Chapter 4

It was one of those crisp mornings. There was no rain and the blue sky promised a bright clear day. Diwakar walked down to the river, crossed it, and went along the pathway to the fields. He was up early and had told Shevak he would take the cows out. But he did not tell him his plans for the day. Last night he had formed a team with three of his friends for fishing trout. This was a very common sport, only this time Diwakar planned it for Nisha; he wanted to impress her.

The four friends walked along the edge of the field. Diwakar carried peanuts and a few apples in his pocket. There was chill in the morning air but they were accustomed to the cold. The sun was up, but the peaks would not allow it to spread its magic for some time yet. The river flowed below them and could be heard crawling against the boulders. A hundred years back the river was much wider at this place and there was a large lake where the village now stands. People used to build houses on the slopes. But the river made its own way cutting between the peaks and formed a deep gorge. It moved, leaving a fertile patch of land, and soon folks moved there.

Diwakar looked at the small sandbank across the river. He could see a few white wagtails hopping around, their tails wagging every now and then. The bank, now small, expanded in size during winter when the river flowed like a narrow snake. The bank also served as the cremation ground for the village. He remembered that Teté (grandfather) was burned there. He was carried in a special bed tied to two logs. Before the cremation, Teté was given a full bath. Aama and many other women sang sad songs. One man from each family came with a piece of log and they all walked with him. Women were not allowed. Someone arranged the logs and Teté was placed on top. Aau and the uncles performed puja. Diwakar was quite young and cried when they ignited the logs. He stood with his aaté at the far end. Though Pravin was quiet he could see tears in his eyes too. Someone sharpened a log with an axe. Aau took it and drove it straight into the skull of Teté.

Diwakar was shocked. He clutched his brother’s shirt and asked, “Why is he hitting him?”

“He must break the skull, or else Teté’s soul will not escape to heaven and will remain trapped. He will become a ghost and live in a tree forever.”

Though he had heard stories about ghosts, Diwakar was too young to understand the meaning of soul. For him, the presence of his Teté was more important and he did not mind if he existed as a ghost. He was sure that Teté would do him no harm and continue telling stories. He hated his aau for quite some time and would not speak with him for days.

***

The sun came from the left, rising above the granite peaks. Sheaths of sunlight reached them and cut across the poplar and oak leaves turning the sleeping dew into sparkling beads. The light fell on the opposite peak and graced the snow; the pines extended in long stretches across the slope. This was a very special peak and sacred to the villagers. Beyond this peak was the home of Devta. Once every three years, Devta was carried there by twelve men who covered the route in seven days. Devta himself selected these men. Lambs and a goat also accompanied the party; they were sacrificed on the way and cooked. But only five men made the final journey. The top of the hill held a divine lake. Devta was taken there for a holy dip. Grandpa told him the fairies lived there. No one could go there and return alive. The fairies kept him forever. Grandpa was selected once and had been there. Though he did not see any fairies, his team encountered two big brown bears and a leopard on the way.

The pathway was now just a narrow strip running along the side of the mountain. They had covered four kilometers and now the farmland was giving way to valleys speckled with boulders. They could see the distant peaks standing gray and mysterious against the vast blue backdrop. These peaks had attracted Diwakar since childhood. His motive to join the army was more than the uniform or the valor; it was these peaks. He knew there were outposts on top that overlooked the border. He had dreamed many times of riding a horse in full uniform from one post to the other across snow-covered peaks. For one full month, he prepared for the exams. Every morning he ran five kilometers and measured his time. He was well within the limit. His only worry was his chest, which fell an inch short. But Devta was on his side. During the physical check, he held his breath and closed his eyes, remembering him. His chest expanded by two full inches and he passed. The only barrier was the written exam.

***

“Diwa, we have arrived,” shouted Deepak, who was a bit ahead.

Deepak was almost the same age as Diwakar. He had left school after standard nine and was now doing housework. Earlier he had run away to Simla and, after working as a porter in the station for a few months, had come back. His brother Mohan was standing with him and waving. Shivam, the youngest one, was midway. All four climbed down through the boulders and bushes and reached the riverbank. Wild roses, thistles, and a few cactuses lined the banks, as did a few pines that grew from cones that had rolled down the peaks or been carried by the river. The valley was wide here and the river shallow. It was beneath these rocks where the trout waited patiently for food that came with the river.

Everyone except Shivam rolled up his sleeves. Shivam was a trainee and had joined them for the fun of it. Diwakar hopped across the rocks until he reached the middle of the stream. The sun shown through the clear water and reached the sands below, creating patterns where the water was still. He positioned himself on a rock and dipped his hands in from both sides of the rock. Immediately he felt the pain. The ice-cold water sent shockwaves through his body; his face turned red. It took a few seconds and then with firm determination, he dipped them in farther until he reached the bottom. His hands moved inward from both sides of the rock but there was nothing there. If there were a fish, he would have felt it instantly. Not every rock sheltered a fish. He checked once again and then removed his hands. Others were on the job too and one by one they checked all the possible rocks. No luck. The team moved farther upstream and started exploring again. And then Deepak shouted, “I think I have one here!”

