Coup On Arts – 09 [Rae Chukka’s death]

Suddenly he remembered that if his wife Nisi gave birth to a male child, definitely he might be 20 years age. He doubted whether the young follower was his own son. He guessed that if that young follower was his own son, then he might theft the sari.

Immediately he started the effort to trace out the young follower and succeeded to find out his where abouts. In the night, he entered in to the Pagati Chukka’s choultry room. Actually, Pagati Chukka expected this. He wished to happen it. He was pretending as if he was sleeping. Rae Chukka examined the room to locate the sari. He watched the fresh dig in the corner of the room. Without making sound, he had dug there and taken away the sari.

He sensed that Pagati Chukka was pretending sleep. When he returned home, he expected that the young boy will come to theft the sari. That’s why he kept the sari in a box and holds it on a pot with water up to the brim. He arranged the entire things in a sling i.e. hanging frame. He kept his bed just beneath this sling.

Since the pot was filled with water fully, whenever somebody touch it, water drops might fall on him, so that he could wake up from sleep and could catch the thief. Because he was expecting the thief, he didn’t sleep but pretending as sleeping. Pagati Chukka entered there. He watched all the arrangements. He went in to the kitchen. In those days, there were no electric or gas stoves. Only sticks & logs were used as fuel to cook food. Dung of cows and buffaloes was made as caked and dried in sunlight to use as fuel. After burning, the ash of these dung cakes were in that solid shape only and they were called as “Kachika.”

Pagati Chukka picked some kachika and dipped them in the water of pot in the sling. Just like sponge, these kachikas could suck water. Without split of water, Pagati Chukka could theft the sari. Rae Chukka wondered about the talent of this young thief and followed him up to his choultry room.

There he caught the young man and asked “who are you? Why are you following me? Why are you stealing my woman’s sari?” Pagati Chukka said, “My name is Pagati Chukka. My mother name is Nisi. We are living in Anantha Giri. I came here to search my father Rae Chukka.”

Rae Chukka trembled with emotion. He got tears in eyes. He hugged Pagati Chukka and said “My son. I’m Rae Chukka. Sorry my boy. I made sorrowful your mother and you. Let’s go our place. I had theft so much of wealth and gave to Tara Devi. Let’s take it and go.”

Pagati Chukka said, “Leave it father. She had given shelter to you. I can earn much. If you come, mother will be very happy, that’s enough. Let’s go immediately”.

Both reached Anantha Giri. By receiving husband and son, Nisi felt very happy. Days passed.

One day Rae Chukka said, “Son. Lets steal Raja’s Khajana i.e. treasury.”

Pagati Chukka said ,“Father! We have more than enough. No need to steal money now.”

But Rae Chukka insisted to make hole to king’s treasury. That night both the father and son went to king’s palace. They dug hole to the treasury wall and entered in to it. They packed all the valuable germs, diamonds, ornaments and other valuables. The soldiers noticed them. Immediately they rushed through the hole. First Pagati Chukka escaped out. When Rae Chukka was crawling through the hole, the soldiers had caught his legs. His head was on the opposite side of the wall in which they made hole. He cried out “Son! I was caught by soldiers. Cut my head and take it away with you. Do what I say.”

Being helpless Pagati Chukka cut his father’s head to prevent the soldiers to identify him and escaped away from there.

The soldiers had taken the headless body of Rae Chukka to king’s court and reported about the robber. On next day morning, the king, Minister and other officers tried to find who the thief was, but they could not. In the morning, Pagati Chukka had attended the king’s court to know the proceedings, regarding the robbery in treasury in disguise i.e. in other get up. In the court the king shouted with angry on his officers and soldiers.

He ordered “Well soldiers! You take this headless body to burial ground as a procession by keeping the dead body on a cart. Army Chief! You follow the procession, while it is going on streets in the city. Wherever, anybody cries by watching this, irrespective of men, women and children, you bring them. They may be the thief’s family members”.

The Army Chief arranged the procession. Pagati Chukka went home and briefed his mother regarding the procession. He said “Mother! You should not cry while the procession is going on this street. You have to control yourself” Nisi said “How can I my child? He is my husband. How can I be without crying after watching his dead body?”

He thought well, and said “well mother. You get ready. Let us go to another street, where there is drumstick tree. I’ll climb up the tree and fell down. With such claim you cry up to your satisfaction.”

They went to another street. Pagati Chukka had climbed up a drumstick tree and fallen down while the procession was going on that street. The soldiers asked her why she was crying. She said “My son had fallen down from the top of this tree. That’s why I’m crying.”

The procession reached the burial ground. There was a tradition in Hindu’s to burn down the dead body instead of burying in the ground. The Army Chief returned to king’s court to report him by keeping security to the dead body in the burial ground. In disguise, Pagati Chukka attended the court like a citizen.

The king asked the Army Chief “Did anybody cried?”

The chief replied “No Maharaja.”

The king said “It is impossible. Did you observe carefully?”

The chief said “Yes Maharaja! I observed every citizen who was watching the procession. Nobody had cried except one woman.”

King said “Who? Why?”

The chief said “I enquired her sir! She was about the age of 40 years. She had a son about 20+ ages. The young man had fallen down from the top of a drumstick tree. That’s why she cried.”

The king said “You foolish man. The thief said when our soldiers cough him in the hole at the wall of our treasury as “Son. I was caught by soldiers.” His age seems to be 45 years. He might by have a son of age 20+ and wife of age 40+. Nobody will climb up drumstick tree because its twigs are hard and can be easily break. No doubt they were the family members of the dead thief. Go to that street and search for them.”

After some time, the soldiers returned the king’s court with failure.