A book of 200 pages cant explain my relationship with my fathers homevillage, its one shade of gray.
recently in once in a while visits to the village (balapanuru), there is a wedding in pace, actually bunch of wedding. Something to do with auspicious months.
A day before wedding, one of the events. a small procession of people, goes around the village distributing wedding cards. 15-20 young men, each holding bunch of wedding cards. following a wedding band.
Leading holding a clarinet, 3-4 holding different kind of trumpet, 3-4 with different kind of drums. There are loud and sound rich then i expected. even for me that act look tedious. All of them are in suits, in that heat, at 10am. droplets of sweat visible on there face. Shockingly they are not in a hurry to the complete the possession, they are in less hurry then groom himself. Atleast in the beginning, people had rush the band every now and then, so they dont stick and play all the recent music numbers.
Event with min 100 members, possession with 20 men. i don’t know any of them, may be a 5-6 i can recognize by face. Almost all of them know my father, almost all of them know my grandmother and grandfather. My great grand mother was quite recognizable, i was told.
If anyone ask me who i am, telling my name will be a bad choice. Either my father’s or my great grandmother’s grand child. I was never long enough, in the village to make friends and hangout with my age people. or for anyone to know me beyond my name and my family.
I dont know how whole village looks, i never put efforts, when i am hear i am mostly at home. or following my father to events. This Possession was an opportunity. If you have any idea, how thing happens in India, you would know. In this possession, band was at the front atleast at the beginning, then people got tired of how slow band is. And crossed them. As we are passing through the village, everybody branching out, with impulse.
I covered the most village, i believe. like a ball of eyes. one street to another, …………………………………………………………………….”………..