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"Madamji... Signal...!" The signal man came nearer.  Her brain racing faster, she said.. "We got to be sure...!" she looked around.  The spread out five Jawans were waitng for the orders.

"Wait here...!" she looked at the signal man.   He nodded.  "I will go try...!" he said.  "Get the vehicle... I will go from south... You spread out! You got to strike with one gun shot.... If two... then..." she left it vaguely....! The Jawans knew what to do.  Next moment she found herself alone. 

She moved ahead in the knee deep snow...!! "Wait...!" she mutterred to herself when she found the three ton truck.  "This is second Depot truck...!" she recognised the truck.  "Our people...!" she blurted confused.  "Our Vehicle?" she was not sure.  How come?? She stopped dead.   "Our Vehicle!" She took a breath of relief.  The storm had gained momentom... ! She was near... very near..." Its only a mile away...! Let me go....!" she  ordered herself moving on.   The nearer she went, more relaxed she became. 

The Nayab Subedar ran back to the vehicle and started the communication system... the message relayed to all nearby observation centers of Kargil, Drass Base, Zojila pass base... !!  Alert signals transmitted... Support systems ready.. the rapid action force hopped into the trucks.. the ice scooters roared into life....! The other five men maneuvered in the direction of the suspicious activity.  Dharini ducked in the snow flattening herself against a heap of snow, straining her eyes, holding her 65 Lbs gun, ready to strike anytime...! She saw her men moving like a football team towards the target...! A faint smile of satisfaction appeared on her face...! She pressed her binoculars and saw the military truck... Our Depot...! she sighed straightening herself and standing upright, smiling broadly.  "Nothing to worry!" she concluded. 

She looked at the group of people.  "Which troop? I should go help them...!" she picked up speed.  The long overcoats of the people ahead were buzzing in activity.  She looked at her double thermal innerwear and moved her hands on her long overcoat.  "Humm...!" she smiled looking through the binoculars...! "Technical people?" she was not sure...! She saw the only ice scooter...thrown aside..! She knew Maj. Vikram must be there.  She increased her speed still clutching the binoculars to her eyes, eying the movements ahead.  She moved closer and was sure about the military vehicle of the base camp.  The people wore olive uniform...! She was a few hundred meters away from the group.   The group parted in two groups suddenly maneuvering in a weird formation, moving towards the post at the tiger hill.  Dharini stopped gauging the movement.  Her vision blocked by the snow storm, she had to move closer.  She weighed her heavy gun and moved in the deeply layered snow.  She took out the flare gun to fire the "All well" smoke signal, smiling... with her eyes still eying the group, she froze....! Military boots...!" she stopped suddenly.  The snow layered shoes looked different...! She glared at every pair of the shoes...! She looked down at her shoes....! She stopped in horror...! This is not our troop...! She wanted to be sure.  She moved closer...looking at the three ton base camp vehicle.  She stopped taking position with her gun....! She was closer... Looking around she found the snow filled trench dug during war exercise, a week ago.  Throwing herself in the trench digging the snow out, making room to hide herself... her flare gun shot the smoke.... "All was not well"

She saw her men in war formation... they had to act fast.  The observation cabin had to be forewarned.  Another falre rose in the air within the snow storm struck area.  The activity ahead stopped suddently... The firing started... She hid herself in the trench... there was only the wooshing sound of whirling sound of wind for a few minutes and then she heard gun fire from above... she straightened herself up aiming the gun... the firing from her gun might have brought down atleast one from the cluster of people trying to move up towards the observation camp.  She knew the camp cabin was inadequately supported... two of her men had aready reached the top and the game had begun.... The suspects were trapped .....

A flare smoked from her gun the the enemy group turned in her direction... The firing from above brought down few more... she smiled hiding herself in the trench...! A flare smoked from above with loud reverberation... and she stood up in her trench after a minute when the group in between turned and moved to the top firing like maniacs...!! She  fired ....!!  And changed her position crawling in the trench...! The firing from the group Deafened her ears momentarily but then the firing from far above made the group yelp and yell in pain... "Atleast two..!" she counted the strength praying for support....! She heard the flare reverberating... and it was her turn to open fire... Another figure from the other end of the trench joined her...!!

"Madamji... help is coming...!" her jawan yelled and she rose from her position with war cries very near.  The enemy had decided to close in on her.  Her partner was ready....! Another gun firing... and Dharini changed her position again....! "They should not know, we are only two...!" her partner had already moved at the other end firing continuously...!

