ROCKSUS-TARA ADVENTURE

                    ROCKSUS- TARA  ADVENTURES
                     
                                          (I)
                                     
It is a story of a little girl, who lived in the mountainous region of north India. The place where she lived, with her family, was the valley of Kangra. It had a picturesque landscape. The place was loaded with orchards, colorful and fragrant flowers; and lush greenery. This little girl, loved to be there. She was friendly to one and all. People there were good, nice and simple, they loved her very dearly. She was everyone’s favorite. She was about five years old and had a big heart, full of love and respect for all, no matter who they were, for she knew only love.

Her father was a doctor and a good man. She watched him work with sincerity and honesty, without ever complaining of his challenges. People of that place, loved him immensely and looked up to him as if he was God. Her mother was a beautiful and a kind hearted woman, who was smart and soft spoken, as well. She always treated her children gently. It was this quality of her, which the little girl always admired.
               
This little girl was Nayantara, but people called her Tara- the bright star of their lives. Out of love, some even called her Baby. She was an innocent little thing, who saw no evil, thought no evil and doing anything ugly never occurred to her. All understood the simplicity and the innocence of her heart. People said that her going to anyone’s house was a good omen. She was always received with warm hearts and open arms. Tara could be anywhere anytime, though her mother worried initially but soon understood that her daughter was really special for others and never tried to persuade Tara to do anything that her heart didn’t want. She knew that Tara herself wanted to be with the people as much they wanted to be with her. When there is only love, there is no room for fear; moreover, the times were good too.
               
Nayantara had a beautiful younger sister, whom she called Bontie. They madly loved each other. One couldn’t do without the other.

She was happy at home with her family. Their house was within the hospital compound. It was surrounded by huge mango, plum, cherry and apricot trees. The lush green lawns and those beautiful flowers enhanced the beauty of that place many folds. If it rained, Tara couldn’t stay indoors, she had to see the rain fall on the grass, leaves and flowers. She had to witness the joy of nature when the leaves and the gentle plants nodded their heads in jubilation, as if dancing in the rhythmic rain. And that rainbow!  Stunned her. I t was an invitation for her to be outside, and had to be accepted, come whatever may. The raindrops falling on the ground and then breaking into tiny little sparkling pearls was just enough to make her little heart swell with joy. She loved the smell of the parched soil as it got wet and would hold a handful of it near her sister’s nose and make her smell it too. If the baby refused and ran away she would run after her holding the soil tightly in her grip, as if, she didn’t want her sister to miss anything precious.

This story begins at such a backdrop. Tara had a fantastic daily routine. She would wake up early in the mornings, even before the sun was up, and would wait near the window, where her bed lay, for it to rise. Since it used to be very cold, so, she would drape herself with a woolen blanket and enjoy the nature’s awakening, from behind her closed window. Soon the golden rays would begin to wink through the leaves of the tall trees and hit the insides of the house. What excitement for her, A day break again! She loved the daytime. There was a lot to be done throughout the day, once again. As her mother woke up, she knew, it was time for her to sit with her books. She didn’t mind studies at all, for there were poems and stories to read and to dream and to think about, for another new day.  It made her merrier. The better she performed the better for her, she would get longer breaks after that, and this gave her the drive to perform better and better each day.

That day soon arrived, when Tara was admitted into a school. Now, mornings meant, a time to, just hurry. It made her sad, as she had no time to be on her own.  Shahpur-the place where she lived was more of a developed village, which had only one primary school.  So, there was no choice, she had to go there. The Principal of the school knew her father well and also knew that Tara was smart with studies, so he admitted her in the second standard instead of the first. But, to her surprise, that very day, her class two teacher told her that she knew a bit too much for the second standard and needn’t waste her time in that class anymore, rather granted her the permission to sit in class three from the next day itself. So, actually, Tara began her schooling from the third standard.

