Dear Readers,
Wish you all a happy Dusherra. With this post though, I take you all back in time by ten days to the beaches of half-moon bay in sunny California and the shores of the Pacific Ocean. As always all italicized text indicates thoughts.
Enjoy, hit like and comment.
There is no Hinglish version for this one. Those of you who are not of Hindu origin, do check out the post script for some explanation of the Hindu terms used here and their significance.
The Mahalaya Maiden
Disclaimer : The pictures of the people in this collage do not belong to me and have been procured from public internet sources merely for illustrative purposes. I claim no rights to these. The landscape pictures in this collage are mine and I own all rights to those.
Note: Dont. Even. Think about it. My stories are copyright protected.
The Mahalaya Maiden
"What you seek is seeking you."
Rumi
The incessant waves of the ocean heaved in and out lulling and soothing his mind as his brain churned through the various options that faced him and the decision tree that each option lead him through. He sighed as he looked out at the mighty Pacific Ocean, The deepest and the largest Ocean on Earth making up more than fifty percent of the world's Oceanic waters. His mind supplied the fact unbidden. Years of Practice and training drummed into him under the expert tutelage of his brother, his bhai the great Arnav Singh Raizada. He was just as powerful and deep as the endless bay that stretched out in front of him. Wait a minute, doesn't the name Arnav mean the Ocean? Could there have been a better name than this for bhai? Probably not. Mighty bhai was an ocean of knowledge, of will, of deep, deep thoughts; of strong emotions and love secreted away in the depths of his heart and soul. The corners of his lips lifted into a slight smile at the thought. For as long as he could remember he had looked up to this man. The world hailed him as ASR the great but he would always be bhai for him.
Every time he had stumbled, bhai had been there to steady him, to lend a willing ear when he had needed one, an ally and a friend when it had become obligatory to take down his school bullies a notch or two. Almost everything he did his entire life had had the explicit or implicit approval of this man. And today, he was here at a decision point because of what he had asked of him. Bhai could have just said the word and he would have willingly fulfilled it, instead he had chosen to plant a thought in his head and had left him to make the right choice.
He sighed again, leaning back on his arms, flipping his head up to gaze at the heavens. The slanting rays of the sun had stained the skies a deep coral streaked with pink and brilliant gold; like a breathtaking painting. Strangely it also reminded him of his mom and her ever painted face thanks to her 'makeupiya ka touch upiya' (Frequent touch ups of her makeup). His vociferous mom with her sharp tongue and her peculiar brand of sharp witted humor and his quiet dad with his sarcastic humor aimed mostly at his wife made them the oddest of couples and yet it somehow worked. Unlike bhai and Anjali di, Akash bhayya and he had grown up cocooned in the security of the knowledge that their parents shared a deep loving bond. His mom especially doted on him while his dad had a little more of a softer edge for the mild-as-milk Akash bhayya. Speaking of bhayya reminded him of the next generation of Raizadas - his baby niece Aanya. He longed to cradle her in his arms and hold a cooing conversation that could last for hours.
In mere minutes the sky and the world would be plunged in darkness for it was a new moon tonight. His thoughts shifted back to his surroundings and quickly brought on in its wake another familial memory. Not any new moon but Mahalay amavasya, that marked the beginning of the auspicious Navratri as his Anjali di would have said. Another smile broke on his lips just as the surging waves rose higher and encroached deeper inland, the spray tickling the tips of his toes. Anjali di the sweetest sister one could ask for. She probably was whipping up a storm of activity in preparation for her annual Kanya Puja'(worship of young girls) as a doting Rathod indulged her every whim. Not to mention his sweet little niece Tashi. Wait a minute how could he not think about beautiful Payal bhabhi and that whirlwind of energy called Khushi bhabhi who had entered Arnav bhai's life, turned it inside out and created an enduring and beautiful love between them.
Suddenly restless, he got up from his rocky perch and brushing the sands off his behind, walked along the wet, smooth sands towards the western horizon; the cool waters of the sea foamed around his feet. Every tide brought forth a fresh wave of thought in his mind. Every tide reminded him of blood ties and smiling faces of his family back home in India about ten thousand miles away. A Family that had grown in numbers and strength, with the addition of Payal bhabi and Khushi bhabi, Ajay Rathod and Tashi, gems among present day humanity. His brothers and Anjali di were lucky to have found them to brighten their lives. His brief stay in India the past few months had given him ample opportunity to observe with satisfaction and happiness the change these two gentle yet strong women had wrought in the lives of his brothers and Anjali di bloom fully in the warmth of Ajay's love.
He gazed at the soft sand giving way under his feet and squishing through his toes as he walked on reliving his many laurels. At twenty four he was the youngest professor in California. He taught Marine science in Stanford but also sailed out to sea on expeditions and explorations for long stretches. He was the most sought after professor of Marine Biology and Bio-chemistry and regularly taught at the College of the Atlantic, Maine and in the University of California, Santa Cruz as a visiting faculty. It was a discipline with low chances of commercial success but then he was not in it for the money. Being a Raizada had ensured he had financial security to last him his lifetime and the next generation. He did it for the love of the subject, because he felt every man owed it to the environment, to treat the world and all organisms in it kindly, because he believed that to ensure a safe Earth for future generations one needed to be environmentally aware and invest in tools and technologies that saved the planet, and simply because the wind and the seas called to him and set him free.
