Love in the time of conflicts

Agony

Mussoorie 1947...

"You cannot take so many suitcases Noor, it will be inconvenient for the porters to carry."

Roshnaq Siddiqui tried to reason out with her younger daughter who was adamant not to leave anything behind.

'Zoya kahan hain?,' 

Wasim Siddiqui entered the house while busily talking to helpers regarding the last-minute preparations before they left for their new home in Pakistan. 

Coming from one of the reputed feudal families of undivided India the Siddiqui's had sufficient help while relocating to the new home, although the pain of leaving their home was unbearable. Wasim Siddiqui briskly walked through the long corridors where he played as a young boy and saw his two daughters growing up giggling all the way.

He caught sight of his firstborn sitting in the garden, her favourite place near the fountain surrounded by stray dogs and puppies.

"Kya kehte hai sab ko saath lejaye?"

He cleared his voice, while she smiled at her father's usual teasing manner.

"Abbu, will they remember me? Will this house, this place miss us?"

She asked casually while feeding biscuits to the puppies.

'Come here, sit next to your old man for some time".

He stretched his hands which she took and the father-daughter sat side by side while looking at the horizon as birds flew back to their nests.

'Beta you know when you were born and I held you for the first time in my arms I forgot every sadness that I had ever suffered in my lifetime. I know leaving home is hard but you know something Zoya I will be able to do it if you are there by my side helping me to take care of your ammi and your little sister.'

Zoya held her father's hand firmly assuring him that his daughter will never leave his side as they prepared themselves for a heartbreaking journey to set a new home away from their home.

Punjab province, somewhere near the railway station

"Listen, my dear brothers, if you are really the sons of this great Mother Earth you will not let these elites cross the borders so easily. First, they divided our country into two using the name of religion now when poor people from both sides are displaced, hungry and in utter chaos, these rich zamindars will ride in such expensive coaches. Let's show them that the youth will not tolerate this inequality."

The crowd cheered at the fiery speech of Rajveer Khanna, the youth leader of the socialist party, Aditya Hooda made his way through the crowd and held Rajveer's shoulders with his strong right arm. 

'Rajveer, this is not the right time to create confusion you very well know that violence can erupt at any time.'

"Why newly passed out Doctor Aditya Hooda, are you scared of blood?"

Rajveer boyishly teased Aditya while young men burst into laughter. 

Aditya warned Rajveer but before he could do anything further the young protestors started their rally to stop the cars from reaching the railway station. 

"What happened why did you stop the car?"

Wasim asked the driver but before getting a reply they heard the sound of the car window being shattered. Roshnaq held both her daughters close to her and in the darkness of the night Zoya for the first time in her young life witnessed groups of men coming from both the sides with sharp swords chanting angry slogans. 

Amidst the bloodshed, howling of mother's for their separated children Aditya Hooda rode his motorcycle terrified while searching for his younger brother Arjun and friend Rajveer who had taken part in the youth protest that was disrupted by the communal riot. He nearly lost balance of his motorcycle when he witnessed bodies lying everywhere, Aditya's foot touched something he knelt down and picked a ragged doll, nearby he heard a sobbing sound, he followed the sound only to be met with a woman's shadow with a child on her lap. As he neared he met with red bloodshot eyes, the woman picked the stick lying next to her,

"aagey mat aana, hum marr jayenge par jaan lene ke baad."

Aditya's heart broke to see how scared the girl looked, her small frame was trembling with fear and she looked so tender. 

'Ssshhh...kuch nahin hone dunga tumhe main raat bhar yahi par hoon.'

Zoya could hear the stranger whisper and strangely it had a soothing effect on her tattered soul. A group of men passed their way and Zoya thanked her stars that the child in her arm was sleeping and the stranger had clasped her mouth from behind with his hands, not letting the sound come out. They stayed like that for some time till a shrill sound of a woman crying reached their ears.

"My child, I lost my child,"

the woman broke down on the streets, Aditya understood what Zoya was trying to convey with her eyes so he picked the child and ran towards the mother handing the child who had united with her family. He quickly ran back to the woman only to find her senseless, Aditya turned her unconscious face towards him and picked her up in his arms.

While the streets were still burning, with police force trying to bring the situation under control Aditya Hooda protectively carried Zoya Siddiqui in his arms and walked away from all the hatred and agony. Both strangers were about to embark on a journey that would compel them to walk on fire just as Aditya was walking so fiercely. 

(feedbacks are most welcome and wish you all a very happy Diwali, let the lights shine brighter within each one of us.)