WRITER – Pranav Agarwal AGE – 13 years Student of FIND YOUR VOICE by creativeHappiness
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26 th NOVEMBER, 2008; somewhere in INDIA.
“Good moooooorning Dilli” commenced the late night shift radio jockey, as Brig.(retd.) Jasbir sodhi shifted stations, to tune in to early morning bhajans. “For this new generation, 4:00 a.m may be late night”, he thought to himself,with an evil look,” but for an Army man, 4:00 a.m. is a new day, bringing new rays of hope and joy, and perhaps, terror for some!” , just as he sat on his old sofa, that looked just as old as him, satisfied with the radio station. He seemed like a typical army brat.
His long white moustache that he raised at the ends, complimented his strong ,sturdy and tough body perfectly. His face had freckles, and seemed as dried as raisin. All his hair had turned white, over years of hard work, both at his office as well as at training his son, to be an officer, just like him.
He turned to his watch, and called out to his wife, “Urmila..Urmila.. You are so incorrigible. You went back to sleep? Besides its time for my tea!”. His wife emerged from the room, replying modestly with a cribb, almost bumping into the beautiful Vintage gun collection of the Brigadier, dropping the pistol he valued most- -” Oh, I was freshening up! You husbands are always ready to comment. I have woken up at 4:00 each day for you, from the past 25 years. Haven’t I?”
“Yes” he replied, while a totally different answer played in his head.
“Oh, yes, by the way, ask your maid to stop entering that room of mine. She was there again. I have lost count of many times have I told her!”he shouted across to the kitchen, where his wife was making tea.
“Yes, but what I can do, except telling her?.
“Alright “he nodded. Rahul is returning today! Be ready by 8. Umm.. We ll get the groceries. He will be calling up,when he reaches the connecting flight!”the Brig. said trying to change the topic.
“Ah..yes yes. He is finally returning, after two long years. Finally he has managed to get leave. He might have forgotten our faces, i think! His boss, he is so domineering and weird. I never liked him. He is so strict with leaves!” with great emotion and a crack in her voice, she replied.
” That is how bosses are supposed to be. He is not “weird” but a true patriot”, he said, in response , falling back to his days.
“The forces are losing there charm, don’t you think? With the advancement in technology, the values are deteriorating!” She started, like a judge, pronouncing his verdict, with lives hanging in the balance.
“Umm..yes!” He said, lying , again.
“Oh, I ‘ll get dressed.”
“Please do, we will leave by 8 positively! I am in that room of mine. Call out to me, if you need me!”
AT THE GROCERY STORE:
“Namaste, sahib! What can I do for you?” The shopkeeper began, with a weird shrewd touch in his voice.
“Do as Madam says!” He replied in an authoritative voice, quelling the shrewdness in the shopkeeper.
His wife handed over the list to the shopkeeper, with a keen eye on the Jeweller’s shop nearby.
In an instant, she left, like the north pole of the magnet is attracted to the south .
The army man, heaved a huge sigh if relief. So did the shopkeeper, apparently.
“Take it from an old army man- I have never been frightened of anything, in my long harsh service of 38 years, except for her!” Pointing towards his short, black haired wife!
“Haha. I have had no trainings and am quite young relatively, but take it from me, in my short married life, i have been afraid of nothing but, My wife” he replied, with an awkward grin.
(“Ready for today, Ajmal? he asked, with a sudden seriousness. “Nervous, are you?”
He didn’t reply, but just with eye contact and body language conveyed to the Brig. well enough -“i am always up for challenges!”)
“Are the groceries ready?” Started a pleasant voice suddenly in the backdrop.
“Yes, madam. There they are! The boy will carry them over to the car!”
Brig. Sodhi handed over the car keys to his wife, and paid the bill, whispering into Ajmal’s ear
“All the best!” and moved on to his car, turning and looking onto Ajmal once, when his phone rang.
“Hello!”
“Namaste Papa. Rahul here!”
“How was your flight? When is your connecting flight?”
“Dad” he started, sounding as if he needed advise,” did you watch the news this morning? Mumbai is under attack. All flights have been grounded.”
“What!!” He acknowledged, not too surprised.
