Gandikota

Let them live

There was a commotion outside, as a large crowd had gathered in the midst of the village. Ramalinga came out on the porch of his hut, as he could see three men, hands bound, being pushed and jostled by the crowd, as they were being heckled, beaten, spit upon, bringing back rather uncomfortable memories of what had happened at Gandikota.

The three men were bought to raised platform in the center,and bound to three log pillars. Their dhotis were rather soiled, and their upper torso was covered by tunics, fraying at the edges,riddled with holes.  Fear was writ large on their faces, as they looked at the mob baying for their blood. Faces tanned from working long hours in the hot sun,  grizzled, with eyes sunk in resignation. They were all lean, distinctly underfed, their long skinny arms, drooping by their sides.

Peddayya mounted the platform, and motioning the crowd to be silent, spoke out in a firm voice.

"People of Penchalakona, these men had dared to transgress on the sacred groves we hold dear to us, which we worship,  andcut the wood there. In those groves where we do not even touch the branches out of respect, where the spirits of our ancestors roam, they dared to defile it by their presence, what shall be done?"

"Kill them, kill them, stone them" as the mob cried out in unison, the uncomfortable memories of stones being pelted at Gandikota, began to flood Ramalinga's mind. These men seemed to be poor peasants, who had come here for a living.

"So death by stoning it shall be"

And they began to pelt stones on the three hapless men, bound to the logs,fully helpless.  They could not even plead for their lives, with their hands tied behind the back. The stones began to hit their faces, temple, forehead, as blood ran down their faces. The fear and agony was so writ on their visage.

"Stop it" 

A loud voice roared, as the mob paused, stunned for a while, and as they looked it was Ramalinga Nayaka, on the platform, hands stretched out, covering the three men.

"One more stone, and I would not hesitate to slaughter whoever throws it. Do not force me to shed blood on this land here"

"Narasimha, you are an outsider, you do not know our ways. For us Chenchus, those groves are our soul and spirit, and these knaves have dared defiled them, step away"

"Peddayya, I respect you and shall eternally be grateful to you for granting me another life. I do not wish to interfere in your traditions or laws.  All I ask is one chance, for these men to tell their side"

"Narasimha once again step aside, else I might have to raise the arms against you. You are just a guest here, nothing more".

"Peddayya, all I am asking is one chance to be given to these men to narrate their side of the story. After that it is your decision to punish them in whatever way you want"

After a long hesitation, Peddayya nodded.  Ramalinga turned to the men, their faces bloodied with blood trickling.

"Its the truth and only the whole truth, that stands between you and death now. I am here for you, but you need to trust me to share the truth. You seem like poor peasants, where do you come from?"

"We come from Pushpagiri, we are small peasants eking out a living on the small farms we have. With the rains failing and severe drought, we were in no position to pay the taxes demanded. Our lands were forcibly grabbed by the Palekarra there, and with no means of living we were forced to migrate"

"We moved from place to place, doing small jobs,till we came here to Penchalakona. We make a living here by cutting wood and selling it, and even that gives us a bare minimum just to live. We were looking for some good wood to sell, and that is when we stumbled on these groves. We never knew that they were sacred to these people, why would we disrespect some one's tradition. "

"We are poor but not greedy to trespass on some one else's territory.  We are new to this place, and we had no idea, of the traditions here. We committed a mistake, but it was out of ignorance, we really apologize for that"

Ramalinga Nayaka paused taking a breath, turning to the chief.

"Peddayya, not every one in the world is as fortunate as you to be blessed with abundant resources, water and food. There are places where it never rains, water is scarce, and crops often wither. I come from such a place, and I know how it is.  And peasants like them lead a hard life, often at the mercy of the Palekarra, or the revenue officials, who forcibly extort taxes from them.  Harsh conditions that force them to migrate often"

"A crime is a crime, Narasimha, whether it is committed in ignorance or knowingly, and they need to face the punishment"

"No Peddayya, there is a difference between crimes commited from those drunk with the arrogance of power, and those whose life is a daily battle of survival.  The former commit crimes, even though they have the ability to discern between right and wrong, just because they feel their immense power, gives them the immunity from any punishment. And these helpless poor men for whom every day is a struggle just to live, do not really have the ability to discern"

"If someone had willingly desecrated your sacred graves, I would have been the first to  draw my sword to cut them down. But these men did it more out of ignorance, and they deserve another chance"

"You have given me life Peddayya, and the ability to give life to some one is greater than the ability to take away some one's life. Today I ask you to grant life to these men, give them another opportunity to live"

"And what if these men are not poor peasants , but spies in disguise? Or they have been sent by the king to deliberately defile our sacred groves"

"You have my word Peddayya, if that be the eventuality, I shall not hesitate to slay these men, and kill myself for breaking your trust. I know what it means to be condemned for a crime that one is not guilty of."

"Let not the blood of innocents be shed on this land Peddayya, let not a curse fall on this beautiful land of yours".

Pedayya paused for a long time, and spoke slowly

"Your words come from your heart, Narasimha. Only those whose hearts are filled with honesty and purity of thought, can speak with such convinction and purpose. You carry a wise head on those broad shoulders of yours, and a maturity beyond your years. "

"Yet these men committed a crime, even if out of ignorance. And they shall have to face the punishment. They will have to take care of our sacred groves, and ensure no one shall defile them in future".

"Let these men live"

As the men were untied, they fell on Ramalinga's  feet in gratitude, tears of joy and relief, flowing down their cheeks.