Thirteen rivers and seven seas
How would I cross?
Oh sleep, don’t come tonight
I’ve a little time in hand
1.
BIRD
He
was lonely, the boy. His eyes were open in the midnight. Window was ajar. It was the only window in the room. At the
particular branch of the banyan tree that he could see through the window,
there was supposed to be the little bird. But it was empty for long. There was
a search for the little bird in his eyes. It was full moon. She must come, the
little bird. It was her part to do. Otherwise no one could bring any word from
or about the princess.
His
eyes were just about to close, he heard of the little bird.
“You
don’t have a time to sleep, oh boy, what are you doing? Listen to me, it is a
crucial time for you.” The little bird kept saying without a breath.
“Just
wait a while, little bird; have you got any news from the princess?”
“Oh
just listen to me, whatever I speak. Ask nothing, neither I have any time to
answer your questions.”Saying this much the little bird slept. The boy became
restless. He started walking inside the room. His heart was beating so much
that with that sound only the little bird wake up.
“Oh
yeah, what was I saying? I just came across the thirteen rivers and seven seas,
the princess had lost her family in an accident in the mid ocean. While going
to a distant country, their ship got into an impassable storm. Nobody could
save life including her parents and other family members. Now she is alone and
roaming around here and there without having a hint of what to do. Her heart is
full of grief, endless waiting in her eyes, and restless search in her steps.
Do you know whose search is that? For whom is she waiting?
The
boy became inpatient.
“Its
you”, the little bird fell asleep again.
Restlessly
the boy kept looking to the little bird. A drop of water came out of his eyes
and fell on the ground. At the sound of the dropping tear the little bird woke
up.
“You
too have no time in hand. In the grief of losing the parents, the princess lost
half of her life. In the name of search she has lost half of the of the life.
The rest of the life-line is also under tremendous crisis. When she waits for
one day, she loses two days from her life. Waiting of one day costs two days of
her life. The princess knows the matter, but there is no other way left.”
“Then
why didn’t you prevent her from waiting?” the boy uttered with a grief-stricken
voice.
“How
ignorant are you! Other than the waiting what else would be there in her life?
Her life-line would end up at the moment she stops waiting.”
“Okay
then. But how can I find her? Which way should I go, where is she?”
“Don’t
waste your time. You have to cross ‘sat
samunder terah nadi’ (seven seas and thirteen rivers). At the fifteenth
dawn from today, when the first ray of the sun will touch the earth the
princess will reach the bank of the “sat
sagar terah nadi”. Upon an endless dam she will wait for you. There will be a yellow mustard field and
sunflower up to the reach of your sight. “The one who bears weapon in hand and
a red umbrella in shoulder” will bring her up to the dam. If you find out the
princess before the rooster crows, if you offer her a kiss in between the time
– when the first ray of sun touches the earth and when the rooster calls, she
will regain her life-line. Otherwise she will fall down at the first crow of
the rooster.”
The
little bird fell down and slept.
The
boy shouted a lot, but, the little bird slept in peace.
2.
JOURNEY/
RUNNING
No
time in hand. What to do?
Where
are the seven seas, where the thirteen rivers are?
The
boy opened the atlas and searched in detail. Indian Ocean was the nearest one.
He noticed, to reach the Indian Ocean, there were actually thirteen rivers he
had to cross. He got the point. Without wasting time he started running.
The
moonlight helped him. He took the direction of the two stars instead of the one
star beside the moon. He didn’t prefer the direction where was one star near to
the moon. The moon also was running with his speed. He understood, he was not
alone anymore. At the first dawn he crossed the first river through a
bamboo-bridge.
Next
day the sunlight was chirp. He kept himself running. At the noon he reached the
second river. But how to cross it, not even a single bridge was visible. He saw
a boatman sitting beside a newly planted berry tree. But the boatman was not
ready to leave the place. “I planted a berry tree, I’ll wait for its entire
growth. When the berry will blossom, the ripen berry will fall from the tree, I
shall pick them up and eat and only then I’ll leave this place”, the boatman
said. There was no other way left, the boy jumped into the river and crossed it
swimming. While swimming he felt refreshed and again started running.
