The Jewel Thief

When the citizens of the billion nation woke up, they were stunned to read or hear about the news that the Jewel of India has been found mysteriously missing. The motor mouth from the R-Pub TV thundered in his customary style “what has happened to the Jewel of India, the nation wants to know?”

The Home Minister skipped his breakfast for he had called for a meeting as soon as he saw the news in his favourite R-Pub channel. Anyway, he was doing intermittent fasting as recommended by health experts and religiously too it was the month of Shravan when the believers among Hindus kept fast.

When the nation’s intelligentsia had assembled, he barked “what happened to the Jewel of India, why didn’t the intelligence know? Was it only when intelligent people migrate abroad, they shine and not in Bharat?”

His personal secretary walked in and whispered something in his ears and the Home Minister nodded his head. On the power point projector, a clue that the R-Pub TV had received was on display. The clue read 79 followed by a picture of a housefly and 4154. The intelligentsia could not decipher the clue and hang their head in shame.

Once again the personal secretary rushed in and he took over the phone and said “Home minister here” and the voice answered “I know the meaning of the clue. But we need a contract. I am Chacha Choudhary speaking.” “Who is we?” Asked the home minister in a somewhat relieved manner. He could feel the pressure in his heart ease a bit. “Sherlock Holmes from England was the other” replied Chacha. But the minister intervened and said “he was made in England and you expect me to go ahead violating the ‘atmanirbhar’ policy.” Chacha said “when it comes to deductive logic, there is none comparable and deciphering the clue was only the beginning, I expect finding the jewel would involve much more.” Hmm, agreed the minister and said “you both are hired.”

The defence aircraft Rafale made a brief stop-over at Heathrow when Sherlock boarded the people and the jet landed in Ambala where Chacha was already waiting.

Sherlock had already read the brief that was faxed to him on the flight and he asked Chacha how did he decipher that the housefly was the letter E. “Elementary dear” said Chacha and explained that housefly was called E in Tamil language. “Brilliant indeed and the intelligentsia could not decipher that” cheekily observed Sherlock. Chacha explained that the clue 79E4154 represented the longitude on which several Shiva temples are located. He suggested that Chidambaram is the place to go as it held some secret called the “Chidambaram Raghasiyam.” Chidambaram’s Nataraja whose cosmic dance represents the dance of the sub-atomic matter according to Dr Fritjof Capra, winner of Nobel Prize for physics” concluded Chacha. “No wonder, you are supposed to have super computing brain” remarked Sherlock in admiration, to Chacha.

From Ambala they flew to Chennai and took a waiting official car to Chidambaram. Sherlock suddenly exclaimed “Ravana(Shiva devotee)” in an eurekha moment. He told Chacha I was wondering what was connecting the longitude to the Jewel of India. As you know in Ramayana he hijacked Sitha, the epitome of women-hood, the jewel of Ram Rajya and now today the Jewel of the New India has gone missing. “Then it has to be Rameswaram, rather than Chidambaram” exclaimed Chacha should your theory has any merit.

When they approached the Sanctum Santorum of the Rameshwaram temple the priest did an arthi and gave them a chit of paper. In it was written Emerald Isle-Sheraton, Colombo with today’s date and a specified time. Sherlock exclaimed that some event was to be held in that hotel and we have to be there. They had about eight hours in hand.

Soon they were speeding in a speed boat ala James Bond courtesy the Indian navy and reached Colombo just in time for the event.

It was as though they were expected by Ravana. They were ushered in to the Dandakaranya Hall. The minister of Science and History was extolling the virtues of Ravana. Unlike the neighbourhood Ramayana where Ravana the Srilankan King was vilified, the evidence thus far suggests that Ravana was a great king, scholar in Ayurveda, a musician par excellence and a Shiva devotee. More than that he had invented the Pushpaka vimana and that is why the Srilankan government had named its satellite as Ravan.

Sherlock and Chacha got taken back when the minister invited the Jewel of India to come on stage and make his announcement. Bharat Ratan as he was known in the neighbourhood said that Ravan was a state-of-the-art satellite and evolved based on the ancient designs of Ravana. Indeed, it was with great pleasure that he was announcing with great leap of faith that his Trust would make an untold investment for the creation of Ravan-2. He added “hopefully history would get re-written and portray correctly Ravan for what he stood for and his contribution.”

The audience welcomed this announcement with thunderous applause. Later Ratan, who had a thing or two for mysteries, told Sherlock and Chacha had he made known his intentions about Ravan-2 he would not have been able to leave the shores of India with a wink and a twinkle in his eye. Sherlock and Chacha bowed to the old and crafty serial entrepreneur and they did a jiggle to the tune of one two ch, cha cha.