Karna Says No to Second Term

The Times of Aryavart; the leading newspaper of Hastinapur has a screaming

headline, Karna says no to the second term. People are discussing and debating
the topic at every nook and corner. At a somras shop; inebriated people are
appearing to come out of their stupor at this sudden development. They are worried
that there will law and order problem at all such shops and pubs which sell various
kinds of intoxicants. The cow-herders are worried that from now on anybody from
the neighboring villages would come and drive away with thousands of cows of
Hastinapur. Some ladies at the watering hole were telling each other, You never get
such handsome guy as the Chief. He is so cool. These common people always end
up discussing silly day-to-day topics and refuse to see the big picture.
In fact, Karna was appointed as the Chief of the Armed Forces of the kingdom of
Hastinapur. He had a long reputation of being a brave warrior. He had won many
famous battles and had defeated some of the ferocious enemies. Although he was
not trained at the famous Gurukul of Dronacharya, yet he possessed all the skills
and qualifications which befitted the role of the Chief of the Armed Forces. To top it
all, Karna had a good personal rapport with Duryodhana. While a yuvaraj normally
has no say in policy matters; Duryodhana was a special kind as he was born with
the proverbial silver spoon in his mouth. Moreover, because of his brash behavior,
nobody had the guts to refuse what Duryodhana wanted. So, when during one of
the important meetings in the royal court; Duryodhana suggested the name of
Karna for filling the vacancy, Dhritrashtra had no other option than to concede to his
sons demand.
Karna began in top gear from the very first day on his job. He had to carry all the
long-pending modernization of the army. He had to enforce a strict sense of
discipline in the lackadaisical armed forces. He introduced a regular regimen of
yoga; notwithstanding the fact if it was a Yoga Day or not. Within no time, Karna was
quite successful in changing the face of the army. There were no more pot-bellied
men in the army because most of them agreed to do away with their paunches.
Some of them who refused to do so had to opt for a golden handshake. Everything
was going as per Duryodhanas and Karnas plans. Even the emperor was happy
with the ongoing preparations for the eagerly awaited war of the Kurushetra. But
suddenly, an important person from the royal court threw spanners in the grand
design of Karna.
Shakuni; known for his evil and wicked ways; began to doubt the antecedents of
Karna. Shakuni said that since Karna was not a known kshatriya; the kingdom
cannot be sure of his loyalty. Shakuni believed that only the kshatriyas and
brahmanas could be considered as loyal. Loyalty of people from other varnas was
always in doubt. While the emperor and some top ministers of the royal court knew
about Karnas real roots; the topic never came into the public domain. Shakuni
wanted a real kshatriya as the Chief because patriotism of a kshatriya can never be

questioned. Shakuni also advised Karna to go back to his official profession; as per
the Varna System. Karna was told in clear terms that he should either accept the
post of In-charge of the royal stable (to take care of horses and elephants) or face a
termination from his current job.
On this topic, Dhritrashtra maintained a stoic silence. He was an expert in
maintaining silence and seldom spoke on any matter. When he was young; it was
Bhishma who called all the shots. Now, he was old and it was Duryodhana who
called all the shots. So, there was nothing called work-related stress for the blind
king. Dronacharya sensed this as an opportunity to further his own cause. So, he
also began questioning the educational qualifications of a man who was not
educated in any of the premier institutes of Hastinapur. He even doubted the
authenticity of degree which Karna claimed to have from some Deemed University.
Since Karna was quite possessive of his self respect so he decided to throw his towel
(angvastram) and to hang his boots.
The enemy camp is celebrating on hearing this news. They are waiting for a mass
exodus from the Hastinapur army. They are also planning for a mass recruitment
drive in their own army. Special package shall be given to men with relevant
experience in the Hastinpaur army. Krishna is planning to help Karna to open an
archery academy which will offer specialization in hitting the bulls eye; sorry the
fishs eye. A hundred percent Swayamvar placement guarantee shall be given to
the future alumni of the academy.