Next
night he reached the third river. What short of river was it, it was full of
water plants. There he met an old tortoise who could speak like human. The
tortoise carried the boy on her back and crossed the river. The old tortoise
was very kindhearted. Used to speak a lot, but what did it matter!
He
crossed the fourth and fifth river quite easily. Both the rivers were not so
deep. But those were so distant that by then seven days and seven nights were
passed away. The boy became helpless when he reached the sixth river. it was
narrow, but the current of water was too high. How to cross it? He started
weeping sitting on the bank. A young frog heard his cry and came forward. The
young frog taught him a skill of jumping high. The boy initially didn’t believe
the frog, but the teaching of the frog worked out. quite unbelievable but the
boy crossed the sixth river with a
single jump. He himself was astonished.
He
crossed the seventh and eighth river swimming. With a boat made up of banana
trunk he crossed the ninth river. It was eighth night of his journey. He became
restless thinking that time was just passing by. A drop of tears came out of
his eyes. He notices, the water level of the river was gradually increasing. He
realized that, with a single drop of his tears, one feet of the water level
increase. He felt helpless. He recalled, once the little bird said that his
each drop of tears might cost a lot.
After
crossing the river he started running. For a long time he could not find the
tenth river. When he reached the next river he met a strange looking boatman. The
boatman helped him to cross the river. It was a mighty river, the banks were
almost invisible. From the boatman he came to know that he actually crossed the
tenth river unknowingly. The river had changed its direction and therefore
there was an empty sand-field left. He reminded that he was passing through a
sandy area. That means it was the eleventh river. The strange boatman sang a bhatiyali
song. The boatman was strange because whenever he used to sing his neck became
elongated and when he used to row four hands appeared on his body instead of
two hands.
While
saying goodbye the boatman gifted him a magic watch. It could show when the
first ray of sun touches the earth and exactly when the rooster calls. He
realized, it could make his work easier.
But
where was time? Already it was the tenth day. He was lethargic and tired. With
a lot of effort he reached the twelfth river. ... With a banana tree boat he
started sailing. He was too tired. Hunger in the stomach. He felt weight on his
eye lids. he had not slept for ten days, he just remembered that. How did it
happen? But when his eyelids were weighty with sleep, the banana boat was about
to sink. So, he could not sleep a while.
The
boy understood, in the next five days he cannot do any miracle. He spent all
the time just crossing the rivers. What would he do with the seven seas? He
thought, there was no way of coming back. Even if he dies in the journey, it
would be a pride for him. The death would appear as the endless sleep for him.
He tried to dope no more.
The
eleventh dawn was covered with dense fog. He crossed the thirteenth river
through an iron made bridge. From there, it was quite easy for him to reach the
sea beach.
3.
OCEAN
Standing
at the edge of the ocean, he kept looking at the horizon. He knew, the ocean
would not care about his tears. The pressure of his eyelids would not cause any
effect on the ocean. He only stood staring at the sea, how it changes its
color, how the waves play their game. Looking at the boy standing for a longer
time a black fisherman approached. He narrated the entire story to the
fisherman.
The
fisherman started laughing at his story.
“You
are really a dumb guy” the fisherman said, “You did all these for no use.
Actually there is river named as “terah
nadi”. It is not thirteen rivers, but a single river with that name. Don’t
worry, still time is there, you take your way in no time.” The boy felt ashamed
in his ignorance. Yet he started running without losing his mind. But what
about seven seas? The fisherman also told that destiny would play a better role
for him. He would come to know everything on time, only if he does not lose his
zeal. The fisherman showed a direction which way there would be the fisherman’s
maternal uncle’s house. On the courtyard there would be a horse tied up with a
couple of bamboo sticks.
