Present day Hyderabad

"Vedant, I want Prakash to accompany you to the site visit tomorrow. I want him to learn from you ... he is otherwise just sitting idle" Manoj, Vedant's immediate Boss grumbled.

Vedant nodded - "Prakash is just a few months old. Everything will be good in time. I will speak to him"

He called Prakash over to the cafeteria, Prakash was a mousy fellow, somebody who got alarmed very easily. Vedant knew he would need more time to settle down.

They decided to leave early the next morning by train. Prakash went over to the Admin to discuss about the travel and stay arrangements while Vedant walked back to his cubicle.

...

This was a new Project for the team. Situated in the outskirts of some village in Tamil Nadu, Vedant's Boss was keen that Vedant go for initial meetings and deal with the local authorities there, and further surveil the entire landscape. Vedant had jumped at the suggestion; anything that took him away from Hyderabad was always welcome. He knew eventually he would be relegated to more responsible positions, but he loved what he did at present. It helped him stay in touch with his roots, his aspirations, his love.

Every successful visit, every initiation, and he knew he had to share the same with Saroja. When they were back together.

Often at night, he would turn off all the lights in his apartment, and look out at the night sky, wondering if Saroja was looking out as well.

He was desperate.

...

Inspector Roopa had called him the previous evening, informing him that the mortal remains of Padma had been recovered, as per directions by Ibrahim.

Jimmy and his gang had already been rounded up by the Police earlier. And a case registered.

"What will I ever tell Saroja?" Vedant had been scared to death.

He remembered vividly how Ibrahim had led him to that dead-end lane and broken down in front of him. What he had mentioned, once Vedant had coaxed him into appropriation, was chilling to say the least.

Jimmy was the main person who controlled the racket, the flesh cartel. He looked extremely comic and harmless to any outsider, but to people who knew him well, he was an extremely dangerous person, armed with money and muscle power. Padma was working for him all these years, and had of course, kept the news of Saroja a secret. For all these years.

Ibrahim had been present, and so was Jimmy, when Ravi had called upon Padma to disclose about her daughter and to dump her bags there. Padma's world had collapsed but she had held onto her grounds, mentioning time and again that Saroja was her friend's daughter.

Jimmy and his henchmen had pushed Padma to the Hospital where Saroja was admitted and was undergoing treatment. One look at Saroja and Padma had started crying uncontrollably. This was what she had been trying to keep her daughter away for so long. So much so that she had kept herself away from Saroja for all this while, never being able to hold her daughter close to her chest.

She had never forgotten the solemn, haunting eyes of the eight year old who she had packed off to a boarding house, and then to another, and to the next ...

She had not been there when Saroja had turned into a girl; she had not been there when her child had hidden under the covers scared of the lightnings and thunder; she had not been there to share her dreams, her emotions ... just as a Mother should have.

Rather, her fate, her curse had pulled her daughter back to the same dark world.

Much against her Mother's wishes, Saroja was signed out of the Hospital, even while she was unconscious.

And when she had woken up, all disoriented under the influence of heavy sedatives, she had asked for Vedant. And some time later, when she had realised fully what had happened to her, and where she was, she had slipped into utter silence.

From day one itself, Padma had been trying to get Saroja out. But Jimmy and his henchmen had made matters worse.

And that opportune moment had finally presented itself one fateful night. While Saroja had refused to leave her Mother behind, Padma was astute enough to realise that Jimmy's dogs would be after them, and that she needed to stay behind to hold back the forte, so that her daughter could escape. She was not going to let them get hold of her again.

She had bought Ibrahim's silence and cooperation; whatever she had saved over the years, and her jewellery, would be Ibrahim's once Saroja got away from the city.

Padma had pushed Saroja out in the middle of the night; Ibrahim had accompanied her to the station. She had boarded the first train that was leaving, unmindful of the destination printed on her ticket. Ibrahim didn't remember either. It was some place with a rather long and uncommon name.

Ibrahim had noticed Jimmy's goons spill over into the station as the train carrying Saroja chugged out; he had blended into the darkness of the night and escaped. He had taken a roundabout way to the house, stopping at a local movie theatre, to purchase a ticket for a late night show. An alibi.

By the time he had reached home, disaster had struck. He had found Jimmy standing in the middle of the hall, smoking a cigar, while Padma lay on the ground. A single bullet on her chest was all it had taken to end her life long struggle. The goons had beaten up Ibrahim and thrown him out, unmindful of his role in the entire episode. Half an hour later, Ibrahim had seen the guys leave in a black sedan. Ibrahim had followed them; he couldn't give up. After all, Padma Chachi had always treated him with uncommon kindness.

He had fainted when he had seen those goons bury Padma Chachi's body in a secluded area, off the crematorium grounds.

Vedant had been horrified, but for the first time since he had left home, he had been a wee bit hopeful.

...

Somewhere in the South

The rains had now abated and people were once again back to being busy with their lives.

Saroja returned home; she had been teaching the children in the village for some time now. It was a part time job, the Principal had offered her the position when one of the teachers had fallen ill and had been advised complete bed rest for couple of months.

The part time job brought no perks, no holidays with it, but Saroja was happy to be involved. And that too with children. She realised she was a natural around kids, and often would remember Aaru.

The room she called home was a one room dwelling, with a kitchen and a bathroom. It belonged to a senior teacher who had now retired and had moved back to his native place.

Nobody would have called it a home, but Saroja couldn't have asked for more. It was only during the nights that the demons returned to haunt her. Time and again.

...

Dayal would be coming over.

Saroja was happy that the rains had stopped; it otherwise made her feel useless.

An hour later, there was a knock on the door. Dayal smiled as she opened the door

"See what Maa has sent for you ..." His wide grin lit up the room.

Saroja smiled brighter, she loved curd. And Dayal's Mother never failed to send some hand made curd, nearly everyday.

"I hope you have brought your Maths text book, unlike day before yesterday" Saroja asked.

"Once a teacher always a teacher ..." Dayal grumbled, as he settled down on the mat and pulled out his books.

...

End of Part 20