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  Little girls sprinkled sandalwood oil on them. The floor was strewn with petals of hibiscus flowers. She watched Baali’s face brighten with surprise. The cave was breathtaking in its sublime beauty. Baali ran through the huge cave, excited like a child who had got his favourite toy. Tara felt proud and happy. He stopped to admire each sculpture. When they reached the stone cot, memories came rushing to Tara and coloured her cheeks red. She felt her heart gushing with love for Baali. She looked at his broad shoulder and his narrow waist, his muscled thighs and thick hands and felt her throat going dry. Desire overwhelmed her. He was standing with his back turned to her, running his fingers over the carvings on the bed post. She was about to touch him when Sugreeva burst into the room.

  ‘Brother, Nala is a wonderful man. He has started getting the street ready for Jalikattu. I had to just say the word about your wish and Nala had already started the work.’

  Baali turned excitedly. ‘That’s wonderful. Let us have a look.’

  Before Tara could react, Baali had left the room. She collapsed into the bed and sat like a stone. She had no idea for how long she sat there, feeling alone and helpless. She was determined to warn Baali, but it was frustrating that they were never alone for her to broach the topic. By evening, Baali came with Sugreeva to the chamber. Sugreeva’s eyes met those of Tara and he winked. She turned her gaze away deliberately. Sugreeva put a reed mat on the floor and placed a pot of water by its side. Baali sat on the mat and Tara looked at him in surprise. She was about to ask him what he was doing, when Sugreeva held her wrist.

  ‘He is in Vruta, the penance before the bullfight. The warrior must take the vow of celibacy and silence for twenty-one days. He must lie on the floor to sleep, wear only one piece of cloth and pray to the bull of Ayyan to give him strength’. Sugreeva’s eyes twinkled with mischief.

  ‘This is–’

  Sugreeva didn’t allow Tara to complete the sentence. Tara called out to Baali, but he was sitting in meditation and didn’t respond. Sugreeva dragged Tara out of the cave.

  ‘Yata, you may sleep with the women. It’s only for twenty-one days. I will tend to my brother’s needs. He shouldn’t even see any woman during this time.’

  ‘I am his wife,’ Tara said, staring at Sugreeva.

  ‘All the more reason you should stay away from him at this time, Yata. Who can resist your charms? You are an Apasara,’ Sugreeva winked.

  ‘Why are you doing this?’ Tara said, feeling helpless and angry.

  ‘You know the reason, Tara. I have told you. You are mine, Tara.’

  ‘Devil,’ Tara hissed.

  ‘Tara, my Tara, we have twenty-one days and I have no vow of celibacy.’

  Tara slapped Sugreeva across her face. He smiled and said, ‘You have such soft hands Tara, like the petals of lotus. You are so fragrant that I am going mad with desire. Every moment, I think only of you Tara.’

  Tara was horrified. She looked around to check if someone had seen them. There were many Vanaras arranging things inside the cave. Guards moved here and there, but no one was within earshot. She started walking down the steps.

  ‘I will wait, Yata,’ she heard him say. Tara half-expected him to follow. She walked through the streets that were milling with people. More and more Vana Naras were coming from afar and Nala was busy allocating homes to them. Asura merchants from the South had come with spices. She saw a boat anchored in the river. Her city was growing faster than she had imagined. She tried to push away her worry about Sugreeva by feeling happy about the dream she shared with Baali taking shape in such a grandiose way. People bowed to her as she walked the streets. There were workers putting up bamboo barricades on either side of the main street. A temporary gallery was coming up on the sides. Tara saw Nala instructing his workers and felt uneasy. The gallery might be for Jalikattu, the wild Asura game of taming the bull. Nala saw her and ran to her. She hurried as she didn’t want to have any conversation with anyone now. She wanted to be alone, in the palmyra grove.

  ‘Devi, I am sorry if I hurt you,’ Nala said.

  Tara stopped in her track. What was he sorry for?

  Nala said, ‘I thought you didn’t trust me. I wanted to show Baali what I had built and was scared you would never acknowledge my work.’

  ‘Why would I do that, Nala?’ Tara was surprised. It was true she had felt uneasy when he was trying to corner all the credit.

