"What are
you searching for, King Raavan?"
"What
everyone is searching for - a teacher"
"But
teachers are for children. You are a grown up. Why do you need a teacher, King
Raavan?"
"Haha! One
should never stop learning, princess Sita, even after one grows up, otherwise
your mind stagnates and you stop growing. You will be a queen one day and
probably your father will teach you the art of managing a kingdom. But my
father was a simple sage. I acquired my kingdom after a revolt against the
previous king and I am here to learn how to be a king, from your father, if he
would accept me as a pupil." Saying this, king Raavan turned towards
father.
"Of
course, king Raavan. I would be honoured to share what little knowledge I have,
with you."
-----------------
"Don't you
ever sleep, king Raavan?"
"Haha! I
find that my brain works best at night. My mother even calls me Nishachar,
being of the night. Anyhow, I thought I'd go through some of the nyaya and
neeti books you were so generous to give me access to, from your library."
Father nodded.
I wiggled on his shoulder into a more comfortable position.
"By the way, king Janak, how are you awake
so late?"
"Sita had a nightmare. I was just putting
her back to sleep when I saw the lamps burning in the library and decided to investigate.
I thought I had left one burning in my carelessness. One has to be careful
around books. One spill and a lifetime's collection goes up in ashes,
right?"
"True. And these are such precious books. I
am sure some of them are the only remaining records of their times."
"Yes. I have commissioned people to make
copies of some of the rarer works. But the real need is to make sure that the
next generation understands the true value of these gems and makes efforts to
protect them. So I am glad that you are taking an interest in these
books."
"If I may be so bold, king Janak, might I
make a request?"
"Of course!"
"Could I take copies of some of these books
with me to Lanka?"
"Sure! Nothing could be better for the
protection of this knowledge than spreading it."
---------
King Raavan accompanied father wherever he went.
Father probably thought that he might as well teach two pupils instead of one,
so he made me come with them as well. This meant that my regular classes with
Shreeman were put on hold. But I did not let go of my archery practice. l would
always carry my small bow and arrows around. Whenever father took a break, I
would set up a suitable target and start shooting. Father started calling me
his puny bodyguard!
Once we were visiting a village where people
were facing a water scarcity issue. Father was talking to villagers and trying
to find the source of the scarcity. But all that they were able to tell us was
that the gods were unhappy with the village and had dried up the small stream of
water that was the lifeline of the village.
"But why do you think the gods are
unhappy?"
They wouldn't answer initially. Then we
discovered that a very powerful man of the village had insulted and tormented a
hermit who lived in the nearby forest. He had ultimately succeeded in driving
the hermit out of his hermitage. The man had then occupied the part of the
forest where the hermit had lived previously.
"The hermit must have cursed the
village."
"But why would the hermit curse the entire
village for one person's mistake?"
Silence, again. Then one young girl, barely my
age, spoke out,"King Janak, the hermit wasn't just insulted. He was
tortured. For one entire night we heard his screams coming from the forest, but
none of us dared go and help him. None of us dared go against Manikdas."
"Hush, girl! Watch your tongue!"
"Let her speak! What's your name,
girl?"
"My name is Urmila, dear king."
"Come with me, Urmila. And you, are you the
village headman? Please come with us.”
The village headman confirmed what Urmila had
told us. The entire village was terrified of Manikdas and so no one had helped
the old hermit. No, they didn't know where the hermit had gone to. No, they
hadn't seen the direction he had taken. No, the hermit had probably left in the
early hours and so no one had seen him leave.
"This doesn't look good to me, king
Janak."
"Neither to me, king Raavan."
"Should we make a visit to our friend
Maniklal?"
"Yes, we should. Urmila, do you know where
the hermit lived? Can you take us there?"
"Yes, dear king."
Father instructed his guard to split in half.
One part was to protect the village and to make sure that no one entered or
left. The other half was to come with us.
Urmila led us into the forest following a small
trail. After a while, the trail disappeared but she still kept going
resolutely. Presently we came into a small clearing. A house stood in the
center of this clearing.
"This is where the hermit had his hut.
Maniklal burnt down the hut and constructed this house instead."
"When did all this happen?"
"About a year ago."
Father ordered the soldiers to hide in the
forest and surround the house. Anyone trying to enter or leave was to be
arrested.
"Mount your bow, Sita. Let's go."
"King Janak, has princess Sita ever been in
combat?"
"Well, she'll have to start someday, won't
she?"
I was wondering the same thing. I couldn't bear
the thought of killing an animal or a bird, not even for food. How was I going
to shoot at a human being?
"Aim for the heart or the throat. That way
death will be quick."
Who said that?
"Don't look around. You can't see me right
now. Oh, and nobody else has heard me. So if you don't want these people to
think you have had a nervous breakdown right before battle, act normal,
okay?"
Okay. That's weird.
Father was knocking at the door. No response. He
pushed and the door opened. We went inside.
