Chapter 4 : Being loyal

2 months later, Gangapur

Though being a Gopa meant heading a cluster of villages, Pushkar knew the limitations of his position. He neither had the power of execution that a Gramika possessed, nor did he have the authority to make decisions like the Governor. At best, his position could be described as that of a bookkeeper - collating data for several villages - , and a messenger between the Governor and the village heads. Sure, he facilitated the quarterly inter-village meetings for the villages under him, but with no real power he spent most of his time placating everyone.

Puskhar looked around him, the Travellers inn he was staying at was fairly small. Gangapur probably didn’t get many visitors, it was a small village after all. He mused. Ordinarily he wouldn’t have hesitated in imposing on Kailashnath and enjoying the hospitality of his home. But he wasn’t alone this time.

‘Aha Gopaji! Did you have a pleasant evening?’ Deependra enquired.

Pushkar looked at him with a polite smile, trying his best to conceal his dislike for Deependra. Deependra and his cronies were the kind of people with whom Pushkar usually kept a safe distance. His group hung around people in power, became their eyes and ears, and in the process gained wealth and indirect power.

For some, a change of mentor or a change of loyalty is a matter of much mental anguish, but even with a change of regime, this group suffered no scruples. Whether the new ruler was virtuous or vicious, serviceful or dictatorial, it didn’t matter. They could always find a way to work together with those in power. They had shifted their allegiance from King Ashwapati to King PriamRaja as casually as changing into a fresh set of clothes. For them, it was the practical thing to do!

Pushkar on the other hand was struggling. He had never had high expectations from the officials of King PriamRaja, but the experience of working in his administration was costing his conscience dearly. Keeping his position had always meant staying in the good graces of the Governor, but now, it involved bribery, flattery, and taking on assistants like Deependra.

‘I just had a quick tour. What a small village! It probably is a fraction of our Chunar, isn’t it Gopaji? ‘ Deependra was saying.

Pushkar gave a slight nod.

‘It will be a busy day tomorrow. I better get some sleep.’ He said to Deependra and made a quick exit.

Next day

‘The monsoon is weak this year, the reservoir was our only hope. We had raised the issue repeatedly over the last 2 months…’ Kailashnath said, barely holding back his anger.

The panchayat members had met the Gopa’s team early in the morning. Together they had set out for the outskirts of the village where the reservoir was situated. Built during the reign of King Ashwapati, it was meant to irrigate the eastern part of the village. The fields on the western side enjoyed proximity to the Ganges river and had a steady supply of water. The structure of the water reservoir had held well for several years, but the walls were weak now and needed reinforcement. Leaks had appeared in several places and the water had drained away into the pasture lands before it could be channeled into the fields for irrigation.

While the village could provide the labor, they needed the expertise of an engineer to determine the extent of damage and design the reinforcements that would be necessary.

‘I know, I know.. But most of the engineers migrated to the neighboring kingdoms during war, and as you can see, the new regime is still settling in. We need time..’ Pushkar was using his practised placatory tone.

‘Then waive off the taxes for the farmers’ Kailashnath challenged.

‘Well..’ Pushkar was in a bind. Not only couldn’t he waive off the taxes, he had to be the bearer of the King’s unreasonable demand of keeping the taxes high for the foreseeable future.

King PriamRaja was not in a mood to settle down and enjoy his conquest of Magadha. His ambition was to be ruler of India, and he didn’t want to wait. The victory celebrations had lasted only a few weeks before he had begun to build up troops again. And what he needed right now was higher taxes to fund his ambitions. He was not interested in the administration of Magadha or the prosperity of its citizens. Consequently, the taxes that had been raised by the erstwhile King, King Ashwapati, for war expenses were being retained.

Pushkar knew that the demand was unfair , even unreasonable, but he had a job to do. Sharing his compulsions and reasons with the panchayat members might have eased his guilt, but with Deependra hovering around them, there was no chance for a frank conversation. Pushkar was frustrated.

