The day light crept through the sleek transparent white curtains hung on the window of the study along with cool breeze making the curtains fly due to which the rays were hitting on the figure who was dozed off last night on the floor of the study. His back was rested on the green couch and head rested on it's seat and was still holding the certificate close to his heart.
As soon as his sun-kissed face raised up from the couch, the events of the previous day got rewinded in his mind. He sighed realizing that Bondita got a deep wound on her elbows due to their fall and that must be the reason he must have hallucinated her young version in front of him with a wounded elbow and he did her first aid. He looked at her certificate thinking to send this to Bondita. But then he thought that when she herself is denying to call herself Barrister Babu Bondita, what was the use of this certificate. In short, he wasn't willing to let the certificate go away from his hand as if it was his property and not to hand it over to any Britisher Suzie knowing that fact that it practically belongs to her. Rather he was willing to hand it over to Bondita, the Barrister. He stood up and went upstairs of the haveli through the spiral stairs of the study.
Reaching in front of a locked room, he took out the key from the pocket of his night-robe and opened the lock and entered inside without creating any noise. He switched on the light and as soon as he did, the view in front of him made his stone heart beat a bit with emotion. The big bannered black and white pictures of him and his little Bondita were lit up under the particular spot light. Closing the door behind him, he went near the picture where both of them had wore the black robe with Bondita holding a rolled paper tied with satin ribbon pretending as if holding a degree. That day he handed over the rolled paper saying "Bondita! Ye tumhari Barrister banne ki degree." with a cute giggle on her face and scrunched nose while smiling, she took the fake degree and he admired her when she was getting herself clicked.
"Uss waqt khel khel mein wo apne haatho se wo robe pehnaaya tumhe aur wo kagaz degree ki tarha thamaya." He spoke up while looking at the picture and continued while the a long tear flowed down "Tab socha nahi tha tumhe lekar aisa sapna dekhunga main, phir jab dekhne laga toh hamesha socha tha, ye certificate, apne haatho se dunga tumhe aur robe bhi pehnaaunga. Par... phir haalaat kharaab ho gaya aur sab kuch ek pal mein badal gaya."
Leaving a deep breath, he went near the table where her belongings were kept to keep the certificate there. He saw the container unlocked where he used to hide all his letters written to her in it. That's when he remembered this box was unlocked be Bondita herself when she sneaked inside this room as Vaijayanti. That time he thought that she couldn't read anything but now that he knew everything, he remembered her words when he caught her in this room.
"Barrister babu... aapki Bondita. aa..." she was about to confront him as Bondita but was interrupted by him "Tum yaha kya kar rahi thi Vaijayanti?"
Only of he knew she was about to reveal herself in front of him but he just mercilessly dragged her out of the room and threw her on the floor yelling out his throat. But why would she reveal her real identity when she came here as a spy? He thought. He was very much sure that she wasn't a spy but unfortunately he couldn't prove that in front of the villagers.
He was about to put the certificate inside the same postal envelope that's when he saw there was something inside, that came along with the certificate. Pulling it out, he saw that it was 2 black and white photographs of her graduation day.
One was her solo picture where she was been awarded her degree and her robe. Her eyes were filled with tears of happiness.
In the second picture, she was standing with her batch mates in order to fly the caps in the air. But he noticed that she was the only girl in the batch who achieved this degree and she was the only one who was neither wearing the robe nor holding her cap, instead she was only doing it's action.
That's when he again remembered her words when she was sat in front of the yagya to perform the rituals to make her Sanyasini.
"Main chahti hu ki ye berang saari, mere Sakha Babu khud mujhe apne haatho se de. Inhone mujhe Barrister babu banaya.
Aur main, Barrister wala robe, inhi ke haatho se pehenna chahti thi, apne Shikshak babu ke haatho."
"Waah! Waah Sakha babu. Aaj humara sapna poora hua." She said mockingly yet with pain in her voice.
"Woh sapna, jo main apne bhagwaan ke haatho, apne Sakha babu ke haatho poora karne ki iccha leke London se aayi thi."
He furiously ran his fingers into his hair. How much he wished he could prove her innocence that time but his kaka's words about the consequences they may face if he takes her side made him keep quiet. Although he tried hard to rescue her from this punishment but that wasn't enough. Because even if he would have succeeded in rescuing her, the tag of being a jaasoos may remain forever.
"Wo Bondita, jo aapke mooh se bas 2 shabd sunna chahti thi. Shabaash Bondita. Bravo Bondita. Par likh liya aapne uske degree mein, Dhokebaaz Bondita. Jhoothi Bondita. Gunhegaar Bondita. "
Despite all the unethical norms she had to face, she trusted her Sakha babu till last day that he won't let any injustice happen with her. But he didn't. He should have collected some evidences in her favour and that's what exactly done if he was the same Anirudh Roy Choudhary, Bondita's Birristra babu who always raised his voice against injustice.
But alas, its too late. The Birristra babu in him was overpowered by the stone hearted Barrister babu.
"Ye kaise Sakha babu hai, jinhe mai pehechaan hi nahi paa rahi?"
Her each words kept on ringing in his ears. "Nahi!" He suddenly exclaimed. "Main Bondita ki begunaahi saabit karke hi rahunga, chaahe kuch bhi ho jaay. Uski begunaahi ka saboot, poore Tulsipur ke saamne laaunga."
Although it was late now and Bondita is now against them but the tag of Jaasoos is still not gone. Still the villagers are bad mouthing about her.
Looking back at her picture, he uttered "Bondita, main wada karta hu, tumhare upar laga hua jaasoos wala kalank, mai mitakar hi rahunga. Aur tumse maafi bhi maangunga." Looking at the certificate he uttered, "Aur agar ho sake, toh Suzie se apni Bondita ko waapis laaunga aur apne haatho se robe pehenakar, ye certificate dunga tumhe. Aur garv se, phir se bulaunga, Barrister babu Bondita."
Before keeping it back inside the envelope he again glanced at the photo with a slight smile. But suddenly he noticed another thing in the picture and uttered "Bondita ne ye Gown kyu pehena hai?" As far as he knew, she would have proudly presented herself in saree. Especially when she had to represent herself as the Indian Lady Barrister. But here she's wearing a gown that too a Bridal one.
His pool of thoughts were interrupted when his Trilochan kaka called him from downstairs and that's when he realised that he was getting late for the practice. Keeping the stuffs on the table, he locked the door and went to his room to get ready for the day.
Upcoming:
He ran behind her passing through the translucent white curtains. He was finally able to catch the free end of her pagdi which was covering her face as well and pulled it with a force making her turn around facing him.
As the pagdi was pulled out of her head, her long black straight hair cascaded and the strands flew when the breeze was touching it.