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City of Joy Chapter 1 – Part 1 by Dominique Lapierre HehadtheappearanceofaMogulwarrior:thickshockofcurlyhair,sideburns1

whichmetthedroopingcurveofhismoustache,astrong,stockytorso,long2

musculararmsandslightbowedlegs.Yetthirty-two-year-oldHasariPalwas3

merelyapeasant,oneofthefivehundredorsomillioninhabitantsofIndiawho4

werelookingtothegoddessEarthfortheirlivelihood.5

6

Hehadbuilthistwo-roomedhutwithmudwallsandathatchedroof;itwasa7

shortdistanceawayfromthevillageofBankuli,WestBengal,astateinnortheast8

IndialargethanScotlandandfivetimesaspopulatedasGreaterLondon.His9

wife,Aloka,wasayoungwomanwithaclearcomplexionandthelookofan10

angel.Thewingofhernosewaspiercedwithagoldringandherankleswere11

ornamentedwithbanglesthatjangledasshewalked.Shehadgivenhimthree12

children.Theeldest,twelve-year-oldAmrita,hadinheritsherfather’salmond13

eyesandhermother’speachskin.Ten-year-oldManoojandsix-year-oldShambu14

weretwosturdyboyswithblacktousledhairwhowouldfarratherchaselizards15

aroundthepondthanguidethebuffalointothefamilyricefield.Inthepeasant’s16

hometherelivedalsoHasari’sfather,Prodip,agauntmanwithalinedface,17

barredwithathin,greymoustache;hismotherNalini,abentoldwomenas18

wrinkledasawalnut;histwoyoungerbrotherswiththeirwivesandchildren-in19

all,sixteenpeople.20

21

Openingssetverylowintheframeworkofthehutmaintainedacertaindegreeof22

coolnessinthetorridsummer,andalittlewarmthduringthechillywinter23

nights.Shadedbyred-and-whitebougainvillaeas,anarrowverandaranalength24

ofthehutontwosides.25

26

Seatedbeneathaslopingporchroof,Alokawaspedallingatakindofwooden27

seesawwithapestlefixedtoits’end,amachinewhichservedtohusktherice.28

Tick-tack,tick-tack,asthepedalforthericemachineroseandfell,herdaughter,29

Amrita,pushednewhandfulsofgrainunderthepestle.Therice,removedinits30

husk,waspickedupandsortedbythegrandmother.Assoonasshehada31

basketfulshewenttoemptyitatthegola,asmallsilosetonpilesinthemiddle32

ofthecourtyard.Itsloftwasontwolevelsandservedsimultaneouslyasa33

granaryandadovecote.34

35

Allaroundthehutthegoldenriceplantationsstretchedasfarastheeyecould36

see,sprinkledwiththedarkgreenofmangoorchards,thelightgreenofpalm37

treeclustersandthesoftgreenofbamboogroves,setatfardistancesfromeach38

other.Likesparklinglaceworkreflectingtheblueofthesky,irrigationcanals39

stitchedthelandscapetightlyontosquares.Footbridgesformeddelicate40

arabesquesoverpoolscoveredwithlotuses,hyacinthsandducks.Childrenwith41

sticksdrovegreatshiningbuffaloacrossthesmalldikes,stirringupanochre-42

coloureddustastheywent.Attheendofthisstiflinglyhotday,thereddening43

discofSurya,theSungod,wassinkingbeyondthehorizon,andawelcome44

breezewasblowinginfromthesea.Fromthevast,flatexpanseofland45

resoundedthejoyouscryofamyriadbirdsswoopinglowoverthericetipsin46

salutetotheoncomingnight.Bengalwereindeedthecelebratedjewelof47

troubadoursandpoets,aparadisewhereonmoonlitnightsthegodKrishna48

cametoplayhisflutewiththegopis,hisplaymates,andtosweephisbeloved49

wife,Radha,intohisdance.50

51

Withthedisappearanceofthesuncame‘thehourofthecowdust’,thetimewhen52

thecattlecamebackfromtheirgrazing,themenreturnedfromthericefields,53

andthechickenscamehometoroost.Withhiscottonloinclothtuckedup54

betweenhislegstomakeiteasierforhimtowalk,HasariPalwhistledashe55

ambledpeaceablyalong,carryinghiswoodenploughoverhisshoulder.Asthe56

nightdrewon,thedovesredoubledtheircirclingandcooing.Inthetamarindsa57

tribeofmynahs,India’ssparrows,struckupadeafenedconcert.Twosquirrels58

stripedwiththe‘threefinger-marksofthegodRama’scamperedaboutinthe59

papaya.Heronsandegretsmadehastilyfortheirnests.Amangydogsniffedat60

thegroundinsearchofasuitableplacetospendthenight.Then,gradually,the61

high-pitchedsqueakofthecicadasfadedaway.Therewasthelasttick-tackof62

thericemachine-thensilence,asilencethatwasalmostimmediatelybrokeas63

thefrogsstarteduptheirchorus.Andabovethatthererosetherhythmiccroak64

ofabuffalotoad.65

66

Inlessthanfiveminutes,thetropicalnighthaddescendedupontheland.Asshe67

dideveryevening,Hasari’swife,Aloka,blewintoaconchshelltogreetthe68

goddessofthenight.Oneofhersisters-in-lawrangasmallbelltochasetowards69

theevilspirits,especiallythosewholivedinthehundred-year-oldbanyantreeat70

theendoftheroad.Thecowwastiedupintheshantythatservedasastable.For71

awhilearecalcitrantgoatforcedeveryonetoscatterabout,tryingtocatchit.72

Eventually,however,orderwasrestoredandHasaripulledabarbedgateacross73

theentrancetothecourtyard,tokeepoutjackalsandfoxes.Thenhismother74

performedaritualasancientasIndiaitself-shefilledtheoilinthelampwhich75

burnedbeforepolychromepicturesofthetutelarygods:RamaandhiswifeSita,76

goddessofthefruitsoftheearth;Lakshmi,thegoddessofprosperityseatedona77

lotusblossom;andCJanesh,theelephant-headedgodofgoodfortune.Twoother78

pictures,discolouredbytheyears,showedthechildlikefaceofKrishna,greedily79

swallowingabowlofbutter,apopularrepresentationoftheCowherdgodmost80

dearlovedbytheHindupeople;andtheMonkeygod,Hanuman,alegendary81

heroofsomeofthemostprodigiousadventuresofIndianmythology.82