  ‘I saw it in your face, Devi,’ Nala said. Was her face such that people can read her thoughts so easily? She was scared about Sugreeva now. Was she giving him some unconscious hint about liking him. I hate him, she told herself.

  ‘I never–’

  ‘I was a slave for two decades under Vishwakarma, the great Deva architect. I was the best worker and I did most of the work. But when it came to appreciation, I was a just a low-caste slave, a Vana Nara. So I was eager for a word of praise when Baali came. I am sorry if I intruded into your privacy.’

  Tara grabbed the master builder’s hand. ‘Nala, you did a fantastic job. Everyone knows it, Baali knows it best. I have not seen Amaravati, Mahihsmathi or Trikota, but I am sure Kishkinda rivals all of them.’

  She saw Nala’s eyes fill up and she was touched. Genuine appreciation was the best way to get people to do great work. She was learning fast.

  ‘I know, Devi. I was so happy when Sugreeva informed me about your instruction to build the gallery and track for bull-taming. I thought you would never trust me with another work.’

  ‘I did what?’

  Nala swept his hand and beamed. ‘I will not fail you my lady. I will make you the best arena. I too am really eager to watch Baali tame the bull.’

  Before she could react, Nala bowed and hurried away, shouting instructions at his workers. As she walked to the grove, dark thoughts possessed her. Why should Sugreeva take her name to build the Arena? She had to do something to stop this madness. She was sure some danger lay hidden for Baali. Sugreeva’s obsession for her was taking on sinister proportions.

  Tara saw a figure by the river. He was standing up to his waist in water and praying to the rising sun. She walked aimlessly, trying to push away the premonitions. When she reached the river side, she saw it was Hanuman deep in prayer.

  He seemed to have sensed her presence. He slowly opened his eyes and looked at her.

  ‘Pranam, Hanuman. It’s Baali’s bride.’

  Hanuman folded his palms respectfully to Tara and bowed. Then he returned to his prayers. Tara returned the greeting and waited for him to finish his prayers. She didn’t know why she came here or what she was going to tell him. It felt good to be in his presence.

  ‘Where is your husband, daughter?’ Hanuman asked reverently.

  ‘He . . . he is in penance.’

  ‘Penance? Is this the time for . . .’

  Tara’s eyes filled up. She smiled to hide her agitation and said, ‘He wants to tame the bull. They are going to play the Asura game of Jalikattu.’

  Hanuman shook his head in dismay.

  ‘Baali is behaving so irresponsibly. It’s a shame. I heard he was drunk on his wedding night.’ Hanuman said. Tara wanted to intervene and say that it was Sugreeva who made her husband drunk, who laced seeds of poppy in his drink. But she didn’t want to answer unnecessary questions that it would give birth to. Hanuman started walking and she struggled to keep pace with his long strides.

  ‘He is the chief of the Vanaras. Everyone knows Riksarajas is just a namesake chief. This isn’t the way a leader should behave. Sometimes, I wonder whether you should have been the choice for Vanaras,’ Hanuman said.

  Tara didn’t know what to say. She said, ‘Swami, we didn’t see you at the wedding feast.’

  ‘Daughter, I don’t go for such functions. I’m a Brahmachari. My time is spent in meditation.’

  ‘I would be blessed if you could come with us to my home and accept our humble hospitality, Swami,’ Tara pleaded.

  ‘I don’t step out of my Kadalivana, the grove of plantain I cultivat
e, daughter.’

  Tara didn’t reply. She didn’t know whether she could confide in him. She gathered courage and pressed ahead. She didn’t talk about Sugreeva or his passion for her. She talked about her worry about the bull-taming game. When she finished, Hanuman was watching her without any expression. His eyes pierced her soul and she looked down, unable to face him.

  ‘You are worried that Baali will be hurt in the game?’ Hanuman asked. Tara didn’t reply.

  ‘I am not worried about Baali. He is a great warrior and will tame the bull,’ Hanuman said. She stood, debating whether she should tell him her fears.

  ‘Daughter,’ Hanuman called in a gentle voice and she looked up, ‘taming the mind is more difficult.’ Hanuman walked away.

  Tara ran behind him and stopped him, ‘Don’t speak in riddles. What did you say now?’

  Hanuman smiled, ‘I said the mind is a beast. Untamed, it could destroy everything. Not clear? Don’t worry. Just remember Baali and only Baali is your husband.’

