87

The room door opened and Dhatri looked up, still on the floor.  A plum lady walked in.  She looked at Dhatri and keeping the bowl on the metal platform, turned without a word.  Dhatri gaped at her speechless.

“Who was she?” Dhatri thought afterwards when she devoured the cereals and milk in no time.  She drank water and looked around.  

“What time is it?” she didn’t know.  She felt hungry again as if starved for days.  She closed her eyes … “Rini Didi..!” tears rolled down … she didn’t have energy even to wail her Didi’s name.  

Two people walked in with a pad and papers.  The elder one pulled her up and keeping the papers on the platform, ordered… “Sign..!” she gaped stupidely and took the pen.  She signed without any resistance.  The two hugely built men standing at the door looked on, surprised to see no resistance.  She didn’t understand anything and had no courage or words to ask anything to anyone.  She always lost her speech before strangers.  Another white lady walked in with medicine and cleaned her wound.  She took out scissors to cut the hair around…

“No..!” Dhatri staggered backwards.  The lady looked at her and kept the seizure aside.  Took a tablet and held the glass.  Dhatri took the tablet and swallowed it.  The lady looked up again and went out without a word.

“Strange…! She didn’t even resist!” the Lady stopped outside the closed door and sighing, went away.  The fact was, Dhatri was so shocked, she was unable to take in anything and she didn’t know how to resist.  There was always someone, her good boy, grumpy, papu mari, nanu, appa, her friends Purva, Ragini, Suresh and her parents… and above all her Rini Didi.  She just didn’t have that faculty…! She always had given in.  She wouldn’t resist…! She wouldn’t fight back..! She would accept…! Bear the pain, without any protest…! In alien environment she would lose her thinking capacity and would just obey…! Enduring.. 

Suffering..Curing…Pass out in pain…! Just give in.  She was asked to sign, she just signed without a question, without even reading what it was.  She was asked to eat, she ate.. without a question.  She was asked to move, she moved…! 

“Where was she? Who were these people?” she didn’t know.  “What day and time it was?” she didn’t know.  She was in a solitary confinement.  She closed her eyes again feeling sleepy.  She was drugged.  She curled up on the thin mattress on the metal platform again dizzily.  The uniform dim light emitted in the room.  

She opened her eyes with pain in her stomach.  She looked around and found a commode in the corner.  She released and felt better..! 

“What do I do?” she didn’t know.  “Baby.. my papu mari… pray.. pray my child… pray… Mari mai will protect you…!” her Papu Mari always used to say.  She sat on the floor folding her legs with her heels under her hips, locking her hands at the back, she prayed…! She prayed her Mari mai…! The goddess..! The protector.. Her Mari Mai… who took her through every trouble… protecting her, saving her, sending someone for her…! She clutched the kirtimukh.  “Mari Mai… Mari Mai..!” The wordless enchantment in her mind filled her heart… The rosary filled the air…! Calmness filled her heart.

…………………

“Keep her confined… till she breaks down…!” He ordered sitting on the high rise plush lather chair behind a huge mahogany Table.  

“But there is no resistance …!” the lady said puzzled.  He looked up in disbelief.  “Keep her until she breaks down …!” he repeated his order.  The lady opened her mouth to speak up.. but then turned her back and left.  The person gazed at the papers…!

“Humm… Informed Consent…!” he kept the papers safe.  The lady came out of his office and stood there deep in thoughts.  “Break down? How? There is no resistance at all.. No questions, No struggle, No begging, No words…!” she wondered.  “How would she break down when there is no fight…!” She shook her head and went away. 

Dhatri didn’t know for how long she was there in that room.  She used to get something to eat every few hours, had a facility for her nature’s call, had nothing else to do, used to get some tablets and was instructed to swallow them… got a prick of the needle sometimes…! Dhatri lost the count of her doses…! She was fed properly…! Dhatri thought she was there in that empty room for ages…! Her Mari Mai chanting was fading off…! She was losing hope…! No one was going to come looking for her.

