Two: Kumbharas

Kerala, 2011: A group of indigenous people called the Kumbharas, who live in a little hamlet called Aruvakode in Nilambur, are said to have migrated to these parts during the reign of Tipu Sultan. They are artisans by trade, men who make their crafts with sand and clay. Their way of life is ancient, one that has existed over millenniums.

Many years passed since the time when these people were regularly called upon because of their specialized skill-set. And today, over time the craft itself is slowly dying. There is no room for their way of life in today’s accelerated modern society. There is no reason to work now and these artisans are now giving up the trade of their forefathers. Many of them take up cheap labor jobs for the purpose of having money to buy toddy or other cheap liquor & simply pass on life.

The Kumbharas, who in ancient days were prominent in the royal households and temples are now plighted to live in poverty and perhaps even forced to. These people who were close to the nature through their peaceful ways of living and working, are now faced with extinction.

This is a story of good and evil. And it will be worth your while.

One: So it begins

"Cowards die many times, the valiant never taste of death but once. Of all the things I've yet heard, it seems most strange that men should fear. Seeing that death, a necessary end, will come when it comes."

  

Egypt, around BC 1500: Riots, mobs, protests, an uprising. An eerie heaviness hung in the air. Is there going to be a change? Things have never happened here like they have in these recent times.

Plagues ravaged the people in Egypt & it did not affect their slaves. Blood, frogs, lice, flies, pestilence, boils, hail, locusts, darkness. One more remained.

Tonight the slaves are acting peculiar. They put the blood of slain lambs on their doorposts. The stench of blood is everywhere. What is the meaning of this madness? What is to happen tonight?

Then you heard it…

Egypt, 2011: Riots, mobs, protests, an uprising. An eerie heaviness hung in the air. Is there going to be a change? Things have never happened here like they have in these recent times.

Tahir Square, CAIRO

Prelude

We can certainly expect to see some sights along the way.

Should you choose to continue the journey with me long enough, then we would eventually end up traveling on bicycles and motorbikes, tuk-tuks and three-legged trolls, cars and cranes, pterosaurs and planes, on the Nautilus with Captain Nemo and more I should hope.

Ummm... if you actually do intend on tarrying on for longer you might want to take your armor and your blade with you for protection. Fire arms can come in handy too because we can expect to often meet with certain unpleasant individuals. We can also expect surprises and tumbling holes behind any bush. Depending on how lucky you are, you might even hope to find a wardrobe in a lost attic somewhere that will magically transport you to some other parallel worlds.

This has always been a world in which one must fight for what he believes in. We can certainly expect skirmishes as we travel. And a good thing too if you ask me... because they always bring out a part of you that needs an occasional outlet. 

We stay alert. We stand watch. We keep silent. We travel. May our deeds talk for us.