Tanushree stands up and comes to the front she says, "My Lord, the case is very simple yet defence is making it complicated. Yes, Sidharth Dewan has no living blood relatives with whom a DNA test can be conducted to confirm. But the people who have been with him for years know him very well. Still the court requires proof and witnesses. So I would like to present my next witness."
Judge nods his head and she continues, "My Lord, my next witness is the doctor who attended the injured Sidharth in the district hospital of Champawan, Dr. Shehnaaz Brar."
"Dr. Shehnaaz Brar, do you know this man sitting there?"
Tanushree asks pointing her finger at Sidharth.
Shehnaaz nods her head," Yes."
"Can you please elaborate when did you see him the first time and where?"
"Around three years back, a few people from the Champagaon village brought him to the district hospital. He was injured and in a very critical condition. He had a head injury, his two ribs had fractured and his femur too had a fracture. We operated on him and kept him there for observation."
"Dr.Shehnaaz, what happened then?"
"We had no idea who he was as he was unconscious. The villagers said that they had found him in the stream behind their village. So we informed the police who took all the details. Four days later, another man from the village, Gajendra Kumar came and claimed that the patient was his lost son. Another three days later, he woke up and couldn't recall anything of his past. He was kept in the hospital for another two weeks and then discharged. Gajendra kaka then took him home."
Tanushree nods his head, "What do you think could have been the reason for his condition?"
"There was severe trauma to his head and chest that usually happens from a fall from a good height. Maybe he had slipped from some mountain."
"Could you say, it would have been a trekking accident?"
"Most probably. From his clothes, he appeared to be a mountaineer."
Tanushree nods and then asks, "Dr. Shehnaaz, you have a lot of experience with people, as you meet several of them in a day. Can you look at this man sitting there and tell me that he is a fraud? What is your opinion? Is he really Ratan Kumar or Sidharth Dewan?"
Shehnaaz gazes at Sidharth sitting beside Saivi. There is a sad smile on his face as their eyes meet.
She smiles and turns towards the judge, "I don't think he is lying. I know he is Sidharth Dewan "
"How are you so sure?"
"I know it. I had seen it in him."
Shehnaaz gets down from the ambassador car to go to the Sub-district hospital in Kisru, a few kilometers from Champangaon. She visits here every twice or thrice a week. She stays back at the Champagaon village in a separate quarter at the Sarpanch, Laha Singh's house.
A few kids come running towards her with a grin on their faces and she distributes chocolates. As they leave, she goes inside and starts looking at the patients.
While she checks a child's fever, a face peeps from the window. She tries to see but the person hides. She turns back to the parents, prescribing medicines. And the same thing continues for another 15 minutes. She stands up and goes outside. There's no one. She walks towards the end of the building. There standing leaning to the wall is a tall guy.
Shehnaaz touches his shoulder and he gets startled. He stares at her and she could see confusion in those cloudy eyes. He has a handsome face covered behind a thick beard, messy and dry hair and bruises. There is a scar on his forehead that is yet to heal completely. He wears a light green shirt untucked over brown pants, an old yellow sweater with a pattern made in red and a pair of old slippers.
"Ratan? Kya hua? You want to say something? Chip kyun rahe ho?"
"Doctor madam, woh mujhe maar dega."
"Kaun?"
Ratan looks around and points at the mountains.
Shehnaaz smiles, "No one will do anything. I am here na. Have you come alone? How?"
"I walked. I couldn't find it. It was not there. So I walked."
Shehnaaz confused asks, "What? What didn't you find?"
"My Mercedes. It must be here..right?"
Shehnaaz smiles, "Acha? You have a Mercedes?"
He blinks his eyes and stays silent. He then lowers his eyes and scratches his head.
"Mujhe ghar jana hai.. ghar.. ghar jana hai.. "
" Okay. I will send someone to get Gajendra kaka. He will take you. Now come and sit here."
" Na.. mere ghar.. the one on the top. The one.. on the top.. please take me home.. please.. please.. "
Shehnaaz makes him sit inside and gives him a glass of water.
"Ratan, did you remember anything? Did you see anything?"
