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The Innova.. SUV literally took off as Afroz zoomed out of the now opened gate of the temple.  Salil took a sigh and turned to his wife.  

“Someone from us should have gone with her…!” Salil held Nilima’s hand… She looked up with teary eyes.

“She will be more comfortable with her friends…!” Swarnima said, smiling.  

“And Ravi…!” Virender added a pinch of humor.  

“Yeah… Baaba… Ravi and Dhaa… I thought they left for their Honeymoon… But alas  They are going for her exam….humm….! Baaba… Dhaa… All the best…” Indroneel made a sad face glancing at everyone and waved in the direction of the gate,  and Nilima burst out in laughter…!

“Bhaisaab… Aap bhi naa…” she glanced at the laughing crowd…!

……  ……

Dhatri felt uncomfortable and tried to keep the distance, as much as possible till she was awake…! But found her head against his shoulder, holding his arm, when she woke up in the morning.  

 Afroz had brought them to Bhopal in record time with only one stop for a strong tea in the midnight when Dhatri and Ravi were fast asleep plopping their heads on each other…! 

The friends had no time to think of anything other than project Demo, reporting to the Head of Department and preparing the lab setup for the demo.  They begged for the time slot in the afternoon which was refused.  Ravi’s partner Bill was already there in the lab.  Ravi refused to enter the lab or meet him.

“That will be my vested interest….!” He said reasonably glancing at Dhatri.  Dhatri had already had adrenaline rush.  “Why can’t you come?” she asked nervously.

“Because, now, you are my wife and I can’t evaluate you… That’s not fair…!” he said and Ragini nudged her naughtily.  “Wife..! haan??!” she whispered and Dhatri’s cheeks changed color with her deep dimples visible as she bit her lip…! 

“Shut up..!” she turned her face away from Ravi. 

“Dhatri… All the best…!” Ravi held out his hand and wished.  Dhatri nodded nervously…! She was blanked out… Nothing was in her head.  She had forgotten everything about the project.. Even the title.  Suresh understood her problem.

“Daatri… Don’t worry… I will prompt you…! Like we did in that Seminar…!” he tried to pump in some confidence.  Dhatri nodded again.  “Mari mai… Mari mai…” She prayed closing her eyes, clutching her Kirtimukh….

“Wait a minute…! What was that another thing hanging around her neck…?” She turned ghostly…!

“Mangalsutra?” She looked at Ravi, panic-struck…! She was married… Without knowing what she was doing and what marriage was after all…! It was just an escape route for her, then… But now? There was no escape…!

“Dhaa… Chal.. We must be in uniform…” Poorva dragged Dhatri along.  Ravi waited in the canteen, nervously for the evaluation to get over…!

………  ………..

“What are they doing, after all? Brainwashing the innocent, poor people?” Rini thought gravely controlling her urge to open her mouth to argue and tell the women what their so called jehad would lead them to…! She clenched her fists.  Her job was not to preach.  She was to act… Act smoothly, collect information, note the locations and return…! She was not to wage war… She was to avoid it as far as possible…! She let out a sigh, lying down on the floor for some sleep. The so called protectors were busy keeping the poor people unsettled, hoodwinking them under the name of jehad... the spiritual struggle against unbelievers....!

“Vande Mataram…” She again heard a whisper and sat up with a jerk.  The darkness had covered the figure.  She tried her best to look around.  A thin, bony palm gripped her wrist. She moved in a flash pinning down the figure to the floor, clamping the throat with one hand and twisting the wrist by the other.  

“Allah… Who are you?” Gritted Rini.  The person pinned down struggled…. The pressure on the throat increased… the person chocked…! 

“Who are you?” Rini asked releasing the pressure a bit.  The person coughed…! 

“Indian Army…” and “SLAP…” Rini slapped the person with all her might… 

“What the hell?” she yelled spitting rage… The person struggled again under the deathly pressure on the throat.  

“What is it?” someone was at the door…!

“Intruder….” Rini said releasing the person….! Two people came in hurriedly with torch.  A bony, pale looking woman was uncovered….! She trembled with fright…! 

“What are you doing here?” a rough voice asked…

“I…I … I was asked to take this to her…!” she pointed at Rini showing a pouch in her hand.  Rini looked shocked.

“What is in it?” asked the rough voice and Rini felt her heart pounding against her chest.  

“What if this reveals my true identity..?” she clenched her fists, preparing herself for the final assault… ! 

The pouch was snatched and the woman was asked to go…! Rini waited with bated breath.  The man emptied  the pouch….! 

“What did she say…?” the person stood tall before Rini.  Rini looked up with her face covered under her burkha…!

“One Day Martyrdom…” she twisted it a bit… ‘Vande Mataram…’ she kept her hand on her chest.  “Mauf Karana…” she blurted eating the word “Maa” for her motherland.  

