The Other Side: Dare To Visit Alone?

by Faraaz Kazi

  Rajiv wanted to reply but looked helplessly while Poonam started to glide towards him. Her laughter sounding perilously close with each inch she covered of the ground.

  “No, don't come near me!” He managed to find his voice at last.

  But Poonam did not stop. “Don't be afraid. I am not going to harm you. I need your help. Can you help me?” she asked, looking at him with big white eyes.

  As she came near he noticed the despair in those eyes and the pallor on her face. He tried to back out, petrified.

  “Stop!” He croaked. She did not listen but came nearer and nearer.

  “No, no, no! Go away, leave me alone,” he tried to shout again but could not move his tongue.

  Poonam was almost upon him by now, showering her desolateness on him.

  “Can you help me?” she whispered.

  “Can you help me?” Echoed the well, the tree, the wind and the moon.

  “Can you help me?” The whisper came back louder and louder till the entire PHC reverberated with the query.

  Rajiv woke up with a start. He fumbled for the bed sheet and wiped his head, face and neck that were soaked in perspiration. He realised that he had been dreaming. Was it really a dream? It seemed too real to be a dream. He looked around wildly and realised that he was in Agra, in his home, on his bed. He went to the fridge, took out a glass of water and gulped it down, hands trembling.

  'Was that just a dream or is Poonam really crying out for help?' He pondered deep into the night as sleep eluded him. He fell into an uneasy sleep while dawn broke.

  Next morning Rajiv's mother saw him packing his belongings and she took her position to stand nearby, watching him mutely stuff his clothes into the bag with her hands placed on her hips.

  “I have to go to Meerut on some official work,” Rajiv said, noticing his mother after a while.

  There was a howl of protest, “But you said you will stay for the whole week. What happened? Some girl called you at night?”

  “Ah Ma, don't be silly!”he said, thinking 'If Ma knew the truth about the girl who is the reason for the trip, she would have a fit.'

  He reached Meerut the same evening. Having done his MBBS from Meerut Medical College, it was a familiar city to him. He made his way to the College and felt a familiar surge of affection as he looked at his alma mater. He still had many friends around the area. He made a beeline for the residents' hostel and hunted up someone who stayed there. Riteish Sharma was surprised as well as pleased when he found his old roommate on his door.

  “What a pleasant surprise! I thought you were out there in the wilds trying to provide health for all,” he said as he ushered Rajiv in.

  “Well, I was in town for a day and thought of visiting you,” Rajiv said smiling.

  “Great! I am on duty tonight. So you can sleep in my bed. There is no need to go to the guest room,” Riteish said. “Hang around till tomorrow and we can have a beer challenge just like old times.”

  Rajiv smiled as he remembered the contests that invariably ended in a draw as both of them usually passed out in the end.

  “I don't know if I can stay back tomorrow but we'll see,” his reply was non-committal.

  Riteish was off to his ward duty in an hour and Rajiv decided to get on with the unfinished business he was there for. He made his way to Shastri Nagar and was soon standing below Prem Gupta's abode. It was a small unpretentious house, the kind he had grown up in. A small plastic nameplate that said 'S. K. Gupta, Head Clerk (retd.)' hung limply from the door.

  He rang the bell and waited. A balding middle-aged man opened the door and looked at him questioningly.

  “Uncle, I am Dr. Rajiv Gupta from the Medical College. I was looking for Prem Gupta who is an old friend of mine from School,” Rajiv lied.

  “Well, he is not at home. In fact he is not in town. Last year he joined HDFC bank and has been posted in Haridwar. But… wait I can give you his mobile number,” the man said.

  “Oh, that will be nice. I do have his old number but apparently he has changed that,” Rajiv said.

  “I do not understand your generation at all,” the man grumbled, while giving him a scrap of paper with the number written on it. “Change, change! Always looking for a change.”

  Rajiv thanked him, made his way back to the hostel and hit the bed early, as he was tired after the long journey.

  This time he dreamt that he was sitting in the OPD in the PHC seeing patients. He called in the next patient after checking on a balding middle-aged man who complained of uneasiness in his chest. As soon as the next person in line, came in Rajiv shuddered looking at her. Poonam stood in the familiar dress but looked very distraught and unkempt.

