Immortals of Meluha

‘We of course refused to do that,’ said Parvateshwar. ‘Under the leadership of King
Brahmanayak, his Highness’ father, we attacked Swadweep.’
‘The land of the Chandravanshis?’ asked Shiva.
‘Yes Shiva,’ said Parvateshwar. ‘And it was a resounding victory. The Chandravanshi army
was routed. King Brahmanayak kindly let them keep their lands and even their system of
governance. We didn’t even ask for any war reparations or yearly tribute either. The only term
of the surrender treaty was the return of the Yamuna. We restored the Yamuna to her original
course to meet with the Saraswati.’
‘You fought in that war, Parvateshwar?’
‘Yes,’ said Parvateshwar, his chest swollen with pride. ‘I was a mere soldier then. But I did
fight in that war.’
Turning to Daksha, Shiva asked, ‘Then what is the problem now, your Highness? Your
enemy was comprehensively defeated. Then why is the Saraswati still dying?’
We believe that the Chandravanshis are up to something again. We don’t understand it as
yet. After their defeat, the area between our two countries was made into a no-man’s land and
the jungle has reclaimed it. That included the early course of the Yamuna as well. We stuck to
our part of the bargain and never disturbed that region. It appears that they didn’t honour their
end of the promise.’
‘Are you sure of that your Highness? Has the area been checked? Has this been discussed
with the Chandravanshis’ representative in your empire?’
‘Are you trying to say that we are lying?’ countered Parvateshwar. True Suryavanshis don’t
lie!’
‘Parvateshwar!’ scolded Daksha angrily. ‘The Lord was not implying anything like that.’
‘Listen to me, Parvateshwar,’ said Shiva politely. ‘If I have learnt something from the
poindess batdes of my land, it is that wars should be the last resort. If there is another solution
possible, there is no harm in saving some young soldier ’s life. A mother somewhere would
bless us for it.’
‘Let’s not fight! Wonderful! What a great saviour we have!’ Parvateshwar muttered under his
breath.
‘You have something to say Parvateshwar?’ barked Kanakhala. ‘I have told you before. You
will not insult the Neelkanth in my presence!’
‘I don’t take orders from you,’ growled Parvateshwar.
‘Enough!’ ordered Daksha. Turning to Shiva, he continued, ‘I am sorry my Lord. You are
right. We shouldn’t just declare war without being sure. That is why I have avoided a war till
now. But look at the facts of the case. The flow of the Saraswati has been slowly depleting for
the last fifty years.’
‘And the last few years have been horrible,’ said Kanakhala as she controlled her tears at
the slow death of the river most Meluhans regarded as a mother. ‘The Saraswati doesn’t even
reach the sea now and ends in an inland delta just south of Rajasthan.’
‘And the Somras cannot be made without water from the Saraswati,’ continued Daksha.
‘The Chandravanshis know that and that is why they are trying to kill her.’
‘What does the Swadweep representative say about it? Has he been questioned?’
‘We have no diplomatic relations with Swadweep, my Lord,’ said Daksha.
‘Really? I thought having representatives of other countries was one of your innovative
systems. It gives you an opportunity to better understand them and maybe avoid jumping into a