Who are Kabeer Pratap Rana and Meera Kumari Shekhawat (formerly Meera kumari Rana)?

Why were they involved in  Padmini's kidnapping?

                    ☆☆

Thwack! An envelope placed amongst the pages holy scripture, fell to the floor spilling out its contents in the process. A stack of photographs!  Padmini crouched down to pick them up, a soft gasp escapes her realising that it was Meera and Kabeer's family photographs. Feeling a pang of guilt, like intruding on their family affairs, she hurriedly gathered them, slid it back into the envelope.

Ornately bound in velvet wrap, with the letters 'Ramcharitramanas by Tulsidas'   embossed in gold, caught her eye, placed among few other holy scriptures in purpose built book case at the altar.

"So that's where it was!" startled by Kabeer's voice she spun around to find Meera and Kabeer standing behind her "you do have an eye for detail".

"I...I.. the book..." Padmini felt like a trespasser caught in the act "I wanted to borrow... book," she gestured at the one in her hand "at home I used to read Ramcharitramanas regularly so when I found.." she broke out in cold sweat, panicking.

Her body and mind shuddered reacting involuntarily, from deeply engraved memory of the unpleasant consequences she faced when Chandrakanth accused her of invading his personal space.

Kabeer nudged his sister, she stepped forward with a fond smile, "Didi please, relax! We won't bite you. In fact, we are thankful to you." She reached for the photographs in Padmini's hand, "We were looking for them but never found it. Dad probably kept them there so that he could post them to my inlaws."

