“Paachgani or Panchgani is a hill station situated in the southeast of Mumbai. It means ‘land between five villages.’ The scenic beauty soothes our eyes and soul. I take out my face through the car window to feel the cold gust on my face. Perhaps it was raining some time ago. The road is wet and the air is moist. The mountain peaks are looking like arrow tips. I keep my eyes high on the cloudy sky. Aditya is reclining on the seat closing his eyes. We left Mumbai at 5 am. Now, it’s around 9 o’clock in the morning. Ayan is driving silently. According to him, we will reach by 9:30 am. SP Bhosle has arranged his special team to give protection and surveillance to the bungalow where we are going to stay. I didn’t inform anyone about this movement; not even my family. I don’t know what am I doing. I only know that I am doing all this according to the demand of the situation. Once he gets well, I will leave. Only then, the car jerks on a speed breaker and Aditya moans in a suppressed voice. My hand automatically touches the bandage on his head. He opens his eyes and palely smiles at me. I release a deep sigh. I don’t know how will I muster the broken pieces of my heart after leaving him. This dilemma is killing me. He grabs my hand and entwines his fingers with mine. A content smile beams into his eyes. He again shuts his eyes with a peaceful sigh.”

“Sorry, Ma’am..this road has so many bumpers. I didn’t notice.”

Ayan apologises keeping his eyes on the road ahead. Nandana utters a subtle ‘it’s ok’ and again asks,

“Ayan, you have informed the caretaker that we are coming, right?”

“Yes, Ma’am. He knows. I even arranged a cook. He will come every morning and cook and will return to his village at night.”

Ayan informs. Nandana utters a low hum and again looks outside of the window.

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

“Right now, I am feeling that I am going on our honeymoon. At some point, it is right. If that night Nandana hadn’t left me, we would have gone for our honeymoon. I arranged everything. I sigh disappointedly. But better late than never. Panchgani’s bungalow is a good place to spend a peaceful time with Angel. Only she and I. I smile inwardly. However, discomfort is constantly poking my consciousness. I know this togetherness is not permanent. She will leave me as soon as I get well. But I can’t afford this. Life has given me the second chance to have her in my life. I won’t lose it. And for that, if I have to be unwell forever, I will be. I spent my partial teenage here after my Dad and Mom died. Dad wanted me to study in a boarding school but Mom always turned down this idea. I knew she can’t live a moment without seeing me. Neither I could. But I had to. We can’t fight with our destiny. Suddenly the car jerks and I feel a pang in my head. Immediately her hand touches my forehead. Sometimes I wonder how will she live her life without me. She is escaping from her feeling. I know I did so much wrong with her, but it is also true that I love her like anything. She has taught me what love is and now she can’t leave me incomplete. For a second, my devil mind roars. I take her hand and entwine my fingers with hers to simmer down my restlessness. I need her to control this devil inside me. She is my drug to dominate my insanity. I close my eyes in peace. Most of the time we tame our demons, other times they tame us.”

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

“Sir, they left for Panchgani. What is the next order for us?”

One of the officers asks attentively. SP Bhosle skirts his hawk eyes over all the 5 officers whom he has chosen for Aditya’s protection.

“Good. Mr Ayan Agnihotri already has fixed some CCTV in the entire bungalow. The monitor room will be in the outhouse. One of you will keep an eye 24x7 on those screens. I want intensive surveillance over the bungalow but without disturbing Mr and Mrs Oberoi. Rest 4 of you will guard the bungalow premises. I don’t want any negligence in that. Although only 5 of us know about this bungalow and Aditya and Nandana being there, we must be very alert. This time if anyone tries to attack them, I want to get that person alive. So, your duty won’t be only to protect them but also to solve this case. Now, leave for Panchgani. I will meet you all tomorrow morning. I have sent Ayan’s number to all of you. If anything is required, he will help you. Now leave…quick.”

SP Bhosle hurries. All the officers salute him and turn on their heels to exit. Bhosle rubs her finger on his moustache.

