Rag Doll (Gudiya)

Having worked for the homicide for long 25 years, I could write books and books on crime; but this case came to me in the fall of 1973. It took place in a small village in Punjab, near Okara. The deceased was a school teacher, 27 years old. The evidence, a cute looking rag doll and a diary that we found.



It was the easiest case for me to solve. All I had to do was to read the diary hand written by the deceased. I started reading her diary from this page:



MONDAY - 20th August 1973



Yeh roz ka maamool bun gaya hai keh sham ko ghar aa kar aur kaam kaaj kay baad, aur sonay say zara pehlay, mein apni diary mein roz marra ka aamand o shumar karti hu. Ek aadat see bun gayee hai...ya shayad daal di hai yeh aadat mein nay. Kis kay liye? kisi kay liye bhi nahi. Aur waise bhi meri duniya mein, mere jehan mein, meri apni husti kay siwa hai bhi kaun?



Aaj bhi ek aam din tha. Wohi gaaon, wohi mehdood sadkain, kuch tung see galiyan aur ek school, aur iss ek school mein bohot saaray bachhay. Shor kartay bacchay aur zehen khapatay bacchay. Aaj ka din koi khas din nahi tha. Har ek din ki tarah tha yeh bhi.



TUESDAY - 21st August 1973



Sham ko ghar laut-tay aaj der ho gayee thi. Kuch sauda lena tha. Phir wapasi mein, chowk par mein nay socha, aaj naye raastay say ghar lautun, so woh raah lay lee. Aaadhay rasstay mein, Abdul Razzaq ki taal kay peechay maidan mein ek hajoom sa dekha baccho ka. Wahan ek handola laga huwa tha. Mein jaise jaise qareeb aati gayee, bacho ka shor o ghul tez hota chala gaya. Sara din school mein sir khapanay kay baad yeh shor o ghul, mujhay zara nahin bhata. Mujhay whaihshat honay lagi aur mein ultay qadmo wapas ghar laut ayee...ussi raastay say jo mein madarsay say parchoon ki dukan tuk, aur phir parchun ki dukan say apni gali tuk leti hu, har doosray ya teesray din.



WEDNESDAY - 22ND. AUGUST 1973



Aaj mein thuk see gayee hu. Lagta hai hulka bukhar bhi hai. Aaj khana bhi nahi pakaya. Aur waise bhi bhook nahi hai. Aaadat say majboor hu. Phir bhi iss kamray ki thori bohot safayee kar daali. Kuch jhaarh pohnch, zyada nahi. Bari mukhtasir see cheezain hain iss kamray mein. Ek pulang, uss par ek mailee chaadar, ek boseeda sa takya. Saamnay ek mantle piece hai aur uss mantle peice par ek guldaan, jis mein iss maili chaadar say bhi zyada boseeda phool hain aur un kay sath rakhi hai meri gudiya. Chalo, ab mein soti hu, Kal phir likhungi.



THURSDAY - 23RD. AUGUST 1973



Aaaj bara maza aya. Wapasi mein halki halki barish nay ek ajab lutf diya. Nanhi nanhi boonday, mujhay choomnay lagi. Aisa laga jaise mein jaag see uthi. Mein nay ghar aa kar kahana bhi pakaya. Bohot dino kay baad, woh he maithee ka sag aur bajray ki roti. Khoob jee bar kay khaya aaj mein nay. Apni gudiya ko bhi khilaya....dekho to, kaise hus rahi hai woh samnay mantle peice par. Ek ajab sa sarur hai jo ab khumar mein badalta jaa raha hai...aur mein chali ab sonay.





FRIDAY - 24TH AUGUST 1973



Lagta hai mera bukhar gaya nahi...shayad kal ki halki see barish nay meray badan ki hararat ko waqti taur par thunda kar diya hoga...aaj phir wohi tapish see hai....jo saalo saal say rahi hai. Khair hai...kal to aam chutti aa gayee hai aur phir parso itwaar hai...madarsay ki bhi chutti hai, kyunkeh wahan kay puranay founder aur principal ki barsi hai. Chutti hai, meri bhi aur baccho ki bhi. Becharay bacchay kya karengay do din tuk????? apnay maa baap kay sath athkayliyan karengay aur kya? Mein abhi ayee.............................................. ......................ab wapas aa gayee, apni gudiya lay kar. Dekho to, iss kay baal lagta hai jaise bikhar say gaye hain...lawo mein kungi kar du................................................ .......



Aray, waqt ka patah he nahi chala....ek ghantay say zyada kungi karti rahi mein aur waqt ka patah he nahi chala. Lo ab mein so jawu, aur meri gudiya bhi so jaye jo mere sath bistar mein hai.



