HRISHIKESHA

HRISHIKESHA Sometime in 2016 The day was balmy, with all the predominant and frequented places of the City of Joy, choc-a-bloc with people. Teeming crowds consisting of people of all hues, shapes and sizes were packed like sardines into every possible place –Victoria Memorial, Howrah Bridge, Indian Museum, Dakshineshwar Temple, Kalighat, Science City, Marble Palace, Park Street, Nicco Park and Elliot Park. Infact, Elliot Park was one of her favourite hideouts with Madhav Deb. She was listening intently to Raag Malhar rendered by a maestro and his trainee at the prestigious ITC Sangeet Research Academy, blissfully unaware of the weather turning blustery. The attractive woman, endowed with a buxom body was still carrying a hangover. But that did deter her from spiking her cup of black coffee and a glass of orange juice too, using up almost three-quarters of the contents of the bottle of gin. This was her patent breakfast like any other day. On the odd day, when famished she gorged on some sandwiches and washed it down with the lethal stuff. As the charming lady had staggered in and was seated in the hall of music lovers, she grabbed eye balls, unsavoury remarks and sniggers in equal measure. There was a time when her star had been at its zenith. She had been the toast of the academy and accorded the prized seat right opposite the performer. Till a few months back, Mona was a virtuoso teacher of Hata Yoga who ran an acclaimed yoga institution patronised by the affluent and voguish personalities of the city apart from those who were serious about acquiring skills of yoga and others desirous of losing flab gained at all the wrong places. Meanwhile, her head swam as she felt feverish. The enchantress’s throat was parched and dry looking for succour as she was suffering from an acute bout of pharyngitis. The mellifluous alap, followed by taal and accompanied by the rhythmic beats of the percussion that had sounded harmonious to begin with, now virtually cannonaded her brains. She felt dizzy; her palms were sweaty and she felt exceedingly nauseas. Quite unheeding of the demands of decorum, she took a swig from the bottle lying in her pouch and followed it carelessly with a tablet of Erythromycin that had been prescribed by the doctor. If this wasn’t lethal enough, she quickly added an anti-depressant (prescribed for recurrent panic attacks) to bottle of gin and took a few sips. Soon the combination of the strains of Raag Malhar and the dangerous cocktail did their work. The wretched image of Susmita flooded her mind. Unable to bear the turmoil in her mind, she tottered towards the door. But before she reached there she collapsed on the floor, gasping for breath as she tenuously held on to vital prana for existence. She could faintly hear Raag Malhar reaching a crescendo and visualised a glimpse of her maker as her mind became blank. A little later she was wheeled into the ICCU of an estimable hospital. Many years ago Rishikesh, a bijou religious town casts a magnetic spell on the devout, tourists, stock individuals and seekers alike. And Monalisa Sengupta was no different. The town is located on the banks of the Ganges on a cliff overlooking the river. Quintessentially the place is the gateway to Garhwal Mountains and has earned the epithet of “Yoga Capital of the World.” The town derives its name from the word Hrishikesha, one of the names of Lord Vishnu and meaning the one who has mastered the senses. Since millennia, Rishikesh has been a singular part of the legendary “Kedarkhand”. Legends and folklore exhaustively narrate that Lord Rama performed penance and observed austerities at this holy place before vanquishing Ravana, the ten-headed demon king of Lanka. Lakshmana, younger brother of the scion of Ayodhya crossed the river Ganges in assistance of his older sibling’s mission using two jute ropes at the point where today the grandiose Lakshman Jhula stands aloft. Meanwhile the prepossessing woman Madhulika Sengupta delivered twins, Parth and Monalisa at Rishikesh, at her parental house, following a series of disputations with Major Dipankar Sengupta who was insistent that a confinement at the base hospital at Joshimath would have been more prudent. He served with valour in one of the mountain brigades. However, the writ of Parbhunath Sanyal, father-in-law of the man in fatigues and a celebrated yoga teacher of Rishikesh prevailed. “Dipu, given the tough regimen of your work it is well-nigh impossible for you to look after Madhulika and the babies.” Major Dipankar Sengupta who possessed a chiselled, battle hardened frame and had been decorated with gallantry awards for operations in