Yakshagni - An odyssey of unbroken devotion - II

 42) Return to Alaka

"Maurya?" Dushyant exclaimed in puzzlement.

"Good morning, Dushyant! I am sorry to barge in like this."

"Never mind! How are you?"

Dharma’s gaze coasted over him. In blue jeans, a T-shirt and a backpack, he looked more like a tourist than the chairman of a company.

Aware of Dharma's scrutiny, Maurya did not allow his eyes to stray to her, although it was an extremely difficult task; given the fact that he hadn't seen her for a month. He set his bag down and brushed his wind-tousled strands back.

"So, you were saying something about Ekveer?" he inquired.

Frowning, Dushyant's gaze swung from Maurya to Dharma and back to Maurya. As his brain made quick calculations, his eyes widened in incredulity. He cried out, "My god! Ekveer..."

Instinctively, Maurya's glance slid to Dharma. The charged-up air conveyed their implicit attraction to an onlooker, and Dushyant recognised their deep affection with wonder. Here were two people who had travelled through time and had devotedly gravitated towards each other in a perpetually chaotic age. It was incredible and called for documentation for future generations.

Bilaval breezed in, "Here sir, I got this..." he stopped abruptly at the sight of Maurya, "Oh! I didn't know we had guests."

"It is alright Bilaval. Meet Maurya Verma. He is the chairman of Krishna Industries."

"Oh, glad to meet you, sir..." Bilaval enthused, offering his hand to Maurya.

"I have quit Krishna Industries. I am an aimless drifter now," Maurya quipped, surprising all.

"Have you?" Dushyant questioned, making myriad associations. He regarded Maurya with curiosity, disbelief and awe. This was the man who had given up his life and kingdom for his love; who had travelled through the wormhole to meet his soulmate in another life and who was here to rescue Alaka from the great storm. It took time for Dushyant to accept the astonishing truth.

"Are you here for Alaka?" Dushyant questioned.

Maurya shrugged, "I am here to see Dharma...." At Dharma's questioning glance, he explained, "Kamya gave your address."

Maurya tossed a perfunctory look at Dushyant, "If you give us permission, I would like to take Dharma out for lunch. I have some things to discuss with her."

"Sure, you can take all the time in the world but there is a more compelling task you both have to do urgently."

"What is that?"

"To proceed to Alaka at once."

"Alaka? I have no clue where it is..."

"I will guide you."

"But why do we have to go there now?"

"I will tell you," Dharma answered. She sought Dushyant's permission, "Would you excuse us? I will explain everything to him. Then, we can go to Alaka."

"Alright! Will leave as soon as you are back," he deduced from Maurya's arrival that the younger man and Dharma had a lover's tiff before she left Delhi.

Unable to understand what was happening, Bilaval's startled gaze moved from one to another in confusion. Whenever Bilaval was clueless about a situation transpiring around him, he became sullen. He liked to be abreast of everything.

When they were alone, Dharma bit out, "What are you doing here?"

His sardonic glance barely concealed his feelings and he refused to answer her question. Instead, he asked, "Can I keep the bag here? I will pick it up after lunch."

After Maurya learnt that Dharma had left for Parijatpur, he had been on a warpath, picking a fight with everyone he had come across. Finally, one day he had made peace with himself, concluding that he would leave no stone unturned till he met Dharma.

"Why did you want to meet me?" Dharma pried, settling on the table of the café.

"Why do you think?" he came back, wondering how he had spent the last one month without a glimpse of those magnificent eyes. "Do you know, when I learnt that you had left Parijatpur, I was furious at the universe? I quarrelled with anyone who crossed my path."

"And I purposely distanced myself from any news of Krishna Industries or the accident," Dharma recounted.

Snatching her hand in his, he stroked their softness, "I missed you so much, Dharma. I hadn't realized till then that you had become an integral part of my life."

His impassioned words warmed her heart. Yet, Dharma wanted to know about Rashika and his status with her. With her pulses galloping in a frenzy, she put the question to him tentatively, "What about Rashika?"

