The Crow ( Kaki )

The Crow Kolakaluri Enoch The old woman, her daughter and the grandson were there in the hut. The crows, having alighted on the top of the hut and the trees around, were cawing as though they were scolding somebody. ‘The crows are angry,’ said Avva, the grandmother. Her grandson got surprised at this. ‘Its kindred are crying,’ said avva. When her grandson tried to go out for taking a look at the crows which were crying, avva prevented him from going out, ‘The crows have come for a fight,’ said while peeping out. ‘It looks like somebody has killed a crow. The crows seem to suspect that we killed it. Let me see what it’s all about,’ saying so, avva came out. No sooner did she come out of the door’s hut than a couple of crows, having come from both the sides, kicked on her head almost cracking the scalp. She rushed into the hut without losing a moment. ‘The crows are very ferocious,’ she said setting right her raised hair. There lies in front of the hut the head, legs, nails and quills of the crow plucked and bundled. ‘It’s certainly his handiwork,’ said avva. ‘Who’s he?’ asked the grandson. ‘Bandodu,’ declared avva. Bandodu’s the one belonging to the tenth of eleven sub-castes who survive by begging exclusively the maadigas. As the saying goes, the one who is stubborn is anyway more powerful than a king! They beg only in the nights. They wouldn’t bring along with them either a bowl or a piece of cloth. They would come bare handed; leave bare handed. ‘Amma, food please!’ they would say. That’s all. One has to offer them food in their palms shaped into a cup. He would eat the food offered so without dropping a particle. ‘Amma, water please!’ he would say on completing the food or on being contented. He would drink and leave when offered water. Bandodu would beg for food only in a particular family every night. He would keep waiting for the food seated on the floor in front of the hut. There would be a big

wrangle with Bandodu if at all he were not offered food either being unnoticed or ignored. He wouldn’t say anything; he would only instigate the crows. Nobody would kill a crow. Nor would anybody eat it. This norm is not restricted to only Bandodu. The crow cannot be trapped by everybody. The crow is a clever bird. It’s not possible to kill it unless by using a catapult. The crow wouldn’t stay there if it sees a catapult. But Bandodu can kill it with ease aiming a marble at the crows. He alone can do so. Placing the marble at the tip of his index finger, he would pull the finger back almost to the verge of breaking the finger, and catapults the marble. The crow would then fall down. He eyed a lazy crow in the morning of the day. Having plucked its quills near the haystack; he bundled its quills, head, legs and nails, and placed it in front of the hut. It means the inmates of the hut didn’t offer him food the previous night. If offered food at least now, he would eat and take away the bundle of quills to throw them far away. He is a terror to the crows! He would in fact resemble them. His hair’s like a bunch of thorns. A crow that might knock his head would get entangled, and gets caught to be food for him for the day. The crows would run a mile away if they spot him around. He is the only human being who would eat the crows killing and roasting them. The kindred of the crows, however big in number they might be, cannot face Bandodu. It has been a week since avva’s son-in-law had been to Chebrolu for work. He has to bring grains while coming. Only then would there be food or gid. They didn’t cook anything since the morning of yesterday. The grandson merely drank fermented water, which is used for cooking. They didn’t light the hearth the previous night. The cooking pots were empty. It didn’t make any difference to them whether they heard Bandodu’s plea or not. They couldn’t do anything. But why would Bandodu excuse them? Having made all hue and cry that he could, he’s roasting a crow near the haystack. The crows didn’t stop cawing. They knew it that where there were quills there would be their murderers. They perched around ready to attack, the moment somebody came out of the hut. Having heard the cawing, some more crows joined them.