  Tara stood rooted, her mind in turmoil as Hanuman walked away.

  Chapter 24

  Tara loves me, but is scared to admit it, thought Sugreeva and smiled. He was massaging his brother’s feet. His brother was lying on his back on the reed mat spread on the floor and Sugreeva was sitting cross-legged beside him. When Sugreeva stretched to take the heated oil, his brother stretched and caressed Sugreeva’s curly hair. Sugreeva felt a pang of guilt. He could feel his brother’s affection in his every action. Even when Baali treated him like a kid and his taunts became unbearable, Sugreeva knew how much his brother loved him. Sugreeva tried his best to return the affection, but since childhood, Tara was an obsession for him. If only Tara was mine, I could love my brother like no one else, he thought.

  ‘Sugreeva, did I make a mistake by taking the penance now?’ Baali’s question broke his chain of thoughts.

  ‘Yes, you did Brother. But we are warriors and she is a warrior’s wife. Yata will understand.’

  Baali smiled without opening his eyes. ‘Poor girl, she might have had so many dreams about married life.’

  ‘Brother, it is only for twenty-one days. She will love you more once you show how brave and strong you are.’

  ‘Fool, she knows I am brave and strong. Our union was decided in the heavens. We understand each other perfectly well.’

  Sugreeva continued to massage Baali’s legs. His mind was in turmoil.

  ‘How did you win the Jalikattu?’ Baali asked.

  Sugreeva said sheepishly, ‘I cheated.’

  Baali sprang up, ‘You did what?’

  Sugreeva said, ‘I bribed the caretaker of the bull. He laced opium in its feed. When it came to the arena, Dundubhi could barely stand. It fell on my first blow.’

  ‘That was unfair.’

  ‘I wanted to gift it to you, Anna. Besides, Mayavi and his Mahisha army had stolen the calf from Rishi Matanga, the Deva Brahmin, when he was doing Penance. So there was nothing wrong in using some trickery.’

  Baali said, ‘Maybe they had stolen it. They are Asuras. They have no values or morals, just like the Devas. We are Vana Naras. We cannot–’

  ‘They rule us. We have been slaves always, the Dasas. The sooner we learn their ways, the sooner we can cease to be slaves.’

  Baali stood up. ‘I can’t approve this. You have to return the bull to Mayavi.’

  Sugreeva said, ‘As you say, Anna. But the world would say that the great Baali was scared to tame the bull and sent his brother to steal Dundubhi. I agree, I acted in haste, Anna. Punish me, but if you don’t demonstrate you are stronger than any Asura warrior, sooner or later they will raid us and take all of us as slaves. We need to send a message.’

  Baali sat on the floor, deep in thought. He said, ‘You made a grave mistake, brother. You acted unfairly. Both with the beast and with its owner. But you have a point about taming the bull. I shall fight the bull and tame it. Then I will go myself to Mayavi and beg his forgiveness for your shameful act.’

  ‘I . . . I am sorry, Anna. I did it for . . .’

  Baali kept his hand on Sugreeva’s shoulders. ‘Your youth makes you do such hasty things. My duty is to show you the right direction. Did you apologize to our father?’

  Sugreeva stood with his head hanging in shame.

  ‘Go, do that first,’ Baali said. Sugreeva stood up, bowed and left. He walked to the cave door and stretched his limps. The work for the bull-taming arena was going on. He decided to visit Dundhubi.

  When he reached the pen, Riksarajas was watching the bull from a distance, leaning on the stable fence. Dundubhi grunted and bellowed from the stable. The effect of cannabis was wearing off and the bull was getting stronger by the day. It could no longer be used to draw the cart. The bull was trying to break off the ropes and the stable shook when it struggled.

  ‘That is a mean beast you have got,’ Riksarajas scowled as Sugreeva approached him.

  ‘I am sorry,’ ‘Sugreeva said without looking at him. Riksarajas stared at him for a moment. Dudubhi bellowed and tried to smash the pillar to which it was tied. The stable roof shook dangerously.

  ‘You stay away from your brother’s wife,’ Riksarajas hissed.

  ‘What?’

  ‘You think I am blind? You scoundrel. I can see how much you lust after her.’

  ‘You are drunk, eunuch.’

