Valley of Death Page 4

  The doubts lingered and lay heavy on his psyche until he reached home. But all the doubts, anger and aloofness that he felt towards Payal vanished; when he saw the way his wife was shocked by his appearance. She refused to entertain his reassurances and immediately called a doctor, who cleaned his wounds, gave him a proper dressing and prescribed medicines – both antibiotics and painkillers, which she went and fetch from a twenty-four-hour chemist shop inside the premises of a nursing home nearby. The helpful doctor was kind enough to drive Payal to the Chemist shop and drop her back home at that late hour. He promised to come back in the morning for check-up and strongly advised that Abhay came to his clinic during daytime, so that he could conduct a thorough examination, with X-rays and necessary laboratory tests, to gauge the extent of his external and internal injuries, to ensure that there were no undetected fractures in bones and concussions that could surface later.

  Payal was by Abhay’s side all night long and by the next day, he had forgotten the previous evening and his meeting with Rudolf. The doubts about his wife seemed like a bad dream to him and the snake of suspicion, which had raised its ugly head in Abhay’s mind, had been eliminated – or at least that is what he thought. Not, of course, knowing that the seeds of suspicion that Rudolf had cunningly sowed in his head had the potential to grow into an evil tree, and make him incapable of rational thinking. His ignorance was excusable, for unlike his wife he was unfamiliar to the exceptional cunning of Rudolf and his capacity for evil.

  CHAPTER 4: THE WAR OF TANTRIKS

  Since prehistoric times, India – the land of seven rivers, the golden-bird of the East has been attacked and plundered for her wealth by a succession of invaders. Among them were the Huns and later Muslims from the Arabian Peninsula, who also established their rule in Sindh, which they had conquered in 712 A.D. or thereabouts. The later day Muslim invaders, drawn from a complex of Turkish people had set up Sultanate (kingdom) in Delhi by the end of the twelfth century.

  But it was Humayun the son of invader Babur from Kabul, who established the Moghul (Persian for Mongol) dynastic rule in Delhi, which ruled the country until the arrival of the Europeans – the historical adversaries of Persians, Turks, and Muslims. Only this time the merchant armies of Portuguese, French, and Anglo-Saxons had replaced the Greek and Romans. The white-skinned people challenged the supremacy and hegemony of Moghuls and after a series of triumphs and consolidation brought about the demise of the Muslim dynastic rule on India, with Bahadur Shah Zafar being the last Moghul emperor.

  The Persian-Muslim dynasty left an indelible mark on the country it had ruled, like the British after them. The entire North-western India, which brunt the burden of the invasion, is to the present day littered with monuments and artefacts that bear testament to that era, long gone by. And nowhere is that impact more clearly visible than in the country’s language (Urdu), food habits (Mughlai cuisine), culture (Persian/Muslim traditions) and architecture. From Taj Mahal in Agra to the Lal Qila (Red Fort) in Delhi, from the tombs of Moghul royalty to the shrines dedicated to Muslim mystics, their architectural influence and legacy are scattered across the landscape of cities and towns, just as the cultural influence is inexorably strewn in the fabric of the society.

  By virtue of being the seat of power for centuries, the city of Delhi was ruled and influenced by both Moghuls and later British. Lal Qila, Jama Masjid, Qutab Minar, Purana Qila, Humayun's tomb are only the most famous of Moghul landmarks; just as Viceroy’s residence (President House), Parliament House, India Gate, North and South Block are reminders of British India. But apart from these, there are hundreds, if not thousands of sites in the city – from the Havelis in the old walled city near Jama Masjid to bungalows in Civil Lines and (Lutyen’s) New Delhi, which are a testament to the Moghul and British rule respectively.

  Victims of Government apathy, many such sites of Moghul era are outside the list of heritage sites of the Archaeological Survey of India – that has perhaps its own problems, with lack of funds or staff for the upkeep of all such sites. This invariably leads it to focus only on the more prominent places, leaving the rest free for encroachers and vagabonds. The rampant commercialization and pressures of the burgeoning population of more than 120 million inhabitants also take its toll on such sites. Which are freely encroached upon and commercialized, if occupying a prime location within the city, or are turned into a public-urinal or haven for vagabonds, beggars, drug-addicts, rickshaw-pullers and likewise. But the tombs or ruins in the vicinity of graveyards or with graves within its own premises are feared and avoided even by the nondescript characters mentioned above. Even more so, if such places are rumoured to be haunted, as they frequently are.

