The Drumrner Boy - WW-P 4

The
Drumrner Boy
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hereoncelived a young boy calledGhopal,
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with big, kind eyesthat lit up
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sniled. He lived with his mother in a srnall
hut in a village in Gujarat. Ever since he had seen
the drumrrrers play at garba during the festival of
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Navaratri, he really,really wanted a drum.
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Every day, Ghopal woke up before sunrjse and
hurried to finish his chores.He gathereddung fiom
the cowshed next to their hut, shapedit into patties
and spreadthem out to dry. Later, he would collect
the pattiesin a basketand carry it to the stovein the
corner of the yard where Ma cooked.
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Ma m:rde a living b-v pouncling flour for the shopkeepersI'ho
then sold it in little packetsat their shops.Asshe ground the grain in
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rhe nrortar, Ghopal was trans{brmedinto the druml]rer bov He saton
the mud floor, placed tl.retin pot upside dorvn on his lap, and tappecl
his fingers on it. He could play ar4' sound. He playeclthe sounds of
tire earth shaking,the ocean lashing and the r,vinclclashing.And asi.re
played,he sang:
"If t had a drutL,a bigdrum,a big bassdrttnr,
My ht:artwould boon, hoont,boorn
'lhk dhatLadhoomdhoomdhoon!"
"Gho-pal, Gho-pal,Gho-pal!" his mother cried' to remind hirn
to get on with his otl-rerchores.
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At the d.rird cr1',he r,vould rise.
When he rrilked the bufr)lo, the drunrbeatsplayed irr his head.
'kk clhamadhoomdltoomdlnotn! When l.re*-ent to letch the water,
'ltrk dhamadhoont
the drur.nbeatsplal'cd all tl.re rl'ay to tl.re village lvell
dhoomdhoam!Lt night when all was still, the drunrbeatsplayed. ?k
dhamadhoomdhoomdhoom!
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One da1',Ghopal sarvthat his rlother's face l'as
chcer,vand decided it rvasa good tilne to ask"Ma, I rvant to br.rya drunr."
"A drunr?" Ma! brolvs rosc." Wl-ut l ilL yor-rdo
rvith a drum?" she :rsked."A dr.rrn r,vil1riot fiJl ,vourstomach."Sbe tu'eakeclhis nose playftrlly
Gl.ropal nibblcd his lorver lip. Hou' couLd he
describc the tlip-ilop thttters he lelt u'-hcnhe he;Lrcl
the sound of drun-rs?Horl' could he explain thc
nragic of the boorrr-boorrrbeatsthar titrglcd in his
firrgers?lt r'r'ashis hcart that he rvanteclto satis!',not
l-risstornach.I-Ie 6rcec1a snlile,nor r,vishrngto upset
his rrrother.
She patted hin on the heacl "Look. I'r'e a 1ot of
leftover flour toda/,'she said."TI'ill rnakesome hotl.rot prkolas fbr,vou." She sLinned arrd sliced a fcrv
potatoes,onioDs and eggplantsinto rings and dipped
them into the batter offlour-.Then she slippeclthern
into the sizzling oil in the ii-,vingpan.
The srrrcll of spicy pakorns dtifted into hrs
nostrils. Ghopll lor,'eclthe crispy golderr lrittels' but
Tnl Dnul,rn'rrnBoY
l.re ate only a ferv. He r,r'astoo busy thinking up a
plan. He r'r'rappedup the rest of the pakoras irr a
cloth and slipped then.r into his pocket Soon he
would have his very own drum.
He set off lor the market. On the w:r1',he c:rme
upon a potter lady rvith a crying cbild strappedon
her back. He felt sorry for the little boy. "Are you
hungry?" he asked, ud
brougl.rt out the pakoras
from his pocket. "Here, have sone."
The little boy *opped crying and began to eat.
Ghopal folded the cloth around the remaining
pakoras and slippecl tl.rern back into his pocket
There rvere still plenty left over for his p1an.
"You are very kind," said the Potter lady to
Ghopal, kissing the back of his hand. "I cant pay
Will you
you, as I have not sold any of my r'r'ares.
pleaseaccepta pot instead?"
A clay pot rvas not what Ghopal rvanted,but he
l.rada satisfiing feelir.rgin his heart as the hungry
bo.vsmiled at him through l.ristears.He thanked the
1ad,vand r'venton his rvay.He had a long way to go
Cular.ar
to reachtl.remarket.Strumling his fingerson the pot, he madehis
way along,singing:
"IJ I hada drum,a big drum,a big bassdum,
My heartwouldboom,boom,boom.
Takdhamadhoondhoondhoon!
Soonthe sunshonefiercelyand his throatfelt dry like the cracked
mud track.He wasgladhe had a pot, ar.rdstoppedat a gurglingstream
to scoopup somewater for drinking.
As he wasfilling his pot, he sawan angry man yelling at his wife.
"You broke the potl"
"I slipped. I'm sorry I didn't mean to break it," the poor
washerwomansobbedinto her hands.At her feet lay the shattered
sl.rards
of the claypot.
"Whar will we do now? Horv will rve collect water?" The
husbandshookhis angry fist at his fiightened rvife.
GhopalGlt sorry for her.Quickly,he drankthe waterfrom his pot
"You can haveny pot. I don't need
and went to the washerwoman.
Its .- - ,*^ - ^ "
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Tl.rewashelwomanlooked at Ghopalin disbelief."I like your big
kind eyes."Shetook of her shawlfrom l.rersl.roulders
and held it out.
"Blessyour heart,beta. Pleasetakethis aspa1'mentfor your pot.""
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It u':rsa brrghr sh.rll krrrttetll irh rrl.rrncli*irctrt
colols oi l,'ool. A shall l'ls
ttor ulllt
Cillopal
but he ilccepteclit politel,v;rnd rlurlked her.
\1,'i1ntecl,
Hanging it aroundhis rreck,he took ol1,silging:
"IJ I lnrl a drun, a bi.qdrun' a hig bassdrun,
l,ly hcartwould boon, booLn,boon
Tdkdhamadhoondlrcontlhoon!"
bv a rich tt-ierchantotr a rvhite
Soon l-repassccl
stallion. (iatching sighr of Cihoprlls shawl. thc
nrcrchantcarre to a halt.