  ‘You are a drunk, horny monkey. Strip naked and rub yourself on the bark of a coral tree. Its thorns are the only cure for your madness.’

  ‘The time has come to chain you . . .’ Sugreeva slammed his fist on the stable fence.

  Riksarajas scoffed, ‘You better chain me. I am going to expose your dirty plans. He would die for you, your fool of a brother and you are planning to kill him.’

  ‘You have gone senile,’ Sugreeva hissed.

  ‘Ha, you think I don’t know what you are up to. You stole this beast—’

  ‘I didn’t steal it. I won it.’

  ‘Like hell you won it! My foot! You used some trickery and brought this demon here. You have put a challenge to your brother, appealed to his bloated ego and ensured he will take up the challenge like a fool, which he has. You want it to gore him to death.’

  Sugreeva grabbed Riksarajas by his throat, ‘Bloody eunuch. I will pull out your tongue if you talk nonsense. There is no one I love more than my brother. You understand that. You understand that, you fool.’

  Sugreeva threw Riksarajas over the fence and hurried away. Dundhubhi bellowed from the stable and gave another hit to the pillar. The stable shuddered. Riksarajas pulled himself up and stood shivering by the stable fence, panting. He had to warn Baali. With unsteady steps, he dragged his tired body to meet his son.

  Chapter 25

  Tara rotted in the chamber, sharing her room with countless other women who had taken up jobs in the cave. They called it the King’s palace and addressed Tara as Maharani. All the egalitarian dreams of a society that had no hierarchy were slowly dissolving, but Tara was not in any state of mind to bother about them. She pined for Baali; she wanted to be in his arms, wanted to look at his eyes when he smiled. She wanted to cook for him, a skill she had learnt recently. The eternal fire at the city centre had ensured every Vanara household had a hearth. From eating raw tubers and flesh, they had started eating cooked food. For many, it brought memories of eating leftovers in the households where they had slaved in their childhoods. Some even thought about those days nostalgically and talked about the kindness of their masters who would beat them only lightly and feed them with leftovers to assuage their guilt. Many women burned their limbs, trying to master the fire, but it was a period of awakening. Tara tried to spend her time, trying to teach the women how to use fire, but nothing could quench the dull pain she felt whenever she thought about Baali. With a sinking feeling of helplessness, she saw the arena being built for the bull-taming festival. All attempts by her to meet Baali had failed as Baali had shut himself up in the bedroom chamber with Sugreeva taking care of all his
needs. She was livid and sad but there was nothing much she could do.

  As the time wore on, her frustration festered like a wound that refused to heal. Sugreeva served his elder brother like a slave. Sometimes, she wondered whether it was Sugreeva’s possessiveness for his brother that made him behave the way he did rather than his professed love for her. Yet, there was something pitiful, something flattering in the way Sugreeva sought her. Whenever he found her alone, he whispered his love for her. He pleaded with her, abased himself, wept, raged and apologized to win her. All her efforts to stop him were in vain. Tongues had started wagging and she was scared how Baali would react when the rumours reached him. In certain dark moments, when she was lying alone in her bed, she wondered whether Baali loved her as much as Sugreeva. She didn’t know the answer. She was afraid to know the answer. She wanted to be left alone to live her life with the man she loved. She told herself countless times a day that it was Baali who she loved. She tried to hate Sugreeva, tried to forget him, but like a cursed dream, Sugreeva found ways to return to her thoughts. There were curious gifts, often kept hidden in the chamber she slept. She found flowers under her pillows or some kids came and narrated some love songs, saying Sugreeva had taught them and had asked them to narrate them. There was no escaping from Sugreeva’s stifling love. Tara felt she would go insane.

  Tara felt she had to do something. Her life was becoming a living hell. She decided to take the help of the only man she could trust in Kishkinda. On the day before the bull-taming festival, she caught a glimpse of Baali when he was busy wrestling Sugreeva. She thought of confronting him then, but there was a crowd watching the brothers wrestle. She slipped away to seek the counsel of Hanuman. She met him in the plantain grove where Hanuman had built an Ashram. He was meditating when she reached there, and she patiently waited under a plantain tree with red bananas that were ripening. When he opened his eyes after sometime, the sun was already dipping westwards. He didn’t look surprised when he saw her. It was as if he was anticipating her. She fell on her knees and started crying.