Anyways,
the “terah nadi” was not at a closed distance. He was running and running. He
would have to cross a large desert to reach that river. From the fisherman’s
house he took the horse and he started riding it through a paddy field (bao
dhan). From the field, thousands of yellow birds started to fly.
It
was daybreak when he was crossing an ancient city named Ratanpur. People of the
city used to cut the fox’s ears and to make a lamp out of it. The lamp of
fox-ear lit up his path. After three days he reached the desert.
4.
DESERT
Leaving
the horse there he started running on the sand of the desert. He was exhausted
with the hit of the sunlight. No more he could precede a single step. He falls
down on the sand of the desert. The little bird came and pushed him.
“Hey!
What are you doing? You don’t have a time to sleep.”
“Oh
little bird, I can survive without food, but without sleep how is it possible?”
“Don’t
be silly. Don’t you know that Lakshmana spent fourteen years during the Vanavasa days without a single siesta?”
The
boy again started to run.
In
the barren region he saw obscurely seven black silhouettes at the distant
horizon. Soaring the dusts in air as if those were proceeding to him only. He
could not recognize what it was; the chirp sunlight affected his vision. Was it
something real or just hallucination? When they came nearer, he recognized
seven people with seven camels. Each of them was strange to the others. No two
of them looked similar. Their physical appearances, dress code, walking style
all were astonishingly varied.
The
men came nearer and made a circle around him to have merriment, since they were
also surprised to see a lonely boy in the mid of the isolated desert. The boy
was frightened. To be free of them he jumped with all his force. He just
remembered that while crossing the sixth river a frog taught him how to jump.
He jumped so forcefully that one man, who had long beard like the Arabians,
fell down from the back of the camel; his neck was twisted, and died at the
moment. The strange people became
angry, and they planned to teach the boy a lesson. They attacked him from all
the sides. The boy had nothing to do, he jumped once again. This time the white
skinned man with curly hair fell down and it caused sudden death to him. The
story goes like this only. Each time he sups and one of the strange people
dies. After all the seven people die, he thought, “my god, what have I done!”
Now
the camels started talking, which was quite unexpected for him. He didn’t know
that they could speak. The leader of the camels came forward.
“Have
a seat on my back. I’ll take you to the end of the desert.”
He
sat on the back of the camel. On the way the camel told him a lot of things.
The men who attacked him were actually pirates of the world. They had produced
fear for the entire world. After smuggling through the sea-ways this time they
were planning for some new techniques via the deserted areas. The man died first was a pirate of the
Arabian Sea. The second one was from the Aegean Sea. and so the third from
Caspian sea, the fourth from Black sea, the fifth from Mediterranean sea, the
sixth from Persian gulf and the last, the seventh one was from the Indian sea.
All of them claim himself as the king of the sea. The boy was excited to hear
whatever the camel was talking about.
The camel said, “You killed those seven pirates of the seven seas in
seven extraordinary jumps. That means, in one sense, you have crossed the seven
seas with seven jumps only.”
After
long days, the boy smiled for the first time. He understood, his journey was
about to its destiny. Only the terah nadi was left to cross. Today is the last
day. If he manages to cross the river by the night, at the dawn he will see the
princess.
The
desert came to its end. He jumped from the back of the camel happily, and said,
“thank you my friend, you helped me a lot. Now I should run, as I have very
less time in hand.” Suddenly something happened that never happened before. The
day broke, it became evening. He was surprised and so the camel spoke out,
“don’t be surprised. It was your fault only. The time has nothing to do with
less or more. It understands no count. When we say ‘I have less time’, a seed
of time drops out of our hands.” The boy realized his mistake. He started
running.
5.
SLEEP
When
darkness buried everything, he faced no trouble on the way. Thousands of
fireflies kept the path unlighted. He
didn’t feel at all that it was a night with no moon. Through a dense and dried
up forest he reached a river at the late night. He knew, it was no other than
the terah nadi. He drank a palm-full of water from the terah nadi. As if he
regained all his energy. He jumped into it and started swimming. As he proceeds the dried up jungle started to
become refreshed and greenly. All the
dried branches were started to be filled up with leaves. On the other bank of
the river he saw a field of mustard turning yellow. The yellow was so bright
that it removed all the obscurity/fear of a dark night. After swimming in the
terah nadi, lights were spreading from his body. For the light, one or two sunflowers
picked up their faces by mistake. Then knowing their fault, they bowed down.