"Young bo1,.rvhere did lou bu)' thrt beautilirl
shau,'l?"he asked."It is exacdv the kind nr,vsick rvife
for ller'
rvould love.I havcjust bought I clozcrrsh:rq,'ls
aspretry as1-ouls'
at thc' nr:irkct.but none ofthem ar_c
Gl-rop inraginedthe tricrchalrt\sick nif-e l-virrg
in becl in p:Lirr elid felt sorr,v fiir her. Ile said ;r
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had givetr him the shall :rnd that she
r'r'lshc-rrvontan
lr:rd probal.rlvknittecl it. "Sir, givc rrr-Yshas'l to ,vour
rvifc'."He took it olT ard gavc it to the merclatrt.
"131css
r,-ou,kirrd borr" The surprisccl ntelcherrt
thankcd CihopaLclearl1i"Wi11 ,vou pJeasetrke rrw
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T F I L D R U M t v tL R
Now a horse r'r'asnot rvhat Cihopal rvantcd, LlLlt
he nodrled and :Iccepted it. Hc mountecl the
lvhite horse.sat on the rcd veh'c-tsacldleand rode
arva1.,
singing:
"lJ I harl a drwn, a ltig clrun, a big bassdrun'
My hcartwouldbL,on,htton,ltoorn
rltto't,tdlr,t,,, ll,a.u,!
lak Jlrc,,ttu
Just up the load, in a shldy pati:lr bene;rth some
lenron trees, he s:rt' a bustling crorvd gathered
uncler a shinri:rna, a bright red alvnlng laised on
four b:rnrboo poles.A u'edding pari ! He l"es eager
to seethc btide.
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As he drelv closer',he took in the strong sn-rc11s
The beautiful
can.rphor and burrring sandah,vood.
br-ide sat in a bright recl sari aclolncclr'r'itl-rgerlarrcls
of marigolds. A gold tikka, or ornanent, ctorvucd
her lbrehead.Hcr rvrists l'ere covereds'ith bangles
and her-h:urdsanclfeet painted r,vith intricate henn.l
clesigns.Asrnallslcred 6re burnecl in a corner rvhere
the bride and gtooru rvould circle around and take
vo\'\,sto Ploclailn their love and respect lor each
other. Dancers acted oLrt stofics and thc musicians
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playedmany instrunents,but Ghopalt gazewasglued to the drums.
His heart achedfor a drum.
Suddenly,a priest in a long sallron robe rose to addressthe
audience."The groom is delayed.The position of the starswill
change!Wewill haveto cancelthis wedding."
The bride beganto cry.Whisperingbroke out among the guests.
"What will we do?"The drumrrrersstoppedplayingthe drur.r.rs.
"Wait," cried Ghopal. Heads turned to stare at him. "This
wedding r'vill go on," he said."I will fetch the groom." He asked
where the young rlran lived and gallopedawayon his horse at the
speedof light.
Very soon,he returnedon his horsewith the groom behind him.
The bride was delighted."Kind boy,how can I repayyou? Is there
anythingyou want?"sheasked.
"A drum," Ghopalsaidat once,and his heartwent &oonr.
The bride smiled."We havemany,many drums,"shesaid.Shetold
the musiciansto bring their drums over at once.
There were big drums and small drums, hard drums and soft
drums,drums of every color. She looked at Ghopal."You can pick
whicheverdrum you 1ike."
Ghopall eyeslit up. He chosea big bassdrum that was asblue as
the sky.He thankedthe bride, mounted his horseand awayhe went
to the market,jiggletyjolt, jigglery-jolt, thinking he wasthe luckiest
boy in the whole world. Ar.rdhe still had the pakorasin his pocket.
T H E D RUM M ER BOY
.
He would go on r'r'ith his Plan to sell them at the market Now that
he had his drum, he would give the noney to Ma.
The market teemed lvith people selling all sorts of goods. It was
noisy and smelly Mosquitos and flies buzzed. Ghopal cried, "Pakoras
for salelPakorasfor salel"
Nobody heard him. His voice rvaslost in the hustle and bustle.He
slunk into a corner. How would he attract peoplet attention? He
began to play his drum. He altelnated with his right and ieft hand,
playing faster and faster.Thk dhamadhoomdhoomdhoom!
The beats were hypnotic and attracted a large crowd. People
began to sing and dance.Soon all of l.is pakorasrvere sold.
"Mmmmm.Very tasry" said the people as they ate them.
A man in a gold-embroidered kurta came by."How much is that
drum, young boy?"
"Sorry, sahib,"said Ghopal. "My drum's not for sale."He would
never part with his drum.
At the end of the day, he counted his clinking coins. He could
l.urdly wait to seeMa's happy face.He took his drun and got on his
horse,singing all the way l.rome:
"I havea drum,a bigdnnn,a bigblue,bassdrtnn.
And try heartgoesboon,boom,boont
'Lhkdhamadhoomdhoomtlhoom!
laP dndlna dnojm 0n00n 011Dol1|l
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PrincessMala
and the
TreeSpirit
trcc oncc stood tall and rnajestic
in thc jungle that 6-inged tl.re rr1'al
gardcnsin the northeastern kingdom of
Sorne saicl the tree n'as blesscd,that its
r-eachedall tl.re wa1, up to heaven, while
it rvas hauntcd b-valrcestr:rlspir-its
One da,va conch shcl1blerv Jong and hard fi'om
tbe palaceto amlollnce tbe birth of a ba\
girl to
L l re ki .,! .rn d quccn ;licr 1e,r . of pr .r ritr . to Lh<
the peepul tree raiseclits
gods. Unknor'r'n to an1'orre,
leaf, boughs to r'r'elcone Pri|ccss Mala.
Yearspassed,and thc princess gterv older. Shc
lffit
loved to plal' outsjcle.Everv afterrroon l'hcn the
swemi l'ho tutored her-gaveher a break,she ran
outside to the palace garderrs,d:rr-rcingalrlong the
1i'agrantflor'r'ers.
