‘Sounds perfect. Why didn’t you?’

‘There is no free lunch,’ said Brahaspati. ‘The bacteria came with its own problems. It is a mild toxin in itself. If we mix it in large quantities, as would be required in the Saraswati, we could create a new set of diseases for all living beings dependant not just on the Saraswati but also the Yamuna. We would have only replaced one problem with another.’

‘So you were trying to see if the poisonous effect of the bacteria could be reduced or removed, without disturbing its ability to destroy the Sanjeevani tree?’

‘Yes. Secrecy was required. If those who support the Somras knew about these bacteria, they would try to kill it at its source. Had they known I was working on an experiment such as this, they would have had me assassinated.’

‘Aren’t you afraid of being killed now?’ asked Shiva. ‘A lot of Meluhans will be angry with you when they discover you weren’t the victim, but the perpetrator of the attack on Mount Mandar.’

Brahaspati breathed deeply. ‘Earlier, it was important for me to remain alive since I alone could have done this research. But I have failed. And the solution to the Somras problem is not in my hands anymore. It’s in your hands. It doesn’t matter if I live any longer. Mount Mandar will be reconstructed. It’s a matter of time. And Somras production will begin once again. You have to stop it, Shiva. For the sake of India, you have to stop the Somras.’

‘The reconstruction is a charade, Brahaspatiji,’ said Sati. ‘It’s to mislead enemies into thinking that it will take time to get Somras production back on track. To make them think that Meluha must be surviving on lower quantities of Somras.’

‘What? Is there another facility?’ asked Brahaspati, as he looked quickly at Kali. ‘But that cannot be true.’

‘It is,’ answered Sati. ‘I was told by father himself. Apparently, it was built years ago. As a back-up to Mount Mandar, just in case...’

‘Where?’ asked Kali.

‘I don’t know,’ replied Sati.

‘Damn!’ exclaimed Kali, scowling darkly as she turned to Brahaspati. ‘You had said that that was not possible. The churners needed materials from Egypt. They could not be built from Indian material. We have allies constantly watching those Egyptian mines. No material has gone to Meluha!’

Brahaspati’s face turned white as the implications dawned on him. He held his head and muttered, ‘Lord Ram, be merciful... How can they resort to this?’

‘Resort to what?’ asked Shiva.

‘There’s another way in which the Saraswati waters can be mixed with the crushed Sanjeevani branches. But it’s considered wasteful and repugnant.’

‘Why?’

‘Firstly, it uses much larger quantities of the Saraswati water. Secondly, it needs animal or human skin cells.’

‘Excuse me!’ cried Shiva and Sati.

‘It doesn’t mean that one skins a live animal or human,’ said Brahaspati, as though reassuring them. ‘What is needed is old and dead skin cells that we shed every minute that we are alive. The cells help the Saraswati waters to grate the Sanjeevani branches at molecular levels. The waters mixed with dead skin cells are simply poured over crushed branches placed in a chamber. This process does not require any churning. But as you can imagine, it wastes a lot of water. Secondly, how would one find animals and humans who would come to a faraway facility and get into a pool of water above a chamber which contains crushed Sanjeevani branches? It is risky.’