  “Can you cure me, Dr. Rajiv Gupta? I am suffering from the consequences of unfulfilled desires and unkept promises. No

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  277 answers, no answers…” And her voice echoed around becoming louder and louder till it reached a crescendo.

  Rajiv woke up with a start and realised that his nightmares were becoming increasingly lucid.

  “I'll have to get to the bottom of this otherwise I will not have peace,” he muttered as he tried to go back to sleep again.

  After trying in vain to go back to sleep Rajiv gave up. He got up, lit a cigarette and sat at the study table with a paper and a pen. He decided to put all the information he had gathered on paper and draw some kind of conclusions. His medical training prevented him from believing in ghosts. But he had encountered Poonam twice. Both times he had been in full possession of his senses. He was neither sick nor intoxicated at that time. He had not known the story of the girl's body being found floating in the PHC well before so there was no possibility of him imagining what he saw the first time. Poonam's mother also corroborated the story about Poonam, her boyfriend, refusal of parents to accept the relationship and her body being found in the well. The bank manager further confirmed the fact that Poonam's boyfriend was a certain Prem Gupta, which he had already being told by Poonam's mother, and Poonam herself.

  The only thing that did not tally was Prem Gupta's joining HDFC bank last year, so that must have been immediately after quitting ICICI. And the manager had said he had quit because of depression. Was there a clue here? And why did Poonam keep asking him for help talking about unkept promises and unfulfilled desires? And why did birds never come to his PHC? 'Questions, questions and more questions!' Poonam's voice rang in his ears.

  Yes, the only logical conclusion was that there was some unexplained presence in his PHC. Was Poonam somehow influencing him? He knew that if he told this strange story to any colleague, they would certainly conclude that he was suffering from delusions and take him to Prof. Mitra, the Chief of Psychiatry.

  So no help from friends, he concluded. He had three days of leave left. The only thing to do was to visit Muzaffarnagar again and find some clues. He could even visit Haridwar and talk to Prem Gupta. He had to do it, if not for Poonam, then for his own mental peace.

  He took the first bus to Muzaffarnagar and was at ICICI Bank by 9.30 AM. He made his way to the manager's cabin and reintroduced himself.

  “Yes doctor, I do remember you. What can I do for you?” the manager greeted.

  “I have been following up on the information you had given me. It seems that Prem Gupta joined HDFC Bank immediately after leaving you guys,” Rajiv informed.

  “Now that is strange! For one he appeared to be too depressed to work when he left. In fact he forfeited a month's salary as he had not served any notice about quitting. And as far as joining another bank is concerned, the recruitment process there takes at least three months!” the manager said.

  “I thought so. Can you do another favor and give me the address of the place Poonam lived in when she was working here?” Rajiv asked.

  “Well, I have no clue but her local address should be in the records.” He punched a few keys on the keyboard and jotted the address on a paper before handing it over to Rajiv. “I don't know

  The O
ther Side

  279 why I am doing all this but I have a feeling that you are a good man and mean well.”

  Rajiv made his way to the address and found out that it was a paying guest accommodation for working women. It was not a conventional hostel but a house converted to accommodate maximum number of paying guests.

  The manager, who was a huge woman with a kindly smile, swept in after some time.

  “I am Dr. Rajiv Gupta. I want to talk about Poonam, my cousin, who stayed here last year,” he continued on the lies.

  “Oh, my my! Poonam, she was such a sweet lively girl. Everybody in the hostel loved her. It was sad to hear about her suicide. But I still cannot believe that a girl like her could commit such an act. Why, I remember the last time she left for home with her boyfriend, that Gupta kid. She was so happy. She had asked for my blessings while informing me that they were going home to inform their parents about their decision to marry. Little did I know that she would never come back. Some ten days later that Gupta came and told me that Poonam was no more. She had jumped into a well in her village after her parents refused to get her married to him. He even took all her luggage away. It was a shock for all of us. I still miss her,” the lady said, making loud sniffing noises.

  “Why did you give her stuff to a stranger?” Rajiv asked.

  “But he was no stranger. He was her boyfriend. Some girls even said that they had a court marriage a month before this incident. I forgot to tell you that some photographs of Poonam were found below the mattress. Since you are the only kin I have come across you might as well take them,” the lady said.

