Mahakumbh 25-28: A tale of two tables - Page 5

-Thank you so much, my dear Charu.

Yes, it is a very complex tale, and so far, it has been coming along very well and very fast. I was still mourning the passing of Maimuyi and berating Utkarsh for it, and lo and behold, she is back, and the inimitable daadi as well! And yes, it is a gripping mytho-thriller, not one with an endless procession of asuras to be samhaarofied one by one.

As for Rudra, I too did not like the OTT rage scenes at all, but even more than the cunning plotter we have now, I loved the look in his face as he is watching the Naanu go off to do the pooja, accompanied by his somewhat dismayed son Balivesh. It was full of anticipatory satisfaction at what was to come, going by his plans. Like a tiger watching his next prey that is all unaware of its fate. Shubha (happychappy) has pointed that out above, and I liked it just as much,

Another such shot , which I had pointed out in an earlier post, was when Balivesh was telling him, in Naanu's underground lair, that Pandey would be in front of him within 72 hours. The eyes were bright and full of bloodthirsty anticipation. I could almost see the tiger licking its chops!

Still, he is best in the highly emotional scenes, given his naturally tormented face, and his eyes, that reflect deep grief and a lost quality so well. Not enough to satisfy Sandhya, however!

Shyamala Aunty

Originally posted by: chitterati

Another brilliant post aunty, the show is well paced and seems well researched, i love the storyline and how well woven the ancient and the new. Being from a family of very devout and stringent sanatan dharm followers, it love to see such depiction of mythology on screen.

i absolutely loved the scene with doctor...Surekha Sikri was brilliant...

The only pain point (personal view, no offence to anyone else) is watching GR, he is good when he is stoic but seems a bit OTT in everything else, wish the lead was as captivating as the story.

Hello Aunty...a treat to read again 😊

My dear Shubha,

It is so nice when my posts are liked just for the style. Thank you so much. For readers like you, I would not mind the trouble at all, if only my knee did not hurt so much, forcing me to do any post by instalments. Which then makes it tougher to maintain the mood and the continuity of the thought process. However, I hope that one day soon - though that day seems to be constantly retreating like the horizon! - I will be fit enough to do a post at one stretch of typing.

I loved your comments on my last thread, in that vivid violet or magenta, and I regret that I did not get around to responding to them. I had saved three comments, including yours, for the last, but then this post took up too much time and effort and that one never got done! Do excuse me!

I feel that Pandey got off too easily. As I told Shruthi, I wanted KPP to suffer all the ghastly punishments Thappadiya Mai is always listing out. It was a neat reversal, the impalement, as you have pointed out, and the writer clearly did not want Rudra to kill a man who was delivered up to him bound hand and foot. So the standard samhaar concept in our mythology was eschewed for this once. I wonder how the three 'Veshes will be disposed off in the end.

As for Rudra, I too did not like the OTT rage scenes at all, but even more than the intriguing, cunning plotter we have now, like you, I loved the look in his face as he is watching the Naanu go off to do the pooja, accompanied by his somewhat dismayed son Balivesh. It was full of anticipatory satisfaction at what was to come, going by his plans. A garud, maybe. To me, he looked more like a tiger watching his next prey, prey that is all unaware of its fate. Shubha (happychappy) has pointed that out above, and I liked it just as much,

Another such shot, which I had pointed out in an earlier post, was when Balivesh was telling him, in Naanu's underground lair, that Pandey would be in front of him within 72 hours. The eyes were bright and full of bloodthirsty anticipation. I could almost see the tiger licking its chops!

As for daadi, I had some reservations about her blaming Shivanand for the disaster that befell their Panth and family, feeling that as a member of the family who were the guardians of the amrit, she should have put that mission first. But as often happens in this tale, her point of view has been explained last night.

She feels, and that is a perfectly valid point of view, that the healing powers of the Saraswati Kund, the garuda chinna on her husband and her grandson, these are all holy manifestations of the blessings of the Almighty, which should be accepted with becoming gratitude, not analysed as Shivanand was doing. It follows, for her, that what happened was the punishment meted out by the Almighty for such sacrilege. I do not agree, but one cannot really fault her either.

