THE RUMOUR

                                    

                                          
Urmila's eyes went wide open in disbelief, and she took two steps back. A tear drop of agony escaped from Lakshman's eyes, while his eyes were still fixed on the floor. Urmila's tongue froze and she couldn't speak further while her mind was crashing with countless questions. Her heart hammered inside chest, making her hands and feet cold. While gasping, she just looked at her husband and asked- "What did you say?"
Her voice was just barely an inaudible whisper, but Lakshman could hear.
Lakshman- "Sita bhabhi has gone from Ayodhya... Forever....."
The words hung in the air, heavy and suffocating for Urmila. She felt as if the ground beneath her was giving way, the walls of the room clenched in. Sita's loving smile just danced across the board of her mind. She couldn't understand could this happen? Why had Sita left? And forever? 
Her mind spun in a vortex of confusion and sorrow. Lakshman, still staring at the floor, seemed a shadow of his former self. His shoulders were slumped, the usual spark in his eyes extinguished. He had always been the pillar of strength, the unwavering support for his brother Ram and the entire family. But now, he seemed broken, lost.
"What are you even saying Saumitra. This must be a joke, right ?......... right?"- Urmila asked in a cracked tone, the fear was clearly noticable in her shaking voice. 
His eyes flooded with tears again, but mouth remained silent. And that silence was too loud for Urmila. A firey shiver ran through her spine, by making her unable to comprehend what's unfolding before her eyes. Her trembling hands flew to her hammering chest, as she took slow steps towards Lakshman. 
Finally Lakshman stood up and his red teary eyes met Urmila's. 
"And I am that sinner, who was riding the chariot, that took her out from Ayodhya upto a dark forest."
With more tears leaving her eyes, Urmila asked helplessly- "No, This must be a dream.... This must be a nightmare.... It's impossible."
"This is the truth Mila, Ram Bhaiya have banished her from the positions she had and ordered me to took her away from Ayodhya.... And I can't ignore my king's order."- With the last sentence, his heart welled up in more pain. 
"This is a lie.... You are lying Saumitra.... This is impossible.... THIS IS IMPOSSIBLE..."- Urmila screamed, as her patience slipped out from control.
Lakshman gently held her arms and pulled her close- "Accept it Mila, this is the truth."
"But why.... What was the reason.... And......"-Urmila broke into tears and couldn't complete her questions. 
Lakshman pulled her into arms, as his tears overflown. 
Lakshman- "Do you remember, yesterday I was telling you about a problem that Ram bhaiya is facing..? To solve that problem, Sita bhabhi had to be banished from her positions."
Urmila immediately pulled herself out from his arms and looked at him with clueless expression. Her mind could not process, which question she should ask first. But all of them were floating in her tears, which Lakshman understood. 
So he explained from the beginning. - "It all had started when we returned from exile. The people of Ayodhya welcomed us with immense love in their hearts, their faces aglow with joy, yet beneath the surface, a hint of doubt had taken birth. As time proceeded, this small doubt grew into a fast-spreading fire, burning fiercely in the minds of every citizen of Ayodhya, and it was all about Sita bhabhi.
As you know, Mila... according to the traditions of the Raghuvanshi kings, Somedays Ram bhaiya ventures out at night in disguise, masquerading as a common man. His purpose is to understand the problems of the praja more intimately and to uncover those grievances that, for various reasons, never reach up to the court. It was a few weeks ago during one of these nocturnal excursions that Ram bhaiya finally became aware of the insidious doubt and soul-haunting belief gripping the hearts of our people.