Yakshagni - An odyssey of unbroken devotion - II

 17) A Dive into his Childhood

"You look as if you have seen a ghost," Maurya observed aloud.

With a start, Dharma heard Maurya and dismissed her absurd realizations. In the wake of the stories that she had heard from the priest; her imagination had run riot. From the moment she heard that like her, Jalindra too had been found by the river, and that, he too had been haunted by obscure nightmares, she had felt an affinity with the unknown Jalindra. And it was probably her wishful thinking that had made her visualize Maurya as a man who had loved her in another life. Maurya would most likely chortle at her whimsical thoughts.

She scanned his face for some sort of long-established familiarity but even now, he seemed an enigma to her.

"How come you are here?" Dharma asked finally.

He shrugged, "I dreamt last night that you were howling for help, probably to escape from that rat who was stalking you. Hence, I thought I would be of help..."

Dharma regarded him, not at all amused by his words. He waited for her reaction; his eyes curious but guarded from her discerning gaze. Dharma was certain that Maurya was eager to know her answer. A faint sneer that was fleeting but recognizable to him, swept over her face and she replied, "I am sure my boss, Rashika would be thrilled to know that you jump at every chance to play the knight to your employees."

His face remained impassive. Turning around, she concentrated on the engravings. She hoped that for her job's sake, she would not antagonise Maurya. She loved her work and also the artistic freedom that Maurya accorded her. But somewhere deep in her heart, she registered the flaring interest of a hunter that recognised its prey.

"I am glad that you think so highly of your boss, and in such a short period, you have understood her so well. I must share this with Rashika."

Dharma's saccharine sweet smile amused him but concurrently, it also annoyed him that she was not susceptible to his wit. Most of the women he had met, tended to be appreciative of his sarcasm and humour but he realized that it was not working on Dharma. And that made him irritable.

"Please do so. I am sure that Rashika, being such a warm and amiable person, would be proud of your actions."

Maurya could not help but grin at her description of Rashika. Damn! She was funny in a cute way. He dropped his masquerade and asked, "Have you worked on the concept for the show? And how are you going to present it here?"

"We haven't got permission yet. Nikhil and Mitali are there talking to them."

"Yeah, I know. Nikhil called me. He is finding it difficult to convince them."

"What? Really?" she grimaced; worried if her plans would be shelved because of administrative refusal.

"No issues, I will make an appointment with the head and convince them," Maurya assured her, taking note of the dismay on her face.

He inched closer and inspected the carvings that she had been perusing. The pleasant smell of his fragrance drifted to her and her nerve ends grew taut. With firm determination, her senses valiantly resisted his sensuous appeal. They remained like that for some moments, studying the beauty of the time worn craftsmanship of the artists who had left behind a legacy; for posterity to learn -  a symbol of their knowledge and wisdom that they had hoped that future generations would follow and understand. A quiet and comforting peace descended on Maurya and Dharma, a minuscule part of the ever-progressing infinity, that was exclusively theirs. The meandering breeze caressed Dharma's face first and then carried the distinct scent of her femininity to Maurya, tempting him with its allure. Acutely aware of one another but helpless to convey or understand the depth of their attraction, they stood in silence, not knowing that they would soon be hurtled into a turmoil of emotions.

"It is believed that the more you know about the past, the better prepared you are for the future. But, what an irony that even when we don't know our past, we still plan our future meticulously. It is a waste of effort to leave behind such exquisite wealth when no one cares about it..." Maurya drawled, breaking the silence.

"No, that is not true. Look at the way ARI is taking care of this temple. We need to know our past to learn from its mistakes, to be prepared better. History is an important part of our lives."

Maurya snorted, "You don't know anything about your childhood but look at you! You are gritty enough to confront a creep like that Chaitanya. Do you think knowing your past would have prepared you better?"

"Of course, it would have definitely made my life much better. I would know where I am coming from."

"No Dharma, I am of the opinion that sometimes, our past traps us, not allowing us to move forward. Look at this temple. It is trapped in its glorious past, always melancholic and unforgiving."

