‘Sanju, write,’ Kanika had to remind him quite a few times. Sanju had completely blanked out.
‘I . . . I don’t know any answers, didi,’ he whispered, his face pale and panic-stricken.
‘Just be calm and it will all come to you. Just think of everything we learnt,’ Veda told him.
She wasn’t sure if that helped or not, but Sanju wrote in the answer sheet after that. The first subject was English. There was an essay to be written as well as a letter. The students were given a choice of three topics for the essay, from which they had to pick one. For the letter writing, they were again given a choice between an official letter and a personal letter. Veda, Kanika and Ron had made the children practise the format for letter writing over and over, when they were teaching them.
‘Remember, even if you make grammatical errors in your writing, you will score marks if the format is right,’ Kanika had repeatedly told them.
Most of the students asked for additional answer sheets and seemed to be writing a lot. Veda noticed that Sanju wasn’t doing that.
When the final bell rang, Kanika asked the students to stop writing. Some had not yet finished and wanted a little extra time. But Kanika was strict.
‘You have to learn how to manage your time. They aren’t going to give you extra time in the real board exams,’ she said.
Veda and Ron collected all the answer sheets.
This process continued for the next five days, as they conducted mock examinations for all the subjects.
‘Phew, that was so stressful for me. I can’t imagine what the children went through,’ said Ron, when the mock exams for all the subjects were done.
‘Well, we have our work cut out for the next five days. We have to correct all these papers, and mark them according to the answer keys,’ said Kanika.
‘Only five days?’ asked Ron.
‘Less, if possible. The faster we do it, the more time we have to work with the children before the final board exams,’ Kanika replied.
‘Gosh—you are a hard taskmaster,’ Ron threw up his hands in mock despair.
‘Aren’t you glad you are not a student in her class?’ quipped Veda, and both Ron and Kanika laughed. It was a big relief that the mock exams were done.
Over the next four days, Kanika and Veda went over to Ron’s apartment and all three graded the papers. They worked long hours, and were done by the end of the fourth day.
Almost all the students had done well, except for Sanju. Sanju had simply copied the question paper three times for his English exam. For his maths exam, he had left a lot of questions unanswered, although Veda was fairly certain that he knew the concepts. Among the ones he had attempted, he had got many wrong. As a result, he failed in maths as well as in English.
Aparna personally went through the answer sheets of all the students. She was pleased with the overall performance, but she was aghast when she saw Sanju’s papers.
‘What happened to Sanju? I thought he was doing well in class?’ she asked Kanika.
‘Yes, he seemed fine in class; even I am not sure what happened,’ Kanika replied.
‘I would like to talk to him and find out. Will you ask him to meet me?’ Aparna requested.
Kanika said that she would pass on the message, and ask him to meet her soon.
Aparna met Sanju in her office, without Veda, Ron or Kanika. Aparna felt that, without the teachers, he would be able to speak freely. But Sanju completely clammed up. He did not like Aparna, as she wasn’t as friendly to the children as his didis and bhaiya.
‘Are you not able to understand what didi and bhaiya are teaching?’ Aparna asked him.
Sanju shook his head and refused to meet her eye.
‘Sanju, look at me. Talk to me. I want to help you,’ she said.
But Sanju wouldn’t co-operate.
After trying her best, Aparna gave up. No matter how much she tried, Sanju just wouldn’t open up. Aparna stressed that he had to perform well in the boards and asked him to study hard. Sanju just sat still, glaring at her, refusing to talk. When Aparna said he could leave, he ran almost all the way home, to Sitawadi.
Kajol was drying clothes when he reached home.
‘Oye, Kajol,’ he called out, panting.
‘What? What did Aparna didi say?’ she asked. She knew that Sanju had been nervous about meeting her.
‘I didn’t answer anything. She wanted to know why I did badly,’ he said.
‘Why did you do badly? I want to know also. In the class you were doing well. What happened in the exam?’ asked Kajol.
‘I . . . I don’t know. I am going to fail the exam,’ Sanju said.
‘Just study and calm down and write, Sanju. It will be fine,’ Kajol consoled him.
