A beach?
Anirudh quickened his pace and stepped into the illuminated area. The blinding light surrounded him completely, dazzling his eyes. Anirudh squinted. Hot, grainy sand was scorching his feet. He realized he didn’t have any shoes on! Wincing, he dragged himself through the sand, desperately trying to identify where he was. His eyes gradually adjusted to the light, and Anirudh saw a blue horizon ahead. He was on a beach! Waves of frothy water came rushing to the shore, crashing playfully and running back into the massive expanse of water.
Anirudh smiled on seeing the ‘catch-me-if-you-can’ play of the waters with the sandy shore. He stopped walking and turned to check what lay behind him. Thick, rectangular slabs of rock, each around eight to ten feet tall, stood forming a wall. At the centre of this wall was a large gap, wide enough to let an elephant pass through. He looked to his sides. Nothing, except for a never-ending expanse of sand.
He didn’t have any clue to help him identify where he was. Sighing, he scanned the shore. He couldn’t spot a soul besides himself. Anirudh reluctantly dragged his feet towards the sea. Questions flooded his mind: Where was he? How did he come here? Why was he here?
Anirudh kept walking, the sand scalding his feet. He was sweating profusely; it was getting hotter by the minute. Exhaling deeply, he brought his hand up to wipe his forehead. That’s when he realized he was wearing a watch. The time on the dial was fifteen minutes past noon. That explained the scorching heat! His eyes now went to the date: the seventh. Which month? Which year? The sheer number of questions was making his head hurt.
He continued trudging across the sand, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that he was being watched from behind. Instantly he straightened his drooping shoulders. But turning around, he found there was no one and nothing there besides the huge slabs. Anirudh was about to walk away, when a man stepped out from behind one of the walls and stood on the wide pathway.
Anirudh stopped breathing. He couldn’t avert his eyes from the figure who was now briskly approaching him. The stranger was wearing saffron clothes and had a short black beard. His hair was tied in a knot on top of his head. He was middle-aged, and his body was muscular. Anirudh noticed he had a smile on his face.
‘Recognize me?’ the holy man asked.
Anirudh shook his head, curiosity brimming in his eyes. ‘No … I don’t think I—’
He stopped abruptly. His eyes were caught by something he hadn’t noticed before, something he’d seen in a dream just like this one. The locket hanging from the man’s neck! It came to him in a flash: it was the necklace given to Dweepa by Krishna—the broken conch-shell locket!
‘Sage Dwee … Dweepa?’ Anirudh asked.
The holy man nodded. He gestured towards his right with his hand, inviting Anirudh to follow with his eyes. Anirudh was astounded. The beach, which was completely empty just a few moments ago, was now filled with visitors! Stalls and vendors selling snacks stood in a line, and balloons and toys were scattered all over the beach, among the excited beachgoers. In the distance, Anirudh saw a towering stone statue—it seemed to depict an old sage.
He walked closer to the figure. It was indeed a sage. In his left hand, he was clutching a bundle of palm leaves that ran down his side. His right hand was raised, his palm open, a gesture of benediction.
‘The statue of Thiruvalluvar …’ Anirudh mumbled to himself, astonished. This sight was enough for him to recognize the location.
He was on Marina Beach!
Anirudh woke with a start, panting. The bed sheet was tangled underneath his damp back. Two dreams! Two different dreams in the same night. In the first one, he saw Lord Krishna advising Dweepa to move to south India exactly twenty years after Kalki’s birth. In the second, he’d met someone who seemed to have been the descendant of Dweepa, right here in Chennai, where he lived. And that too on Marina Beach!
‘What does all this mean?’ he whispered.
Anirudh sat up in bed. He went over the information again in his head: Krishna asked Dweepa to go to Tamil Nadu twenty years after the birth of the Kalki avatar …
Suddenly he found himself unable to move. It was as if someone had turned him to stone.
‘I am twenty! If-if the dreams are true … and I-I am Kalki … then the sage m-must be in Tamil Nadu by now.’
