By Your Side

The Rift

But the ego took place, and...

HM- Ji nai Sir, hum jaayenge yahan se. Karishma Singh nai.

PJ who was silent finally speaks.

PJ- Yeh kya keh rahi hai aap Maddam Sir? Aap hume chodh ke chali jaayegi? Aapki wajah se yeh thana hai aur aap? Nai Maddam Sir aap nai jaa sakti.

Karishma who was standing and listening to PhuspaJi feels numb.

Karishma (thinking)- Amma? Humne bhi toh...

She is numb, and her heart has broken into zillion pieces after learning that the person she loved as her mother did not stand up for her when she needed it the most. She glances at Santu and Cheetah, but they are too preoccupied to stop Haseena.
And then there was Haseena, who was determinedly looking at Karishma.

KS- (thinking)- Waah, hume laga tha humare jaane se agar koi sabse jayda khush hoga toh woh Haseena Maddam hogi, aur sabse jayda pareshan humari Amma. Kyuki humare alwava aur kon hai unka. Par dekho, yahan toh pura ulta hai, agar koi khush, ek min khush kya? Phuspa Ji ko toh farak bhi nai padha, aur jisko naa farak padhna tha, woh hume umeed se dekh raha hai.
Santu, aaj tumne bhi humara saath nai Diya.

KS- Sir yeh election hoga. Hum lenge iss election mai hissa.

HM- Karishma Singh?

DSP- Thik hai fir. Aapke advertisements de diye jaayegne. Aur aaj sham tak announcement ho jaayegi. Aur kal se voting start.

HM- Sir par hum participate nai karna chahte.

DSP- Sorry Miss Mallik, it's an order.

HM- Okay Sir.

The DSP leaves and PJ, SS and CC group up near Haseena, and Karishma stands alone.

PJ- Maddam Sir le lijiye naa part. Inko bhi toh pta chaley...

CC and SS were atleast responsible and were trying to find a logic.

CC- Ji Maddam Air aapko le Lena chahiye, ek dusre ko harane ke liye nai balki yeh dekhne ke liye ki jaanta ko kya chahiye, aakhir hum kaam bhi toh unke liye karte hai.

SS- Haan Maddam, aap dono ke clash ki wajah se kaafi cases complicated ho rahe the. Ek baar dekh lete hai public kya chahti hai.

HM- Thik hai. Humare paas aur koi option bhi nai hai.

PJ laughs

PJ- Hume pta hai Maddam Sir aap hi jeetengi.

HM- Hume jeetne se koi matlab nai hai Phsupa Ji, aur naa hi unhe hainaa Karishma Singh?

KS- Maaf kijiyega Maddam Sir, par hume jeetna hai. Hume matlab hai jeetne se. Aapko harane ke liye nai, aapko dikhane ke liye ki hum aur humara tarika valid hai.
Jai Hind!

Karishma goes out the station and sits on the tea stall.

Toh yeh kya bakloli kar rahi thi aap?

KS- Abhi tum jao yahan se.

Haan taaki aap fir overthink kare aur kuch bhi bol de. Agar Raajma Chawal (Karishma stares at her) sorry DSP Sir ne aapki baat Maan Li hoti toh?

KS- Woi toh hum chahte hai, hume ab nai kaam karna idhar.

Kyu?

KS- Ama, tum nai samjhogi.

Hehe, Phuspa Ji ki baat buri lagi naa?

KS looks at her.

Aap kabse apne kamzori se dur bhagne lagi? Kyuki jahan tak mujhey yaad hai, aap har cheez ka saamna karti aa rahi hai, aur abhi toh aap wapas aa rahi thi. Woh purani Karishma Singh ke avatar mai, jisme puri Lucknow aapki fan thi, toh fir?

KS- Samairaa humare andar apno se ladne ki shakti nai hai. Tumhe kyu itna gussa aa raha hai?

SV- Mujhey nai pta. But I really don't like whenever something bad happens to you. I just can't bear it!
She whispers to herself.

SV- Bas aise hi. Khair jab aab ladna hi hai toh kya socha hai?

KS- Kya socha hai? Kuch nai, ab bas dekhte hai kya hota hai.

SV- Raajma Chawal ne bhi kya aag lagayi hai nai?

KS glares at her.

SV- Opps... Slip of tongue hehe.

