Dans vos yeux: In your eyes

Dedicated to AmbassadorsIN

"Your eyes pull me deeper into their depth... I drown away...
Your eyes summon me closer to your heart than anything that ever will...
Your eyes hold the truth that you maybe concealing with your lies...
You can change but the only constant will be your eyes."

-Elegiac_Damsel

____________________

30th August
Sampurnaa's pov:

I was stunned for a moment. Looking into his eyes so intently was intense. His burning embers held an intimidating depth.... They were hypnotic...Looking into them I realised that no one can ever lie to him... At least not while looking into his eyes.

............

I broke out of my trance when it started raining. The sunlight got hidden by the dark clouds that unleashed its load on us. I abruptly freed my hand from Indrayan realising our position.

He broke out of his trance too.

We both looked at one another again. I looked away. He cleared his throat.

"Umm... Where are you headed to?", he asked breaking the silence.

"I am going to BKC. I have to go for an evening shoot. There is a special pre-Ganesh Chaturthi coverage."

"Oh! I am not sure where I am going..." His voice screamed unsurity.
I smiled at that and said, "I am up for a coffee though. Leopolf café?"

He nodded and we both proceeded towards his car.

.......

We both took our seats at the café. I ordered a black coffee with no sugar and Indrayan ordered a latte.
We were talking about Adrija Boudi and how she had been us around. She ordered me everyday in the evening to get something or the other that she was craving. She had ordered Indrayan to start shortlisting clothes from online for his unborn nephew or niece. We both had orders from both Dada and Boudi to get an interior designer who could design a perfect nursery in our home.
I was really hungry so I went and ordered a blackforest pastry for myself and a pineapple pastry for Indrayan.

I can eat blackforest cake anytime and everytime!

My phone pinged indicating a new notification. It was a message from my senior,

"The Lalbaugcha Raja has already been inaugarated. I want you to go there and cover a small interview of the people who have gone there, about the new things this year and also get the estimated amount spent this year and other details from the puja committee members. I will be sending a team soon. Be there by 5."

I groaned! There was no way in heaven or hell that I could go there and interview people peacefully. There was going to be an inevitable chaos owing to the number of people who go there for darshan.

And there was another bigger problem... I have never been to Lalbaug!

I sighed and put my phone away.

He noticed my weird expression and asked, "Ki holo?" (What happened?)

I shook my head, "I am supposed to got to Lalbaug for on-field reporting but the problem is that I have never been there before! I have no idea which train I am supposed to take from here."

"You know how to drive and you have a car. Why do you travel by train?"

"First things first I do not have a car! Yes, we have two but they belong to my parents and Dada- Boudi respectively. I do not earn enough to afford travelling by cab everyday."

"Alright! Point taken! But don't you think it would be better if you travel by car? I mean local trains are mostly a menace. Overcrowded and extremely unruly commuters also travel by them. You may get pushed out of the train!" he said.

I rolled my eyes before replying, "Life is unpredictable! I can even die falling into a pothole while walking on the road."

We looked at each other after my last sentence and then became silent.
I suddenly remembered where the argument began from.

Lalbaug!

"Have you ever been to Lalbaug?"

He nodded yes.

I grinned widely.
"Tell me how to go please!"

"Okay. Take a train from Bombay Central to...."

He told me like a proper tour guide and I noted everything in my mind.
We returned back to our coffees and pastries.
"By the way are you going to Kolkata with your parents for Durga Puja this year?" , I suddenly remembered the conversation Boudi was having with Dada. They were going to Kolkata with Maa and Baba for the Pujo. Indrayan's parents were planning on going too. Boudi was particularly keen this time because she wanted to attend the puja there before her child was born.

He nodded no.
"Why? Have you ever seen Durga Puja in Kolkata? It would have been so much fun!" I burst out.
How could he not go to Kolkata for Durga Puja?!

"I did go as a kid but I don't remember much about it. I was born there and Adrija and I both grew up here since we were toddlers when our parents shifted here."

"You should try going! It will be fun!"

He smiled slightly at my excitement,
"Are you going this year?"

My smile dropped at that. It's been more than 5 years since I have attended Durga Puja in Kolkata!
"No I cannot this year. I had the leave granted earlier  but now following the case at the court, I don't think I would be able to."

He nodded. A sudden silence descended again.
I have never been this uncomfortable with him! It's so weird af!!

