Tejpratap had entered the smuggling business before he even turned twelve. He assisted his father in packing bones, polishing weapons, maintaining transaction records and many other filthy jobs. He even went to hunting with Ganga Ram. Ganga had taught Tejpratap the art of hunting- Where to find which animal, how to track their movements, how to hide in trees, how to hold a gun, etc. As he went deeper into the forest, he recalled all the wisdom Ganga had poured into him. Ganga once told Tejpratap ,"Always remember to mark the path you took inside the forest. It helps in two ways. Helps you to return safely and if lost, others can track you. But never use same marks again and again". Tejpratap took a red pocket knife from his breast pocket and started marking a big cross on every alternate tree.
After walking for about an hour, he found a few tamarind trees that offered him shade. He went around the trees to reassure himself that he can sleep peacefully without any disturbance. He uprooted a few large weeds, pushed aside the fallen tamarind pods and slept facing the sky. He observed many oddly shaped clouds moving in the vast blue sky, casting shadows on the ground. He was intrigued by a particular cloud that looked like a tiger's claw. A mixed feeling of pride, guilt and accomplishment surrounded him. He looked at the scar on his left forearm. He was one of the only few how survived a 'Solo' attack. The scars always caught the attention of the people around Tejpratap. People looked at it as if it was singing a song, describing his bravery.
"Ahem. Ahem." He turned to his right.
"Done staring at your scar?"
"Well, well, didn't expect Miss Bubli in a place like this and as for your question, I am never done staring at it."
Bhanumati Lal, known to people by the name Bubli, was Kishan Lal's daughter and Tejpratap's fiancé. Though her engagement to Tejpratap was against her will, she agreed for the sake of her father. Not that she did not like Tejpratap, it was his smuggling business that was the problem. She wanted him to get out of this fuss and earn some honest cash. She even made plans to go to Delhi after marriage. She smiled gently. She sat next to him. She removed her high heeled sandals and stretched her foot. While running her fingers on the scar, she said, "What's the story behind the scar?" He put his hand around her shoulder, looked at her eyes and sighed.
"You know Kaamini right?"
"Oh , the one who ditched you for some government engineer. I know. Why?"
"It all happened three years ago. She had asked me for a tiger cub on her birthday. I was so mad in her love that I promised her to bring Solo's cub. I took a dagger, a replica of Ganga's. I was one of the few who knew that Solo had given birth to two cubs."
" Did you know where she was?"
" Yes. She had recently claimed the infamous cave network from her mother, the previous queen."
"The Shiva Cave?"
"Yes. As I entered the cave, I could smell Solo. I could smell her courage. I could smell ferocity. In the far end of the cave I could see the cubs. I forget everything Ganga had taught me, drew my dagger and ran toward the cub. Though I knew no mother would leave young cubs alone, Kaamini's love had blinded me. I grabbed a male cub. I kissed the cub in joy. I was on cloud nine. I thought nothing could stop me from making my Kaamini happy. But a loud growl pulled me back to present. I turned to face the queen. I had just provoked the Queen of Bandhavgarh. She leapt at me and swung her claws. "
"And you got your scar." She sounded obvious.
" And then?"
" Why don't we take a walk to some water creek near by? I Will tell the remaining on the way."
"Yeah sure."
She wore her sandals again and got up. Suddenly Tejpratap planted as kiss on her cheek. She blushed and gave him a smile. He stood still, staring at her face. He was looking as if he would never see such an innocent smile again. Yes, he would never see her smile again.
"Let's go?" asked Bhanumathi, holding his hand.
"Were you jealous when I told you about Kaamini?"
"A little, but it doesn't matter. Now continue."
"I swung the dagger in my left had at Solo. It made a deep cut on its face. But she had to protect her cub. She took few steps back. I reaffirmed my grip on the cub in my right hand. When she leapt again, I dodged to my right and tried to stab her from her left side. But the dagger slipped my hand and hit the cave's wall. I had two choices: to pick up the dagger and continue fighting Solo or to make run for the cave's entrance."
"What did you chose" asked curious Bhanumathi.
"What do you think?"
"Well knowing the fact that Solo is still alive, you chose latter".
"Yes. As I was nearing the cave entrance, she tackled me, hard. I had to appreciate that. The angle in which she pushed me gave an opening for the cub to escape. The cub ran towards his mother. I could feel the pain in my left forearm then. After seeing her cub safe, she was in no mood to fight. She lifted her cub with her mouth and left to rest under a nearby tree. I sat on a rock looking at the mother-son duo. The cub started licking the mother's wound. The more I looked at them, the more I became frustrated. I turned around to find something to throw and I saw Manoj."
"Wait! Our Manoj? Shanta Didi's son?"
"You heard right. He looked fascinated. Perhaps he had never seen a tiger from so close up. But my frustration overcame me. I snatched the dagger in his hand and threw at Solo, eyes closed. It hit the target. The wrong target. The cub died instantly. Solo stared at her cub. I ran away before Solo could claim my life. And the rest everyone knows."
"Solo killed Manoj. So that's the guilt surrounding the scar. You could have told Ganga about this right? He's still wandering the woods." Bhanumathi sounded heartbroken and yet decided to take Tejpratap's side.
"Just tell Ganga when you return. Let that man live in peace."
"Look! there is a river. Want to wash your face?"
"Don't change the topic Tej. And no, but you can go wash. I will wait here."
He folded his pants up and started walking down the steep slope. He could hear Bhanumathi scolding him for his actions. He put his hands in the cold water and splashed his face with it. He sat on the bank for a while, thinking about what to tell Ganga.
"Hey! Don't sleep. We need to go back."
"Snap."
"Hey Bubli, What was that sound?"
No reply. He climbed the slope. He slipped twice. He could hear his heart racing. He shouted at her. No reply. He removed his shoes and threw it above the slope.
"Grrr."
"Oh no. It's her."
When he finally climbed up, he saw Solo, blood dripping from her mouth. He turned to see Bhanumathi. She had collapsed to her knees. A large chunk of her neck and shoulder were missing. She was still alive, but barely. It was as if she was holding on to her life to see him one last time. The light faded from her eyes as she fell in front of him. She was dead.
He would never see her innocent smile again. Never.
-To Be Continued.
Comments
Post a Comment