The Price of Protection: A Parent's Dilemma
This is the story of a middle-class family Aryan and Vineeta and their two children Shaurya and Muskaan. Aryan sends his two children to a good college school to get the best education possible. He spends more than his own savings on the education of his children so that their future can be bright. Aryan and Vineeta fulfill the needs of their children by reducing their own needs. After some time they even forget what they like and what they need. They just manage as it is. An ordinary parent breaks his financial back by taking loans and debts to educate their children, yet they do not compromise with the future of their children. But the children do not realize these things because the parents hide everything from them. Then how will they know about the financial condition of their parents? When the children go to a good educational institution, their status also becomes the same because children from rich family's study in them who do not have a shortage of money. Those who do not have a shortage of money, the only thing they lack is the time of their parents. Seeing the children of the institute, the status of Shaurya and Muskaan also changed. Muskaan also insists on going on a school trip like other children, but Vineeta refuses her. Muskaan also agrees after being angry for a while. After a few months, Shorya's college friends plan to visit the bridge. Shorya says, I will also tell you tomorrow. She doesn't say that. I can't go or not because our family is going out. If they go, I will also have to go with them. This was just an excuse, Shaurya to take time from them. Because he is afraid that his parents might refuse to send him, Shorya tells them this excuse so that later they cannot make fun of him that he is afraid of going out. Surya comes home and takes permission from his mother to go to the bridge. His mother refuses him. She says no, you cannot go there. You people will become the same. You will be busy having fun all the time and will not even pay attention. What if you drown in the water? Shaurya says, "Mummy, I am not a small child who will get lost or drown in the water." His mother says, "I don't know anything, I refused once, then Muskaan comes there." Muskaan asks her brother, "What happened?" Shaurya says, "All my friends are going to visit the bridge, so I asked permission from Mummy to go there, but Mummy refused. Mummy is saying that if I go to the bridge, I will drown in the water." Muskaan says, "Brother, Mummy refused to send me on the trip by making such an excuse. Do you know what Mummy said? If I go alone without my family, I will get lost somewhere. I can get hurt, someone can kidnap me. 30 children and five teachers of our school had gone on the trip. Mummy feels that I would be alone even among 35 people." "Brother, do you know?" I think Mummy and Papa feel that all the bad things in the world, accidents here, will happen to their children only." They always want to keep us locked inside the house. Mummy, you don't send me, I understand I am a small girl, but you can send my brother, he is a boy and also an elder one. If he gets a job after some time, then you will not send him. Mummy, you should try sending him sometime, if you feel that my brother does not behave well after going out, then don't send him in future. Shaurya's mother says, ask your father, tomorrow is Sunday, father is at home, he is coming in the evening, and Vinita goes to her room after having dinner. Then Vinita tells Aryan about Muskaan and Shaurya and how we stop them from going out. Now we will not be able to stop the children from going out, if we do this then they can go without telling us by lying or making an excuse. Aryan says, maybe you are right, it's just that I find this a waste of money. We can save this money and buy the things the children need, and I am also afraid of this. We are from a simple family and his friends are well-off and have a lot of influence. God forbid if something untoward happens, they will save their children, what will we do? But now it is important for children to understand. That is why I am thinking that Shaurya should be sent with his friends. Yes, you take the phone numbers of all his friends who are going with him and where will they stay? Take all the necessary information, tell him to call daily. Vineeta says, okay, I will tell Shourya. The next day is Sunday, that day Shourya wakes up early. Aryan was sitting outside reading the newspaper and drinking tea. Shourya goes to his father and says good morning. Papa says you woke up early today, is there any work? Shaurya says yes papa, will he keep calling me or will he keep saying this in future also. Shaurya says papa I want to go for a walk with my friends. Papa says where. Shaurya tells us we are going to Goa Bridge, plan is for 1, 2 or 3 days. Papa says ok, you can go, but how much money do you need? If 10,000 is enough, take 2000 cash, I will deposit the rest in the account, you can use it through phone or ATM. If you need anything else, then let me know. Shorey is surprised that papa agreed so quickly and gave the money on his own. That too without asking. Papa says but there is one condition, Shorey gets scared that papa might put such a condition that my trip might get cancelled. Maybe even then Papa agreed so quickly. Shore, yes Papa, tell me Papa says look you are going out for the first time to party for Happy New Year, Goa is not very far, it takes only 3 hours from our place, still you should be careful not to do any kind of intoxication there. In the party you should not eat anything from anyone's hand, whatever food you want to eat, you have to go and bring it yourself, Shor says okay Papa I will take care of all your things. I will not give you a chance to complain. Vineeta says give me the phone number of those who are going with you and also the number and address of the place where you are staying and call Shouraya daily, okay, Mummy I will write it in Muskaan's copy. Muskaan will give it to you. The next day Shor goes to Goa with his friends. They fully enjoy themselves there. He enjoys it as per his father. His friends also do not do any intoxication. They also enjoy comfortably like Shaurya, roam around, take photos but the two boys who had come with Shaurya's friend come drunk. Going to them, Shaurya's friend tells them, "Yaar, I have not brought you here to do all this with me, I had already forbidden you that no