This is the story of a giant. His name was Bawandar Balwan. Now, you would think with a name like that he would be a horribly dangerous creature who would tear out limbs, crush bones and smash heads at the slightest provocation. But Bawandar Balwan, or Baba as he was called by his doting parents, was anything but that.
A happy-go-lucky, friendly sort of chap, he had only two passions in life – eating and sleeping – not necessarily in that order. And since he had plenty of both, he was contented with life. One day, when he was around 12, his world came crashing down – quite literally. He lived with his parents in a large cave between two huge mountains. There was a massive earthquake and the mountains collapsed like a pack of cards. Baba suffered a blow on his head and fainted. When he regained consciousness, he could see only rubble all around. He hunted for his parents but couldn’t find them.
He then left the place and sought refuge in a thick jungle with trees even taller than him! Soon, he got used to taking care of himself. He was a vegetarian and as long as he got sufficient fruits to eat, he could manage. However, he missed his parents terribly and kept praying he would find them sometime, somewhere.
Once as he was exploring the jungle, he chanced upon a tree from which were hanging bright red berries, the size of apples. He plucked a few dozen and popped them in his mouth. The next instant, he was jumping in the air, shouting, screaming and yelling. It was as if his tongue had been set on fire. He ran through the jungle looking for water. He found a waterfall and standing under it, opened his mouth to drink as much water as possible. It was of no use, the burning sensation would not go.
The orchard
Madhu was a six-year-old girl who lived in a village next to a dense jungle. She lived with her parents, who worked in the fields. One night, she was lying on her little cot in front of her little hut looking at the pale moon as it appeared from behind a huge cloud. Everyone in the village had slept and it was quiet.
Suddenly, she felt the earth shaking and before she could react, she saw a huge shadow emerge from the forest. It was a giant, taller than the tallest banyan tree in the village. He was jumping up and down, flaying his arms and pointing to his tongue. Madhu was about to speak but no words came out. She was sure the giant would first bite her, then chew her and finally gobble her up.
The giant got down on his knees and as his face came close to Madhu’s line of vision, her fear changed to one of concern. The poor fellow was crying. Large drops of tears, the size of coconuts, were flowing down his cheeks. He stuck his huge tongue out and panted, in the process almost blowing Madhu away.
Madhu now realised what the problem was. His tongue was on fire and he wanted immediate relief. She knew if she woke her parents there would be disaster. Her father would faint and her mother would throw a tantrum and try to beat up the poor fellow with her rolling pin. As she was racking her brains as to how to help her guest, she had an idea. She gestured to him. Baba hesitated and then picking her up, placed her on his shoulders. She directed him to an orchard behind her hut. This was her favourite spot.
It was a mango orchard, and each tree pregnant with mangoes. Big and small, round and long, hard and soft, sweet and sour mangoes hung from branches, swaying gaily in the breeze. Madhu reached out and plucked the largest mango. It was soft and squelchy. She made a sign and Baba opened his mouth and stuck his tongue out. Madhu squeezed as hard as she could and the sweet and syrupy mango juice fell on his tongue. Baba lapped it up and his tongue reappeared asking for more. Madhu pressed harder and Baba responded with equal gusto. Soon Madhu was standing on her new found friend’s shoulder plucking mangoes and depositing the juice on his tongue. It was clear Baba was experiencing relief as he kept grunting with first respite and then pleasure.
Finally satisfied, Baba sat on the ground and placing Madhu on a tree stump, looked at her. They did not need any language. They spoke with their eyes, with Baba expressing his gratitude and Madhu her happiness.
Baba bid goodbye, promising to return the next evening. Madhu prepared her parents for his visit. It took a long time but finally, after seeing the bare mango trees, they were convinced that the entire incident was not a dream. The next day, after the village had gone to sleep Baba appeared and was introduced to Madhu’s parents. He fell in love with them as they reminded him of his own mother and father. He spent most of the night with them, ate 13 dozen mangoes, gave them a ride on his massive shoulders and then returned to his forest.
This has been going on for months. No one in the village knows anything about Baba. The only problem Madhu’s parents are facing is explaining the disappearance of the mangoes. Madhu simply calls it “Abracadabra!”
Word List:
Orchard: | An enclosed land where fruit trees are planted. |
Doting: | Being extremely fond of someone |
Consciousness: | Waking up after fainting |
Tree stump: | The bottom part of a tree that is left after cutting its trunk. |
Gusto: | Enthusiasm |
Abracadabra: | A word used by magicians who perform tricks. |