C)ne aftelnoon Mala satin the garderr,her lap
fillecl r'r,itl.rthc roses she had just pickcd. A
butted_v alighted on her arn, flapping its r'r.rngs
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32
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in butterlly kisses.She sat completely still, gazitlg at the jes'"eled
whorls orr its r,vings
of topaz, lapis lazuli and dazzling emerald.
How beautiful it r'r'aslThen it fleu'offr'itl.r Mala ir1 hot pursuit.
Thc butterfly clrew M:LIaon, zigzagging down an overgror'r'upath
that s$run€!in loops and bends before disappearinginto the jungle.
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Only then did Mala look up to r-ealizeth:rt shewas lost! She ran back
and fortl-r,this rvay and that. Tlrere was nothing but trees,trees and
nore tuccs.Ho\'\' r'ould she find her rvay back to the palace?
Soon the sky darkened and a wind picked up, hissing strange
sounds.Mala'slong so{t hair $'hipped arcund her face and she could
smell a storm brewing.A lightning bolt strcirkedacrcssthc sky,followed
by a crack ofthunder. Rain pelted dorvn. She ran to take cover under
the tall peepul tree."Helpl" the prirrcessbegpr.rto cry "Heipl"
As the storm raged, the birds flerv for cover and gerbils scurried
into their burrows.
Suddenly the boughs of the peepul lifted her up, singing: ,140/0,
Mala, haucn.ofcdr. I wil.lprotectyou.
A quiver ran through her. "Who said that?" she asked,trembling
lvith cold as r'ell as fear'.The leaS bougl.rsof the peepul snugglcd
around her, keeping l-rerdry and u'arm. She stxred up at the trce in
disbelief."Who are yorr?" she r'vhisperecl.
Mala, Mal.a,I an yourJtienrl,the leavesrusded.
As the storm raged,the branchesofthe surrounding treessplit atrd
crashedto the grouncl, but tl-repeepul stood as sturdy as tl-reten-rple
pillar. Mala knerv therr that thc tree nlust be magic.
33
N AGALAN D
When the rain stoppecl, Mal:r lookcd around.
Ever,vtl.ringwas soaking rvet, but the peepul tr-ee
on horseb:rck
r'r,asbonc dr1'.Soon tbe pJuardscar-r-re
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l o o kr ng for M . .r . lhcr tbtt.r d r e* r r c..lcJ in thc
br:nchesofthe peepul tree and took het home.
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"Mrla, you can't rander about on vout olvn,"
The king $'as upsct.
"But a trce kept nre clry irr thc storm," saiclMala.
"lt promisedto protect mc."
The king frorured. "My deat Birl, vou arc tired."
But Mala knerv the peepul tree lvasmagic. From
rl r" t J.r 1on..hc als.r y..r r e.r lcJoff to r r .it it.
Onc da1',the king summoned his dauglrtcr.
"Mala," he sajd."Soon )'ou r,r'ill be married and be
the queen of :rnother kingdonr. I have invited
suitors fiom all the r-reighboringcountries."
"No!" cricd Mala, hol-ified."This is nry homel"
Sobbing, Mala ran thlough thc jungle to the
wants
peepul.Sheburied her face in its lear'-es."Fatl.rer
rrre to get narried," she clicd. "What will I do?"
The peepul snuggled around her in a gende
ernbr:rce,sirrgirrg:NIala, NI' a, I Luill alwayshe yttLr
Jriend. And she fllt cornforted.
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PRrNcLssM.q.raaNo rnt Tlrr Srtntr
During
the next ferv months, rich rajas in
bejeweled robes traveled hundrecisof miles to win
the l.randof PrincessMala.
On one particular visit, one figure stood out. She
saw that his rvalrior sharvl l.radthe print of a tiger
and in the belt around his r,vaistwas the shining dao
of the Naga people. Quickly, she took her naid
aside and told her what to do before she lost sight
of the man.
The nraid sneaked up to thc tall stralrgel and
deftly tucked M:rla's silken red-golcl sc:u{ into the
man'.sdao belt.Wten all the suitots rvereleaving,the
maid follor,vedthe mysterious man outside. It rvas
dark, but she could see Mala's shiny scarf hangirrg
fi'om his belt. Suddenly the man disappearedinto
the jungle. The maicl returned to give her young
mistressthe news. Mala lvas disappointed.A11nigl.rt,
she tossedand turned and could not sleep.
Early the rrext day rvl.ren Mala visited the
pcepul, she cried out in surprise.Her scatf was tied
into a red knot around a branch of the tree. How
did it get there? And how dicl the stranger know
that th,r peepul rvas specialto her?
Back at the palace, the king asked,"My dear Mala, have
-vou
selectedyour suitor?"
"Father . . ." sl.repaused."I dolr't like any of them."
The king r,vaspuzzled.The suitors rvere wealthy ptinces and came
liom respectablefimilies. Surely she would be happy with one of
thenr
or was she seeingsomeone else?Finally,he called his guards
and askedthen to keep a close watch on the priDcess.
The next morning r'r'hen Mala went to the jungle, the guards
follorved her at a distance.Tl.rey saw her talk to the peepul.Taking a
careful note ofits location, they returned to the palace.
"Your Majesty,a tree spirit haunts your daugl.rter"
"Tl-ren cut dorvn the tree," commanded tl-rekir-rg.
That evening the guards set of to fell the peepul ttee, but they
could not find it.They decided they rvould return the next morning
when the sun r'vasshining.
Meanwhile, at the palace,Mala spotted the tall dark man among
her suitors once again.This time she had a clever Plan that she would
carry out hersell She foilorved the mysterious man outside.As she
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followed hirn, she broke her pearl necklaceand, with el'ery few steps,
she dropped a pearl on the ground, where it shone in the light ofthe
moon. Suddenly,the moon went behind a cloud and she was forced
to return to the palace.She would have to wait until morning to see
if the strangerhad left any clues for her to find.