Now the most significant revelation she made to Rudra was that the Saraswati Kund had dried up well before the 1989 attack by the 'Veshes on the Sri Sant Panth ashram. I had assumed that the drying up was after the attack, but now it clearly preceded the attack. A very intriguing point, that.

Your "Guide to writing a thriller" sounds intriguing, and I will definitely look it up.

I see that you have a tiny soft corner for Charles, and why not? I still cannot stand him, but I suppose his clowning is an act just like Katharine's. The thing is that the boy Charles was so much better.

What a neat explanation for Greyerson's big pocket! Yes, he is a dandy, if not he would have got himself shaved clean like Balivesh, instead of having that fancy beard! The change in the spelling of his name is because I saw it written that way in a message telling me that he is now following me on Twitter. Utkarsh and Gautam do so already, of course so as not to miss such lavish praise of their baby, but I never thought this Zachary Coffin, who plays Greyerson, would be interested in my Mahakumbh posts!

No, my dear, the Guru Maharaj is not daadi. It is too far fetched, for she must be younger than Naanu, and she would hardly have had a shishya from the rival panth.

But I was amused to see your riff on Edgar Allan Poe's The Purloined Letter, with the second Book standing in full view on Naanu's bedside table!😉👏

Shyamala

Originally posted by: happychappy

Dear Shyamala, Your prose is so good, it's a pleasure to read your posts! Thank you for all the trouble you put into them...👏

I thought that the Maimui-Rudr scene was the pick of the week, by far. The river, with a row boat approaching the shore, and the lights on the far shore twinkling through the mist was such a perfect backdrop for the scene, as well as a metaphor for the line separating the living from the dead! And so visually perfect it could have been plucked from and SLB movie! ⭐️⭐️⭐️ A standing ovation to the whole of Team MK for that! It was so plausible we could imagine Maimui had just stepped off a boat carrying that blanket for her boy.

Before that, KPP's death was also a gripping if gruesome scene. Poetic justice that he should die by being impaled on something similar to the spear he thrust into Maimui..😕 Also very quaintly he addressed Rudr as Bachwa when he was starting to tell him the Game was much bigger than he could ever imagine! Was shocking to hear that term of endearment and intimacy from KPP's lips.

When Maya turns up at the end and asks him to go with her, he looks so suspiciously at her extended hand - you could make out almost he was thinking of Udiya Baba holding out his hand to the four-year old Rudr at Prayag, all those years ago!

About Rudr's formidable Dadi and her extended sleeping beauty act - I can see this show has been plotted through to the end, mythology all in place, and checked through to final destination- Btw have you seen this Guide to Writing a Thriller? http://www.thehindu.com/books/literary-review/the-ashwin-sanghi-formula/article6842120.ece Sounds like hard work!

Rudr himself in his new, shrewd, avatar, I find bit chilling, those smiles and looks all with an undertone of calculation that is completely alien to his nature. It's also a novel experience watching GR play a role with significant dark shades to it, and he's done quite well in that so far. One more string to his bow, then! 😊 I've also found it possible to enjoy GR's animal acts on a stand-alone basis they're getting to be quite good. When he was on KPP's trail Rudr was striding like a wild cat, an angry lion or tiger, with that metal rod trailing behind him like a tail - Not easy to pull off, at all. On Thursday, after he'd escorted Balivesh ka Baap into the outside world and was watching them set off for the puja, Rudr had this intense, alert and very bird-like stance almost like the "garud" he is supposed to be... It was only there for a second, but was quite unmistakable.

Charles, I have to confess, I am developing a soft corner for - when he has good lines, he does deliver! Liked him in the scene where he (dressed as Ravan) returns to the camp where Grandpa & the DM are waiting for him and The Phone. Today, (Monday) he continued to make sense again - the writer has cut out some of the OTT playboyness for Charles just like the OTT aggression for Rudr was diluted. The character emerges much improved for the change, in both cases!

Katherine, Dr.Rao and even Charles, Thapadiya Mai continue to be shrouded in mystery - more layers to be revealed for each of them!

Edited by sashashyam - 10 years ago

My dear Santhi,

I am more touched than I can say by the warmth of your comments about this post,and my writing here in general. Thank you.

My posts are an acquired taste: they are long, very detailed, and at times esoteric. I write only when I feel like it, and then I write only what I feel. So I am at times at odds with what one could call public sentiment, as in my very acerbic comments to Ela & Adiana above on the opening episode of Ashoka.

