"
{FN1-13} Kali is a symbol of God in the aspect of eternal Mother
Nature.
CHAPTER: 2
MY MOTHER'S DEATH AND THE MYSTIC AMULET
My mother's greatest desire was the marriage of my elder brother.
"Ah, when I behold the face of Ananta's wife, I shall find heaven
on this earth!" I frequently heard Mother express in these words
her strong Indian sentiment for family continuity.
I was about eleven years old at the time of Ananta's betrothal.
Mother was in Calcutta, joyously supervising the wedding preparations.
Father and I alone remained at our home in Bareilly in northern
India, whence Father had been transferred after two years at Lahore.
I had previously witnessed the splendor of nuptial rites for my
two elder sisters, Roma and Uma; but for Ananta, as the eldest son,
plans were truly elaborate. Mother was welcoming numerous relatives,
daily arriving in Calcutta from distant homes. She lodged them
comfortably in a large, newly acquired house at 50 Amherst Street.
Everything was in readiness-the banquet delicacies, the gay throne
on which Brother was to be carried to the home of the bride-to-be,
the rows of colorful lights, the mammoth cardboard elephants and
camels, the English, Scottish and Indian orchestras, the professional
entertainers, the priests for the ancient rituals.
Father and I, in gala spirits, were planning to join the family
in time for the ceremony. Shortly before the great day, however,
I had an ominous vision.
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