A year had passed. Sarju was still the same, if not more silent & gruff. His silence, which grew as the year progressed along with his studies troubled Sushila.
"Sarju, khaana khaale." was met with a nod & when Chandu pulled him out to play, just got his hair ruffled & no response. She told her worries to her husband.
"Tumhi techyashee bola(You talk to him)." Dinkar Rao knew that he wouldn't be able to get anything from his son. Sarju was talking to him even less. He told Sushila to talk to him instead.
"Sarju, kya hua? Tu pareshaan rehta hai…… tujhe kisine kuch kaha? Aaajkal kitna shaant ho gaya hai. Bata kya baat hai, beta!"
"Aai, yeh mera sabse bada saal. Mujhe bohot acchemarks lane hain. Aage ki scholarship paani hai. Bohot bada banoonga, Aai. Sabko khush rakhoonga."
Sushila couldn't answer him in any way, just pray that he become successful. Little did she know that Sarju started his daily routine with the mantra "I wan't to become successful" every day while walking to school. His few friends heard just some inconsequential muttering……………..
Not much far away, just a couple of suburbs away, another destiny's child was playing with her rag doll. 10 year old Anjali was playing outside with her doll, made for her by her Maa. It was evening & she figured Baba would come home, ill, by she didn't know what. Maa said it was become he drank sumthing which children weren't supposed to know. As if in answer to her musings, she saw Baba swaggering along the walk. She continued playing as he stumbled into their house.
Kanta had had enough. She was gratefulher husband for lifting her from the squalor of slums & a murky past to a better chawl. But his drunkenness made her very angry, as he was wasting everything they earned on his drink & debaucherie. She lived in fear everyday as to what sanskaar Anju must be getting.
She reprimanded him & shouted on him on being such a useless waste. It was sumtime before Anjali heard odd sounds from within the house.
Thump, thump………
She quietly peeped through the door. What she saw would haunt her for the rest of her life. She had just seen her Maa being beaten for no reason. She was sumtimes beaten also, but she had thought it was by some mistake she'd made. She ran away & hid behind a sack of floor in the courtyard shivering & sobbing.
"Anju, beta!"
It was Maa!! Anju picked up her courage & peeped into her mother's face. It was the colour of the palest white streaked with tears while her hand was covered with welts & bruises.
"Maa, Baba, woh…………."
"Baba ab nahin aayenge, Anju. Tu chal yahaa se."
"Par kahaan?"
"Bas tuh chal. Baad mein bataaongi."
As her mother picked what little clothing they had, Anju saw the unconscious form of her father on the floor. Before she could walk up to him, her Maa had whisked her away into the dead of the night.
Next morning the dead body of a certain Maanik Bhonsale was reported in the local police station with his wife & daughter missing.
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