Gobindadeva Ratha wasn't always the aging warlord we know him best as.

During the reign of Highking Anangabhimadeva III, he was mere junior officer, newly inducted into the Oriya Military-Bureaucracy. He probably had several adventures then.

This one was given to me in a dream. https://twitter.com/PawanKambojIRS/status/1280866435523153921

When he was 18, Gobindadeva was inducted as an inspector into the Taxation Department. His original posting was in rural hinterland of Orissa, but since he'd been newly married to a 14 year old girl, he requested permission for more rigorous, albeit shorter duration, of posting.

For his sins, the Government of Orissa gave him what he wanted.

He was now special liaison to the City of Andhernagari to the North for an year.

Gobindadeva- ignorant of what awaited him- collected his papers, said goodbye to his parents & wife, & left atop his horse.

Upon reaching Andhernagari, he was treated with the respect due to an Imperial Oriya officer. He was given a palatial house with attached offices, stables, a small temple, a torture chamber, & many servants.

He was pleased at first, & spent a happy evening flogging peasants.

The next day, he reached the Taxation office in the inner Citadel.

He found it packed with staff.

Next he noted that most were women.

Next he noted that most didn't seem to be working.

He sighed as he got out his riding whip to teach them lessons in Accounting.

Officer Chaupat interrupted him. "Young Saar, how can you lash these poor girls? See how hard they are working despite their tender age?"

Gobindadeva said angrily, "You fork-tongued liar! Most are mid 20s at least & those sitting at the back, late 20s. How are they young?"

Gobindadeva continued, "I see them doing no work & those at the back are just talking with those other young girls. You should have discipline in office. Why do you have no men here, BTW?"

Officer Chaupat, sweating profusely, told him: "Our ways are different from yours, Saar!"

The Andhernagari continued: "Saar, no offence- but the Bureaucracy of Orissa is infamous across Bharata for its cruel practices, domination of the peasantry, and outdated, bigotted orthodoxy. We at Andhernagari follow the Yadava example & our own ideas on progress."

He said: "We encourage both men & women to read & write. We encourage them to do as they will. Thus, being free, they need no lash & work of their own accord, being driven by hope of improvement. There is no giving of marriage or enforcement of sacrifice. Thus we are Just & Kind"

Gobindadeva, being young, was impressed: "Kind Saar, you have opened my eyes. Since birth, the lash & discipline is all my teachers gave me so that I would follow the laws & customs of the Oriya faithfully. I was told that this way, I would protect Orissa from the Turaka best."

Chaupat continued: "We defy the Turaka too. Our soldiers are valiant & our officers, being very enlightened, strive to ensure that our ways of freedom are preserved. Take your chair, young Saar. There is nothing to do for you so you rest."

He put Gobindadeva in a rich room.

Gobindadeva, feeling very modern, walked into the room carelessly.

Inside he found a bed & a young girl on it.

He whipped her & told her to get him a low desk, a cushioned stool, & proper drawers since he didn't want to get carpal tunnel syndrome from poor writing posture.

As he was checking the corners for hidden tunnels, Chaupat came in wringing his hands. "Saar, are you angry?"

"Yes, kind Saar. I found no desk in my room, but a bed. How will I work? And that girl clerk was lying on that bed. I will tolerate indiscipline in my office."

Chaupat looked confused, but nodded & gave orders. He said it'll take a week for the desk to arrive.

Gobindadeva replied he will go & encourage the carpenters with lashings, & rushed out, with Chaupat following helplessly behind.

They soon reached the Woods guild area.

There, Gobindadeva saw two goons harassing a shopkeeper. He charged at them on his horse & struck them down.

"Call the pliss, my good man," he told the stunned trader, "before I lose my temper & fine you."

"Saar, those two weren't goons, but pliss taking protection money.

Gobindadeva was incensed. He lashed the 2 who turned out to unrepentant.

Chaupat advised that they send for the Superintendent first. As Gobindadeva was listening to the gathering crowd about accusations, the 2 pliss told him to do his worst. So he killed them with his sword.

"My good men, have the bodies displayed on the public square", he told the silent crowd. "Let it be known that the Kingdom of Orissa doesn't allow any form of bribery or corruption lest it displease Jagannath, our undying Lord."

"But Saar, you are not in Orissa," cried Chaupat.

Gobindadeva ignored him & entered the Desk workshop he'd spied earlier.