‘I have studied. But when I read the question paper, everything I studied disappears. I . . . I can’t remember anything,’ Sanju sighed.
‘Maybe you should just practise all the important questions,’ said Kajol.
Sanju thought for a while. Then he said, ‘There is one way, Kajol.’
‘What?’ she asked.
‘To get the question paper,’ Sanju replied, smiling nervously.
Kajol shook her head. ‘And how will you do that?’ she asked.
‘I have my ways,’ said Sanju. He looked determined.
‘How, Sanju? Whom are you going to ask?’
‘How does that matter? I am telling you, I will get the question paper. If you want it, I will give it to you for free.’
Sanju’s lips were pursed and his expression was grim. He was serious about this. Kajol’s brain worked furiously, quickly thinking about what Sanju could do. Then it occurred to her. It was obvious, when she thought about it.
Of course, he would approach Agni, the mafia don of Sitawadi. The mere mention of his name sent shivers down the spines of the residents. There were many rumours floating around about him. It was said that he had connections with the underworld dons of Mumbai, and that he was wanted in twelve murder cases and eighteen cases of kidnapping and extortion. But the police had not arrested him so far. Nobody in Sitawadi dared testify against Agni and nobody had the courage to report him or file a complaint against him. It was said that, many years ago, someone called Prasad had dared to report him. The next day, Prasad’s body, stripped naked and throat slit, was hanging from the tree under which the residents gathered to play cards. Prasad’s daughters had disappeared overnight, and his wife had gone mad, unable to bear the grief. His wife still lived in Sitawadi, and she wandered around with vacant eyes, unkempt hair and a broken spirit. Some said that Prasad’s daughters were kept as sex-slaves in Agni’s mansion. Others said they had been sold to brothels at Kamathipura. Nobody knew the truth. All the shopkeepers, restaurant owners and anyone running a business in Sitawadi had to pay a percentage of their earnings to his gang members, when they came for collection each month. Agni also collected hafta from the local cemetery. Anybody who wanted to perform the last rites for someone had to pay him first. The members of his gang had very often beaten up people for the flimsiest of reasons. The best way to survive in Sitawadi was to stay away from Agni and his gang.
Every child in Sitawadi knew this, and yet, here was Sanju talking about going to Agni. Was he crazy?
‘Sanju, don’t be silly. Are you actually thinking of going to Agni?’
‘How does it matter, Kajol? Do you want the question paper or not?’ Sanju asked.
‘No. I don’t want it. Don’t be stupid, Sanju. It is a dangerous thing you are trying. You don’t want to be caught in his net,’ Kajol tried dissuading him.
But she might as well have saved her breath.
Sanju had already made up his mind.
Chapter 29
March 1997
Ron’s apartment, Pune
There were only five days left for the board exams to begin.
Over the last week, Kanika, Veda and Ron had taken the children to the designated exam centre in small batches and familiarised them with the place. Since th
ey had to travel in autos, each group consisted of six children. Two children and one adult travelled in an auto, and they made many trips. All the children had now seen the centre where they would take the exam. It was a school in the neighbourhood, which was much bigger than the one they attended. They found their roll numbers on the noticeboard of the school, but the classroom and where they were to be seated would be allotted only on the day of the exam, and it would change for each exam, to safeguard against malpractices. The children weren’t too bothered about any of those details, though. They treated this like a fun outing and were excited about it.
The last of the briefings for the exams had taken place the previous evening, and from now on, till the exams got over, there wouldn’t be any more classes at Sankalp for the Class 10 batch.
Once the children were done with all the exams, Kanika had promised them a picnic to Sinhagad, which they were excited about.
‘How will we go, didi?’ Sanju asked.
‘We will hire a bus,’ replied Kanika.
‘A/C bus, didi?’ persisted Sanju.
‘Oye, Sanju—at least we are going on a picnic, be happy,’ Sharan said.
‘How can I be happy? I am Sanju,’ he replied, and the whole class laughed.
