THE OTHER SON OF GANGES: PART 11

11. THE OTHER SON OF GANGES

He was wet… (PART 10)

He was wet. But so was the dog. But the difference was this. The dog had soon found a shelter in a broken piece of wooden box. But he was still out there. Beneath nothing. He was wet. He was sad- a castaway. A man, whose life ceased to exist for him to live, still, he was wet.

Who was he? Did he have a name anymore? Was he good or was he bad? What was his life?

The dog shivered. The water was trying to befriend the dog. There was water all around the wooden box. The dog moaned for soon his box would float upon the water. Where would he go? The water would drown him, if he jumps off the box. He tried to stay steady inside his little wooden box. He grabbed the dog out of the wooden box. The box floated away.

The water was one. Here and all over- it was just the same. Just water. The wooden box floated along- crunching, jumping along with the water, that was carrying it off. Where would it go? That only the box can decide for itself. The water can carry it away. But the box shall decide where to stay. The water entered an iron grill. The iron bars of the grill tried to control the water- but the water is all powerful. She shall go where she wants to. She was free.

The Ganges is never calm. Even though, she was a mother to many, she was always in a hurry to meet her destiny, the ocean. People have satisfied themselves, with a tiny drop of Mother Ganga. What is human in front of the Ganges? She is the final abode of everything. She is the medium between the worlds. And all that goes into her stays, forever, within her. Hence, in a way, loving her, is loving everything.

The Maha Arti at Dasashwamedh Ghat had never left his mind. It was not an easy memory to forget about. Especially for someone, who was a son of Ganges. Why did he think of it now? Was it saying something to him? A life, however it may sway, the end lies within Mother Ganges.

Mother Ganges, he felt, was reminding him of the promise, he made to her, long time ago. “… I would go back to her. One day. Some day…”

The dog had been sleeping all morning, oblivious of the noise all around him. The oar kept touching the Ganges, occasionally. The boat floated over the Ganges, rather cautiously. The people on the boat kept asking him questions and wondered when they heard him reply. The Ganges was so new to them. Shravan tied the boat on the bank and the people on the boat got off. They paid him well. He sat down on the banks of Ganga. Ganga touched his feet as she raged on further to meet her ocean. He scooped a handful of her water and placed it upon his forehead. It was a familiar feeling. It was saying to him, that his mother was within those waters. It was saying to him, that mother Ganga shall always stay with him, wherever he may be. It was saying to him- that he was home…

***THE END***

THE OTHER SON OF GANGES: PART 10

10. OF POWER, TRUTH AND WHO…

Tomorrow, Bhanupratap, would become- Bhai… (PART 9)

“… A Pandit turning us all into this… this…”, shouted Vishwa in rage.

“.. I know. I trained him…” , said Sinha.

“Why don’t you do something about him…? Like arrest him…”, said Vishwa.

“Arrest him? What did he do? I mean- who is he”? said Sinha. He was troubled and confused.

“What do you mean- who is he? Don’t you know him? You brought him to us… remember…”? said Vishwa. He was looking at Sinha in disbelief. He could not imagine the events that had been happening for the past four months. A Pandit, was running the whole show. Bhai had chosen a Pandit to lead them all. Vishwa had lost Bhai’s trust. And he did not know how that happened. He was frustrated.

“I don’t know him. And now- even if I ask him, he says his name is Bhanupratap. What am I to do…”? said Sinha.

“Kill him”, said Vishwa.

The Pandit was not an easy man. He was not Bhai. But sometimes, everyone thought he was better than Bhai. Bhai now rode the car that the Pandit drove. The Pandit had out-grown the Teacher, himself.

“Kill him? That’s not easy…”, said Sinha.

“Who said it is? I’ve heard of a tale long back. There are two boys and a man. The boys fought and the man tried to make peace among them. But the boys did not want to make peace. So they solved it in a different way…”, said Vishwa.

“Where are you getting at”? asked Sinha.

When Bhai spoke to them that day- he said it was all with the Pandit now. Whatever he said- they would do. If the Pandit says- ‘Quit’- they all quit. If he says- ‘Kill’- they do that. And suddenly, there was blood. The Pandit’s hands and face was drenched in blood. There was confusion and commotion. It was Sinha who saw it first. Bhai lay there in a pool of blood. Near him was the Pandit, unsure of what happened. Someone in the crowd shouted- “Pandit killed Bhai”!
“How can I kill myself”? asked the Pandit.

“What do you mean? We all were there…”, said Sinha.

“Yes. I did not kill anyone. And you cannot arrest me for killing Bhai- for I am Bhai. Remember”? said Pandit.

“Bhai..? You? No one would believe that”! said Sinha- he was laughing. “I created you. This is where we first met. See this place- the prison? You were a nobody…”, said Sinha.

“Yes. I still am. And your prison records have my details listed under Bhai’s name…”, said the Pandit, smiling.

Sinha stood there looking at the Pandit. He did not know what to do. But the Pandit had it all planned. He wanted it all to end. Sinha was his solution. This was where- power would be made to meet the truth.

The police force was now in search of the whereabouts of Bhai. No one seemed to know where he was. But his gang was captured and sent to prison. A tip-off from a reliable ‘source’, earned Sinha glories, he had never imagined to receive in his entire career! But no one seemed to know of Bhai. And no one seemed to know the identity of a mysterious blood covered body, either…

He was wet.

(..To be continued., Part 11: “The Other Son of Ganges”…)