“Something is still not clear to me. Why is this Manu Mathre so desperate to kill Aditya…or maybe Nandana? Aditya has already been expelled from the party. Then how is he still a threat to Mathre?”

Bhosle murmurs unmindfully. Suddenly the mobile rings. The screen is showing Ayan’s name. Bhosle picks it up.

“Hello! Good. My men will reach very soon. Till then, please stay over there.”

Bhosle answers. A brief moment of silence lingers and then he again asks hesitantly,

“Mr Ayan…ummm...I want to know more about this Manu Mathre. I mean every detail. His political background, his rivalry with Aditya, what Aditya thinks about him, his source of income…everything. Yes, please..meet me. I need to talk. Okay, thank you. See you soon.”

He cuts the call and bites his lips.

“This unusual love story will make me crazy.”

He smiles nonchalantly.

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

Nandana slowly pushes the closed door and steps in. It’s dark inside. She gropes for the switchboard and finds it beside the door frame. ‘Click’...the room becomes illuminated with bright yellow light. They reached here 2 hours back. This bungalow has almost 12 rooms altogether downstairs and upstairs. Besides the leaving room, kitchen, guestroom and storeroom, all the others are bedrooms. All are well-furnished and maintained. Aditya was feeling tired. So, Nandana made him sleep after having brunch. The cook is a mid 40 guy who lives in the nearby village. The caretaker and the gardener are old servants. Both live in the servant quarter behind the bungalow. It’s 12:30 pm. Ayan has left for some work in the nearby market while Nandana is getting bored. This bungalow has everything, all facilities and luxuries but it doesn’t have a place to worship. Nandana decided to bring some necessary things including a small idol of Lord Ganesha from the market. She could have asked Ayan for this but she herself wants to get all this. She has brought a photograph of lord Krishna with her. Tomorrow she will arrange the small temple area in a corner of this bungalow. She knows Aditya is an atheist. He doesn’t believe in God but she believes that without the blessing of God, a house can’t be safe. At first, Nandana wanted to ask the caretaker if there is any small room without an attached bath where she can place the temple but eventually, she decided to survey the entire bungalow on her own. Aditya is sleeping in an upstairs bedroom. So, it would be wise to look around on this floor first. He shouldn’t be alone for so long. As she thought she worked. After surveying two rooms, she finally has reached this one. The door was neither open nor locked but closed by the cleat. Nandana unlocks it and enters. As the light brightens the small room, Nandana roams her inquisitive eyes all over the place. Her eyes and face beam with surprise and delight. There are so many different musical instruments scattered all over the room. Not are scattered but are carefully kept. At a glance, she understands that all the instruments are well-maintained and cleaned, and so is the room itself. It is evident that this room gets special care. Apart from the instruments, there is a clean floor bed and some bolsters kept in a corner of the room. In Aditya’s Mumbai Bungalow, there are no musical instruments in the main building except Aditya’s guitar in his underground room. Then why has he made a separate room for music in this place? Nandana’s forehead lines with query. She paces around in the room, examining each and every instrument with tenderness and avidity. Suddenly, Dr Sahani’s words resonate in her mind,

“Mr Oberoi is under some mental pressure. Which I can smell. Though I am not a psychiatrist I would recommend you to try to keep him happy.”

She mumbles under her breath,

“Music is his happiness. It can soothe his stress.”

She runs her fingers on the chords of a sitar and it jingles in a melodious tune. In her childhood, Nandana learnt sitar for some months. She loved playing its chords. However, she couldn’t continue due to a shortage of money. Her father still wanted her to be attached to music and she started singing. Nandana lifts the sitar in her hand and sits on the floor bed keeping it on her lap. She is out of practice for a long time but she can still feel the thrill while touching its chords. She tightens the tuning pegs and again touches the strings. Her left-hand fingers slowly start running on the frets. The room gets filled and echoed with melody. Nandana closes her eyes and sinks into the euphony. She doesn’t know how long she was engrossed and adrift in her music until a rebuke startles her and halts her fingers on the strings.

“STOP IT…..How dare you enter this room?”