Usually a visit to Gangapur lasted a whole day and in special circumstances he had even stayed for 2 days. But this time, by noon they were done. Kailashnath was not pleased and in no mood to yield an inch, and Pushkar had to maintain his stance if he wanted to keep his position as Gopa. The tense atmosphere was broken by Jaiveer, the facilitator, who invited everyone for a meal followed by a walk along the Ganges river.

It was time for him to leave, Kailashnath decided. He made his excuses with a grave air and left. After a quick bite at the nearby food stall, he headed for the ashram. The ashram lay at the western end of the village, and he had to traverse the breadth of the village to reach there. As he walked, Kailashnath organized his thoughts - The Gopa was clearly under pressure and he would have to toe the line set by the Governor. Consequently, he wouldn’t be of much help. That lad, Deependra, seemed to be a spy of the crown; they would need to watch out for him.

Then Kailashnath’s thoughts turned to the problem at hand - irrigation. His mind began to get agitated as he thought of all the hardships the villagers were going through. How many would be impoverished by the failure of the harvest !

By the time he reached the ashram, Kailashnath was bursting with emotion.

‘It is painful, very painful, watching all this suffering’ Kailashnath announced as he entered the private apartment of the new Acharya.

Acharya Chyavana looked up at the man in front of him with deep sympathy. Over the course of the last month that he had got to know Kailashnathji, he was always struck by his love for the people, his compassion toward their suffering and his passion for their betterment. He offered Kailashnathji a seat opposite to him.

‘Today morning, we had an interesting debate in the classroom.’ Chyavana said, hoping to divert Kailashnath’s mind.

Education was very close to Kailashnath’s heart and the effect was immediate. He smiled.

‘Well, what was it about? Tell me.’ he asked eagerly.

‘Should the subjects be loyal to an unrighteous king?’ Chyavana said, watching Kailashnath’s face carefully.

Kailashnath was silent. He had caught the import of Acharyaji’s statements . He was not startled by the question itself, but by the fact that Acharyaji chose to discuss it openly.

Ever since he realized that King PriamRaja would win the war and be the new ruler of Magadha, Kailashnath had pondered over this question. He had spent days poring over the scriptures to understand what the way of righteousness was. The conclusion he arrived at was -

Loyalty must be to a principle , to righteousness, and to morality first. We must be loyal to our protector, but if the King fails in his duties as our protector and benefactor, then it is our duty to rise against him.

‘Actually Acharyaji, I am interested to know your views on this subject’ he said slowly.

Chyavana had a speculative look in his eyes.

‘Have you heard of the group Gyanadoot?’ he asked, sidestepping Kailashnath’s question.

Kailashnath was stunned. Though their operations were widespread, the name of the group was known only to its members. A flurry of questions arose in his mind:

Who was Chyavana?

How did he know the name of their group?

Was it coincidence that Chyavana should ask him about the group ?

Kailashnath’s mind raced back one month to the day Chyavana had arrived at his doorstep. He had introduced himself as a wandering teacher. He said he had taught in the kingdoms of Vatsa and Kalinga, and now wanted to teach in Magadha for a while. Did they need a teacher in Gangapur? Chyavana had asked Kailashnath.

Thinking of it as Divine Providence, he had welcomed Chyavana into his house. A lengthy discussion proved that Chyavana was a learned and wise man. Kailashnath had joyfully offered him the post of Acharya, and he had proved to be a worthy successor to Acharya Dhaumya. Kailashnath had been happy with his decision, until today.

Chyavana looked at Kailashnath’s face. Sensing his anxiety , Chyavana decided to put him out of his misery.

‘Remember the day you brought me here. That night, a group met in the ashram courtyard. I guess they didn’t know that there was a new occupant and so I … I overheard their discussion’ Chyavana confessed.

Indeed, Gyanadoot had been regularly using the ashram as a meeting place.

So, this was it. Kailashnath thought, relief washing over him. For a moment he had the dreadful feeling that Chyavana might have been the King’s spy and they were caught.

‘Can I be a member of Gyanadoot?’’ Chyavana asked, a slight hesitation in his voice.

Kailashnath gave a reluctant laugh. So this was Acharyaji’s way of sharing his stance on loyalty to an unjust ruler.

