The Miracle Trip

“Ten years of marriage and no children”, what is the use of such a life?” Commented Ganga bai on her neighbour, wiping the running nose of her seventh girl child. Her anger vented on poor Kuni, her neighbour for denying a cup of sugar which often this fiery dragon would borrow but never returned. Kuni, just looked at Ganga with her huge doe eyes but didn’t utter a word. All these years she has been used to the taunts and jeers from her mother-in-law , relatives and nosey neighbours.  It was almost a decade since she came to this village as a bride to the soft spoken brick kiln labourer Kuna.  

The affection of her husband Kuna, gave her the strength to bear jibs of cruel , heartless people like Ganga bai. The first few years of the marriage were the best years. Everyone in the family and neighbourhood were nice and affectionate to her. She vividly remembered of taking care of Ganga bai’s kids in her absence. Kuni’s mother-in-law encouraged Kuni to take care of the kids so that the maternal instinct in her might help her to bear a child. Kuni reminisced what she had not done to have a child of her own.

The couple visited doctors, quacks, holy men and the poor woman fasted for weeks to appease gods to be kind to her and bless her. With their meager income they bought ‘mumbo jumbo’ amulets and tied them on hand or around the neck as per the instructions they received from some sadhu. Poor Kuni bore the weight of all those amulets like locks which hung on the bridge railings of Seine bridge of Paris. 

“ You better beg rice from every house in the village and cook ‘Khichdi’ and feed minimum ten children. I tell you within six months you will get the good news. My sister’s distant cousin is a live example of this kind of miracle”, said sheela tai who was famous around the village for bringing the most interesting snippets that could put ‘Ripley’s Believe it or Not’ to shame. Kuni followed the advice but that didn’t yield any results.

Aunt kiran was very famous for her herbal concoctions. The taste of these herbal mixtures used to be so bitter that snake venom would taste sweeter and more palatable. But poor Kuni was almost a Guinea pig in her hands. Every week she was forced to drink and ended up being sick most of the time and never complained. 

Meanwhile, few relatives offered their children for adoption with a eye on the little brick house in which the couple lived. But the childless couple was not enthusiastic about the idea of adopting any child. The relatives also schemed to get Kuna married for the second time. Kuna loved his wife so dearly that he shooed away the relatives as well as the useless ideas.

 One day , “ Kuni”, called her husband coming back early from his work. “ It seems a great saintly person has come in the next village. He is called as the ‘Miracle Baba’. He solves the problems of people and blesses them. He has the powers to fulfil even the most impossible wish. Let’s give a try,” said Kuna.

Though Kuni was reluctant, she didn’t want to disappoint her husband. Next morning, Kuni woke up early, prepared food for the way and wore her silk sari gifted by kuna on her birthday. They left the house and started to walk to the village where the saint was visiting presently. The sun was still on the horizon, and the air was cool. Kuni carried a little bundle of extra clothes in case they had to stay back. They observed throngs of people walking along to have a glimpse of the saint. most of them were bare foot, some carried bundles of clothes, food and bedding with the intension of spending few days with the saint. 

The sun was now almost overhead when the couple reached the village which wore a festive look. There was a serpentine line of young and old to get the blessings of the saint. Others sat in the makeshift tents waiting patiently for their turn. People were seen talking to each other with curiosity to know the purpose of the visit. Some stretched their legs to have a nap after the long walk. Some were busy opening their food packets. Unruly children were seen running here and there stumbling or stomping over the people sitting in the tents. Kuni was looking at crowd and tried to overhear their expectations from their visit to the holy man.

 An old person, may be in his eighties wanted a relief in a land dispute with hope of building a house for himself. One fat lady wanted her husband abandon his young girl friend. A young man wanted a job to get married and a father wanted his daughter to get married soon. 

In the milieu of ‘Hope Chasers’, kuni noticed a little girl wearing a faded frock, wheatish in complexion, thin but had huge doe eyes. She seemed all alone and hungry. Kuni went closer to the girl and smiled at her. She offered a little food which the hungry girl gratefully accepted. 

“ Are you alone?. Or your parents some where in that line?”, with a genuine concern in her voice Kuni tried to strike a conversation with the little girl of may be seven or eight years old.

“Yes! I am all alone. I have come here to get blessings from that ‘Baba’(saint) sitting on that huge chair”, she replied with utmost seriousness.

“Tell me something about you. We can spend sometime together while we wait for our turn to get the blessings”, said Kuni, covering her head with her sari closely and held the little girl’s hand lovingly.

 My name is Kirtan. I have an old grandma. Our village is two villages far from here. I had a little goat who was like a brother to me. I used to care for him day and night. I had tied two little bells bought from a temple around his neck and fed him with soft grass everyday. Wherever I travelled, Kalu- that’s his name used to follow me. My friends always loved to play with him. The little fellow slept with me in our hut. One morning when I woke up, Kalu was not around. When I asked my grand ma, she behaved indifferently and didn’t bother to reply. When I persisted she almost shouted, “ Silly girl, your Kalu has gone to meet your parents and left his bells for you”. I was in tears. I grabbed the bells from her hand.  

“How is that! You had long time back told me that my parents are in heaven which is very far and how can little Kalu travel so far all alone?”, I questioned my grand ma.

She was in no mood to hear and left for work in a huff. I tried to look for Kalu everywhere. When I asked our neighbour Rani, before she could reply, her nasty brother laughed loud and said “ Tell your grandmother that the Kebbas were tasty and worth a hundred rupees !”

 I didn’t pay any heed to him. Our postman uncle suggested me to visit this Baba and ask him to help me find my Kalu and if possible my parents since all are at the same place”, sighed little Kirtan.

“ How would you recognise your parents or your Kalu?”, asked Kuni curiously.

“ My friend Rani told that whoever would speak to me lovingly and hug me would be my mother”, with gleaming eyes Kirtan replied.

The serpentine line continued and more people joined the crowd in the makeshift tents.

Only the childless couple left the place holding the hand of a little girl. Kuni was happy for being a mother at last and Kuna was already planning to buy a little black goat in the weekly market. 

“Thank You Baba”, shouted Kirtan almost floating with joy, holding the hands of her new parents...