To begin with ...its about a conspiracy of money, murder, loot and ongoing judicial case which is going on in one small village of India.
I got to know about the whole story when I was travelling in one of the remotest areas of Western India. To reach the place is also not an easy game. You have to travel by bus till a place from the nearest town, with the bumpy ride of almost 4 hours to reach the place called Thava. Thava, itself is a spooky town and by any means if you happened to reach there in evening after 6 pm you are sure got to be an easy prey of the marauding tribes men,who are in the alcoholic stage by their lenient doses of the liqour and ready to swing your neck if they are capriced by your luggage and strange behaviour. So, the moment you reach Thava, be smart indeed not to be late after 6 pm and if so then be ready for all your roller coaster experinces. Well, I was surely the biggest fool of the first timers and in my jest to have all the adventorous and weird experiences crossed all the time bondations and reached the place by 7.15 pm. Well one reason for my smartness inherent ignorance was that, I was not knowing the region except with my so called studious skills of cartographic and regional maps and first hand published book on the region which were written by some administrative officers of the region almost a decade ago in form of Gazetteers. That offcourse , remains a foolhardy way of looking the practical truths which are so different from what we read and see in forms of print or visual media these days....
Part-II
..what happens when you are tensed. Your physiology does not supports your psychological condition. You perspire from your single hair of the scalp till the edges of your toes. Gasping for air as the terror around is horrific.Single shiver in the air makes you feel as the whole of the blackening sky and soil is all set to kill you till the spores of your skins. In the horror of dense dark you forget that you have the potential to breath and your legs freeze and disallow you to drag you even a step ahead. Ohh! that could have happened if you had got down from a bus in the late evening all alone in a small desolated town which was all mist and sulking for light.
Imagine youself, all to yourself with counted souls in the bus leaving you behind with a caution saying, "What on earth made you take a decision to get down on this haunted village where no sane man walks in the evening after 6 pm and only revenging men in arms!". I was stunned for a while and cursed the driver and conductor of the bus, saying in mind,were they sleeping when I bought the tickets for Thava some four hours before? However, after getting down from the bus I gathered the little left courage in me perhaps it was not left at all! Lifted my bag and tried to search for torch, as the whole village was dark without a single light. With a lot of trouble and shivering hands I retrieved the torch which graciously denied to work.I prayed to God please save your angelic daughter who is caught up in this devilish hell! Possibly, God heard his beloved daughter and almost 200 yards away there was a small candle flickering...it was for the moment more brighter than the 100 watt tubelight for me and with full speed I ran towards it.Sometimes, devils come in disguise and here to make situation more haunting I saw over there a very old man sitting besides the lonesome candle with almost million wrinkles on his face and some extra large teeths, he raised his face and frowningly gave an exclaimed gesture without saying anything, symbolically, to say as if I was one of those notorious marauders who possibly had taken away his all the jewels which anyone could ever imagine to possess. His glance was enough to tell me that either rush away or I will chase you till you die!
I tried to gather my jilted soul to normalcy which was denying to recover and with heavy ankles I returned and came back to the place where I had got down... I was numb by now and did not knew as how to move ahead!!!
PART-III
In a dim night while waiting on the edge of the road one often left with no option except to imagine for all the possible ways to seek ventures to enhance one's survival instincts.
Could the surround in pitch black due to lack of even a single spark makes a person capable to arouse ones nocturnal potentials! Yes, possibily that happened and with gods grace and with the gradual expansion of moonlight slight by slight everything around turned from black to blue. Might be that night turned me more spiritual and increased my faith in the supreme almighty. I dont remember weather those nights were moonlit or not but surely that one particular night stupendously was well lit.
Everthing was by that hour of night was more clear and visible and I could see the alley and lanes of the sparsely inhabitated village. There was an average width road, one side of which was the bus stand with a lonely passenger thats me. Who was yet not sure as which way she has to go?
The road got scattered in three different routes; one went towards west straight to another district, east was from where I came and right in front of me was a cobbled passage to south. Possibly,that was the one where I was supposed to carry on my further journey...moreover adventures. But its said; 'faith brings fear too...',eventhough, I knew why I came in the village and where I need to go...I was still waiting for some angel to help me seek my routes. I was petrified enough to push myself for my cause.
