For the past two days Praveen had felt like a bird in a cage. He could not go anywhere other than just sitting diligently in front of the sewing machine, sewing one after another. Finished one, sewed another one, and so on. From morning until late at night. His body felt crushed, his eyes stinging because he focused on seeing the needle that went up and down. He could only rest for half an hour at lunch. He was sure this was not the right job for him. And he would not like a job like this for the rest of his life. He endured these two days for the sake of Uncle Anand who had been kind enough to give him a place to stay. From time to time he said a prayer, that the worker who had returned to his village would back here soon so that he would not have the burden of leaving this place. And sure enough, his prayer was answered in the afternoon, when that man appeared at Uncle Anand's house. It turned out that he was still young, at least the same age as him. He looked on cynically when he
It was a lonely night at Uncle Anand's house. The workers were away on weekend. Even though they still work on Sundays, they don't want to miss Saturday night. Incidentally Uncle Anand and his wife were also out. Only Praveen and Raju were in the narrow front room, sitting and watching tv. "You didn't go out, Praveen?" asked Raju. "How about you? Why don't you go out for a Saturday night?" Praveen asked back. "What for? Only spend the money. It's better for me just stay at home. This year I have to be frugal to raise money." "You want to get married?" Raju just smiled. "You think thrift just to get married, do you? No! I want to get out of India!" "Where?" asked Praveen curiously. "I want to emigrate. I have two choices, maybe Dubai or Australia. But most likely Dubai. Australia is a bit tough. I don't have any sponsors there." "Sponsorship? What do you mean?" "That's the person who guaranteed us there! Otherwise Visa will not come out. I don't want to be an illegal immigrant.
It's a half past ten at night. Uncle Anand's family hadn't come home yet. Praveen had been waiting for them for twenty minutes. Another worker who lived in the house had not yet returned either."Why aren't they home yet?" Praveen asked Raju who was accompanying him in the front room."At eleven o'clock they come home. It's normal, they often come home late when they go out at weekend. Just wait," replied Raju. "Would you like me to make some chai tea?""Don't bother. I don't want to drink.""Let's have a drink while waiting for them to come home."Praveen shook his head. He was a little bit nervous waiting for Uncle Anand to come home. He wanted to tell him that he got a job and start to work tomorrow and decided to move to a new place of work. Of course Praveen had to tell him because the man had already given him a stay.Finally Uncle Anand came home."You didn't go out or just at home earlier?" the man asked seeing Praveen and Raju just sitting in front of the tv."We also just g
Zoya pushed her irritation away. She tried to think positively. No need to take it personal the abuse. It was not Zoya Bipasha who was abused, but the role she played in Dharavi. Ashita Agrawal. If she introduced herself as real, the response she would receive would be different. It could be that the principal is inferior to her. His expression would change to one of respect. Zoya was sure.She finally stepped out of the school. Although she was not accepted, there was one lesson she learned.First, never underestimate people, let alone just by looking at the appearance. Appearances are deceiving.Second, a person is valued not because of the status one holds but from the side of his/her humanity. Every human being wants to be appreciated, right?Yeah, this is the life lesson that I got today! Zoya thought. The lessons learned are not theoretical or by reading books. But what happened to her is direct.Remembering that, Zoya was no longer upset. Her steps were light. But just a few met
That morning all seemed busy preparing. There were 25 workers selling Aunt Raju's Idli, Vada and Dosa. She is a successful Idli maker. Her Idli is loved by many people because it taste delicious. In Dharavi alone there are more than a thousand people selling Idli. This food is like a mandatory food for breakfast. There is no Indian who has never eaten Idli, it is so popular from north to south, east and west even though each region has a slight difference in taste. But the Tamils are more famous for being good at making it. Idli is a food that resembles pancakes, made from a special rice that is finely ground, mixed with a special spice called urad dal and fermented. Making Idli does take time and patience. "Praveen, you've come! This morning you don't have to bring a lot, two hundreds Idli and A hundred Vada first since you are new, and now Sunday. Not too many buyers today. When everything is done, you can go home," the woman said to Praveen while pointing to a large stainless co
Sunil Chakraborty, the officer, was confused. He felt annoyed, restless, and angry. His mood was unstable for the past few days. His men seemed reluctant to approach him because of his unfriendly face. They know that their boss's personal life was not as smooth as his romantic life. Although his career soared quickly, he had just broken up with his girlfriend that he had been dating since four years ago. Many were jealous because the brilliance of his career was more due to genetic factors. He is the eldest son of Amaneesh Chakraborty, the Director General of Mumbai Police. At a relatively young, Sunil had already held the rank of Superintendent of Police. Rumours had spread that Sunil broke up with his current girlfriend due to his ex-girlfriend's return from the US. The girl was none other than the first daughter of a Mumbai conglomerate, Zoya Bipasha Vijayalakshmi. Sunil was actually annoyed that he can't contact Zoya, his ex. The number given by Ramya was completely unreachable
