Nothing. She felt nothing. Was she even alive?
Then it registered. Sada, a look of disbelief on his face, crumbled to the ground.
Shruti stood behind him, a still smoking automatic in her hand.
Virat struggled to get up. Shruti dropped the gun and ran forward to untie him. He untied himself and then rushed to release Sai, who was still dazed. What exactly was happening?
“Virat Sir..yeh sab kya..?”
“Batane ke liye waqt nahi hain. Yahan se nikalte hain..!”Virat shook her to present, glancing at Shruti.
“Shruti…” She raised a decisive hand and crouched down to check on Sada. He was dead.
“Tum log jao..”
Armed commandos stormed into the tent at that very instant and Virat raised his hands. Their leader raised a fist. Someone switched on a searchlight.
“ACP Virat Chavan? Sai Joshi?”
“Haan, Hum hi hain..”
“Tum dono theek to ho?”
It was then that the leader noticed the bruise on Virat’s cheek.
“ACP Sir, aapko medical attention ki zaroorat hain!” Virat waved him away. “Main theek houn. Yahan se aage kya plan hain?”
“Hamare saath chaliye. Hamari vehicle thodi door pe hain..kuchh kilometer door. Thoda chalna padega..!”
Virat looked at Sai, who nodded slowly. “theek hain, chaliye!”
They all trooped out of the tent. It was a ghastly sight. Bodies lay everywhere. Commandoes weaved their way amongst them, nudging them to see if anyone was alive. The dead were identified and tagged into body bags. Anyone injured was attended to by the paramedic team before shifting to an ambulance.
There was also a small group of handcuffed persons, who stood to one side under the watchful eyes of an armed person. Virat turned to Sai, who was clinging to his arm.
“Zyaada mat dekho. Disturb ho jaogi…”
“Aap bhool rahe hain Virat Sir, Ki main ek medical student houn? Aap se zyaada maine bodies dekhe hain..!” The tigress was back.
“Haan wahi to..!” The heterogenous group set on foot. Led by a leader who followed a GPS signal along with a torch, they barely could make out the path ahead. The terrain was rough with rocks, gravel and dense foliage. Paramedics carried body bags and injured people on stretchers. The procession also involved handcuffed prisoners, who were propelled by armed plainclothes men.The mission was well and truly over. The team would finally reach Nagpur wherein a debriefing session would occur and a closure report would be filed.
Tripping and stumbling, the duo tagged along with the commando team.
“Tumhe pata hain Sai, iss group main sirf hum aise do log hain jo na zakhmi hain, na giraftar hain…aur iss group ka hissa bhi nahi hain…”
“Haan, wo to hain. Ab chaliye jaldi..aapko medical aid ki zaroorat hain!”
“Uske liye tum hona! Mere dil ki dhadkan…” She took his arm and he put it around her. A lot of things were clear in that instant. She was shivering, not only from cold.
“Virat Sir..” Sai whispered in the dark. “Mujhe darr lag raha hain. Hum kahan hain? Kahan ja rahe han? Eeeks…mere paanv par kuchh reng gaya..…”
“Saanp hoga …. ya phir chhipkali!”
“Virat Sir…!” She almost stopped herself from screaming outa loud. Clinging to his arm, she looked about wide eyed. “Mujhe kuchh nahi dikhraha. Huma kahan hain, kahan ja rahe hain…Aur aapko mujhe darane ki padi hain?”
“Main to Chhipkali ko dara raha tha. Ki door hato…Dr Sai Joshi aa rahi hain..Kahin tumhari poonch pe paanv na rakh de…” She mock punched him and he pulled her closer.
They reached Nagpur by the end of next day wherein the DIG was waiting for them. Virat was attended to medically and debriefed vigourously. It was a well satisfied DB Sir who wrapped up the mission and left for the capital.
Sai was also attended to and prescribed rest for a week. It was late night when Virat and Sai reached Chavan Niwas.
The welcome was notable. It was inaugurated, as usual, by Bhavani Kaku.
