"They aren't reciting poetry. On my last ride, they did, all through the ride", said my sister as our boat meandered down the Narmada through the marble canyons of Bheraghat.
And of course, as soon as she finished saying it, the guide began to recite poetry a.k.a narrate the myths of the mighty Narmada. As we sat tightly packed in a boat with about 20 other tourists, the scrawny man with a booming voice and great sense of rhyme, shared stories and historical facts about the river and its canyons. As happens with most film shoot locales, a good number of the facts involved items from various Bollywood movies including from the Shahrukh Khan-Kareena Kapoor starrer Ashoka.
While the vista was awe-inspiring and our co-tourists a treat, the most interesting part of the tour to me was the guide. As his two colleagues pulled mightily to steer our well-laden boat into the canyons and back, he told us about how the floods raise the river high enough to cover a good portion of the rocks walls. When the water recedes, it leaves a portion discoloured, creating a marked two-tone rock face.
This and other facts helped add more colour to our 45-minute ride into the canyons and back. As we paid our fares and added a tip for the guide, he thanked us profusely, neither having asked nor expected one. And that made me think about the cruises I have taken time and again in the U.S. where even a short commentary is followed by a request for tips. Before we stepped out of the boat, I asked the guide how many years he had been doing this work and he said he started as a child, so for about 15-odd years. "It is a family heritage", he said. "My dad did this work and so do I." "And what about your kids, if you have any?" They go to school, he said. "I didn't go to school but I am making sure they do."
Will educated children mean that our guide's future generations will cease to be the bards of the Narmada?Maybe. But I won't romanticize poverty. Instead I will hope that education will give our poet-guide's children access to a life with more opportunities. And maybe this bard's children will 'startup' an organization that gives the bards a higher quality of life and our future generations continued access to the poetry of the Narmada.
And of course, as soon as she finished saying it, the guide began to recite poetry a.k.a narrate the myths of the mighty Narmada. As we sat tightly packed in a boat with about 20 other tourists, the scrawny man with a booming voice and great sense of rhyme, shared stories and historical facts about the river and its canyons. As happens with most film shoot locales, a good number of the facts involved items from various Bollywood movies including from the Shahrukh Khan-Kareena Kapoor starrer Ashoka.
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| In silhouette: Our bard against his Narmada |
This and other facts helped add more colour to our 45-minute ride into the canyons and back. As we paid our fares and added a tip for the guide, he thanked us profusely, neither having asked nor expected one. And that made me think about the cruises I have taken time and again in the U.S. where even a short commentary is followed by a request for tips. Before we stepped out of the boat, I asked the guide how many years he had been doing this work and he said he started as a child, so for about 15-odd years. "It is a family heritage", he said. "My dad did this work and so do I." "And what about your kids, if you have any?" They go to school, he said. "I didn't go to school but I am making sure they do."
Will educated children mean that our guide's future generations will cease to be the bards of the Narmada?Maybe. But I won't romanticize poverty. Instead I will hope that education will give our poet-guide's children access to a life with more opportunities. And maybe this bard's children will 'startup' an organization that gives the bards a higher quality of life and our future generations continued access to the poetry of the Narmada.
Ma & I have enjoyed reading this. Beautiful it is. Ans though we did not comment on the Sept posts, they were beautiful too. Keep it up Dinkoma.
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