Arjunsangini - An Ardi Novel

The Tuft of Hair and the Getaway

"Drau, you know that we will take different names in the Gurukul, to hide our identity?" asked Drishtdyumna.

"Yes, Dyumna, I was there when Baba told us all the rules and regulations of the Gurukul." Draupadi said nonchalantly, she was preoccupied as she was seeing the bushes move past them. They had just changed their transport from the royal chariot to a bullock cart, as they were nearing the Gurukul. So, that all the students of the Gurukul were treated as equals, everyone was given a new name, to hide their identities. Their clothes were woven such that they wouldn't stand out. For a change, the twins liked the khadi and cotton attire. The porcelain Drishtdyumna looked dazzling in saffron and red dhoti and angavastram, he had been forced to wear. And the white khadi blouse and dhoti enhanced the dark-skinned Draupadi. The white cotton angavastram flowed in the breeze. 

"Do you know what they will name you?" Asked the elder of the two.

"No." said Draupadi monotonously, she wanted him to be quiet so that she could savour the view.

"Murkhati." Drishtdyumna laughed.

Draupadi did not reciprocate, instead, she turned towards him away from the expanse of cornfields, and squeezed his hand.

"What is it Dyumna?" She asked concern evident in her voice, her brother only cracked hideous jokes when he was agitated.

"Nothing, it's just everything will be so different here! Trust me I wanted to go out of those walls, but just the idea of living away from home for almost a decade sounds scary."

"Dyumna, home is where the people you love are, yes Baba and Jiji are far away but we at least we are together! Imagine, how many new people we will meet!"

"Yeah, I suppose you are right, you will be there. So, I can mock you!" The boy grinned.

Before Draupadi could reply to his ridiculous jab, the cart came to a stop.

A soldier in his early twenties, Vrishank had been disguised as the cart driver, he would live near the ashram, careful enough to not disrupt any activity, but intervene when any sign of danger was eminent on the royal twins.

"We have arrived, your highnesses." Said the soldier though, in the clothes of a common man, his posture was still impeccable.

"Clearly you are new sir, my dear sister here won't allow you to call us by those titles, call us by our names, our real names, if you want you can even call her murkha!" Said Drishtdyumna while getting off the cart and hanging an orange cotton bag on his right shoulder.

Draupadi was about to say something, but she saw a figure standing in front of the premises of the gurukul.

"I knew it would be smaller than the palace, but this is pretty concise." Said Drishtdyumna.

He was right, as far they could see, only a solitary hut was visible, everything else was just dense foliage. A part of the fence was broken, and a little looked burnt.

"Shh... come." Said Draupadi making her way to the man, possibly their guru.

The barrel-chested man was a whole of 6 feet with muscles that could injure. His white beard reached a little below the neck. His head was shaved except for a tuft of hair which signified that he was a brahmin. The coarse khadi clothes contrasted his tanned skin. His flowing angavastram revealed scars of combat. He was the son of Rishi Bhardwaj, born out of a pot, Drona. 

"Guruji!" The twins said joining their hands and then bending to touch his feet.

"Live with Dharma!" Blessed the man, smiling.

"Come. You suspect right, this is not the Gurukul you will study in, this was the Gurukul in which your Father and I studied. Mother Nature has taken over must of it, but my father's hut still remains. This is a sanctified place. Here, we will perform the ritual of naming you." Drona said, clearing their doubts.