CHAPTER 16

The Sun & Earth

There was an impromptu celebration that night in Karachapa. Their princess was safe. The
insufferable Tarak had been defeated. Many people in Karachapa believed that even his own
mother must have loathed the surly preacher. He had few supporters in the liberal city. But
there were rules for duels. Hence the moment Sati had forgiven Tarak, paramedics had rushed
in to take him to the hospital. Surgeons had laboured for six hours to save his life. To much
dismay for the town folk, they had succeeded.
‘Have you heard about the poem of the sun and the earth?’ Sati asked Shiva.
They were standing on the balcony of the governor ’s palace while a boisterous party raged
inside.
‘No,’ said Shiva with a seductive grin, corning a little closer to her. ‘But I’d love to hear it’
‘Apparently the earth sometimes thinks of the possibility of coming closer to the sun,’ said
Sati. ‘But she can’t do that. She is so base and his brilliance so searing, that she will cause
destruction if she draws him closer.’
What now?
‘I disagree,’ said Shiva. ‘I think the sun burns only as long as the earth is close to him. If the
earth wasn’t there, there would be no reason for the sun to exist.’
‘The sun doesn’t exist just for the earth. It exists for every single planet in the solar system.’
‘Isn’t it really the sun’s choice for whom he chooses to exist?’
‘No,’ said Sati, looking at Shiva, melancholic. ‘The moment he became the sun, his calling
became higher. He does not exist for himself. He exists for the greater good of everyone. His
luminosity is the lifeblood of the solar system. And if the earth has any sense of responsibility,
she will not do anything to destroy this balance.’
‘So what should the sun do?’ asked Shiva, his hurt and anger showing on his face. ‘Just
waste his entire life burning away? Looking at the earth from a distance?’
‘The earth isn’t going away anywhere. The sun and the earth can still share a warm
friendship. But anything more is against the laws. It is against the interests of others.’
Shiva turned away from Sati in anger. He looked north to seek solace from his holy lake.
Feeling nothing, he looked up at the skies, towards the gods he did not believe in.
Dammit!
He banged the balcony railing with his powerful fist, dislodging some bricks and stormed off.

Outside the city walls, in a forested area, a few soldiers lay in wait. At a slight distance, two