Thatha and the Magic Grain – A children’s Novel in Progress
1. Thatha and the Magic Grain
A Thatha
Once upon a time, long ago, in an Indian village, lived a Thatha. What is a Thatha? A Thatha is a grandfather of course. Any grandfather! He need not even have actual grandchildren. It is enough if he looks like one.
Then everyone will call him Thatha. A little white hair, a little white beard. Not dyed. A warm brown wrinkled face. Twinkling brown eyes. Wrinkles and Twinkles are very important in any proper Thatha. Grandchildren may be borrowed, but you must have your own wrinkles and twinkles. A nice knobbly stick, not very straight, is optional, but very desirable.
A Village Sunset
So, one day, this Thatha made a mistake. The actual mistake he made is not very important. I think someone paid him twice for the same work, or he thought they did, and he took it at the time, but he really grieved about it later. But he did not give it back. So he grieved about it a little more. Then he spent the money on something. May be he fed some hungry orphans – he did that sometimes. Or may be fed himself. He did that too sometimes.
Actually, Thatha liked singing, way, way, more than he liked working.. and he had a secret quest, that everyone knew about. In India, it is hard to keep secrets when everyone is so interested in you. So secret actually does not mean something that no one else knows about. It really means something that you wish, everyone else would stay out of. Of course this cannot happen. And Thatha knew it.
- A Thatha with a stick!
Thatha was looking for a small magic grain. He had fashioned a sieve out of wood and wire. It was his own design. It was a sieve that would let all seeds pass through it, except the magic one! He had read about the magic grain in books that he owned and books that he borrowed, and in books that he owned because he had borrowed them. He grieved about these books that he had not gotten around to returning, but he kept them anyway.
A trail to set off on...
He had snacks that could be crunched and snacks that could be munched and snacks that could be chomped. He had snacks that he could lick and snacks that he could chew and snacks that he could swallow. It is amazing how much Indian neighbours can pack for you in little cloth bundles.
As he went along, Thatha would sing. He would sing from the bottom of his heart and at the top of his voice. He had a deep reverberating voice. Cows and goats and sheep and birds would look upon him delightedly as he sang. Children would follow him as far as their parents would let them and then some. They could not really turn back. Then their parents would have to chase after their children to bring them home. Then they too would walk along with Thatha, listening to his songs.
Getting ready to go!
They would invite him home for a snack or two and feed him till he couldn’t eat anymore. Then they would repack his little cloth bundle and ask him where he was going. Thatha would tell them about the books and sieve and magic grain. They would excitedly bring out all the kinds of grains they had and they would test them in the sieve. When all of them passed through the sieve, they would shake their heads and laugh at Thatha. They would say, “Such magic grains don’t exist, you are wasting your life looking for one. If there had been a magic grain, it would have been found by now.”
The children were more helpful. They swore that they had seen the exact grain that Thatha was looking for. Some said north, some said east and some said they had seen it in faraway lands across the sea or under the sea. Some said, they had one just till yesterday when a sparrow had flown away with it. Thatha would ruffle their hair and give them a hug and be on his way.
Lunch time!
How far he traveled, we do not know, and neither did he. As he grew tired and sadder, his songs grew better and better. People who heard him would stand transfixed, unable to move or think. It was only the extremely tone deaf and practical people, who would remember to feed him and repack his little bundle. They were the ones who had the grains fetched and tested in his sieve. They were the ones who told him to give up his impractical search. They were the ones who made sure he slept on a bed at least when they could make him listen to them.
Thatha traveled on and he grew older and older. In his travels he saw many places and many kinds of people, his songs grew wise as well as beautiful. They were full of beautiful thoughts and stories and the music was unimaginably wonderful. Even the people who were tone deaf, were captured in that wonderful philosophy and wisdom. Now it was only the people who were deaf to music and closed to philosophy that made sure that he was fed and rested. They put ointment on his feet and oil on his back. It broke their heart to see him weak, and they sent word for all the grains as far as they could, and personally tested them in the sieve for him. They told him to give up his silly search and to stay with them where they could take care of him.
