The heartless conqueror

The Festival

Some of the girls didn't seem too interested in her, while others looked at her with a mild expression. Only one or two actually truly smiled at her.

She expected this. She didn't really talk to the girls that often, they were mostly acquaintances, though some of them she did meet on a regular basis.

Kanji was one of them. She was a little younger than her but waved spectacularly at Kaurvaki. She smiled slightly and went over to sit beside kanji.

"Alright then girls!", Kaaki said, "I'll leave you all to do your work!" With that said she went back to her weaving group.

Kanji turned to Kaurvaki, "Hi!", she beamed.

Kaurvaki nodded, then looked around at the netting.

"Um..so..who's in charge?"

"I am", an authoritative voice said. 
Kaurvaki looked up to see a girl no younger than her towering over her with a smirk.

Kaurvaki was on good terms with everyone, but there were just some girls who had a problem for no reason in particular, and Meena was one of them.

Kaurvaki guessed that Meena was just authoritative in general...or maybe this had something to do with Kaurvaki accidentally taking Meena's "reserved seashells". Well, in Kaurvaki's defense, anyone would take some perfectly good seashells lying around.

She had given them back to her, but Meena claimed that they weren't the same!

She was now staring haughtily down at Kaurvaki.

Kaurvaki didn't want to start the entire mean-girl good-girl scenario, so she stood up, brushing off sand from her fisher-girl dress.

She tried to present the uttermost kindness possible to Meena and even smiled. "Oh, that's nice! So what should I do"?

Meena seemed mildly unexpected by this cheerful response. She seemed to be thinking what task to give her. "Hm...", she scanned the place, then pointed to kanji, "You and Kaurvaki can tend to the fastening.

Both of them at the same time said, "Ok great!"

Kaurvaki looked at Kanji who beamed with pride at this similarity.

Meena smiled, giving Kaurvaki some hope that this entire "dispute" was over. She turned to address everyone else as Kaurvaki and Kanji moved to their new spots, "Alright everyone, let us make this net REALLY GOOD so that the aunties will give us a chance to do something for the Meenakshi pooja ceremony coming up!"

Everyone murmured encouragingly and set about to work.

For the fishermen folk, the Meenakshi pooja was a BIG DEAL. 

It was a festival celebrating the incarnation of Goddess Parvati who came and took birth in a fishermen household as Meenakshi! This was a festival that would raise the pride of the fishermen people, reminding everyone that even a goddess herself had taken birth into this very class!

Kanji chattered on, and Kaurvaki soon started chiming in. At first, Kaanji could seem like the annoying type, but she really wasn't, and let the conversation run equally!

"My mother makes such a big deal about the Meenakshi festival! She says it's very auspicious for girls our age!"

"Really?", Kaurvaki was curious. When she was younger, she would notice how all the older girls had always been taking extra care during festival time. Her father tried explaining it, but she guessed only a mother could truly explain it.

Kanji seemed to understand Kaurvaki's curiosity, as she further expanded on the matter.

"See Kaurvaki, Meenakshi is not only a goddess right?"

"Well ya, she was also a fisher-women like us!"

kanji nodded with a smile, "So she is a great role model for us fisher-girls especially!"

"Now that IS very true", Kaurvaki stated.

Another girl named Neela chimed in, "Oh! Are you guys talking about the Meenakshi festival!"

"Yes!"

Neela changed her position so she could better converse with them. "I'm so excited for it this year".

"I was just explaining to Kaurvaki it's MAIN MAIN significance!", Kanji said.

Neela nodded knowingly, "OHH".

Kaurvaki was more interested, "What is it!"

Neela turned to Kaurvaki, "Kaurvaki, you know the  FULL story of Meenakshi right?"

"What is happening here?", Meena was standing over them all suspiciously.

Neela didn't look the least affected, "We are talking about the Meenakshi Festival!"

At the mention of the Meenakshi festival, Meena herself brightened up, "Oh the Meenakshi Festival!"

And then they were all on it, and soon more and more girls approached with the signature lines, "Oh the Meenakshi festival!" while Kaurvaki was still in a confused daze.

What is it that everyone is suddenly so engrossed in the Meenakshi Festival.

Kaurvaki decided that asking the girls wasn't really helping, so she made a mental note to ask the aunties or her father.

I must find out about the significance of this festival...