When the pale pink darvn broke over the Naga hi1ls, Mala
tiptoed out of the palace,follor'ving her trail of pearls through the
gardens and into the jungle. But the trail didn't just stop, as she'd
expected.To her surprise,it just kePt going. More pearlsl.radbeen
dropped on the ground, leading on and on into the jungle. She
followed the shining trail as it wound its way right uP to the
peepul tree!
At that very moment, there was a harsh cry."Make way,princessl"
The guards,armed t'ith axes,surrounded the tree.
"No!" cried Mala. "The peepul is my friend."
"Sorry we must obey the king's orders,"insisted the guards.
One guard raised l.is axe and struck at the tree. Thwack!l{rs axe
bounced ofl. Another guard joined ir'. Tlwack! His axe bounced off
as well. The last guard swung his axe rvith all his might against the
tree. THWACK! F\ing wood chips flew into the eyesof the guards.
"Aieeeel" cried the starded men, stepping back.
"
o rHr Trul Sttntr
PRtNcEssMar.l .q.N
Mala threw her arms aroundthe peepulald beganto cry'As she
wept, a cloud of mist arose.Tearsfell on the trunk, transformingit
into the torso of a man.TearsG1lon the branches,turning them into
arms and legs.Tearsfell on the leaves,turning them into hair'Where
the peepultree had been,there stooda tall, dark,handsomeman He
was the samemysteriousstrangerwho had come to seeher in the
greathall at the palaceand then disappeared.
"Who areyou?"
Mala gaspedin amazement.
put a
The man bowed."I am PrinceAnand.The demon Rakshasa
curseon me.-Whenthe sun rises,I turn into a tree but when the sun
sets,I becomemy real self.Your tearsof love broke the curse" FIe
- kissedthe back of her hand and thankedher.
Mala led the prince to meet the king and
In a dazeof happiness,
queenat the Palace.
"Father!" cried Mala. "Prince Anand is the tree spirit who
protectedme fiom the storm all thoseyearsago" She told the story
ofhow the cursewasnow broken
Beforelong,the conch shellat the palacewasblowing once again,
this til1te to announcethe wedding of PrincessMala to Prince Anand'
For sevendaysand sevennights, flutes played and drums rclled, and
there wasfeastingand dancing throughout the kingdom ofNagaland'
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Damavanti
and Nala
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ong ago, on the night whcn the
nloon andVenuscrossedpaths over
the kingdonr of Vidharbha, the
'lii
celesti:rlstars stood still, and the most
beautiful r-rraidenrvas born. She r,vas
1 r ti. \. .he gr cr r
n a n te J l 'rtr cc:. D.r r tr .r.r
up, peoplc saicl,"Damayanti is as lovely as a
l.reavcnlynynph."
At the very s:ure time in the neighboring
kingdorrr of
Nishadha, the
n.rost
handsolr'icprince in the n'orlc1rvas
boln. He rvas called Prince Na1a.
As he grerv up, peoplc said,
"Nala r'vill be the foleinost of
L h . r .1.r ' . \.r r ologcr . r iJ."\,1.r
r'vill bring larre and {brtune."
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beauryspread
Yearspassedand the fame of dre young princess's
like the scentof the champaflower. One day when Nala was on a
hunting trip with his companionsinVidharbha, he caught a glimpse
of Damayantiand was spellbound.From that moment on, all of his
thoughtswere of her. How would he let her know ofhis love?
Soon aftelward, Nala was feeding the swansat his Ather's palace
garden,when he saw a pink lotus.He plucked it and took it to the
"Pleasetake this lotus to PrincessDamayantrasa
oldestofthe swans.
token ofmy love for her."
"I wi1l,o prince,"saidthe old swan,taking the lotus in his beak'
"We will all go,we will all go," cried the other swans.Theyflapped
their wings and flew through the wide, blue sky toward the kingdom
ofVidharbha.
That afternoonasDamayantisatin the garden,shesaw a massof
birds descendon the pond with a flurry ofwhite feathersThe swans
beganto srng:
hear!If you arethepea of women,Nala k thepide oJ
"Damayanti,
hear!Nalais yourtruelovejust asyou arehis "
wet1.Daffidy.lt1ti,
The oldest swandrew near Damayanti and dropped the pink lotus
accePtthis gift asa token oflove ftom Prince Nala
on her lap."Please
of Nishadha."
Urrar. Pnaolsn
Damayanti blushed. Since her fourteenth birthday she had
been sent portraits of local rajasrvho were seeking her hand in
marriage. Of all the portraits she had seen,she liked Nalai the
most. Sl.restrokedthe swan,thanling him and said,"I will retutn
the lotus to Nala at my srvayamvarane\t week."
Damayanti's heart sang as she stepped inside the palace.
"Father, I am ready to choose a husband."
Tl.re king and queen embraced tbeir only daughter r,vith
*-:
delight. A messagewas sent to all the neighboring kingdoms
I
annolrncing Damayanti's swavamvara.The palace was made
ready.Red, green, blue and saffron brocadeswere draped over
divans, tables adorned rvith fiagrant florvers and sumptlrous
food, and Kasl-rmiricarpetsstrewn acrossthe cool, marble floors.
Soon tl.re kingdom
of Vidharbha resounded rvith the
booming of drulns and fanfare of trumpets aspainted elephants
in colortrl garlands carried hopeful rajas into the ciry Nala
arrived in a gilded chariot pulled by finely decorated stallions.
"
DaIIAYANTI AND NALA
Dadayanti's beauty had stirred even the gods. Up in the
heavens,four of them wanted to marry her They were Agni'
Lord of Fire; Indra, Lord of Storms;Varuna,Lord of Seas;and
Yama,Lord of Deatl.r.They knew she liked Nala, but they were
hopeful. "She will choose one of us over Nala -
he's
after a.11'
just a n.rortal,"they told each otherThen they made a plan and
leapt into their heavenly chariots and descendedto earth to
woo the princess.