Everyone looked at him in anticipation. He was on a big rock and was slowly feeling with his hands. And then he took out the fish, a medium-sized trout still wriggling in his tight grip.

“Great catch baya (brother)!” said Diwakar.

Deepak crossed to the riverbank and smacked the fish hard against a rock.

“Shivam, put it in the bag,” he said and went back to work.

Another hour passed and four more trout were caught. Meanwhile, the team moved farther ahead and was close to Mastarang, where the army maintained a small outpost. Mastarang provided abundant boulders to contractors and green pastures for the cattle. It had a dense pine forest that was also the home for leopards. Dogs guarded the herd of cows and sheep while wide metal collars protected the dogs from surprise attacks by the leopards.

Three more fish were caught and Deepak said, “I think that will be all for today. My hands are numb and I can’t feel anything.”

“Yes,” Diwakar said, “enough for today!”

All of them sat on rocks and placed their hands inside their shirts and jackets. It took quite some time before sensation returned. Shivam gathered branches to build a fire. They huddled together and put their hands as close as possible to the fire. Diwakar first handed out the peanuts and apples and then roasted the fish one by one, keeping two aside. Everything tasted good and all of them were content. They stretched out on the rocks and soaked up the sun.

Nisha was drying the peas in the afternoon sun when Diwakar came home. Parvati had gone to the temple to make poltus (fried pancakes) and Ria was at school.

“Where have you been? Aama was worried.”

Diwakar smiled and waved her inside. Nisha came in and he placed the fish on the table and looked at her. She had never seen trout but knew it required great effort and pain to catch one.

“Why did you go to so much trouble?” she asked with a combination of admiration and genuine concern.

“For you,” said Diwakar with a contented smile.

“Let me see your hands.” She covered his hands with her own.

Diwakar felt the comforting warmth and wished she would hold his hands forever. Nisha had a sisterly affection toward him while Diwakar was stumbling in love.

Nisha pulled back after a few seconds and said, “I will make tea for you.”

“No tea for me, I am going out. Cook the fish well and we will have tonight.”

Diwakar went out. Very soon he was on the road walking aimlessly. He was in high spirits.

Nisha looked at the fish—she knew that Diwa must have gone to great lengths to get them. She smiled to herself as she remembered Pravin giving her a bunch of flowers at Peo during their second meeting. It was a simple bunch of dahlias but she kept it close to her all night, and the night after. It was her first gift from a man, a special man, with whom she would spend the rest of her life, to whom she would dedicate her body, her soul, and her thoughts—around whom she would build her own special world of love, happiness, and more. After the flowers dried, she kept them inside her very special book—a thin, worn-out book given to her by her aaya—a book on mythology—the story of Lord Shiva. She had taken the flowers out only a few times and held them close to her bosom, closing her eyes while thanking her gods for helping Pravin to find her.

Ria came back from school. She changed and came to Nisha.

“Is it true that boys only prefer fair girls?”

“Who says so?” said Nisha with a smile.

“Most of my friends tell me that.”

“They are wrong, Ria. Girls who are dark are equally desirable.”

Ria gave her a doubtful glance and walked away. She looked at the peaks far away. She knew there was a land beyond the peaks at the end of the road. She knew that one day she would meet her love and he would take her out of this place to that land where there were cars, fairs, girls in jewels and constant fun. So far, she hadn’t met him, but there was a young man who often stole a look and even smiled at her once. He was in standard ten and had long hair. She made it a point to wait outside school everyday until he crossed her path. He was normally in a group but Ria knew that he would glance back. She went inside and switched on the TV.

Parvati reached the temple. A puja occurred nearly every month and everyone shared the work in turns. Parvati was spiritual to the core and never missed such chores. Moreover, the family earnings were not enough to substitute such duties with donations like many did. She met Jayshree at the temple who smiled and greeted her. Jayshree was close to her and was married to Shevak’s second and fourth brother and the mother of four children, two by each of her husbands. The family had the largest portion of the land among Shevak’s brothers. In the village, common marriage was still in practice among many families and a custom followed since primeval times.

Parvati returned from the temple with the lamb and kid following her. She entered the kitchen with a few poltus, which she had brought for everyone. Then she noticed the fish. It was a welcome sight, a break from the pancakes and cabbages and radishes. She could figure out where Diwa had been all morning.

Nisha entered the kitchen with a worried look. “Aama, I have never cooked fish before.”