Manipur and the Kashmir Valley, capitulated to decree of Parbhunath Sanyal, much to the chagrin of his parents. Parbhunath Sanyal who learnt the science of yoga, pranayama and meditation from Bihar School of Yoga of Ranchi set up an establishment at Rishikesh. The patriarch of the yoga establishment began his day by taking a dip in the holy Ganges, meditated for an hour and then performed an exacting 108 sets of Suryanamaskars unflinchingly every day. This signature routine was a bulwark against creeping old age, and blessed him with a physical and mental hardihood that would be difficult to find in even one much younger. The day was spent in imparting exacting esoteric, scientific, spiritual, and sublime yogic knowledge and techniques to the tutees of the academy. Come evening, as the crimson sun sank into the Ganges, the exalted Parbhunath Sanyal once again took a dip in the sanctified river and then performed another 108 sets of Suryanamaskars. He was canonized Maharishi by other yogis and swamis who populated the pristine town. The practice of yoga transported the yogi to ecstatic heights and made him cheery and blissful. His face always radiant and bore a beatific, especially prior to the evening aarti to Goddess Ganga on the banks of the distinguished river. As per townsfolk, the yogi through the practice of yoga, pranayama and meditation had conquered his senses, truly one who was Hrishikesha. Living on a frugal diet of fruits, nuts and sprouts, the Maharishi was well-known for his seraphic personality, ably supported by his wife Sugandha. Over the years Major Sengupta rose through the army hierarchy and to become a brigadier. His winsome wife Madhulika and the twins, Parth and Monalisa, had had the unique opportunity of staying in the deserts of Thar, the mountains of North-East, in God’s Own Country and overseas as well, as they accompanied the army officer in his varied postings. But Rishikesh held special significance in the heart of Monalisa. Every summer, the twins would land at the Yoga institute and spend quality time with the maternal grandparents much to the disapprobation of the Sengupta family, who were settled in Kolkata. Monalisa embraced the holy river, the tranquil and serene atmosphere of Rishikesh and began acquiring skills of yoga under the watchful guidance of Nannu, as the children called Parbhunath Sanyal. Maharishi to his devotees, he remained Nannu to the apple of his eye Monalisa. Parth was a reluctant learner of yoga and preferred mountain climbing and rafting instead. He was attached more to his grandmother than his grandfather and to the paternal grandparents more than the maternal ones. Brigadier Sengupta was now heading a mountain brigade in Arunachal. Madhulika stayed with her husband and the children were to be admitted in college. While Madhulika respected her in-laws, she was always swayed by loyalty to her father. She felt no man could match the towering persona of her Maharishi father. This had often caused turbulence in the couple’s marital life and also between her and Dipankar’s parents. Madhulika now toyed with the idea of her children being educated at Dehradun so that they could be in close proximity to her father. But the plan was torpedoed by her son Parth. “Ma! Enough of that religious place, the ash-smeared sadhus and the whole yogic drill!” “No way am I going to study at Dehradun. I have decided to join Presidency or Xavier’s. Mona is coming with me. Do not impose your ideas and regimentation on us. We’ve had enough of that,” was Parth’s rebellious response when his mother shared her thoughts on the matter. Parth was always a more rooted-in-the-present kind of a person and luxuriated in the outdoors, perhaps influenced by his macho father. While he loved Nannu, and respected him as Maharishi, Parth was not particularly swayed by religiosity or spiritualism. There was a showdown between members of the family, but Madhulika was surprisingly outnumbered 5 to 1. It was one of the rare occasions, where daughter Monalisa was in disagreement with the ukase of her mother. This stupefied Madhulika no end, who had been a 100% sure her daughter would side with her. But mothers possess a sixth-sense when it comes to their offspring. She figured out the purported reason. Monalisa was bewitched by Abhimanyu Chatterjee a polymath in the gang of Parth’s friend. The erudite personality was a genius in mathematics and with amazing speed solved the most complex quadratic equations even as Mona struggled. He was a charming personality, well-versed with Indian cultural heritage and western philosophy. With seamless ease the bluestocking, strapping youngster doffed