The snake hill test
Forests have a unique and distinct place in the planet earth. It is believed that the forest is the only place where you can find the nine treasures in the world.
Those nine treasures are honey, fruits, sandalwood, bezoar, deer, flowers, waterfalls, herbs and the natural forest air. The forest honey has very special medicinal properties. Forest fruits are good for health. The sandalwood from the forest is used to control the mind and alleviate the body heat. The availability of bezoar a type of perfume in the forest indicates that the deer species are prospering there. The deer species need more greenery to survive and in turn the greenery in the forest depends on sufficient rain fall. With the help of a single substance like bezoar, we can perceive the existence of other good elements existing in the forest. With the abundance of forest flowers and waterfalls, so many medicinal herbs grow there supporting the maintenance of vitality in the air. Perhaps that may be the reason why the siddhas and the sages prefer the forests for their stay.
The bus came to a halt at Nagathadam a little ahead of Naga forest. Mohan got off the bus and checked his mobile’s signal level and was happy to find that there is at least one bar in it. He had a kit bag on his back. Anyone who looks at him will think that he has come for a picnic there. A pea cap, black cooling glasses, T- shirt and jeans pants. His kit bag was almost full with a mini laptop, binoculars with night vision, a high resolution camera, rain coat,swissknife and a power bank.
The way in which he walked with his backpack was so manly. Wooden benches were there placed outside that small tea shop. Tribal people were sitting in it with black blankets wrapped around their body. A movie poster with super star Manolal in action was there pasted on the wall of the shop. Mohan was keenly observing all this and asked the shop owner for a tea.
“Milk is over Bro...only black tea is there...Is that fine? “
“Black tea…?”
“Tell me after you taste it,Bro, I’ll add some dried ginger and palm sugar for you.” He said.
The black tea came, the taste was something different while having the tea Mohan prepared himself to start the conversation.
But before that the tea shop owner asked.
“You are from the city?”
“Yes”
“You have come to see the super star’s bungalow?
“Oh, people come here for that also?”
“Why did you say like that? Minimum thirty people come here for that only. My tea shop runs because of them.”
“Are they coming just to see that bungalow? What is so special about it?”
“Bro,you know it belongs to the super star and for his fans it is not just a bungalow but more than that, they are having a sentimental attachment with it…”
“They go there simply to see it or for doing some worship like breaking coconuts and all?”Mohan asked sarcastically.
At a distance they could see an elderly person walking with the help of a wooden staff. He has covered his head with a white scarf so as to hide his face partially and his body covered with a large green shawl.
The tea shopkeeper began to murmur something as he saw him.
"That old man has come .... no matter how much I call, he wouldn’t listen. I don’t know where he comes from or where he goes ..."
The old man passed by them as if he didn't see them at all. He wobbled a lot while walking. It seemed like that he could not walk, if he did not have that wooden staff in his hand.
“Why this old man strains this much? Where is he going? “Mohan asked the tea shop owner.
"I do not know,Bro,even if I call him, he do not answer me.Mostly he may be going to the Nagamma temple in the forest. I have noticed the holy saffron on his forehead when he returns." After drinking the tea, Mohan paid the tea shop owner and started to follow the old man.
“Hey,Bro,where are you going? “The tea shop owner asked Mohan.
“To Nagamma temple”
“Oh god, it is not good to go there wearing shoes.”
“Don't worry,bro, I'll take them off as soon as I reach there," he replied, making the tea shop owner to sigh.
The path was full of bends and turns. A large number of wild plants with colorful flowers were seen on either sides of the path. Butterflies were flying here and there over those plants.
In some places the path was cragged. Something similar to a stream was there on the way which ran across the path and wasn’t so deep. The water sparkled like crystal with lots of fish fingerlings.Colour fishes were also there in between.
The temperature was as so cool and was below eighteen degree Celsius. When the old man crossed the stream, his shawl slipped and fell into the flowing stream water. Noticing how he was straining to bend down and take it, Mohan ran like a racer and cached it from the flowing stream water. The shawl was completely wet. The old man continued his walk as if nothing has happened after crossing the stream he looked back…
Mohan squeezed the water out of the shawl, while squeezing it, he moved a little closer to the old man. But the old man lowered his head to avoid looking at Mohan.