“Not to worry, I will teach you. But first we need to clean them.”

She got on the job and very soon, the fish were cleaned and cut into pieces. Parvati cooked a delicious curry with garlic, turmeric and dried red chilies. All the while Nisha stayed by her side.

“Does your elder son love fish?”

“Yes, very much. Both the brothers and their father love fish.”

“Then I must learn it well.”

She memorized every step so that she could cook fish easily should Pravin ever ask her. They also cooked rice. Parvati knew that it was the third time in two weeks that the family was having rice and that there could be no more that month. She remembered her childhood days when rice was cooked only twice or thrice a year and that was on special occasions. Her father, along with others, had carried rice on their backs from as far away as Rampur. There were no roads and it took three days to make the trip.

Shevak came back and smelled fish the moment he entered the kitchen. The kitchen was more like a living room, as everyone preferred to stay close to the fire. There were a few pots, plates, sacks of buckwheat, and sheepskins on the floor. Nothing more. Diwakar came in and sat in one corner. Parvati took out the plates and called Ria. Shevak got the largest piece. Parvati passed an equally large piece to Diwakar but he refused it.

“Aama, I have already had one. Why not give this one to Nisha? She has never had one!”

“Give it to Ria,” Nisha said.

Parvati kept it aside. Though Nisha was skeptical about a fish she knew nothing about, she remained silent. Ria said nothing. Food was not important; she wanted to finish quickly and watch her favorite programs on TV. There was silence and everyone relished the dinner.

Shevak got up and said, “You two must finish eating fast. The Devta will be out tonight.”

Parvati set up two dishes for her and Nisha and asked, “Now who is in trouble?”

“Sushil,” said Shevak. “He went to get firewood beyond the rest house. While coming back, three dwarf-sized ghosts chased him. He ran, but they were faster. But when they reached him, they simply disappeared!”

“So, what is the problem now?” asked Parvati innocently.

“You idiot! You don’t understand that they entered him? He has been speaking incoherently since evening. And now Devta is going to take them out.”

Parvati nodded and waved at Nisha to finish off the dinner fast. She was a strong believer in ghosts and she knew fish was one thing that attracted them.

A few moments later, they could hear drums and cymbals. Devta was out on his mission.

“Switch off all the lights and close the windows,” Parvati whispered. She knew that once the ghost was out of the affected person it would try to get into the nearest visible house. It was better to stay under the cover of darkness. She started reciting hymns and names of gods and goddesses in a low voice. Everyone sat in the darkness. The only glow came from the bukhari and Shevak’s bidi.

Although Nisha had never encountered a ghost, she was not afraid. In her village, there was only one ghost, which stayed in the pipul tree on the outskirts. He was not harmful except to girls and women who kept their hair untied. But she knew that there was a ghost in Peo. During her stay there, everyone kept the doors and windows closed and switched off lights for a full seven days during a particular time of the year. One of her friends told her that this was the time when a ghost was taken out to do the rounds in the city. And anyone who tried to see him died instantly. Other times of the year, he was chained and locked in a special temple next to the Mother Goddess. The Goddess was also taken out in the procession so she could stop him from doing any harm.

Diwakar sat in one corner fiddling with his cell phone. Parvati looked at him and said, “Now, don’t start playing songs!”

“I can play songs that will drive them away.”

Parvati looked confused. She did not understand this gadget properly. She could never use it even after Diwa tried to explain it to her. She also hated it, as she knew that young boys and girls kept in touch with such phones.

After awhile, she said in a low voice, “We should never joke about them!”

Ria was scared and sat close to Nisha. “Let’s go to bed,” she said clutching her shawl.

“Don’t worry, I am here with you.”

She started cleaning the plates and, looking at Diwakar, said, “The fish was real good.”

Shevak gave a long puff and threw the bidi inside the bukhari. Parvati frowned; as for her, fire was a god too. And this was an insult to her god. But she preferred to stay silent.

“We had much bigger fish during our time. The river was wide and we could catch as many as we wanted. Now you get big fish only at the trout farm in Sangla. But who will pay so much?” Shevak shrugged.

Parvati got up. She did not approve of discussing fish when there were three ghosts roaming freely outside. She left for the bedroom. But before she left, she lit an incense stick and placed it near the door. This was to conceal the fish smell. She also decided to keep Devta’s photo under her pillow in order to ward off any unwanted visitors.

Shevak was upset with Parvati cooking rice so many times. He knew he could not afford to buy it with his meager earnings. He kept quiet during dinner but now he needed to speak his mind.

“Why do you cook rice every other day?” He looked at her frowning.

“It was for the fish. One cannot eat fish with pancakes.”

