MIDDLE
In Quest of Devi

The red-tiled, little temple looked like it should have been nestling in the hills. But it stood in the green surrounds of Dharamshila cancer hospital, the brainchild of my friend Suversha. The hospital is in busy bustling Delhi, providing succour, spiritual and physical, to those afflicted with cancer.
Inside the shrine is this beautiful idol of Devi astride her lion.I asked Suversha where she got the Devi, and thereby hangs this tale. When Suversha thought of and nurtured the idea of a cancer hospital in memory of her father, she thought she would start with a temple. So off went Suversha and Ramesh, another friend from medical schooldays, to Jaipur where the best images of gods and god- desses are created in marble.
The sculptors'' mohalla was extremely confusing. Rows upon rows of seemingly perfect idols were juxtaposed with broken or half-finished statues and chunks of marble. The clickety-clack, thump-thump and thaak-thaak of the chisels and mallets, the dust, and lakhs of rupees quoted as the price thoroughly puzzled Suversha. Then, by chance, she spotted an old friend of her father''s. He told her he knew exactly where to get what she wanted. He then led Suversha and Ramesh to this idol-maker who showed them samples. They decided on the image.
Weeks later, Suversha was there. The Devi and lion could not have looked more imposing and beautiful. But while moving the Devi to be packed and loaded, one of her right arms broke. Suversha was inconsolable. It felt like a bad omen. Her father''s friend and the sculptors assured her that an identical Devi astride her lion would be ready and delivered by the auspicious day. They kept their word.
The ground had been consecrated and the shrine constructed. Moving the idol to the auspicious spot was an exercise in power and finesse. The Devi all packed and padded was slid along ramps and guided to the desired space in the shrine. A crowd of 300 well-wishers and donors had gathered. Meanwhile, the priests had made Suversha practise how to light the sacred fire with flint and not matches. This was a device like a mechanical churner that was used for churning butter in the old days. The spark was ignited, the holy fire lit and the havan started.
The Devi casts her benign gaze over all those who seek her benevolence and on those who receive without asking.