The night was sultry and stiflingly hot.The watchmen took turns to sleep on their makeshift bed. One slept and the other watched over the mango orchard. It was “the season”. The prolonged dry spell , was beneficial for sweetening the luscious “king of fruits”. Everyday, the contractor would send a batch of pluckers to pluck the ripe ones. At least ten varieties of the fruit grew in the orchard, dating back to goodness-knows-when.
The night air was thick with the fragrance of ripe mangoes. One odd fruit eating bat rustled in the leafy boughs, unseen. Somewhere an owl hooted . The light in the kerosene lamp, grew dimmer with each passing moment.
Suddenly Bhiku jolted awake with a jerk, at the whiff of an unknown danger. As if someone had shook him awake at his post.
He sniffed the still night air,like a dog. The crickets had fallen silent. Something was not quite right.
“Fire!!” His semi-somnolent brain screamed.
“Fire”!! He shook his slumbering companion.
“Where ?Where?” He was instantly awake, grabbing a lathi, the duo ran in a northwesterly direction, from where a wisp of smoke crept lazily , skyward.
Fire in the peak of summer meant disaster. A thick layer of crisp dry leaves , carpeted the orchard floor, waiting to be ignited.
Panting, they reached a small clearing, and stopped.
A naked yogi sat in the centre of a ring of fire , ash -smeared, murmuring chants, eyes closed.
“It is a yogi.” Whispered Bhiku.”What do we do now ?”
His companion, Lakhan Das, said nothing. He just squatted and slowly staring at the yogi, grabbed the lathi and cleared the floor of dry leaves and twigs in an arc ,so that the fire is contained.He never took his eyes off the holy man, and suddenly brightened up.
Picking up a twig from the pile surrounding him, he threw it at the chanter's face, aiming directly at the eyes. Bhiku recoiled in horror, "What are you doing?''
In reply, Lakhan, now impishly smiling, threw a pebble at the holy face , now dangerously frowning.
"He will curse you, Lakhan ji."Bhiku trembled with ancient fears.
The eyes flew open as the pebble found its mark, and the sadhu slowly unwound himself, his ash smeared body looking like some surreal sculpture in the middle of the forest, now glowing with the light of the embers.
The sadhu chewed furiously, trying to form correct words. Before he could utter a word, Lakhan prostrated, "Pranam guruji, madanji the great." Bhiku who had followed suit and prostrated himself too, turned to look at Lakhan, now grinning like a cat.
"What? Madanwa? The cobbler's son!!"
"Yes! Madan, the cobbler's son."
The Holy man , picked up his staff, and thundered"Sacrilege!! How dare you disturb me in my prayers?The wrath of the Gods will be upon you, I hereby curse you..."
"First of all , get your act straight, and wear some clothes , for God's sake ."
Lakhan quietly replied, using his raw-hide footwear , to stamp out the fire.
Lakhan was much older to both the young men, and now , it was the holy man's turn to prostrate himself .
"Chacha forgive me ."
Giving him his 'Gamcha', Lakhan placed his hands over Madan's head.
'Go back home son, there is no "Dharma " in abandoning your household, and orphaning your children, just for the sake of a revenge."
"But , Chacha.."
"No ifs and buts, go , take a bath, have a hot meal, and sleep.You have a family to look after. Do not fall prey to useless 'nautanki'(drama)"
The promise of a bath and a meal did him in, and Madan broke into loud sobs.
"It is ages since I took a bath, and months since I ate my wife's hot rotis."
"So, you see. This path, "Lakhan gestured to the now smouldering black patch on the ground, "is not for us,son.Go back home, your wife and kids love you, and they miss you sorely."
Looking contrite and pathetic, Madan tied the gamcha around his waist, and made his way out of the forest, sniffling and wiping his ash smeared brow.
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
When dawn broke, the two night watchmen were found engrossed in conversation. Lakhan was filling in his youthful companion.
"Two years ago, the master..
"the master, you mean to say the owner of this orchard..."
"Yes!! The master," here Lakhan laid down on the cot, lifted his arms and folded them under his head, pillowing them.He took a deep breath and continued" two years ago, the master caught Madan red handed while stealing mangoes."
"But he can afford to give away some , he has so many , "Bhiku interrupted naively.
"It was not `some ` !! Madanwa , in his greed, brought two large trucks and had his men strip the entire orchard of all the mangoes, ripe /unripe."
Lakhan paused for effect.
"He literally ruined the crop, that year. The orchard took two years to recover, the pillage ."
"The master," he continued" set his dogs on Madan "
"Dogs!!"
"The police and the goondas"
"Oooh! I see!!"
"To save himself , Madan turned fugitive and had disappeared , till last night."
Here, Lakhan suddenly raised himself on his elbow, looking beyond Bhiku`s shoulder, and loudly said -"Arre bitiya , there was no need for the tea-shea."
Bhiku, swivelled around to see The master`s daughter standing with two flunkies carrying trays of fragrant , freshly made parathas and a kettle of tea with a couple of clinking cups.
He sprang to his feet, and made his obeisance, while the flunkies set the food on the cot.
At another gesture, the two flunkies moved a distance away, while The lady, wearing a pink , silk salwaar-kameez, pulled her net dupatta over her head, and touched Lakhan`s feet, in a time honoured tradition, that transcends class distinctions too.
"Thank you Chacha."She murmured in gratitude.
Visibly discomfited, Lakhan said-"Saubhagyawati bhava."
Quietly,she turned and walked away, accompanied by her flunkies.
$$$$$$
"But why ? Chacha ?"Bhiku was stumped. Chomping his third paratha, Bhiku spoke between mouthfuls.
