The Coming of Kalki

by Poulomi Sanyal

  Throughout the day however, Zoya could not focus on her classes at all, which was very unlike her. Her thoughts from last night and the desire to urgently speak with Dr. Faraday hung over her like a dark cloud.

  Could I just drop-in at her office and meet her? she thought. No, probably not, she reasoned with herself. No one is allowed to meet the Chair without an appointment and her calendar usually fills up months in advance. But perhaps I should call her secretary to check, just in case? She then decided against it, but during her next lesson, the thoughts continued to pester her.

  I could wait to speak to her after I get home, but since there are a couple of others in the house, what if she doesn’t have time then? What if she comes home late and I miss her? No, it has to be now. She made up her mind as the lecture ended. She had a couple of hours off before her last lecture of the day. So, she got up hastily and started digging in her backpack for her phone. But before she could pick it up and search for the number to Wanda’s office, it started ringing.

  “Hello.”

  “I am looking for Miss Zoya Carter,” said a female voice.

  “That would be me.”

  “Perfect! I am Linda from Dr. Faraday’s office. Dr. Faraday would like to see you in her office this afternoon after classes if you are available, say at around 4 PM. Does that work for you?”

  “Yes, it does!” Zoya replied enthusiastically.

  “Alright, I will book you in. We will see you then!” said Linda.

  “Yes, thank you,” said Zoya, her heart filling with a nervous excitement.

  Her last lecture seemed to pass by in a muddle as her distracted mind kept playing out the conversation she was preparing to have with her Department Chair. Soon, the hour of their meeting had arrived and Zoya was in Dr. Faraday’s office again, seated across from her in the now familiar chair at her desk. But before she could get to her point, Zoya needed to find out why she was asked to come here in the first place.

  “You are probably wondering why I summoned you here this afternoon,” began Dr. Faraday, once Zoya was seated across from her.

  “Yes.”

  “It is because I have a piece of excellent news!”

  “Oh?”

  “Yes. Remember the research opportunity in the UK you had applied to?”

  “Oh, yes, that? I forgot all about it! Was I accepted?”

  “Yes, indeed. And you intend to go?”

  “I can’t remember when it was supposed to start. I know it was in the winter term. Do you have the dates?”

  “Yes, of course. The program starts on January 2nd, but I encourage you to arrive at least a week prior, so that you have time to settle in. Here you go, all the details should be in this letter,” she concluded, handing Zoya a closed envelope addressed to her.

  “Thank you.”

  “I saw no point in forwarding this to your address since you were presently staying with me and that is why I summoned you here to deliver the news in person.”

  “Makes sense,” said Zoya while opening the envelope. “Everything looks great,” she exclaimed after she had read the letter in full.

  “So, you are going then?”

  “Oh, certainly.”

  “Then I encourage you to respond immediately, informing them of your acceptance.”

  “I will.”

  “Very well. That was all I had to say. I trust you have the spare keys to my house that I left for you?”

  “Yes, I picked it up at breakfast along with your note,” said Zoya, fumbling in her pocket. “Here it is,” she said finally, pulling out the key and note in question. She held the key in her right hand and opened up the crumpled note and began, “It said right here, oh wait, this paper is completely blank! I could swear it said—”

  “Spare house keys and breakfast for Zoya,” Dr. Faraday completed. “But it doesn’t say so anymore, does it?” She added with a glint in her eyes.

  Zoya suddenly got up from her chair in shock, nearly knocking the chair over in her haste.

  “Oh my God! How did you do that?” She panicked.

  “You can do it as well,” assured Wanda. “Now, please sit down.”

  Zoya obeyed and mumbled softly, “Did you write that note then? How did you make it disappear afterwards?”

  “I did not write it, no. But I did make you see it.” Wanda confirmed.

  “But how is that even possible? And what about that other time? Was that you as well? The note that I found inside a book in the library?” said Zoya, suddenly remembering the note that had inspired her to apply for this exchange student program despite her ineligibility.

