Flames OF Paradise - Season 1 - Episode 21

Episode 7 years ago

Flames OF Paradise - Season 1 - Episode 21

‘No I am not. But I do not blame you for believing it. If I had been in your place, I would have done the same.’ Still holding her hands, and absently caressing it with his thumb, making her tremble with an unrecognisable emotion, he continued looking intently at her, ‘My name is Roshan Khan, a Kashmiri by birth, my father a Kashmiri Muslim and mother a Kashmiri Pandit. I am an investigative journalist working for an international television network living in UK for the last 15 odd years and taking up challenging issues in the whole of South Asia.’
‘A journalist?’ Snigdha’s mind clogged with shock, her voice full of incredulity. Gazing at his face, she found something familiar about him.
‘Yes. I have been researching about a few terrorist groups for the last few years. I have met a number of imprisoned militants, and interviewed many surrendered ones as well. But the catch was to get into the underbelly and catch hold of real stories which can tell the world at large about what is going on in these camps and hideouts. During my research, my fellow American colleague was made hostage and killed brutally on camera which shook me very badly. I took a vow to penetrate the Al Faran group and get significant facts about their strategies, plans, modus operandi, etc. I wanted to know who all were behind them, hence through a detailed plan, I joined Jung-e-Azadi.’ Snigdha noticed that he had switched to impeccable English and was now holding his bent knees with his locked hands and speaking softly, feeling much more relaxed. Suddenly, Snigdha remembered where she had seen his face.
‘Wait! You are Roshan Khan of BBC, aren’t you?’
‘Bingo! But I want to help Kashmir, my homeland. For the last nine months I’ve been in India, getting help secretively from low lying activists and the armed forces. They helped me penetrate the JEA and win the chief’s approval by getting involved in some recent heavy duty protests and movements against the Kashmir Govt. Gradually, everyone started trusting me, although they knew that I am not a trained terrorist, yet an educated man who can help them by representing their cause on wider forums. It was a matter of months that I would have been out of the Al Faran camp with the help of the forces, and would have given some valuable inputs that could have helped save hundreds of innocents. Till I came to know of their latest plan of getting Rehman released by this horrifying plot of abducting you and holding you as hostage. All this because your boyfriend Nitin had contacted JEA for some stupid interviews of some Al Faran members. That was when they hatched the plan to create a ruckus and kidnap you.’
‘Nitin is not my boyfriend!’ Exclaimed Snigdha.



Ignoring her answer, he continued, ‘I had to come into action. I wanted to see you for myself and think of an alternate strategy to dodge their plan. Thus, I visited you on the shikara.’
‘And threw a rose at me.’ Snigdha said accusingly.
‘I was hoping to distract you from the impending meeting that the chief was plotting. I was planning to meet you again and dissuade you from entering the Al Faran group for any footage. I was hoping to kidnap you myself if worst came to worse. But things just went out of my hand!’ Roshan laughed bitterly.’ ‘I thought maybe with your cooperation, I will help you get free without harming my work there. That’s why I came and talked to you. But you hated me and it was impossible to tell you the truth then. So I kept an eye on you constantly… except for this time when you slipped and made a mess of my plan.’ He ended harshly.


Snigdha felt guilty like hell and bent her head, looking at her hands clutching her dirty backpack.




She had never felt so bad in her entire life. She had always considered herself strong, but hearing Roshan’s narration, she felt as if she had not only endangered herself and him, but had also ruined his plan of doing something of international importance which seemed far-fetched now. She felt tears seeping from under her eyes, her throat raw. She felt sobs wracking her body. She felt the coiled-up tension catching up with this latest information and making her weep in frustration. With a groan, Roshan pulled her towards him and crushed her to his chest, her face muffled in his rough duffle Phiran. She was sobbing helplessly now. His big hands hesitantly rubbed her back and caressed her tousled hair which had come out of the dupatta.



She didn’t realise for how long she wept in frustration, and surprisingly Roshan didn’t say a word and just let her cry. As her sobs stilled, her nose sniffing, she felt embarrassed of this show of weakness, and became aware of her behaviour, Roshan’s arms around her, his chin resting on her head, his heavy, steady breathing, and the stillness in the air.


Pulling away, Snigdha scrubbed her face dry with her dupatta and avoided looking him.
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