His studies and pursuits however had taken him away from his beloved family and the various life changing events that had occurred back home. He was away somewhere in Alaska studying the Arctic and Pacific to enable him to complete his research and be promoted as a full professor, while Arnav bhai and Akash bhai had fallen hook line and sinker in love with the former having ridden a roller-coaster of emotionally charged life events before tying the knot twice with the same girl. How he regretted missing those moments in retrospection. Thank God that he had been a part of Di's wedding and had played a minuscule role in sending Shyam packing. It was time that he heeded the pull of his blood and returned home. Arnav bhai was a perceptive one. He had accurately perceived his state-of-mind and given him the final nudge, a call last week that had started this train of thought. Of course it would mean changing his lifestyle. He was on familiar ground here in the United States, he was accustomed to leading a single life; he came and went at will. All of this would need to change as also his career. The project in Andaman that he had worked on to solidify while on his last trip to India, perhaps had been a sub-conscious effort on his part to ensure his home coming. It was the carrot that enticed him to go back career wise. He buried his chin in his chest, coming to a sudden stop and drew in a deep breath - "This is it, this is decision point. What do I do?" He questioned himself looking for an answer in the sands underfoot.
Unexpectedly, sweet and unbelievably poignant strains of violin filled the air, jerking him back to reality. He stared ahead at the source of it. A slender figure swathed in a flowing shimmery white outfit of some sort that heightened the color of her skin which was the color of the foaming white spray at the crest of a tide, stood on a rocky mound with her eyes closed. Her chin was lifted at an angle supporting the base of the violin that sat at the crook of her shoulder; her long thick black locks fell straight around her shoulders before they curled in huge waves at their ends. She was lost to the world as she stood entranced by the magic she created with her music. The sun was a mere arc in the horizon and the darkening skies surrounding her intensified the ethereal atmosphere. Unbidden his feet guided him to her, a strange peace and calm flooding his heart and mind. "It was time to return home."
There! He had made up his mind, just like that, at a snap of a finger; or was it on the quivering note of a violin? He came to a standstill right at the foot of her perch and looked on, waiting for her to finish.
"I am positive; she has eyes like the sea." He almost gasped at the spontaneity and the absolute conviction of his thought. As if on cue, at that exact moment her hand stilled on the violin and she opened her eyes to gaze directly into his. Her eyes were a stormy blue grey like the ocean. The flecks of blue in its depths lightened as her eyes widened in surprise and a soft "Whoa! You startled me," escaped her blush pink lips while her palm fluttered to the base of her throat.
"That was absolutely haunting" he said helping her down and they fell back to walking in companionable silence along the sands towards the parked cars as the sun plunged beneath the horizon and darkness engulfed them. She shivered slightly as the ocean breeze chilled several degrees and gratefully accepted the jacket he offered. They walked along, two strangers in the night, talking about everything and yet talked about nothing and as they reached the edge of the beach they came to a stop.
They both looked at the starlit sky in unison, the absence of the moon making them all the more prominent and beautiful as they shimmered and sparkled like a million diamonds scattered by the flick of a careless hand.
"I love the stars. Do you?" she asked out of the blue.
"I love the Ocean more, but I know of someone back home who converses with stars on a daily basis" he supplied with a smile.
"Ocean travelers used the stars to guide them to their destination way back when sophisticated instruments were non-existent. I still do. Look, up there at that shiny bright star in the northern skies," she paused and continued shifting her beautiful eyes back to his face. He looked at where her finger pointed. He of course knew what it was, but he would let her tell him anyway. Her voice softened as she spoke, "That there, is the polestar - Dhruv Tara as we call it, and it never fails to guide me home".
Dhruv turned his gaze back to her lost for words and they stood a split second gazing at each other, with the distant crashing waves echoing in their ears, and the starry night cloak closing in around them, till her phone set off on a shrill note demanding her attention. "Oh! That's my ride, I gotta go. Thanks for the walk and lending me your jacket" she chirped shrugging it off and handing it to him with a grateful smile before gliding away and dissolving in the night.
"Wait. I am Dhruv and you are ?" His voice trailed into the night, unheard by the lissome lass. Dhruv smiled as he put on his jacket which was now wafting the lingering scent of a million island flowers, "whoever you are, your music brought me peace and guided my mind home. Thank you, Maiden of this Mahalaya night."
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PS: Mahalaya Amavasya : Is the New Moon in the month of Ashwin, the day after which starts Navratri - the nine day festival in honor of the Godess Durga who took form out of the combined energy of the three crore Gods of Hindu mythology including the big three - Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. She was gifted with a special weapons by each of them to slay the demon Mahishasura and bring peace on Earth.
It's also said that Lord Rama prayed to the Goddess for the nine days of Navratri and on the tenth day he slayed Ravana in Battle. Ram leela(story of Rama) is enacted in several parts of India during this festival.
Kanya Puja : A tradition followed by many Hindus during the Navratri festival. The women observe a fast for the nine days and at the end invite 9 young girls(can be any odd number of girls. Mostly little girls of pre-puberty are selected. Since Kanya = Virgin), honor them with gifts and perform puja to them considering them the embodiment of the Goddess and bestow gifts on them.
Dhruv Tara: Dhruv/Dhruva was the crown prince of ancient Hindu lands who performed severe penances to Lord Vishnu when he was a mere boy after he was spurned by his step mother, Suruchi, who prevented him from sitting on his father's lap.
He wanted to seek the boon of his father's love and a rightful place on his lap from Lord Vishnu on the advice of his own mother, the queen Suneeti. The benevolent Lord Vishnu blessed him saying he would rule the land wisely and well after his father for a thousand years and then light the skies leading all mortals to their destination as Dhruva Nakshatram(Star) in the heavenly skies. Thus did Dhruva not only find his rightful place with his father but also earned his place in the lap of the universe.
Cricket
