Buddha’s Lamp
Chapter 1
In search of the unknown
Sound plays a vital role in the life of human beings. The power of sound is unimaginable. All languages need sound. Mantras and sound are closely related. Mantra is a Sanskrit word comprised of the root words ‘manas’ which means mind/to-think, and ‘tra’ meaning vehicle. So a mantra is a “mind-vehicle” or a way to transport us beyond our thoughts. Some of the mantras have remarkable illuminated sounds in it. These are the mantras that subdue the spirits.
The elite ones in these mantras are some Buddhist monks!”
Baltal!
It’s a small town about 80 km from Srinagar, Kashmir.
Do not even try to imagine and compare any ordinary village town with Baltal.
The alpine trees almost touch the sky as if they are about to clean it. The Eucalyptus that flutters in the breeze, saying, “I'm also trying a little from my part in this”. In the middle of these, the greenery will cool your eyes.
Baltal is a small piece of land in the Himalayas. It is covered with many small hills and snow all around.
The sun that crucifies us at most of the place is wholly absent here.
It appears somber and merely shines just for namesake in that town, where it couldn’t play much of its role.
In that greenery, the curved roads’ view is so fabulous!
It is a destination for tourists who arrive there from all over the world. So the hill roads looked clean without any ridge and ditches.
Even more, the mountain road from Baltal to Ladakh was like a path to heaven.
That is where the business magnate Mohan’s car got rushed.
Mohan could not enjoy the natural beauty of the town or forest roads.
It was a pity to see Mohan in such a condition. He is a great ‘business magnate’ with a volume of five hundred crore rupees worth exports per annum.
Around 3,000 people work for him.
Many officials from the central to the state government are his regular visitors. He is the one who very often decorates the business articles column of many magazines.
Several H.R.D managers confided, “Our role model is Mr. Mohan.”
Even a celebrity actor, who acted in a movie in the role of a businessman copied Mohan’s style, and mannerism won the Central Government's Best Actor Award.
Such a personality has got only one grief.
His long beard is a symbol of it!
When he came to Mumbai to attend a seminar, he was as good as Megastar Mammootty...
He has become quite upset after his personal assistant Raju whispered something in his ear.
Raju was sitting on the front seat of the car near the driver. The car window glasses were very dark because of which no one could find from outside that Mohan is seated on the rear seat of the car.
Inside the car, Mohan was very busy going through his business accounts on his laptop. There is a DVD of the ‘Anarkali’ movie nearby, of which he was occasionally listening to songs. He switched off his mobile intentionally.
The car was moving extremely fast!
However, on that hilly road, there was no parapet wall, which reminded him of someone saying that ‘It is Srinagar’s style.’ If someone falls, it leads straight to the valley down. Mohan was a bit scared when he looked outside through the car’s window.
He looked at Jawahar, the driver, a native of Srinagar, 6 feet tall, sharp nose, and a well-trimmed beard. The travel agents chose him as Jawahar had experience in driving a car on hilly roads. He was driving that car with ease and full expertise.
Mohan called Raju.
“Raju…”
“Sir…”
“What is this Raju…? This road looks so dangerous…!”
“Yeah, sir…”
“I didn’t ask you for an opinion. Will he be able to drive safely till Ladakh?”
“He is an experienced guy, sir. There will not be any problem.”
“Better tell him to go slow.”
“Okay, sir.”
“Okay, when will we reach there? Do you have any idea...?”
“We can reach there by four in the morning, sir. It dawns here by that time. And also, we can see that monk only if we go there on time.”
“Why…? Can't we see him if it's a little late?”
“No sir. He would only come out of the cave between four and five in the morning; we can only meet him then. After that, he will go back into the cave.”
“Can’t we meet him inside the cave?”
“No, sir. We can’t merely enter that cave. They said that if he is in meditation, he will not get up whoever may come.”
“What is this? Now, you’re making me confused. That is why I do not go behind matters like this. I should have sent the manager…”
“It’s not like that, sir. Our manager cannot solve this matter.”
“That Rajesh is a mad guy; he made us wander all over here in search of those Buddhist monks because of his demise. Ugh!” Mohan said, quite tired after the long travel.
