"What's going on, today?" Aditya asked as he propped himself with a crutch and took a seat on a wooden bench. Most of the members of the tribal village were busy making preparations for some social gathering.
Aditya appreciated the beautiful scenery in which the village was situated. He felt like it was straight out of a beautiful poem. Aditya gazed at the surrounding hills, which were gently sleeping, blanketed in greenery and foaming waterfalls. Aditya saw a group of spotted deer and peacocks roaming near the village. The singing of the great hornbill was pleasant to hear.
The valley, in which the village was situated, was filled with dewy grass along with buds, tiny colourful flowers and small streams of rainwater. Aditya felt rejuvenated by basking in the morning sun as he watched the tall mountain in the distance enclasped in fog.
Aditya was also wearing a Tribal dress though it was not as exotic as Taarini's. It was a red shirt-like upper garment and a white dhoti. A dhoti is a rectangular piece of unstitched cloth, usually around 4.5 metres (15 ft) long, wrapped around the waist and the legs and knotted at the waist. Completing his ablutions all by himself was quite a task, but Aditya did not want to take Taarini's help even if she volunteered. He felt a little bashful.
Some people were setting up a wooden pole which was coated with turmeric and covered in sacred red markings. A few women drew ornamental designs on the ground with chalk powder and other colours, around the pole. Some were making garlands with wildflowers while some were using mango and banana leaves to decorate the area.
Aditya noticed a few men busy with carrying provisions while the women were active in dicing vegetables and cooking in large metallic utensils. Large chunks of wood were being thrown into the clay stove as a massive fire blazed inside. Large cans of ghee (clarified butter) could be seen placed beside the stove.
Some youthful girls were bringing vessels filled with milk and curd from their own houses and placing them near the food preparation area. They were dark-complexioned and beautiful. Aditya nodded his head politely at them as they giggled and gossiped among themselves. Aditya did not dare to do any 'socialising' as he did not know the culture followed by this tribe.
Aditya had heard from his mother that they were some tribes which absolutely prohibited any form of contact between males and unmarried girls. Aditya knew that tribals placed a lot of importance in adhering to their customs and traditions. These people had saved him and Taarini, and Aditya did not plan on offending them.
"It is a marriage ceremony. I heard that the bride and bridegroom have to circumambulate around that pole seven times. The village head will be overseeing the ritual." Taarini sat beside Aditya as she explained.
It turned out that Tya, who had always enjoyed learning new things, had learnt all the languages of the world available in every database. The language of this tribe is known as 'Patnuli' and Tya had learnt this language. With the help of Tya, Aditya and Taarini did not have a lot of difficulty in communicating with these people.
India was filled with people speaking around seventeen hundred different languages, and this was one of those languages. All the scriptures and literary work of these languages have been digitalised and secured for future generations. Tya got this knowledge from that source.
"Is that construction related to this marriage as well?" Aditya asked as he pointed at a group of men who were building a new hut. The hut was almost finished. A person was painting designs on the red walls with a white paste and a bamboo brush.
Taarini nodded with a smile as she replied, " all the villagers help build a new hut for the newly married couple to reside after their marriage. It is their tradition." Aditya felt inspired when he heard these words.
Aditya had thanked the village head for rescuing Taarini and him. He had asked if he and Taarini could help the villagers in any way. The village head had brushed off Aditya's favour saying that they did not need anything and that it was the village goddess who had saved him.
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With Aditya's 'Sensiful' ability, he could tell that that the tribals genuinely did not expect anything from them. They seemed perfectly content with their lives, and Aditya was just a temporary guest for them and nothing more.
The village head had requested Taarini to stay and bless the married couple before leaving, to which Aditya could only oblige. They had mistaken Taarini and Aditya as a couple, and both of them did not bother to correct them.
Kids had surrounded Aditya as they were curious about the newcomers. Aditya narrated a few stories to them and explained life in the city. The kids were fascinated, and Aditya had a good time with them. He promised that he would bring a lot of gifts the next time he visited.