“My motherland stands endangered,dad. I have to return. I have to defend my country. ”
“Yes,son.” He replied, broadening his chest, and holding his head up high! He knew in that instant, that years of his training had succeeded. His son had grown up.
“But, mom?”
“Beta, there are times you have to be steady and choose what’s right over what’s easy. Return and defend your country. As for mom,” he said, with a slight grin and after a deep thought'” MAI HOO NA.” It was the movie Rahul had watched a million times as a child, and had almost all the dialogues, memorised, by heart . It was the film, that had almost, decided his future. This piece of advise, came as music to his ears.
“Thank you, dad.” Was all he said, and hung up. His emotion said everything.
The Brig. was in tears ( yes,a man even as strong as him, physically,emotionally and mentally,cried.) He wiped his tears, and sat into the car, hiding the pain. His wife asked, with a typical accent-“whose call was it? All ok?” He told nothing to his wife.
—————————————————————————————————————————————————
INTERCEPTS OF INDIAN INTELLIGENCE:
“Sallam-e-alikum”
“All set?”
“Yes,commander”
“Are you nervous?”
“Not at all,commander! You have trained us so well. Everything will be fine.”
“May allah be with you! COMMANDER OVER AND OUT”
“Over and out”
—————————————————————————————————————————————————
AT MUMBAI, ARMY STATION;
The state of the station was chaotic. Mumbai was on high alert. His identity card was of great help, getting him past all barricades. The station had security all around. He drove back, directly to his headquarters, returning salutes of shocked people on the way. As soon as he saw his boss, he stiffened. He stood at attention. His muscular hands went up right to his forehead. He gave his hand a slight angle, saluting to his senior. His salute truly was a model to behold. The boss, shocked, returned the salute.
“Maj. Rahul Gupta, reporting sir.”he said.
“what? Impossible? You returned?” He smiled, sheepishly.
“Sir, what would have i done? My country needs me. Also, army is all about ‘SELFLESS SERVICE TO THE NATION’ isn’t it? Besides, I’m sure i shall get leave after war! Wouldn’t I?”
“Off course!I will see you at mission briefing.” The boss walked away, busily.
AT THE BRIEFING ROOM:
The briefing room was a confidential room, within a blast pin, just the way you would expect too see at a station. The words ” AUTHORISED ENTRY ONLY” were on the door, with a fingerprint sensor beside it.
The C.O( commanding officer) began, with a tense, yet calm ,and deep voice.
“The CHIEF of ARMY STAFF, has given me all powers and support, to handle the situation tactfully. ”
All officers in the room, nodded, in recognition and approval to there C.O’s address.
“Mumbai has been under attack since morning.The Taj hotel, standing at exactly 18.9220° N, 72.8334° E is where the activity is apparently the centre of this activity. Besides THE TAJ,
Eight of the attacks occurred in South Mumbai: at Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, the Oberoi Trident & Tower, Leopold Cafe, Cama Hospital (a women and children’s hospital),the Nariman House Jewish community centre,the Metro Cinema,and in a lane behind the Times of India building and St. Xavier’s College.There was also an explosion at Mazagaon, in Mumbai’s port area, and in a taxi at Vile Parle. The army and NSG shall intervene, if and only if the MUMBAI POLICE are not successful in taking control of the situation. After long debates , we have decided upon the following names for operation BLACK TORNADO: MAJ. S SHARMA, COL. V. RAJU, MAJ. R. GUPTA…
Thats all Rahul heard. His name being called upon for the mission. People around him started congratulating him. To civilians it may seem a stupid, waste of life. But to a patriot -it was an honour. Defending the country was a passion, an achievement of a lifetime.
He couldn’t contact his parents, as jammers had been intercepting, decoding and checking each an ever signal that the station received, and calls to family members would just toughen the task.
28 th NOVEMBER, 2008; inside the BRIEFING ROOM at about 4:00 in the morning;
Only the C.O, Senior officers, and Men chosen for the task, were present.
