Kanyaka [Sequel to Durga] | ✓

20. Symbolism- II

Durga rushed to their room to find Rudra striding in the room, with a grave face. He exhaled as he saw her. "At least you could have informed me that you're downstairs. I was worried."

She mouthed a sorry, quickly making a puppy face. Her husband rolled his eyes. He stepped into the adjoining balcony and took a deep breath. Durga stood next to him and narrated what happened in the kitchen. Rudra listened patiently to her.

"This is what I was afraid. I knew she would taunt you but calling you barren, this isn't right," he fumed as she ended narrating.

She coaxed him, "Rudra, calm down. She is like your mother. Let's not discuss about it. I need to know about the curse. Is it really true?"

He scratched his chin. "My mother died in an accident. There have been many deaths of women after their child are born. In our family, many of us don't have siblings. In very rare cases our family had seen birth of second child."

She pondered for a while. "Rudra so is the case my family. I don't remember any sibling in my extended family other than my mother and Indrajeet. In our families, apart from the deaths of women you've stated, there is one more thing common- inter family marriages," Durga added.

Rudra slapped his forehead. "That is why Akshad Sir married you to Indrajeet? You both are from same family!"

"That's why Yellamma Avva didn't want you to marry me," Durga concluded.

"Durga, I remember you were telling that Akshad Sir didn't want you to marry Indrajeet but due to some curse, he had to. The question is why he didn't tell you about it? Kanna, you know him better than me. Did he believe in them?"

Durga gave a small chuckle. "Rudra, Appa would always tell that the blessings and curses are the nothing but powerful words that can disturb the state of one's mind."

He narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean?"

"Appa would explain that Indra, King of the Devas, possessed important qualities- leadership, kindness and warfare knowledge yet no peace of mind. He would do some mischievous activity-"

"Mischievous?"

"Rudra! I was a teenager then; where was I? I remember! He would do some mischievous activity and get cursed. His mind filled with positive thoughts, gets replaced by negative thoughts due to the curse."

"You mean. . ."

"When you're happy, you attract good and positive thoughts. But when you're sad, the reverse happens. Blessings are a way to make one's mind believe that good things will happen in a long run. But curses do the exact opposite. What I mean to say is that Appa would never believe in them but the people around him manipulated his thoughts. Or maybe he analysed the effect of curse around you. . ."

Rudra completed, "He agreed to marry you to that scoundrel despite of the age difference."

Durga sobbed. "When he knew I wouldn't have a child, he thought my life wouldn't be in danger. Yellamma Avva is right; I am a fool to have gone against the nature's decision."

Rudra chided her. "Durga, are you mad? My parents died in an accident. The curse says that my Amma should have died. For what crime was my father punished?"

"Why do I feel that our families have same ancestors? They have same curse thing, one sibling and inter-family marriages."

"That couldn't be possible. I am from Mangalore and you're from Mysuru. I am a Tuluva and you're a Kannadiga."

He continued, "Maybe you're right that we are related to this curse and Queen Kanyaka, aren't we? Why didn't she die after giving birth to her child?"

"Akhil told something happened after ten years, right?"

"Yes, it could have been war," Rudra suggested.

"War? Don't you remember? She defeated the Portuguese."

Rudra sighed. "By Devi Shakti, Durga, why don't you think that anything could have happened to Kanyaka? Who knows maybe that Abhimanyu would have done something."

Durga gasped. "What did you just say?"

"Who knows maybe that Abhimanyu-"

"Not that," Durga cut him. "Before that sentence, what did you say?"

"Huh?" Rudra asked. She narrowed her eyes. He tried recollecting, "By Devi Shakti, Durga. . . anything could have happened to Kanyaka. . ."

"That's it! Shakti and Durga are the names of Parvati. . ."

Rudra nodded.

"Kanyaka means by the words of Durga. Technically, it is a name of Parvati."

Rudra squealed. "Omkara and Rudra are the names of Shiva. Abhimanyu and Abhilash have same part of words common. Raghavendra and Raghuveer, too, show same similarity."

"Indrajeet and Jeetendra are kind of word palindrome. Veerini, Neeravati and Netravati are the names with almost similar alphabets."

"What about Akshad Sir? You said that it was an anagram of Daksha."

"Of course! Think of King Shadakshari. The word Shadak. . .," she paused so that he could guess.

"Shadak. . . Daksha. . . Akshad. . . they are anagrams of each other. You think your father would have known about this?"

Durga shook her head. "I don't know Rudra. Suddenly, I feel that I don't who my father was; I feel I don't know who the man was staying with me for eighteen years of life."

Rudra consoled, "Kanna, if he knew about the map then he knew something more. Your abusive marriage and his untimely death was the reason he left us without answers for the questions that arise. But he made you self-sufficient; he indirectly paved his path to make you independent."

Durga looked at the sea in front of her. The sky was filled with various hues of warm colours as the sun rose. The time seemed to have flew. "Rudra, what if I die after my child is born?"

"Hush! You shouldn't speak such things. Your Appa has explained that these curses attract negative thoughts. Don't think about them."

She held his hand. "Suppose something happens, I want you to be the world's best father. I want you to spend your time with her and be the role model like my father is to me. Promise that you will look after our child."

"Durga, firstly, nothing will happen to you. Secondly, if a promise will make you happy so be it."

***

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