Villagers working in the field
Thatha wended his way forward. People of one village made sure that someone went along with him at least till the next village, in case he needed anything. Young students ran behind him, making notes of his songs so that they could sing it later. They made sure that he had water to drink and some shade over his head. People said that it was a great good fortune to serve him and competed with each other for that honour.
Then one day…. Thatha saw a huge tree under which there sat a sage. Around him sat hundreds of disciples in silence. He paused his songs and went towards the sage. Some of his protective villager friends, apologized to the sage on his behalf. “He is just a thatha sir, he sings a lot and forgets to eat. He has a sieve and looks for a magic grain, we are just keeping an eye on him, till he reaches the next village safely. He is a foolish man on an impossible errand. But he harms no one. Please don’t be annoyed with him”.
The sage looked kindly at Thatha. “Is this the grain you are looking for?” he asked. It was a beautiful grain, full of a million colors and a joy just to look at. Thatha tested it in his sieve and it was the one!
Then he sang that day. It was a wonderful perfect song of joy and wisdom of journeys and adventures and treasures found and friends made. Even the most practical people in the world forgot to feed him that day. All animate creation stood still. They say the stones and rivers and wind had to take it upon themselves to care of him and the others. They say, that day, the Sun laughed!
The sun laughed!
2. Amma gets a Thambura
Thatha sat under his tree. Singing beautifully, as he usually did. People sat around the tree. Listening happily, as they usually did. It was a nice sunny day. Ravi was asking his mother to hurry up. “Amma, Thatha will be hungry, please pack his lunch soon!”. He hopped from one foot to another. His mother smiled at the four foot bundle of happy impatience! “What a nice fellow you are! Are you going eat with Thatha?” she asked as she packed the lunch at her own pace. Indian mothers are not to be hurried. They are artists who take a lot of pride in their home making. Ravi nodded.
A little while later Ravi set off with the bundle. He liked songs but he loved stories. And after Thatha and he shared their lunch, Thatha would tell a story., maybe two stories! By the time he got there, there were some other kids too, with lunches to share. They all ate together in excited anticipation. Finally it was time!
“Nap time!” said Thatha, his eyes twinkling. “No!” yelled the children, “Story Time!” “Thatha, tell these children a nice moral story that builds character” suggested an uncle in passing. “No way!” yelled the children. “Thatha, tell these children a nice logical story that builds their intelligence” said the Maths teacher, who came to listen to the stories. “No!” yelled the children, “Tell us a magical, nonsensical story,” said the children.
“Ah!” said Thatha, “This calls for the magic grain!”. From the folds of his clothes, he pulled out a tiny tin snuff box. He opened it and looked at a wonderful, million coloured magic grain, that he had put inside it. Then all the children wanted a look too, and they took turns, coming up to Thatha and peeking into the little snuff box. Ravi gazed at it enchantedly. Then he sat down and waited for the story.
As Thatha told the story, Ravi sat completely still, his face glowing and serious. He would never forget even the tiniest little detail of any story that he ever heard. It was as if the story was for him alone, and no one existed around him. The twinkle in Thatha’s eyes reflected as a sparkle in Ravi’s eyes, and Thatha noticed it. And the sparkle in Ravi’s eyes reflected in Thatha’s story making it more wonderful and fantastic. This cycle went on until Ravi’s eyes shone brilliantly. The maths teacher loved the stories so much, that he wanted to hear them again and again. This is why the children loved their maths teacher.
The maths teacher was about 5 feet tall and very skinny and boyish. All his young life, he wished that he could have gone off and had adventures like Thatha. But he did not know how. You see, he did not have a quest, the way Thatha had. He simply had no idea, what he wanted to find, he just wanted something wonderful and adventurous. For now, all he had was Thatha’s stories.
In the evenings, he would take Thatha home and give him dinner and try to make him sleep on a cot. But Thatha liked sleeping outdoors looking at the moon and the stars. So except when it rained, the maths teacher would leave Thatha’s cot outside. And he started sleeping outdoors too. It was more fun!
