“Vaadi”

“I, Rohan Shastri, hereby solemnly swear that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the Constitution of India, as by law established and that I will, as in duty bound honestly and faithfully, serve in the regular Army of the Union of India and go wherever ordered, by land, sea or air, and that I will observe and obey all the commands of the President of the Union of India and the commands of any officer set above me, even to the peril of my life.”

The oath echoed in Rohan’s ears as he rode in his jeep on the meandering roads of the beautiful valley. God had certainly blessed with valley with unmatched beauty, but humans had left no stone unturned to blemish it. Anyone remotely aware of the history and politics of the Indian subcontinent would know that it was one of the most dangerous places to be. But for a soldier like Rohan, beginning his career with the Indian Army, this was a place that would help him prove his mettle and repay the debt to his motherland. What other reason could possibly motivate him to leave his hometown in the backwaters of balmy Kerala; to embrace the cold bosom of this valley.

Rohan was deep in thoughts when he heard a thud, then black clouds engulfed him. He felt himself falling into the deep trenches of the treacherous mountains. How long he lay like that, he would probably never know. When he woke up next, it was a tiny room in a house. A pair of soft hands were slightly pressing his head. Mummy? No. Then who? He struggled to open his eyes. The face that greeted him was mesmerizing, to say the least. She must be around 20. Her face to could light up a moonless night, her light green eyes could pierce through his soul, her lips were the color of fresh ripe strawberry and the deep pink flush on her skin could add color to a barren desert. Who was she?

“Welcome to Kashmir,” she said in her melodious voice. “You have been unconscious for past three days. The bomb explosion destroyed your jeep. Your driver could not survive, may Allah grant him place in jannat.”Her soothing voice was able to calm down the agitation inside Rohan. “I forgot to mention, my name is Dua. You are in my house, near Srinagar, Abba found you lying by a rock near blast site and brought you here.”

“I need to report to the army cantonment. I might be mistaken for dead and if my family is informed of the same; hell would break lose.”

“Army cantonment?” a stunned Dua said. “I didn’t realize you were from the army. You were not wearing the uniform, and the jeep wasn’t an army jeep.”

“I was told to travel as a civilian, for safety reasons.”

“Oh Allah, Abba shouldn’t have brought you home. You must leave soon. I am sorry, this is against Kashmiri hospitality, but this is more for your own good than mine,” beseeched Dua.

“Why?” Rohan knew he had to leave, he also knew that he would leave a piece of his heart behind. He was a toughened soldier, all brain and brawn and very little heart. But, he had been hit by some force which drew him more to this woman, than the call of duty which he was honor bound to answer. This force, the realisation dawned upon him, was “love”. But, could it happen in seconds? Hadn’t he questioned its existence all his life? But, right now, in this moment, it felt as true as his own breath. He was going to let himself fall willingly.

“I am not going to answer that, it would be better for you. But you must leave. Also, remember to change your dressing once every day and get yourself checked at the army hospital. You will be in my prayers.” Dua’s sense of urgency made him restless. He decided to leave, but he wanted to say that just as he would be in her prayers, she would be in his heart.

“Captain Rohan Shastri reporting Sir.”

“I am so relieved to see you Captain. We thought we lost you, even before we had the opportunity to meet you. But since we hadn’t found anything about you and it had only been three days, we didn’t inform your family yet.” Major General Chaudhry was the head of Northern Command of the Indian Army. A tough officer, he was a veteran of many of India’s post-independence wars and skirmishes. He was known to be tough, but just. Under his leadership, the unethical atrocities of Army towards civilians in Kashmir had reduced and the reputation of the army had improved. “Havaldar Sangram Singh, show the Captain his room, and then take him to the hospital for a checkup. See you at dinner captain.”

Rohan had finally joined officially. He was patrolling through the streets of Srinagar one day, when he thought he saw her. “Dua,” escaped his mouth. She turned around stunned. It was not a good sign for a Kashmiri girl to be summoned by an army man. She took baby steps toward him, he raced towards her. “How have you been? I am fine now. I was hoping to visit you. I need to meet you father as well, to thank him. I am so glad to see you.”

“I am glad you are okay, but we must never meet.” She turned around and left.

Sundeep Singh, a fellow captain, who had been observing them, came toward Rohan after she had left. “Was that Dua Malik?”

“I know her name is Dua, not sure about the surname. Her father found me after the blast. She nursed me back to health. I owe this life to her.

Sandeep was stunned. “You really don’t know who she is?”

“I told you who she is,” said a confused Rohan.

“She is Rahman Malik’s sister. He is the second in command of Al-Jihad, who have perpetrated countless blasts in the valley for past many years, including the one you were a victim of. I am sorry, but I would have to report your contact to the Malik family to General Chaudhry. We would have to interrogate you.”

Rohan felt the world around him spinning. That is why she kept saying that they should never be in contact. It was for his good. But, how good would his life be if she were not in it.

“Rohan, I am satisfied with the interrogation. Obviously, I hadn’t expected to find anything that would incriminate you, but you should understand that we have to follow protocols. In this Kashmir, you shouldn’t trust your own shadow. You are free to rejoin from tomorrow,” General Chaudhry informed Rohan.

“Sir, I had a request. Can I meet her once?” implored Rohan.

Major Chaudhry knew the young man was possessed by the force of love. The officer in him told him not to permit, but the man in him knew that this wouldn’t be harmful. “Go ahead, but you would have to take a chaperone along. I will ask Sundeep to accompany. I am sorry son, but this has to be done.”

“Okay.”

She was watering the flowers in her kitchen garden when an army jeep stopped outside her house. “Oh Allah, Abba is not home. What should I do?”

She opened the gate and started speaking immediately, “We haven’t heard from my brother since the last time you visited. I have nothing new to tell you. He is as much fugitive for this house, as he is for your army.”

“Due, I came to see you.”, spoke Rohan finally.

“Oh,” said a relieved Dua. Then suddenly, as if something struck her, she started ranting, “But why? I told you we must not meet. I just blurted out the reasons for you. Why do you come again and again despite my warning against it?”

“I love you.”

“Oh. But you must not be here.”

“I said I love you,” repeated a desperate Rohan.

“Love. It is forbidden in Kashmir. Where just bullets speak, the language of love is not understood. Love is a sin here. I would pay its price by my life, but you are an officer. You would pay its price by your honor. I know it is more dear to you than your life.”

Rohan was left speechless for a while. He gathered himself, then responded, “I will work for a tomorrow where a Rohan and a Dua could love without the fear of consequences; where bullets would be forbidden and love would be sacred. This good bye maybe forever, but I am leaving behind a piece of my heart, which you would always have; which would keep the hope of a better tomorrow alive in you and the pain of separation alive in me.”

*Vaadi means a valley in Hindi. “Abba” is a way of addressing one’s father in Urdu. “Jannat” means heaven in Urdu.