Dhriti got to know what happened. Gurmeet told her himself that he killed Pratap because he was talking bad about him and he couldn't hear it.
She was tensed after hearing this. She understood why Vihaan was so shocked when he came out of that room. Even after a week No one was talking about it. Not even media. Everyone was scared. Now it was official that Gurmeet can not hear anyone criticise him.
Dhriti's shooting of Documentary was going slow. Vihaan was bored but he had to be there anyway. They were exploring some cities and villages around Delhi and UP. Now they were going to Pune city to film camps which were set up for riot affected people.
In a week they had reignited their childhood friendship. Vihaan comprehended that Dhriti wasn't liking what she was experiencing. She seemed kind of against the propaganda that was being fed to the people. When they started she was looking really hopeful but as they traveled her behavior and reactions started changing. Of course she wasn't saying anything. Vihaan was also quiet.
"Camps toh sabhi taraf hai na. Why Pune particularly?" Dhriti asked.
"Well. It's my hometown. Better we shoot there" Vihaan said.
"Okay" Dhriti said. "Why are we not gonna go near War zone?" She asked.
" It's risky. Besides we are trying to show all the positive things. War is a different topic" Vihaan picked his words very carefully and said.
"If we are going to Pune then I want to go to a village which is nearby" Dhriti said.
"Which one?" Vihaan asked.
"Pimpalgaon" She answered.
Vihaan felt knot in his stomach. He knew Aarushi and Ranveer were there. He had to say no to this plan but how was he gonna do that?
"We have already been to some villages" Vihaan said "Better we interview people from cities. It's easy"
"I was there a few days ago Major" Dhriti told "At that Village. And the school of that village was so beautiful. The aura was so patriotic. Kids were reciting the pledge beautifully. I wanna shoot that for documentary"
"That pledge is recited in every school now. It's compulsory" Vihaan said "I'll take you to my school. Where I used to study. You can shoot it there"
Dhriti's smile was turned into frown. She looked at Vihaan "But I really wanna shoot at that particular school"
Vihaan remembered Gurmeet with a gun in his hand. The scene after he killed pratap. Gurmeet's angry face was fixed in Vihaan's mind. What was he doing? He was saying No to that man's daughter?
"Okay" Vihaan gave up "We will go there"
Dhriti smiled "Thank you Vihaan"
Vihaan didn't say anything. He looked out of window and saw the camp.
"We're here" Vihaan said.
Dhriti came out of the car and a foul smell hit her nostrils. She covered her nose.
"What is this smell?" She asked.
Vihaan didn't know. Caretakers of the camp gathered there to welcome them.
"Yeh smell kaisi hai?" Vihaan asked them.
"Wo.. Temporary toilets hai na.." A man told "Toh ab wo itne din ho gaye toh.."
"Temporary toilet ka kya matlab hota hai?" Dhriti asked.
"Jane dijiye na madam" Another one said "Hum log aapko baki ka camp dikhate hai na"
Vihaan, Dhriti and team followed them. Dhriti instructed her team to shoot everything.
As they walked Dhriti saw that tents were empty.
"Where is everyone ?" Dhriti asked.
"I don't know " Vihaan answered "Some of them were taken to war"
"Sab log kaam pe gaye hai. Aas pas ke khet aur sheher ki safai sab yahi log karte hai" A man told "Inke galatiyo ki saja hai yeh. Waise kam hi hai. Aate hi honge. Shift khatam ho jayegi abhi"
Vihaan widened his eyes. Dhriti was shocked too.
"This is supposed to be a rehabilitation camp, right?" Dhriti asked.
"Yeah. I mean.. I was the one who projected this idea but this doesn't come under my department so I don't know" Vihaan defended himself.
"This doesn't seem like a rehabilitation camp. It's a fu*king labour camp" Dhriti felt anxious "How many like these are in this country?"
"20 total" Vihaan answered "I really didn't know these people were working"
"Turn off the cameras" Dhriti ordered.
They heard a siren and in a minute people started coming back. Dhriti saw them. Those people were very thin and pale. They were walking in line. Guards were forcing them to walk faster but they weren't in position to even walk straight.
"Jaldi jaldi chalo" Guard was shouting "Warna khana diya nahi jayega"
"Inko ekdum sidha kar diya hai" A man said "Ab kabhi bhi General Sahab ke bareme galat bolna to dur galat sochenge bhi nahi"
There was a statue of Gurmeet in middle of the camp. Those people were forced to bow down and fold their hands in front of it.
"Inki wajah se tum log jinda ho aur kha rahe ho" Guard said to those people "Aur Udhar Major sahab aaye hai unko bhi Pranam karo"
All those people immediately looked at Vihaan and bowed down. Vihaan felt his heart aching. All the guards and caretaker were proudly flexing in front of Vihaan and Dhriti about how they make these people work for 18 hours a day and how they've successfully stopped a revolution for at least next 20 years.
"Yeh log toh ab kuch nahi bolenge" That man said "Aap dekhna General ke leadership ke under hum bahot tarakki karenge"
Vihaan was replying to those people but inside he wanted to scream. Dhriti was quiet. She was looking at those people. There were kids of all ages. Even they were being forced to work.
Dhriti started walking without saying anything. She went into camps and walked through those tents. Everything smelled horrendous. People were sitting on floor which was dirty. There was no sign of hygiene.