He surveyed the contents… A match box, a cigarette, a small sharp knife, a white powder, and a piece of aluminum foil.. with few coins and a string….!

Rini too gaped with astonishment not understanding what it means…! There was not a single thing she had expected in the pouch to hold.  These clearly showed the material for smoke…, inhaling drugs… ! 

“What the hell is this? Are you on drugs?” the man came in.  Holding her shoulder tightly, he moved his hand over her body.  She shook her head furiously denying the accusation.  

“No…I don’t know, what it is…” she said trembling….! The man pocketed the material and moved out dragging Rini along.  He must report…. 

Someone had framed her…! She too must report and prepare to strike back…! 

********  ********  *******

He opened his eyes sitting up with a jerk.  The commotion everywhere in the nomad camp had woken him up, from his sweet dreams of Rini and Vini together…!

“What the hell? What’s going on?” he asked a passerby…! 

“Deaths… Explosion…!” The young boy’s voice trailed as he ran away….! Vinit looked around…. The mayhem broke out…! People were running for their lives… Yaks, sheep, camels scattering everywhere… escaping the fire…! 

“What happened?” he asked holding Khan Baba’s hand.  The man who led the troop of these nomads… the alpha male… the leader… the protector… the lead man in arms and drugs trafficking…! 

“Don’t worry… ! Nothing much has happened… ! A few of their people died with their cattle… the mines exploded when the trespassers tried to sneak in….! 

Vinit gaped with dropped jaw…!  “I mean… the rival tribe…. They were carrying light weight material… fell short of camels and yaks… came to us begging… we refused… they tried to sneak in to purloin our live stock…! We chased them away…!” Khan Baba grinned wickedly.  Vinit turned to the tent.  Khan Bibi… the lead lady was smoking.. she offered him smiling… He sat groaning in pain in the knees.  

“These things happen….” She said smiling…! “We secure our territory with land mines…” she said.  He just nodded.  “Soon everything will be normal..! Don’t panic..!” she said sucking in the Hukkah….! 

“You want tea?” she asked and he nodded….! People in the group were preparing to a move, packing their belongings on the yaks and camel backs…! Vinit got up limping and a youth came running to help him….! Vinit had befriended with the young lads, ignorant about the trafficking that was taking place.  Vinit had free access to the belongings of others including the leaders. 

“Where are you taking these?” he had asked.  “Don’t know…!” was the casual answer from the youth.  But then Khan Bibi had favored him with the answer. 

 

“A group will come and exchange these for Afeem and Hashish… drugs… and some money…We exchange these light weight rocket launchers and mortars…! These are Chinese make…! She had provided vital information.  The real official arms deal was never brought to light… These were not for official Army but for the Non State actors like infiltrators, terrorists and so called Jehadees…! 

“I know, where these would go…!” One of the youth had said and Khan Bibi had stopped the youth, yelling at him.  Vinit must find him, to give him the touch screen mobile handset he had, as a gift….! 

********  *********  ********

“Disha….Don’t worry…! Everything will be alright….! Ravi is a nice gentleman…!” Bhanu kept patting on sobbing Disha’s back.

“You know what? Papa didn’t even listen to me… I am not her enemy…! I wanted to tell them what I heard…Bhanu… Sanyogita Aunty..!” Bhanu stopped her.

“You are putting your trust in a wrong person, Disha…!” he said shaking his head and Disha exploded.

“Wrong person? She is the sufferer, Bhanu… She has gone through the torture, the assault, the humiliation…!” Disha looked at him in disbelief.

“That’s what she told you… Have you ever tried to probe deeper? Have you ever asked me about it? My mother is her elder sister, Disha! We know her for long….!”

Disha gaped having no counter argument.  Bhanu patted her kindly and said…

“Its ok.  I will get some coffee for you… Just relax…” he went inside and Disha sat on the sofa lost in her thoughts.  She was worried about her family back in India, her youngest sister’s future and her future too…! Things were not going her way.. She was missing something vital… Bhanu too looked distant and indifferent… In fact he sounded happy for what had happened with Ravi and Dhatri…! 

“You think She will be safe?” she asked clutching the coffee cup.  He wrapped his arm around her shoulder.

“Yes, Disha! I am sure she will be very happy with Ravi…! Now gulp you coffee and come… let us sleep….!” He said squeezing her shoulder lovingly.  Disha smiled faintly…!

“Yeah… I need to start my day early, tomorrow… I need to report to duty early… There is a conference call with the simulation guys…!” she said picking up the empty coffee cups and Bhanu took a sigh of relief….!

“Distraction….” Was the only way out….! He went into the bedroom controlling his urge to call Ravi or Saya uncle….!