24

It was midnight. Papaji was still pacing in his study. He stopped in the middle, thought of something, took out his cell... again kept it back on the table, paced the room restlessly. He was in dual mind. He thought for a while and muttered. "Let me call him and ask! Not for rapid action but may be something discrete, indirect!" 

He had never called Ramani for any of his work. In fact he had kept him at a distance never wanting to meet him or talk to him in public. Ramani knew to stay within his limit. He never showed any recognition in public that he knew Mr. Balwindar Singh. In fact they had not met for many years.

"Dada?" Ramani was surprised. He stood up from his bed. "ji!" he said.

"Ramani, meet me tomorrow morning!" said Balwindar Singh.

"Ji.. Ji Dada!" he said stuttering.

Papaji disconnected. Ramani dialed the number to book his early morning flight to Kolkata from Mumbai wondering why dada called him so urgently. He owed his life to dada. He used to call Mr. Balwindar Singh as "Dada"! He was a fugitive and Wanted criminal in many States. 


Papaji came to the room lost in his thoughts. 

"Biwi!" he whispered. Mummiji was fast asleep. He came back to his study. Picked up a book randomly and started moving his gaze on the lines, not taking in anything. Somewhere late in the night came back to his room!

Khushi Arnav and the family had gone back. Raj had left for US. Peace was restored between Mummiji and Papaji. Papaji utilized these eight days in finding out the facts, the glimpses of which Dasgupta had given him on the party night. 

The facts were shocking and also puzzling. Mr. Balwindar Singh using his power, had gone deep into finding more information, but had hit a dead end. He needed someone insider. He never wanted to take Ramani's help. Ramani was dead for all practical purposes. But to solve the mystery he had no other option. 

Next day morning, papaji ordered his servant to clean the outhouse immediately. He was restless. 

"Biwi, I have asked him to meet me, but I really don't want to take his help!" said papaji.
"I know, may be you can pay him for that. And it is not anything criminal. It is just extracting information through some unconventional means!" assured Mummiji. "You are not going to ask him to take any action, right?" she asked looking at him piercingly. He nodded.

"Its ok to take his help!" she said patting his hand. " Let us see! " he was not optimistic about this meeting. He took out a large envelop and kept it on his study table. 

******** ********* **********

Ramani was deep in thoughts on his journey back to Kolkata. He was travelling on some fake name with fake passport. He had abandoned his name years back when his death certificate was issued. 

"What could have happened? Dada wants to meet me?" he wondered. "He had never called me in these years.. how many? Fifteen? Twenty?" he couldn't remember. He used to see Dada in news papers, on TV channels sometimes and also in Kolkata. He went down the memory lane.
Ramani's father, the old man was papaji's driver. Ramani had fallen in bad company and had gone further down on crime lane. His father took him several times to Balwindar Singh. Even he was offered a job. But by that time he was addicted to the thrill of handling guns, looting, injuring people, even killing them. He had brought in a girl from some dance bar as his keep. His father could not take this. He compelled Ramani to marry that girl. They got two children in a span of three years. Ramani never stopped his criminal activities. 

On that fateful day, he got caught and was charged for organized crime and murder. His simple and poor father could not take this shock. He died. Ramani was released on parole for his father's funeral!! He escaped and in a couple of days faked his death. It was all over the papers. Mr. Balwindar Singh went to his driver's house and brought the poor girl and her two children to his Mansion. 

"Dekho Sudha, there is no point crying. You cannot do anything. Look at your small children and decide what you want to do" he had told her.

"I don't know! I am not educated!" she said between her sobs.

"Can you do household work?" he asked her looking at his wife.

"Yes" she had replied. Balwindar Singh gave her a job in his Mansion giving her servant quarters to stay. He helped her raise her children and gave them good education. Ramani was declared dead by police, Balwindar Singh arranged his death certificate to isolate the children and their mother from the stigma of criminal connection. 

There was a big hue and cry about Mr. Balwindar Singh giving shelter to the family of a criminal. People even went to the extent of talking about illicit relations of Mr. Singh with the girl. But Balwindar Singh kept to his word and continued supporting the poor girl. She was safe, secure under his shelter with her children. Fortunately, the children turned out to be good in studies. 

Ramani after two years of his death declaration, surfaced again and visited Mansion. Balwindar Singh met him that night when he was trying to meet his wife and children. He had a long talk with Ramani that day and that was the last time he spoke to Ramani. 

"Dada, I cannot come back. Death is the only escape route for me from this now. Either I will be encountered or hanged! Till then I have to continue on this route! !" he had said bitterly!
"Call me anytime and I will be there! I owe you my life, Dada!... thank you for looking after my family" he had said and had vanished.

Ramani touched his feet that night and promised him that he will never meet his children as their father and keep them away from his criminal dark past. They never met after that. But Ramani always kept a tab on Balwindar Singh. His children thought that their father was a driver and was dead!!

******** ***********

Ramani landed on Kolkata Airport. He came out and from a STD booth called up Mr. Balwindar Singh's landline. Butler picked up. He spoke in Bengali and asked for Balwindar Singh.

Papaji came on phone. "Dada!" Ramani spoke. "Outhouse!" said papaji keeping the receiver down. 

Ramani took a taxi! "Whatever he asks for, I will do it for him!" He thought resolutely. 

********** ********** ******

"Are you ..?" papaji asked suspiciously looking at changed face of Ramani.