Narendra Prasadh's family mansion looked deserted with the gates closed. Shady trees made the atmosphere more calm and the plants that adorn both sides of the entrance added to the beautiful atmosphere. At the entrance of the house, two large white pots bloomed with colorful flowers. Sunil could only observe from a distance from inside his car that stopped right at the main gate. More than four years had passed, the big house hadn't changed much, it's just getting more beautiful. Only really rich people have houses like that in India, especially in Mumbai. Limited land and expensive garden maintenance, most people chose to live in buildings in flats or apartments. It was indeed more practical and did not bother taking care of it. The Narendra family even had a tennis court and a private swimming pool.For a moment Sunil was in doubt. Come in or not. What if Zoya's family would not accept his coming? Will he be expelled? Oh, of course not! Even though he had broken up with Zoya, he
"Nothing cheaper than this?" Praveen asked the used phone seller in the cellular shop while observing the cellphone in his hand. Even though it's a used phone, it still looks good and well-maintained, it's just that the RAM and storage capabilitiy was not that great. He was actually interested in the cellphone, but the price was still a bit expensive. For now, he doesn't really prioritize the specs, the important thing is being able to make calls and surf the internet. He really needs a cellphone to look for opportunities to audition. “3500 rupees is quite cheap. Trust me, you have nothing to lose. It's still in good condition as you can see, "said the seller reassuringly. Praveen gulped. For his current financial condition, 3500 was quite expensive. The savings were only 7000 rupees only. If he decided to buy it, he only had half his savings. But isn't he working now? Even though the daily wage was not so big, it was enough to cover daily needs. The house was not rented anymore.A p
Meanwhile, far away in Mumbai, Sunil Chakraborty still could not accept the reality of what had happened.He was angry, but did not know how to vent his anger. Why did all this come to light?This must be the result of Roohan's failure, the man he had assigned to eliminate Praveen. If only he had succeeded, it would have been a different story. That man would have rotted at the bottom of the river!He had paid Roohan. He had to take responsibility for this failure! He should not deny it like that day, at least he should get his reward!Sunil still felt his chest burning with emotion. He would teach Roohan a lesson!He immediately left the house. But his steps stopped when Amaneesh stopped him."Where are you going?""I have some business to finish!""No! You stay home for now! Let me take care of everything!""No, Dad!" said Sunil, ignoring his father's words. He continued walking towards his car and soon the car was out of the garage.Amaneesh was furious, but could not do anything.
The afternoon was approaching.The Balinese bridal make-up artist had finished dressing Zoya. She seemed satisfied with her work.“It’s done. You can look in the mirror now!” said her with a smile.Zoya turned her body slowly to face the large mirror not far from her and was immediately stunned.Is that really her?She looked very different wearing a typical Balinese bridal kebaya in maroon and decorated with gold thread embroidery. Her head was decorated with a majestic floral metal crown that was also gold in color. Both of her wrists wore gold color bracelets. Prada songket cloth with a color that matched the kebaya she was wearing further enhanced her appearance.The make-up on her face was not striking so that her beautiful face looked even more beautiful.She stared at her reflection in the mirror for a long time, not expecting it to be herself.However, she had a little difficulty moving her head because the crown was quite heavy, around three kg.She convinced herself that she
The Balinese woman looked so graceful in the traditional dress. She wore a short white kebaya with a silver Prada cloth with a floral motif.Her black hair was pulled up into a bun. She was around mid-thirties and spoke fluent English.“So you two will be married with Balinese customs and rituals?”“Yes, of course. I have longed to marry with Balinese rituals. It just so happens that India and Bali have similarities,” Zoya explained.She smiled and looked at the two of them alternately. There was a sense of amazement in her eyes. The girl looked beautiful and the man was so handsome. They both looked so harmonious, especially later when they wear Balinese traditional clothes. Of course it would be even more charming.She had served quite a lot of clients who were about to get married, and most of them were Westerners, but this time she met a unique client from India.Judging from their appearance, they were not from just anyone. If not the upper class, then they must be public figures
