Happy V-jaya Dashami

It was 6 am in the morning and the Earth was shaking vigorously and a lot of people were running around screaming madly “Bhago Bhago!!” The screams were getting closer and louder and Vinod was rolling uneasily in bed. His head was spinning and eyes were heavy. Vinod tried hard to look around and things started changing their shapes in a bizarre fashion. For a moment, he saw Gowri screaming and running along with all the people. Instantly, he became alert and opened eyes completely, his body still shaking. It took entire half a minute for him to realize, that he was not moving by himself, but was being shaken violently. Before he could even think of saying something, Gowri stopped him with beautiful smile said “Welcome to Earth Sir!! Finally you got up, kab se chilla rahi hoon Utho, Utho.” All that Earth shaking he felt a moment ago made sense. He looked at Gowri. She was looking pious with a big deep red bindi on her forehead, wet hair curling down her shoulders. She was wearing a pleasant light yellow saree which was perfectly complimenting her complexion and that ever-present smile. Gowri did not say a word and stood there as though letting Vinod stare at her. All of a sudden, she winked at him with that ‘caught you’ twinkle in her eyes.

Vinod felt like burying his head deep, jumped out of bed, ran in to washroom, banged the door hard and locked it, but he still heard Gowri ‘s playfulness “You cannot resist me, Mr. Vinod” mixed with a hearty laughter through the door. Vinod always knew that Gowri had some magic over him, but this was one of those rare times he was caught naked. He looked in to the mirror and was surprised to see himself all red and realized how obvious his ‘fall for her magic’ was. Gowri knocked the bathroom door and said “Fresh up soon V, today is Dashami, hope you remember that.” “Oh .. yeah .. sure” he pushed words back hard through the door to reach her.

The moment Vinod came out, he was caught in Festive mood. He felt happy, though it was tough for him to decide if it was because of the beautiful sight he had a little while back, or because it was holiday for both of them, or may be because this was the day when the Mighty Mother destroyed the Evil.  Vinod loved God. He grew up listening stories of gods, goddess, demons, and believing that “In the end Good Triumphs over Evil, if it did not, then it’s definitely not the End.” Gowri too loved God, especially Maa Durga and Navratri is one of her Favorite festivals. Her love for this festival was very evident. The house was crisply clean and there was a low hum of sacred chants blended with faint fragrance of Agarbatti spread in air.

Vinod followed the fragrance and walked across the house towards the north-east corner. He came to a sudden halt, when he saw one of most beautiful sights he’s ever seen. On a raised platform, was a beautiful female in red dress, sitting regally on might muscular lion, spreading her eight arms, across the canvas, holding fiercest of weapons and yet wearing a blissful smile. Gold ornaments studded with emeralds and rubies were hanging down from neck till waist and her ears supporting radiant sun like discs. As a faint chill crept along his spine, Vinod let out a spontaneous ‘ah’ while his both hands folded up to join near chest for pranaam automatically. He felt assured and protected from bottom most layer of his heart and stood still without realizing how much time. Couple of tears rolled down his face unnoticed.

“V, where are you?”

Gowri’s voice brought Vinod back to his senses, but his mind with could not prepare a reply back immediately. He wondered how someone this beautiful, elegant, blissful slay most dreaded demons could or even hold such fierce weapons.

“Oh here you are ...” Gowri said as she was coming from behind. She slowed down her pace, as she noticed that Vinod was intensely lost in the picture before him, came and stood next to him calmly. She held his hand gently, leaned her head over his shoulder and glanced at the picture devotionally. Her mind prayed silently. Vinod came back to his senses completely, “She is looking awesome Gowri.” Gowri gave out a pleasant smile, still looking at the picture. She wished if time could pause this moment forever.

It’s my life, it’s now or never ….. Bon Jovi started shouted mercilessly with utter disregard to bliss both Vinod and Gowri were in. It was Vinod’s mobile ringing and he reacted as though he was programmed to pick the phone in one ring. He pushed Gowri’s head off his shoulder and sprinted across the house in 2 steps and reached his mobile. It was Suresh’s calling.

 Just as he was about pick the call, he heard a lion’s roar “V  ... You dare not pick the call now.” It was the roar of lioness rather; a lioness who is clearly ready to pounce upon and rip apart anything which enters its territory. Vinod looked at Gowri and was stunned at her transformation. Her eyes brows came closer with anger and face turned deep red as though all the blood in body was directed there. Her breathing was heavy burdened by insult of being pushed away.  Her eyes were half filled with tears and yet eyesight was piercing.  

Vinod cut the call almost as a reflex, but could not move any further. Both stood in their places for a couple of minutes till tension in the air diluted. Gowri came back alive first, “thanks for listening, I dint want to anything to disturb us, hope you dint mind.” She ended the sentence with a smile. Vinod tried to smile, but it did not come out in full. In the last 2-3 minutes, he felt the intensity of Gowri’s reaction. “Am sorry” he apologized genuinely. He felt guilty that he spoiled the moment together – so much enslaved to mobile and office. “That’s ok, don’t be … I’ll make tea for you in a moment” Gowri smiled in her same whole-hearted pleasantness and walked in to kitchen.

Vinod felt at ease a little and slumped in to couch. His mind somehow could not comprehend the transformations he saw in Gowri in the last 30 minutes from being beautiful to blissful to brutally angry and back to beautiful. All of a sudden something struck him. He went back and looked at the Picture which had the same assuring smile as always. But then, he clearly understood how, when Her devotees are threatened by evil the same assuring smile will be replaced by something fiercer even for the fiercest evils.