I am thus always very pleased when someone like you reacts so positively to my posts. After all, where would I be without discerning readers like you?

I loved Daadi, who I am sure is going to be with us for a while yet. She is not a rakshak (do see that part in my post to Adiana above), but she is an original, and a delightful one, with very strong opinions of her own. Thus, I had some reservations about her blaming Shivanand for the disaster that befell their Panth and family, feeling that as a member of the family who were the guardians of the amrit, she should have put that mission first. But as often happens in this tale, her point of view has been explained last night.

She feels, and that is a perfectly valid point of view, that the healing powers of the Saraswati Kund, the garuda chinna on her husband and her grandson, these are all holy manifestations of the blessings of the Almighty, which should be accepted with becoming gratitude, not analysed as Shivanand was doing. It follows, for her, that what happened was the punishment meted out by the Almighty for such sacrilege. I do not agree, but one cannot really fault her either.

Now the most significant revelation she made to Rudra was that the Saraswati Kund had dried up well before the 1989 attack by the 'Veshes on the Sri Sant Panth ashram. I had assumed that the drying up was after the attack, but now it clearly preceded the attack. A very intriguing point, that.

As for Rudra, I agree with you. I too did not like the OTT rage scenes at all, but even more than the intriguing, cunning plotter we have now, which is indeed a seamless progression from his interactions with Maimuyi and his daadi, I loved the look on his face as he was watching the Naanu go off to do the pooja, accompanied by his somewhat dismayed son Balivesh. It was full of anticipatory satisfaction at what was to come, going by his plans. Like a tiger watching his next prey, prey that is all unaware of its fate. Shubha (happychappy) has pointed that out above, and I liked it just as much,

Another such shot, which I had pointed out in an earlier post, was when Balivesh was telling him, in Naanu's underground lair, that Pandey would be in front of him within 72 hours. The eyes were bright and full of bloodthirsty anticipation. I could almost see the tiger licking its chops!

Maya, Maya.. what can one say. It is not just that her character is poorly drawn. It is also that she just cannot seem to manage any variations of expression at all. I no longer bother about her non-acting. She is exactly like a Hindi film heroine of 30 years ago. I was joking that she did not drop the thali, which was a great change from the norm 😉, but of course she had to announce that she was going to "tell all😡". The neat thing there was that the Naanu was as cool as a cucumber, instead of huffing and puffing and breathing fire and brimstone at her! Now this is the kind of villain I like!

Shyamala

Originally posted by: pasumarthisa

Shyamala ji,

I am late in commenting on your post this time.

This post is your best so far. I know its early days and there will be even better ones.Am a fan of your writing.

I agree with you on Rudra. He has been suffering, pushed around and used(by Maya to bring him to Prayaag) enough. I was waiting to see that change when he starts analyzing things and makes calculated moves. Mai's upadesh in her dream and Dadi's revelation both did that course-correction. And the change felt seamless. Full marks to writers on that.

I liked Dadi's entry too. Quite dramatic. Utkarsh made her say 'kaivalyapaada' of 'Patanjali yoga Sutras' and she did great. Rudra was earning for his Mai-mui all these years in the smashaan. So he would have had some money I would guess.

Regarding Maya, I still can't digest the way the character is written and being presented. That girl readily agrees to 'bring' a young man to heal her nanu. And then thinks about those flashback scenes where Balivesh says that they will create circumstances that will uproot him from Kashi. But doesn't connect. Initially, she was just pretending to be a friend. Now she is falling for him. And talks about him being her responsibility. Writers have not convinced me in garnering sympathy for Maya. Not well written.

Your writing is something to look forward to. Its as big if not bigger than the show itself.

My dear Diana,

First, my apologies for not commenting on that very interesting post of yours on my last thread. I had seen it even before you flagged it for, and marked it with a Like. I kept it for the last from that thread for responding, as it clearly needed a carefully thought out reply, but then this post - which has ended up at 6 pages in Georgia 11pt and narrow margins! - had to be written in 3 installments because my knee would not take any more per day, and so I could not get around to it. I am really glad that you have brought that thesis up for discussion again.

