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"I just wanna ask you this today.
Why? Why did you love me when I had nothing to offer?
Why did you choose me when I had nothing to call mine?
Tell me why.
Tell me what you saw in me... That captured you"

-Elegiac_Damsel
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24th October

Indrayan's pov:

It's been a week since the last trial and I have compiled a list of suspects. I have advertised in newspapers for someone who could give us details about the late minister's family who would know his secret and would also have a good reason to destroy the Sequiras (Siddiquis).
Sampurnaa and her team have gone about 15 pharmacies and 12 colleges. So far, they have not come across any illegal drug trade.

The hearing was scheduled to be at 12 pm, so I had planned to wake up at 8 a.m. today.
But I guess Sampurnaa had other plans for me!
She woke me up at 6.00 a.m. with a phone call!
"Hello?" I spoke into the phone.
"Hi! Good morning! Sorry for waking you up, but I had some work."

I got up from my sleeping position on the bed and rested my head against the headboard.
"What is it that you..." my voice trailed off as I yawned, "wanted?"

"I am sorry to wake you up like this. I just wanted to ask you if there are any small pharmacies or supermarkets with no CCTV cameras? From what I observed, none of the places we have visited till now, can do anything wrong! They are under CCTV surveillance and they even ask for prescription for sedatives and sleeping pills. We need to look for a place which is easily accessible for the well off students but hidden and secure for illegal trade."

I looked at my watch which was kept on my bedside. It read 6.15 a.m.!

"Sampurnaa", I couldn't help asking her, "When did you wake up to think about all this? Or did you forget to sleep last night?"

She sighed on the other side.
"I was asking you something important and all you ask me about is sleep? I have been awake since 5a.m., but I called you at 6 because Boudi said that you usually go for a jog or at the gym at this time."

"It is my cheat day today!" I informed her

"I am sorry for waking you up then. But I need you to answer my question. It is important!"
She instantly returned back to her professional tone.
I yawned again and then got up from my bed towards my cupboard. The files were kept in a locker there.

I took out the one with the details and gave her the details. She thanked me and then disconnected the call.

I was totally woken up by then and had no hopes of going back to sleep, hence I decided to go for a walk as usual.
...

I went down for breakfast after I had taken a shower after returning back.
Maa was seated at the dining table and Dad was making coffee in the kitchen.

"Good morning Maa!" I greeted her
She smiled and greeted me back.
"Listen now! The wedding invitation cards are going to be ready by 28th. Distribute them to anyone you would like to. And we are done with the clothes of course, now we need jewellery!
Deepshika was telling me that Sampurnaa has a day off tomorrow; so we will go for shopping together. You can't come with us of course; as you can't see your bride's jewellery till the wedding."
Maa informed me in one single breath.

"Why are you telling me all this? I mean I already know that I am not going to be involved in the shopping. So what will I do knowing all this?" I asked her a bit confused.

She glared at me. What did I do now?

"It is your wedding! You are obviously going to have work to do! Your father and you; both of you are going to meet the decorators and caterers tomorrow while I go shopping!"

"It is a weekday maa! I am not taking leave." I declared

"You'd better take a leave tomorrow or the consequences can be anything from no dinner to a broken laptop."

"Okay. I yield to your demand." I told her defeated. I don't want her to break my laptop!
It is barely a month old.

We began our meal together once dad came and took his place at the table.
I was sipping my coffee and reading the newspaper simultaneously when Maa addressed me.
"I want you to shift out of your room and into one of the guestrooms downstairs."

I looked at her incredulously keeping my coffee down.
"Why would I shift into the guestroom?"

She sighed annoyed.
"I am getting your room renovated. You know right that we will soon be having another person in our house as a part of our family? Your wife! We need a new wardrobe and also a study table. And I also want photographs of the two of you there. She will be leaving her home, we need to make this her home. There has to be space available for her use. And the room has to become YOUR room. By which I mean, you and Sampurnaa.
We do not have much time, so I want you out of your room with your things by tomorrow."

The realisation sunk in as I realised that Sampurnaa would be here in a month!
I acknowledged what Maa said with a nod and returned back to reading the newspaper.
My eyes were on the headlines; but my thoughts were somewhere in the clouds. I would soon be giving up on my bachelorhood!
...
Once I was done with breakfast, I left home and drove towards the court.

.....
At the court

The defendant got the chance to question first and is now interrogating one of the women who was with Anya at the factory that day.
"How do you know Ms. Siddiqui?"
"I was a labourer here. She helped me get employment at her house as a cook when I learnt that I was pregnant. I did not have any money or way to bring up the child. So after her birth, I gave her to Anya di and she told me that she will ensure that my child is taken away somewhere else so she doesn't have to live a tough life with me. After that, once I had recovered from the delivery, she asked me if I wanted to work at the brothel. I agreed because that would mean free shelter and fooding. I joined there on my own will."

