‘Fighting for justice is the least I can do for Ruchika’

Aradhana is not ready to take the credit, though. ‘‘ This is the least I could do for her. I could not save her but I can fight till she gets justice,’’ she says. She recalls her days with Ruchika: ‘‘ We would practise together and remained glued to television whenever there was a match, trying to improve our strokes.’’ Tennis was a passion but then it suddenly became a cruel reminder ... Aradhana has never played tennis since the day Ruchika died.

‘‘ Whenever our parents went away, we would make sandwiches together, our favourite being the tomatoonion sandwich. At a party, she made me comb my hair the way she did so that we could look like sisters. It wasn’t necessary. We were like sisters,’’ says Aradhana.

All was fine in their little paradise. Till, Rathore happened and their lives changed forever. ‘‘ We were left with fear, sorrow and tears. Rathore would harass her and her family. Some new problem would crop up every day in their lives. It affected me deeply. She was crumbling. I could not see her die every day,’’ she recalls . The girls had stopped humming their songs of innocence .

Aman recalls the first few years after the marriage and Aradhana’s crusade: ‘‘ I was apprehensive initially. I was scared as she was up against a very powerful person. But, it was my daughter’s birth in 2005 that changed my outlook . When I held her in my arms, I realized what Ruchika’s father had gone through. I realized the depth of the bond between Ruchika and Aradhana.’’ And he too joined the battle.