Briefing began -” MUMBAI POLICE and security forces have managed to secure every location except for The TAJ PALACE. terrorists have entered, one of the several rooms, have disabled CCTV cams, and are holding visitors hostage. This is a very hostile situation, or precisely the one you have been trained for. You will be slithered onto the roof of THE TAJ by INDIAN AIR FORCES’ MI -17 V5 attack helicopter, the best we have . You will be armed with AK 47’s. All of you shall be in direct contact with us, all the time, with these headsets.” He said,holding up a headset.” Your primary objective – exterminate terrorist activity, and get terrorists living or dead. I REPEAT- YOU HAVE LICENSE TOO KILL AND EXTERMINATE ALL TERRORIST ACTIVITY. “He stressed upon these last words.
“That is all about it!”
” On a more more personal note we would like to add- Be proud of what you are going to do today. Emerge victorious!”
Those were the last words of the briefing.
They then, after a full weapons check, with there hearts pounding , boarded the chopper.
AFTER OPERATION BLACK TORNADO; Back at delhi;
“‘Operation Black Tornado’ has flushed out the remaining attackers; and has resulted in the deaths of the last remaining attackers at the Taj hotel and ending all fighting in the attacks. One terrorist (name withheld) has been captured alive. It is with great grief that we have to report that these attacks on MUMBAI, Now being called the 26/11, have also killed 164 people and wounded atleast 308. These attacks from 26 november to 29 november Have also lead to the martyring of several members of our forces. These brave-hearts include: Maj. Rahul Gupta, Maj. S. Sharma amongst others. Our hearts go out to the families of these patriots.” Urmila shut the T.V. Extremely shocked.
“Jasbir..jasbir.. What is this happening? They used Rahul s name in the martyred list? Jabir what is going on? We have no information, on our sons’ whereabouts’. And now, his name is taken in the martyred list !”. Her eyes seemed wet. All her hair were coming onto her face.
The brig. said nothing,at first, with wrinkles covering his face.
He then, began-” Urmila- Rahul had called. Umm, when we were leaving the grocery store!”. The bell rang, interrupting them. Urmila ran to the door. She, after a minutes’ pause, wiping her eyes, and putting her hair back in place, opened the door. She saw two Army men, holding a trunk, with the name ‘MAJ RAHUL GUPTA’ on the front side, in bold letters.
At first, she couldn’t understand a thing. Her eyes closed and she lost control, and collapsed. The army men, with evasive reflexes, dropped the trunk, and held the elderly woman, preventing a fall, that may have resulted in damage. They walked in, leaving the door open, and safely dropped the lady, onto the old sofa. Brig. Sodhi, knowing everything and also watching the sequence of events, ran out from the door.
While it was a tragic and sad time for the family, it was an inexplicably weird situation for the two men. So here they were, at Delhi, flown in from Mumbai, with the lady of the house unconscious, the husband, missing, and the son, martyred. The men then, tried to bring back consciousness to the lady.
One of the men, said to the other – ” this is the toughest part. Breaking the news to the family!”
The lady, regained consciousness. She began ,in a low, ill voice -“is this all some kind of joke? What s all happening? Where s Jasbir? I told him the forces are losing there charm!”
“Ma’am, keeping a stone on our hearts, with great grievance and resentment, we have to tell you, your son MAJ. RAHUL GUPTA has lost his life, in OPERATION TORNADO. ”
The lady, not believing a word, called for her husband. ” this is a serious matter. My son, has what? You will pay for this!”. She gave funny expressions.
“Ma’am, an old man went running out of the door, probably with a pistol. We thought helping you was more important than stopping a running maniac.,”the men replied, with slight,confused grins.
“Is this some kind of joke? First you tell me, my son is dead. Next, my husband ran out of his own house?”
“Ma’am, we understand this is an indeed tough time for you, however, you need to be strong.”
“Would you take the pain to explain to me, what is happening?”she replied.
The men explained to the lady, in great detail,about how her son returned and was martyred. They also informed her,that his name had been forwarded for the The highest wartime gallantry award -THE PARAM VIR CHAKRA.
The lady, still couldn’t believe anything. Continuos,unstopping tears flowed from her eyes. She fell onto the ground, lamenting and wailing!
The men left, leaving the lady all alone , talking amongst themselves;
“What do we do about the man?”
“Umm..just ignore it! This seems like a madhouse!”