One day, the maths teacher decided that it was Thatha’s birthday. He went to a music store and bought a small carry along Tambura and gifted it to Thata at story time. Thatha was delighted. The children took turns strumming the Tambura while Thatha sang along.
Ravi fell in love with the tambura. It made him want to sing too. He borrowed it from Thatha and took it home to show his mom. She was so thrilled. She finished her work quickly and what she did not finish she set aside, and declared it finished. Then she sang as she strummed the Tambura. Everyone was spell bound. No one even knew that Ravi’s mom could sing. Everyone quickly declared their work finished and came to listen to her. Thatha heard her voice from afar and came to listen to her. The maths teacher closed his books and went after him. That day the whole village collected in Ravi’s home to listen to his mom sing. She sang songs of Krishna, the divine cowherd, that she learnt when she was a young girl. She sang of His mother and of his friends and his adventures. When she sang about Krishna, she closed her eyes and in her mind’s eye, Krishna looked just like Ravi!
Thatha called Ravi. “Tell your mom that she can borrow that Tambura whenever she likes! It will either be with me under the tree or in the corner in the math’s teacher’s house. You can get it for her when she wants it and put it back when she finishes.” Ravi was so happy for his mom. He gave Thatha one big hug and then extra one.
Life in Ravi’s home changed after the ‘Arrival of the Tambura’. Ravi’s mother would cook and clean quickly. There was a spring in her step and a shimmer in her eyes. She would arrange the house neatly every evening and send Ravi to get the Tambura. He would carry it carefully down the street with great pride. All the neighbouring moms, would finish their work, dress up neatly and come to Ravi’s house to listen to the Krishna songs. As they heard and listened, they learned and they would join in.
Ravi always put a cot outside, for Thatha to lie down on, as he listened to the songs. The maths teacher gave the children less homework to do so that he would be free in the evenings. He came and sat at Thatha’s feet, pressing them as they listened to the songs. He looked at the rapture on the faces of Ravi’s mom and her friends.
They did not have a quest. They did not have adventures. And they found the same wonderful joy that Thatha had, right in their homes. But he still yearned for a wonderful adventure for himself, something magical, something… Maybe he would just go and explore the world. Maybe his quest was to find a quest! He decided to talk to Thatha about it at story time tomorrow.
3. The Maths Teacher finds a Quest!
The Maths teacher waited for story time. Eagerly. Anxiously. Excitedly. Happily. Ravi reached Thatha’s tree at the same time as the Maths Teacher and gave him a happy smile.
“Thatha, I have a questions for you”, said the Maths Teacher. “Can I ask you now?” Thatha smiled,”I think we should eat first! Ravi’s mother has sent us nippatus today and I love them”. Ravi chimed in,”And after nipattu time, it is story time and then you can ask your question”.
The Maths Teacher ruffled Ravi’s head kindly. “As your highness decrees”!
After lunch time, Thatha took his chutta out and lit it. Ravi was delighted. Now Thatha would relax, and through the puffs of smoke, a great story would emerge. The Maths Teacher was close to bursting with his question, and though normally he was enraptured by Thatha’s story, today, it only served to increase his agitation.
Finally, the grand tale wound to a close and was packed of to Kanchi, where all stories go! And the Maths Teacher had the entire attention of the twinkling eyes of the wrinkled brown face. The Maths Teacher blurted out his request. “Dear Thatha, you have had all those wonderful adventures because you had a quest. You knew what to look for. I, on the other hand, have no quest. I have no idea what I want or where to look for it. I too want a wonderful life and a great many adventures but all I do is teach little children mathematics. Nice children, loving children, smart children! But my life lacks that little something and I miss it so badly, you can never guess”. He looked so woeful!
Thatha called up the Maths Teacher and took out his magic grain. He put it on the teacher’s head and his eyes and his nose and his hands and his feet and shoulders and even on his ears. “I think you have many talents and succeed at whatever you try!” he said. “Yes Thatha”, came the response. “And he is the bestest teacher we have” the children added. “You are kind hearted and generous. And you are full of magic. All you need is a purpose, a meaning. So that you won’t drift through life, and so that life won’t pass you by… You need a quest! Hmmm”, said Thatha.
