This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Late Inspector Kamal Joshi had inculcated two essential values in his girl. One: a strong sense of right and wrong. Two: Righting the wrong, no matter what obstacles get in the way. As Sai abided by her Abba's teachings, she often faced criticism. In her attempt to right the wrong or out the wrong, she was considered hotheaded, disrespectful, immature, and whatnot. But courageous Sai was unstoppable, as she never feared the consequences. One such consequence was losing the only person she truly loved, her Abba.
Inspector Kamal Joshi had got a promotion, and with that came a new posting: Gadchiroli. A small town in Maharashtra where people genuinely cared for each other but were also afraid of the menace called Vithal Mane, a politician by day, a smuggler of sandalwood by night. He was a money lending karta-dharta of the village folks and a money launderer. He had the power to annihilate anyone who came in his way of acquiring wealth by any means. And with that wealth, he gained more control. Every year a farmer or two, unable to break free from the clutches of Vithal's atrociously high-priced loans gave up their lives. In most parts of the world, the lives of the poor hardly matter, so it was no different in this small irrelevant village in India. Murders were then disguised as suicides. Vithal faced no consequences; no one was bold enough to speak up or lodge a police complaint against him. That changed when Vithal and Sai crossed paths.
Gadchiroli was one of the first places where Sai had been super excited to move to. Leaving her friends behind and uprooting herself once again did not frazzle her this time. She was looking forward to volunteering at Subyr, a social welfare project in Gadchiroli. This project focused on uplifting people from poverty through education and skills-based empowerment training while protecting the environment around them, which meant preserving the sandalwood forests of Gadchiroli. It was here she learned about Vithal Mane and his various crimes.
One evening, cycling back from her volunteering session, she saw something suspicious. She saw men equipped with tree felling equipment, so she hid to capture the theft, proof against Vithal's crimes. These images became crucial in the case against the unlawful felling of the Gadchiroli forests. Sai's Abba met with the forest officer to bring the thievery to justice. Judging by the way the investigation was going, Vithal Mane was sure the honest inspector Kamal Joshi would soon link the crime with his organization. So he had to be stopped.
Vithal's son, Jagtap Mane, a dropout from school, was well trained to take on the Mane mantle. Vithal lauded Jagtap's disrespect for women. He was the perfect instrument to control Kamal Joshi. Vithal concocted a plan to get his son to marry Sai—if not amicably, then by force, leading to an open tussle between the Joshis and the Manes. Since Kamal had outright rejected the Mane proposal, Jagtap kidnapped Sai to marry her forcefully. IPS Officer Virat Chavan had come to the rescue.
Virat had met Sai a few days before her kidnapping. Brought up in a traditional family where respecting each other was more important than being honest with each other, he had found Sai to be somewhat abrasive. But after saving her from sure ruin, he had seen a different side of hers. He was impressed with her fearlessness, honesty, charm, and naughty childlike laughter and humor. Despite their many arguments, he felt at peace when he would be with her and did not know why. For the few minutes she would be around him, he would forget Pakhi.
Virat had met Pakhi at a yoga retreat he had attended on his best friend Sunny's insistence. Virat and Pakhi spent some time together over the two-day retreat. It was love at first sight for both of them, or at least he thought so. But, unfortunately, due to circumstances beyond his control, he lost contact with Pakhi. The next time he met her, she was marrying his brother Samrat. On seeing Virat again, Pakhi wanted to call off the wedding, but it was too late for Virat. Pakhi had decided to move on. She had made a commitment to another man. And even if that man were not his brother, for Virat, a man of principles, their relationship was over. But to keep Pakhi from breaking his brother's heart, Virat promised her that he would never love another woman, a promise that would haunt him for the rest of this life. So when he left his brother's and Pakhi's wedding mid-way to rescue Sai, he was hurting. But somehow, that heroic act of his turned out to be a balm for his hurt. Around Sai, he started laughing again.
Over a year later, after reading Sai's text message—'I need to pick your officer brains' Virat went back in time. He was back in Gadchiroli planning the sting operation to capture Jagtap and his father. He smiled when he remembered how he used to find Sai's interference annoying but amusing at the same time. He realized that perhaps he had fallen for Sai even before he recognized it. So when Kamal Joshi passed away, saving his life, Virat made another promise. And to keep that promise, he married Sai. His life, since that day, was torn between the two commitments. One, he wanted to fulfill in this life and the however many lives he had in store. The other commitment he wanted to completely erase from this lifetime. And erase he did; now he just needed to prove that to Sai. With that determination, he set off to meet Sai. He wore the pink shirt that she had indirectly complimented him on one day.
"Virat Sir, you know, I like guys who can pull off pink."
"Does that mean you like me?" He was wearing a pink shirt on stonewashed jeans.
Oh, how he always wanted to pull her in his arms and devour her when she blushed like that. "I did not mean... it was just a general statement." Sai Joshi and her denial were back.
He was at the café a little before five. He checked in with the barista he had bribed the last time he was there. "Is Sai Joshi here?"
"It's you again. She is not here as yet, but this time I am not going get conned by you. The last time she spoke with you she seemed very upset."
"No, no, this time, she has asked me here."
"Well in that case, I will let her know you're here as soon as she arrives. She should be here soon." The barista looked at the clock; it was five. "She is usually in time unless her professor does not let her out in time. What can I get you while you wait?"
"A green tea latte, please!"
Virat finished his tea, but Sai had still not yet reached the cafe. He checked with the barista again. It was highly uncharacteristic of her to be late, so Virat called her number. Her phone was switched off. Knowing Sai, he was sure after asking him over, she wouldn't block him again. But just in case, he asked the barista to call her. She confirmed it was switched off. He waited in the café for another two hours. Finally, when she had still not arrived, he decided to go visit her flat.
According to Vishu kaka, Sai had not been home since the day before.
"What do you mean she is not here? Why did you not call me or my mother?"
"This is not the first time. She sometimes spends a night or two with her friend Prachi, and sometimes she stays with her sister, Devyani, so why would I call anyone?" The landlord paused. "Hmmm, although this is the first time she has not informed me."
"What do you mean?"
"Whenever she plans to stay over at her friend's or relatives place, she always informs me. She is a good girl."
"Are you sure she has not informed you this time? Is there any message? Check your phone!" With every passing minute, Virat was getting anxious. There was no message, nothing written.
Next, he called Pulkit. She was not with them either.
The concern in Virat's voice was apparent. "Is everything all right Virat?"
"I don't know Pulkit. She had asked me to meet her, in my official capacity, as a police officer. She did not come to the café. So did you see her today?"
"Last I saw her, it was yesterday, in my office yesterday. She had stopped by to tell me she had something important to take care of and would be missing my class.
"You know Sai, there is no point asking her what important work she had. And today, I'm afraid not. Today, it was my hospital day, so not sure if she was in college Virat."
This conversation was not helping Virat at all.
"Do you have Prachi's number? She usually stays over at her place." But, unfortunately, Pulkit did not have Prachi's number.
Virat's heart sank some more. As per the information he had, Sai had not been seen since she left Pulkit's office. So he called the tech expert on his team. Sai's phone had been switched off in a village called Kanpa and had been off for over twenty-four hours. So Sai Virat Chavan nee Joshi was officially missing.
