STORY-
Country
As soon as Bhagiram untied the oxen from the bullock-cart, his five-seven years old son Lachanu came and hanged on his father’s waist and said, “There is a rat in our house. Not one, but many.”
There is immense happiness on the face of Lachanu. After the crop thrashing was over in November, Bhagiram had found many rats in his field and had brought them home. And they’d prepared chatani out of it which they ate for next two or three days. Now it is already March. In the last four months Bhagiram did not bring rats from anywhere. So, the taste of the rat’s chatani of November was still there in Lachanu’s tongue.
Bhagiram became very happy to hear to his son. He also wished to change the taste of his mouth if a few rats could be found. Rice of the Karangi breed, and salt and onion. He is fed up with the same taste for months.
“Where are the rats?” As Bhagiram asked, Lachanu caught his loin cloth and let him to their hut. Showing a hole in a corner he said, “Inside here they are. I just saw them, there are four or five of them.”
By now his wife Kinki had already handed a spade in his hands. He had bought this spade from Bansgadhi only yesterday. “I bought it on the right time,” Bhagiram felt deeply satisfied for this timely act. And without looking anywhere, he started digging.
Bhagiram didn’t tire after that. He continuously dug in the hole. And already a small ditch was being made.
“How deep hole have they made!” Kinki, leaning on the deheri, said looking at Bhagiram.
“What deep is this? I have taken the rats from very deep holes than this!” Bhagiram narrated his own bravery. Kinki was also satisfied. Her face expressed the pride of having a very brave husband. Lachanu was also amazed.
Lachanu’s hands got impatient. He picked up a small hoe and started to widen the ditch his father had made. Kinki also came to assist her husband and started to push aside the mud.
Slowly, the ditch was getting bigger and bigger. The enthusiasm in Bhagiram, Lachanu and Kinki did not decrease. Once when a rat tried to peep by taking out its head outside, Bhagiram very energetically got hold of it. He knocked it down in a single stroke and killed it. Lachanu jumped in happiness and started to play with the dead rat.
The hole was not only deep, but also slanted and stretched to a long distance. Wherever the hole directed, Bhagiram went digging towards the same direction. As he dug, he discovered that the hole stretched outside the hut. Therefore, Bhagiram hit hard at the foundation of the wall three or four times tilting the spade. And he made the holes. The mud-walls that had been battling storm, rain and the hailstorm for many years fell with a bang.
After that, digging became easier for Bhagiram. He started to dig with all his strength. In the meantime a rat came out hopping. It ran here and there inside the house. Bhagiram chased it with the spade in his hands. After a long chasing the rat was completely exhausted and in the state of surrender sat on the top of a hearth. Bhagiram forcefully hurled the spade towards the hearth. The hearth got broken. And the rat on the hearth also died instantly. Kinki started playing with this dead rat.
There was a momentum in Bhagiram’s house. There was adequate happiness on Kinki’s and Lachanu’s faces. Therefore, a few more people from the neighbourhood crowded at Bhagiram’s courtyard to know what had happened. When they saw the rat-catching, they also came along with their spade to assist Bhagiram and started to dig immediately.
One more rat sprang out of the hole and via the wall climbed the roof. Bhagiram picked up a big stone and hurled at the roof. It made a big hole on the roof. The rat fell into the floor with a thud. As soon as it fell, Lachanu got hold of it.
“This almost seems to be a quarter kilo!” Kinki took the rat in her hands and tried to guess its weight.
“Not only this! There is more.” Bhagiram was encouraged by Lachanu’s words.
“See, here is a hole too,” Kinki showed another hole. Bhagiram instructed Fattu, who had come to assist him, to dig the hole. Fattu also engaged himself in digging.
One more rat came out of the hole frightened. It climbed the deheri. Lautan who had come with Fattu stroke on the deheri. Deheri got broken and the rat also died.
The process of digging, hitting, and catching continued till evening. By evening more neighbours joined. They all started assisting Bhagiram in digging and rat-catching. Everyone had some happiness on their faces hoping that they will get to taste the rat’s chatani.
Finally, eight to ten rats were collected. Altogether they weighed almost half a kilogram. Bhagiram was happy that his hardwork was successful. Kinki didn’t know the bounds of her happiness.
At night, rat’s chatani was prepared. Till then everyone was in the courtyard. Bhagiram’s neighbours came with their plates full of rice in Bhagiram’s yard, and began to quickly gulp their rice with the chatani Kinki gave them. Bhagiram also found the Karangi rice tasties than ever before. Lachanu was also eating with taste licking his hands. Kinki also ate dipping the lump of rice on the chatani. It seemed as if there was a feast at Bhagiram’s yard.
Everyone went back to their houses belching. Bhagiram, Lachanu and Kinki also took long belches. Lachanu got intoxicated with the rice. So, he got sleepy.
“I’m feeling sleepy. Should I go to sleep?” when Lachanu said this, Kinki was frightened. Bhagiram suddenly got worried. Both of them reacted as if they regained their consciousness.
Then Kinki and Bhagiram looked at their hut. But how would the hut be there? The walls of the hut were already smashed while searching for the rats. The roof had fallen down. Deheri was broken and the corn scattered here and there. The hearth was broken too. Water pots were broken. The household was completely brought to a ruin.
Bhagiram and Kinki sat squatting on the ground. They put their hands on the head. Took a long sigh. “What happened?” There were only questions left in their faces.
“Let’s go and ask for a shelter at the neightbour’s house,” Bhagiram helplessly said. Kinki took the sleeping Lachanu in her arms and walked to the neighbour’s house behind her husband.
