the Aztec Rain god. He knew his Anglo?Indian college mate Jacob went to Australia as a
missionary, and reminding him of all the smokes they shared and the help he got from
Shataneek on the exam halls was enough to secure him an invitation. No one could stop
him after that. Leaving the sleepy bye lane of Kolkata, he was in the port of Darwin in
August of 1968.
He knew nothing of the country. And it took him three months to earn enough and
secure the guidance of Wanamutta. He can’t say the Wanamutta didn’t try to stop him
from his journey. But somehow the native Australian started loving him like his little
brother. He kept saying, “Bahba, the outback is not for your soft heart; go back when
time is in your side.” But Wanamutta’s ‘Bahba’ – his little brother Shataneek was sure he
wanted to do this. He shook his head, is he becoming delirious again? He needs to be
awake. Last night he hardly slept, he had to keep staring at the flicking tongue and blue
eyes of the Death Adder. Wanamutta’s word saved him. It was one of the most
stubborn of all outback snakes. How long was it? Two hours? Or was it six?
He just remembers that he heard the slithering noise and pointed the frail beam of his
torch catching the Adder in striking position. “It can strike and go back before you blink
your eyes!” was Wanamutta’s warning about adders, “If you see one about to strike,
don’t take your eyes off them. They are stubborn, so be patient like a Heron”. And
patient he was, not taking his eyes of the death dealer. Shataneek lost count of time. Till
he suddenly realized it was no longer there, and he slumped into sleep.
In the dying day light, Shataneek took out his fountain pen with last droplet of ink and
opens the dark tan diary. He needs to write down how he failed. Even after losing all
hopes and his tracker friend, the gentle Bengali roamed through the Australian outback,
created the map with every single hill and hillock. Yet neither did he find the place
mentioned by the old sailor to Capt. Standish, or by any of the writers. Does Australian
Outback keep changing itself like the dunes of Sahara? He needs to warn future readers
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