"Ji... dada! I had to do this to my face! Ramani is long dead!" He said staring at the floor.
Papaji was sitting on the chair and Ramani stood at a distance locking his hands before him, looking down. 

"Have a seat!" said papaji waving at another chair. "No... Dada!" said Ramani. He stood there still looking down.

"I don't know, whether you will be able to do it...." Said papaji. 

"Anything for you, dada!" said Ramani keeping his right hand on his chest.

Papaji narrated him the events handing over the list of persons and some papers. 

"I want to know everything about this Malik and his entire family, his genealogy! One of them is in Tihar Jail serving a life sentence! I need an insider information from this person!" said Dada looking at Ramani gauging his confidence.

"Ji.. Dada! You will get all the information! Trust me! Everything !" Ramani, for the first time looked up at his Dada and looked down again unable to bear his gaze! 

"Ok!" said Dada. There was a very awkward silence for a long time.

"Do you know? Your sons are engineers now! The elder one is in Bangalore in an IT company! The younger one is in final year!" said Dada. Ramani nodded looking up at him.

"Do you want to meet her?" he asked staring at Ramani. He gaped at his dada.
Balwindar Singh got up and went upto the door!

"Ramani, this I need for my daughter and my son in law! You have to be careful and be discrete!" He looked at Ramani. Ramani did not know, Dada had a daughter!

"Ji.. Dada! I will do it!!" said Ramani confidently. He knew exactly what to do! 

Balwindar Singh went out. Ramani waited. 

"Sudha, you have a guest! Go and meet him in the outhouse!" said Balwindar Singh coming back to Mansion.

"Biwi, I think he will do it for me!" papaji looked relieved. "Hmm!" Mummiji sighed.
Some buried skeletons were waiting to be unearthed!!

******** ******** ********* 


"Khushi....!" Screamed Arnav. Khushi was in the kitchen preparing breakfast. She looked up towards the room. "Khushi.. go ! Chote is calling you!" said Anjali entering kitchen. Khushi looked scared. She did not move. 

"What happened? Chote is calling you, Khushi!" said Anjali again coming nearer. 

"Ye.. Yes going!" said Khushi reluctantly moving. 

"Khushi...!" came a scream at the top of the voice.

"Wait, Khushi..I will go!" said Anjali and moved towards Chote's room. Khushi stood there nervously biting her nails.

"Chote... What happened?" asked Anjali entering the room. She stood there looking around and then trying to hide her laughter asked with a straight face

"Chote, what happened? Who did this?" 

"Don't know!..Where is she?" he asked with his temper sky rocketing.

"Relax chote, she is in the kitchen! I will get it cleaned!" she said moving out of the room. Arnav stood there looking at the mess.

Khushi had woken up early and had got ready. Arnav came in after his morning workout and went into the bathroom. Khushi enthusiastically had told him that she would keep his things ready for him. She took out his brown suit with white shirt and tie on the bed. She kept his socks and handkerchief also. She was disconnecting his laptop to put it in his bag. She tripped over the wire and lost her balance, sending the laptop flying in the air which finally landed on the exclusive vases kept at the corner banging on the wall. The laptop broke into two and vases in several pieces shattering all over the place! Khushi stood there like a fool, dumb girl not knowing what to do. She heard bathroom door knob unlocking and ran down to the kitchen trying to hide from the explosion.

Arnav stood in his room holding the two pieces, monitor and keyboard of the laptop in his hands. All the work done with everything else saved on the hard disk had gone...! He was furious...! What the...!

"Khushi...!" he screamed again. She went to her room praying her devi mayya. Anjali too joined hands to pray for Khushi's safety. 

"What happened?" asked Nani. "Khushi broke his laptop!" said Anjali half smiling half worrying. "God save Khushi" said nani shaking her head. "I fail to understand, what kind of couple is this!" marveled Nani.

Khushi had reached the room. "Who did this?" he asked in a deep voice looking calm. This was calm before the storm.

"I..I don't know!" stuttered Khushi in fright. She could not even lie properly. He came on to her she paced backwards again tripping over the edge of the bed. He saved her from falling and she held on to him. "Khushi.. tell me who did this?" he asked hissing at her.

"I... mean... I fell down!" she said stuttering. "What?... so you did this?" his rage was mounting the peak. She freed herself and said... "I tripped over the wire! I..I tried to catch it, though..."
"Can't you be careful, just for once?" he asked her frustrated. "Do you know how much data I lost?" he was enraged. 

"I...I.. am sorry! I mean... you... you use my laptop!" she gave him the solution.

"And do what? Is your laptop going to give me my data back?" he asked her pitying her stupidity. 

"Forget it!" he said in frustration and came down. She followed him at the breakfast table. Frightened and nervous she started making more mistakes to the annoyance of Arnav. Nani was hiding her smile. 

"Arnav Bituwa, kahe itana aag babula ho rehe ho? Yeah phati saari to sudharanese rahi! Hello hi bye bye! Kahe hai na ki karela kitana bhi chachani me ghulao ... kadava hi rahega na? hello hi bye bye!" said mami sipping the tea.

Khushi looked more nervous. Arnav looked at her frightened face. His rage subsiding, he said in a calmer voice. "Its ok! I will manage!" Khushi smiled faintly serving him one more paratha!!
Arnav went out of the main door and turned back suddenly. "Khushi...!" he called out softly. "You have to go to the lawyer. Tomorrow is your case!! " he said and turned to leave.

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