Untitled - Katha

18 ◆
The boat sloshed through the
water, to the shore. Munshi Vepin
Chandra got off. He looked back at the mighty Brahmaputra –
just where it veered off its course, to take the shape of a sacrificial
machete. The waters had receded around Urvasi, an island in the
river, revealing carvings of Vishnu in his half-lion form, the
Narasimha avatar. A strip of sand also lay exposed, like the pelt of
a white goat laid out to dry after the sacrifice.
Arrangements had already been made for Dorothy Brown at
Darbhanga House, the solid ancient construction that had
withstood the test of time. Though everybody knew the house
by that name, no one could recall whether it had actually been
constructed by the Darbhanga King of Mithila or a devotee of
the Mother.
The munshi had brought along an army of workers, including
a carpenter. They unloaded sacks, bags and trunks. Two men
carried the bags of cement and sand up the slope. A kitchen had
The Man from Chinnamasta