The courtyard was old worldly. A meeting place for the elders and a playground for the youngsters. The tube well was there and so a lot of washing and filling went on through the day. A few households also lay their beds in the night and had another round of "gup shup" before turning their heads over to sleep. The main door was tended to by an old man who looked like a 1962 war relic!

Anu was married into the Saluja household on the second floor. Raghav was a nice man and only a few weeks into the marriage bought a Hero Honda that the elders guffawed and sniggered about. "Ab ye to bahut udega..Anu..tujhe pata nahin ye kya kya karega..kal Hauz Khas mein dekha tha..Oye, Anu beti bhi to jayegi..Oye, sab brake ka khel hai..Oye, Jakadke Pakad.." Raghav was a quiet man and so smiled at all the snide talk. Anu was happy. Her man was everything to her.

The days went by. Anu had a baby. The named her Ranu. Salujas of all kinds visited them to give their blessings. Great days. Lots of presents! Raghav was forever going to the market.

Then Sagar came back from Dubai. He was from the Khannas on the  first floor. He was very happy with his sudden riches. He ran off to meet his ashiq in Noida.

Evening came. Anu was down in the courtyard filling some water buckets. Sagar came in through the main door. Sagar was angry about something. He abused the old man at the gate. Then he saw Anu!

By the time sanity prevailed, Anu had been strangled to death.