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“What was that? They didn't know! Dhatri was home... her home... Finally. 

“Baby..?” Bijoy still touched her cheeks in disbelief.  She was smiling at him.  He had tears....! The men chasing her closed in.

“Baby...!” Bijoy declared and they too looked at her in disbelief.  A young boy came out of the house. 

“You know her?” Bijoy grinned at the boy.  Dhatri and the boy gazed at each other not recognizing at all. 

“You remember her?” Bijoy asked pulling her closer.  The boy shook his head.  Another middle aged person came out watching suspiciously.  “Appa... She … she is Baby...!” Bijoy said excitedly.  The man glided down towards them looking at Dhatri intently.  His appearance gave her shivers.  She inched closer to Bijoy and Ravi came a step forward looking at Dhatri's pale frightened face.  Bijoy grinned broadly.  The man called Appa pulled Dhatri away from Bijoy looking at her.  She closed her eyes in fright, clutching her head ducking down. 

“See? She is still scared of you...!” Bijoy grinned.  Appa pulled her up by her arm and looked at her.  “Baby?” his rough voice shuddered her. She opened her eyes nodding a little and he pulled her closer.  “No!” she screamed seeing his raised hand and Bijoy intervened.  “Appa..!” and she was pulled in his embrace. 

Bijoy came to his senses and looking at the bewildered faces of the two accompanying persons, said... “Please come...!” Dhatri broke apart and looked at the duo sheepishly.  She didn't know how to respond to their questioning looks.  But Bijoy said...
“She is our baby...!”

“What?” Ravi was first to react.  “Umm... She stayed with us when she was a baby...!” Bijoy said tentatively.  “I was kidnapped when I was five....!” Maria's mouth went dry...She gaped.  “If this is kidnapping.. I bet she never wanted to be rescued...!” thought Maria looking at the overwhelming love those people had towards Dhatri.   “She is a darling...!” her heart too filled with love for Dhaa.  Ravi gaped at everyone with blank face.

“Please come in...!” Bijoy invited them inside and Maria smiled broadly.  Ravi still suspicious of the drama unfolding, didn't move, but Maria went inside pulling him by his hand.  She was curious to know more about Dhatri. 

“No! I mean others..?” he said uncertainly and Maria stopped, so did Dhatri!

“Others?” Dhatri looked aghast realizing where and with whom she was. 
“Others?” Bijoy asked suspiciously looking at other dwellers. 
“I… I came with the team… research…. Forest….” Dhatri didn’t know what would happen.

“Where?” Appa asked and she pointed at the base camp of forest department above….! Appa sighed. 

“I will send someone..!” he said gesturing Ravi and Maria to go inside.  Maria jumped to the opportunity and dashed in with Ravi.  Dhatri still looked confused…. Appa again raised his hand angrily and she ran inside in fright.  Bijoy shook his head laughing. 

She dashed inside that small house.  A very old lady was at the far end of a small room inside.  Dhatri took a deep breath.  Her bright face amazed Ravi.  “What is she?” he wondered…!  Bijoy came in.  “Nanu… baby!” he pushed Dhatri towards the old lady.  She looked up trying to recall.  She couldn’t recognize the young lady.  She gaped blankly.  Dhatri didn’t bother.  She looked around and Bijoy requested the duo to sit spreading a sheet on the floor.  Ravi glanced and preferred to stand leaning against the mud coated wall but Maria sat down excitedly. 

“How do you know her?” Maria asked stressing on the words.  Bijoy glanced at baby who was already at the back door jumping into the backyard.  Bijoy smiled sidelining Maria’s question and waved at Appa.  “My elder brother…” The person joined his hands and greeted.  Ravi had all his attention at the back door where Dhatri’s figure had reappeared.  She came in.  She didn’t know how to introduce… “Umm… M’am and team member…!” she was vague enough.  “Umm…. Teacher Ni..Nixon and R….Ray Dev..” she fumbled not sure what to call him.  Everyone  except Ghosh, called him Ray Dev but Indroneel insisted in calling him Ravi. 