Maurya sighed in displeasure, "Rashika met with another accident. I believe it was after meeting you at your flat. She and her mother were hurrying to the helipad when their car was hit by another."

"Oh my god Maurya! How is she?"

"Rashika survived but her mother died in the collision."

"Oh god! That is so sad!"

"Yes, the accident left her paralysed, and there was partial loss of memory. But the doctors have assured her father that she would recover even though it would take time."

"Her father must be devastated."

"Yes, he is. He shouldn't have sneaked her out of the hospital."

"What?"

"Yeah, they were trying to flee from the city. He was waiting for her in the helipad. That was when Rashika met with the accident. There is another rumour that the accident was intentional. Arjun's brothers may have known that Rashika was escaping, and hence they could have caused the accident."

"Good lord! Can someone prove it?"

"No, it is all hearsay. By the way, I had broken up with Rashika the day I dropped you home. And I had quit Krishna Industries before Vasukinath planned their escape. He had wanted me to accompany them. I refused, sold all my shares to him and made my exit from the business."

"Oh!"

"Yes! Dharma, Brahim told me that Rashika had come to visit you and that she had hit you."

Dharma nodded reluctantly, "Yeah, she was furious."

"I am sorry. She had no right to vent her fury on you."

"Where is she now?"

"Her father had planned to take her to their ancestral village but there is no proper medical facility there. Hence, he is planning to fly her to Mauritius."

"Why Mauritius?"

"Vasukinath's ancestors were traders in Mauritius during British times. His grandfather came to India to marry and subsequently settled down here. Vasukinath has some properties there. So, he is taking Rashika there to start life anew."

"What about Krishna Industries? He is going to run it remotely?"

"I suppose..." Maurya demurred and pondered if it was the right time to ask Dharma.

They drifted into a contemplative silence, each engrossed in their own thoughts. The morning breezed into a sunny afternoon, giving clarity to their confused thoughts.

"What are you planning to do now?" Dharma asked him.

"I have been meaning to ask you but since you joined the research centre recently, I was hesitant. Dharma, would you be my partner for a new venture that I am planning to start?"

"What venture?"

"I am planning to start a company where exclusively designed garments would be available online. No brick and mortar right now. We will have our own brand. These designs will be available in select countries too. I want you to be my business partner for this venture."

"But Maurya, I have no experience."

"I don't need experience. I need your designs. I have asked Tapan too to be my partner."

"I don't know. It is too soon for me to leave Almora."

"I know. I am not asking you to quit here immediately. You can take your own time. But I want you to be part of my business later."

Dharma dithered, not sure of joining Maurya. He perceived her feelings and confessed, "I love you Dharma, and I have been in love with you since I saw you on that stage in Parijatpur. I know you think I am this indecisive idiot, and you are fed up with the mess. But you can be sure of one thing, and that is, you are not going to get rid of me easily. I am here to stay. So, decide accordingly."

So forthright and yet so compelling; Dharma felt her face flushing at his confession.

"Do you?" he asked

"Do I what?"

"Do you love me?"

Dharma's brows shot up and her eyes glistened with mischief, "And so asks the dashing prince of Alaka..."

Laughing, he queried, "How do you know that I was dashing? Maybe I had been a ghastly and gruesome prince, and hence you fell into the river to escape from me...Who knows what happened then?"

"Well, I definitely know that we had been in love, and as a Yakshi, I couldn't have been in love with a ghastly and gruesome prince. Moreover, the universe isn't that cruel to thrust me once again into your arms in another life."

"You haven't been in my arms yet. I am still waiting," Maurya murmured softly, his gaze revealing his unspoken longing.

Dharma blushed, unable to halt the rush of heat, "That was a figure of speech..."

Maurya chuckled at her scarlet face, "Why don't you want to be with me?" he pressed, "Don't you care about me?"

"Of course, I care about you. I love you Maurya, but I am afraid of the consequences. What if we get separated like our previous time?"

"We don't know what happened exactly, but we are here now, aren't we? We were destined to be together. The future may seem uncertain, Dharma. But we have to take our chances. That is life. And I have no intention of living without you. So, be prepared. If you don't want to leave Almora, fine with me. I will park myself somewhere close by and follow you."