  “Oh that will be nice. I'll give them to her mother. The poor lady has still not recovered from the shock of her only daughter's demise,” Rajiv maintained.

  The lady trundled off and was back in a few minutes, panting slightly from the exertion. She was carrying a brown envelope that she handed over to Rajiv, who resisted the temptation to take a look at the contents immediately. He merely slipped it in his pocket and walked out.

  He walked into a small restaurant, ordered coffee and removed the envelope from his pocket. There were some twenty photographs in all. He was not surprised to recognize the girl in the photographs. There was a man whom he presumed to be Prem Gupta in many of the pictures. The snaps were taken at a Hill Station, probably Ooty or Mussoorie. Some featured Poonam and some were of Prem but most were of the couple in lovey-dovey poses, probably taken with the help of the camera's auto timer. Two of the photos, presumably taken in a hotel room, could be termed quite intimate and were an evidence of their close relationship, if nothing else. He carefully put the photographs back in the envelope and mulled over his further course of action as he sipped his coffee. He seemed to recall a snippet of conversation, which hinted at a court marriage between Poonam and Prem. Maybe it was a line worth investigating.

  An hour later saw Rajiv in the Muzaffarnagar Civil Court. He felt a familiar surge of panic while entering the premises. The mulling crowds, the lawyers in their neckties and the policemen escorting handcuffed criminals always made him nervous. He

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  quickly made his way to the office of Registrar of marriages and talked to the head clerk. The man was obviously a veteran and initially did not pay any attention to him. Rajiv decided that it was his day of white lies.

  “I am Dr. Rajiv Gupta from the CMO office and I'm investigating a complaint of bigamy. Will you help me to find out about the matter?” Rajiv said in a heavy tone.

  The clerk did not seem to be too impressed but a 500-rupee bribe was sufficient motivation for him to rise and shine. Fifteen minutes later Rajiv left the premises with a photocopy of the marriage certificate in his wallet.

  He decided that he needed to visit Harldwar next. He reached the city in the late afternoon and stood outside HDFC bank while gulping down a soft drink. At 5:05 PM, he saw a familiar face coming out of the exit gate. He looked the same as he did in the pictures Rajiv had seen a while back. A smart young woman dressed in formals accompanied him. They were holding hands and laughing in unison.

  'Well, for one so average looking, this Prem Gupta certainly has good taste in women,' Rajiv thought as he moved in to intercept them.“Excuse me, Mr. Gupta. I need a couple of minutes of your time,” Rajiv said standing ahead of them.

  Prem looked at him quizzically. “Do I know you Mr…?”

  “Doctor! It is actually Dr. Gupta. I am the Medical Officer Incharge of PHC, Jhinjhana. I need to talk to you,” Rajiv informed.

  Prem Gupta's expression changed at the mention of Jhinjhana. For a moment, his eyes went blank and the colour drained from his face but he recovered quickly. “Deveika, my dear, please wait for me in the parking. I will just talk to this gentleman and be with you in a moment,” he said turning to the lady.

  He saw the girl off, turned smoothly and gripped Rajiv's biceps with surprisingly strong fingers. “Yes! What can I do for you?”

  “Well, I keep hearing rumors about you being involved with a girl called Poonam who was found dead in my PHC. I just wanted to know if you knew her,” Rajiv started.

  Prem's expression hardened. “I don't know what you are talking about. I don't know any Poonam. And let me give you some unsolicited advice. Rumors are exactly that, rumors and should be treated as such. Now if you would excuse me, I have to go,” he said, taking a step back.

  Rajiv stood there for a long time, analyzing all the information he had gathered so far. He thought he could see the light at the end of the tunnel. What was the actual truth? What had happened at the PHC on that fateful night? He checked his watch. It was too late to go back so he started walking towards Har ki Pauri. He spent the evening sitting by the side of the river Ganges, watching the multitudes descend on the river to wash away their sins and seek salvation.

