Bhramar
Chapter 5 — Sunrise
Bina is sitting in the corner of her room playing the sitar. The waning moon is smiling in the sky. The clouds scattered around the luminous mountain ranges assume strange forms as the moonbeams fall on them.
This incomparable beauty inebriates Bina’s youthful soul.
What feeling seeks to convey, language expresses—and the culmination of language is music. Bina is overcome by a desire to sing, to sing her heart out. She kept her sitar aside and ran her fingers through the harmonium reeds.
Her dexterous digits brought that inert instrument to life. Bina began to sing:
Sweet sounding flutes in a distance Makes the winds howl their plaintive moan, In the desolate forests of the pitch-dark night The solitary sweetheart roams in her lover’s mind, The smiling moon……
Outside in the verandah, Maina Devi, Shekhar and Mohan stood in rapt attention.
Bina noticed them and bowed in embarrassment.
Shekhar spoke: “What a beautiful voice!”
Rhythm and tone dissolved away. They left this land of mortals and got lost in some faraway universe. Until then this sweet melody had everything in its vicinity spellbound.
“Kanchi ama... what makes you come here so suddenly at this time of the night?” Bina’s cheerful face lighted up with curiosity and happiness. She held Maina Devi’s hands, made her sit with great affection and reverence, and greeted Shekhar and Mohan with a Namaste.
Upon Shekhar’s request Bina resumed her song:
The smiling moon drenches the pristine skies Lotus blooms, the king of flowers smiles Clouds drape the mountains Dew soaks the green tree leaves, Seeing such beauty in the waters flowing The fever increases, becomes unbearable He roams the forests thinking of his love Submitting his soul to his melancholy sweetheart…
“Blessed Bina, your musical training has borne fruit,” Shekhar praised fervently.
“Come now, ustadji, why don’t you treat our ears with your song?” Mohan’s riposte made everyone laugh.
Maina Devi said, “Stop this fooling around. Bina, we have decided to trek up to Tiger Hill to watch the sunrise. Mohan is leaving for Banaras tomorrow. He says he cannot leave without watching the sunrise.”
When Bina’s old aunt heard that she began to complain, “Now what is this mukheni saying? You are going to make these children climb hills in the middle of the night to watch the sunrise? Why, you can watch that sunrise from our own courtyard here.”
On hearing her plain talk Bina said, “No aunt, it is a different sun that one can see rising from Tiger Hill. People come from America and other faraway places to witness it.”
“Tiger Hill, Siger Hill, I don’t know anything dear. If you get possessed by something in your nighttime walks, I will be the one to suffer...” The old woman grumbled.
Sensing her irritation Shekhar spun a yarn. “Look now Aunty. When we witness the god Surya coming up, our sins are forgiven. That is the reason why there is a crowd of people there every day. Why don’t you check it for yourself? First you see a riot of colors in the east. Then a chariot pulled by seven horses. The chariot bears an earthen pot. The god Surya comes out of that pot.”
The devout lady gaped at Shekhar. The others tried to conceal their laughter. Shekhar’s description melted her resistance and she said, “Ok then... if such wonderful things can be seen... then go. You will enjoy your sight and perform a good deed too.”
They drove on a motor from the station to Jorebunglow and began their uphill trek to Tiger Hill.
The pristine moonlight! The desolate path! Tall trees and forests on either side of the road!
The endless murmur of mountain brooks.
Countless fireflies flitting in the bamboo groves—like jewels that bedeck a king’s black gown.
And in close proximity, in very close proximity, Indrashekhar.
Bina’s heart and soul were touched by an indescribable happiness and passion.
Peace and beauty reigned in this world.
A never-ending stream of sentences poured forth from Shekhar’s mouth. Sometimes he talked about Darjeeling, sometimes about the world, sometimes about ghosts and spirits—his three companions were amused and enthralled by the diverse topics of his discussion.
The banter and the jokes took the four of them to Tiger Hill, which they reached at 2 am in the night.
Numerous people from various ethnic backgrounds and ages had gathered there. The cold was intense. Some were draped in shawls, others peered out of overcoats. Almost all were shivering in the morning cold.
But there was cheer in every face—an expectation. Why had all these men and women made such extreme penance?
It was to witness the unparalleled artistry and magic of nature: the unforgettable sight of the sun god making his entry in the eastern skies! They had gathered to catch sight of the first stirrings of the sun in the holy bosom of the morning.
The advent of light! In the dark womb of the eastern skies, a faint red birthing! Ahh! The multihued saga that unfolds in the wondrous heart of the East. Now blue, now pink, now purple, now gold—whose artistry can effect such transitions of tinges?
The birds in the trees around also began their medley of morning melodies. The cool whiff of the morning breeze shook and awakened everything.
Everything stirred with the newness of life.
Sunrise. First a small red object. Then the shifting shapes. Now like a water pot, then a pumpkin, again a sphere. Now look at that object that we call the sun—it had begun to twirl at great speed.
Slowly the rays of the sun spread its golden net. Soon it wasn’t possible to stare into its brightness.
Bina and Shekhar stood in close proximity and watched the scene. Mohan and Maina Devi sought a higher vantage.
It was morning.
Today’s daybreak—how pleasant, how peaceful!
Suddenly Bina’s eyes fell on Shekhar. Bina’s face in the first flush of the morning, how pleasant, how pure, how chaste!
Shekhar’s hands, like clockwork, began to caress Bina’s soft hands. She flushed and shivered. Bina looked at Shekhar. There was love, wonder and reverence in her eyes.
Bina’s entire being tingled with a strange sensation of happiness. Shame made her look elsewhere.
A new chapter began in Bina’s life. Like a palm full of flower petals, Bina offered her heart and soul in the temple of Shekhar’s love.
She surrendered the newness of her youth to Shekhar.