The next day, she sat in her new class, and was lucky to get a place by a huge window. The windows there had no iron grills, so her view of the outside world was absolutely clear. The fresh breeze stroked her hair and soothed her nerves. She felt pleasant. The sound of water flowing through a tiny rivulet, nearby the school premises, sounded rhythmic to her ears. She could hear music in the air. The beautiful bright sunny morning lifted her spirits and she began to feel comfortable and relaxed. Just when all seemed pretty good and cozy, Tara began to daydream.Though, her mother had instructed her to be alert at school, but poor thing, she was too small to be so. Actually it was not her fault. It was that part of the daytime, when she would be through with her indoor activities to be with her beloved nature outside. It was that time of the morning, when she would sing and dance while making her own poems. But, that day, when the teacher asked her questions after finishing his lecture, to find out whether she understood or not, she could answer none. She wasn’t listening to him at all; she was rather busy in making herself comfortable in the new atmosphere. Though, her physical presence was visible but none could see that her mind and spirits were immersed in the thoughts of the outside world. She was totally jolted out of her dreams and stood up with an awkward look, which made the boys and the girls of the class, laugh at her. She hated it. During break, her class mates began to mock and tease her, for being absent minded. She felt like crying, but, controlled it. She wondered why the classmates were insensitive to her. It was a funny feeling that she had never experienced before. Tara abhorred it with her heart.  It was for the first time she felt a peculiar ugly feeling, which the little girl couldn’t express. Whatever it was, she hated it.

The later part of her day was spent in figuring out all that happened before. She became impatient to return back home. The excitement and the enthusiasm of a new beginning had already died. When the school got over for the day, she ran back home. Mother opened the door with a bright smile and embraced Tara tightly. It was now that she couldn’t hold all those fumes and began to cry profusely, still clinging on to mother. When asked about the matter, Tara let everything out at one go. Mother was not alarmed again, for she knew it would help her little one to grow wisely. She rather began to explain the situation to her to understand as well as to realize what was required of her in school. Though Tara didn’t quite agree to what mother said but the way she spoke to her pacified Tara. So, she pushed the thought of quitting that school, out of her mind. Those gentle words left a mark in her heart and she learnt that only kindness have the strength to heal our wounds.

The days began to roll now, with fresh hope and determination. Tara’s study time became longer and tougher, but, she didn’t complain. She too wanted to be the best in her class. Now mornings were not greeted by Tara like before. Once awake, she couldn’t lie in bed for long and would get up to revise her lessons for the day rather than witness nature’s awakening. It was painful for her but she was determined to do all she could to avoid humiliating remarks and glances of others. The efforts began to bear fruits. Because of her strong base and regular daily routine she started to leave others behind in her class not only in academics but also in behavior and discipline. Her teachers were proud of her and so were her classmates. Her gentle words and kind heart felt thoughts made her extremely popular.

In spite of all this, her basic instincts towards nature didn’t change. The only difference was that now, she knew the topic that was being done in the class; for she came prepared with it from home, and, she had begun to enjoy this newness in her. It gave her ample time to enjoy and assimilate the beauty of the nature, from inside her classroom, after finishing the class work before time and that too, without struggling. This helped her to win the trust of her teachers easily. That meant doing something that her heart desired even in the midst of monotonous indoor routines. This kept alive her spirits throughout the day. She learnt not to loose heart and to find means and methods to gather joys of this new life.
                                                                     
                                                (II)

It was a sunny morning, when she had submitted her work, and thought of concentrating on the musical notes of the flowing waters. She wanted to put one of her poems to tune. So, where else could she look for it but in the rhythms of nature? She was interrupted by a soft cry. Tara looked around and found nothing unusual, but the cry didn’t stop either. She moved closer to the window and put out her head to get a better view of outside, when she encountered a pathetic sight. In the house adjacent to her school building, she saw few pups running towards their mother to be fed, but one of them was a weakling and was finding it hard to keep up the pace with its other siblings. It was a pitiful sight, and for Tara, it meant an emergency calling. She didn’t know what to do. As she kept looking at the scene she became emotional and she witnessed how that weak puppy was being trampled and stamped on by its own siblings and its mother stayed least bothered. By the time it reached its mother it was not only exhausted but couldn’t make room for itself, for milk. It was constantly crying but its mother seemed totally deaf and unconcerned to its plight. It was just too much for Tara to bear. She thought of her own mother, how kind she was! And that made her feel, how lucky she was to have her! She thought, her mother would be the best mother for it too and decided to rescue the poor little thing.