Grimacing at his words, Dharma clutched his hands tighter, "No need for so much drama. I will come with you but before that, we have to visit Alaka. Dushyant sir will take us. We have to stop the storm."

"Tell me about the storm..."

While Dharma explained the situation to him, Maurya was stunned that they had travelled to the present time through the wormhole in Yakshagni.

"I can't wait to explore Alaka."

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

Driving from Almora to Kinnaur took them a day and a half. Dharma and Maurya were enchanted by the mountains surrounding the Baspa Valley. Dushyant described the geoglyph that was drawn on the slopes of the valley.

"The ancients had believed in time travel. Otherwise, why would they create a compass on the valley?" Dharma asked.

"Yes, indeed! The tribes who had lived in this region did believe in time travel. Moreover, they must have been aware of the wormhole in Yakshagni. Hence, it had been a revered river in Alaka."

Dushyant took them first to the Ashram where they rested for a break. Anand Acharya was surprised that the beautiful couple had come to seek his blessings before proceeding to the forest.

"Begin your exploration in the morning. That is when the forest is not hostile."

"But, isn't the storm approaching fast?" Dushyant wondered aloud, afraid that the storm would beat them in their race to save Alaka.

"No, the wind may seem strong but the storm is still away. I advise you to not disturb the woods at night."

Following his advice, they took shelter in the hermitage that night. When the Sun set for the day and the satin smooth range of white peaks glowed under the star-lit sky, Anand Acharya began to recount the story of the land, "This is an ancient land. It has witnessed astounding glory at its peak, has plunged into devastation in its darkest hours, has been battle-scarred, and has withstood natural disasters. In spite of all that it has endured, it is still here, providing livelihood to those who depend on it. Do you know why? Because the land and the forest would strike back at the right time. Not because we were thankless to the land...No, long ago, it had been a mute witness to the massacre of a thriving forest, two innocent lovers and an entire tribe. It had watched the forest go down in flames with helplessness. Hence, it has frozen to a bleak existence, suspending its growth. If we make right what had been wronged, then there is a chance that the forest would flourish, and the land would prosper once again."

"How can the wrong be reversed? This happened aeons ago. The land is bound to undergo changes," Maurya questioned.

"True!" Dushyant agreed with Maurya, even if he knew the answer.

"Ah, that is the strangest thing. The ancients had visualised something extraordinary. They had predicted an unusual solution to rescue the land from catastrophe."

"What is that?"

"The land is eagerly awaiting the return of its timeless lovers who had fled from the brutality of the kingdom."

"Fled?" Dharma tendered.

"Yes, the prophecy would not have portended their return if they had been killed. It was believed that the lovers had escaped to another world only to return and save Alaka."

Filled with amazement, Maurya and Dharma stared at the wise man awestruck. Dushyant experienced a tingling sensation on his skin at the knowledge that he was instrumental in bringing the lovers back to the land.

Smiling at all three of them, Anand Acharya stood up, "Go to sleep now. You have a long day ahead of you. Always remember that, "Time creates all things in the world, and Time destroys them all...even when you are going back in time, you are moving forward."

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

The tears of Saugandhika had dried long ago, however, over the centuries, the vivacity had not returned. The fire that destroyed the forest had left a trail of calamities. Saugandhika never recovered from the tragedy. The forest had lost the will to live. Each morning, the rising Sun willed the forest to wake up. Each day, the forest existed in lost and lonely despair; each night, the woods descended deeper into darkness. Saugandhika was powerless to stop the flaring pity of the stars and the Moon. Under the enlivening rays of the sun, some seedlings grew into saplings; except that the nascent plants could not survive the harsh environment. During monsoon, the river flooded and the soil became too moist for survival. In summer, the heat parched the land to nothingness. The winters made it impossibly barren to exist. Saugandhika remained in grief, mourning for the lost inhabitants of the forest. It hoped that the approaching storm would annihilate it from Earth and end its misery.