Rahini remains silent on hearing the words of the Editor-in-chief. Mr.Desai looks at her with sympathy.
‘I can understand how you feel now, Rahini.’ Says Mr.Desai with a pity in his voice.
‘Nobody in this world can understand how I feel, Sir’ replies Rahini in frustrated tone.
‘Rahini this is just an unofficial information. We still do not have evidences to prove it.’ Says Mr.Desai
‘I really don’t need any them. I know what is the actual truth’ replies Rahini with anger in her voice.
‘But the world needs truth with evidences and it is our duty to produce them. Pratik is in the process of collecting them. You have to provide him fullest support and assistance for whatever he needs.’
Rahini does not speak anything.
‘Whatever has happened, has happened. Let us work together and tear the real face of the gang. We have information and supporting documents shall be gathered soon. All we need now is encouragement. You are one who is responsible for this story from the beginning. It is your duty to encourage the team spirit and drive them towards our vision. I trust you. You can do it’ says Mr.Desai
Rahini does not say anything and looks at him straight. Mr.Desai tries to smile at her. Rahini goes through the file contents one by one. Her eyes widenes on seeing the information.
‘Sir, how is this possible? How did he manage to collect this much of information?’ asks Rahini in a shocked tone.
‘I heard that Pratik secretly approached some mole in that mafia gang. He did some tricks and managed to enter inside their facility. How bold he is! See.’ says Mr.Desai in a cheerful voice.
Rahini’s face turns worried.
‘Sir, I really do not feel good about this. If he was able to capture this, then his risk level would have also been very higher. He is going behind a big danger Sir’ says Rahini with tension in her voice.
Mr.Desai too reciprocates her tension and says ‘You are right. But we are out of options. Somebody has to step forward and risk everything to collect right news. It is our luck we got such a bold guy in our team to accomplish that’
Rahini’s face turns in anger.
‘I don’t know what the hell he thinks about himself in his mind. If something happens to him, who will be held liable for that. He never cares about anyone nor about himself.’
‘Cool Rahini. I am sure he is aware of what he is doing?’ says Mr.Desai in a casual voice to console her.
Rahini face turns with mixed expressions of anger, irritation, tension, fear etc.
‘Sir, please excuse me’ says Rahini and she leaves from the room.
--- --- --- --- ---
Rahini goes towards her cabin without her knowledge. Her legs takes each and every step like a programmed mechanical limbs. Her mind was filled with thoughts of the conversations took place with Editor-In-chief just a while before.
‘It is Naina Deshpande. VIP behind the mafia gang kidnapping the children.’ hears Mr.Desai’s voice.
Rahini sits on her seat and takes the file in her hands. She looks at every page and contents in it. The file contains many newspaper cuttings, reports, papers and some photographs where many children are seen involved in cracker making tasks in a branded fireworks factory. The photographs shows the child labors of both genders working in a big open hall. Some of the photographs show children with burnt hands and legs holding harmful chemicals. Some photographs show children holding small balls of some stuffs in the hands. One photograph shows a scene which can chill anybody’s bone for their lifetime. A child is shown suffering from burns incurred by some hot stuff poured on him. The boy may not be more than 10 years old. Another photograph show some thugs holding a guy by his hands and legs and carrying him somewhere. The guy might have been fainted or dead even.
‘My goodness! Did Pratik really took these photos by himself? How can be so irresponsible like this? Is he aware of danger he is facing through? What would happen if he gets caught?’ thinks Rahini to herself. She feels a shake in herself in this thought. She takes her mobile phone and dials a number in it.
A voice is heard ‘The number you have dialled is currently out of reach. Please try again later.’
Rahini gets tensed by the voice in the mobile. She again dials a number in the mobile phone. The call is picked by the person on other side.
‘Yeah mam’ says the male voice.
‘Suresh, do you know where Pratik has gone? I tried reaching his mobile but he is not picking up’
‘Mam, he said he is going to visit his native place as he got some urgent work there. He told that he will be back in two days’ says the guy Suresh.
‘Oh’ says Rahini as feels a relief in herself and she releases the breathe. ‘Are you sure he has gone to native place only?’
‘Yes mam.’ Say Suresh
‘Fine. Bye’
Rahini disconnects the call and looks at the contents once again.
‘How can people so much cruel like this! Cannot imagine what would been poured on that little child to disfigure him like this. Acid or hot water whatever. God, why these Satans are living in this world and taking the life of the kids drop by drop’ says Rahini to herself.
She closes the file and keeps aside. Tears roll down from her eyes and she does not do anything to stop it.
--- --- --- --- ---
‘Didhi (way of calling an elder sister or elder woman)’’ calls a guy looking at a woman.
The woman who is not less than 35 years of age looks at him uninterestedly.
‘Didhi, Today is our lucky day. We have many kids here and all of them are girls.’ Says the guy in a cheerful voice.
The woman looks at him with a glow in her eyes and slight smile in her lips. She is chewing something in her mouth and spits something on the ground time and again. She gestures at him and the guy drags many small female kids along with him. The woman looks at all of them and frowns at them.
‘Didhi, here you have.’ says the guy with joy in his voice.
