Sanskar was sitting in a cellar staring at the discolored wall. His tears had dried. He was feeling so empty now. As if every happiness, every smile had left his life. In just a second, his life turned upside down. His own subordinates, a few only though, were looking down at him. Some of them had immense trust in him too but he himself did not have that. He knew that if he had done something like that in the past, he could repeat that too. Though he did not remember even a single thing after he bid good bye to the tip, he was sure that he was capable of doing something like this. And even if he had not, it was the due punishment of his past karma.
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5.5 years back.
Sanskar was just posted in kasmir. It was one of his very first postings. The scenic beauty of that place was enchanting him. He was more happy because of his childhood best friend, Sahil's posting in Kashmir too. They both prepared for the exam together. Sahil got selected in his first attempt but Sanskar needed to take the second attempt for the exam. Sahil did not leave a single stone unturned to teach Sanskar whatever he knew! Taking time out of his busy schedule and teaching his friend, was something rarely found.
As he was about to enter the city, hir car tyre got punctured. He was waiting for another car when a girl stopped in front of him in her scooty.
"Sir! You have to leave from here as early as you can! Some group of armed men is on the way." Girl informed. She was right.
Sanskar hid in a crevice near a hill and let that group pass. He felt thankful for the girl who saved his life.
As he reached the headquarters, he received a warm welcome from Sahil. He was very happy too, to see his childhood bestfriend again.
"She may be Kavita!" Sahil replied when Sanskar told him about the girl, "She is a sweet innocent local girl who helps us!"
Next evening, he found her wandering in front of his quarters. He noticed how beautiful and innocent face she had. Her lovely long straight hair, her cheeks looking like an apple, were as beautiful as the valleys of Kashmir.
"Snowfall is there Kavita! You should return back to your home!" Sanskar said.
"Sir! Woh I came here to gift you this!" Kavita forwarded a bunch of dryfruits to him, "People fall ill when they come to Kashmir. Have these regularly!"
Sanskar felt a butterfly in his belly when she forwarded him the gift.
"Come inside!" Sanskar asked her for courtesy.
She agreed. Sanskar made tea for her.
"Wow sir! You make such good tea!" Kavita said.
"Where are your parents?" Sanskar asked.
"They are no more!" Kavita replied.
After that evening, sanskar felt a feeling of sympathy for Kavita. He was not realising when those feelings were started to turn into something different. When he realised, he told this to Laksh and Sujata. But in the meantime, to his unawareness, Sahil had already expressed his feelings to Kavita and she agreed instantaneously. Had Sanskar got a single clue about this, he would have stepped back immediately. But neither Sahil, nor Kavita said anything to him.
It was one of his last days of posting in Kashmir. Laksh too came to meet him there.
"Is she Kavita?" Laksh asked Sanskar.
"Yes!" He replied.
"Sanskar! Don't get me wrong but I don't feel right about her." Laksh asked in a worried tone.
"She is like this only. So naive, so innocent! She does not know what to say!" Sanskar replied. He could not hear a words against Kavita.
And that dreadful night, just for fulfilling Kavita's wish, he got drunk for the first time in life along with Kavita. He did not know what happened next but when his sleep got broken, he saw himself naked, under a sheet, with Kavita who was also not having clothes on her.
And to his horror, Sahil was standing in front of him staring at him with rage.
"What happened?" He asked.
And then, he heard Kavita crying and covering herself with the sheets as much as she could.
"You rapist!" Sahil fumed in rage, "You raped my girlfriend in a drunk state."
Sanskar felt as if a stone was thrown on his head. Sahil's girlfriend, Kavita, when did it happen? And rape, no, they were just getting drunk last night.
"I was screaming to leave me! But he did not listen Sahil! I was thinking him of just friend and he...."
Kavita's tears felt like hot acid to him. If he had done such a serious crime, he should be punished. Venom from Sahil's tongue was just increasing his guilt and anger on himself.
"I will punish you!" Sahil said, "I am filing a complaint."
"No! Please no! Filing a police complaint will only increase my trauma Sahil! Don't do this!" Kavita pleaded. That day, he anyhow stopped by Kavita's pleads. But Sanskar lost his friend that day and his self respect that night. He knew that such a sweet girl like Kavita could never lie. He trust her more than himself. The guilt was too heavy to be carried. How could he do this! How could he be an animal!
In nights, Kavita's crying haunted his ears. In days, his own reflection laughed at him.
He got transferred to Mumbai. He thought maybe changing the place would help him forgetting everything. But no! So one day, he decided to end his life. He was about to jump from the building when, to his luck, Laksh who came to Mumbai to give him a surprise, held him back.
After hearing everything, he replied in a cold tone, "Do you really think you can do this? Sanskar you have saved girls from getting molested! You cannot do this even in intoxicated state!"
"A girl like Kavita can never lie in this regards! I know! I know what I am!" Sanskar replied.
