Haan Small

Haan Small

Scaring the Buffalo

Scaring the buffalo

 It was Amritsar and I was in 4th standard in 1974 at St Francis high School on  Lawrence road. Since my Father had gone on a long course so I stayed with my mother and aunt near the Guru Nanak Dev University just outside it. The accommodation in the university where my aunt was a reader was  under construction so we had to stay in a house on hire outside for a few months. I had lot of friends there. The place was Roopmahal, a huge double storey house having two sets of dwellings : One on the first floor where my friends Jassi and Navi lived  whose mom was also in the university and a reader in maths and   the ground floor where we lived their father was also in the army and posted at some other station. It was an open house which had adequate place to move around and play with high boundary walls all around it  for its security. It had a huge gate with a wicket gate in it from where we generally popped out to play with the friends circle outside. The road outside was called Dr. Surat Singh road and it met the main road going to Attari  towards Pakistan which was  very busy throughout the day. We however kept ourselves restricted to the other side on the left of our gate which went to fields after about travelling half a km as there were lot of empty land plots and bushes there  which has become a concrete jungle now full of constructed houses. As we came out of the gate to our  right towards the Attari road junction two more of our friends lived ,Bitto who lived just opposite to our house and further ahead from Bitto's house opposite to his there lived a friend called Muthu who actually was a servant kept by one of the Landlady who was acquainted to us and he would play with us  whenever we visited their house with our moms so being of the same age group our interests soon matched further as a result he  also joined our group. He was from south and thus spoke broken hindi which appeared funny to us. Bitto was a son of a local landlord of that area and spoke pure punjabi and nothing else except very broken hindi at times. I, Jassi and Navi  were from the army backgrounds spoke hindi with each other and spent time together as we lived one above the other so we would continue to play till late nights also at times.

 It was a wonderful time as I, Jassi and Navi would go to the same school in the university bus which would pick us from the Attari junction till where we walked as the distance was just about 300m from our house and would come back in the evenings together. Bitto studied in the famous Khalsa college which was close by about a km away and would thus go on his bicycle. We all met generally in the evenings after we came back from our school, rested ,did our homework and then went out for play. We would have a very nice time on Sundays as would start our day from dusk to dawn and generally ventured out till lunch time  after which we stayed near our houses so that we are at a call away from our mom's voice.

Muthu was very good in showing magic tricks . He would place one matchstick in each of his hand after picking it one by one from over his upper thigh and then do Phoooooo! After which we would notice that instead of one match stick in each of his closed fist  two of them would appear in one single fist. He would do another rope trick in which he aimed one end of the rope into a loop and with a speed take it across the loop which no one else  could do. The best among them all would be that  he would place a bedsheet on the floor and lie down on it  placing his arms in such a way that he folded himself into it and when he got up he would turn into an elephant with a moving live trunk which he moved up, down, left and right and we all would have a lot of fun. He was master in all such type of pranks and tricks. Half the time we would be requesting him to teach some of the most interesting ones and he would not .

The day was sunny and it was a holiday so it was decided that we all will venture out towards the village side and would go for a hunt too apart from having a picnic in the green fields at a spot where a tubewell was located. I had my catapult with me and so had Bittoo. We carried a bedsheet to sit down and some sandwiches with a water bottle also. We started off and proceeded towards the village . On our way we went through a small bushy forest where lot of pigeons were there whom we had planned to hit with our catapults but sensing our motives the pigeons at once flew away so we could only practice target hitting by placing some old bricks and breaking them with the stones. One by one everyone of us tried till we got fed up and then planned to move ahead. It was getting hot and we increased our pace .

Soon we reached the outskirts of the village where one or two sheds were seen where a buffalo was tied up and it was having its fodder from a cemented manger which had two parts one was filled with water and the other one with the green fodder which she was having it peacefully. She looked at us with her big eyeballs turned towards us as if watching what the strangers are upto in a group. While we were walking an idea struck Muthu and he said,

"Abhi maja lena?"(Now shall we  have some fun?)

We all looked at him guessing what idea must be hovering in his mind. Jassi also said alongwith me

"Chal(Come)"

"Pehley wo chaddar nikalna"(First take out that bedsheet)

We took out the bedsheet from our bag.

