A non-believer

A non-believer

      “That is indeed a small village. I really doubt whether you people can enjoy there or not. I don’t know whether I am doing a mistake by taking all you people there.” While they were going in the car towards that village, Manohar said.

      “We hundred percent enjoy there. You don’t need any doubt in that.” Mukul said. “In fact we need a change from the environment now we are in. I have got bored staying in this busy town all the time.”

      “I am coming particularly to see that festival. I shall interview that person who answers the questions of the people there while the goddess possessed him. I want to prove that there is no goddess, it is all just ignorance, blind belief and nothing more than that.” Vinod said.

      “I am feeling fear to take you there Vinod. All those villagers are very innocent. I don’t like we hurt their feelings in any way at all.” Manohar irritated on hearing what Vinod said.

      “No one can stop me from doing this.” with firm voice Vinod said. “If anywhere these types of incidents going on, I just cannot bear. That is all ignorance of the people and they blindly believe them. I do make them realize their mistake.”

      Manohar looked helplessly into the eyes of Mukul who sat beside him and Mukul shrugged his shoulders.

      Manohar was taking his friends Mukul, Vinod, to a faraway village which belonged to the father of his mother. That was a small village but a peculiar one. All the villagers there were hard workers and sincere. Every year they celebrate the festival of the goddess of that village. On the festival day in the night after 9.00, the goddess of that village came on to the body of a person Rajulu. While the goddess was in the body of Rajulu, villagers would ask questions to him and he would answer them. Villagers said that the answers Rajulu would give at that time prove hundred percent to be true. Even people from outside villages and faraway places also would come there on that day to ask questions to Rajulu and to know answers to them.

      Manohar has no problem with Mukul but Vinod was an over enthusiastic person. He agreed eagerly to come to the village with Manohar and Mukul to enjoy. As soon as he heard about the festival and Rajulu’s answering questions in the night of that day, he started saying that he would prove all that was nonsense. Manohar tried his level best to make Vinod understand that it was not good to try anything like that there as it sure would hurt the villagers’ feelings. But Vinod was not at all in a mood to hear that.

      “I have taken a decision to do that. Just let me have an opportunity to ask questions to Rajulu and rest I prove it is all just nonsense.” Vinod said.

      “It is not easy to ask questions to that Rajulu. So many people would be in waiting to ask questions to him and preference shall be given to the people of that village to ask questions first.” Manohar said.

      “I know you are a very prominent person in that village and they sure do hear whatever you say. You talk with the village head and let me have that chance.” Vinod was stubborn.

      Manohar and Mukul looked into each other’s eyes and there was irritation in both their faces. Manohar was carefully driving the car while conversing so.

      “Why you are stubborn like that Vinod? What you are going to gain by doing such silly exercises? Manohar will lose his smooth relationship with the villagers there if you hurt the feelings of them by asking silly questions like that to Rajulu.” Mukul tried to reason with him.

      “You people have no option. You know I am going to be the technical head in your new startup company. If you don’t help me you have to look for someone else.”

      Manohar seethed in anger on hearing that and looked into the eyes of Mukul once again. Mukul also became quite angry on hearing that. It was true that they cannot start their company without the help of Vinod. Even Vinod was haughty and would behave quite silly sometimes, his technical qualifications were very high and he was very intelligent also. They just could not get a person like him for their new company.

      Manohar’s grandfather Sudarshan warmly welcomed them into his home. “You have come at the very correct moment. Tomorrow is the festival of the village goddess here. It shall be very interesting.” he said.

      “I think the questions and answers session between the villagers and that Rajulu would be even more interesting.” Vinod said “I want to see that and ask some questions to that Rajulu.”

      “You are right. That session would be very much interesting and so many people are eagerly waiting for an opportunity to ask questions to that Rajulu. They always proved to be quite right.” Sudarshan said. “It may be little difficult to get a chance to ask questions to that Rajulu.”

