Beyond The Water
(Translation of Hindi Novel - Jal Tu Jalal Tu)
(12)
Kinjan had also heard the Baba shouting ‘Panna! Panna’, and it flashed through his mind that he sometimes called Perina ‘Panni’, a term of endearment.
Now the other young man turned back, came near Baba and holding his hand took him back his cave. Kinjan too was normal now and stood on one side.
She old women told Perina that “Panna” is an Indian gem and is embossed on rings and other ornaments. Perina liked the information but the women had no answered to her other question. How could Baba take out the dead fish from Kinjan’s pocket and why did he start shouting when he held it in his hand? Even the woman was curious to know about it.
The old women had intended to show Perina the old man, the Baba who had super, natural powers but did not expect all these things to happen. She herself was feeling uncomfortable and soon bade farewell to the young couple.
Perina was very happy while they were returning. She even forgot to ask what happened when Kinjan met the saint. Kinjan himself told her about the meeting in short. He was quite impressed by the prosperity and politeness of the saint. The saint had asked him to come to the Ashram regularly. During the fourth meeting he would tell him whether he would be able to cross the Niagra Falls, and how he would achieve his success. He was already thinking about not the second on third meeting, but the fourth one.
Perina now was longing to go to some jewellery shop. Kinjan wanted to give her a present while she had a craving for dazzling Indian emeralds. She not only wanted to take emerald ornaments but wanted to know about that precious stone. The natural famine desire to show herself and shine among all had expensive necklace of emerald when she wanted to the Ashram next time and met that old women from Norway. She thought it would be an honour to very to find out everything about emeralds Perina came to know that this precious stone was found in a few Countries and was available in a good quantity in India. In the evening when Kinjan served her colourful wine in a glass she could see precious emeralds shining in it from whichever angle she looked. Even in the garnished dish of partridge in curry she felt she could see emeralds in the bird’s open eyes.
But all this glimmer dimmed when in late hours Kinjan pulled the curtain across the window from which hundreds of emeralds shinning in the sky and fragrance of the hotel compound were peeping and he switched off the night lamp. In the darkness Perina was on the errand of picking pearls from the sleep to clash and spar at each other like two females living in neighborhood and gripped by furious envy. Neither night passed nor day dawned.
That night the old women living in the saint’s Ashram could not sleep either. She kept on thinking why Baba ran after Perina’s husband shouting “Panna”! Panna!. She had been in the Ashram for years and knew a lot about the activities of the place and was sure in her heart that Perina would return. She wanted to solve this puzzle somehow. She felt a sort of attachment for Perina. A new bride who was on her honeymoon trip: what had been in her mind when she came here with her husband? Such young couple should have nothing to do with an Ashram where saints live who has renounced the world.
She wanted to help Perina and wanted to get to the root of this puzzle. Suppose some unforeseen trouble was going to befall on the girl.
She must tell Perina and alert her. Women were not allowed to meet Baba but…
She was ready to fulfill the condition for which the saint had prohibited women to meet Baba. She would help Perina at any cost. Her heart bade her to do so.
But years passed, neither Kinjan returned there nor Perina.
Perhaps they had forgotten why they had gone there in the Ashram. The only thing the remembered was that it had been their honeymoon trip and how wonderful it had been. They reached Buffalo and were lost in domestic affairs. Kinjan worked hard so that his business may flourish.
If, ever, he thought of his dream, he thought he would achieve success not by any saint’s or god man’s magic amulet or mantra but by his own dauntlessness and courage.
He was getting wise and mature as his age advanced. He was now experienced enough to realize, if these god men had supernatural power to shape people’s life, why do they go to prosperous Countries when actually they should be working in their own back word and under developed Countries where poor people actually need them.
And then there would be a big question. Work on their magical supernatural power as the realization would dawn that something is very wrong somewhere.
Anyway Perina was more and more interested in person diamonds and emeralds, whenever she came across some Asian or Indian family in the city, green glass bangles her. Actually she often but on people and emerald studded ring which she had found during her journeys.
There was another thorn in her flesh that constantly irritated her. She could never forget that saffron colored golden fish which babe had taken out suddenly from Kinjan’s pocket by running after him.
And that day when she saw a big aquarium while sight-seeing is Boston with Kinjan, the whole episode flashed through her memory. In the large magnificent and very modern aquarium, her eyes were constantly searching that one fish which she felt she had known and appreciating each wonderful fish while Perina was reading the description printed on walls and charts. May be she will get some inkling, some hint about the fish that had sowed a seed of doubt in her heart which had fully grown into a green field curiosity.