On the day of the swayamvara,Damayantl's parents sat on
their thrones in the great hall, their handmaidens fanning them
with peacock feathers.The suitors filed through the gilded
portal to present themselves.Among them was Nala
The drums sounded.Then everyone fell silent asDamayanti
gLided into the room in a flowir.rg white sari that billowed
around her willowy figure. Her long black hair was threaded
rvith jasmine blossomsand her slender han& carried the pink
loru.. Ereryonegazedrt her in admiraiion
UTTAR PRADESH
Damayanti took her seatbeside her parents,her nutneg eyescast
down. FIer gaze rose slighdy as the names of all her suitots were
announced.The four gods had also come, but she searchedfor one
face only. Nala!There he was.She looked into his gentle,trusting eyes
and his face lit up.The swans'songplayed in her head and her heart
was filled with tenderness.
But as she rose to give the lorus, she was overcome with
confusion.There were five identical Nalas seatednext to each other!
Fear clutched her. Which one of them was the rea.lNala? The gods
must have tricked her. Determined not to be fooled, she asked,"Who
anong you is Nala?"
"I am," said the five voices together.
Damayanti looked at the five identical men. Four of them stared
with unblinking eyes. Only one rnan's eyes flickered. She knew that
gods do not blink. She studied their faces. Four of then.r were
unblemished.Only one was creasedand shiny with sweat.She knew
that gods do not sweat.
Damayanti looked down, thinking carefully.Across the floor, oDly
one shadow fell on the marble floor. She knew tl.ut gods do not cast
shadows.Her heart filled with hope.
She looked for one last proof.The marigolds in the garlands around
the necks of four men were fiesh and crisp. Only one man's marigolds
looked haltwilted.
He was the man who blinked, sweat and cast a
shadow He was Nala!
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UTTAR PRADESFI
"l chooseyou," said Darna-l'anti,and she held his
g5aze
as she gave hirn the lotus
Drums ard sitars plal'ed and there w:IS grieat
lejoicing.The pltestssangand drank and d-anced.The
four gods conccded their 1oss,gave Damal'anti and
Nala theit blessingsarrd departed.C)n their s'ay back
He
to heaven,they mn into the evil demon,Rakshasa.
appeared as a ropgish o1d tiger, one e1'ecovered by a
ieatberpatch,fiazzledrvhite hair spiked and l.rristling'
"I am offto make Damalanti rr'5'bride," he blagged'
"You cannot," said the gods. "She l.rasalready
chosen Prince Nala."
"Arrlgl" cried Rakshasa.Fire shot out of his
n.routl.r."I
curse Nala." His red, bloodshot e,ve
glinted r'r'ith malice."I r,vil1get Damalanti!"
"Stay lr'va-vl"rvarrrcd the gods.
"Heeeeheee!"l{akshasalaughedhis demon laugl.t
and dlnced his demon dance rvith his snrky alms:
"I an ascvil asevil tan be I utill gtt Damol'ant'i'yott
Lvill sce."
He took one tlying leap and landed on earth He
changed into hjs hurn:rn form and secletly rvatched
tl-rener'lFveds. Nala r'r'asdevout Every mornng he
askeclthc gods for their blessingsand protcction'
.
DAMAYANTI AND NAI A
Rakshasa grerv impatient. Then he leaned two
things that rvould help him. First, he discoveredtl.rat
Nalal brot}rer was jealous of Nala. Second' be
found out that Nala loved to play dice.
One morning, Nala forgot to ask the gods for
motrent had arrived Fitst
tl.reirblessings.Rakshasa'.s
he entered tl.re mind of Nala's brother'."P1ayl" he
urged. "I will enter thr: dice and help you win "
day and all night.
The trvo brothers played :111
Slor,vly,Nala gambled away his entire kingdom. He
returned to Damayanti,humiliated. "If you wish to
leave r-ue,I understand," he told her. Danayanti
stood frrm."1 wjll cor-newith you lvl-rercveryou go "
And so it came about that Nda and Damayantr
gaveup their kingdon. For many months they lived
in the jungle, surviving on fiuit and roots and iish
ftom the river. Damayanti grew pale and weary but
her love for Nala never wavered
"Arrrgl"
Rakshasa gnashed his sharp teetl.r.
Soon, though, he had thought of anotl.rerplan. He
slipped into Nala's mind and torrnented him every
day. "You'r'e a failurc, a total failurel You have
destroyed Datrayanti's happiness.Leave her, leave
l.rer,leave her. Sl.re'sbetter olT without you."
UTTAR PRADESH
A bitter battle waged within Nala. The stronger Rakshasagreq
the weaker Nala becarne.Finally,poisoned by Rakshasa,Nala decided
to follow the voice in his head.He r,vould leave Daoal'anti.
Ald so one n-roonlessnight, Nala stole away.Dan-rayantia\ /oke to
find her husband gone. "Nalal Nalal" she called out in despair.
For many days and nights she searched frantically for Nala.
Thorny branchesslappedher in the face, tore her sari and scratcl.red
her skin, but she went on until she r'vasexhausted.Tearfully,sl.remade
her rvay to her father'spalace.Thefour gods protected her and guided
l-reron her journey.
One night, Damayantisar'van asokatree,and a flicker ofhope lit up
in her heart.The asokaq,'mboJizedlife r'vith no sadnessShe walked
arcund and around the trce,pleading,"O asoka,pleaseend my sorror'vs!"
On her third tinre,the leavesofthe tree shook and a scarletblossomfell
to her feet. Now she kner'v that Nala would return to l.rer.She picked
up the flower, inhaled its heady scent,and put it in her hair.
Meanwhile, Nala drifted ainrlesslyin the jungle, too niserable to
tell night frorr.rday.The four gods decided they r.[ust act, so they sent
the Serpent King, Karkotaka, down to meet him.The serpent sPrang
on Nala, wrapping him in its coils and hissing,"I have been sent to
curse."Then Karkotaka bit Nala in the arm and
remove Rakshasa'.s
disappeared.Nala passedout.
When he came aroundi he began to vomit, and the venom of
Rakshasa'scurse left his body. Slowly his memory returned, and l.re
DAMAYANTI AND NALA
"
was overcome witb griel How could he have left Damayanti? She
was his Life.He would win her back.