several hats. He could rattle off Swami Vivekananda’s speech given at the World Congress of Religions in Chicago and strum the guitar. Equally, he was adept at discussing the nuances of film-making of wizards like Ray, Mrinal Sen and Ghatak. The left and right hemispheres of the brain of Abhimanyu Chatterjee were highly developed. But the cutting edge was his regimen of practising yoga. Whenever the Sengupta children were in Calcutta, Monalisa and Abhimanyu had several sessions of yoga. Monalisa thought she saw the same spark of the Maharishi in the multi-faceted personality of Abhimanyu. Somewhere from yoga to culture to mathematics, love blossomed between the two. Monalisa defied the decree of her mother and vetoed the proposal to study in Dehradun. The couple would be locked in passionate embrace at Nicco Park. Or take a boat ride on the Hooghly River and visit Dakshineshwar. The duo was enthusiastic theatre, music and movie buffs. One weekend Mona and Abhimanyu zipped of to Digha beach a popular sea resort, where they spent highly romantic and passionate moments as the winsome girl lost her virginity. Monalisa and Abhimanyu were determined to marry and live happily. The Sengupta family, barring Madhulika was joyous with the decision taken by two. Monalisa’s maternal grandparents did not share the delight. A prescient Maharishi upon learning of his granddaughter’s decision, mentioned to Sugandha, “Mona’s temperament and her association with the Yoga institute, even her deep interest in existentialism and yoga are antithetic to her stay at Calcutta. Rishikesh and Monalisa are inseparable. This match does not augur well for our granddaughter.” “Though she is still to become Hrishikesha and conquer her senses in totality,” the venerable Maharishi was to tell his daughter. Back in Calcutta, the twins were enrolled in St Xavier’s College and pursuing economics. Abhimanyu was senior to them by two years and in the final year of studying mathematics. What began as an ordinary infatuation and attraction began to bloom and mature into unalloyed love between Abhimanyu and his beloved Monalisa. The cerebral and donnish Abhimanyu helped out Monalisa in solving dandelion questions of mathematical economics. The two performed yoga together, began sharing intimate moments at the Elliot Park, frequented Park Street and found a new passion. They began frequenting ITC Sangeet Research Academy to listen to Hindustani music. The strains and octaves of the music transported them to a different zone. Abhimanyu was now a frequent visitor to the Sengupta household and was always warmly welcomed by Monalisa’s grandparents and Parth. Madhulika, whenever in town from Niausa in Arunachal Pradesh, openly expressed her disapproval. “This boy, Abhimanyu is too crafty for our innocent Mona. My father has portended that they ought not to meet,” would be the refrain of the distraught mother. But her apprehensions were parried by her in-laws. “What is wrong with Abhimanyu? He is diligent, a scholar, does yogic exercises, looks after your daughter – what more do you want?” Time flew in the City of Joy; soon a year had elapsed and the twins moved to second year. Abhimanyu joined Presidency College to obtain a Master’s degree in Mathematics. He made grandiose plans of obtaining an M Phil, to be followed by a doctoral thesis. The subject of the doctoral thesis was to develop a robust statistical model to analyse declining crop share holding of the marginal farmers in India, with special emphasis on West Bengal. The Sengupta family other than Madhulika had accepted Abhimanyu Chatterjee to be a family member and it was virtually agreed upon that Monalisa would be his bride. For Madhulika, Abhimanyu was too canny and worldly wise and the doctoral thesis was just a springboard for greener pastures. Double Whammy Just as everything seemed to be hunky-dory, the unexpected happened. Human life is brimful of vicissitudes and the landscape is populated with numerous peaks and valleys. Brigadier Dipankar Sengupta was felled by the bullets of ultras as he was in hot pursuit somewhere in the North East on a secret mission and Maharishi Parbhunath Sanyal, who had aged over the years startlingly, slipped into the Ganges as he was getting ready to perform the evening aarti and drowned in the river. The bloated body was traced by expert divers late in the night. Madhulika and her children were devastated by the turn of events. Madhulika and her twins’ presence was mandated at the army base and also at Rishikesh. Monalisa decided that she would represent her mother at Rishikesh and her brother Parth would accompany Madhulika to Niausa. The mother