Reaching
at the canal, he had a look through the horizons. Yeah, this was the place the
little bird was talking about. He was crazy with his own success. After a
little time he will see the princess. The princess will be free from the curse.
She will get her life again. He had a look at the magic watch the strange
looking boatman gave. Yes, he reached the place before the time. There is time
left for the first ray of sun coming to touch the earth. He sat beneath a ripe
berry tree. There was a grove of banana trees in front of him. He heard the
rhythmic pattern of the dropping dew from the banana leaves. After a while the
eastern sky would turn red. Refreshing breeze made him comfortable. His eyes
were closing down. The boy was unaware of the fact that sleep has its home
under the banana groves.
The
east sky turned red. The sunflowers had a turnaround from sleep. With her
lethargic tired steps the princess arrived at the canal. The one who carries
weapon on hand and a red umbrella in shoulder brought her. The first ray of
sunlight was about to touch the earth. The princess kept looking up to the
horizons. The little bird informed her that the boy would reach the place by time.
Looking for the boy the one who bears weapon in hand and a red umbrella, also
left the place. It was the time, the rooster crowed.
At
the crow of the rooster the boy wakes up. Alas! What have I done? He stood up
in hurry and climbed the canal. He saw the princess becoming very sluggish. He
ran. He was close to the princess now. But it was too late. The life line of
the princess was long up to this much only. Her exhausted boy fell down.
By
the time all the sunflower were blooming up.
N.B.
Oh,
I forgot to tell you something. Probably the boy was Maina and the name of the
princess was Desdemona. Whatever it is, it makes no difference. Was the boy
able to make the princess alive? Where the one, who has weapons in hand and a
red umbrella in shoulder, has gone? I’ll tell all these things some other day. Now
I’ll go to the bed. I am feeling very sleepy.
AFTERWORDS:
Though
this story seems to be a fairy tale never told before, but actually it is a
true story. A particular song inspired me to pen it down, but the song is not
mentioned here. Roaming around in this chaotic city I mostly remember the song.
It is a Rabindra-sangeet: Klani Amar Kshyama karo prabhu… (Lord, forgive me for
my tiredness…). However, it is a story for all, the young and the old. Again,
it is simple and complex at a time.
After
writing it I noticed, a lot of songs somehow influenced the narration. All of
them are lullabies I heard in my childhood. Those songs have a room somewhere
inside me. I hope, the people who would read it, also carry similar songs
inside. I think I should leave now, feeling sleepy. Excuse me, I am up to the
bed.
Here
are some of the lullabies translated:
Kankhowa, Kankhowa, everybody says about Kankhowa
But what Kankhowa does?
Weapon in hand, a Red umbrella in shoulders
keeps eating the ears of the children… …
Oh fox, don’t come at the night
We’ll make a lamp cutting your ear
And light it up… …
Fox has a maruwa
flower on his head
The fox reached Ratanpur… …
Oh sister moon, give me a star
I don’t need one, give me two.
The yellow birds eat the seed of Bao dhan in the
field of paddy
The son of the merchant sails the boat
The boat is restless
The row is restless
Hits the holy drum in the evening… …
Our little will sleep
Plant a little berry tree in the garden
The plant will spread and ripe and fall
Our little will eat picking the berries up… …
Oh sleep; you have your residence under the banana
trees.
Come and rest on the eyes of our little… …
Samudra Kajal Saikia
Original Assamese: Toponi e Tore Kolatolot Ghar
First Published in Satsori, an Assamese monthly publishing from Guwahati.
Later adopted as a theatrical performance with the same title by Mrinal Jyoti Goswami.
No comments:
Post a Comment