      “Oh, you must see that I get an opportunity to ask questions to that Rajulu. I came to know that you are a very prominent person in this village.” Looking into the face of Sudarshan, Vinod said.

      “You three relax yourselves first. I talk with the village head and make arrangements for your asking questions to that Rajulu.” Sudarshan said.

      Manohar, Vinod and Mukul took rest and relaxed completely.

      “While I am asking questions to that Rajulu you have to record it in your cell phone. By my questions I do prove to one and all that it is all just nonsense and there is no goddess like thing. Later I upload that video into youtube.” With a sort of pleasant expression in his face Vinod said.

      “You are quite obsessed with that idea. What sort of pleasure you can have in this I cannot understand.” Mukul said.

      There was some silence and Vinod suddenly said. “I got an idea! It would be a good time pass for three of us.”

      What sort of another crazy idea this fat fool has got! Manohar sat straight in his chair. “Spit it out first. Then we shall decide whether it would be a good time pass for us or not.”

      “I want to talk with that Rajulu on this day. I want to know how he does feel while the goddess on his body. It may not be difficult to have a talk with him now.” Looking into the faces of Mukul and Manohar, while his enthusiasm becoming double, Vinod said.

      Mukul and Manohar exchanged glances. “It may be a good time pass, of course.” Mukul said.

      “It sure would be a good time pass.” Vinod said and his enthusiasm was in the same measure. “You need no doubt in it.”

      “But you have to promise to us you don’t ask any silly questions now.” Manohar said.

      “I don’t ask any important questions now. If I raised his suspicion or any of the villagers, I may not be given an opportunity to ask those important questions while the goddess is on his body, I mean when he is behaving like a goddess possessed him and debunk their blind beliefs.” In fact Vinod also has no idea what questions to ask while Rajulu was behaving like a goddess possessed him, to prove all that was nonsense.

      “I ask my grandfather and see what he would say.” Manohar said.

      “Rajulu is just a simple farmer and you people can talk with him any length of time when the goddess is not on his body. He respects me a lot and he feels very happy to come to our home on my invitation. I call him here to talk with you people.” Sudarshan said.

      Just in half an hour or so Rajulu was in their home. He was a medium height and stout person. He saluted to Sudarshan, Manohar and his two friends happily. He came to know why he was called there and feeling happy and enthusiastic for being noticed like that. Even so many people eagerly looked forward to ask questions to him while the goddess was on his body, in other times he would be considered just like an ordinary farmer. No one would show any particular interest in him in other times. 

      “Why the village goddess comes only onto your body?” looking into the eyes of Rajulu, Vinod asked.

      “I cannot say. Village goddess chooses someone in the village and comes on to him. The goddess used to come onto some other person’s body before me. After his death due to his old age, she chooses me. Before coming onto the body of a person like this, she appears in the dream of that person and say about it. Village goddess appeared in my dream and told me about her decision to come onto my body before started coming onto my body.” He paused for a moment. “Goddess may choose someone else after me.”

      “How many villagers the goddess chose like this to answer the questions of villagers?”

      “Before me, four or five villagers used to answer the questions of the people on the festival day to my knowledge. How many villagers did like that and for how long it was going on like this, I don’t know.” Rajulu said.

      “Is the goddess sees for any particular characteristics in the villager before coming onto the body of him?” Vinod was asking all the questions while Manohar, Mukul and Sudarshan were observing and hearing intently.

      “I don’t think so. Goddess just chooses. I am an ordinary farmer. I am not having even minimum education. I did not do any good things either. Still mother goddess chose to come onto my body. Mother goddess just chooses.”

      “Do you know anything while the goddess is on your body?”

      “I just cannot know anything. It is all just like a deep sleep to me. I can come to my senses only when the goddess leaves my body.”

      Thereafter also Rajulu answered all the questions asked by Vinod quite patiently. When the question and answer session came to an end, before going away from there, Rajulu said. “Mother goddess is great. Mother goddess does not bear disobedience, mockery. If mother goddess gets angry, she gives punishment. Never underestimate our mother goddess.”

