Marketplace, Dima city
A dignified wooden plaque hung outside a stylish store. The carved awning extending from the roof cast a shadow on the glass entrance door of the place. Beautifully polished, gleaming musical instruments were hung with wires from the roof and were placed just above people's eye level. It was a unique way of displaying the goods but then the best musical apparatus needed a befitting platform.
The clients frequenting this shop needed to seek an appointment in advance and were required to have a basic knowledge of music. Else they weren't allowed to solicit the items from here.
Whether it was the sitar or it's predecessor, veena*, or tabla*, or flute, or any other, each and every piece had a history or glory attached to it. Some had been crafted by the maestros of the field, while others were heirlooms which had been obtained with great difficulty. These pieces were not appraised in money but prestige.
All in all, owning a musical instrument from this store called Mrigtrishna was a matter of pride and status in the upper echelon of the society. Everyone was well-aware of the old, eccentric woman who was the manager of the store but no one knew the mysterious owner of the place.
Getting off the carriage, Katyayani took in the quiet lane where the store was located. On this path, not many commoners were found. This part of the market was usually frequented by the richer people and was much less crowded.
Katyayani had removed the 'mud pack' from her face and restored the original appearance in the carriage.
Her face was currently under a muslin veil which she removed after reaching the store.
Along with Eka, Trini and Chatvari, she pushed open the small entry door adjacent to the main entrance, which lay hidden behind a large banyan tree. They crossed the small courtyard which had nothing except for a tulsi* plant which had been mounted on a tall flower pot in the centre of the grey stoned floor.
An old woman was sitting on a diwan*, moving the sandalwood beads in her slightly wrinkled hand.
She looked up at the sound of the beaded curtain being moved and slowly stood up.
Mandodari was seeing Katyayani after nine months. The girl's appearance had changed again.
Katyayani's noble poise and cold elegance resembled the brightly shining moonlight, in front of one's eyes but unattainable.
"Greetings, Dai Maa," Katyayani bent down and touched the old woman's feet.
Mandodari shifted back immediately, not letting the girl complete the greeting.
"Yashasvini bhav*! How many times have I told you that you must not bend down in front of any and everyone? Are you not aware of your honorable identity?" She chided the girl in a mock severe tone.
Katyayani looped her thin arms around the woman's stooping shoulders and said, "You are my Dai Maa, the person who has been appointed by my mother to substitute her after she is gone. Who can be more important than you in my life?"
Mandodari suppressed the fiercely hot tears which threatened to swim out of her eyes suddenly. "Don't think that your sweet mouth can help you escape scot-free! You are getting bolder by the day. Do you think that you can do anything now that you have grown up? How dare you go to Adra for such a risky task?"
"And you! Did I entrust my young miss to your care so that you can help her become as wild and unbridled as you?" Mandodari's index finger was pointing sternly towards Trini, who tried to reduce her presence in the room.
Trini dropped on her knees and said, "It is the fault of this subordinate. Please punish me."
Though they had tried to hide the matter, it was impossible to keep secrets from Mandodari.
As the manager of Mrigtrishna, her intelligence network had tentacles in places which no one was even aware of.
Everyone in the room knew that the reprimand was not related to the kidnapping of that mathematician, Gangadhar but the other matter which Trini and Katyayani had completed under the guise of that task.
Katyayani stepped in front of Mandodari, blocking her furious gaze which was being directed towards Trini. "I was the one who wanted to go and meet that person, Dai Maa. It is not Teacher's fault. You can punish me as you like but I want to let you know that I will be going there again soon."
Mandodari gritted her teeth in frustration. "Do you know how dangerous it is for you to cross the border and go to that side during this period?"
Katyayani's grey eyes were normally cold and calm, giving one an illusion of serenity.
But at this moment, her gaze was burning and held a tinge of wildness in it. "For the past ten years, I have lived a subservient life, following what I am told… all for one purpose. I won't allow anything or anyone to stand in the way of my fulfilling that purpose. Please accept my apologies in advance."
Her clever addressal of Trini as teacher in this moment blocked Mandodari's mouth. And then her words, 'subservient life' made her heart hurt.
With a sigh, she pulled the unyielding girl in an awkward embrace.
For a moment, there was complete silence in the room before Mandodari spoke up in a soft voice. "You have grown taller. Now I have to look up to you to talk to you."
That was her unspoken acquiesce regarding the matter and the people in the room exhaled a relieved sigh.
"If you all are done with the emotional reunion, can we eat lunch now? The creatures inside my stomach have long turned ravenous," Dvi's sultry voice broke the heavy atmosphere.
Eka, her never-ending bickering companion immediately quipped. "Huh! What is the point of you eating lunch? For the sake of maintaining your figure, you won't partake in more than half a roti* or maybe five spoons of rice. Is that even considered as eating?"
Dvi pouted in displeasure and said, "Well. For the sour-mouthed people, there won't be any dal ki kachoris* served. You can share the boiled vegetable and plain rice with Mandodari didi*."
The small courtyard kept ringing with laughter all through the afternoon.
*Veena - is a stick zither. About 3.5 to 4 feet long to fit the measurements of the musician, it has a hollow body and two large resonating gourds under each end. It has four main strings which are melodic, and three auxiliary drone strings. To play, the musician plucks the melody strings downward with a plectrum worn on the first and second fingers, while the drone strings are strummed with the little finger of the playing hand.
*Tabla - a pair of twin hand drums from the Indian subcontinent
*Tulsi - commonly known as holy basil, is an aromatic perennial plant in the family Lamiaceae. It is native to the Indian subcontinent and widespread as a cultivated plant throughout the Southeast Asian tropics
*Diwan - a long mattress laid against the side of the room upon a raised structure or frame, with cushions to lean against.
*Yashasvini bhav - a blessing which means 'may you gain name and fame by your actions' addressed to females versus 'Yashasvi Bhav' which is for males.
*Roti - a type of flat, round South Asian bread
*Dal ki kachoris - a spicy deep-fried snack, originating from the Indian subcontinent with the filling of yellow lentils
*Didi - Elder sister