By Padmini Dev Kumar

Teacher Anjana Dasgupta’s favourite student is dead.Was it food poisoning? Does Anjana believe in this theory?

Kareena Kapoor’s voice jolted Anjana Dasgupta out of her dreamworld. Stretching out her hand, she switched off her Nokia and flopped back. ‘Get up, you lazy girl! she scolded herself. ‘There are loads of things to be done. She wriggled her tall frame unwillingly out of bed and with eyes still closed, padded to the bathroom, opened the tap and splashed cold water on her face. Her eyelids flew open. Mimicking Abishek Bachchan’s voice, ‘You are beauuuutiful,’ she told her mirror image.
After a few tailor-made asanas and five rounds of pranayama later, she felt really fine-tuned and good.
Blowing a couple of kisses to Mahendra Singh Dhoni who adorned her wall Anjana went to fix her breakfast. She tied up the 210 corrected answer scripts and slipped the bundle into her stylish purple bag, along with a copy of The Art of War. That was her favourite student Harini, who had topped as usual.
The ringing cellphone drew her attention. ‘Must be Dhanashree,’ she thought.
There was no response to her hellos. She could hear someone breathing heavily at the other end. Then suddenly in a mock childlike voice the person at the other end started reciting Jack and Jill…
“And, madam, have you heard this version of the rhyme?
Rajesh asks Harin
To take the pill
And wash it down
With water;
Harini forgets
So Rajesh begets
A bouncing baby daughter!”
The raucous laughter following this made Anjana freeze. “Who are you?” she asked sharply. The musical click at the other end indicated that the adult rhyme reciter had disconnected.
‘I am not going to let the rascal get away with this,’ thought Anjana grimly. She rang up Betty, her friend who worked for DTell Connections, gave her the anonymous caller’s number and requested her to trace the call.
Who was targeting Harini and why? Everyone adored Harini. Vivacious and bubbly Harini endeared herself to everyone. She was the most popular girl in school and excelled in academics, sports and extra-curricular activities. If she went for a music competition she bagged the First prize. Her fancy footwork had everyone wowing at dance competitions. People still raved about her portrayal of Marie Curie in the Annual Day programme.
And here was a spiteful being who seemed bent on spoiling her reputation!
Had this anonymous caller rung only her up or many others? What exactly was his motive? Who the hell was Rajesh? Why was he being linked with Harini?
A great sense of foreboding assailed Anjana as she rode her two wheeler to school.
They stood there in clusters, some of them weeping. The students spoke in hushed voices, shock writ all over their faces. Mithun, Aditi and Aruna rushed up to Anjana, as she wheeled her scooty into its usual parking slot.
“Mam…Ma’am don’t you know? Harini is dead!”
Anjana’s head reeled. Was this some kind of nightmare? Dead! Food poisoning…?
The principal looked visibly upset. “I am going to ask the 12B students to go home,” she announced.
“And you too, Anjana, better take the day off. You look terrible…’
‘Food poisoning?’ thought Anjana. ‘I am not buying that… there is something wrong…terribly wrong…’
She went up to the staff room and placed the corrected answer scripts on her table.
Mitra, Harini’s best friend, entered the staff room weeping inconsolably. She started talking about the Friday when she last saw her friend. A bomb scare had the principal in jitters and she had let the students go home with instructions to use the time well and prepare for their Monday assignment.
Harini and her friends decided to go to Inox to see Delhi 6. But Mitra and the rest of the gang were terribly disappointed when Harini rang up and tersely informed them that she could not make it.Anjana sent away the sobbing Mitra, consoling her as far as she could.
The cell rang. It was Betty. The Jack and Jill call? had been traced to a gynaecologist, Dr Vijaya.
Anjana did not feel emotionally ready to go to Harini’s residence as yet. She kick-started her Honda and made her way to Dr Vijaya’s hospital-cum-residence. The sight of her student Vikram entering the gates with his bag slung across his shoulder surprised her.
“Ma’am…”, he stammered, equally taken aback. Anjana learnt that Dr Vijaya was his mother. “Why do you want to see my mom?” he asked, tense.
“Oh, it is strictly professional!” said Anjana smiling cryptically. Vikram wondered whether it was hers or his mom’s, but dared not ask.
Anjana did not like Vikram at all. Sly and crafty were the adjectives that came to her mind when she thought of him. He always seemed to be in a state of suppressed rage and had frequently been foul-mouthed.
“Terrible news… Harini I mean..” she said conversationally.
“Yes…that’s how immoral people are punished,” he said shortly, and walked away.
Anjana was stunned. She moved around restlessly, picking up objects and replacing them, as she waited for Dr Vijaya in her chamber. The wallpaper with its design of peacock feathers was most unappealing. Suddenly, Anjana almost screamed. A human eye from the centre of a feather was looking at her! It was Vikram, she was certain.
