"I have already thought what our first post will be- Wives of Bachelor God. What do you think?"
Rudra scratched his brow. "That's a good idea. Which God are you talking about? Lord Hanuman?"
Durga grinned broadly. "No Rudra. Think about that God who is considered to be bachelor in north India but is actually married."
Rudra narrowed his eyes and rolled them. "Do I know this God?"
Durga looked irritated. "For a very smart and intelligent man, you can sometimes be very slow. Tubelight."
She left him wondering about that God. Finally when he remembered the name he opened the door and called her out, "I remembered the name. Lord Karthik."
"I am not impressed," said Durga, turning her face away leaving rest of three colleagues to wonder.
***
"Finally, the website is ready," said Shekar.
Rudra ran to him, excited like a child. Durga looked at the website proudly. After all it was her brainchild.
The whole office, which consisted of total four employees and one boss, knew about Rudra and Durga now. Which means rest of the three knew. The news had travelled to Rosy and Shekar via Ramaiah. Not really hard to guess.
Rudra had just confirmed Ramaiah's suspicion. Of course Ramaiah had pulled Rudra's leg. Rudra had warned him to deduct his already less salary.
This threat worked instantly. After all he was getting married in next six months.
So the website was ready and Durga had lost the count of butterflies in her stomach. She asked Rudra nervously, "Rudra please proof read it again. I don't know why but I am feeling little nervous."
Rudra replied, "Durga, when you gave me this idea you were so confident. Why are you so nervous now?"
"I don't know Rudra but-"
"Okay, fine, we will read it again."
"Durga nodded.
Wives of Bachelor God
After the great war at Kurukshetra, the Pandavas were haunted by dreams of dying warriors. To help them heal and sleep well, they were advised to pour sesame oil on the image of Karthikeya that is now enshrined in the city of Pahowa in Kurukshetra district of Haryana.
Karthikeya or Kumara was once a popular god especially during Gupta period. He was the god of warriors, resplendent on his peacock, bearing a lance in his hand and a flag displaying the image of a rooster. He was associated with the planet Mars and qualities of aggressiveness. He was the patron of warrior communities. He was handsome, athletic and virile. So virile that to create him, Shiva's seed had to be incubated in several wombs: those of fire, water and wind, before being nurtured by stars of Krittika constellation, hence the name. He was six men rolled into one, hence often called the six-headed one, Shanmukha. According to some, his name Skanda linked him with Sikandar, Alexander, whose love for war and blood bought him to India.
But then his popularity waned, perhaps because of the rise of monastic orders and pacifist movements. They say he shunned the company of women, and women shunned him. He was the warlord and widow-maker. In fact, one legend says, he wanted to stay away from women completely and so renounced his flesh and blood, parts of the body that come from the mother, which is why the image in Pehowa is said to be Kankal, made of bones alone.
In Maharashtra, the women worship him only on the full moon day of the month of Karthik following Diwali Dassera festival season. He is seen as a monk warrior, a fierce ascetic god, who became so when his parents, Shiva and Shakti, allowed his brother Ganesha to get married before him.
So he moved South, away from his parents. And in the south, especially on the hills of Tamil Nadu, such as those in Palni, he was adorned differently. He was the boy god, cherubic child warrior, who was also the romantic youth, Murugan, dark and beautiful and seductive and powerful, who danced with peacocks and local tribes. He participated in epic battles against demons, accompanied by Kottravai, the local, fierce version of his warrior-mother, Durga.
In Tamil Nadu, he was associated with chastity as well as marriage. Images of the celibate warrior who held his spear in his hand were given to merchants making their sea voyages to South East Asia so that they didn't lose their character on foreign shores, like common sailors. But atop the hills, in the mainland, he was seen with two wives: Sena and Valli.
Sena or Devasena was the daughter of Indra, married her in gratitude for leading his armies into many a successful battle against demons such as Taraka and Surapdman- referred in Tamil.