I sighed audibly and looked up to say that it was perhaps time for me to go.
Our eyes met again as we both looked up at the same time. This time, neither of us broke the eye contact.

Suddenly, there was a cough sound which alerted me that we were in a public place. The waiter who had come to give us the check was standing there.
He was younger than both of us... Probably a college student. He had a mischievous, teasing smirk on his face. I raised my eyebrows at him.
His reply stunned us both, "You had only asked for the check! I would have come later had I known you both were deeply involved in heart to heart talks!"

I refrained from snapping at him! He was still a teenager after all!
I put down a Rs. 500 bill and Indrayan put down a Rs. 500 bill simultaneously.
The bill was of Rs. 750.
We immediately rose and proceeded to go. The boy called us saying, "Ma'am, Sir, wait for the balance. I was too embarrassed to even wait a second there and it was perceptible that Indrayan was in the same page as me because we both blurted out at the same time, "Keep the change!"

The boy smiled another teasing smile and we both hurried out.
I bid him a quick farewell.
I took an autorickshaw to the Bombay Central station from Colaba Causeway.

Phew! It was a weird encounter today!

..............

Indrayan's pov:

I have never been this embarrassed before. I guess I got so close to Sampurnaa than I have with any other women. Except perhaps Ma and my sister.
After I exit the café and proceeded on my way home, I couldn't help but think about this woman who I had barely met a few weeks ago. She was a flawless journalist,  no doubt. But she was a good person to speak to and a friendly one at that. I had also discovered that she was an introvert. Even after being an open book to her parents, Sampurnaa refrained from sharing anything that may be disturbing to them. She bundled up all her emotions that one time she was admitted in the hospital. She had strength. She had beauty... The kind of beauty that never meets your eyes... But simply captures your heart.

After all,
"Beauty isn't what meets the eyes but what captures the heart."

.............

Sampurnaa's pov:

I reached Lalbaug at 5. It was a new team. The camera man I usually worked with was on leave and the new one was an intern. It took me 15 minutes to explain how he was supposed to take the shot.
We were first going to go inside the pandal capturing the scores of people who were patiently waiting in the queue for catching a glimpse of the idol.
After we had shot the main entrance, the crowd and the idol, I stood outside and spoke the lines that I had prepared in my head, "The Lalbaugcha Raja is currently celebrating its 86th year. The decorations inside are mesmerising. The theme this year is outer space and scores of curious children and school goers accompanied by their parents are waiting patiently in the line just to catch a glimpse of Ganpati Bappa. Ganesh Chaturthi is still 2 days away, but the celebrations have already commenced. Let us now speak to a few of those who have been standing here."

I proceeded to call an old woman who was standing with a walking stick. I greeted her and then asked her if she minded me asking questions. Once she had given the green signal, I indicated the camera man to start rolling the cameras.
"Respected ma'am. Lalbaugcha Raja is an internationally acclaimed and popular Ganesh puja. Have you been here before? How long have you been waiting here?"

She replied that this was the first time she had come to Mumbai during Ganesh Chaturthi and that she had been looking forward to seeing this historical idol. She had been standing patiently for more than 2 hours but was not complaining.
When questioned about her health and age, she revealed that experiencing the rush and fun during the festival had been on her bucket list.
Next I got a few schoolkids to interact with me. They were initially afraid of the camera and the mike but I succeeded in making them feel at home. They told me how the only thing they wanted to see was a glimpse of outer space. One kid literally came here only for a modak.

After a 20- minute long footage, I left with the rest of the unit to get to BKC.

Once in the office, I was handed a script for the evening news show. I had to read the headlines tonight. There was Pakistan's warning about closing their airspace, the citizens' list in Assam, the upcoming polls in Maharashtra and the ongoing US Open. Trump's statement towards India-Pakistan issues and the recently concluded G-7 Summit.

It was 9.00 pm by the time I wrapped up.
It took me an hour to reach home.

It was 10.00 pm when I reached home. I opened the door with my spare key. Boudi and Dada were seated in the hall while Maa and Baba had gone abroad to Italy for a tour.

Dada saw me enter. He got up and greeted me. Boudi got up too. She was about to go to the kitchen to get me some water. I stopped her and asked her to sit down.

