The stranger - II

“Let’s get on with the journey.”

The bus was halted as Raghu had once again witnessed the mysterious man. The driver was all set to start the bus when he saw the huge rocks tumbling down the mountain. Raghu was besides the driver. They both were shell shocked to see the landslide right in front of their eyes. Landslides occur when the gravitational force exceeds the strength of the materials that compose the slope. Landslides can be initiated by rainfall, earthquakes, stream erosion or a combination of any of these factors. But, at the moment Raghu and the driver could only manage to witness the nature’s fury with disbelief.

The road which had existed a few minutes was all gone now. The thundering sound of the landslide had woken up the other passengers of the bus. They were all shocked to see the terrible sight. This had happened in the month of August so rainfall could have been one of the reasons for the initiation of the landslide. All the passengers were now gripped with fear. However, the onslaught of the nature stopped at a few meters away from where the bus was now standing.

“We’re very lucky” said a passenger with trembling fear.

“Let’s get out of here as quickly as possible” came a voice from the backseat of the bus.

“I know of an alternate route. It is a long route but we are left with no other option.”

The driver drank some water, regained his composure and they again set out. He didn’t want to waste any more time as that area was prone to landslide.

 Raghu, meanwhile, couldn’t believe that a few minutes of delay had saved them. He had got off the bus for just a few minutes which was the reason why they were still alive.  He cleared his mind of these thoughts and took out his phone. He contacted the police helpline and gave them details of the landslide. No other passenger could sleep till they had reached the destination. 

Raghu had desired to take the day off after a strenuous journey but impending work meant that he had to report to his office. The bank staff would gather at lunch time to share their day’s work, the new policies that were being implemented and also to discuss their day to day life. Raghu narrated the landslide incident and how lucky they were to escape the predicament unscathed.

One of his co-workers, Sanjay said “You should seek the blessings of the god.” He then told him about a nearby temple which was quite popular among the locals. Raghu wasn’t a very religious person but, nonetheless he believed in gods. He accepted his friend’s invitation to go and seek the blessings once their work was done.

Raghu and Sanjay both set out for the temple. It took them some time to reach the temple.  Like all other temples in Goa, this was also beautifully carved. The temple was empty barring the priest and one more devotee. The devotee was an old man supposedly in his 70’s. He was a regular visitor and came to the temple every day.

 Raghu walked up to the idol and just as he looked at the idol he stood there frozen. His expressions changed rapidly. He was astonished. The other devotee who was present there looked at Raghu and said” I know what you’re feeling right now. I have also passed through the same disbelief and amazement. I’ll tell you a story and maybe that will help you to feel better.”

The old man started narrating the story. The story was set in 1960’s when the devotee was a young man and had lost his way while coming back home at night. He was very scared and frightened with hardly any street lights. The jungles were very dense and he wasn’t able to navigate properly. Then he saw a tall person whose description was exactly the same as that of the stranger who Raghu had witnessed. The stranger carried a long bamboo stick. He told the frightened youth that he is the guardian of the village and there is no need to be scared of him. He also told him that he likes to move at night and provide protection and keep vigil over the property of his devotees. This was the reason why his sandals get worn out. The youth had no other option then to trust him. The stranger then guided him in the right direction and before he could thank him he had disappeared. The youth then told the seniors of his village who believed that he was none other than Betal (बेताळ).

Betal is considered to be the gram devata(village chief) and is worshipped in the form of warrior Shiva. He is also considered to be Shiv Sardar (warlord) in lord Shiva’s army.

Raghu could no longer comprehend what was going on. He always considered himself to be a rational and pragmatic person. But, what had happened in the last few weeks had shaken him. The drums beating(Shiva’s damru), the appearance of the man, the delay which saved them from destruction when he tried to approach the man.  All these things were now making him uneasy.

He then stepped out of the temple and checked the watch. It was 8.30 pm. He had got so engrossed in the old man’s story that he couldn’t keep a count of the time. The temple was now closed. He had many unanswered questions in his mind. He now felt that the world around him had turned blank.

As he was about to start his journey back home he saw the stranger again waving his hand and smiling at him. The stranger then moved in the direction of the dense jungle.

---Tejas Ekawade

Note: While this story is a work of fiction, Betal temples do exist in Goa. Also, some old villagers claim that they have seen a tall figure moving in the village late at night. It is left up to the readers to infer their own conclusion.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shree_Betal_temple