Jewel Less Crown: Saga Of Life

by BS Murthy

  "Let me see how,” he said as he mock scanned her.

  "Am I not well armored?" she dropped the pallu.

  "Are there any chinks?" he raised his head to assess her assets.

  "Recced enough," she said bringing her pallu back into position.

  "Seems handful either way," he said without taking his eyes off her bosom.

  "Oh," she said feigning disappointment, "I thought you could be a legman."

  "Believe me," he said winking at her, "I love all of you.”

  "But beware of my waist," she said smiling, "when you have a roll."

  While she cooed coyly, as if on cue, he fondled her at her midriff.

  "Any chick on the chink?" he crooned in her ear, reaching for her crotch.

  "Trespassers are prosecuted," she said locking her thighs.

  "What if I gatecrash?" he said ardently.

  "I'll make you labor all your life," she said naughtily.

  As he sank into her lap in mock exhaustion, she caressed his hair with innate affection. As if the air hostess got wind of his condition, she came up with some refreshments.

  "What a pretty air hostess you would have made,” he said biting the cutlet.

  "Why not ask the passengers?"

  "Why wake up the sleeping dogs?"

  "Be sure, I'll keep you awake.”

  "What's the menu for the night?" he winked as he wiped his mouth.

  "That which keeps you awake all night," she said winking back at him, "served on a virgin platter."

  He leaned over her to look down the window to see whether they had reached New Delhi.

  Episode 10

  Spirituality of M aterialism

  As if in appreciation of Suresh's anticipation, the Captain soon released the landing gear over Palam. Once out, they got into the waiting Ambassador. On the way to Defense Colony, Vidya was dazzled by the glitter of New Delhi in the neon lighting. In

  time, they reached their M isty Nest with their dreams of making it their sweet home. And as the guard on duty threw the gates wide open in warm welcome, she readily stepped out into the portico, only to be mystified by the sight of her home in the making.

  "Isn't it too big for two of us?" she said in awe.

  "Are we not young enough to add on more?" he said leading her in.

  "Jokes apart, why not we live in a smaller place?" she said as though she were pleading to be saved. "Looks like I might feel out of place here."

  "I think no place is big enough to hold your large heart," he said adoringly.

  "Your love gives me a sense of purpose," she said feeling grateful. "I'll try to live up to your esteem."

  "You know it's not the size of the house but the sense of the residents that ensures the quality of life,” he said to address her apprehensions. "The art of living is about making the house brim with fulfilled feeling. It's in the largeness of this place that we must see an opportunity to enlarge the scope of our activities. Why not seek a higher fulfillment in this huge setting?"

  "Oh, how true,” she said excitedly. "I would love to house a kuchipudi academy here."

  "Why not," he said with a smile, "but charity begins at home, doesn't it?"

  "Oh, show me the kitchen."

  "I thought you would keep your promise," he said winking at her.

  "Name the dish," she said seeking the kitchen, "and it would be served as promised."

  "We've a cook anyway for that," he said pushing her into his room.

  "Isn't it said that the path to man's heart is through his palate?"

  "Well, but why make her unemployed?"

  "Give me a handful then," she said winking at him.

  When he kicked the door behind, she entered the arena of his desire. As he hugged her ardently, she felt the power of his protection and pressed closer to augment her own sense of security. Sensing her need for redressal from the shivering of her frame, he covered her flanks to address her fears. Gratified by his gesture, she joined her hands to ensconce their embrace. As she raised her head to reassure herself, meeting his eyes, she could gauge the hugeness of his want. The desire for her she discerned in his manner aggravated her own want for him. Feeling joyous in his rapturous embrace, she pressed closer to him to address their want. Appeased by her acquiescence thus, he yearned for fulfillment. And while his lips parted parched by desire, affected by passion, hers began to quiver. As he readily closed in on them to steady them, she energized hers to draw succor from his strength. In time, having savored the taste of her love, he deep kissed her to grasp her soul as well. Pressured thus by his ardency, she too turned keen to end hisone-upmanship.

