Harini- continued

In a small town called “Buddipura” is a tiny little village called “Daddarahalli”, accommodating about sixty houses, each house distanced at on an average about a yard. Beautiful red tiled roof tops, covered with greenery, every backyard has a cow-shed, and everyone owns farm-land good to grow crops and make their living.  Like every village in the town, even this village has a small temple right in the middle, alongside is the typical big-banyan tree that we see in common in most of the villages. Always under the tree are the famous three: the monkeys, the oldies and the younger lot. This was mostly standard in most of the Indian villages. Something unique about “Daddarahalli” is that mostly everyone was innocent and never grew-up smart to learn anything new. Hence, there is absolutely no change in this village since its formation and has no evolution, until unless one day….

A small girl named- Harini, gets off her father’s car and starts running after a small little lamb that was lost in the field. The lamb ran and so did Harini.. and after her was her mother Lakshmi. Lakshmi was not new to the village, because she grew-up in this village till she was 17 yrs, but was shocked to see no changes from the days she left. She was married to the son of the Panchayat head of the neighbouring village- called Huccharalli. Huccharalli was famous for people falling madly in love and going to any extent to marry the person one loved. Similar was the case with Lakshmi. She met Manju at a carnival that took place at Buddipur and the next thing he did was to ensure she was married to him. Post their marriage, they moved away from their parents and went far from their respective villages to start a new life. Finally they return on this day to pay respect to their elders on the occasion of Golden Jubilee of his father- called Shashtipurthy.

As this little girl ran after the lamb, she counters a mad beggar and stood still of fear. Lakshmi, go close and holds her hand and slowly takes her back along with her. Harini was a girl who has no stop to her questions or her curiosity. Lakshmi was so done with Harini sometimes that she would just ignore her and walk-off with humms and ahhs.

Harini: Maa, who was that?

Lakshmi: A Man..

Harini: He looked so bad… why?

Lakshmi: Because he was bad…

Harini: Why is he bad?

Lakshmi: Because he’s not good

Harini: Is he not like us?

Lakshmi: He is like us… but different

Harini: How different? Dint gods make him like he made us?

Lakshmi: God made him like us, but he became bad..

Harini: Is god has made him then how can he be bad?

Lakshmi: Because sometimes we forget what is bad- he makes bad creation too…

Harini: If everyone is made by god- everyone is good right?

Lakshmi gets irritated and stops her from asking further questions. Harini, angrily goes to her dad. As they keep walking, she’s diverted with various things she sees on her way to her grandpa’s home. Every time she slips to touch and feel something, Manju and Lakshmi stops her from doing anything… but her questions couldn’t wait inside her- she ask’s Manju the same questions again-

Harini: dad- : If everyone is made by god- everyone is good right?

Manju took a second or two and said:

Yes, that’s right! But if everyone is good then how do we learn what’s bad?

Harini: Why should we learn what is bad?

Manju: True, but if you don’t know what is bad, then you will do mistakes and when you do mistakes no one will correct, if no one corrects you then you will continue to do mistakes and one day you will become sad…

Not very convincing to Harini, but atleast this kept her mind busy…

Bored with her parents, Harini stops looking at things and with a frown face drops her head down and walks aggressively along with them to be done as early as possible- till they reached her grandpa’s place.

Still 6 yrs old, active, energetic and filled with energy, Harini couldn’t wait to slip from her parents. She kept running here and there in the entire house. Houses at villages are so different to the ones that they lived in the cities. She enjoyed to the fullest. It was the celebration time and house was filled with relatives. What else would a kid of that age need, a good company to play around and a good reason to escape from parent’s sight. They she was with her cousins, in the backyard garden… teaching the names of the flowers and plants that she knew in English to her cousins from villages… 

Evening:

It was evening when she returned home back to her parents- she was quiet. This was a strange scene for her family members. Lakshmi was busy enough with her extended family members and relatives and knows no matter about Harini and so was Manju. But Harini’s grandpa who was sitting quietly in the varanda of his home, kept watching her for a while. He was wondering what must have caught her mind that killed the joy in her. He looks at her and thinks very hard to figure it out in silence.

Harini, the little kid found a top lying somewhere at home and was looking at how it spins when its rolled on ground. Slowly she turned towards her grandpa and smiled… Quiet again, looking at the nail that’s forced in the top – vertically, she was wondering how was the wood carved to give it its shape, where was the space for the nail and how was it pushed inside? Finally the silence broke-

Harini: Grandpa, Who made this?

Grandpa: The guys who make tops for kids?

Harini: Who are they?

Grandpa: Some silly fellows who don’t know any other work in the village baby.

Harini: What is this called?

Grandpa: We call it “ Buguri”?

Harini: Whats the meaning? Why is it called Bugri?

Grandpa laughs and murmers- so this was is keeping your mind occupied. Said: who gave this to you?

Harini: I saw cousin playing with it while I was returning home from the gardens. He left it there and I picked it up. All the boys along with him had one of this and each was playing it differently…

Grandpa: Oh!! Well, this usually is a boy’s game and it’s just a silly thing. But it’s a very old game. We used it play it as well when we were kids. We were a gang then- just like your cousin has one. We would bet on whose top sins for the longest duration and the winner would get a “kanchu” from each one of in the team… I’d usually win most of the “Kanchus” and would immediately rush to the wooden attic we have and store it in one of the empty pickle pots. It was fun..  until my mom one day got wild on using her pickle pot and threw them all. Upon back-answering her for her annoyance she whipped me hard with the cow whip and chased me away to the field to work. I was a naughty one those days.

Harini totally forgot the questions that were running in her mind and started laughing- she said- hahaha… you got hit by your mom? Did you cry also? Hahha…

Grandpa- Oh yes.. she hit me every silly reason and always nagged at me for not helping ym father in the field like other did. But I’d never go because father had enough servants those days to help him in the field and I just dint like to sit alone on the bunds watching at them… I’d run towards the well for swimming or go to farm lands that had fruit bearing trees. Climb them, steal the fruits along with my friends and return only by evening. I’d come fully shabby, sometime- cloths tore and worn, at times with pocket full of Kanchus…  hahahhaha Both laugh.

Harini: Grandpa- Can you teach me how to climb trees?

Grandpa: Oh no!! if I did that your mom will come hitting me… She’s changed a lot now. Not like the days I saw her at daddaralli- Given a chance she’s change your village name from daddaralli to something better… hahaha… both laugh again…

Grandpa was thinking about Harini and going back in time when her daughter would sit with her and spend time paying attention all his stories. Nalina- his daughter as a small kid was as bubbly, friendly, joyful soul as was Harini and would never stay away from him.

Harini: Grandpa- what is the meaning of Kanchu? Can I get one?

Grandpa: Well, … hummm… ah.. Ok.

Firstl thing in the morning, we’ll go on a walk together. I’ll get you one. Ok?

Happy Harini knods her head and hears her mom calling- Harini, if you don’t answer me now, I’m leaving you here and going back to town. Well, that was so much like Lakshmi, who is been calling for her for a long time now. Harini had left it run like a music in the back of mind.

Harini- Oh no grandpa- I don’t want to go to town… unless I see the KANCHU…

She was very cozily siting on her grandpa’s lap till the story was on and now rushed at winds speed to her mom with the same excitement…