Swamy Ayyappa - Part 2

At night, they both wore black saris and came to the bus stand. The brown sacred beads (rudraksha mala) were adored their necks. They didn’t look like journalists at all, and particularly Sudha looked like she was a different girl. Her hair was never tied before, but now it was tied and garlanded with jasmine flowers.

“You look strange in this dress,” Gayatri said. People who were standing there threw an awkward look at them as if they had come from a foreign country.

“Really?” Sudha said, in a polite tone, “You know one thing, I never wore saris before. But for the first time. I am wearing this just to tell others, including my parents that how much I loved to be an ardent devotee of the Lord Ayyappa.”

They both were waiting for the bus to come in. They had booked SLRR bus service, but it took some time for the bus to reach here due to some traffic as the driver had gone to change the front tire of it, because it was bulged and looked vulnerable as to burst out at any time.

“Of course,” Gayatri said and they heard the blaring noise come from behind them. She turned and screamed lightly, “Oh goodness bus has come finally,” her both hands were on her rosy cheeks. She had a black backpack and the irumudi which they had to put on their head, because it was required before climbing up the eighteen steps to see the Lord Ayyappa.

The conductor stood behind the doorway of the bus, and asking the passengers to get inside. Most of them were men and their native was near Pamba River which was a few kilometers away from the shrine. They were all working in Bangalore in different organizations. They actually joined together through facebook and started a hate group against the verdict of the Supreme Court. In fact, they had always considered the temple priests words were righteous and shouldn’t be interpreted wrongly. Not only that, they believed it was the words had come from the Lord Himself. They were now traveling together only to join in the temple agitation which was going for few weeks now. They initially thought it would come to an end and the historical decision would be revoked, but it wasn’t happened. They were anguished and wanted to confront against it now. On seeing these girls in black attire, their veins were almost exploded. They felt like blocking the girls from getting on board. A man in thick beard tried to stand up and stop the girls, but the other fellow who had a rotund face had clenched his hand and shook his head at him slowly. His eyes were flaring. The thick beard man gritted his teeth as gave a thundering look towards the girls, who had come through the small aisle of the bus and searching for their seats.

“There it is, 21 a window seat,” Gayatri said, like a small kid, she almost jumped.

Subha laughed lightly, “You are still a kid.” They sat down together, as Gayatri lifted up the window as the chill air stung her cheeks. The wind was colder today. She felt like she would have brought her maroon woolen sweater which her mother had asked her to take it. But she had refused. Because her mother was kept scolding her for taking this adventurous journey, they didn’t like it at all, but her father didn’t say anything. He was worried instead.

The thick beard man was sitting in the front seat, his other group members were spread everywhere in the bus. At the last minute, a family was boarded. They weren’t young couple but in the middle of forties. The conductor was waiting for these passengers desperately, now he blew a whistle as the bus slowly turned and twisted through the crowd and driven on the main road. In about twenty minutes, the bus was running like an aero plane smoothly without any hiccups along with the high way.

“Do you want to eat vegetable rice? My mom has prepared it,” Gayatri asked her friend, as spooned the vegetable rice into her mouth. There were lots of carrot and beans slices in it, and she felt her mother should have added some more ghee into it. But the taste was really good, as usual. She had always loved to take the home food.

“No Gayu, I don’t want. I am not famished. I have some bread rolls and I will take it when the bus stops again………” she said.

Gayatri shook her head gently. Bus was running fiercely now, it was pitch dark on either side of roads, and they couldn’t even see the trees outside. There was no moon on the sky, and the dark clouds had hidden its appearance. She had finished eating and wiped her hands with napkin and closed the tiffin box and placed it in front of the pouch which was attached to the seat.

The thick beard man stood now, his eyes were malicious as he came and looked at both of them. Subha and Gayatri didn’t have any idea why this fellow was standing here. Subha thought he would take his luggage from the overhead storage space. But they were wrong. The other fellow had joined him too, not a rotund guy but someone who had big whiskers like kitten, and his chest was broad and athletic.

“Girls where are you going?” the thick beard fellow asked in a brisk voice. He was aged about forty, and you could see a few grey hairs on the front of his head.

“We are going to…………” Gayatri said, but didn’t finish because Subha’s hand was pressing on her thigh.

“Why are you asking this question?” Subha demanded. She never liked to act like a spineless girl, she wanted to show some guts.

“Just answer my question. I don’t think it is tough,” the man said, his jaw was contorting and his face become crude now. His lips were clenched.

“That’s none of your business,” she said and took a deep breath before continued, “Okay, we are going to Sabarimala to worship the God.” She wanted to be bold now. Why should I fear to tell the truth? She thought.

