Draupadi sat in a corner brooding. It was exactly a month after the
bloody war of Kurushektra and although she was in the victorious camp,
the pandavas and their share of loses too. She ran her fingers through
her hair, reminiscing about the spate of events. That was it. Her
hair! They had turned into a mass of dry and rough stack of hay.
She
had bravely taken the vow on that fateful day when she was dragged by
her lustrous hair into the packed court of king Drishrashtra to avenge
the disgrace that her hair suffered with the blood of Dushasana. Until
then she vowed never to tie them. Years of neglect, dust and
environmental harshness had reduced the once luxurious, shining and
silky mane to a pitiable condition. She decides to discuss this issue
with her husbands. After all, they were all mighty warriors and
repectable kings in their own right. Will they not be able to find a
solution to a problem so mere for their reputation?
The
next day, she goes into Yudhistra's chamber. She finds him in a
contrite and pensive mood, something that had become a regularity with
him since the end of the war. After exchanging pleasantries, Draupadi
places her problem before Yudhistra.
"Oh, Queen! I expected better of you. Of all the problems, you are worried about something so trivial?
I have other important issues to be sorted out. I suggest you get a nice massage with a good hair oil."
Draupadi
was miffed and angered by the diffident and cold response. Hair-oil,
huh? didn't she already know these solutions? Probably, it was foolish of her to
expect empathy from her ever just and citizen-loving husband of hers.
Blinded by fury, she stomped out of the chamber only to bump into Nakul.
Nakul looked at her state in bewilderment and asked her the reason for
her distress.
As Draupadi recounted the course of
events, Nakul was unable to hide the smirk on his face. A handsome man
himself, he felt amused at Draupadi's predicament. Sharp as she was,
Draupadi was quick to catch the faint smile and chides him adequately.
"How
dare you smirk at me, thus? Don't you dare rebuke a lady! You have
already seen the consequence of such a misdeed in the recent past." ,
she hollered
Nakul, though a little vain, was a wise man.
He knew better than to incur the wrath of an insulted woman. He was visibly chastened and wisely asked for forgiveness. Though, he was unable to
provide any solution, he used his astrological prowess to pacify and
mollify the hurt Queen.
"Oh, Draupadi, fret not. Your
problems are to end soon. The glory and respect that your hair is worthy
of will be restored very soon. Help is at the doors."
Draupadi
calms down on hearing this and her spirits are lifted a little even.
She goes back to her chamber to cool her heels. Discouraged by the responses of Nakul and Yudhistra, she goes back into a
morose state as she is no closer to finding a solution. Arjuna would have been sympathetic and resourceful but as luck would have it he was away on an tour to the earth on an errand by friend, philosopher and guide, Krishna. Bheema would move mountains for her but again he was preoccupied with the cooking challenge that the neighbouring state had thrown.
"Is there no one who can understand my misery? No one who'd not belittle my problem and help me find a solution?", thinks Draupadi aloud.
"Oh, Sakhi! how could you forget me? I, who have stood by you in all your difficult times, did it not occur to you to think of me or am I not worthy of it?" , asks a sweet voice that is mixed with mischief and slyness.
Draupadi turns to see the blue cowherd, dressed in his trademark yellow dhoti and peacock feather tucked in his crown. His twinkling eyes giving away the masked seriousness in his question. Draupadi is about to offer her apologies and explain herself when Arjuna enters in with a packet tucked in his arms. He smiles and gives the packet to Draupadi, who is surprised and confused with the turn of events. Her mind running with questions of how did Arjuna come back early, How come krishna timed his arrival with Arjuna?
She needn't have worried with Krishna around. As though, reading her mind, he steps in to answer her questions.
"Sakhi, I knew the cause for your worry and hence I had sent Arjuna to Earth to procure the solution. This packet contains the
whole range of products by a company called Dove. They are experts in providing solutions to all kinds of hair problems. My ardent devotees on earth testify to their claims, so be assured of positive results."
Draupadi's joy knew no bounds as she had at found the miracle product -
Dove that was to put an end to all her hair problems. She couldn't thank Krishna and Arjuna enough. Within a couple of weeks' use, she could see a visible improvement in the texture and health of her hair. In a couple of months, her mane was restored to their former glory and shine, one befitting a queen of her stature.
My attempt at fiction is a part of the contest ..and that was the end of my hair problems at Indiblogger 