“Ji... here is your shawl”
The old man took the shawl from Mohan without any expressions or emotions..
“Ji,It will take a while to dry, put it on your shoulder. " He advised. But the old man didn’t listen to Mohan’s words and started walking holding the shawl in his hands.
“Ji, please wait a minute... I want to talk to you”
But he walked without paying any attention to his words.
Mohan asked in a loud voice, "Ji, what is this, why you are not replying anything? “For this also the old man didn’t replied anything but continued his walk.
Mohan followed him, the old man unwrapped his shawl and spread it over a bush to get it dried.
The behavior of that old man aroused surprise and suspicion in Mohan’s mind. He could now see some tribal women coming just opposite to him. About ten to fifteen girls in a line! Another ten to fifteen men followed behind them. It was very interesting to watch the beauty with which the women carried their kids using their saree.
Nowadays, many women in the cities do not want to carry their baby on their shoulder when they go out, as they consider this as a rural practice and is not fashionable, so they place their babies in a baby cart and push the cart through the streets just like the handicapped beggars who beg in the streets!.
Mohan's journalistic intellect prompted him to photograph a baby in a crib. He took his camera out from his backpack and focused at the baby, It was only then he noticed that one of the women was crying…
“You, be confident and come with us. Nagamma will never forgive that fellow who blamed you...! Mohan could hear the words of an elderly person consoling her.
Something is wrong...
They continued to walk towards the Nagamma temple. As his attention got diverted Mohan missed the old man whom he was following earlier.
“Where's that old man? “Mohan asked himself.
Mohan searched for him everywhere, but he wasn’t able to find him. The green shawl which was lying on the bush was also missing. Mohan was thinking how fast that old man has left the place without anyone noticing him.
Meanwhile an young man in the tribal group, who was wearing an yellow turban, red vest and a green dhoti and with no chappals on his foot came towards Mohan…
He stared at Mohan blankly.
Mohan asked, "What are you staring at?"
“Is that a camera in your hand?”
“Yes, so what?”
“Are you a TV reporter?”
"Oh... how did you know?"
“Do you think that, we the tribal people are illiterate and do not know what is going on, in the outside world?”
"Most of the tribal people are like that only, right? However I am happy that you asked this question to me!.”
Mohan's tried to create a friendly atmosphere with them.
“Which TV? “the young man asked.
“MB TV”
“Oh”
“Do you know to how to read and write?”
“I'm the only literate person in this whole group!”
"What is your education?"
“Eighth standard”
“Only eighth standard?”
“To make me study up to that ,my dad strained a lot”
"I can understand but education is very important and without which you people can’t develop.”
“Yes,Bro, but there is no guarantee that I will get a decent job even if I complete higher studies.”
“Do not have any doubt about it,bro,now a days the government offers many schemes for the tribal youth to come up in their life. "
“But,bro,we do not have even electricity in our village, do you know that?
“Sometimes if you want justice you have to fight for it, you could have approached your MLA for this… "
“ Bro,you have replied to all my questions very patiently. There are also so many other atrocities going on in this forest which is unknown to the outside world .Can you report about all these in your TV?”
“Of course... that is the my duty as a reporter, what is that about?”
“I will tell you later. Now we have to go and attend a panchayat meeting."
After a long walk they reached the Nagamma temple. There were no compound wall or any other structures as per the agama sastra for the temple. Mohan saw a seven feet stone with the image of a serpent carved on it, the stone was fully covered with turmeric and saffron. A mud
lamp was burning nearby on the top of a stone pillar about three feet height. Next to it was a seven feet tall snake hill......
The seven feet tall stone in which the serpent is carved was under a Nagalinga tree(Cannonball tree). The Nagalinga tree provided sufficient shade for all of them like a circus tent and was full of berries and flowers. The fragrance of the flowers can be felt throughout the entire area.
Under the cool shade of the tree the tribal people began to assemble.
Mohan was very eager to know for what purpose the panchayat meeting was called for.
He asked the young man,.
“Bro,Why you have called for this meeting?”
“Bro,If you hear about it, you will laugh at me.”
