Love is Revolution

23: Her Rakshak Babu

Anirudh and Som had already left for Calcutta. Binoy and Trilochan stood perplexed seeing them going.

"Ye dono kahan jaa rahe hain", mumbled Trilochan.

"Da ho sakta hai Bondita ka pata chal gaya ho!", exclaimed Binoy adjusting his specs.

"Sach! Hey Durga Maa! Humaari Sita ko humaare ghar sahi salaamat waapas le aana", prayed Trilochan.

"Da humein Das Parivaar ko bata dena chahiye. Akhir unki beti-", Binoy was cut off by Trilochan. 

"Nahi! Agar unhe iss baare mein pata chala toh der nahi lagegi unhe Tulsipur ko shamshaan ghat banaane mein! Bondita ke Thakumaa aur Kaka sar pe chadh jayenge humaare. Agar bataana hi hai toh Sumati Boudi ko bataao. Krishna Nagar tak ye baat pohonchni nahi chahiye", said Trilochan swaying his cane in air and went away, leaving a dissapointed Binoy behind.

Anirudh and Som were on their way to Calcutta. Som was driving, because he knew Anirudh was not in the condition for driving.

Anirudh was just sitting silently. But from inside, he felt like screaming. He wanted to cry hard! Cry hard holding his Bondita! Beg her to forgive him! He just wanted to see her! He wanted to keep her in front of his eyes for his whole lifetime!

Soon they reached the city.

"Dada! Sheher toh pohonch gaye, lekin raaste mein Bondita kahin bhi nazar nahi aayi", said Som.

"Huh! Tum poore raaste usse dhoondh rahe the?", asked Anirudh coming out of his trance.

"Han! Aapne nahi dhoonda kya? Maine saari bailgadi par aankh daale par mujhe nahi dikhi", said Som sounding concerned.

Anirudh looked at Som for sometime. He was behaving very odd today! Like a lover! A concerned lover! Naa! Why would be that! Impossible! They are like brother and sister! They cannot be lovers!

"Dada hum ek kaam karte hain! Hum Shonjoy Kaka ke paas jaate hain. Ho sakta hai woh humaari madad kardein!", excaimed Som. Anirudh just nodded and they headed towards the Kar Mansion.

Bondita woke up from a deep sleep. She found herself in a room, well decorated, but not as decent as her rooms in Roy Chaudhury Haveli and Das Haveli. Though she left her Das haveli at eight, she still remembered every single corner of it.

"Ye mein kahan hoon", she whispered to herelf. That was when the door opened and a lady in her fifties entered the room followed by two women.

"Waah! Kya maal hai! Hazaaron ki kamaayi hogi abb toh!", exclaimed the old woman with an evil smirk.

"Kaun hain aap? Aur mein kahan hoon?", asked Bondita.

The woman moved towards her. Holding her face up by her chin with her index finger, she said,"tu Sona Gachi ke badnaam galiyon mein hai. Wahan, jahan ek baar koi ladki kadam rakhde, toh uske kadam tab tak bahar nahi padte jab tak uska janaaza na uth jaaye!" Saying  this, she let out a devilish laugh.

Bondita's eyes widened listening her. Sona Gacchi! She had never heard this name. But what she meant by 'badnaam galiyaan'! What is she trying to say!

"Mujhe nahi pata aap kya bol rahi hain. Mujhe apne Pati Babu ke paas jaana hai", cried Bondita.

"Kahin nahi jayegi tu!", exclaimed the woman.

"Mein jaaungi!", cried out Bondita and jumped out of the bed. But the woman held her by her elbow and threw her on the bed, slapping her hard on her cheeks, turning it red at once.

Slap! For first time in her whole life she experienced a slap! No one had slap her before. Not her Baba, not her Maa, not her Pati Babu, no one in Roy Chaudhury Parivaar or Das Parivaar, not even her Mama and Mami! And this woman dare to slap the daughter of Das! The daughter-in-law of Roy Chaudhurys! The Zamindaarni of Tulsipur! She do have guts it seems!