RAGNI VOL 1 eBOOK

of mature women and the bindi marks. This helped demarcate the teachers from the students who wore regular dresses and skirts. From her drawer, she removed the gold chain her mother had given her for her birthday and tucked it safely in her purse. Then, donning a pair of sunglasses and carrying only the small purse, she marched boldly out to the main inner gate. The first guard just smiled and waved her through the gate. Holding her breath, she had only one more gate to cross, and she’d be free. As she approached the outer gate, she saw it was the same guard that brought her to the principal’s office that morning. Forcing herself not to flinch or stutter in her step, she walked on. Not even bothering to question her, the guard nodded and smiled as he opened the gate for her. “How are you this morning?” he said cordially. Ragni merely smiled and nodded to him as she walked through the gate. Just outside the gate, she hopped into a waiting rickshaw. She rode it to Myheran Gate, a large bazaar area in town a couple of miles from school. Stopping at one of the jeweler’s shops, she sold her gold chain and earrings for a thousand rupees, about half what it was worth. As she handed it over to the jeweler, she had a momentary flash of guilt as she remembered the loving look on her mother’s face when she had presented Ragni with her birthday gift. But when the jeweler handed her the money, she forgot her guilt and thought only of Kanwar. An hour and a half on a bus, and she reached the airport at Amritsar, where she would fly to Delhi and make a connecting flight to Banaglore. When she reached the airport, she headed for the ladies room so she could remove her makeup. Feeling more like herself, she purchased her tickets and boarded the plane. By the time she arrived in Banaglore, it was six-thirty in the evening. A half-hour cab ride from the airport brought her to Kanwar’s training camp. Outside the camp, there was a guard post station. She was growing weary of the seemingly endless guards and locked gates in her life. The guard came out of his little station post box, shouldering a rifle and dressed neatly in his military uniform. 259

“What can I do for you, miss?” he asked. “I am here to see Kanwar Singh.” “Your name and occupation?” he asked mechanically. “Ragni Kaur, I am a student at K.M.V. College in Jullundur.” “Do you have any identification, miss?” he asked. She produced the card from her purse. “What is your relation with Kanwar Singh, please?” he asked. “I am his fiancé,” she lied. Still holding her student ID. card, he went into the box to look through a directory and then called on his wireless phone. After talking to the barracks, the hospital, and finally his squadron leader, he hung up the phone. “I have talked to Kanwar’s squadron leader, and he’s sending one of his men to escort you to Kanwar.” A Jeep with another neatly dressed soldier wearing white gloves drove Ragni through the military compound with its meticulously manicured lawns, flowerbeds, and nearly sparkling buildings. On the other side of the barracks, Kanwar’s squadron leader located him. “I’ve got good news for you,” he said. “There’s someone here to see you.” Kanwar knew who it was immediately and ran out of his hospital room. There was a bandage on his forehead, and he still had the cast on, but he was in good spirits. As the Jeep with Ragni pulled in front of the building, she jumped out before it could even come to a full stop. He bounded down the stairs, and they met in an embrace of sheer joy. 260

CHAPTER 20 T he small training fighter planes were flying toward the runway nearby, buzzing and wavering like unsteady ducks landing in a pond. The Indian national flag waved high on the pole, the wind flicking it and making it dance like a prima ballerina amongst a supporting cast of billowing wind-socks, showing the pilots how the currents were blowing. Everything on the base was so neat and tidy; it looked more like a miniature setting for a model train set. Every tree, bush, and section of grass was precisely trimmed. The soldiers, walking erectly about on the base in their navy blue color uniforms and spit- polished boots, seemed to fit right in with the rest of the perfectly formed camp. Kanwar’s right arm was in a cast, but the break wasn’t so bad that he needed a sling. Ragni held onto his other arm as they walked to his barracks, laughing and still having a hard time believing they were together after all these months of being apart. As they neared the wooden barracks, one of the training planes took off nearby in a roar, spewing out clouds of black exhaust and temporarily drowning out their conversation. In the time that it took to lift itself high and far enough into the air, like some prehistoric pterodactyl that looked much too heavy to get off the ground, Ragni grew sullen, as if a dark cloud was covering the sun above her head. “My life is falling apart while everything in your life is going well for you. But now that I’m here, I feel like I’m connected with you. The fact that you’re 261