“I am so sorry to keep you waiting, Miss Dasgupta. Do sit down. Has my son been giving you trouble again?” asked Dr Vijaya anxiously.
Anjana told her about the anonymous call. Sighing, she told her that Vikram had borrowed her cell that morning. She called out to her son, who appeared promptly. His room was on-the other side or the peacock wall. “Your mom and I were going gaga over your poetic skills,” Anjana addressed Vikram.
“Well…it’s time people realised that Harini is a slut…”
“Vikram!” yelled Dr Vijaya, outraged.
“A slut, a slut, a slut…” shouted Vikram, banging on the table.
“Oh, why do you say that Vikram?” asked Anjana sweetly, boiling with rage.
“She and Rajesh were locked up in his room, 24 x 7. He claimed to be teaching her chemistry!” he sneered.
“Let me explain,” said the doctor, tiredly rubbing her eyes. “Rajesh is my cousin’s son. He is studying medicine and I hope someday he would take over the running of this hospital… which is my love… my life. He stays here with us. I look upon Harini as my own daughter. I know the suffering she had undergone losing her beloved mother to cancer.”
‘Will surprises never end?”thought Anjana. “Then who is…?”
“That’s her stepmother. Harini and Rajesh fell in love and I must confess that I was very happy for them…hoped that some day they would marry…but now that is not to be…” the kindly doctor’s face crumpled.
“Friday evening, I got a call from Harini. She was very distraught. Most unlike herself… incoherent… She kept blabbering something about Shanta, her stepmother, being pregnant and Dr Mohan… She was upset as she could not contact Rajesh…”
“Tell Miss Anjana, mum… tell her that her favourite student got herself pregnant…” interrupted Vikram.
He made a vulgar C-shaped gesture.
Dr Vijaya looked scandalised. She was now really angry. She picked up the wooden paper weight on her table and dealt a hard knock on Vikram’s head.
“Ouch!” he roared. “Mom, I’ll report against you for child abuse!”
“A child! You, a child! Your are a demon!” the enraged doctor let fly some colourful words and accompanying knocks on Vikram’s head that Anjana thoroughly approved of. The consultation room resembled a labour room as it resounded with the exaggerated cries of pain.”This will teach you to spy and eavesdrop and make two and two five! Harini was talking about her stepmother being pregnant and not herself!” The final well-deserved knock had Vikram howling like a dog and running back to his room.
Anjana badly wanted to laugh. Vikram the spy, must have caught the snatches of conversation through the peacock wall hole and jumped to wrong conclusions.
The doctor and Anjana exchanged pleasantries and as she walked out Anjana found herself looking into Vikram’s room.
Watercolours and numerous portaits of a handsome young man, adorned the walls.
“Wow! Who is the artist?” asked Anjana in admiration.
“Me, of course,” said Vikram sulkily.
“And this young man?”
“My relative… Rajesh.”
“Ho!”
“I didn’t know you were such a voracious reader,” Anjana looked at the rows and rows of well-thumbed books, many of which were her favourites. The Golden Gate, Fountainhead…
‘There are many things you don’t know about me…”
“So I gather…’
Papu can’t dance sala punctuated the air and simultaneously the handsome man of Vikram’s portraits entered the room, saying, “Vikram! It is you who have hidden my mobile!”
Observing the way Vikram looked at Rajesh Anjana guessed why Vikram hated Harini so…
“Look. I’ll deal with this cell issue later. Right now I want to go to Harini’s place and get her diary. I know where she has hidden it. I am not buying this food poisoning thing. Also what Viji Aunty said is most worrying…”
“You are right. I know that Harini was a compulsive diary writer. She has told me so many times. She never sleeps without filling in the day’s events. Something has happened between Friday afternoon and Sunday midnight. The diary holds the key to the mystery. By the way, I am…”
“Anjana Dasgupta,’ said Rajesh. “Harini has told me a lot about you. Shall we leave, ma’am?”
They hailed a passing auto and requested him to wait till they returned, pressing a lot of money into his receptive palms.
Anjana and Rajesh weaved their way through the crowd of mourners. “They are going to remove the body now,” said someone causing the two to panic.Somehow, they managed to go up the spiral stairway to Harini’s room. Anjana was distressed to see a man, all hunched up, sobbing near the body. It was obviously Harini’s father. She studiously avoided looking at Harini’s face.The spirit of suffering and death was very strong in the room.
Rajesh quickly nipped across the bed and removed the huge embroidered picture of the Pied Piper leading the rats. He found the diary.
With trembling fingers, they turned the pages.
Friday 13th
An unexpected holiday! Would have been so much fun if it hadn’t been for that shocking incident. I still can’t get over it. The day mamma died, I became a latchkey kid. I let myself in, only to see that horrible sight of Dr Mohan on all fours and stepmum Shanta in the bedroom! Che che che!!! I wonder how long she has been cheating poor dad? I heard her say that she was 3 months pregnant. She looked horrified to see me in my room. She knows that I know…

