Almost like William Blake , the Sanskrit scholar and writer of repute, Professor Radhavallabh Tripathi has responded to the call of the hour by creating an inter generic mix in a promising text for young adults where Raghu, a boy at the verge of teens in an Indian village, creates a unique bond with Manavi, a Rajhansini (female swan) – left behind by her own flock just because her seniors ( many of whom are heavy with eggs in their womb) can’t afford to sustain the heat generated by the sudden onset of summer due to global warming. The news of this lonely bird spotted in the Indian village, that too in such heat, startles the internationally acclaimed ornithologist, Salim Ali, and his sudden visit to the village creates a furore in the offices of the State Government who have only paid lip service to his mission of working for extinct species among birds. Parallel to these ironies of public life in India there are satiric splashes of oddities in the private lives of people who run schools in villages, their goons, the petty politics they indulge in and the effect it has on the lives of peasants and other people. A very moving story of Kalanath runs as a subplot . He runs a circus and his story is an inter generic mix in the sense that it carries the flavours not only of a fable and an allegory but also of a travelogue and a decent romance. The circus goes to places, even to Moscow where Raghu meets Valentina and soon after that he succeeds in connecting Manavi to Anant, her old friend from the fleet. We keep dreaming of a universe where men , women and Cosmos with its great fleet of creatures , great and small, live together in perfect amity . Prof Tripathi has built a Utopia around the notion of the Universe being an interconnected web, but the dystopic trace of even a Rajhans , the motif for wisdom, being a victim of human foibles like jealousy is not ruled out. Rajhansini, on the other hand, purifies Raghu’s conduct. Such a tender connect has a poetic import of a high order. Tripathi has done justice to many such inter texts which keep flying in the novella with the grace of swans. They are the salt of the Indian ethos, who would know this better than him!
Rajhans in Indian ethos is the motif for the lone voice of conscience and also of the last of the Panchprans (five of elan vitals) that leave the human body after death : Hans akela jai (the soul takes a lonely flight) – says Kabir. This is the story of a swan who flies back to the flock, lonelier than ever.
Anamika
Well known Hindi poet and critic
***
Nobody can accompany us till the Manasarovar! We alone can go up to that place…’
Very slowly they were making circles for soaring up above.
‘But where is Manavi?’ Tandya again asked.
‘Manavi will be here any moment. She went with my permission’ – Anant said – ‘ it is alright..’
He was hoping that Manavi come back. He delayed the departure for a while and slowed the speed of the circles he
was creating in the sky. As time ticked on, he felt irritated.
Manavi was nowhere on the scene.
The young swans were in a hurry. They had already gone ahead. Paavani was becoming restless. She desperately called
out–‘Manavi, Manavi! Where are you?’
Anant announced again –‘Is anybody left? This is the final call!’
But Manavi was still not there. Anant was feeling disappointed. Slowly the group departed.
Raghu was worried. ‘What will you do here then?’ – he said, ‘Come and live with us. I will take care of you!’
Manavi said – ‘I will stay here. There are wicked boys in your neighborhood.’
Raghu felt very sorry for Manavi. ‘What should I do for you then?’ – he murmured out of pity.
‘Raghu, don’t worry’ – Manavi said – ‘You come here daily in the evening. I will somehow pass the days. I feel re-assured in your company.’
Raghu sat on a slab of stone. Manavi came down and sat on his lap. Raghu stroked her back tenderly. Manavi dozed off in his lap
‘Nothing Raghu, I was remembering my family.’
‘What can I do for you, Manavi?’– Raghu was thinking–
‘Because of me, she got separated from her family.’
‘What should I do for you, Manavi? All this has happened because of me!’
‘What can you do, Raghu? One month is already gone by.
Remaining three months will also pass like that. After that, the members of my group will come back to this village. You
better look after yourself. I do not see happy conditions here at your village too.’
‘You are right, Manavi! The month of Shravan has arrived and there are no rains. There will be no crop if it goes on
like this. All hopes for us are gone. Many people have left for Bhopal. I told mother – ‘Let us go to Vidisha, Rammu Mama
is there. We will take Manavi with us. But mother said she would not leave the village.’
Manavi sighed and said–‘I too will not leave the village
–After Shravan, it is Bhadrapada and then Aashvin and then Kaartik.. after that may be in Aagrahayan or Maagha, the
members of my group will come back. I will wait for them.
The boys and girls also said – ‘Manavi, come with us! We will take care of you, nobody can harm you then.’
Manavi was in a fix. ‘Should I do that? I am a swan, I should not live with human beings…’ she thought.