But the neighbours were also busy digging their houses to catch rats. The walls of their houses were also falling down. As Kinki and Bhagiram reached there, those huts too were already dismantled.
There is immense happiness on the face of Lachanu. After the crop thrashing was over in November, Bhagiram had found many rats in his field and had brought them home. And they’d prepared chatani out of it which they ate for next two or three days. Now it is already March. In the last four months Bhagiram did not bring rats from anywhere. So, the taste of the rat’s chatani of November was still there in Lachanu’s tongue.
Bhagiram became very happy to hear to his son. He also wished to change the taste of his mouth if a few rats could be found. Rice of the Karangi breed, and salt and onion. He is fed up with the same taste for months.
“Where are the rats?” As Bhagiram asked, Lachanu caught his loin cloth and let him to their hut. Showing a hole in a corner he said, “Inside here they are. I just saw them, there are four or five of them.”
By now his wife Kinki had already handed a spade in his hands. He had bought this spade from Bansgadhi only yesterday. “I bought it on the right time,” Bhagiram felt deeply satisfied for this timely act. And without looking anywhere, he started digging.
Bhagiram didn’t tire after that. He continuously dug in the hole. And already a small ditch was being made.
“How deep hole have they made!” Kinki, leaning on the deheri, said looking at Bhagiram.
“What deep is this? I have taken the rats from very deep holes than this!” Bhagiram narrated his own bravery. Kinki was also satisfied. Her face expressed the pride of having a very brave husband. Lachanu was also amazed.
Lachanu’s hands got impatient. He picked up a small hoe and started to widen the ditch his father had made. Kinki also came to assist her husband and started to push aside the mud.
Slowly, the ditch was getting bigger and bigger. The enthusiasm in Bhagiram, Lachanu and Kinki did not decrease. Once when a rat tried to peep by taking out its head outside, Bhagiram very energetically got hold of it. He knocked it down in a single stroke and killed it. Lachanu jumped in happiness and started to play with the dead rat.
The hole was not only deep, but also slanted and stretched to a long distance. Wherever the hole directed, Bhagiram went digging towards the same direction. As he dug, he discovered that the hole stretched outside the hut. Therefore, Bhagiram hit hard at the foundation of the wall three or four times tilting the spade. And he made the holes. The mud-walls that had been battling storm, rain and the hailstorm for many years fell with a bang.
After that, digging became easier for Bhagiram. He started to dig with all his strength. In the meantime a rat came out hopping. It ran here and there inside the house. Bhagiram chased it with the spade in his hands. After a long chasing the rat was completely exhausted and in the state of surrender sat on the top of a hearth. Bhagiram forcefully hurled the spade towards the hearth. The hearth got broken. And the rat on the hearth also died instantly. Kinki started playing with this dead rat.
There was a momentum in Bhagiram’s house. There was adequate happiness on Kinki’s and Lachanu’s faces. Therefore, a few more people from the neighbourhood crowded at Bhagiram’s courtyard to know what had happened. When they saw the rat-catching, they also came along with their spade to assist Bhagiram and started to dig immediately.
One more rat sprang out of the hole and via the wall climbed the roof. Bhagiram picked up a big stone and hurled at the roof. It made a big hole on the roof. The rat fell into the floor with a thud. As soon as it fell, Lachanu got hold of it.
“This almost seems to be a quarter kilo!” Kinki took the rat in her hands and tried to guess its weight.
“Not only this! There is more.” Bhagiram was encouraged by Lachanu’s words.
“See, here is a hole too,” Kinki showed another hole. Bhagiram instructed Fattu, who had come to assist him, to dig the hole. Fattu also engaged himself in digging.
One more rat came out of the hole frightened. It climbed the deheri. Lautan who had come with Fattu stroke on the deheri. Deheri got broken and the rat also died.
The process of digging, hitting, and catching continued till evening. By evening more neighbours joined. They all started assisting Bhagiram in digging and rat-catching. Everyone had some happiness on their faces hoping that they will get to taste the rat’s chatani.
Finally, eight to ten rats were collected. Altogether they weighed almost half a kilogram. Bhagiram was happy that his hardwork was successful. Kinki didn’t know the bounds of her happiness.
At night, rat’s chatani was prepared. Till then everyone was in the courtyard. Bhagiram’s neighbours came with their plates full of rice in Bhagiram’s yard, and began to quickly gulp their rice with the chatani Kinki gave them. Bhagiram also found the Karangi rice tasties than ever before. Lachanu was also eating with taste licking his hands. Kinki also ate dipping the lump of rice on the chatani. It seemed as if there was a feast at Bhagiram’s yard.
Everyone went back to their houses belching. Bhagiram, Lachanu and Kinki also took long belches. Lachanu got intoxicated with the rice. So, he got sleepy.
“I’m feeling sleepy. Should I go to sleep?” when Lachanu said this, Kinki was frightened. Bhagiram suddenly got worried. Both of them reacted as if they regained their consciousness.
Then Kinki and Bhagiram looked at their hut. But how would the hut be there? The walls of the hut were already smashed while searching for the rats. The roof had fallen down. Deheri was broken and the corn scattered here and there. The hearth was broken too. Water pots were broken. The household was completely brought to a ruin.
Bhagiram and Kinki sat squatting on the ground. They put their hands on the head. Took a long sigh. “What happened?” There were only questions left in their faces.
“Let’s go and ask for a shelter at the neightbour’s house,” Bhagiram helplessly said. Kinki took the sleeping Lachanu in her arms and walked to the neighbour’s house behind her husband.
But the neighbours were also busy digging their houses to catch rats. The walls of their houses were also falling down. As Kinki and Bhagiram reached there, those huts too were already dismantled.
(Translated by Keshab Sigdel)
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