\n
\u201cMaharaj, the Hotel Babu<\/em> told me that you\u2019re from America and are here to perform karma<\/em> for your deceased father. Both of you have crossed the ocean, so please purify yourself by taking a dip in the Holy Ganga. Then, I\u2019ll explain what to do.\u201d<\/p>\n Gowri, Shiva\u2019s mother, and Shiva sat with dripping clothes on a step that almost touched the water. Varma, the boatman who brought the travelers to the puja ghat,<\/em> squatted on the deck munching peanuts.<\/p>\n \u201cMaharaj, this ceremony will cost you 2,500 rupees,\u201d Shasri said. \u201cYour father\u2019s soul will be gratified in heaven at the end of the ceremony. To satisfy this poor man, you may consider a little tip at the end. We call it dakshina<\/em>.\u201d He smiled. \u201cNow, where is your janivara<\/em>?\u201d<\/p>\n Shasri plucked a janivara<\/em>, tucked to his dhoti at the waist and helped Shiva to wear it properly. Then he led him down a couple of steps till the flowing Ganges water came up to their knees. \u201cBe careful. It\u2019s slippery here. Hold a little Ganga water in your right palm and chant Gayatri<\/em> mantra. Say, Om, bhur bhuvashva<\/em>…\u201d<\/p>\n Shasri slipped and fell in the river.<\/p>\n \u201cHELP, someone HELP the priest,\u201d shouted Shiva because he didn\u2019t know swimming.<\/p>\n Varma, the boatman, dived in to the river like a dolphin and for a minute there was no sign of him or the priest.<\/p>\n \u201cThe waters are swift here, Mother Ganga took both of them,\u201d said a pilgrim.<\/p>\n Varma, gasping and grasping Shasri\u2019s long hair, dragged him through the water and pushed him on to the lowest step. Shiva and the pilgrim carried Shasri on to a dry spot, a couple of steps up. The pilgrim removed his shawl and covered it over Shasri\u2019s chest and face. \u201cI don\u2019t think he\u2019s breathing. He\u2019s gone, God bless his soul,\u201d he said shaking his head and left.<\/p>\n Mother began to cry softly. Varma stood nearby allowing the sun to dry his wet dhoti<\/em>. Shiva sat silently. Several pilgrims and local people assembled to watch. A few threw rupees over the shawl that covered the priest, surmising that it was a destitute corpse.<\/p>\n A police sub-inspector in khaki uniform, twirling a thick baton, approached them down the steps. Everyone fell silent.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat\u2019s happening here?\u201d He glanced at the priest covered with the shawl and money. \u201cIs he gone?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, sir,\u201d Varma answered.<\/p>\n He looked around at the gathered people. \u201cWhy are you here? Watching tamasha<\/em>? This is a murder investigation. Get out. All of you.\u201d The crowd dispersed murmuring.<\/p>\n The inspector faced Shiva. \u201cMister, what\u2019s your name?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cShiva Kumar, from Los Angeles, sir.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cCome with me to the police station.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhy, sir?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou are the last person seen with the victim.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cVictim? Shasri slipped and fell in the river. I didn\u2019t do anything.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ll discuss this in the police station.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThis is crazy. Inspector, my mother is 70-years-old. We are starving from morning. We need to leave this place by evening. Believe me, it was just an accident.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI understand, let me help you.\u201d Facing Varma, the inspector asked, \u201cIs Mr. Kumar responsible for the priest\u2019s death in anyway?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo, Sir.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMr. Kumar, I believe you\u2019re innocent. I have to document the evidence from Varma to straighten this mess. It\u2019ll cost you 30 dollars for the paperwork. Pay the money now.\u201d<\/p>\n Shiva obliged. Otherwise he would be stuck in Varanasi for some time. The inspector pocketed the money.<\/p>\n \u201cMr. Kumar, how much did you pay the priest for the puja?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cTwenty-five dollars, sir.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBastard, he fleeced you. Now, where is that money?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe tied it to his dhoti.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n The inspector moved the shawl a little with his baton, exposing the wet dhoti<\/em> of the priest. He didn\u2019t find the money. He glared at Varma. \u201cWhere is the money?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI swear I didn\u2019t touch it, sir. Perhaps, Mother Ganga took it when he drowned.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIs that so? Come to the police station.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPardon me, sir,\u201d Varma apologized. Then, he took several wet dollar bills from the folds of his dhoti<\/em> and gave them to the inspector. \u201cThe money was floating away. I didn\u2019t want it to go wasted.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSmart boy, now I like you. In my job, every dollar has to be accounted for.\u201d The inspector faced Shiva Kumar. \u201cMr. Kumar, it is an accident. I release the priest\u2019s body to you now. Move it from here. Then you\u2019re free to go.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat will I do with the body, sir?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cVarma can help you.\u201d The sub-inspector chuckled, turned and left.<\/p>\n After a minute, Varma said, \u201cAmerican Babu<\/em>, the priest doesn\u2019t have any relatives. He has loans all over the city so no one will come to his help. Give me 20 dollars and I\u2019ll take the body in my boat to the free burning ghat<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n Shiva Kumar gave the money.<\/p>\n \u201cYou forgot the tipping, Maharaj,\u201d Varma extended his palm. Shiva added another dollar. Varma bent down and grabbed the priest\u2019s body. He pushed it to a sitting position.<\/p>\n Suddenly, Shanmukha Shasri gurgled, coughed and threw up his breakfast. The half-digested upma<\/em> and coagulated coffee raised a stench.<\/p>\n Varma screeched with fear and sprinted to his motorboat without looking back. He left the place immediately.<\/p>\n Gowri heard the commotion and saw the priest. \u201cO, God, even the little puja we did is wasted.<\/p>\n This Brahmin has eaten breakfast.\u201d She cried.<\/p>\n The priest was busy searching for the money in his dhoti. <\/em>\u201cCrooks have robbed this poor Brahmin. They will certainly go to hell,\u201d he wailed. He collected the shawl and a few rupees dropped by the pilgrims, and left the place.<\/p>\n Shiva Kumar and Gowri slowly climbed the steps towards the temple to have darhsan<\/em> of Kashi<\/em> Vishwanath<\/em> who had been silently watching this play of the money-hungry sharks for millennia.<\/p>\n \u201cMother, let\u2019s pray God Vishwanath<\/em> for Father\u2019s soul to rest in peace. Hereafter, we don\u2019t need the middlemen,\u201d said Shiva.<\/p>\n \u201cYes, son. You\u2019re right.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" A panoramic view of the holy Ganges river in Varanasi, India. \u201cMataji, and Shiva Maharaj, welcome, welcome,\u201d greeted Shanmukha Shasri at the bathing ghat in Kashi. \u201cMaharaj, the Hotel Babu told me that you\u2019re from America and are here to perform karma for your deceased father. Both of you have crossed the ocean, so please…<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/siliconeer.com\/current\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/PAGE-FICTION-01-95408740.jpg\" "\\"\\"")