Devnagari, a beautiful village, is situated in a valley, away from the hustle and bustle of city life. A calm and peaceful village. Its existence is a well kept secret all thanks to almost absolutely no intrusion from the outside world.
Rahul, a passionate mountaineer, discovered the valley village by chance.
The clear sky, cool air, the cute little wooden houses in the midst of nature, Rahul instantly fell in love with the place.
He immediately wanted to go live.
He searched for a proper signal.
Chandru, a little boy from the village was watching this stranger for a while.
Amused and confused, Chandru asked,
“What are you searching for Anna?”
“Network, network!” he replied distractedly.
“What is that in your hand?” Chandru asked.
“This! Mobile!!” Now, Rahul looked at him.
“A toy?” curious Chandru asked again.
Then it slowly dawned on Rahul that this village hadn’t seen a mobile, there was no network, etc, etc.
Meanwhile, Chandru was awestruck by this newcomer. His clothes, the mannerisms, the way he spoke, everything was so different.
Their conversations continued..
“Omg! No TV” Rahul was still in shock.
“TV? What’s that? Why, what happened? Chandru asked softly.
“Oh boy! Forget it!”
Wanting to impress him, Chandru excitedly said,
“Rahul Anna, Want to see my plant? Bending down, he said, It was so small last month. I planted it on my birthday. It is our village rule, you know!”
“Village rule?”
“Yes! Everyone, every year, on their birthday, plants a sapling.
“Hey Ramu, Shyam, Gopal, Chintu..come fast” Chandru called his friends and excitedly said,
“Let’s sing our village rule to Rahul Anna.
Together they sang proudly,
“Each one plants one!
Each one plants one!
As you grow, see it grow, see it grow!
Fruits are borne by not just one,
But by
Everrrryone!” they sang like a rhyme, waving their hands.
“Wow! That’s really nice.”
“Yes, Which one did you plant Anna?”
“Oh! No such rule in the city. We can if we want.” Rahul’s reply shocked him.
Soon the villagers gathered and took care of the only visitor in ages.
“If only you had the internet, I would never have left this heavenly place. Thank you everyone.”
Ok! I am leaving now bro!” Rahul shook hands with Chandru before leaving.
Bro! You mean brother? asked curious Chandru
“Yes!” he smiled.
“Ok bro! Bye bro!” Chandru also smiled back.
The turmoil :
Ever since Rahul’s visit, Chandru was not the same again. He was more curious than ever. He was getting irritable too. He was not getting answers to his various queries…
Why are my clothes different and not like Rahul Anna’s?
I also want to go to the city.
What is mobile? What is net?
His queries fell on deaf ears and curiosity was left unanswered.
Chandru lost interest in studies. He stopped going outside for play too. A lot of turmoil was happening within.
One evening, Chandru refused to even eat. He pushed his plate of food in anger.
“How dare you?” his father snapped at him.
Chandru rushed out of the house in a rage, slamming the entrance gate so hard, that a part of it almost broke.
He ran as fast as his legs could take him, away, far away from his village, away from home, promising himself never to come back to his village.
Ten years later:
He staggered his way atop the rough terrain.
Having no clue of the path ahead, he started off on his journey. No idea of where the path is leading him, armed with a backpack binoculars, he just kept moving ahead. Daytime was the only time when he could keep moving, evenings were tough.
He kept walking. Clinging on to his locket for inspiration, he kept on moving ahead.
It was getting darker and darker. He was tired. He sat down to rest under the gigantic trees. The smell of cedar wood, its unique scent soothed his senses, calming his restless mind. A new path, yet it all seemed so familiar. Resting under the bark of the tree, under the open sky, he soon drifted off to sleep somewhere there in the valley.
Dawn break. Far away in the distance, he could see a few lights. He started off immediately.
By the time he came closer, he could feel the familiarity. His heartbeat paced faster.
Rahul went past admiring the row houses, the mud path, the aroma from the flowers that laced the threshold of every house.
There weren’t so many trees and gardens those days, he thought but yet was certain this is his hometown, his own Devnagri.
He began his search with even more vigour. Tense and mixed emotions, he continued his search.
He abruptly stopped outside a house. There was no change at all, the same veli, the same tulsi plant at the entrance and there stood the Pine tree.That had changed. It stood tall at the threshold of the house. His tree!
His happiness knew no bounds.
He turned to see his mother at the entrance of the house. Hoping against hope, she said softly, “Chandru?”
“Amma!” Naa Chandru Amma! Naa vandhuten!”
(It’s me Chandru! I have come back)
sobbing uncontrollably, falling on his knees asking for forgiveness.
