Nurungukal...contd...

  It was my pastime to stray into the nearby village in Trichy very often. There was a large man made rain water harvesting pond. It was a mud dam. The water was used for irrigation,also as a source of  drinking water to the cattle and for washing, bathing etc. It looked like a fairly big lake. Surrounded by hillocks and vast stretches of fields. The North East monsoon replenished it every year. In summer it was almost dry and the mud at the bottom cracked to form a pattern.

 In the evenings I used to enjoy the magnificent sun set behind the hillocks after colouring the water in the pond into a pool of orange. The little waves produced by the gentle breeze made its surface look like a velvety carpet. A king fisher or an egret will keep me engaged to watch their agility.

  But before the sun set I used to have the company of a herd of cattle returning home after grazing in the adjacent fields. The sound of their hooves and cries in different notes while running to the water front can be heard from a distance. And behind them there will be Muniyandi with his long stick waving in the air, in his long shirt which would cover well below his knees shouting to the herd to take correct directions. Once the cattle settle down to quench their thirst he will come to me for a chat. He was shy when we first met but within a  a few days we became friends and exchanged pleasantries freely. A lad who enjoyed his destiny which was not of his choice. He was forced by circumstances to drop out from the school when he lost his father while he was in third class and since then he was the only support to his young mother. Our conversation often made in roads into his life and every time I was sad about his future. He might be of fifteen or sixteen years old when we met. He was a good flutist. Always carried one with him. His herd of cattle responded to his calls and tunes. But for his attire he had ample similarities to Ambadi Kannan. He was dark in colour, had an enchanting smile ,agile and popular among the damsels in the village !. It was my first encounter with a lad who was so much resourceful and I craved to help him some way..contd..