The courageous will win

"My lord," I said, once more bowing to him, "I am a mere cowherd. I used to tend cattle for my king. I spent my time watching the colours of the seasons, I loved to talk with my bosom friend, Snow, about my joys and sorrows and I was spending my days wonderfully. But one day my King wanted to take Snow away simply because he had money. He sent his bailiffs behind us. They tortured Snow and insulted me. When I left my country taking Snow with me, I had promised that I would make the King lick the dust. My lord, if you care to fulfil my heart's desire, please lend me some of your bows and arrows. I'll fight my King with those. Nothing else I want."

King Shivaji said, "You are brave. I'll give you one hundred bows and hundreds of arrows. Do you want anything more?"

I bowed down in gratitude, "My lord, I'll forever remember your generosity. I need nothing else."

King Shivaji said, "You have no greed. We are glad to get you as a friend. I'll give you a precious reward on my own. Come to my palace."

Saying this the King led me and Snow to his palace. Hundreds of people followed us in a procession. I was amazed to see the vast wooden palace. I had no idea that a palace could be built so beautifully with forest wood. When we reached inside the palace, they offered us various kinds of honey in clean wooden cups. Thick buffalo milk was served in large coloured wooden shells. They then played on flute the whole night. How wonderful to hear them. As if they were conversing through their flutes. They were talking of their dreams, their fancies, their joys, their sorrows. My heart ached in joy to hear the tunes.

The next morning King Shivaji came to the river dunes to bid me goodbye. I put the bows and arrows and Snow on the wide bamboo raft and bowed to King Shivaji in gratitude.

The King said, "Friend, as a token of my love, please accept this flute. If you want to tell your friends of your life story, your joys and sorrows, your pleasure and pain, play on this flute - it will sing them all. Victory will be yours."

The river sands were glistening with the rays of the sun. The river was aglow with light. The whole cast was ablaze with daylight. As I paddled away I looked back. As long as the dune was visible I could see the King in the glow of light. Days and nights I plied the oars and after a long time I returned to the village of the old tottering woman. Seeing me back, the wrinkled face of the old woman was full of smile. And the young men of the village got themselves ready to go to war. After I spent a few days there, partaking of the fish of the river, fragrant rice, milk of black cows, sweet coconut water, I proceeded towards my village, along with others who had been all the time practising with bows and arrows

When we reached my village, my heart leapt in joy as I came across familiar trees,

ponds, fields. Even the lightning struck coconut tree delighted me As usual a woodpecker was pecking at the tree.

We took no rest We proceeded along the east and stood in front of the royal house. I was riding Snow, advancing in front of my people I announced at the top of voice, face uplifted, "I, Viju the cowherd, have come back Where is the King? He will have to bear punishment for his conceit and lack of fair play. Where is the King?"

Hearing the noise, the palace guards ran down towards us with their lances up. But they withered, their uplifted lances frozen on the sky as still as pictures, when they saw the one hundred young men of mine with arrows fitted on large curved and strung bows. Their shouts died away I shouted once more, "I, Vijay the cowherd, am here. Where is the King?" This time king Mallik himself came out with a large lance. Right at that moment, an arrow flew from our side past his chest. The King fell down in a trice and somehow saved himself. I rode up to him, raised him from the ground and said, "Raja, the day you sent your guards to force Snow out of me, I promised I'd make you lick the dust. I've vindicated my vow. Please forgive my power and cruelty. I am a mere cowherd of yours."

Hearing this the King drew me on to his bosom and said, "I am not the one to forgive you, you are the one to forgive me. I was blind all the time, now you have made me see things" He turned to his immobile guards, "Lay down your lances. Open the guest house. They are the guests of the village. Tell everybody, they will have to milk all their cows, they will have to cast their nets in all the tanks of the village, they will have to pluck all the fruits of the trees. Our Viju has come back to the village. It is festival time for the village"

The King, saying this and seeing my friends lodged in the guest house, took me up to the inner part of the royal house As we arrived there, there were conch shells blown in unison and women made joyous sounds with their tongue to welcome me The queen mother drew me inside the room

You have become a man among men. I offer you Yashi, our darling doll, the apple of our eyes. You may take her on the back of your horse and go for a ride."

Yashi was standing beside her, with a nose-ring, an ornament on her forehead and dressed in a red Varanasi silk She was indeed looking rosy and cute. "What do you say, Yashi," said the queen mother, "are you happy?" Yashi nodded her head, the ornament on her forehead swaying, and said, "Hum."

Then one day, the shenai was played and our marriage was held. I go out on a ride everyday, with me and Yashi on Snow Some day, I don't know why, I feel restless in the morning I then go to the distant fields, stand beneath the vast sky and play intently on the flute.