The team,comprising of six member
reached at Bhudevpur station in the
all knowledge and power
of disguise,Daya had been preparing to
get into the shoe of his new character Mr. Samir
Kumar Chandwani. Before
alighting from the almost empty
train,Daya discussed the important
points briefly,:'har kisi ko ye khayal
rakhna chaiye...ki hum ringun town se
aye hain...aur humara labso se baas
usi characters ka baatein hi nikalna
chaiye jo hume abhi nibhana
hain...clear?'
:'yes sir...' everyone echoed except
Shreya..She couldn't afford to be
understood about such a plan where she
would have to play the role of
Chandwani,the wife of
Samir...Was it a joke for her and
would it test her mantle in this
difficult moment? would she pass this
hurdle? She was awakened listening to
someone's voice,:'kya huya didi? arey
abhi utarne ke waqt kyu bhabuk ho gaye
tum?' casting a cold glance upon the
person, she realised that she was
being criticised not by her colleague
Nikhil but her brother Ketan..Nikhil
cued her about getting into the
character of Komal Chandwani...
:'are chalo chalo sab...itna sara
luggage leke utarna hai...' daya said
it a little louder than his usual
voice perhaps indicating everyone that
he had worn the shoes of Samir
Chandwani...Shreya stared at him for a
little while Ishika rasped like a
child,:'is liye to kaha tha
bhaiya...ki ek le lo...magar meri
baat to bachcho ka mazak lagta hai tum
sab ko...' displeasure reflected
through her annoyed face while daya
with an affectionate laugh,tried to
console her,:'are meri pyari
behn...tera bada bhai rehte
huye...kaise jaroorat par sakta hai
kuli ka haaa? le chal jaldi...'
Nikhil in a rushing movement reached
nearer Ishika,suggesting with a shy
face,:'main hun na? kuli? Itna to
taqat hai ki...aap ka luggage carry
kar pau...' his face was expectant
while Sachin interfered with a
hardened face,:'jaroorat nahi
Ketan...Madhura ka do bhai rehte
huye...uski luggage uthane ki
jaroorat...aur kisi ko nahi hai...'
he stared at him with a meaningful
glance before uttering,:'samajh gaya
na tum?'
Daya Ishika and Sachin alighted from
the train while Nikhil kept ranting
on,:'ye kaisa baat huya Sagar bhaiya?'
Shreya now with a weak effort
ventured,:'oh ho...Ketan...please jane
de na...' she too alighted from the
train while Mayur followed her
saying,:'didi...kahi aur koi luggage
to bacha nahi hai humara?
Shreya looked at mayur and then
said,:'nahi nahi...humare pas to kam
hi tha...tera jeejaji...le gaye
zada se zada...' she paused and heard
the drumming beats of her heart as she
pronounced "tera jeejaji"...She kept
riveted like a statue feeling a
frisson of delight beside her two ear
and kept contemplating at something
vaguely until Ishika jerked
her,:'bhabiiiii...'
:'hhaa...' answered shreya being
embarrassed...
:'chalooooo...bhaiya kab se bula raha
hai tumhe...' she held shreya's one
arm and as she was about to move
ahead, shreya murmured,with a half
smirk,:'sach me bula raha hai woh?'
Ishika looked at her astonishingly
while shreya added further,:'mujhe kyu
sunai nahi de raha hai?'
Her trance was broken as Nikhil
reached her and with gleaming eyes,
gazing at Ishika he
suggested,:'chale?' Ishika turned her
face away with a mixture of shyness
and annoyance while shreya with,trying
to ease herself spluttered
out,:'chal...'
They hailed two auto dividing the team
in two..Shreya Ishika and Nikhil
remained in one while Daya Sachin and
Mayur remained in other...
:'are woh bhai saab...aur kitna door
hai?' asked daya still sounding louder
than his own voice...