Gayatri was worrying now. She didn’t have any idea why these guys were asking these questions at them. Wherever she had turned her head in the bus, she could only see the bushy haired men’s heads. She knew there was something wrong here. Is the problem already started even before we get into the shrine? She thought. Fear had struck her heart fiercely.

“Of course, it’s our business my dear girl,” the kitten whiskered fellow said, his voice was shallow and thin. It didn’t match his sturdy body. He extended his hand and tried to pinch her cheeks. But Subha had ducked her head and sighed.

“For God’s sake, just go and sit in your seats,” Gayu screamed now. The fear of trouble had made her to do this. She wanted to wake up the conductor and the other passengers to know what was going on here. But the conductor was snoring in the front seat next to the driver. Now, he stirred and rustled slowly. Even she could see the family who got on the board at the last minute was sleeping in the back seat, woke up now. But she was frightened when she had seen most of the men hadn’t slept at all, their eyes were looking at her as if owls with a ridiculous fringes.

“Hey, everyone in the bus is my friends. So shut up your……………” the thick beard man said.

“What do you want?” Subha said.

“I wanted you to get out of this bus and go to your home. No Sabarimala for girls,” he said and snickered.

“Who are you to stop us from worshiping the God Ayyappa?” she said in an irritating voice.

Few more men had joined them now, including that rotund faced man. They had created a battle layer around these two girls as if they were going to attack at them at any moment. Gayatri’s heart was racing inside like wild tiger. She thought she couldn’t even see the shrine from far distance with these rogues around, let alone see the swamy Ayyappa in a couple of feet away. A moment she thought she had made a bad decision. But she wasn’t going to give up. She wanted to see his adored Lord at any cost. Even she was willing to give her life if needed. Her body was stiff again.

“Because you are girls and dirty. God never wanted to see the dirty in front of his eyes,” the rotund fellow said. His fists were curling and uncurling.

“What?” Subha was in full blow now. Her nose turned reddish and the tendon on the back of her neck stood out.

“Are you deaf or what? He said you girls are dirty,” the thick beard fellow muttered.

“How dare you to say like that in Hinduism dominated country, where women worshipped as Shakti? Do you think your mother is a dirty woman because she had bled when you are born in this world? She had taken all the suffering to give a good life for you. But you are cursing women like this,” she said and fumed, “Yes, you said her dirty because she had cleaned off your shit when you were a crawling boy. You say her dirty because she had fed the food showing moon with her finger. You say her dirty because she had washed your clothes even when she was suffering in those three days. You say her dirty because she had given you pills at right time to save you from illness. You say her dirty because she had prayed before God for your well-being. You say her dirty because she had decided to go to work to let you study in a good school. Above all you say her dirty because she became your mother?” Subha said in a roaring voice. Even Gayatri was surprised about the way she spoke now, she had never seen his friend in a furious form. It was like the God Parvati had sat on her soul to speak like that. She would have definitely clapped her hands if they were in the office, but not now because the rogues weren’t happy with the girl at all.

“If you say one more word again, I will strangle your neck,” the thick beard fellow said. “I know all the bullshit what you have preached now.”

Subha didn’t know what to tell anymore. She thought whatever she spoke would pacify these men from fighting against them. But she was wrong. In fact, her talk had roused anger in them.

“If you both don’t get down from the bus now, we are gonna show our other face to you,” he said. His voice was croaking. His hair was tossed up and down, as the wind gushed through the window. The bus was speeding like anything. The driver was enjoying his ride amidst this clamor here. But the conductor hadn’t budged an inch from his seat. He thought the bus was hijacked by these cold blooded men.

This time Gayatri responded, “We aren’t gonna return our home unless we have seen the temple and received blessings from swamy Ayyappa,” her hands were folded to signify what she had told now.

“Okay,” the thick beard fellow’s nostrils widened. He turned his eyes at other men, who knew what he meant. Then suddenly the kitten whiskered fellow had grabbed Gayatri’s hand and yanked her forcefully. The sacred beads around her neck shook as she had collided with Subha who was sitting next to her. But she settled on her seat again, struggling. Now, Subha was pulled by another person who smeared sandal stripe on his forehead. He was lean, but had great vigor to pull her out. They both were screaming now.

“Hey, stop this nonsense. Please someone help us,” Subha cried. None in the bus was ready to help them. The conductor even had feared to show his face at them. The lately boarded couple was muttering something, but the man was feared to confront them alone. Though his wife was persuading to go and save them, he didn’t relent to fight against them.