  A well-known case is that of Khooni Darwaza or Door/Arch of Blood, with its dark dungeon-like staircases, which is situated in Delhi-Gate area near Daryaganj, some distance from the Red Fort. The history of the place is fantastic – in the gothic sense of the word, if also spine-chilling. According to folklore, it is the domain of spirits and djinns, with bloodstains on its walls, which trickle down in the rain.

  Factual history, popular myth, superstition, and legend are interwoven inextricably in the story of Khooni Darwaza. It had been constructed during the reign of Emperor Sher Shah Suri in the 1540s, as the northern gate of his capital city and was known as Kabuli Darwaza, because of the caravans from Afghanistan that passed through it. Build with local quartzite stone; it came to be known as KhooniDarwaza during Moghul rule when severed heads of criminals were exhibited there. Two sons of Abur Rahim Khan-e-khanan were charged as traitors and killed at this place, on the orders of Emperor Jahangir in the early 17th century. The head of Dara Shikoh was also exhibited here as commanded by his younger brother and ruler of the Moghul Empire, Aurangzeb. But that was not the end of the association of the place with death; British Major Hudson murdered Mirza Mughal, Mirza khizr Sultan, and Mirza Abu Bekar, the two sons and grandson respectively of the last Moghul ruler Bahadur Shah Zafar at the same place on 22 September 1857, after the latter’s surrender. The site also saw much bloodshed during the partition riots in 1947, following India’s independence.

  It was therefore hardly a surprise that one other such site, ruins of a forgotten tomb, of probably a minor figure in the Moghul hierarchy, off Okhla next to Yamuna riverbed, was a strict no-go place for people. Its boundary wall was broken at numerous places and there were many graves, a thick Pipal tree and a dry well in the ground surrounding it, making it a desolate and scary place. Away from any major population settlement, it never received any visitors. The few that were even aware of its existence avoided to travel or pass near it in day-time, not to even think of venturing there in the night. It had therefore been considered as an ideal setting by blind tantrik Bharoo Shah Bengali, to work unhindered on his dangerous occult invocation. He was a blind man who routinely wore dirty clothes. A green scarf covered his head and the longhaired man with a dirty beard and moustache was stinking as if he had no bath for many days. He also wore cheap looking black spectacles on his eyes and necklaces of coloured beads and bones around his neck.

  His companion Twinkle was a heavily built man of short height, who suffered from down-syndrome. Twinkle had small ears and a receding chin. His eyes remained half closed, his mouth remained perennially open and he constantly took out his tongue involuntarily. He would frequently shrink his forehead, raise his eyebrows, and involuntary twitching of his face to one side suggested improper motor control. He also carried with him a pocket full of half-torn strips of medicine, which he popped into his mouth many times a day. He did not ‘understand’ but rather ‘remembered’ doing it, as per his mother’s repeated urging. The act of swallowing a specific set of pills had become so regular a routine of his life that he did it almost unconsciously.

  Bharoo smoked ganja (cannabis) in his favourite chilam as he recalled his conversation with Colonel Narang two days back:

  “I had hired you specifically to protect Payal from the occult or supernatural attack
s by Rudolf Schönherr,” said Colonel Narang.

  “But I had given her the talisman, and she has not been harmed in any way by my adversary,” Bharoo replied. I presume it is because of the accident of her husband that you have called me; isn’t it so?”

  “You know about it!” Colonel Narang was surprised. After a while, he added, “Payal had called me this morning, she is very worried about Abhay’s well-being and suspects Warlock’s involvement in the near-fatal accident, in which all the nuts of the wheel of the tyre of the moving car fell off. Abhay had told her the details of the accident only today and she immediately informed me. Do you know what had caused it? I mean was it only an accident or was Warlock involved in it somehow, as she suspects?”

  “Harinath (Harry), the Ghost enslaved by Warlock had tried to kill the girl’s husband,” Bharoo informed him.