She pouted saying I was spoiling her by taking too much care. I playfully glared at her and then went into the kitchen for a glass of water.

I proceeded to go to my room for freshening up.
I came out hoping to get food to eat but there was none. Dada was working on his laptop while Boudi was lying down peacefully next to him in their room. I decided against disturbing them and took out a pack of instant upma. I was honestly too tired to cook.

Once I was done eating, I walked back to my room and took out my laptop. There were unread mails. Most of them from Twitter. Several people had tagged me in tweets related to my case and Sridha's. There were a group of people who had left hate messages but I ignored them.
It took me an hour to finish reading all that on twitter and to reply to the required messages. The next step was checking the tweets from the prime minister and the other politicians.

It was 1 a.m. when I finally decided to retire to bed.

I fell asleep soon after I switched the lights off.

...............

2nd. September

Maa and Baba are still not back. Dada and Boudi went over to boudi's parents' place yesterday. They celebrate Ganesh Chaturthi on an elaborate scale. We arrange for a small puja at home too but since Maa and Baba were not going to be there, we had decided to skip the celebrations. I had work today since everyone else had taken a leave.
I would go to Boudi's place later in the evening. Dada and Boudi would stay back while I would return home.

Since we celebrate Ganesh Chaturthi every year, not celebrating this year did not feel right. Hence, I decided to do the puja on a minimum scale by myself. The first thing I did was order modaks. I just did not have enough time to make them. The next thing I did was make kheer. At least something that was offered to the Lord would be made at home!

It took me barely an hour to get everything ready and another hour to get done with the puja.

It was 1 in the afternoon when I went out to work. The roads were comparatively less crowded since it was a public holiday.
I took a train reach BKC. Once I had reached the office, I realised that almost none of the camera men were present. My senior had taken a leave himself. Sighing, an idea finally came to my head. I immediately called up Bosco, one of the camera journalists and asked him to get his equipment ready. We would go to King's Circle and later to Siddhivinayak.

Going there turned out to be easy... But standing and reporting in both the places were no less than a challenge. Finally after hours of tireless interviewing and reporting, we returned back to the office. It was 7 pm by the time we reached BKC. I arranged for the footage we had managed to get to be aired at 8 pm for a Ganesh Chaturthi special and then left.

I had to go to Pali Hill. To Dada's in-laws' place. This was my first time visiting their house that too during a festival. I was wearing the same formals that I put on in the afternoon before leaving home. I just hope people don't pelt stones at me there misjudging me as some homeless intruder from my tired and weary state.
.........

Indrayan's pov:

Dad asked me to stand outside our gate so Sampurnaa has no trouble recognizing our house. So here I was standing in front of my own house like an idiot with no job. Fortunately, most of the guests had left and there was no one who could comment or ask me anything.

It was 8.15 pm. Where on earth has Ms. Reporter gone to?
An autorickshaw stopped in front of the gate and there came Sampurnaa in all her glory.
She looked tired and she was fighting off drooping eyelids. I greeted her and asked her to follow me.
She walked behind me in silence. I opened the main door with my key and she walked in. She saw the idol in the main hall and hence removed her formal heeled sandals.

I helped her balance herself as she hissed in pain when her feet came in contact with the ground. I am guessing that she stood in one place or walked a lot for a long time in these shoes.

She muttered a quick thank you and then proceeded to go and pay her respects to the idol. She greeted my parents and then Adrija and Abhimanyu. Ma, Dad and the other two were busy talking to their colleagues.
Zakir had come along with his mother but had left a while ago.
Sampurnaa and I were sitting silently like outcasts. She looked up and stared at me intently.
I shot her a questioning look in return.
She gestured that she was thirsty.
I asked her to follow me to the kitchen. I offered her some water and she drank to her fill. We both stood in the kitchen not speaking a word.

She looked bored and the silence was anyways unbearable. I decided to break it, "Hi! How was reporting on field today?"

She smiled feebly. "It was good. I am feeling tired though. How has the police investigation been going on by the way? Did the police inspector say anything to you about the minister's death? And what about Mr. Sequira? Any new leads on Frieda or who burnt down Jannah?"

Tired?! She was not tired when it came to her work!

I assured her that the investigation was still on and that new developments would soon give the case a new direction.
She nodded.

"Did you come to know anything about who informed Mr. Sequira and his sister about police patrolling near their brothel?"

