Photo of Sashi Mansi Singh
A truncated version of this piece came in the 'Grassroots', August 2009 issue
When beloved ones become your blood-hounds
Pradeep Baisakh
Twenty year old Shashi Mansi Singh had been serving the people of Gunjivadi village of Kandhamal district of Orissa for about three years in several ways. She formed and gave direction to the functioning of Self Help Groups (SHGs), sent about twenty children to the school by persuading their parents, spread awareness on several issues and so on. She is a Christian girl from Daringvadi block of the district. Her selfless service had won confidence of villagers of different religious communities on her who affectionately address her as Madhu.
On 23rd August 2008 Swami Laxmananada Saraswati of Jaleshpata ashram in Kandhamal district was shot dead by some miscreants. This led insurmountable communal flare up among Hindus and Christians through out the state. Gunjivadi also did not escape from the communal hatredness. Just during the procession carrying the body of deceased Swamiji passed Gunjivadi, a message (rumour or fact is for the investigating agency to find out) was spread that a particular NGO of K Nuagaon-the nearest township was involved in the killing of Swamiji. Following the procession, some villagers of a particular community got together and decided to search Mansi and another person-Brahmanand to finish them altogether. What was their crime? They were working for the aforesaid NGO! The younger generation in the mob discussed “we had so much trust on them, they have played with our faith…” Mansi was eavesdropping from her rented house. She was unable believe her ears; are these the same people planning to kill her who till the other moment loved her so much!
Indecisive, she ran to the other hamlet where Christian people were staying. (She had taken rent in a hindu house.) It was a dark night and was raining. She banged herself against a wall and fell unconscious just as she arrived there. People rushed in and sprinkled water brining her back to consciousness. As she narrated her apprehension on the possibility of attack on her, the people there hid her in one house. The mob had by that time reached that hamlet and searched her thoroughly. Not getting her, they left the place.
The mob indiscriminately started burning and destroying the houses and property of a particular community. People fearing consequences hurriedly started running in that dark night to the nearest jungle leaving their belongings behind. Mansi and Brahmanand also joined the crowd. Unable to match the ‘life saving race’ some pregnant women were falling down, but somehow were managing to wake up and then run!
Mansi was not conversant with the route unlike the villagers. In the ‘run’ she got her dress torn while brushed against the thorns and lost her shoes too. The villagers spent four days and four nights in the nearest jungle. The search of Mansi and Brahmanand by the mob continued for these days in the jungle. ‘Cat and mouse’ game went on between one set of villagers who had turned mob and the other set of people who were trying to save themselves and these two outsiders. Mansi was given a towel to wear herself as her dress was already torn. None took any food or water in all these days; neither did they feel the need-so overwhelming was the fear of death!
At the end of four days Mansi and Brahamanad thought the villagers are unnecessarily suffering for them, they should go back to their village. So deciding, they left for Simanvadi GP of Daringvadi block in the night eluding the vigil of the mob. A boy-‘Nilkon’ was sent with both of them to guide. Uncertain about their future, the villagers bade them a tearful farewell. They had to criss-cross about thirty kilometres in the thick jungle to arrive at their destination.
Mansi had worn back the same torn dress. Bare foot and half torn saluaar punjabi, Mansi started her second innings of the ‘race to save life’ unsure about where destiny is taking her. Only Nilkon knew the route. Traversing through the thick forest housed by wild animals like tiger, bear and poisonous snakes was not like suiting a horror film for them as the threat to their life at every step was very real. Thorns were piercing Mansi’s bare foot leading to continuous bleeding-thus passed that night, but the journey did not stop. As they were passing through a bare and stiff mountain, Mansi slipped over a stone and lost control. Barely saved as she caught hold of a small single branch tree; otherwise she would have fallen down by about hundred feet. Brahamanand and Hilkon pulled her up. Walking on, they arrived in Dandavadi and Jiduvadi villages where they took water after five days. They passed about four to five villages on their way. But as and when they were passing any village, just after some time they would hear the mob shouting barely half a kilometre behind! It seemed the mob was able to know their whereabouts-so feels Mansi.
Sun was setting; they had to cross a narrow but overflowing river. There was no bridge. There were two parallel strings tied across two trees on the both sides of the river. Without lifting the steps they cautiously slip their feet over the lower string and simultaneously holding the upper one. Mansi could feel that bloods from her feet were dropping on the river. Mentally and physically exhausted and traumatised, Mansi started laughing like a mad girl-just not able to know what is happening to her. They crossed the river, but that’s not over. As they passed a few yards ahead, suddenly she stopped and shouted. She was about to step over a long black snake sleeping on their way…again saved! They also encountered with a bear, though it did not harm them but quietly left.
In that night they arrived on Nilkon’s house and ate some biscuits. This is something they ate after seven days!
Eventually she managed to reach her home in Daringvadi where her family members had thought that she was already dead. After the eight days of nightmare, Mansi was behaving erratically. “I could know that I was behaving abnormally, but I was unable to help it out” says Mansi. Then she had to go through a series of counselling to be back to normalcy.
Mansi still cannot understand-why her beloved one ran amok after her? Neither could she nor the villagers could understand that taking advantage of their low level of awareness, how skilfully religion is used by the influential category in the society to divide people and take mileage-both political and religious.
