KARIKALAN AND THE TIME MACHINE--CHAPTER 91

                              KARIKALAN AND THE TIME MACHINE—CHAPTER 91

“You had better explain everything, Manikkam.” The Super Star was more confused than angry with Manikkam.

“Sir,” Manikkam replied, “You remember the circumstances I met you on that evening before inviting you to my flat?”

“Yes, of course. You were your best in being sweet to me!”

Manikkam laughed. “How true, sir. On that day my grandfather and I had a row, sir.”

“Really, why?”

“He wanted to go back to his time and to his Mamallar’s palace in Kanchi. But I was not prepared to take him through the time as yet.”

“Well, it was your responsibility, wasn’t it?”

“Yes, sir. But traveling by time had its own problem.”

“Problem? Come on man! It was you who discovered the mantras or hymns.”

“Sir, the hymns were heard and recorded by the Vedic saints some four thousand years ago. This is a rough estimate only. Swami Vivekananda puts the time as nine thousand years back! Anyhow, I didn’t discover the hymns. Through a constant process of meditation and prayer and a good scholarship in Vedas I only selected the relevant hymns required for traveling in time. But as it has turned out the machine is its own master, sir.”

“Now what are you talking about, Manikkam?”

“Let me start from the time when we met on that evening and I asked you to be my gues for the night.”

“OK, let’s do just that!”

“You were very much confused. I even thought at one stage you were thinking of committing suicide!”

“How right you are, Manikkam sir,” said the Super Star, “It crossed my mind repeatedly. And it was quite difficult to put the thinking aside.”

“I conjectured that much, sir. For you had just that day put in your papers! Everyone there was talking about it. But no one approached you for everyone knew about the incident that your wife had gone away with your daughter in the early morning!”

“Yes, it was a personal sorrow and no one thought of interfering with it. Yes, I once again agree with you.”

“And I had a crisis of my own, sir.”

“What was that, Manikkam?”

“I had had a row in the morning with my grandfather who wanted to be immediately taken to his time. Any amount of explaining was of no avail. He insisted that I only wanted to incarcerate him inside a photo frame.”

“What was your problem, Manikkam?”

“The real problem was I deeply felt in my heart that the time for the second travel by time had not arrived as yet. And I was sincerely praying to the Vedic saints and sages to guide me. But my grandfather’s case was since I had the machine I was only to decide to travel once more. It was not so. The first travel had taught me certain things. That I couldn’t play with the machine. There must be a specific reason for the second travel. And for that I had been awfully praying to the sages with tears in my eyes. So on the day you resigned he had operated the machine by reciting the relevant mantras in the way I would. So at about eight in the morning the machine had been put on a countdown. Since the countdown had started at about eight in the morning, I had to find a reason for the travel within twelve and a half hours. Which meant I had to be present in the darkroom at about eight-thirty that evening! And I had met you around seven  in the evening, sir!”

“But how did your grandfather know how to put the machine in a countdown mode?”

“It was easy, sir. He had been reading my mind and memorized the initial hymns that would start the countdown!”

“My, goodness! So when you met me around seven in the evening you also read my mind, Manikkam?”

“No, sir. I was an ordinary man in Chennai. So I couldn’t indulge in mind-reading. But I went into the flat while you were standing and staring at the floor like a statue, and asked my grandfather to read your mind. He told me you were being mesmerized by the idea of putting an end to your life! I immediately decided to take you with me to Kanchi of Mamallar King. But the time was around seven and in an hour’s time your permission must be got and we all should be present inside the dark room half an hour before the travel and while you two concentrate, I should meditate cross eyed and cross legged on the floor!”

“O I see, that was why you were selling me the time machine, yeah?” asked the Super Star.