“Today it was fish, yesterday it was meat and tomorrow it will be something else. You fool! You always find some dumb reason to spend my hard earned money!” He fumed, paused, and then said, “If you ask me to get rice again, I will kick you out of the house.”

Parvati kept silent, as she was afraid that he would start throwing things at her and might even beat her up if he got into a mad fit.

“You better ask your dead father to get a full sack for the donkey he dumped on me,” Shevak fumed.

Parvati felt relieved as he stretched on his bed and pulled the blanket over him. She turned away as a few tears escaped from her eyes and soaked into her pillow.

Ria was scared of the ghosts and asked Nisha to switch off the lights as she hid under the blanket. In bed, Ria moved closer to Nisha and pulled the blanket up over her head. She put one arm across her. Outside, there was an eerie silence. She could not sleep.

“Will you tell me a story, Nisha?”

“I don’t know many stories.”

“Tell me something about your village.”

“It’s a small village, like all the others. There isn’t much to tell.”

“You had a dog. Tell me about him.”

Nisha brightened with the thought of Sheru. “Sheru was a brave dog. Once when he was young a leopard came at night to attack our cattle. Sheru was scared but climbed a young poplar tree and started barking. Being young, his bark was faint and it took us a while to hear it before we went out. We saw him clinging to a branch while the leopard clawed on the trunk with his huge paws.” Nisha paused.

“What happened then?”

“My father and uncles ran out and chased the leopard away. By morning, everyone knew the story and Sheru had visitors.”

“Did Sheru bite people?”

“Never! Sheru loved people and especially children. He always stayed close to my brother, even on long walks.”

Ria wondered if they should get a dog. It was not a bad idea but aama would never allow it. A dog had a conflict with her religious views for reasons best known to her. Maybe when Ria married she would ask her husband to keep one. A dog fit her vision of life at the end of the road. A small house far away from the village where there would be a courtyard with apple trees, a swing below a tree with pink blossoms, and a dog following her wherever she went.

And then they heard the gongs and cymbals again. His job done, the Devta must be going back. In the other room, Parvati folded her hands and prayed to God. She hoped that the evil spirits would be sent far away across the peaks. She decided to call the Lama in a few days to recite hymns. This would not only usher in peace but also keep such spirits away. Like all others in the village, Parvati had equal faith in Buddhism and the Devta. Her parents were a mixed lot. Her grandmother was from Tibet and made everyone follow both religions. Parvati was her given name while a Lama christened her with a different name, one adopted from the Buddhist scriptures. Her name was difficult to pronounce and her parents called her Parvati after the name of the wife of Lord Shiva (the god of creation and destruction and lord of the animals). In the village, the names and surnames had nothing to do with family lines. The names could be anything; except for official purpose, everyone used the surname “Negi” to be identified with the tribal clan they belonged to.

Shevak sat close to the fire and looked at his son. Diwakar sat in one corner with his cell phone.

“There is no news of Chotu. I cannot get in touch with him. The fool has kept his phone switched off.”

“But he should be in Peo.”

“I checked with your Mamaji, and he said that he left a few days back for Solan.”

“What is he doing in Solan?”

“I don’t know. I don’t have any contacts there.”

“Do you want me to call his friends?”

“Why waste money on a fool?”

Shevak was not in favor of Pravin finding any sort of employment outside his village. He was practical. He knew that he would not last long with his temper. But he also knew that the land he had was not good enough for two brothers. One of them had to leave to find work. He preferred that Diwakar be the traveler, not only because he was levelheaded, but also because he was sincere. “Tomorrow, collect the railway form from Dawa. Fill it out properly and give it back to him.”

Dawa worked for the railways. He got his job under the tribal quota and was in good graces with his boss. He said that this year there was a good chance to get a few village boys in.

“The exams are later this year. If you begin to prepare now it will not be difficult.”

Diwakar nodded. He was worried for his aaté. He understood his brother to some extent. He knew that his efforts were focused on the wellbeing of the family. He silently prayed for his success.

That night Diwakar had a dream. He dreamed of riding a horse with Nisha behind him. A white horse glided across the valleys in easy stride. And then it hit the river splashing water. Nisha had her arms around him in a strong hold. They crossed valleys and went far away, to a place no one had gone before. By evening, they reached a forest. The horse reached a stream and then it stopped. The place had trees with orange and yellow flowers. Birds and birdsong filled their senses. Both got down and drank water from the stream and then sat in a clearing. Darkness fell but soon the full moon was up. Nisha looked like a fairy in the silvery moonlight. He gathered some branches and lit a fire. Then they heard distant drums. Nisha got up and danced as if she were in a primitive trance. Diwakar sat near the fire and watched in wonder. And when she was tired, she came to him.

He said, “You sleep now, while I keep watch.”

Nisha sat on a rock next to him. Diwakar kissed her eyes and soon she was asleep.