KS- Waise tumse ek baat kahe?

SV- Kaho, mere kaan toh aapki madhur vaani sunne ko taraste rehte hai.

KS- Ama bhakk!

SV- Arrey sorry Babydoll  (laughs) acha bolo.

KS- Hume ek baat samajh nai aati Samairaa, ki hum aur Maddam Sir ki ek jaisi story hone ke baad bhi hum itne alag kyu hai.
Jaise woh bhi bachpan mai apne abbu ko kho baithi thi, aur tab se unhone struggle Kiya.
Humne bhale hi apne pitaJi ne khoye the, par kiss haalat mai the, usme sirf humne struggle Kiya.
Jaise hum subah parishram (mehnat) karke paisa kamate the, aur raat ko padhte the,
Waise hi Maddam Sir. Toh fir hum aise kyu hai?

SV- Insaniyat.

KS- Matlab?

SV turns the chair and sits resting her hand on the chair's top and resting her chin on it.

KS- Aise kon baith-ta hai? Ulta?

SV- Jo aapke samne baitha hai. Okay let's focus on your problem now.
Haseena Maddam aur Aapki kahani same hokar bhi bhut different hai, ab jaise Haseena Maddam ke Dad ki death ek mission ki vajah se hui thi, par aapke dad ke haalat kharab aapki choti behen ke dhokhe ki wajah se hui thi.
Unke andar sirf dard tha, but aapke andar nafrat, aur dard.
Fir aapne bataya tha Haseena Maddam ko Mahipal jaise log mile, par kya aapko mile?

Haseena Maddam ko insaniyat dusre logon mai dikhi, par aapko aapne hi logon mai, chal (cheat), Kapat (jealousy) aur dhokha mila.
Jaise ki aapke siblings.

Haseena Maddam ko responsibility ke saath pyaar Mila, log mile jiski wajah se Haseena Maddam ko laga humanity hai.

Par aapko waise log afsos nai mile yaa bhut der baad mile, jaise Phsupa Ji ke Lalla.

Toh Karishma Maddam it's fine. Aapko kabhi uss cheez par bharosa nai ho paaya kyuki woh cheez kabhi aapko mili hi nai ache se.

Par pta hai, I feel good, ki jo cheez aapko nai mili, woh cheez aap sabko Dene ke hamesha ready rehte ho. Ab usme aap bhaukaal machao, toh woh toh aapka swag hai, jo ki aur hawtttt (KS stares at her irritatingly) hehe, I mean acha lagta hai.

KS- Samairaa, tumhe kya lagta hai, Phuspa Ji humse... 

Karishma comes to a halt, unsure whether to ask Samairaa this question or not. But Samairaa is Samairaa, and she saw what was coming.

SV- Yahi naa, ki woh aapse pyaar karti hai ki nai?

KS looks at her. She is ashamed to ask such a question, which calls into question her love for her mother. But, what would she do? She lacks an explanation, a pathway, a guide, and a perspective. Why does her mother-in-law act so separately with her? Is she gravely worried that her daughter-in-law is trying to ruin her child's life? Most importantly, does she sincerely believe Karishma Singh is unqualified to run a police station? Didn't she notice anything good in me during my 2.5 years in this field? Is she truly sick of me?
All of her questions were flooding her mind, but she was working hard every second to push them away.

SV- Kitni baar kaha hai, jab koi problem hoti hai toh share kar lena chahiye, atleast Dil halka hota hai.

Aur rahi baat aapke iss question ki toh Haan.

You know, woh aapse bhut pyaar karti hai, aur yeh bhi jaanti hai ki aapke Dil mai bhi unke liye pyaar bharpur hai.
Bas woh yeh pyaar ka galat fayda utha rahi hai, aur yeh baat unko bhi nai pta chal rahi.
You know 90% time hote hai jab aap kisi se pyaar karte karte Ussey granted lena start kar dete hai. Aur yeh aapko bhi nai pta chalta, naa hi jisko liya jaa raha hai.
Fir dheere dheere woh rishta toxic ban jaata hai, samne wale ko aadat padh jaati hai aapko use karne ki, aur dusre ko aadat lag jaati hai khud ko  dabne ki.
Isliye Karishma Maddam, never let someone use you and never let them take your inner peace.

And ek secret bataun,
When you choose peace, it comes with a lot of good-bye.