Chapter Nine: More Intimate
Kutti's initiation was all over. But he was still in deep meditation, totally cut off from the external world. After a couple of hours, Masterji asked Nilli, 'Wake Kutti up, serve him lunch, and take him to his room.' Nilli obeyed his master enthusiastically. He woke Kutti up and took him to the dining hall, which was located on the first floor. Kutti was surprised to see almost one hundred people eating lunch there quietly. He inquired of Nilli, 'Do so many people live in this temple? I don't think I've met or at least seen any one of them elsewhere before. '
'No, in fact, you've already seen most of them, though not in their original forms.'
'What do you mean, Nilli?'
'Actually, my dear friend, you should know for certain that all living and all non-living things we see here are all magicians training under Masterji. The trees outside, the birds, the dogs, the cats, the servants, and even the pieces of furniture, all are magicians belonging to different classes. It's a school of magic. The classes are determined by the abilities of the students and are best known to our Masterji. I, too, am not sure of my class yet. But my Masterji can tell you--he's already told you something about it, hasn't he?'
'Yeah, right! But what were you talking about these pieces of furniture? Are they really all magicians?'
'Yeah, Kutti. All--this table, that mirror, these chairs, those stools, the cot, the cushion, and the almirah--are truly magicians.'
'But I can't understand why they're in these non-living forms?'
'Because they've been ordered by Masterji to practise forbearance like this. He says there're certain practices by which we can increase both physical and mental strength. The stronger the greater, after all. If you don't lead an austere life, you can't amass strength. And without strength nobody can be a leader. But magicians are the leaders of society. That's why we've got to work hard--no hardship, no leadership. You, too, will have to undergo these compulsory stages. Do you know once I took the form of a chopping board for a whole month?'
'Really? But, Nilli, how long should one remain a non-living thing? '
'Actually, it depends on your urgency. If you want to learn magic very fast, you've got to go through austerity as much as and as long as possible. The first phase of the training is always a very bumpy ride. Success is so difficult here. It means--'
'--coming first after clearing 100 hurdles in a 100-metre race,' intervened Masterji from behind. He continued by expounding, 'I'm sorry to have overheard all your conversation but let me explain the importance of playing a non-living object. Suppose, Kutti, you've become a bench in a park that is regularly visited by hundreds of people with hundreds of tastes and characteristics resulting in multifarious behavioral reactions to you: some people come and sit on you just to pass the time; some people come and sit on you in order to take a rest; some come and sit to snack through a friendly conversation; some come to open their hearts; some others come with evil designs up their sleeves. Apart from the people in general, to talk about the youngsters only, some kids come just to sit on you; some kids come to stand on you; some dance and play with you; some other kids come to make you filthy. What is to be your reaction to all these different cases? Nonchalance. Yes, nothing but staying nonchalant all the time. An ordinary park bench always comes up with the one reaction of nonchalance because it's helpless; but when one of my school students becomes a park bench at my behest, what should be his reaction? Again, the answer is nonchalance. It's, in fact, nonchalance major, the previous instance being nonchalance minor, because in the second case, inspite of having all the power to react differently, my magician does not--so as to make the most out of practising forbearance that way. But they don't have to do that 24/7. They're allowed to take the essential breaks to eat lunch, to have a bath, etc. However, there're a few of my students who are so resolute that they neither take any such breaks nor try to prevent themselves even from the scorching summer sun, the torrential rain, or the cyclonic storms. They're sure to emerge the greatest magicians, growing galaxies higher even beyond my jurisdiction. Well, no more talk today. You, my boy, go and take some rest in your own room. From tomorrow you'll be given classes, your first lessons in magic.'
After lunch, Nilli led Kutti to his room on the second floor of the large temple building. There was a peculiar thing about the way to enter it. There was no door in the side-walls but a small sliding door was fixed almost indistinctly on the floor, that is on the ceiling of the first floor. An iron staircase would take one to the nearly hidden door and by pushing two tiny chips sideways, one was supposed to enter the room (if it wasn't locked from inside). Nilli taught Kutti all the intricacies and asked him to move through and enter. And after doing so, as Kutti stepped on the floor, he instantly discovered that it was the same well-lit deluxe room with bewildering magic elements. Looking all around, he silently remarked with a smile, 'Last night I was a guest here and tonight I'll be a boarder and another night I'll be the host myself. That's my ambition. What I want is absolute freedom. No fun being under somebody. And I mustn't by any means. Once I learn this craft to a considerable degree, I'll go beyond, go galaxies beyond your power and control, Masterji. Let me learn it first--as fast as light. Then I will go whizzing past your nose.'
In the late evening, after Kutti's dinner was over in his own room, Nilli came again with some other boys and said, 'Kutti, they've come to be introduced--John, Munna, and Raja. They're geniuses at doing incredible magic tricks.' Then he requested each of them to entertain their new classmate Kutti with their mesmerizing wizardry.
First John spoke some magic words and conjured up a superdog with three eyes, three ears, and three legs.
Then Munna spoke some special mantras and conjured up a magic apple that could bring back its full original shape again immediately after somebody had eaten up a bite of it.
And, last but not least, Raja pronounced a few hazy syllables and cast such a magic spell that all the lights went off and a starry sky was created overhead.
Kutti praised and thanked them all and concluded by saying, 'Okay, friends! It was your turn today. One day, my turn will come, and I'll place my brain on the top of my magic wand and show you how it goes around the world.' His friends couldn't grasp the hidden meaning.
'Oh, that'd be a great feat,' they said and bade him goodnight.
Kutti fell asleep soon in the soft feather bed with the dream of a bright magical future ahead. But in the dead of night there was a powerful knock on his sliding door locked from inside. Who was that?
(TO BE CONTINUED)