Yakshagni - An odyssey of unbroken devotion - II

 33) Avadhi's Hopes

Other sounds in the aircraft grew dim as Maurya became aware of his own heartbeat. His mind reeled from the shock of what Dharma revealed. No word came out of him except, "What?"

"Save him, he is yours... Those were the exact words. Often, I wondered if it had been my hallucination but it happened thrice. So, I don't think they were my imagination."

"And the warnings paid off. Didn't they? I did meet with an accident," Maurya dispelled her doubts.

"I think there is an unseen power aiding us. Maybe for a purpose..."

"There may not be any purpose. It was probably gravity that pulled us here."

"Gravity?"

"Didn't you say some unseen power? I presume we are drawn from a parallel universe to the Earth by gravity. How does that theory sound?"

Dharma punched his arm playfully and he yelped softly, "Ouch! That hurt..."

"I am serious Maurya..."

"Ok! Listen, even if it has been a slow process, we are learning that there is some mystery hidden in our past. Likewise, I guess when the time is right, we will know about the whispers too. Have patience!"

Dharma nodded thoughtfully, agreeing with Maurya. However, she was gripped by a strange fear. Their love seemed too perfect. After the loneliness, the haunted dreams, and the childhood abuse, she dreaded that by falling in love with Maurya, she was striving for something beyond the bounds of possibility. And what about Rashika? Wasn't Rashika entitled to an explanation? She was sure that Maurya would know when and what to say to Rashika but would that be enough? What if Rashika got hurt badly, would Dharma be able to live happily with Maurya after hurting her? The question lingered uncertainly in her mind.

When Maurya took a catnap, Dharma feasted her eyes on his reposed face. His face was angled towards her, and his shoulders were crouched slightly. She itched to smoothen out the worry lines on his forehead.

While she debated silently about the ramifications of her love for Maurya; miles away, Rashika braced herself for a meeting with Dharma's stalker, Chaitanya.

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

Dushyant Bhadera was stunned to see the formation of the compass on the ground from the helicopter. He was incredulous that the ancients had carved a geoglyph on the land with such precision. The chopper made a circle over the hill and landed on a strip of the tabletop. A car picked them up from the helipad. As the car drove along the slopes, Dushyant noticed the abundance of pine and oak forests on either side.

"Sir, remember, you asked me to find information on Saugandhika forests?" Bilaval asked him.

"Uh-huh... did you check?"

"Yes, I believe they were somewhere close to this area..."

"I thought so too," Dushyant answered measuredly. He wound down the window glass and listened to the silence of the valleys. There was a primitive quietness that spoke volumes to a discerning listener.

Once they had crossed the numerous hairpin bends and reached the lower terrain, the driver began to chatter about the best places to stay in Kinnaur. Annoyed with his chatter, Bilaval asserted sharply, "We already have accommodation. No need to tell us about these guest houses."

"I know sir. But if you don't like the palace accommodations, you can check these places." After a pause, he asked pryingly, "You must be close to the royal family to get access to the palace so easily?" He glanced at his passengers curiously. The older man looked very distinct but he was not sure of the younger man.

"What does it matter? You drive us and we will pay you," Dushyant chided mildly.

Silence pervaded for some time, and then the driver cried out, "See, that is the bridge over the river Baspa. We will be crossing it to Chitkul."

Chitkul was the last village on the old Hindustan -Tibet trade route. The vehicle was stopped for registration. It was the last point where one could travel without a permit in India. The village lay on the right bank of the river Baspa. On the left bank of the river, snow-covered mountains made their awe-inspiring presence.

When they reached the palace, Bilaval was wonderstruck by the towering beauty of the wooden structure and its sloping roofs; it had six storeys and a wooden balcony. The building rested on a stone platform. Bilaval hadn't imagined a wooden edifice like that in a small village like Chitkul. It rested on top of a small hill. Standing at the entrance to the palace, one could view the sheer drop of the valley up to the river. The whistle of the blowing wind made a strange fusion with the rhythm of the gushing river.

"Which king built this palace?" Bilaval asked, marvelling at the wooden carvings on the door.

"A Gurkha king from Central Nepal used to rule over the region. After they lost the Gurkha War, the Gurkhas were expelled from the region and the British administration took over, although a Raja remained in charge. The Bashahr rulers moved from here to Rampur and then to Sarahan later. This was built by the grandfather of the present king," Dushyant explained. His close friend who had suggested this place to him, was the cousin of the present prince of Bashahr aristocracy.

"Do they still own it?" Bilaval asked with interest.

"Yes, they use this as their guest house in the summers."

Dushyant's lineage to an ancient dynasty was not something he told everyone; hence his assistant was unaware of it. Dushyant was certain that if Bilaval knew that he was here on a personal mission, he would not hesitate to make a recording of the whole trip; which was precisely what Dushyant wanted to avoid.

"You said something about a tribe called Kinaras the other day. Where are they?"

"Those tribes lived ages ago. We need to explore if they were the ones who made that geoglyph."

Dushyant was given a room on the top floor of the tower, and from its window, he watched the clouds moving in a frenzied circle above a soaring cliff of the mountains. His gaze was drawn below where the crystal-clear waters of Baspa flowed with placid steadfastness.

He was eager to explore the river's origin and; at the same time, excited to learn if this was the land that his ancestors had once ruled.

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

When the flight touched down, Dharma asked, "Where exactly are we going Maurya?"

"We are going to Anuragnicheri. I must warn you that the house is in a dilapidated condition and you might even find some scattered bones..."

Dharma regarded his face dubiously, pondering if he was joking or serious, "You are serious?"

He laughed at her uncertain expression, "Yes!"

"Whose bones are scattered there?"

"No idea. But it was what I was informed."

"You don't care much for the house. Do you?" Dharma asked astutely.

