Page 251 of The Circle of Exile
“Give me one chance and I will start recruiting in Delhi University also…”
“Not now, Harman. Not now.”
“Ji, ji Bhaiya.”
“Send me the lists and add me to the WhatsApp group.”
“You, Bhaiya?”
“Yes, me. I am on all the student WhatsApp groups.”
He laughed — “No, no… I was just surprised. You were CM of Kashmir. You will be in these low-level groups?”
“I am now a party worker like you, Harman. We will together set up the culture of this organisation. For that, I need to be on all the groups.”
“Correctt, Bhaiya. Correctt. I’ll add you right now.”
“Thank you, Harman. I will see you when I am in Jalandhar next weekend.”
Atharva tapped the red button and set his phone down. The battery was 2%, as was his head. An ache was incoming too. He glanced at his surroundings and realised that the sun had already set. Had he seen the sunrise just an hour ago or what?
He got to his feet and stretched, not feeling lethargic at all thanks to his gruelling workout routine.
He switched off the single light and bounded down the stairs, now navigating this complex labyrinth of spiral blindly. As his feet hit the ground and he stepped inside the hall, the hustle stilled him.
“Baba play!” Yathaarth came skipping to him, bat in hand. Atharva grabbed him and flung him over one arm and those happy howls were the best thing he had heard all day.
“Where is Mama? What is happening here?”
“Qureshi is coming! Qureshi is coming!” Noora ran helter-skelter in the hall.
“Kuleshi coming!” Yathaarth parroted.
“Noora, stop,” Atharva glared at him. The man-child froze on his spot but kept repeating — “Qureshi is coming, Qureshi…”
Atharva glared at him, reaching for the bat in Yathaarth’s hands. He couldn’t pound Noora in front of his son but the man had to stop teaching Yathaarth these things.
“Arth, uncle is coming,” Atharva corrected, turning him over and setting him on his feet. “Who is coming?”
“Kuleshi…”
“Uncle,” Atharva pressed, holding his solemn stare down at the naughty glint in his son’s eyes.Noora!
“Uncle,” Yathaarth repeated.
“Good, now go call Dani bhai.”
He made a dash into Daniyal’s room like that was the den he wasn’t allowed into. At some hours of the day, he wasn’t, because Daniyal was supposed to study. Now, it seemed he was done with his exam.
“You,” Atharva snapped at Noora as he tried to escape.
“Sorry…”
“You can do all your crazy things but do not teach Arth anything like that again.”
He nodded.
“And what is this about Qureshi coming?”
