Level Killing Fields

There was consternation in Heaven. The Divine Counsels had requested a meeting with the Devil’s Advocates over a technicality. “Technicality, my foot,” twittered the imps and the cherubs. “It is all about gender equality.”

Sulochana, the matron in charge of the Kosmic Kanya Klub (KKK), was having a tough time keeping her kanyas under control. In her time, Sulochana had been an apsara married to a gandharva called Chitragreev. She had spent a goodly number of years on Earth, carrying out Divine instructions.

Angira, one of the kanyas, came rushing in. “They are not even honouring the astrological configurations,” she blurted out in disbelief.

“I know, isn’t it blasphemous?” Mithra had joined the conversation.

Angira was swift to agree. “It is!! When I was born, they took me away from my mother the same day, saying that I had been born to become a widow. Any man who married me would die. Thus, to protect its citizens, the State could, and would, take me away.”

Mithra sounded sarcastic. “Yeah, yeah…they had a list, didn’t they? Born on a Tuesday or a Saturday. On the seventh lunar day or Saptami tithi. And under the star Ashlesha, or Shatabhisha or Visakha. I was taken away, too. Aged three days.”

“As were we,” chorused Adwitiya, Chakrika, Nirmukta, Kamini, Mohini and Gunjika.

Sulochana moaned softly. Her wards had all been Vish-kanyas or venomous virgins. In their time, they had been trained to become awesome assassins. Each Vish-kanya was taught to use poison and beauty to serve the kingdom. Beginning as an infant, she had been fed increasing doses of poison. By the time she reached puberty, the poison in her body was enough to kill on contact. Vish-kanyas were deployed to target rivals, known enemies of the nation.

During their indoctrination, Vish-kanyas were taught the fine art of conversation, dancing, music, and seduction. Although used as weapons by their King, Vish-kanyas were well-trained in the art of using close-contact combat weapons. I could slay with a glance, thought Sulochana proudly. I never needed to touch, let alone use powdered poison on my lips. Standards slipped after me. Poor Gunjika and Nirmukta needed to carry poison hidden inside their rings to assassinate their targets. Substandard and shoddy, Sulochana thought. Anyone could mix poison into a cup of wine and hand it to an already-inebriated person. Where was the finesse in that? It was a betrayal of the subtle beauty of the art of being a Vish-kanya. Of course, society has changed since Gunjika’s time. Technology has evolved. There are newer weapons now, accurate but noisy.

Sulochana did not like guns.

***

Visheshya and Kamini had been twins born during the time of Emperor Chandragupta Maurya. Chanakya, his mentor, maintained a network of “dedicated daughters” to be deployed strategically and surreptitiously to undermine potential rivals. Visheshya and Kamini both fell in love with the Emperor they were sworn to serve. This was a real tragedy since both were true Vish-kanyas- a kiss from either one of them was fatal. Vish-kanyas were forbidden to fall in love but did so regularly with bitter consequences.

Kamini was sent to seduce Dhananda, the Emperor’s defeated arch-enemy, who had been sent into exile. History says that the magnanimous Emperor Chandragupta had merely exiled the powerful Dhananda. It never recorded that Kamini, the Vish-kanya extraordinaire, had been dispatched by Chanakya to “exterminate the enemy.” The Emperor’s mentor was loath to allow Dhananda to stay alive. A dead enemy could never mount a counter-attack, ever. The only good enemy was a dead enemy. Not for nothing was Chanakya also called Kautilya…the master of convoluted thinking.

Unfortunately for Kamini, Dhananda stabbed her fatally before succumbing to her poison. When the news reached Visheshya, she tried to commit suicide by consuming a larger dose of the regular poison than she consumed every day. It did not work. She needed to slit her wrists.

Chakrika was a Vish-kanya too, but she used to kill by introducing poison into wine. She had a huge topaz set on a large hollow square-shaped base, which she wore as a ring. The topaz acted like a hinged lid. With a swift flick of her finger, Chandrika could flip open the topaz to drain the poison into the chalice of wine. Another flick and the topaz would settle into place. The ring was currently on permanent display at the National Museum in Delhi.

Chakrika often took the other Vish-kanyas to go and admire it. Visheshya and Kamini were openly envious. “If we had had this ring during our time on Earth, we need not have become poisonous ourselves. Then, we could have become the Empress!” On days that they felt uncharitable, they would nastily say, “You aren’t much of a Vish-kanya, are you? Not elite like us. We can kill with a kiss.” On those days, Sulochana always intervened to put the twins in their place. “If you want to be counted amongst the crème de la crème of our community, learn to kill with a look. Then, talk.’

