Terror on the Divine - Part 1 : Behind the mask

Prologue

As usual, Bangalore's traffic was quite chaotic, but the climate was okay. Nowadays, Bangalore is known for its substantial traffic and its tropical savanna climate. Due to the increase in traffic, Bangalore traffic police have imposed new traffic rules and are able to collect Rs. 72 lakhs fine from vehicle users in a week. New regulations on traffic fines is quite terrifying, but it has helped majorly in controlling traffic abusers. Traffic is increasing day by day; the city has become polluted in recent years, but still, the climate is great. People from various states of the country find it a better place to work due to its weather.

The rampant construction of high-rise buildings has ripped the green cover of Bangalore and turned it into a grey forest. I work in an industry which provides a home at a high cost, offering luxurious living by demolishing the greenery of nature. It is sad, but it's a field where I am able to fill my stomach.

Being in the construction industry and taking care of projects in different locations across the country is an action-packed job, where there is no dedicated time for family. Travelling has become a kind of hobby for me in the past three years, but the same has disrupted my dreams of writing. Always, since my childhood, I was keen on reading books, primarily fiction, especially Dan Brown's books. But these days, as time doesn't permit me to write, I spend most of my journeys reading books.

I am on the way to the airport to catch a flight to Raipur to check the progress of a hospital building under construction, and also to attend a meeting on the new project.

I catch a taxi, get into the aircraft, reach my destination, attend meetings and again repeat the process; this is my life now. I started getting very bored with these routine procedures and wanted a change. These days, I am getting this urge to resign my job and stick to my passion for writing books. Two years have passed since I started thinking about leaving the job. Quitting a job, when it is the only source of income, is not just a risk; it is an unacceptable risk. Thinking about the same, I am passing my days imagining quitting someday by making easy money.

The taxi driver woke me from my endless thoughts of quitting my job and writing books. He said, "Sir, we have arrived at the airport. I think I drove you in the stipulated time I had. Hope you will catch your flight."

"Thank you," I said, paying him the fare, and I rushed inside the airport.

*

Every time, while boarding a flight, I wish I could get a seat in business class, which has never happened; neither has my company allotted me a position there. Looking at the ticket and searching for seat number 12 in economy class, I moved forward inside the aircraft.

A man was trying his best to fit his luggage inside a carrier.

"Excuse me," I asked,
"shall I help you?"

He smiled and said, "It is okay, I will manage. I tried to fit my trunk inside kid's chair." Saying so, he pushed the luggage inside the carrier. He gave me a sarcastic smile.

His face was a familiar one but I wasn't able to recognize him.

Smiling, he stretched his hand towards me. "Hi, I am Arjun Dev. Your companion for this journey." His name was very familiar to my ears, but always thinking about my hectic profession, my mind was preoccupied and I could not recognize him.

"Oh that's great. I am Sharath V Annapur, travelling to Raipur on official work," I said, looking deep into his face. "Do I know you?" I asked suspiciously.

"Probably, you might know me. I am not sure, and if you think you know me, then you should tell me, because I don't remember you."

My brain begins its duty of recognizing the guy next to me. I had a small doubt and I asked him, "You are Arjun Dev, the author of the book 'Breathing symbols', am I right?" I asked him, and was excited when he replied in the affirmative.

The moment he whispered 'yes', I was very curious to know about his process of writing, the way Arjun thinks, what all preparation he did before initiating a novel; I wanted to know everything at that moment. But, more than that, I wanted to know what had made him stop writing books because after 'Breathing Symbol', there had been no other books released from his end.

Years had passed and I was waiting for the next version of book like 'Breathing Symbol'. The book had a balanced narration, capturing the facts and especially scientific discoveries relating to ancient epics like the Mahabharata and the Ramayana, Arjun's book had captured all the sensitive thoughts of human mankind from the start of civilization till the present day. It was a mixture of concepts but written in standard English with explanations about every subject; it is the only non-fiction book I have read, and I've been waiting for its next instalment.

"Do you mind if I ask you why you have not released any books after 'Breathing Symbol'?" I asked him breathlessly.

He glared at me, and his expression showed that he didn't want to share anything. He never did either; instead he closed his eyes and said, "I hope, you won't attempt to ask me the question again." I felt bad for disturbing him by asking an unwanted question at the time.

"I apologize for asking such a question. I too have many desires to write a book, and to share the knowledge and information I have gained. But my profession is a hurdle to my attempts to write. Could you please let me know what all preparations you do before initiating writing a book?" I asked.

He still did not respond and his eyes remained closed.

I understood that he had no interest in the conversation, particularly about writing, I stopped speaking to him and closed my eyes to have a nap. But, all of a sudden, a voice said, "My popularity is the reason I left writing books."

I turned towards him with my eyes wide open; he continued, "Because of my popularity, because of my knowledge of mathematics and mythology, unknowingly I fell into the trap of an intelligent criminal on a mission. After getting trapped, I lost myself and tried finding all the ways to come out of it. It took too many years in defending, struggling, and trying to find a way," he said, his eyes still closed.

"What happened?" I asked

"It's a long story, which actually made me feel I should not write anymore so as not to become popular, That is the reason I am not active on any social media's, nor I am interested in writing anything," he said, waving his hand towards the air hostess. After ordering a bottle of water, he asked, "Would you like to hear it as a time pass story till you reach Raipur?"

I said, "I want to hear it as an author telling a story to an author. I want to know what discouraged you from writing because I believe authors are self-motivators and reading a book motivates every author in no time. I hope, your story would motivate me to write."

"True, but, I didn't force my mind to read anything. Let me be a motivation for you, and I hope you will start writing a book based on what all happened in my life. Will you write it?" he asked, and it wasn't only motivational but also an indirect direction from a bestselling author who was suggesting that I write a book.

"Obliviously, I will," I said. "You will be there to guide me after I start to write books," I said with a wink.

"Well, at least I can satisfy my desires of writing books by helping you to write. Let me start by explaining what all happened in my life like the way you expect; I mean the author is telling a story to an author," he said, just as the flight was about to take off.