a pilot makes me ill and weak. You know how airplanes upset me. Just being around here makes me upset, and now you are flying them,” Ragni said. “Ragni, stop whining. You’re a grown-up. Why don’t you act like one? Planes aren’t as dangerous as you think. There are a million ways to live or die. If it’s your turn to leave the planet, it’s your turn, and there’s nothing that’s going to stop it—nothing you, your friends, or anyone else can do about it. God decides these things. Trying to live life on the safe side isn’t going to increase your life one second. I could trip and break my neck and die the next day, or I could fly planes for a hundred years and never have any problems. As long as you take care not to do anything stupid, there should be no reason to think flying is any more dangerous than any other occupation. I mean, look at yourself. Look how bold you are, yet when it comes to me and airplanes, you become a chicken. You even took airplanes to get here,” Kanwar said, trying to shake Ragni out of her irrational fears. “I don’t want to hear this lecture, and it doesn’t bother me to be in air- planes myself; it’s only when I think of you. My heart just says No to airplanes where you’re concerned. I can only tell you how I feel,” she said stubbornly. Wing Commander Multani noticed them as they walked by his office. He summoned his aide to instruct Kanwar and Ragni to come see him. Ever since Kanwar and Hermanjit began their training at the academy, he had taken them under his wing like a father. Because it was an academy, he was able to relate more as a teacher than a strict military figure to them, and oftentimes his wife would have them over for dinner. He didn’t quite understand the strange affinity he had for these young men, but he felt he saw much of himself when he was their age in them and wanted to give them all the breaks that he wished he’d gotten. He knew this was the first time in a long while Kanwar had gotten a chance to meet with his fiancé, and he planned to give him some time off. After being introduced to Ragni, tea and biscuits were served. “What would you do if you had some time off, Kanwar?” he asked with a smile. 262

“Well, I haven’t had a chance to think about it yet since Ragni just arrived. I guess I’d take her around town to see some of the sights,” Kanwar said. “How much time would you like?” the wing commander asked. “Maybe a couple of days?” Kanwar replied, dumbstruck at this good fortune. “Take one of my Jeeps and have a good time,” the captain said, putting his hands behind his head and leaning back in his chair. When he noted Kanwar’s surprise, he added, “Why the surprise? I was young and engaged once too.” It was dark by the time they reached Bangalore, and since most of the palaces and gardens were closed, they decided to have dinner and go to a movie. Afterward, they checked into one of the St. Mark hotels that were built in the style of old palaces. Their room was on the top floor of the six-story building and overlooked a spacious courtyard lined with graceful palm trees. In the center was a pool of water with lily pads and large golden carp swim- ming languidly. At one end of the pool was a waterfall-like fountain. The cascading splashes echoed off the walls like a cavern. Illuminating the falls were soft turquoise lights. Above the palms, the lights from the city twinkled like little jewels. When Kanwar checked into the hotel, he made sure he got a room with two beds. When it came time to retire, he pointed out that he was going to sleep in one bed and she could have the other. “I am not sleeping there,” Ragni said sternly, pointing to the separate bed Kanwar had chosen for her. “I’ve already covered twelve hundred miles to see you. Now that I am here, I am not going to allow us to sleep apart. Tonight, I’ll sleep in your arms.” Taken aback at her aggressiveness, he shrugged his shoulders in resig- nation and gave a quick glance at the plaster cast on his arm. “I guess God gave me these arms to hug you then.” 263