  “How could you have let things come to such a pass? Had I not specifically told you to take care of Harry in our first meeting?”

  “He is working on an irregular basis for his master; his powers have been considerably weakened, but he is still quite dangerous. And with his help and support, Warlock is trying to revive his other powers as well,” Bharoo informed him.

  “Is it even possible?”

  “Unfortunately yes; if those spirits rejoin forces with Harinath, not only my attempts to contain the enemy and act against him will fail, but my own personal safety would be endangered.”

  “In the meanwhile I am working tirelessly to contain the adversary and to spur his attempts through his ghost, to harm the girl or her husband. It was actually the intervention of my slave, a ghost-like Harinath, which had saved the life of that man. My ghost Shemshar had wrestled with Warlock’s servant, which had taken off the nuts of the wheel of the car and was trying to push it towards the giant truck. It was the slight nudge of my slave at the crucial moment, which pushed the car away from the truck and towards the pavement and foiled the bid of Harinath.”

  “That is all very good but I want more. Strike on Warlock; strike hard and finish his off, once in for all.

  “I will do it Colonel Sa’ab. Warlock has underestimated me.”

  “Destroy him and I will give you a big bonus!”

  “He..he...he...,” he had laughed, “Colonel Sa’ab you have a big heart. Consider your job done.”

  That conversation was the genesis of the current expedition of Bharoo Shah. Like all such previous occasions, his loyal and reliable assistant Twinkle or Tahir Shiekh had accompanied him to the ruins. They had arrived there in the morning and using his instinct, the blind Sorcerer had chosen a rectangular room within the tomb premises as the place for invocation. With the broom they had brought with them, Twinkle cleaned the room, on which water was sprinkled and Bharoo put his aasan (mat) and ordered his assistant to unpack the things they had brought with them. An iron saucer was put on bricks and a Havan-kund thus established.

  They had arranged all things and completed the preparations till noon; when they ate packed food that they had brought with them, sitting on a bed-sheet spread in the veranda of the tomb, next to the stairs. As per the custom of tantriks about to begin or in the middle of an invocation, the food was strictly vegetarian. Bharoo ate sparsely; unlike his assistant, who was fond of food and cleaned up the bowls and plates with a slurpy sound and while also licking his fingers in delight. After which they both went for a nap inside the tomb, not having left anything to do.

  By the time evening fell and flocks of birds noisily flew back to their nests, Bharoo was up and had begun with the first phase of his ambitious operation against his enemy Warlock. He started with prayers seeking the blessings of his Guru and his patron-deity for his venture. After which he recited the hymns; counting the number of times he spoke the mantra with the help of a bead-necklace. The purpose of the exercise was to recall a previously mastered power, which was to protect him in the course of his present invocation against external dangers. He applied tilak (Vermilion) on the idol of Kali Goddess, the iron saucer, four handis (earthen pots) and then on his and Twinkle’s forehead, which had joined him in the meanwhile. He put the four handis at the four corners of the room; to form an invisible boundary or wall that would protect those inside from supernatural attacks.

  For Bharoo knew well that it was commonplace to hear voices, to be pushed back, thrown in the air and to see terrifying sights during invocation. Many a novice Tantriks were known to have run away scared, or lose their mental balance or worst still die in a gruesome manner because they had no protection against such attacks or lost their nerve. In his case, he had also to guard against the possible retaliation by the enemy, when he came to know of his, Bharoo’s interference with its work. Warlock was a formidable opponent and could be utterly ruthless; the Bengali sorcerer knew well and therefore could not afford to leave anything to chance.

  The ghost Shemshar had informed him that Warlock had also begun his saavri invocation, at his farmhouse. Bharoo was pleased to hear about the tactical mistake of his adversary; who had crippled his ability to respond to any mischief from the side of the blind necromancer. Because the estate was a haunted and cursed place, it acted as a magnet, which attracted wandering spirits and occult powers. And a tantrik invocation at such a disturbed place was set to be a further invitation to evil spirits and demonic powers. As such, Warlock’s lone ghost Harinath (Harry) would be bogged down with the need to protect the invocation, as also his master. Bharoo’s own ghost Shemshar had confirmed it – of his ability to spy on the glass-pyramid on the terrace of the bungalow by the lake, without detection or being challenged by the enemy’s slave.

