Trymbakesvar
dhundhi was in the compound of the small temple when the rains came down. It was the end of Shravan, the beginning of Bhadrapad- end of the rains. The rains came down heavily like the climax of a story. Little Dhundhi, his hands holding the leaves of a nearby plant to his ears pranced around the temple compound for a while, pretending to be a rakshas. Inside was a shrine where milk poured drop by drop onto a ling. Encouraged by the drumming of the rain, he had been leaping about hopping from foot to foot, yelling. But the rain went on, uncaring, he realised. A forest ( of rain) to be crossed to get into the warm doorway of home. Dhundi walked into the temple, carrying his two 'ears' in his hand.
He played with water mixed with milk- like a thin milk into which he dipped his hand and it was lost. What came up, slowly, instead, was a stone, emerging like a small mountain in the mist. Trymbakesvar
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the camera pans over the painted large breasts covered with blue flowers, only the nipples visible, and climbs up, past the ogress' neck, to her waiting face in profile. it makes a similar movement up the second painted ogress. One of them has the face of a beautiful beast, the other, of a beautiful woman. With the second tilt up, we are up, among the trees, palms represented by a kind of chattri ( umbrella) that covers the head of kings.
Up front is a magical tree, it has trunk branches leaves made of beads held together. A little monkey with white round eyes, a dot of a pupil in each of them, peers down anxiously. The princess in captivity sits below, her small hand holding a large ring.
The monkey looks carefully, suddenly he slips, out of control and we see him turning circles as he slides down the tree trunk of beads, round and round his round white eyes are seen by us once in every round he turns. He slips out of the frame.,
A real little boy, plump, fair, about seven years old, lands unceremoniously by the feet and the large frame of a woman sitting on the ground. A long rope that he has tucked into his dhoti like a tail trails upon the floor. The woman laughs, the boy lets go of the wind he has been holding in his mouth..to denote a monkey.
Dhundhi attacks his mother.. "Don't laugh aayi( mother)"
She agrees with a nod of her head, but it takes time for the laugh to die out, her eyes water. Dhundhi runs away in a sulk, out into the white light beyond the open door..she calls out, promising she will not laugh next time.
The square before the temple..the temple is a painted background. A cow saunters past flower sellers, a few people go to pooja, it is the time of pitrapaksha, people are going to feed crows. A cluster of children pass by the frame. Up above, is a painted balcony. A woman stands next to a railing trailing a money plant.. on railing are carved in a small series of Queen Victoria in profile. Beyond them, beyond the temple spire a bright sun shines on the hill side of