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They were making a lot of ruckus perched around, on the house, the trees, the walls and the telephone and electric cables as though they were keeping sentry of a corpse. The grandson, the mother and avva hid inside the hut, having shut the door. They had shut the window too when the crows were cawing perched on the rods of the window. Avva’s not scared of the noise; but she’s scared of the ominous times that might befall them in future. Bandodu might have eaten a crow having roasted it somewhere; might be struggling because of the indigestion of the meat. It would be difficult to stand him on the day he is not offered food. A loathsome beggar like Bandodu cannot be seen anywhere in the world. The maadigas of the ghetto drove the crows far away so as to protect the inmates of the house from ill-omen. But sooner, the crows came back and kept on cawing. Not being able to drive away the crows, the neighbouring maadigas left the place; but the crows didn’t leave. More crows kept on joining them. The flock grew bigger. They found it difficult to stand the force and attack of the flock of the crows. The strength of the maadigas didn’t work when compared to that of the kindred of the crows. Bandodu has to be offered food to put an end to the wrangle of the crows. He would then relieve them of the curse. He would remove the quills. The crows would quit the place. The crows might leave the place if somebody other than Bandodu were to remove the quills; but the one who might do so, would not return without having to be bled. The crow would peck his eyes. If the crows that quarreled were not to come to the surroundings of the house, no other crow would ever come till the end of the generation. It wouldn’t perch anywhere around. It’s a matter of insult to the inmates of the house where the crows refused to perch. When the grandson tried to go out for pelting stones at the crows in order to drive them away, avva stopped him and said, ‘You cannot come back if you go out.’ The grandson retreated.

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The outcry of the crows continued without break. The noise is deafening. The sun in the mid sky began to slant. Bandodu stood up near the haystack. He came to the house, the doors and windows of which were kept closed. Having been terrified as though they saw a murderer, the crows ceased to caw; they lurked silently without making noise like the crushed lice. The meat of the crow does not digest. Therefore, no one eats it. The crow spared the one who had eaten the meat of the crow, and kicked avva, the innocent one. They are cawing expressing anger against the inmates of the house. The one having no voice is taken for granted even by the crows. Each crow left for its place when Bandodu rubbed his palms and flexed fingers. The crows came back when he said, ‘amma, food please!’ The three inmates of the hut heard him beg; but they couldn’t respond to him as they had no food to offer him. When Bandodu was begging, the crows that cawed deafeningly, kept silent as though they had conspired with him. Whether because of fear or that he might not kill the crows if the maadigas offered him food, the crows seemed to be expressing solidarity with him by supporting him, joining his party. By kicking avva, who’s not their enemy, the crows almost seemed to ask the inmates of the hut to offer him food. Are the crows and Bandodu enemies? Or the ones belonging to each other? Is there any understanding between the crows and Bandodu? ‘He has asked for food! It’s bound to take place; what all is suspected will take place,’ avva said crying. She didn’t offer him food, and he’s going to curse. Bandodu hung the bundle of the quills of the crow to a bamboo at the hut. He vomited the chewed pieces of crow-meat. There is a stink of crow-meat. The stench. The undigested crow-meat stinks more. The stench that might severe their noses. The crows too didn’t aspire for the food vomited. Does a crow attempt to eat vomited food? How insulting it is! Bandodu left the place. The crows too left the place at the dusk. Bandodu would never again come back to the house for begging. If the flock of the crows were to come back the following day, the remains of the vomiting of Bandodu mustn’t be covered with soil to prevent the stink. They shouldn’t

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again step into the house. The quills of the crow mustn’t be removed. The house, on which the crows alight, must be abandoned the second day too; mustn’t be used. Nobody should stay in the house. It’s a matter of ill-omen if the remains of the vomiting were to be covered by soil, the quills were to be removed and the house is not abandoned. Lest, someone belonging to the house might die. Just because of not offering food out of poverty, should there be so much of revenge? If the crows were not to come back the following day, they can smear the floor, draw muggu, floural drawing on the floor; light the hearth and cook food. But the crows would not perch on the house ever again. He wouldn’t say, ‘amma, food please!’ It’s a salvation. The salvation is but a curse. Then on, it would be a house that the crows doesn’t perch. A house that Bandodu doesn’t beg at. It’s a matter of insult. An excommunication! First published in Andhra Jyothi, Sunday Magazine, 10.02.2008 Translated from original Telugu by K. Purushotham

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