepped on, offering a friendly grin to Tushar. He stared back with narrowed eyes. Sid's smile wavered, and he shrugged, bending his knees slightly and holding his hands up.

Tushar lunged up at him. Sid stepped out of them, grabbing him and jumping up on him. Karan's eyebrows raised in surprise. That wasn't something they had taught. He was pretty sure none of them have ever taught the cadets to become monkeys and climb on their opponents.

Tushar stumbled in surprise, falling forward. Sid easily grabbed his neck, giving it a little jerk. Ustaad ji blew the whistle and Sid got off him, grinning. He held out a hand, and Tushar blinked up at him, grabbing his hand. Sid pulled him up, patting his shoulder.

"Yeh bandar banna kahan se seekha?" Tushar asked.

Sid grinned. "Arey, Monu hai, na?" Karan's eyebrows raised. "Woh bandar hi hai. Woh aisi hi chadh jaati hai logon par. Tujhe pata hai, bro-"

"Foxtrot ke 2 points", Ustaad ji interrupted. "Chalo dono. Apni yeh bandar waali katha kahin aur jaakar sunaana."

Sid nodded, hopping back to the rest of his subgroup. Monami scowled at him, hitting his arm. He grinned, kissing her head, making him push him away in irritation. Karan smiled a little, focusing back on the next spars.

Faizi straightened up next to him a few fights later, when Koel came up. Karan glanced at him, shaking his head and focusing back on the fight.

"Ek doubt hai, Karan Sir", Sunil said. He nodded. "Koel toh ladki hai. Iske saath fight karna hai?"

"Kyun? Darr lag raha hai?" He asked. Snickers rose up from the cadets.

"Nahi, Sir. Woh... ladki par kaise haath utha sakta hoon?"

"Koi baat nahi", Koel said. "Chance nahi milega tumhe." She held up her fists. "Ready ho jao, warna bahaana banaoge."

He reluctantly held up his hands, nodding at her. Koel's mouth twisted up in a smirk, and she lunged at him. Sunil side stepped, grabbing her torso. She jammed her elbow back, catching him in the ribs. His grip loosened. She pushed him back away from her, before throwing himself at her. He stumbled, falling to his back with a groan. She straddled him, pinning him down.

Sanju glanced at her watch, waiting as the seconds ticked by. Sunil twisted and struggled in her grip fruitlessly, as Koel pinned her down. Ustaad ji blew the whistle, making her release him. She got off of her, tilting her head and staring down at him.

"Kaha tha, na?" She said sweetly. "Tumhe chinta karne ki koi zaroorat nahi thi."

"That's my girl", Faizi muttered to himself.

"Foxtrot ke 2 points", Ustaad ji announced. Koel turned off, stalking back to her group. They patted her back, grinning and whooping happily.

"Faizi", Karan muttered, leaning closer to him. "Ek baat bata. Koel ko koi hallucination wagera hoti hai kya? Tujhe kyun haan kar diya usne? Aisa kya dikh gaya ise?" Faizi glared at him. Karan raised his hands in defense. "Just asking."

"Chup raho", he bit back.

Karan chuckled, turning his attention back to the mat as the fights went on. "Charlie se Parikshit aur Foxtrot se Monami", Sanju announced. He straightened up, watching in interest as she walked over nervously. Sanju huddled closer to them, leaning closer.

"Sir ji, kisne kispar shart lagaayi hai?" She asked in interest.

Faizi chuckled. "Bahut achhe se jaanti ho tum hum dono ko", he said. "Karan ko lagta hai Monami jeetegi aur hume lagta hai ki us mein itna confidence nahi hai abhi."

"Tu kiski side par hai?" Karan asked.

"Sir ji... hum chahte hain ki aap jeeto, par Faizi Sir ji ki baat galat naa hogo."

"You know", Parikshit said, making them fall quiet. "I am quite disappointed ki tum meri opponent ho."

Monami's eyebrows furrowed. "K-Kyun?"