was numbed at the twin tragedies and inconsolable. The feisty girl also overruled her paternal grandfather and made it clear that the immersion of the ashes in the holy river Ganges of the decorated Brigadier would be at Rishikesh. The overwrought patriarch of the Sengupta family and his granddaughter had an acrimonious discussion on the subject but the will of the hysterical wife and the inconsolable daughter prevailed. As the forlorn Sanyals and Senguptas looked shattered and devastated the ashes of the father-in-law and son-in-law were immersed on a tranquil morning in the holy river of Ganga at Rishikesh. Abhimanyu Chatterjee was conspicuous by his absence; not present to comfort Monalisa as the twin tragedies engulfed the family. The perspicacious Maharishi and his donnish daughter were proved correct. While the Maharishi had several tutees, it was his fond desire that Mona supervise the affairs of the Yoga institute upon becoming an authentic Hrishikesha. This was well-known in the family circles. Thus the plucky Madhulika and spunky Monalisa decided to stay on at Rishikesh to oversee the affairs of the Yoga institute much to the surprise of the Sengupta family and Parth. Thus a young but determined girl opted to drop out of college and live with the two widows to administer the Yoga institute for some time. She did not specify the time frame. Though her mind and heart pined for Abhimanyu, she like others in the family was grieved at the singular distance maintained by him. An anguished Parth and his distressed grandparents went back to Calcutta while his numbed sister remained at Rishikesh. Abhimanyu Chatterjee was apparently grappling with numbers and had insulated himself totally from the tragic events which had overwhelmed Mona and her family. Once he felt secure, he re-opened channels with the Senguptas. While Parth remained non-committal, the patriarch of Sengupta family goaded Abhimanyu to rediscover Monalisa in his life. So it was that Abhimanyu decided to visit the Yoga institute at Rishikesh and meet up with Monalisa and reignite the flame besides learning some advanced techniques of yoga. Reigniting the Flame It was an early Sunday morning, the bells of the temples were chiming, the gargantuan Ganges was tranquil, early morning birds left to catch their prize, the sun was yet to rise and a pleasant breeze wafted across the yoga capital of the world. Rishikesh, named after the one who had conquered the senses was suffused with efficacious thoughts and still to awake. A tall, well-built man, walked carefully down the steps, to see an enchanting well-endowed woman neatly dressed in a sparkling white churidar-kurta, practising Surya Namaskar. The practitioner’s fluid movements looked much like a dancer on a yoga mat on the banks of the river. The tall man quietly set up his mat next to that of the lady and soon started his sets of Surya Namaskar. There seemed to be a competition building up between the two and the movements gained pace. Soon the first rays of the sun encompassed the pristine Himalayas and the space was glistening with primordial incandescence. The eyes of the two practitioners met and the bearded man stepped on to the other yoga mat and held the hands of the woman and planted a kiss on her cheeks and lips. She was astounded…but did not protest. Perhaps the woman in her felt deprived of the passionate kiss of Abhimanyu. As the crimson sun rose from the bosom of Himalayan range, she tore away from her beloved. “Where have you been all this while Abhimanyu, playing with a Rubik’s cube? Solving equations? In the moments of bereavement, I had only my mother and brother as ballast. No entreaties on your part can assuage my fragmented and unsettled mind.” Monalisa continued with her tirade against Abhimanyu, quite unmindful of a motley crowd of pilgrims, a few bare-bodied sadhus smeared with ash and a few Yoga institute inmates who had gathered around the two lovers. Abhimanyu remained passive and heard Monalisa as she gave vent to her frustration. While some onlookers seemed to enjoy the diatribe and squalling, some meditators and yoga practitioners were certainly disturbed by the relentless harangue. The shrieking by the lady seemed to have an impact on the calm river which virtually became virulent. Finally, Abhimanyu broke his silence and in a most impassive manner uttered, “I never mentioned to you, your brother or your family members that my father was afflicted with cancer and passed away a few days back. Over the last few years I was nursing him and can empathise with your pain as I too suffered in a similar manner.” Monalisa was shattered upon hearing this