Tara sneaked out of her class room, when the teacher was busy solving the mathematical problems of some of the children of her class. They had surrounded him and blocked his view of the class, from his seat. Tara made use of this opportunity and quietly jumped out of the window. None had ventured out like this before, hence there was no one watching her move. She stealthily reached the boundary wall of the school. “Now what?” she thought. A huge branch of a mango tree crossed over that wall but she was hesitant because a few days back she had seen a snake basking on it comfortably. She was obviously scared. By now, the nonstop crooning of the poor little puppy had become clearer and somewhat louder too, which  brought a sudden upsurge of courage and passion within her and without thinking of anything else she climbed on to the tree and jumped over to the other side of the wall.

It was a beautiful house, which belonged to a well known man, who had been a Major in the Indian army. There was a huge grape vineyard. The massive bunches of unripe grapes, hung all over. To protect it from the birds, its owners had enmeshed it with soft wired net, the ones used for hen keeping. It provided a roof of green leaves to the uncovered area in the front, which actually enhanced its beauty. Tara knew them very well. They were family friends. She knew, she shouldn’t allow herself to be seen, for it would mean trouble. Tara quickly looked towards the pup fighting for survival and had a better view of it now. It was Zephyr’s puppy. She couldn’t believe that Zephyr could be so cruel. Whenever she had visited them along with her parents, Zephyr had come to welcome them warmly, and she even liked to play with Tara. She was gentle, kind and very patient with the children. Tara was surprised to see how unkind and cold hearted she had become to her own baby. The more she thought of it, more it pained her.

She quietly opened the wooden fenced gate and slowly bent her steps towards Zephyr- the mother dog, who leisurly was feeding her pups. Tara had heard that the mother-dogs at such times become extremely ferocious and thought it would begin to bark and come pouncing at her, hence, she restricted her moves. On the contrary, Zephyr took no notice of her. Courageous Tara now accelerated her steps. Once she came close enough, to Zephyr, she began to scold her for being so cruel and heartless. She now began to stroke the crying pup gently, while talking to it continuously, but it seemed not bothered at all, for it was crying out of hunger. Tara bent over to gather it in her tiny hands. She talked to it constantly in her warm and hushed tone, assuring that all would be fine, once her mother took charge of looking after. Zephyr hardly ever moved to protest; rather it simply remained oblivious of the entire thing. This quizzed Tara and angered her too. She began to scold her even more and told her how bad a mother she was. Tara gave enough reasons to justify her own move so that she suffered no guilt later. She almost explained why she was taking her baby with her for ever, never to return it, even if, she wanted it back. She just yawned and rolled over. Zephyr closed her eyes peacefully, as if; she was comforted by the fact that her beloved child had found a heaven with Tara.

Tara needed to hurry. Constantly stroking the pup with her gentle words of love had stopped its persistent cries. It looked at Tara innocently now. Tara wondered at it. She felt as if love indeed had the power to fulfill hunger. Tara rushed back towards the school by climbing down that same mango branch. This time there was no fear in her mind, for she had no choice to exercise. Once within the school premises, she quickly ran towards her class. The puppy safely nested in one of the pockets of her dress, she quietly climbed back into the class. Every thing had happened pretty quickly, she thought, for the children had not yet dispersed from the teacher’s table. She gave out a sigh of relief. None had noticed her sneak out and then get into the class. She felt safe.                                   


                                          (111)

It was absolutely important to soothe the hunger of the little one, but it became more important to hide it from others. So, she began to remove the belongings from her school bag. Once it was empty, Tara softly placed the pup in it. Now what to feed became the next important issue. She knew it                  was too small to eat anything, for there were no teeth to chew. Soon, the bell rang for recess but Tara had no solutions in her mind. Something had to be done, fast. Suddenly an idea struck her. She held her bag tightly and  made a quite escape from school. It was a small primary school of a                  village, where there used to be no guards at that time. Children used to be obedient. All believed in “Spare the rod and spoil the child” motto. So a slight indiscipline was harshly taken care of. Children too, were scared of those canes. Well! so was Tara. But all she did that day couldn’t be counted as disobedience. She had no choice. Poor soul needed to be fed. How could she arrange for it by being in school? She had to bunk it for the sake of that poor little hungry puppy. She had taken up a responsibility and she had to fulfill it, come whatever may.

