Anya Mithra
“Anya! Anya! Your brother is calling you. On the little hill outside the basti (slums).”
12-year-old Anya was washing utensils outside her tiny shanty in one of the biggest slums of Mumbai. Dharavi.
The one-roomed tin shed with an asbestos sheet for a roof was their only possession left behind by their parents. Her brother, Dada, as she called him, was 8 years older and she loved him to the moon and back.
She didn’t remember much about her parents. They had died in a fire at the mills compound where they worked.
Anya was only 6 at the time. Her Dada had brought her up. He had managed to do odd jobs and bring in money. Enough to keep their shanty and to bring in food at least once a day.
There were some days when they would go without meals. Those were few and far between and even at that time, her brother managed to get a deep-fried bhajji (fritters) or a cheap bar of candied fruit for her to eat and sleep. She did not have to sleep on an empty stomach.
Life was hard but Dada had insisted that she should continue her education. The little public school sitting at the edge of their slum pocket, right next to the mountain of garbage provided free education. It was run by a Missionary trust and was partially funded by the government.
She even managed to get donated books, shoes and clothes from the trust. The clothes were sometimes too big for her but they would help cover her tiny frame.
She loved her books. They helped her forget the difficulties of life.
He never called her anywhere when he was out for work and he never took a break from his work. That’s why he consistently found work. Then why was he calling her in the middle of the day?
“What Sana,” she shouted back at her friend. “What's he calling me for?”
“Don’t know. Tatya (names of one of the boys) said Dada had a surprise for you", the girl shouted at the top of her voice, "I need to go now, or else my Dad will kill me. Bye.” She pranced off.
Many people in the vicinity heard her. No one said a word. It was very common for men in their community to beat their women up. And kids were only collateral damage.
Anya left the utensils, wiped her hands to her frock and strutted towards the hill in her worn-out flip flops. She was excited. What was the surprise that couldn’t wait until evening?
*****
Palash Mithra (Dada)
He was a hard-working boy. At 20 he had already managed to find a job as a car mechanic. It gave him a meagre but steady income. When he had lost his parents 6 years back, he was heartbroken.
He did not allow himself to grieve. He had a lovely little sister who had to be taken care of. He came from a family where women were respected and treated as equals. The family where women were worshipped as Durga (a female goddess), the eternal power.
He had seen better days in his childhood but their family misfortune had landed them in this hell-hole called Dharavi. At that age, he didn’t understand the dealings of the grown-ups, but he had heard his mum and dad speak about getting cheated by their business partner.
He had no idea of their business, no inkling of what the matter was and he didn’t care. Thinking about it would neither bring food nor money to him, so it was a mere waste of time.
He wanted to work hard and take his sister out of this shitty place. He knew about the sickly web of crime around him.
Stolen goods, narcotics, human trafficking and everything else that supported the city’s underbelly of crime would find it’s roost inside the dark alleys of Dharavi. He kept to himself and stayed away from it.
There was money in there but he wanted a clean and decent life for himself and his sister. “I would never touch haraam ka paisa (easy money).” he would tell Anya.
“Dada? What are you doing here?” Anya’s friend Sana pulled him out of his reverie. The little motor garage was on her way home and Palash was cleaning out an autorickshaw’s gearbox, sitting on one of its tyres, just outside the garage.
“Working. Why?” He scowled. He hated anyone disturbing him in his work. It meant lesser money.
“Didn’t you call Anya at the hill?”
“Why would I? Who will do my work then?”
“But Tatya said that you had planned a surprise for her?”
He swore.
Tatya was one of the guys he hung out with. Palash didn’t have any friends. Most boys in the slums were either junkies or addicted to rough sex. Tatya could have fucked everyone if he got a chance.
Palash dropped his work and ran as fast as he could go. He didn’t even bother to let anyone at the garage know. Anxious and scared for his sister’s life, he ran. She was his baby sister. He could not afford to lose her.
*****
Anya
Carefree Anya reached the hill. She couldn’t see or hear anyone. There was only silence. “Dada! Dada! Where are you?”
She walked carefully through the overgrown bushes around her. Anya knew no fear. She had heard of snakes and scorpions here but she had already seen and slept with bugs of various sizes inside her tiny shanty.
