The Energy Chain

 

The year 2075

“Reservoir” as he was fondly called, Guru Debendranath was an exemplary model reflecting bundle of energy. His face radiated the energy within and all his disciples were just in awe of his mere sight. The “Guru” had an aura of attracting disciplines with every sermon and the list scaled with each passing day. The national headlines had always a positive snippet to share on his charisma.

Hailing from rural Bengal, Guru had settled down on the outskirts of Nashik in Maharashtra. Everyday several activities of social relevance were carried out by the disciples and the Guru’s backing ensured it was a huge success. Lately, the Ashram celebrated its Guru’s 150^th birthday!!!

The secret to these glorious 150 years was the pearly necklace adorned by Debendranath. Each pearl had been curated with precision and immense positivity. It was a legacy passed down to generations of able gurus. Each pearl in the necklace had to be refilled with energies beaming from happiness, gratitude, charity, honesty and sincerity. The Guru practiced these five principles in abundance to keep the sparkle in the pearls alive.

When the entire world was reeling through tough times of Covid-19, the Guru survived being a Covirgin and led a regular life. Even none of his disciples were a prey to this virus. This phenomenon garnered attraction beyond boundaries of state and nation. When the Government ordered to maintain social distancing, the Ashram was flocked with people from every corner of the country. The IT cell swung into action and the robotic mechanics monitored meticulously the inflow of people.

After the birthday celebrations were done, the Guru expressed his desire to leave this bodily space to enter the outer realms of the universe

. Everyone was shocked!!

The Guru knew within about the things to happen and as a true leader, had created a bunch of leaders to take over his position. Anyways his position was royal and needed people with a special aura to succeed. Rajendranath and Upendranath were two such special disciples everyone knew would be the successor but there was a tough competition between the two. Narendranath, who happened to be a nephew of the Guru and was amongst the disciples cheered for Raj and Upen. Narendranath was a happy-go-lucky guy who enjoyed his share of luxury being a relative of the Demigod.

Raj and Upen, as they were fondly called, were mirror images of the Guru. Both were sharp in all the avenues of life and would assist Reservoir in every activity conducted. Both complemented each others’ work perfectly and the result was always a success.

Having known the Ashram for a long time, both were aware of the customs. Every Guru had tweaked the practices to suit his commandment and ensured it was followed to T. After Guru Reservoir took over, the morning affair included a run-up to the nearby mountain. This would ensure the cardio-vascular fitness. The Guru himself led from the front. Yoga followed after the energetic run uphill. This was summed up by deep meditation practiced by the Guru in solitude. Whilst this happened, the disciplines under the supervision of Raj and Upen would collect wood and move towards the Ashram. On alternate days, Raj and Upen would take the responsibility of supervision and be with the Guru. There were no rest days for the entire contingent and none of them complained about the same.

After the morning chores, the disciples went for a swim to enjoy their leisure time. Thereafter they had a brief knowledge session on various aspects of living life. The Guru either himself or through Raj and Upen shared wisdom on the flora and fauna around. They would have sessions wherein the disciplines would share any information they gained through various sources available. Everyone had updated information technology besides them. The use though was restricted to a few hours during the day.  The Guru emphasized the fact that the external world had become a slave of the Information Technology gadgets and ruining their personal lives. Many disciplines had joined the Ashram life to come out of their OCDs to modern gadgets.

After the session, a few of the disciples moved to the kitchen to prepare food for everyone. The work was allotted to robotic appliances. The disciples had to ensure the robotic activities were happening smoothly without a glitch. The robots needed their share of energy through regular charging. The next activity was the distribution of food, cleanliness of Ashram and other activities. After the chores were done, everyone had their “ME” time. With a packed schedule, the majority of the disciples would prefer siesta while the few remaining used the time with the “Donkey Device” for upgrading their external world knowledge.

The evenings were scheduled for “Sermons” of the Guru directly or through his chosen representatives on various topics. The sermons would be conducted in the hybrid pattern. To avoid large public gatherings, the session would be aired Live. A team of people would handle the on-ground arrangement for people who came to the Ashram while another team would take care of the LIVE sessions. The majority of the work at both the places was carried out by the robotic system. The manual interference was kept minimum. But always needed supervision especially when the robotic system failed.

The Ashram would retire before the last ray of solar energy diffuse in the horizon. Only a few privileged selected disciples stayed awake in the company of the Guru Reservoir listening to real-life experiences. Guru preferred power naps only to recharge his vital energy. He remained in a state of perfect equilibrium. There was hardly a need of a doctor at the Ashram or mindless popping of pills. The health quotient was amazingly high.

During one such discussion, the Guru opened his heart and proposed to move to outer space leaving the bodily pleasures. He wanted to know the opinion of his close comrades about the successor. There was a clear division of votes between the two leaders. Unknowingly, the two friends- Upen and Raj became competitors. There was a collision of negative energy between the two minds. Both deserved laurels for the expertise that they had earned.

Raj was hardworking and gained all the knowledge from his Guru directly.  He ensured to practice them religiously and become a replica of the Guru. Many of the disciples teased him Junior Guru, too. He would accompany the Guru for all tours outside the state and was well versed in the use of technology as well. His communication skills were proficient and he was a perfect manager. On many occasions, the Guru himself addressed the crowd introducing Raj as his probable successor.

Upen, on the other hand, was naturally talented and preferred to manage the internal management of the Ashram. There was hardly any day when he moved out. Having learnt from the Guru directly, he too followed the schedule prescribed and gained enormous energies. He was less vibrant in comparison to Raj but had his charisma and set of followers with the Ashram.

Both Raj and Upen had complemented each other perfectly. Guru was in a dilemma as well. He had to handover the baton of energy power to either of them. The necklace of energy had to be handed over in a secret chamber in the presence of a few trusted disciples. While doing so the Guru had to deplete his reserves and transform the energy into a new soul.

A few days of confusion and drama within the Ashram continued behind locked doors. There was unprecedented negative energy within the two groups. Guru announced the date when the gates of the Reservoir would be opened and the energy would be channelized to the new Guru.

Everyone waited with bated breath for the moment of truth. Everyone was anxious to know their new Guru. ‘Reservoir’ need not give any explanation to anyone about the choice of the new leader. However, being a student of communication, he chose to alter ways and called the core team to explain his choice of the next-gen leader.

Raj and Upen stood at opposite corners in front of the Guru. The Guru smiled, his face radiated like never before. He called both of them nearby and explained, “Both of you are equally talented, perfect leaders, great assets of the Ashram. Choosing either of you would make the other feel negative and take extreme actions. To bring about cohesiveness and better bonding amongst you two, I declare Narendranath as my successor. I hope both of you continue your support to your new leader as you did for me.”

“Maya”never failed to play her cards even in the most spiritually advanced era. A pearl from the Guru’s necklace tumbled down. A virtue fell off its string.