Yakshagni - An odyssey of unbroken devotion - II

23) The Unforeseen Attack

At Vasukinath's house, Rashika and Maurya continued to accept good wishes from the guests.

Rashika remarked, "I didn't know Tapan is dating Dharma. Trust her to catch the most eligible bachelor in the company," her aversion to Dharma was obvious.

Maurya questioned, his displeasure apparent, "Meaning?"

"I mean that for a nobody like her, Tapan must be a great catch."

"Don't judge everyone with your disposition."

"Why are you so riled up?"

"If you make sweeping statements about someone you hardly know, then I will have a say," Maurya retorted.

"I know that bitch. She has been working under me for months now. Let me be the judge of my employees," Rashika hissed.

"Then keep your opinion to yourself. Do not say it aloud."

"Don't tell me that Dharma has made an impression on you!"

Maurya snapped at her, "With such enormous talent, she would make an impression on anyone."

A guest came up to greet them and Rashika heaved a sigh of relief. She did start the bickering with Maurya, but she had not expected him to come to Dharma's defence so quickly. It infuriated her.

************

When Shankaran Murthy and Dushyant found an ancient manuscript that had some text about rivers, they were quite excited, and hoped that they would find what they were looking for in the manuscript.

"You know Shankaran, in olden times, rivers too were accorded legal status," Dushyant divulged the piece of information that he had heard from his grandfather.

"You mean like human rights?"

"No, it means giving legal rights to non-human entities. Rivers were considered sacred then, of course even now some of them are venerated, but during those times, the law enforced legal standing to rivers. So, they could not be polluted. There were care-takers of the rivers who took responsibility for them."

"Who were the care-takers? Weren't the kingdoms, the official care-takers?"

"Yes, the natural resources were like these corporations that exist today...Aren't they provided legal rights? Similarly, there were societies then, that took care of such resources. All rivers were not used for commercial trade, only specific ones, and then there were other rivers which were used exclusively for hydro-therapy and healing," Dushyant explained what he had understood from his ancestors.

"No one could be more aware of the significance of water than our ancestors...From birth to death, our ceremonies use water. Without water, nothing can be consecrated for us."

"Yes, also those kingdoms had set very high standards for water and ecology conservation."

"Speaking of conservation, why did they burn down a thriving forest then?"

"There is a serpent in every paradise. I guess some monster started the ruin. It spelt the beginning of the end," Dushyant sighed, taking a brief break from studying the manuscripts. "Would you like a cup of coffee?"

"Sure, why not? I will take you to a place where you get the best filter coffee."

Later, sipping the aromatic coffee, Dushyant expressed, "It has been almost a week. I wish we find something in the palm leaf manuscripts. I know that one of the rivers held a staggering secret."

"The black hole?"

"Not black hole exactly."

"Right! Do you think global warming could have caused the rivers to dry up?" Shankaran asked thoughtfully.