Anirudh groaned, pushing the thought out of his head. The growing similarities between his dreams and his reality were scaring him now. It seemed he could no longer ignore the nightly visions. Frustrated, he looked outside the window. The silver moon gleamed in the inky night sky. Somehow the very sight of it filled his mind with momentary peace.
Anirudh ruffled his hair and gulped down some water. As he put the glass back on his bedside table, the calendar on the wall caught his eye. The page displayed a date that paralysed Anirudh:
7 May 2025
His mind raced back to his dream. He was at the beach, checking his watch, which, too, said it was the seventh! But as he stared at the calendar again, his breathing heavy, Anirudh counted the number of days into his vacation. No, it couldn’t be … It wasn’t the seventh after all! ‘Then why is the calendar showing this date?’ he whispered into the night.
As if on cue, a breeze ruffled the leaves of the calendar, and Anirudh noticed that a few pages had curled up earlier. Sighing with relief, he saw that it was, in fact, 30 April. But goosebumps still pricked his skin. A week to go.
‘What does this m-mean? Was the d-dream a forewarning? Will I m-meet this so-called Sage Dweepa on the seventh? Is he even a real person?’
Anirudh’s head was throbbing. Still gaping at the calendar, he took a deep breath. The pain was getting unbearable, so he closed his eyes and lay back.
What if Sage Dweepa does exist? And … what if I am indeed … Kalki?
The thought sent a chill down his spine, even as a strange feeling of thrill coursed through his body. Exhausted from the dreams, Anirudh gradually slipped back into sleep, not knowing that his life—and the world—was on the brink of a momentous turn.
Miles away from Anirudh’s house, in a hut on the outskirts of Chennai, the same holy man was fast asleep.
Dweepa was warm under the threadbare blanket. He was resting peacefully, unaware that only a dream now lay between him and his destiny.
It was pitch-dark. Dweepa looked all around him but he couldn’t see anything. Suddenly, like a flash of lightning lighting up the dark sky on a stormy night, a blue ball of crackling light appeared in front of him. Stunned, Dweepa took a few steps back.
Just then, the blue ball sizzled and quickly expanded, growing huge—almost twice the size of the sage! Apprehension was taking over Dweepa’s mind and body, and he kept retreating. Now the ball, suspended in mid-air, became perfectly still and, after a small shudder, exploded.
Dweepa shielded his eyes with his hands as shafts of light pierced the darkness. He felt a wave of cool air rush past him, and then everything was still—except for the fragrance of sandalwood that lingered in the air. The sage was confused.
‘Dweepa …’ a soft voice called out to him.
The voice was so mellifluous that it drained the fear from Dweepa’s mind and body and instead filled it with peace and warmth. His mind calmed down, his heartbeat steadied. He lowered his hands to look at the person who had called his name.
Dweepa was overwhelmed. Now he felt foolish for not having guessed the reason behind the sudden burst of sandalwood in the air. For standing before him was a swarthy young man, wearing a golden crown adorned with jewels and a peacock feather, who flashed him a smile of childlike innocence. Dweepa fell at Krishna’s feet and wept tears of joy.
‘My lord!’ Dweepa cried, prostrating himself. His lord’s feet were soft like the petals of a lotus.
Krishna smiled and lifted Dweepa by his shoulders.
‘I am indeed blessed to see you, my lord!’ Dweepa joined his hands and bowed.
‘Sage Dweepa, it’s great to finally meet you.’ Krishna wiped away Dweepa’s tears w
ith his slender, petal-like fingers.
The sage smiled broadly, unable to contain his happiness.
Krishna spoke. ‘The time has come, my friend. The time for you to meet Kalki and bring him under your wing.’
Dweepa nodded, steadying himself, still wiping his wet cheeks.
Krishna continued. ‘Exactly one week from today, you will meet Kalki on Marina Beach in Chennai, at noon.’
‘Yes, my lord.’
Krishna beamed and patted Dweepa on the shoulder.
‘But, my lord, how am I to identify him?’
Krishna slowly stepped back, still smiling. ‘You have seen me. Now it won’t be hard to identify Kalki.’
Saying this, Krishna waved his hand once and vanished into thin air.
Dweepa was jolted out of the dream. Sitting upright, he gasped for breath. He had just met his lord!