  It was as well for the Bengali tantrik, whose gaze was steadfastly fixed on his enemy, through his ghost, waiting for the opportune moment, to reveal his presence. In his viewpoint, all such occult or tantrik invocations ought to be done in shamsans (cremation-ground), graveyards or desolate places like ruins and not a person’s dwellings.

  However, unknown to Bharoo, Rudolf had his own way of thinking, and he felt more secure in a familiar place like his estate in Mehrauli: the den of evil. That was precisely why he had bought and maintained that place in the wilderness; it was not his home but his workplace, and he was intelligent enough to make his permanent residence elsewhere. The posh and upmarket locality of Vasant Vihar was a favourite with diplomats, besides the diplomatic enclave of Chanakyapuri. It was also home to a substantial population of expatriates and made Rudolf – who’s self-view, was that of an aristocratic European – feel that he was amidst his own kind.

  Bharoo had lit up a small fire in the iron saucer in front of him, in which he occasionally threw many ingredients. The smell of burning lobaan (creosote/benzoin), Kapur (camphor) and incense sticks were overwhelming and the smoke coming out of it had spread in the room. Unlike Twinkle, his master was unaffected by it and continued to chant mantras arithmetically in his lips, to master a demonic power that he required to strike on his enemy.

  Twinkle watched with keen interest, if not complete understanding, the activities of Bharoo. Who had beside him a mix of both animal and human bones, ash from a funeral pyre, a human skull, a vessel or goblet in which he had poured whiskey, animal meat, garlands, flowers of marigold, among other things. He would dip a flower in the water kept in an earthen-pot and sprinkle the human and animal bones with it. He also applied the tilak of sindoor (vermilion) on them and added ingredients in the fire that made it flutter noisly.

  His face shone in the flickering light and the empty sockets of his eyes with missing eye-balls made him look as scary, cruel and vicious as Warlock.

  He was deep in trance and was therefore unaware of what was happening to his assistant in the room with the stone floor. Twinkle’s interest in the activities of his master had begun to wane as minutes had turned into hours. He also began to feel the pressure on his bladder, which made him repeatedly change his posture with discomfort. He remembered that Bharoo had forbidden him from leaving the room until the completion of formers�
� invocation. But the pressure kept on increasing, until it became unbearable, making Twinkle restless. He waited in vain for the tantrik to come out of his trance, so that he could seek his permission to venture out.

  But when it was not forthcoming, he was forced to stand up and go out, unable to bear the pressure to urinate. In his haste, he failed to see the warning hand of Bharoo, which had risen to signal him to stop. The atmosphere of the room – with fire, smoke, burning incense sticks, looban (creosote), Kapur (camphor) had become oppressive and coming outside, Twinkle was able to breathe more freely. He headed for a Pipal tree near a dry well – filled with fallen leaves and garbage and relieved himself.

  The time was five minutes past midnight; an eerie silence prevailed in the ruins and the unkempt garden with unmowed grass, wild bushes and haphazardly standing trees. Had Twinkle been capable of sensing fear like a normal person, perhaps he would have jumped over the broken boundary wall of the red-brown stones and run away. His mental limitations did turn out to be a boon in such situations, as Bharoo had deduced quite early in his association with his assistant.

  Twinkle was startled by the noise of a child crying in that wilderness. For him, the world was like a forever-changing kaleidoscope – a riot of people, images, and colours, situations, which he found difficult to cope up with. His loving old mother and his master and friend Bharoo were the only two constants in that chaotic world. New development or event either interested Twinkle or irritated him – if he found himself incapable of dealing with it.

  Surprised by the noise he walked, as if mesmerized, in the direction it was coming from. It took him away from the tomb and towards a cluster of trees in a corner. He was surprised to find a 4-5-year-old boy crying under the shadow of trees. In the moonlight, Twinkle saw that the child was buried in the ground waist down and was pleading for help. He found himself drawn towards the child, with an overriding urge to help him get out of the ground.