"Unforgiving? Why do you say that?" Dharma asked in bewilderment.

"This place was thriving once; the magnificence of its art is testimony to the truth. Following the invasion, it has hardly moved forward. It is stranded in a time warp neither moving forward nor shedding its past, unforgivingly reminding us that if we had learnt anything from our history, we would not have allowed it to be perished. But no, we never learn anything from our past," Maurya reiterated, strolling around the hall thoughtfully.

"But we must know what happened so that we will be more careful in future."

"My point exactly! If we had been careful or learnt from the past, we would not have allowed two centuries of colonial rule. Man looks after his own interests, he neither cares about anybody's past nor gains anything from it," Maurya returned.

Maurya's words urged Dharma to reflect over Jalindra's life. Had Jalindra been trapped between his past and the present? Was that why he was haunted? What, like Jalindra, Dharma too was tangled in a timeline where the past, the present and the future were kneaded in a chaotic mess?

"My childhood too was similar to yours. I am an orphan like you, and know nothing about my childhood," Maurya confessed. She was the first person to whom he revealed about his life. Vasukinath Krishna was already aware of it when Mahendran Namboodri left him in his care.

Dharma peered at Maurya in confounding shock and asked incredulously, "Where did you grow up?"

"I was found unconscious on the floor of a ship. Some child traffickers got hold of me and while they were transferring me, Mahendran Namboodri caught sight of me."

"Who is Mahendran Namboodri?"

"Oh, he is one of the most interesting men I have ever met. He had knowledge about everything, be it astronomy or astrology or politics, anything. He found me on that night by the coast. He threatened the child peddlers and snatched me from them. He named me Maurya and took care of me."

Dharma listened to Maurya intently as his past unfolded in front of her. In the Gudhamandapa, where the splendour of the past was captured and sheltered, where the Sun had once attempted to lord over its subjects, where the shadow of the dwindling daylight cast its unforgettable impression on Dharma; Maurya and Dharma's enforced reticence disappeared gradually.

"So, how did you end up in Delhi?" she asked in disbelief.

Mired in his own thoughts and not aware that he desired to lay bare his life to Dharma, Maurya divulged, "I guess my godfather knew that his end was nearing, so he left me in the care of Vasukinath Krishna. He is the one who sponsored my education and career."

"You mean Rashika's father?"

"Yes!"

Maurya's one-word answer confirmed what Dharma had been fearing. Maurya was indebted to Rashika and her father. Not understanding the growing anguish, Dharma was racked by the bitter truth that Maurya was unattainable to her.

"Well, that is my life. I have had no memorable past, and yet, here I am trying to build a future. To me, history is just a slice of a period that intervenes with the flow of time. A certain part of the changing cosmos that we cling to," his abstract smile allowed respite from the sternness of his expression.

Maurya's interpretation of time and past made an indelible mark on Dharma. Unexpectedly, the sour astringency that welled up, tightened her throat and for the first time, she feared the hold he would have on her if she bore deeper feelings for him.

"Sorry, I got carried away. I guess it is the effect of all these forlorn figures staring at us from another period..." Maurya joked, in a hurry to change the topic. Dharma noted that he was embarrassed to have revealed his inner most thoughts to her. Taking the hint quickly, Dharma talked about her visit to Mehsana.

"I met the priest and found some interesting bit of information," Dharma's excitement was visible on her face and she continued, "I found an inscription and cenotaph of a local hero here. I can narrate his story in between the show.

Dharma mulled if she should talk to him about Jalindra. In the end she didn't because Nikhil and Mitali arrived and all of them stomped to the ARI office.

****************

"Why does Rashika keep meeting this friend of hers? Does Maurya not mind?" Vasukinath asked his wife. Rashika had just then left with her friend Arjun for a party.

"They are good friends. Maurya knows about Arjun. Rashika tells me that Maurya never stops her from meeting any friend of hers."

"Which is good I understand, but it should not be the cause for any rift. Rashika has become too nonchalant about Maurya's feelings. I think it is time we call a priest and fix a date."

