enraged face. Shiva had broken the law. Broken it brazenly and in public. Next to him stood
Sati. Her face, her eyes, her entire demeanour expressionless.
What the hell is she thinking?
Brahaspati and Sati entered Shiva’s chambers as soon as he was alone. Shiva’s smile at
seeing his two favourite people in the world disappeared on hearing Sati’s voice, ‘You must get
a shudhikaran done.’
He looked at her and answered simply, ‘No.’
‘No? What do you mean no?’
‘I mean No. Nahin. Nako,’ said Shiva, adding the words for ‘no’ in the Kashmiri and the
Kotdwaar dialect, for good measure.
‘Shiva,’ said Brahaspati, keeping his composure. ‘This is no laughing matter. I agree with
Sati. The governor too was worried about your safety and has arranged for a pandit. He waits
outside as we speak. Get the ceremony done now.’
‘But I just said I don’t want to.’
‘Shiva,’ said Sati, reverting to her usual tone. ‘I respect you immensely. Your valour. Your
intelligence. Your talent. But you are not above the law. You have touched a vikarma. You have
to get a shudhikaran. That is the law.’
‘Well if the law says that my touching that poor blind man is illegal, then the law is wrong!’
Sati was stunned into silence by Shiva’s attitude.
‘Shiva, listen to me,’ argued Brahaspati. ‘Not doing a shudhikaran can be harmful to you.
You are meant for bigger things. You are important to the future of India. Don’t put your own
person at risk out of obstinacy.’
‘It’s not obstinacy. You tell me, honestly, how can it harm me if I happened to touch a
wronged man, who I might add, still loves his country despite the way he has been ostracised
and ill-treated?’
‘He may be a good man Shiva, but the sins of his previous birth will contaminate your fate,’
said Brahaspati.
‘Then let them! If the weight on that man’s shoulders lessens, I will feel blessed.’
‘What are you saying Shiva?’ asked Sati. ‘Why should you carry the punishment of someone
else’s sins?’
‘Firstly, I don’t believe in the nonsense that he was punished for the sins of his previous birth.
He was just infected by a disease, plain and simple. Secondly, if it is my choice to carry the
weight of someone else’s so called sins, why should it matter to anyone?’
‘It matters because we care about you!’ cried Brahaspati.
‘Come on Sati,’ said Shiva. ‘Don’t tell me you believe in this rubbish.’
‘It is not rubbish.’
‘Look, don’t you want me to fight for you? Stop this unfairness that your society has
subjected you to.’
‘Is that what this is about? Me?’ asked Sati, outraged.
‘No,’ retorted Shiva immediately, then added. ‘Actually yes. This is also about you. It is
about the vikarma and the unfairness that they have to face. I want to save them from leading