"Dev Babu"

I looked behind and found Bondita leaning on the wall, "o Dev Babu" she said and winked at me.

I spit my water that I was drinking when she winked at me, I looked around, "Dev Kaun?"

She started walking towards me in strange way, with support, stumbling and falling then again getting up as if the ground recoiled near her feet. Her eyes were half closed and a wide smile was on her face. She pulled me closer by my collar, "kitna satate hain ap apne Paro ko".

"Bondita tum...." I was about to speak but then I realized she must have eaten or drank something wrong when I saw her laughing like a child.

Oh God!! No!!!

"Bondita kiya piya hain tumne bolo? Kyu piya hain" I held her shoulder and shook her.

"Kaun kambhakt bardash karne ko pita hain, hum to pite taki yaha pe baith sake, tumhe dekh sake......" She started talking nonsense...wait I think I have heard these lines.

"Bondita hosh mein ao" I patted her cheeks.

"Hehehe..." She giggled unnecessarily like a child and with her shoes on stood on the bed, "kya dev, hum itne saal tumhare liye intezzar karte rahe, jo diya maine jalaya tha wo ajtak bujhne nehi diya".

"Arrrey Dev kaun? konsi diya? Kya keh rahi ho tum?" I was feeling irritated. I held her hand, "tum pehele niche ao, utro bistar se".

"Booooooo" she showed me her thumb.

"Dev Babu, o dev babu suniye na" she was talking all nonsense. Was she living in a novel?

"O Dev Babu" she called me again.

Now I just hate the word Dev.

Suddenly I don't know what happened, she jumped off the bed and wrapped my barristry robe around her and walked towards me, "Milord roz hota hain mohabbat ki case ki sunwai, I object har roz yahi faisla sunaya jata hain."

"Bondita tum hosh mein nehi ho" I said.

"Ha kyuki mein madhosh hu apke pyar mein" saying this she hugged me.

I immediately seperated her from me, "tum yahi ruko mein nimbu pani leke ata hu" I instructed her and was about to leave but she held my hands, "itni buri hain kya apki paro ki nazre tak mila nehi paate, patni kehna to dur ki baat hain".

I looked at her and realized she had tears in her eyes now.

"Tum patni nehi ho meri" I said gently.

"Ek patni maa hoti hain, behen hoti hain, patni hoti hain, dost hoti hain aur jab wo kuch nehi hoti to....." She was about to speak but I shouted at her.

"Bondita" I stopped her from speaking further, "agey ka wo shabd maat lena,

Agar apne liye tumhe firse aisa vaisa shabd kaha fir mujhse bura koi nehi hoga".

But seemed as if she was not listening to me, she kept on playing with a rose.

I realized what ever she was speaking, she had no idea what these things actually mean. She was going to use the word tawaif for herself because she doesn't know the meaning, she was only parroting so its baseless to scold her for what she was saying.

She again jumped on a chair to match my height and pulled me by suspenders, pulled my cheeks and played with my hair, "ap acche ho, goody goody". Then surprisingly what she did made me went numb. She pouted her lips and leaned towards me. My eyes widened and I immediately pushed her away.

She picked up a pillow and kissed it too. Then she went to the mirror and kissed her own reflection.

I sighed a relief. She didn't mean to do that what she did. She was just kissing everthing thing in the room not only me. Thank god she is still that innocent Bondita.

"Ap mujhe dekho Dev babu" she said with a wide smile, "hu na mein pyari? Hain na apki Paro sabse pyari?" she said pulling her own cheeks, "fir bhi apko kyu nehi pasand mein?"

"Wo...wo.."

"Chalo choro, chalke langri tang khelte hain".

I took a deep breath. Abh yahi bach gaya tha langri tang khelna. Oh God!!! This toofan is impossible to handle!!

"Nehi abhi tum nimbu paani piyoge, chalo mere sath" I held her hand and took her to kitchen. She climbed on the table and sat there putting her finger on her lips.

I made a glass of lemonade for her, "Bondita abh good girl ki tarha ye pi lo, pura".

