Pradeep's Musings

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ବଳିଆ କୁକୁରଙ୍କ ସହ ସାମନା ସାମନି

- September 30, 2025

୧୯୮୩ ସାଲ ଖରା ଦିନେ ହଠାତ ମୋର ଜଣେ ବାଲ୍ୟ ବନ୍ଧୁ ପ୍ରମୋଦ ଗୌଡ଼ କୋରାପୁଟର ଅମ୍ବାଦଳାକୁ କାଠଗଣ୍ଡି ( Timber ) କିଣିବା ପାଇଁ ବହାରିଥିଲେ ଗଞ୍ଜାମ ଜିଲ୍ଲା ସୋରଡ଼ାରୁ। ରାଇକିଆ ରୁ ତାଙ୍କ ସହ ମୁଁ ତାଙ୍କ ସହ ଗଲି।ଆମେ ଟ୍ରକରେ ଯାତ୍ରା କଲୁ।ଟ୍ରକ ଡ୍ରାଇଭର ଭୀମ ଭାରି ମେଳାପି ବ୍ୟକ୍ତି ଥିଲେ ଓ ତାଙ୍କ ସହ ଗପସପ ହୋଇ ବାଟ କଟି ଯାଉ ଥାଏ। ଘଞ୍ଚ ସବୁଜ ଜଙ୍ଗଲ ଓ ପାହାଡ଼ ପର୍ବତ ଦେଇ ଆମ ଗାଡ଼ି ଯାଉଥାଏ। ହଠାତ ଭୀମ ଗୋଟିଏ ବୁଲାଣିରେ ଗାଡି ବ୍ରେକ ମାରିଲେ।ମୋତେ ଟିକିଏ ନିଦ ଲାଗି ଯାଇଥିଲା। ପ୍ରମୋଦ ମୋତେ ଝାଙ୍କି ଉଠେଇ ଦେଲା। ଉଠ ହେ, ଏକ ବିରଳ ଦୃଶ୍ୟ ଦେଖିବ।ଜୀବନରେ ଏହିପରି ଆଉ ସୁଯୋଗ ଆସି ନ ପାରେ, ସେ କହିଲା। ସାମନାରେ ଦେଖିଲି ଦଳେ ବଳିଆ କୁକୁର ( Indian wild dogs)ଙ୍କ ଏକ ପ୍ରଜାତି ଯାହାଙ୍କୁ ଆମେ ଢୋଲ( Cuon Alpinas) ସେମାନେ ରାସ୍ତା ପାର ହେଉଛନ୍ତି। ଏମାନଙ୍କର ରଙ୍ଗ ମାଟିଆ , ଥୋମଣି କଳା ଓ ଲାଞ୍ଜ କଳା ଓ ଛାଞ୍ଚୁଣି ପରି ଦିଶୁଥିଲା। ହୁଇସିଲ ପରି ଶବ୍ଦ କରି ସେମାନେ ପରସ୍ପରକୁ ସଙ୍କେତ ଓ ସୂଚନା ଦେଉଥାଆନ୍ତି। ସେମାନେ ଆମକୁ କୋୖତୁହଳ ହୋଇ ଦେଖିଲେ। ସତେ ଯେପରି ଭାବୁଥିଲେ ଆମେ ଶୁଭ ଯାତ୍ରାରେ ବାହାରିଲା ବେଳେ ଏହି ମଣିଷ ମାନେ ତାଙ୍କର ଏହି ବିଚିତ୍ର ଯାନ ଧରି ଏଠାରେ କୁଆଡ଼େ ପହଁଚିଲେ ?? ପନ୍ଦର କୋଡ଼ିଏ ମି...

𝗠𝘆 𝗠𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿'𝘀 𝗚𝗼𝗹𝗱 𝗡𝗲𝗰𝗸𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗲

- September 30, 2025

Women have a weakness for gold and gold ornaments. Like other women my mother too was obsessed with gold. Since we were a middle class family my mother could not afford to buy more gold ornaments during her lifetime. In1975 during Summer a man claiming to be a goldsmith came to our village with a mysterious-looking cloth-bindle slung across his shoulder. I was then a student of nineth standard in high school. As the man with a tousled hair and stubble with a vermillion tick on the head moved from door to door accompanied by his assistant offering people the service of cleaning their gold ornaments and to make them shine anew. My mother too wanted to make her old gold necklace look new and shining. She, my aunt and two other women from our street wanted to take advantage of the goldsmith's service at the doorstep, that too, at a little cost. When asked about his credentials, the goldsmith identified himself as Madan, a itinerant goldsmith from the village Sarangagad. His elusive loo...

THE ONE-LEGGED CROW

- November 30, 2022

Crows are ubiquitous scavenger birds that usually wake up us from our morning drowsiness. While most of us dislike them because of their irritating cawing that is raucous and jarring, I have great fascination for them. Their agility and cunningness to dodge a stone or catapult shot at every situation has made them stand out among birds. While I was in school I used to watch them perching atop the drum-stick tree in our backyard. Half a dozen crows were regular visitors to our backyard to eat the food or left-overs thrown in the garbage. Among them was a one-legged crow that hopped with difficulties to collect food. My heart went out with it. Maybe it was a hors de combat soldier in the avian world and had sustained grievous injury while courting its favourite partner. It was comparatively bigger in size and had an impressive ...

WANDERLUST

- November 29, 2022

My penchant for visiting and travelling to new and unknown places began in my student days. Since I was a voracious reader I used to go through lot of magazines and novels of adventure of the World Classic Series. During these days, a popular column in the Mirror magazine (being published from Bombay and now defunct ) titled " The Hitch Hiker's Diary " greatly fascinated me. Moreover, the adventures of explorers like Ferdinand Magellan, Sir Francis Drake ,Columbus and Vasco de Gama who circumnavigated the world had highly impressed me. Their encounter with strange people with their obscurantist culture and confrontation with hostile tribes had really made my hairs bristled up. I too was bit by the travel bug at an early age. I wanted to become a globe-trotter like them. However, my irrepressible desire to travel far and wide was partially fulfilled as destiny t...

THE MAHOUT'S INVITATION

- November 29, 2022

An early morning sound of high decibel on a Summer day was not only deafening, but also intimidating. I did not know what it was. Then there was a loud knock on the door of my village home at Raikia. I had come from Cuttack to spend my summer vacation at village as our college had been closed. Upon opening the door I became almost face-to-face with a huge elephant that was standing right at our doorstep. The mahout, a swarthy middle-aged man with a yellowish bandana tied to his head, was standing beside the pachyderm with a big smile holding out a brass plate containing some hibiscus flowers and a small container with vermillion . I could understand everything and went back to my room. I offered a two rupee note to the elephant and one banana. The grateful animal handed over the money to its master with its trunk and devoured the banana cheerfully. ...

THE DAY THE BOATS CAPSIZED

- November 28, 2022

T he boat mishap in the Surada reservoir ( locally known as Sorada Ghai) during my childhood was a tragic incident that had shocked the small town then. The big reservoir fed by the Patma or Padma river is hemmed in by high embankment and supplies its water to the far off towns like Aska and Berhampur besides the Surada town itself. Its undulating blue water, large number of aquatic birds, the lotus flowers blooming in every part of this water body and above all the smoothly gliding country boats propelled by oars are big crowd-pullers. During those days, the inmates of Catholic Mission girls hostel on the campus of the Catholic Mission School used to enjoy boat-ride on the afternoon of every Saturday as a ...

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