SATURDAY - 25TH AUGUST 1973



Din kay do bajay hain. Mein ab uth payee. Raat ajeeb thi, bohot ajeeb guzri. Ajeeb ajeeb khwaab aatay rahay. Khaufnaak sapnay. Bhiyanak khwaab. Maazi phir aanay laga. Mein phir train mein sawar thi. Wohi compartment tha. Wohi shukhs phir aya tha...ajeeb halat thi meri jub meri aankh khuli. Paseenay may sharabur thi mein. Tukiya num tha. Yeh soch kar keh woh kuch nahi tha ek bhiyanak sapnay kay siwa, mein nay apni gudiya ko apnay seenay say laga liya. Yeh khyal bohot tha mujhay ehsas dilanay ko keh mein zinda hu. Par mujhay bari hairat huwi. Gudiya ki shakal kuch badli see nazar ayee mujhay. Mera wehem hoga...



Yeh sub likhnay kay baad mein so gayee kyunkeh raat bhar theek tarah so nah saki. Khwaab aatay rahay aur mein uth-ti rahi. Fajr kay baad kuch neend ayee. Iss waqt sham kay saat bajay hain. Bahar ki batti jalayee mein nay, kuch der dalaan mein baithi rahi, sham bhaari nikli, jee nahi laga, khana chaha par kha nahi suki. Akhir kar doodh ka ek gilaas baa dil o na khasta piya aur aaj do goliyan kha leen mein nay. Hakeem saheb bhi kamal ki dawa detay hain. Aaasab bhi barqarar rehtay hain aur neend bhi aa jati hai. Ab mein chuli sonay apni gudiya kay sath...gudiya kahan hai tu? oh yeh to yahan hai...mujh say pehlay hi lait gayee.....kheee khee khee.



SUNDAY - 26TH AUGUST 1973



Subah kay 6 bajay hain...Khudaya...kal raat...kal raat phir ek qayamat ki raat thi...sari raat wohi bhyanak manzar aata raha uss train ka...ussi compartment ka...wohi shukhs tha...woh he bhyanak shukhs...ghaleez aadmi...phir uss nay mujhay aur meri husti ko naist o nabud kar diya. Wohi bhyanak manzar tha....khwaab bhi ajeeb hotay hain...ek manzar say doosray manzar mein badal jatay hain. Agla manzar aur bhi ajeeb tha....mein ghar say nikal rahi hu....raat ko uth-ti hun...waalid saheb soye huway hain, un kay paawo choohti hu aur ghar say hamesha kay liye nikal jati hu. Sirf ek cheez uthati hu aur woh bhi gudiya ko.....Gudiya ko utha kar mein kahan say kahan aa jati hu...iss gawo mein. Haan iss gaaon mein aanay say pehlay mein ek chotay say sheher mein aur ruki thi...ek haspatal mein rahi thi....wahan ek lady doctor bohot meherbaan thi. Mere aklotay kadhay kay aiwaz, uss nay kaam kar diya aur mujhay duniya ki nazro mein zaleel honay say bacha liya. Ek gudiya mein uss haspatal mein chorh ayee.



Khwaab to khawab hotay hain. Par khuli aankh say dekhtay khwaab aur bhi zyada khaufnaak hotay hain. Ab yeh gudiya mujhay ghoorti hai sari raat. Mein jehan jati hun, yeh mera peecha karti hai. Khauf say mere badan par rongthay kharay ho jatay hain. Uss din mein nay dekha mein kamray mein jaise jaise phir rahi hu, iss ki gardan ussi simt mudh rah hai. Iss ki aankhain bahar ko nikal jati hain. Kal raat mein nay mehsoos kiya keh gudiya kay badan mein jumbish thi. Hararat mehsoos ki mein nay uss kay badan mein. Aur phir woh mujh say baatain karnay lagi...mujh say sawaal karnay lagi...mujh say poochnay lagi keh mein nay ussay kyu maar dala? Uss ki aankho mein qeher tha. Uss ki aankho may mein nay khoon dekha raat ko. Mujhay dar lag raha hai. Woh mujhay bhi maar degi...ussi tarah jis tarah mein nay uss gudiya ko mara tha haspatal mein....mujhay maaf kar day meri gudiya...rehem kha.....mein marna nahin chahti....mujh ko mut maar tu.........................



It was after three days when they found her body and reported to the police station. I was visiting this village at that time in connection with a big serial killer. It so happened, that the sub inspector that day had to go out of town on another assignment and this case came my way.

It only took a few hours to go through her diary and declare the case with "NO FOUL PLAY". Initally, foul play and murder was suspected, but that was not the case. No sooner had I read the diary of Akhteri Begum, that I stamped her file "INNOCENT" "CASE DISMISSED FOR FOUL PLAY"....



I played an instrumental role in her case. Her body was not claimed by anyone but buried near the school where she taught and that too with the blessings of the villagers. I heard that most of the donations for her funeral came from her pupils, from their piggy banks and some from a few parents.



She hardly had any belongings, except an old broken vase with withered flowers and gudiya. Those came my way as pieces of evidence and I kept those. I kept those for a reason.



It’s been quite a while and I still have both the memoirs. The withered flowers still gives me a fragrance at nights and I get lost in that one night when I met a stranger while travelling in a train and when I entered that compartment by sheer luck but could not resist that beautiful voluptous woman. The other memoir...the f*****n rag doll, I buried in my basement, but that creepy thing has been coming to me in my dreams lately. To be honest, I have been not sleeping for several days. I fear if I fall asleep, gudiya will come and take revenge.......