LETTER FROM YAMUNA MOTOR WORKS TO THE C.B.I , INDIAN INTELLIGENCE AND ARMY:
To whoever it may conern,
“The romantic idea of concealing a secret in a bottle, and throwing it into the open sea, to flow with the waves, always fascinated me. It is by a mere stroke of luck, that your secret be revealed or it be concealed for ever and ever. I personally always had this ‘PATRIOTIC OUTLOOK’ to serve my nation, selflessly. But, I too was fair to myself, and also always wanted to avenge myself and , why not say my family! This idea always gave me peace of mind, and it further, became my purpose in life, to achieve both of these targets. The former, I achieved, by serving the nation, for long, long years.
However, I soon learnt, that even after these long years of services, all that the country returns to you , is ABSOLUTELY NOTHING, except a harsh, tough life with a minimal pension. Thus, to achieve the latter target, after retirement in 1991 ,after long years of planning and savings, I managed to form my own terrorist organisation, in a small room or my command center, the LASKAR-e-TAIBAN OR LeT. It took 17 long years to plan, train and execute a brilliant terrorist attack, to quench my thirst of revenge.
The question may arise,put in simple terms- ‘revenge for what?’
Well, the answer lies in what happened in the past, back as long as to the midnight of 15th august 1947. My father being a freedom fighter, and a fierce, fierce supporter of the Mahatma, all he wanted was a un -divided, united INDIA. But, the others had there way. My father was asked to leave the country,or face dire consequences. The easiest solution he could find was, ‘suicide’. We were truly shattered. If all this wasn’t enough, My mother fell prey to the evil practices of society back then, SATI. All that I ever wanted, from that moment on, was one simple thing REVENGE.
I never found the forces of India, worthy enough to crack the case, or even capture alive the terrorists I had trained so well.
Everything had been planned perfectly, to the extent of getting my son safely away from Mumbai. This is where things went wrong. I underestimated my son to be a coward, rather than a patriot as he finally emerged. I had to face the difficult choice, of my dream against that of my son, when he called me. It was always going to be my dream. In fact, the terrorist being caught, AJMAL KASAB, too was a part of the plan.
With this guilt I could no longer live, and hence, unless you read this revelation, you would find nothing but the body of an old army Brig. ,Shot in the head with a vintage army pistol, and an unsolved TERRORIST MYSTERY.
His long white moustache that he raised at the ends, complimented his strong ,sturdy and tough body perfectly. His face had freckles, and seemed as dried as raisin. All his hair had turned white, over years of hard work, both at his office as well as at training his son, to be an officer, just like him.
He turned to his watch, and called out to his wife, “Urmila..Urmila.. You are so incorrigible. You went back to sleep? Besides its time for my tea!”. His wife emerged from the room, replying modestly with a cribb, almost bumping into the beautiful Vintage gun collection of the Brigadier, dropping the pistol he valued most- -” Oh, I was freshening up! You husbands are always ready to comment. I have woken up at 4:00 each day for you, from the past 25 years. Haven’t I?”
“Yes” he replied, while a totally different answer played in his head.
“Oh, yes, by the way, ask your maid to stop entering that room of mine. She was there again. I have lost count of many times have I told her!”he shouted across to the kitchen, where his wife was making tea.
“Yes, but what I can do, except telling her?.
“Alright “he nodded. Rahul is returning today! Be ready by 8. Umm.. We ll get the groceries. He will be calling up,when he reaches the connecting flight!”the Brig. said trying to change the topic.
“Ah..yes yes. He is finally returning, after two long years. Finally he has managed to get leave. He might have forgotten our faces, i think! His boss, he is so domineering and weird. I never liked him. He is so strict with leaves!” with great emotion and a crack in her voice, she replied.
” That is how bosses are supposed to be. He is not “weird” but a true patriot”, he said, in response , falling back to his days.
“The forces are losing there charm, don’t you think? With the advancement in technology, the values are deteriorating!” She started, like a judge, pronouncing his verdict, with lives hanging in the balance.
“Umm..yes!” He said, lying , again.
“Oh, I ‘ll get dressed.”
“Please do, we will leave by 8 positively! I am in that room of mine. Call out to me, if you need me!”