“Would you like to find a princess?” he asked. “No, Thatha, not a princess. She would never marry a skinny bloke like me, I am sure of it. And one as poor as myself! No! Not a princess”, said the Maths teacher. “Would you like to find ‘the water of life’, it will make you immortal?”, came the suggestion. “No Thatha, I would definitely like to live for a very long time, but not forever, not after all my friends have moved to heaven. Immortality is lonely business and probably boring too…!” That was the answer.
“Ha, a fellow with no illusions”, thought Thatha. “What would be a quest for him? He is kind and selfless. He would like to do something that would help others. He is intelligent and loves to think… Ah, I have it!”
“Maths Teacher! There is a mountain, I have heard of and read about. There is a field of very shy plants, who will hide and run, when they see new people. They glow by day and by night and there is a kind of music about them. If a sick man sniffs them, he will get well. A blind man who hears them, will be able to see and a deaf man who sees them will be able to hear. And the mutest of people will burst into song when they are near. If you found the way to that field, and sent someone back to tell the others, well people would only have to go there to have their troubles taken care of. What do you think? Will you find the field and tell others how to find it?” Thatha paused and puffed on his chutta.
The Maths Teacher’s eyes shone. “I will let the school know about my new mission and start as soon as possible” he said and walked over and hugged Thatha. “Me too! I want to go too”, shouted Ravi, jumping up and down with excitement, “Thatha, please come and tell amma.”
4. Ravi’s New Drum.
This story is about Ravi and his new drum.
The Maths Teacher was making preparations for his Quest. The headmaster had agreed to let him take as much leave as he needed, but he asked him to stay on till the term ended.
Ravi begged his mom to go too, everyday. To give him something else to think about she bought him a nice new drum set for his birthday. Ravi was very excited. He kept on playing with it. He kept it very close to his bed when he went to sleep and slept with a happy smile on his face.
Ravi wanted to take his drum set to school to show his friends. His mom was not for it. She said it might get spoilt or lost and it was not a good idea to take drums to school in the first place. Ravi was adamant. He said that he wanted to be selected for the school band and he would be sure to be picked if he took his new drum along.
Ravi found the Arts teacher at school. The arts teacher was in charge of the school band too. ‘Sir, can I bring my drum to school and practice it with my friends? I want to be selected for the school band’, he asked. “Sure kid,” the teacher said, “nothing to it.”
Ravi brought his drum to school the very next day. Siri was charmed by the drum. She wanted to play it. She said, “please give me the drum sticks, please”. Ravi was pleased that his drum was much admired. He looked at her pleading face and relented. He was just about to give her the sticks when the P.T. teacher swung by on them.
“What is this? Why are you hitting Siri with the drum sticks? Who allowed you to bring the drum to school in the first place? You bad and naughty boy! If I let you get away with this, tomorrow you will hit even your mother!” he snatched the drum and the sticks straight out of Ravi’s hands and dashed off to the staff room with Ravi and Siri in tow.
Ravi was shocked, upset and puzzled. But above all he was very concerned about his precious new drum. “Sir, please give me back my new drum. I was not trying to hit Siri. She wanted to play and I was letting her take the sticks., you can ask her if you want to”.
The P.T. teacher turned on Siri. “Oh! so you are also a bad girl, playing drums in the playground are you? I will tell the headmaster!” Siri was scared. She was terrified of a beating or even of a scolding. “Sir, it is all Ravi’s fault. I never asked him for the drum sticks. Please don’t beat me. Please don’t tell my mother”.