  “Where there is a will, there is a way,” Dr. Faraday fondly remembered. “One of your favourite sayings, I daresay and mine too, I must admit. Yes, that was me.”

  “But how?” reacted Zoya, still in awe.

  “How did I know it was your favourite saying, or how did I make you see it?”

  “Well, both,” replied Zoya.

  “Do you remember what we spoke about the last time we met at my office? That discussion pertaining to my lecture?”

  “Yes, I do...” Zoya trailed off and then abruptly, as if the realization had suddenly dawned upon her, she started mumbling to herself, “Oh, I get it. You did not write those words, but I saw them because the relevant signal was somehow transmitted to my brain…by…by…you? Am I right?” With that, she looked up and stared inquiringly into her professor’s eyes.

  “Very good. You are sharp. Not a surprise.” Smiled Wanda.

  “So, it is possible then, to as you say, make someone see something without actually seeing and hear without hearing and so on, simply by transmitting the appropriate signals to the brain. This is proof right there. You are the living proof!”

  “And?”

  “I meant that, with your abilities you can accomplish this. That is fantastic! In that case, there should not be any need to validate this theory with experimental results. Your power proves your theory!” exclaimed Zoya, getting visibly excited at the prospect of this ground-breaking research receiving the validation it deserves.

  “Calm down, my child. I am glad that this excites you. However, I regret to inform you that your proposal is not as easy as it appears.”

  “Why not?”

  “Primarily, we cannot use ourselves as evidence as you suggest, because that would mean having to announce our abilities openly to the world. That would neither be wise nor opportune.”

  “I get it,” said Zoya with a sigh. “It would blow your cover.”

  “Yes and impede with our efforts to defeat the great evil that haunts our planet.”

  “Speaking of that,” Zoya quickly remembered. “There was something I was meaning to talk to you about since last night.”

  “And what may that be?”

  “Well, first of all, I wanted to apologize for what I said to you before, about not wanting to join your organization because it is not my war and not my problem. It was so childish and selfish of me. I mean, what happened with Nancy has made me look like a fool.” She paused and took a deep breath.

  Wanda smiled, making Zoya blush.

  “It was really silly of me to disbelieve you when you are clearly more knowledgeable and experienced,” Zoya added, timidly.

  “You are forgiven. Your misgivings were not unfounded. However, there is one thing that I am loath to forgive,” said Wanda with a sly grin.

  “Huh, oh, what is that?” replied Zoya with sudden apprehension.

  “Your tardiness at breakfast this morning,” replied Wanda with a playful grin.

  “Oh, oops,” said Zoya, quickly sticking out her tongue. “I’m really sorry. It will never happen—”

  “I hope not,” Wanda interrupted, still playful. “Pray, do continue with what you were saying about our organization.”

  “Yes, ma’am. What I was saying is that, I would like to join. When do I start?”

  “Haha, oh dear me,” Wanda laughed out loud. “This is very pleasant news i
ndeed. But it is not a work contract that begins on a certain date and ends on an another. It will be a process. You will have to continue with your regular life and in your free time, you will train in secret, like the rest of us. You will learn of our ways and our mission, meet others; and then you will learn about yourself and your abilities as well, and more importantly, how to use your abilities effectively and to your advantage. Does that sound reasonable?”

  “Yes, yes it does. So, when will I have to face the Aifra?”

  “This is something none of us know. We are not at war. At least not yet. But something sinister is brewing in the horizon and we know that the Aifra is behind it. Consequently, we must prepare ourselves and be ready for such a day that an open combat may become inevitable.”

  “I see.”

  “Very well now, my dear. It is half past five and I am about to leave for the day. Fancy walking back with me? That way we can talk more on our walk home.”

  “That would be great,” and then pausing, Zoya continued, “By the way, you did not tell me how you knew that the phrase ‘where there is a will, there is way’ is one of my favourites.”

  “Ah, that. I did not know for sure, but I guessed that it might be. It was something your father had always said since you were a child, wasn’t it?”