She walked towards the top of the hill. It had the dilapidated remains of an old stone house from a bygone era. It was said that a very rich family once lived there, but hundreds of years back they had moved to a different part of the town. The land was now owned by some Trust.
She continued walking, calling out for her brother from time to time. Her tiny feet were cramping up now and she desperately needed water. She had reached the ruins at the top of the hill and was moving from one run-down wall to the other when she heard laughter.
It seemed like boys. More than one. She called out hesitating a little. “Dada?”
Anya looked around the crumbling wall.
4 young boys sat in a circle with cheap snacks and alcohol with them. She did not know anyone personally but she had seen her brother hang out with them sometimes.
She saw Tatya. “Did you see Dada? Sana told me that he was here.”
Tatya laughed. “He isn’t here but he asked us to take care of you. He wanted you to have some fun.”
Anya did not like the malice in his tone. She had heard about bad things happening to young girls. She and Sana had spoken about it many times.
When her periods had started her brother had explained important things about her body. She took a step back. “I am not interested. I have work to do.” She turned around and tried to leave.
Tatya was by her side in seconds. He lifted her up and put her on his shoulder. He was a grown-up in his early twenties while she was just a child. It was easy.
She kicked her dangling legs against him trying to free herself. Luckily for her, one of the legs met a spot that made him drop her and cover his crotch.
She got up and shot off, away from the place. The other 3 boys started following her, shouting, “get hold of her, quick. Don’t let the bitch escape.”
She ran through the stones and the overgrown shrubs. The grown-up boys were fast catching up while her tiny legs were trying to get her as far away from that dreaded place.
She tripped and fell down. Pain shot through her knees as they rubbed against the sharp stones. The boys had reached. They laughed.
“Caught you!” one said.
The other one held her arm and pulled her up, “Thought you could outrun us? How dare you hit Tatya. You will be punished for it,” he spat menacingly on the ground.
His breath reeked of alcohol. Pushing the rising wave of nausea down, Anya stood shivering. She tried to think about ways to save herself.
The third one said, “don’t worry bitch. You will have as much fun as us. In fact, we will make sure that you come back for more.” His cruel laughter showed his teeth stained by tobacco chewing.
“Get your filthy hands off her!” She heard her brother’s shout and felt relieved. He was here, her dada was here now. She would be safe.
“Palash! You will need to fight us to free her!” the one holding her hand said. Alcohol giving him a false sense of power.
Palash closed the distance between them and punched the S*O*B. They were drunk and sluggish. It was effortless.
He pushed the other 2 down and holding Anya’s arm started walking away. Anya was still shivering. She felt her brother jerk. He let out an ear-splitting scream and left her arm. Both his hands went to the back of his head.
There was blood, lots of blood oozing out of his head. He fell down. Anya was screaming and crying. Hugging her brother, trying to wake his lifeless body up.
Tatya stood with an iron rod in his hands looking stunned at the amount of blood that pooled around Palash’s head.
Through the haze of tears in her eyes, she saw Sana arrive with her dad and some cops. Tatya was arrested.
