Allegiance:

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‘Just a few steps Rohini. We are almost there.’

‘Damn you Dhiren! The world goes Vrindavan on Holi…’She gasped, ‘and we are here, at this unknown hill. We are not young anymore, do take that into notice.’

‘Vrindavan’s cliché. Just try to observe the serenity here. No shouts and thankfully no pouts.’ He smirked.

‘Okay now pause! I need some air, before we move further.’

‘Yeah let’s relax here for a while. We have come long for Jagannath, let him now wait.’

They sat silently at the stairs, reveling the scenery. He preferred staring at infinity. While her gaze remained at him; beholding his strands of hair, waving with the breeze. She clasped her hand with his and rested her head on his shoulder, relaxing her eyes. A drop on her hand impeded the repose. She looked at him, it belonged his eyes.

‘What happened, Dhiren?’

‘Nothing, while here I tried to distract my mind from the hullabaloo; it diverted, there again.’

‘You’ve served the army, your country with pride and honor; let not that nonsense sway you.’

‘I wasn’t. But now I wonder what was I then; a proud army man, a patriot, a fighter….’ His voice choked for a second, ‘Or rather a rapist, murderer, a suppresser. While all those years I served my nation, our men are; I never realized we are being depicted in such way. It aches my heart Rohini, when a young innocent girl inclines towards the anarchists without reasoning the situations; politicians standing with “young student leaders” who actually advocate separatism, WHY?’

‘The world is mystical in its own ways my child. Calm yourself, you have done your karma, let people decide what’s right, and if they choose the evil, why do you cry upon it. The karma shall speak, not us. Here have this prasdam, BAM BHOLE.’

A hermit what they figured was coming downwards, towards them. Astonished as there seemed no one else few minutes earlier, they stayed cautious.

‘In the times of Holi, your Shiv chanting indicates you’re not out of Shivratri hangover yet.’

‘I believe in one God! He’s Ram in Dusshehra, Krishn in Holi and Shiv in Shivratri. Just consider Shiv is here to worship his Jagannath here in Holi.’

‘So you’re Shiv?’ He tried to mock him.

‘अहम् ब्रह्मास्मि, I am in him, he’s in me; that’s the ultimate truth, ain’t that?’

‘Guy’s gotta point Dhiren, especially when he has awed you.’

‘Indeed dear. Now, take this prasadam, it will relieve you from weariness, JAI JAGANNATH.'

The prasadam actually worked, his all agonies vanished, ‘Incredible, this is just awesome, is it some ‘herbalacious’ magic Ba..’ He turned to him, but to their wonder, no one was there, he was gone.

‘Well! May be it was him, to clear your dilemma.’

‘Yeah, like he said ‘अहम् ब्रह्मास्मि’.

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