Nala ran toward the kingdom of IGng Bhima.The s$, turned dark
and rain fell in torrents. Chilled to the bone, he kept on ruluring,
whispering Daruaydrliat every step,his eyesblazing.When he entered
Vidharbha, everyone looked at him with suspicion. At last, he
stumbled up to the palace gate and begged one of the guardsto call
the princess.
Damayanti was startled to see a man in disheveledrags.Drawing
closer, she sarv beyond the unkempt brown curls, and her heart
filled with tenderness. He rvas Nalal He knelt, begging fot her
forgiveness.Without hesitating, Damayanti embraced him. After all
of their trials, the couple were together once more. Rakshasa had
been defeated.
But Nala still l.rada score to seftle.With Damayanti'sconsent,he
challengedhis brother to a final game ofdice. On the day ofthe game,
Damayanti fasted and prayed for justice. The gods conferred their
blessingson him. With a single throw, Nala r'von the game. His
kingdom r'vasrestored, and he and Damayanti Lived happily as King
and Queen of Nishadha.
Today,it is said the loving couple Lie entwined in a grave rvhere
an asokatree with ftagrant red blossomshas grorvn. Those wl.to visit
the site circle the tree three times and gather its blossoms,hoping to
attain the true love of Damayanti and Nala.
'..,
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@
Cawwwuw! the lead crorv shrieked,and the shiny object in its beak
dropped to tl.reground. Shairaran asfast asher small legs could carryE
her to seethe object. Right on the doo$tep ofher hon.re,rvhere she
had clrarvnthe rangoli design ofa lotus florat by a pot ofmarigolds,
ihere was a seven string pearl necklacel
Shairat trembling filgers felt t1.resmooth, rouncl beads of the
necklace.She gazedlongingly at it. In the sun,the color ofthe lustrous
beadsalong each ofthe strandschangedfiom white to yellorl'',orange,
red, green,b1ue,indigo and violet -
all the colors ofthe rainbow! Her
heartbeatquickened.The necklacewould be a r,vonderfulDivaali gift
for Ma. Her mother did not own any jelvelry
Shaira ran inside, wrapped the necklace in ber jasn.rine-scented
handkerchief,and hid the small packageunder her mattress.
The next dayrvasthe first dayofDivaali. Shairau'oke earlyto help
her rnotber with
the laundry. Ma had pronrised to buy her
firecrackersthat exploded into a fountain of colors. Most of all, she
wanted to give Ma the secret gift.
the laundry the sun shone
By the time Shairafinishedcollectir.rg
l.riEhin the skv As sl.reheaded for the riverbank lvherc her mother
raited,
the thunder of drumbeats sounded in a near\
alley.
Er'-erybodyran to seer,vhattl-recommotion was. Shaira rushed with
tn" crorvd,the bundle ofiaundry claspedin her hands'
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The city squareteemed with people."Hear ye all,
hear ye a11,"cried the king's heralds."Her Majesty,
the queen,haslost her pearl necklace.The king lvill
grant a big reward to anyone rvho finds it."
Shaira felt her very life sucked out of her.
Could it . . . could it be the necklace she had
found? She turned to the lady next to her and
asked,"How did the queen lose her necklace?"
"Don't you know?" replied the lady. "A crow
snatchedit fron the river shore wlrile she bathed."
A crow? Shaira'sshoulderssagged.The necklace
she had found had been dropped by a crolv
The lady continued. "It's very special.The pearls
in it are extremely rare. Do you knorv, a thousand
diver. dir ed deep into rhe oceanro gatherth.m? '
Shaira's grip
ir;,itri
:i:Jl
ii:it:
on
the bLrndle of
laundry
tightened. She went to find her mother, walking
very slowly, carefully measuring each footstep,
wondering r'vhat to do. The necklace she found
must belong to the queen.
Shairat mother, squatting at the riverbank, took
the bundle of clothes ftom her daughter.
SH.q.rna's
SlcB.rr
"Ma, did you hear?" Shaira told her mother
about the queen's lost necklace and the kingt
reward.She paused,before continuing. "Ma, what if
the crow dropped it at our home?"
Her mother smiled. "Beti, stop dreaming. We
have a lot of work to do. Here, dry these clothes."
Shairanodded, but did not move.
"Hurry, Shaira. Don't you want to buy some
firecrackers?"
Shaira nodded, then made her way home. She
trudged dor'vn the road with
an armful of wet
clothes, drip, dripping on the grass and tears
trickling down her face.What should she do about
the necklace?
Finders keepets,Iosetsweepers,a voice sang in
Shaira'smind. But another voice crt in'. You did n.ot
earn it. It is nol 1olrs. She knew Divaali celebrated
the triumph of good over evi1.How could she start
Ma would much prefer
the yearby being dishonest?
the pearls of honesty than the pearls of someone
elset necklace.
Shaira rvent home, took her handkerchief with
RAIASTFTAN
the precious necklacewrapped in it, and headedfor the kingi palace.
At the gates,the guards stopped l.rer."I'm sorry little girl, but you
cant go into the palace."
Shaira held up her little package."I have the queen'.snecklace."
At once, the surprised guardsled her up the stepsand through the
corridors to s'here the king and queen sat on their thrones.
Shairaborved."Your Majesty,I lravebrought your necklace.A crow
dropped it on nry doorstep."She untied tl.rehandkerchiefand held up
tl-reseven string pearl necklace.
The queen drew closer to examine the necklace "Yes!" she
exclaimed. "This is nrine. Oh, sweet little girl
you found my
necklaceand you had the honesry to give it upl" She kissedSl.rairaon
both cheeks and thanked her tearfully.
The queen's overdowing happinessmade Shaira'seyes misry as
well. She was glad she had returned the necklace.Ma would be proud
of her.
The king presented Shaira r'vith a purse containing the rervard
money."Here, use it for whatever you want."
But Shaira had something else in her mind and kindly decLined
the money.
The king and queen sat back, startled."What do you want, little
girl? We'll give ,vou whatever you want," said the king.
