The Human Circus

Parvati and Bhola trudged along the dusty road painfully. The mother and son were lost and found themselves walking along a smaller track adjoining to the National Highway, which simmered under the sweltering heat of May. The humans on them appeared trembling and luminescent like sausages on a frying pan. Bhola cried out and tried to pull Parvati back with his infant trunk which grew slender like a tendril. "Maa, where are we going? I am tired and thirsty!". Truly speaking, even Parvati did not know their destination. She just said, "Hold on Beta, just a few yards ahead."

Parvati was a tusker in Chinu Mahato's home at Amlia village at Lalgarh in Jangalmahal. Chinu was a Maoist leader who fought for the rights of the tribals in Midnapore. Chinu was a fierce man but tenderly loved Parvati on whose back he rode for his meetings and assemblies. At other times, Parvati used to roll logs from the jungle and carry leaves. Chinu's wife Namita was a kind woman who fed her on bananas and fresh leaves. When Bhola was to be born, Chinu gave Parvati her space and her rest. He was very particular, Parvati remembered, "Namita, I'm going to walk to the meeting. Do not want to hurt Parvati." Parvati would laugh at herself, "As if we're fragile as human females!". But she enjoyed the pampering every bit.

Since the past few years, there was a lot of unrest in the village. The landlords were being butchered and killed in an attempt to give back lands and resources of the jungle to the rightful owners - the landless tribal, share-croppers and poor labourers. Chinu was the leader of the tribal and they were being backed by the Naxalite, Kanu Sanyal. Whenever the police came to arrest Chinu and his men, the tribals remained in ambush,attacked and killed the police. Parvati was often a spectator to all this. She was afraid that one day Chinu would be caught. The day when Bhola was to be born, Chinu instructed Namita in the morning, "Keep an eye on Parvati. Her time has come. I know she'll do it herself but in case.....Call me." He trailed off. Parvati groaned in pain but craned out her neck and lifted her truck to see Chinu go out in a 'gammcha' in great hurry."The police have come to pick up Nitai and his men, I must go now, " he told Namita and left the hut.

Parvati writhed for hours in labour pain, while Namita tried to tend her with water. She tenderly rubbed her hands on Parvati's forehead to ease her pain. Drops of water rolled down Parvati's cheeks. It was dusk when Bhola was born. But instead of rejoicing his coming, Namita was running helter-skelter. Parvati knew something was wrong, "Has Chinu come in?" she asked herself as she licked her baby clean. She was still in the shaded shelter where she had given birth.

Suddenly, she could hear the loud wails of Namita, "They have killed him...They have killed him...I knew this would happen. How many times did I tell him not to go. But he did not pay heed to any word of mine!" He's gone. What is to happen to me...Oh! God ." Namita beat her breasts in grief and despair. Parvati, tottered on her weak legs and came to the courtyard. Bhola was already sprinting behind. Chinu's body was laid on a cane stretcher. Dried clots of blood on his forehead and face. The bullet mark which left him dead. Gopinath was shouting, "The police shot him dead. He had tried to resist them picking up Nitai in their vans." He continued, "Are the tribals going to lose their lives this way because of the greed of the landlords?" "Come Brothers. We'll torch the police station today." Namita and the men took away Mahato's body for cremation from where they vouched they would go to burn the police station. Parvati was anxious and afraid. She lifted her trunk and let out a loud wail of sadness for Chinu, "AAARNGH..." Bhola tugged at her tail. The kid knew nothing. He had his mother, but Parvati was orphaned as the bloody sun went down beyond the Shalboni forests. In the descending darkness, Parvati waited for Namita to comeback...a faint hope nestled in her breast that the kind woman would not abandon her. Yes, people did come, but not Namita...and what were they doing...those unidentified men. They were not even the police! "Stop! Stop!" Parvati charged them like a dagger with renewed strength. They were torching the hut and the granary. Some of them ran away but others attacked Parvati with their torches. As the hut and the granary went up in flames, in the yellow, leaping light, Parvati saw one of the known faces."It was Kanu Mondal!" "How could it be?" she thought. "He is supposed to save the tribals!". "Traitor! He must be an informer of the police then."

Parvati got scalded and singed at her forehead and trunk. Wild with fear and dismay, she started running in search of Namita. She let out one big grunt to order Bhola to follow her. They found Namita...Yes, at the police station...unconscious and almost naked. Blood and mire clung to the remaining clothes. There were dark patches of aggression on her arms and legs. She had been raped and left to die. "Nami, Nami, Get up!" Parvati nudged Namita with her trunk in a desperate frenzy. Bhola just cried and cried in hunger. But Parvati had forgotten him and his needs temporarily, as it dawned on her that she has no home...no one as her own. She ran out to the nearest villagers begging them to help Namita, but everyone thought her to be a mad elephant with a 'mast' attack. They ran to safety away from her...till one of the landlords brought out a gun to shoot her.

"Bholaaa..." Parvati called out."Runn... They're going to kill us too."

Parvati forgot how long she and Bhola had been running, stumbling, falling and again running. She stopped only at intervals to nurse Bhola and ran again. Her throat was parched with thirst. Her head reeled with the sun now on their heads. She slowed her pace with the realization that they were out of danger. “But where were they? This was not Amlia! Where are the jungles? Parvati’s tired eyes looked for water. Afar there was the broad concrete highway with speeding trucks and buses. Parvati with her remaining strength pushed Bhola slowly upto the asphalt road and stood there panting.

Parvati lost the count of hours . All that she could do was to nurse Bhola time to time. Under the tall neon lamp post Parvati closed her eyes with a feeling that life was now going to ebb away from her.

When her eyes opened the next time, two colourful beings which seemed to be humans were playing with Bhola. They wore motley dresses, coloured caps and had painted faces with noses of plastic. As they helped Parvati to suck buckets full of water as if she were a desert, she could hear the microphones blaring out, “Gemini Circus! The Great Gemini Circus. Come with your little ones to the Great Gemini Circus.”