Sophia's Freedom

Chapter 20: The Nightmare and the Loss of a Titan

With 2 more hours to go before the sunlight decorate the horizon, Master da and Vikash settled in the car to take a quick nap to alleviate the exhaustion brought on by the long hectic day.

I was wide awake and with nothing to do I made up my mind to pursue reading the remaining journal entries in this free time. It was starkly dark inside and the disturbance created by my snoring car mates, who did not take much time to drift away to sleep in the compact space inside the car, I chose to seek sanctuary in the hospital and occupied a bench lying outside Geeta's room.

Ignoring the missing pages, I turned to the next available entries.

                                                             13th July 1992

Today is a day that I might never be able to forget for the rest of my life. Papa called today and said that he has some work in Kolkata and would be staying with me for a day before he returns back to his unit. I was so excited that I told Aarohi and Aamaya didi about it. They were happy too. However, our happiness was short-lived when Aunty received a phone call and learned that Abhishek Dada is coming home for the night. I wanted to meet Abhishek dada, but for some reason, Aamaya di and Aunty took me to my room and told me to stay away from Abhishek dada as much as possible as he is not a good human being. They asked me to stay indoors and not to come infront of Abhishek dada. I decided to listen to them and stayed away from him, however, I still wanted to know why they are saying that. Later in the afternoon at around 2:00 pm, Abhishek Dada came home. Aarohi, Aamaya di, and I had lunch in my room, while Aunty, Uncle, Abhishek dada, Darika, and Garima had lunch outside. After lunch, Aamaya di and Aarohi went to their rooms, and I decided to take a nap. As I was about to go to sleep, it suddenly felt as if someone was placing a hand over my back. I quickly opened my eyes and saw that it was a boy who was almost as old as Aamaya di sitting on my bed and looking directly at me. He introduced himself as Abhishek Banerjee and that he is uncle's son. We talked for a few minutes and then the inevitable happened. He said that I am so fair and beautiful, that I should have been a girl but by mistake, god made me a boy. If I was a girl he would have married me. I was so shocked at his remark, but what he did next made me cry out in shame. He placed his right hand at the back of my head and pulled me towards him and gave me a kiss on my lips. I tried to push him away with my hand but he was too strong for me. At that moment a miracle happened and dad entered the room. As he saw Abhishek dada kissing me, he caught him by the back of his collar and pulled him away from me, and gave him a few tight slaps. As I was crying he picked me up in his arms and began to console me and then he placed me on the bed and went to talk to Aunty and uncle about what Abhishek dada did. Dad and Uncle had a heated discussion and during that discussion, dad threatened uncle that if such a thing ever happens again, he will make sure Abhishek dada will be sent behind bars. Uncle apologized to dad and assured him that Abhishek Dada will not step foot in the house, till I will be staying with them.

**** Ewww... that's disgusting... I wish Abhinu would never have met that disgusting p*****t. I just pray to god that this Abhishek has not met our Monika or have not tried to do anything disgusting with her. ****

                                                             14th July 1992

No one from the family has said anything to me since yesterday. I was so shaken that I was unable to have a little bit of sleep. I knew for sure that this is going to haunt me for the rest of my life. Papa tried to console me but the event was so horrifying that I couldn't get it out of my head. Later at around 11 O'clock uncle, Aunty and Aamaya di came to the room, and then uncle asked forgiveness for what Abhishek dada did that day. He promised me that Abhishek dada would never set foot in the house. Aunty also said that dada got so terrified of Papa's beating that he himself promised never to come to the house till the day I will be staying with them. Aamaya di also promised me that she will always protect me from Abhishek dada even at the cost of her own life. Papa pulled Aamaya di's ear for saying such a thing and then finally I was convinced that he would never come to the house. Later dad told me a secret. He said that he has got his new orders to resign from the army. He will come back the next month and he and I will stay together in a house which he has brought in Kolkata, especially for the 2 of us to stay. Later in the evening dad told me that he has placed a few micro-cameras in some of the rooms so that he can always keep an eye for me through those. I felt so relieved that dad was trying his level best to protect me from that boy. Finally, at around 7 O'Clock dad told me that he needs to leave for Purulia and that he will be back by the end of the month and then we will be together forever.

***There were a few entries that have gone missing from the journals. I flipped through the pages just to make sure that at the time of photocopying the pages, Koushik might not have misplaced the pages of the journal but there were nowhere to be found ***

                                                            26th July 1992

It has been 11 days since I had last written. I never thought that the 14th of July would be the last day I would ever hear my dad's voice. I know this is a fairly long time to keep myself away, but something happened, and I was feeling very empty and numb. I have lost everything and feel very aloof in this world. On the 15th of July, as I was at my basketball practice, Uncle came to school worried and took me home. He told me that we needed to leave somewhere urgently.

I asked uncle if everything is all right and he replied that it is fine, we are going to meet dad. I was very excited and got my things ready. Aunty accompanied us but Aarohi, Aamaya didi, Darika, and Garima stayed back in Kolkata. We reached Purulia around 2 a.m. in the night. Uncle had already arranged a hotel where we checked in. Uncle asked Aunty and me to sleep on the bed and he went and slept on a couch.

