Coup On Arts – 10 [Rae Chukka’s Shradha Karma]

The king got angry. He said “Well do one thing. Burn that body by this night. Definitely the thief’s son will come there to burn the cut head of the thief along with the dead body. It is our tradition. Nobody will omit it. Go and watch the burial ground. Who ever tried to keep the head in the fire of the dead body, bring him here? He should be the thief’s son.”

Pagati Chukka heard all this. He thought about a plan. At the night he wore black dress from head to toe and painted his face with black color & rode on a black horse, to the burial ground. He rolled big cloth around some sticks, dipped them in oil and fired them to burn. He told two of them in both hands, binds two more of them at his back, and rushed in to the burial ground by making strange shouting’s.

The soldiers who were on guard duty frightened by watching such scene and thought it might be ghost of fire and ran away from there. He thrown the head of Rae Chukka in that fire after taking 3 rounds around the burning body as per tradition and left the burial ground.

Next day morning, in the king’s court, the soldiers reported the happenings in the burial ground.

The king shouted “You foolish soldiers. It is not the ghost of fire, if it is a ghost, why it takes three rounds around the burning body. You heard the horse sound also. Certainly it was the thief’s son. You missed him. He had come there, frightened you and fulfilled his traditional duty. Well, do one thing. Mr. Army Chief! Today night, you make a tent on the place where you burnt the dead body of the thief. So that nobody can collect the ash of the body to perform next traditional program after the death. The thief’s son should come to collect the ash. Then you catch hold of him.”

In disguise, Pagati Chukka was there and knew about the king’s plan. He collected all the personal particulars of the Army Chief. His name was Subbayya. He had wife and children. He had liquor addiction and womanizing nature. He had a lover, by name Vanajakshi who was a prostitute i.e. sex worker. Every day he would go to her house.

With this information, after mid night Pagati Chukka, dressed him like a young woman and went to the burial ground. There at the entrance soldiers were guarding. There was a tent on the spot. With female voice, Pagati Chukka said “Oh! Soldiers! I am Vanajakshi, lover of your boss. He asked me to come to here by this late hour. Let me go to him. Otherwise your boss will get angry”. They didn’t see Vanajakshi in previous but they knew about her name. So without suspecting, they allowed him/her inside.

When Pagati Chukka entered into the tent, the Army Chief was in sound sleep. He put a ball of cloth in his mouth to prevent him from shouting and bound his hands and legs with a rope and tied him to the central pole of the tent. He had taken the ash and left bones of his father’s dead body and left the place by saying thanks to the guards.

Next day morning the soldiers noticed the situation of their chief and reported everything to the king. The king fired out the Army Chief. He said “Tomorrow he will perform consecutive traditional program. As per tradition, being son, he has to mix the ashes of his father’s dead body in the river water or in tank water. And he has to donate food lumps to the crows, which are equivalent to the soul passed away. So, you guard on the banks of rivers and tanks in our city. Whoever is performing this program, bring him here.”

As usual in disguise, Pagati Chukka noticed all of this. Next day morning soldiers were guarding on the banks of every river and tank. Pagati Chukka had gone to Northern gate of the city. There was a river. He was just wore a long cloth piece to cover his waist. His hair was most disorder. He was pretending like a mad man. He was laughing, crying with loud voice and shouting without reason. Dancing for some time and singing for some time. First, the soldiers were alert when they saw him. After some observation, they thought that he might be mad. So they neglected him. He rubbed some ash on his body, poured it on his head. He sank in the water of the river thrice. He cooked rice in a pot on the bank of the river by keeping 3 stones as stove and dry twigs as fuel. He spread rice to all directions and imitated cries of the crows as caw, caw, other birds and dogs. He broken the pot and spread them all over. Laughed, cried, and shouted. Again he sank in the river water and taken bath. He sang meaningless songs. He left that place with a loud laughing. The soldiers didn’t suspect him and his activities.

In the evening, all the soldiers reported to the king about their watching. The king recognized that the mad man was not really mad and he was the son of dead thief.

He felt irritation. He scolded his soldiers for their ignorance. He ordered, “Secretly declare to all the Brahmins Pandits in our city to do not perform any ceremony, ‘Shradha’, which is traditional after the death of family member i.e. on 11th day. Though the host offer large amount of money as “Dakshina,’ the pundits should not perform it. They should inform us who ever approach them for ‘Shradha”. The soldiers obeyed king’s order.

In disguise, Pagati Chukka came to know all this. He didn’t approach any Pandit. Every day he waited at the choultry which was at the edge of the city. One day some tourist Brahmin Pandits came there from neighbor city. He approached them and offered very large amount of money to perform ‘Shradha’. He said “Respected Pandits! I lost my father. Tomorrow I have to conduct ‘Shradha’. I’ll provide food and accommodation to you for two days. I’ll give money as per your demand. You please perform it.” Pagati Chukka was in disguise. They agreed. He had driven them to his house by covering their eyes with cloth piece, at night. Within two days, he completed all the ceremony and left them at the choultry.

The tourist Brahmin Pandits were very happy about his treatment and gifts. While they were enjoying in the choultry, the soldiers noticed them, and sensed something odd. They bought them to the king’s court. The king enquired all the matter. He understood what happened. He asked them “Can you remember him or his house.”

They said, “No Maharaja! He covered his face with a black cloth. He covered our eyes while taking us to his place. Please excuse us.”

The king sent out the tourist Brahmins. He said, “It is a challenge to us. This thief is very intelligent. We have to capture him. It is a prestige to us. Mr. Kothwal! You take this responsibility to capture him.”