AT THE GROCERY STORE:
“Namaste, sahib! What can I do for you?” The shopkeeper began, with a weird shrewd touch in his voice.
“Do as Madam says!” He replied in an authoritative voice, quelling the shrewdness in the shopkeeper.
His wife handed over the list to the shopkeeper, with a keen eye on the Jeweller’s shop nearby.
In an instant, she left, like the north pole of the magnet is attracted to the south .
The army man, heaved a huge sigh if relief. So did the shopkeeper, apparently.
“Take it from an old army man- I have never been frightened of anything, in my long harsh service of 38 years, except for her!” Pointing towards his short, black haired wife!
“Haha. I have had no trainings and am quite young relatively, but take it from me, in my short married life, i have been afraid of nothing but, My wife” he replied, with an awkward grin.
(“Ready for today, Ajmal? he asked, with a sudden seriousness. “Nervous, are you?”
He didn’t reply, but just with eye contact and body language conveyed to the Brig. well enough -“i am always up for challenges!”)
“Are the groceries ready?” Started a pleasant voice suddenly in the backdrop.
“Yes, madam. There they are! The boy will carry them over to the car!”
Brig. Sodhi handed over the car keys to his wife, and paid the bill, whispering into Ajmal’s ear
“All the best!” and moved on to his car, turning and looking onto Ajmal once, when his phone rang.
“Hello!”
“Namaste Papa. Rahul here!”
“How was your flight? When is your connecting flight?”
“Dad” he started, sounding as if he needed advise,” did you watch the news this morning? Mumbai is under attack. All flights have been grounded.”
“What!!” He acknowledged, not too surprised.
“My motherland stands endangered,dad. I have to return. I have to defend my country. ”
“Yes,son.” He replied, broadening his chest, and holding his head up high! He knew in that instant, that years of his training had succeeded. His son had grown up.
“But, mom?”
“Beta, there are times you have to be steady and choose what’s right over what’s easy. Return and defend your country. As for mom,” he said, with a slight grin and after a deep thought'” MAI HOO NA.” It was the movie Rahul had watched a million times as a child, and had almost all the dialogues, memorised, by heart . It was the film, that had almost, decided his future. This piece of advise, came as music to his ears.
“Thank you, dad.” Was all he said, and hung up. His emotion said everything.
The Brig. was in tears ( yes,a man even as strong as him, physically,emotionally and mentally,cried.) He wiped his tears, and sat into the car, hiding the pain. His wife asked, with a typical accent-“whose call was it? All ok?” He told nothing to his wife.
—————————————————————————————————————————————————
INTERCEPTS OF INDIAN INTELLIGENCE:
“Sallam-e-alikum”
“All set?”
“Yes,commander”
“Are you nervous?”
“Not at all,commander! You have trained us so well. Everything will be fine.”
“May allah be with you! COMMANDER OVER AND OUT”
“Over and out”
—————————————————————————————————————————————————
AT MUMBAI, ARMY STATION;
The state of the station was chaotic. Mumbai was on high alert. His identity card was of great help, getting him past all barricades. The station had security all around. He drove back, directly to his headquarters, returning salutes of shocked people on the way. As soon as he saw his boss, he stiffened. He stood at attention. His muscular hands went up right to his forehead. He gave his hand a slight angle, saluting to his senior. His salute truly was a model to behold. The boss, shocked, returned the salute.
“Maj. Rahul Gupta, reporting sir.”he said.
“what? Impossible? You returned?” He smiled, sheepishly.
“Sir, what would have i done? My country needs me. Also, army is all about ‘SELFLESS SERVICE TO THE NATION’ isn’t it? Besides, I’m sure i shall get leave after war! Wouldn’t I?”
“Off course!I will see you at mission briefing.” The boss walked away, busily.
AT THE BRIEFING ROOM:
The briefing room was a confidential room, within a blast pin, just the way you would expect too see at a station. The words ” AUTHORISED ENTRY ONLY” were on the door, with a fingerprint sensor beside it.
The C.O( commanding officer) began, with a tense, yet calm ,and deep voice.
“The CHIEF of ARMY STAFF, has given me all powers and support, to handle the situation tactfully. ”
All officers in the room, nodded, in recognition and approval to there C.O’s address.
