They say never let a woman's tear seep into the ground. So much has this thought been ingrained in the culture of this land that it is a phrase to say, "Why make a girl's tear touch the earth" to convey that " why hurt a girl"!
It is for the lust of land that great wars are waged. Blinded by the riches of the lush green earth and a quest for power, many a great kingdoms have dwindled. This is one such story..
They all lived in a joint family as people did in those days. Two brothers and their respective families. Their house overlooked a large verandah covered with the rich red soil of the region. Rows of ropes ran parallel to the periphery of the compound. Clothes washed on stone in one corner of the house were put to dry on these ropes and were promptly dried courtesy the smiling sun.
The fields surrounded the house on all sides. A narrow path led from the house and through the fields onto the main road that took one to the market. The land was bountiful and acres of field bestowed plenty of grains to establish the house as the most prominent of those times. Happy as the superficial facade may seem, all was not well within the house.
One of the brothers was not happy sharing the riches with the other. Jealousy and greed claimed all fraternal feelings. The burning desire to become the lord of the house and thereby the richest man of the village engulfed his thoughts day and night. He was waiting for the right opportunity to strike and he found one soon.
The people in the house were out in the fields. In those days the field work was done by the members of the house itself. Field labors were few. The elder brother returned home in the afternoon sooner than others and the younger one, who always kept a tab on his movements, followed him stealthily.
Without delay, he killed the elder brother in one swift movement of the field sickle. He was yet to withdraw his sickle when he heard the sharp cry of a woman in the house. His elder brother's wife had seen the cold blooded murder of her husband by her brother-in-law. She came out rushing and her cries made others in the field alert. The younger brother quickly dumped his sickle and acted equally shocked. The poor woman cried and pined for justice for the ruthless killing of her husband by his brother. The family did nothing and turned a deaf ear. Not only were they aware of the devious schemes of the younger brother, they also defended him. They pushed out the widow from the house in the scorching summer heat.
The house was fully aware of the power the younger one yielded and who was capable of killing anyone who dared to cross his path. Maybe it was to safeguard their own position in the house or maybe it was to save the widow ( after all she had to look after her children) from being killed, the rest of the family participated in this grave injustice.
Broken, hurt beyond measure and left to her own devices, the poor woman along with her children walked through the narrow road. As she crossed the compound, her tears dampened the earth and the clothes drying on the ropes caught fire...
Too consumed by her sorrow, she kept on walking, her kids following her through the maze of roads in the fields. Her tears soaked the mother earth in sorrow so much that the entire stretch, the woman passed through, became barren. It is now a wilderness what was once a treasure of a land.
They say, years after the woman left the house, no one could still put clothes to dry on ropes in that compound. They caught fire as soon as they were put. The family gradually deteriorating in wealth as the land refused to bear grains. The descendants of the house were falling sick or meandered on wrong paths before they vanished completely. No known descendants survived. As to what happened to the wronged woman and her children is little known..
And they say.. Never let a woman's tear seep into the ground...
It is for the lust of land that great wars are waged. Blinded by the riches of the lush green earth and a quest for power, many a great kingdoms have dwindled. This is one such story..
They all lived in a joint family as people did in those days. Two brothers and their respective families. Their house overlooked a large verandah covered with the rich red soil of the region. Rows of ropes ran parallel to the periphery of the compound. Clothes washed on stone in one corner of the house were put to dry on these ropes and were promptly dried courtesy the smiling sun.
The fields surrounded the house on all sides. A narrow path led from the house and through the fields onto the main road that took one to the market. The land was bountiful and acres of field bestowed plenty of grains to establish the house as the most prominent of those times. Happy as the superficial facade may seem, all was not well within the house.
One of the brothers was not happy sharing the riches with the other. Jealousy and greed claimed all fraternal feelings. The burning desire to become the lord of the house and thereby the richest man of the village engulfed his thoughts day and night. He was waiting for the right opportunity to strike and he found one soon.
The people in the house were out in the fields. In those days the field work was done by the members of the house itself. Field labors were few. The elder brother returned home in the afternoon sooner than others and the younger one, who always kept a tab on his movements, followed him stealthily.
Without delay, he killed the elder brother in one swift movement of the field sickle. He was yet to withdraw his sickle when he heard the sharp cry of a woman in the house. His elder brother's wife had seen the cold blooded murder of her husband by her brother-in-law. She came out rushing and her cries made others in the field alert. The younger brother quickly dumped his sickle and acted equally shocked. The poor woman cried and pined for justice for the ruthless killing of her husband by his brother. The family did nothing and turned a deaf ear. Not only were they aware of the devious schemes of the younger brother, they also defended him. They pushed out the widow from the house in the scorching summer heat.
The house was fully aware of the power the younger one yielded and who was capable of killing anyone who dared to cross his path. Maybe it was to safeguard their own position in the house or maybe it was to save the widow ( after all she had to look after her children) from being killed, the rest of the family participated in this grave injustice.
Broken, hurt beyond measure and left to her own devices, the poor woman along with her children walked through the narrow road. As she crossed the compound, her tears dampened the earth and the clothes drying on the ropes caught fire...
Too consumed by her sorrow, she kept on walking, her kids following her through the maze of roads in the fields. Her tears soaked the mother earth in sorrow so much that the entire stretch, the woman passed through, became barren. It is now a wilderness what was once a treasure of a land.
They say, years after the woman left the house, no one could still put clothes to dry on ropes in that compound. They caught fire as soon as they were put. The family gradually deteriorating in wealth as the land refused to bear grains. The descendants of the house were falling sick or meandered on wrong paths before they vanished completely. No known descendants survived. As to what happened to the wronged woman and her children is little known..
And they say.. Never let a woman's tear seep into the ground...
3 comments:
Well- narrated. I love these stories which give the origin of sayings :)
Until later,
Keirthana :)
Spoooky...and it all started with Greeg. Sad!
Loved how you narrated this!
Very very engaging narration ! Loved this..and it is so damn true!
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