Muthu wasted no time in further explaining us what he was going to do and quietly spread the bedsheet onto the ground on the soft grass and started to become elephant with a moving trunk. While getting ready for the action which he had planned he issued instructions to us to be ready to sprint if required to a safe place but we did not understand the seriousness of the matter and thought that he is just saying to gain importance as did not foresee any danger because of his action. He was ready and had turned into an elephant as he usually did with that bedsheet.

"Abhi maja dekhna"(Now see the fun), he said and started to move towards that buffalo who was already suspecting something fishy. She could not understand what a person covered with bedsheet would do from such a far distance as was about more than 50 m away from us tied with a thick steel chain chewing the cud peacefully with raised mouth.

 Muthu slowly approached her and when was about 20 m from her he started to move the trunk of the elephant with his raised arms on top of his head covered with the bed sheet. Seeing this the buffalo could not understand what had happened to a normal human being in wrapped in a cloth and how the trunk was moving and she was petrified with fear. Her eyeballs bulged out and turned red in colour, her tail rose up at 90 degrees to the ground, her forelimbs widened and she bent forward trying to pull herself back to get rid of that chain in her neck. The chain was thick and strong but I could see some of its links buckling. She applied all her strength in fear to get away from there and gave repeated jerks to the chain due to which the holdfast to which the chain was tied started to loosen with each jerk. Muthu however did not stop moving the trunk of the elephant and rather started to move it more forcefully at the same time  approaching  her still nearer  due to which the buffalo went mad with fear and behaved as if the elephant had put his feet on her. She pissed off and applied such a force that the chain got snapped and out came the complete holdfast. As she got herself freed she sprinted in the opposite direction away from us towards the village ,rather galloped like a horse with the broken chain hitting her knees while she ran. She ran at her top speed and her body waved like a ship in a storm up and down due to her heavy body. Muthu followed her for about 10 m and then took out his bedsheet, folded it quickly and ran towards us saying,

"Run!"

 Meanwhile the owner of that buffalo came out of the shed due to the loud noise of buffalo and sound made by breaking of chain from the place where he must be relaxing. As he came out he saw his buffalo galloping like a horse . He shouted at the top of his voice in the language which was understood by her pet buffalo to stop but she would not listen to him as was petrified. Within minutes she disappeared and went away very far and was invisible. The owner of that buffalo, a farmer,  also ran following her for some distance with a  stick in his hand but turned back when he was convinced that she had gone too far ahead. Muthu meanwhile asked us also to disappear as we were more interested in watching the fun with curiosity.

After sometime we saw that farmer in turban with a vest, pyjama and a stick in his hand returning empty handed and approaching us. Jassi said that he must be coming to sort us out and we at once ran towards our respective houses. Muthu as such had disappeared by now and was not seen anywhere. A few seconds later we could hear that villager abusing us from behind asking to stop. We also were soon running like that buffalo now fearing that the blame would come on us. I ,Jassi  and Navi quickly ran into our house and closed the main gate immediately locking it from inside. That villager meanwhile saw Bitto entering his house and I could see him running after him while I peeped from an opening in my gate as Bitto's house was next to mine. Fearing that Bitto will get caught I also entered the house inside and waited along with Jassi and Navi to hoping that the matter would soon settle down once that farmer leaves the area. But he would not give away so easily as he had reached Bittoo's house and started to bang the gate of his house from outside. Fearing that before anyone else in Bittoo's house comes to know what had happened Bittoo quietly came out and attended  that person who was boiling hot with anger.

"Oh kehra munda si jehra meri majj noo dara riha si?"(Who was that boy who was  scaring my buffalo?)

"Mainoo nahin pata oh kiththe rahinda hai".(I do not know where he lives), replied Bitto

"Too jhooth bolda hai uh te tere naal si jihra sabto pahila bhajjya si"(You are telling a  lie as he was with you who ran away first from there), said the farmer whose buffalo ran away in fear.