“No—I think God gave you arms to fly airplanes,” Ragni said sarcas- tically, the cast a reminder of the things she hated and feared. “Airplanes carry bombs, and they kill innocent people. The pilots never see the people they’re killing, but they’re among the worst murderers, and they’re training you to become one of them—a mass assassin!” “That’s not all true,” Kanwar said. “It’s important for the military to remain strong to maintain a balance of power. The freedom you enjoy so you can attend school and your mother and father can live a life of ease and comfort is only possible because of the military. The military protects their citizens so they don’t have to think about fighting. Besides, there hasn’t been any fighting in a while.” “I wouldn’t consider World War II ancient history,” Ragni said, “Then the war in Korea, and the war with China in 1961 and the 1965 war with Pakistan, and even now the war in Vietnam isn’t ending. What about all that?” “Well, I agree, there has been some fighting lately, but it hasn’t been mass destruction. Now, with the atom bomb, there are too many dangerous weapons, so the only sane solution is peace. As long as we can maintain a strong army at home, then we’ll be okay,” Kanwar said. “You only have to look at history to see that India needs a strong military,” he continued. “India used to be known as The Golden Sparrow; she was so rich and beautiful. Then the invaders from Afghanistan began raiding and pillaging because there was no one there to stop them. That was just the beginning. After that came the Persians, Greeks, Romans, Muslims, Dutch, French, and British. The first Muslim invader, Babar, said, ‘Why steal and run? This is a fine country—let’s take the whole place for our own!’ It took four hundred years to throw them out! Then the Europeans fought over our land like it was a bone for a dog, and we had to suffer the British for two hundred more years. India is one of the oldest civilizations in the world, yet in the last six hundred years we have only had our independence since 1947. If it weren’t for World War II, we’d still be under British rule. It was part of the deal that we would gain freedom if India sent soldiers to fight with the British.” 264

Ragni was flushed with anger and retorted, “Hitler, Mussolini, Genghis Khan, the Afghans, Ahmed Shah Abdali, and Mahmud Ghajnavi—they’re all the same! They’re just thieves and killers on a large scale, using innocent people to fulfill their lust and greed for power. Now, these same types use airplanes instead of horses and swords.” Kanwar pursed his lips and stared eye-to-eye with Ragni. “You’re not looking at the other side. It’s not all used for destruction. Because all the nations are becoming stronger and capable of destroying the world, no one will want to. Yes, it’s true the planes we have now are capable of great destruction, but at the same time, the same technology is being used to build planes to connect the world. One of these days, all the countries of the world will figure out they have to get along with each other, and once they do, it will be easy to fly everywhere. A rocket can circle the planet in a little more than an hour, and one of these days, rockets will be able to take people to the other side of the world in a matter of minutes. Once this happens, men will be able to see that they aren’t so very different from each other, and when men see that they aren’t different from each other, there won’t be as much hate or fear,” he said with conviction. “That’s your dream, and it’s a nice dream, but I don’t think it’ll ever happen,” Ragni said quietly. “I agree things are changing, but as long as there is good in the world, there are going to be Hitlers and Genghis Khans who will try to take advantage of the good.” Flustered, Kanwar finally said, “What it all comes down to is this: We may as well do what suits us the best. If I don’t become a pilot, someone else will take my place, and I won’t get to fly planes. This is what I want to do. Besides, the government spends millions of rupees on training a pilot. If you compel me to quit now, I’d be letting down my end of the commitment. It wouldn’t be patriotic. I’ve joined the academy, and I have started a commitment. I am in too deep.” Sighing, Ragni drew closer and rested her head against him. 265

“Let’s stop arguing. All this talk of war and airplanes upsets me. Let me take a shower and make myself comfortable, and I am getting hungry too.” Ragni went into the bathroom. “Sounds like a plan,” Kanwar called the hotel restaurant and reserved a table for two. “What would you like to drink, sir? the server asked as he handed them both a menu. “Scotch on the rocks and a glass of water,” Kanwar answered, and the server looked at Ragni then turned to walk away. “Hey, Mister, what about me?” Ragni said, smiling at Kanwar. “How old are you?” “Eighteen,” she replied quickly. “Liar, more like two months to go,” Kanwar said, smiling back at Ragni. “Oh, thanks for remembering my birthday,” she retorted. The server was looking back and forth between the handsome couple. “How about a glass of light wine cooler, please,” Kanwar said, thanking the server as he left to get their drinks. The courtyard was quiet; the blue light from the waterfall reflected softly off the white walls of the hotel. They were sipping their drinks and waiting for their dinner. “In a few years, we’ll be old enough, and all of our dreams will be possible. After my training, I’ll be a pilot, and you’ll be a grown woman,” he said softly to her, dreaming of the future. “I am not grown-up enough now? Am I not old enough to be ready for anything?” she asked mischievously. Nervously, Kanwar cleared his throat and said, “Well—uh, why don’t we just wait a couple of years. After a couple of years, we’ll be ready. Then I’ll marry you, and everything will work out better.” 266

