Wednesday, July 13, 2016

Endless Stories – Excerpt

Spotted at Pangkhar in Ura
...The Royal Court of Justices was twenty minutes drive towards the north of the police station. The ornate gate bejeweled with traditional Tibetan painting of dragon and eight lucky sign stood like a fulltime protector of the mighty court building. Inside stood the court in its full glory, offering silent greetings to the people, well apt to the purpose of their visit – gracious enough for those seeking for justice but very frightening sight as though like a spine-chilling ghost for the criminals of all sorts.  
The windows and doors were all highlighted with traditional curving, forming beautiful mosaic of flowers, clouds and some mythical animals. Inside was a big portrait of the King with Jekhenpo – the Chief Abode, both in yellow scarf glimmering like gold in the morning sun rays. To the sides of the portrait was the court bench from where people from all walks of life get justice.
The bench clerk called one by one for hearing. All the people seeking for justics must remain within striking distance from the Court Room. Anytime the clerk might call them.   
Now Karma was sick at heart. He never thought that his romantic relationship with Deki would someday end in such a tragedy. When he contemplates on his own heartbeat, he could hear myriad of messages with each beat.
You are real coward, wimp, faint-hearted. You say you can die for Deki. Now, is this what you’re afraid? Merely to face the judge. True lover sacrifices their life. Not scared of day-to-day activities of humanity like going to the court. Court is not a death house. It is the place where you get justice.      
Deki’s father arrived. He was a tall man, reared above everyone in the court. He wore expensive silk Gho but little mismatched with his Indian coloured face. He held a yellow file, inside which would be all to change the tune of Karma’s stand. He occupied the post of Director, Regional Custom Office, but resigned after his office was listed as most corrupt in the previous year. This is enough prove to describe him as a shrewd man. Indeed this painted a black picture on him in the whole society.
The furrowed brow on his forehead arranged like a terrace of paddy fields fetched Karma flashbacks of some beautiful moments with Deki. It was one autumn morning. They were walking through the wide meadows of Ura. Dew drops on vibrant wild flowers blazed like a fairy lights on Christmas tree.
“Karma, collect me some flowers,” she ask for, gazing admiringly at the blossom around.
“Not at any price!” he said, watching carefully the reaction from her.
She frowned, showing the wrinkles on her forehead like a terrace.
“Deki, sometimes I wonder that these little flowers are just the reflection of your peerless beauty,” Karma said in serious mood, “so that I cannot imagine of defiling the beauty of them with my own hands. No! Not at any price!”
Deki smiled.
Karma hugged her tightly to his chest. They felt each other’s heartbeat. 
The court room door opened. The rasp of the giant door planks gave rise to some uncontrollable worry and fear for everyone waiting to enter the room. The bench clerk signaled Karma’s escort to put him inside. Karma closed his eyes to catch his breath. Deki’s father walked side by side with him. Both entered the room, bowed before the judge and stood, composed.
The room was the archetype of traditional setting in the district. With the complex mandala painting, the room has got the most ornate ceiling in the region. All four wooden pillars were curved and painted with mythical green dragon perfectly embellished with flowers and leaves. On the left wall was the mural of Tshering Nyamdru, the six manifestation of Tshering: human Tshering, mount Tshering, stream Tshering, cave Tshering, bird Tshering and tree Tshering. It was adapted from traditional Tibetan painting. Right wall was covered with the mural of Thuenpa Puen Zhi, the Four Harmonious Friends – an elephant, a monkey, a rabbit and a bird. Lore has it that if you have a painting of Four Harmonious Friends at home the family will live in harmony.
Straight above the judge was musk of Tsholeng which has supremacy to create whole room terrifying. Around it was the mural of unknown Buddhist Gods and Goddesses whose physical appearances were more like ghost, the inner significance of which cannot be understood by the ordinarily humans with ordinary thoughts. The counter-like-table of the judge was curved with the emblem of the Royal Kingdom of Bhutan. The judge looked officious, so powerful on his traditional Bhutanese court bench... 

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