As We Travel

As we travel we count milestones or speed of travel
As we travel we look around admiring the scenery
As we travel we listen to the multitude of sounds
As we travel we sometimes do nothing and just marvel

A travel, naturally is a multitude of experiences
Experiences that get soaked up in our mind, body and soul
Experiences that subconsciously influence our very being
Setting up a pattern for future events to come our way

However, future is unknown and unfathomable
And there lies the beauty and adventure of life
Bringing forth the importance of the present moment
The present is what we can smell, feel and entertain

As a child I have traveled in bullock cart
Cart with two wheels pulled by two bulls
The bulls had bells tied to their necks
Making tingling sounds with the rhythm of bull steps

The two bulls walked in rhythm pulling the cart
At top speed of two miles per hour in day time
Improving the speed to three miles per hour by night
We traveled more at night and rested the bulls at noon

A cot was placed on the bullock cart's flat bed
A mattress on the cot gave a comfortable ride
While the cartman sitting at the front steered the bulls
We sat on the cot or walked alongside the bullock cart


The cartman often talked to the bulls twisting their tails
Gently patting the bulls or poking their rear with a cane
Cartman’s friendly ways of communicating with the bulls
To keep up the speed of cart and reach the destination

The bullock cart journey between Dantewara and Nakulnar
With stops in between took one full day and one full night
Winding through thick forests rich in flora and fauna
Cool night breeze, humming creatures and starlit skies


Each bullock cart had a woven bamboo roof overhead
To protect its occupants from sun, wind or rain
Two family members and a cartman rode each cart
Making the journey comfortable and adventerous

The night time travel was particularly entertaining
With sleep interrupted by apprehension of a lingering tiger
Voice of the cartman talking to the bulls with funny sounds
Crack of the dawn breathing new life in our veins

Upon reaching our destination village of Nakulnar
A village official called Mukhia welcomed us with warm smile
Gracefully directing us to a cluster of huts called Gudi.
A Gudi housed a visiting official for rest and comfort

A Gudi is a hut with bamboo walls and thatched roof
The walls and floors are coated with local red clay
The red clay surfaces are renewed every morning
By mopping with a solution of cow-dung and water

The toilet is provided outside the Gudi
In a separate and small bamboo enclosure
With a hole in the ground to squat over
Sized to receive whatever you deposit

A Gudi standing amongst trees is a cool place to rest
Lying inside it on a simple cot, you experience simplicity
The simplicity of people welcoming you to the Gudi
Touches and whets your heart and soul

A cluster of Gudis housed our entire family of seven
The low profile Gudis were in the midst of a mango grove
Frequently ripe mangoes dropped on dry leaves beneath
Quitely we listened to behold and experience the campsite

While our father handled his official duties as a Judge
Our mother managed meal preparations in the Gudi's kitchen
Procuring fresh milk, vegetables, and fruits to enrich the meals
While we siblings flirted with beautiful Nature all around

The bulls seemed rested in the mango grove
Enjoying the gentle breeze amongst the shaded trees
We enjoyed picking and sampling the ripe mangoes
Awaiting mother's invitation for a grand lunch to be


Nakulnar village folks were looking forward to the evening
To celebrate the rare visit of a Government official
And this official had brought along his entire family
A grand evening tribal dance was secretly planned

There was no electricity in the entire village
Dinner by lantern-light was a treat to behold
Seven cots were lined up in front of the Gudi
Obviously for our night sleep in the mango grove

As we lay on our beds chatting under the starlit sky
There was surprise awaiting us in the darkness
A party of Muriya dancers started assembling
With oil lamps to light up the evening tribal dance

Muriya are the tribal residents of this area
Who laugh heartily and enjoy simple pleasures
They love drinking a wine of Mahuwa or Palm
And dancing the evening away in sheer joy of life

All dancers wrapped in short white clothing around their waist
Women wore vibrant bead necklaces on topless clothing
Males and females danced in separate group formations
Each dancer’s left hand around the next dancer’s waist
In right hand each female dancer had a five-foot stick
The stick had a small cluster of bells at the end
The bells made a tingling sound to the beat
And all muscular feet stepped to the rhythm of the drums

The Muriyas must dance routinely for this coordination
They did it all with such great ease and grace
And the sheer joy of dancing was obvious on their faces
The innocence of all dancers was heart warming to behold

Then we saw a young Muriya male join the female formation.
He was engaged to the Muriya girl on his left
So he wrapped his left hand around her waist
They danced side by side celebrating their engagement

Under the starlit sky and the mango grove
And in the romantic soft light of the oil lamps
The Muriyas danced their hearts off
Entertaining us and themselves as well


Gradually we started feeling sleepy as hours went by
And one by one we went off to sleep on our cots
The dancers gradually withdrew in the darkness
The stars continued to twinkle in the clear sky

That has become a memory for my lifetime
A pleasant memory to cherish about that evening
An evening that will never again be a reality
Because the Muriyas and their spectators have changed

Traveling in bullock cart at two miles per hour in 1943
And later traveling in Boeing jet at 650 miles per hour
And hearing spacecrafts landing on Mars in a few months
Has changed life entirely to a new dimension of reality

At age 72 my heart longs to travel back to Dantewara
And from Dantewara to Nakulnar
Just to be able to feel the past
What it felt to travel at two miles per hour

Most of all, what I will miss most
When I revisit Dantewara and Nakulnar
The hearty and joyous laughter of the Muriyas
That I have never seen anywhere else since then

To Muriyas, laughter is spontaneous
Their laughter displays and radiates
Self acceptance, vigor, and regal balance
In a flash of simplicity and pure joy within