It was 5 years and he still could not come out of that trauma. He decided not to be with any other girl ever. Rape is a heinous crime and no girl in this world deserved to live with a rapist.
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Inside, Sanskar was thinking about all this in jail and outside, Laksh was narrating this incident to Swara and Ragini.
"Noways! I don't believe Sanskar can do this!" Ragini immediately rejected the story.
Laksh sighed. He closed his eyes and let some tears fall. Ragini immediately hugged him and wiped his tears.
"That's why he did not want to be with Swara! He was terrified that he could do this ..... this with Swara too!" Laksh was sobbing and looking at Swara who was silent since the beginning of story.
"Swara! I know it's hard to believe but I know my brother! He gets angry easily, he throws tantarums too, but this heinous crime he can never commit!" Laksh pleaded.
Swara sighed. Her emotions were getting intwined with each other. But she knew, if she let her emotions overcome her mind, her rationality would be lost! The pain she was feeling for Sanskar was not to be mixed with her logical mind. She had to save Sanskar anyhow.
Swara was thinking of the time when both of them were completely alone in the hotel room and then, in that secluded corner. He knew very well that if he want, he could do anything to her and she won't protest. But he did not even kiss her. He knew his boundaries.
Laksh thought of Swara's silence as her disbelief. He lowered his gaze and looked at Ragini.
"I know she will never believe!" Laksh said.
"Who told you I am not believing?" Swara replied.
"Then why are you silent? What made you silent?" Ragini asked.
"Loopholes! Lots of loopholes!" Swara replied in a serious tone and stared straight at Laksh, "jiju! You told you never liked Kavita! Why?"
Laksh thought a little and then replied, "Because I felt nobody can be so naive to know where to stop in friendship. And according to her, she was in a relationship with Sahil before Sanskar came to Kashmir. Both of them did not want to disclose it to anyone as according to Kavita, it was a small place and people will make so many stories. But won't those make stories too when she came to meet Sanskar in the night when everyone knew that he lived all alone!"
Swara nodded.
"And if she wanted to get drunk, go and get drunk with your boyfriend na! But she purposefully did this with Sanskar!" Laksh said again, "Look Swara! If a boy takes interest in a girl, it becomes quite evident. But if a girl was in relationship already, she should have declined Sanskar's advances na! I have seen how Sanskar used to gift her heart shaped pillows, sometimes payal, sometimes earrings! Why did she accept? She should have at least told him that she is not interested!"
Swara agreed. Laksh was right. But she got another bizzare correlation between the past and the present. In this case too, he got drunk and then was accused of rape. She needed to meet Sanskar. But how?
There was no legal way left to meet Sanskar in private. Though lawyer who agreed to fight Sanskar's case met him, Sanskar told him he did not remember anything about that night.
"We need to nab the tip! Laksh do you have any idea?" Shekhar said.
"Yes! I have already talked to him. He said Sanskar was not having any alcoholic drink. He was having a mocktail!" Laksh replied, "I wonder how high level of alcohol got detected in his blood level."
"Swara! Is there any chance of any drug involvement?" Shekhar again asked.
"No papa! Not a single trace of any drug in his blood. Infact he has marks on his hand too. Scratch marks to be precise. And the fingernail scrapping of Ayesha got Sanskar's DNA." Swara replied. Her voice had hopelessness. These were the definitive proof of attempt to destroy the dignity of a women.
Shekhar sighed. Media was leaving no stone unturned to increase the trp by adding masala to the story. Various experts were spitting venom on Sanskar. Without even looking at proof, they had passed judgement.
It was next night. Swara could not imagine it was 24 hours since Sanskar got in this condition. Since the bar was shady, there was no cctv footage fron there. And the hotel was shady too. So no cctv footage from there too. But above all, she was trying hard not to imagine Sanskar's turmoils. But how was this possible! When hearts get united, pain and happiness could be felt even from distance.
She looked at the date. Tomorrow was Mahashivratri. Goddess Parvati got Mahadev that day. Swara closed her eyes and prayed to Goddess Parvati. Her mom always used to say that truth could never be defeated. But she never told that truth could face so difficulties too.
Swara did not realise when morning sunrays lightened the sky. She did not sleep for whole night. All she was thinking of was Sanskar. If for once she could be able to talk to him.
In morning, Swara saw Sharmistha getting ready to go to temple along with Ragini and Nikhil. Swara did not say anything.
"Swara!" Sharmistha called her.
"Ji choti ma!"
"Are you going to temple in these clothes?" She asked.
"Ji?"
"Go! Wear something good! We will be leaving in 10 minutes!"
Swara could not believe her ears. She looked at Sharmistha who was smiling back at her. Gently, she patted her hair and said, "When one door closes, God opens 10 other ones! Have faith in him!"
Swara smiled. At least for once, she remembered how being loved by a mother feels like!