Colours of India - People and places

Excitement is a temporary feeling. It bubbles and simmers deep within, growing fizzy with anticipation. The longer the excitement's sustained with hope, the fizzier it becomes. And when it finally does burst forth, it doesn't last beyond a few moments. An orgasmic sigh! And poof, it's over before you know it.

We were in bison land, we drove hither thither across what seemed like endless forest and scrubby terrain without seeing a wild soul, let alone a bison. And all of a sudden, they were there! In a field scattered with volcanic basalt, they stood there mute and still as the rocks did. The bison's black melting fluidly with the basalt's darkness in the late afternoon heat. Whoops and shouts did nothing to baulk them. Half a tonne of meat and bone can bestow enormous self confidence in anyone i guess.

Now that the adrenaline rush was over, it was time for better things. Apparently ...

It's not that they weren't enthusiastic about wildlife, but then it's too much to ask from regular folk to spend hours together aimlessly tracking through the forest without seeing as much as an insect. Some of us may find it intensely thrilling, but not everyone shares the same taste and interest. It would be akin to making me watch a no brainer Hollywood/be it any other "wood" film. So... there you go.

The interests of the group demanded that we pitch camp somewhere in the countryside. No accomodation beneath anything remotely concrete or having a semblance of structure. The forest department had a fixed "Nyet" for camping by the lakeside. "The bison may trample you folk, and we'll be required to clean up the mess. And that too on a Sunday. Bah! Humbug!"

After what seemed like a millennia (some of us live in DreamTime so ...) and absolute inertia having laid seige to the body and brain, we camped by the side of a river at a village named "Kerle"; nothing to do with Kerala though.

Civilization. The word stems from the Latin civilis which is related to civis, meaning citizen. A place is a summation of its people, and their beliefs. Civilizations never go away, unlike its citizens; they only change form. Assuming new form and colour with every new addition, they continue to live forever. Ancient practices and beliefs which were a part of a civilization long ago still live in secret ways. One of those practices is the subtle art of black magic.

Picture this, 3 men walking with what seemed like parcels in their hands a longish something nestled in one man's arms. The boys want to have a night out by the riverside over merry spirits and food, or so i thought. Upon seeing 12 people out in the field, the trio quickly melted into the shadows. Of course, having a dozen people for company when there's wine enough for only 3 means this was the perfect action. A friend later mentioned seeing a rooster sticking out of the bag, the one i mistook for a bottle of alcohol. The trio were here for reasons more darker than merry making. They were black magic practitioners.

This guy has a degree in Commerce too! He knows his numbers and spells!

"An idle mind is a devil's workshop!" The quote couldn't have been more right. It's important that people find their time occupied with something good; something other than wishing evil upon somebody else. For reasons more than one (i'd like to believe the existence of work shirkers), black magic has survived across the millennia. Without education and awareness and a lack of good hobbies (other than black magic), superstition and the "paranormal" dictate the course of their daily lives.

Looking at the obverse side of the coin, can we really dismiss everything we don't know as humbug? Guess we can't answer that either ...

23rd May Sunday 0700AM, Kerle: The citizens of Kerle woke up to find a spectacular bunch of idiots camping out in the grass, and now jumping arbitrarily into the river with abandon. We'll leave it at that. Good Morning.

Make a splash!

The agenda for the day was visiting a locally famous shrine termed "Jyotiba". If the origin of each and every god, demigod, divine being and the celestial lost were traced back, 3 names would feature prominently in it. Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. The divine trinity are known by their functions; Brahma the creator, Vishnu the preserver and Shiva the destroyer. The 3 Gods maintain the balance of life and death across universes. Coming back to the point, Jyotiba was a local manifestation of Shiva.

Shiva is a highly popular God among martial races being a God who can upset the balance of the Universe if disturbed from his meditational trance. Jyotiba, conforming to the Kolhapurian's version of a warrior, was a god with large eyes, choppy moustaches and fierce teeth. Basically, a frightening facade that'll ward off all evil eyes and spirits. If black magic unleashed malevolent spirits regularly in the villages, Jyotiba has to look tough to keep them off fervent devotees. And it must be working considering the throng of devotees on a Sunday.

The devoted throng!

 As it so happens, Sunday was Jyotiba's day and hence the snaking queue. Fervent devotees had brought with them the industrial equivalent of vermilion, a rare colour which's expensive when procured naturally. With the chemical equivalent available at throw away prices, Jyotiba's devotees were only too happy to do just that! Colouring the spire of the temple with vermilion had the religious significance of your prayers reaching Heaven. In their feverish zest and excitement, people threw colours but poor skills at short-putt or "disqualified" prayers made it back to the Earth, upon those who thronged the queue snaking around the temple. Despite the pressing number of people, there wasn't a scene or event that could even remotely be described as a row.

Red is the god's colour...

Driven by faith and hope in their favourite devotee, families, many of them newlyweds sought blessings of the warrior god who protected them and came to their rescue. One couldn't help but get coloured with vermilion and spiritual bliss upon seeing Jyotiba. And the episode ended over cool buttermilk, a yokel who tried his best to impress a friend (the pretty girl who'd boarded at Nerul, she was in the limelight again!) by picking a fight with a soothsayer!



Excitement as we know is a moment of thrill and joy, only to dissipate moments later leaving behind fond memories such as these. And with this final chapter, i'd like to thank you, dear reader for following me all along.