The Sikdar Estate, Naxalbari

Nandan shook the glass of wine, he found that it helped him self actualise, and felt empowering. He did it. He achieved his father's dream to reclaim the lost sikdar lands. It began in his great-grandfather's era when the sikdar zamindars ruled over the naxalbari hills and the surrounding terai forests. Then came the British government, grabbing a large chunk of the Sikdar lands without any payment in return. Later they sold it to a veteran of the Anglo Maratha wars, Colonel Maryswan, who cut down the forest and turned it into a multi-million dollar international tea business.

Talukdar Sikdar planned to send his son Nandan to study in America to learn the British way of business. Two years of MBA later, here Nandan was, signing a deal with Mr Virgil Maryswan. Buying back the whole Maryswan tea corporate, once again including it into the sikdar empire.

"Sir" one of the house attendants said "Shreema Devi is here to see you."

"Let her in" Nandan said putting down his wine glass. He sat on the sofa and massaged his temples. She is here, he breathed in deeply.

After a few moments, a woman dressed in an off-white saree with golden borders came into the room. She was not wearing any makeup except her lips were painted bright red. She wore a golden ring on her left index finger and anklets on her feet. A golden girdle tied around her torso highlighted her waist. The calm smile on her face and her overly feminine stance described her stark beauty perfectly, despite the neatly done pleats on her saree covering her torso. Nandan would not have admitted that he was amazed, if not for the startling jingle of her anklets, that brought him back to his senses. Given the chance, she would have enchanted the primal gods themselves. Nandan found it hard to channel his hate for this woman in her presence.

"So I hear that you bought the tea business." Shreema spoke her prosaic words in poetry, slowly sitting down on the sofa before Nandan, never breaking her eye contact with him.

"Why are you here, Shreema? My father is ill, my mother is tending to him." Nandan breathed deeply, "you're forbidden here now!"

"I am often forbidden at places where I venture into!" Shreema's answered with a smile, "and I've come to talk to you."

Nandan stood up furiously, "Just go back to your temple and dance out your infidelity, woman."

Shreema leaned back on the sofa. "Sit down! That outburst is not as brave as you think it is."

Shreema reached into her blouse and took out two rolls of paper from her bosom. Nandan looked at her chest and drew back his hand, hesitant to receive and touch the papers. Shreema arched her lips and held the rolls horizontally on the desk, in front of the sofa. She unrolled them "Look at this, you moron!" she said coldly "despite your presumptions, I think this particular offer would interest you."

Nandan pinched the draft diagonally, shivering slightly at the contact. He looked closely and gasped, "These are deeds to the temple grounds. Seriously, Shreema wasn't being a devdasi enough? you defiled the serenity of the Mayatalav attracting people to worship with your seductions? Now you go on and sell your legacy!?"

Shreema threw her hands in the air and twisted her lips in mockery. Then she folded her arms and leaned back on the sofa, looking back at Nandan with a crooked smile.

"You'll do this for money?" Nandan was pleading now, suddenly burdened with a mysterious empathy.

"I'll do this to survive. My time with your father sort of gave me the idea," Shreema said strongly "quote me the price."

"What even makes you think that I am interested in buying temple property?" Nandan sneered in response.

"It's not like the colonel kept records!" Shreema answered unfazed "No one knows exactly how big was the Sikdar jagirdar. No, you bought the entire of Maryswan tea corporate because you could..! Something tells me you can buy the temple too!"

Nandan thumped back into the sofa, he ruffled his hair and took out his notepad. He scratched a number and passed the book to Shreema. Shreema looked at the price and nodded her head in assurance.

Nandan breathed again and signalled one of his attendants to bring the chequebook. The man went out to fetch it. Nandan remembered the days he first saw her in the temple. This divine dancer he thought he would marry someday. He looked around the room, finding it uncomfortable to stare back at Shreema's lively eyes.

The attendant came back with the chequebook. Nandan listened while he wrote.

"It just occurred to me!" Shreema leaned forward to see Nandan writing "you did not just give in to this deal. You knew this is what our discussions would come to! You have plans for the Mayatalav Temple..."

Nandan tore off and handed over the cheque to Shreema "I can't tell my plans to the priestess of Mayatalav, can I?"

Shreema folded the paper and tucked it inside her blouse. She prepared to leave, when at the doorstep her eyes travelled opposite the courtyard.

Two men came out of the dorm rooms followed by Shefali. One of them turned back to meet Shreema's eyes.

It looked like he was from the city.