The Sarai / tavern at the edge of the galaxy
by Sundaram ramchandran / Zenkalidas



Susan , Jane and Jill looked at the horizon tinged orangish red by the setting
sun (Of course, under the current conditions, this twilight would persist for
a long time at any time of the year).

They recollected a poem that a friend had composed a long time back It went as
follows :

"ZEN HAIKU"

The evening sun in twilight,

Setting in the wine / sake glass

Like her reddish hue

Flight of swan overhead

Tender images in the rich dark blood colored tea

Sacred incense burning

Candle spreading its glow / warmth

And suddenly it is dawn and I awaken

The orangish red intermingled with the blue of the sky reminded them of a
drink that they had with the same friend, Abdul many years back. It was
similar to the drink called bull frog (or blue long iced tea) with the blue
curaco liquer that gave the drink its blue color but with an added ingredient
that gave it the added oranish red tinge).

Their eyes were looking beyond the setting sun at a familiar spot at the top
of a hill. Memories rode on the waves of tears that flooded their eyes.
Suddenly, they found smoke and flames emanating from that spot. That "spot"had
been their "sanctuary", the place where they used to hang out at the prime of
their lives. It was a pub/sports bar with a twist. Called "Sarai", it sought
to blend the atmosphere of a modern sports bar with the intimacy and warmth of
a typical central asian caravanserai (tavern / in n / restaurant).

Suddenly, they were transported back even further to the place and time where
it all began

LATE 20th CENTURY / EARLY 21st CENTURY AFGHANISTAN

Susan was a Sailor / Diver/ fisherwomen and in general an explorer of the
wilderness and the deep. Cultural affairs did not hold the same fascination
for her. She was also an excellent rugby player. She was planning to study
marine biology and geology. She stood just short of 6 feet, weighed around 90
kgs, had dark hair and a wheatish / ruddy complexion. She had also won many
strong woman contests

Jill was an expert mechanic and truck and motor cycle driver. She was also a
good boxer who had won many a fight at the Tough women / Golden Gloves
contests. She was 6.1, weighed around 85 kgs, had dark hair and a wheatish
complexion. She was planning to study mechanical engineering

Jane was a cow girl who also did rodeo shows and was a general stunt woman.
She was an excellent kick boxer and an exponent of karate. She was planning to
study medicine. She stood 6 feet , weighed around 95 kgs and had reddish brown
hair and a ruddy complexion.

All 3 of them were entering their mid thirties, were a strange mixture of left
wing (standing up for the underdog etc) and right wing (strong protestant work
ethic that prized self reliance etc), were activists of a kind, worked , drank
and played hard, had children from earlier marriages and were now single, had
had briefly stints in gaol for both political and non-political offences
(mainly pub brawls and the occasional ideological fight). at some time or the
other. In fact, it was at one such brawl that they happened to meet(Jane was
the bouncer and was trying to break up a bar fight which had turned into a
free for all when Susan and Jill had come to her rescue). Unfortunately, they
had injured so many people that they had to spend some time in prison though
one consolation was that they shared the same cell and were let off in a
couple of hours after a warning.

They spend time discussing their pasts, their dreams etc and resolved to get
out of the mess they were in. As luck would have it, the prison warden who
happened to be present at the time of their imprisonment and release knew
their backgrounds and felt compelled to offer some advice : "Ladies, all 3 of
you have too much talent to be wasting your lives like this. I know someone in
the army who is looking for people with your experience who are wanted in
Afghanistan".

Some days and a good many sentimental farewell later, the 3 ladies found
themselves landing in the middle of the steppe bordering Central asia, a vast
table land ringed by mountains.

Since history (and even political and cultural geography) and culture were not
their strong points, they had swallowed all that they heard about Afghanistan
(they thought it part of the middle east) and felt that it was just another
underdeveloped third world nation ruled by Islamic fundamentalists who had to
be cut down to size.