In between I must explain, it was in no way an adventerous tour made out in wake of seeking some exotic tourist spots. It one among the sections of project which I was doing under a research body. I was supposed to select some welfare organisations working for the welfare cause in the rural backdrop of western India. I chose the destination after discussing it with my senior who vaguely heard about the place but never tried himself to visit it.Possibly most of the organisations were studied by him on paper with 100% positive evaluations depending upon how much undercover payments they all give! To be precise other organisation were also not visited by him or them (its specific here for no one person could be blamed in certain instances of lethargic administration, when the entire system constitues of laid back babus or clerks!) , no matter how the various social welfare oganisations were easy to travel and accessible to reach. Hopefully, he told me about one welfare organisation which was located near some beach resort...where he had a perfect time with his family; certainly not the offcial one!
Usually when nerves are low then we tend to forget the wisest things we did or possessed to act in the accordance of the surrounding.As the time passed things turned out to move in streamline although suspicion and threat was evident in every flutter of air. When I saw a human shadow coming from cobblled passage treads towards me, I lost all my nerves and all the scary stories of pirates and thugs started banging my head. I was unable to think for a while as there do exist some skills to drive at one person if we are in danger. Standing still remained possibly with closed eyes seeking some divinely support remained only option.The air for a while was still...and I heard a gentle voice from besides which said, "Madam, are you same who wrote letter to us about your arrival today, sorry, I got late, there was some urgent social obligation to perform. Can I carry your bag."
Aah, do devils really sound so sweet or its my imagination? I turned towards the man, he was a kind and peaceful in appearance, his white shirt and dark trousers were adding to the calm inherent in him. His noble persona, made me come back to my senses, although I was still mumbling for thoughts. He repeated once again, are you not Ms. Bina, you wrote to us about your arrival. I recalled and blissfully nodded saying, yes, I am same.
How far is the Ashram?
'Its 3 kms from here, sorry to say, we need to walk down as at this time we wont get any vehicle', he politely stated his inability to offer me the luxury.
Oh! Its fine, at least two of us will be there to cross the passage. I smiled and asked for the direction to move on.
So, whats your name, are you part of Sewa Kendra? What you do there?, I suddenly became more vocal and started bombarding him with my anxious questions.
My name is Sanjay, I work as pimary teacher and also as attendant of Sewa Kendra for visitors.
I was delighted by his answers and was joyous in spirits that 'cool I survived the danger by being wise at least in past.'
The walk of three kilometers was pleasant in the breezy night and on the way I asked several things about Sewa Kendra and its founder Mansingh. In the pleasant walk when we arrived to village Thava...I dont remember!
...I dont remember when the passage came to an end as it was not tiring walking admist the natural surrounding and crop fields in the pleasant night. When we were about to arrive it was almost 10 (22 hrs)by now the whole ashram could have been asleep to my expectations. However, in reverse it was not!
The entrance was as pleasant as I could have ever imagined. I was surprised to see that in the remote and horrific area where robbers are expected thrived the amazing abode of learning and human excellence. Offcourse, there was no electricity and every nook in small houses and structures of the settlement had tinkling lamps. The entire conglomerate of the Sewa Kendra looked like a birthday cake to be as in the middle of the homes was a raised moors where its founder Mansing lived in its cherry topping hut.
He was waiting there for me to arrive. Sanjay told me to move fast because, Dada, as Mansing was respecfully called by the name was waiting for me to have dinner with him. Following his words, as if taking some orders I rushed with equal speed possibly more because the long walk and whole days efforts actually made me realise need of my appetite.
There was a lot to know from Dada, but the dinner was served and I was dutifully ordered to have meals soon and take rest to begin my day next morning on early hours...