It was late in the evening by the time Kailashnath could leave the ashram. It had been a long and fruitful discussion. He realized that Acharyaji was not only intelligent, but also astute. After going over the past missions of Gyanadoot, they discussed the future strategy at length. But what impressed Kailashnath was Acharyaji’s keen interest to know about the missions that failed. His insight about the reasons for failure and on human behavior were absolutely spot on. Kailashnath was delighted with his new recruit. Consequently , Kailashnath arrived at Maya’s boutique in good spirits.

Kailashnath had promised to review the accounts of Maya’s boutique so that she wouldn’t have any trouble while paying taxes.

‘Hello Gramikaji.’ A villager accosted him and began to pour out his woes.

Kailashnath was patting the man’s shoulder and promising to look into the matter when he saw a man walk out of Maya’s boutique. Was that Deependra?

A moment later Maya came out too.

‘Goodbye Maya’ Deependra said.

‘Goodbye.’

Maya was watching Deependra leave. Kailashnath focussed on her face, was that a glimmer of tears? He watched as Maya sighed and went back in. He wondered how they knew each other. And then it dawned on him - They were both from Chunar. Ofcourse, that was the connection!

Was Maya feeling homesick? He wondered if he should go in, the accounts could wait another day after all.

‘Ahh Gramikaji, I thought it might have been you, so I came back to confirm. Please do come in.’ Maya invited.

Kailashnath went in and joined Maya at her desk. She offered him a glass of water and then began pulling out her accounting ledgers and placing them before him. He noticed a teardrop on her face.

‘Are you okay my child?’ he asked.

‘Of course, of course, it's nothing… ‘ Maya stopped.

These thoughts had been weighing on her mind for a long time. She needed guidance and validation. Suddenly the emotions just burst through and she began to cry softly.

‘What is it ? What is it?’

‘Did that lad say something… or .. do something?’ Kailashnath was worried now.

‘No, no. He just dropped by to hand over a letter from my parents.’ she assured him.

Maya looked up at him. She knew she could trust him, he was a discreet and sensitive person. She also knew that he never offered idle sympathy, his words were always well-weighed and honest.

It was several moments before she could compose herself and speak.

‘Our parents, that is Deependra’s and my parents, wanted us to get married.’ she began.

And then, narrated all the events that had happened 5 years earlier. It was cathartic to be able to express her true thoughts on the subject.

Kailashnath had heard her in silence.

‘I feel for you, but I don’t want to offer you sympathy’ he said after thinking about it for a while.

Maya looked up in surprise.

‘Because we must accept that this is what life is - unfair and painful, at times. When things go our way we get lulled into complacency. It takes a jolt like this to realize the truth about our relationships and our circumstances.’ he added.

‘But some people have it easy. I know so many for whom life has been a smooth ride.’ she said with a tinge of bitterness.

‘But would you be happy leading their life? Their aspirations and morals may be different, and maybe they are willing to compromise on many aspects. Are you?

In fact no idealistic person, that is one who chooses righteousness and morality over comfort, can hope for a smooth life. The path of virtue is very narrow and we can’t traverse it with ease’

‘But I get what you mean. I too have met people who haven’t experienced any major upheavals and led a fairly comfortable life. And.. I have envied them.’ he added.

Maya looked at him with gratitude, it was a consolation to know that even someone of his stature experienced such emotions.

‘It is only now that I realize that people who have a smooth life, live in fear - Fear that their way of life may be taken away and that they wouldn’t be able to cope with adversity’ he continued.

‘Facing and overcoming adversity gives us confidence, which we cannot otherwise acquire.’ Kailashnath concluded.

Maya pondered over this for a while, she had never thought of it this way.

‘What is the right age to get married?’ she suddenly asked, wanting to know his views on the subject.

‘I don’t know, I got married pretty late compared to the rest’ he replied.

‘It wasn’t because of lack of proposals, mind you!’ he added with a half smile.

‘I am sure you were considered quite a catch sir’ Maya replied with a smile.

‘Of course I was!’ said Kailashnath, leaning back with a proud air.

Maya burst out laughing.

Kailashnath’s eyes softened, he was relieved to see Maya lighten up.