The woman stares him once and gives a look at the kids once again. All the children look at her in fear and bewilderment. Some kids weep silently fearing of the consequences on loud cry. The kids are arranged in single line side by side. The clothes worn by the kids are mostly torn and dirty. Some children’s nose are filled with mucus fluid. The woman gives a disgusting look at them. The eyes of the children are filled with fear, tiredness, hunger and lots of tears in them. The woman gives a smile at the guy who brought them.
‘From which places did you grabbed them?’ asks the woman to that guy.
‘Many parts of our country, Didhi’ says the guy cheerfully. He points all girls one by one and says ‘This one is from Andhra Pradesh. This one from our next state. These four from Bihar and this one is from’ the guy points a girl to her and says ‘somewhere from Tamilnadu. Fresh piece. Kidnapped yesterday only. Immediately packed and sent here’
The woman takes a close look at her. The girl looks at the woman with scare in her eyes. Her eyes are filled with tears and her mouth says something. The woman goes near to her and tries to hear voice.
‘Amma… Amma… Amma…’ says the girl repeatedly in a low voice. The woman frowns at the girl and looks at the guy who brought her.
‘What is she saying?’ asks the woman to him.
‘You just leave it, Didhi. Right from yesterday she is murmuring like that only. She thinks her mother is going to come and take her along with her. Poor girl does not know that she will not see her parents for her rest of life.’ says the guy and he laughs loudly. The woman gives a smile and looks at the girl angrily.
She bends towards the girl and gives a frightening look. The girl starts to cry and screams in high volume. The woman gets irritated by the cry and looks at guy. The guy steps forward and holds the crying girl’s hands tightly.
‘Hey idiot. Told you isn’t it that you should not open your mouth here? Shut up or else I will place hot iron rod inside your mouth.’ screams the guy to that little girl.
The girl stops the screaming and looks at the guy with fear. Her eyes keeps shedding tears and she weeps silently. The guy looks at the girl and his face shows satisfaction.
‘Hmm, good girl. Be like this always’ says the guy to her. ‘All of you should not open your mouth. Or else hot iron only’ says the guy in a threatening voice.
The girls look at each other in fright at the woman and the guy. The woman then once again goes through the girls and frowns.
‘What are the ages of these monkeys?’
‘In between five to nine years, didhi’ replies the guy to her.
The woman looks at the girls deeply. She then says ‘From tomorrow, segregate and distribute them for all areas. I expect more income from now on. No more excuses. No more empty hands. Got it?’ asks the woman in menacing voice.
‘Yes, Didhi. Luck has begun for you. Just watch how you will be bathing not in water but in money here after’ says the guy merrily and all of them along with the guy and the woman happily laugh at their upcoming fortunes.
--- --- --- --- ---
‘Idiot, stupid, useless. What the hell you think in your mind? Are you going to obey me or not’ shouts a man at the small girl in a loud voice.
The little girl keeps crying in higher volume over taking his voice. The guy gets irritated and he angrily holds the girl’s hands tightly.
‘You little devil. You are thinking that you are too smart. You don’t know who I am and what I can do? Just obey what we say and do it as it is. Otherwise I will break your hands and legs’ threatens the guy in much louder volume.
The girl keeps crying in loud volume and repeatedly says ‘I want to go to Amma’
The guy’s anger grows much more and shouts at the saying ‘Keep quiet. Or else I will put hot iron in your mouth as I said.’
The girl does not stop her crying and shouts much more loudly. The woman comes out of her place and looks at both of them.
‘Hey! What happened?’ asks the woman to the guy.
‘Didhi, This monkey is not at all obeying whatever I say. Today I was teaching the kids to beg in the public places and she did not hear whatever I said. She keeps saying ‘Amma..Amma…Amma’ only, then crying and shouting. I am not able to stop her’ says the guy in an irritated tone.
The woman looks at the guy in an irritation and disgustingly.
‘How old she is?’ asks the woman to the guy.
‘May be five or six years old’ replies the guy
‘Shameless’ yells the woman at that guy. ‘You have built your body like a mountain but you cannot control a six year old girl from shouting. Go and jump into any sewage drain.’
The guy feels bad and bends his head downwards. She turns angrily towards the little girl. The girl keeps crying silently and looks at her with fear. The woman immediately changes her expression and goes near to her.
‘Beta, come here’ the woman calls the girl.
The girl looks at her in fright and steps back. The woman smiles at her and says ‘Come here, beta. Aunty will not do any harm to you.’
The girl still does not go near to her. The woman once looks at everyone around her and then she goes near to her.
She grins at the girl and asks ‘Beta, what is your name?’ in a sweet voice.
The girl looks at the woman and stares at her. Tears are rolling down her cheeks and she does not reply to her question. The woman looks around the guys standing beside her and pretends to shout at them.
‘Idiots. Don’t you know how to behave with little children? Son of Owls’ says the woman. She then turns towards the girl and grins at her again.
The woman shows annoyance in her face but she smiles at the girl and asks ‘You don’t worry. Nobody have any common sense at all. I will scold them afterwards. You want to go your Amma, isn’t it?’
The girl nods her head as ‘Yes’
‘Then you have to say your name first. Only then I can take you to her. Now tell me beta. What is your name?’ asks the woman in a sweet voice.
The little girl slowly opens her mouth and replies in a low voice ‘Rahini’
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