The House of Tortoise

The House of Tortoise

(Text from the book)

A nonsense story

Disclaimer: this is a purely kankhowa nonsense book. No animals were hurt during the process of making the book other than a few cockroach found in the refrigerator of the writer.

Very long long ago, the tortoises were not looked like the same as they are today.

They did not have a shell on their back, like today. Millions- billions years ago...

They were just like other worms or reptiles.

In those days all the living creatures were migrating constantly from one place to another for their survival. Many natural difficulties were there in their livings. Storms, floods, earthquakes, civil wars, nuclear failures, big river dam mistakes and what not.

For a better place, they were just moving.

Tortoise was homesick. Now you can easily guess, a homesick usually does not prefer to move away. Moreover, tortoise was very slow in walking. So he was creating hazard for himself as well as for others, since other animals were very concern about his survival also.

But this narcissist fellow understood nothing.

The animals move. Wherever they reach can you guess what’s the first thing the tortoise would do? He would build a house. When others go searching food he stays inside doing his household tasks.

The elephants were worried about him, they discussed, “we’ve to do something with this guy, and otherwise he won’t survive anymore. It’ll be tragic if he gets extinct.”

But the tortoise used to say: my mathematics teacher always used to say, one loses dignity who leaves a position… The tortoise also quoted Albert Einstein from internet sources: “Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.” Nobody actually understood what the tortoise wanted to say.

If we keep migrating someday there will be some houses burning in fire... I don’t want to repeat what happened in Kokrajhar in 2012

Nobody understood what he meant...

The Tortoise is not only narcissist, homesick, slow in walk, but also equally confused about everything. “If we settle down our houses, then also there is a probability of a six year long students movements confronting many socio-political identity issues... I can’t forget what happened during 1979-85 in North Indian states and neither can I forget the aftermaths”

Nobody understood what he meant...

Finally all animals took a decision. They took the tortoise to Brahma, the absolute creator. Brahma judged the entire situation and set up a fact finding committee. He said, “It seems this guy needs a house all the time. And without a house he cannot move ahead. So let’s be it. Tathastu!”

Following BRAHMA’s instruction VISHWAKARMA started the construction work...

Work in progress...

From then onwards the tortoise got a shell on his back. That’s his house. Wherever he goes, he carries a house with him.

Samudra Kajal Saikia