"Your Majesties,"Shairahesitated.She knew tl.renext day was the
Puja. "I rvant the wl.role city to be dark tomorrorv."
day of Laksl.rr.r.ri
"
SHAIRA's.sFcRF-T
The king fiov,rred."What a strangerequestl"
But the queen said,"A promise is a promise."
And so the next day,the king's drummers and heraldsproclaimed
the decree as promised.
When night Gl1, Shaira took out every clay lamp she and her
mother or'vr.red,6lledthem with oil and lit them. She arranged these
sparkling divas in neat rorvs along each wall of their small home,
making sure tl-rerewas not a single dark corner.
Outside, it was a quiet, moonless night. A1l the homes in the ciq',
even the king's great marble palace,were hidden in darkness.Only
Shairat small house shone like a lone, bright star
Suddeniy,there were sounds of tinkling temple bells,follor'vedby
a knock on the door
"Pl e a sel e r me i n . a g e n d eroice r r r ged.
Shaira's mother looked wide-eyed. But Shaira smiled. "Dont
worry, Ma. We have a special guest." She told the visitor, "I r,vill let
you in only ifyou agree to blessus."
' ' I r vi l l . I w i l l . re p l i e drl reg enr levoice.
Shairaran to open the door.
A soft wind rushed in. And at the doorstep, Goddess Lakshni
glowed in a shimmering, pink silk sari coveredr'vith lotus flowers. On
her head was a shiny,golden crown. She smiled at Shaira.
"The light ofyour divasdrew me here," she said."But the honesq,
in your heart shineswith such radiance that I blessyou."
Shaira stood rcoted to the earthen floor. She fblt as though the
light of al1the divas in her l.romehad lit up inside her'
The goddessadmired the rangoli design on the doorstep. She
picked up the pot of narigolds and it changed into a pot of gold
coins."This pot will ahvaysbe fu11,"she said,giving it to Shaira
Shairaistr.embling hands could hardly hold the hear.rypot. She
passedit to her mother. Now Ma would no longer'l-rave to be a
washenvoman.Tl.rat was the best Divaali gift of all
Shaira and Ma both bent down to touch the Get of the goddess
in reverence."Thank you, GoddessLakshrri! Thank you for making
tl.is such a specialDivaali!"
The goddessgave a radiant snile and disappeared.
The night of Divaali, Shaira hurled the firecrackersinto the air.
The rockets exploded in the sevencolors ofthe rainbow,just Likethe
queen'sseven-stringpearl necklace.And she knerv that Som now on
her whole r.vorldrvould be filled with these colots ofjoy
"
.:' t
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I
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Flanumans" .'
lt
ong
,
ago when
the
demon
Ravana
tormented the world, the gods blessedthe
people with the birth of a suPernatural
nonkey boy. His name was Hanuman.
Hanunan was a happy little monkey wl.ro Lived
in the valley of trees in Kishkinda forest. He had a
round, red face and a mischievous twinkle in his eye.
One day, Hanuman looked up at the sun and
thought, 1 rzill eat'that ripe,goldenfnllt. He flew into
the sky and stretched out his arms to snatch it.
At
once, the earth plunged into darkness.
Hanuman'sfather,Pavana,the god ofwind, came and
pulled Flanuman onto his 1ap."Son, ,vou are blessed
with powers for a purpose,"he said."You should use
them only to help others in distress."
I
:.:'':.1
Yearspassedand he grew asstrong asa mountain and astall asa tower.
One morning, he awoke to see two migl-rty warriors armed witl-l
borvs and arrolvs.Curious to find out more, he approachedthem ald
asked,"What brings you here?"
The warriors looked up at the huge monkey-man in surprise
"I am Ranra, and this is rny brother Lakshrnana.We are the princes
of Ayodyha." Rama told Hanuman how he and his brotber rvere
forced to live in exile in the forest.
"We are looking for nry wiG, Sita," said Rana. "We ca!1e to you
becausewe heard about your specialpowers."
"Yesterday I saw a lady in Ravanal gold chariot. She dropped
this." Hanuman proudly showed a bangle that fitted one of l.risthick
fingers like a ring.
"That is Sitals!"cried Rama. "Ilavana must have abducted her'"
"Ravana is our enemy too," said Hanunan. "He has killed many
of my brothers and sistersin the forest. I will help you find Sita. Sit
on my shouldersand I will give you a ride." Rama climbed onto one
of Hanuman's shoulders,Lakshn.ranacLimbed onto the other' Then
Hanuman took one flying leap and landed in the valley of trees.He
whistled and hundreds ofnonkeys hidden among the treescanle out.
Tbey staredat Rama and Lakshrnana.
,ir,
, ti trr
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W*
KERALA
Hanunran told the monkeys, "These men are
our fliends," and he recounted Ramat tale.
"We shall sealch every corner ofthe forest until
"r&
r,r'efind Sita!" cried the monkeys.
Hanunun took one flying lcLp and landed near
the ocean. Searching along the seashore,he cried,
"Sita, Sita,Sitrl" To the south,he sarvtl.regreen island
of Lanka floating like a jade jelvel in the azure-blue
water. Suddenly he spottecla diamond nose ring in
the sand.Could it be Sita!? HanLrmantook another
flyng leap back to Rama. "Look rvhat I fbund!"
"It is Sita'sl" cried l{an.ra."You also found her
bangle. Sita must have deliberately dropped her
jewelry to make a trail. Ravana must have taken Sita
acrossthe seato the island olLanka." Rama looked
up at HanumaD in despair."Horv can \ve get across
the seato Lanka?" he asked.
"I can easilyhop over the sea.Youwait here rvith
mv army of monkeys," Hanuman said.
Rama agreed. Slipping off his signet ring, he
d{e-
gave it to Hanuman. "Please give this ring to Sita.
Tell her I will come and rescueher."
Hanuman nodded and r,vith one mighty leap,he
flerv into tl.re sky When he rvas halfiva)r acrossto
Aot tlru nts
HaNunr.q.x's
Lanka, a huge seanonster lvith sharp fangsand hair
that r'r'rithed like snakesjumped up.
the searuonster."l arn
"Stopl" screechedSurasa,
Rrvana\
gu:rrdi:rn." With
these rvords, she
swallorvedHanuman in one big gulp.