The sage joined his hands and bowed his head, thankful to his lord for blessing him with an audience. He tried to calm his thoughts, and lay down. But he was much too excited after what he’d just seen. He was going to meet Kalki! Finally! Exactly on this day next week, he would meet Kalki. But an uneasy thought crossed his mind …
Would Kalki recognize him?
FOURTEEN
Dweepa eagerly woke up early that morning, at four o’clock. It was the day he was going to finally meet his lord in his current avatar. Of all the Sage Dweepas, he was the chosen one.
He hurriedly took his bath, performed his morning prayers and had his breakfast, comprising some fruit and nuts. Then, once again, he read the instructions given by Lord Krishna to his ancestor—the part explaining what was to be done after meeting the Kalki avatar. Once he was done going through the palm leaves, Dweepa packed a bag with all his meagre belongings. What he wrapped extra carefully was the idol of his lord, his ancestor’s portrait and the palm-leaf bundle. Then, checking his hut one last time, he departed it. He caught a bus bound for Chennai from the nearby stop. Dweepa knew exactly where he was headed.
The bus slowly made its way through the green fields. Seated next to the window, Dweepa enjoyed the view of the lush expanse dancing in the breeze and vibrant in the sunlight. It warmed his senses and, leaning back in his seat, he closed his eyes. His mind drifted to the instructions he had read that morning. He imagined it all happening before his eyes …
Krishna was sitting serenely, with his legs folded, on the cane cot. Outside, the wind was howling even as the heavy rain pelted down. The dark-skinned god scratched his chin, pondering over the question Dweepa had just asked.
‘What should I do after I meet you in your Kalki avatar?’
Finally Krishna said, ‘I may not be ready to believe it, but inside I will know that I am indeed Kalki. I will convey this fact to myself … in some way. Probably the same way by which I communicate with my devotees—when my words are just for their ears.’
Dweepa looked up, perplexed.
Krishna continued. ‘When you meet me, it will confirm the fact of my real identity to me. I will believe that I am Kalki when I see you. And I will listen to you. However, it will be up to you, Sage, to convince me and bring me back to the place where Dwarka stood, back to my birthplace. It’s here that my first steps as Kalki will begin.’
Krishna paused. His eyes met Dweepa’s.
‘You may also have to convince my … I mean Kalki’s … parents to let me accompany you here.’ Krishna smiled his mischievous, all-knowing smile, then added, ‘Or … wait, don’t worry about convincing the parents, Sage Dweepa. Leave it to me. I will simplify things for you. I will make it easy for you to persuade them …’
Dweepa bowed slightly. His lord worked in mysterious ways.
The bus jerked to a halt in front of Marina Beach, rousing Dweepa from his thoughts. He alighted from the bus and walked to the beach, buying a bottle of juice on his way. Dweepa studied the shore.
‘Marina,’ he muttered, looking at India’s longest beach, which stretched for over thirteen kilometres. His eyes halted at a one-kilometre stretch that was not frequented by visitors. Just a few people roamed around, while a few others sat in the shade.
Dweepa walked to the relatively empty stretch and sat under one of the many trees on the beach, a few feet from the blue waters. He had looked at the clock that hung in the juice shop. Only thirty minutes till noon. The sage settled down under the tree, relaxing in its cool shade and breathing in the salty breeze of the vast ocean in front of him.
He was here, and he couldn’t wait to finally meet his lord.
Anirudh was making his way through the swarm of students to reach the college gates and was closely followed by his friends. They had all come to collect their mark sheets and submit their preferences for the courses they wished to pursue in their final year of college. Having completed the formalities, they were heading out.
Outside the gate, Anirudh and his friends found a quiet spot.
‘So, what now?’ one asked.
Another followed, ‘Yeah, now that our vacations have started, what shall we do? We have two months of free time!’
After some discussion, Anirudh, who had been quiet all this while, proposed, ‘Shall we go to the beach?’
‘You want to go now? Isn’t it too hot? It’ll be even hotter by the time we get there.’
