Kanyaka [Sequel to Durga] | ✓

29. Mahishasura, Goddess Durga and Her Tiger

Footsteps of Rudra brought Durga back from her reverie. She asked him, "Are you okay?"

He nodded. "I don't believe this," he said and sat on the bed. Durga walked to him and ruffled his hair. She asked him, "What happened?"

Her soothing voice calmed his nerves. He sighed, "I don't believe that Abhilash and Raghavendra have played with lives of many innocent people."

"What's new in that? Those two are misguided from the stories of their ancestors. What the tantric wanted is different from what these two are pursuing," Durga said with disgust.

"It's more than that. I am sure they are lunatics. Remember they were talking about some Vaishali Agnihotri?"

Durga nodded. "They said she was going expose them."

"She was Akhil's wife."

She was shocked to open her mouth and say a word.

He continued, "Vaishali was a government employee who rejected his plea to set up his research laboratory because she felt his research and experiments were not legal."

"In the sense?"

"Like he wanted to test some mind influencing drugs. Some of them were undetected by the blood tests. He had submitted the tests done on some animals but all of them failed below the expected international standards. Yet he was positive about the fact that he will be able to improve them."

"So?"

"He decided to set his own lab by feeding some green currency to corrupt ones. The whole matter was guarded from Vaishali. But she understood that egoistic people like Raghavendra won't stay quiet and her suspicions were confirmed when he had opened his lab.

Then she came to know that her signatures were forged. The higher officials were stuffed with money and they told it was her fault. She waited for another six months and the officers changed. Her immediate superior was a good man who was yet to be retired the following month.

With his support, she took orders for surprise check. The surprise visit was executed perfectly and Raghavendra was shocked when he saw her. No matter how much he tried, she proved that his lab was performing illegal drug tests. She sealed off his lab."

Durga blinked her eyes and Rudra saw a tiny glint in them. "Serves them right! But I remember Akhil telling that there is one more lab of Raghavendra."

"That's where the saddest part of the story begins. Raghavendra's ego was hurt and Abhilash made sure that Vaishali died. Now that Vaishali was dead, they thought they can easily take orders from the necessary authorities. What they didn't know that this world has many such Vaishali Agnihotris. If one is removed, how will they remove others?"

Durga's eyes lost the glint. He continued, "The father and son were flagger basted when they came to know that they have to pay double the previous money to set up illegally. Their money had evaporated from the accounts. Psychic Raghavendra used one of the cellar rooms in their house and started testing the drugs.

Abhilash encountered your father and stumbled upon the fact that there exists some procedure to manufacture daivi astras. He contacted the terrorist's group Nanhe Bache which gave them fourteen years of time to discover it."

She looked at him, nodding her head. Taking the cue, he continued, "Nanhe Bache have been continuously providing funds to them. Raghavendra was mad when Akshad Sir decided that you will marry Indrajeet and not him. He had the drug tested on Akshad Sir and many others."

Durga closed her eyes and tried to calm her nerves. She guessed, "If I am not wrong, their fourteen years of term will get over. So Abhilash had the whole island emerge on sea level, inspect the whole island, take the map from us and had the audacity to remove us from their path. Now that they have found the book, they don't need us."

Rudra smirked, "I wonder what they will do when they make the whole team translate the book and realise that it is the procedure to make gun powder."

Durga slapped his wrist, playfully and walked to the balcony. She removed her hair bun and let her brownish black waist length hair fall on her shoulders. Gentle sea breeze blew across her fair. She felt like a child; no worries, no headaches. She felt she had found answers to all her questions; she had found her inner peace.

Rudra stood leaning to the balcony door frame, witnessing the sight in front of him.

"Will you stop staring me?"

He was shocked for a second. "What?"

Durga repeated, "Will you stop staring me?"

He took two steps towards her and asked with a playful smirk, "What if I don't?"

She replied, "My husband will beat you blue and black."

"I am not scared of your husband. Anyways, I've my beautiful wife, who is also going to give birth to a beautiful daughter like her."

She turned towards him and raised her well arched eyebrow. "What if she gives birth to a handsome boy like you?"

Rudra hugged her and replied, "No, I am sure that it will be a daughter."

Durga shrugged. "Whatever the gender maybe, the baby should be strong and healthy."

Her husband nodded and turned towards the sea. He was now hugging her from back and his palms were on her protruding belly. She had kept her palms on his and rested her head against his sturdy chest. They stood for some time until Durga broke the silence.

She asked, "Rudra what is the symbology between Mahishasura, Durga and her lion?"

Rudra replied, "I am sure you have an answer. Tell that."

"Mahishasura's actions made sure that he was under the feet of the tiger while that of Goddess Durga's made sure that She was on the tiger.

This world is like a tiger, Rudra. Either you will be eaten by it or you conquer it, ride on it. Either you lose or emerge victorious. It's you who decide it. It's your actions, fate that decides it," Durga explained.

Rudra blinked his eyes. "That's amazing Durga. Sometimes, you sound intelligent."

She broke from the hug and narrowed her eyes. "Sometimes? Explain yourself."

He shrugged. "The sentence is self-satisfactory. Need I say more?"

Within matter of seconds, he received a punch on his abdomen followed by a gleeful chuckle.