      When Sudarshan also went away from that place, Manohar said to Vinod. “I think you heard what Rajulu said in the end. Think again for what you want to do.”

      “Nonsense. I prove that it is all just nonsense by my clever questions.” Vinod said.

      “Anyhow what are those questions you want to ask then?” Mukul could not cover his irritation completely.

      “I am not yet framed those questions in myself. But I can ask such questions then and prove….”

      “…that it is all nonsense.” Manohar sarcastically completed that sentence for him.

      Vinod nodded his head. “You both don’t break your heads for this. It is my headache to ask clever questions to prove that so. What all you need to do is, I put this responsibility on Mukul, to record all that in your cell phone. If there has come any mistake in that, I would not work for your company.” After saying so Vinod went away from that place.

      “I am completely disgusted at his behavior. Cannot we find a substitute for him at all?” Manohar angrily said.

      “It may not be impossible but takes time. We have to bear with him until we find a perfect substitute for him. We have publicized a lot about our company and we cannot do away with him now.” With a helpless shrug Mukul said. “Anyhow he is such good in that technical field and an equal to him seems impossible to me.” 

      “My opinion also is the same.” Manohar nodded his head and said again. “So we have to allow him with his silly session tomorrow. How the villagers do feel after that I cannot understand. Even my relationship with my grandfather also may be spoiled after that.” There was fear in the voice of Manohar.

      “There is no other way to us expect to pray the village goddess to let it go all smooth.” Mukul said.

&&&

      Sudarshan talked with the village head and he was happily agreed to let Vinod ask questions.

      “He can ask the questions in the very beginning itself. But at maximum only one or two. You must remember that so many people do eagerly wait to ask the questions to the goddess.” Village head said to Sudarshan.

      “Only one or two questions! I want to ask so many questions.” When he heard about the arrangement from Sudarshan, Vinod irritatingly said.

      “There shall be so many people in waiting to ask the questions to the goddess. You have to feel happy that you are given the opportunity to ask questions to the goddess first.” Saying so, Sudarshan left that place.

      “By one or two questions you can do nothing. Better you drop.” Manohar suggested.

      “Never. I prolong the session. Who can stop me if I ask more and more questions?” With a sneer Vinod said.

&&&

      That important session has come. As promised first opportunity was given to Vinod to ask questions to Rajulu. Rajulu and Vinod sat facing each other. Mukul was ready with his cell phone to record the questioning and answering session between Vinod and Rajulu once it started. There was a smile on the face of Vinod. He would ask such, such questions and debunk all their blind beliefs.

      Rajulu squatted on the mat. His whole body was smeared with turmeric and there were neem twigs in his hands. He was just waiting for the goddess to come onto his body. Why this time goddess was delaying like this to come onto his body he could not understand. Everytime goddess used to come onto his body as soon as he was all ready to invite her into his body.

      Vinod was also impatient. He was thinking so furiously what questions to ask the goddess. But he was confident that he could ask the relevant questions to prove it was all nonsense once Rajulu started behaving that something possessed him. In his opinion there was no goddess, there would be such a change in Rajulu to make believe the people that some goddess came on to him and he would be allowed to ask the questions.

      Then, suddenly then, a change has started coming into the body of Vinod. There has come an angry expression in his face and he stood up. He stood up and started yelling loudly.

      “You fools! Non-believer in me entered into this village. He wanted to prove I am false and nonsense. To prove I am true I have entered into his body itself. Expel him, through him out of the village when I leave his body.”

      Vinod was jumping and dancing wildly while yelling like that. Mouths of the people there were opened wide and all of them were watching that with astonishment.

      “Get him out. Never let him enter into this village again. He is a non-believer in me. I am in his body itself now.”

      Mukul was recording everything in his cell phone. But he was very much doubtful whether Vinod would agree to upload it into youtube.