one will do drugs here, you know anything can happen to us in this unknown city." Both of them say, "Yaar, you guys are very scared, this is not your friend Shaurya, he is a coward type, and you are also becoming like that, you guys should also drink a little, who is your mother and father watching here?" Shaurya says, "Maybe I made a mistake by coming with you people, they think drinking is a game, they themselves have drunk and are asking us to drink too, what happened? If our parents are not seeing us here, then we should listen to them, and they want us to not get into any trouble." Shaurya's friend Abhinay says, "This is your condition today, tomorrow is New Year. What will happen tomorrow?" You can go back tomorrow morning or celebrate the new year separately from us, there is no need to stay with us. They say friend, we are such old friends, you are breaking our friendship for yesterday's friend Shorya. Abhinay says yes, because you guys are wrong. In the morning both of them come and ask for Abhinay and Shorya. They say that they will not make such a mistake again and will not do any drugs. They say that they will not make such a mistake again and will not do any drugs. All of them forgive them. These five become like before. They wait for the new year party. At 8:00 pm they reach the party hall. They dance there. Enjoy to the fullest. Ajay and Rohit bring snacks and cold drinks for Abhinay and the rest of the friends but Shorya does not take anything. He himself goes and brings food items. Ajay and Rohit say to Abhinay, maybe Shaurya has not forgiven us for the night, that is why he is not eating or drinking anything from our hands. Abhinay asks Shaurya if he is telling the truth, Shaurya says there is nothing like that. Ajay says if there is nothing like that then take this water, Shor drinks it. After some time, Shaurya starts feeling dizzy. He tells Abhinay, I am not feeling well, I am going to the room, you call me when you come, I will open the gate. Abhinay says okay, you take rest, if your health starts getting worse then call me, I will bring the doctor. He tells me that I will drop Shaurya to the room, he takes him to the room, by then Shaurya has fainted. Rohit had already made his arrangements in the room. They take him to their own room instead of taking him to Abhinay and Shaurya's room. They call a girl there in advance because they had mixed a drug to make Shorya unconscious in his water. They take off Shorya's clothes and take some photos and videos with that girl. Later they dress up Shaurya and leave him in his room and come to the party. They wanted to take revenge from Shorya because Abhinay was breaking his friendship for Shorya's sake. They wanted to take revenge for that only. They come back home after celebrating New Year. Next day a video comes on Shorya's phone. Seeing this Shaurya gets shocked because he never did this. Then how and who made this video? Then they call him, they blackmail him, they ask him for ₹5,00,000. If he doesn't give the money then they will put the video on the internet. Shorya gets upset. He can't even talk about this to anyone.But now how to arrange so much money? If papa comes to know then what will he think of me? He had sent me to Goa with so much trust, I cannot break his trust, but what should I do now? I have not done anything. After some time, his phone comes again, and Shorya gets worried. He says I need some time to arrange so much money. Shorya was not even able to eat properly. He does not leave his phone even for 1 minute. He keeps standing there even while charging the phone. Everyone was finding Shorya's mood different. He also gets irritated. One day he goes to take a bath, Muskaan takes his phone, seeing which Shorya gets angry. He asks her to hang up. When she hangs up, he slaps Muskaan. She goes to mummy crying. Mummy says to Shorya, what if she took your phone, what crime did she commit? Shorya gets more worried. I have been looking at you since yesterday, you seem a bit changed. What happened? Everything is fine, there must be something wrong, tell us. Shorya says no, nothing, just don't touch my phone. Vinita is feeling that there is something wrong with Shorya's behavior because he never scolds Muskaan and today he slapped her. Vinita is talking to RN about Shorya's behavior. Aryan says that we should call his friend and find out. They call Abhinay and Gautam the next morning and ask. Son, everything is fine in college, right? Abhinay says why? Anti. Vinita says, Shorya is very upset for two-three days. He gets angry at small things. Abhinay says yes, I have also noticed, when I asked him, he got angry with me and after that he did not talk to anyone. He was sitting alone on the college roof, looking a little upset. Vinita did not know anything. What happened? Aryan says, maybe we can find out something from his phone. Vinita says, but he doesn't even let anyone touch his phone. Yesterday when Muskaan took it, he slapped her too. After getting beaten up, Muskaan says sorry to her brother, her brother also apologizes to Muskaan saying that I should not have hit you either. Muskaan says, it's okay brother, we both have made a mistake. Let me tell you one thing, if you have any problem, then tell mummy and papa? What will happen at the most? They will scold you or slap you once or twice, but there they will get you out of your trouble. Shorya can't tell anything to papa, but why brother? Look Muskaan, I can only tell you that someone is blackmailing me, he has asked me for ₹5,00,000, if I tell papa, then papa will never trust me and will put a lot of restrictions on you. Papa trusted me for the first time and let me go out and someone has made a video of me after making me unconscious. I have not done anything, I don't even know what has happened to me. If I tell Papa, Papa will never understand that I have not done anything. I cannot tarnish his name. That is why I have asked Nani for ₹5,00,000, if Nani gives that money then this matter will end here. Muskaan says, brother I will still say the same thing to you, you should tell everything to Papa. Shorya, Muskaan, you also will not tell anything to Papa, I swear to you Muskaan says brother, I will not tell anything to anyone until it happens. Both the siblings talk and start going to their respective rooms. Shorya stops to drink water, he hears Mom's voice. She tells Aryan, Mummy called today, she was saying that Shorya has asked her for ₹5,00,000.
