Even these simple people had dreams and longed for a better life, but those dreams and longings
were hazy and unreal, based on the films they saw once a year in a slightly bigger village, which
was big enough to intimidate them every time they went there.
Raja’s prized possession was a tiny bamboo flute, carved for him by his father. In the long,
dreary evenings after their labors, Raja would entertain his family with improvised melodies that
floated above their tiny hut past the corn fields into the village beyond.
Their life would never change. A peaceful and monotonous eternity stretched before them.
And then the buffalo died.
If they could have sacrificed a family member to save the buffalo, they would have done so.
They faced starvation without the buffalo’s milk. The family met to consider their dilemma.
“Someone needs to leave the village to work in the city and send money home. The money will
be saved up for a new buffalo.” Father announced calmly.
None of the family members had ever left the village before, let alone go anywhere as far away
as the city. They glanced at one another before looking down, keeping quiet.
“Hassan has poor eyes; I need Subhan to work the cornfields; Rahi needs to help mother in the
master’s house; Suraj is too weak,”. Father said. Only Raja remained.
“Raja”, their father announced, smiling down on his youngest son, just eighteen. “You will send
us enough money to get a new buffalo.”
His brothers and sisters sighed with relief as poor Raja stared at his father, wondering how he
could manage. They tried their best to fill him with confidence and tell him all they knew about
the city. But they knew nothing of the city, their advice gleaned from the movies shown in the
nearby village.
They told him city- people were very generous. They not only fed their servants, but also gave
them plenty of money. He would wear fantastic clothes and ride in a car, not on a donkey. Then
he would find a nice girl, one who didn’t have to work in the fields and had hands without
calluses. Nothing could go wrong or come between Raja and his buffalo.
So Raja, the savior of the family, left for the big city. His family bade him farewell as he set off
on the long journey, along narrow paths surrounded by trees and corn fields, clutching his few
meager possessions, including his beloved flute, and some bread and scraps of meat his mother
packed for him.
Page | 39