With a bit of anger, I ditched my friends and went out solo with my backpack & water bottle on a very sunny day at around 11 am.
After a km walk, I reached abandoned Gangatti Jain temple, neither there was a deity not the people… I took a walk around… sat… took a round in my online world- gmail. FB, insta, twitter & whatsapp- world had not changed!
I had started to sweat out because of the scorching sun. I gathered my energy and started walking to Bhima’s gate, 500 m to another no man’s land. I loved the silence & my own company.
Here I saw beautiful carving of Bhima with Sowgandhika flower and the fort. Visual stories of 13th century was running on my mind as I walked around a bit till I bumped onto a dark man wearing pure white shirt with his red earphones on & sitting on a ruin mantap. I said hi & initiated a conversation… you know stories are something which I am always curious to listen.
He started sharing his journey with story of his grandpa who come to build Tungabadra dam from Tamil Nadu. And moved on to his adventures of dismantling and mantling old structures for archeological department… which he said is never ending work!
He was not that curious about me and he only checked where I came from, what did I do in Hampi & where I am headed to- most asked existential question indeed…
I said I wanted to go to Pattabirama temple where Rama crowned Sugriva or that sort and on road it showed 3 km on the google maps. I asked him if there is a shortcut to reach avoiding high fare seeking auto rickshaw cynosures and he said there is…
the one which the shepherds use…
Throughout this trip I was fascinated by management techniques shepherds deploy to take care of their herd in a 1:100- on keeping their flock together and keeping all of them happy- for entire full day- quite a feat!
And now I am hoping a shepherd comes to Bhima’s gate & takes me to Pattabirama temple through a short cut- dedicated for shepherds and his sheeps!
Clock ticked 12:!5… close to 20 min of staring at the pathway… then came the brown dog first… followed a faded blue lungi clad shepherd carrying a small faded yellow bag on his faded grey shirt. My constructor friend made a request to shepherd to help me cover 90% of the path. he obliged…
Next 45 min was divine…
Shepherd always walked 10 steps ahead of me… always… maybe this is what he does to his seeps as well, maybe… he also walked at a constant acceleration leaving me no option to catch up with his pace… he never wanted to converse- maybe. We only exchanged welcome hello and final good-bye when we finished- only verbal conversation that we had… And in between it was just silence!
We walked through big big stones to heavy bushes to thorns to ups and downs to some ruins of 15th century history till we reached Tungabadra river reservoir. My shirt was dripping sweat… Dog guide went straight to river to take a dip…
So did the shepherd… he washed himself clean & filled up his bootle. Like his constant smile, his pace probably had built lot of endurance for these trails to him… this entire journey we never spoke… but I guess I had received a lot learning & invitation to self reflect…. my reflection in crystal clear water was inviting…
Shepherd wasted no time as he had to get back to herd which was may be 100m far. He made few sounds, just to intimate the group that he’s gonna be back soon, maybe… He tied his lungi to thigh length & smiled at me… that’s all… he probably said goodbye & wished me luck to where I am headed to, maybe… that’s all… and went off.. & the brown dog followed…
I dropped my bag, took off my hat & bowed at him with gratitude. I stood for a while, looked at the blue clear horizon and went to kiss the river. Quite a few things were running in my mind & I was experiencing certain shepherd wisdom in silence- he had taught me about trails, about ups and downs, about pace, about people, about management, about Hampi and about myself- all in silence. I took a dip too… trying to catch my breath in the river flow and also to tune to the flow itself!
I sat down riverside, took my book & while I heard river flow, I tried letting my words flow like the river…
All stories need not be told…
Some stories could be told…
In silence…
Some stories could be shown…
In presence…
Life is all about these stories…
some told, some shown, some lived…
some unknown…
While walking with constant pace and smile,
All stories need not be told…
This is what I could reflect on Shepherd wisdom… We just walk… we are neither anyone to get curious about other stories, nor we are judges to make our decisions of who’s right or wrong. we just walk… sometimes alone… sometimes with the brown dog… sometimes with the flowing river… just like shepherd of Hampi!