Although Bittoo knew very well that Muthu ‘s house was just next door and opposite to his but just to distract him and save Muthu from getting into further trouble he walked towards the Roopmahal where we all lived. As they came and knocked our gate our heart skipped a beat as we feared danger and getting involved further . I and Navi quietly came near the gate and saw both of them standing near the gate .So in order to avoid them meet our mothers and give a try to solve the problem at our level itself so that the news does not travel further into our mother's ears I opened the door of the gate. Bittoo said to me in front of him,

"Oh yaar ainoo dassi Muthu da ghar kiththe hai.  Mainoo tey pata nahin hai" (Yaar please do tell him where Muthu lives as I do not know his house). I got a shock hearing this and understood the story that Bittoo wanted to get rid of him by putting a dead snake in my neck so I also acted accordingly  and said,

"Kaun Muthu main tey kisey muthu noo nahin janda ?"(Which Muthu I do not know any Muthu here)

And there started heated conversation between him and all of us. Hearing this the matter no longer remained a secret and Jassi's mother came out. On narrating the matter to her the farmer said,

"Deko bibi ji inha mundiyan ne meri majj noo dara ke bhaja dita hai te hun mainoon oh kaley bandar vargey munday da address nahin das rahen ne. Ya tey uhda address dasson ya phir meri majj dey 3000 rupaiye  pharao" (Look madam these boys have scared my buffalo and made her run away and they are not telling me the address of that black monkey type of boy. You either tell his address or pay the cost of my buffalo of Rs 3000/-)

Everyone started to collect near our house as the matter was getting serious as the time was passing by. Jassi's  mother asked us  who was it and we told her the story. She then told that farmer that his buffalo must be nearby only so he should not get worried as we will help you in this matter and now   he should search  Muthu  ahead. She also told him that these boys will help him find Muthu. He then got a bit satisfied  and said ,

"Chalo pher(Come then)"

We all took him to Muthu's house where his landlady came out and when she heard the story she called Muthu and said,

"Vey marjaneyaa  too ki sharatan karda rahenda  hai (You  wretch what prank you keep playing?)"

"Hum kuch nahin kiya hum to hathi hathi khel raha tha woh to apney aap bhaag gaya"(I did not do anything I was playing elephant elephant and the buffalo ran away on her own)

"Bibi mere 3000/- rupaiyee pharao ya mujj labh ke lihaoo(Madam give me my 3000 Rs or get my buffalo back), said the farmer in an angry voice.

"Khasman khaneya teri majj da asi theka liya hai uh teh dar ke bhaj gayi is wich bacheyaan da ki kasoor hai. Too ja ke apni majj labh (You wretch! Have we taken a contract to protect your buffalo who ran away in fear for which these children are being  blamed unnecessarily)

Hearing the reply the farmer was spell bound as Muthu had not told her the correct and complete story but he kept quiet as the landlady was having many men with big sticks to protect her in her area so he mellowed down and said ,

"Bibi main tey garib banda haan too hi das main ki karan main teh uhda dudh bech ke hi  apna ghar chalana haa "(Madam what shall I do I am a poor person as I sell her milk and run the household with it).

"Hun too banda ban ke gal kar rihan hai. Veh Muthu ! khasman khaneya! Ainoo chaa pila te ehdey naal teen char bandey hor le ja kay ihdi majj labh. Teh Marjaneya! Is ghar che tad vari jadon majj labh jaey (Now you are speaking like a gentleman.Hey Muthu! you wretch! Get him some tea and then take 3 to 4 of our men and go and search for his buffalo. And you damn ! Do not enter the house till you find his buffalo back ) she said scolding to Muthu.

"Bibi tera bahut bahut shookriya"(Madam thanks a lot) said the farmer sipping hot tea which Muthu gave him and asked advising the landlady,

"Bibi eh kala bandar kithon lihanda hai bara shaitaan hai ehnoo Madras vapis chad aaoo nahin te jina aokhaa kar dega toohada"(Madam from where have you brought this black monkey ? He is very naughty so send him back to Madras otherwise he will make life hell for you)

"Too apni majj noo saambh ke rakh jihari kale bandar to hi darr gayee hai teh ihda khayal main rakh lavaangey"(You take care of your buffalo who fears black monkeys .I'll take care of him ) replied the landlady possessively.

The farmer then left and soon his buffalo was back after a lot of search as she had fled to the adjacent village and was returned soon by someone from that village.

The next day when Muthu met us he said,

"Oos din hum bola tha ki woh darr jayegi tum log manta nahin tha"(I told you that day that the buffalo will get scared but you did not agree)"

We then onwards took his words seriously and did not question him further as he was an experienced prankster. We learnt many tricks of magic from him with great effort as he would not tell us so easily. He was indeed a master in it and those tricks I still share with my friends in party or when we have fun in a gathering . The reminiscences of  my sweet friend Muthu whom I had met 36 years back are indeed fresh and beautiful which I cherish them even today .

About the Author

The author is a civil engineer and an officer in govt services

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