“Your name?”

“Erragolla Mallayya, sir”.

“What is your profession?”

“We are shepherds... we tend sheep...”

“Why did you get jailed?”

“We were accused of killing someone. Somebody ordered life time imprisonment for us”.

~*~

“Go... go and get money...”

“Where from can I get it, dora? It is not even one year. I gave five hundred to the old. This new dora came even before six months passed. The dora who left told me that he would inform the new dora who left told me that he would inform the new dora that came in his place. This new dora said that he does not know anything about it. He demanded seven hundred rupees and soai nothing doing. I gave him what he demanded and as tending my sheep. It is not even two months and you came. Please don’t ask me a single paisa for four months to come, dora”.

“Show me your receipt”.

“Where is the question of a receipt, sir? When I asked him to give me the receipt he said he was allowing me to tend the sheep for a year. He further said he would be responsible for the arrangement”.

“That is not the truth. You are lying”.

“If you say it is a lie, will mean that I did not give him the money at all? You ask Golla Rajadu, Kittadu and Yenkadu. We three gave the money at the same time. If you want, call them and ask; Dora”. 

“Arei, don’t tell us all that. You have to pay a tax of twelve hundred rupees. If you don’t, I’ll have to prepare a chalan on the sheep go and get the money”.

“How can I find the money at this time to day? I’ll give it tomorrow morning. Where do you stay?”

“I stay in the land lord’s house. You must get the money early in the morning. I’ll have to leave by twelve after eating my food”.

“Sir, all the sheep are not mine. Half of them belong to dora. In the remaining ones, half belong to the villagers and the other half are mine. I will pay the find for my herd of thirty sheep. You please ask the dora for his sheep, sir. I’ll bring the villagers also to you. You can ask them how many sheep belong to whom”. 

“I don’t know all that”. 

“Well, them, I will pay for the villagers’ by asking them please ask dora for his share of the amount”.

“We don’t know all that”. 

“If so keep all the sheep with you. What you do... I too wil observe”.

“Arre, you are talking too cleverly”.

“What else sir, you stay with the dora. You eat in the house of dora. Yet you want me to pay his share of money. Are these the right words to be spoken?”

“Tie up this bas... and throw him in the zeep...”

“What is all this? The more I am quiet, the more you are talking big words. Earlier you asked your men to tie me up to the tree. Now you ask them to tie me up and throw me in the zeep. You are abusing me using objectionable words like bas... pest... why don’t you talk decent language?

The cheek of the shepherd received a resounding slap.

“Hit me. Beat me more. Alone as I am, four of you together beat me. What else are you capable of than this? You are beating a shepherd. In that herd half of the sheep belong to dora. Beat that dora if you can. He doesn’t even give me wages. I have to drudge for him without wages. I am a poor man ... I live in this village. What happened to you to ask me like that? You eat in dora’s house and sleep in dora’s house. But educated as you are can’t you ask him? You are doing a government job. You know how to beat a poor man, one who is lean like a stick”.

Slap... slap... he stopped beating as his hands ached. Blood started dripping from the shepherd’s mouth. 

“Is that enough! Is your hand achieving because of continuous beating? Beat me more. Kill me. You have no courage to ask that dora, you... beat me more. You eat what he feeds you with and bang your arms. In the town he got built a house for his sun-in-law and another for his son with the bribes he received. Don’t interfere with that dora. Kick us only. Tax the sheep that feed themselves in the forest. Where will cattle and sheep graze if it not in the forest? Shall I male then feed in the crop field? Then! What is this government?

~*~

“Arei Malliga? Have you not yet come to your senses? I learnt that you drank a lot yesterday and abused them. 

“I did not drink, sir. I am your slave”.

“Chat! How dare you answer me back? Don’t you want to live in the village?”

“It’s all your will and kindness. I am your slave. What do I know how to speak?

“Sir...!”

~*~

“Ah! How is it you have come here?”

“There are our sheep also in the herd- all the shepherds want to pay the tax themselves. They were stubborn till we came here”.

“What is it about?”

“Why do we pay the tax? Are they not receiving wages? Who asked them to allow their sheep to graze in the forest?”

“He himself will pay. You better go away.... you received money the other day towards the land that got lost in the canal of the Pochampad. I can convince the small officers of these areas. But this checking party has come from Warangal. They are not the people who listen if requested... go... go and get the money”.

~*~

“I am telling you beforehand. You must give me what you agreed to give me. Don’t tell me that you paid the Chowkidar, the old ................. Their ‘mamuls’ come under different count. The tax has to be paid separately”.

“The amount with Rajigadu. Wait, I’ll call him ... Rajigo.... Rajigo... Rajigo...”

“..................”

“Oh god! ... I am dead ...”

~*~

“But then well you twenty ordered to indigo imprisonment?”

“Only for four. They are here”.

“If you are released now will you live happily with your wives and children?” 

“My wife died. My sons wash dishes in the hotel in the town. The daughter is being looked after by her uncles”.

“Then what will you do?”

“It depends on killing the dora who neither made us live happily or sent us to the graveyard...” 

“What did the dora say?” 

“It is dora who is responsible for all ills. When the Pochampadu canal was to pan through his field, he got the canal route changed and submerged my field. He made me pay for his sheep and made me bankrupt. When we thought that if he was killed in the forest who will know... he took the opportunity and sold all the wood ... when he was caught he told the police that we killed the and got in thrown into the jail”.

“What has happened has happened. We have come here to help you. If you change your mind, we will see that the government will release you. The government will give you aome financial help. Then you can lead your life. Is it not so?”

“This government! It did not allow me to live my life. It being so, will the government help me? Never...”

“That is why we came. We came on behalf of the All India Humanities Association and Love to the Living up Association. We will see you are helped. We will show you rehabilitation”.

“If that is so, first get the mistake committed by the government corrected .... Let me be given back my one acre land. Bring my wife back to life.... Get my sons educated like your sons. Let my son get good jobs like your sons who one educated... Then let us talk about the help the government wants to give me”.

“No one can take time back. No god can turn back time. No, he cannot. Ask for some other help”. 

“What great things did I ask? I asked back my life. What help can you give me when you cannot give what I asked for? With what idea did you come to me? Why did you come at all?”

“When we came to help you in you difficulties feeling pity on you, you are indulging in tall talk... It looks as though there is no limit to your desires...”

“What did I ask you...? You are talking of pity... what mistake did I commit? What do you talk... The shepherds’ tribe was not born today... the sheep were not born today. These have been shepherds even before Lord Sri Krishna was born. There were sheep also... No one allowed their sheep in their houses from times immemorial. Every one made the sheep graze int eh forests. We worship Lord Sri Krishna as God as he made his sheep graze in the forest. When I too did the same. I have been brought to this sad state ... If today you ask us not to allow the sheep to graze in the forest, which has been done from bygone times, where will they graze? If the government is so kind and generous hearted, it may ask people not to eat sheep meat and not to tend them. I have stopped tending sheep and have been tending buffaloes. You like sheep meat and late the shepherd! Does the government have any thought as to how he lives?” 

“You are stubborn. That is why you one here... who is teaching you all this?”

“Why should anyone teach me? Is it wrong to say that I want to lead my life as I like?”

“You are not wrong.... Do not get irritated....” 

Think it over again. What is past is past. Patiently consider the situation. If you come out, you can make a new life. We will come back again within a weak or fifteen. Discuss the matter without emotion. 

Emergency has gone. Indiramma lost her power. Janata Party formed the Government in centre. We once talking the campaign. There is an opportunity of your being released.