  When the heat of their passion made them to shed their clothing, the force of attraction braced them back into embrace. While he pleasured over her frame, sharpening his joy, she swirled in his arms in rapture. Even as her pulsations accentuated her curves, his passion found its expression in them. Rolling over her rollicking legs, he made his way to her chink to probe its depth through his protruding tongue. When, to let her have a measure of his manhood, he pushed her down to his declivity, her innate love prompted her lust into reciprocation. At that, as she reached

  the threshold of urge, she let him free her virginity on lease with the force of his virility. Enjoying the fulfilling feeling of that emotional conjugation, he strived to make her experience the joy of being loved by man. As she began to share with him the ecstasy of the lovemaking she was experiencing, he got the feeling that she loved him sexually as well. Soon, the orgasmic stage they reached brought the euphoria of their conjugation to a languid end ushering in a life of emotional integration.

  As Suresh found her pensive at the dining table, he was beset with anxiety and enquired with concern.

  "Honestly," she said singing her song of anxiety, "your riches frighten me."

  "That's a measure of your simplicity," he said, as he offered her a morsel from his own plate.

  Gladdened by his gesture, she reciprocated in full measure enabling them to have a sumptuous dinner fed from the hands of each other.

  "You know the role money played in the downfall of our family," he began as they went back into their room. "While I served the sentence, I thought long and hard about it and realized that it's the character of money to corrupt the ardent, tease the vacillating and curse the indifferent. That way, there seems to be no escape for man from money. You're damned if you have it and accursed for the lack of it."

  "M oney is best in its moderation, isn't it?," she said as though to convert him to her point of view.

  "M ake money the measure and you are in for trouble dear," he said taking her into his arms, "for that would keep you in its grip forever."

  "What to do then?" she asked seemingly puzzled.

  "One should try to demystify money to see what really it is worth," he continued. "After all, the accumulated millions with a miser add up to zero, and likewise, the moolah with a spendthrift comes to naught in the end. So, money has no value of its own, in spite of the awe in which man holds it. As for the power of wealth, it's only in the mind of the haves and the have-nots alike."

  "How true!" she said reminiscently.

  "You know how amazed I was when I realized that," he said showing his amazement all again. "After the dust settled down, I began to analyze the import of the events of my tumultuous life. When I recalled that girl who came to nail me in court, the spirit of her character struck me no end. Just imagine the possibilities that held out for her then. When the scandal broke out, had she wanted, she could have sold her silence at her own price. Instead, she was prepared to stake her honor in the interests of justice, that too at the risk of being shamed by M ehrotra, though in camera."

  He paused fora while, recalling her in adoration.

  "Oh, how she demonstrated the powerlessness of wealth against her sense of purpose!" he said on resumption. "Well, my father's wealth and M ehrotra's wile added up to nothing before the resolve of that have-not. In the end, it was her sense of spirit that inspired
me to live down my past to live for another day. In a way I owe everything to her!"

  Affected by his sense of emotion, she sank into his arms to share his feeling, and said, "No less do I."

  "She has proved that the clout of the rich owes itself to the coveting of the poor," he said, caressing her head.

  "Oh, how true!" she said reflectively. "It's their own craving for money that makes men and women alike court the moneyed, and that gives the rich a false sense of power over the poor. Why blame the rich for their conceit when it is the making of the poor?”

  "True, the desire for power could be behind man's craving for wealth," he said reminiscently. "But it doesn't help to cut corners in pursuit of wealth for any. Don't you have our family history to prove that?"

  "I don't agree as it's not the rule and, if anything, it's an exception,” she said disentangling herself from him, as though to physically demonstrate her dissent. "Why, won't the corrupt prosper in general?"