calamitous piece of news and had no option but to be swayed. “But Abhimanyu, why did you not share this with me… After all there was nothing to hide between us,” she cried. Over the next few days Abhimanyu and Mona once again discovered each other, shared their pain, agony and reminisced of old times. Monalisa was mentally devastated to the extent that she was willing to relive the Digha Beach moments … And during the act in the hotel where she stayed with Abhimanyu wondered whether her lover was in love with her or merely her body? The words of her mother that the guy was too canny were lurking in the alcoves of her mind. But she let go her emotions as she had an orgasm. Madhulika was not too pleased with the change in the attitude of her daughter. But there was little clarity in her thought process as the double whammy had enveloped her mind with darkness and tenebrosity. A recently widowed older woman could hardly provide succour to her equally widowed daughter. Abhimanyu Chatterjee had completed his M Phil in mathematics and had enrolled for doctoral studies, while Monalisa’s education in economics came to a grinding halt once she had shifted base to Rishikesh from Calcutta. Back in Calcutta, senior Sengupta took a momentous decision and decided to draw the lines of fate of his granddaughter. It was decided that during Durga Puja, Monalisa would marry Abhimanyu. Her mother and grandmother returned to Rishikesh to look after the Yoga institute. Madhulika extracted a promise from Abhimanyu that Mona would spend at least a month at Rishikesh, at the Yoga institute to ensure it ran smoothly. While Abhimanyu’s mother was not overwhelmed with the proposal, her son caved in to the request of his mother-in-law. The couple were decked up in bridal wear. As the conches were blown in the honour of the presiding deity Mother Durga, Abhimanyu and Monalisa were married. The couple luxuriated in Sikkim for their honeymoon. Mona was blessed with an army back ground and spiritual training under the tutelage of her grandfather. She was a unique combination of tradition, military discipline and yet a free thinker. Abhimanyu Chatterjee besides being a mathematician was a well-read and cultured person. His widowed mother and a younger sister stayed with him while the older one was married and settled in the US. Monalisa, though a down-to-earth person, was upmarket compared to the middle class Chatterjee family. And there-in lay the schism between the daughter-in-law and her new family members. Yet another bone of contention was Mona’s insistence of setting up a yoga centre and continuing her academic pursuits in economics which had been interrupted. However Abhimanyu supported his wife. But the word given by him to Madhulika regarding Mona’s visits to Rishikesh for a month led to frequent contretemps in the family. They were married for now four years and Monalisa despite her engagements of completing her education and running the Yoga institute was impregnated and gave birth to twins. They were named Saumitra and Piyush. The mother-in-law tried to use this as a ruse to decree that Monalisa would be confined to Calcutta. But the spirited woman did not budge and continued her forays. “Mona how is Abhimanyu? Is he treating you well? I am quite surprised that he permitted you visit Yoga institute for a month,” mused Madhulika. Little did Monalisa or Madhulika realise that Abhimanyu was quite pleased at the prospect of his wife being away from Calcutta. Once, Monalisa had to cut short her visit to Rishikesh as her grandfather was hospitalised on account of a kidney infection and was in a serious condition. She rushed to the hospital along with the children, only to see her grandfather on a ventilator. A frantic Monalisa enquired from Parth and her grandmother, “Where is Abhimanyu?” They had no answers. She made frantic attempts to trace her husband but in vain. Finally she learnt from a professor in the Mathematics department that her husband was in Darjeeling, with Durga, a fellow student. Durga was also pursuing a doctoral thesis at Presidency College. The two had developed a phenomenal relationship. And this was not the only affair her husband had had; in fact he was a lady’s man who had a roving eye. Even during his prolonged absence from Monalisa’s life he had developed illicit relationships. “Do not trust Abhimanyu, he is a canny fellow,” the words of her mother ringed in Monalisa’s mind. Her grandfather passed away and Monalisa was in a state of despair. She had forgiven Abhimanyu, but could not accept his cheating and sought legal separation. The courts had handed over the custody of the children to Monalisa. The