176

Early morning in Kanker, Suleyman strode over to the Mandir and was shocked to see the long queue at the gate.  He approached the guard.  

“Darshan lenay aain hain..!” The guard enlightened him gesturing at the queue.  

:Since when did this Family Mandir open for general public?” Suleyman didn’t know.  He marched inside walking past the angrily curious people glaring at him for breaking the queue.  

“What is all this?” he asked angrily when the pandit came running out of the temple seeing Suleyman striding over.  

“Umm… Babuji…!” Pundit signaled his babuji who was busy managing a long queue of children with empty glasses…! 

“What’s going on…?” Suleyman asked as the old pandit approached.  The old man smiled pleasantly.

“This is happening since the wedding …!” he said grinning at the chirping children happily.

“What?” Suleyman was all puzzled.

“Yes… After the wedding, the next day..Ramdhin.. who stays down there on the edge of the backyard came with a vessel full of milk to offer…! The old man said dreamily, entering into shades of the roof ….!

“Maata Devi… Saved my Kalimai.. my Cow, Kalimai and the calf…!” Ramdhin said tearfully handing over the vessel.

“She came to my byre. Dressed like a Dulhan, Sindoor on her forehead…Young, Beautiful, kind!” Ramdhin described the idol.  

“ My kalimy was losing it…. The calf had dried inside…She was in pain… She was dying… Maa took her pain…Maata Devi, saved her… and the calf, came out painlessly… She.. she was in my byre… and I… I didn’t even offer her anything… She saved my kalimai and came back to the temple… she disappeared inside… I saw her, followed her to the temple… Maata Devi… saved my cow…!” He started crying holding his nine year son offering milk..!”

“Please…. I know, this is Maharaja’s temple… We can’t enter.. But please… I want to offer this milk… “ He said urging but the old man shook his head.  He could let others inside only during the annual festival of the temple..! Ramdhin sat at the threshold holding the milk vessel.  

“If you don’t accept it… I will pour the milk on the threshold and go back…! I will do it everyday.. !  I know, I can’t go inside..! Ramdhin said raising the vessel.

“No! Stop..!”.  Old Pandit looked at the child and his eyes twinkled….!

“Humm… Come inside and tell your son to offer the milk to the Goddess…!” he said going into the temple sanctum.  The kid came inside and kept the vessel infront of the idol.  The old pandit chanted some Mantras and then held the vessel and said…

“Yeh… iss bachhe ko pilao…. Maa ka Aashirwad…! Give this to your son… Blessings from Godess Vyaghreshwari…!” The boy gulped the milk in no time and looked up happily.  

"This became a ritual.  I insisted that those who want to offer milk to Vyaghreshwari must bring the children along…Because she accepts milk only from children!  The children drank the nutritious milk and their parents got the blessings from Devi Maata…!” Suleyman gaped with wide eyes.  The old man shook his head a bit…

“This is how legends born…! He thought Devi maa saved his cow… he told this to others… others spread it all over… ! Now every day, all the neighborhood children get milk, in the temple….! Maa ka Aashirvad…!” He said going into the temple again.  Suleyman forgot why he was there….! 

“What brought you here?” the pandit asked and Suleyman’s temporary amnesia got cured.

“Oh! There was a call from Saya…!” He went ahead telling Saya’s wish to perform a pooja for Ravi and Dulhan…!

****  *****  ****

“Who is it, Rini?” Nilima asked coming out.  Rini took the letter from the sentry and came inside.

“Order from Command office…!” she said casually glancing at the contents of the letter, commanding her to appear for the exit interview, after her resignation…! 

“This means my resignation is accepted…!” she sighed with a sense of loss, emptiness, loneliness…!

“But you are on vacation..!” Nilima asked confused.

“Yes! Some paper work..!” Rini said and kept the letter in her bag.  She must report to the Command Office in Pune in 48 hours.  She had only two days….! 

“Exit Interview..!” she sighed dejectedly.  Her career was over with her resignation.  Resentment brought bitterness…! “Her career? Or her life? Whichever earlier..! Earlier the better…!” she pulled her bag to start packing.  Nilima looked at her from the door. 

“Rini is not herself…!” She thought of calling Salil…!

**********  *********  ****

“Dhaa? Enjoyed the party?” Salil asked and Dhatri glanced up at his eyes…

“He is drunk, as everybody else around, except that pagal and me!” she concluded wrinkling her nose.

“Yeah… Food is good… !” She found only food interesting.  People, she was not interested… Drink? There was no effect….! 

“Dhaa…!” Disha swung Dhaa’s hand.  Dhatri gaped at her excitement.  They were gathered in the hall after the party, relaxing and discussing … in fact gossiping, wallowing Topsy turvy all over the place..! Dhatri had full belly and was waiting for someone to hint to hit the bed.  She sat at the far end sleepily waiting for the gala gathering to disperse. Salil had caught up with her and now Disha…! 

“You are drunk!” Dhatri uttered.  Disha was high… speaking squeakily with dilated eyeballs and still holding a glass.

“God knows how many bottles she gulped…!” Dhatri calculated per her standard.  For her even ten bottles of that watery chilled drink wouldn’t have brought the kick, Disha had…! For Dhatri Mahu... I mean drink should not be chilled, no ice, should be nicely fermented, with pungent, bitter, sour taste and should smell mahua...! Disha was out in just three shots, mumbling incoherently and laughing…!

“Dhaaaaa…. You look beautiful… perfect for Ravi…. He is …!” Dhatri stopped her.

“I know…!” Dhatri spat back.  Disha gave a silly grin.

“Yeah… you know! He is handsome… Like Bhanu… Bhanu too is very handsome…!” Disha couldn’t leave comparison even when she was drunk.  

“Bhanu is the best…!” she said waving at Bhanu.  Dhatri nodded understandingly.

“When you can’t handle it, why do you drink, didi?” Dhatri hissed.  

“Haan? I can’t handle? Whom? Bhanu?... I can’t handle? When? Where?” she went on, pulling Dhatri beside her.

“By the way…. How is he?” she asked winking at Dhatri in a bear whisper…!

“He who?” Dhatri raised her eyebrow.

“He… Ravi..” Disha waved at Ravi stupidly.  All her inhibitions and her sophistication drained down her throat with the shots…! 

Dhatri gaped questioningly.  “What kind of question is this?”

“How is he?  In… in the bed..! ye… yesterday… you had your first night….!” She mumbled deliriously…! 

“How is he in the bed?” she coaxed Dhatri nudging her irritably.  Dhatri looked at her drunk sister waiting for the answer with gaping mouth and wide round eyes…! 

“In the bed?  He grunts…!” Dhatri said lowering her voice and Disha chocked in hiccup….!

“What? Grunts? While making lov..….?” But her question trailed in the air as Dhatri went on…

“Yes.. Grunts..! First it starts with….!” Disha held her breath excitedly to hear more about their first night.  Stupid Dhatri was about to describe their first night…!

“Yeah…. First it starts with snores… then…. then it picks up speed and then changing the gear, he snorts like pherrrwwww…! And once reaching the top gear,,, he grunts on the power drive…! Waking me up in the middle of the night…! Stupid fellow…!” With every word Disha slid down from the chair and then in a fit of laughter wallowed on the carpet like a Hog…! Dhatri looked at her innocently and turned to others who had stood up seeing Disha laughing so loudly,  hysterically, uncontrollably…! 

“Good night…everyone… I think, I must hit the bed…!” Dhatri walked along the corridor towards her room leaving everyone amused….!