The house was dark. The only light came from the
now open door. The windows were all latched and curtained.
"Probably to muffle sounds," King
Raavan said.
Father nodded. One soldier lighted a lamp and we
moved ahead.
My focus had now shifted from worrying about how
I was going to shoot a human, to how I was going to shoot at all. The light was
too poor.
More lamps were lighted and soldiers fanned out
into other rooms. They were all empty.
"Close the front door. Tell the soldiers
outside to hide and wait for Manikdas to come back. I want absolute quiet.
Nobody moves till the mouse is trapped," father instructed the troop
leader.
We took the central room. This had several doors
leading into the surrounding rooms where other soldiers were stationed.
Finally, we snuffed the lamps.
It was tough, sitting in one position till your
legs cramped, holding the bow ready all the while. How would I know when to
shoot, and who to shoot at?
Finally there was the sound of a door opening. I
looked in the direction where I thought the main door was. It was still shut.
There were footsteps and somebody lighted a lamp. And then they screamed. There
was the sound of a scuffle and a cry of pain. We had reached the room by now
and I saw a middle aged man waving a heavy metal rod at two soldiers.
The
soldiers had pulled out their swords and were fighting to disarm the man. But
the man looked to be a good fighter. He was parrying them easily with the rod.
Suddenly he managed to hit one soldier on the head and the soldier crumpled to
the ground.
"His skull is cracked. He won't make
it." It sounded like the voice in my head.
I was appalled. If I didn't shoot now, would the
other soldier also die? I raised my bow, trying to get a shot. With a small
prayer, I released the arrow.
It hit him in his right shoulder. I saw the
shock on his face as the rod fell down from his hand and hit the ground. He
bent down to pick it up with his left hand, but this was all the time the
second soldier needed. He hit him with the hilt of his sword. The man staggered
back. The soldier put his sword edge on his neck. The battle was over.
----------
"I was just trying to get the secret of the
village stream from him. I didn't want to kill him, I swear!"
Manikdas told us the whole story. He had
realised that the hermit somehow controlled the water stream that flowed into
the village. Every time there was a problem, the hermit would disappear for a
few days. Nobody knew where he went, but the problem would be resolved.
"Why did you want to learn the secret so
desperately?"
The man was quiet.
"He wanted to control the stream for his
own benefit. He wanted to control the villagers by controlling their water
supply. Didn't you?" King Raavan asked.
"Yes. No! It would have benefitted the
entire village!"
"Stop your lies. I know your type. So did
the hermit tell you his secret?"
Manikdas shook his head.
"Soldiers, take this man away." Father
ordered.
----------
"He must have killed the hermit in his zeal
to learn the secret of the stream. But with the hermit gone, there was no one
to keep the water flowing."
"Do you think the hermit kept the village
supplied with water using his tapa-powers?"
"Let's search for an easier explanation
first. Because if it was the rishi's divine powers that controlled the stream,
then it means that the stream is dead forever."
We were walking through the forest. Father had
decided to go deeper into the forest to investigate. We had encountered the
almost-dry stream bed and were following it upstream.
Urmila and I were walking together behind father
and King Raavan. We were both feeling a little shy and were stealing glances at
each other. After an hour or so, I decided to do something about the silence.
"How old are you?" I ventured.
"8 years. And you?"
"Me too. Was the hermit your friend?"
"Kind of. Baba was my teacher, friend and
father, all in one. I don't have a father, you see. So he sort of adopted
me."
"Oh! I am sorry. It must be hard for
you." I couldn't even imagine losing my father or Shreeman.
"So that's how you know the forest so well.
You must have visited him frequently."
"Yes. I used to go to his hut everyday. I
would pick wild flowers on the way so that he could perform his prayers.
Sometimes I would clean his cottage too. He didn't know how to clean up very
well."
"Yes. Sometimes grownups can't manage the
simplest things that we children can. For example, father always has to take my
help when he adds numbers!"
"Same with Baba!"
We both laughed and bumped into king Raavan who,
for some reason, has stopped and was now smelling the air.
"A bit too moist here, don't you think,
king Janak?"
"You are right. But the stream disappeared
a kilometre before this place. Has it rained in this part?"
"No. The leaves are dry. What do you say to
camping here tonight? This place seems to be linked to the village
stream."
Father and king Raavan set up the temporary
rooms for us while I assisted Urmila in collecting dry sticks for fire. This
proved to be quite difficult as the ground was wet and any sticks that had
fallen were also moist. It seemed that we had wandered quite far in our search.
When we turned around, we couldn't find our way to the camp. The day was ending
fast and we were getting scared.
Wandering around we came upon an old,
dilapidated temple. We decided to climb to the roof to check where we were. In
any case, a temple was safer than the forest at night.
The temple was a single deity sanctuary. The
deity stood in the darkness of the inner sanctorum and stared at us with
shining eyes. We did a hurried namaskar and sought the stairs that would lead
us to the top.
