JUNE 10th - JULY 10th
“The cold night,
The warmth of his memories
His sculpture in her memories,
His thoughts in her letters…
Agartala started signing Ayurvati.
Sha, she is as mysterious as her name and this forest Agartala. I visited her yesterday, you would be surprised Sha.
The complete house is piled with papers, and ink marks and a few papers are signed in the name of “Vrushak”.
Don’t be foolish?
I am saying the truth I saw his signatures.
Why did you visit Agartala? I went to bring the herbs for medicine Sha.
No one knew the background of Agartala and why she stayed in that place and enquired about Vrushak.
“Have you seen the man from Agartala?”
The man I left behind my dreams,
Is alive here,
But when I woke up
Agartala is hiding him from me,
Why has she cursed me?
Not let me move off the walls
Of this paradise;
And meet him.
Why can’t no one hear me recite
His memories as prayers?”
We all know Vrushak is a mirage as the scent of the woods of Agartala. HE is a HISTORY that can’t be taken away from Agartala. Only she knows the TRUTH.
You’re right Sha, but I don’t know why I truly believe Agartala is a true incarnation of Tala.
The magic of Tala is felt after many years in this place through HER and “What a coincidence her name is too Agartala.”
“Coincidence or the re-birth” murmured Sha.
Days back Tala was a well-known medicine practitioner. She was the only person who was well informed of the medicinal values of every herb, plant, and tree in the forest. She was the only student of Shwethambar.
Agar was Eduardo. He would stay within the borders of the village with his troop. Agar was a master in archery.
One night, Agartala was attacked by the Agni’s from the land of Agnihar. The bloody war between Agni’s and Agartala’s took many lives. The war continued for 5 days but on the 6th day the war stopped and the Agnihar went back writing a will that “We Agnihar’s will never attack the people of Agartala.”
Everyone praised the valor of Agar and his troop.
“The valor of Agar
Shed the Agnis
to return to their nests.”
Chanakya saw Agar’s confused state and enquired “What’s wrong with you, See the happy faces.”
Though Agar said, “nothing” but he had this doubt about what made Agnihar leave the war so suddenly and make peace with Agartala.
“It was not me,
Not my arrow,
That led Agnihar
Return to their nest.
Then how and who shredded their
fired wings out.”
He cannot stay calm with these questions. But within Agartala would settle from the struggle of Agnihar war, they got a threat from Talambars to surrender their forest of Agartala to them.
Agar started to prepare himself and his troop for the war. The war didn’t take place but a note came and reached Agar.
Chanakya, “What is the note in your hand?”, Letter from Talambar.
“Agartala is the only place
Where we can only shade under HER,
But not rule HER.
Those scented trees and her words are
Always for the people of Agartala.”
This time Chanakya too got worried but got distracted along with the happiness that the rivals of Agartala are no more and there will be no more wars and the people of Agartala don’t have to live in turmoil.
But Agar could not remain calm as he was feeling the signs of very bad happening.
“The signs of peace
With rivals
And their sudden surrender
Is not normal.
Is the sun gone
The rise in the other direction;
The direction of destruction;
Of Agartala?”
With a busy routine, Agar continued to train his troop every day and guard the borders of the forest.
In the practice of archery, one of his disciples gets injured and they took him to Tala. She treats him and asked him to rest and advised him not to use the sharp weapons during practice sessions.
Agar with agony returned back with his disciple. While coming back from Tala’s place she uttered,
“An old tree
May not taste the pain;
But the growing will.
It’s not necessary
to train them to grow hard.
Train them to be young trees always only;
Then they can taste the emotions of nature.
But not as an old tree
Who withstands and holds;
Everything with blind belief;
And says that is DHARMA OF NATURE.”
Tala’s words were very confusing to Agar and did not understand what she meant.
He murmured “Aren’t military troops need to be strong to withstand any pain coming their way? However, doctors don’t understand all these.”
Though refusing the words of Tala, Agar replaced the arrows and changed the training practice of archery.
3 months later from the day of the war with Agnihar, the village was affected by a viral disease. No one had any clue where the disease started and became contagious. All the medical practitioners, philosophers, and priests of the great temple of Jataa were researching the root of the disease to cure it.
The priests of the temple died and everyone thought this is the high time to work harder and all the learned people traveled a long way. Agar wrote letters to the Kings of Agnihar sand Talambar.
Both the kingdoms responding to Agar’s letter sent their court rishis and gurus to Agartala.
The Gurus of the Agnihar kingdom were well known for their knowledge of medicine. Especially Shwethambar was the head priest of Agnihar.
As soon as he heard the message from Agar, he decided to travel to Agartala. He started his journey from the forests of Comilla. He collected a few medicinal herbs from the forest and crossed the river of Gomathi and finally stepped into the forests of Agartala.
The time passed by after a journey of 2 months he almost reached the village. But within days he reached the village he died.