Ravi's Evil P.T. teacher : Courtesy : http://jaggedsmile.wordpress.com/
Ravi was shocked beyond words. He had thought that Siri was his friend. Veer came running there. “Sir, Ravi did nothing wrong…” The P.T. teacher yelled at them. “So you also want to see the headmaster, do you? Get out of here!” Veer left and waited outside the staff room for his friend Ravi to come out. Poor Ravi, he never teased children and little animals like the others did. Why was he so unlucky that he got caught for something he did not do? And how cowardly Siri was! To save herself she was letting her friend take the worst of it. It was important for Thatha and Ravi’s Amma to know what was going on. Thatha knew how good Ravi was and the headmaster respected Thatha. Veer sent Siddhu to tell them while he waited outside.
Amma talked to Thatha about it. “Thatha, will you talk to the headmaster?” she asked. Thatha said, “Don’t worry Amma. Everything is for the best. Ravi will learn to obey you better in future and will not be so obstinate in having is own way. The head master is a good and wise man. You can talk to him. He knows Ravi too and he knows that Ravi brings me food everyday. I trust him to do the right thing. Ravi will also learn that the world includes all kinds of people and he will be more careful as he grows up.”
In the meantime, the P.T. teacher sent for the Arts teacher. He said, “Ravi says that you gave him permission to bring his drum to school. Did you?”. The Arts teacher sensed that something was blowing out of proportion and he decided to duck for cover. “Of course I did not give him permission,” he said. “What a liar you are!”, the P.T. teacher turned on poor dazzled Ravi. Then for about one hour, the P.T. teacher and Ravi’s class teacher scolded him without break, for breaking rules, bullying small girls and telling lies. All Ravi could say was “Can you please give me my new drum back?”
Ravi's Art Teacher : Courtesy : http://jaggedsmile.wordpress.com/
In the meantime, Amma went to meet the headmaster. “Sir, Ravi took his drum to school today to try out in the band. His friend Siddhu came and told me that Ravi is being blamed for all kinds of things including hitting Siri. Sir, I will never let Ravi tryout for anything again. He will just come to school and come home. Siri is his friend. She comes home sometimes to play. I know her. They must have been playing together as usual.”
The headmaster reassured her, “I will talk to Siri and then I will talk to Ravi and I will find out what happened. Ravi should have taken my permission to practice drums in the school. But he always asks the friendly art teacher. If the art teacher denies giving him permission, then that means Ravi broke the rules, because everyone will trust the friendly art teacher. What Siri says is important. Why don’t you talk to her?”
Amma spoke to Siri. Siri said, “Aunty, Ravi and I were just playing, I will tell the headmaster that. Don’t worry.” Amma went back to Thatha. Thatha said, “Have Faith. Everything is for the best.”
Ravi came home in the evening, sad and shocked. Veer walked with him part of the way. “Amma, I am sorry, I took the drum to school and that I did not listen to you.” Amma gave him some milk to drink and then she spoke sternly to him. “You are lucky to have this bad experience so early in life. Now you know that many people cannot be trusted. I want you to stay away from bands, sports and all fun things in school. You can only go to classes and come straight after school”. Ravi said sadly, “Yes, mother. Do you think that they will expel me from school? Amma, Siri lied. The arts teacher lied, and I got scolded by a group of big teachers and they took away my new birthday drum. Oh mother! The liars are free and I am good and pure and I have been blamed. My new drom has been taken away. The teachers look upon me like I am a bad boy. What did I do wrong?”
Amma said, “The mistake was the P.T. teacher’s in that he acted on an assumption and impulse, without a thought for how he was affecting a young child’s heart and mind. He was so sure he knew., and what he knew was an error. The mistake was the Art Teacher’s in that he gave you permission to do something that was not in his power to do, and that he denied it what he did. The mistake is in our culture and society, where what people think is more important than the truth. But you made a mistake too. The mistake of innocence that is almost naivety. Every day, dear, you see that it is the innocent bystanders who get caught in riots, the poor people who die. Innocence and poverty are crimes. Toughen yourself, whatever happens we’ll face it bravely. It is only life after all.”
