Shatru Sesham: Sequel of Baahubali ✔️

Chapter Nineteen

In the Malava Islands,
They had all safely reached the islands without any further ado. Annapoorna (Shodasi Devi) expressed her heartfelt gratitude to Mrithyunjay, "Son, you are truly remarkable. You redeemed things for us when all of us had lost hope. You gave a new lease of life to me and my daughter. I am forever indebted to you. Ask me for whatever you want. I will grant it if it is in my power to give you."

Mrithyunjay humbly replied, "I just performed my duty. I do not want anything in return."

She reiterated, "If not now, maybe sometime later. Whenever you want something, ask me."

Mrithyunjay nodded his head in acquiescence.
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The islands reverberated with furious activity. Logs were chopped and huts were being erected. Just then, one of them exclaimed, "I am feeling very thirsty."

Rudra handed over the water in his sealskin pouch. The person avidly drank the water in the pouch. But to his disappointment, it was hardly a mouthful. As he drained the last drop into his mouth, he looked at the commander to inquire if he had more. Rudra looked regretfully at him, "That is all I have. Maybe somebody else has water with them."

Everybody looked inquisitively from face to face. A few of them stepped forward offering their sealskins in which they had stored water. They were about to offer it when Annapoorna exclaimed, "We have a very pressing issue before us now. Stop working and tiring yourselves. We need to conserve whatever water we have until we find freshwater sources or an alternative source of potable water. Samarth, you possess more knowledge about these islands than any of us. What do you suggest?"

Samarth sheepishly exclaimed, "I did not anticipate this problem when I suggested this solution. For our reconnaissance mission and the military stopover, we carried our drinking water and food with us. I am not aware about any freshwater sources here. Maybe if we send scouting parties, they might be able to locate freshwater sources."

"Or else", suggested one of the women, "We could try desalinating the sea water."

"Can we actually do that?"asked the others curiously.

"I am Meenakshi. I belong to the fishing community. So we usually live near the sea. The place where we used to live in Mahishmati was too far off from any freshwater source. It was just sea, sea, and sea all around us. So people of our community adopted an ancient practice we have followed since generations, desalinating the sea water for drinking. This is a knowledge only people of our community possess. I could try that here with the resources we have."
Annapoorna proclaimed, "In that case, you will try and see if you can desalinate the water of the sea while a scouting party will be sent to the interior of these islands under Samarth and Mrithyunjay to find freshwater sources if there are any. In the meanwhile, all the food and drink we have with each of us will be collected and equally rationed among all of us. Whatever we have is not just for us but for our whole community."
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Everyone realized that life on these islands was not going to be easy. It was an uphill journey and they had only each other to depend on. Luckily for them, Meenakshi was able to successfully desalinate the sea water with the existing resources though the scouting party was not able to find any freshwater sources.

A new morn had dawned. Those of them who were skilled worksmen like carpenters, blacksmiths, and masons engaged in construction activities, while the rest divided themselves into groups and engaged in fishing and hunting. All the women in the group began making preparations for communal cooking of food. They laughed and chatted happily.

They worked together sharing and smoothly dividing their responsibilities among themselves. After the men came with the food they had gathered, they all cooked together and ate together. Nobody was higher or lower than the other. They were all equal and everyone contributed towards their small community in their own unique way. Thus passed the first day of the fugitives on the Malava Islands, a return back to simplicity and the way of primeval mankind before the onset of culture and sophistication.