"What about Rashika and Maurya? Shouldn't we ask them?"

"I don't think so. They will only ask us to wait. Get me our priest's number. We shall fix a date and set the ball rolling for their wedding."

Excited that she had a wedding to plan, Rashika's mother waited eagerly for her husband to finish his conversation with the priest.

"Well, he says 19th of next month is a good date to announce the wedding date."

"Oh my god, we don't have much time to arrange anything," Vasukinath's wife cried out, cupping her face in alarm.

"It is alright. We will have a wedding planner to organize everything."

"You don't think Maurya will mind, do you?" she asked him doubtfully.

"I don't think so. If he had wanted to wriggle out of this relationship, he would have done so much earlier," his confident answer assured her.

When Rashika learnt about her parents' decision, she was delirious with excitement. Now that it was time to become his wife, Rashika was threatened by an unfamiliar fear. Of late, she and Maurya had drifted apart but she had overlooked it, assuring herself that he would soon come back to her. Her father's decision to fix a date for the official ring ceremony had made her hope flutter uneasily.

She called Maurya. Glad that he answered in one ring, she asked, "Maurya, where are you?"

"Why? Is something wrong?"

"No, of course not! Shall I book a dinner date for us?" she heard his long sigh.

"I am not in Delhi."

"What? Where are you then?"

"In Gujarat. I have come to Modhera."

"Modhera? What are you doing there?"

"A team had come here to discuss the upcoming fashion show. They are having problems in convincing the officials here. So, I am here to help them."

At once, Rashika recalled the meeting where the upcoming fashion show for Index had been discussed, "You mean, my company's fashion show?"

"Yes, the very same."

"Who are all there?" she quizzed, and was certain that she had not imagined his tiny hesitation.

"There is Nikhil, Mitali and Dharma."

Rashika felt the mild tremors of an impending doom, triggering an unusual alarm in her. She glanced at her phone and realized that Maurya had ended the call.

She drifted to the window, recollecting flashes of images from the recent past; the umpteen meetings with the staff, the buyers show, and Maurya arriving at Index unannounced. What a fool she had been! All this time, she had directed her jealousy towards Sonia and Maurya's assistant Rita. An excruciating pain squeezed her heart. The metallic taste of blood on her tongue made her aware that she had bit her tongue in panic. An old habit, that refused to die.

She washed her mouth and took a deep breath, staring at the mirror. The grey eyes reflecting her torment turned furious and then slowly changed to resentfulness. Grabbing her phone, she called her secretary.

"Hi, I want some information about some employees in our company. Can you give me fast?"

An hour later, she learnt that Dharma hailed from Mohandham Welfare Home to which Maurya had visited as a chief guest some months ago.

The tramp!

It took some time for Rashika to steady her temper. A calculated sharpness entered her eyes. She should get rid of Arjun. He was not helping her relationship with Maurya. In fact, she admitted that Maurya had turned a blind eye to her friendship with Arjun. Rashika understood now that it had been intentional. Maurya wanted her out of his way.

She needed to play the game carefully so as to not allow Maurya suspect that she knew what he was up to.

Once again, the agony of her feelings brought a wave of nausea. The acerbity clawed at her insides, fetching a fresh bout of tears, its saltiness stinging her eyes. How could Maurya do this to her? Had she invested all her emotions, time and love only to let Maurya be attracted to someone else?

No, he belonged to her and only her. There was no way that she was going to stand by and let him be loved by another woman. Maurya was Rashika's man and if he ever strayed, she would make certain that he never forgot his transgressions. Rashika knew that Maurya would never disappoint Vasukinath Krishna, even if he wanted to.

Next morning, Rashika asked her father a very important question.

"Dad, would you allow anyone other than Maurya to lead your businesses?"

Her father knit his brows, "What do you mean?"

"I am asking a simple question dad. Would you?"

Her father took some moments to answer, "Yes, I would."

"Who?"

"You! Who else?"

Her father's answer satisfied Rashika.