  'Will bathing in Ganges offer me my salvation or must I find a way to make Prem Gupta speak the truth?' he thought. As the light faded and the night descended, the devotees set afloat small leaf boats with flowers petals and diyasin the waters. Rajiv watched the hundreds of lamps twinkling in the river and pondered to find a way forward. He was convinced that there was more to this matter than a simple case of suicide. He was also sure that Prem Gupta knew more than he was letting out and he held the key to the conundrum. Yet, there was no way he could get him to cooperate. He looked upwards as a supplication for divine intervention. He racked his brains some more and suddenly had a brainwave.

  Mandar Jadhav! The name clicked in his mind. Mandar, his classmate who was bitten by the civil services bug mid-way during the medical course. He had tried the exam twice and had cracked it on the second attempt, to make it in to the IPS. As far as he remembered he was in the Uttaranchal cadre. He took out his phone dialed some numbers. The first two friends he rang up did not know where Mandar was posted but he hit pay dirt on the third attempt. He rang up Mandar's ex-roommate Vinay and got talking to him. “Mandar is presently posted as ASP Haridwar. We spoke just a couple of days back,” Vinay informed.

  “Serendipity!” He thought as he approached a policeman on duty at the Ghaat and asked him the direction to the ASP's residence. He walked up to the plush bungalow and rang the bell. A servant opened the door but Rajiv could see Mandar standing in the background. The servant tried to push him back as he forced himself in and Mandar turned towards the source of commotion. He made his way towards the entrance, peering in the semidarkness. Recognition dawned and he exclaimed, “Abe Rajiv, what are you doing in Haridwar? Come in.”

  Rajiv was ushered in to the utilitarian sitting room. The room was completely bereft of feminine touch. He grinned at his old friend in delight and said, “The condition of this room supports the presumption that you haven't still got married.”

  “Bang on, Rajiv. I live alone with a man to cook and clean for me. But this is not going to last for too long as my parents are pestering me to get married and settle down. But tell me what are you doing here?” Mandar asked.

&nb
sp; “Would you believe me if I told you that I am investigating a case of suicide or probable murder?” Rajiv questioned back.

  “I thought in Provincial Medical Services the only cases you investigate are of jaundice and diarrhea,” Mandar guffawed, reclining on the chair.

  “It's a long story. Would you mind if I put up with you for a day or two? I can fill you in while we have dinner,” Rajiv requested.

  “There is no one in this house except me and the servant. Make yourself comfortable. Should I ask the boy for some tea or are you still a coffee junkie?” Mandar asked as he suddenly remembered the copious amounts of coffee Rajiv used to consume in the hostel.

  “Whatever! My PMS tenure has taught me to drink tea as well,” Rajiv said.

  Rajiv told him the events so far over dinner. Mandar was initially skeptical but soon got involved in the out of the ordinary narrative.

  “I have heard some tall tales in my tenure in the IPS but your story is totally unbelievable. Are you sure you are all right?” Mandar raised an eyebrow.

  “Well, I am not a basket case. I am not suffering from delusions, hallucinations, and Schizophrenia or Multiple personality disorder if you are hinting at any of them,” Rajiv said, looking at his friend in a serious manner.

  “But what are you telling me is hardly believable. Do we have a shred of evidence?” Mandar asked.

  Now it was time to pull out his aces. Rajiv pulled out the envelope with the photographs and the copy of the marriage certificate and showed them to Mandar.

  “The marriage certificate and the honeymoon photographs prove conclusively that the two got married. Why did they hide the fact from everyone? Was Prem Gupta present when Poonam died? He feigned depression and quit ICICI and it is obvious that he had another job lined up at time of quitting. Was Poonam's suicide, a suicide or did someone, presumably Gupta, assist her? Now this is how far I have reached but now I need your help to proceed further,” Rajiv summarized.

  “You are on to something for sure,” Mandar was enthused. “The evidence certainly establishes their marriage and honeymoon. There is enough evidence for me to pick up this Prem chap and ask him some hard questions. But I will have to talk to the SP of Muzaffarnagar first. There must be a file on Poonam's suicide in Jhinjhana Police Station. I will assign one of my tougher inspectors to the job and monitor the case myself. We should be able to work something out in a couple of days. You stay in my guest room till then. We will know by Saturday morning whether you are a nutcase or Prem Gupta is a shrewd and heartless criminal,” Mandar added, calling for the drinks.