Then she smiled,”I will let you go on the Quest with the Maths teacher. And Appa will go and meet your class teacher”. Ravi smiled. Appa was the best. He went and told Appa all that happened. Appa smiled at him kindly, “Well, let this be a lesson to you in the ways of the world. Let me guess both Siri and the Arts teacher have let you down right? They will go down in history as the world’s cowards.” Ravi actually laughed.
Appa went to school to meet the class teacher. The class teacher re-assured him. “Oh, I am sure that the Arts teacher gave him permission and went back on it, because he is afraid the headmaster will take him to task. I found out from others that Ravi never hit or intended to hit Siri, but it is no longer in my hands sir, it is in the head-master’s hands.”
In the meantime, the Maths Teacher went to meet the head-master. “Sir, Ravi is a good boy. He deserves to have his drums back. He did no wrong. Didn’t Siri tell you the truth?” The headmaster spoke, “The girl Siri backs the P.T. teacher and not Ravi. She does not want to get into trouble with teachers, perhaps. I will meet Ravi next week.”
The Maths Teacher asked. “What about his drums sir? What about justice for Ravi? Why is Siri’s word more weighty than Veer’s? Why is the P.T. teacher’s word worth more than mine and Thatha’s?”
Amma went to the temple next day and prayed for Ravi. And she thought of all the ancient stories. When bad things happen to normal people, they learn a lesson. But when bad things happen to very pure people, the world learns a lesson and the world order changes. Because Gandhiji was thrown out of the train, a country became free. “My son is pure,” she thought. “The world must change, to atone for the pain caused to Ravi. Oh Janardhana, we have no refuge but you, please protect Ravi”.
Thatha came to the temple to reassure Amma. “Amma, have faith, Ravi will get his drums back. Everything will be allright. There is a time for everything. Remember, I have the magic grain. Come, I want you to sing today as everyday. It is only life after all!”
The arts teacher went to see Amma. “Please tell Ravi, not to say that I gave him permission, they will never let me take care of the school band any more..”, he said. Amma was disappointed. He does not care about Ravi, she thought.
The headmaster called Ravi. “Hi Ravi, how are you feeling today?”, he asked. Ravi said, “I miss my drum sir, very much. Everyone is calling me and giving me advice. I am not in the school band anymore. My teachers think I am a bad boy. I am a good boy sir. I asked the arts teacher whether I could bring my drum, it was Siri who fussed for the drum sticks, now both of them are fine and I am the one who got the punishment”.
The headmaster spoke kindly to him. “Ravi, does Veer have the right to lend your drums to Siddhu?” Ravi said, “No sir, how can that be? The drums are mine!”. “In the same way, the arts teacher cannot give you permission to bring your drums to school. Only the headmaster can. It is harder to get permission from the headmaster, but he is the one to ask, is that clear?” he asked Ravi. “Yes, sir, Mr. headmaster., I know that now.” said Ravi. “I will give you your drums back, but you must not bring them to school again, the noise may disturb others. I have approved the purchase of a drumset for the college. So the school band will use that. If Amma lets you, you can try out for the school band still, but she is the one who can decide that” he said. Ravi nodded.
“Now about Siri. I know you and Amma and Thatha. I don’t think you were trying to hit her. I think the P.T. teacher scared her into complaining. That is the problem with small girls. She is too small to understand. I don’t want you you to play with her anymore. Please play with good boys of your age.” he said. Ravi understood.
Ravi's Headmaster. Courtesy: http://jaggedsmile.files.wordpress.com
“Finally about the P.T. teacher. It was wrong of him to scold you without finding out the truth. That is why in our country, we have the police to catch suspects and the judges to decide whether the suspects are actually criminals or really good people. In that way, even if the teachers complain that someone is a naughty boy, I am the one to judge the truth and decide”, he said. Ravi said excitedly,”The story teacher was telling us about Maryada Ramanna and King Solomon. So you are like Maryada Ramanna and I am like the man who was wrongly caught”. The headmaster could not help smiling ..”Yes, young man. Now while the judges will find out the truth and free the good people, don’t you think that it is better for good boys not to be caught at all?” Ravi agreed,”I have had a really awful time, sir!”