On the uppermost storey of her aquarium, when in a part of live sea a young man and a girl came swimming. Perina too longed to get into the cool waters. Dive and search the bottoms inch by inch and find out a fish similar to the one that was there in Kinjan’s pocket.
It way be any country of the world, any race, any community, irrespective of age, a women’s first priority is to have a thorough knowledge of what is there in her husband’s pockets.
Two most beautiful ornaments the earth has created to adorn itself is the radian sunshine and shimming shat of moon light. It has entrusted this job to the sun, there should be no dearth. Just keep on showing showering there. You are not to get tired, no holidaying. Yes of course, in case you are too tired, you may relax and cover yourself with a sheet of cloud. But keep on moving, you are not allowed to stop.
Hence, nothing has eves stopped.
Gradually, Kinjan forgot all and so did Perina time compensated for what it had not granted then and gone then a wonderful gift in the form of a lovely daughter.
But one thing in there, time may forget every. Thing but people don’t and those who0 are emotionally attached never forget, actually forget nothing. That is why when Kinjan and Perina celebrated their daughter’s first birthday ceremoniously, that little brazilin puppy had come to attend the function with his mistress now to who had shared a dream with Kinjan. But of come it wasn’t that small now and had become quite naughty.
During the grand party when the guest were enjoying the delicacies Perina had prepared so laboriously, Kinjan told them that their daughter Della was born at midnight in a ship among sprays of water drops of the mighty Niagara falls. This wonderful gift came as a blessing in their lives in that moonlit night with the ship was rocking on waves.
The beautiful incident narrated by Kinjan was exciting to the gusts and was a exciting to the guests was a pleasant surprise too but when he burst into tears they were stunned. She tears disturbed Perina too. Everyone knew Kinjan was not the emotional type then what had perturbed him? They were rather insistent hence Kinjan had to tell the reason.
Kinjan related how Della’s grandmother was born in a jail because her mother had to struggle and as a consequence. Suffer to get a bucket of drinking water for her family.
The atmosphere was now very heavy and ever and everyone was sad.
Before Kinjan’s friends could think of something to make the atmosphere light and cheerful. It was Perina, who acted fast and brought her collection of gems to display it before the guests. They were now really interested and engrossed in examining the precious stones while Perina told everyone how interested she was in collecting emeralds of every type and bought them as soon as she found and. She guests appreciated the collection and the party-spirit was back. Little Della got blessings from all, the girl who had won over the thirst of her grandmother and was born over the surface of limitless water.
She weather had changed. It was extremely cold she temperature of Buffalo had gone down below zero just as the Indian villagers go down the spiral steps of bower, to get water. The deeper the heavy steps go into the womb of the earth, the more cold it becomes. Rivers and ponds were covered with sheets of ice. The decent whitened had lowered the melody of green leaves. Trees had disguised themselves. The sky was serving the earth not with water but with snow. Tourist on roads could be numbered, because only those were out who had enough courage to encounter the cold.
After sending Della to her room, Kinjan and Perina were sitting on their bed, little paper bags strewn round them. The paper bags had emeralds that were very dear to Perina. She used to look at them and count them constantly with greatest pleasure and was never tired of during it. For the last few days Kinjan was thinking of getting these precious stones from India for business purpose. He had constantly observed that people there not only price for for them. Perina was delighted when she realized that her leisure pursuit of collecting emeralds would be a part of Kinjan’s business. What to say of Perina, even Kinjan was unaware that in his subconscious mind there lay a desire to see India.
Since his maternal uncle from Jeddah had told him about his mother’s past he felt he too was connected somewhere with her background. His curiosity lay in being fully acguainted with how his mother became Rasbano from Rasbala and finally was Rasbi. Who doesn’t want to rummage his roots?
Suddenly harsh wind started blowing, the piercing turbulent wind that blows before a storm. It was getting severely cold. Soon Kinjan came to know through news on media that Niagra had frozen.
Just the thought that an ocean taking a leap from sky to earth had suspended itself in midway like a hermit in ‘Samadhi’ was hair raising. It was as if heavy cyclonic havoc creating rain had suddenly performed a dance in a show-motion and had transformed itself into a rocky mountain.
That night in his dream, Kinjan found himself skating down the frozen waterfall several times. He would bounce and go up flying and then slide down on the icy surface. He was enjoying the game just as children would.
***