“Mast ha mast…lo..ab padhaar rahe hain dono…they kahan ab tak?” Kaku’s sarcasm vanished in thin air on sight of Virat’s bandaged cheek and hand in sling. “Virat, he kay re?” (what’s this?) She took him by arm and led him to the living area. Karishma dusting a piece of furniture, paused abruptly.
“Balloons aur candy floss dhoondhane main aise injuries?Dadho sutto!”
The taunt was not missed by Sonali, who peered for a closer look.
“Gappa bais! Baap re, itne zakhm-ghaav-chot! Virat, iss jungli mulgi ke saath tubhi junglee ho gaya. Ped/vruksh/tree par Chadha tha kya?”
Everyone assembled in the drawing room. Ninad strode forward.
“Aa gaya mera sher beta. Are Sonali, yeh to iske medals hain. Magar lagi kaise? Aur tu kahan tha? Bata ke nahi ja sakta tha? Aur yeh Sai..yeh bhi tere saath gayab? Wo DIG sir ne kahan ki tu chhutti pe hain, phir yeh sab..?” He was cut short by Ashwini, who walked out of the kitchen wiping her hands on a towel.
“Godu! Sai! Tum aa gaye! Aur yeh kya…Kahin goondo ke beech phus gaye the kya? Chal Wo sab baad main. Pehle main dono ko Haldi aur doodh pilati houn. Kevhade lagalya re!” (how much have you got hurt) She was joined by Samrat.
“Are Shiva..Kahan tha itne din? Aur Sai tum? Sab pareshan ho rahe they. Maine to DIG sir ko phone bhi kiya tha. Ab kuchh batayega bhi…Aur yeh kya haal bana rakha hain? Chal, tujhe hospital lekar chalta houn…” But Ashwini Aai was not done yet with her Godu. She grasped his shoulder and turned his face to her. “Sirf chehre pe laga hain ya phir internal injuries bhi hain?Dr ko dikhana hain kya? First Aid kisne diya?”
“Baaas…ab koi mujhe bolne bhi dega ki nahi?” Virat stopped the verbal flow with a perfunctory hand. “Hum dono theek hain…bas thode aaram ki zaroorat hain!”
“Mast ha mast! Nau sau chuhe kha kar Billi haj karne chali.Teen din ghar se gayab rahe, sab to tension diya aur yeh dono ab aaram karne chale?”
“Are magar tum log yeh kyoun nahi bata rahe ki tum log they kahan. Aur yeh halat kaise huyi?”
“Ek mission par. Isse zyada mujhe batane ki permission nahi hain!”
“Mission par? To yeh jungle mulgi bhi wahin thi kya?Khandoba..”
Ignoring the taunts, comments and concerns, the duo walked to their room. Sai quickly had a look at Virat’s injuries. He leaned back on the bed.
“Bahut lag gaya…”
“Haan, magar anth bhala to sab bhala. Zyaada nahi hain..!”
“Anth hua kab hain Virat Sir! Aapki debriefing abhi baki hain! Aap aise so nahi sakte! Bina bataye..”
“Apne injured pati se aise baat karte hain?”
“Abhi abhi to bola ki zyaada nahi hain! Aur agar DIG Sir aapki debriefing kar sakte hain to main kyoun nahi?”
Virat propped up on pillows. Sai was sitting on the bed.
“Sirf ek vakya main kahu, Sai…ki jaisa dikhta hain wo hota nahi haina…”
“Kiski baat kar rahe hain. Shruti ki?”
“Haan. Zyada kuchh nahi, ab so jao. Tum bhi thak gayi hona..”
“Itni bhi nahi thaki ki aapse sawal na kar saku. Ab to bata dijiye…Aapka Shruti aur uske bachhe se kya rishta hain?”
“Abhi janana hain kya?”
She mock punched him. He caught the punch neatly and turned her over, pinning her effectively. Lowering his face to hers till a miniscule space remained, he looked into her eyes and whispered.
“Kuchh nahi hain. Jo kuchh bhi hain, sirf aur sirf tumse hain. Khush? Aur kuchh janana hain?”
She threw her hands around his neck and joined her lips to his.
comment:
p_commentcount