The next few questions she was asked were about what she did for Anya and if she knew anyone who held grudges against Anya and Ibrahim, their behaviour with the women at Jannah etc.

After the defendant was done questioning her, she turned to the judge and spoke.
"Your honour! From what Rani had to say, it is clear that the accusation of abuse and forced prostitution is all a bunch of baloney. Contrary to what Ms. Roy and Ms. Ranjan had to say, Rani stated that the two siblings were 'always cordial and soft' and that they never allowed anyone to do anything unless or until the woman involved gave 'her consent'. Your honour! It is also clear from what she had to say that Mr. Md. Ibrahim Siddiqui did not deal with drugs in any way and that Anya was the one who imported cocaine and exported opium. Your honour! This is my humble request to you. Ever since the case had been lodged by Ms. Ranjan and Ms. Roy; the red light area has been sealed by the police. Several sex workers are now living unhappily and many don't have any other source of income. They are very unhappy with the public's interest in their profession after a false case..."

I couldn't wait anymore.
"Objection! My Lord, the defendant is clearly forgetting that in the Hight Court of Jusitice, she can't declare someone's plea or complaint as unjustified and false!"

"Objection sustained. The defendant is reminded that it is the justice presiding over the court who has the right to give a verdict."

"I apologise, Your Honour." the defendant said before continuing,
"The sex workers feel that their living is being compromised with after a handful of people accused a brothel owner of human trafficking and forced prostitution. It is a request from their side; to either dismiss this case or to pass a judgement that wouldn't affect them."

The nerve of this woman! She is literally using some poor sex worker's plight to salvage the situation and to clear her clients' names from at least one crime!

It was hard to sit still and silent for so long, but I had to and I did.
.......

Sampurnaa's pov:

The assembly poll results were declared yesterday! Maharashtra is getting a new government now.
Since 18th, I have been busy with the string operations, the polls and then the results! We reporters had to report to the studio and on the field by 7 a.m. yesterday and give live updates to the public via television and social media. Counting days demand far more work for us than any other day!

In spite of the fact that I had had no rest for the past three days or so, I woke up at 5 in the morning.
I called up Indrayan while going through the data for the string operation and sipping my morning coffee. I actually ended up disturbing his sleep at 6 in the morning!
But it wasn't my fault... Boudi told me that he would be awake by 6!

My bad!
....

I went down to breakfast at 7.30 am. Boudi and Dada were seated there and Maa and Baba were in the kitchen. They looked at me weirdly when I took my place.
I took out my phone immediately and turned on the camera to observe if there was something on my face. There was nothing other than dark circles and tired eyes I guess!

I looked at Dada and he remarked.
"Your face has lost its colour! You have an off tomorrow... Dare you wake up before 10!"

I smiled at his concern. An older brother is as caring as a father and as loving as a mother. He is my protection and my first love and first friend. I am indeed blessed to have him in my life.

Maa entered with Baba just as I was talking to Boudi. She was telling me about her maternity leave that she would get for 8 months; 2 months before giving birth and 6 months after that.

We all began our breakfast while talking to one another intermittently.

"Shona!" Maa called me
I looked up at her questioningly.

"We will go for your jewellery shopping tomorrow. I know you don't have a leave for Diwali, but I hope you will try and keep your workload sane during the weekend. Moreover there is something else I had to say.
The wedding cards will be ready by Monday. You can invite whosoever you want to. And there are barely 5-6 weeks left now, you need to start shifting your things there."

Almost all of us at the table stopped eating after she spoke the last line.
Baba coughed a bit and that made us look at him instantly. I forwarded a glass of water to him and he accepted.

"Why would you say that to my princess? She doesn't have to go from here if she doesn't want to!" Baba told Maa, a bit angrily.

I took hold of his hand and shook my head. I don't want any arguments at home, early in the morning over something so trivial!

"You expect her to live here while her husband lives somewhere else? Are you in your right mind? Can you live without me? And another thing! What if I had the same wish as her? We would never have had children if I wanted to live at my parents' home and you in your place!" I heard Maa ask Baba

Dada and Boudi were mere spectators..

Boudi spoke after their argument started dragging on.
"Baba, even I left my house and came here."

"You can go back there. With this idiot of a son I have. And send your brother here instead." Baba told her immediately

I couldn't control myself after that. I started laughing.

Baba looked at me laughing and then calmed down visibly.
He smiled after sometime as did the other three at the table.
Once the situation had become less intense and heated, I expressed my views.

"I am moving my books and 40% of my clothes. I am leaving my toiletries here. I shall purchase new ones before the wedding.
I don't want to return back to my house and find my own room empty! This is my home, right?"

All of them nodded and the rest of the meal was trouble free.
...