"Didi, look! Some dry wood. We could light
this and perhaps the good kings will be able to see the smoke and will come
find us."
"That's a good idea. But how do you light a
fire, without fire."
"We just rub these two pieces of wood
together till smoke comes out. It takes some time."
We both stared intently at the pieces of wood
that Urmila was rubbing against each other.
"See! Now we put some dry leaves on this.
Yes! We have a fire!"
I was thrilled to see fire coming out of
nothing. Urmila was really very smart. We both lighted a stick each and climbed
to the roof with some additional wood. There we sat by the fire, I with the bow
armed, and peered into the forest. Urmila was right. After a little while,
father came searching for us.
"Well, looks like you found the wood."
"We lost our way first, then we found the
temple and the temple had dry wood. Then Urmila had the idea to light the fire
on the roof so you could find us."
"That was really brilliant, Urmila. Our
camp is not far from here. We could go back there. Or we could sleep
here."
"King Raavan would worry."
"That's true. Let's head back then."
King Raavan was waiting anxiously for us. His face
lighted up when he saw us coming.
"So the bravehearts are back! Did you get
the wood?"
We held up the sticks proudly.
"How did you find them though, king
Janak?"
"They had lighted a small fire on a temple
roof. I just followed the smoke."
"Brilliant, little ones! I also found
something, king Janak. The ground all around is wet because an underground
stream flows here."
"How did you find that out?"
"Well, I didn't 'find' out, I remembered
another such place from my childhood."
"That is great. That stream must surface
somewhere and become the village stream. That is the only possible
explanation."
Behind father, I yawned.
"But it is too dark to explore now. Shall
we resume in the morning?"
"I think so, king Raavan."
---------
The next morning, try as we might, we couldn't
find any sign of the underground stream. The sun was high above us when we
broke for lunch. We could see yesterday's ruined temple barely hidden by a few
trees. We decided to eat in the temple, in the cool shade.
"I hope the temple has a well. We are
running out of water," Father said.
So we ate inside the temple. The cool stone
floor was soothing after the day's heat.
Urmila and I were so hungry that we finished our
portion quickly, surprising father. Then we ran out to the temple courtyard to
play. Urmila was teaching me a one-legged hopping game. You drew some boxes on
the ground, inside a big rectangle. Then you picked up a stone and threw it in
one particular box. Then you hopped on one foot to reach the stone and bring it
back. The game was complex and there were many conditions that would result
into your losing your turn.
We were so engrossed in the game that we didn't
notice when father came out into the courtyard.
"What sort of a temple does not have a
well?!"
"A temple that is supplied by an
underground stream, I am convinced of it."
"But king Raavan, I do not see any source
where the water is spouting into the temple."
King Raavan closed his eyes. "Let's imagine
a time when the temple wasn't abandoned. Let's say there is one priest who
takes care of the temple. Now where would he live? His dwelling would have to
be within the temple premises."
"This looks like a room. The roof is gone
but three walls are left," Father said.
"He would have to cook, unless he survived
on fruits."
"There is a blackened chulha on this
side."
"Now he must have needed to bathe the
deity."
"There was a bucket inside the
temple."
"Now, I have never seen a priest exiting
via the main entrance of the temple carrying a bucket for water. There must be
a back door."
"Yes. This way."
"Do you see any path going away from that
door?"
"Yes."
"I am betting that that path goes directly
to the Udgam of the stream."
"Let's go check it out."
So we all moved along the path, Urmila and I
hopping ahead.
And we slipped. I fell on my back, my head
missing a stone by barely an inch. Urmila's fall was stopped by a tree.
"The ground is too wet." king Raavan
said.
"King Raavan, I think we have found the
stream Udgam. The priest must have dug somewhere here and used these stones to
make the channel to guide the water out to the stream. Since this is a
temporary arrangement, the hermit had to come here regularly to maintain
it."
"He gave his life to protect this
place."
"He must have been a brave man."
Urmila started crying. I hugged her. She
clutched me and hid her face in my shoulder. I didn't know the hermit, but
seeing Urmila breaking down like that, I also started sniffling. Soon, we were
both bawling like babies.
Father and King Raavan went a few steps away.
From the corner of my eye, I saw king Raavan speaking and father nodding.
When we had cooled down a bit, and the bawling
had turned to sniffs, they came back. Father knelt down in front of Urmila and
said,"Dear child, who has been taking care of you since the hermit disappeared?"
"Maasi-ma"
"What about your mother?"
"Maasi-ma is my mother."
Father looked confused. But he persisted.
"So if your Maasi-ma allows it, would you
like to come live with Sita didi and me?"
Urmila looked surprised. I jumped.
"Of course, she would! You would, wouldn't
you, Urmi? We could have so much fun! I could teach you to shoot and you could
teach me to make fire!"
"What about Maasi-ma?"
"We'll bring Maasi-ma along as well!"
I loved the idea.
----------
And that's how sweet Urmi and I became sisters.