She liked thinking about the day when she’d be married, but a nagging feeling deep in her heart persisted that she wouldn’t get to fulfill this love if Kanwar continued to fly. Not wanting to ruin the mood they were sharing, she tried to blot it out. “What kind of house do you want?” he asked her. “Oh, I don’t care. As long as we’re together; it doesn’t matter where we live. If you wanted to live in the woods and sleep on the ground, I’d do it with you,” Ragni answered. “I like that,” Kanwar said, happy that it was he that she wanted more than anything. “But isn’t there anything you want?” Imagining her dream house, she said, “Well, a big house wouldn’t be necessary, a small one would do fine. Maybe four bedrooms would be enough, not like mother and father’s house or the huge farmhouses in Bhatian. We could have a view of a river, and maybe it would be near the woods. We could have a telescope in the living room so we could watch the birds, but again, it doesn’t matter to me if we have this or not.” “Well, I’ll probably make a good salary, and my family is well off. Anything like that would not be difficult at all, but why four bedrooms?” he asked. Ragni reasoned, “Well, one bedroom for us, then one so we can have my mother-in-law stay with us if she’d like, and the others for...” “For what?” Kanwar asked. Giggling and hiding her face in his shoulder, she said in a muffled voice, “Do I have to spell it all out for you? It would be for our children!” “Why are you embarrassed? That’s what happens to married people; they have children. How many do you want?” he asked. “I don’t want to tell you. If you make me tell you everything in one night, then I won’t have any secrets, and I won’t be as exciting or interesting to you,” she teased him. 267

“Tell me. I promise I won’t get bored with you if you tell me,” he said with mock exasperation. “Well, I guess two is enough. Yes, two would be a good number. And maybe they’d look like you—tall, handsome, and strong, and that’s enough,” she said abruptly. “It won’t be any fun for you if you know every little thing in my mind. Save some for later.” They finished their dinner and went back to their room. As Kanwar lay on top of the bed, Ragni nestled in the crook of his arm. They lay together in silence for a while when she asked him, “Can you ask your wing commander to give you permission to take me up with you when you fly if there is war? That way, if you die, I’ll be able to be with you in your arms.” Ragni was serious, “You changed the subject—sad again.” Kanwar half-frowned and started laughing at the image. “That would be up to the government. Do you think a general would be able to take his wife up in a plane with him on every mission?” Kanwar was trying to change the subject when he suddenly remembered to ask, “Ragni, why are you wearing a sari—something only mature or married women wear?” She was quiet. “Ragni, why are you wearing a sari?” he asked the same question again. “No reason,” she replied curtly. “Let s talk about something else.” In the dead silence that followed, a rapid succession of unpleasant memories invaded her. She thought of how she had left the school at a time when they were going to depend on her the most for the youth festival. She thought of how she had to sneak out of the school just days after getting the worst scolding of her life—of how she was banned from ever going to Bhatian again. The angry faces of her mother and the principal screaming at her—and 268

then the stern face of her father, forbidding her to ever see Kanwar, all came to her. All of this would be waiting for her at the end of this wonderful bliss she was now experiencing. “Hey, I don’t know what I said, but is it really worth getting mad at me? I just meant it as an innocent question,” Kanwar said defensively. He was met with more silence. “I can ask my wing commander for more leave if you want to spend more time together,” he said, trying to appease her. “That’s not the problem,” she said stiffly. “Are you out of vacation time? Is that it?” he pressed. “No.” “What then? Didn’t you tell your mother or Rajinder that you’re here? Is that what you’re worried about?” he asked. At this, he could feel her body go limp. “No,” she admitted in a small voice. “Well, how did you get here? How did you find out where I was?” he asked. “From Moheeni. I went to Bhatian looking for you, and when I got back, I was caught and punished. But that’s not the worst of it. College is still going on. I snuck out disguised as an instructor. That’s why I am wearing the sari. I sold a gold chain my mother gave to me to buy the plane ticket. The youth festival in Chandigarh is starting in two days, and I am the main character in the play,” she confessed. Kanwar was shocked. “Oh, Ragni—what have you done? I am so happy you’re here with me, and I realize you did it all for me, but I don’t want you getting yourself in so much trouble. You’re destroying your life for me. Why couldn’t you have waited at least until the festival was over? What are we going to do? There are no more planes leaving from here to Chandigarh until after the festival would be finished,” he said, holding her tighter and rocking her gently. 269

