Chapter 30: Chapter 30

"It has been said, 'time heals all wounds.' But the wounds remain there, in the damn heart. In time, the mind, protecting its sanity, covers them with scar tissue and the pain lessens. But it is never gone. The heart pumps the blood as well as the memories of the horrendous wounds."

"Kill me too, God, what is there for me to live? My very reason for living is dead then why do you want me to live this li.." before Dhruv could speak anymore, a big rock had hit his head, hard.

Far away from there, a wolf started crying loudly even in the daylight.

****

"Oh my God! A body is there," an old man cried in a worried tone when he saw a body lying in the pool of blood beside a big rock.

"His heartbeat is still there, let's take him to our hut otherwise in this chilly weather he won't be able to survive," after half an hour of tempestuous rainfall, finally an old man came along with his wife who was the locals of the village which was near to Chamba.

"Are you able to carry him? Should I help?" his old wife asked him in a worried tone.

"I'm still a young man, old lady!" The old man had a strong personality and the couple was returning from the Chamba Market but due to sudden rainfall they had to stop under a shed but as the weather was quite clear, they started their way back to their house again.

"See, there's even a wound on his head. We need to medicate him properly, poor child," his wife spoke out in a worried tone.

"Yeah, firstly reach home safely otherwise we won't know when the rainfall will start again," the old man replied in a solemn tone. He knew that something wasn't good, something wasn't right about this man. The state in which he was found, it was too scary to even look at. With a pool of blood around his body. He shivered internally.

After fifteen minutes, finally, they reached their hut.

"Yashodhara, please bring that herb which I bought on Veerwar (Thursday). I don't know what happened with him but the lines of worry on his forehead are saying that something very terrible has happened with him. Poor boy!" finally they had reached their house and after wiping out Dhruv's body and changing his clothes, Shekhar, the old man started examining the former.

"Yeah, take this. I'll make some turmeric milk for him. Hey Bhole Bhandari, please make this child healthy," Yashodhara prayed to her God, after standing in front of her deity, Lord Shiva in their worship room.

"Add some Tulsi (Basil leaves) leaves as well," Shekhar added from behind and started his art of Ayurveda, the oldest form of medication.

****

"I've bestowed the medicines on his head and even given him the syrup, in a few hours he'll be up, but Yashodhara, I know something tragic has happened with him. I cannot say what but I know that there is something very tragic. With the knowledge which I had inherited from my forefathers, I can at least cure a sick person but I can also see through them, in what state they are. All the time he had beads of sweat coming on his forehead, his palm was always together formed in a tight fist. Come, let's recite some verses of Gita near him, that way maybe he will get some positive energy," Shekhar explained to his wife and they both sat near Dhruv with the supreme and divine Bhagavad Gita in their hands.

Yada yada hi dharmasya, glaanirbhavati bhaarata ||

Abhyuktaanamadarmasya tadaatmaanam srijaamyahamh ||

When there is a decay of dharma (righteousness) and the rise of adharma (unrighteousness), then I (the Lord) am born in this world.

The couple shared a meaningful look and kindled an incense stick along with an earthen lamp near Dhruv's bed. They started chanting the immortal and pure shlokas (verses) of Bhagavadgita and in no time, they could see the worry lines of panic subsidizing from Dhruv's head, his fist now opened up, his body now relaxing. Maybe they were pious but their faith in the almighty was pure.

"Maybe our Krishna has sent him as our son which we never had," Yashodhara spoke out in a solemn tone, looking at Dhruv with motherly affection.

"Yes, maybe you are right, and who can deny the almighty. If it is his wish to give us a son and this poor boy a family, then maybe we should accept it," Shekhar spoke out with his eyes moist, reminiscing his young life when he had gotten to know that they couldn't conceive ever.

"Don't get emotional now. It's time to rejoice, not to cry. Wait, I'll make kheer (Rice pudding) for us all," Yashodhara moved towards the kitchen and started preparing for lunch whereas old Shekhar still sat there with Dhruv's hands in his.

"From today onwards you are our son, and your name will be Madhav. Just like Krishna had Devaki and Vasudev as his biological parents but Yashoda and Nanda as his true parents, you too have us now and we are really happy to have you, son, get well soon," Shekhar got emotional and kissed Dhruv's hand lightly. His old eyes had experienced so many things but for once he had wanted to experience the happiness of being a father and now, he was living that moment.

