Yakshagni - An odyssey of unbroken devotion - II

6) The Good Samaritan

At work, the new picture on the screen saver caught Dharma's attention. Normally, she did not notice but something about that particular image piqued her curiosity. It was a colourful photograph of an old structure; she was not certain if it was a temple or a palace but it looked ancient with carved domes and pillars. The picture was taken from afar and there was a unique stepwell in front of the grand structure. Intrigued and fascinated, she clicked on the picture to learn more details.

It was an old Sun temple in Gujarat, built by an erstwhile ruler of the Chalukya dynasty in the eleventh century. Constructed on the banks of the River Pushpavati in a village called Modhera, it was one of the few temples dedicated to the Sun god. The more details Dharma learnt about the structure; the more interested she became. The architecture was magnificent, and the grandeur of it persuaded Dharma to stay on the page to learn further. Even after exiting from the screen, the image of the intricately carved pillars and reservoir stayed with her. She wished she could visit such places.

Resigning to her humdrum existence, she replied to the emails that had accumulated in the last couple of days. Fleeing from Chaitanya, Dharma had reached her hostel and had packed her stuff in a hurry. To her relief, she had not seen Chaitanya after the confrontation in the park. Brahim had arrived an hour later to pick her up in the ambulance and the three had left Parijatpur for New Delhi. Once Kamya was admitted to the multi-speciality hospital, the surgeon and his team of assistant doctors had taken over. Observing their efficiency, Dharma had felt reassured, knowing Kamya was in good hands. Brahim and she had taken turns staying in the hospital. The doctor had removed the clot and by the next morning, Kamya had woken up. She was still frail, nonetheless, she recognized Dharma and Brahim. The nurses, however, did not allow them to stay for long. That morning, Brahim visited the hospital and assured Dharma that Kamya would be fit to go home in a week.

Grateful to the supreme power that she had appealed to, Dharma focused on her work. The Purchase department informed her that the cartons of buttons and threads had arrived. Dharma went down to check the contents.

Perching on the chair in the delivery room, she bent down to slit open the cartons. Her ebony strands slid sideways, veiling her face on either side. Focusing on the buttons, she counted their numbers, unaware of Maurya's approach until he spoke.

"Good morning!"

With a start, she straightened up, losing sight of the count. He wore a grey suit over a pale rose shirt. The darker grey tie hinted that he was prepared for an official meeting.

"Good morning!" Dharma responded.

He glanced down at the open boxes of buttons and threads, "Are they meeting our requirements?"

Dharma nodded, "Haven't checked all the boxes though."

Maurya's phone rang and answering the call, he gestured for her to continue her work. He moved to the other side of the small room, not taking his eyes off her. Sliding out of the chair, Dharma knelt on the floor to carry on with her checking, intensely aware of Maurya's presence. She wasn't sure what she was doing but her attention was drawn to his deep voice as he spoke in an irritated tone, "We are not responsible for their goof-up. Well! close down the unit and ask Mr Mishra to speak up on the inferior quality of raw material we are getting. Make a strong impression so that it suits our purposes."

The conversation continued for some time and after it ended, he turned to her. He observed her quietly and then asked, "how is your friend?"

Dharma shot him a surprised glance and he added, "Rashika told me."

"She is better," and added, "Since she has been shifted here."

"Why? Wasn't the treatment good there?" he quizzed with a curious twinkle in his eyes.