"No! Who wants a ruin like that? I am going because my mentor handed the responsibility to Shankaran and the man has been beseeching me to visit and close the matter as soon as possible."

They stepped out of the flight on a sun-drenched tarmac and entered the small terminal lounge. Dharma had worn simple white tights and a long lemon-yellow cotton tunic. Maurya noted that despite her simplicity, many appreciative eyes were drawn to her. His protective instincts rose and he edged closer to her.

A concoction of incense sticks, jasmine flowers and pungent smoke accosted Dharma as she grabbed her bag from the conveyer belt and followed Maurya through the exit gate to the open air. The drifting aroma of freshly brewed coffee delighted her while the wet smell of the earth and the tall, swaying coconut trees made a charming impression on her. She was particularly taken in by the simple cotton attire that the women wore and the unmistakable adeptness in their attitude.

Maurya hailed a cab and spoke to the driver, discussing the route and cost while Dharma absorbed the aura of the place.

"Haven't you informed anyone about your arrival?" Dharma asked as the cab left the airport terminal.

"No, I told Shankaran that we would be reaching a couple of days after the Modhera show. I hadn't informed him of the exact time or day. Anyway, I will call him in a bit. Before that, we will take a small detour."

"Where?" Dharma asked, her eyes widening with interest.

"Mangapuram...That was where Mahendran Namboodri found me."

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

Avadhi may be lifeless but not spiritless. She had counted the years before their arrival. Now that they were nearing, Avadhi feared that she would collapse before the revelation of her truth. The time-worn secret that she had guarded for years would have final salvation. Through the turning of the generations, she had chased away all those wanting to lay claim to her and had endured her pain with faltering hope. She held on to her unfathomable secret until her progeny from a faraway land and distant era would make an entry, to take care of her.

The downpour, due to the low pressure on the western sea, seemed unrelenting. Owing to the warnings, most residents of Anuragnicheri had left, seeking shelter in other towns. The river Agni was expected to flood, and hence even the temple remained closed during the day. Like a soothsayer, Avadhi felt the coming of an important turn in the voyage of Time. Avadhi was trapped in a time warp and the odyssey had stopped for her long ago, but now it would resume with the unveiling of the truth.

With a trembling sigh, Avadhi bided her time...

In like manner, the river that had aged beyond years would be released from the promise, and at last, would seek comfort in Mother Earth's womb.

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

Mangapuram was a quaint hamlet where life moved at a sedate pace. The villagers spent a major part of the year fishing in the sea; and the rest of the year, they tried to rebuild their cottages that were destroyed by the annually recurring storms.

The beach where the driver stopped was on the outskirts of the village. Many fishing boats, canoes and rafts were moored at one end of the beach.

The driver asked sceptically, "Do you really want to get down here? This place is not safe. Lots of unlawful activities take place here."

"I know," Maurya acknowledged the driver's concern.

Dharma followed Maurya as he got down. He took her hand, and together they strolled towards the sea.

"How do you remember that this was the place where you were found? The whole stretch looks the same to me," Dharma queried, gazing at the crashing waves. The sea appeared high-strung, and a few of the boats were lurching on the waters.

"See the place there..." Maurya pointed out a pair of gigantic and colourful images of local deities in the open fields opposite the beach. A road divided the beach and the fields on the other side. The pair of deities, that of a woman and a man looked fearsome, however, they were decked in flowers, silk and jewels.

"Who are they?"

"They are the guardian deities of the village," Maurya informed her. They were painted in bright colours of red, green and pink.

Seemingly in a retrospective mood, Maurya went on, "Mahendran Namboodri told me that when I asked him about the deities years ago. I remember that dark night so vividly. I don't know how I landed on the boat. When I opened my eyes, I was lying on the floor of a ship. As soon as a man saw me, he grabbed me and pushed me inside a cabin below the deck. There were around ten to twelve children inside the cabin and I was shocked at their sight. None could speak the same language. Some were dozing and others were sitting quietly. When I tried to ask the man, he shut me up with a slap on my cheek. He tied my legs and hands and stuffed something in my mouth. When I gained consciousness, we were hustled out of the cabin but we were warned to be stealthy. I recall a little boy who kept smiling at me. I wanted to talk to the boy but I didn't because I was scared. When the boat docked here, it was quite dark. As soon as I stepped out of the boat, I saw Mahendran Namboodri. He was arguing with the man who had come to receive us. I guess Mahendran threatened him because I was then handed over to him. The rest of the children were taken to the van. The little boy looked at me so expectantly; he probably thought he would come with me," Maurya heaved a regretful sigh.

"I was fortunate enough to be rescued by Mahendran but others were not so. I believe they were trafficked to other countries. While I was striding across this beach with Mahendran, I saw those deities."

Dharma listened to him intently, not interrupting. When he finished recounting, she inquired, "How did Mahendran know that you were arriving by that boat here?"

"I still don't know. I must have asked him some thousand times. His standard answer used to be that "Some things are beyond our understanding. You mustn't question them." Even then, I persisted and one day, before dropping me at Vasukinath's house, he said, "Sometimes, I get a vision. I don't know how but I do, and that night, I dreamt that I had to rescue a child from the coast."

"Were you satisfied with the answer?"

"Probably, I was because I didn't bother about it afterwards. Also, he passed away and there was no one else I could ask."

A boat sailed back and a group of men carried a large net with fish trapped in it. Some children ran excitedly towards the men, applauding them for their catch.

Maurya and Dharma turned back. It was time to move on...

Dharma was however intrigued by how Maurya found himself on the floor of the boat. She also pondered how Mahendran Namboodri arrived in the nick of time to rescue him.

Out of the blue, a thought caught her off guard. Had Mahendran Namboodri too heard whispers? Had he then rushed to save Maurya from danger?