I said goodbye to everyone and then headed towards the station. I am not taking my scooty today.
I want to travel by Mumbai's lifeline: the local train!
....

The hearing at the court started with the defendant, Mrs. Vanita Prakash's efforts of salvaging the rest of the case. I guess she has finally figured out that she cannot save her clients from facing punishment due to illegal trade and human trafficking... The least she can do is to salvage their reputation and reduce their punishment; which is why she approached the forced prostitution racket today.
That woman obviously drove Indrayan over the edge!
....
Once the defendant was done questioning, Indrayan got up, all set to question Rani.

His first question was a harsh one and pretty direct.
"Would you have kept the child if it had been a boy?"

She nodded and said.
"I would have kept the child if it would have been a boy. He would have eventually grown up and done something in his life."

I could feel my blood boiling but I obviously cannot change her thoughts or point of view!

"You just said that you did not have the resources to bring up your child; so how would you manage bringing up a boy?"

"Objection your honour! Irrelevant question!" the defendant piped in

"Objection sustained! The prosecutor is requested to ask questions that are related to the case."

Indrayan turned towards the judge and replied.
"Forgive me your honour! But I need the answer to these questions! Relevant or not; it would definitely help us know what kind of people we are dealing with, here at the court!"

His eyes flashed angrily and truth be told; I really couldn't feel more proud of him than at that moment.
He knew that he could be held in contempt of the court any time, yet he spoke out what he had on his mind.

The justice banged his gavel in order to silence the people who had begun murmuring.

"You may proceed with the questioning, Prosecutor." the justice spoke after silence had been restored in the courtroom.

"Thank you, your honour!" Indrayan said and turned towards Rani who was still in the witness box.
He repeated his question and Rani answered.
"If it had been a boy, I would have pushed myself to work more and bring him up. Moreover, Anya di told me that she would help me bring up my child if it was a boy... She explained to me that the girl would be a huge liability... I would have to take more care of her, spend more on her clothes, bring her up and spend on things after she attained puberty and then eventually her marriage. She also told me that the family who was willing to take my daughter would pay me enough to buy a small home of my own. I am talking about 12 years ago... When homes were more affordable than today."

It angered me to think that a mother thought of her child as a liabilty! She gave her away with the hopes of getting money... And she has the audacity to say that she would have kept her child had it been a boy.

I wanted to go and slap that poor excuse of a woman who did not respect her own identity as a female.

Indrayan's voice brought me out of my furious reverie as he addressed the justice.
"Your honour! I would request you to note the fact that Ms. Siddiqui deliberately manipulated Rani's thoughts and made her hand over her daughter. I can say with utmost confidence that the poor child has been sold to someone not unlike Ms. Anya Siddiqui who would like to kill that child's spirit by making her work as a prostitute forcefully!"

His eyes had fire in them.
...

The woman seemed to be pretty shaken up. She seemed to be in shock.
Indrayan turned back to her and asked her.
"Ms. Rani! Would you care to tell the court about the other things that you helped Ms. Siddiqui and her brother with apart from the brothel of course!"

It took her time to answer. I guess she was taken aback at the prosecutor's anger and hatred that was totally directed at her and her 'Anya di'.
"I... just did... what she .... wanted me to...do." she replied stuttering in fear

"Could you please elaborate on what you mean by 'whatever she wanted'?" Indrayan asked menacingly

"Objection your honour! The prosecutor is intimidating my client!" the defendant was quick to react.

"Objection sustained! This is the first warning for the prosecutor." the judge pronounced.

Indrayan apologised and then repeated his question in a gentler tone.

"I would go and meet the women and the girls who we shortlisted for our work. I had been enrolled in a spoken English class by Anya di, so I could speak to the non-Indians in English. Apart from this, I managed some of the accounts of the sales of Sourire and also drugs." Rani replied

"Did you convince each woman you met easily? For the job, I mean. And did they agree like you said you did?"

She tensed at that question and then looked up trying to find Anya. She turned to the defendant with pleading eyes.
And then after sometime, she began shivering and hyperventilating.
She held on to the siderails of the witness box for support. The lady police officers were quick to react and they immediately rushed to her with water.

She was having a panic attack!

The entire courtroom stood up and tried to see what was going on. Some of the reporters stood on the benches and tried to capture pictures. They were soon stopped by the police and then eventually things were brought under control. Rani was led away from the court and the judge stood up infuriated.

"This is a stern warning to all those who represent media; I wouldn't allow you here if you cause trouble in the courtroom. The hearing obviously has to be stalled as of now owing to the sudden turn of events. Next hearing will be after Diwali; on the 1st of November, 10 a.m.
The court is adjourned for the day!"

He banged his gavel and simply fled from the bizarre courtroom.
I sighed and got up from my seat. Indrayan had just taken his seat. I went there and forwarded the small bottle of water that I always carry with myself. He is bound to need it after that idiotic woman's opinion about girls as liabilities!

