#4. meanwhile in the village...
Let us relive the life of a village, moving and progressing at its own pace and passion.
A hath yogi welcomes the Surya with an arduous Namaskar while his learned guru offers his prostrations to the Kaalbhairav.
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Children gather under a tree for their morning lessons while the Garbha - grha of the temple sings the praise of Bhairavi. A young man sits in the Mandapam of the temple and does magic with his fingers. Entire village full of energy and vigour hopes of a great day ahead. A young lady named Pushpachandrika, somewhere deep inside the jungle, strikes a chord on her Veena as the deers and hare encircle her.
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The yogi sits down with his Ektara to chant the glory of Mahadeva Devan Pate. Birds chatter with each other making multiple permutations of sweet chirrups. The narrator excited by all this, sits down to find his dear friend, the ever - wandering Shadja! "Eureka!" - exclaims Semmangudi, a dear friend. The master sets the stage with a fine Todi and the disciples listen it carefully.
While the farmers and their spouses pack their meals, they are amused by Gujri. She is challenging her younger brother Bilas as to who can throw a stone more efficiently.
Clock ticks at its pace. The Sun keeps changing its angles as the day elapses. Villagers after finishing their chores, gather near the town hall for a nice sermon by the great preacher Asavari, a devotee of Tathagata, they say.
Then comes the vendor with a range of items. He comes from Multan, a distant janapada. A small piece of bamboo in his hand is his identity. Because of this, the villagers call him a 'pied piper'. A young boy named Raj comes running towards him asking for the good. '3 big coins', he groans. The child runs back to his home with the same speed and with great efforts gathers the amount to procure the 'pipe'. The boy shows the flute to his pal, Mali. Mali says let me try hands on it. They go to a person named Muralidhar, who lives on the hill. Murali is engrossed in his own world.. "saptasvara shobhillu.. saptasvara."
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Meanwhile...
The farmer works tirelessly in his fields. His children splashing water at each other. The cattle content with their day long grazing, retire in their byre gazing at the sky. The avians return to their nests for a quick nap. A little kitten sneaks into the hut foraging for the pot of buttermilk kept securely on the platform.
Madhyamavathi, the name of his house, stands firm in this scorching Sun, perhaps cooler inside.
The Sun in its full vigour stands on the farmer's head harassing the poor guy. Unaware and aloof of this, the young child with his friends lingers on the cliff resting on the stream's banks. Seated on a Palash tree's bent down branch, he pours out Sarang, the essence of Brindavan.
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A now - tired farmer looks out for it's source, suddenly realising that the melody emerges from a void.
Soon the western horizon starts turning reddish.
The Sun all set to subside back into the infinite. The sky blushing with a golden shade and a slight red tint. Madhuvanti, the farmer's daughter asks him, when will they return. The farmer nods. Exhausted by the work, he departs from his field on the way to his abode.
The little chicks of a sparrow long for their mother gone far away in search of some cereals and twigs. The farmer's cattle sit and ruminate nonchalantly, enjoying life.
Yamuna and Shanmukhpriya, two sibilings sitting on the banks of the river debate on who should be the next sarpanch. The jogi returns from the forest after collecting some firewood.
The river flows silently, as if drained by the day long job of running swiftly. Turtles jump back into the river startled by the hustle around. Nature it seems is relaxing with a cup of Kirwani, some complimentary Maru Bihag too! while the winds say -'Have some Nats'!
The Kalash of the village temple Kalyan Bhuvan shines brillantly while the bells swing in perfect symphony creating a rich resonance. There is an atmosphere of devotion in the village. "Tum bin kaun....vidya de kartar.'' - the melody says it all.
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( Still of a sunset scene at Venugopal Swamy temple @ Karnataka )
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marwalous aren't they?
The children sing in chorus - "O Vagēshwari! the giver of knowledge, arts and skills, we bow down to you."
As the aroma of the evening supper captures the scene, the children, slave to their senses, run in the direction of this fragrance.
Do you know? The village has an annual Ashadhi programme. This year a very talented artist Subbu is going to visit the village.
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Look! The Tonga arrived. The village folk goes to welcome her.
The narrator feels great pride in carefully carrying her Tanpura to the venue, and why shouldn't he, such a great artist yet so humble.
The concert goes on till late evening....
Gradually the Sun sets, vacating it's throne for the bright Chandra. The village is asleep yet full of life. The security forces patrol the village, Buddhist monks meditate in this fantastic silence and stillness. One can hear a faint yet distinctly clear ".. shambho shiva shankara..mahadeva..." coming from the Yogi's ashram.
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The neem tree plays tricks with the Moon while a nightingale perches on its branch to sing in the pancham swaras. A lizard hides beneath the hut's roof as a huge Kaushik hunts for it. Enter the third prahar of the night and comes a call from the terrace above the Darbar - 'Jaagte Raho'.
A cool breeze bids goodbye to the punctual Moon and look! There pops out the plump red Sun on the eastern horizon again.
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