“Oh! She knows my name..” Ravi arched his eyebrows smiling inwardly.  “O..Others are up there…” she clarified hurriedly.  Maria smiled and repeated her question, this time to Dhatri.  She fidgeted nervously.  “Don’t tell anyone about anything…” she remembered her Rini Didi.  She looked at Bijoy.  “She stayed with us…” he repeated his answer.  Maria was not convinced but had patience.  There was something else to it. Ravi was curious too, gazing at Dhatri’s familiarity with the house…

The boy came and stood beside Ravi.  He smiled holding out his hand.  The boy looked at it nervously.  “Hindi?” Ravi sounded very friendly.  The boy gave a nod “Toda Toda…” in a heavy Telugu accent.  Ravi smiled broadly and leaning forward held his hand in his.  Soon the boy and Ravi were friends taking a tour of the surroundings. 

“Tea?” Bijoy asked Maria and she nodded readily.  Dhatri looked at her in disbelief.  “There is no milk in the tea…” she tried to explain.  But Maria didn’t bother.

“No.. She will put milk..” Bijoy spoke to the old lady in some alien tongue.  Maria gaped.  The old lady nodded.  Another young girl came in from backyard with her hands smeared in cow dung.  Dhatri looked at Bijoy… “Pappi?” she asked with wide eyes.  He laughed and turning to Maria said.. “we had four children of her age… She had named them… Pappa, Pappi, Putta Putti…!” Dhatri turned her face shyly glancing at Maria. 

“How did she landed here?” Maria was not to give up.  Bijoy looked away nervously but Appa spoke in a grave tone…

“She was brought here…. By him…” he waved at Bijoy.  He looked down guiltily.  Maria looked at Appa.  “She was kidnapped by him…” He said accusingly.  The guilt had not faded away in these years.  Bijoy looked at Dhatri and she grinned.  “Yeah I came here and stayed and then they took me to the camp… Papu Mari…” she looked around in search.  Bijoy fidgeted. 

“She used to call my mother ‘Papu Mari’ as my mother used to call her Papu Mari… that is poor child…!” he explained to Maria.  Maria looked around for Papu Mari.

“No… she is dead…!” Bijoy explained.  “Oh! Sorry!” Maria was sorry for the unknown, unseen Papu Mari.  Dhatri’s face drained out.  She turned her face and walked towards backyard.

“No Wait…! Baby…!” Bijoy called and Dhatri turned with tears….

“I… I..” She trembled.  Bijoy held her hand.  “Its Ok..!” he said and Dhatri dashed out.  Bijoy sighed.  He looked at Maria’s puzzled face and said.. “My mother died …. When.. when they raided the Naxal training camp…”

All the googled text flashed before Maria and she nodded sympathetically.  Both of them suddenly fell silent.  Ravi walked in with the boy.  “Umm.. He is Putta…” Bijoy recovered.  “Baby’s name!” the boy of Dhatri’s age smiled shyly.  Ravi thumped on his back.  Ravi had gathered a lot of information from Putta. Ravi looked around in that small house.  He looked at the skinny figures of people.  “Malnutrition… poverty…no medical help….no roads….no development” He looked at the burning bulb. 

“Umm… we got electricity last year…” said Bijoy reflecting Ravi's thoughts.  Ravi continued looking around.  “These people are living in hardship….” He sympathized. 

“What was that hung around her neck?” Maria was not to give up. 

“My mother carved that kirtimukh for her to ward off evil….We are artisans … My mother did wood carving… very well….” Bijoy’s eyes twinkled with pride.  Maria nodded.  “We do cane work… weave baskets…” he said. 

“You took her to the camp, which camp?” Maria was all set to probe deeper.  Bijoy fidgeted guiltily.  “We had no other option… they would have killed us all….” He said gravely not knowing how to unfold the story.  Maria was waiting, Ravi looked startled…

“Camp? Naxal camp?” he asked in shock.  Bijoy nodded but didn’t say anything more.  Maria was curious.  “You took her to the Naxal camp?” she asked.  She had read everything about Naxal movement and maoism.  Dhatri had vanished somewhere with Pappi.

A group of few persons were at the door and Bijoy looked relieved.  He limped forward and Appa greeted the group.  “Baby…?” an elderly person asked and Bijoy nodded excitedly.  The elderly person looked at Maria and Bijoy said… “Teacher… Baby’s teacher!” the person looked relieved. 

“Baby…!” Bijoy called out loudly.  Her figure appeared from backyard.  She looked at the group of people uncertainly.  “Our neighbors…” Bijoy clarified.  The persons were busy gazing at Dhatri’s embarrassed face. 

“Everything changed after her arrival that night, when I brought her here…” He said going back a decade when he carried her that night and his mother took her from him. 

…..   …