The river Kamali ran silently along the banks of Nalagiri, a village separated from the main land by the river. One could either travel by bus which, would take more than two hours, or cross the river on the boat.
Jagat was very proud of his boat, Jalapriya, because he was the only boatman in the village. He ferried people to the mainland that connected to the city. The village, the river and his boat were his sole reasons for existence. That also meant he had utmost respect and reverence for the Mother Nature which provided him with everything.
One afternoon, he was lying in his boat which was moored to the bank opposite to Nalagiri. He decided to doze off since there were no passengers to be ferried. After a short repose, he realized someone was watching him. Indeed there, was a boy of nine or ten years old looking vacantly towards the river.
"Are you searching for something or waiting for someone?" enquired Jagat.
"No" the boy replied.
"Do you want to cross the river?" asked Jagat.
"May be, I don't know yet" the boy replied with a smile.
Jagat was not of a curious disposition, still he decided to communicate with the child to know whether the boy has run away from his home.
"What is your name?" asked Jagat.
"Aniket"replied the boy.
Now he carefully looked at the boy and was sure he didn't look like someone who had left his home or lost his way. Anyway Jagat was won over by his blue penetrating eyes. For some time they were engaged in a conversation as if reunited after many years. The sun was slowly departing so Jagat decided to return to his village. He bid farewell to Aniket and prepared to leave.
Aniket asked Jagat, "I've nowhere to go, so can I come with you? Since it was growing dark, Jagat didn't want to leave the boy alone on the river bank; he decided to take him along.
They sat at opposite ends of the boat. Heavy silence reigned between the two for a while. Aniket admired the water as if it was alive and talking to him. Then he looked above at the sky which was turning dark and glittering.
Finally Aniket broke the silence and asked Jagat, "Why does the river look blue?"
Jagat understood the curious mind of the children and answered "The blue sky reflects in the water and causes the water to turn blue but, in fact, the water is colourless."
Jagat beamed with joy but Aniket was unsatisfied. So he asked another question:"Who painted the sky blue in colour?"
Jagat replied, "God painted the sky, earth heaven and the entire universe with his imagination to personify everything that was good and bad and yet perfect to the core."
Another question was posed which was both mysterious and irrational.Aniket asked, "Why did God choose to paint the sky with blue and forget the water?"
Jagat sat speechless, rowing the oar and unable to think for a reply.
Jagat was perplexed. No one had asked this question before and he himself never thought about it. He looked bemused and stared back at Aniket without any reply.
The boat sailed through a maze of beautiful lotuses. It looked like lamps that shone on a festival night. This stretch of the river was known for its lotuses. But no human dared to pluck them from nature but everyone admired them. Among all the lotuses, the ruby- eyed, blue lotus stood out. No eyes could escape it, nor pass without its presence felt.
The folklore said the Blue Lotus descended from the heaven. In the past, due to nature's wrath the village of Naligiri faced severe hardship because of the river. It was on the brink of flooding and would render hundreds of people homeless. The villager's petition to God was answered on the condition that no human would disrespect, defile or desecrate nature.
The village was saved by divine mercy; soon after blue lotus appeared among the other lotuses. It was considered as a deity. The villagers believed it could take any form and appear before anyone who deeply desires. Some people thought it's a make-believe story to frighten the people and confirm their superstitions. Baring a few, no one cared about the blue lotus. They thought it was only an exotic flower worthy for exhibition.
Jagat firmly believed the folklore and decided to narrate the story of blue lotus to Aniket. Suddenly, Aniket raised his hand and pointed it towards the blue lotus. It had grown dark and silver beams of the moon floated in the river making it look very celestial. He saw the blue lotus everyday while he returned home; yet today, it was different. The Blue Lotus shone unusually bright like the rays of a thousand suns. It sparkled like an overgrown amethyst, radiating bluish flame in the sky. The river was frozen under its spell and every living and inanimate object was in rapturous delight. What a sight to behold!
Jagat was confounded at this sight and stood in awe. He forgot everything as if reeling under the bout of delirious fever. His ecstasy knew no bounds and he cried in joy. He yelled to call Aniket to view this marvelous spectacle. When he turned back, he was alone.
