ASSAMESE FOLKLORE:: The Sparrows

Once upon a time, in a small village in Assam, there lived two brothers. The two brothers were farmers and had a piece of land where they grew paddy for rice. One year, in their field, among the paddy plants, a pair of sparrows set up their nest.

After sometime, the She-Sparrow laid two eggs, and eagerly waited for her eggs to hatch. The He-Sparrow and the She-Sparrow took turns in sitting in the nest to keep the eggs warm. Soon, the eggs hatched into two small baby sparrows. The He-Sparrow and the She-Sparrow were very happy. They lovingly fed their babies. Slowly, the babies started growing.

In the meantime, the paddy also started growing. Each day, the brothers would come to the field and water the plants. They would also remove the weeds to help the paddy grow better. Soon the paddy was ready to be reaped. Seeing this, the She-Sparrow said to the He-Sparrow, “The farmer will soon reap the paddy for rice. That will destroy our nest. Our little ones are not ready to fly yet. What will we do?” The He-Sparrow assured her, “Do not worry. Some of the paddy is yet to ripen completely. It will take some time. We will start teaching our little ones to fly from next week.”

The sparrows soon started to teach their little ones to fly. Every day, they nudged the little ones out of the nest and encouraged them to fly. But they were very small. Even their wings were not fully grown. Then one day, they heard the two brothers talking. “Brother, this crop is ready to be harvested”, said the Younger Brother. The Older Brother replied, “You are right. We need to complete the harvesting soon. But this is a huge field. We will not be able to do it alone.” The Younger Brother said, “I have thought about that as well. Let’s talk to the village council. If all the villagers help us, we will complete the harvesting in one day!” “Great idea!” said the Older Brother, “I will talk to the council tomorrow and we can harvest on Sunday.”

The She-Sparrow started weeping. She said to the He-Sparrow, “Our little ones still cannot fly. We are all going to die.” But, the He-Sparrow smiled and said, “Don’t worry, Wife! I guarantee that they will not be harvesting on Sunday.” The She-Sparrow calmed down a bit, and they continued to teach their children to fly. On Sunday morning, the She-Sparrow was very worried. She could neither sleep nor eat. But the He-Sparrow stayed unfazed. And, surprise, surprise! Sunday came and went, and the two brothers did not come, and neither did the villagers.

On Monday, the two brothers again came to the field. “Brother, the villagers are so lazy. Nobody came yesterday,” complained the Older Brother. “I am getting worried. The paddy will get wasted if we do not harvest it soon,” said the Younger Brother. The Older Brother replied, “I will do one thing. Tomorrow I will ask our neighbours to help us and we can harvest next Sunday.” The Younger Brother was relieved. He smiled and said, “Oh yes! If the neighbours help us, we will be able to complete the harvesting in two days.” Both the brothers left the field happily.

The She-Sparrow became very worried since the babies were still not able to fly properly. But the He-Sparrow said, “Wife, don’t worry. They will not start the harvesting on Sunday.” This time, the She-Sparrow believed him. Indeed, just as the He-Sparrow had predicted, Sunday came and went. The two brothers did not come, and neither did their neighbours.

On Monday, the two brothers came to the field. The Younger Brother said in an angry voice, “Our neighbours are completely useless. No one came on Sunday.” The Older Brother said in a reassuring voice, “This time, we will ask our relatives to help. Blood is thicker than water, you know. They will definitely come.” The Younger Brother thought for some time and replied, “Yes, you are right. And, if we start next Sunday, we will be able to complete the harvesting in three days. That is not bad.” Saying this, they left the field arm in arm.

Hearing this conversation, the She-Sparrow looked at the He-Sparrow and said, “This time we are done for!” The He-Sparrow said, “Our babies can fly a little now. So, we can leave if we fly for short distances throughout the night. But, I don’t think they will be doing the harvesting this Sunday.” “How can you be so sure?” asked the She-Sparrow in surprise. The He-Sparrow smiled and said, “Just wait and watch.” And, once again, he was proved right! Sunday came and went, and the two brothers did not come, and neither did their relatives.

Next day, the brothers came to the field early in the morning. They were depressed and worried. For a long time, they stood silently. Then the Older Brother spoke, “Brother, we cannot let the paddy rot. Let’s come tomorrow and start the harvesting ourselves.” The Younger Brother agreed, “Yes, it will take us about six days to complete the harvesting. But atleast, it will get done this time.” They silently walked off the field.

The He-Sparrow turned to the She-Sparrow and said, “Wife, tonight we will have to leave this field.” The She-Sparrow said ,”Well, maybe they won’t do the harvesting tomorrow. After all, they have always been postponing it.” The He-Sparrow replied, “Till now, they have been depending on others for the completion of their work. That is why their work was not getting done. But now, they have decided to do it on their own. So, the work will get completed.”

The sparrows flew away with their babies that night. And, next day, early in the morning, the two brothers started the harvesting.

© Copyright 2010, Private