FLAWED FABLE

"Too many people!" Sugamya was nervous. Why not, he was afterall the chief of today's grand Yagna!

The town was hosting their annual get together Yagna where people from the entire province would participate every year. "What a beauty, Ramaniyam!" they would say as soon as their feet touched its soil.

Houses were decorated. Bodies were adorned with jewels and precious stones. Streets were as busy as vendors. Visitors and travellers got fascinated at the simple yet exquisite embellishment of the town. More so by the brotherhood and unity that prevailed among the citizens of Ramaniyam. The spirit in whic4h they worked together was commendable, warm and welcoming... making thil annual Yagna a dream event for people who were not so fortunate to live in this town.

The delicacies! People were ready to trade any amount of money to gobble up sweets and pakwan making their tongues dance, drowned in bliss of that heavenly taste.

The festoons, garlands, laterns, colors, glitters added to the glory of Ramaniyam. The town looked no less than a bride ready to sit besides the great fire of the Yagna.

But Sugamya was not eeujnd. No festoons or lights could attract his eyes. No fragrance got registered in his brain. His mouth was dry; tongue was parched up. All he could hear was a loud tinnitus. All he could see was the fire of the great Yagna.

Too anxious to even breathe, Sugamya checked for the stuff for pooja. Flowers, ghee, incense, leaves, pulses, milk, curd, water, kusha, lamp, sandalwood, vermillion, honey, spoons, pots, tulsi, camphor and what not! Everything was at place, perfectly bedecked for the chief priest to start the Yagna. Even his assistants and subordinates waited eagerly for him to start the reverent event.uxnxnjxksksjdncnc

But our chief priest was edgy... with neurones gone haywire. Would he be able to do it faultlessly like his father?Would everything go as planned? What if he forgot some verses? Oh these questions... are there any answers to them?

Soon, all the questions were refuted by jingling of euphonious anklets. There was a brief silence as Meera made her way through the crowd. The silence was in acknowledgement of her charm. She was panting when she walked hurriedly, making her anklets sing even more passionately.

And Sugamya was back to his senses. Meera was here, Meera the oracle, Meera the pacifier. He didn't need anything else.

When seated comfortably a little away from Sugamya, Meera looked in his eyes and volunteered a sweet smile. Sugamya was calmer than ever now, and he would be calm even if the sky came down crashing on his head.

Meera blinked and exhaled, gesturing the chief priest that everything would be great! She poured confidence in Sugamya's skilled intellect and now nothing could stop him from executing the Yagna like royal priest of Indra's court himself.

With one graceful movement of air through his lungs, the chief priest started and the apprentices were thrilled beyond words. Fire of the Yagna devoured substances offered, its flames reaching the skies blending reddish yellow hue with the blue.

The verses that those proficient pundits uttered from Vedas reverberated through all the streets of Ramaniyam. People experienced trance as the mantras filled up their cranium and senses.

What a display of intermingled dulcet voice boxes and rhythmic oscillating vibrations from poetic meters blended with profound divinity! It evinced spiritual transformation in anyone who heard the Ved mantras then and there.

People ceased to perform any other activity and adored the young priests who crafted such mellow verses from their intensely trained larynx. No one wanted this array of exposition to end, but eventually the Yagna was successful and ended with everyone saying together, "Namah Parvati pataye har har Mahadev!" with both their hands raised in air.

Sugamya looked radiant like the Sun, his eyes twinkled like the stars and his forehead sparkled like the Moon. He was in a blissful state. His first Yagna was successful and unblemished! His father would be so happy! His father, the head priest of Ramaniyam.... who now resided among the stars. He sure was showering flowers on his son's head from the heavens.

Sugamya's eyes glittered as warm tears made their way out. He saw his near ones approaching him, with praising attitude. Every scene infront of his eyes was blurry and everything went slow. Next, the volume of cheers went low. He could not hear or think anything, except he could just see a proud Meera standing at a distance smiling avidly at him. All he wanted to do was to run in her arms and cry happily.

But right now, he couldn't.