They had done well in their combat missions, had befriended the afghan village
children like other US marines and were even thinking of adopting some of the
children.

They were nearing the time of their departure from Afghanistan when they
overheard their colleagues talking about an ancient treasure hidden in a city
in the mountains ruled by a warlord who was a US ally. The 3 ladies had been
intrigued and fascinated not only by the adventure aspect of trying to explore
and find the treasure but also because it would yield enough money to fund
their dream projects : Susan's trip to antartica and a diving trip to the
marina trench (of course in a vehicle) possibly prospecting for medicinal
plants (and opening an aquarium housing porpoises, dolphins , penguins etc),
Jill's dream of a garage cum workshop and giving a chance to the youth in her
community to find a gainful vocation, Jane's dream of opening an orphanage cum
school for orphans as well as a shelter for injured animals. They also thought
that taking he treasure from the noses of the warlord and thus cocking a snook
at him and teaching him a kind of lesson.

On their reconnaissance mission, they realized that the landlord had a son
(later they would know him as Abdul) around 40 who had a fairly large band of
followers. They realized that there was very little chance of penetrating the
fortress within which the treasure was located (the fortress ran alongside a
mountain with a cave where the treasure was buried). And so they would have to
kidnap the son and blackmail the chief into parting with the treasure or
revealing its where abouts.

They also noted that Abdul went for his afternoon prayers unaccompanied and on
foot. The mosque also happened to be outside the fortress. The mosque was also
in a fairly remote location

So they decided to abduct him then. They succeeded in surprising him and tying
him up and putting him in the boot of the car that they had hired from their
base. (they had decided against other modes of transport as being too
inconvenient / impractical). They decided not to take him to the main base
where there are other soldiers but to a private hideout which no one knew
about.

After questioning, to their dismay, they find that he knows the location of
the treasure but it can only be accessed by a group of chiefs of the clan
together ( himself and his father having two such "keys").

So they realize that they cannot blackmail the warlord since it would be easy
for him to contact their base and the US army would be forced to deal with
them harshly.

They plead with him to help find the treasure. They say that they only want a
small part of it. He says he is helpless. So they ask him to reveal the
location. Half heartedly he agrees. It seems to be an Open Sesame kind of
contraption right out of "Alibaba". After a lot of cave exploration and rock
climbing, to their frustration, they realize he was right. Suddenly, all their
frustration with Afghanistan, their situation etc find a vent in poor Abdul.
They challenge him to a fighting match one by one and to their surprise, they
win. This increases their contempt for him and they increase their handicap
and they win again even with one hand and feet tied.

Their contempt and sense of irritation and for some reason rage is further
reinforced by the stories of his womanising , his "corrupt ways etc". Now they
were not aware that Abdul was a fairly modern warlord and though he commanded
many, he was not a whiz in handling weapons or in unarmed combat. He was
fairly flabby and would have been considered effete in the western world, He
was not a great whiz in technical matters either. But he did have a great
knowledge of strategy (and tactics) and how weapons and resources could be
used effectively. Above all, his followers loved him and would easily have
died for him.

Not being aware of this, a germ of an idea starts developing in their minds.
Part of them feels sorry for him but they are carried away by the idea of
humiliating him so as to cause his followers to leave him and join them.

They undress him, tonsure him, dye him, then they hunt a pig and tie him to
the pig. Then they stick some paper on his back and write the words "D'ont
follow this pig of a master. As you can see, he cant defend you" Then they tie
him up to a horse from the village and wait for the consequences of the
action.

And consequences there certainly were. Exhausted by the effort and now feeling
remorse for their actions, they went to sleep from a vantage point overlooking
the entrance to the fortress.

Suddenly, (Like Tess being woken up in "tess of the durbervilles") ,they wake
up in broad daylight and find themselves surrounded by thousands of gun toting
tribesmen. From the grim expression on their faces, they realize that they
have miscalculated very badly. They are surprised to be greeted by Abdul who
is dapperly dressed in the traditional dress of his tribe.