Auto driver: are abhi abhi to baitha
auto pe...
daya: are? abhi abhi kaha? dus minute
se chala raha hai tu...oye pata to
maloom hai na tujhe?
driver: ajeeb aadmi ho aap? are maloom
hai isi liye na leke ja raha hun...
daya: dekh...agar hume ullu samjha hai
to keh deta hun...pachas rupiya se
zada ek paisa nahi dunga
main...haaan...janta nahi hai tu
mujhe... haaan...
driver: are chup chap baithiye
naa...ajayega paanch minute me...
sachin: eeee...mere bhaiya se tameez
se baat kar...nahi to...mar dunga..
daya made him stopped as the driver
now replied to their temptation..:'oye
bada ajeeb harqate kar rahe ho tum
log...kahi gunde vunde to nahi ho tum
log? haa?
daya: ee kyu re? tu to aise baat kar
raha hai jaise ke hum gunde jaise
dikhte hain...are shareef log hain
hum...ye gunde badmasho ke jagah me
ake kahi panga na padh jaye un logo
se...
driver: are wah...tum logo ko to ye
bhi pata hai...ki..yaha pe gunde
badmash rehte hain...kahi police ka
khabri to nahi ho tum log?
daya and sachin exchanged cautious
glances before answering with a
uncouth laughter,:'oyeee...ye jan ne
ke liye bhi khabri hona parega? haaa?
their loud chortle rent in the air
...
In the other auto,nikhil whispered
carefully,:'tera mathe ka phool jaise
clip to bada achcha hai...tujhe aur ek
aisa chaiye?
ishika huddled to shreya and answered
with annoyance,:'nahiii...'
nikhil with a shy yet stubborn smile
muttered further,:'oye...mele me le
jaungaa...suna hai...yaha pe...bohut
bada mela lagta hai...'
ishika again huddled against shreya
complaining,:'bhabii...dekho naa..'
Shreya scolded,:'aah...Ketan...thori
der chup nahi baith sakta hai tu?'
nikhil with a puckish grin replied
back,:'oye didi...jab jeejaji tumhe
tang karta tha...tab kya use bhi yehi
kehte the tum? haa? aur jab mera bari
aya...tab chup raho...haa? ye thik
nahi didi...'
ishika with a feverish glance looked
at nikhil and banged,:'shut up...'
nikhil in reply almost danced in joy
saying,: oyee...tu to angrezi bolne
lagi meri raaniii...'
Shreya with hardened face now
reprimanded him,:'ketan! chup baith
yaha pee...'
nikhil 's face clouded a little and he
pretended to be quiet at least for a
little time, while shreya chuckled to
herself glancing briefly at them..but
as she stared outside,trying to divert
her mind temporarily from all these
difficult turmoil, she startled
again,listening to the grizzling
complain of Nikhil,:' aise tang
karna...main...jeejaji se
hi...sikha didi...' She quickly
turned her face towards nikhil's
peevish one and retorted a little
bitterly,:'jhut maat bol Ketan...kisi
ko tang karna...tera jeejaji ka adat
nahi hai...woh to kuchh...' she
paused and gasped to quell the flame
inside her and then resurrected,:'woh
to kuchh zada hi chup rehte
hain...itna hi chup ke...ke...' she
was sounding loud,:'itna hi chup
ke...musibat sulajh ne jagah...ulajh
jata hai...' anger fermented within
her and it permeated through her
face...Nikhil gazed at her
astoundingly while Ishika ventured
desperately to cover up the
situation,:'bhabiiiii,' she cooed like
a child,:'bhaiya ko na koso...phir
se bhaiya se jhagra na karo...bhaiya
bada pyara hai...' Shreya was about to
scream in protest but she stopped
gazing vacantly at the face of Ishika
and mitigated the displeasure that
swirled up inside her heart...She
turned her face away from both Ishika
and Nikhil and concentrated on the
moving objects while Ishika and Nikhil
exchanged meaningful glances and then
Ishika grunted,:'my bhaiya is best'
Shreya further looked hastily at her
and prompt this time to answer,:'ha
ha...kyu nahi...khamosh rehne me
best...jaldbazi karke shaadi karne me
best...kyu nahi?'
A scared expression crossed nikhil's
face though he tried for the last time
to remind shreya about her
identity,:'achcha huya na
didi...jaldbazi se shaadi na hota to
phir us ullu ka patha ko mujhe jeejaji
kehna parta...jeejaji to achcha kam
kiya tha...barna chachaji tumhare
shaadi kis se karvana chahte the tumhe
yaad nahi? haa?' he grinned like a
naive while Shreya felt hot waves
flowing down her neck...She once more,
tried to assuage herself and stared
outside...Nikhil on the other hand
gesticulated Ishika not to speak
another word though he himself
remarked like a foolishly spoiled
brat,:'main to jeejaji ka deewana
hun...aur...' his voice trailed into
whisper,:'jeejaji ki pyari behn ki
bhi...'