Instead he found dirty dark room with old men working.

"Work faster, you worms" sneered Gobindadeva, "Or have the gods neglected to give you the agility of even a tortoise? Who takes a week to make a desk?"

"Yes, yes", nodded Chaupat as he struck at them with a handy stick. "See how the Imperial liaison is displeased!"

The old workers begged for mercy & Gobindadeva inspected the workshop & found it was unsanitary, foul, cramped, & with poor tools.

He felt bad for the workers.

"Here, old fools, take this bag of 20 fanams (a desk cost only half a fanam). It is against my principles to oppress the wretched & suffering, unless I'm ordered or pressed to. Buy new tools, expand your shop, let in some light- gods, this place is dark. Do this by next week."

As he was leaving, the oldest man spoke feebly, "But great sir, the window taxes are a fanam a month & an expansion license 20 in itself."

"The WHAT??"

Gobindadeva couldn't believe his years. "Chaupat, what is this man talking about?"

Chaupat mumbled & said he'll send a file.

Gobindadeva said that he will have Chaupat flogged for a poor memory if he couldn't recite the laws verbatim in 30 mins. Or he could have the file delivered to them.

He then told the Guildshead to bring him a seat, his sons to fan him, & his wife & daughters to make him food.

The Guildshead said that cumbersome taxes & low ease of business, coupled with the nature of Babudom had led the Andhernagari youth to flee to Orissa, thus leaving only the Old to labour herein.

The kids in Orissa soon chose to forget about Andhernagari & its crazy laws.

Gobindadeva felt bad for the old men. "Ok, get your chicks to make me some tea then. I'll fix you guys up soon & your sons can come work with you again," he assured them.

"But saar, being modern, our kids aren't allowed to learn carpentry. They learn Andher studies at school."

A confused Gobindadeva demanded an explanation from Chaupat, & learnt that Andhernagari made all kids learn Andher studies which taught them important things like Alcohol Appreciation, Turkish studies, Western Drama, & African Dance theory. They also learnt about Nationalism.

"These make child a wellrounded functioning citizen of Andhernagari who's proud of his City," said Chaupat proudly. "We teach them all needed to be a true 12th Century person"

"Do they also teach girls to make tea?" grumbled Gobindadeva. "Get me my tea before I die of thirst".

"No, Saar," said Chaupat & fell silent when he sensed Gobindadeva was reaching for his riding whip.

Oldman explained, "Great Imperial Dignitary, Andhernagari girls are encouraged to go for jobs with the City. They..."

He fell silent. Gobindadeva saw Chaupat glaring at Oldman.

'How does anyone get tea here', Gobindadeva wondered as he stepped out of the workshop in a daze, followed closely by a worried-looking Chaupat.

Then he spotted the Turaka selling kebabs at the corner.

He found a similar Turkish tea stall & began to think as he sipped his Tea.

In the distant public square, Gobindadeva could spy a crowd around the two corpses he'd ordered to be strung up.

Some were crying. Others shouting. He heard police ringing the bells customarily mounted on their spears.

Chaupat looked worried. "We must go, Saar. Now!"

"We will, Chaupat," Gobindadeva assured him as all around them began to rush to the Public Square where the bodies were being taken down by livid plissmen. "But first you go get me my horse. I left it in that alleyway."

As Chaupat left, Gobindadeva grabbed the hapless Turaka.

Dragging him into dark alley, Gobindadeva threatened Turaka & demanded how he, a mere tea-seller- managed to survive in a City that had schools that taught Nationalism. He offered him 10 fanams if he spoke & death if he didn't.

Turaka was impressed at Gobindadeva's intelligence.

Turaka & Gobindadeva went to a shady dhaba, where he answered all of Gobindadeva's koschans.

He told Gobindadeva that the healthiest youth joined army & lived in forests, most capable left, & without jobs, others turned feral & wild. Growing Turaka population led to raids

And thus though Andhernagari army was strong, the farms emptied out & Turaka ghettos came up. Food shortages were mitigated by government with imported aid.

"That's fine", said Gobindadeva curtly. "But how do they pay for all this?"

And the Turaka told him.

A tired Chaupat reached his Office with horses in tow. He was angry at Gobindadeva for having vanished. Pliss were livid at the executions & it was by only calling in favours that he'd managed to escape. Even so, he'd agreed that he would help then assassinate Gobindadeva soon.

He found the Office full.