  “Yes, how do you know?”

  “Mind you, we had been observing you for many years since you were a child, remember?”

  “Oh, yes. You told me that.”

  “I had to send you a message that would inspire you enough to take a leap of faith and apply for the exchange program and these words were my best guess. Time is limited, and it was imperative that you apply. So, I tried what I could.”

  “Well, it worked.”

  “Indeed.”

  “Why was it imperative for me to apply?”

  “Because, I am retiring you see, and in my absence, if you were to change your mind and decide to join us, you would need a mentor. You will find such a mentor in the UK. Had you not applied, then we would have lost a major opportunity to bring you on board; probably our last chance. This may have caused irreparable damage.”

  “I see, but couldn’t you just select me without my applying? Couldn’t you just bend the rules? I mean, I was not eligible to apply, but my application was still accepted, no?”

  “Silly girl. That would be so unethical, it would be out of the question! If you did not apply, we could not just send you, and that too without your consent! Oh my, no! Since you did apply, and you have quite stellar credentials, an exception was made and rightly so, because candidates like you are rare in their brilliance. No professor in their right mind would reject a candidate like yourself. I have read your application. It was simply outstanding! We knew that it would be, of course.”

  At this Zoya blushed. “Thank you,” she whispered. “Ma’am, if you are retiring, does that mean we will never see you again?”

  “No, of course not. You will still see me. But enough with the questions for now. You will have all your answers in time, but presently we must be on our way,” concluded Dr. Faraday as she pushed her chair back and stood up. Soon they were out of her office and on their way back home. A bus would have been quicker, but they decided to walk because that would give them the opportunity to have a nice long conversation. Of course, Zoya welcomed this prospect since her head was buzzing with questions.

  CHAPTER fifteen

  It was one week until Christmas and the tepid fall was rapidly giving way to chillier, more dreary winter. The early signs of frost were seen on the window sills and in Wanda’s cozy little kitchen garden. The lovely orchids that Wanda so deeply cherished and cared for most luxuriously with her own hands were now brought inside and set on a tiny table next to the living room fireplace along with the Poinsettia, a gift from Alejandro, that was gleaming bright red in the spirit of the Christmas season. On the mantel was another gift from Alejandro, a Crimson Alamania in full bloom, and under its shade sat a merry little elf-on-the-shelf with its perky ears. As always, Wanda had set up a small Christmas tree on the other side of the fireplace and last weekend her full household had had a jolly time decking it up with Christmas trappings.

  This evening, Alejandro was seated on a plush couch across from the fireplace, cradling a glass of bourbon with both hands, his eyes set on the Mayan calendar hanging from the wall at the other end of the room. A fire crackled away in front of him, extending its tongues of crimson and gold into his peripheral vision.

  Nirmala was at the other end of the room, in a rattan chair with a little wooden, glass-topped coffee table next to it. She had her feet up on a foot stool in front of her and was intently reading a book that she had picked up in a forgotten corner of Dr. Faraday’s treasure trove of a library. The book was about astronomy, a subject that keenly interested her as a child. It chronicled the journeys of the countless stars and constellations, the forming and dissolving of galaxies, solar storms, black-holes, precession of the equinoxes and what not.

  Zoya was still in school, holed up in a library, studying for her finals and Dr. Faraday was also in the library, her library, next to Zoya’s room, crouched over some ancient documents, scribbling some diagrams on a piece of paper, as if trying to figure out the solution to a riddle.

  Alejandro’s eyes were still fixated on the Mayan calendar when he started wondering out loud.

  “The Mayan calendar ends, but the world does not. The Dwapara Yuga ends and then begins the Kali Yuga, which has not yet ended, or has it? Does it have phases, this Kali Yuga? One phase ends and the other begins—"

  “You mean the descending cycle of Kali and ascending cycle of Kali?” Nirmala quickly interrupted overhearing his ramblings.

  “Oh! You heard me,” said Alejandro blushing.

