Tara -The Guide-Part 2

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In morning Tara was up by 5 AM. Sonam neighed high, roving her tail in readiness. Tara freshened up in nearby field, took breakfast of leftovers of onion, chillies and millet breads and sprucing up Sonam she was right at the pickup point for the tourists. Tara lit her face and made it a selling face. She cajoled, pleaded and made offers to tourists and sold them Sonam rides. She began to pick up customers. Customers beamed as Tara was an important part of their happiness and joy. They had come from all parts of the world and India and this ride meant a totemic happiness and fulfilment for them all. Tara gave them THAT yet they gave her only money. A few pieces of paper with which she could buy her onion, chillies, jaggery,millet and may be a little more. I bought one such ride. Tara took to me as a handsome paying customer and she confided in me that she has been locked in this low-end commercial opportunity since last nine years, when she was ten and orphaned. I guess, Tara made me feel like a king when she whispered in my ears that Sonam was her real sister and her siblings were just ‘blood’. Then Tara narrated her day as written above. As she whispered, I still remember that strongest of odour from her mouth that comprised of onion,jaggery, millet and unwashed bacteria that had stuck inside her mouth. The odour worked as a flag post from the time I stepped down from Sonam, till today.

Back in peaceful space in my Hotel, I thought can Tara ever escape her small commercial opportunity? Is Tara a tool of Sonam or vice versa in this small opportunity? Woman and animal were so interdependent, could one survive without the other? Unschooled, untrained and being native in a raw fashion did Tara have any hidden skills? Who would help her get the happiness and joy that she gave to hundreds? Is this the vicious circle of poverty and opportunity? Will Tara get some more pieces of papers, aka money, and lead a better life ever and tend better for Sonam? Will a marriage and husband help Tara or will Tara stay with onion,chillies,millets even with a marriage on? Then suddenly I realized that I am here only for three days and after that I also return back to my own brand of millet,onion,chillies and maybe jaggery. I laughed thinking that Kufri was a piece of my own brand of jaggery, after all . I do not know why but, at this moment, the roving tail of Sonam ran like a sepia print and I was deeply peaceful. I departed next day without any further questions.

Concluded.

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