Seven Vows Part 1- Published

The Weapon

How does the weapon look " asked Ruchika. She was in IAS training academy Mussorie and in front of her sat Mandavi Jagannath with file of Gautham . Mandavi was in charge of training programme that year, a post Ruchika's team made possible

" Good choice Ruchika. His academic performance, extra curricular performance, the way he had answered interview questions there is enough scope to polish this raw weapon into that polished sophisticated one so that it perfectly hit the target" told Mandavi

" By the way Ruchika how did you manage to come over you are under cover right" Mandavi looked at her curiosly

" Yes Mandavi. Maya has to be back. Some work needs to be done. But then I had to meet you. Using any of the undercover trappings would have created problems. So I decided to be myself when I came here Ruchika Sahni ASP with Delhi Police my official designation. How are you feeling when years of your wait may now come to fruition"

" I need a closure Ruchika. I need justice for my mother Sulakshna Rajput. She left the comforts of her home, toiled hard just to give birth to me, her second daughter. She has raised me and Meenakshi didi taking lot of trouble. You very well know I took Civil services just to reach that woman Prathana Devi and put an end to her atrocities. But only when I started working I understood it was not easy. Then you came along. You told I will get my opportunity. Today you have given me the opportunity by making me part of your mission "

" Mandavi woman like Prathana are a bane to womanhood itself . Dismantling Prathana Devi will ensure a major blow to the whole group itself. " told Ruchika

" I know Ruchika. Ending that creep means liberating many woman, saving many girls in their mother's womb and also protecting them from death immediately after birth if the parents tried to hide scan report. She and her crude medicines that induce abortion and silently kill baby girls. How many woman's life she has destroyed. Maa tells about her. When she comes home she sits on a pedestal. Talks of greatness of men and how woman should give birth only to son and if a woman cant birth a son she is cursed. Imagine a woman who has not given birth to a child decides which woman is cursed and which is not. I simply don't know what kind of enlightenment this lady got to call herself Devi and run an ashram" told Mandavi

" Mandavi I have to leave now. Hope you know how to deal with Gautham when he comes for training"

" Don't worry Ruchika. Gautham is in safe hands. The weapon will be sharpened well" told Mandavi

As Ruchika left Mandavi closed her eyes and thought about the family she had never seen. A family which wanted to kill her simply because she was a girl. Her father Virender Rajput's middle brother Vijender Rajput had remarried and have two sons. Society remembered Sulakshana Rajput as a woman who had run away with her lover. That was the story the Rajputs had made the public believe. In reality the day before the family was about to call Prathana Devi to administer the abortion drug to her Sulakshna Rajput in the pretext of going to market, had gone to bus stand and from there simply took the first bus to come to Ajmer. There she lived as a woman abandoned for having daughters only. Society didn't question much as it was common. She worked in the kitchen of dargah that served food to pilgrims, staying in a small house. She started stitching too at home and raised both Meenakshi and Mandavi. Meenakshi a doctor and Mandavi chose civil services. Meenakshi was very beautiful and a good alliance came to her, Mandavi married her IAS batchmate Jagannath who was from Hyderabad. But the fire burned in both the girls against the family that has outcasted them and their mother. Mandavi wanted to expose the Rajputs for what they were. It was her mission.

Yes she was focused on her mission. But somewhere now both she and Meenakshi wanted to meet their sister Suman. Meenakshi was now excited. Her husband an air force officer was now posted in Jaipur. She was trying to get a transfer to Jaipur government hospital. She was thinking of a pretext to go to Varma's and see her sister Suman. They didn't want to tell Suman who they are at this point as they were sure even Suman's mother would not have seen Sulakshna Rajput and Suman might not be even aware of existence of her. Mandavi wished she too could follow. It was not just Suman she wanted to see, she wanted to see Sreedhar too the boy Ruchika was telling her sister loves very deeply. Mandavi has not shared this info with Meenakshi as it was known only among the people involved in the mission. She smiled. Now the goal was looking nearer. She fondly took the photo on her desk. It had her, her husband and their 3 year old daughter and then once again came back to the file of Gautham Sanyal.