Tara reached home at an unusual time. She was back quite early and the way she held her school bag with strange closeness, arose suspicion. Mother understood that something was wrong, which needed a good listening to have a proper insight. So, she eased Tara with her skilled softness. As the entire incidence unfolded before mother, she was disturbed and told Tara that she would go along with her to Major Uncle’s house to return the puppy, after she had fed it to her heart’s content and explained her that she had actually stolen it, which was not acceptable. Tara had done a bad thing. To understand the fine workings of one’s heart, one has to face many trials. Tara had not thought of all these questions of morality while rescuing the poor thing. She did all that at the spur of the moment. To save a soul doesn’t mean one has to under go so much of rigorous scrutiny. How could her heart tell her to do a wrong thing? It can never. She didn’t agree with her mother at all. She rather felt that either mother is being harsh on her or she had not understood the seriousness of the matter at all. She had to explain it to her clearly and properly again. Tara’s eyes began to swell and as her vision began to blur, she requested mother for some reconsideration while narrating the entire story once again. She stressed that the little one would not be able to make it, if sent back. But mother didn’t listen.

It seemed a bad day for her. As Tara walked along with her mother to return the pup, she kept on sobbing all through. She thought, something had come upon mother, for she hadn’t been so tough before. It felt miserable. While walking back towards school, they met many school children. The school had just been over then. All told them how worried they were at school, as soon as she was reported missing. Tara knew now that there were more of those bad and ugly things in store for her now, at home as well as at school. She wanted to scream her heart out but couldn’t. Her classmates looked inquisitive and she hated it once again. The quite walk was about to end as they approached the house.

House was bustling with evening activities. They were very fond of Tara and her family so they warmly greeted them. After exchanging formal greetings, Mother apologized for Tara’s misconduct and silently signaled Tara, with her eyes, to do the same. Tara said “sorry” and reluctantly held out the little puppy and gave it to Usha, their youngest daughter. All this while, Tara had not lifted her head for shame. How harsh and ugly the world looked today, that made simple, compassionate, innocent and sincere acts look so shameful. Tara felt embarrassed.  Major Uncle was a great story teller and a very good friend of Tara. He asked her about the whole incidence and she painfully obliged him. While telling her story, as she looked up, all could see her swollen eyes, which expressed deep sorrow. He came forward and laid his hand on her head. Gently speaking to her, he warmly stroked her head. He told her not to feel bad and shameful at all. And then, all of a sudden, he said that Tara had forgotten to tell one thing, the scolding she showered on Zephyr. Mother looked at him with questioning eyes. Tara was surprised, how could he know?  Smiling, he declared that he and Usha, had been a silent witness to that entire episode. When he saw Tara jump down the mango tree that afternoon, he was anxious. As he was about to open the door to her, Usha stopped him. She wanted her father to listen, all that Tara was telling Zephyr, as if he was a person. They were a highly impressed audience in hiding. They knew, if they went out, Tara would stop her amazing conversation, so they preferred to stay hidden. Infact, they had been talking about Tara, that whole afternoon. Things began to look brighter for her now. To her utter surprise, Major Uncle took the puppy and returned it to Tara, saying that it had to be with her, for it came for her only, from the heaven. 

It was day break in her heart. Now the pup was hers and none could take that priceless little thing away, not even her mother. It was Rocky’s home coming.

Tara began to rub her cheeks on that playful puppy. Both were happy. She named it Rocky, who grew up to be a handsome German Alsatian. He became Tara’s “Buddy” and both lived an adventurous and exciting life together.

Though this togetherness ended in 1980, but those twelve years are still alive in Tara’s heart. Today, as she tells adventurous tales of her childhood, along with her unusual friend, Rocksus Granier, (whom she lovingly called Rocky), to her children, they never seem to be tired of it and keep asking for more. She kept alive her friendship through her stories. He actually attended school, went round the temples, rescued people, went to the coffee-house, acted fabulously and did innumerable astonishing things, which Tara reveals slowly to her children, so that they understand that love has no language, limits, barriers, class or classification. It is above all. It is everywhere and in everything. We are here to live with love, experience love, cherish love and learn to love, all. Rocky was a living example of that selfless love.