"Har Har Mahadeo...!" before anyone could know, she jumped out from the trench with her partner to cover up, and charged firing menacingly...! Another of her partner from above echoed her war cries and jumped down in her support.  The five remaining trapped had nowhere to go... The army trucks roared in the whirlwind and she knew the help had arrived...!!

*************   *********
"Dad... I want to know...!" Ravi and his father were at the poolside in the backyard with Ravi aiming the basket with his basket ball and his father relaxing on the recliner.

"What you want to know sonny?" Sayajirao asked in a lighter mood.  Ravi stopped practicing his basket and came to his father...

"About her... about everything... Dad, I know a lot of things in bits and pieces... I want to know it from you...." he said gravely.  His father looked aghst. 
"There is nothing much... It... it was just a breakup...!" Sayajirao tried to keep his voice steady...!

"Dad, I am grown up now... Don't hide anything from me now...!"
"Sonny... let us not talk about things which give us pain..!" he said weakly.
"No Dad... I want to know...!" he was determined...!  Sayajirao shook his head in despair...

"I had decided never to tell you anything about it...but...!" he looked at his son with apprehension fearing the consquences of him telling the truth....
"I insist, Dad...!" Ravi pulled another chair....Sayajirao took his son's hand in his...."Sonny....." he started off....

***********
""Disha... I know Bhanu's family is very rich... but we will do our best...!" Nilima said with a slight shade of guilt.  Dhatri had reluctantly come from her college for a week to meet her eldest sister Disha.  Nilima opened the jewellery boxes. 
"These are the bangles set, Kangan, necklaces and earrings.....  I made three sets .. Nilima kept all of them on the table.

"Rini doesn't like much of jewellery... so I had made this thick gold chain for her..." explained Nilima when Disha took out the chain from second box.  Dhatri was sitting there not paying much attention.  "But I like this ...!" Disha said putting that chain in her box and opening the third box... Suddenly Dhatri rose from her seat... "That is for Rini Didi.." she said flaring up and tried to pull the chain from Disha's hand.  Disha looked at her mother.  Nilima looked away awkwardly...

"You take anything from this..." Dhatri slid her box towards Disha.  "Don't take anything from Rini Didi's box..." she said ...

Disha opened all the boxes and started shuffling the jewellery. 
"You know, Mamma... Bhanu's mother is giving me so many things.... Even a diamond pendent and earrings...!" she paused and Nilima listened with bated breath.  A professor's family was no match to the sardar princely family of Bhanu Pratap Singh...

"Even if you give me all three boxes... that will not match what Bhanu's mother will be giving me..." Disha collected all the three boxes... Dhatri leapt forward and grabbed Rini's box from her.

"What do you suggest?" asked Nilima looking aghast.
"I think we should a tleast be decent... " Disha collected everything in her box.  "Still less..." she murmured disappointed with the jewellery arrangements made by her parents...

"You take my entire box..." Dhatri said generously but didn't leave Rini's box.
"Mamma... I had seen that Kantha ...." Said Disha and Nilima rose from her seat to open her cupboard.  Dr, Salil had gifted that Kantha to her on her 40th birthday.  She took it out and gave it to Disha...! Disha was still now satisfied.  She had already taken a pair of Kangan from Rini's box.

"Hope we atleast match in making wedding arrangements....." she mutterred under her breath.  "We are trying out best, Disha...!" Nilima said weakly.  Dhatri swore under her breath angrily...

"Hope you people have booked a star hotel for them.... Mamma... they are only a hundred people..." Disha suggested and Nilima pressed her hand on her chest.
"There are no five star hotels in Vidisha..." Dhatri said angrily.  "But here are in Bhopal... we can make arrangement for their transport..." Disha was no less.  "We can hire cars..." Disha suggested and Dhatri gaped at her....!

"Didi... you said Dad earns peanuts and you earn more than him.... Rini Didi also said she will contribute to your marriage.... What is your contribution to you own marriage, Disha Didi...?" Asked Dhatri disdainfully and Disha blew her head off in rage....

"Are you... Are you asking me to contribute...you.. you damn dumb girl.... look at you.... !" Disha threw a disgust at Dhatri and Nilima looked at the bickering sisters dejected.   "Rini.... where are you?" she prayed hard missing Rini, the rescuer....! The fight had reached the peak with both the sisters raising their voices... Dr. Salil dashed in ....!!!