Suddenly she recalled something her mother had said to her as a child. The eyes of a dog are neutral and pure. They are mirrors which reflect the core and self of a human being. When you look at them, the way you regard them reveals your inner personality. A good human being will see a dog as a good soul, a bad one will see him as ugly - a man’s opinion is merely a reflection of his own image, impressions, and personality, and that is what he can see in the dog’s eyes. As the number ended, Sonia realised that her offbeat thinking was conceivable if she could apply her mother’s logic to reality. It was the only way to find out if she was right.
Feeling in a lighter frame of mind, she picked up the book on Gwalior Gharana that Mrs Dharkar had lent her. After skimming through it, she tossed it aside and strode into the outer office to switch on the Internet, surfing sites, trying to read as much as she could on the Gharana.
An hour later, Jatin walked in, his spirits elevated with the fieldwork he had implemented.
“Hello, Boss!”
“You’re back! What have you learnt?” Sonia turned from the computer to face him.
“I spoke to some past students who are still in touch with the Dharkars, and generally made inquiries with the servants and in the restaurants around. I also got addresses of groups who organised performances of the Dharkars and where Sumeet was allowed to perform, by Raujibua, as a part of his Guru training. And anyway this is what I found out:
“Both Bishan and Kirit come from middle-class families from Madhya Pradesh. In fact, the two are from the same town. I believe they knew each other before they took up Raujibua’s training. And Bishan does have the reputation of painting the town red. A spate of girlfriends, late nights, drinking - he’s a real Casanova. But people have plenty of respect for his singing. Some of the people I spoke to even said that he was more talented than Sumeet. One of the past students claimed that if Bishan had not indulged in these vices, he could’ve overtaken Sumeet in a second!”
“Could you track down his latest girlfriend?” Sonia asked.
“I could!” Jatin grinned. “Courtesy Kirit!”
“Kirit?” Sonia felt no surprise. Somehow Kirit seemed eager to tarnish Bishan’s image.
“Kirit was most forthcoming on the phone when I spoke to him. He even offered me Padma’s address and cell number. She runs a beauty parlour, and I dropped by to chat with her.”
“You entered a ladies beauty parlour?” Sonia’s eyes widened in amazement.
Jatin blushed. “A job is a job, Boss. Besides, I was curious. I wanted to see it from the inside.”
“It’s not very different from a gent’s parlour.”
“No, but the customers are different.”
“Oh-oh! Now I get it.” Sonia laughed, secretly glad to see Jatin behaving like his usual self. “So did you meet with Padma?”
Her Assistant nodded. “She’s a pleasant girl. And crazy about Bishan, who she thinks has a heart of gold but a foul temper. She was aware of the jealousy between him and Sumeet and was most vocal on how hurt Bishan was that Guruji preferred Sumeet. And she also claimed that she hadn’t seen Bishan in a couple of days, since Guruji had forbidden him to meet with her.”
“What about Kirit? Where does he fit into this rivalry?”
“I don’t think he was ever a serious contender in the race for the privileged position of wearing the mantle of Gwalior Gharana. However, Kirit also has a spotless reputation, though he lags miles behind Sumeet. As for Sumeet, he is the only son of rich parents from Mumbai. Almost everyone I met seems in awe of him. He’s quiet and dignified, doesn’t waste time chatting and socializing, and has only one goal: to devote his life to music and to his Guru. Everyone appreciated how well he had served Raujibua. All felt that he deserved the honour of carrying forward the name of the Gharana.”
“Hmm… Spotless reputation and respectable character, you mean.”
“Absolutely. Not a soul had a word to say against him”
“Jatin, let’s order some Pav Bhaji and then go to the Dharkar residence. Something is not right there.”
Jatin raised surprised eyebrows. “You mean Mrs Dharkar could be right? That Raujibua..?”
“I’m working on a hunch. But it’s going to take a lot of effort and creativity to prove that hunch right.”
“Boss, please, stop talking in riddles.”
“I will, as soon as we have visited the Dharkar residence again.”
“Right!”
“And please find Nidhi and ask her to return to the office. I haven’t seen her in hours!”
“Right, Boss!”
Kirit neatly folded his shirts and placed them into his suitcase, conscious of the sharp eyes of Sonia standing behind him and her quiet yet observant friend, Jatin.
“You’re a detective, aren’t you?” he asked casually. “Sonia Samarth - the astro-crime genius!”
Sonia idly moved from the doorway into the room. “Who told you?”
“Vandana,” he responded briefly. “What exactly are you doing here, Miss Samarth?”
“I’m here on Mrs Dharkar’s request,” Sonia replied honestly. “As a kind of a counsellor, someone who can apply balm to her shock and pain”
“And how do you plan to do that?” Kirit paused in his actions and turned to her, curiosity stamped on his face.
“By speaking to the inmates of the house. By satisfying her that each member of this family is stepping out into the world with a clean conscience.”
“What does that mean?”
“You’ll understand soon enough. Are you leaving?”
“Yes, Guruma said we could leave as per our original plan. If Guruji hadn’t passed away, we would have been gone by now anyway. But of course I shall be back for the tenth day and thirteenth day rituals. I’m only visiting a cousin in the city.”
Sonia threw a glance over the clutter on the table. The photo frame still stood with its single photo of Kirit, and she wondered again if a photo had to go in
