Akshara sighed as she read the letter. It was the fourth (or was it the fifth?) time she was reading it. She just didn’t know what to do about it. Forget the maturity, forget the age, this was her one chance to be reckless…her one chance to live a fantasy, her one chance to be free.
The letter was from her pen friend, Jasmine, who had invited her over to her nation, the little kingdom of Tukashia, for their annual harvest festival. Akshara had been writing to Jasmine for close seven years now but never had had the chance to meet her. This seemed like a golden opportunity.
Thirty, single and out-of-job, Akshara desperately needed some adventure in life. But was she really willing to leave her comfy flat in New Delhi and go to Tukashia- a country she couldn’t even locate on the map? Was it even safe? But then, being alone, what had she to lose?
She took out her world encyclopaedia and read the facts:
COUNTRY : Tukashia
CAPITAL : Kilimartoo
POPULATION : 450,000
LANGUAGES : Spanish, English and Tuku
RELIGION : Morosangi (55%), Islam (18%), Roman Catholic (12%), Tribal (10%),
Others (5%)
CHIEF
OCCUPATION : Agriculture
CURRENCY : Drian
ABOUT THE COUNTRY:
The princely state of Tukashia has been under the Kilimar dynasty for over 200 years. Morosangi, the chief religion of the place traces its roots in Buddhism. The religion gets its name from Morosanga, the sage who is said to have brought the religion to the nation. Situated between Europe and Asia, this island shares the flora and fauna of both. The first Europeans to set foot on this island were the Spanish tradesmen in the 15th Century. Since then the nation has survived successive attempts at invasion, giving it almost a mythical status. The dense fog that surrounds the island hides it from the human eye and this could perhaps be a reason why none of the invasions have been successful. The Tukashians believe that the blessings of the holy angel or divine spirit of their island, Locko Moha, is the reason why the nation continues to be independent and continues to prosper.
Akshara closed the book. That was all the information it had.