He just stares at her, "I don't belong here.. I feel.. scared.. koi Maar dega mujhe.. I want to go.. home.. home.. my home.. I have a house where I could see the whole city.. tall buildings.. buildings.."
"As per Gajendra kaka, you left home at the age of 12. Maybe you lived somewhere, in some big city from where you saw these things. But this was your home, where you were born and you grew up. Try to remember those days. You will feel comfortable."
Suddenly that disoriented Rajat looks normal and he says, " Home is not a place, it's a feeling. I don't have it here. I don't belong here.. I.. need to go.. home.."
He gets up and rushes out.
A few weeks later, Shehnaaz was back in the village, spending the night there. She was reading a book, My autobiography by Charlie Chaplin. A rustle outside makes her look up and see a silhouette standing in the darkness outside.
"Who is it?"
"Main.."
"Ratan? Come in."
He appears at the door, in the same attire and look. But his eyes are no longer clouded now. That confusion has subsided now, he is getting back to normalcy.
Shehnaaz asks him to sit and he sits down on the other chair in the room. Shehnaaz pours him a cup of tea from the flask. He grabs it with his trembling hands and gives her a smile. He looks at the book that she was reading.
"My autobiography by Charlie Chaplin.
To truly laugh, you must be able to take your pain and play with it.."
Ratan immediately puts the cup on the table and stands up. He then realizes something odd just happened.
"Are you alright?"
He shakes his head, "What happened? What did I say?"
Shehnaaz makes him sit down.
"Relax! You don't need to stress over what you said. "
" No, I said something. What was it?"
"It was a quote from this book. You have perhaps read it. Can you remember anything else?"
He shakes his head.
Two months later
He stands at the window of the little quarter. His hands in his pockets. He is trying to look for something. Skyscrapers?
"Ratan chai."
He doesn't listen. She calls her a few more times but he is lost somewhere. She puts the cups on the table and walks towards him.
"Ratan."
He turns towards her. His face is now clean shaven and bruises healed. The shine in his eyes has returned.
She asks, "Where were you lost? I have been calling you."
"Mujhe sunai nahi diya."
"Doctor Madam, I feel this name is not mine. I don't respond as I feel they are calling someone else. Am I really Ratan?"
She smiles," I don't know. I will suggest, instead of worrying, you let your memory come back to you."
"What if it doesn't? Will I be lost forever?"
Shehnaaz covers his hand with hers, "You have people here who love you. For them you are Ratan You are not lost in any case."
She smiles and says, "Now tell me what you wanted to ask? Waise mujhe bhi tumhe kuch bolna tha. You are looking handsome. Shave Kara karo."
He lowers his head and blushes, " Thanks.. Doctor Madam, I wanted to ask for a favor. Can you get me a job? Koi bhi kaam?"
"Don't you work with your father on the farm?"
"Mujhse.. nahi hota.. And I can't tell him. I don't want to hurt him. Kya karun.. nahi samjh pata hun kya karna hai.."
"Hmm.. I will see what I can do. But for now you say a poem."
He lifts his head and nods his head.
"Kashmakash hai yeh zindagi.
Sach kya jaha samjh aaye na.
Jis pe yakeen kar na chahun,
Woh kyun haqeeqat lage na.
Kehte hai log,
Doob te ko teen ke ka Sahara kafi hai.
Main bhi andhere mein kho raha hun,
Koi roshini magar nazar aaye na."
Bhaskar smiles, "So, you mean to say that because this man said that he had a Mercedes and his house had a view with tall buildings also he quoted some excerpts from an autobiography, you believe that he is Sidharth Dewan. Dr. Shehnaaz, Ratan Kumar had disappeared from Champangaon for almost 12-14 years. He could be living here or in Mumbai or for that matter any big city where one can find skyscrapers. My Lord, this case is turning more into daily soap, only emotional dramas. There's nothing substantial to prove that this man here is Sidharth Dewan."
Shehnaaz smiles," Sir, you live in Kolkata?"
"Yes."
"So, do you see skyscrapers from your balcony window?"
Bhaskar doesn't react. Tanushree smiles and stands up,
"Exactly Mr.Ganguly. We live in big cities but not everyone's home has a view of the city. Sidharth Dewan lived in his Penthouse on one of the tallest residential buildings of Kolkata. And I am not sure Rajat Kumar might have lived in such a place, unless he was successful."
