27
TUNNELS
[In the underground world of the north, he will find a book of old knowledge. The one written in Devbhasha but he has knowledge of this older language without learning it. The eagle of the man of the north will go against their master, it shall be then, the burning world turns to winter, a boy will rise with immorality and an era of love and truth will come back.]
After Jagapati’s warning, I start to act like my other people. I try not to do anything that is suspicious. Work becomes regular for me. Last fifteen days I am wandering in tunnels with my father. I go to our assigned tunnel and do our job as quickly as we can. My father says I am a good apprentice. I have learned pipe work faster than he has expected. I am good at using my tools – wrenches and brushes and tubes and glues. It’s not hard.
Most of Sunyas do their work for eight hours per day. Finishing their work they talk or rest or do whatever they like.
But I don’t care about any of that. I am here only to get something important. I am here to help my people. While others pay attention only over work I pay attention to every small detail which can be useful.
I have learned to use washers, bolts, pieces of wire, whatever I have in my tool belt – I know how to and where to use it.
My teacher was right. There are interesting things beyond the wall. I have found that what we call magic is just things made of wires bolts and metal. They call it technology.
I see many rare creatures in tunnels which I haven’t seen in the wall. They aren’t dangerous. My father says they are bugs – no harmful at all.
Today is the fifteenth day.
My father and I are in tunnel 32.
“I am doing repairing work,” my father says, “You should search the tunnel.”
“Yes,” I answer, “maybe we can get something.”
After tunnel 07 we haven’t got anything important. But I hope I will get something from tunnel 32.
I hope every time I enter any tunnel but today my heart feels I will get something.
I walk to another end of the tunnel. I walk till my leg aching. It seems the tunnel is endless and full of darkness.
I keep walking, my eyes with full attention, and my all senses on high alert.
And then my torchlight reveals a door. I go near it. It’s not a double door.
‘Will it be dangerous?’ I think.
Maybe.
I travel torch on every inch of the door and find the name: FR square Library.
I open the door with excitement. At last, the luck is with me. I feel.
I walk in. I search all the walls but there isn’t any a bookshelf or books. The walls are flat and made of stones.
In a corner is a table, not of wood but of metal. I go near it and try to open the drawer but it’s a stuck drawer.
My father is right, I have learned my work very well and its proof is my mind gives me instruction how to get the drawer unstuck.
I work the blade of a small knife between the drawer and the frame until I get a trickle of perspiration on my forehead and open the drawer a few inches.
I tap it lightly, using my hand until the drawer is back on the track and it popped open.
To my wonder, there are some coins inside not books. They aren’t made of gold or silver. They are of polished iron. I wonder why someone has made coins from such insignificant metal.
I observe one of the coins. It reads Government of India- 3050. It has three lions over it, at the bottom is a horse and a bull, and its center is a wheel. And under it is reading: ‘सत्यमेव जयते’’.
I wonder how I can read this unknown language. I don’t know which language is this but I can read it and understand it. It says Truth Alone Triumphs.
I search the drawer thoroughly and get a parchment.
It reads:
सत्यमेव जयते नानृतं सत्येन पन्था विततो देवयानः ।
येनाक्रमन्त्यृषयो ह्याप्तकामा यत्र तत् सत्यस्य परमं निधानम् ॥
My mind translates it automatically, without my try.
Truth always triumphs, it trumps over every falsehood. Through truth, the divine path is spread out by which the sages, whose desires have been completely fulfilled, reach to where be that supreme treasure of Truth.
I read the whole parchment and it informs me that coin hasn’t three lions but four and all represents something. Everything in the coin represents something. And to my wonder, every symbol is for the goodness of people, courage, kindness, peace, and progress.
Would it be the coin of former kings - Maybe the kings ruling before Pralaya? I think.
I fold the parchment and poke it into my pocket with one coin. I want the coin to show it to my teacher. I open another drawer, the big one.
It has some books.
I go through the titles.
‘National symbols of India’
NO use for me. I think and put it back.
‘National economics’
NO use. I put it back, too.
And the third is All about India.
I sit down at one of the stone benches and start to read it.
The person who has written the book knew too much about the subject. Mostly the book describes the state and cities of India - Long sections for each city, and every state.
“Yes,” I say loudly and close the book. “It’s useful.”
The second book is weird. Its title reads: CONSTITUTION OF INDIA
And when I read inside it, it tells me what I haven’t imagined.
The constitution declares India a sovereign, socialist, secular means the state of being separate from religion, or of not being exclusively allied with or against any particular religion,(I feel happy in older days our land wasn’t supporting any religion and didn’t believe Devata as highest human and Sunyas as lowest human) democratic republic, (my land had democracy and there wasn’t any monarch like the Creator. In older days was a system of government where the citizens exercise power by voting. (Like we do in our gathering) In the democracy, citizens elect representatives from among themselves. (Means people could choose their ruler, in older day people could decide who would be their king.) And the government assuring its citizen's justice, equality and liberty, and endeavors to promote fraternity.
EQUALITY - each independent being must be treated equally by the law and that all are subject to the same laws of justice. Therefore, the law must guarantee that neither individual nor group of individuals should be privileged or discriminated against by the government.