“I couldn’t control it—something inside overpowered me,” she answered. “Well, don’t worry; I’ll think of something. Let’s try and get some rest for now,” he said as she snuggled closer in his arms. As long as she was here, the terrible things she had to face seemed far away and unreal. Lying with her head on his chest, she could hear his heart softly beating, and his slow, steady breathing was like the wind in the air—up there, in the high, clear blue sky, she floated off into a deep sleep. It seemed like just a few minutes later when the morning sun filled their room. As she started to remember where she was, she could hear the waterfall splashing out in the courtyard punctuated by the chirping of the birds in the palm trees. She was lying in the same position she fell asleep in, resting on Kanwar’s shoulder. “Kanwar,” she said softly, not wanting to awaken him if he wasn’t already up. “Hmmm?” he answered sleepily. “Do you remember the day you broke your arm?” Ragni asked him. “That night, I had a dream of how it all happened. You were climbing a fence on an obstacle course, and your boot caught the top, and you fell to the other side and landed on your arm, breaking it. I felt the pain in my own arm! Do you see? We’re somehow connected by our love.” Kanwar was quiet for a moment. Cold shivers went through his body as he realized he, too, was starting to feel the same things she did. It scared and thrilled him at the same time because for the first time, he realized how much he loved her and how much she meant to him. He had previously thought only of himself, but now he understood a little bit of what she meant when she talked of being connected to each other by love. 270

“Ragni, that night, while I was in the hospital, I heard you scream. It’s the first time anything strange like that has happened to me. I don’t know why God has put so much love for me in you, and I sure don’t know how some of these things can happen, but if this is the way our love is to be, then who am I to question it?” And he pulled her close to him with his good arm and hugged her. “Ragni, I worry about you. What would you do if some terrible storm were to take me away from the world?” He asked, looking into her eyes. “I’d hold your hand through that storm and weather it with you. Wherever it took you, it would have to take me too. It wouldn’t matter if that storm were to come today, tomorrow, or many years from now. I will always be with you.” “Look, you got yourself into this fix because of me, so I am going to try and do something to get you out of it. Let me make a phone call, and then we’ll see about getting some breakfast,” he said, letting go of her and going to the hotel lobby to use the phones. After calling the base and being transferred several times, he finally reached Wing Commander Multani. “Hello, Wing Commander Multani? This is Kanwar, and I am in the city at the St. Mark Hotel. I have a little bit of a problem.” The wing commander listened as Kanwar explained Ragni’s dilemma and asked for advice. Mr. Multani just chuckled a little and said, “Well, they say love is blind, and I would say that it doesn’t think too well either. You’re lucky to have someone love you so much. But don’t worry; there are some men from the Fifteenth Air Regiment leaving day after tomorrow to Chandigarh. I am sure I can get Ragni on that flight with them. I’ll have my assistant find out the details and have him leave a message where you’re staying. In the meantime, why don’t you go on out and have a good time? Tonight, my wife wanted to have you two and Hermanjit over for dinner.” 271