Hanuman sLippeddown the monster! throat and
landed in hcr cavernousstomach r'r'ith a jolt. A vile
stencl-rhit him. Around him *'ere the skeletonsof
other se.rcreaturesthat the moDsterhad gobbled.
"HeJpl" Hanunran cried. Hotu will I get out? he
thought. Then he had an idea. Using his porvers,he
changedinto a bee and beganto sting Surasa.
"Ouch!" the sea lnonster screamed,doubling
over in pain."Stop,pleasestop!"
But Hanuman did not stop. Fina11y,Sutasa
heavedand opened her mouth r,vide,and Hanuman
lle$'out.
Quickly, he took a d,:ep breath and his body
began to grow tall and [righty into its usr-ralgiant
size.Then l.releapt into the air, stopping only when
he landed on the island of Lanka.
Soon Hanuman came to a hill hidclen among a
tl-rickgrove ofasoka trees.He could seea tall fortress
on the hill that twinkled rvith lights.Taking a deep
::j,',rlI
' :l ]l:1.:,
l: olo, Q,,.rt tl..j O
Krnar.q.
He
breath,he cl.rangedhimself into a cat and crept inside the fortr:ess.
checked every room, but coulcl not fincl Sita.Then he heard a loud
noise and follolved it illto a lru€lerooDl.He froze.On a big golden bed,
Ralana lay with his ten ugly herds and his ten setsofjaun open wide,
snoring.I3ut there rlas no Siu.
F{anuman r'r'andcrcdinto the garden.There,under an asokatr-ee,a
woman in a r,vhite sarj sat hugging her knees, crying. She rvas
sulroundcd by demons, all fast asleep.In the ligl.rt of the noon,
Hanuuran sar'vher face.It r'r'asso beautiful that he r'r'asslrre the rloon
lvoulcl hide in shame. Shenust bc Slta, he thought. Shc k exact\ as
Rdmo tlcscribtd/rer Slolvl1, he crept tip to Sita's delicate feet ancl
p u r re d .sh e l o o kcd rrp r L lr ir r rin .ur pr :s< .
"Pleasedon't cr-y,"l-resaid."I an-rH:rnunan, the Dronkey-god.Lord
Rama has sent me with his ring."
Sita recognized the riug irlmediately and srrriled through her
tears."Is Rama lvell?"
Hanuman Dodded just as ;l cry ran€!out in the darkness:"Catch
that talking black cat!"
Hanuman ran, but the gualdscaught hin-rand took hirn to Ravana.
"Burn the r'r'retchedauirlal!" Ravana roared,lurious to h:rvebeen
rousedjust for a si11_v
cat.
So the guardsgrabbed Hanunan'"stail, rvrapped it in a rag dipped
to n-rakehis tail
in oil and set it on fire. Harrunran used his por,r''ers
grow bigger and bigger. Puzzled,the gualds kept on r.vrappinghis taiJ
H A N U MAN,S ADVENTURES
with more and more rags,but it kept growing.
Hanuman escaped.He ran:rll over the island spreading the fire,
then one flying leap brought l.rim back to the sealvhere he dipped
1. s tail in tl.recool water. He pra-vedto the gods to keep Sita saleand
s$roreto return with Rama to saveher.Taking a deep breath,he grew
back to his giant sjze,and leapt back to the mainland rvhere Rama
writed patiently.
"Sita is rvell," Hanuman told Rama. "But she's a prisoner of
Ravana guarded by hundreds of derlons."
Meanrvhile on Lanka, I{avana, and his demon guards used every
container they had to carry qater from the seato prlt out the llreat
fire. By the time tl.re fire was out, they had used up nearly all the
seawaterand could seethe ocean floor
Back in the forest,Hanuman and Rarua rvatcl-redthe ler,'elof th'- sea
recedefurther and furtl-rerand were overjoyed.Surasa,tl-reseamonster,
r'vould die without rvater.They made a plan to attack Ravana.
Hanuman and the monkeys rolled bouldets and dropped them
into what r.vasleft of the seauntil they had built a long bridge that
stretchedall the rvay to Lanka. Finally, tbe march to tl.reisland began.
l\avana laughed r'vhen he heard about Hanuman, Rama aod the
approaching monkeys. "Foolish llama! We'll win this battle in the
blink of an eye!"
The druns rolled and the battle oflanta begau.Whata fierce battle
it rvas!Rama and his brother Lakhmana,both skillful archers,shot tl.reir
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KERALA" t i.
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-arror'vs,kilLing hundreds of demons, while Hanuman and his army ol
lrlronkeyspicked up rocks and treesand hurled them at their enemies.
Soon it was clear that Rama and the monkeys were r,vinning the
war. Fuming, Ravana entered the batdefield. "l will kill Rama
mysell" He towered belore Rama like an enormous volcano about
to erupt, as flamesleapt out ofhis ten nosesand smoke billowed out
of his tr'venty ears.
Hanuman knelt down and let Rama climb onto l.ris shoulder.
Ravana laughed. He rvhipped his twenty arms into a whirhvind.
Rana fired a rush of fiery arrows that hit Ravana'sheads,but as
soon as one of his headsfell, another appearedin its place.
Hanun.ran looked up at Rarna and whispered in lis ear. Rama
nodded, took aim and shot his last arrow It arched in the sky like
Lord Indra! tl.runderbolt and hit Ravana's navel. Suddenl-v,Ravana
exploded into a ball offire.The demon was dead.
Everyone cheeredasHanuman led Rama to the gardenlvhere Sita
was rvaiting. Overjoyed, Rama and Sita hugged each other, crying
tears ofjoy, then turned to thank Hanuman and his monkeys. Rama
reachedout and held Hanumant big paw "I am Vishnu, the Lord ol
Creation. I l.ravecor.neto Earth in the body of a prince to fight
evil. I will never lorget rvhat you did for us."
v*
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