Chapter 5
Tu-Shun- the monk with superpowers
They say that if you want to find a lost object, you have to search for it first at the place where you have lost it. You can never find that object even if you search all over the world without searching for it in the place where you have lost it first.
The same thing applies to subtlety. There is a different vision and a search for this. The subtle subject will make us think of it as a lie and imagination until we find the truth in it!”
In the morning, the snow disappeared, and the hill path was visible now!
Mohan was deep asleep. The car driver slightly opened his eyes and looked the windshield of the car was wholly covered with dewdrops.
He yawned.
The sound of his yarn woke up Raju, who was sleeping next to him.
“As-salaam walekum, Malik.” the driver said.
“Wa ʿalaykum s-salaam…” Raju replied, and he turned towards Mohan. Inside the blanket, he has curled up himself and was lying like a street beggar.
“Wake him up, Malik... We have to leave this place…” the driver said.
“But Jawahar, we cannot meet that monk today. We could see him only tomorrow morning...”
“Are you coming from Srinagar to see him...?”
“Talk without making noise… Let him sleep.”
Raju got out of the car.
That driver too came out and closed the door silently.
Then he rubbed his hands together and sighed.
“Jawahar! I saw a military man amidst this fog last night...”
“Yeah. You said...But I don’t think there is any military camp nearby...”
“He went by walking. I heard the sound of his heavy boots. That means there is a military camp somewhere nearby.”
“Shall we go and see?”
“Okay, malik, let sir sleep inside the car...”
Jawahar began to walk with both his hands in his pocket. A long Tarred road. Mountain slopes on both sides with some unknown plants here and there.
The wonder of the bluish ice water flowing in the depths of the slope, and the beauty of the foamy light- blue colored water running along the sides of that slope, refreshed their minds.
The hill path was wet everywhere.
“You said that you saw a military man. Did he wear boots?” driver Jawahar asked as he walked.
“What is this, man? Can anyone walk without wearing boots...? You know for the military persons, boots and belts are the main...”
“Correct malik… and you are speaking Kashmiri fluently. Where did you learn it malik?”
“Leave it…Jawahar; you should know a minimum of ten different languages to work as a secretary with my M.D. He is not an ordinary man. He has never travelled this far in a car.”
“Is malik a big businessman?”
“Yes, Jawahar. If anything happens to him, then I am finished. I am fully responsible for him. I will lose my job and have to face the consequences. He is such a popular person.”
“Then, why didn’t you go by flight...?”
Jawahar’s this logical question put Raju in a difficult position.
“Don’t I know that...man? We came by car for a particular reason. Our travel is very confidential; no one knows about it and no one should know about this also…”
“Why Malik?”
“Look, man! First, you decide whom you should call malik whether it is me; or my boss, I am often getting confused because of you.”
“We used to address those who give us jobs as malik. That is our custom.”
“Okay. Okay… now look for the boot traces. It may lead us to the military camp nearby.”
Their eyes searched everywhere for any traces of boots.
The traces were not visible in that Tarred road. They saw a deep slope on one side of the road. It is quite unlikely that any military man would go down that way.
Raju intensely searched for the boot traces that was surrounded by giant snow mountains!
After covering a long distance, a slope was there that helps to walk down.
There Raju found some traces of the boots!
“Hey, Jawahar. Look here!”
Raju got excited.
But those traces lead straight towards Shikara Hill.
The slope got covered with snow - Shikara Hill was visible brightly in the morning sunlight without even a single drop of snow.
“What is this Jawahar...? That hill alone does not have any snow?”
”Yeah…”
“It seems these traces lead there. Come, we will go and see...”
“Why there now malik? If your M.D awakes, he might get worried about us.”
“I know that; He will not get up by now. If we find a military camp, we can get some coffee or tea for him; he will be quite happy...”
“Where...in that hill are you joking malik …? Why are you looking for that monk?” Driver Jawahar asked with curiosity.
Raju hesitated.
If it is a random meeting, he could answer, But this is not so!
Why Mohan wants to meet the monk; is for a confidential family matter and is very personal…! So Raju hesitated to answer.
Driver Jawahar somehow understood that and continued to ask, “You are a Hindu... wonder why you want to meet a Buddhist monk, Malik.”
Raju answered him immediately for that.
“Buddha belongs to our country, Jawahar. He is a Hindu too...”
“Oh...malik that is wonderful…”
“Yeah...Jawahar, don’t ask me any more questions! Right now, I am worried about wasting a full day for nothing.”
“One day is very precious for my boss. Do you know how many things will get stuck if he is not there in his office even for a single day? Now a full day is wasted just like that.”
For Jawahar, both day and night is the same as he used to work twenty- four hours if he gets a trip. He asked as he walked, “I got this journey because of you, malik. Actually, at this time of the year, no tourists will come.”
“Why…?”
“Tourist places are special in my town. But many of them are not coming nowadays because of the fear of terrorists. We suffer a lot because of their activities.”
“Then why are you encouraging them...?”
