THIS IS A WORK OF FICTION. NAMES, CHARACTERS, BUSINESSES, PLACES, EVENTS, LOCALES AND INCIDENTS ARE THE PRODUCTS OF THE AUTHOR’S IMAGINATION. ANY RESEMBLANCE TO ACTUAL PERSONS, LIVING OR DEAD, OR ACTUAL EVENTS IS PURELY COINCIDENTAL.
chapter 6 : GODLY
Evelyn had slept through the entire journey. She had fully utilized the perks of travelling Business Class. It was as if the sadness, pain and suffering were now behind her.
She couldn’t afford being dismal in her primal encounter with luxury.
She had one too many glasses of wine, ate warm meals, watched movies, slept like a baby. Even though deep down she was heartbroken, she was just thankful that she had no judgmental eyes upon her. She was all by herself. She was finally free, liberated, at ease. She didn’t want to think about Carter or anything remotely related to her life for the next three weeks. She had gotten a chance to let go of the present and she decided to grab the opportunity with both hands, making the most out of it.
The longest flight of her life turned out to be an unforgettable experience. New Delhi was hot, humid, crowded, but she had a car at her disposal. A chauffeur holding a placard with her name had welcomed her at the exit terminal. The immigration formalities were quick and hassle free. When she arrived at the hotel where she was going to stay for the duration of her vacation, she was mesmerized by its grandeur. It was like a palace, nothing like she had ever seen. The room was huge, the chandeliers were scintillating, everyone was over-the-top welcoming, but the jetlag didn’t let her get out of the bed for the next 24 hours. After slumbering the afternoon away, she decided to explore the city of Delhi.
The chauffeur was eager to show her around. In just two days she covered The Lotus temple, Red Fort, Qutub Minar, Humayun’s tomb, Lodhi Gardens, Akshardham; ate some mild spicy food, got sick twice, gulped down two bottles of lemonade, headed for Taj Mahal on the driver’s insistence.
It wasn’t a place to be missed, the trip brochure said, the ivory-white marble mausoleum was going to blow her away, make her forget anything she had seen, supposedly. It was also enlisted as one of the Seven Wonders of the World. Evelyn felt an excitement and eagerness building inside her as they neared their destination. Even though as per the itinerary she was supposed to spend only a morning there, she ended up devoting an entire day to it. She kept walking around the main mausoleum in awe and excitement. It was an architectural wonder!
The tour guide walked her through the place’s significance, history and other interesting facts, twice, on her insistence combined with a heavy tip consisting of wads of notes. When the crowd started dispersing, she chose a spot, sat down with folded legs, wondered if her family could have ever visited this place together, what would have been Ethan and Mia’s reactions. Would they have screamed, shouted, ran around like being in a park or would they have been just as awestruck as she was. What about Carter, would he ever create something monumental for her as well? Taj Mahal not only elevated her spirits but also gave her much needed contentment, which had been amiss from her life in the last few months. After basking in the setting sun, she headed back to her hotel.
During the drive, while she was chitchatting with the driver Abdul, she enquired
“Tell me Abdul is there a place in India where I could find answers to a few questions from my life?”
Abdul responded, “If you could kindly elaborate Ma’am on that, I would be able to help you better.”
“I mean lately I have been feeling lost, estranged from my family, friends. There is this constant battle which keeps going on between my heart and my mind. They both have opposing opinions and beliefs. I often fail to understand who to listen to. If there is any place that you know where I could find answers to these ongoing inner feuds, could you take me there. I would be eternally grateful to you.” Evelyn realized she was almost beseeching to Abdul. She wondered if he would judge her if he hadn’t already!
After a moment of silence Abdul replied “I think I know just the right place”
To Evelyn’s relief he was smiling. “But first we need to get you some proper dinner at your hotel. After that if you are willing, we could start tonight, as it’s a long drive, else we could start in the early morning, as you say. I’m confident that you will find the kind of solutions you are seeking, here.”
“Let’s start tonight! I just can’t wait to check out this place.”, an excited Evelyn replied.