"Monami Mahajan, jise dhang se bolna bhi nahi aata. Tumhaari Maa ne tumhe sikhaaya nahi bolna ya bas itna kam pyaar karti thi ki itna bhi dhyaan nahi diya? Waise, pakka Mahajan naam hi hona chahiye, na, tumhaara? Matlab, you know who your Dad is, right? If you know what I mean?" He smirked.

"Iski toh-" Sanju stopped when Karan held up a hand. He was staring at the two, jaw clenched.

Faizi looked at him. "Karan, kya...?"

"Monami ko dekho", he said simply. Her eyes were narrowed dangerously, hands curled into fists. Her face had darkened, a shadow cast on her face. "Aaj tak iske chehre par nervousness aur fear hamesha dekha hai maine. Dari hui, chhupti hui hi dekha hai. Pehli baar ise bina darr ke dekh raha hoon. Dekhte hain, sirf darna aata hai ise ya daraana bhi."

"Kya hua?" Parikshit continued. "Koi jawaab nahi?"

Monami flew at him. Parikshit yelped in surprise, as she threw her entire weight on him, falling back. He wriggled in her grip, pushing her back after a few struggling seconds. She fell back on her butt, and Parikshit stood up. She rolled to the side when he lunged at her, sticking her foot out. He stumbled.

She grabbed his foot, pulling it from underneath her and he slammed down on the mat face first. He groaned. Monami crawled over him, sitting down and straddling his back. His elbow shot out. Her body twisted, dodging it barely. She grabbed his hair, pulling it back harshly. He cried out in pain, trying to push her away from himself.

His arm hit her nose, making her fall back slightly. He pushed her off, trying to pin her down. She rolled away from him before he could, kicking her and slamming his face down in the mat harshly. Parikshit lifted his face, gasping a little. Ustaad ji blew the whistle, seeing the blood that dripped down his nose.

Karan took a step forward in warning when Monami paid no heed, instead just pulling his hair back again, making him cry out in pain. "Monami, bas", Karan warned. "Monami..." He grabbed her arms, lifting her off him. She struggled in his arms, and his grip tightened, pulling her back. "Cadet Monami Mahajan, that's enough. It's an order." Her gaze snapped up to him.

Karan's grip almost faltered. Her brown eyes shone. With fury and rage and hatred. He tilted his head slightly, staring back into her eyes. Was that really her? Was this the real her? This... rage and fierceness and strength and power and boldness. Was this really her? Beneath all the fear, this was the treasure that laid scattered in pieces?

Her frustrated cry snapped him out of his awe. She stopped struggling. He relaxed his hold, releasing her. Her gaze turned away from his, and he looked away, taking a deep breath. A lump had formed in his throat, something seizing at his chest. He looked back at her when she stepped forward. His hand curled around her arm in warning.

Parikshit rolled over to his back, staring up at her with wide eyes. She glared at him. She pointed a finger at him, eyes narrowed. "Mere Mumma ke baare mein bolne ki, unke upar sawaal uthaane ki, unki beizzati karne ki, aukaat nahi hai teri. Toh apna muh band rakh, warna, Mumma kasam, todh dungi."

Karan's lips curled up in a smirk.

There she was. His sherni.

'Jis din aankhein uthaakar, nazre milaakar, apna jazbaa dikhaa diya, na, achhe achhon ki aankhein jhuk jaayengi.'

Parikshit looked away, pushing himself up on his feet. Her subgroup jumped to their feet, cheering as Bala whistled loudly. "Yes, Doctor Madam!" He cheered.

"Monu, meri sherni!" Sid cheered, engulfing her in a hug. She shrugged him off. She wordlessly stalked to the back of her subgroup, wearing her jacket again and sitting down. She seemed to want to force the attention away, but this time, more out of anger and irritation than fear or nervousness.

Karan turned his head, staring at her quietly. He stared at her, urging her silently to lift her gaze. That fierceness. He wanted to see it again. He wanted to see her again.

"Foxtrot ke 2 points", Ustaad ji announced.

"Sir ji... yeh toh dahadti bhi hai", Sanju said.

"Soti hui sherni hai woh. Chedoge toh dahaadegi hi", he muttered in awe.