Saturday 14th
The adulteress came into my room this afternoon looking very contrite. She asked me for some clothes hangers. In the mirror, I could see her taking my Eltroxin tablet bottle and then replacing it. What on earth did she want to look at my medicine bottle for?I threw the hangers across the bed. She took it and slunk away, I know she is scared of me. Scared I’ll tell dad.
Anjana and Rajesh looked at each other. You did not have to be Sherlock Holmes to know what had happened. Obviously, unnoticed by Harini, Shanta had tampered with the bottle. She must have replaced it with a similar bottle that did not contain Eltroxin but…

Sunday 15th
My thoughts are so chaotic. I feel like there is a whirlwind inside my head. Giddy. Did I take my tablet this morning? I am so confused. I feel like throwing up all the time. I don’t want to…
The illegibly written words Anjana deciphered. Poor Harini!
“Just who the hell are you and what gives you the liberty to come into this room, peeping and prying and pilfering perhaps?” the smooth, threatening, whiplash of a voice coming from the tall, mustachioed figure sent shivers down Anjana’s spine. His steely gaze was on the diary.
“The same liberty, Dr Mohan, that allows you to walk into your friend’s house and….”said Rajesh between clenched teeth, brandishing the diary.
“Less josh and more hosh…” Anjana cautioned Rajesh in a low voice.
Dr Mohan lunged at the diary. Anjana gave him a hefty push and, losing his balance, he went crashing into the bathroom. Quick as lightning, Rajesh pulled the latch, locking him in.
The two fled through the crowd of wailing mourners. The pallbearers were about to lift the body.
Panting, they managed to reach the waiting auto. The auto driver was sobbing hysterically influenced by the crowd. He had never seen Harini before and knew nothing about her. Rajesh managed to cajole the weeping man into driving them to the police station.
Horrified and shaken by the tragedy, Anjana, her nerves completely shaken, decided to call it quits for the day.
The rest is history. The story was all over the papers and news channels. The post-mortem on the girl and the fingerprints experts confirmed beyond doubt the role of Shanta and Dr Mohan… Truth always triumphs!

Courtesy: Woman’s Era