For a driver, Abdul was quite insightful, Evelyn noticed. Somehow, she felt this trip, these chain of events, even the meeting with the driver, their upcoming journey was all connected and destined.
They started somewhere around 11pm, she packed light for one-night stopover. She dozed off inside the car and woke up intermittently to find Abdul at the wheels. Around daybreak, Abdul woke her up to a fresh cup of hot milk tea. Even though she had started having these only three days ago, she felt tied and addicted to them already. Mornings were incomplete without a cup of tea. She gulped the hot liquid in a hurry and demanded two more cups which Abdul was more than happy to oblige.
“Are we there yet?” she asked eagerly.
“Almost. Just an hour more.”
“Can you at least tell me the name of the city we are travelling to so that I could google?”
“Not yet.” Abdul kept her at the edge of her seat in suspense. She felt she was a kid again when her parents would take their entire family to new places for a picnic. She was overwhelmed with nostalgia. Over the years the fondness for her parents had evaporated like an episode of spring dream. Now, she couldn’t stand her parents even for few hours. Her mom’s remarks on her motherhood had hurt her deeply. Her dad’s advice to move on soon after the tragedies had broken her heart. Sometimes she wished if life were simpler and relationships were less complicated.
A distant chant of a chorus reciting in unison hit Evelyn’s ears. She couldn’t make out the song nor the lyrics, as it was being sung in some Indian language, but she instantly felt drawn to it. It had a strange calming effect on her senses. Along with the hymn she could smell a sweet fragrance in the air, as if a lot of flowers were being churned close by. Abdul glanced at her in the rearview mirror and said “We are here. Welcome to the holiest city in India – Haridwar and this is the most sacred river of our country – Ganga.”
They reached a river bank where thousands of people were holding gigantic lamps lit up, circling them in a clockwise manner, singing spiritual songs in rhythm and harmony. They were performing a morning aarti* of the river Ganga, Abdul informed. The sun was slowly rising on the horizon. The sky was changing its color from grey to hues of pink. The atmosphere was electric, there was an aura of energy all around. Abdul handed a scarf to Evelyn and asked her to cover her head with it. She complied. Abdul explained the significance and importance of the river, also symbolized as Goddess Ganga, widely referred as Maa* Ganga. The water of the river was considered extremely sacred to the Hindus which was believed to be the purest form of liquid close to heavenly nectar (Amrit*). A dip in the holy river on certain auspicious days was said to purify humans of all their sins and facilitate Moksha or liberation from the cycle of life and death. Evelyn wasn’t sure what she was going to find here but she was hopeful of a positive outcome of her visit.
After the aarti, Abdul insisted on Evelyn taking rest for few hours in a nearby guest house, which she strongly refused saying she had never felt so awake.
She insisted on exploring the Ghaat* (river bank) on her own for a while. Abdul said it was risky for a foreigner to be on her own here. She assured she would be fine requesting him to check on her after an hour or two.
After walking around for some time; turning down requests of numerous men offering to be her guide; handling beggars, priests, all badgering for money; she finally found a quiet corner which offered a striking elevated view of the entire place. She closed her eyes and tried to breathe in the sweet aroma lurking in the air, the essence had an appeasing effect on her mind and body. It relaxed her.
Her mind wandered back to Mia. The scene that had initially seemed like a figment of her imagination during the hypnosis session with Avery had now transformed into a full-fledged memory. She could envision and recreate the incident at will now. Every time the scene unfolded in her mind, it strengthened her belief that Mia had been indeed rescued by somebody.
Yet there was a small voice inside her which kept denying the possibility and urging her to make peace with Mia’s demise. She thought of Carter. She felt a tiny prick in her heart. Would Carter be missing her or looking out for her, searching for her? Would he be dismal without her? What was his reaction when he came back to a house devoid of Evelyn?
“Don’t be afraid to trust your instincts. Always have faith on the power of your mind. A mother is stronger than she credits herself for.”
Evelyn opened her eyes to a deep baritone voice wafting from behind her like a breeze.