*****
Anya 12-year-old Anya ran, dreading for her life. The overgrown shrubs must have grown bigger. They were almost reaching her waist now. Her worn-out flip flops were broken, so she left them behind and ran bare feet. Thorns pricking the soft soles of her feet. Pain shooting through her legs and her stomach cramping up with hunger. She couldn't remember when she had last eaten. She fell down and tried to get up but Tatya was at her side. She sat on the rocky ground, terrified. He poured a bucket full of warm blood on her. The warm blood soaked her clothes, turning her little hands red, reeking of death. No, No, No, stop... "STOP!!!" Shouting, Anya woke up with a start. Hyperventilating and disoriented, she looked around her, anxiously. She was in her one-bedroom apartment. Heaving a sigh of relief she checked the time. Her mobile phone on the bedside table said 3.00 am. Feeling frustrated, sh
Anand Gore (Andy) Andy received a call early in the morning. His best friend Mia was crying hysterically. “Babe! What happened? Why are you crying?” “He tried to rape me,” she managed to splutter through her sobs. “What the fuck? Who? Where are you?” She was his best friend. They were together in junior college. After 12th grade, Mia had decided to become an Ayurvedic doctor while he had taken up Engineering in the Information Technology (IT) field. “I don’t know. It is some road near Sushant’s house,” she said. “The bastard did this to you?” “Yes” Andy cursed, “Babe, listen! Are you in a safe space? Is he following you?” “No. I broke a vase on his head. He is knocked out.” “That’s my girl! Now walk towards the police station. I am on my way.” He rode his Royal Enfield motorbike like a maniac and covered a distance of 30 mins in 10. Mia was still sobbing when he found her. She hadn
AnyaThe girl Mia was clearly in distress and it only triggered the anger inside her. Such cases affected her a lot. They increased her nightmares and she felt like beating the shit out of the assholes who tried to sexually assault anyone.Bloody motherfuckers! She totally hated the rapists and people who attempted rape. According to her they were the scum of this planet, lowest of the low!!Once Mia’s medical report was in, they arrested Sushant. The guy was pissed off. Apparently the guy’s dad had some very strong political connections. Bloody rich assholes!!She needed Mia to come in for some questioning. She called the number given on Mia’s file but the phone was switched off. She called Anand (Andy).“Hi!” Said Andy.“Hey! Is this Mr Anand Gore?”“Yes!”“PSI Anya here. We have caught the culprit.”“Wow! That was quick. I thought our cops were sl
"Time to go babes". Andy sat ready on his black Royal Enfield classic bike with an extra helmet.Since the day Mia had stumbled across her boyfriend Sushant fucking one of their seniors a few months back, Andy had remained a solid support for Mia. They were best friends since their junior college and nothing could stop them from being there for each other.He knew what a fuckwit Sushant was. He would give Mia a lot of grief over continuing to be friends with Andy. Her personality had changed into an introvert but this is one thing that she thankfully did not give up. She stayed in touch with Andy, albeit in secret without letting Sushant know.Whenever Andy recalled the latest incident, he would feel like bashing the bastard up but he controlled himself knowing that the case was in the hands of the cops.Mia came out of her parents house looking as beautiful as ever in her blue denims and a yel
AndyNext morning when Mia came downstairs her eyes looked tired. “Hey babes, how are you doing? You look terrible.”“I feel terrible,” she said massaging her neck instinctively, “my head hurts and I haven’t been able to sleep properly in spite of medicines. I hate this. Hate being a weakling.”“I know. It’s a lot to face your attacker everyday!”Mia sat down next to him and took the mug of coffee that he offered. “What do I do Andy? I can’t carry on like this. I have 3 whole semesters to go and my work is important for me.”“I know sweetie, but he is a senior, isn’t he? He will be gone doing his internship after his finals in O
AnyaShe reached Andy’s college a little after the event had already begun. Unlike the horde of students milling around, she was a professional and had a job. A last minute case had held her back. She had to wrap up her work and rush to the college in a tuktuk (a yellow and black three-wheeled motorized vehicle used as a taxi in India).After haggling with the tuktuk driver and paying an obscenely inflated fare she thought to herself, 'I really need to get a vehicle for myself. This daily haggling is a pain in the ass. Once the EMI (Equated Monthly Installments or mortgage) for the gym equipment is done, I should look for a motorbike.'
AndyThey walked to a restaurant that was frequented by the college students. It was a pocket-friendly place with a warm vibe to it. The walls were painted yellow and the place was decorated with cheap roadside paintings. Wasn’t very well lit, but the tables and cutlery were clean.“This place isn’t much but the food is good,” said Andy, a little embarrassed by his choice of restaurant.“It’s perfect! It's nearby too! Let’s order,” said Anya. “What would you like to have?” she asked, checking the menu out.“Paneer tikka masala (cottage cheese curry with spices and veggies) and roti (Indian flatbread made out of whole wheat flour),” said Andy, happy that Anya wasn’t stuck up on material
AnyaHer phone showed a few unread messages and missed calls from Andy. She had put her phone on silent mode during the fest and then forgotten about it. She scolded herself. Thankfully there were no calls from the station.<Andy> 12.05 am Hi. Reached safely. Sorry to leave in a hurry.<Andy> 12.20 am Sleep well. Good night :-) (smile emoji)<Andy> 2 am I have beaten up the bastard since you didn’t attend your call. What should I do next?She immediately dialled his number. He attended the call in the first ring.“Hi. Thanks for calling, “ he said. He sounded angry.“I was asleep