Zoya and Praveen had landed in Bali three hours ago and now they had checked in at a resort in the Seminyak region. Zoya had made a reservation before so they didn't have to bother booking a hotel.Praveen didn't expect to go this far. This was the first time in his life he saw the outside world directly. It never even crossed his mind to be on this island of the gods. Not for leisure pursuit but to get married!No! He didn't feel tired after a long journey, in fact when he set foot in Ngurah Rai Airport his chest was still beating fast. Since leaving India, he felt like he entered a new world.Uncertain? Alienated? No! He didn't feel lost as long as Zoya was by his side. She gave him energy and determination so strong that he was a man who could overcome all obstacles.He had passed the biggest obstacle perfectly, taking away the lover he loved so much to escape from the one-sided match made by her parents.Coming out of the airport he was already fascinated by the pleasant atmospher
“What’s wrong? What are you guys talking about in there?” Sunil asked curiously.Stupid kid!If there were no other people around, Amaneesh would have slapped him. But he held back his anger so as not to raise further suspicion.“Come on, go home! I want to talk to you at home!”“Just tell me here now. I want to know!” Sunil said curiously.Amaneesh shook his head. He saw several of his subordinates standing looking at him in surprise.“You guys go back to the office now! We’ll talk later!”His subordinates took a respectful position,“Yes, sir!” said them.Sunil couldn’t accept it, he just walked briskly into Narendra’s room and opened the door,“What are you talking about with my father, Mr. Narendra?!” he asked loudly.Narendra was sitting on the sofa realizing the mistake he had made. Seeing Sunil act like that, his disgust surfaced again, he really didn’t want to see the young man’s face again.“Just ask your father! From now on I don’t want to see anymore! Get out of my room now
Rajesh Kumar was cheered. He quickly got up and half ran out to his car. In less than half an hour he was at the cafe that Narendra usually visited.Apparently Rajesh had arrived first. Narendra was not there yet. He immediately took a seat in the corner of the cafe and ordered a drink.Not long, finally Narendra appeared alone. He entered with brisk steps and sat across from Rajesh.“How are you, sir! Long time no see!” he said, starting the conversation.Narendra ignored him and went straight to the point.“Why did you tell me this now? Why?”“Because this is the best time to reveal everything!”“No! It’s too late!”“Not for me!”“Where did you get that evidence?” asked Narendra.Rajesh then explained in as much detail as possible.Narendra Prasadh listened with an angry expression. How could a police officer do something bad to get his personal desires and the police officer was… his future son-in-law? Truly, he had been deceived!“Your daughter has found a suitable man as her life
Two investigators came to see Mr. Amaneesh that night. They brought very important news.“We have checked the immigration data at the airport and got the names we are looking for, Sir! It turns out that Miss Zoya and Praveen Jayachandran took a flight abroad. They managed to escape to Singapore!” said a police officer named Sukhdev excitedly. His other colleague nodded in agreement.“That’s right! They left at 4:10 in the morning, and this data has been matched with the airline passenger manifest!”“They fled abroad?” said Amaneesh as if in disbelief. He did not know whether this was good or bad news because if this was true, their pursuit would be more difficult unless they asked for help from Interpol.But was it possible, considering that they were not criminals or perpetrators of crimes that harmed the country?Nothing is impossible. He could have used his authority as the Mumbai police chief.“What else did you get?”“That’s it. I think this is a very important clue, so I reporte
There were no significant results of the investigation even though Amaneesh had ordered many of his personnel. Some were ordered to Dharavi, some to modeling agencies, and advertising agencies and more to guard the borders.But none of them yielded results.Towards evening, Mrs. Fateema was even more shocked to see Sunil and his men arrive at her house. They interrogated her again, even though previously in Doorna she had been visited by the police asking about Praveen's whereabouts. Of course she did not know where he was. Since Zoya's identity was revealed, he had never been there again. What shocked her the most how Sunil knew where she lives?"Don't try to hide something from me, Mrs. Fateema!" said Sunil intimidatingly."Why would I hide him whereabouts, Sir! I have no idea at all. Since Ashita, I mean... Miss Zoya is no longer in Doorna, he has also never come again! Especially since he started to become famous!"“You don’t know where he lives?”“I don’t know exactly! But he sa
The wedding ceremony that was planned to take place this morning really ended in a mess, even though the hotel had made good preparations. The hall had been neatly arranged, both the stage and the arrangement of chairs and tables for the guests. Decorations full of flowers were already available. So was the catering.But all that was in vain because the bride ran away.Approaching 10 o'clock, the hall was actually quiet. Guests who did not know and had already come were not allowed to enter the building. The hotel was closed to guests.Of course, many guests were shocked, not expecting the party to be canceled. Not a few were disappointed because they had already come.In connection with being closed, Narendra's family could not hide their shame.This was the first time in his life he felt humiliated, not by someone else, but by his own child.Was there a wrong decision that made his daughter choose to run away rather than follow his wishes?But what was wrong? Isn't it his duty as a