“Excuse me, are you talking to me?” she asked the old man who was seated with his legs crossed, hands on both the knees, fingers curled as if in a session of yoga. She was startled by his sudden appearance; she could swear he wasn’t there a moment ago. His appearance had taken her by surprise, she was too frightened to make sense of his words.
“Yes my child, I am talking to you. Please don’t be scared.” He said with a disarming smile.
“Who are you? When did you get here?” asked a bewildered Evelyn. In her mind, doubts were starting to swirl around the man’s intentions. She was indecisive about staying put or running away from the place.
“How long do you plan to run from the truth? Until you face your biggest fears, they will keep haunting you. You have to face them for once and all.” Said the old man.
Evelyn’s mouth opened and closed again. She couldn’t speak, as if her jaws were frozen. What was the old man blabbering, why was he saying all this to her, she wondered. Abdul had warned her of conmen roaming in the attire of saints, fooling tourists, looting money from them. She fished through her purse trying to locate the temporary phone she had purchased in India.
“I can help you with what you are looking for. I can help you find the answers to the questions you seek. Listen to me patiently. Your troubles will soon end, trust yourself.”, the saint’s voice was loud and clear but it was inside her head. She froze in her step and looked at the man, he had closed his eyes as if he were in a trance. She couldn’t understand what was happening. She wasn’t sure if she heard the voice in real or if it was an illusion. She was confident that the man hadn’t moved his lips nor opened his eyes. Curiosity drew her to the man. She sat down near his feet. She observed the scars on his feet, his wrinkled skin, the saffron paint on his forehead, the stick under his arms acting as an armrest, a beaded necklace in another hand.
Suddenly he opened his eyes and gave a cordial smile.
Despite herself she smiled back. She walked up to him, took a seat near his feet and said “Is it true? Can you really help me? Are you a magician of some sort or a prophet?”
The saint’s smile widened, he replied “No, I am not a magician. I am just a very old man who has some wisdom to share with the troubled folk. I was passing by and I could feel a lot of tangled thoughts dispersing from you, so I decided to stop by.”
Even though the part of her thoughts dispersing from her like some kind of radiation, didn’t make much sense to Evelyn yet she decided to continue the conversation out of sheer inquisitiveness.
“Your journey on the path seeking truth has been excruciating. You have traveled a long way probing the truth of your maternal instincts. Even though you had to face a lot of hardships in this journey of yours, yet you never gave up. You have held on to hope. You haven’t been defeated by the people who would go to any lengths to lead you astray. After reaching so far you should consider yourself as success, not failure. You have to increase your faith, keep treading on this path that you are on, rattle your insides, fear no hurdle, keep your flame of pursuit burning, only then you shall truly find your salvation. Watch out for the danger that lurks in the imminent future. Trust your inner voice, it will lead you to your destination.”
Saying so the saint vanished into thin air. In shock, Evelyn almost fell off from the platform on which she was seated. She glanced around, hoping to find the man, but he was gone.
“Ma’am, is everything okay?”
She heard Abdul’s voice floating from a distance. He was walking hurriedly to reach her. Surely her astonishment was evident on her face. She explained everything to a startled Abdul whose face changed from surprise to shock towards the end. She didn’t expect him to believe her words but he did.
“You came face to face with the spirit of Baba GangaNath! Only one in a thousand gets the opportunity to be blessed by his noble spirit. People of Haridwar say his spirit roams around the banks of the river Ganga and occasionally interacts with humans. He was a very wise saint who lived and died here on this very ghaat*. You must be truly in distress to have been blessed with his visit. I hope his words help you find solace. It’s natural to be spooked by this experience but please don’t be afraid of him and embrace his words.”
It took couple of minutes for Evelyn to comprehend Abdul’s words. She was trying to wrap her head around the fact that she had an encounter with someone who wasn’t alive! As per Abdul, she came face to face with a ghost!
Just then a thought crossed her mind “Hey Abdul, didn’t you mention earlier that you are a Muslim and Haridwar is a Hindu dominant place, then how do you know so much about the mystic Baba and everything else?”