Part-IV
PART-V
It often appears that in the bigger issues there is always a miniscule link. The microcosm of the events and the complexities evident in small actually symbolize the larger canvas of the dilemma. When looking to Dada and his life; I feel the same. It’s like rising from the royal getting entangled in the ramshackle and then reinventing again yourself like a phoenix. Yes, the life of Dada was blend of all. He was born in the Princely state of ‘Mahid’, not large indeed like Mughals’ but evidently powerful enough in the region to gain ample respect and support of the people. It was times of national movement in India the young prince was studying at Mumbai University, and could not resist himself to participate in the nationalist movement. The heroic adventures off him let him to leave his royal entourage as he was now in the lists of prime culprits in the region for another decade or so till the Independence of India was achieved. In these all decades from 1920’s onwards till 1947 independence times, he remained an activist and blew bombs so long he was with the reactionary groups. However, Gandhi’s call made him more stable and he joined the methods of Satyagriha as new form of protest. His work area now became the tribal territories of Western India, where he motivated tribal’s to participate in the nationalist struggle and make the British flee ha nation. The method of peaceful retaliation was more efficient as the powers were in less dominance and left with no option to act repressively against the peaceful protestors. He mobilsed the young and old equally for the movement and the day of destiny arrived. India was free. Certainly, it was a day of rejoice for him and for his allies, even then he had something else in his mind. For independence was the step for growth the child was born there was a long way to go to make him realize that what a nation means to when we are young and energetic to take care of it. Dada then decided to move on; he left the place where he had mobilsed people enough to take care off their destinies. He chose to work in more remote and backward region. So, he got married with his long time revolutionary partner Devki and the newly wedded couple moved to a remote village of Sangabar further east in the Jungles. Here the further smaller principality existed the King was lower in privileges and royal status, the kind to which Dada was once associated even then…Kings are Kings so the whole principality was under his sway and the Palan king was respected and almost worshipped. The new nation had different issues, Kingdoms were no more and education was new age mantra, so he had to initiate a new movement in this small kingdom among its people. Which were; educate them, make them see the new world and throw away the narrow royal thought and act. However, the king turned out to be supportive as he himself was keen to see the wider world. So, the royal princes were his first students. Dada began a trust and started working under the new organization. There were local businessmen different from the local people who became his other trustees. Then there was one royal landlord who was insistent to be part of the revolutionary social movement. Things started moving with great pace, there were some five new schools opened in the further interior villages; Dada insisted that he will work in the remotest village. Possibly, he was keen to spend some quality with his longing family and beautiful wife, and as the things were well organized they could take the privileges to move in the more silent regions.
Its often becomes clear that many incidents of life are preconceived. When everyone around tells us that the thing that we have seen is crystal clear. Then, we tend to accept the destiny. Though conscious inherent always keep knocking us to wake up and tear away all those veils which have kept us covered in the mists of illusions. Possibly Dada, for long had been living in that haze and when someone tampered that half awake urge to know the past then he eagerly supported the cause. Next morning I met teacer of the school, she was a lady of around 50 years and associated with the girls wing. Savita as she was known shared her turbulent life and a treasured opinion that had Dada been with the school things might been much better.I need to agree, but the question remained why the present trustees are the way they are? She gradually opened the chapters...when dada left the town, king and few traders remained as trustees. The power of kings was already in ebb, so the gains were more on the traders side.However, among traders also two factions developed. The one owning more lands now took the reigns, the king in such condition protested. But the conspiring situation was meant to takeover not only the trust but also the vast amount of property which was with the royal seat. Soon, with the consent of the other traders Sheel sheth and Jadunath, king was manipulated to donate all his land to the trust. One night in a brutal manner king was strangulated by the goons of Jadunath. When the other party inquired about the same, then in strange manner the other members were also made to disappear from the scene in mysterious circumstances. By the end of the story I was shivering with horror. I inquired about the King's family,she told, the royal son for a long time remained absent from the scene, to save his life, since last two years he lives in the town after receiving support from the local officials and has now reopened the case and the legal petition has been filed against Jadunath. In the afternoon I met kings son, the meeting was congenial. There was a lot of hope evident in his voice. He later arranged my return to Thava for next morning as now I knew how difficult things were turning towards a positive direction.Its said; Justice delayed is justice denied.However, here it was no justice but an effort under work to make the destiny realise that there is something called judice which always returns. While leaving Sangabar, I felt that I grew bit more with my awareness about something which happens away from our communication networks.