Tau's version of epics

 

Happy to be in his nineties, he would be still happier if he hits a century. He loves cricket and he knows the joy of hitting a ton and also the agony of getting out in nineties. He worked in the fields till a few years back and when his body could no longer keep up with his farming zeal, he tried his best to stay at the helm of the affairs and would lumber up to the fields and shout instructions at his son and daughter-in-law to do the chores properly. But even his vigilant overseer’s eyes failed him and his enthusiasm dimmed with the fading lights in his eyes. He now spends most of his time at home.

Well, farming has been his religion and agricultural tools his religious idols. His ears have also stopped keeping up with his enthusiasm to eavesdrop on what is going around. But his tongue is thankfully still prompt and spiffy. With all this background, Tau Hoshiyar Singh has his farmer’s version of Ramayan. We are talking about Lanka. ‘It was built by that devta who is often seen with his wife,’ he enlightens me on the subject. He means the God who is depicted with his wife in the pictures. ‘What name is that?’ he is asking his better knowing self slumbering in the subconscious chambers of his brain.

The problem is that lot many devtas are seen with their wives. We name a few trying to match what he has in mind but he clucks his tongue in a strong no. He then gives a clue. ‘It’s the one who has that snake around his neck,’ he hits the jackpot. ‘OK, you mean Bhagwan Bholenath!’ we chorus. ‘Yea, that’s him. He made Lanka but Ravana being a clever devotee and Bholenath being very simple, the city of gold was grabbed by Ravana as a reward for his penance,’ the story behind Lanka unfolds.

He has something to share about the masons and bricklayers also. ‘Lanka was made of gold bricks. Bholenath told the masons that the little pieces of bricks left out during the construction will be theirs as a reward. The workers but got greedy and would break far-far more pieces than required in order to increase their takeaway. In fact, they broke more than what was used in the walls. The angry God then punished them, “You guys will remain broken in economic means just like bits and pieces you have broken here!” So the masons and bricklayers are poor people. They keep on breaking bricks and however hard they may try they stay as poor as earlier.’ By the end of this narration, he felt sleepy and pulled over the sheet over his face and very soon we heard nice rhythmic snoring, giving enough clue to his bright chances of scoring a century of years on earth.