Evelyn looked at Abdul questioningly, curious if all of this was just a gimmick to fool her into parting with her money.
Abdul was a little puzzled with the question yet after a moment of introspection he cleared his throat and replied “Yes Ma’am, I am a Muslim by birth, but I’m an Indian by heart. This place has a spiritual appeal to the entire country. I was born to parents of mixed religion; my father was a pundit here at Haridwar. My mother worked at a nearby mosque. They fell in love and fled to Delhi. In our country inter-religion marriages are a taboo and Hindu Muslims are like North Pole and South Pole. My father passed away when I was 10. My mother didn’t force her religion on me, rather I chose Islam myself, but I grew up with stories from both of them. In fact, I have often walked on these roads with my father. Baba GangaNath’s anecdote was one such story that he had once narrated. When you said you were seeking answers, I instantly remembered Haridwar and the warmth it always brought upon me. Thus, I suggested bringing you here, however I had no idea that you would be graced by Baba himself.”
Evelyn hung her head in shame, she had doubted Abdul’s noble intentions. She wanted to apologize to him but didn’t find the right words. Right then Abdul said “Ma’am I don’t know about you but I really need some food, I’m starving.” They both had a hearty laugh and proceeded to devour some hot and spicy breakfast. Evelyn was getting used to the spices and begging to relish Indian food.
Soon after the evening aarti, they proceeded back to Delhi. All the way back, Baba’s words kept coming back to her. What did they mean? What was he trying to say? Did he mean Mia was alive? Should she pursue her search? She fell asleep and opened her eyes only when they arrived in Delhi. The very next day, she packed her bags and headed to the airport. She reached the Air India counter and requested to reschedule her flight. The attendants requested her to wait for a while. They called for the manager and after a brief consultation among themselves, they handed her the boarding tickets to the next flight back to Minneapolis, Minnesota. Evelyn was extremely thankful to them and shared the short video blog she had prepared about Delhi and Taj Mahal as she had been requested when they had offered her the free trip tickets. She couldn’t wait to get back home and resume her search for Mia at the earliest.
((To be continued……….))
*aarti – a Hindu ceremony in which lights with wicks soaked in ghee are lit and offered up to one or more deities
*Maa – Indian way of addressing a mother
Amrit* – a syrup considered divine
If you like what you read please follow the blog’s official pages so that you never miss out a post. Pour your thoughts, perspectives about the story in comments below. Its extremely encouraging to get some feedback.
I really enjoyed the cultural elements of this chapter! I always love learning about new places, and getting to read about India here was like being there! More twists and turns in this story that keeps the reader guessing! I can’t wait to see what happens!
Thank you so much for reading and this beautiful feedback. Thanks a lot for your support 🙂
This chapter has really captured the culture and spirituality of what India has to offer. It was great being able to go on this journey of self discovery with Evelyn. I have always wanted to visit India, you have done a wonderful job of describing the scenery, the culture and the way of life. I can’t say that I would be so easy to trust like Evelyn, I am way to paranoid for that. I can’t help but hope that things go well for her when she gets back to Minnesota.
I can’t wait to read more 🙂
Your comment is so motivating and uplifting to me as a writer. I don’t have enough words to thank you for taking out the time to read and respond. It’s for wonderful constructive comments like yours’ I put in the hard work of weaving stories 🙂 Do read the rest of the story and let me know what you feel.
The story has been taking so many beautiful turns that it has always kept all of us guessing.. loved the spiritual touch .. waiting for the next parts !!
Thanks for reading and the motivating feedback 🙂
Story has stirred me completely sitting on the edge. Once started reading, I kept gasping to read more and what next. 5 star Writer would be understatement. According to me she is 10 star writer
This comment made my day!! Thank you so much for reading and the wonderful feedback 🙂 🙂
I love how we continue to learn more about these characters; their strengths and flaws; their regrets. I also think you do a great job of adding depth by including details of events that surround the main tragedy; adding layers to the characters and story.
Roger
Thank you so much Roger for that wonderful insightful and thoughtful feedback. Am glad you liked it 🙂