He took it wordlessly. Zakir and Sridha were both nearby and I gestured them to wait for us outside.

"What the hell are we dealing with Sampurnaa? There are women like her who are so gullible and there are cunning women like that fugitive who do all these heinous crimes! There are criminals who leave behind no traces after murdering someone and there are women fighting for their rights! I feel so sick! Their thoughts are so cheap... They are so narrow-minded. I can barely digest this as someone's son and brother! I don't even know... Why they do all this! You tell me why!"

He was breathing heavily and his eyes still had that fire.
Once he was done getting everything out.
I asked him calmly,
"Can you tell me why men rape?
Can you tell me why there are gold diggers?
Can you tell me why the society still has parasites inspite of the measures taken for law and order?
Not all why's yield answers. Sometimes things have to be the way they are meant to be! It is upto us what we do... Either we stop thinking and limit our thoughts like Rani and end up doing something wrong... Or we do something that would give us peace and satisfaction. Calm yourself down! Nothing's gonna happen with you getting angry at the court. You have to stand till the end... You can't allow yourself to fall at this stage! You can't get suspended with a contempt of court order from the judge."

He massaged his temples and I could feel his breathing becoming normal again.
"Get up now! I don't have all day. I need to go.... I have a job you see!" I told him trying to lighten the mood.

He looked up at me and then said, "Thank you!"

I rolled my eyes playfully.
"Really? I just did this because I know Boudi and aunty would not spare me if you ended up doing something stupid in my presence, you see!"

We both smiled and then I helped him with his things.

We walked out of the courtroom and those two idiots, Zakir and Sridha were standing there with idiotic grins on their faces.

"What took you so long?" Sridha asked me.

"I was cleaning the courtroom with him. Wanna check how clean it is now?" I replied sassily.

She was about to say something more when I felt my phone vibrating in my trousers' pocket. It was my senior!

"Hello?" I spoke into the phone
"Good afternoon Sampurnaa! I got the security team to analyse the data that you sent. I guess we found one pharmacy that could be the place."

"Good afternoon Sir. Well and good then! Where is it?"

"Malabar Hill."

"What time do I have to report? And where?"

"At the studio. At say 4 p.m."

"Will do. Is that all?"
"Yes, Sampurnaa."

I disconnected the call and glanced at my watch. It was 2 p.m. already.
I obviously can't return home now as I would be late while coming back. Zakir and Sridha were both standing there.

"Diwali holidays at college?" I asked Sridha

She nodded.
"Up for ice-cream or coffee?" I asked Sridha. She said yes in happiness.

"The offer goes out to you too, Zakir." I told him.

He looked at Indrayan asking for permission.
"You may get a half- day today, Zakir. By the way, is the offer open for me?" he asked me.

I smiled naughtily.
"Of course it does! You will be needing some ice to calm that volcano anyways!"

Zakir and Sridha smiled and the four of us went to a Baskin Robbins ice-cream parlour nearby.

The three of them ordered ice-creams for themselves whereas I stood confused.

Maa had asked me to lose some weight as I had gained after Durga Puja. She told me that it would be difficult to wear the blouse of my wedding saree that had already been given for stitching if I don't maintain my size. Red Velvet Ice-Cream was literally calling out to me...
I stood there like an idiot while the other three had already began on their ice-creams.

"Are you ordering anything, ma'am?" , the man at the counter asked.
I muttered a quick no and turned around.

Seeing me return empty-handed, Sridha asked me,
"Where's your ice-cream di?"

"I did not find any flavour that I like." I lied.

She nodded and let the conversation be. I knew that someone was looking at me hard because my lie had been caught by him; but I ignored it totally.

Once we were done, Sridha went on her way and Zakir went and waited in the car. I muttered a quick bye and was about to walk away when someone pulled my hand.

"In a hurry, I see! What was it at the ice-cream parlour?"

I knew I had no choice other than telling him the truth.

"I wouldn't fit in my wedding saree if I gain weight."

"Saree? From what I know they fit everyone!" he asked me

"The blouse to be exact!" I told him gritting my teeth.

He looked at me and then asked, "All this for your wedding?"

I nodded.

"Tell aunty when you go home today, that your fiancé wouldn't mind getting married to you even if you are wearing casuals... You don't have to deprive yourself of things that you like for a piece of clothing!"

"I want to wear a saree at my wedding." I told him

"Even so! You don't have to do this nonsense. You will be able to tell your mother? Or should I pay her a visit instead? As it is there are dark circles around your eyes and it is perceptible that you are tired! Stop doing something that will affect you adversely!"

I nodded and then bid him a quick farewell before leaving from there. It is already 3 p.m.!

..................................................................................

To be continued...