“Why are you saying so, malik? Will anyone encourage these type of people knowingly? This world is jealous of the beauty of our town. That is why all this is happening. Ninety-nine percent of people in our town see India as our motherland and terrorism as a sin.”
“Hmm. Very good…! How does this hill alone have no snow?”
“That is Shikara.”
“Shikara?”
“Yeah, sir. In Srinagar, boathouses are called Shikara, but we call this hill also by that name. They believe that only evil forces dwell in that hill.”
Raju slowed down his walk…
“What are you saying, Jawahar? So is this a ghost hill?”
“Malik...I said there might be a possibility. Why are you so afraid...?”
“Okay, whatever it may be. Look! There are some boot traces.”
“I’m telling you again. There is no camp nearby. Shall we go back?”
“Are you scared?”
“No, malik, it is getting late, that’s why I said.”
“Let it be. However, we cannot meet that monk today. Maybe tomorrow we can meet. Let us find out what's in this place...?”
Raju was excited.
They were nearing the Shikara hill step by step. Now they can see big snow stones blocking their way that was very soft to touch.
“Careful, malik.”
“Look there…full of ice. Shall we go there, sit and glide in it…?”
“What malik? Like a small kid?”
“Jawahar, we should be like that occasionally; it is quite essential to relax our mind.”
Raju sat on one of the ice stone; he could feel the chillness penetrating through his jeans.
“Get up, malik… Don’t sit on that for long. If your pants get wet, it will take a very long time to dry.”
Raju got up as he could not bear the cold.
“How beautiful is this place...Wow!”
“Enough, malik. Let us go back. Your M.D might be waiting for us.”
“Do not worry; if he asks, we will tell him that we went in search of a tea or coffee shop...”
As they walked talking, “Tring...Tring…” a sound came somewhere.
That noise heard precisely somewhere very close in that area of silence.
“What is that sound, Jawahar?”
“I don’t know…”
Their eyes widened when they saw a monk coming out from a hidden ice rock!
They got stunned to see him!
It seemed like he was even shocked at seeing them. He came closer and looked at them.
“Hello…” Raju smiled.
“Who are you…?” the monk asked.
Raju replied with excitement.
“We are coming from Thiruvananthapuram. My name is Raju. We are on the way to ‘Leh’.”
“Then why are you going this way?”
“Just...Just a walk to see that snow-free rocks.”
“No. Go back. You should not go there.”
“Okay. Who are you…?”
“Don’t you know? I am a monk.”
“I know that… Why are you here?”
“This is our area. We will go anywhere we like.”
“You can go ... but why we can’t…?”
Raju asked straightly at his face without any fear.
The monk stared at him for a while with slight anger.
“Is there any monastery nearby? Can we get anything hot to eat?” Raju changed the topic.
“You will get black tea. Is it okay for you?”
“Wow...That is excellent...My boss loves it.”
“So, your boss Mohan has arrived.”
Monk’s question amazed Raju.
“How...How did you know him…?”
“I got the information about his arrival pretty earlier. That’s why I have come to meet him.”
“So...You...You are…”
“Yes...I am Tu-Shun…”
“Oh...it is you...Then we might have reached ‘Leh’?”
“You didn’t reach Leh. Knowing that you got deviated from the road, I came to look for you.”
“How...How did you know it?”
“That question is not important now! Come with me. Your M.D is searching for you and is now standing outside the car very much upset…shall we go to him...?”
Tu-Shun tactically changed the topic and started walking.
It was not a walk. It should be named a mini- marathon.
Raju and Jawahar could not walk with him that fast because the level of oxygen was low in that area that made them struggle a lot to breathe!
However, when they reached the car-they found what the monk said was true. Mohan was exactly standing outside the car in tension.
He was shocked to see the monk.
Monk bowed and greeted him.
“Welcome...Welcome, Mr. Mohan.”
“How...How did you know me?”
“You came to meet me because Mishra told you regarding me in Mumbai, right? I know...I know…”
“You are...You?” as Mohan asked; Raju interfered.
“Sir, He is the monk whom we wanted to meet, Tu-Shun.”
“My god! How did he get here? Did you bring him here?”
“No, sir…We went for a walk. We met him on the way. Somehow he recognized us and inquired. But I don’t know how.”
“What are you saying? Did we reach ‘Leh’?”
“I asked him the same question, but he said no. As Mishra said, monk Tu-Shun is a man of miracles…”
“Oh, god, then it may be a miracle perhaps knowing our difficulties, he might have just appeared before us, right?” Mohan got excited. The monk understood this….
“I do not have any magical powers, Mr. Mohan. I am quite a normal person like anyone of you.”
“Who..? You? You are not normal; you can withstand this cold wearing a Kavi dhoti. You are not an ordinary man. I can’t agree with you…”
Raju praised the monk.
“Okay. Let us move now. First, let us go and have a cup of Black tea. Then we can discuss the matter.”
“Come... Can we go by car, shall we?”
“With pleasure.”
The car started its journey within the next few minutes.
The hill road was now visible clearly without any snow.
