My dear friend Godrey writes:
Miriabari Memories Yesterday Willy the Jesuit regent and i both visited Miriabari, a little adivasi hamlet nestled in the Satpuda Range foothills very close to the Gujarat border. Gosh, it was such a pretty village. Simple houses bunched on the hillside can be spotted from afar. The people gracious. Our boarders were bright gnomes accompanying us everywhere, happy to have us visit. Earlier in the morning we had a round of other hamlets as well in that undulating corner of Maharashtra. Bhimsing and his brother Tulsiram invited us to lunch (after the usual round of sweet teas: with or without milk). Their little home overlooks a valley where a perennial stream flows. Accross that valley is a wooded hill. How long these woods will last in our rapacious culture is anyone's guess. There is a problem of drinking water. Also our Std.VII boarder Ankesh's small sister was ill but reaching a medical centre would be tough going. Bhimsing's grandmother cooked us rice and chicken curry. The chicken was fetched from 5 Kms away. I wouldve prefered "gavti kombdi" but the local birds were not considered - maybe they crow for time, take longer to cook; or fetch a better price. Chopped kanda was for relish. Chappatis could also be had. What a tasty repast. We may lose Bhimsing's cooking forever. Gurus are crowding adivasi areas with injunctions against native food habits, introducing new spells, incantations and festivals. Another set of details amazed me: the village school room, electric supply, the phone/mobile connectivity, and the little check bunds on the rivulets. Our mercurial government whether from noble impetus or proded by the NBA in those regions has tried to reach these remote villages, indeed. For in these parts 70 Kms (from Nandurbar, District Centre) is like flying to Istanbul. At times I held my breath as Willy steered over stones and craters to negotiate paths towards Miriabari. All is not lost if India can build on these "*small steps on the earth" (*I find it ridiculous that nations pride themselves on moon flights, outerspace jumps and somersaults). So I celebrate Divali with memories of Miriabari. One day you may visit...... Much love Godfrey