Chakrika, the twins, and all the others had come into Sulochana’s custody the moment they arrived in Heaven. Well, technically perhaps not Heaven proper. It would be accurate to say that they lived in the heavenly suburbs. All the Vish-kanyas were the Wards of the Heavenly Court and would remain so till the case was resolved.

The trouble was that there was a tug-of-war going on. There were quite a few pending cases in the Divine Hall of Justice. Cleopatra was a prime example of a litigant. She contended that Royal Egyptians could not be tried by the Devil as their souls were not under his jurisdiction. This was because the Egyptian Royal Family was of divine descent and so could not be tried under Rules defined for Mere Mortals. She also, rather confusingly, claimed that since her body remained on Earth and her ‘ka’ reunited with it every day, she was still alive, as were Rameses, Tutankhamen, and others of her Royal ilk. The case had been going on for many millennia and bleeding the heavenly coffers dry. The Devil’s Advocates did not come cheap. In life, they had all commanded astronomical fees, and they saw no reason to take a cut now that they were dead.

It was rather a gray area and was therefore named as such. The Afterlife Constitution seemed to be rather vague when it came to certain situations. While not quite Limboland, the Gray Area where the souls of those like Rameses, Cleopatra, and others contesting the divine dictum lived was a sort of no-man’s land. It wasn’t under the Devil’s jurisdiction or the Lord’s protection, and certainly not under Man’s command. The souls who lived in the Gray Area were nominally in the Devil’s keep. This was because Heaven wanted only certified pure Souls, and the certifying authority itself was under question here. The residents of the Gray Area came and went as they pleased. No black and white rule governed their movements.

The problem was that while Heaven had space to spare, entire mansions stood empty these days as residents were few. Hell, with its overstuffed cells and long line outside for entry, was absolutely unyielding in its position—it would not give up even a single potential resident without a fight. It never had, and it never would.

Hell’s Door was always open for murderers. The Devil categorically labelled Vish-kanyas as murderers. It even labelled as murderers those who had unknowingly been responsible for another’s death. The Venomous Virgin, of course, had killed, and killed intentionally.

However, the Vish-kanya’s legal counsel described them as martyrs, much like soldiers who kill and die in the line of duty. The case had been going on for millennia. Both parties were scouring the Heavenly Rulebook—enquire within for complex situations. It had 78899990004325671890 volumes and 37 codicils. So, progress was slow. And who could blame them?

The Divine Counsels could hardly bestir themselves to plead the case. They had not had much experience in fighting to admit anyone. Hell had Soul-snatcher gangs to snatch the souls it wanted. However, this case had been admitted to the Court of the Divine Hall of Justice Delivered. The game had to be played out. The Devil’s Advocates always wanted a swift verdict; a clear Yes or No. The Divine Counsel, on the other hand, were experts in keeping the case dangling for century after century.

So, during the time it took for the case to be resolved, the Vish-kanyas were Sulochana’s responsibility. Truth to tell, it had been so many centuries that the kanyas considered KKK to be their final home. Sulochana, too, had come to love the kanyas in her keep.

***

Everything had been going on fine till seven men, yes MEN, had come knocking at her door demanding admittance. And that is why there was consternation in Heaven.

How could these men claim to be Vish-kanyas? They had never been kanyas to begin with. Besides, as Angira had pointed out, their natal charts did not fit the starry configuration required to qualify as a Vish-kanya. And even if it did, could a man be penalized if his stars predicted his wife’s death? Historically, there was no precedent. Without precedent, could you establish anything? At least in Heaven, as on Earth, you could NOT.

Sulochana was at her wits’ end. There was Kalia Yam Raj’s buffalo contentedly chewing the cud after having decanted the seven souls at her doorstep. Sulochana stormed out and then carefully latched the door behind her…what if the men sneaked in and her wards fell in love with them? That would never do. She was about to shout at Kalia when she recalled that he had recently bellowed the threat that, if not treated with exquisite politeness, he would just sit down somewhere midway to heaven and turn into a constellation.

“Your Bovine Lordship, please understand that KKK is only for Kanyas…Vish-kanyas at that… please. How can I admit males? There seems to have been a mistake…a mix-up.”

However, it was impossible to make Kalia budge if he did not do so on his own. This time, Kalia dug his heels in. He insisted that Chitragupta had instructed him to take these seven souls to Sulochana’s door.