JUSTICE - the quality of being just according to righteousness, equitableness, and moral rightness. Good consequences for good deed and bad consequences for misdeeds.
LIBERTY - It is the ability to do as one pleases. Liberty consists of the social, political, and economic freedoms to that all community members are entitled. Liberty involves free will as contrasted with, determinism. Liberty is freedom not to do what you wish but do what is right to do.
I feel my chest tightened. Words equality, justice, and liberty are banned nowadays in the world. I feel we need this old India. Perhaps the Creator feels fear if we know about all this we would refuse his monarchy that’s why he has banned books in the wall.
I check over another book.
Very first page of it read: the national song of India.
वन्दे मातरम्।
सुजलाम् सुफलाम्
मलयजशीतलाम्
शस्यश्यामला मातरम्।
वन्दे मातरम्।
शुभ्रज्योत्स्नाम्
पुलकितयामिनीम्
फुल्लकुसुमित
द्रुमदलशोभिनीम्
सुहासिनीम्
सुमधुर भाषिणीम्
सुखदाम् वरदाम्
मातरम्।।
वन्दे मातरम्।
My mind starts to translate it into our language as soon as I read the verse:
Mother, I praise thee!
Rich with thy hurrying streams,
bright with orchard gleams,
Cool with thy winds of delight,
Dark fields waving Mother of might,
Mother free……
I flip the page.
The next page reads: National anthem
जन-गण-मन अधिनायक जय हे
भारत भाग्य विधाता ।
पंजाब-सिन्धु-गुजरात-मराठा,
द्राविड़-उत्कल-बंग
विंध्य हिमाचल यमुना गंगा,
उच्छल जलधि तरंग
तब शुभ नामे जागे, तब शुभ आशिष मांगे
गाहे तब जय गाथा ।
जन-गण-मंगलदायक जय हे, भारत भाग्य विधाता ।
जय हे, जय हे, जय हे, जय जय जय जय हे ।
I can even understand it.
Thou art, the ruler of our minds, of all people the dispenser of India's destiny! Thy name rouses the heart of Punjab, Sindh, Gujarat, and Maratha, of the Dravida and Odisha……
It surprises me how can I read all these. This language is also different from the one I read before. How can I know all these without learning them?
I close the book, put it in my tool-bag and go back to my father.
“Have you got anything?” he asks as soon as I reach him. He is working on a pipe, applying glue and repairing it.
“Yes,” I say, “a coin.”
“A coin, what do we do with a coin?”
“It’s of kings ruling before Pralaya.”
“Then it’s useful.” His eyes change, it becomes hopeful.
“Anything else?”
“Yes, I’ve found a parchment in a strange language and a book is written in various languages.”
“It’s no use we can’t read language then what…”
“I can read it.” I cut him off.
“What?” you can read a strange language which you haven’t learned from your teacher?” he asks, the surprise is on his face.
“Yes,” I say.
“Show me the language.”
I reach to coin and hand it to him.
“It’s Devabhsha,” he says, moving his finger over the words: ‘सत्यमेव जयते’’.
“Then I can read Devbhasha.”
“Shhh…” he says, closing my mouth with his hand, “don’t speak it aloud.”
“Why?”
“Not even Nirbhaya can read this language,” he gives me coin back, “this is language only for Devatas.”
“Why?”
“Because the creator has created this language only for Devatas and himself and they use this language. No folk, no trader, no Nirbhaya, or not anyone else is allowed to use it and no one else can use it.”
“Why can I?”
“The second prediction.”
“What?”
“The second prediction, it says the one who will read Devbhsha without learning it will make the tower fall.”
“Father, I have found something else, too.” I say, “A book – all about India.”
“That’s exactly what we were looking for.” His eyes shine with hope.
“Why?”
“Because where we live was known as India before Pralaya. We should know about it.” He says, “We have to secure this book.”
“Secure? Why?”
“It’s so important. I think it has to do with the secret of the temple. We have to take it to in the wall and till we have to keep it secure.”
“How?”
“We will give it to the thieves.” He says, “We have three thieves in Sunyas this time. They will handle it.
“Okay.”
“Now let’s repair some pipes,” he says, “we don’t want any doubt.”
We repair all pipes in tunnel 37 and leave it after some hours.
We visit tunnel 38 but there are no pipes there. We move to tunnel 39 and repair some pipes there till the working hours end.
“Send the thieves to my sleeping corner.” during dinner my father says one of the Sunya.
“How can you say any of Sunya about thieves?” I ask after dinner, in the corner where we sleep, using our tool bag as pillows.
“He was a thief himself.”
“What? Then why you tell him to send thief instead come to me?”
“Never call a thief by thief,” he says, “it can be risky for him if anyone hears.”
I understand if my father’s words someone has heard still he misunderstands it as a joke as my father has said ‘send the thieves to my sleeping corner’ a place where nothing to steal.
What a good joke!
I think about the book and why I can read the Devbhasha till the fatigue of the work overcomes me and sleep catches me, taking me in dreamland.
***
to be continue...
