"Acchi lari tum" I smirked at her as we shook hands. "Mujhe duniya ka sabse accha shikshak jo mila hain" saying she went to talk to her client. I stood there smiling when one of my colleagues came to me, "congratulations Anirudh, patni bhi barrister waise patni jeet gyi to...?"

"To kya?" I questioned him, "mujhe aur bhi khushi milega".

"Ha par fir bhi...pati patni se haar jana dikhne mein accha nehi lagta" he said.

"Nehi Anjan, Bondita jeet gyi to mein jeet jaunga, meri mehnat, mere sapne sab jit jayenge" I said politely.

We were really professional at court but not at home. We maintained our relation of opponents as well as husband-wife properly.

Next hearing date

That case continued for a week or two. Bondita fought really well, collecting all shreds of evidence and presenting it at court.

Sir I have a threat note from Sanyal which the neighbour Rajak got but before presenting the note I'll call Rajak Maity.

Okay, now I would like to call my client to the stand, Rajak Maity."

Rajak, a tall man with a long beard, bald, and a beer belly came waltzing over to the stand as if he was in a circus.

"Tajak," Bondita began, "I mean, Mr. Maity, where were you that night."

"I was in my bed, at my home, cozy with my blanket ."

"I see. Was there anyone else there to justify this?"

"No." Rajak shook his head.

"Well, still...." Bondita for a minute; she probably didn't think Rajak would say that. "Okay, what happened that day?"

"Well, I was doing my daily yoga exercise, it's good for my health, you know (he pointed at his belly), when my neighbour came knocking on my door in a frantic. Sanyal told me how his girlfriend was found dead in his bed and asked if I could call the police."

"Didn't you find that odd that he didn't just call the police herself?"

"No." Rajak held his head up high. "he was in shock like he didn't know what was going on. I would be too." He looked over at Gopi. "Hell, I probably wouldn't even be able to dial the number correctly if that happened to someone I loved."

"Mhmmm...." Bondita seemed afraid. Clearly this wasn't going the way she hoped. I wouldn't be surprised if she asked Rajak to lie on the stand. But I'm glad he told the truth, it serves her right.

"You are lying, you clearly said to me you got a note that day," she said, "ap kyu witness stand pe aake jhoot bol rahe hain".

"My lord he had the note, I saw it, Mr Sanyal is a criminal" she shouted. "Objection your honour, I stood up Immediately, "you cannot call my client a lawyer aur ap aise jhoota gavah pesh nehi kar sakti, its an offence".

"Mr Rajak we will lose the case, please be honest" she requested.

"Mrs Roy Chowdhury" announced the judge, "if you cannot bring any evidence by next date, Mrs Gopi Sanyal will be held guilty".

After this pati babu publicly taunted me saying, "jeetne k liye tumne jhoota gavah pesh kiya...Chi...".

The whole courtroom whispered. I stood there insulted and embarrassed, Rajak betrayed me, I was not lying, I saw the note myself.

I was losing but I cannot let an innocent get punished for my incapability as a Barrister. I forgot sleeping and eating and focussed only on my case.

Soon our case reached a position where she was losing. She was upset at home after all it's her first case.

But Jung mein to har chiz jayas hain na?

Bondita denied having dinner, she became so serious regarding the case.

"Bondita" I knocked at her door while she was studying her case. "Khana khane kyu nehi aye" I said, holding the plate in my hand.

"Mein har rahi hu pati babu" she said in a distressed tone. "Apko shayad bura lagey ye sunke par Sanyal jhoota hain, usne wo threat note kahi chupa diya hain, maine court mein jhoot nehi bol rahi thi".

I stuffed the food in her mouth, "kal ka din abhi bhi hain na".

"Par mere hath koi evidence nehi, mein har jaungi" her eyes turned teary.

"Arrey arrey ro kyu rahi ho, Bondita haar se kabh se darne lagi?" I consoled her, "sach hi jitega, agar Sanyal saccha huya to mein jitunga aur agar Gopi sacchi hui to tum" I rubbed off her tears.

She now feeds me a morsel of food.

"Apke haathon pe ye chot kaisa" she noticed a mark of a wound in his arm.

"W...w..wo kuch bhi to nehi" he hid it.

"Rajak was lying!" I emphasized it.

"You cannot speak without proving" Pati Babu interrupted me.

Order order!

The judge was about to pass the judgement against me when an attorney came running and handed me a parchment.

"Your honour wait a minute!" I stopped him. "Here is the threat note".

The courtroom gasped. Sanyal's eyes widened in fear.

The judge looked at the note carefully.

"It is time." The judge said this statement with finality. "I will now pass sentence of the verdict. I agree with the jury on the verdict of guilt, and hereby sentence Mr Sanyal to 50 years to life in prison, without parole."

I watched closely as the sheriff put handcuffs on the large man and took him away. Being that Mr Sanyal was already 45 years old, that meant he would most likely die behind bars. Excellent.

When the judge left his bench and the trial was over, I went over to Pati babu who looked flabbergasted. He remained still, not moving an inch.

"See I won," I said cheerfully. Soon people surrounded me and started to congratulate me. But I noticed something strange, despite his defeat he was smiling and Gopi my client instead of coming to me went to Pati Babu while people were celebrating my victory

"Barrister Babu shukriya" said Gopi.