“OK, now for you not to be caught, you have to do something too. Look at what others are doing. And if you want to do something that your friends are not doing, then, you need permission and advice. In a school that would be from me. In the society that would be from the government. That is why you need permits. You need to find out what the rules are. Not knowing the rules, is not an excuse!”.. explained the headmaster.
“But, sir, sometimes the govt. can be wrong too. They put Gandhiji in jail because he wanted freedom for India, then what must I do?” Ravi asked.
The headmaster thought and spoke carefully. “We make rules to make sure that everybody has a fair free and good life. But even grown up human beings are just boys like you and Veer. They keep improving the rules with time. As the rules get better, the society gets better. Sometimes individuals, make the society better. Do you know about Raja Ram Mohan Roy?”. “Yes, yes!” said Ravi, “He was a social reformer, he helped Indian women. He changed the rules!”
“Yes, my dear child! Freeing a country and reforming a society are things that very, very great, good and wise and strong people do. They are the ones who change rules, and show us that life can be different and better. The society and govt. learn from them…I would be very happy if you become a great and good man like Gandhiji or Raja Ram Mohan Roy… but first, you must learn the rules and follow them”. The headmaster gave Ravi his drum set. Ravi gave him a smile.
When Ravi came out of the headmaster’s room, Veer, Siddhu, Amma, Appa and the Maths teacher were waiting for him. Oh yes, and Thatha was there too, with the magic grain in his hand. It was story time and music time and time for love and joy. “O Janardhana! O Satya Sankalpa!”, Amma said, “Thank you, thank you!” Ravi gave her a hug and Appa ruffled his hair. There were sweets all around!
5. The Quest begins.
You know what it is is like in India! You only have to announce a solitary quest, for the whole village to go along.
The Maths Teacher found his quest after a long conversation with Thatha. Thatha always had a quest, he never had to ask anyone about it. The villagers did not really care about the quest itself one way or the other. They liked to go along, whenever something was going on!
First Ravi wanted to go. Then Veer and Siddhu wore their parents out till they agreed. Then Ravi’s mother wore Appa out till he agreed to let her go., to look after the children. The children begged Thatha to go along with them. Then Veer’s Ajji insisted on going along. She was a tough, wiry old lady, with strong views on the rights and capabilities of grandmothers. They were in no way less than grandfathers. If a Thatha could go., an Ajji could go too.
Maths Teacher was terrified. All these elderly ladies and gentlemen and young children!. And he a skinny young man! How was this going to work out? He went to meet Appa in the evening. He simply begged him to come. “I need some adult male help and I dare not say this in front of the ladies. They will tell me how strong and capable they are. I have no doubt about that but I would appreciate your help!”. Appa laughed! He knew amma and ajji. Especially Ajji. Full of enthusiasm and energy and always keen to try new things and go to new places. She took part in all village functions giving a helping hand and directions. She claimed that she was already a hundred years old. She was delighted when people bowed to her and took her blessings. She knew what a valuable person she was and how much everyone liked her. And she was a great story teller in her own right! The children of the village were very lucky. However, she was made of pure steel and nobody would ever dream of crossing her.
Well Doddappa and Chikkappa could always look after the farm and village work, so Appa agreed to go and help the Maths teacher. Also it was quite inconceivable to say no, when someone needed your help. Particularly to look after your own family and kinsmen… So it was arranged that Thatha, Maths Teacher, Ravi, Veer, Siddhu, Ajji, Amma and Appa, not to speak of few interested others who were bound to turn up on the starting day should all leave on the Maths Teacher’s solitary quest!
The little band set off on an auspicious day chosen by Ajji. There was no dearth of bundles of things to eat and drink. Appa had a conversation with Thatha a few days before that. Thatha threw open a bunch of books all over his mat. He had a general idea of where the field of magical shy plants might be. He knew tons of stories and lots of couplets and quotes. The Maths teacher listened respectfully as Thatha and Appa argued about the best way to get there with a band of small children and women.
