Kinaara

Rakesh ‘arky’ Ambati works as a IT Consultant for Braille Without Borders. He lives in Thiruvananthapuram.

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I am a wanderer. I have no home and nothing to call my own – I wonder what’s the use for such things for one seeking the Essence. My early years were spent in the land of my teachers, studying the mystical world of magic. Now, I wander where the Essence leads me.

Through the golden sands of the desert I pass to the city of Kaliya. It is written by the wise of the old ages that those who seek will find it here in this noble land. Through the ages men came here, in search of fortune and fame.

Upon this blessed soil I walk, mingling in the crowd of this thriving city. Walking through the street I savour upon the sights of the great city.

‘Make way for the Royal Magician!’

Lost in my own thoughts, the sudden shrill declaration finds me standing before a majestic palanquin.

‘Has the Royal Magician forgotten to walk,’ I ask the palanquin bearer nearest to me, ’or can he not bear his weight any more?’

The palanquin bearer stares at me silently, surely wondering whether my time on this earth has come to an end, that I dare to speak so.

‘Neither of it, my brother,’ getting out of the palanquin, he smiles up at me. ‘The Royal Magician walks only with his equals.’ He declares, ‘Bless this day, we meet again!’ He dismisses the palanquin bearers who rush up ahead of us to his palatial house, to make arrangements to receive the guest.

—

‘Walk with me, my brother,’ says the Royal Magician to me, ‘for we have a lot to talk.’

Leaving the bustling streets behind us, we come upon a path that takes us to a pond filled with lotus blossoms.

‘The Royal Magician still has a great heart,’ I say.

‘A great heart, yes, and wealth to match,’ he grins back at me with satisfaction. ‘The patrons of this land are benevolent. My magic brings me fame and possessions.’

Seeing me unmoved, he adds, ‘Your wanderings have brought you to this great city, brother. Your magic is great. Here it will be measured in silver and gold.’
‘The Essence is for all who seek,’ I quietly answer my old friend. ‘It’s not for the pleasure of a few.’

‘Does the greatness of the Essence diminish if you seek its worth in gold?’ the Royal Magician demands of me.

‘The Essence cannot be measured. None but those who seek it know its worth.’

This time he is silent. I look over his shoulder to the pond filled with lotus blossoms. A few children have come running the path we have walked, carrying small earthen water pitchers. Their laughter rings with the irrepressible glee of youth. I watch as a little girl, her braids flying, comes hurrying with the others, chased by a small boy who is teasing her.

The little girl runs straight into the slowly walking Royal Magician. Her pitcher slips as she stumbles, shattering down to the earth into minuscule pieces. The other children – suddenly aware of the presence of the Royal Magician among them, accompanied by a stranger – scatter away to a distance, leaving the little girl with us.

The Royal Magician raises the crying girl in his arms and says, ‘Cry not for what is broken. Here, take this silver and buy yourself a new pitcher.’
The little girl throws the coins away to the ground and breaks into renewed sobs. The Royal Magician is taken back.

I come ahead. With the end of my flowing sleeve I try to wipe off the little girl’s tears. ‘No crying, my princess,’ I say, ‘Tell me what you wish.’

Wordlessly, she turns her longing gaze to the shards of her old pitcher, next to which she had thrown the coins.
Smiling in understanding, I move her palms over her wet eyes and say, ‘My princess, take your lovely pitcher and go home happy.’

The girl opens her eyes and looks at her pitcher, now mended back to perfection. Her face glows with pleasure as she picks up the beloved object and cradles it in her little arms, walking back to her friends. I continue staring, my eyes fixed at the coins of silver lying rejected and discarded in the dust. I think to myself, All that money is worth couldn’t bring the smile on a child’s face.

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