Uncle looked worried and when I asked him again, he told me everything is perfectly fine. Aunty asked me to try to sleep as we will have a busy day tomorrow. I asked aunty if everything is fine and she replied that everything is all right, she picked me up on her arms and made me rest my head on her shoulder and started to pat my back gently. This gentle motion drifted me off to sleep.

The next day I woke up at around 7:30 a.m. and saw that Uncle and Aunty were already awake and dressed. They asked me to freshen up as dad has sent someone to pick us up and we needed to leave.

I was ready in 15 minutes, the excitement of meeting dad made me skip breakfast too. We were picked up in an army ambassador car and as we were about to leave I observed that we had a military escort with us and the escort vehicles had LMG mounted on them. Back when dad was posted in Ladakh, dad once showed me how an LMG looks like. We reached the army base camp by 9:30 a.m. and were greeted by an officer who introduced himself as Brigadier Shahi. He was tall and fair and had a long moustache.

He said he is the General Officer Commanding of the region. Uncle introduced me to the Brigadier and said that I am the son of Colonel Banerjee, and then we were escorted to his tent. We had breakfast with him and then I asked him where dad is.

Brigadier Shahi informed that 8 days ago, the army received a tip that some Naxalites were in the region. My dad and 8 others went into the jungle to arrest them. There was gunfire and they received information that my dad was badly injured.

Upon hearing his words, dread and terror spread through my senses. I could not focus myself to listen further to him. The only thought echoing my mind was "Dear God, Please keep my father alive."

He continued with the details of the incident. My mind could register the details vaguely. He informed that a reinforcement party was sent to rescue the advance party. After 4 days of an extensive search, they found a decapitated body of an officer whom they believed to be my father. However, they say that the body was damaged so badly that it is impossible to recognize if the person concerned was indeed colonel Banerjee or someone else.

His head had been crushed, but the uniform and the name tag confirmed his identity. I do not remember what happened after I heard those words. A large part of me wanted to wake up from this nightmare.

I kept believing that if I close and re-opened my eyes, my dad would be there to hug me and calm me down and yet I failed to acquire strength to blink my eyes for once. I was numb and shocked. After what appeared like an eternity, I felt a pair of warm arms gathering me up and something about that warm embrace that made my eyes swell up with unrestrained tears of frustration and pain.

My choked-up throat let out a howl of pain and grief made me oblivious to what happened next. I could only see a letter in dad's handwriting handed to me by Brigadier Shahi.

*** Even though I considered myself strong both mentally and physically, but upon reading what happened to Lt. Col. Banerjee I couldn't help but feel a strong sense of loathing towards these people, despite the fact that one of my dearest friend was also a Naxalite.

Even though he had reformed his ways, but does it justify the crimes he had committed during his prime. I really don't have an answer to that question. Master da says that he joined the movement because he felt the teachings of the leaders gave them hope, but what kind of teaching takes a father away from his 7-year-old son, or for that matter a brother from his sister.

There is no justification for that. I found that Abhinu had kept the letter inside the diary too. ***

My Dear Son Abhinu,

If you are reading this letter, it means that I must leave you all alone in this world, my son. I know this must be very surreal and painful for you. I am sorry about this. You may not know this, but I have been following every match of yours and I am so proud of you my son. You know son, not everyone is talented enough to play professional basketball at the age of 7. You are a special kid. Your mom was also a great basketball player and it was her dream to see you on national television, with people cheering for you. I wish she was there to see you play.

You know son, the day you and your team played the match against East Medinipur we were having our lunch in the officer's mess. You might want to know that when you scored the basket from the Charity Stripe, your mentor Lt. Sagar, announced to the mess that he was the one who taught you how to play, and I informed everyone proudly at that moment that you are my child.

All the officers stood up and gave me a hearty round of applause. That was the happiest day of my life. Later I came to know that someone approached your uncle seeking permission to get you trained by the S.A.I. coaches. I conveyed my instant approval for the same. Your future career seemed pretty evident to me at that point of time and as a father, I felt extremely proud at your steady all-round progress.

My dear son, please promise me, no matter how difficult life gets, you will always stay strong. You can always count on your mom and my blessings with you. We will always be watching you from heaven. In case you decide to make a career in basketball, our blessings will always be with you.

Right now, you are very young, a court may allow you to grow up in an orphanage with other children or live with your closest relatives. Any court, if it wishes, may enquire as to with whom you want to live to decide your guardianship. I want you to think well before you say anything.

You may consult your uncle, he is a wise man, always ready to help. But if you feel that you don't want to stay with them, take your time to analyze the situation and decide.

If you feel lonely in this world at any time, remember our home in Purulia, you can always go and stay there. Always count on your friends whom you trust and who has always showered their love on you.

Your mom had an account in the bank where there is sufficient fortune for you to live peacefully for the rest of your life. Also, my pension would be transferred to your mom's account until you reach the age of 21.