“Thatha! It is one thing to go on a quest all by yourself as you did when you found your magic grain. It is quite another thing, with kids and grandmothers about. Boys are always hungry. Women get tired a liitle sooner than men and they won’t admit it. They insist on clean places to eat and sleep. They will want to wash your clothes and theirs at the first opportunity. They will insist on wearing at least a little bit of jewellry. We have to take safe routes, through villages, near rivers and lakes. We may have to get at least one bullock cart along. Sometimes women and children need to rest. Then the bullocks will need rest too sometimes.”
Thatha started laughing. “And are you going to bring cows, goats, firewood, cooking pots, groceries and tents too? Do you plan to get there anytime in this life time?” Appa looked at him seriously. “That is a brilliant idea Thatha! We shall travel like the gypsies do, with all that and more! We can’t expect strangers to feed such a large group. It would not be fair.” Thatha gave up. “Well you are in charge! What do unmarried folks like me and the Maths Teacher know about women and children. Arrange at will!”
And so it was. With Thatha’s wisdom and Appa’s organization, the little caravan band set off. The Maths Teacher was relieved to have the trip so well organized. The children were happy. They brought along their tops and balls and wheels and marbles too.
The sky looked wonderful that day! Some of the caravan band only meant to travel till the next village and back. Most of them had no idea what the Quest was for, or even what a quest was! But they knew what fun was and they were not planning to miss any at any cost.
Lovely Sky : Photograph by Satya Sarada Kandula : All Rights Reserved
Well, the happy caravan set off on its way. People dropped off and joined in as the caravan passed through the villages. The villagers were happy to give the caravanners a bit of food and water to drink and helped them wash the animals. They had messages and parcels to be delivered to the folks of the villages ahead in the routes and were glad to hear the story of Thatha and his Magic Grain. They had questions to ask Ajji about marriage proposals and children’s ailments, cures for stomach aches and recipies. They discussed crops and weather with appa.
The Maths Teacher stuck close to Thatha and learned as much as he could about the field full of shy magical plants and the proper way to behave in their presence. You must never so much as pluck a leaf from any plant without asking it permission first, preferably in Sanskrit, because said Thatha, everyone knows that Sanskrit is the language that links nature to humans. Even the sun and moon can understand sanskrit – to say nothing of the rain, wind and waves of the sea. If you say the right Sanskrit words – pebbles or mountains will do whatever you ask of them! So the maths teacher learned some magical sanskrit words and sounds from Thatha every day. Ravi, Veer and Siddhu, would stop playing and hang around attentively whenever Thatha taught the maths teacher anything.
Later they practiced all the words and sounds and made sure they got them right! At night Amma or Thatha would sing and all the caravanners would listen happily looking at the stars as they fell asleep. Sometimes, the children from the villages would also come and sleep in the caravan and listen to the lovely songs as they slept.
As they came closer to the mountains, the caravan started becoming smaller. Finally, only the people who were serious about the Quest wanted to go forward. Thatha and the Maths Teacher, Ravi, Veer and Siddhu, Appa and Amma, Ajji and one bullock cart full of stuff. Ajji took to riding in the bullock cart a lot more, because she was getting tired. And by the time they came to a mountain people village, amma and appa knew, that it would be better of Ajji did not travel anymore. “I think I’ll stay back here and look after Ajji” said Amma. “You folks can go forward.” Appa and Maths teacher had a talk and decided that Appa should stay back with Amma and Ajji to care for them. It would also be hard to take the bullock cart forward.
Amma spoke to Ajji. “Ajji, I really would like to learn the music and recipies of the people of this village. I would be very happy if you and Appa stayed here with me. I need some company too. Would you mind staying back with me?” Ajji never, ever said no to anyone who needed her help. So she said, “Sure, I will!” and that was decided.
So now there was Thatha, Maths Teacher, Ravi, Veer and Siddhu, with little bundles on their backs, taking only exactly what they needed, setting of on the final and most important part of the quest.
Authorship, Photography and Copyright Notice : All Rights Reserved : Satya Sarada Kandula