He was the perfect child to mothers, a strong upright friend for men, a noble chaste warrior to married women and romantic youth to unmarried girls. He was Subramanya, the perfect jewel, much loved by all.
Durga read the article again. How could he do this? How could he even remove so many paragraphs from the article?
Rudra asked her, "Is everything okay?"
Durga replied with a fake smile pasted on her face, "Yes Rudra, everything is fine."
Rudra noticed her irritation. Shekar distracted him by saying, "Then I will publish the article. Is it fine, Sir?"
Rudra nodded. Within an hour, finishing touches were given and their website was created. Durga tapped Rudra's shoulder gently. "Rudra, I am not feeling well. Can I go home. I mean it's almost time for me to leave."
Rudra nodded. "Okay, Durga."
Durga took her purse and left. It had been ten months since father had left her. Just like a foetus is born after staying in mother's womb for nine months, Durga had become financially independent after nine months.
Each month had taught her a new lesson of life. Waiting for her vengeance, father's death certificate; brave enough to make Indrajeet sign divorce agreement and leave him; strong enough to take her own decisions; she summed up.
Lost in her thoughts, she suddenly noticed that she had reached her home. No sooner did she open the gate of the house than she felt a gentle tap on her right shoulder.
"Durga," smiled Tulasi, cheerful and always-poking-her-nose-in-other's-matter neighbour. "I came here to give invitation for Varmalakshmi Festival tomorrow. You should definitely come."
Durga nodded and swiftly ran to her home. She sat on the sofa, holding her head tightly.
"Neeravati, Varmalakshmi festival is festival for women. As you know you need to buy new saree for the festival to offer it to Goddess Lakshmi, I bought this for you," explained Akshad.
"Akshad I am in no mood to celebrate. Firstly, you accuse my father, then you insult my brother and now you want me to celebrate this festival. Why?"
"So that Durga can learn from you. A daughter always learns from her mother. I don't want anyone pointing my Durga and telling that she doesn't know anything."
Neeravati glared. "So now you are implying that I am a bad mother?"
"Neeravati, don't get me wrong. Please try to understand..."
This was the only memory of her mother which remained in her mind. They always fought like this. Tear escaped from her eyes. The teardrop was now a shade of black, mixed with her kajal that she had applied.
"Indrajeet, I need to buy a new saree. For Varmalakshmi festival."
"I don't have money. Celebrate next year."
"Indrajeet, please try to understand, it is a very important festiv-"
"When I said no, that means no."
After a week, on the eve of festival,
Durga walked ti her neighbour's house. She folded her hands to a namaste. She turned to take prasad when her neighbour remarked, "Durga, you aren't celebrating the festival?"
Other lady remarked, "How could she? She went to Kamakhya Temple. Did that help her? No. She is still infertile. Why would her husband give her money to buy a saree? Oh, you poor thing."
Durga rallied weakly, "I am not infertile. My womb isn't strong enough to carry foetus. Anyways, women aren't baby producing machines."
"You wanted to be a historian right? Don't you know that women have always been appreciated for her ability to produce a child. Preferably a son," replied second neighbour with firm tone.
Durga took the prasad and left.
"That day I cried, Indrajeet didn't care. Today it happened, Rudra is in his office. And I came ftom there because I was annoyed. He shouldn't have edited it without my consent. I am in no position to bear another male dominance. What do I do now?"
***
Varmalakshmi festival: A festival primarily celebrated by women, in South India especially Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. The set up consists of a silver pot of kalsham with a coconut placed in it and a face of Goddess Lakshmi tied to the cocnut. New saree is draped to the setup. Gold ornaments are added to give realistic look; that's what I have been told. But I feel gold ornaments denote that it is a possession of a woman which can help in financial crisis.
Women invite each other to their houses to seek blessings.
Belated Varmalakshmi festival to all Telgites, Tamilians and Kannadigas in Wattpad who are reading this story. Being a women centric story, I feel this festival is an important in a women's life. They start celebrating it after they are married.
Thank you for reading.