Sunil R P Sethi
Harneet came running to the house of her brother Choudhary Navtej . Her condition was narrating everything , face full with tears , hairs untied , fear in eyes and with horror in voice she could only speak to her Bhabhi Simran ” Bir ji ko Mar diya ” before she fell unconscious . Next moment Simran was running bare feet with little Harnek in tow to Street . They saw Choudhary Navtej lying in pool of blood and then saw Sardar Amolok Singh And Sardar Mahinder Singh with Kirpans in their hands and blood drenching from them . Amolok saw them and pointed Kirpan towards Simran and said ” We have taken revenge of our father . You take dead body . Our fight is over ” . Amolok took locket out of neck of Navtej and wore it . That locket always haunted Simran and Harnek for rest of their lives. But fight was far from being over.
Simran recalled the day eight years back when on minor land dispute Choudhary Navtej had murdered Sardar Hazara Singh, father of Amolok and Mahinder . He faced trial but was acquitted after three years as no witness deposed against him . Death was always haunting her since that day . Now she was terrified to realise that her only son Harnek was standing with her and there was grave risk to his life . What if Amolok and Mahinder harm Harnek to save themselves from future threat . She hid Harnek behind her . Harnek was looking at everything with emotionless and blank face . May be fear had overcome him to such extent that he was perplexed . After all he was just five years old . However Amolok and Mahinder left without harming her or Harnek . At that moment for a flash she had sympathy for killers of her husband . They were also victims to some sense.
She sent Harnek to her brother for studying and never allowed Harnek to return tells he was 23 years old . When Harnek came back , a young man with heavy built , she was terrified to see rage in his eyes of taking revenge for murder of his father . She could again see knock of death . Thinking of solution she got her married to Urvashi , a beautiful and intelligent girl who brought stability to life of Harnek . Thinking of Simran was not entirely baseless. Harnek got involved in his family and looking after his lands and forgot revenge . In times, he was blessed with a daughter. He named her Mehar . He was a dotting father whose whole life revolved around her daughter . The days he had to go out of town were very torturous because he had lived away from Mehar. Meantime, he got news of death of Mahinder in an accident. God’s justice finally but it created frustration in him that Amolok was still alive and that he had forgotten revenge . Whenever he saw Amolok with that locket his blood would boil
But life moves on as it did . Mehar was six years and was in class one in school . An exceptionally talented child who was liked and adored by all . A little prick to Mehar was enough to take life out of Harnek . He used to call her Tota lovingly as his life was inside her as of proverbial demon who had kept his life inside Parrot .
Simran was too old now and had forgotten and forgiven Amolok for murder of her husband as it was retaliatory and had seen much life after that though absence of her husband she always felt . Land dispute between two family had settled long back and on disputed part of land village Panchayat had built a Gurudwara .
It was one hot summer day when Mehar was coming from school with other girls . On the way was village canal with ice cool water . All kids decided to play by the side of Canal in cool breeze . While playing with ball Mehar went towards canal and slipped in canal while catching ball and was immediately carried away by swift stream . All children raised alarm and on hearing alarm one elderly person came from nearby field and jumped into canal . After much struggle, he could save Mehar but in the process his own lungs were filled with water . May be he was too old for hard effort . While pulling Mehar out on shore he fell unconscious .
Harnek came rushing to hospital after one hour to see Mehar and also Angel who saved his life and who himself was now struggling for his life . He saw Mehar in corridor of hospital . He hugged her with tears in his eyes . Through tears he saw locket in the hands of Mehar …..Same loquet of his father Choudhary Navtej . Mehar told her that locket came to eradication hand from neck of person who saved her while she was struggling . Harnek understood everything . Mehar was saved by Amolok . This was the worst situation Harnek had ever dreamt of . The person whom he wanted to kill at any cost had saved his life .
Inner struggle within Harnek was so apparent on his face too . Simran also reached hospital in the meantime and was standing with wife of Amolok . She had taken her decision and ice of enmity had melted . But Harnek couldn’t come on terms with truth staring at his face . Amolok s condition had worsened and lungs have got inflected . He had to be operated in emergency . But his blood group was rare AB- and there was no blood in stocks . There was no time to arrange blood from other towns and there was no known person in village with this blood group . It was at gesellschaft difficult times Simran came to Harnek and held his hands tightly . Both of them knew blood group of Harnek to be same . Harnek was in debited to Amolok but still couldn’t forgive him for murder of his father . Hate could overcome his gratitude and he refused Simran to donate blood for Amolok . Simran went back with disappointment but informed wife of Amolok who came begging to Harnek to save Amolok . He refused as he did to all other persons who came . Death was staring at Amolok .
Harnek felt small hands holding his Pant . He looked down and saw small boy of the age of Mehar holding his Pant with tears . He was grandson of Amolok . He didn’t say anything but his big eyes did . Stone had melted in that single moment .
Lying on hospital bed while giving blood Harnek was wondering about ways of God . He wanted to take blood of Amolok and now his own blood is saving Amolok . Blood of two families who were thirsty of blood of each other was getting mixed . Which blood and whose blood will make his aching heart satisfied . Blood in Amolok would also be blood of his father , his blood . Hate which started with blood of Navtej on the hands of Amolok ended with his blood in the viens of Amolok . He was still holding tightly the Locket which had not allowed him to sleep in peace . Now he was feeling sleepy after long time . Sleep with peace .
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