"Meera I have a client to meet, I'll pick Abhi on my way back. It's your day off, you rest" Kabeer left.

~~~~~~

"Meera, I... Can I ask you something personal?" Both women sat folding and putting away the washed clothes.

"You want to know about Abhi?" Padmini nodded her head in hesitance. "I knew you would have noticed. Abhi has motor skill disorder. He wobbles a little while walking and has developmental delays. He is five but can't speak in full sentences and his hand-eye coordination is also poor. I met with a serious accident when pregnant" regret and anguish filled her petite form, shrinking it further.

'Kanhaji, it's her husband!' realisation dawned on Padmini, she had seen framed photographs of them in the living room. She hurriedly reached out and held her hand reassuringly.

"Meera please you need not say anything, I'm sorry. It was stupid of me to invade your privacy."

Meera's lips curled with a sad smile, eyes glistening with tears.

"I want to Didi. You have the right to know. It's in a way connected to you. Did you ever suspect us? We were there in the place you were held after being kidnapped. Kabeer Da and I were part of the group guarding you. Don't you doubt us, our intentions?" She sounded incredulous.

Padmini exhaled, not sure what inspired this faith deep in her towards the siblings given the strange circumstance under which their lives had crossed.

"I did, initially but was not in a good frame of mind to question further. When you risked everything and helped me get out of there and the way you both have been caring for me all those doubts vanished. Now I trust you and your brother more than myself. There is a stronger reason to trust you both, but this is not the right time to explain anything further" patting her hand reassuringly.

A wry smile graced her lips, shoulder slouched and eyes downcast suddenly she seemed much older than what she was,
weighed down by the burden of whatever pushed them both to aid a kidnapper.

"How old are you Meera?"

She picked a flint off Abhi's sweater, "Thirty-eight. I was adopted if incase you are wondering. My birth parents and mom and dad were neighbours, apparently my father got suspicious of his wife's chastity  and hence beat her to death, I was the witness. He was caught and is serving his life sentence. Apparently no one was interested in a seven year old girl child who sent her father to prison. Mom and dad adopted me."

She looked up, the crestfallen face was unlike anything that Padmini had witnessed all these days. "Our parents both were government officials, they were the silent invisible ones working in the background all their lives. Kabeer da on the other hand was the angry young man who wanted to reform this society and his partner in crime was Rafiq da. Both were getting into trouble all the time at school and our locality for being the self proclaimed guardians of law. At one point both our parents couldn't take it anymore and sent them off to military school. It did not surprise us when they both applied for Police training."

Padmini's brow raised in awe.

"Yes, a police officer, he was the Deputy Commissioner in Mumbai ten years back when he was involved in solving a high profile narcotics case and that's when all the headache started." She paused for a while lost in thoughts.

"You know it feels like a lame joke on these officers police and armed forces, when you see these movies where whatever happens during the course of the movie, towards the end the hero is always victorious, awarded for his bravery and all the villains are locked up or are dead."

She sounded aggrieved. "Nothing of that sort happens in real life. The number of officials who strive to be honest and fight the criminals and get punished brutally in real life are countless." Meera was visibly shaking in anger.

Padmini dragged her to the living room and handed her a bottle of water and opened up the windows to let in the gentle afternoon breeze.

"The smugglers network was large and had powerful backing. He received several threats but never bothered. Roughly eight years back I got married to Manish who was a doctor at the hospital where I worked in Delhi.
Kabeer Da got transferred to Gurgaon and my parents moved in with him and my sister-in-law."

'Kabeer has a wife? But..'

"Troubles followed. He wouldn't stop probing the case since the smuggling nexus was spread far and wide. Some straightforward officers like him all over the country were working together in secrecy, against this nefarious gang. Some of them received threats, some transferred, some were attacked. Kabeer Da was framed on a bribery case, which he fought and proved false and got himself reinstated. My preganancy was confirmed around that time and all our families were thrilled for the first grandchild."

She paused and gulped few sips of water. Padmini walked over to the kitchen followed by Meera and began making tea. They carried their teacups inside and sat on the bed. The warm liquid, mildly spiced with the right amount of ginger eased Meera's burning throat and felt heavenly. Padmini gestured her to finish the tea first and offered her seconds.

"My sister-in-law had a complication and it was a given that she couldn't conceive, but Dada was not bothered about it, neither were my parents; he loved her so much. They were looking to adopt. I was on my seventh month and we all were heading to this orphanage where they had met a child, to complete the adoption process."

Surprise and adoration filled Padmini's heart at that, she couldn't help comparing them with her family, drawing a withered smile.

Meera began trembling and broke down, Padmini quickly shifted closer and pulled her into an embrace, with tears moistening her own eyes. It hurt to see that cheerful strong woman in a vulnerable state. She took a few minutes to calm down.

"Meera please talk about it only if you feel it would ease your pain" Padmini whispered gently rubbing her back.

"I want to Didi. I have locked it up inside worrying it might hurt Abhi or Dada. I need a shoulder too, I drown myself in my work but the truth is, the hospital environment reminds me of Manish and gives me a kind of solace and pain too. I imagine him watching over me feeling proud of fulfilling his dreams" she paused choking "it also reminds me of our days together and I miss him a lot" her voice barely above a whisper.

Padmini's heart broke at her words and her love for her husband. Meera pulled herself away from the embrace, wiped her tears.

"We were headed to the orphanage, the attempt to kill was staged so perfectly, that everyone believed it was an accident. If dada did not receive a tip-off at the last minute, we also would have believed it.

There was eyewitness and CCTV footage to prove it was indeed an accident. The truck driver tried to avoid a herd of cattle on the highway and lost control and rammed into our van. It happened in a flash. My parents, my in-laws and Manish were killed on the spot. Kabeer da, bhabi and I were critically injured. I had fractured my left hand and leg, and went into premature labour. Bhabi was paralysed because she had a major spinal injury. Dada had a few fractures too. There was no one to help us. Rafi da was posted in Hyderabad. He fought with the department saying it was not an accident but all the evidence and witnesses said otherwise. We both pleaded with him and he finally gave up pursuing the case and resigned from the force. Rafi da also resigned. Years rolled on and bhabi's condition deteriorated, we could not afford the medical bills. She wanted euthanasia - mercy killing". Padmini gasped in shock.

"I wouldn't blame her, she was paralysed hip down and one arm had to be amputated. But Dada was not willing to let her go, it was a long struggle finally she passed away two years back. We were in deep debt due to both our treatment. I was in such a mental state that I failed as a medical professional and as a mother too. My mind was so preoccupied with our problems and Manish's death, that I did not realise that Abhi's milestones were delayed."

Padmini's mind automatically replayed the days of her 2nd pregnancy, the injury while expecting Appu and the years of struggle that followed. She was not sure if she should be glad that they had the financial stability to seek the necessary treatment and support for Aparna or be angry at what caused it in the first place.

"Meera how am I linked to any of this?" 

"Those people were not willing to let us go. They kidnapped Abhi from his school a few months back in Delhi. Two days they made us run from pillar to post looking for him, they...they told us they dumped his body... every time it would be different locations. Dada and I ran around the streets of Delhi like maniacs looking for him".
She hid her head on Padmini's lap and sobbed reliving the nightmare.

Padmini felt a boulder crushing her chest cavity, depriving her of oxygen.

'How can they do this to a child, to a mother? What kind of monsters are they? I can't imagine what Meera must have gone through, I can relate to her pain as a mother. A mother, a parent would do anything for the sake of their child. After all, didn't I do the same now?'

"They wanted all the evidences that were collected against them until then they wouldn't return Abhi. Dada handed it over to them even then they refused to give my child back, they demanded money. We were broke at that point. That was when somebody stepped in and offered us help in exchange he demanded our help rather dada's help. He said he needed help for his sister and as a trained police official Dada will be able to surpass all the loopholes. Without thinking Dada agreed and within few hours the kidnappers returned Abhi.

He claimed that his sister's husband a wealthy businessman was having an affair with someone and he wanted to remove that lady from their life.  He showed us some photos of a woman whom he claimed his sister and her wedding photos and all possible evidence about their family. We did not know anything about you until Rafi da investigated a few days back while you were in the hospital.

I was confused and shocked. "Meera I'm a married woman why... why would I? Who said this? Who.."

"After we saw you there we knew something was wrong. But why did you come out willingly from your home? Dada explained how things were set to bring you out of the house. Why Di?"

"I don't know who spoke to me over the phone, but they threatened me. They had people stalking my kids, ready to kill them if I didn't cooperate."

The doorbell rang, Meera opened the door to reveal Kabeer at the doorstep with a sleeping Abhi, he lay the child on the bed. The grim atmosphere indicated to Kabeer that the truth was out in the open.
Meera went into the kitchen to get tea for her brother. They moved to the living room, once they settled on the chairs there, Kabeer spoke.

"Sorry, Mrs Malhotra... I"

"Please Kabeer don't address me by that name. Call me Padmini, just Padmini. Who is the kidnapper?"

When Kabeer parted with the most vital information, Padmini panicked.

"Kabeer I think I'm ready to go home, but there are a few things we need to discuss before that".

Sneak peak:

"The truth is hard to swallow Mr. Malhotra while you are choking on your pride. Care for some water?" The glass of water was slided towards him. Chandrakanth was shocked at the new developments. But he was not the meek Padmini to be silenced.

"How dare you vile woman!" He picked the glass to throw at her with the clear intent to harm, when in a flash his movement was blocked and the glass snatched from him.

"Well, here I assumed all along you were a clever business man Mr. Malhotra. You seem to have forgotten that we are not the lawfully wedded husband and wife anymore. If you hurt me now, might be charged with attempt to murder. Consider yourself lucky I haven't done that already." Her stoic element still intact, she met him eye to eye except, now he couldn't see fear in them anymore.

Chandrakanth was bewildered when the glass shattered at his foot before Padmini walked away from him.

September 26th, 2021