  "Well it may appear so," he said. "But scratch the surface a little and you will have a better view of its irony. Why should one want to be wealthy when life needs no props of riches for its enrichment? That's why chasing money is but a human fallacy. Yet, the middle-class mentality makes man seek monies to enjoy the false sense of security. And by cutting corners what do they get but bits and pieces of accretion? Oh, how they have to take care to remain faceless while still active in their occupation! And in time, they insensibly melt into the multitude of the retired to continue their humdrum existence but not before contributing their mite to corrupt the system. In the end, unnoticed, they leave the stage, bequeathing their ill-gotten wealth to their kith and kin. That's all there is to their life and death. Once in away, however, the law of averages catches up with some with the accompanying loss of face."

  "But it's their ambition that makes some covet riches to enrich their status," she said.

  "And it's the way some of them conjure up wealth to earn infamy that makes for the great human tragedy," he said with apathy. "Endowed with enterprise and blessed with opportunities, these fortunate few get on to the social stage to stroll as colossuses. While some keep their course to fulfill their destiny, the unfortunate lose direction on their way to make a farce of their lives. Instead of working for the success of their ventures, the promoters siphon off funds to fail their firms

  But that only makes it a double jeopardy for them. Why, for all their luxury living, won't they get branded as failures? As for their name recognition, ironically, they figure high in the list of crooks and cheats. For sure, they would not have bargained for ignominy while they first set themselves on the course of riches. In the end though, they would realize that their stolen wealth was but a jewel-less crown."

  "How sad!" she said in apparent agreement.

  "It's only half the story," he said feeling sad himself. "Imagine what they could have done to society had they utilized their opportunities meaningfully. Maybe, they would have contributed to the country's economy besides ensuring their own well-being. Instead, they help sink scarce resources into their sick units.

  "Well, the same malady afflicts the politicians as well," he continued in the same vein. "Sadly, political power is reduced to self-aggrandizement. It's how the politicians miss the opportunity to achieve greater glory and instead earn the collective infamy. Oh, what difference they could make to the country with proper policy and direction! But, invariably they fail to see the obvious and miss the bus of public service!"

  "That's my worry with money," she said as her apprehensions resurfaced, "for its corruptive influence."

  "Why blame money when it's man's attitude to it that is at the back of his misery?" he elucidated in hindsight. "If coveting wealth makes man go wayward, its disregard might push him into penury. Thus, the way to go about money is to seek opportunities, direct our efforts to achieve and take the monies that come with it. I feel this ethos

  would lead to man's personal growth and help bring about the social good as well. Moreover, the infirm and the incapacitated still need a helping hand to survive, and naturally, it's the rich that could come to their rescue. Here is our unique opportunity as the circumstances of life have induced an inclination for social service in us. And we have the backing of wealth to indulge in that pursuit."

  "How do you think we should balance our life and our wealth?"

  "Isn't it said that charity begins at home?" he said. "I see that I can play a positive role in industry by taking back the Ocean Organics. And as opportunity would have it, the lease is to end soon enough. Besides, I would like to expand Sneha Travels. That way, I can to strive to realize my self-worth. You too can work at your kuchipudi for your own fulfillment. In due course, who knows, we may even attract donations to build many Shanti Sadans and Sneha Gruhas."

  "Yet I'm afraid lest wealth should rob me of my innate sensitivity," she said hugging him. "I have a reason to fear for that as well. I have an aunty like there was none before that is until they turned well-heeled. I had seen the wrinkles of conceit affect the beauty of her soul and in the end she turned blind to the values that made her what she was. Now that she has lost her simplicity of purpose, she no longer values the company of the genuine. Instead, she surrounds herself with the so-called successful for whom once she had nothing but contempt. Oh, how her riches made her poor indeed! And seeing the ugliness of her soul, I used to gloat that my fate didn't condemn me to riches. But now, my life threatens to bring about the worst of fates on that score for me."

