Ranga's Daughter

Chapter Ten: The Visitor
The clanging of iron gates echoed through the prison corridor like an old melody of war drums. It was unusual for anyone to visit Ranga. Inmates turned to look, curious, even the guards straightened up, as if someone of significance was walking through.
Shivram.
He looked older than the pictures and memories Ranga carried in the folds of his mind thinner hair, paler skin, but the same upright spine and sharp eyes. A man who once ran the backstreets of the city and now sat in an opposition seat in the Assembly.
“Still walking like you own the place,” Ranga chuckled as Shivram entered the interview room. No cuffs, no formality the guards knew better.
Shivram sat across from him and offered a smile, dry and laced with nostalgia. “And you still look like a mountain that learned to sit still.”
The silence between them was warm, if slightly cracked by time. Two men who’d fought on the same side when their world was darker. Ranga motioned to the small bench next to him, inviting Shivram to sit more comfortably.
“She’s a girl now,” Ranga said softly, not even needing to say the name. “Her name is Meenal.”
Shivram nodded. “I read the news. They wrote filth about her. Can’t help her publicly, Ranga. You know that.”
“I didn’t ask for that,” Ranga replied, leaning in, voice low and steady. “I need your help to support her education. I want her to finish her studies. She’s smart. Dreams of civil services. Books, fees, permission to attend classes. She deserves a life—not this cage. If you contacted her mother she will help on her documents".
Shivram laughed slowly, tapping his fingers against his thigh. “You still believe in righteous paths, don’t you? Still trying to build bridges in a world of fire. World is changed so much Ranga'
Ranga didn’t respond. He simply looked down, then back at his old friend. “Help her. Quietly. That’s all I ask.”
Shivram smirked, but his eyes softened. “Alright. I’ll pull the strings. We won’t go through her home, no need to contact her parents. You think her parents would cooperate?”
“She’s scared. Alone,” Ranga said. “But Meenal brings me peace. That child has survived so much, still dreams like the world won’t crush her.”
“Then let her dream,” Shivram replied. “I’ll speak to the new college administration. The old one store all student documents during transfer, I'll retrieve her certificates from the respective board/institution and archives and arrange for enrollment. With my power, I’ll ensure she has special day-release permission to attend college and return to prison. Quiet. Legal. Clean.”
Ranga’s eyes shimmered for a moment before he caught himself. “Thank you, brother.”
Shivram stood up and hesitated for a beat, then leaned down and wrapped his arms around Ranga briefly. “Don’t be Ranga. any time I will be there for you, till now you don't ask anything for you,” he whispered. “Two and a half years more to do. Then come find me. I’ll set up a workshop or something quiet for you. You deserve peace too.”
He turned and walked away without another word.
Ranga sat back, still, breathing deeply. The iron gate clanged again as Shivram vanished into the outside world.
Meenal would get her chance.
Hope, once broken, had just found a new shape.