"Suniye, (Listen!) please peel off these peas. Till then I'll bring some coriander and mint leaves from our backyard," Yashodhara put some peas in front of Shekhar on a table and went towards the backyard of their house where there were a lot of herbs.

"Be careful of the leeches in the garden, in the rainy season they are everywhere. No, hey wait. I'll bring that. You have not even worn the slippers; how careless you are. Go and sit near Madhav, I'll come with those leaves," Shekhar stopped her and instead got ready to bring those leaves which his wife wanted so dearly.

"So, you already named him?" Yashodhara asked him in a questioning manner with her excusing eyes.

"Yes, he is our son, so I named him Madhav, you didn't like it?" he asked cutely.

"I liked it, but I'll call him Lalla (Lord Krishna's mother Yashoda used to call him with that name mostly)," she sighed dreamily, finally her Bhole Bhandari had listened to her prayers and given her a son.

"Okay my queen, now may I please go?" Shekhar laughed lightly and went towards his backyard.

****

"Yashodhara. Yashodhara, come soon, he is waking up," Shekhar started shouting out in joy when he saw that Dhruv was slightly moving and trying to open his eyes.

"Lalla, Lalla, open your eyes son, yes, open it, you are safe with us child," Yashodhara cooed at Dhruv sweetly, trying to motivate him to open his eyes.

"Yashodhara, give that herbal water to me, I'll make him drink it, he might be thirsty and fatigued," Shekhar made Dhruv sip few drops of the herbal water and finally Dhruv opened his eyes and saw the incognito house around him which he had never seen. And then he saw something which made him shout out like a mad man.

"No, no don't take them away, please leave my wife and my children, leave them, otherwise I'll kill you, leave them, please leave them, I beg you," the first sentence which left Dhruv's mouth was a painful and agonized cry for his babies and his wife who were being snatched away by someone, very very far away from him.

"Child, calm down. Calm down. No one is taking anyone away from you. You are fine with us," Yashodhara tried to calm him down but Dhruv looked at the old woman strangely and then at the old man.

"Can't you both see? My babies are crying for me, my wife is asking me to safeguard her from that demon? Can't you both see? Hey, stop you demon, my babies will fall, stop, I said stop," Dhruv started fighting with an unknown person in the air, with tears of pain, agony, and affliction, trying his best to fight that demon who was trying to take his family away from him.

The couple was too shocked to say anything. They didn't know what was happening with him. He was talking, fighting with someone who was not even there. He was imagining things!

"Yashodhara, I think he is imagining things. I don't think he's in his right mind. Stop him before he does something idiotic," Shekhar ran towards Dhruv and tried to stop him who was now pulling the handle of the gate as it was someone's hand he was pulling.

"Leave me, leave me, he'll take away my family from me, he'll kill them. I said leave me," Dhruv cried out and pushed Shekhar hardly away from him and Shekhar somehow supported himself. Dhruv was for sure too muscular for that old man.

He ran outside the house and again started fighting with the imaginary demons that only he could see.

"Are you alright?" Yashodhara immediately rushed towards her husband and checked for any wounds on his body as even she saw how strong that push was given by her new son.

"The wound of mine is very small for what happened to him, Yasho," Shekhar spoke out in a broken tone and sat on the ground with his eyes closed, but tears of agonized pain poured through them.

"Did you feel something? Did you?" his wife asked him in a solemn tone.

"Firstly, sedate him. Rainfall has again started. He'll catch a cold, let's bring him in," Shekhar whispered out and stood up again with an unknown determination in his eyes.

****

After two years

"Maa, Maa they again started mocking me, they were calling me a demon," Madhav entered the house with a sad demeanour.

"Son, you are a good tallboy that is why they were mocking you; here people are short, so that's why these people cannot accept someone who has that much good height as like you," Yashodhara ruffled his hairs lovingly.

"Maa, why did we have to leave Chamba? That was so nice there," he complained like a kid.

"Because there were so many natural disasters taking place there, dear. We were not safe there. So that's why we came here in Badrinath," she tried to explain to him in her soft tone.

Madhav kept silent for a while but again he had a question to ask.

"Maa, can I ask you something? Why do I see my wife and my two babies being snatched away from me by a bad looking person when you and Baba say that I didn't even have a wife?" Madhav asked his mother after putting his head on her lap.