“Mumbai has been under attack since morning.The Taj hotel, standing at exactly 18.9220° N, 72.8334° E is where the activity is apparently the centre of this activity. Besides THE TAJ,
Eight of the attacks occurred in South Mumbai: at Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, the Oberoi Trident & Tower, Leopold Cafe, Cama Hospital (a women and children’s hospital),the Nariman House Jewish community centre,the Metro Cinema,and in a lane behind the Times of India building and St. Xavier’s College.There was also an explosion at Mazagaon, in Mumbai’s port area, and in a taxi at Vile Parle. The army and NSG shall intervene, if and only if the MUMBAI POLICE are not successful in taking control of the situation. After long debates , we have decided upon the following names for operation BLACK TORNADO: MAJ. S SHARMA, COL. V. RAJU, MAJ. R. GUPTA…
Thats all Rahul heard. His name being called upon for the mission. People around him started congratulating him. To civilians it may seem a stupid, waste of life. But to a patriot -it was an honour. Defending the country was a passion, an achievement of a lifetime.
He couldn’t contact his parents, as jammers had been intercepting, decoding and checking each an ever signal that the station received, and calls to family members would just toughen the task.
28 th NOVEMBER, 2008; inside the BRIEFING ROOM at about 4:00 in the morning;
Only the C.O, Senior officers, and Men chosen for the task, were present.
Briefing began -” MUMBAI POLICE and security forces have managed to secure every location except for The TAJ PALACE. terrorists have entered, one of the several rooms, have disabled CCTV cams, and are holding visitors hostage. This is a very hostile situation, or precisely the one you have been trained for. You will be slithered onto the roof of THE TAJ by INDIAN AIR FORCES’ MI -17 V5 attack helicopter, the best we have . You will be armed with AK 47’s. All of you shall be in direct contact with us, all the time, with these headsets.” He said,holding up a headset.” Your primary objective – exterminate terrorist activity, and get terrorists living or dead. I REPEAT- YOU HAVE LICENSE TOO KILL AND EXTERMINATE ALL TERRORIST ACTIVITY. “He stressed upon these last words.
“That is all about it!”
” On a more more personal note we would like to add- Be proud of what you are going to do today. Emerge victorious!”
Those were the last words of the briefing.
They then, after a full weapons check, with there hearts pounding , boarded the chopper.
AFTER OPERATION BLACK TORNADO; Back at delhi;
“‘Operation Black Tornado’ has flushed out the remaining attackers; and has resulted in the deaths of the last remaining attackers at the Taj hotel and ending all fighting in the attacks. One terrorist (name withheld) has been captured alive. It is with great grief that we have to report that these attacks on MUMBAI, Now being called the 26/11, have also killed 164 people and wounded atleast 308. These attacks from 26 november to 29 november Have also lead to the martyring of several members of our forces. These brave-hearts include: Maj. Rahul Gupta, Maj. S. Sharma amongst others. Our hearts go out to the families of these patriots.” Urmila shut the T.V. Extremely shocked.
“Jasbir..jasbir.. What is this happening? They used Rahul s name in the martyred list? Jabir what is going on? We have no information, on our sons’ whereabouts’. And now, his name is taken in the martyred list !”. Her eyes seemed wet. All her hair were coming onto her face.
The brig. said nothing,at first, with wrinkles covering his face.
He then, began-” Urmila- Rahul had called. Umm, when we were leaving the grocery store!”. The bell rang, interrupting them. Urmila ran to the door. She, after a minutes’ pause, wiping her eyes, and putting her hair back in place, opened the door. She saw two Army men, holding a trunk, with the name ‘MAJ RAHUL GUPTA’ on the front side, in bold letters.
At first, she couldn’t understand a thing. Her eyes closed and she lost control, and collapsed. The army men, with evasive reflexes, dropped the trunk, and held the elderly woman, preventing a fall, that may have resulted in damage. They walked in, leaving the door open, and safely dropped the lady, onto the old sofa. Brig. Sodhi, knowing everything and also watching the sequence of events, ran out from the door.
While it was a tragic and sad time for the family, it was an inexplicably weird situation for the two men. So here they were, at Delhi, flown in from Mumbai, with the lady of the house unconscious, the husband, missing, and the son, martyred. The men then, tried to bring back consciousness to the lady.