The incident of his death shook the whole kingdom of Agartala and people started to worry in fear. Agar could not understand how to solve this problem and cure the disease.
The number of deaths in the village was crossing day by day and turmoil in the kingdom raised. Agar started to write letters and passed across the kingdoms and waited for a response.
Agar asked Chanakya to do all the necessities to perform the last rites of Shwethambar. As per the words of Agar, Chanakya arranged all the things accordingly and Chanakya gave a bag and informed that “I found this bag from his residence.”
On the 28th day of Jyaistha, a small ceremony was arranged for Shwethambar. The entire village paid the last rites and respect to Shwethambar’s death. After the ceremony, everyone went back to their places with even more fear and the night passed with silent prayers.
Suddenly Agar rushed to his camp and searched for the bag that was given by Chanakya. When he looked into the bag there were many roots and leaves in it and he immediately recognized those were from the trees of Agartala forest. Along with it, there was a small piece of cloth in which sand was filled and a few written notes of scriptures.
The next morning, Agar wrote a letter to his friend Sudhanshu. Sudhanshu was a scholar and philosopher in the kingdom Colchis.
Agar tried very hard to decode the scriptures for many days and badly failed every time. As he was spending the entire time decoding those scriptures, A man from Agnihar came enquiring about Agar’s place regarding Shwethambar’s bag. Agar was surprised and shocked but hesitantly said “he never knew he carried any such bag along with him when entered the village.” Though the man did not trust Agar’s words but left the place with dissatisfaction.
Chanakya heard the conversation between the man and Agar standing outside the camp. Later the man left Agar’s place he asked “What was the will of telling a lie to him?”
Chanakya, ‘Don’t you remember the practice of Agnihar of performing the last rites? The traditional practice is to burn all the things of the dead along with him at the place where the man has died.’
You are right but Shwethambar is the head priest of their kingdom. May they need his things as his remembrance.
Agar kept quiet but murmured, “Why were they so worried about the bag?”
Aren’t they planning any backstabs to Agartala?
Chanakya interrupted Agar, “don’t you think you are complicating things for yourself as we are already stuck with so many problems?” And left the place for training.
All these thoughts made Agar restless.
As the condition got worse many suggested performing the sati yagna for the betterment of the people and the village.
“Sati yagna”! surprisedly asked Agar. “We should think twice before performing this yagna. I can’t repeat the same mistake as my father did.”
‘You need to remember even this that the entire kingdom flourished with prosperity’ said Chanakya.
Agar kept quiet.
As days passed even worse, a rumour started to spread among the people of the village.
‘The fragrance of trees in the forest is the reason for the disease and death of the people.’
Words spread so fast that people from other villages stopped traveling to Agartala.
Tala who was out for research came back to Agartala.
You are back Tala! I am so happy that you are back.
What makes you so happy about my return, Kashi, a friend of Tala.
How would not I be happy you are the only one who can save Agartala now.
Saving Agartala! What happened to Agartala? Where did your brave archery master disappear to?
Kashi narrated the entire story. Tala smiled
Am I narrating any comic story to you? Tala. No Kashi.
“Sati Yagna”, sarcastically smiled again.
One more girl and one more story will be hidden in the forest again murmured Tala.
Did you say something Tala? asked Kashi.
No Kashi nothing.
Tala sipping the tea glances at the memory of her elder sister.
The next day, Tala goes to Agar’s Camp.
Can a doctor have permission to enter the Kshatriya camp?
Turning towards Tala, “I don’t rule the land of Agartala but am a servant to her.”
“Servant” Tala smiles. “A servant who leads from the front.”
“No. Whose life is surrendered to Her”
By the way, may I know the reason for your presence?
Give me my master’s bag, I can decode his language of medicine.
“You have mistaken we didn’t find any bag from his residence.”
If that was true, you would not have written a letter to Sudhanshu.
How do you know everything? Tala.
That’s not important. Give me the bag. I will find the medicine for this disease you and I both have much time.
Tala walks out of Agar’s camp.
Tala decodes the medicine and cures the entire village.
Everyone prays for Tala as their savior.
Agar comes near Tala’s residence, “Can a servant step into this goddess place?”
“Any person can step into my residence except People who follow dharma without reasoning.”
“I have never followed Adharma in my life”, Agar answers.
Oh really, did not your family .... Tala suddenly stops
Agar continues “Sati Yagna… A curse or sin which follows us.”
Tala with anger, “Curse or Sin for you people or for her.”
“Why She?
Why Only for She?
Is that Dharma?
Who wrote this Dharma?
Why did he hold her?
To abandon her in the woods.
Why did ritual become a punishment for Her?
Whose sin or curse was that?
Who has to bear the punishment?
Where did Vedas, and shastras hide their faces?
Didn’t she walk along with him to light the future
But why was her future decided to be brutal?
Did not her cry fill the Gomati River? Crying walks away…
Agar had no answer for any of the questions put by Tala.
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