MAMA : A STORY

                                        MAMA 

                                  By N P Samal 

Once upon a time, there ruled a king, named Rudra Narayan Das-Verma, in Dhamnagar, a powerful kingdom of Odisha. Rudra Narayan was a very kind-hearted, good and loving king. He was always dedicated in the welfare of his kingdom and its subjects. He protected his people as well as each part of his kingdom from enemies with his sheer bravery and military skills. All the people of the kingdom loved and worshipped the king as their God and lived happily. By virtue of the king's strong administration as well as his excellent systems of management in the fields of environment, health, education, food, sports, and culture, Dhamnagar was famous in the whole world. 

Rudra Narayan's wife, Kalyani Devi, was a divine woman. Queen Kalyani Devi was always dedicated in the service of the king and assisted him in his royal duties regularly. Kalyani Devi was highly virtuous and intelligent. The king always felt proud to have Kalyani Devi as the Queen of Dhamnagar and gave her all credit for his success as the king of this famous kingdom, Dhamnagar.

Rudra Narayan and Kalyani Devi were blessed with three daughters. The name of the youngest daughter was Rashmirekha, but everyone fondly called her Mama. Mama was beautiful, intelligent, talented and clever. Right from her childhood, Mama showed signs of greatness. She was as good at study as she was in sports, music, arts and social services. She was the twin symbol of her parents. Like her father, she was outspoken, noble, brave and courageous and, like her mother, she was kind, forgiving, compassionate and full of other virtues.

Mama was interested in war and adventure stories. Every evening, she would listen from her father, the stories about the victories of Gods over demons, good over evil, truth over untruth, and virtues over vices. She was so inspired by the divine warfares that she wanted to protect the good and virtuos people and was curious to learn military skills. 

King Rudra Narayan was very surprised about great qualities in Mama. He felt himself exceptionally lucky and was greatly thankful to God for blessing him with such a gifted child. The king was such overwhelmedly happy that he would forget the sorrow of the fact that he had no son. 

Intelligent Mama would understand the king's subconscious worry. One day, Mama comforted his father, "Do you not worry, baba! Please feel I'm your son. Accept me as the Prince of Dhamnagar. I am strong enough to be your right successor. I shall be as good a king as you and protect every inch of land of Dhamnagar and every subject of our kingdom." The king was completely taken over by Mama's words of wisdom. He hugged his little princess and cried.

The king decided to put Mama under the best Guru for her holistic learning. There was a famous teacher, named Narayan Guruji, in  Bijaya Nagar village of his kingdom. He immediately invited Narayan Guruji to his palace. The next day, Guruji arrived at the king's palace where Guruji was treated with all the royal honors. Then the king and Guruji sat face-to-face as the king expressed his desire to Guruji to appoint him as the teacher for his youngest daughter Mama to which Guruji promptly agreed. 

Next day, Guruji reached the palace at the specified time. The king lead him into a grand study hall and respectfully gestured Guruji to take his seat. The previous day, the king had told Guruji everything about the extraordinary qualities of greatness in Mama and had requested him to impart with her all the essential knowledge and skills. As the king and Guruji waited, the little princess entered the hall with a noble grace. She touched the feet of Guruji and sat in the opposite seat. 

No sooner had Guruji seen Mama than he got a sudden shock in his head. His body shook violently and he gave out a huge cry of pain, freezing into his seat. Then he got up from his seat and sat down at Mama's feet, crying like a baby much to the confusion of the king, as little Mama stared at Guruji foolishly. 

Next moment, Guruji realized the situation and stood up.  He humbly said to the king, " Oh king, I apologize for my behavior but I am extremely in pain for the sudden memory of my deceased daughter who looked exactly the same as your daughter, Mama. The moments of death of my daughter now have started lynching my body and soul pitilessly. I won't be able to begin Mama's lesson today. Kindly forgive me and allow me to come tomorrow!" No sooner did the learned king raise his gesture than Guruji rushed out.

Guruji reached his Ashram eyes flowing with tears. He flung himself onto the feet of his wife who was sitting in a chair inside the living room, and cried out like a baby. But there was no obvious reaction from his wife who sat unmoved and looked away eyes wide open and blank, mouth agape and face pale and woebegone.

An hour had passed by. Guruji was still sitting on the ground at the legs of his wife, his head on her knees. Then, suddenly from outside, he heard some little girl call him, "Guruji! Guruji!" As Guruji turned his head towards the door, to his disbelief he saw Mama, the king's daughter, entering his Ashram cottage, followed by the king. 

Guruji felt so humbled yet confounded at the sudden arrival of the king at his Ashram and slumped into  discomfort before he managed to offer the king a chair, as Mama got herself snuggled into Gurumaa's lap. While Guruji was spoilt for how he could provide the king right hospitality, the king assuaged him, "Guruji, do  worry not about us! Feel free! Please treat me as your friend! I had to come with Mama as she felt so moved by your pain of loss of your daughter and wanted to know about your daughter's death and forced me to visit you with her. Please have comfort and tell us about how your daughter died and why Gurumaa is sitting like this." 

Guruji was shocked to hear the king's request. He was lost for words. How he would narrate the unspeakable tragedy which scorched him with showers of pain even at its little reminiscence? He looked at the king in kind of reluctant agreement. After all it was the king's request! 

Guruji looked at his wife who sat motionless in the chair. Mama was being nestled into her bosom, too innocent to understand the mental condition of Gurumaa. Then he led the king out into the open, as Mama showed no hint of leaving Gurumaa.

The king and Guruji sat face-to-face on a carpet that lay on the tarmac under a tree in the Ashram garden. The king looked at Guruji expectantly as Guruji gasped before he began narrating the heart-wrenching incident of his daughter's death...

                                                    ...TO CONTINUE