---x---x---x---x---x---x---x---x---x---

'Tumhaari Maa ne tumhe sikhaaya nahi bolna ya bas itna kam pyaar karti thi ki itna bhi dhyaan nahi diya?'

Monami grabbed the clothes, throwing them on the bed. She stared at the pile, sorting them angrily into piles. Her heart pounded in her ears, carrying the rage that hadn't subsided a gram yet.

'Pakka Mahajan naam hi hona chahiye, na, tumhaara? Matlab, you know who your Dad is, right? If you know what I mean?'

Sid stared at her from the doorway, as she sorted through the clothes. She wiped her tears angrily. She threw aside a top, sighing and sitting down on the floor. She sniffled. He walked in, sitting down next to her.

She looked at him, falling into his arms wordlessly. "I hate this", she whispered. "I don't want to cry."

"I know", he muttered.

"Woh stupid ladka mere tears deserve nahi karta", she snapped. He hummed in agreement. "Phir bhi paani aa raha hai. I hate crying. I hate it. I don't want to cry."

He kissed her head, running a hand through her hair. "Tujhe bura lag raha hai?"

She straightened up. "Nahi. Mujhe... Mujhe gussa aa raha hai. Woh hota kaun hai Mumma ke baare mein yeh ghatiya baatein bolne waala? Woh jaante kya hai unke baare mein?" She gritted out. She stood up, shaking her head. "Mumma ne apni jaan di thi desh ke liye. Woh shaheed hue the. Kaun hai yeh stupid nobody? Kisne diya hai ise yeh haq ki unke character par ungli uthaye?" She grabbed a glass, throwing it across the room. It hit the wall, shattering into pieces. She let out a frustrated scream, pulling at her hair viciously.

"Monu", he warned. "Mat kar." He stood up, prying her hands from her hair gently.

She fell on the bed, shaking her head. "Tujhe yaad hai... jab Mumma the, tab log unhe salute karte the. Aaj bhi, agar main kisi se bhi milti hoon jo unhe jaanta tha, toh sab kehte the- 'Monami, tumhaari Mumma... she was a lioness. Sherni thi woh. Kya respect thi unki. Kya aura tha unka.' And yeh... meri Mumma par sawaal uthaayega?" Her gaze snapped up to him. She shook her head. "No. I am not done with him."

Sid stared at her. "Kya soch rahi hai?"

---x---x---x---x---x---x---x---x---x---

"Suman ji ko toh yeh samajh nahi aa raha ki usne Monami ko itni ghatiya baatein kahi hi kyun?" Suman ji said.

"Tactic tha", Koel explained. "Karan Sir kehte hai, na, ki har ladai dimaag se jeeti jaa sakti hai? Sabko pata hai ki Monami bahut smart hai. Parikshit ko yeh lag raha hoga ki agar woh use itna gussa dilaa de ki woh kuchh soch hi naa paaye, toh woh yeh fight aaram se jeet jaayega. Gusse mein dhang se fight nahi kar paate."

"#Not bad", Chitra said. "Tactic bura nahi hai. Par use Monami ki #Mom ko beech mein nahi laana chahiye tha. #Not cool. Friendly fight hi toh thi. Itna #aage jaane ki kya zaroorat thi?"

Bala chuckled. "Uski sazaa bhi mili use. Kya dhoya hai Doctor Madam ne use. Aur Doctor Madam ne? Mujhe toh pata hi nahi tha ki woh kisi ko dho bhi sakti hain."

"Monami ko bahut bura laga par", Prem ji said.

They scowled. "#Correct", Chitra said.

"Sazaa mil gayi iska yeh matlab nahi hai ki jo usne Monami Madam ko kaha, woh hum bhool jayenge", Bala said. "Use toh pakadkar hum sab peetkar aate hain."

"At least, sorry toh bolna banta hai", Koel said.

"Bilkul banta hai", Monami's voice said. They turned to the door, finding her stalking in. "Aur sorry toh woh bolkar rahega."

The cadets glanced at each other. "Chalo", Bala said, rolling back his sleeves. "Sorry bulwaate hain usse."