Sanju didn’t seem too apprehensive about the board exams, even though he had done badly in the mock exams. Kanika, Veda and Ron had spent extra time with him, coaching him, making him practise the sums over and over again. When they sat with him, he knew and wrote all the answers, and he wasn’t nervous. But what Kanika was worried about was how he would perform when he had to do it on his own. Veda was certain that he was putting on a front, and that deep down he was terrified of the exams.
But they had done all that they could; now they could only hope for the best.
At Ron’s apartment, Veda and Kanika discussed the performances of the students in the mock boards. ‘I am a little disappointed,’ confessed Kanika. ‘I would have thought that, with all the coaching we gave them, they would have performed better.’
‘Most of the students passed, didn’t they? Then why do you say you are disappointed?’ Ron asked, as he served them steaming mugs of black coffee and sandwiches.
‘Ron, these are delicious. You should stop spoiling us,’ Veda said.
‘Indian hospitality has rubbed off on me,’ Ron said, as he shrugged.
‘Yes, these are lovely. Thank you, Ron,’ said Kanika. ‘Coming back to your question, I would have thought that the average marks scored in the mock boards would be 65 per cent. But the average was just 45 per cent,’ she said, as she looked at the sheet of paper in her hand, staring at the calculations she had been making meticulously.
‘Let’s take the median rather than the average. So we can see the bell curve and which students are deviating,’ Ron said.
‘Sanju is the deviant!’ said Veda and Kanika together, and they laughed.
‘Sanju failed all the papers. Incredible,’ said Veda.
‘Oh, yes. Of course, Sanju is one of the major culprits for our low average. Any idea why he gets into a panic? And what was all that—the conversation with Aparna?’ Ron asked.
‘I honestly think Aparna talking to him was the silliest idea ever! He is afraid of her—of course, he did not open up to her. She was frustrated. She called me into her room after that conversation with him and said she couldn’t get any insights. As though I did not know that!’ Kanika rolled her eyes.
‘I am guessing that she felt she had to “contribute” in some way. Maybe this is her way of taking responsibility,’ said Veda.
‘Right, just intimidate the students, and get them to perform,’ Kanika replied.
Veda looked at her watch. It was already 7 p.m. She hadn’t told either her mother-in-law or Bhuwan that there were no more classes at Sankalp till the exams got over. She didn’t see any need to. She left home at the usual time each day, and went to Kanika’s house. They would then go to a cafe or an eatery which Veda and Ron had never been to. Over the past few days, Veda and Ron had explored all the nice eating places that Pune had to offer—Cafe Goodluck, Subhadra, Kamath, Roopali, Vaishali, Marz-O-Rin, Savera, Deewar, Amrapali, the list ran on and on. It had become a daily routine for them. Today, for a change, they had decided to meet at Ron’s apartment.
‘I think I had better leave,’ said Veda, as she lazily stretched out.
‘Yes, me too; I told my mother that I would help her with something,’ Kanika said.
Suddenly, there was a loud knock on the door.
THUMP. THUMP. THUMP.
Ron frowned, wondering who it was. Then the doorbell rang as well. It appeared that someone was leaning on the doorbell and holding it down. It rang continuously, the shrill urgent chime echoing through the apartment.
‘One minute!’ called out Ron, as he hurried to the door.
Ron gaped in astonishment at the sight that greeted him when he opened the door. Veda and Kanika could not see who it was, as Ron was blocking their view.
‘Oh, good lord! What happened?’ they heard him ask, as he stepped aside.
Standing before them, her face contorted in pain, a bruise on her forehead, dirt on her clothes and her face, her hair dishevelled, and her right arm bleeding, stood Kajol with tears in her eyes.
She was breathing hard and she couldn’t speak.
‘Oh my God. Come inside, Kajol. Come, sit,’ said Veda, as she rushed to her.
Kajol walked in holding her right arm up. She grimaced in pain as her left arm supported her right and she took one hesitant step after the other. Her lips trembled as she struggled to control her emotions. She hobbled to the sofa and sat down.
Ron rushed to the kitchen to get the first aid box. Kanika poured out a glass of water and gave it to Kajol. Kajol tried to extend her right arm to hold the glass, but her face contorted with the effort.