“I don’t know about that. It is back-breaking labour I put in these days, what with the raging pandemic and all. I sure as in hell am not ferrying them back. I was paid only enough rations to bring them here, and I have. I wasn’t even issued ambrosia or anything for more energy. What you do with them is no business of mine. Here, sign the receipt form in triplicate.”

A desperate Sulochana had tried the Hot Line to Heaven unsuccessfully. She then rang Chitragupta. His line was busy. He was ringing the Hot Line to Heaven, too. He had been wanting to tell the Almighty about the pandemic-induced paperwork for a very long time, but had not had any opportunity till now. The seven souls had given him the perfect excuse to call. Unfortunately, the Almighty never personally answered any call, and Chitragupta was known for his perseverance… it was the classic example of an irresistible force meeting an immovable object.

Sulochana sighed. She instructed a couple of apprentice angels to escort the seven souls to the outhouse and to corral them there. Then she dialled the Divine Counsel, setting into motion a lot of divine commotion. “I simply cannot understand why men wish to join the Kosmic KANYA Klub.”

The Divine Counsels permitted themselves a small smile. “Oh, they argue alright. The seven were injected with a noxious agent and sent off to kill the enemies of their kingdom, much like your wards.”

“Enemies! Kingdom? In 2020?”

“Economic rivals, if you want to be nitpicking. Nation, not kingdom, if you insist on more modern terminology.”

“Does that qualify them to seek shelter under the aegis of the KKK?”

“The fact that they can kill on contact qualifies them; it is Chitragupta’s key argument.”

Sulochana was sputtering with outrage. “But can’t he see it is the Kosmic KANYA Klub?”

“We pointed it out. He said he had moved a Note to rename it the Kontact Killers Klub. That way, he says, there will not be any need to pay Vishwakarma’s Workshop to design a new logo and acronym. Seems he is on an austerity drive following a budget cut.”

“This is preposterous.”

“That is not all. He says that he has found a sub-section in a codicil attached to the Heavenly rulebook, which sort of hints that post-death, one may, if one wishes, make no distinction between genders. Apparently, no one had noticed it before, and that is why the KKK came into existence. We think it is open to appeal and interpretation. He argues that the plinth on which the KKK was founded is flawed, and so, the entire edifice has to be redesigned. Just wait till the Devil’s Advocates show up.”

Sulochana yelled. “I am not waiting for them to show up in court; I am going to call them up.”

The Devil’s Advocates played hard to get. “See you in court.”

The recorded message greeted Sulochana, who banged down the receiver with a grimace.

***

The Courtroom was packed. The Devil’s Advocates brought in every argument to prove that the seven souls did not qualify to join the KKK. Sulochana lauded their logical arguments. It echoed every objection of hers.

They brought in the fact that the astrological configuration needed to become a Vish-kanya did not occur in the natal charts of the seven. They were unfit, from birth, to become Vish-kanyas; even their gender stood in the way. Plus, they pleaded, an inanimate object or a chemical needed to be used. In this case, it was a biological entity that multiplied in the victim’s body and brought death. This was a new angle, and Sulochana applauded mentally. Additionally, the Devil’s Advocates argued, precedent declared that individuals had to be targeted, not people en masse. The seven souls had caused the deaths of people they had not known. So, the Vish-kanya profile did not fit. These souls were mass murderers and should be handed over to Hell for all eternity. The Devil’s advocates concluded, saying that containment cells awaited them.

 It was now the turn of the Divine Counsels to plead their case and prove that the seven souls could enter Heaven. Their arguments would have a direct bearing on the status of the Vish-kanyas too. All of them were in attendance. The problem was that the Divine Counsels did not know how to begin, what to say, and how to conclude. They had no experience in pleading to let a soul enter Heaven. It was too much work to pander to the pious souls who had too many requirements anyway. Also, letting in too many people into Heaven defeated the exclusivity that characterized Heaven. In any case, usually the luminous souls who were granted access to Heaven floated right in based on merit points accrued on Earth.

Heaven wasn’t like Hell. It never snatched souls. Rather, it specialized in restricting entry. The Divine Counsel, therefore, had absolutely no experience in pleading to let a soul enter Heaven. They stammered and stuttered so badly that an imp yelled, “Let the seven souls plead their own case.”

 “But our fees?”

The audience booed.

***

Finally, the seven souls were allowed to represent themselves. It transpired that there were certain commonalities…all of them had been convicted for some crime or another. That wrongdoing, they did not deny. Then one fine day, they were given an offer they could not refuse. It was a conditional amnesty with all criminal records expunged. All they had to do was visit tourist spots on an all-expense-paid vacation.