Before Bhaskar could say anything, Tanushree adds, "I know, it could be a possibility. But what are the chances."
Bhaskar nods his head, "Fine, I accept what you said "
He moves towards the witness stand and says, "I just have one question to ask. What was your relationship with then Ratan Kumar?"
Shehnaaz asks, "What do you mean? I knew him, he was my patient."
"Then why did you meet him all the time even after he recovered. You arranged a job for him in the hospital to write records. Nobody does that for just a patient."
Shehnaaz nods her head, "Maybe you are right. People might not do things for just a patient but I do. And Sidharth had become my friend by then. He needed help and I did. He wanted a job and I found him one."
"Friends or more?"
Shehnaaz stares at him as he continues, "My Lord, Dr.Shehnaaz was married to Captain Rishi Brar, who died in a terrorist encounter, a month later. Dr.Brar left her home, her in- laws' family to come to Uttarakhand. She fell for the handsome Ratan Kumar. Today she is lying, building stories only to prove her boyfriend is the heir to this empire. It's all a part of their plan."
"No. There was nothing between us. I have always respected her. Please don't tarnish her image."
Sidharth stands up to say.
The Judge says, "You are not allowed to say anything without being questioned. Sit down or else I will have you send you out."
Saivi pulls his hand and whispers, "Sit down. She will handle everything."
Sidharth sits down and lifts his head to look at her. She smiles assuring him, it's alright.
"My Lord, he is right. I am a widow. I had lost my best friend of 10 years, my husband to the country. But not every lonely, single woman is desperate to have a man in her life. Sidharth Dewan or Ratan Kumar, whatever you may call him, was lonely, confused and scared after he lost his memory. I was his doctor and he relied on me. Talking to me helped him. He wanted a job, I helped him get one. That's what it was."
Shehnaaz takes a pause before saying, "Even if I say I loved him, it doesn't change anything. What I said had really happened and my nurse Chitra can verify that. I had recorded a video where I asked a few questions about what he had remembered. The mention of his house, his car and even a few lines in Bengali can be seen. I have deposited them in the court. Everything points at the fact that he is Sidharth Dewan. I said what I felt as I was asked the same. Adding an unnecessary angle shows only one thing that you have nothing SUBSTANTIAL to present."
Tanushree stands up, "My Lord, Mr.Ganguly here is just wasting the valuable time of the court. Tarnishing someone's image can not give him the evidence he is seeking for. I have already deposited the copy of the video to the court as Exhibit A. Due to some issues, it can't be played today, so I request the court to arrange for its viewing on the next date..For now I request you to let Dr.Shehnaz to be excused."
The judge says,"Dr.Shehnaaz Brar, you may leave now."
"Thank you My Lord. Now after Dr. Shehnaaz's statement, I would like to explain few points from it that I have picked up and try to prove what we had been trying to do since day one."
Tanushree takes a step ahead and says, "My learned friend here talked about substantial evidence. So along with explaining a few points, I will present a few proofs. The first one is the clothes that my client was wearing when he was found at the site."
She picks up a packet of faded red coloured cloth wrapped in transparent plastic sheet and a photograph. She deposits it to the court.
"This Exhibit B is the jacket that he was wearing when Mohan found him at the stream. And if you can see the photograph Exhibit C, you can see that Sidharth Dewan was wearing the same jacket before the accident."
She takes a pause then continues, "Second thing is the poetry. Ratan Kumar used to say poetries and Dr.Shehnaaz has also told us about it."
Bhaskar stands and starts to laugh, "My Lord, how is this evidence? Sidharth Dewan, was a busy man. He never had any interest in poems."
"Says who? Mrs.Nirupama or her son Darshan? "
Tanushree turns to the judge, "My Lord, these people never actually knew Sidharth Dewan. He used to write poems when he was young. And the proof is this journal that his Dida, Mrs.Gayatri Parmar had with her. This is Exhibit D."
She presents it to the court.
Tanushree clutches her hands, "Sidharth Dewan was an avid reader. He had a library in his house and a good collection of books in his Penthouse. And one of his favorite books is one and only 'My autobiography' by Charlie Chaplin."
