Operation Chaos: A Gripping Action Thriller by Himanshu Rasam

about the monument to David as they made their way towards the centre yard of the Quwwat-Ul-Islam mosque where the pillar was located.
    ''Believed to be erected by Chandragupta Vikramaditya of the Gupta dynasty, the pillar had initially been located at Vishnupadagiri or modern day Udayagiri in Madhya Pradesh where it supposedly served as a sundial. Vishnupadagiri is located on the Tropic of Cancer and, therefore, was a centre of astronomical studies during the Gupta period. Although the method used to prevent rusting or corrosion is now known, the pillar itself is the artefact which displays the knowledge and research of Indian metallurgists during the ancient times ,'' remarked Shonali.
    The contrast of the night sky and the white moon made the iron pillar shine to its fullest glory. The commandos and Shonali circled around the pillar looking at its metal inscription while David resumed inspecting the random combination of numbers he had copied down from the paper a few moments ago. It read out to be:
    1-5-1, 1-7-5, 1-10-3, 3-7-4, 3-9-4, 3-10-6, 3-10-7, 3-10-8, 4-1-4, 4-2-6, 4-2-7, 4-3-2, 4-7-5, 4-7-6,     
    5-1-1, 5-2-4, 5-6-6, 6-7-1, 6-10-4, 7-6-1, 7-6-2, 7-7-1, 7-7-2, 7-7-3, 7-8-1, 7-8-2, 7-8-3, 7-8-4, 7-8-5,  
    9-6-1, 9-6-2, 9-6-6, 10-12-7, 10-13-1, 10-13-2, 11-3-2, 11-3-4, 11-6-1, 11-7-2, 11-7-3, 11-8-1,
    11-9-4, 11-9-5, 12-2-3, 12-5-7, 12-8-1, 12-13-2, 12-14-6, 13-1-1, 14-4-3, 14-4-4, 14-4-5, 14-10-3,
    15-8-2, 15-12-1, 16-5-6, 18-3-1, 18-3-2, 18-3-3, 18-3-7, 18-5-1, 18-9-1, 18-9-3, 18-12-2, 18-12-3,
    18-13-1, 18-13-2, 18-13-3, 18-13-4.
     
    The completely meaningless list of numbers now occupied David's thoughts. He was never good with numbers, but he knew what he had to do. He had the exact man for the job: one of the Intelligence Bureau's best crypto-analysts.
    ''We located the inscription, but I seriously don't know how we are supposed to read it,'' reported Raghav, bringing David back to the present. David went near the pillar and saw an inscription on the centre of the pillar which was almost illegible. ''Why would he send us here to read something which we don't understand? It's written in some ancient script.''
    ''That is a Sanskrit inscription in Brahmi script,'' Shonali said, pointing a finger towards the left side wall. ''Maybe that stone tablet on the adjacent wall will help you understand it. It is a translation of the script for tourists.''
    David thought about the situation for a moment.
    ''I think we are going to need Sameer’s help. Get him on the line for me.''
    David inspected the stone tablets on the wall where the original Sanskrit text and the translation of the text in English were written. The text described the valour and the qualities of a king referred to simply as Chandra.
    ''Sir, we have Mr. Sameer on the line.''
    David took the call.
    ''Hey, Sameer. How's the night going for you?''
    ''Pretty good. How come you are calling me at this hour? Got some code to crack, I suppose.''
    ''Sort of. I need your help right now. Would you please come over?''
    ''Sure. Where are you?''
    ''The Qutub Minar complex.''
    ''What are you doing at... Never mind. I am coming. Give me half an hour.''
    ''Actually, we are running out of time. Can we do it over the phone. I mean you can talk while you are driving, right?''
    ''Well, technically that would be against the law. But go on. Let's see what we have got here.'' Sandwiching the cell phone between his shoulder and his ear, Sameer put on his shoes, took his apartment and car keys, his laptop and set out for the Qutub complex.
    ''Let me explain to you the situation in brief. Earlier this evening, we got a message which led us here to an inscription and we were given random combinations of numbers on a blank paper which I don't know how to use. So it all sums up to this- I have a sheet full of numbers and an ancient Sanskrit inscription here.''
    Sameer got into his car and started the engine. ''Go on. Read out the number list.''
    ''Sure. The list goes like