HAND OF GOD

Cool breeze was blowing across the valley. In the tribal hut, all were sitting by the hearth. They ate the wild roots.

Black soil, black people! They live fighting the soil and fighting the animals. The children of God, who many call Barbarians

“Good! Barbarians, black soil, and the children of God! Enjoying a puff of cigarette, Raghu told the person sitting across him enjoying a puff of Ganja.

He kept running his fingers over his French beard

“What do you think? If we write anything about the Adivasis, an award is a foregone conclusion. That is my experience... I began by writing a short story about Attapady, My story became the best story of the year.

Continuing to run his fingers over his beard and sat down again with a sly smile.

Raghu sir, it is very late already, I am off... I am sure your collection will definitely get an award

Raghu was lost in thoughts reflecting what I had said ‘If I get good ideas, may be I can try’ Raghu thought and after some reflection, it became a firm determination. I will get the entire award possible

He sipped a peg and smoked intensely.

He wrote on top of the White paper.

‘The Hand of God’

Scene I

Black wet soil. A potter’s hands form a pot

Scene2

Tribal colony! Huts covered by leaves, as sharp cry of a lady as if in birth pangs

When entering inside there also two hands... a small black child lying on the bamboo mat. The cries of the new born! Blood gushing out of the room deep into the forest!

Scene 3

Raghu slipped into sleep

‘Raghu are you also not an Adivasi? ‘

Wind was blowing strongly across. ‘Me! An adivasi!! Has God gone crazy?’

He laughed uncontrollably.

God replied... “I had created you as a barbarian adivasi”

For Raghu it was a stinging slap across his pride.

“I was a potter. When I made you I gave my image to clay mass and then you woke up into this world. Then who are you if not an Adivasi

God’s hands were extended towards him. Those were the hands of a potter.

Raghu became soil, black wet soil ready for the hand of the potter.The potter made him.

Then he got the Potter’s breath. He woke up nude, and ran deep inside the forest.