Anirudh shrugged. ‘We won’t feel the heat in the water. And if it does get too hot, we can sit under the shady trees. And anyway, if it becomes unbearable, we can always go back home.’
Everyone agreed, and so they started walking towards the beach, barely twenty minutes from the college.
Anirudh walked ahead, separate from the group. He was anxious. After all, today was the day he would meet the sage called Dweepa.
If such a sage exists, that is. If indeed I am Kalki. If at all the dreams were true …
He had purposely suggested a trip to the beach, of course. He was curious to know, once and for all, the truth behind his dreams, for he could not ignore them any longer. So he had decided he would bring his friends along, so that he would not be alone … in case he was disappointed.
Innumerable questions about his dreams and his reality ran around in Anirudh’s mind like rats in a dark granary. Yet his eagerness to know the truth did not diminish. He walked slowly, not knowing what his future held, nor what any of this meant. After all, he wished to live the life of a common man—that was the life he knew—and not that of an all-knowing god! The prospect of such a huge responsibility, of being the preserver of millions of people … it all seemed too much! Too much power, too much trouble. Yet, another little thought nagged at Anirudh. If he were indeed Kalki, the last avatar of Vishnu, he must have been chosen for a reason, right? What if that was his destiny?
Anirudh breathed deeply to clear his buzzing mind. He would have to wait to know the truth.
Having reached the gates to the beach, the group of friends entered. Anirudh checked his watch: five minutes to noon. Then, taking in the expanse of blue water, golden sands and green trees, he sighed and marched ahead. Picking up some bottles of cold drinks and a few packets of biscuits and chips, the group found a spot and sat down. Soon his friends went to swim in the cool waters, while Anirudh settled down under a tree with a cola. He looked at his watch again.
Noon.
Anirudh’s excitement knew no bounds. His heart was beating fast, and he started sweating. He could almost feel a ball of heat bubbling inside him because of his eagerness! By now, he was desperate to know if what he’d dreamt was true or just a fantasy created by his mind.
He looked at the long stretch of trees to his left. Just a few young couples in their shade, but no sign of a saffron-robed sage. Near the beach, kids were playing in the water, their parents following them, making sure they were out of harm’s way. A few stalls stood scattered. Nothing interesting. But what caught Anirudh’s attention was a long-bearded balloon seller lurking nearby. With a bandana shielding his head from the heat, the man was dressed in a full-sleeved white shirt and black pan
ts. He also wore a pair of cheap sunglasses, and was dragging a cycle along the beach, with swaying bunches of balloons tied to the handles. He was waving to the kids and pointing the balloons out to them, trying to entice them. This amused Anirudh. He smiled, reminded of how he himself had pestered his parents to buy these as a child.
Anirudh now turned to the stretch on his right. Again, he saw no sign of a sage in long robes. Just a few people wandering about the beach, enjoying the cool water and the warm breeze. He sighed audibly and craned his neck to see if there were any holy men behind the trees. None. He drank a sip of the soda and took a deep breath again.
So, was everything just a fantasy—a creation of my mind?
Dweepa started walking back to his spot under the tree. He had gone to throw the empty juice bottle into a dustbin some distance away. Looking up at the sky now, he saw that the sun was right above him. It was noon, he could tell.
The sage grinned excitedly as he walked back a bit faster. As soon as he approached the trees, a strong whiff of sandalwood filled his senses. He frantically started looking around. Immediately, his eyes found a boy sitting under the tree to his right. He was looking away from Dweepa, his eyes searching for something. The boy, dressed simply in a maroon T-shirt and jeans, had a certain calmness radiating from him. Dweepa composed himself; he had to be absolutely sure and could not afford to rush this meeting. The sage neared the tree to get a better look at the boy. He squinted to focus, and stood hypnotized.
There was no doubt the boy was Kalki—his lord. The face was just like the one in his dream: the deep-black eyes and sharp nose embossed on a dark-complexioned oval face … and the petal-like pink lips, of course! The only difference, Dweepa noted, was the hair. While the figure in his dreams had wavy shoulder-length hair, the boy’s hair was short, almost a crew cut. Other than that, the boy in front of him was nothing short of a replica of Lord Krishna!
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