It was quite a surprise to Aditya that this tribal area came under the 'undeveloped pockets' of Raipath Family. No wonder, Aditya could not see the reach of civilisation in this part. Even the nearest transportation point was thirty kilometres away. Aditya would have to make the trip on a bullock cart.
Older women who could not participate in the manual work would gather children around them and narrate mythological stories infused with moral lessons. After some time, mothers would drag these children away to bath them. Kids were only allowed to go after they wore new clothes and had eaten food. These children would either play among themselves or gather around these older women for more stories.
As Aditya was taking in these unique experiences, he suddenly felt a slight disturbance in his mind as he looked at a distance. It was as if something was present in that path. Aditya took the help of home-made crutches and made his way in that direction. Taarini wanted to accompany him, but Aditya turned her down.
As Aditya slowly walked, he could feel the disturbance growing inside him. Aditya walked for some ten minutes before he stopped near a place. It was an area filled with thick vegetation and ancient trees with lush canopies. The trees were sacred figs.
Even in the bright daylight, Aditya could not see anything. He stood on the boundary as he mulled if he should take a look.
"Young master, what are doing here?" an old man asked Aditya with a smile on his face. Aditya also smiled at him and asked, "mister, is there any speciality about this place." Aditya had already learned this language and had become quite proficient in it.
"Yes young master, this place is the sacred land of our ancestors. We believe that when we come here and raise our concerns, our ancestors will hear our prayers and do the needful." The elder spoke as he looked at the trees with reverence and awe in his eyes.
"Oh, I was looking around. Forgive me if I have trespassed this area," Aditya sincerely apologised and was about to go back.
The old man stopped Aditya as he chuckled, "It's alright, young master. If you have come here, it is only possible if the ancestors have permitted you to come. Feel free to stay as long as you want." The old man walked away. Maybe because Aditya spoke their native language, the old man felt nothing but goodwill towards Aditya.
Aditya remained for a long time as he gazed at these trees before making his way back to Taarini. The preparations were complete, and the marriage ceremony had started.
A group of musicians played exotic instruments which produced unique sounds. Aditya was fascinated by the sounds produced by blowing into a bamboo pipe, which the locals called as Kolu. The drums, which were known as Tambette, produced stimulating sounds.
Aditya took part in the festivities with delight as he gave his best wishes to the couple. He was shocked to see that the people being married was similar in age to him. The boy was eighteen, and the girl was sixteen. This marriage was illegal according to the law but, clearly, Aditya did not see anyone enforcing the law in this village. Aditya conversed with Maahi and Hamsa for some time about the preparations to leave. He would be going in the early morning of the next day.
The food was served in fresh banana leaves. The banquet consisted of all kinds of varieties like wild rice, lotus stem curry, durian fried rice, lentil stew, curd and some dessert. Taarini helped Aditya eat as he couldn't sit crosslegged on the ground due to his wounds. According to Tya, his injuries will be cured in a week. And this was taking the 'Stem cells' into account. Without the stem cells, Aditya would have to spend months in the hospital and undergo many surgeries and painful rehabilitation.
As the evening set in, the celebrations became more colourful with the addition of liquor. Oil lamps were set up all around the village. Folk songs and dancing around the bonfire, ruled the evening. The alcohol was called as 'Ippa Sara' which was brewed by the villagers, themselves. It was made with boiling water, dry flowers of the Mahua tree, jaggery and some other ingredients.
Aditya's body swayed in intoxication as he drank this liquor. Hamsa did not want him to drink, but he did not care. Aditya needed this feeling to lay his concerns for the future aside. He had a silly smile on his face as he looked at the folk dances.
Seeing many people move, rhythmically and in a unique pattern gradually pulled Aditya into a trance-like state. His eyes slowly became glazed as he leaned onto Taarini, who had accompanied him the whole day. Taarini softly gazed at Aditya who had dozed off. After some time, she helped him up and led him inside.