It is not that it makes no sense at all, far from it. My reaction to it is that like the curate's egg, it is good in parts. It is fresh and unusual, however, and it is not that I have to be correct, of course. So, here we go! Your passages are in italics and my comments are in deep blue.

One was the promo where Rudra's mission was to save the elixir or his loved ones. And the other his Daadi speaks of Shivanand being the cause of their family falling apart. (It meant that in his quest to save the secrets of this Elixir he has lost his family and they all were torn apart)

Rudra's mission was solely to save the amrit, and this only to keep it from falling into the hands of those seeking to misuse it for their own nefarious ends. It was not to save his loved ones; this latter goal was a distraction from the mission for which he had been chosen, and could well be a fatal distraction. This is precisely the card that the 'Veshes want to play against him, using Maya like Indra used Menaka against Vishwamitra.

As for Rudra' fascinating daadi, I initially had some reservations about her blaming Shivanand for the disaster that befell their Panth and family, feeling that as a member of the family who were the guardians of the amrit, she should have put that mission first. But as often happens in this tale, her point of view has been explained last night.

She feels, and that is a perfectly valid point of view, that the healing powers of the Saraswati Kund, the garuda chinna on her husband and her grandson, these are all holy manifestations of the blessings of the Almighty, which should be accepted with becoming gratitude, not analysed as Shivanand was doing. It follows, for her, that what happened was the punishment meted out by the Almighty for such sacrilege. I do not agree, but one cannot really fault her either.

Now the most significant revelation she made to Rudra was that the Saraswati Kund had dried up well before the 1989 attack by the 'Veshes on the Sri Sant Panth ashram. I had assumed that the drying up was after the attack, but now it clearly preceded the attack. A very intriguing point, that.

Next, you say

One decision would have Rudra protecting an elixir that provides physical immortality whilst the other is choosing his loved ones and family that would lead to salvation of the soul.

It would be for Rudra to look into the depths of his soul and Maimui is the one who would give him that answer. Maybe in order to chose his family he would have to give up his powers and all that comes with it.

The guardians of the amrit are not trying to secure it for themselves, but merely trying to prevent it from being horribly misused. It is this, saving the world from a terrible enslavement to the wicked, that would be the salvation of all, including Rudra and the other garudas. Not choosing his loved one and his family. That would be pure selfishness, not to speak of cowardice,not just in a guardian of something so precious and heavenly, but even in a policeman, a soldier, a counter-terrorism agent, and in anyone who has to put his duty above all else, including his family.

It would be a cop out for Rudra to choose his family over the fate of the world. And if he gave up all his powers - which he might not be able to do, any way, as they were not his to acquire in the first place, nor his to give up now - how would he be able to save his family from the powers of evil ? He would be destroyed, and so would they. It is a non-starter, my dear.

Nor is Maimuyi telling him to choose his loved ones. In fact, she seems to be taking it for granted that like Shiva Neelkanth swallowing the vish to save all of creation, Rudra too would have to swallow poison to accomplish his mission and safeguard the amrit.

To me here the soul-to-soul talk between the two was the crux of Mahakumbh. Felt Maimui represents the Amrit of the soul. Her soul had attained eternity. She still lives on.

This is true, but in a slightly different sense. At one level, Maimuyi is Rudra's inner voice, which tells him the things that his conscious mind cannot. At another, it is the soul connect between them, as you have put it yourself, that is working in that borderland between the world of the living and that of those who have passed on.

Yes, Maimuyi lives on in that other sphere, and such is her love for her bachuwa that she cannot rest content there with her Chandrabhan, but must hobble back here to check up on what her beloved boy was up to and to give him her wise counsel.

They do say that if someone dies with a vital wish unfulfilled, their spirit still lingers in the corporeal world till they get their wish. For Maimuyi, her only wish when she dies is that her Rudra should be safe and happy. Which is still far from being fulfilled, so we can expect her to pop up from time to time and regale us with her pithy pronouncements and earthy wisdom. Good for us!

Was that at all useful? And thanks ever so much,my dear, for liking this post so much.

As for the garudas, though I can see where you are coming from with your list, you have to keep some points in mind, points made in the script.

Shivanand is clearly not a rakshak. He does not have the garuda chinna, as Greyerson reports to the Cardinal after having strip searched him. This is after they discuss Prof. Rao's unpublished findings about the 7 rakshaks being invincible once they are all united. He has some sort of mark on his right hand, but apparently that is not the garuda chinna, going by Greyerson's affirmation. So he is out.