"Why what ?" Lakhan asked absently, holding his cup in hand , which was rapidly growing cold .
"Why this sudden benevolence from the Master?"
"This kindness is from the daughter , not the father."
"Achcha !" Bhiku was incredulous.Digesting this piece of strange of information, he took a long sip of tea.
$$$$$$
As the duo walked back home , after the daytime watchers had arrived ,Lakhan was striding ahead, Bhiku ran ahead and caught up with him-"You didn`t tell me the rest of the story."
"What?"
"Why did Madanwa try to rob the Master ?"
"Because he holds an old grudge ,against the master."
"What grudge ?"
"Madanwa eloped with Master`s daughter. He set his dogs at them,dragged them back,separated them , and got Madanwa arrested for false charges."
"****" The surprise came out in expletive form .
"But the daughter is equally adamant. She was pregnant with Madanwa`s child , then. She gave birth to the child, is bringing him up , in her father`s house . She continues to do "karva chauth", and still considers the mad man as her husband ."
"That explains the sudden kindness."
"Hmmmm " Lakhan was suddenly taciturn.
$$$$$$
"But how come you know all this story and I don't. No one in the village does , I guess."
"Yes , it was all hushed up.No one was allowed to talk about it. "
"How did you recognise Madanwa despite his disguise , and weight loss etc."
"You can recognise your first born everywhere, can't you ? Specially if he is chanting nursery rhymes instead of the mantras."
The night air was thick with the fragrance of ripe mangoes. One odd fruit eating bat rustled in the leafy boughs, unseen. Somewhere an owl hooted . The light in the kerosene lamp, grew dimmer with each passing moment.
Suddenly Bhiku jolted awake with a jerk, at the whiff of an unknown danger. As if someone had shook him awake at his post.
He sniffed the still night air,like a dog. The crickets had fallen silent. Something was not quite right.
“Fire!!” His semi-somnolent brain screamed.
“Fire”!! He shook his slumbering companion.
“Where ?Where?” He was instantly awake, grabbing a lathi, the duo ran in a northwesterly direction, from where a wisp of smoke crept lazily , skyward.
Fire in the peak of summer meant disaster. A thick layer of crisp dry leaves , carpeted the orchard floor, waiting to be ignited.
Panting, they reached a small clearing, and stopped.
A naked yogi sat in the centre of a ring of fire , ash -smeared, murmuring chants, eyes closed.
“It is a yogi.” Whispered Bhiku.”What do we do now ?”
"Two years ago, the master..
"the master, you mean to say the owner of this orchard..."
"Yes!! The master," here Lakhan laid down on the cot, lifted his arms and folded them under his head, pillowing them.He took a deep breath and continued" two years ago, the master caught Madan red handed while stealing mangoes."
"But he can afford to give away some , he has so many , "Bhiku interrupted naively.
"It was not `some ` !! Madanwa , in his greed, brought two large trucks and had his men strip the entire orchard of all the mangoes, ripe /unripe."
Lakhan paused for effect.
"He literally ruined the crop, that year. The orchard took two years to recover, the pillage ."
"The master," he continued" set his dogs on Madan "
"Dogs!!"
"The police and the goondas"
"Oooh! I see!!"
"To save himself , Madan turned fugitive and had disappeared , till last night."
Here, Lakhan suddenly raised himself on his elbow, looking beyond Bhiku`s shoulder, and loudly said -"Arre bitiya , there was no need for the tea-shea."
Bhiku, swivelled around to see The master`s daughter standing with two flunkies carrying trays of fragrant , freshly made parathas and a kettle of tea with a couple of clinking cups.
He sprang to his feet, and made his obeisance, while the flunkies set the food on the cot.
At another gesture, the two flunkies moved a distance away, while The lady, wearing a pink , silk salwaar-kameez, pulled her net dupatta over her head, and touched Lakhan`s feet, in a time honoured tradition, that transcends class distinctions too.
"Thank you Chacha."She murmured in gratitude.
Visibly discomfited, Lakhan said-"Saubhagyawati bhava."
Quietly,she turned and walked away, accompanied by her flunkies.
$$$$$$
"But why ? Chacha ?"Bhiku was stumped. Chomping his third paratha, Bhiku spoke between mouthfuls.
"Why what ?" Lakhan asked absently, holding his cup in hand , which was rapidly growing cold .
"Why this sudden benevolence from the Master?"
"This kindness is from the daughter , not the father."
"Achcha !" Bhiku was incredulous.Digesting this piece of strange of information, he took a long sip of tea.
$$$$$$
As the duo walked back home , after the daytime watchers had arrived ,Lakhan was striding ahead, Bhiku ran ahead and caught up with him-"You didn`t tell me the rest of the story."
"What?"
"Why did Madanwa try to rob the Master ?"
"Because he holds an old grudge ,against the master."
"What grudge ?"
"Madanwa eloped with Master`s daughter. He set his dogs at them,dragged them back,separated them , and got Madanwa arrested for false charges."
"****" The surprise came out in expletive form .
"But the daughter is equally adamant. She was pregnant with Madanwa`s child , then. She gave birth to the child, is bringing him up , in her father`s house . She continues to do "karva chauth", and still considers the mad man as her husband ."
"That explains the sudden kindness."
"Hmmmm " Lakhan was suddenly taciturn.
$$$$$$
"But how come you know all this story and I don't. No one in the village does , I guess."
"Yes , it was all hushed up.No one was allowed to talk about it. "
"How did you recognise Madanwa despite his disguise , and weight loss etc."
"You can recognise your first born everywhere, can't you ? Specially if he is chanting nursery rhymes instead of the mantras."