Enter Bhagwaan

It was almost ten 'o clock now. Mummy and Pop (Papa was being called Pop these days) had left for work more than an hour back. The maid had finished her sweeping and cleaning too. Diya lingered over her breakfast today, when on most other days she would gulp it down hurriedly. She sat picking up and nibbling at the remains of the bread in her plate. When even they were over, she resorted to making spirals out of ketchup. Her usual play time was nine thirty but Nani's visit to their house had turned her world slightly topsy turvy. Since morning, which was when Nani arrived, Diya had been finding herself displaced from her usual spots. First Nani had sat on her favourite sofa, then Nani's big brown bag had sat where Diya liked her pretty Barbie kitchen set to be and now Nani had been sitting in the Puja Room for almost an hour.

On another day, by this time Diya would be in the Puja Room with all four of her Barbies. She would've set up the dining table (She dint have a dining table so she used the big book with the red velvet cover that Mummy read to Ramji every morning.) for them and seated them around it. Ramji, from Mummy's Puja also came down to sit and play. Ramji was her favourite doll. Because he had pretty ornaments and also Mummy had often told Diya that Ramji would take care of her. Ramji was her friend and protector while the Barbies were slightly lower in hierarchy in her scheme of things. She herself wanted to join them at the table but she found herself grossly out of proportion with the rest of them so she placed the 'diya' that Mummy lit everyday. Mummy had told her once, 'Beta, your name means this beautiful and sacred little flame that lights up everything around it.' So she used the 'diya' as a placeholder for herself. And then the story took its own different course each day. Sometimes it was a birthday party and sometimes the Barbies fought and Ramji sorted their fights out.

But today Nani was sitting there, taking her own sweet time. Didn't she know that Mummy had already read to Ramji once. She didn't have to do it again. (Anyway's Ramji enjoyed Diya's skits more.) So Diya sat and waited, twiddling her thumbs and planning out the screenplay for today's drama. When Nani was finally done, Diya waited for her to disappear into the bedroom. Then she ran into the Puja Room. She placed the red book on the floor. Today it would be a bed and not a table. She lay Ramji and the Barbies down on it. Then her creativity lost steam. She was trying to weave a tale, debating between a bedtime story competition and a everyone-is-ill story, when suddenly Nani hollered at her from behind. She looked very angry. She held Diya by her ear and made her stand up. Then she placed Ramji back into his usual standing place. Diya had no idea what the problem was. She had played here everyday after Mummy and Pop left. Nani then scolded her saying 'Yeh koi khelne ki jagah nahi hai. Bhagwaan gussa ho jayenge.' Diya tried to mutter something in protest but thought better of it. With tears welling up in her eyes, she collected her Barbies and left. All she remembered was Nani saying 'Bhagwaan gussa ho jayenge', 'Bhagwaan punish karenge'. Nani had pointed at Ramji when she said that but Diya was sure she meant someone else. Ramji only loved and cared for her. He didn't scold or punish her.

At night, after everyone had slept, Diya tiptoed to the Puja Room, careful not to bump into anything in the dark. She quickly picked up Ramji and took him to her room. She placed him next to her on her pillow and covered him with her sheet and said 'I'm sorry Ramji I couldn't rescue you earlier. We will fight whoever this Bhagwaan is and his silly rules. You won't have to stay in the Puja Room anymore if we cant play there. I'll talk to Mummy. I love you and I want you to be near me so that you can love and protect me.' She kissed Ramji's forehead and said goodnight to her favourite doll with shiny ornaments and eyes that never closed.