enchanting princess moved her base to Rishikesh to be with her bedridden grandmother and her mother along with her children. The clock in Monalisa’s life had come to a standstill. She lost her father and maternal grandfather on the same day and a few years later her paternal grandfather. In these moments of bereavement she looked for a helping hand, which came to her support in the form of Abhimanyu. She and Abhimanyu had similar tastes and likings and she was a loyal wife. But Abhimanyu was not an unalloyed Hrishikesha. He was not in control of his senses and fell prey to carnal pleasures. Soon her mind was clouded by Sisyphean and antipathetic thoughts and she began drinking heavily, smoking and indulged in cannabis much to the infuriation of her mother. This tarnished the image of the Yoga institute which was established with such penance by her grandfather and was one of the epicentres of Rishikesh. Monalisa was admitted to a rehabilitation centre for treatment, where she made valiant attempts to combat the pestilence, suffering from repeated withdrawal symptoms. As she was staging a recovery the family was struck by yet another tragedy and had to suffer bereavement of her grandmother. The family members and inmates of the Yoga institute were present on the banks of Ganga as Parth was completing the final rituals. A hazy and dazed appearing Monalisa who was encompassed with demonic thoughts slipped into the River Ganges. Was it an attempted suicide or... an accidental slip remained a mystery, consigned to the depths of the blest river? As the body seemed to be floating away … a yoga instructor, Madhav Deb jumped into the river and rescued Monalisa from the impending disaster as the opprobrious gathering were a witness to the events. Madhav Deb had arrived a few months back from Kolkata. Calcutta was now Kolkata and a new regime had breached the red fortress. This masculine man had ingratiated himself to Madhulika. Perhaps being a Bengali helped in these matters. Over a few months Madhav Deb and Monalisa grew close. She and her children had experienced innumerable hardships. Once again in her life a person interested in yoga and reasonably similar tastes entered her life. But Madhav Deb had taken enormous care of Monalisa in the rehabilitation centre and it was decided that the two get married once Parth had verified the antecedents. Both were in their late thirties and unmarried. She had two children and a mother to look after. Fast Forward to 2020 The Yoga institute in Rishikesh was being looked after by Pandit Bharadwaj, an accomplished yoga instructor and an eloquent speaker. This was the day of reckoning. He had to pass on the mantle. There were several aspirants. There were qualified yoga practitioners and administrators. They numbered around 50 which also included Monalisa. Hush and sush had descended in the hall as a lady dressed in white had tiptoed in the room. She was extremely beguiling. Her name was Susmita. Monalisa who was sitting cross-legged and with her eyes closed recalled the footsteps. She got up and escorted Susmita to the section where forms of those who join the academy are filled up. Monalisa filled the form. Pandit Bharadwaj stood on the podium and announced that Monalisa would be the first woman head of the Yoga institute; thunderous applause and some sniggers could be heard. “This announcement would surprise many. I make her my successor, not because her grandfather once held this esteemed post, but because SHE HAS LEARNT THE ART OF ACCEPTANCE AND FORGIVENESS.” He summoned Monalisa towards him and whispered, “You were always brilliant, but were your own adversary as you burnt with passion and retribution. One of the foremost principles of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutra is “Agarigraha sthairye janmakathamta sambodhaha”(II Sutra, 39) that is “Being established in non-accumulation gives knowledge of how births happen.” “On the fateful day of 2016, you attempted to snuff out your life once you realised that Madhav was living with Susmita. This development made you into a mental wreck. But someone who practices yoga needs to be perfectly balanced and poised and you have reached that exalted state today,” added the learned one. “The dark does not destroy the light; it defines it. It’s our fear of the dark that casts our joy into the shadows,” he quoted Brene Brown. “Rishikesh and the Yoga institute have found a yogini in Ma Monalisa Devi, as you have now conquered your senses and have become a true Hrishikesha as desired by your estimable grandfather. Only one who is truly Hrishikesha possesses the qualities to preside over the Yoga institute.