"नैनंछिन्दन्तिशस्त्राणि..." –
"Weapons cannot cut the soul."
If the head of the operation, Mr. Anish were to be believed, this Hercules of a man was found unconscious and chained heavily in an underground network of tunnels in the northeastern part where the mountains formed part of natural boundaries between two nations. The skirmish took a bloody turn as the tunnel rats were caught one by one, few surrendered, those who chose to answer with guns were replied by the same. Still, many were able to escape via escape routes and then made the detonators go off to collapse few routes to avoid the chase. Those who were caught, mostly said they didn't know about the person in the chains.
This left two possibilities, this man was either an accomplice that for some reason turned rogue. Or he might be some rival gang member. None of them explained the caricature of the person. The size of chains in which he was found was too large to be of human bondage, which provided a testament to the strength of the person. The report logs showed that one of the smugglers caught was instructed by his boss to administer the captive with heavy dose of methamphetamine to keep him docile. He admitted, that he was sacred as hell while he went in the chamber.
The logs further told that the man was transferred to this facility (moving nearly about two-quintal person is certainly not an easy task). Different interrogative sessions revealed only that the man speaks in what sounds like archaic Sanskrit. With the Mr. Anish occupied in other priority cases, this person of interest was a little sidelined.
"I want you to make sense of what he says. Assist our officer Vyom with interrogation. I will leave in sometime, and I am sorry to ruin your day.", Mr Anish said, but he didn't even seem sorry in the first place. I just nodded fine.
Mr. Vyom was waiting outside the cabin and took me downstairs where the interrogation chamber was. I had seen the image in cam, but to see such a humongous person with two mortal eyes in awe inspiring. I had hundreds of questions myself. The person glanced at us. He looked frustrated. He let a sigh out, seemingly disappointed.
Next five hours were grueling and downright bizarre. I felt tired, but his responses kept me awake. Nothing made sense. I sensed that Vyom wanted to smack some sense unto this meat-head, but sheer size of the person kept him from doing such thing.
Only thing that was conveyed fruitfully was his name. "Tamobhuvan".
"They also call me Kaitavik." Ok, two names. But Mr. Anish won't be happy with this.
Who did he work for?
शृङ्खलाः देहम् बन्धयन्ति, न तु चिन्तनम्। अहं कस्यापि न कर्म कुर्वे, केवलं आत्मनि एव।
'Chains bind flesh, not the thought. I work for no one but me.'
Why was he held among the smugglers?
अहं गहने वनमध्ये भ्रमन् स्म। गहने वनानि केवलं छायां न ददन्ति, अपि तु अदृश्यपथान् अपि प्रददन्ति। मम चैतन्यम् लुप्तं अभवत्, पुनरागमने च मम शरीरं शृङ्खलासु दृष्टम्।
'I was wandering among the Forest. The deep woods offer more than shade; they offer paths unseen. I lost my consciousness, and found myself in chains when I regained senses.'
Why don't you speak any regional language or dialects?
अहं एकेन न भाषे, किंतु दशभाषासु निपुणः अस्मि। भवन्तः यद्यपि केवलं स्वविश्वे अनुकूलं प्रत्यध्वनिं अवगच्छन्ति।
'I speak not one but ten languages. Your ears catch only the echo that fits your world.'
What was his motive? How did he end up in the first in the first place?
अहं पर्वतपरितस्तात् आगतः। अहं पदयात्रया आगतः, संग्रामे च अग्रसरितः।
'I am from beyond the mountains. I walked and fought.'
"You speak ten languages yet appear 'from beyond the mountains' and lived wandering forests. Who taught you these languages, and where did you learn them?"
पत्थराणि पुरातनभाषया गीतानि गायन्ति। वातः तु तत्रस्तानेभ्यः कुक्षिशब्दान् वहति, यत्र मानचित्राणि लीयन्ते। अधीतुम् इति पुनः स्मर्तव्यम् यत् पूर्वमेव विस्मृतम्।
'The stones sing in tongues older than cities. The wind carries whispers from places where maps dissolve. To learn is to remember what was forgotten before.'
"You say you 'walked and fought' to get here. Fought whom, or what? What were you fleeing, or pursuing, in those mountains?"