---x---x---x---x---x---x---x---x---x---

Faizi looked between the two groups of cadets. Sid stood in the front of one, Monami next to him with the rest behind him. The Charlie cadets stood opposite him, Parikshit glaring at them.

"World War 3 humaare cadets ke beech mein hogi humne socha nahi tha", Faizi muttered to Karan. "Hume laga countries ke beech mein hogi." He glanced at him when he didn't reply.

His gaze was fixed at somebody. Faizi followed it, finding her staring at Monami with awed eyes. Her rage hadn't faded. Her arms were crossed, head tilted slightly as she stared into their eyes. Faizi looked between them.

'Monami jab tak iss mood mein rahegi, hume lag raha hai Karan bhi ise nihaarne ke mood mein hi rahega', he thought. He looked between the two groups. 'Hum toh inki war enjoy karte hain. Inn Janaab ko nihaarne dijiye.'

"Sorry bol", Koel demanded again.

"I was just trying to win the fight", Parikshit said. "It was a tactic. That's it. No personal feelings."

Sid's jaw clenched. "It is personal", he said. "Tu uske parents ko beech mein laayega, toh of course, yeh personal hai. And sorry bolne ki jagah, tu yeh stupid justification de rahe hai?"

He rolled his eyes. "It was just a tactic. Itna hi hai, toh tum meri maa ke baare mein bol do. It's not a big deal." He shook his head, turning around.

"Iski toh-" Bala took a step forward. Suman ji clutched his arm tightly, just as Koel's arm shot out, halting him.

"Isko toh lesson sikhaana hi padega", Chitra said, crossing her arms. "Yeh Monami ko hurt kare aur phir sorry bhi naa bole? #Not done."

Sid glared after him. "Kuchh toh karna padega iska. Aise toh nahi chodunga ise. Meri Monu ko hurt karne ka haq kisi ke paas nahi hai."

"I won't spare anyone jo Mumma ke baare mein aisa bolega", Monami said, the words echoing slightly in the silent mess. She turned away, wordlessly stalking out.

---x---x---x---x---x---x---x---x---x---

Sanju looked up when her door was pushed open. Sid stalked in, pausing in the middle of the room. "Mujhe aapse baat karni hai", Sid said.

She eyed him, standing up. "Kaa hogo, Siddharth? Bolo."

"You were in the training room. Aapne dekha ki uss stupid Parikshit ne Monu ko kya kaha tha. Aur aapne yeh bhi dekha ki uske words se Monu ko kitna bura laga." She nodded. "And woh Monu ko sorry bhi nahi bol raha." Sid took a deep breath. "You're my friend, right? As my friend, I want ki aap meri help karo."

She frowned. "Kis cheez ke laane? Kaa chahiye tujhe?"

"Main chahta hoon Parikshit ne jaise Juhi Aunty ki insult kari sabke saamne. Waise hi woh sabke saamne Monu se maafi maange. Aur yeh kahe ki jo usne kaha woh galat tha. Usne Monu ko hurt kara, use rulaaya. And I won't spare anyone jo aisa karega."

Sanju paused. "Siddharth... hum tumhaare dost se pehle, tum sab cadets ke trainer hain."

His gaze lifted to her. "So... aap meri help nahi karengi?" He asked. He nodded to himself, scoffing. "Fine. Mujhe laga tha aap thoda bahut toh Monu ke liye care karti hi hongi. She's your roommate, after all. Uske rone se, gussa hone se, aapko farak padta hoga."

"Aisi baat naa hai ki hume farak naa padto hai", she snapped. He looked away, jaw clenching. "Hum ek trainer hain. Hum aise tumhe peeth par shabaashi dekar yeh nahi bol sakto hain ki jao, jo karno hai, karo. Military academy mein discipline hoto hai."

"Discipline? Phir yeh discipline kahan gaya jab Parikshit ne Juhi Aunty ko insult kara. Woh ek shaheed hain. Military academy mein hi agar shaheedon ki respect nahi hogi, toh aur kahan hogi?" He waved his hand. "Whatever. Aap nahi help karengi, toh hum khud kuchh kar lenge."