"Maine pi thi coffee" she said.

Oh now I get it! Its all Bihari!!

"Wo jo coffee chunni babu ne banayi thi" she said.

"Abh Chunni babu kaun hain?... O accha Bihari"

"She drank it and I felt relieved unless she spat the whole drink on my face and started laughing.

"Kya kiya ye tumne!" I shouted at her and she stopped laughing, "abh kaise utaru tumhara nasha?"

"Ye nasha uthar ta nehi hai Dev, ye pyar ka nasha hain" she pulled my suspender.

"Ouch!" I groaned in pain, "kya kar rahi ho?"

"Chalo kamre mein, so loge thora to nasha utar jayga".

She spreaded her arms, "uthake le chalo".

I looked at her with rage and was about to leave her alone when she called me from behind, "Anirudh".

Did she just call me by name? For a moment I forgot that my real name is Anirudh. She had eaten up my mind so much that even I was thinking my real name is Dev. I looked behind and saw her drooling on the table. I had no option left rather than picking her up. I picked her while she wrapped her hands around my neck and smiled at me.

I took her to the room, "chup chap so jao, mein bahar hu".

"No no no" she made silly faces at me and again ran out of the room.

"Ruko!" I started chasing her. She ran around the whole haveli. "Bondita ruko!"

"Mein Bondita nehi hu!" She kept on running. "Accha baba paro ruko".

"Apki paro!"

"Accha thik hain meri paro, abh please ruko".

I somehow managed her to bring her to the room and the situation was somewhat under control. I was tired. I sat on my chair with a jerk and held my head looking at Bondita playing with random stuffs like a child. How do I control this toofan now?

My blood was boiling, wait let it be morning, I will show the whole house who Anirudh Roy Chowdhury is. Once I get Bihari, I won't spare him. I am pretty sure either he or kaka or sampoorna has spiked her drink. Only these three experts can comeup with such innovative ideas.

I kept on looking at her. How innocent is Bondita and that is why people like her is rare and I don't want her to loose the rareity. But if this continues, she won't be able to survive in this hell made by our very own people.

The thought that shivered me to the core everythime I looked at her what if I wasn't her pati babu but someone else. What that person have done to her. He would have done to her what the society wants them to do.

I was thinking all these when she suddenly spoke, "Dev ap mere churiya nehi toroge".

"Kya? Kya kaha tumne abhi?" I was shocked hearing this. I immediately stood up and sat beside her. "Kya kaha tumne?"

"Haa Sab ne kaha mujhe ki aj mere churiya tootenge, baal khulenge aur payal bhi tootenge"

"Kisne kaha?" My voice shaked.

"Chandramukhi ne" she said casually.

I looked away and clutched my fist in anger. I was so ashamed of my own family members. Its none other than Sampoorna whom she was talking about.

"Aur ye bhi kaha" she added, "ki mujhe bohot dard hoga, mein chillaungi par kamre se bahar aane ko mana kiya hain".

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. They told all these things to her...

"Par dard kyu hoga? Ap maroge kya mujhe? "

I looked at her smiling and nodded my head in no.

She climbed on the bed again and started jumping and dancing. "Niche utro Bondita!"

She started opening her hair. "B..B..Bondita dekho ye sab mat karo" I stmmared.

She now started opening her jewelleries. "Bo..bo..bon..Bondita k..kya kar rahi ho?" I gulped now in nervousness.

She started walking towards me while I moved back, "d..dur raho tum".

She moved towards me and I again moved back unless I got pinned to the wall, "dur raho mujhse".

She gave an strange look. She came closer to me so I closed my eyes but.....

She vomitted on me.

Yes! You heard it right, Bondita vomitted all over me. 'Arggggg!" I groaned in frustration. After soiling my clothes she laughed at me,"sab ne kaha maika chordo, baaro ne kaha bachpana chordo, Dev pati babu ne kaha zidd chor do, sab ladkiyo ko hi kyu chorna parta hain?" she giggled.