One of the men, said to the other – ” this is the toughest part. Breaking the news to the family!”
The lady, regained consciousness. She began ,in a low, ill voice -“is this all some kind of joke? What s all happening? Where s Jasbir? I told him the forces are losing there charm!”
“Ma’am, keeping a stone on our hearts, with great grievance and resentment, we have to tell you, your son MAJ. RAHUL GUPTA has lost his life, in OPERATION TORNADO. ”
The lady, not believing a word, called for her husband. ” this is a serious matter. My son, has what? You will pay for this!”. She gave funny expressions.
“Ma’am, an old man went running out of the door, probably with a pistol. We thought helping you was more important than stopping a running maniac.,”the men replied, with slight,confused grins.
“Is this some kind of joke? First you tell me, my son is dead. Next, my husband ran out of his own house?”
“Ma’am, we understand this is an indeed tough time for you, however, you need to be strong.”
“Would you take the pain to explain to me, what is happening?”she replied.
The men explained to the lady, in great detail,about how her son returned and was martyred. They also informed her,that his name had been forwarded for the The highest wartime gallantry award -THE PARAM VIR CHAKRA.
The lady, still couldn’t believe anything. Continuos,unstopping tears flowed from her eyes. She fell onto the ground, lamenting and wailing!
The men left, leaving the lady all alone , talking amongst themselves;
“What do we do about the man?”
“Umm..just ignore it! This seems like a madhouse!”
LETTER FROM YAMUNA MOTOR WORKS TO THE C.B.I , INDIAN INTELLIGENCE AND ARMY:
To whoever it may conern,
“The romantic idea of concealing a secret in a bottle, and throwing it into the open sea, to flow with the waves, always fascinated me. It is by a mere stroke of luck, that your secret be revealed or it be concealed for ever and ever. I personally always had this ‘PATRIOTIC OUTLOOK’ to serve my nation, selflessly. But, I too was fair to myself, and also always wanted to avenge myself and , why not say my family! This idea always gave me peace of mind, and it further, became my purpose in life, to achieve both of these targets. The former, I achieved, by serving the nation, for long, long years.
However, I soon learnt, that even after these long years of services, all that the country returns to you , is ABSOLUTELY NOTHING, except a harsh, tough life with a minimal pension. Thus, to achieve the latter target, after retirement in 1991 ,after long years of planning and savings, I managed to form my own terrorist organisation, in a small room or my command center, the LASKAR-e-TAIBAN OR LeT. It took 17 long years to plan, train and execute a brilliant terrorist attack, to quench my thirst of revenge.
The question may arise,put in simple terms- ‘revenge for what?’
Well, the answer lies in what happened in the past, back as long as to the midnight of 15th august 1947. My father being a freedom fighter, and a fierce, fierce supporter of the Mahatma, all he wanted was a un -divided, united INDIA. But, the others had there way. My father was asked to leave the country,or face dire consequences. The easiest solution he could find was, ‘suicide’. We were truly shattered. If all this wasn’t enough, My mother fell prey to the evil practices of society back then, SATI. All that I ever wanted, from that moment on, was one simple thing REVENGE.
I never found the forces of India, worthy enough to crack the case, or even capture alive the terrorists I had trained so well.
Everything had been planned perfectly, to the extent of getting my son safely away from Mumbai. This is where things went wrong. I underestimated my son to be a coward, rather than a patriot as he finally emerged. I had to face the difficult choice, of my dream against that of my son, when he called me. It was always going to be my dream. In fact, the terrorist being caught, AJMAL KASAB, too was a part of the plan.
With this guilt I could no longer live, and hence, unless you read this revelation, you would find nothing but the body of an old army Brig. ,Shot in the head with a vintage army pistol, and an unsolved TERRORIST MYSTERY.
Brig. Sodhi
MAJ. RAHUL GUPTA WAS POSTHUMOUSLY AWARDED THE PARAM VIR CHAKRA.
THE ATTACKS OF 26 November 2008, on Mumbai made INDIA nothing but stronger.
THE END
THE VOICE - BOLD & BEAUTIFUL 
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