"Tell me,bro."
“Look at that girl wearing the yellow saree,sitting there and crying?”
“Yes”
“See that baby on her hands ...? "
"hum"
“That baby’s dad has given a complaint to the panchayat."
“For what?”
“He says that baby isn’t his."
Hearing this Mohan got startled.
“Do you mean that the girl has cheated him”
“He says so but the girl says she is innocent... "
"Did that fellow suspect anyone?"
“That baby is the point of suspicion now. "
“What...is the baby do not look like him? "
“Bro,he says that the skin color of the baby is wheatish whereas he is black and that is why he is suspecting”
“is he educated?”
“I told you earlier I am the only one in this group who is educated.”
“Why he behaves so foolish?”
“Bro,we all told him but he never believes anyone!”
“Then what are you going to do in this panchayat?”
“We are going to place this problem before our Nagamma for a resolution!"
“Bro,what is this, I can’t understand what you are saying…”
“We will place the baby before Nagamma and the girl has to pray to Nagamma for justice.She has to put her hand inside the hole in that snake hill for three times. If the snake doesn’t bite her, then it means that she is innocent...”
The young man's reply made Mohan feel a bit startled.
“Oh,god, this is something quiet inhuman”
“Not like that,bro,this is the tradition and custom in our tribe. Especially in this Naga forest.”
“Is this a custom...how horrible! What I have to ask is suppose if that fellow is wrong will he put his hand in that snake hill?”
When Mohan asked this, that young man got flustered. Both of them were standing aside at a distance away from the crowd and were talking. By then the panchayat started. The woman who has been crying was now standing in front of the snake hill near the stone in which the image of the serpent was carved. They spread a blanket on the ground and covered it with plenty of Nagalinga flowers and placed the baby on it, the baby immediately started crying. For Mohan It was a very pathetic scene to watch. On one side, the crying baby and on the other side the mother who was also crying. The girl’s husband was standing in front of her… He was about forty five. But the girl’s age was somewhat around eighteen only!.
Mohan immediately understood the reason for the suspicion. That girl’s husband might have thought that such a beautiful baby can never be his out of inhibitions.
The village head, a ninety-year-old man, came forward with a turban made of eighteen-yard red silk cloth and began to speak.
“Oh,my mountain gods thy name be praised, Oh, Nagamma protector of our tribe bless us!
Oh, Nagamma please reveal the truth to us is this girl innocent or not. We have received a complaint given by Chathan. Let the snake bite and punish her if she has committed the mistake. If not Chathan has to happily accept her and live with her. This is the decision of this panchayat. If anyone wants to object my decision they can do it now! The village head ended his speech. Mohan could understand that it is their customary practice to start panchayat like this. While the old man was talking, Mohan took a photo of the village head and a photo of the baby lying near the snake hill. One of the tribal people who noticed this came to him and tried to snatch away the camera from him..
“Hey,don’t touch my camera "
“Photography is not allowed hear! "
“I am a TV reporter”
“Well whoever you are, this is our custom and tradition. We do not permit photography here.”
“Bullshits...What era you people are living in, if you put your hand inside a snake hill, whoever you are the snake will bite you. Understand that and it has nothing to do with your damn belief. "
“What are you saying... ? We warn you, don’t take any photo here and you have no business to interfere with the decision of our panchayat! “
People started surrounding around Mohan.
Only the partially educated young man supported Mohan by saying,
“Bro, let us be patient and listen to him. He promised me that he will bring our issues to the lime light through his TV. Please listen to what he has to say... "
"Hey,you eighth standard, Don’t think that you are very intelligent! We have seen many reporters like him in the past also, he can never help us, for us our only solace is our Nagamma!”
The tribal woman suddenly interrupted them when the conversation got fiery
"Why are you ignoring my problem and talking about something else ...please solve my problem first, I have not committed any mistakes, I have the blessings of the goddess Nagamma, not once, I will put my hands in to the snake hill a hundred times and I have no fear." Saying this without waiting for anyone she put her hands into the holes in that snake hill shouting out loud… ‘Nagamma’, ‘Nagamma’..
Mohan was shocked to see this and got a little frightened.