Gobindadeva stood there, taking notes from all the girls there. In the corner, some of the Senior officers & ladies lay dead.

"Chaupat, now I'm aware of everything," said Gobindadeva as he spotted the Andhernagari Babu.

"The reason your office seems to be at the heart of everything- safety regulations, industrial laws, migration etc- is that there are no other offices at all.

The City produces nothing. You Officers can produce nothing. Only consume. So why have anything save Taxes & Pliss?"

"The reason you seem free-handed & generous despite producing nothing is not only the wealth from your migrants & your tormented peasants, but also the fact that your city has no children.

The Schools were shut down long ago after everyone consumed your Andher studies Agitprop."

You've destroyed your trades & uprooted all traditions. Then you preferentially gave women jobs while intentionally denying it to the men, forcing the latter to flee.

Thus you lords of Andhernagari turned this city into a Turaka harem for your own pleasures."

To prevent the populace from rising against you, you set them apart from each other- allowing Turaka to come in, allowing open whoredom as with the girl in the morning, & crushing all who protested as those Pliss in the public square. This you managed by subduing Religion."

"Fool," sneered Chaupat. "All of this is true."

"But what can you do? Your title is hot air. You are young. You killed my friends via surprise. But I still stand & my blades are many."

Gobindadeva spoke, "you are unarmed." He raised his sword but was piled upon by the girls.

The next morning, Gobindadeva was tied to a pole &, in a Kangaroo Court, sentenced to Death by stoning.

Chaupat accused him of Murder, the girls accused him of Rape, the Pliss accused him of Treason, the Guildsmen of Gold smuggling, the Turaka of being an Oriya.

His time was up

At that moment, the air rang with the blowing of war conches & the shriek of trumpets & of elephants.

The guards on City walls cried with alarm & fell silent as the whistling of arrows reached a crescendo.

"The gates have fallen!" came the cry- & then Oriya Zamindari Cavalry

They succoured Gobindadeva, returned his pagri & whip, & brought him before the old & great general Bishnudeva who was the Tormentor of the North.

"Great Lord," said Gobindadeva as he fell to his knees. "I have no words to thank you with. How did you know of & come to my aid?"

"You were saved by mere chance," laughed the great & terrible Lord as his servants held his battered shriveled body up.

"I conspired to send you here since you are earnest & tempestuous & young, & surely would've been mistakenly marked for corruption by this wretched City."

"If you'd been corrupted, I'd have held them guilty of crimes against our Bureaucracy, & taken City on a pretext of slaying you.

If you weren't & failed to root out corruption, I'd have invaded on pretext of punishing your incompetence.

But invaded I would have, in any case."

"However by your clumsy bungling, you managed to get yourself set up for execution & thus gave me appropriate casus belli to invade. Without my agent, you'd have been slain though. Alas."

'Who?' wondered Gobindadeva, almost delirious with pain. "I know no such agent."

The General sneered at him. "We do what we do not in pursuit of Virtue or out of the desire for Good, but to enable others without our burdens to seek for the same. It is not to us to be honest or upright or glorious, but to be venal & underhanded & corrupt ourselves."

"This is Kali Yuga. We live in terrible times & must be terrible ourselves or we will be slain."

"Shopkeeper harassed by pliss was my tool. His son was killed for protesting Turaka sellers, his daughter turned into a City departmental whore by the older ladies. He became mine."

"I had him bribe Pliss to establish precedent. I had him bribe the Taxation department to set up Window taxes. I had him pay the Superintendent of Pliss give Chaupat the idea to tempt you with a whore during work. I had him arrange to be beaten up by Pliss."

Thus were my deeds.

Gobindadeva was awed to tears at the Majesty & Intelligence of the great and terrible General who had offered tens of thousands of heads of the barbarians in front of the eyes of the gods.

"Command me, great Lord," he said. "And I will root out more cities for you!"

"No, child," said the General softly.

"You have been brave and clever. But you were not intelligent. I command you to study the precepts of Bhishma and of the Maurya Minister Chanakya again. And to bring me the head of the one I wish."

Thus did Gobindadeva act, and was praised.

Readers, if you've got this far.

What is Shri Gobindadeva in this Story?

Readers, if you've got this far.

What is the role of Shri Bishnudeva on this story?

Readers, if you've got this far.

Whose head do you think Shri Bishnudeva ask Shri Gobindadeva to bring as proof of his loyalty & intelligence.