"The mahout (he used the term "Hatiala") went from village to village with two elephants. Children loved a ride and parents paid in cash and kind. Some even offered bananas and coconut directly to the elephants and the children watched in awe how the great animal would handle a coconut. If it wished, it will swallow it ; sometimes it will accept the coconut in its trunk and lift it up to the Mahout on its back. There was a whisper about the itinerant mahout carrying cannabis. Police kept a watch and nabbed him with ten kilograms of ganja. The mahout landed in prison and the elephants roamed in our neighbourhood. They visited gardens and homes at odd hours ; ate and damaged. The bears feasted on the ripe jackfruits on the five trees we have. Even the mango crop was vulnerable. We sold whatever the animals spared, " the young housekeeper was narrating his experience in his village on return from home the other day. He brought a few big mangoes for us too. It seems his garden has mango trees of different varieties including Alfonso. Horticulture has taken roots in that region of Odisha. This year his father sold fruits for Rs 25000/-.He continued the oil massage while I loved listening to him. Occasionally my thoughts travelled to the mahout in prison. When will he retrieve his animals? When will the children have the ride again? The cannabis theory sounded a bit far-fetched. I refused to believe that a man who loved children could love ganja.
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27th June, 2015
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27th June, 2015
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