I do not see Daadi as a rakshak either, she is antagonistic to this whole research into the link between the garuda chinna and the Amrit and the Saraswati Kund. She tells Rudra today that her husband. Shivanand's father, had the chinna, so he was clearly a rakshak, as Rudra is now. Perhaps it skips generations!

So as of now, we have Rudra as the primus inter parus, Charles, and I hear Thappadiya Mai, who apparently has the sign on her ankle. I would like it to be Kuba because of the special connect between him and Shivanand, who saw the kid Rudra in him. As for Katharine, your neat crack
.I couldn't think of any other spot (other than her scalp, that is ) considering her kamariya, back, arms and lovely legs were exposed. is spot on. Maybe she will do a Persis Khambatta (in the first Star Trek film), as you have suggested!

Let us see. By the way, who is Pannu? Do you mean Punnu Tiwari? No, my dear.

Take care.

Shyamala Akka

Originally posted by: ddsoaps

Dear Shyamala Akka,

This is such a brilliant, in-depth take on the week. Thank you for all the effort put in. Going through your post makes it so much easier to understand things.

With regards to last week, I was too impatient so posted a comment on the 31st on the Maimui/Rudra scene on the Cat's cradle thread! Will simply copy paste it here now.

xxx

Thank you for the links to the previous threads.

It was a good week, with the most beautiful scene being Rudra seeking out Maimui in his dream.

Firstly I am not very good with explaining things, but will try my best to put across my thoughts. How do I say it, ok here I go..

This scene to me felt like a meeting of Rudra & Maimui at the Gates of Heaven. The cinematography by TV standards was just ethereal and beautiful. The blue, smoky look of dawn it was.

To me here the soul-to-soul talk between the two was the crux of Mahakumbh. Felt Maimui represents the Amrit of the soul. Her soul had attained eternity. She still lives on.

I could be totally wrong and too early to say, but two things made me believe so. One was the promo where Rudra's mission was to save the elixir or his loved ones. And the other his Daadi speaks of Shivanand being the cause of their family falling apart. (It meant that in his quest to save the secrets of this Elixir he has lost his family and they all were torn apart)

One decision would have Rudra protecting an elixir that provides physical immortality whilst the other is choosing his loved ones and family that would lead to salvation of the soul.

It would be for Rudra to look into the depths of his soul and Maimui is the one who would give him that answer. Maybe in order to chose his family he would have to give up his powers and all that comes with it.

I am confused as I write, maybe you could shed some light or correct if I am wrong...I don't know that scene just felt this way.

And yes I think Daadi is one of the very important Garudas. So this way the Garudas span two or more generations. #Daadi #Thapadiyamai #Shivanand #Rudra #Charles #Katherine # #Pannu or Rudra's mom.

Diana

xxx

Now after reading you amazing take, I think I seriously don't make any sense!😕

To continue further, I never did think of Kuba as a Rashak. Now that would be amazing!

About Katherine's Garuda mark, it could well be her on her scalp and they might just turn her bald someday. Pure speculation on my part...I couldn't think of any other spot considering her kamariya, back, arms and lovely legs were exposed.😉

Regards

Diana

Sandhya my pet,

I begin to despair of you!😉

We keep believing that she is something else while she is the usual stuff. Aunty was pleased that she didn't drop the thaali. But she did the patent filmi heroine proud by declaring to naanu and maamaji that she will reveal their asliyat to Rudra

Do me a favour and leave me out of your "We", there is a good girl! If you had read my last Cat's cradle post attentively, you would have remembered the part that went as follows:
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Adieu, my hopes for a Dark Maya!: Then there is, for me at least, the major disappointment of having my hopes for an interesting Dark Maya dashed to the ground in no uncertain manner.

Instead we have a copy of a film heroine of old, bleating at Rudra that he should abandon the idea of revenge. Pray who says that Rudra is wild and uncontrolled? He was, and if he had stayed the same, he would have throttled her at this point, as he almost did after stalking out of the police station!