Hearing this, Shorya leaves, and they keep talking. Vineeta says, you ask Shorya why he wants so much money? Has he gone on the wrong path? Aryan says, no Shorey can't do this. He is very intelligent. The matter is something else. He has been upset ever since he came back from partying. I will talk to him tomorrow morning and ask him. There is a sound of something falling. Aryan and Vineeta Muskaan run out of the room. This sound is coming from Shor's room. They all look at each other. Muskaan says the sound came from brother's room. It seems my brother is in some trouble. They all go towards Shorey's room, they are surprised to see that Shorey was trying to hang himself. This was good, the ceiling fan fell. He just gets hurt a little, then Muskaan says, brother, I told you to tell everything to mom and dad, they will take care of everything. Vineeta says, history is yours. Nani also called. Aryan stops Vineeta from saying all this. Aryan asks Vineeta and Muskaan to leave from there and closes the door and asks Shorya to tell him what the matter is. Shorya hugs his father and starts crying.When Shorya stops and becomes silent, Aryan asks, now tell me what happened. Shorya says, Papa, I have not done anything, I don't know what happened to me. Okay, you tell me. Shorya shows that video to his father. He says, Papa, someone is blackmailing me, he has asked me for ₹5,00,000. His father says, what happened to you? You look like you are unconscious in this video, did you drink alcohol or any intoxicant? Shorya says, no Papa, I did not take any intoxicant and neither did my friend. Aryan says, did you eat or drink anything from someone's hands? Shorya says no Papa, I did not eat or drink anything from anyone's hands, yes Papa, I remember Abhinay's friends Ajay and Rohit gave me water. After drinking it, I started feeling dizzy, then Ajay took me to the room and I remember a little as if I saw Rohit there too. Papa asks did you have a fight with him. Shorya says no papa we did not have any fight. Papa says ok, don't worry, we will handle everything together and look, the step you took today, never do that again, no matter how difficult it becomes. There is a solution to every problem, just try to find it with a calm mind. Anyway son, we are here, we just want to see you happy and successful. Our interference does not mean that we don't understand you. We just want to save you from trouble and whatever the matter is, you should talk to your mummy papa. What can we do? We just slapped you once or twice, we would not have taken your life when you were going to take your own. Shorya papa forgive me, I was scared that I would not trust you, this will not happen again. Please forgive me Aryan, it is Shorya. The next day Shorya and Aryan complain to the police. They tell everything. The police immediately go and catch Ajay and Rohit. Out of fear of the police, they all tell the truth. He says he wanted to take revenge from Shaurya. Because of this Abhinaya broke friendship with us due to drinking alcohol. So we wanted to teach him a lesson. After getting money from him, they were going to upload this video on the internet, which would defame Shaurya and Abhinaya would also break his friendship with him. Abhinaya also goes to the police station. He says if I knew you are such people then I would never have befriended you. I am feeling ashamed, you are my friends, Shaurya says right, such a big thing happened, you did not tell me anything, we are friends. We help each other in bad times. Aryan says in exchange to you, I would have lost my son forever today. Today he was going to commit suicide due to fear of defamation. Abhinay says before taking such a big step you should have at least talked to your family, if something happens to you, have you thought about what will happen to your mom and dad, you should have thought and taken a step, talked to someone, Aryan, now leave everything, all’s well that ends well, now we should go home, Abhinay says uncle, I am also coming with you people. Shorya asks how are you here? Aunty called me to talk to you. That's why I came here, you did not consider me worthy of anything, Natti is right, at least she considered me her son and sent me to take care of a brother.