‘Well, if he has a blue throat, then he is the Neelkanth, isn’t he? And if he is the Neelkanth,
then he is our saviour. He has to accept his destiny.’
An exasperated Parvateshwar interjected. ‘I can’t believe that we are talking like this. We
are Meluhans! We are the Suryavanshis! We have created the greatest civilisation ever known
to man. And some barbarian with no education, no skills, no merit is going to be our saviour?
Just because he has a blue throat?’
‘That is what the legend says Parvateshwar,’ countered Kanakhala.
Daksha interrupted both his ministers. ‘Parvateshwar, I believe in the legend. My people
believe in the legend. The Neelkanth has chosen my reign to appear. He will transform all of
India to the ideals of Meluha — a land of truth, duty and honour. With his leadership, we can
end the Chandravanshi crisis once and for all. All the agonies they inflict upon us will be over —
from the terrorist attacks to the shortage of Somras to the killing of the Saraswati.’
‘Then why delay telling him, your Highness?’ asked Kanakhala. ‘The more days we waste,
the weaker becomes the resolve of our people. You know there was another terrorist attack
just a few days back at a village not far from Hariyupa. As our reaction becomes weak, our
enemies become bolder, your Highness. We must tell the Lord quickly and announce his arrival
to our people. It will give us the strength to fight our cruel enemies.’
‘I will tell him. But I am trying to be more farsighted than you. So far our empire has only
faced the morale-sapping influence of fraudulent Neelkanths. Imagine the consequences if
people found out that the true Neelkanth has come but refuses to stand by us. First we must be
sure that he is willing to accept his destiny. Only then will we announce him to our people. And I
think that the best way to convince him is to share the whole truth with him. Once he sees the
unfairness of the attacks we face, he will fight with us to destroy evil. If that takes time, so be
it. We have waited for centuries for the Neelkanth. A few more weeks will not destroy us.’
singke
(singke)
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