पर्वतानि शून्यशिलास्तुल्यानि न सन्ति। ते प्राणयानि कुर्वन्ति, ते भीक्षां कुर्वन्ति। किञ्चित् विस्मृतपथान् रक्षन्ति। पलायनम्? अनुरोधः? कताचित् पन्था एव संग्रामः, संग्रामः च पन्थानं रचयति।
'The mountains are not empty stone. They breathe; they hunger. Some things guard forgotten paths. Flee? Pursue? Sometimes the path is the fight, and the fight carves the path.'
"Beyond the mountains... what are you, truly? Your bearing, your names, your story – they don't fit a simple wanderer. What power or lineage do you carry from that place?"
यत् परे अस्ति, तत् कोऽपि मानचित्रे न दृश्यते। तत् शब्दपूर्वं प्रतिध्वनिः, छायापश्चात् रूपम्। वंशः? जगत् यौवनकाले उद्भूतस्य वृद्धतमवृक्षस्य मूलान् पृच्छ यत् नाम धारयत्। अग्निं पृच्छ यत् किं खादितं शेषभस्माय भूत्वा।
'What lies beyond, is not a place on any map. It is the echo before sound, the shape behind the shadow. Lineage? Ask the roots of the oldest tree what name it bore when the world was young. Ask the fire what it devoured to become ash.'
The rest of his story had no head nor tail. All of it felt like some made up hocus pocus tale. Point could be made that the drug abuse he had faced might have changed his perception and caused him hallucination. Such instances are not uncommon among persons who lost their sanity to heavy drug overdose.
And finally for the love of the lord, Vyom decided that a break is good for maintaining mental sanity. He looked visibly done about this man. Just who was this person? I decided that I hate riddles.
I was having my cup of sweet tea in the near window, gazing at the swaying trees faraway. It was getting windy, and as I finished my tea, it started raining cats and dogs. Vyom then informed me that he got a call regarding some different case, and that he will find someone else to drop me back home. I found no other option that to agree. I just awarded myself another cup of tea to combine the aroma of the soil of the first rain to the taste of the hot beverage. A beautiful Hudhud bird took shelter on the window bars where I was sipping my tea. It shrugged off the rainwater and fanned out its crest which resembled traditional Chinese fan. I rare sight and I was lucky to witness this.
The clock ticked an hour and then two, but I still had no idea when anyone would drive me back to my home. Vyom was out of network.
I chatted a little with few people working there, but there was so much running to and fro from their side that I just sat quiet for some time. For next hour I replied to angry Radhika whose messages I did not see for past five hours.
The clouds covered the sky and did not let the sun pierce through, and I was bored out of my wits. I went through the logs of the earlier recorded conversations with Tamobhuvan. Having nothing better to do, I entered the cabin again.
Tamobhuvan slightly moved his head and looked down again. I will translate our conversation from now on.
"How relishing it must me to be free.", remarked Tamobhuvan.
"Only thing keeping you in chains is the remarkable story you have fed us.", I said.
His fierce gaze made me shiver a little as he looked up. He had a kind of unsettling energy around him.
"You think all that was a mere lie?"
"Not a shred of truth in your tale. They might try shock treatment once they move you to an asylum."
"You think they have not?" smiled Tamobhuvan with pursed lips.
Well, these guys have already tried everything to get something out from him prior to my visit. Mr. Anish had kept this piece of information from me. Torture.
For a moment, I felt pity for the guy. First the smugglers- and then this institution. Innocent till proven guilty. That is such a roundabout game.
I went out and brought a warm cup of tea for him. The sound of chains clanking as he drank the tea made me feel like an overlord coloniser who thinks of nothing else than making profit over the blood of the indigenous.
I wanted to start but could not find any good starting point. I went over our previous conversations in my head, trying to find a lead.
"Whatever you said on record doesn't make add up, Tamobhuvan."
"I am grateful for the drink, Vikram."
"Ah, it has been gruelling hours for you as well."
"That it is, mitr, that it is.", Tamobhuvan gazed into nothingness.
"Mm..hmm… What was that you mentioned about the drink you mentioned in the midst of our previous query session. Is it better than the one you just savoured?"
"Ah that…. You could say that is where it all started. Or else, some part of it partially.", spoke the guy in the chains.