Next, when that does not work, Maya babbles that he should not kill Pandey but hand him over to the police. Now she will be spouting shocked, boilerplate filmi lines at her unashamedly black-hearted Naanu and Mama : Aap logon ki asaliyat batane ja rahi hoon! All that it missing from the 1980s film template if for her to wave an incriminating cassette tape or, later, a DVD in their face!

There is practically no change of expression on her face no matter what she is supposed to be portraying.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

And Aunty was not "pleased" that Maya did not drop that thaali. I was making fun of the script; that part was pure satire, duly festooned with 😉s.

I agree with you about the X factor that makes for greatness in an actor. But it does not last, nor is it there all the time. Not many can rise above a lousy script. Dilip Kumar in Leader or Gopi, Kamal in his recent, self-obsessed roles, Madhubala in Jhumroo, and the RT of 'the Emperor strikes back ' and 'Shakespearean Heights' now looking like a vidhushak while singing horribly off key.

That is probably why Shakespeare made his Ophelia and his Romeo-Juliet die so young.

As for Adiana's take on the Maimuyi-Rudra scene, I have responded to it separately above, along with my lament about Ashoka 1.

Shyamala Aunty

Originally posted by: Sandhya.A

My little Mishti,

I am so pleased that you survived this 6 pager (in Georgia 11 pt and with narrow margins, thus having to be typed out on three days!) and liked it a lot too. Thank you!

As for Katharine, it is clear that she is not part of Prof. Rao's group, even clandestinely, for he is spying on her. That leaves only

(a) the Secret Society, that is to say, in Prayag, Greyerson, or

(b) if she is a rakshak, as seems to be widely surmised, maybe there is yet another group of "good" foreigners, the ones with whom, as daadi tells Rudra last night, Shivanand was in constant contact, who are seeking to bring the rakshaks to the Mahakumbh and brief them about their mission.,

(c) A third option would be a combo of these two, that Katharine is a mole, or double agent, for the second, good group, pretending to work for Greyerson and the Cardinal.

One thing is for sure, she is not what she seems to be. We have to wait and watch.

I too plan to watch Ashoka only as long as Siddharth is there.

Airlines- my dear, I do not know what Star Plus was thinking of, the way they have been dropping the telecasts almost every other Sunday, and no repeats either. I doubt if they have any viewers at all now; with this kind of treatment, no one can remember what has happened and when. I am still watching it, but I suspect I have missed one episode, and I can barely bring myself to sit thru the 42 minutes when I do watch it from a recording. After the writer of Kahani quit, the script has gone to the dogs, and the acting was never anything to write home about. Sad, the way it has been allowed to crash and self-destruct.

Shyamala Aunty

Originally posted by: mishtidoi

Hello Aunty...a treat to read again 😊

After that satellite phones revelation of Katherine...I think she may be in cahoots with Greyerson ...?????

WRT Asoka... I agree, it was a damp squib...and I felt it right from the drumming bit of title Asoka...the music was flat, below average, leave alone majestic😕

But will still watch it...till Sid can be endured😛😆

BTW off topic question, Aunty...did you watch ending of Airlines??? Another damp squib IMHO...or are we not IN for simple endings😉😆

You knw Shyamala, we are putting a lot of weight on the Garud chinna being big and visible and of rakshaks being mentally in sync with their jobs - as far as what has been presented is that the rakshaks are the protectors of Amrit and there are seven - its also been mentioned that there would be some who are weak - so I feel that there would be levels of strength ala the show Maharakshak on Zee where there are the lower level rakshaks and the maharakshak - so too here we have Rudra as the Maharakshak - and I feel the next level shd see two rakshaks of similar strength which I feel would be Charles and Maya - and the level below maybe Shivanand, Daadi, Thappadiya mai and perhaps Katherine. As for Greyerson statment on Shivanand's tattoo not being garud - if Shivanand can survive what Greyerson put him thru then can Shivanand not distort his tattoo to mislead the Polish group ??? Also Daadi's angst could be becoz she is a rakshak and is pushing the same away due to events in her past - she seems to be one who is battling a huge inner conflict - one thing is for sure - the rakshaks would not only have the magnetic pull for the Amrit, they would also be pulled towards each other and that does put Shivanand, daadi, maya, thappadiya mai and katherine to being the remaining rakshaks. As for Ashoka, the helen angle is pure NR, they needed a reason to put Bindusaar in the same vicinity of Dharma and so created the magadha riots, the sp effects are okayish and nothing to write home about and the actors are competent but they have not connected with their characters - they are acting the characters, they are not the characters - but I am giving the show sometime - but story is fast paced and if this pace continues then the senior Ashoka maybe seen by June this year - and they did manage to keep their details right regarding clothes, living space, music and activities of the varied cultures they had shown yesterday - and that is something in their favor.

