a trickster tale from africa

Once upon a time there lived a Hare. Hare was very clever but he was also very lazy. His laziness often led him into trouble and brought him grief. His friends had advised him to change his ways but Hare was not one to listen.
One summers day, when the earth seemed to have become a large ball of fire, Hare sat under a tree looking very glum. He was worried because he was running out of food and his field was dry as hay. He did not want to starve to death, which he surely would if he could not get some vegetables or fruits growing on his farm. Neither did he want to work hard, which he would have to do to plough the field.
It was a difficult choice and Hare was at a loss. Thus, he sat, sighing and groaning under the tree. And as he sat there busy with his thoughts, his eyes suddenly lit up. The answer was walking right past him.
“Good day”, he called out to Elephant who was lumbering across the field. “You look so weak today, I bet you I could defeat you in a tug of war.”
Elephant snorted and kept on walking when Hare scampered across with a large rope and goaded him, “I hope you are a good loser, friend.”
Angry and irritated, Elephant decided to play along. Hare handed him one end of the rope and asked him to walk to the corner of the field while he ran across to the opposite end. He hid behind a bush until he saw Hippopotamus ambling past. “Hey”, he called out, “Care for a game of tug of war”. Hippo almost fell down laughing but Hare hopped up and down and challenged him to a fight. Hippo agreed and Hare handed him the other end of the rope.
With the two ends safely secured, Hare ran to the middle of the field, hid behind a tree and pulled at the rope. Both Elephant and Hippo pulled hard as they thought the other was tugging at the rope. As the two animals fought it out, the rope moved back and forth all over the field. And every time the rope moved, it ploughed a row in Clever Hare’s field. And so it came to be that foolish Elephant and silly Hippopotamus helped keep Hare away from hunger for years to come.

Elephants with wings

I like the way animals are depicted in myths all over the world. Every culture seems to attribute its animal world with a unique set of characteristics that are very different and yet very alike. Sounds paradoxical, but that’s the way myths are, I guess.

In India for instance we worship and fear the elephant. We also believe that the elephant is an animal that is easily tricked. Stories about Ganesha (also known as the elephant god) are popular all over the country. But we also have a myth – I think it is from Orissa – where the elephant is shown in a completely different light. They are shown as animals that possess a drunken wilfulness that is ultimately self destructive.

The story goes that there was a time that elephants had wings. They flew the skies with free abandon and often, oblivious to the bulk they carried, perched themselves on trees, huts and mountain tops. While the mountains bore their weight with ease, trees and houses were not as fortunate. They came crashing down with a frequency that angered the men and the gods. And finally there came a day when man decided that enough was enough and appealed to the gods. The gods lent a sympathetic ear and a plan was hatched.

Now it is public knowledge that elephants like their food and drink. So the people got together and invited all the elephants to a feast that lasted several days and nights until all the elephants lay down in a drunken stupor. Man who had been waiting for this moment went around chopping off their wings. Naturally when sleep wore off, the elephants were outraged and went to the gods to seek revenge against man. But it was too late and they realised that they had been tricked by both man and god.

Now for a story about elephants in African myths…

Love is not lost

Rati’s grief forced Shiva to forgive Kamadev and give him back his life. To regain his existence as a god, however, Kamdev had to take on a human avatar for one life cycle. Rati too asked to be reborn as a human so that she could be with her husband.

Rati was born as Mayavati, a servant in the palace of an Asura called Sambara and Kamdev as Pradyumna, the son of Krishna and Subhadra. Now the gods had predicted that Sambara would be killed by the son of Krishna.

In order to ensure that the gods did not get their way, Sambara kidnapped Pradyumna, months after he was born. He threw him into the river, expecting him to drown or be eaten up by a sea monster. Pradyumna however was a god and gods don't die. He was swallowed by a large fish that was trapped by a fisherman who took it to the market in the town where Sambara lived. The fish was bought by Mayawati.

The fish lay on the table in Sambara’s kitchen. A fish as big as this one needed an expert hand to slice it open and so it fell to Mayavati to do the deed. As she did so, the baby inside let out a cry. Shocked and afraid, for she knew her master was killing every baby boy in the neighbourhood, she hid the child. Soon, Mayavati discovered that hiding this child was not a difficult proposition at all. He was invisible to everyone but her and in a divine flash, she realised that the gods had sent Kamadev back. Pradyumna grew up in Sambara’s house and all was well until a wild rumour spread through town. Rumour had it that Sambara’s killer was alive and living in his own house.

