The 15 feet Kali statue glimmered in the light of the Havan. The continuous chant was but a murmur in the background. The large Kangeyam bull stood proud and tall in the corner. The skin was rubbed with coconut oil till it gleamed and the forehead was smeared with red sindoor. Brass bells adorned the tips of the horns and his hoofs were varnished. Today’s sacrifice had to be special. A goat will not suffice. They had almost got caught last night by the king’s sepoys. If it was a tip-off, the traitor had to be identified and sacrificed to the Devi. If they were getting sloppy, then it was time to ramp up and up the ante. He could still smell the faint fragrance that filled his nostrils before the soldier held a dagger to his neck. What was the smell? Musk? Sandalwood? He racked his brain. Which sepoy uses fragrance on duty? He shook his head. He couldn’t be lax during the Kali puja. He will sort out the issues tomorrow morning. Tonight, the Devi will feed.
The bull started getting restless and started lowing in a nervous fashion. He made a paste of turmeric and made a star on the side of the fine animal. A large rose garland was placed on its neck. Rose water was sprinkled on its body. He motioned his assistant to get the bull positioned near the drain, so the blood didn’t splatter everywhere. Once the chants increased in volume, he joined with the rising crescendo. As the pitch reached a high, he murmured the gayatri-
ॐ कालिकायै च विद्महे, श्मशानवासिन्यै धीमहि, तन्नो काली प्रचोदयात् ।।
He lifted his scimitar and with one swift movement severed the head of the bull from the body. A fountain of blood squirted on him as he bowed down to his Goddess and invited Her into their cave. A blue flame glowed around the carcass of the bull and manifested into a blue flaming circle.
She was here!
He looked at the vibrant bluish glow and bowed down. He took his sword and cut his thumb and offered it to Her. 'I am all yours mother. Just yours. Please bless me to do my craft better. We almost got captured yesterday and I am ashamed at how lax we have become. Please bless us to detect kinks in our armour before our enemy can.' A melodious laugh filled the cave. 'Thathasthu', she breathed, with a smile in her tone and the blue glow dissipated.
The sacrifice over, the chief called his troop. He felt new courage and clarity coursing through him. As his team trooped into the dimly lit cave, the chief quietly motioned them to sit. 'How is it that the King's men knew exactly where the attack was planned to happen? Who tipped them?', he grunted, his anger apparent to his team despite the equanimous tone adopted. There was silence. The quiet enraged him. 'I am going to start beheading my team, one by one, till some answers come up. ' he said, his right hand going for the hilt of his sword.
न हि कोपकलुषिता विमृशति मति: कर्तव्यमकर्तव्यं वा
The young voice that took on the adults, belonged to the chief's son. Everyone sat stunned in surprise at the little un who was schooling his father. The chief's face gave away nothing of what he felt. 'Explain yourself', he said , calmly grabbing a stool. The 11 year old started, 'Anger levels are high. So instead of looking at what went wrong, we are looking at who made an error. Right now, that is an erroneous approach.' Everyone took in what was said. 'What would you do, my son?' asked the chief, pride concealed well within the words.
'We targeted a wedding group, didn't we? Why were there no children?' asked the young voice to a silent group. 'The women wore their sarees wrapped around their legs, enabling them to run, instead of flowing and festive. Why did many palanquins carry more men than women? They did not seem like royalty, so were the palanquins used to conceal the more able bodied, armed men? Although there was strong fragrance of sandalwood and benzoin, none of the items carried by the group had these items. The women seemed able enough to carry large trunks, so were they trained transvestites? Once we figure these, we will have all the answers to create a new plan. Let us not forget that we escaped such a well-laid plan only because of our closely knit group. We should not create any rifts to such a tight bond', the tender voice finished, with not an ounce of pride.
'Benzoin,' the chief whispered. That was the fragrance. He was so elated to hear his son take apart and reveal not just the modus operandi, but also the actions required going forward. 'I concur', he said loudly, turning to his team. 'Jai ma kali', he yelled and was quickly joined by his gang. They seemed charged and largely annoyed for missing key points. Tomorrow was another day and they would be well prepared. Tomorrow they will drink out of fresh skulls.
