03 Jun The Chronicles of Village Life – Part 3

May 29th, 2019

So… One week to go for me to complete 2 months here at Brambe, a village near Ranchi.

Just putting it out there even sounds unreal. And yet, here I am, living the life.

Living the life of constant struggles, frustrations, and unending battles.

There is no fun and no excitement in living in a village with erratic power supply and the merciless sun beating down on you. The giant orchard behind me provides no respite.
In fact, all it provides is a haven for my most hated enemy-creepies and crawlies, all kinds. Every day, I sweep out at least a dozen, all belonging to different families.

Add to that, these insects have declared a war on me. So much so that, every time I step out of my room, I have to wave my arms like a sword-wielding Ninja. Above my head, near my ears, flap, swoosh, flap-flap, swoosh, whoosh, and repeat. Until the first wave of insects is driven away and I can take a step forward. After which I repeat the initial sequence of maneuvering the imaginary swords.

Of these, I suspect, the lizards have taken a special vow to make my life hell. I have to pick up the broom and practice an intricate karate move using the broom and my arm as an extended weapon meant to annihilate my opponent. Except all that it actually results in is the darned thing rolling its beady eyes at me and menacingly taking a step forward toward me.

I half imagine it to leap at me, at which point I expect to bring down the sword (read broom) like the brave Maratha/Rajput/Mughal/Pandava warrior I am not, and remove its existence from planet Earth. Instead, what actually happens is me taking a step back, resulting in it laughing at me uproariously, after which it either gets bored and leaves or scatters away to its comrades to mock and laugh at me. Bloody gossipy things!

Is it possible that they are spies? Or members of an advance party sent to recce my combat preparations? Is there a bigger army coming in? Either that, or I have some kind of an inbuilt magnet for these reptiles and insects?

The school campus has over 3000 trees of various types. The lush greenery attracts many different insects and reptiles, like scorpions and snakes.

For there can be no other explanation of how after running away from them and toward my home in Delhi, who do I encounter on the very first day of my visit? Yes, a fair, fat, well-fed lizard. I wonder if it travelled ticketless to Delhi on the same Air Vistara flight that I had boarded from Ranchi. For it looked eerily similar to the one I had driven out of my room here a couple of days earlier.

At home, I was unable to drive the despicable thing out for it went and hid in some crevice between the walls. Much like how they scamper and take cover here at Brambe.

Not for a moment do I have respite from these disgusting creatures big and small the good God made whom all.  If during the day, it is all kinds of shriek-inducing creatures including but not limited to the spiders and lizards, during the night out come the frogs and crickets and some others who lurk in the shadows like murderers in thriller films waiting to strike their victims at the opportune moment.

One day, when I am found lying in a pool of blood and no murder weapon in sight, please tell Sherlock Holmes that the murder accused had two long antennae on its head, wings on its back, could fly at the speed of lighting, and that it wasn’t a vampire.

Until then, I am off to drive away yet another lizard. This time, this time, I shall bring the sword down and avenge myself. Hopefully before breaking dawn.

Which is the most challenging place you’ve lived at? Do you think you could live in a place like Brambe? Do share your thoughts and comments via the comment box below.