Originally posted by: sashashyam

-Thank you so much, my dear Charu.

Yes, it is a very complex tale, and so far, it has been coming along very well and very fast. I was still mourning the passing of Maimuyi and berating Utkarsh for it, and lo and behold, she is back, and the inimitable daadi as well! And yes, it is a gripping mytho-thriller, not one with an endless procession of asuras to be samhaarofied one by one.

As for Rudra, I too did not like the OTT rage scenes at all, but even more than the cunning plotter we have now, I loved the look in his face as he is watching the Naanu go off to do the pooja, accompanied by his somewhat dismayed son Balivesh. It was full of anticipatory satisfaction at what was to come, going by his plans. Like a tiger watching his next prey that is all unaware of its fate. Shubha (happychappy) has pointed that out above, and I liked it just as much,

Another such shot , which I had pointed out in an earlier post, was when Balivesh was telling him, in Naanu's underground lair, that Pandey would be in front of him within 72 hours. The eyes were bright and full of bloodthirsty anticipation. I could almost see the tiger licking its chops!

Still, he is best in the highly emotional scenes, given his naturally tormented face, and his eyes, that reflect deep grief and a lost quality so well. Not enough to satisfy Sandhya, however!

Shyamala Aunty

Originally posted by: sashashyam

My dear Shreya,

You know, what pleases me the most, after spending painful hours at the laptop to get those 6 pages - no less, in Georgia 11 pt. and with narrow margins!😉 - out, is to have something I wrote connect so perfectly with an informed reader like you. And Preethi, as you can see from my response above to her. Thank you, my dear. I liked that line myself, and was pleased with it, which does not happen all the time. But it is when you find it beautiful, and others do so too, that I am truly content.

Yes, Maimuyi has arthritis. You could see it even in the scene of Chandrabhan's anniversary, when she is hobbling along the path leading to his bust. I am a trained analyst - every good diplomat has to be one - and I was taught to pay attention to the details. Of course there is a difference between analysing Sino-US relations and dissecting Mahakumbh, but the principle is the same!

As for Maya, I gave my take on her in this post, and I do not think she is the kind of Maya you are thinking about. She is likely to be more of a drag on Rudra, either because he loves her or because he feels,once he has married her, that she is his responsibility. In the end, the mission has to prevail, but her presence will make it that much harder for Rudra. And I repeat (please also see my response above to Shruthi), I do not think he is to be one of the 2 weaker garudas. He is the primus inter pares, after all!

Re: the Balivesh- Greyerson duo (see note below re: the altered spelling!), I am quite sure the latter has a number of hidden cards up his sleeve. It could hardly be otherwise. They will, however, split up the work, with Greyerson tackling Shivanand and Devesh-Balivesh soft-soaping Rudra and if need be getting Maya married to him.

The problem for Balivesh is likely to be twofold. One, Rudra knows the truth about the 1989 attack on the Shri Santh Panth ashram from his daadi, and Balivesh has no clue about that. My guess is that this newly devious Rudra will pretend to go along with Balivesh., at least for a while, to find out what he is going to do.

Two, Balivesh does not have the second Book, the crucial one, nor does he know what it contains. Greyerson knows about its contents from Shivanand, but note that he has carefully avoided briefing Balivesh about it.

If Rudra jibs and refuses to co-operate, or if Shivanand does the same, I think Balivesh will threaten to kill Maya, to get Rudra to fall in line, and Greyerson will threaten to kill Rudra to get Shivanand to fall in line.That is my best guess about their Plan B. Let us see what actually happens.

NB: As for the new spelling, I have just learnt that besides Utkarsh, Pathak and Gautam, one Zachary Coffin, who plays Greyerson ( I have been misspelling that name as Grierson, going by the way it sounded onscreen) is also following me on Twitter. Obviously not for anything about China or Pakistan, but only for my Mahakumbh post alerts!😉

Shyamala Aunty