Nani's Bhagavad Geeta - Don't Quit

“Get aside. This is ours” Chintu cried as he pushed a much stronger Bhilu away from the miniature play hut that he and his friends Bala and Pushpa had made a week ago. But, Chintu’s tiny body was no match for Bhilu’s tall frame. He stood at the door laughing at Chintu and his friends.

“ Yours?” spitting gutka on the mud floor, he smirked. “Yours, you rat?” 

“Yes, it's ours. Go away. We made this hut. We collected the material and made this on our own. ”Chintu replied, wiping his tears, still trying to push Bhilu away.

Bala and Pushpa stood at a distance watching the scuffle between the two brothers. Bhilu was a teenager now going to the district school and had just returned for the Diwali holidays. Chintu went to the village school with Bala and Pushpa. The hut was a part of their school project that master Tyagi had asked to make during the holidays. 

“You have to make a creative project, an actual workable object that can be used during the holidays. The school committee will judge the projects at the end of the holidays and will select the winner based on the planning and execution of the project. Think of something unique that you can do most cheaply.” The students listened to his words attentively and excitedly gathered to form groups to plan and decide the project that they would make.

“I will make a walking Robot.” Sunil the smartest kid said.

“I will make a solar car,” said a dreamy Kunal as he dreamed of a fuel-efficient car for the future.

“We will make a hut” shouted Chintu.

“What? Ha ha !” laughed Sunil. “A hut? And what would be its use?” he asked, tapping on Chintu’s head.

“Haha. It's really funny of Chintu to say that.” Others too joined Sunil and mocked Chintu’s measly plans of building a non-useful hut.

“But, seriously Chintu. Tell us what will do with a hut. Didn't you hear Tyagi sir state explicitly that the project outcome should be useful? You donkey” Rishi pushed Chintu almost to tears.

“A hut for my goats” he replied meekly.

“What?” “He is building a hut for his, wait for it, his goats?” “Ha ha, Chintu you are nuts.” The whole classroom roared with laughter and mocking sounds “ bhaa bhaa” teasing Chintu and his team. 

Bala pulled Chintu aside and whispered “ Are you sure Chintu? Are we really going to build a Goat-Hut?” he asked to confirm. Not to mention, he was ashamed of Chintu’s idea too. But as he was his die-hard best friend, he didn't have a choice but to tag along with him in whatever he desired to make for the project.

“I know what I am talking about Bala. We are going to make a hut for the goats.”

“And how is that going to compete with the robot and solar car?” Pushpa asked curiously 

“See, the goats are presently tied to a tree near our gate in the kitchen garden. They have nothing else to do the whole day long and hence they sit on the vegetables or eat them as far as they can go.”

“But, can they be tied away from the garden to stop them from eating the vegetation?” Unsatisfied with his answer Pushpa probed further.

“Right. But, then there is a risk of foxes and wild dogs hunting them and killing them” he replied, looking at Pushpa to convince her and sell his idea to them. “A hut can protect them from predators and will also keep them away from the garden.”

“Hmm. Yes, that makes sense. But how are we going to do that?” asked Bala, folding his arms and listening attentively to Chintu.

“We will borrow Moru Mama’s wood stock and will build a hut under the banyan tree in my backyard,” Chintu said assertively as he saw that his friends were finally convinced by the idea.

“Okay, then let us build a hut, a goat hut” Bala and Pushpa joined hands together with Chintu embracing each other. Their sweaty foreheads were now beaming with ideas to make a cheap yet useful hut for the goats.

“Back off Bhilu or I will tell Nani” Chintu yelled fiercely protecting their little hut. But, Bhilu’s bullying didn't stop and he kept pushing himself inside the thatched door. 

“Chintu you rat. The logs and the wood that you have used to make this hut belong to my father,” he said cheekily, clutching Chintu by his collar. 

“He is right Chintu, the wood belonged to Moru mama. This hut is made from every stick that belonged to Moru mama and hence it belongs to Bhilu.” Bala advocated 

“But, we took Moru mama’s permission to use the wood. Right?” Chintu asked, tears welling in his tiny eyes.

“Bala is right Chintu. We should give the hut to Bhilu.” Pusha supported Bala, purely intending to stop the fight between the brothers.

“But..” Chintu was still not ready to give up. He had his doubts and was not convinced by his friends' arguments. At the same time, Bhilu was his elder cousin's brother and was pampered in the house by all as he stayed away from it for most of the year. He was accustomed to getting whatever he desired at the drop of his hat.

“Bhilu bhaiya. I don't want to fight you. But, please understand, we have built this hut with great effort and we will use it to shelter our goats from the wild dogs. Please, Bhilu bhaiya, think about it. It will bring no good if you bring the hut down just for the sake of fun.” he pleaded, folding his tiny hands and bending down trying every tactic to detract Bhilu from breaking the hut that they had created with so much sweat and love.

“Ha ha, you rat bunny. I will do as I please,” he announced as he kicked the fragile hut’s walls.

“Wait wait. Give me five minutes. I will be back. Then you can do as you please.” Chintu begged for some time from Bhilu bhaiya,

Surprisingly, Bhilu agreed and he let Chintu go.

Chintu dashed inside the house screaming “ Nani, Nani, come here. Where are you?”

“You blindfolded moron. I am sitting right here.” said his toothless grandma.

Chintu turned in the direction of the voice to see his Nani munching on supari sitting on the rocking chair.

“Nani. That Bhilu. That stupid Bhilu. He wants to take down our hut. What should I do?”

“So?” nani asked looking at his shivering body

“So nani what should I do? He says the woods are his and hence the hut belongs to him?”

“Do you think that is correct?” Nani asked coldly

“No Nani. We asked Moru mama before taking the wood. It belongs to us” he replied bending over her and almost toppling her from her chair,

“Stand straight Chintu. You will break my old bones,” she said angrily, pushing him away from the chair.

“When you know that the wood was borrowed correctly and that Moru mama had himself given it to you then why do you not fight for your hut?” she asked testing his conviction towards the whole incident.

“But Nani, Bhilu bhaiya is my elder brother. He wants the hut” he replied slowly with a heavy heart.

“Then give it to him” 

“No Nani, it's ours,” he said adamantly.

“Then that solves the problem, isn't it?” she asked, looking into his eyes. “ You have the answer to your question in your heart. You know what's right and wrong. You know the purpose of your building the hut is selfless. Then why do you doubt yourself? Go ahead and claim what’s rightfully yours. Don’t quit. Fight for what’s yours” 

Chintu looked up at Nani and suddenly a charge went all over his body. A spark ignited within and he sprinted towards the hut taking long strides “Thank you so much Nani. You have shown me the mirror, I know that I am correct.” he shouted as he reached the disputed site- their humble goat hut.

Without giving any warning to Bhilu, Chintu leapt on him and started pulling his hair. “Bala, Pushpa, what are you waiting for? This is our hut and we should fight to protect it,” he yelled. Within a blink of a second, both his friends were on top of now toppled Bhilu bhaiya, pinching his hard skin as he screamed in pain.

Together they drove out bullying Bhilu bhaiya who ran away astonished to see these tiny humans deriving strength from their truthfulness and the will to fight for what is rightfully theirs.

Wiping the dust, tears, and dust all at the same time Chintu, Bala and Pushpa jumped up in the air rejoicing in their victory and shouting at top of their lungs “ This hut belongs to us and our goats and we will fight for it- together.” “WE WON’T QUIT.”