Chapter
5
Every now and then, the
thoughts about the sadhu distracted
me. Sometimes I felt haunted, other times troubled and often curious. One
morning, I decided to take the plunge. ‘Why not I dare the sadhu and question him?’
I trekked to Chithira Sabhai. Not finding him there,
I decided to while away my time and wait for him. The entire afternoon passed
and he was not in sight. I waited till the evening and darkness was setting in.
Depressed, I decided to get back.
I was hungry as I had not
eaten anything during the day. Nothing was available to eat. I was now used to
very flexible eating habits and was quite accustomed to starving. Many people
observed fasting on a number of days for religious reasons and on those days,
even I had to observe fasting out of compulsion. So, eating or not eating
anything on a particular day didn’t make any significant difference to me. I
decided to ignore my hunger and take a small walk on the narrow road leading to
the Five Falls. There was a small diversion on the left leading to Chitraruvi (The Small Falls) located at
an elevation and then further to Shenbagadevi
Falls and Thenaruvi (Honey Falls).
People walked to these waterfalls in groups, especially on Full Moon days to
worship Goddess Shenbagadevi. The
hill side was known for the fragrance of its shenbaga flowers and hence the name for the waterfalls. I ignored
the diversion and walked ahead towards Five Falls. The hillock on my left was
covered by dense forest and on my right, the land was sloping down, covered by
coconut groves and standing paddy crops. Not many braved to live near the hillside unless they could be friendly with wild animals.
On my way, in the dark
corners of the hills, I saw someone in saffron clothing moving behind a cluster
of dense trees, at the far end. Out of curiosity, I sidestepped the road, wanting to go after him and doubled up my strides. I was sure it must be the
same sadhu .
The sadhu moved swiftly into the hills and the nearby woods. He was at
one place one time, disappeared mysteriously, only to reappear in another dark
corner. ‘How is he able to do that?’ I wondered. I was no match for him for his
speed, but I kept following him. It was darker now and I had considerable
difficulty in keeping pace with him. The slopes, the bushes, the small rocks
and stones were tough on me. I slipped in many places bruising myself in the
process. The sadhu went deeper and
deeper into the woods and I lost track of him. After some time, I got exhausted
and gave up.
I was in the center of the woods
and darkness. I was nervous and scared as I struggled to find my way back.
*****
I made enquiries about the sadhu in the neighborhood, but none
seemed to know much about him personally. Many believed that he had
extraordinary mystical powers and had performed miracles in the lives of many
people – some were cured of diseases, some got rid of financial problems, some had
children, some got married and so on. The same story about him again.
‘He ought to be a Siddha,’ someone told me. I had already
learnt that Siddhas were there
everywhere in the entire range of Podhigai hills and that they were mystics,
seemingly living for ever, – may be hundreds of years - possessing extraordinary powers, and presenting
themselves at different places at the same time. Many were revered a lot and
many were feared. People advised me to be cautious and be wary of the dangerous
Sadhus.
My curiosity heightened and
I was now determined to confront him. ‘Why was he avoiding me, when he was the one
wanting me to meet him at Chithira Sabhai?”
I needed to get some answers.
Somehow, my next several
attempts to meet with him at Chithira
Sabhai failed, as though he planned it that way.
‘Is he punishing me for not
waiting for him to open his eyes when I first sighted him inside Chithra Sabhai?’
On some occasions I thought
I spotted him and with the resolution I followed him into the woods. But he always
seemed to have a knack of disappearing mysteriously from my sight into
darkness. Besides, I was also scared of the woods, hills, and darkness and I couldn’t
stretch myself beyond a point.
Six months passed by and the
sadhu was still elusive to me, as he
continued to play ‘hide and seek’ with me.
My life became more a
routine now. A school offered me a part time job to teach small children and I
gladly accepted the assignment. It improved my cash flow.
*****
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