Abdul : "Luckily for you, i command respect among my people and have also the
trust of my father and i somehow have come to develop feelings of affection
and warmth towards you because

you obviously felt remorse

you are motivated by a sense of idealism

your knowledge of Afghanistan is very poor

your sense of frustration is understandable

and lastly you are very attractive and strong women.

If you were not women, firstly i would not have been off guard and
secondly,even if you had succeeded , irrespective of the US army presence, you
would have been torn to pieces by my people (irrespective of my opinion)"

He invites them into his palace inside the fortress. Now that they are safe
and the fear has worn off , their faces glistening with tears of remorse and
pity rather empathy and even affection for him, they embrace.

Abdul : "I have also made sure that no one from your base , in fact no one ,
hears of this"

They thank him profusely.

The next few days were spent in an education in all things Afghan and in fact
all things Central asian. They were exposed to the rugged and beautiful
terrain of Afghanistan (which as Abdul explained was "Central Asia in a
nutshell"), the varied tribes , the wonderful architecture which showed up in
the architecture of the Caravansarais, the wine taverns cum inns that dotted
the old silk route. He also explained to the fascinated ladies about the silk
route and its significance.

Then he explained the significance of the wine tavern in Central asian /
Indian history with the emphasis on intoxication symbolizing intoxication of
love which was a bridge to a higher kind of love.

He went on to explain his plans for starting a modern "sarai" which would
blend modern and historical elements from various cultures.

He envisaged it as a meeting place for people to exchange ideas while having
fun (somewhat like a toast masters club), he envisaged poetry sessions, book
reading sessions, music sessions, games, discussions, film shows and plays
followed by discussions. Above all, he wanted to popularize live Mixed Martial
arts with a twist, matches between men and women. He said "It is easy to keep
things tasteful in a non controversial area but to keep things tasteful and
safe in such situations is a real challenge and this is where you ladies can
help me"

So, when Susan, Jill and Jane left for the US, Abdul left along with them.
They set up "Sarai" at the top of a relatively low altitude mountain but with
a very broad peak and which was visible from the surrounding prarie for miles
around. It acted as a kind of beacon and lighthouse (both symbolic and actual)
for travellers. They had connected the caves inside the mountain so that they
offered paths to the top.

There were fountains and pools, bookshops, coffee shops etc all surrounding
the pub/tavern.

One night, as they were watching the stars in the sky, Abdul mentioned "I have
always been intrigued by the thought of what if one of these stars had
intelligent life like ours and if we focus, just imagine being able to zoom
down on another set of people like us in a "sarai" in some other galaxy !!

"Why, from an airplane, the stars in the sky seem to be reflected in the
lights from the cities below. Like a star. each vehicle moving below contains
its own story with the lives of its occupants as backdrop"

Inspired, Abdul began reciting a poem that he had just composed :

Magic potion ?

Can you give me a drink that will take me to the fifth dimension ?

The ethereal worlds have given me an invitation

I have a chance to cross the heavenly ponds

And travel to the worlds beyond

If i can this flight board

I can , the celestial bridge, ford

The 3 ladies , with a mischievous smile, experiment with the orangish red cum
blue drink mentioned above by blending "bull frog" with another liquer that
gave the drink its orangish red tinge. After drinking it, Abdul feels an
almost "out of body" sensation and somehow has heightened sensitivity and the
4 of them embrace spontaneously.

Now, with some of the funds from a foundation run by his father, Abdul tried
to help the ladies to realize their dream projects. It so happened that after
the initial setting up, the 3 of them started travelling more and showing up
less often at the "Sarai".

Slowly, the more rambunctious part of their personalities started exhibiting
itself and they got embroiled in brawls and worse, some of them leading to
stints in prison. It is one of these stints that Abdul meets them. He realizes
their need to harness their tremendous energy.