No, they had never met one another; they had not even heard of one another. They had met in Chitragupta’s arrival hall and been segregated by one of his sons, on initial scrutiny. They had shared their experiences when stranded in the Segregation Space. That is when they realized that they had been pawns in a global game. They had each been given fresh clothes, cash, credit cards, travel documents, and each one had been vaccinated…they had been told it was a Flu vaccine and that they were not to worry if they developed cough, cold, chills, and fever. Apparently, the vaccine manifested like that.

Chitragupta’s son Mathur poked his brothers, Senak and Sribatsya. “It was me. I spotted the connection. Father was mightily pleased. He gave me a Pass to a concert where the celestial beauties, the apsaras Rambha and Menoka will be giving dance performances.”

“Shush,” said his brothers. “Listen to what the seven are saying.”

The seven named their country as Acheendesh. It was an economic superpower and ancient civilization with the ambitious desire to own the world. “We advance like a swarm. We are answerable only to the Central Command. Individuals are expendable.”

The questions flung at them came thick and fast. The seven answered without hesitation.

“How were you primed to kill?”

“We did not know that we were being turned into killing machines. We lacked that knowledge. However, we were given vaccinations prior to departure. We are guessing that an infectious agent was introduced into our bodies. We met people at the places we had visited and realized that they had picked up infections…likely from us.”

“Which are the places you visited?”

“Eiffel Tower in France.”

“Jeddah airport in Saudi Arabia.”

“Great Pyramids of Egypt.”

“Taj Mahal in India.”

“Las Vegas and Times Square in the USA.”

“Venice in Italy.”

“Vatican.”

The Devil’s Advocates pounced upon the statements made by the seven souls. “Your divinity, it is crystal clear. These criminals were used as Agents of Death. Under the guise of vaccination, a virulent biological agent was introduced into their bodies. They were weaponized and deployed in places where tourists congregated in large numbers. The weaponised minions infected the tourists. The unsuspecting tourists carried the infection home along with their tacky souvenirs. Some succumbed en route home. Others distributed the infection randomly before dying on their own soil, not knowing they had been intentionally infected.

The seven souls protested. “We are innocent. We did not know. We were tricked…misled. You cannot hold us responsible. If at all anyone should be held responsible, it is those in the Central Command who hatched the plot to expand the empire…we agreed to serve their agenda without knowing what it was…we did give consent, but we did not know.”

An apprentice Angel glided over to the bench where the Divine Counsel was listening with rapt attention while mentally scratching their heads, wondering what to say. They just wanted to go back to their pearly clouds and sip some nectar. The apprentice Angel had a note from the Caretaker of the Divine mansions of Heaven. She was also married to the senior-most counsel. Without mincing words, she reminded him that the mansions had been empty for centuries, and it was imperative that residents be found or else the buildings would crumble away. Spurred into action, the senior-most counsel suddenly shouted, “They have a point, your divinity.”

“Of course, we have a point-go on spell it out.” The seven souls snarled.

“Yes, yes,” mumbled the senior-most counsel. “The way we interpret this is…see, they were used to consolidate power for their nation; to expand its boundaries…Ok…economically, if not geographically. It was a way to spread their dominion in foreign realms.”

“Exactly why we were deployed,” nodded Nirmukta.

“Spread the dominion? How?” The Devil’s Advocates, though taken aback by the sudden energetic resurgence of their learned friends, asked sarcastically.

“Economic supremacy was to be attained by killing off the people…workers, labourers, doctors, nurses, the elderly and the young…it was a strike aimed at decimating the work force of the rival nations.”

“Exactly, this was an act of terrorism. These seven deserve an eternity in Hell.”

“No, they deserve to be classified as Vish-kanyas…ummm, maybe we could adjourn till a gender-neutral term is found that all parties agree to. Maybe call them Vish-manushya? Sulochana, what do you say?”

Yeah right. Take away any term that celebrates females. Actors, not actresses. Now, Vish manushya not Vish-kanyas, mentally raged Sulochana but put on her most beatific smile that almost knocked the senior-most counsel from his podium. However, he rallied valiantly. “These souls here deserve to be called Vish-manushyas or Poison-warriors. Who can deny that their bodies were weaponized? They also kill on contact, which directly gives them entry into the KKK as Sulochana’s wards. Finally, they served their nation and died for it…like a true Vish-kanya. Can we deny them their due?”