Pradeep Baisakh
Twenty year old Shashi Mansi Singh had been serving the people of Gunjivadi village of Kandhamal district of Orissa for about three years in several ways. She formed and gave direction to the functioning of Self Help Groups (SHGs), sent about twenty children to the school by persuading their parents, spread awareness on several issues and so on. She is a Christian girl from Daringvadi block of the district. Her selfless service had won confidence of villagers of different religious communities on her who affectionately address her as Madhu.
On 23rd August 2008 Swami Laxmananada Saraswati of Jaleshpata ashram in Kandhamal district was shot dead by some miscreants. This led insurmountable communal flare up among Hindus and Christians through out the state. Gunjivadi also did not escape from the communal hatredness. Just during the procession carrying the body of deceased Swamiji passed Gunjivadi, a message (rumour or fact is for the investigating agency to find out) was spread that a particular NGO of K Nuagaon-the nearest township was involved in the killing of Swamiji. Following the procession, some villagers of a particular community got together and decided to search Mansi and another person-Brahmanand to finish them altogether. What was their crime? They were working for the aforesaid NGO! The younger generation in the mob discussed “we had so much trust on them, they have played with our faith…” Mansi was eavesdropping from her rented house. She was unable believe her ears; are these the same people planning to kill her who till the other moment loved her so much!
Indecisive, she ran to the other hamlet where Christian people were staying. (She had taken rent in a hindu house.) It was a dark night and was raining. She banged herself against a wall and fell unconscious just as she arrived there. People rushed in and sprinkled water brining her back to consciousness. As she narrated her apprehension on the possibility of attack on her, the people there hid her in one house. The mob had by that time reached that hamlet and searched her thoroughly. Not getting her, they left the place.
The mob indiscriminately started burning and destroying the houses and property of a particular community. People fearing consequences hurriedly started running in that dark night to the nearest jungle leaving their belongings behind. Mansi and Brahmanand also joined the crowd. Unable to match the ‘life saving race’ some pregnant women were falling down, but somehow were managing to wake up and then run!
Mansi was not conversant with the route unlike the villagers. In the ‘run’ she got her dress torn while brushed against the thorns and lost her shoes too. The villagers spent four days and four nights in the nearest jungle. The search of Mansi and Brahmanand by the mob continued for these days in the jungle. ‘Cat and mouse’ game went on between one set of villagers who had turned mob and the other set of people who were trying to save themselves and these two outsiders. Mansi was given a towel to wear herself as her dress was already torn. None took any food or water in all these days; neither did they feel the need-so overwhelming was the fear of death!
At the end of four days Mansi and Brahamanad thought the villagers are unnecessarily suffering for them, they should go back to their village. So deciding, they left for Simanvadi GP of Daringvadi block in the night eluding the vigil of the mob. A boy-‘Nilkon’ was sent with both of them to guide. Uncertain about their future, the villagers bade them a tearful farewell. They had to criss-cross about thirty kilometres in the thick jungle to arrive at their destination.
Mansi had worn back the same torn dress. Bare foot and half torn saluaar punjabi, Mansi started her second innings of the ‘race to save life’ unsure about where destiny is taking her. Only Nilkon knew the route. Traversing through the thick forest housed by wild animals like tiger, bear and poisonous snakes was not like suiting a horror film for them as the threat to their life at every step was very real. Thorns were piercing Mansi’s bare foot leading to continuous bleeding-thus passed that night, but the journey did not stop. As they were passing through a bare and stiff mountain, Mansi slipped over a stone and lost control. Barely saved as she caught hold of a small single branch tree; otherwise she would have fallen down by about hundred feet. Brahamanand and Hilkon pulled her up. Walking on, they arrived in Dandavadi and Jiduvadi villages where they took water after five days. They passed about four to five villages on their way. But as and when they were passing any village, just after some time they would hear the mob shouting barely half a kilometre behind! It seemed the mob was able to know their whereabouts-so feels Mansi.
Sun was setting; they had to cross a narrow but overflowing river. There was no bridge. There were two parallel strings tied across two trees on the both sides of the river. Without lifting the steps they cautiously slip their feet over the lower string and simultaneously holding the upper one. Mansi could feel that bloods from her feet were dropping on the river. Mentally and physically exhausted and traumatised, Mansi started laughing like a mad girl-just not able to know what is happening to her. They crossed the river, but that’s not over. As they passed a few yards ahead, suddenly she stopped and shouted. She was about to step over a long black snake sleeping on their way…again saved! They also encountered with a bear, though it did not harm them but quietly left.
In that night they arrived on Nilkon’s house and ate some biscuits. This is something they ate after seven days!
Eventually she managed to reach her home in Daringvadi where her family members had thought that she was already dead. After the eight days of nightmare, Mansi was behaving erratically. “I could know that I was behaving abnormally, but I was unable to help it out” says Mansi. Then she had to go through a series of counselling to be back to normalcy.
Mansi still cannot understand-why her beloved one ran amok after her? Neither could she nor the villagers could understand that taking advantage of their low level of awareness, how skilfully religion is used by the influential category in the society to divide people and take mileage-both political and religious.
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