That should be enough for you to complete your studies and start your desired career. Mr. Jairus would act as your caretaker and manage your accounts and assets till you are matured enough to take care on your own. I hope you still have the telephone number I wrote down for you on the first day of school.

He is a very trustworthy friend and you can always contact him in any sort of trouble. He will be your guardian angel till you turn 21.

Remember one thing son, your mom had done good deeds for a lot of people in her lifetime, keep faith in God he will definitely send some guardian angel to support you in time of your need.

There are so many things I wanted to tell and teach you, but I guess this is where our journey ends. I know I have raised a strong human being and no matter whether we are with you or not, you will grow up to be a remarkable and great character. Keep in mind that we both love you and will always be with you in every step of your life.

Son, you might not be aware, but you mom had a younger sister. She is studying in Birmingham. Their relationship was restrained. They have not been in contact for nearly 7 years now. If ever you face any problem, get in touch with her, you can always count on her support. You will find the address in the end of the letter.

Finally a bit of advice to conclude, "If you are sad or don't know what to do, think with your heart and feel with your soul, It will help you survive in this world.

I LOVE YOU TILL ETERNITY...

Your loving father

Col. S. Banerjee

17 Boroughbridge Road,

Birmingham

B2 5GR

*** I continued to read the diary further. Abhinu wrote that they cremated Lt. Col. Banerjee in Purulia with full military honours. After the cremation, the army awarded the family with the Indian flag, the medals which Col. Banerjee won during his career and his beret which had the crest of the 18th Battalion of the Assam Regiment. Abhinu had to be admitted to the hospital because of the trauma and aunty always made sure she stayed by his side whenever he had any nightmares and kept crying for his father. Uncle finally decided that if they take him to Kolkata, the presence of his friends and sisters might help him recover early.***

                                                          27th July 1992.

We reached Kolkata around 4:00 p.m. Uncle did not inform my sisters what had happened and as soon as we reached he had to break the news that my dad is no more. Aarohi came and hugged me and said that I shouldn’t be sad and that she will always be there with me by my side. Even Aamaya didi came and tried to console me. Darika and Garima were very little to even understand what had happened. I knew of all the family members Aarohi is the only one who truly understood what situation I am in. I went to my room and cried, but Aarohi never left my side. Aunty and uncle took turns to keep me calm but I didn’t know how to stop myself. I didn’t have any dinner and went off to sleep.

                                                         28th July 1992

As I woke up, I found Aarohi was sitting on the bed and had her head rested on the wall. I came to know from Aamaya didi that she was awake the whole night, just to make sure I didn’t cry and if I did she would caress me so that I fall asleep. I slowly tried to help Aarohi lie on the bed and helped her sleep in a better posture.

Aunty got our breakfast into the room and told us that we have a surprise waiting for us in the hall. I was in no mood for surprises, but somehow gathered up the strength to go to the next room. I saw Monika waiting outside. As she saw me she ran towards me and hugged me, and told me that uncle had told her what had happened and she has taken an off from school to meet me.

Principal sir also told her that right now, I would need my best friend to help me recover. I took her to the room and the 3 of us spend the whole day together, which took my mind somewhat away from my misery.

***That’s my sister, I am proud of her, helping a friend in need is a great virtue, Monika, great job. The next entry was a little bit sad. ***

                                                           29th July 1992

Today an officer from the court along with a lady came to our home and informed that they have some important matters to discuss. Uncle, Aunty, and I joined them in a side room. They told me that the lady is from Child Protective Services and wanted to know what is in my mind for the future.

They said that according to the law, I get to stay with my closest relatives or in an orphanage. In my case, my closest relatives are my Uncle's family and my Grandma. Since my Grandma is too old, staying with her was out of the question. They left it up to me to make a final decision.

I asked the lady if I can talk to my uncle and decide. They replied that I can take as much time as I want but I will have to make the decision today. I went with uncle and aunty to my room and had a word with them. Uncle told me that if I wanted to stay with them, he will be more than happy.

God has blessed them with 4 girls, and he wants me to be the son they never had. Aunty appeared happy at uncle’s decision and told me that she will pleased to accept me as their son. I happily consented to their decision but set a condition that I shall address Aunty as Mom. She happily agreed to it. We informed the lady about our decision and she presented some papers for uncle and me to sign and said that from today officially I would be their child.

She also made it clear that every first week of the month she would be visiting for regular inspection to keep an eye on my well-being and if she suspects any foul play or any problems at all, Uncle and aunty would land into deep trouble.

***Wow, that good. It feels like he made a good decision to stay with the family instead of going to an orphanage. It would have destroyed him. The boy is lucky to have got such a family. i just pray to god that the freak Abhishek doesn't come to haunt him anymore. But there is one thing I don’t understand… Where is Abhinu now. I continued reading the journal further. I found it very hard to believe that the same family who supported Abhinu through this ordeal ended up treating Geeta so horribly. It felt like both were 2 different sides of the same coin. ***

                                                 TO BE CONTINUED...

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