She turns to face Bhaskar, "And the final evidence is this, Exhibit E."
This lifts a file and gives it to the court.
"This is the copy of the record of the hospital that Ratan Kumar used to maintain. And the other is a letter written by Sidharth Dewan. You can clearly see the similarities of handwriting between the two."
Before Bhaskar could say anything, Tanushree says, "Before you say Objection, Mr.Ganguly, let me complete. I have the report by the top handwriting expert, Akash Ghoshal. He states that the handwriting matches almost to 95%"
Sidharth walks out of the courtroom. For the first time there is a smile on his face. As they talk with Tanushree, Bhaskar Ganguly walks past them with Nirupama, Darshan and his wife Smita.
"You think with what you did today, you will take away everything? No never. You will not get a single penny."
Darshan says.
Saivi smiles, "Everything is his, Darshan. You know that. You parasite! We all know what you are scared of. Truth will come out eventually. Sidharth will get what is rightfully his. And you all will land in jail. Just wait and watch."
Bhaskar signals Nirupama who drags her son away.
Sidharth says,"Di, forget them. Let's go."
He turns and comes face to face with Basundhara, who looks pale.
"Hi! Are you alright?"
Basundhara doesn't reply, just lowers her head.
"You, stay away from my sister."
Sidharth could see a guy standing a few steps away from them. He is of average height and health, same age as Sidharth, fair and clean shaved.
Sidharth smiles, "Barun, I have never stayed with her. Not even when I should have. The difference was you wanted me to be her then and not now."
"You are a fraudster. Even if you were Sidharth Dewan, I wouldn't want my sister to be with you anymore. "
Saivi smiles, "Barun, we all know what you really wanted? Sidharth Dewan was an ATM card for you and your sister. And now you will lose millions if you accept him. Who is the real fraud here, we all know?"
Sidharth holds Saivi's wrist, "Di, let it be. Let's go."
He steals a glance at Basundhara and walks away.
Sidharth sits on the chair, with his eyes closed. He opens his eyes when someone touches his shoulder. It's Shehnaaz. She smiles as she sits in front of him.
"Thinking about her?"
Sidharth nods his head. She walks towards the balcony and stands there. He follows her and stands beside.
" I know she is a good person. It's all my fault that she turned so bitter. Shehnaaz ji, I don't know if I will ever forgive myself."
"Don't think so much. Acha bolo, mujhe kya Shehnaaz ji hi bologe? Remember how you tried to call me Shehnaaz but failed so badly."
Sidharth smiles, "I had called you once but Baba told me, hum log chote log hai I shouldn't call you by your name. So from then on, you became Shehnaaz ji from Doctor Madam."
Shehnaaz nods, "Now you are Sidharth Dewan. Can't you call me Shehnaaz now?"
Sidharth turns and stares at her face that looks alluring in the light of the setting sun.
"You are beautiful."
Shehnaaz tilts her head, "Is that so? You haven't said that ever. That means I didn't look good before. Right?"
"You have always looked angelic but I never had the guts to give any compliments."
"And now you have it. Sidharth Dewan's traits? The Casanova."
Sidharth lowers his head,"I.. no..I am sorry. I didn't mean to.. I am not flirting with you."
Shehnaaz comes closer, she touches his face and kisses him on his cheek.
"Neither are you flirting with me nor am I desperate to get a man. In these three years we know that. So stop feeling guilty. You just said I look beautiful. I said a lot today in court. I didn't know if I could meet your eyes."
Sidharth smiles, "Thank you! For everything. What you did today for me, helped the case so much."
"I just told the truth."
"What about the statement where you said, even if I loved him?"
Shehnaaz turns towards him, smiles and says,
"Dil ki sabhi batein
Zubaan se boli nahi jati.
Ehsaas mehsus karte hai,
Inki numaish nahi ki jati.
Tum kya ho mere liye
Tumhe batana hai mushkil.
Nazron ki bolee samjhlo,
Inhe kisi aur tareeke se boli nahi jati."
How's the chapter? Mystery will start unfolding now. Characters are out now. Now find out what had happened to him. Read and give comments and don't forget to send stars by clicking the ⭐ button.
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