***** ******

“Seven days… Seven Days, Dad…!” Blurted Ravi dejected.  Sayajirao looked at his dejected son.  Ravi had left no stone unturned.  He had watched that footage several times, every time calling up Detective Earl for his doubts…! Detective Earl had several rounds of talks with the group.  Everyone said she was very shy and wouldn’t go anywhere on her own.  Indroneel had narrated how difficult it was to travel with her.

“No! She wouldn’t go on her own…!” Everyone had concluded.  Disha was unsure whether to disclose that she was kidnapped when she was just five, by naxals…! But nothing had happened after that.  She was safe, had continued with her education.  But disclosing that would mean the Maoists would again come on radar, which would prove dangerous to Dhatri’s family.  Disha had decided to keep mum about it. But Bhanu insisted for full disclosure.  The investigation began into that direction checking every naxal connection in the US of A, with no clue as to what happened to Dhatri and why she was kidnapped.  Ravi and Jim were sure that she was kidnapped.  Others waited for the result of investigation. Ravi had read the report that in 92% of  kidnapping cases there was a demand for ransom.  Here, even after seven days there was no one claiming the responsibility of kidnapping.

Ravi had also read, in 87% of the cases, if the victim is not recovered in ten days, the victim would be killed.  As the days passed, everyone became restless.

“Didi…” Disha heard Rini’s voice and broke down.  Finally after eight days, they were able to contact her.  Bhanu took the phone from Disha and talked to Rini at length.

Rini couldn’t believe it.  “Dhaa… her Dhaa… missing? How can that be possible?”

she couldn’t continue… with her mind going totally blank.  Vinit took the call.

“Bhanu… Don’t ask me how, I checked it … its not naxals… !” he said ruling out the possibility.  “We got to focus on something else…!” Vinit said deep in thoughts.  He was all set to leave for US.  His MI as a special case had made elaborate arrangements, to send him through a UN convoy…!” 

“I am coming there..!” he said to Bhanu’s relief.  “Disha, Vinit is coming…!” he said sighing.  Disha gaped.  “He is coming? Can he come?” she was not sure.  

****  *****

The door opened again and Dhatri looked up.  A person walked in with two other huge men.  She looked at them frightened.  The Lady who used to give her food and medicine walked in.  “Go with them” she said. Another person again pricked the needle. Dhatri was strapped to the stretcher and the two men carried her pulling a sheet on her face.  She didn’t even move or resist.  The lady sighed walking with them.  

The bright light blinded her.  She shut her eyes close shuddering in fright.  “Mari Mai… Mari Mai… “ the chanting again filled her mind calming her palpitation.  Her breath became steady she lay there motionless.  She didn’t know for how many days she was in the solitary confinement and where she was being carried.  The lady walked with her holding her hand.  

****  ****

“Ray…!” Maria had called up.  Ravi looked at the time.  It was 1 am.  He responded.

“Ray.. Need to talk to you…! Urgent..!” she spoke nothing more.

“One hour..!” he said hopping out of the bed, getting ready.  His phone buzzed.

“Ray.. Dr. Nixon…!” Jim didn’t complete his sentence, Ravi interrupted. “I know, I am reaching there in one hour..!” he said wearing his helmet and gloves.

“Dad.. Going.. Urgent work!” he knocked on his Dad’s room and dashed out of the house.  His Harley-Davidson H-D was on the roads in just five minutes from the phone call.  

Maria paced her small study room restlessly.  She didn’t know whether her thought would be appreciated by the boys.  But she had to tell  them.  She must! She was not sure, but she must rule out.  Her conscience wouldn’t keep her quiet.  She must discuss with her old gang…! Her team … Dr. Koite was on his way.  Indroneel stayed with Disha and Maria didn’t want to talk to Dhatri’s sister at this point of time….!

Within an hour or so, all four of the team had gathered in her room, except her darling Dhatri… 

“What is it?” Ravi was the last to arrive, he barged in and asked.  Maria looked at him gravely…! 

“I do not know… how far you know about her.  When you went in the temple forest, I had stayed back…” Dr. Maria started without wasting time.  The three of them listened with rapt attention….!