Ishika shrunk in shyness and leaned
against shreya's arm...
It was a wooden house, neatly kept for
them...The place was wrapped with
greenery and a little far a lake was
visible...Shreya stared at the
lake,being ignorant about the
happenings around her...It seemed
suddenly impossible for her to act as
Komal and perhaps to conceal her
inability she had been reacting
vociferously..The pictures were
flickering before her eyes like a
slide show how Siddharth was getting
averse to leave her in this
mission...There was something
dangerously forceful from Siddharth's
side as he had been bashing the CID
officials like an insanely enraged
person...Shreya hadn't expected that
much resistance from Siddharth..Yes,it
was natural that he had been worrying
for her safety and trying to care her
like a truthful life partner, but it
had been quite unnatural for him to
expect that she would be able to
manage to refrain from every risky
mission of CID..How he could think
that it was a cunning stratagem of CID
to separate them? It was extremely
foolish and illogical, though a
frisson of delight passed through her
heart,realising that Siddharth cared
for her so much and a sense of
repentance appeared in a corner of her
contracted heart for whatever she had
thought on the wedding day of Daya
sir...But still..it somehow unnerved
her at the same time as it had become
extremely uncomfortable to act as
Komal Chandwani and it was clear to
her that her every discomfort
converting into anger, making the
situation harder...
Since their arrival everyone had
maintained their respective characters
so well and not a single word slipped
from anyone which could reveal their
real identity but it was Shreya who
was perturbed beyond description and
whose restlessness was visible to
everyone...Daya's phone received a
message; It was Sachin
asking,:'sir,looking at the
lake...nothing is visible till now'
Daya texted him,:'take rest..I will
cover up tonight...'
sachin further texted,:'am not
tired...will look at the north...'
daya texted,:'okie..turn all the
lights off...'
Within five minutes, Sachin yawned and
said,:'zor se neend araha hai...hai na
Karan?' Mayur replied with a mild
smile,:'haa sagar bhaiya...'
Sachin asked further,:'arey..ketan
kahi dikh nahi raha hai? kahi bhaiya
bhabi ko pareshan karne to nahi baith
gaya? haaa?' he laughed with uncouth
humour while Nikhil himself retorted
coming there,:'main kisi ko pareshan
nahi karta hun sagar bhaiya...mujhe
kya pata nahi hai ke ...is
waqt...didi jeejaji ko...pareshan
karna ...' he stopped glancing at the
parlance of Sachin which was pregnant
with some meaning...There was a tensed
silence of full minute before Sachin
broke it,:'madhura kaha hai?'
nikhil's face broadened with a shy
chuckle before answering,:'thak ke so
gayi hai...' Sachin gave him an
unblinking stare until Daya's message
blinked in everyone's phones,:'unless
and until we will be sure of the fact
that any bug exists here, we will have
to pretend...tomorrow we will check
the rooms and until then we should
act..cancel tonight's plan and just go
to bed..but be a little careful...'
:'oyeee...neend araha hai bhaiii...'
grunted nikhil in languor...
mayur: kaise bhai?
nikhil: kyu?
mayur:(with a light chuckle) is rog me
neend udd jata hai...
nikhil: oyeee...mujhe nahi huya koi
rog vog...
Sachin:aaahh...ketan karan...jhagra
band kar jaldi...aur so ja...
nikhil and mayur retired into the room
which they would share for the coming
days of this mission...Sachin too once
trying to gauge the intensity of the
unknown tension that suddenly sprang
up between Daya and Shreya, failed and
then went to his room,distinguishing
the flame of the lantern...
Daya, as he was sitting on a small
tool beside a small window,now leapt
to his feet and advanced towards the
back side veranda, but startled to
see the silhouette of a woman..It was
Shreya, standing riveted there,staring
at the starry sky...Daya heaved a sigh
and muttered in low voice,:"so jao
Komal...'