"Arrey ap bhul rahe hain mein apka opponent tha, shukriya Bondita ko kahiye, usine bachaya hain apko" I smiled at her.

"Ap aur kitna natak karenge, kal raat agar ap na aate, meri jaan na bachate aur wo note na collect karte to kya mein jeet pati" said Gopi.

Yes! I made Bondita win.

I know Bondita cannot lie so I felt suspicious about Rajak's behaviour. When I followed him, I saw Sanyal paying him a huge sum of money.

I felt guilty about fighting for a criminal.

I followed Sanyal to his home and found him choking Gopi to death. I gad a fight with him and saved her. That's how I got the wound.

Yes, it was me who found the note and sent it to Bondita. I backed off intentionally to let her win, to let honesty win.

But...

I don't want her to know this. She has given a tough fight and I don't want her to think that she won on my mercy.

No....

"Ap please Bondita ko kuch maat bata ma please" I requested her.

Everyone was celebrating my victory in the court but I saw pati babu standing at a distance. I made my way through the crowd and went to him.

I know he is upset cause he is defeated and I was feeling bad for him too.

"Pati babu wo.." I was about to speak but my colleague came, "Bondita yaha kya kar rahi ho, chalo na."

They took her away. She was celebrating her victory and I was enjoying it too after all my students won.

"Anirudh" came my colleague Raj, "mein samajh sakta hu tujhe bura lag raha hain tu haar gaya wo bhi patni se jissey tuney ye sab sikhaya" he patted my shoulder, "par koi nehi, patni hi to hain par haa pati patni se har jay ye baat hazam nehi hota".

He said it jokingly but somewhere I felt insulted.

Finally Bondita took out time for me. She came to me running and hugged me tightly, "mein bohot khush hu pati babu".

I couldn't control tears of happiness too. I was so happy. Never in my life, I have felt so proud. My Barrister Babu won. Bondita fulfilled my dream.

I reciprocated the hugg, we were so happy, our happiness had no bounds.

Seeing them so happy, rest of the people whispered, "ajeeb hain, patni se haar kar bhi sharm nehi a raha Anirudh Babu ko, bura nehi lag raha unhe, upar se khush hain".

One said it louder, "abh wo din dur nehi jab Pati patni ke under chakuri karega" they laughed.

Bondita and Anirudh both felt uncomfortable gearing this. Bondita with a sad expression looked at him but he smiled, "kuch to log kahenge, logo ka kaam hain kehna, mein bohot khush hu tum fikar maat karo".

As soon as they reached home Som and Batuk were ready with dhak dhol to celebrate her victory.

Bihari was dancing, kaka, Binoy all were laughing. As soon as both of them entered, flower petals were showered upon them and they all shouted, "Congratulations Bondita!"

They all danced. Anirudh was also very happy...

But then...

Sampoorna stood beside him and whispered, "ap jitna bhi dikhaiye ki ap khush hain par kya apko bura nehi lag raha ki mehnat apne ki par phal kisi aur ko mil raha hain, dekhiy na Bondita mein jit ki itni akkar a gyi han ki wo dekh bhi nehi rahi apki tarha. Jo bhi ho, ap uske pati babu hain, kisne socha tha ki wo itni ehesan faramosh niklegi ki jeet ne k baad aphiko bhul jaygi".

Her words were enough to ignite the fire.

For the first time, he didn't oppose Sampoorna but listened to her silently. He looked at Bondita who was dancing in joy with others. She didn't even care to come to him once and talk to him.

Kaka saw his son's face and immediately understood what was going on in his mind.

He was smiling, happy but was he really happy?

When both worked together for the betterment why only she was praised.

"Ap khush to hain na?" she said merrily. "Tumhare kamiyabi se mein khush na hu aisa kabhi ho sakta hain bhala?" He said placing his hand on her head in a way of blessing.

But kaka saw his face and he saw insecurity visible in his eyes.

Both deserve the praise but then why only she was praised by all?

It's not that he was not happy for her success, of course, he was after all he worked all his life for her success but the fact is It really feels bad when you don't get what you deserve but others do. It was Anirudh who did all but didn't get the credit that his wife got.

"Pati chahe patni se kitna bhi pyar kare jab baat dono ki kamiyabi pe ati hain tabh kya ek pati apne patni ko khudse zyada kamiyabi paate huye dekh sakta hain?" Thought kaka.

Anirudh made a sacrifice for Bondita, he could have easily won but he didn't... But does he deserves all this taunting, insults and teasing in return for his sacrifice?

It's not only the girl who gets affected by the evil society. Men suffer too. Anirudh was so happy but see how society is mentally torturing and provoking him, insulting him and causing him invisible pain.

Aisa kyu hain ki pati patni ko swatantra na de to atyachar aur de to lachar.

This society expects few stereotypes from men and when the man breaks it, they start to torture him mentally.

If a woman won, be happy for her but instead, the society starts to taunt the husband saying ki patni k paiso pe chal raha hain, patni pati pe chura ghumaigi, joru ka gulam???

Why???

This track will be about the atrocities faced by every man.