  “You weren’t really making an effort not to be heard,” Nirmala teased.

  “Must be the alcohol. Are you sure you didn’t want some?” he asked indicating his bourbon, always the gentleman.

  “No thank you. I don’t drink whiskey. The wine at dinner was enough for me.”

  Alejandro smiled affectionately. “What were you saying about the ascending-descending Kali? I did not catch it back then.”

  “The ascending-descending Kali, indeed.” Nirmala chuckled. “Come here. Let me show you,” Nirmala called with a wave of her hand.

  Alejandro set his bourbon down on the centre table in front of the fireplace and walked over to Nirmala, who was now standing with her back to the wall that held the Mayan calendar and facing a second colourful chart on the opposite wall.

  “You probably recognize this chart from our earlier discussion,” said Nirmala indicating the diagram in front of her.

  “Yes. It is the cycle of the Indian Yugas.”

  “Correct. The Yugas were the great periods or ages in Indian history, as you already know. Notice the circular chart has four segments each of a different colour.”

  “Gold for Golden Age or Satya Yuga, silver is Silver Age, Treta Yuga, copper for Bronze Age, Dwapara, that is when Dwarka ended. And finally, the grey coloured Iron Age, the modern times or Kali Yuga.”

  “Absolutely! You know this stuff better than I do.” Nirmala grinned.

  “Not true,” lied Alejandro in a display of humility.

  “Anyway, the part that you were wondering about, you know, if the Kali Yuga has ended and if it has phases et cetera et cetera. I think I can answer that part at least. Look here,” she said pointing at the twelve o’ clock position of the circle. “Since the ages are cyclical, the highest point for humanity begins right here, at the centre of the Golden Age. This is the point indicating the pinnacle of human prosperity and enlightenment. On both sides of this point is the Golden Age. So, in essence, this is the temporal mid-point of the Golden Age. From here, travelling counter-clockwise along the circle is the descending arc of the Golden Age and then a brief transition period, followed by the better half of Silver and then the poorer. Then comes Bronze Age in a similar fashion and fin
ally, iron or Kali,” she continued, tracing her finger counter-clockwise along the circle as she spoke. When her finger had reached the six o’clock position on the chart, she paused and looked at Alejandro, and then she said:

  “Can you guess what this point is?”

  “The lowest point of Kali or Iron Age.”

  “Exactly. When Kali started thousands of years ago, after the fall of Dwarka, the descending arc of Kali began. Humanity went lower and lower in morals and values to the point of absolute decadence and reached the bottom most point of this circle. However, Kali was still not over, but good news was in store. The descending arc of Kali had ended, and the ascending arc began. From this point, Kali continues to improve consistently as it completes the better half if its tenure and then it finally gives way to Dwapara Yuga once again.”

  Alejandro was deep in thought with his right hand wrapped around his chin and brows wrinkled.

  “Hmm,” he finally said. “But what about the dates? At which point are we now? Has Kali ended? Has the mid-point arrived? If we know these dates, then we would know if any of these dates coincide with the ending of the Mayan calendar. The dates may not match precisely, but if they even come close, within the accuracy of a few decades, then we would have solved at least one piece of the puzzle.”

  “I understand, but this is a very disputed territory and one that I do not wish to tread. Many interpretations of our scriptures and epics are available, and each one alludes to a different date for the beginnings and lengths of the ages. Although most agree that we have already spent a fair bit of time in Kali. So, either Kali has ended, or the end is imminent.”

  “It is for this reason that is so important for us to speak with Dr. Sinha, isn’t it?”

  “Yes,” Nirmala agreed. “He is a Sanskrit scholar and much learned in the ancient scriptures and epics of our past. Also, he will be able to tell us more about the myth around Dwarka which we seek to shed light upon.”

  “Maybe then we would know why we are being blocked from excavating at Dwarka. I think our enemy fears what we might find at that site if we keep searching, and I need to know what it is that we could possibly find that would be worth fearing so much.”