I shook my head gravely.

All of a sudden, Sampurnaa who had been standing in front of me and talking normally, held her head and fainted. She fell on the ground before I could help her. The steel glass she was holding fell down and emitted a loud noise in the silent house.
I got down next to her and tried waking her up but to no avail.

Ma, Dad, Adrija and Abhimanyu immediately rushed to the kitchen. Abhimanyu stood shocked when he saw his sister on the ground in an unconscious state. Adrija was about to bend down when I stopped her. She was pregnant after all!

Ma got some water in a glass and started sprinkling some on Sampurnaa. She did not open her eyes. Dad asked me to take the car out and take her to Holy Family Hospital immediately. It was nearby and would be convenient as the doctors were quite good.
I helped Abhimanyu pick her up and then proceeded to get the car out.
We reached the hospital in 5 minutes' time. Abhimanyu lowered her onto a hospital bed while I went to speak to the doctor. Meanwhile, the nurse checked her blood pressure, pulse rate and other vitals. The doctor came soon after and instructed the nurse to get Sampurnaa's blood glucose checked. While all this was happening, I couldn't help but notice a few bruises on her feet. She must have gone for reporting for long hours without a break!

Abhimanyu went to fill up Sampurnaa's details at the reception while I waited in the waiting area.
The doctor arrived 5 minutes later.
He asked me to call her brother.
Abhimanyu came soon after with anxiousness and anxiety visible on his face.
The doctor asked, "Mr. Roy, has your sister been stressed lately?"

Abhimanyu nodded unsure while I decided to reply, "Yes Doctor! She has been worried and stressed out."

The doctor nodded and then added gravely, "Her blood pressure has come down dangerously. It is around 85/60 which is extremely low! Her blood glucose levels are also not good enough. They are close to 50. Low blood pressure and blood sugar can pose a severe danger to a woman with a job like hers. She must have gone for reporting in the sun and rain not caring much! I am hooking her to an IV. She needs to be here for two days at least. And I would also request you to take care about her diet. Doesn't seem like she's been taking the right stuff!"

We thanked the doctor and then went to see Sampurnaa. Abhimanyu put a call through to Adrija and told her what the doctor had said. Ms. Reporter was just waking up. She had a dazed look on her face. She panicked visibly when she saw the IV in her arm. She looked at me inquisitively. I glared at her.
Abhimanyu came and saw her. He immediately unleashed his anger on her, "When the hell did you last eat? And why have you been overworking yourself? What the hell have you been doing with yourself?!"

She weakly replied, "Dada, it was Puja today. So I did not eat anything in the morning. It was late by the time I was done with everything so I just got out of home. I did not get a minute's break after that!"

"You did not even eat anything for breakfast for the last two days! Why are you becoming so workaholic? Who goes to work on every Sunday?"

She looked guilty having caused great anxiety to everyone.
"Dada! Please don't tell Maa and Baba. They will worry unnecesarily."

Abhimanyu nodded half-heartedly. He left the room when the ward boy called him to the reception for the payment details.

Sampurnaa and I were left alone. She looked at me expectantly but I had nothing to say.
She managed to speak out, "Kichu bolo! (say something!) Why are you silent?"

I replied coolly concealing my rage at her negligence, "What can I say? You don't seem to care about anything! Least of all yourself!"

"I am sorry." she said quietly.

I sighed. She was already sick. I guess I should just let her rest instead of worrying her.

She looked up at me tiredly. I took her hand in mine gently and hesitantly. I looked into her eyes again and then said all that I had on my mind,
"The battle is still on. There is a long way to go! Take care of your health, Sampurnaa. Justice isn't something you can fight for without energy and strength! Take care of yourself for the sake of your parents and everyone else who cares for you. Do not stress yourself too much! I know you are constantly worried about the court case, the investigation and obviously the next hearing... But do not neglect yourself! You are needed on this quest! This quest for justice!"

She looked back at me intensely, "Do you care?"

I looked back at her, surprised at her question.
I nodded slightly and she smiled weakly.

I wonder what urged her to ask me something like this....

.................................................................................

To be continued...

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A/N
I know I probably write the worst romantic scenes ever... So I am sorry.
I will try and update soon this week.
Maybe with the next hearing of the case. Not sure yet.

Do let me know your thoughts and views!

Cheers,
Shubhadittya