‘What happened, Kajol? Are you okay? Here, drink,’ said Kanika, as she held the glass to the girl’s mouth. Kajol drank, taking in large gulps.
‘Didi, Sanju . . . didi . . . Agni . . . stop him. . .’ Kajol managed to say once she finished drinking the water, the words tumbling out in disjointed fragments. Kanika saw that Kajol was so perturbed that she couldn’t speak coherently. She was making no sense whatsoever.
‘Listen Kajol, please take deep breaths, and calm down. You have to tell us what happened so we can understand,’ said Kanika.
‘Didi, Sanju said he is getting the question paper from Agni.’
‘Who is Agni?’
‘Bad man, didi . . . He is very bad man. The hotel Sanju works in, it is owned by Venkat Rao. He is from Agni’s gang, didi. They are goondas,’ Kajol grimaced as she said the words. Her arm had begun to hurt again. The pain was intense.
Kanika, Veda and Ron looked puzzled. Who was this Agni, and why would he have the question paper? And what had happened to Kajol’s arm? These questions raced through their minds and it was Ron who spoke.
‘Kajol—what happened to your arm? You seem to be badly hurt,’ he said.
‘Paining, bhaiya. Very bad pain. I tried to stop Sanju, but he pushed me. He fought with me,’ Kajol said.
The story was emerging in bits and pieces now. Kanika, Ron and Veda were putting it together like a jigsaw puzzle.
‘Did you fall down and hurt your arm?’ Veda asked.
‘I fell, and there was a cycle parked on the side. My leg hit the cycle, and the cycle fell on my arm,’ said Kajol.
‘But Kajol, why will this Agni have the question paper? And why will he give it to Sanju?’ Ron asked.
‘He sells it, bhaiya. Question paper leaking. It’s a business for him, and Sanju went to buy it.’
Ron did not understand what ‘question paper leaking’ meant. He looked at Kanika for an explanation.
‘It means you can buy the question paper that’s been set for an exam through illegal methods, for a huge sum. This is a racket, where some unscrupulous people make money; so some of the children taking the exam know the questi
ons in advance, and hence, have an unfair advantage,’ Kanika explained.
‘Didi. Stop Sanju fast. Agni—he is not a good man,’ said Kajol, slumping into the sofa in pain. Her head had begun to hurt and her arm was throbbing.
‘Let’s first get some first aid for you. We need to take you to the hospital. Your arm—it looks pretty bad,’ said Ron.
Ron called the security personnel in his building and got a taxi organised. When it arrived, Ron sat in the front seat, and Kajol sat between Veda and Kanika.
In the cab, Kajol told them the whole story. She said that Sanju had been very worried about the examinations. He had confided in her that he would try and get the question papers. She told them about Agni, and how everybody in Sitawadi had to pay him money, and how the very mention of his name frightened people. She said it was a terrible idea to get involved with him, and that she was extremely worried for Sanju. Sanju had just scoffed and said that he was heading to meet Agni right then, and that he wasn’t scared of anybody.
All this had taken place in front of Sanju’s house. Kajol had physically blocked his path and told him that she would not let him go. Sanju had warned her to step out of the way, but Kajol had not listened. She stood in the doorway and said she wouldn’t let him go. But Sanju had pushed her and run out. Kajol had fallen and her leg had hit the neighbour’s cycle which was leaning against the wall, sending it crashing on her arm. Her hair had got caught in the handlebars.
‘Why didn’t you go home and tell your mother?’ asked Kanika.
‘My mother was not at home, didi. Also, what is the use? If I tell her, she will tell me not to get involved with Sanju’s business, especially if I mention Agni’s name,’ said Kajol.
Her arm had swollen up by then, and it looked strangely out of shape. Kajol was still holding it up with her left hand. That the pain was increasing was obvious.
Kanika was worried. So were Ron and Veda. As soon as they reached Jehangir Hospital, they took Kajol to the emergency Out Patient Department. The people at the reception said that one of them could take Kajol inside while the others filled the forms. She was asked to sit on one of the beds in the OPD and Veda stood by her side. Ron waited outside with Kanika while she filled the forms.
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