Sambara was livid. He summoned Mayavati for an explanation. When she refused to answer his questions, he tortured her and threatened to kill her. Incensed, Pradyumna made himself visible and slew Sambara. Love won and Pradyumna and Mayavati were wed. After living out his life in his human avatar, Pradyumna and Mayavati were reinstated in heaven where they continue to spread love among all.

Love is invisible

According to Hindu mythology, Kamadev is the god of love. Among the oldest gods in the pantheon, he is considered to be an indispensable, although not a major god. Kamadev is close to the Trinity (Brahma, Vishnu and Maheshwara) and is treated with indulgence and affection by the mighty ones.

In some stories he is shown as a harmless and well meaning god. In others, he is a bit of a pest, dropping in on unsuspecting devas, sadhus and tapasvis and breaking their penance with his well-aimed arrows. Although he is liked by all, he is not always a welcome guest because his arrival invariably complicates matters. Every god has had to suffer his pranks some time or the other.

The story goes that Shiva was in the midst of a severe penance. His tapas (austerities and sacrifice that generates heat that can burn down the universe) was so great that Brahma and Vishnu feared it would destroy all creation. Shiva was oblivious to their worries as he was submerged in his grief for his wife, Sati.

Sati, daughter of Daksha, had killed herself because her father had insulted Shiva by not inviting him for a yagn at his palace. Losing Sati meant the end of the world for Shiva. He destroyed Daksha and his kingdom and danced the tandava in his anger and then immersed himself in tapasya. It was a terrible tapasya where Shiva turned his eye away from his own creation and the gods worried that this could destroy the world.

The gods approached Kamdev. They needed his help to get Shiva to find love again. Parvati, who was an incarnation of Sati, had been created for Shiva but he was so engrossed in meditation that he had not even seen her. Kamdev was wary of Shiva’s temper but, he agreed to do the gods’ bidding.

Armed with his bow that had a string of bees and arrows tipped with passion, he made his way to Kailasa, Shiva’s home. He waited until the moment was right and aimed an arrow at Shiva’s heart. The arrow found its mark and Shiva opened his eyes. Angered at the sight of Kamadev who had disturbed his penance; he opened his third eye and instantly burnt him to ashes.

However the arrow had done its work. Shiva fell in love with Parvati and creation was pulled back from the brink of destruction.

Meanwhile, Kamadev’s wife Rati was inconsolable. She appealed to the gods who asked her to approach Parvati who was the only one who could influence her husband into reversing his actions. Shiva, now blissfully wedded to Parvati, forgave Kamadev and agreed to bring him back to life but, in a formless form. He was to be invisible to all except Rati.

got a story to tell...

Stories are a part of everything we do. We have stories that preach, stories that bring doomsday warnings to life and stories that weave complex patterns around our basic emotions. Every story carries within it a magic potion that works on different people in different ways. For some, it is a cup of coffee that stimulates the mind and soul. For some it may be like a spoonfull of bitter medicine. And for some others, it may bring respite to a day full of rush and bustle. As for me, stories are spirits that have haunted me all my life. And they stay on long after I have met them in books, magazines or in a stranger’s tales.

I read a story or listen to one and it lodges itself in my being. Its characters converse, admonish and threaten from time to time. They make complete nuisances of themselves --- perching themselves on the sidelines of my life and running crazy through my mind when I would want it to function at its sanest best. Stories and characters fly out at me in odd and completely unexpected ways all the time. IÂ’ve sat in meetings staring squarely at a man who looks like a smug pig, straight out of an Orwellian farm. I have tried hard to keep a placid face when dealing with powerful women and men who sound like one of literature's spiteful school teachers, evil geniuses and daredevil comic book characters; I have met them all in the course of my rather boring and mundane day jobs.

This blog is for the stories that have spoken to me over the years (there have been many years and many stories). It is for all of us who love a good story. It is for hare, lion and tortoise in Panchatantra. It is for Hercule Poirot and his entertaining escapades. It is for the hours that have flown by as I waded through the ocean of myth and fable This blog is for all of us who don't think a story is a waste of time.

I shall be writing in stuff about myth, folklore and as and when possible, will document some of the stories that I have been collecting over the years. I hope that all who are interested in good kissa or, have a kahani to share, will find this site interesting. Come,join the bazaar.

Just beginning...hang in there!

Guys,
After a lot of thought, hesitation, dithering and crossed fingers, have finally taken the plunge. So, here's it...my blog!!!! More, later...