Leaving her there I went to washroom and cleaned myself first. Once I came out of washroom she looked at me,"mujhe nini ayi hain" she said suddenly sucking her thumb like a child.

"Nini matlab?"

"Nini ayi hain, sona hain mujhe"

"Pehele bhookhi abh nini" I said.

She hugged me and placed her head on my shoulder, "nini ayi hain".

I patted her head to sleep. "Nini ayi hain" I mimicked her and chuckled, "pagli kahiki".

I was scared of how to face pati babu this morning. I don't know what nonsense I have committed last night.

I went to study and found pati babu with my romantic novels in his hands. Batuk was there with me too. Musturing up my courage, I entered the room. He banged books on the table.

"Bondita chalo pura Daffodils bol k dikhao" he said suddenly. Why was he saying so?

"Pura yaad nehi huya hain" I answered him timidly.

"Accha? Ishq pyar mohabbat wale line to acche se yaad hain apko".

Batuk and I looked at eachother.

"Mein bekar mein itna pareshan ho raha tha, tumse nehi hoga parhai, chalo abhi" he said with rage.

"Kaha?" I asked him.

"Devipur"

I saw her crying. She immediately held dada's hands, "pati babu sorry, agey se nehi hoga, Shotti" she cried.

"Mujhe pata nehi kal ye sab kaise huya, mujhe to kuch yaad hi nehi, bas maine apki coffee pi thi" she cried.

"Der ho rahi hain choro mera hath" Dada said sternly.

"Pati babu please"

He picked up her bag which he had already packed and pulled her to the drawing hall where all were present.

"Kya ho raha hain subah subah?" said an irritated Baba and kaka.

"Kaka sasurji dekhiye na pati babu mujhe ghar bhej rahe hain" she cried in front of kaka.

"Kya hain ye sab!" Kaka shouted.

"Mera aur Bondita ka rishta ek samjhota tha, mujhe usey barrister banana tha par agar ussey banna hi nehi hain to khatam samjhota"

Hearing this Bondita's eyes widened and she backed off. "A..ap me kya kaha?" tears rolled down her rosy cheeks, "ap mujhse..."she held her head and was about to fall but I held her.

"Anirudh! Bewakoof maat bano" Baba scolded him.

"Sahi to keh rahe hain Anirudh babu" interrupted Sampoorna maa, "aplogo ki ladli bahu kaal raat nashe mein dhut thi".

Hearing this kaka glared at Bihari kaka.

"Dada please shant ho jao, please" I joined my hands in front of him.

"Gari bahar khara hain" he said sternly and went to his study.

"Dada!" I ran behinde him so did Som dada and kaka to convince him.

Sampoorna didi held my elbow tightly, "ek banjh k sath aisa hi hota hain, kal kaha tha tujhse khush rakhna apne pati ko abh jaa ghar se nikal diya na apne banjh patni ko."

I didn't speak a word. I was so broken and shattered that I picked up my bag and walked outside the haveli.

I know she is not at fault but I did all these intentionally to make kaka realize what wrong he has done, to keep Bondita away from all these for few days.

I faked my anger because I want her to spend time with her mother without remembering me. Then maa will be able to explain her everything, also if she remains here, everyone will eat up her young mind like they ate up her childhood.

I locked myself inside while all banged the door.

Bondita must have left by now? Isn't it? Don't worry Bondita your pati babu is not angry at you. I will bring you back in couple of days, I promise.

And I also want her to get over me. She need to understand, she is only a responsibility for me. I am not her husband and unless she understands that, maa makes her understand, I won't bring her back.

"

Ek banjh ko hum gaon mein anne nehi denge" yelled the crowd.

"Mujhe apni maa se milna hain!" I shouted but they held me and pulled me towards the outskirt of the village and pushed me to the ground. "Teri bimari hum sab ko lag jaygi" said Mami.

I felt like someone was watching me from a distance.

It only takes one wrong step to completely destroy a child's innocence....as always ARC's intention is right but initiative is wrong...

In order to save Bondita will he himself be responsible for taking away her innocence????