She took a deep breath. "Siddharth", she halted him. "Ruko." She moved closer to him. "Jab ghee seedhi ungli se naa nikalto hai, tab ungli tedhi karni padto hai. Parikshit seedha seedha maafi naa maang raho hai, toh tum log maafi mangwaa lo."

His eyebrows furrowed. He stared at her. "Matlab?"

She crossed her arms. "Tumhe pato hai hum kisi ko torture kaahe ke laane karto hain? Ki woh yeh soche ki jo uske saath ho raho hai, usse achha toh woh yeh hi bol de jo hume jaanno hai. Matlab... kisi ko itna tang kar deno ki use doosra option hi behtar lage."

A slow smile spread on Sid's face. He nodded. "I get what you mean", he said. "I have a plan."

She smiled. "Humne kuchh naa kaho tujhe, Chirkut. Hum toh bas tujhe ek fact bata raho the."

"Of course. Aapne kahan kuchh kaha hai? Thanks for that... extra knowledge." Sanju nodded. She froze when he threw his arms around her, pulling her into a hug. He pulled away, grinning at her. "Bye." He ran out of the room quickly.

Sanju stared after him. "Isne hume... gale lagaaya?" She muttered to herself. A little smile spread on her face. "Chirkut."

---x---x---x---x---x---x---x---x---x---

Karan paced in his empty room.

'Mere Mumma ke baare mein bolne ki, unke upar sawaal uthaane ki, unki beizzati karne ki, aukaat nahi hai teri. Toh apna muh band rakh, warna, Mumma kasam, todh dungi.'

'I won't spare anyone jo Mumma ke baare mein aisa bolega.'

A smile spread on his face. He sat down on his bed, clutching the bed. "Wow", he muttered to himself. He chuckled to himself.

'I... I want freedom. Iss darr se, inn... inn memories se j-jo mujhe h-hamesha haunt karti hain, iss... iss weakness se. I don't want to be weak anymore. I want to be free.'

He sprang to his feet. "Maaf kijiye, Rani Sahiba", he drawled. "Mujhe dhang se samajh nahi aaya tha ki aap kya maang rahi hain mujhse. Par ab aa raha hai. Aur aapka yeh hukum meri sar aankhon par."

He grabbed the diary, sitting down on the desk.

'Jis haalat mein Monami ne uss party ke baad thi- drunk and crying and miserable, mujhe uske liye ek responsibility lagi thi. Main uski help karna chahta tha. Maine usse vaada kara tha ki main use itna kaabil banaauga ki log use salute karenge. Kitna blind tha main. Kitna... kitna stupid tha.

Main use kuchh nahi banaunga. Woh already woh sab kuchh hai jo main use banana chahta tha. Jo dari hui, sehmi hui sherni mujhe uske andar dikhti thi, woh dari hui nahi hai. Sherni thodi naa darti hai. Woh daraati hai. Woh dari nahi hui hai. Woh zakhmi hai.

Woh mujhe help ke liye nahi bula rahi. Woh toh khud ki kar hi legi woh. Woh mujhe uska saath dene ke liye bulaa rahi thi. Main kitna stupid tha. Mujhe kyun nahi dikha yeh? Woh mujhe keh rahi thi ki jab tak woh theek nahi ho jaati, jab tak uss zakhm bhar nahi jaate, main uske saath rahoon. Uske paas rahoon. Use guard karoon.

Main soch raha tha ki main uski help karunga. I'll be the one helping her. Par mujhe apne paas bulaakar uss din, usne mujhpar trust kara hai. Aur ek sherni ka trust paana honor hai.

I see you now, Monami. I see your lioness.

Uski kaid ko dekh liya duniya ne, ab jab woh shikaar par jaayegi, na, toh log woh bhi dekhenge. Aaj nahi, kal nahi, par ek din, zaroor dekhenge. Uski dahad, uska jazbaa. Sab dekhenge.

Aur jab tak uske zakhm nahi bharte, uska sher hai uske paas.'