Hello Friends!
A reviewer on the Anthology requested me to write something on Purvi. It is just an attempt at something unique. I hope the readers like it.
The story line here is dependent only on the original show. It has nothing to do with my previous Purvi one-shot, Lost Love.
Roman transliteration is too much work, as I figured out while transliterating Lost Love. Please do not request transliterations. Very sorry about that.
WARNING: Depressing Theme; Devanagari Ahead!
Early in the morning, at the bureau…
ACP: इतना late क्यों हुआ?
Purvi: Sir वो मैं traffic में…
ACP: वो सब बहाने यहां मत बनाओ। देखो अपनी दोस्त श्रेया को और कुछ सीखो उससे। हमेशा bureau में पहले आती है।
Purvi: (thinking) हां… Bureau के इतने पास जो रहती है। (speaking) Sorry sir. आगे से ध्यान रखूंगा।
During lunch, at the canteen…
Purvi: श्रेया।
Shreya: हां?
Purvi: आज काम के बाद shopping करने चले?
Shreya: वो मैं थोड़ी सी busy हूँ। तुम Dr. Tarika के साथ चली जाओ न।
Purvi: पर…
Shreya: दया sir… दया sir…
Shreya paced off without waiting for Purvi to finish.
Purvi: इसे कुछ दिनों से हो क्या गया है? Canteen में पहले मेरे साथ बैठती थी। और अब… (sigh)
A while later, at the canteen…
Abhijeet: अरे पूर्वी। तुम्हारी तबियत तो ठीक है? तुमने कुछ खाया भी नहीं। अगर अच्छा नहीं लग रहा तो तुम घर जा सकती हो।
Purvi: नहीं sir वो मैं…
Abhijeet: तारिका जी… तारिका जी…
Abhijeet vanished before she could reply.
After duty hours, at Purvi's house…
She called Shreya.
Shreya: Hello?
Purvi: Hello Shreya. क्या कर रही हो?
Shreya: पूर्वी मैं अभी busy हूँ। बाद में बात करें?
Purvi: (dejected) ठीक है।
Shreya: Okay, bye.
She then called Dr. Tarika.
Dr. Tarika: Hello Purvi, कुछ ज़रूरी काम है? वो मैं थोड़ी busy हूँ। बाद में बात करें?
Purvi: (sigh) ठीक है।
Dr. Tarika: Bye.
This is the routine conversation she has been having with her friends for a few months.
Purvi: हमेशा busy. मेरे लिए तो time ही नहीं है। Dr. Tarika का तो समझ में आता है। लगता है अभिजीत sir आज-कल कुछ ज़्यादा ही romantic होने लगे हैं। पर श्रेया को क्या हो गया है? कहीं उसे भी किसी से… पर उसने मुझे नहीं बताया। हां… बताएगी भी क्यों? नए दोस्त जो मिल गए हैं।
Purvi knows that the team values her, but only as a cop, not as a person. She never expected much from her team, anyways. However, she had not expected Shreya to shun her like this.
They stood up for her when she was accused of murder. Even Dr. Salunkhe, who was bent on proving Abhijeet guilty when he was accused, had stood up for her when she was accused.
Abhijeet and Daya had on multiple occasions risked their lives to save hers. Now, she wished they hadn't.
Even when they had stood up for her, after proving her innocence, none of the officers had bothered to do so much as call her and ask if she was okay. They were only relieved that they would not lose a talented cop.
She slumped back into the couch as she turned on the TV. A chirpy song blared through the silence of the melancholy evening.
ये दोस्ती हम नहीं तोड़ेंगे, तोड़ेंगे दम मगर तेरा साथ ना छोड़ेंगे
Even the TV was taunting her. She turned it off, had dinner and went to sleep. Only sleep afforded her an escape from the pain of her mundane, lone life.
There was a time when she went to work with new enthusiasm every day. She had found in Shreya a companion to battle her loneliness. Now, the enthusiasm was no longer there.
The only thing that kept her going was sheer persistence.
A refusal to surrender.
A zeal to take life head on - One More Day.
Most old timers will be able to draw parallels with Purvi's depiction here to that of Sudhakar on the show. That is not a coincidence. These are actually my thoughts on Sudhakar. Many of the current crop of readers probably have no idea who (or what) is Sudhakar. That is why I decided to use Purvi instead.
The fandom has given Purvi a rather colourful character, to say the least. FWP, however, has not been so kind to her. I have always seen her as a replacement of Sudhakar, right from the first episode.
I have always pictured both of them as quintessential loners, and have merely poured my heart out in this fic.