|
|
 |
 |
| Sunday, 28 July 2002 |
 |
|
 |
Magazine |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
|
The throb of drums rent the air... Oberon was in a high state of excitement; he had received an invitation to go to Sri Lanka to see the Great Kandy Perahera. Of course, this meant that most of us would go too, with some staying behind to mind forest affairs. The invitation had been in scroll form, as in the ancient days. It had gold lettering in keeping with the great occasion, and gold tassels and ribbons ordained the scroll. So everything was set for the momentous trip to distant Sri Lanka where they say it is summer every day of the year, and brilliant parrots dart through the air, cutting through swarms of butterflies like coloured electric jets as they fly to the Great Mountain, where, as tradition has it they go to pay their respects. Everyone was excited at the thought of going to such an exotic destination. But the sad part was that everyone thought everyone was going, but that would have been impossible. 'Some of you will have to stay back and look after things here while the queen and I - and some of you - travel the great distance to the magical isle in the Indian Ocean and come back,' said Ob,surveying the faces before him very closely so that he could make an assessment of whom to take and whom to leave behind, which was going to be a difficult task. It was decided by Quince - now the official PR man, so named by Ob himself during the England-India Natwest one-dayer - that a draw be held to decide on who goes and who stays at home as otherwise it would be unfair. 'But there's nothing so unfair as a draw,'said old Bot, tears welling up in his eyes.' "Bot's right, you know.' That was a small voice that came from an acorn. But no one could identify the voice. However, Ob nipped in the bud what could have become an argument over the luck of the draw: 'It has been decided that the draw will be final.' After much scrambling and banter on how correctly a draw should be organised,the lucky winners were announced by Quince. 'Those who will accompany the king and queen to Sri Lanka are as follows: Starveling, Snout, Puck and myself. Those attending on the queen: Peace Blossom and Mustard Seed. Now let's set- to and get packing.' All the arrangements were in place and we took off on a bright summer's morning on the long flight to Lanka,isle of dreams. Of course there were no airline tickets and such things to worry about, and no seat belts and boarding passes to mind, as we travel on our own wings, invisible to everyone. The 'flight' was as pleasant as we could ever have had, and we made it in less than twenty-four hours, same as a jet aircraft, and no air-pockets to make you nervous. As we floated over Kandy city, it was like a fairyland which made us feel so much at home. We descended beside the lake, like an emerald in the dusk, set among thousands of other coloured gemstones. The great spectacle had begun and we caught our breath at the sight. None of us-not even Puck who has meandered in many jungles-had ever seen elephants before. What met our eyes were scores of elephants, all of them grandly decorated, walking with majestic, measured steps, their mahouts walking beside them. Flares from flaming torches lit up the deepening dusk over Kandy as the great procession gained in volume in terms of numbers and sound. The drums were like nothing we had ever heard before-an orchestra of different types of drums throbbing loud and deep on the air-and the Kandyan dancers whirling to their beat, their silver head-dresses glinting in the light of the torches and the myriad golden-coloured electric jets that lit up the whole scene. Then came the moment everyone had been waiting for-the arrival of the principle elephant, gorgeously caparisoned, jets decorating his trunk, carrying on his back the most intricately carved and beautiful gold casket imaginable, containing the Sacred Tooth Relic of the Buddha. It is said that the casket is the work of traditional Kandyan goldsmiths whose ancestors made exquisite ornaments for the monarchs of ancient Lanka and who were showered with royal gifts as reward for their work, so that some of them came to own lands and property for their work. The whole thing was so staggering that we could not imagine that we were really witnessing this grand and glorious pageant. What stories we would have to relate when we returned home to the forest and those who stayed behind want to know every detail of our trip. When the day came for us to leave, we could only hope that there would be another time for us to see what we had seen the night before. But we had a schedule to keep to; there was a bad weather warning out- and we do not have spare wings. Tit |
|
News | Business | Features
| Editorial | Security
| Produced by Lake House |