"It's just a few of the nightmares which you get son, from your past life where maybe you lost your wife and children in an accident or something," Yashodhara tried to give him an explanation which Madhav never wanted to believe because whenever he saw something like that happening in front of his eyes, it felt so real like it was happening with him in reality.

"Did you do meditation today? Your father was telling me that yesterday you did a very difficult yoga position," Yashodhara tried to divert him with some other topic which was, of course, Madhav's favourite topic to talk upon.

"Yes, yes, I did a very difficult Yogasana (Yoga position) yesterday, but Maa I don't like to do meditation. I fear it because at that time again I get pictures of my past and I don't want that. I hate the mournful cries of that lady and those kids, that makes me emotional too," Madhav spoke out in a serious tone.

"Leave that. Lalla, I've cooked your favourite Poori and Aloo (Fried bread and potato gravy). Wash your hands, even your father must be coming anytime now," Yashodhara stood up and was going to the kitchen when she remembered something.

"Offo, pardon my old memory. Son, can you please take these ointments to Ram Lakshman Uncle? You know him, right? The one who lives near Mahavir temple? He had been suffering from knee pain for the past few days and your father had reminded me hundred of times to send his ointments by you, but my old memory. Here, take these," Yashodhara gave him the ointments which were prepared by Shekhar only, with some money too to bring some Jalebis (Indian sweet) from the market.

"Yes, my queen mother. I'll just go and come in a jiffy," Madhav touched the feet of his mother which was a habit of his whenever he went out because he believed that mother's blessings were the most powerful thing in this world.

On the way, he met his father too and after taking blessings from him as well, he finally reached his destination. After giving his uncle the ointments, he bought some Jalebis which were his father's as well his mother's favourite sweet. He even sat inside the temple for a few minutes as the evening prayers were going on full swing. After taking the prasad (offering of God), he started his walk towards his home.

On the way back home, he heard some gunshots and that made him run to his place swiftly. He somehow knew that something awful, something disastrous had happened. When he reached near his house, what he saw made him stand uprooted to his place, his heart in his mouth, with all the jalebis lying on the ground.

His small village was now burning, his small house was a burning pyre.

"Madhav, run away brother. Those terrorists killed our families, they will kill us too, run, just run," Rashid, his friend, and neighbour, cried loudly and pulled him to run, but Madhav couldn't even move.

"Those terrorists attacked our village, Madhav. They killed our families, my family is dead along with yours, run before we are even fired, run," Rashid cried in agony and again tried to pull Madhav but he didn't even budge.

"Hey, Madhav, Madhav, they will shoot you too, don't go, please," Rashid tried to stop Madhav but he didn't listen to him.

Madhav rushed towards his burning house and entered even inside the burning pyre without an ounce of fear of death or anything. He started crying for his mother and father, who was now lying dead, with three gunshots on his father's forehead and two on his mother's.

"Maa, Baba," he shouted in pain.

Again, those memories of that lady and those two small babies were in front of him. But now he could see the demon was snatching away his parents too. And they all were crying for Madhav to save them from that demon, but he couldn't, he really couldn't.

"Save us Dhruv, save us Madhav, save us, son," they all shrieked for him.

He was lifeless now.

****

"Stop that mad, that rascal had been a pain in the a&# since the time he had arrived here in State Mental health Institute, Dehradun," the head in-charge ordered the nurse boys to stop Madhav before he trespassed all the security of this mental hospital.

"Sir, he ran away. He was swifter than any of us and he ran inside the deep jungles of Mussoorie. I wish he gets eaten by some hungry lion or bear, that dog deserves such a death," the nurse said in a hateful manner.

Whereas on the other hand, finally, Madhav was able to escape out from the reaches of those demons who god knows what we were going to do with him when he would have been there. Now he was in front of a house where he could see a bench, which was enough for him for one night. He had run for so long. Finally, living life as a Mountain person was paying him back.

"I'll sleep on this bench tonight, in the morning I'll find some other place," he whispered to himself while pulling his torn jacket together. It was the only thing that could keep him warm on this chilly night. Unknowingly, he had travelled from Dehradun to Mussoorie which was approximately fifty kilometres apart.

Madhav resembled that of a beggar with a big and long beard growing on his jaw, mud all over his face, and a foul smell coming from him.

**~•~**

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