  "I'll tell you how your fears could be but liars," he said cajoling her. "I too have a cousin from a humble background who made it really big in life. And the money drove away whatever insecurities he might have nursed for his lack of means till then. Now, sitting on the mountain of a moolah, he's humility personified, and what is more, he sees the true potential of his wealth to bring smiles to his associates and others. I'm sure our wealth would enrich your soul and not the other way round."

  "I see in that the spirituality of materialism," she said as though she got the revelation.

  "Let it rule our hearts," he said, "and souls as well."

  "Enough with the lessons of life,” she winked at him. "I need some lessons of love as well."

  Episode 11

  Sense of Reincarnation

  Letting Vidya have a view of the classrooms of love, Suresh took her round Misty Nest.

  "How I wish guruji joins us," she said as they entered Gautam's room.

  "I did talk to him about it, but he wants to be left alone,” he said, and added mysteriously, "but I see a way to entice him back into our midst.”

  "How?" she asked playing the innocent.

  "I know you're no babe,” he said smiling, "at least after that."

  "Why lose time?" she pushed him towards his room.

  "Who would like to," he pulled her ardently, "with a willing mate?"

  In their unity of purpose, they were united once again.

  "Show me your mother's room before you take me again,” she said, as she came out of the bath in her lingerie.

  "What a way it is to indicate one's want!" he said smiling .Holding her hand, he led her towards Senha's quarters.

  "Though I have seen that album," she said, as they were on their way, "never did I imagine a house could be as fabulous!"

  "Seeing you in your sari," he said admiringly, "neither I did imagine you've such a curvaceous a figure!"

  As they entered Sneha's room, they kneeled in reverence before her painting.

  "Do you know why I am so confident that riches cannot corrupt me?" he said, with a choking voice. "It's my mother's last wish that I make a difference to my life and to the others as well. As you know, if not for her sacrifice, I would have been dead and gone long back. So I feel it's my sacred duty to fulfill her last wish till the every end.”

  "I respect your feelings," she said, moved by their mutual feeling, "and make your cause mine own."

  "I'll cherish you all the more for that," he s
aid taking her into his arms.

  "I hope I'll be able to give you a beautiful daughter like her," she said prognostically, "so that we can name her Sneha."

  "Can there be a better inducement for my father to join us?” he said, hoping for the eventuality.

  'Could there be a better place to conceive?' she said pushing him on to the bed.

  So he pulled her into his embrace as though in agreement. At length, her orgasmic convulsions occasioned his ejaculation amidst their prognostic feeling of conception. M oved by their sentiment, they made it the master bedroom for all time to come.

  When her pregnancy was confirmed shortly thereafter, to greet the new arrival, she plunged herself to ground a Sneha Gruha by acquiring a plot for the proposed orphanage near their M ehrauli House.

  When Gautam heard about the developments at the home he had abandoned, he couldn't remain indifferent for long. While he was thrilled about his daughter-in-law's confinement, he felt grateful to her for her keenness in commemorating Sneha's memory.

  As Vidya's delivery time neared, Gautam developed a premonition that Sneha would reincarnate herself, and thus awaited the arrival of his granddaughter. And a week ahead of the child's expected arrival, he felt out of sorts during his discourse that forced him to end it midway. Feeling uneasy all through the evening, he skipped his meal and retired early to bed. Failing to manage a wink past midnight, he impulsively reached for his trunk and picked up the album. Staring at Sneha's pictures adoringly for long, he was overcome with love and sorrow. At length, feeling at ease, he believed his unease should've been induced by the birth pangs of Sneha's reincarnation as Vidya's daughter. Closing his eyes with a rare sense of inner peace he had never experienced before, he let sleep overwhelm him in time.

  Waking up cheerfully, he awaited the news of the new arrival. But, it was only towards the evening that the confirmation came by telegram—the birth of a girl midnight the previous night. Elated at the development, he was convinced that Sneha had indeed signaled her arrival telepathically to him. In time, he turned sentimental on that count and came to believe that she had forgiven him after all. As that thought gave