Kanwar gave him the phone number of the hotel and told Ragni the news. Sad but relieved, she pouted slightly, “But I’ve no clothes. This sari is the only thing I was able to get out of that prison with. How can I go to Chandigarh with no clothes?” “After we get something to eat, we’ll get you some clothes.” After breakfast at the hotel, they rode the Jeep to the shopping district. Ragni picked out some fabrics from which to have her clothes made, and then they found a tailor shop. Inside the shop, it was like another world. They were engulfed in the buzzing and clacking of sewing machines and fabrics. “Excuse me, sir. When could you have these made to fit my fiancé?” Kanwar asked the tailor. Looking to the back, where his six assistants were busy working the manual sewing machines, pumping them with their feet and spinning the bobbins with their free hands while they guided the fabrics through with the other, he shrugged and said, “As you can see, we’re very busy. When would you like them?” “A couple of hours?” Kanwar asked. Shaking his head, the tailor replied, “No way. But we like to give military priority,” he explained, looking admiringly at Kanwar’s sharp khaki uniform. “I’ll tell you what—come back in two hours, and we’ll have one suit ready. Come back at five, and we’ll have the rest of them done for you.” Thanking the tailor, Ragni had her measurements taken and explained what she wanted done with the fabrics. When they were through at the tailor’s, the rest of her clothes for the coming week had to be bought. The whole experience gave the two a chance to see what it was like to be a married couple as they shopped together. By mid-morning, all their errands were finished. Returning to the shop, Ragni was able to change into a clean suit of clothes for the first time in a few days. Feeling refreshed, they decided to have lunch and then take in some of the sights like the king’s palace and the floral gardens. 272

At five o’clock, they picked up the remainder of Ragni’s suits and drove back to the air force academy. When they reached the base, Kanwar made a quick stop to his barracks to change into a clean uniform before driving to Captain Multani’s bungalow. The captain’s wife greeted them both warmly. When they entered the house, they found Hermanjit already waiting. Ragni noted that a military uniform seemed to suit Hermanjit very well. “Hermanjit, you remember Ragni, don’t you?” Kanwar said while the three of them were alone for a moment. “Who could forget? She was the one that yelled that her girlfriend was crazy about you, right? What was her name again? Anita?” he asked Ragni. “Yes—she told me to give you a salute from her. I think she likes you,” she said. Hermanjit just smiled. “I think I have a picture of her in my wallet,” Ragni went on, going through some snapshots of her parents and Kanwar. Pulling it out of the plastic holder, she handed it to him. “Oh, yes—that’s the one,” he said. “I’d imagine she wouldn’t mind if you sent her one of your pictures, Hermanjit. Would you like her address?” “Sure,” he said, and Ragni quickly scribbled her address on a piece of paper and handed it to him. The captain and his wife came back into the living room. “Thanks for everything, Sahib(sir),” Kanwar said to the captain. “My pleasure. You received the message at your hotel?” he said. “Yes, her plane leaves at seven-thirty, due to arrive in Chandigarh at nine-thirty,” Kanwar said, repeating the schedule as the orderly called every- one for dinner. 273

When they were seated at the table, the captain said to Kanwar, “You’re a lucky young man to have such a pretty fiancé.” Then, turning to Ragni, he smiled and said, “Your parents must be very proud of you. And I hear you’re starring in the youth festival. Your teachers must be very proud of you as well. Tell me more about yourself.” A look of dread crossed Ragni’s face as her back stiffened at the unpleasant thought of her life back at school, while Kanwar bit the inside of his lip to keep from bursting out laughing. 274

ABOUT THE AUTHOR I try to be an inspirational writer and convey what I think are the moments in life that matter the most. My goal is to put love into words that will help people connect on a deeper level. After finishing high school, my father wanted me to study to be a doctor, but I wasn’t interested in following that path. When I came to America, I changed my major and later started my own business. Writing was a hobby that I had never considered a profession. When I imagine characters and scenarios and then create them through writing, it heals me and fills my heart with peace. Since childhood, I have loved nature and all of the mysteries of the spiritual world. Some incredibly special people came into my life and inspired me to write Ragni. One example of an extraordinary story came from my aunt, the elder sister of my mother. She died in her thirties, visited heaven for an entire week of our time, and returned back to life on the earth with a very interesting story. My aunt’s story was incredible in its own right, but there were more fascinating encounters in my life that led me to the path I am on now. I met a beautiful young woman with natural gifts similar to the premonitions and dreams Ragni has in the story. And I also had a previous employee who, since their child- hood, had the psychic ability to predict future events that actually happened. These, and other encounters, led me to write the kind of stories that I hope will inspire people to find the true meaning of why we are here and fill the world with hope and love. Therefore, the spiritual aspects, and certain parts of the history, featured in Ragni are non-fiction. Thank you for reading Ragni. I hope you enjoyed it and that it brings the same wonder and peace to you that writing it gave me. - Amarjit Singh [email protected] www.ragni.org