Raghu implored again—‘What are you thinking, Manavi?
You stay with us till your group returns to Nandanpur.’
Manavi thought for a while and then said reluctantly—
‘OK, Raghu, I’ll go’.
The boys and girls were clapping their hands with joy.
They were telling each other curiously – ‘Did you hear? She said – I will go … she is an intelligent bird…’
Manavi started hovering over Raghu. Boys and girls rushed behind her. Thus, they reached Raghu’s house ‘Listen, Kala! Did you read India News of today?’ ‘No, Dada! Where do I get time to read newspapers?’
‘Listen, I want to tell you something. There is a news item for you.’
Then Bholanath read out the news from the newspaper about the female swan who had become the beloved of a village boy. After that he said – ‘The parrots and mainas, whatever they say, will not be of interest to people. We have them in our homes and we all make them speak. But if a swan – a Rajhansa – speaks in the language of human beings, it will be taken as a miracle. You go to that village and somehow purchase that swan! People in that village are very poor. The village is famine struck. So, they will surely sell the
swan!’
Kalanath said – ‘It is not easy to keep birds. They often become ill. They get infected easily, and bird doctors are not easily available. Then who will train the swan? We do not have a trainer for swans…But one thing is good, the save-the-animals committee people will not object to our keeping a swan. Their objection is about our keeping lions and elephants… I will note down the name of the village
and see if I can go there…Everything else is alright? How are Bhabhi and my dear Pankaj? My pranams to Bhabhi and my blessings to Pankaj…Pranam, Dada…
Ramsevak was delighted. He could not go to meet his sister on the occasion of Rakshabandhan this year. She must have been waiting…and when he did not reach Nandanpur that day, she must have felt very bad…Now she will be happy to see him.
Seated in the car with Ramsevak, Kalanath asked the driver to go through the market. Ramsevak was going to purchase a cheap sari. Kalanath reprimanded him – ‘Ramsevak! You are going to meet your sister after a long time, you should purchase a good sari. You also purchase some garments for your nephew, Raghu. Don’t bother about the payment. I will pay for everything.’
Ramsevak was embarrassed. ‘Why has this sahib has become so generous all of a sudden?’ he thought—‘Today he is paying for the purchases, and tomorrow he will deduct all the money from my wages, what will I do then?’
Suhagini Devi’s eyes welled with tears. She told Raghu – ‘See that nobody touches Manavi. She should not fly on her
own. You should always hold her in your hands!’
Ramsevak was startled.‘So much love for a bird!’ – he wondered.
‘I promise, I will do that! ’ – Raghu said.
‘I will do that! I will do that!’ – Manavi repeated after him.
Suhagini Devi instructed Raghu in a harsher tone – ‘Don’t do any mischief at Vidisha. Always be in Mama’s company.
And don’t trouble him.’
‘I will not trouble Mama. I promise.’
Suhagini Devi softly caressed Manavi on her back and said – ‘Come back to Nandanpur soon. OK?’
‘OK’ – Manavi said.
Then Suhagini Devi told Ramsevak – ‘Rammu, Raghu is very naughty. Don’t allow him to go anywhere on his own.
He should not go near the cages of the lion and bears. And see that he comes back here tomorrow.’
‘No worries, Didi! I will myself drop him tomorrow to Nandanpur’ – Ramsevak said and touched his sister’s feet.
Kalanath also bowed down before her. Suhagini Devi came out to see them off. Raghu got into the car holding Manavi you and the training you get with Ravindra will make you a man of this world.’ Babuji told Raghu.
Raghu started laughing with joy. Kalanath was giving instructions to Ramsevak for going to Nandanpur and
bringing Suhagini Devi, with Gangi and Golu from there.
–‘Maamaa, I will come with you to bring mother here.’ – Raghu said.
If you go to Nandanpur’, Babuji said, ‘you will miss your first lesson with Ravindra. He is free only in the morning.
Then he has to prepare for the afternoon show.’
Kalanath arranged for a truck. Raghu was looking pensive when the truck departed with Ramsevak seated on the front seat with the driver. Putting his hand on his shoulder, Ravindra said – ‘Raghu, come, I can spare some time to coach you just now. After that I will get busy.
******
Note Excerpt with kind permission of Vani Prakashan.
Radhavallabh Tripathi former Vice Chancellor, Rashtriya Sanskrit Sansthan, New Delhi is known for his original contributions to literature as well as for his studies on Nāṭyaśāstra and Sāhityaśāstra. He has published 162 books, 227 research papers and critical essays and is the recipeint of 35 national and international awards for his literary work.
Anamika in The Beacon
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