Our world is getting smaller day by day and same goes for our heart. We are losing humanity and becoming brutal as well as chaotic. In such circumstances it is very difficult to keep optimism and hope on human nature or humanity. So, today I'll tell you a story around a moment that filled me with optimism and hope for the future of humanity! It was the semester break in our poly-technique engineering college. We had a small peer group of five friends- three boys, two girls- Rajat, Arghya, Priyadarshini, Mita and me. We hated staying in college campus at Bishnupur in semester breaks. There was no air conditioner either in our hostel rooms, so, tolerating summer of Bishnupur was a big talent which none of us had! So we always made some plans and ventured out on our hero Honda motorcycles. I was the single guy and others were couples. This time we decided to travel a tribal village of Purulia.
Purulia, the land of santhals (a tribe) has rocky and undulating landscape, with bio-diversity rich ciduous forests, red soil and red blooms of Palash flower! This Bengal extension of chotanagpur plateau is the home of different tribes like Sanhals, Kheriyars, Shabas, Kurmis etc to mention a few. They are always in festive mood in spite of harsh lives. They dance as they walk and sing as they speak! Santhali dance, performed by both men and women of the tribe is considered to be one of the best folk dances in India which offers immense vivacity and exuberance. Our program was to reach Baranti by late morning, wander in the tribal landscape to enjoy natural charm, enjoy the stay in eco resort which we had booked earlier and then end the day with tribal dance which resort guys organize for tourists. Everything went well up to the dinner.
Couples were gossiping in their respective cottages. I was on my own. It was a full moon night. I went out in forest with my SLR camera to photograph night beauty of moonlit nature surrounding me. Once as I used the camera flash, I heard a roar that panicked me. My heartbeat almost stopped seeing a big black creature with glowing eyes hardly 10-15 meters away from me. I tried to run away but fell down like a trapped deer. With all my efforts I tried to shout but my voice choked. I was seeing nothing but death before my eyes and it was imminent! Suddenly a woman clad in white saree arrived from nowhere with a spear in her hand. She made out a shrill frightening sound. Her language was Greek to me. In few seconds the black animal, had to be wild bear, walked back into the forest. I kept staring at that unknown tribal goddess. She didn't bother to look back and vanished inside the forest equally fast before I could ask her details.
That day, that santhali woman gave me a new life and didn't care to accept my thanks and gratitude. She was my savior. She filled me that day with optimism and hope for the future of humanity!
Purulia, the land of santhals (a tribe) has rocky and undulating landscape, with bio-diversity rich ciduous forests, red soil and red blooms of Palash flower! This Bengal extension of chotanagpur plateau is the home of different tribes like Sanhals, Kheriyars, Shabas, Kurmis etc to mention a few. They are always in festive mood in spite of harsh lives. They dance as they walk and sing as they speak! Santhali dance, performed by both men and women of the tribe is considered to be one of the best folk dances in India which offers immense vivacity and exuberance. Our program was to reach Baranti by late morning, wander in the tribal landscape to enjoy natural charm, enjoy the stay in eco resort which we had booked earlier and then end the day with tribal dance which resort guys organize for tourists. Everything went well up to the dinner.
Couples were gossiping in their respective cottages. I was on my own. It was a full moon night. I went out in forest with my SLR camera to photograph night beauty of moonlit nature surrounding me. Once as I used the camera flash, I heard a roar that panicked me. My heartbeat almost stopped seeing a big black creature with glowing eyes hardly 10-15 meters away from me. I tried to run away but fell down like a trapped deer. With all my efforts I tried to shout but my voice choked. I was seeing nothing but death before my eyes and it was imminent! Suddenly a woman clad in white saree arrived from nowhere with a spear in her hand. She made out a shrill frightening sound. Her language was Greek to me. In few seconds the black animal, had to be wild bear, walked back into the forest. I kept staring at that unknown tribal goddess. She didn't bother to look back and vanished inside the forest equally fast before I could ask her details.
That day, that santhali woman gave me a new life and didn't care to accept my thanks and gratitude. She was my savior. She filled me that day with optimism and hope for the future of humanity!
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