Yakshagni - An odyssey of unbroken devotion - II

10) The Inspiration

After stepping out of her hostel, Dharma began to dislike the subdued morning in no time. She loved sunny mornings when the sun's rays waltzed with one another to shimmer on the metropolis and its residents. At present, the rays struggled to emerge out of the hanging clouds and the city seemed swathed in a wearisome peppery stupor. The yellow headlights of the city bus pierced through the fog to announce its arrival.

Mrs. Singh was back to work and Dharma was delighted to see her. Although they had conversed over the phone many times, Dharma had not been able to visit her at her house. She was admonished by Mrs. Singh for the same, and after Dharma explained about Kamya's accident, Mrs. Singh wished for a speedy recovery for Kamya.

"You know Dharma, my husband has decided to take me out for a vacation. I won't be here for a week."

"Oh, where is he taking you?"

"His friends live in Mehsana so they invited us over."

"I have heard of the place somewhere," Dharma mused aloud

"Oh, it is quite a famous and old city near Ahmedabad and there are plenty of temples, old step-wells, and a Rajmahal to see."

"Sounds interesting!" Dharma acknowledged, thinking of the old lake behind the head office of Krishna Industries.

"Yeah, do you know there is also an ancient Sun Temple near Mehsana?"

"Sun temple? I thought only Konark had Sun temple."

"Oh, there are many Sun temples in India, some of them were destroyed by invading armies and some lay in ruins. They have Sun temples even in Egypt and China."

"Oh!"

"Yes, and this temple in Modhera was built in the tenth or eleventh century by the Chalukya dynasty."

And so, it dawned on Dharma, "Oh yes, now I remember seeing the glorious architecture on my laptop. It fascinated me."

"They even conduct annual dance festivals," Mrs. Singh furnished more details of the place.

The moment Dharma was at her desk, the first thing that she did was browse the internet for Modhera.

"Hey Dharma, you are coming to the show today na?" the pattern-maker asked her.

"What?" a distracted Dharma glanced at Pooja.

"You don't remember? It is Alka Balani's show. We planned to go together," Pooja reminded her.

"Oh yes, of course, we will go, what time?"

"We will leave around three. The show begins at four."

"Sure! I will finish some work by then."

There was only skeletal staff in the office. Most of them, including Rashika, Lekha, and Sonia were attending the shows of the fashion week. Turning back to the screen, she absorbed the image of the Sun temple and the surrounding monuments, which presented Dharma with an idea that renewed her aesthetic talent.

Although Rashika had stated that Lekha would continue to show bridal wear in Mughal theme, Dharma was sceptical about Maurya granting permission for the display. At the last meeting, she had somehow taken note of his uncertain speculation over Lekha's enthusiastic narration of the show's theme and location. Dharma had misgivings about the designs getting approval from him. Hence, she continued to sketch designs and prepare a theme for the show. She wanted to be on guard for the next meeting and didn't want to expose the same ignorance that had upset her previously.

The morning's contemplation also made her aware of something that confounded her. She realized that she was unusually attuned to Maurya's moods and thoughts. During her growing-up years, she had been well adapted to her friends' temperaments, but with Maurya, there was another level of familiarization. She hadn't even known him for long but she could discern to a great level what his thoughts or moods were from his impassive face as if she were the only one to whom he deemed fit to express his state of mind. Drawing a deep breath, she berated herself for being so naïve as to consider herself clever enough to understand a complex man like Maurya. She concluded that he, probably, gave much the same impression to everyone he met.