The "sarai", like for many others, becomes their sanctuary, the place where
they can rejuvenate themselves and nurture their dreams. They participate in
rugby matches sponsored by "Sarai and even go on to make it to national level
matches. Susan starts winning in many national level strong women contests as
also in sailing / rowing / diving contests. She also starts participating and
winning in "pankraton" and even gladiatorial and bull wrestling / riding
contests. Jane in rodeo and bull riding contests (as also in bull wrestling)
as also national level kick boxing contests and Jill in Motorcycle and Truck
rallies as also in tough women / golden gloves contests.

All of them start participating and winning in local, state, national and even
international level MMA matches hosted and sponsored by "Sarai" as well as
mixed matches with some well known male fighters and winning quite a few of
them.

One day, Abdul tells them that he has something to say

Abdul : "I would like to move to Afghanistan some time. I would like the 3 of
you to accompany me "

The 3 of them state that they would really love to do so but first they would
like to complete their studies and finish their projects.

Abdul "You can continue your studies and working on your projects in
Afghanistan"

The 3 of them : "But we would at least like to make some progress in both our
projects as well in our studies"

In a farewell party, they promise to come back.

He agrees and they take leave tearfully.

"Sarai" continues to grow. One day Susan comes to Sarai and states that she
would be going for a years voyage to Antartica and the underwater trenches and
that Jane and Jill would also be accompanying her.

Abdul tearfully " I will miss you terribly"

Susan " I will be back in a year"

Abdul "Have a safe journey. Take care"

They have a wonderful trip, complete their studies , finish their projects and
are reunited with their children. They also start dating men.

One day, when they are together , Susan mentions :"I will feel guilty about
not meeting abdul"

They decide to meet him at Sarai some weeks later.

Little did they know that they would be meeting him much earlier than that.

Meanwhile the activist part of their personalities once again came to the
fore. They come to know about a project where a pub cum entertainment complex
similar to "sarai" had encroached upon an aquarium. Though it was not theirs,
they were incensed and barged into the director's office with tar, feather and
dye and daubed him with it when they realized that it was none other than
abdul. Tearfully, they embrace him and help him wash the stuff off and get new
clothes.

Susan "Sorry, we seem to be hurting you always. We seem to be bad for you"

Abdul : "Not at all. BTW, how was your trip ?"

Susan : "It was great. BTW, we are also engaged"

Abdul (in a hurt tome) : "Why did you not keep in touch ? "

Susan (embracing him) : "Sorry but we will make up for it, BTW, what is the
story about this new place ?"

Abdul "I am facing some issues with "Sarai". Some local toughs have threatened
to evict me and / or set fire to my property. That has deterred customers.
That is why i bought this place. But i am facing problems here too"

Susan " We will help you in keeping 'Sarai'. I d'ont know about the new place.
Emotionally, we are torn. We are attached to the aquarium. But at the same
time, we d'ont want you to lose your investment. Why d'ont we discuss this
today over dinner at Sarai"

Abdul "BTW, you know about my return to Afghanistan. If i return, will you
accompany me ?"

The 3 of them , in sad voices "It may be difficult now that we are going to be
married. We will miss you terribly. We thought now that we are back, we would
be to able to spend more time with you"

Abdul "Anyway, nothing is certain. I look forward to our meeting in the
evening"

THE PRESENT

They find a distraught , sobbing Abdul trying to rush into the smoldering
ruins of "Sarai"

Abdul "I have lost everything"

All : hugging him "You still have us. We will come with you to Afghanistan. In
a very deep sense , you were our first real love as far as men are concerned.
Our fiancés will have to take it or just lump it. You can claim he insurance
money from this. As far as the second project is concerned, why should it be
either this or that, We could include the aquarium in "Sarai 2""

Some months later :

THE STEPPE : AFGHAN TURKESTAN

A group of 9 people watching Buzkashi " Come on Jane. You should be able to do
it !!"

Jane : "That is what i thought. But this is a really different cup of tea. But
as they say, it is not winning but playing that is important"