142 Intellectuals Part: 1


    Vijayanagara Empire, WardhaTown, Maharashtra.


    Inside the Wardha police station.


    "Please, enough. I won''t do it again. Please let me go this one time."


    "ah"


    ...


    Satish, the police officer of Wardha vige which has now turned into a town, is dealing with small-time petty thieves in the vige. Ever since the highway road was constructed in their vige, the flow of traffic has increased, and the whole vige has be more connected to the outside world than ever before. However, this has also brought new problems. Before, the concept of money was very vague, as everyone shared the same social status. In case of any difficulty, the vigers helped each other, but since the vige got connected to the higherwork of the Empire, this environment and unity are unfortunately slowly fading away. Because a few people in the vige got very rich, as theirnds were very near to the main road, and a few whosends were a little further back, their valuations increased substantially. But it can''t stand up to theparison of people. Since then, a few rich farmers were formed in the vige, and being people with no cultural background, they behaved like Nouveau riche, showing off their wealth.


    With the increase in foot traffic and new visitors, a new ss of people was formed. Having a shop has be a popr upation for the people in the vige. Some started to own inns, while others began owning hotels. Some specialized in taking care of horses when travelling merchants or anyone else came. This led to another group of people bing very rich. However, despite the prosperity, some people were left out. The infrastructure of the caste system is still deeply ingrained in the society. People of lower castes are ced on the outskirts of the vige, and their farms and fields are located far ind, a few kilometres away from the main road. Due to jealousy or suffering from the injustices imposed by society, lower-caste men were left with nothing to do but engage in menial jobs again. A few among these men started to go in the wrong way, engaging in shady activities like stealing from travelling merchants or extorting money from small-time shops.


    Because of that, they were caught today and arrested by Satish for teaching them a lesson. ording to the rules, he should be punishing them most severely. But seeing as how they are barely in their teens, he chose to warn them for the first time.


    "sigh" He let out an audible sigh, thinking about another task given to him by his boss. It was about finding a person who was a famous poet and intellectual. Where could Satish find him?


    Soon, his contemtion was disturbed by an old man who entered the police station. Seeing the old maning in, he regained a smile on his face as he greeted, "What brings the old man Nagappa here?" Nagappa, the vige chief,ughed and replied loudly, "He he. It''s not anything that you don''t know about, right, Police Saab?"


    You also know that we are constructing a house, Saab, so the Griha Pravesh Pooja (Home inauguration ceremony) for that is in a week. I came to inform you, so please don''t forget toe and have a meal. Again, it will be held in a week. Don''t forget, Saab.


    Satish, upon hearing the news, congratted the old man in a teasing manner. "Ha ha, looks like you have made a lot of money by setting up an inn, old man Nagga."


    "Ha ha, it''s all God''s blessing."


    "Hehe, that''s right, Naga. I will apologize to you right now. I am not able toe to your house''s inauguration ceremony. The boss has sent me an urgent task to fulfil, and it is a very important task. So I won''t be able to apany you at the event."


    " Oh, what a pity. I wanted to introduce you to someone. But if it is so important, what can I do Anything about it?" Nagappa said regretfully as he was nning to introduce his niece to Satish, as he thought that Satish could be a good match for marriage. "Sigh."


    "What Is the task that you are given anyway?" Nagappa asked curiously.


    Satish hesitated, torn between whether to disclose the information or not. However, given that several other significant towns faced the same requirements, he ultimately decided it was okey to share the details with the old man.


    "Ohh, it is nothing really. It is to find a famous Intellectual called Tukaram. Apparently, His Majesty wants to see him immediately, and we are put on the search. *sigh*, where can I find this Krishna devotee?" Satish said in self-pity.


    "Yeah, that is a hard thing to do. Where can you find this... Wait, Tukaram? A devotee of Lord Krishna. Isn''t that simr to Tukoba?" He said as he suddenly remembered a person with an identical description to what Satish said.


    Satish, who heard Nagappa''s exmation, suddenly stared at him with light in his eyes, as if his face could speak. ''What is it? What do you know? Tell me everything.''


    Seeing that face, Nagappa was taken aback, and he got the shivers as he quickly replied. "A few years ago, this monk came to our vige to seek a quiet ce to meditate. At that time, we were still isted from the outside happenings. When he first came, we just thought of him as a normal monk. But it was only when the temple priest said that this person was a very famous schr, intellectual, and musician, we got to know how big of a saint he was. But considering this identity, we were not willing to take him in because at that time, we did not have enough courage to do so, and there was still the rule of the Mughals. Famous religious figures were highly persecuted, so we did not want any trouble for the vige. But still, feeling guilty, with the intent to do the right thing and with the pleading of the temple priest, I pointed a ce to stay towards the hill at the back of the vige, as the animals there are less frequent, and there is a natural cave in it. From that day, it is a rumour in the vige that the monk lives in the back mountain, and asionally, some songs could be heard."


    Satish knew he got his man, so he did not dy as he quickly gathered a few of his constables and left to meet this monk. Within a few hours, they were at the foothills of the mountain. As they got up to the mountain, he was surprised to see an old man who looked like he was in his 50s sitting under a banyan tree meditating. There was even a sitarid beside him. They were hesitant to disturb this old man, but as they got closer, the old man opened his eyes and smiled.


    Without Satish uttering a word, the man started to chant a sloka.


    ????? ?????????? ?????? ??????


    ?? ??????? ???????? ????? ?????????????


    ?????????? ??????? ????? ??????? ?????


    ??????? ???????? ????? ???????


    ?? ?????? , ?? ?????? .


    May all lifeform be well.


    Let No one suffer in any way.


    Lead us from darkness to light. Lead from misery to prosperity. O Vijaya , O Vijaya .


    After the sloka, he joined his hands and prayed to the heavens as he turned his head upwards. Later, with a calm attitude, he began toe towards Satish. Satish was still in stunned silence as he did not know what to expect next. But the next words of the old man broke his silence. "Are we not going to Vijayanagara, child? Let''s go."


    "Ah!.. OH!... Yes. Yes, Lord. Please, pleasee with me."


    Just like Tukaram, a lot of people were invited from inside the Vijayanagar Empire itself, which at present contains at least 9nguages, including thenguages of Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, and Sri Lanka. Vijay, instead of Urdu, decided to invite a knowledgeable person from the Gondu tribe,monly found in the areas of Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Tngana, Andhra Pradesh, and Odisha. Their history is also very long, longer than the Aryans. The Gond people are of Dravidian origin and can be traced back to the pre-Aryan era. The word "Gond"es from "Kond," which means "green mountains" in the Dravidiannguage. The Gond call themselves "Koi" or "Koiture," but generally, people call them Gond because they live in the green mountains. These Gondu people are the ones who still live a tribal life in various forests even in the 21st century, but they are very peaceful, so they are left alone in the past timeline.


    Despite being isted, they also participated in important matters concerning the region. At one time, they also helped fight the British.


    One of the most well-known among them was Komaram Bheem. Gond-born Bheem, a witness to tribal oppression, united Gond warriors andunched swift jungle strikes against the Nizam''s grip. Bheem''s fiery rebellion ignited the mes of Tngana''s uprising, forever etching in history as a champion of tribal rights and a beacon of justice.


    "???! ??????! ????!" - ?????? ????????? ?????


    "Water! Forests! Earth!" - The hoarse roar of the Gonds. N?v(el)B\\jnn


    To Be Continued...


    P.S. Please tell me if this feels like a data dump, If So I will reduce it it. Thank You.


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    Mithun_ReddyGaru