The Devil’s Advocates smirked. “Let us get this right. If one’s body is weaponised by the nation (or King) to kill on contact with its fluids or exudates, that is enough to gain entry into the KKK. Right?”

The Divine Counsel sensed a trap. But they could not guess what their legal opponents were up to. After all, the Devil’s Advocates had only reiterated the Counsels’ arguments.

“Yes,” they replied.

“Well then, Your Divinity,” said the senior-most Advocate, addressing the empty throne. The Almighty was always invisible; it was one of His supreme attributes. “We seek to call as a witness a representative of a woman’s body that comprises thousands of members. If we can resolve the Vish-kanya issue today, it will also solve another petition involving a demand to enter the KKK.”

Sulochana was stunned. Other people were also petitioning to enter the KKK. What was she running? A Holiday Home?

The perfume of sandalwood wafted in the air. It could have been Imps lighting incense sticks. The Devil’s Advocates beamed. “Thank you, Your Divinity. We call Sumatrika-Head: Bereaved Mothers Association.”

The Divine Counsels were too stunned to react immediately, but rallied quickly.

“Objection, Your Divinity. What connection do the Bereaved Mothers have to this case, except for their demand to enter the KKK, which is a short step from entering Heaven? This is sheer opportunism. They want to legitimize their Grayland status and come under the aegis of the KKK. Once this is allowed, they will move to enter Heaven. Mothers are a formidable force.”

***

A scent of roses filled the air. Sumatrika came forward to state her case. There was no need to swear on any Holy Book. In this court, no one could lie.

Her voice was very soft. “I am Sumatrika, representative of bereaved mothers worldwide. We have all lost children because of our weaponized bodies. We claim that we are Vish-kanyas.”

Whispers reached a crescendo, and then there was pin-drop silence. Sumatrika spoke, her voice so soft that everyone strained their ears to hear.

“I understand that to be a Vish-kanya, one’s body has to be weaponized; is that correct?”

“Yes,” said the learned lawyers of both sides. “But remember,” said the Devil’s Advocates “The agent used has to be a chemical…a poison…not a biological agent as in the case of the seven souls.”

The Divine Counsel objected, “A virus is not truly a living entity; it occupies the Grayland between the living and the inanimate. Besides, we are not discussing the seven souls…Sumatrika is putting forward HER argument.”

Sumatrika said, “Living or inanimate be that as it may; am I correct in saying that close contact with the bodily fluids or exudates of the weaponized person should result in the death of the person who comes in contact with it?”

Both sets of learned lawyers agreed. The Divine Counsel added. “Yes, that is why those who strap on suicide vests and blow up people are not included in the definition.” They were very quick when it came to excluding people.

Sumatrika smiled a sad smile. “I submit your Divinity that we, bereaved mothers, comply with the conditions. We are Vish-kanyas. We are weaponized women who have caused death on exposure to our milk that we fed our infants.”

There was an instant uproar in court. The learned lawyers asked Sumatrika to explain.

“Your Divinity, in the 1940s, DDT was introduced as an insecticide and widely used on crops. Yields went up as pests died. No one noticed, or maybe they chose to ignore, that we were ingesting DDT in our food. It was stored in our body fat. After a point, our bodies became rich reservoirs of this toxic chemical, and it began to be excreted in milk. Our bodies had been weaponised. Without our knowledge. And definitely without our consent.”

The lawyers on both sides were perplexed. The Vish-kanyas of yore knew and, in a way, had been brainwashed to give consent. The seven souls had given consent but did not know. The bereaved mothers had no knowledge and had not given consent. It was getting very complicated.

Meanwhile, Sumatrika was going on full steam. “Our infants, whom we held in the most loving of all close-contacts and nourished with milk, were actually being fed toxin-laden fluid. Many succumbed. Contact with us had proved to be fatal. That is why we were not allowed entry to Heaven since we had caused deaths. We appeal to Your divinity that we be considered Vish-kanyas and be allowed to become wards of Mother Sulochana.”

Sulochana suddenly felt very faint. She looked up at the cloud-throne set very high in the firmament. It appeared empty, and the outline was breaking up. Of course, the Almighty was always invisible.

No Daiva-Vani sounded as thunder. No oracle spoke.

The Almighty never took sides.

The scent of sandalwood faded.

My daughters have always been Venomous Virgins. Now, I may also have Poison Purush and Malefic Mothers, depending on the final signature on the paperwork, though Sulochana looked at the bonhomie of the learned lawyers clapping each other on the back.

Tags: English Section, Kalpabiswa, Sukanya Datta, দশম বর্ষ প্রথম সংখ্যা