When she reached towards toilet the smell made her nauseous. Yet she looked inside. It was a platform and walls made out of plywood. Inside it was divided into sections by curtains. She slid one curtain and reality hit her hard. There was just a hole in plywood platform. She came out and saw that there was a big hole in ground in which all the filth from toilet was dumped.
It was filthy. She came back and saw that those people were standing in queue for food. A little bowl of plain rice that was all they were getting. After working for 18 hours straight this was all they were getting! Kids were looking like they couldn't even cry anymore. They knew if they cried or complained they would get in trouble.
She heard some noise and looked at her left. A guard was mercilessly beating a kid who was barely ten years old. His mother was pleading the guard to leave him. She kept her head on his feet. He kicked her in face and kept beating the kid.
"Apne bete ko chor banane se pehle sochna chahiye tha" Guard said "Khet se ek Aaloo chori karke laya hai yeh"
"Baccha hai wo use samajh nahi aata" That woman said "Maaf kar dijiye"
"Chori karna samajh aata hai use" Guard said "Baccha nahi hai wo. Tum sab logone desh ko bech ke khaya. Logoka paisa chori karna toh tum logoke khoon me hai. Pati Minister tha na tumhara? Usika ganda khoon hai yeh. Ise toh main aaj nahi chhodunga"
"What is wrong with you" Dhriti shouted.
Guard stopped "Tum kaun ho"
Vihaan went ahead and slapped that guard "General Gurmeet ki beti hai yeh" He said.
Dhriti felt good after Vihaan slapped that guard.
"Bacche ko marta hua koi dikhna nahi chahiye mujhe" Vihaan roared.
Everyone looked down.
She saw a little girl drinking water from a mud pond. This was too much to take. She went there and stood in front of that girl. The girl got scared. She lowered her head sat down on her knees.
"It's okay. You don't have to be scared" Dhriti slowly said "Here. You can have water from my bottle"
The girl was really scared. She didn't even move. Dhriti too sat down on knees.
"Please drink. You'll feel better"
The girl looked up at her. Dhriti was smiling pleasantly. She slowly took the bottle and started drinking water. She was drinking water as if she was having it after many days.
Girl gave back the water bottle and said thank you. Dhriti just smiled "What's your name" She asked.
"Dhriti" She told.
"Oh my god! Even my name is Dhriti. Hi Dhriti" Dhriti forwarded her hand for a handshake.
The girl was still scared. Dhriti tried to comfort her by patting on her back. But as soon as she touched her she leaned away.
Dhriti was confused . Why was the girl so scared? She was talking nicely to her still she was scared.
"Daro mat. Main kuch karungi nahi" Dhriti slowly took her hand. She saw the girl's eyes welling up.
"Why are you crying?" Dhriti asked.
"Are you gonna do same thing to me?" The girl somehow asked.
"What thing?" Dhriti asked.
"Thing that.. That man does to me" She pointed towards a guard "He does things to me that I don't like. He beats me too"
Dhriti felt her mind getting numb. She took her hand back. She couldn't think of anything and just ran away.
She ran towards her car and sat in it. She told driver to wait outside. As soon as he went Dhriti made way for her emotions. She whimpered and started crying.
Dhriti kept her palm on her mouth to stop herself from crying loudly. What was this? Was this the real face of 'The New India' for which she was shooting the documentary? Was this the India that her father dreamt of? Was this the India which her father made?
Vihaan came and knocked on car's window. She opened the door and let him in.
Dhriti was still crying "Yeh sab kya hai Vihaan?"
Vihaan didn't say anything. His eyes were also wet.
"You said your friend's mother and niece lives here? That girl Dhriti.. It could've been your friend's niece there" Dhriti said "Who knows she's safe or not"
Ranveer's face came in front of Vihaan's eyes.
"Dhriti" Vihaan said "I can't do anything about this. I can't say anything about this"
"Are we gonna leave that girl behind? While we know that she's getting sexually abused?" She asked.
"We don't have any choice. What will you do? You'll take her and then some other girl will be at her place from tomorrow" Vihaan said.
"Toh kya kuch nahi kare?" Dhriti asked.
"We can't do anything Dhriti and it's the truth" Vihaan said "Not until your father approves"
Dhriti continued crying " I don't want to shoot the documentary"
Vihaan sighed "You'll have to tell this to your father"
"He wouldn't agree" Dhriti was frustrated.
"We'll have to leave now" Vihaan said.
Dhriti was feeling helpless. She looked out of window and saw kid Dhriti waving goodbye. She wasn't smiling at all. Just waving.
Dhriti waved back and looked away. Vihaan felt all the feelings dying inside him. His heart was turning into stone now. There wasn't a thing which he hadn't seen. Hungry people, overworked old people, kids getting sexually harassed, people losing their beloveds and what not!
"This will end someday you know... Eventually everything will end" Dhriti said "And then we all will die. We all who are supporting this. We will die. We will be hanged for human rights violation or we will commit suicide!"
Vihaan took a deep breath and said "I know. I knew this from day one. Eventually I'll be tried in some court. In God's court if not by any legal one.. There's no escape from what I've done and what I am supporting"
Driver came inside the car. Vihaan and Dhriti became quiet. Driver may told someone that Dhriti was crying or talking something against Gurmeet's ways. She had to repress her feelings and make herself silent. For the first time ever Dhriti felt that she doesn't live in an independent country anymore!
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सदाक़त : Truth : that which is true or in accordance with fact or reality.